Things to get excited about

In getting ready to head out to the theater yesterday, I noticed 2 little purple crocuses, still tightly furled, under the little boxwood near the front door. I'll have to patrol the yard tomorrow (won't have time today between church and leaving for the matinee) to see where the other early crocuses are making their appearance.

And KL confirmed that she and LC will be coming out from KY and OR for a WHOLE WEEK in July!!! This will be SOOO great! Poor Chief won't see much of me, and when he does, he won't be able to get a word in edgewise, the 3 of us will have so much to get caught up on. We'll probably spend most of that time at the cabin, but I'll try to bring them to the house at least overnight so they can see the results of the 7-month remodel they've heard so much about (and LC can see how much her room & bathroom have changed).

Diiferent kind of audition

The local MLB franchise is having auditions in 2 weeks for people to sing the national anthem before their home games. I've got one of the slots! As do several people in the company with whom I'm doing La Belle Helene (I forwarded the audition notice to the company's listserv). No information yet ("keep it to 90 mins, and keep it TRADITIONAL"), but that's promised in a week or so.

Taking a few minutes to get caught up

Week ago Thursday: Finally decided to take the plunge and join Weight Watchers. Right before tech week may not be the best timing, but might as well. Wish me luck!

Week ago Sunday: load-in and cue-to-cue, first rehearsal on the set. Not the usual unmitigated disaster, which seems to be a decent sign. Tech week in general had its glitches, but not too bad. However, this show is l-o-n-g (3 acts, running 3 hrs 15 mins w/ 2 intermissions) and when I'm on stage, all I do is stand. My feet hate character shoes, so my feet and back are hating me right about now. The Chief is on set crew, so we actually get to see each other backstage, which is always nice. He's not crazy about the show - doesn't find it has any "catchy tunes" - so he'll be happier than usual when this closes and he doesn't have to ignore it any more. ;)

We opened last night. A few pregnant pauses (director felt at least one "10-month pause" in there) and a few wording glitches, but the audience was quite lively, and the windstorms that downed at least 5 huge trees on the theater grounds did not knock out the power, for which we were OH so grateful!

Beautiful definition of success

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is the meaning of success.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Only my 2nd straight play since high school

Found out Tuesday that I've been cast in The Burial at Thebes. A new translation of Sophocles' Antigone, it has the usual Greek chorus, of which I'll be a member. It'll be interesting to be in a chorus that doesn't sing, and I'll face the challenge of learning text not set to music, but I've done it before so I know I'll manage.

I haven't done a straight play (i.e., no music) in 5 or 6 years, unless you count the non-singing role of Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie a few years ago. This will also be the very first tragedy I've ever done, and the first classic Greek drama; I'm looking forward to seeing how the director handles the chorus.

First Parade Magazine, now the coupon flyer

Tonight I finally got around to trying a recipe I'd pulled out of one of the Sunday coupon flyers, for Margarita Chicken. To my surprise, it was actually very good! I'm sure the "juice & zest of one lime" had a lot to do with that. I had my doubts when I started, but I'm glad I decided to take the plunge, and so is the Chief. We'll definitely be making this again.

Margarita Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 c. canola oil (I used extra-light olive oil)
1 lime
2 Tbsp. honey
2 c. finely crushed tortilla chips
1 can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, juice & all
1/4-1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 c. shredded Monterey jack/cheddar cheese

Mix oil, juice & zest from the lime. honey in a bowl. Dip chicken in mixture and roll in tortilla crumbs to coat. Place in baking dish; bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Puree tomatoes, cilantro in blender. (Save some cilantro for garnish.) Remove chicken from oven, cover w/ puree, top with cheese. Return chicken to oven for about 5 mins. to melt the cheese.

Christmas present worth waiting for!

The Chief ordered me a lovely wooden music stand for Christmas. The company was so backlogged that we were originally given an April shipping date. However, they were obviously being very conservative in their estimate, as my music stand arrived today! The Chief had it all assembled and ready to go by the time I got home from work, and I just had to get pictures to show off. Natural maple, all that lovely fancywork - seems a shame to cover it up with music! :-)

A reason to read Parade magazine

I have no idea how long Parade Magazine's been running its "Sunday dinner" feature, but a couple of weeks ago I actually looked at it instead of paging past it. The recipe was someone's mother's meatball recipe, which sounded pretty good. Added one or 2 ingredients to the next grocery list, made a batch of meatballs and, after the 2nd dinner (when the flavors had had time to "develop"), decided I'm gonna hafta start paying attention to these recipes! I just made another batch this afternoon between church & rehearsal and left the meatballs simmering in sauce for about 6 hours, so the flavors had lots and lots of time to get blended. The Chief already had last night's leftovers ready for dinner when I got home tonight, but I'm looking forward to dinner tomorrow night!

Today's recipe was for a flourless chocolate cake - perfect to offer family and friends who can't eat gluten, and with only 4 ingredients, it looks pretty easy, too. Just need to add eggs and quality semi-sweet chocolate to this week's grocery list...

Back in the audition saddle again

Last week I auditioned for a production of The Cocktail Hour. I knew going in that it was a longshot - only 2 women's roles, and with one of those a woman in her 40s and the other that woman's mom, I was not at all surprised to see plenty of us vying for those 2 roles. I don't think I read badly, but so many of the others read well that I knew when I left that I wouldn't be cast.

This afternoon I had an audition for The Burial at Thebes, one of these "cheery" little plays in which nearly all the play's characters end up dead at the end. Having attended a funeral earlier in the day, I arrived at the theater in my black suit, which seemed suited to the subject matter. (Doubt is currently running there and the director told me my "attire" fit right in with the set.) While I thought some of the other women read very well indeed, I thought I read reasonably well, and I had easily the biggest voice there (a couple of the other, very strong women were a bit hard to hear at times). I was pleased to learn that I made callbacks, but frustrated by the fact that I've got a rehearsal that night. I've never run into this before; wonder how it'll work out?

Another funeral

The service for LH's mom was this morning. Weather was pretty cooperative, considering - a light mist rather than the sleet that was in the forecast a few days ago. Rain always feels right for a funeral, somehow, as if God's sharing our pain.

I went from there to an audition for The Burial at Thebes. I didn't bother to change out of my black suit; given that nearly all the play's characters end up dead at the end, funereal black seemed completely appropriate.

Different forecast

Every so often, this strip makes me laugh out loud: