Lately

We are about 2 and a half weeks away from the show. My weeks have consisted of work and rehearsals and my weekends consisted of a weekly cast party and building the set. I value sleep more than almost any other thing at this point. Sleep and protein....because I've been dancing a lot and also trying to keep up my bodypump routine. I've been told that tomorrow evening is our last off until after the show ends so I stocked up on vitamins, meds, and quick meals at Costco the other day. There has been no time to cook and I'd like to stop eating out. Briefly, here's what else I've been up to/have been able to fit into the schedule!

• The Shakespeare Theatre Company!
• Mike bought us a subscription to The Shakespeare Theatre Company's 2013-2014 season! The subscription makes the cost per ticket about $18/person (for 6 shows) which is an amazing deal considering the production quality of the shows. Such a deal and experience! I didn't even care that I wasn't into Shakespeare that much! (They actually do shows that aren't Shakespeare too.) Although I do like the stories, I've never been a fan of the Shakespearean English. Mike swore to me that if I didn't like the way this company did Shakespeare, then he would leave it alone. First for the season was Measure for Measure. They set the show in late 1920s/early 1930s which is coincidentally THE EXACT TIME PERIOD Cabaret is set in. Although I still had some trouble understanding the dialogue, the show was amazing and thought-provoking. I can't wait for the rest of the season!
• Fave Quote: "I am a kind of burr; I shall stick."
• Sriracha
• Do yourself a favor. Buy this and put it on everything ESPECIALLY lasagna, pizza (from Wise Guys if you're awesome), burgers, italian, etc.....It's hard to go wrong. MJ and I have a secret stash of the stuff, but I'm contemplating getting my own for work.
• Parks and Rec
• There are new episodes on Netflix which I may have spoiled for Zan and Absi at Absi's "Halloweentown" party, but I still think they'll enjoy it! (Side note: If you don't know what Halloweentown is, I just can't help you.)
• Family group texting
• Court's pregnancy has made group texting the favorite mode of communication in my family. She is now in her final month so Court likes to send pictures of her growing belly every couple of days with a caption that says something akin to "When does it stop? It can't get bigger" and "Can't sleep, too large"...She also sends pictures of pretty much everything she's bought for Ashton. I love this play by play because it lets me feel like we're all experiencing this together.
• Protein/Veggies
• I know the emergence of Fall is normally my cue to eat every pumpkin flavored thing in sight and to fall in love with cappuccinos and nutella lattes all over again, but this Fall is a bit different. TJ's, the mecca of Fall-themed goodies, is now further away than Costco, where I only have to say no to the 2 gallon pack of vanilla ice cream and a a 5lb bag of chocolate chips. It was very sad having to leave the store without these last time, but for the best. With all of the dancing and late nights we've had, it's become even more important to eat healthy or your body starts to rebel. Mike and I both turn into awkward zombies when we haven't been sleeping well. It's also flu season. Plus, we have about 3 more weeks of rehearsals and tech every. single. day so I figure we can use all the sleep, vitamins, veggies, water, and protein we can get.
•  Playing Dress Up
• I've been enjoying the new cool weather with tights, boots, and coats, but I've also enjoyed dressing up for the cast parties every weekend. I love fall fashion, but between professional clothes and workout clothes, I don't get to experiment with a lot. At least with the parties, I have an excuse to wear all of the dresses I rationalize to myself that I need.
• Weekends that become a blur
• In the past few weekends MJ and I were able to:
• Go to all the cast parties (including hosting one)
• Get dinner with my Little, Jenny (Mike met her for the first time!)
• Spend our weekend day hours building sets (me) or practicing for mock trial (him)
• Go to a Shakespeare show
• Attend part of a Star Wars marathon
• Go to Absi's Halloweentown party
• At the end, our sense of time is warped and we're left wondering how the weekend is gone (or  is that just me?), but then we realize how we did end up getting everything done that needed to be done and we had some quality moments with friends along the way.
• These are all the pictures I've taken lately

MVM, Justine, me, Mike, Josh

Me, Mike, and Josh not ready for the pictures

With Bethany. Tribe Pride. 

And of course one with Benjamin

Vocab Lessons

Turns out that being a part of a community theater production is a bit of a language and cultural immersion. I thought I was already fully immersed! But, no, because here is a list of new terms I have started hearing and using (and probably improperly)...

Note: This is what I have assumed things to mean. I do not ask questions about what these things mean while they're being said because I don't want to be the obvious Newb.

