That was a nice surprise

One of the companies I've designed for this year had their end-of-season awards last night.  The show I designed in May did very well indeed - nominated in almost every category, every nominee in Best in a Minor Role was a cast member, and we won in every category but one.  No surprise that we took Best Production (out of a 7-production season).  I ended up taking home awards for both hair and makeup design.  Given that one of the other shows was Kinky Boots, I expected them to get the makeup award.  After all, if you've ever seen drag makeup, you know it can be quite elaborate.  Nope, I got that award, too.  The Chief was confident I was going to take home both awards; I wasn't as confident, or maybe I just didn't want to get my hopes up.  My husband, however, is my biggest fan and told me on the drive home that he knew I was gonna win both.  

These things are at least 6" tall and heavy!  Drop that on your foot and you'll hurt or even break something.  They sure look pretty on our mantel, though.

One of the productions was School of Rock and the front row of the theater was filled with kids from that cast.  It was fun to watch them all bouncing and cheering and generally having a great time.  My favorite moment of the evening, though, was when 2 of their number, who had shared a role, won for Best Junior Performance.  They all lost their minds, jumping around, cheering, yelling, and mobbing the 2 honorees with hugs and congratulations.  I got a bit emotional seeing how thrilled they were for their friends.  And it was obvious that they were indeed friends, even if they hadn't met each other before being cast in the show.

All in all, it was a nice evening.  Award ceremonies can be tedious but in this case you could feel the love.  Several of the awards are named for past members of the company and in at least 2 cases were presented by family members.  It seemed like everyone was congratulating everyone else, people were dishing out compliments to friends and strangers alike, and if you were carrying one of the boxes the awards were presented in, you got congratulated.  At least one person told me at the end of the evening that they were really regretting not seeing "my" show.

I went home with a very tired throat.  Not from yelling & cheering - I knew not to compromise my recovery - but from trying to talk in a space full of very chatty people.  The evening's energy was so positive, though, that I'd say it was worth it.

Homeowner woes

 I’m barely a week post-op, should be lolling around with my feet up.  Instead, the Chief and I were online last night shopping for a freezer to replace the one that died on us the other day.  That sorted, today has been spent trying to rescue the thawed and thawing food.  Some went to our yard/handyman, more will go to friends with fridge space.

The turkey thighs are cooking and will become tetrazzini.  A LOT of tetrazzini, which of course we can’t freeze.  That may also go to our friends with fridge space.

Most of the frozen vegetables went into 2 enormous batches of orange soup (named for its color) and veggie-beef soup, filling my 8-quart and 12-quart pots respectively.  You get 2 pics of the orange soup because first I cook all the vegetables (no oranges), then I puree everything for a nice texture.

 

The Chief cooked up 2 bags of no-longer-frozen peas, blenderized them, and added them to the home-made pea soup friends gave him last night.  More food that won’t fit into the fridge and which we can’t freeze.  😜

 

Update:  We got lucky - our friends had plenty of space in their fridge.  We saved them a grocery trip, they saved us from having to throw out perfectly good food.  Win win! 

Another lovely birthday bash

Several years ago we learned that my former pastor and the Chief both have July birthdays, so we started having joint birthday parties.  Sometimes it was just the 3 of us, sometimes more; sometimes we grilled, or cooked in, and last year we experimented with having an Italian place cater it.  (Not bad, but not as good as we'd hoped.)  This year the Chief decided he wanted to host a group for lunch at the Italian place.

Today 10 of us assembled at noon and filled up a round table, so we could all face each other.  The restaurant serves groups of 8+ family style.  This meant that we chose a salad, an appetizer, 2 pasta dishes, 2 meat dishes, and 2 desserts for the table to share.  They brought out 2 plates of each item, with the salad & appetizer coming out together, and starting around the table.  We quickly found that passing the dishes around, and "who wants the last stuffed mushroom?" or "anyone want more lasagna?" only added to the fun.

