Tuesday, December 29th
The last few weeks have been non-stop. I'm just starting to get a bit of a breather. Off to WV and KY for a week with the mine workers (and managing to high-tail it out of the mountains just before the blizzard hit) and then a return to holiday madness. Tommy had five holiday concerts to sing in, I had two and those or the rehearsals for them took up almost every night for the two weeks prior to the 25th. The concerts all went well, especailly the Magic City Choral Society one. We managed to fill Alys Stephens Center, not a bad feat for a group that's not even three years old yet.
Christmas Eve was devoted to Tommy's family. Christmas day and the following was devoted to getting all the construction dirt out of the house for our annual holiday open house. This was not an easy task as there was a layer of sheetrock dust on almost everything. Days of sweeping, vacuuming, wiping and cursing later, we did get almost all of it up, get the decorations in place, got food for 100+ on the table and were able to fling open the doors on schedule. Our holiday open house is a pretty good party and we think our friends enjoyed themselves.
Of course, several hours before the hordes descended, while I was busy trying to get the house in order, I missed a step and twisted my foot. I thought it was a bad sprain but when it did not get better after 24 hours, I hobbled off to the ER to find out that I have a comminuted fracture in my 5th metatarsal. I am therefore in a walking cast for the next four weeks, to be followed by an additional 4-6 weeks in a boot contraption. So much for tap class for the rest of the year. I don't hurt too much but it's going to be a pain clunking around the next few months.
'Aida' rehearsals really pick up starting next week. I should be out of my cast for performance. If I'm not, they can cut my robe long to hide it and I can make my hobble a character choice.
Thursday, December 10th
Bad Andy for not having written an update for a month. My excuse is too much to do in too little time. But that's been the story of my life for a very long while so I can only hide behind it a little bit.
What's been going on? Treading the boards again in CenterStage's production of 'A Christmas Story' (better known as Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB Gun or 'You'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid'). I'm one of the utility players filling in all the bit parts. Seven roles and ten changes in a two hour show. Keeps things from being boring backstage as I'm always taking something off or putting something on. Best scene is the Santa scene where I am one of the bad tempered elves. I suppose it's good practice if I am ever cast in 'The Santaland Diaries'. Four more shows to go and then this one wraps.
Tommy and I are also in rehearsal for 'Aida' (the Verdi, not the Elton John). I have the music more or less down but the Italian is still escaping me. I have another six or seven weeks to look like I know what I am singing. Rehearsals don't really gear up on it until after the first of the year, fortunately. In the meantime, Tommy has another opera gig and we have the holiday concert for the men's chorus to get through.
The basement clean out was completed on time and the contractor has gutted the floor. The framing for the new sheetrock is in place, the electrical has been adjusted and they will be finishing out the room over the next couple of weeks. We're still having some issues with the floor and cabinetry but they should be resolved relatively quickly. We hope to have it all done by the time Aida happens.
Tommy has finals next week and I am doing my usual West Virginia/Kentucky run. This takes a week out of holiday preparations so we are trying to get all the trees up early and have the house vaguely ready for our annual holiday do this weekend. I had to get a new Marilyn Monroe tree - the collection of Marilyn ornaments had outgrown the old one. The other trees should be done shortly. For those of you who are local, our annual do will be on Sunday the 27th from 2-8.
If I make it through February, I should be good for a while.