• Call 
• Definition: This is basically the time when you have to be somewhere. 
• Use it in a sentence: Me: "When should I ask off work during show week?" Stage Manager: "Calls generally range from 6-7pm."
• Sitzprobe
• Definition: Hmmm...a seated rehearsal with the orchestra. Basically. Though I don't think actors are seated, just the orchestra. 
• Use it in a sentence: It was during our first sitzprobe rehearsal that the show really started to come alive with sound.
• Stumblethrough
• Definition: You walk through the entire show without knowing all of it to get an idea for pacing and staging issues.
• Use it in a sentence: My ego is still trying to recover from stumblethrough.
• Singthrough
• Definition: The first time you sing through the entire show with the cast.
• Use it in a sentence: Can we sit besides each other at singthrough so that I can hear what the notes are suppose to be?
• "Thank you, ____"
• Definition: It's this reply people say when they've been given a 5/10 minute warning. 
• Use it in a sentence: Someone important: "5 minutes, people!" The people who know what they're doing: "Thank you, five." Me: ........
• Chest voice
• Definition: Singing from your chest. 
• Use it in a sentence: When someone belts, they're using their chest voice.
• Head voice
• Definition: Basically singing falsetto outside of your chest voice range.
• Use it in a sentence: I have to go up to head voice for the high notes.

Here's hoping I'm less obvious than I feel!

Also: I was not feeling particularly well yesterday and took the day off from work. I feel so much better today so it just goes to show you that sometimes listening to your mind/body and taking a day off to do nothing is exactly what's needed to get back on track. 

Building

I've been assigned to 'set crew' for the show. In the show, everyone gets assigned to a 'crew' to get done all of the things (in addition to the actual performances) that actually have to get done to make a show happen. There are a lot of 'things' like costumes, lighting, finding props, doing hair and makeup, and.....building the set. These responsibilities are all split up between the cast and production crew. Jeff is the master carpenter (boss) and usually brings coffee and munchkin donuts for us which make it way easier for me to wake up early to get there. (#willworkformunchkins) I'm not going to lie, I thought I would hate building stuff and would also be useless. I've found, though, that I get the same relaxing zen-like high from building things that I do from working out. Like group fitness, I feel like I'm a part of a team and I also feel really productive. There are many days at work where I feel like I have nothing tangible to show for my 8 hours, but at set crew, I always have something to 'show' and something to check off our list. Doing some of the scarier things (like using a chop saw by yourself) can be really empowering. As empowering and as fun as it is, I also feel a bit of sad nostalgia working around power tools and sawdust.

My dad made a living doing construction. He started out working for other people and then started his own business that specialized in home remodeling and additions, mostly small projects that he could do by himself and the way that he wanted. He wanted to do things 'right' and of high quality. When we were little, I remember my sisters and I spending many weekends on job sites and helping my dad out, learning names of tools and materials, and taking trips to Home Depot. We actually kinda loved the trips to Home Depot and Lowes. Even though my dad tried to keep us close by, we'd always try to hurry him to our favorite sections: the lights/chandeliers aisle, and the bed/bathroom model section. We would always play house in the 'model' section. My dad was very particular about the way he built things and very smart. I think I get my perfectionist side from him, but I did not get his math skills. I would be in awe of the way he could do all of the math related to building something in his head. He just got geometry and the way things fit together naturally. With 3 daughters, my dad was completely outnumbered by women in our family. Because I know us, I know how difficult that can be at times, but I don't think he minded one bit. Yes, he was happy to teach us the value of hard work and teach us some things about construction or yard work or the way things work. We have this inside joke about my dad when we went to Disney once as a family and his favorite part of the ENTIRE park was the Swiss Family Robinson tree house where he was completely entranced by "How do they get this steel to look like bamboo?" and how the constructed the tree to look so realistic. That was him.

Sometimes Mike reminds me about the best parts of my dad. Like: When he gets all excited about a new project and researches it to the point of exhaustion....When he tries to put my extremely large set of car keys (so I don't lose them) into his pocket, but they hang out and jingle when he walks... (My dad always wore his keys clipped to a belt loop.) When he is right about something (or I am wrong) and he gets a little smug about having taught me something new....Oh my goodness! He gets so excited about teaching me new things....about stuff I don't care that much about....like sound....and space. 

I speak about my dad in the past tense because he and I haven't really had a stable relationship since I graduated in college. My parents divorced my junior year of college and it wasn't really the divorce that was so bad for our family as the way it dragged on and on and all of the things that have happened since then. I will spare you the details with the point being that sometimes I get nostalgic for the dad that I knew. It's not necessarily a sad nostalgia because it's honestly nice to be able to remember things the way they were. He was a wonderful dad and I'm glad that building things has given me an opportunity to feel closer to that part of my past.