Not only were we celebrating the 2 birthdays, but 2 of our number were newlyweds, adding to the fun.  M, who's a talented photographer, got pictures of everyone on her phone, including the plate of pretty little cookies w/ lit tapers anchored in a strawberry, presented to each of the birthday boys.

The service was leisurely, which was just fine - we had a group that didn't get to gather nearly often enough, and the new groom was new to most of us, so we had time to get past introductions.

What a wonderful way to pass nearly 3 hours on a perfect summer afternoon - the day was not too hot, the humidity was (finally) low, and there was a nice breeze.  The Chief is already talking about what he wants to do next year - go back to this restaurant, find a different one, or do something here at the house?

Cancer, the serial killer, is at it again

Not only is the Chief undergoing treatment for cancer, but a friend's MIL has a stage-4 diagnosis, and another friend at church was recently diagnosed and will soon start chemo.  One of her daughters, also a church friend, lost her husband to cancer just a few years ago, so she's having a particularly difficult time of it.

Last week, a couple we know who for the past decade or more have done fund-raiser bike rides for cancer research came to the show I was teching.  (She's a cancer survivor.)  I shared about how VERY many people the Chief & I know who have had cancer, and how many we've lost to it.  "Kill it with fire!  Bury it with a mouthful of garlic and several stakes through its heart!"

This is the first January in 3 or 4 years when we haven't attended a funeral.  When I start to think of all the people I've known who've dealt with cancer, I keep thinking of more - there are SO MANY.  😢

Wow, it's been a while!

Let's see, what's been keeping me busy?

1. overlapping shows since October
2. the news that the Chief's cancer is back
3. dealing with all his pre-treatment tests and assessments
4. a relatively last-minute decision to host another Christmas open house, once we knew the Chief's medical schedule
5. a quick trip to visit my family over the weekend between Christmas and New Year's
6. a show that loaded in the first weekend in January
7. rehearsal and design work for my late-February show
8. TONS of pre-class homework for my musical theater workshop

Yep, been busy lately.

Another Sing-Out!

It's that time again!  Every 5 years, the theater company I keep coming back to hosts a marathon Gilbert & Sullivan sing-along over Labor Day weekend.  You sing through all the music (but none of the dialogue) of all 13 surviving G&S shows.  (Their first collaboration, Thespis, or the Gods Grown Old, survives only in fragments.) 

This will be the 3rd sing-out for which the host company will present one of those shows in a semi-staged, concert version, with a full orchestra on stage w/ the singers, and the principals in costume.  The company chose Utopia, Limited and The Grand Duke for these concerts because those two are rarely done.  When we presented Grand Duke for the first concert production 10 years ago, the response was so positive that we ended up staging it in 2010.  The response to Utopia 5 years ago was similarly positive and apparently the company did consider staging it, but Utopia is harder to cast because it requires so many strong male voices - eleven!

The standard format is to break the shows into blocks for which people can register as participants, or buy tickets as audience members.  Friday night opens with the singing of "Hail Poetry" from The Pirates of Penzance - sort of an unofficial G&S "national anthem," if you will.  Three shows follow.  Saturday is the one full day - a 3-show block in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and the concert production and one other show after dinner.  Sunday wraps up with the remaining 3 shows, traditionally closing with The Gondoliers because the finale lyrics "leave you with feelings of pleasure."

Attendees come from up and down the eastern United States, the Midwest, the South, and sometimes even from Canada and the UK.  You get hardcore G&S scholars and fans, people who are completely new to G&S and the way the "veterans" quote from the shows, and everyone in between.  We have second-generation attendees, couples who met doing one G&S show or another, and people who've built long-distance friendships over Savoynet, the Gilbert & Sullivan Archive, or the International G&S Festival in England (first in Buxton, now in Harrogate).  Knowing a little G&S can serve as a connection when visiting or moving to new places (that's certainly been my experience), even if you've never had an opportunity to perform.  These sing-alongs are a sort of "family reunion" of G&S fans, of course, but also of opera and music lovers, fans of choral music (Sullivan wrote some rich, rewarding ensemble music for his performers), and those who enjoy wordplay of the sort Gilbert did so well.

