Wednesday, June 24th
It's too darn hot! The temperature has been hovering around 100 with a heat index of over 110 for the last week. It's too hot to be outside more than a few minutes without feeling exhausted and I've been battling a viral something for the last few days so all I've wanted to do is lie in bed and watch bad TV. I have managed, however, to get myself up and around and to work. Things are relatively calm around the University this week, fortunately, but that could change at any moment and there are occasional disturbing rumors in the air.
'The Taming of the Shrew' is blocked and rehearsals are on hiatus for a while as most of the cast seems to be involved with a production of 'Beauty and the Beast' that's happening in July. Tommy and I will be out of town during that period so I have to get on the stick and learn lines during this next month so I don't have to wander around with the book in my hands too much when we return. Given the way the summer is going, I hope to hell that my costume is something flowing and cotton rather than some tight wool tunic.
We're singing in a concert of music arranged by a composer/music director friend of ours this weekend. Couple more rehearsals of that coming up - then there's not much on the calendar before we head out of town in mid July. I am so looking forward to some time on a beach unplugged from the grid.
Tuesday, June 9th
I've been remiss at updating again. Bad Andy. No pizza for you. What's been going on? The university craziness seems to be settling down slightly so maybe we are over the hump when it comes to budget issues and the like. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It was getting so bad, that I dropped out of the restoration comedy I was rehearsing. I just couldn't handle that on top of everything going on at work plus the extra hours I've had to put in on administrative issues. Shakespeare is still on the books for August and I assume that things will be calm enough by then for that to work.
I sang in my first formal recital this past weekend, 'Try to Remember' and 'They Call The Wind Maria', both in the original keys so my range has expanded as I can hit the F at the end of Maria without too much difficulty. Couldn't have done that a couple of years ago. I much prefer performing in context than standing up and singing. Nothing to hide behind. Got some nice compliments anyway. The Men's Chorus also sang in Tuscaloosa last week and will sing again this weekend for the Birmingham Pride festival.
We had a flood in the basement a couple of months ago from a leaking air conditioning drain. Fortunately, not too much was damaged or destroyed but it is forcing us to actually redo the basement, bad economy or not. I'm dealing with insurance adjusters and the like but, with luck, it will be viable studio space by next spring.
Not a lot on the books for the next few weeks. I think I need to keep it that way before my brain fries.