I've already loaded my scores (including a few duplicates, just in case) into the cart I'll use for Saturday's marathon, got a hotel room booked near the theater, and am looking forward to singing my brains out this weekend! 😁💓🎵🎶🎵

Instagram 001, anyone?

I created an Instagram account a few weeks ago so I could see the makeup creations of someone George Takei posted about, but didn't touch the account again until this morning.  To my surprise, I've got 15 followers!  They must be disappointed in me; I have no clue how to use Instagram and haven't posted a thing.  Guess I'll hafta do an online search to find an Instagram how-to, or reach out to one of those followers for some instruction. 😊

A first - NOT cooking for a dinner party!

We had our annual July birthday party last month; we're now up to three honorees (the Chief and two clergy friends).  The Chief decided he wanted a larger group, of a dozen or so, and didn't want me killing myself in the kitchen.  As a result, we had an Italian restaurant cater the food.  We ordered 2 packages for 8, so we ended up with 2 kinds of salad, 2 pastas, 2 entrees, ciabatta bread, and a tray of single-serving desserts.

It felt so weird to do NO cooking AT ALL for a party.  We did still have dishes to do afterwards,  because sterling, crystal and good china DO NOT go in the dishwasher, but no dishes to do before guests arrived.  That meant we spent more time decluttering the house and generally getting it ready for company.

The woman who brought the food was very efficient in setting up, and easy to work with.  We're glad we have such a big kitchen island - plenty of room for 3 warming-pan racks, both salad varieties, and the tray of mini-desserts.  (The bread went on the table.)  Everyone loved the food, and the company was convivial as always, so the experiment was mostly a success.

I say "mostly" a success because the Chief & I decided that most of the food we ordered didn't keep too well in the warming pans; several things got dried out or rubbery (although the mushroom ravioli was very good).  We also weren't crazy about most of the desserts.  The chocolate things (chocolate-coated cake?) were popular, but I didn't love them; I liked the mini-cheesecakes and cremes brulees, but the Chief didn't; and the little apple pastries were better heated than room temperature.

The restaurant did a good job - had plenty of sturdy plasticware, deluxe paper napkins, at least 2 red-and-white-checked plastic tablecloths (which we declined), and the salads arrived in plastic bowls with fitted lids, not just plastic wrap.  However, because of the warming pan issue, we decided that next time we'd just make big pots of pasta and sauce and a big vat of salad; no need to have dozens of different offerings.

Recipe - modified rapture

While the Strawberry Cream on Shortbread didn't work out - I'll have to come up with something else to give the new neighbors - the berry trifle I took to this evening's party was a big success.  The cream filling was too thick to work down into the cake (layers were cake/filling/berries, repeat), so the cake was a bit dry.  However, it tasted good, and people were ridiculously impressed with how pretty it looked.  I actually had at least 2 people ask if I measured or used a ruler to place the strawberries!  No, I just placed 'em individually instead of throwing 'em in any old how, the way I did with the berries that don't show. 😄

What is it with January?!?

The Chief's BIL died of his cancer in mid-January and his widow, the Chief's sister, was put on hospice for hers at about the same time. This is 3 years running that we've had loved ones die, nearly all of them from cancer, in January.  And the Chief's mother got her terminal diagnosis in January.  T.S. Eliot was wrong: April isn't the cruelest month; January is, at least for us.

2017 continues to pile on

Let's see -

• neighbor & friend lost to cancer about 4 days apart in January
• Chief's brother, sister and her husband all dealing with various cancers
• Chief diagnosed w/ cancer at end of March, surgery at end of May
• two friends widowed very suddenly, about a month apart
• cousin diagnosed w/ cancer, died 3 weeks later!
• SIL and her husband both having to keep going after their cancers, which don't want to stay treated.

I think we could be forgiven for feeling like the universe is sorta piling on lately, and wondering "Who's next?"

More bad news

Just learned of someone's inoperable, stage-4 cancer diagnosis.  What IS it with this year?!?

RIP, Leta

Today was the memorial service for Leta, friend to many.  The reverend even commented on how full the church was; "It doesn't look like this on Sunday!"  What a testament to her spirit - unfailingly sunny, kind, generous, supportive...  The list goes on and on.

I called her my theater mentor because when I got started in community theater, I could always count on her for encouragement as I spread my wings and tried new things.  She would send me the occasional audition notice until I got a handle on where to find them myself.  She called me once about sewing body bags for a show she was directing (Incorruptible).  That was an interesting conversation, and funny because we were so matter-of-fact about it.  "How tall are the people?"  "Oh, most of these aren't for real people; just for fake bodies."  And so on.  Ah, the nuts and bolts of bringing a show to the stage. 😊

Leta was like that for so many people - among other things, she wrote and directed plays for young people, encouraging them in their love of anything and everything theater-related.  On stage, off stage - didn't matter.  Leta was delighted to support them.

Her father recounted a Facebook entry Leta posted back in November which he called "Leta's creed."  He felt so strongly about it that he had copies printed out for people to pick up at the memorial service.  I'll enter it in a separate post.

Cancer is a murdering serial killer!

Cancer is a murdering SOB.  The list of people I've lost to it, or people near & dear to me have lost to it, is lengthy:  Both my grandmothers; the little brother of 2 high school friends (while we were still in HS); the Chief's younger sister (and his older sister is now battling it); parents of too many friends; the Chief's mom; my mom; Mom's older brother; a friend last year; a neighbor earlier this week; and now The Flibbertigibbet.  She went suddenly (she was only diagnosed last month), and much too young.  She was the heart & soul of the local community theater world; odds are excellent that if you never worked on a show with her, you worked with someone who did, and everyone who's ever worked with her loved her.

I had to call a couple of out-of-town friends last night to let them know. The first one immediately asked about the Chief's and my health and ordered us to "stay healthy!"  I'd share that advice with you - please, for the sake of those who love you, take good care of yourself so you'll be around for a good, long time.

Our first holiday party

Since the Chief and I didn't travel for Christmas this year, we actually decorated (our first Christmas tree in years!) and even had a party Friday night.  I hadn't expected so many people (anyone, really) to bring gifts of wine - we started the evening with 7 bottles of red wine, for example, and ended up with 12!  This despite people actually drinking the wine we had on offer.  We could have at least 2 more parties without having to buy a single bottle!  Very little beer was drunk, either; the Chief had bought a goodly variety, very little of which was consumed.

Leftover food was easier; the cookies went to friends' house the next day (they were having a holiday brunch w/ optional cookie exchange), and we didn't have all that much left of the savory stuff - maybe 1 cup of dill dip, no more than 2 cups of hummus, and enough salmon spread and salsa for a nice Christmas Eve dinner. 😊  Some of the veggies got sauteed to accompany our Christmas lamb chops, and most of the rest went into a big pot of veggie-beef soup I made last night.

Next time we won't have to spend nearly as much on party supplies - we won't have to buy anything but food, as we have MORE than enough alcohol for at least one more party, maybe 2 or 3.

Having a lovely long weekend so far

The Chief & I are having a lovely Fourth weekend at the cabin.  The weather is so cool that I actually put on a (light) sweater this morning - it was only about 65 degrees when I left for an early-morning grocery run.  That's at least 15 degrees cooler than usual for this time of year, and not a patch on the years when the highs were regularly in triple digits (and no a/c at the cabin!).  It's lovely - we've got the windows open and are enjoying the birdsong.

Our huge rhododendron bush is in bloom and is very popular with the eastern tiger swallowtails.  Birds also love to hang out (and hide) in it, and this year we have new visitors, who have built a nest atop the bend of a nearby downspout.  So far I've only seen a glimpse of nestling wing or head; with luck, we'll get to see an actual baby bird before we leave.  I haven't figured out yet what kind of birds they are, but I'm sure the internet will help us identify them.

At the Chief's urging, I packed up my electronic keyboard and schlepped it out here so I could practice my fingerings more than once or twice before my next piano lesson.  I was also "encouraged" to do so by the knowledge that I'll be out of town again next weekend, for the first of two family weddings this year, and won't have access to a keyboard for the 5 days I'll be gone.  I sure hope my piano teacher doesn't dock my grade for that. ;)  It's actually kind of nice practicing here.  I set the keyboard up in the upstairs bedroom, where I have a decent amount of space, plenty of light, and am right under both the ceiling fan and a window, so it doesn't get too stuffy.  I can also close the bedroom door so I don't disturb the Chief if he's trying to study (yes, he brought his exam prep materials) or watch tv.

We're having 4 friends over for dinner tonight and some neighbors over for dinner tomorrow.  In both cases we'll be grilling; we also grilled chicken for dinner last night, so the grill is definitely getting a workout this weekend.  I enjoy standing in the kitchen fixing whatever side dishes we'll be having while the aroma of mesquite or hickory floats in through the open windows.  Yummm...

Finals underway

Turned in my take-home final this morning.  Still to do:  Script Analysis research paper; Tech Theater final (shop math and identification of tools and lighting instrument parts; that one will only need about an hour or so of review); research paper, monologue & scene for Acting I; and a design draft and execution for Stage Makeup.  Busy, busy, busy!

Oh, and Saturday holds my voice teacher's trunk show (she makes jewelry) and working concessions at a holiday show.

If I can just hang on through this weekend, I can breathe again.  And Monday I start working in earnest on "Lend Me a Tenor" designs.  (1930s styles are so lovely!)

Quiet Thanksgiving

The Chief and I had a quiet Thanksgiving a deux.  We found out we weren't going to have guests before we pulled the turkey out of the freezer, so we pulled out lamb shanks instead.  Very tasty, but greasy and a lotta work getting the meat off the bone (back to leg of lamb or chops).  Beautiful weather, too; I walked a few things to the post office today and didn't even need a jacket!

Got in a videochat with Dad yesterday on my brother's phone, talked to 2 sisters last night.  Left messages on 2 friends' voicemail and had a nice little chat with another friend this morning.  The Chief's brother is doing well.  And we'll be having lunch on Sunday with a friend we haven't seen in person in much too long.  Good weekend!

Costume party!

The Chief & I didn't hand out candy last night because we had an invitation to a costume party.  He was less than thrilled about getting dressed up - that's my thing, not his - but agreed to wear a few pieces that came together as a pirate costume.  He liked it better when I was able to give him a facial scar (collodion is great stuff for that!).  It was a rush job, done before dinner on the night, but not bad, considering.

My costume was vaguer.  I've got this royal-blue dress which I augmented with a bling-y necklace, a water-color-y scarf with fringed ends that I tied around my head, and a skirt made of tulle strips knotted onto another length of tulle.  I also took some blue, teal & purple eyeshadow and painted swirls on my face and neck.  (Wasn't the greatest make-up job in the world, but I was in a hurry.)  Guesses included the Blue Fairy and Tinkerbell.

I still hate "Company"

The Chief and I went to see a local production of "Company" tonight.  I am not a Sondheim fan, and I don't like any of the music in "Company"; I only went to support a few friends who were in it.  Neither one of us liked the show, which is pretty dated.  The one thing I did like was Joann's "Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch".  This Joann delivered it with all the bitterness it needed - well done!