MckPrayers

One of my friends from The Knot and The Nest, Jessica, alerted me to the story of Baby Stellan today, via her Facebook status. I just spent my entire lunch hour reading about this incredible family and their unyielding faith in the presence of such struggles and adversity. Please click on the link below to read about MckMama and her family, and make sure you take time to read the story of Stellan, the courageous 4-month old baby with a scary heart condition:

Perfectly Marvelous

The news of Natasha Richardson's tragic and unnecessary death had really been on my heart and mind today. What a beautiful and talented woman she was, and one of the few in Hollywood who had a marriage people could look up to. Below is a clip of Natasha as Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret.

Rest in peace, Natasha.

Carmen, je t'aime!

Everybody, meet Carmen. Carmen, meet everybody.

Obviously, we kept the dog.

We did put up lots of a few "Found Puppy" signs and we DID take her to the vet so that we could have her scanned for a microchip (none were found, btw, but they DID find fleas, ticks and worms. Yay.). So, she's been ours for just over a week now.

Operaboy has been FANTASTIC with her, since he's home during the day. The result of which is that she loves him more than she loves me, but that's okay. She snuggles with Mommy on the weekends while Daddy sleeps in.

Right now we're in the middle of potty training and crate training, neither of which are easy OR fun. She kept me up, whining, until 3:30am on Monday night, so yesterday was a very bleary-eyed day for me. We also think she was a bit mad at us on Monday night. She fought us tooth and nail on her last dose of worming medication (nummy!) and peed in the house 3 times that day (for which she was promptly taken outside and left there while we cleaned up), AND we put her in her crate alone for the first time in the living room while we slept. Ack. I was ready to punt her across the street by yesterday morning.

However, yesterday was a VERY good day. No messes in the house, she went on a walk with us on her new leash, and she stayed in the crate for a few hours at a time during the day yesterday so that she could get acclimated to it. No whining last night from what I've heard anyway (I crashed at 9pm after going all day on 4 hours sleep yesterday). She's being VERY good. Operaboy said she even hung out in her crate (with the door open) for a few hours yesterday evening while he worked on his opera.

Which brings me to her name...

Operaboy is preparing for and learning three opera choruses right now in preparation for his upcoming gig with Ft. Worth Opera. One of them happens to be Bizet's Carmen. He was working on this opera when we found the puppy, AND she's kind of a little gypsy (since we found her wandering) AND we've always wanted to pick an operatic or musical name for our first pet. Thus she was christened Carmen.

NOT Sarah Brightman, as my friend Justin so strongly recommended, though he continues to call her that.

So, I guess we expanded our family before we were ready, but we're blessed nonetheless. Let's hope this trend DOES NOT continue, if you get my drift.

But really...how could we say no to that face?

Found a puppy!

This morning as Operaboy and I were leaving the house, we noticed we had a visitor!

Operaboy kept looking over at our hedges near the gate to the backyard with a funny look on his face, and I said "What are you doing? Let's go!" Finally he said, "Do you hear that?" I stopped and I heard what he was talking about...our hedges were rustling. Suddenly a sweet little puppy face popped out!

She had burrowed herself way back into our hedges. She went right back in and came out on the other side and made her way toward me cautiously (and I her in the same fashion). She looked very wobbly, which implied either fear or youth (or both) to me. She wasn't wearing a collar or tags, either. :( I had to go to work, and as we were driving away she backed herself back into the hedge (very odd behavior).

When Operaboy got home, he got in G-mail chat and told me that he'd let her in the house (ack!) and that she was passed out watching ESPN. Haha! Those are the pictures above. She was very sweet to him and not bitey or aggressive at all. I told him to let her outside and go get her some food, at least until we can put up some flyers and/or call the newspaper.

I'll take some better pictures of her face tonight to make the flyers, but we think she might have a little pit bull in her, and maybe some beagle, based on her eyes, coloring, and ears. Who knows, though. This is bad...I want her! I am already thinking of names for her, which I really shouldn't do b/c I'll just get attached!

Part of me is hoping that nobody will claim her! One of the LAST things we need right now is a puppy, but she did find our house, so who knows! I'll update when I can...

Opening Weekend

Well, we did it!

This past weekend we finally opened the show, and I have to say it was a rousing success. Even with (what I felt was) little advertising, word-of-mouth must have gotten around, because we had fairly full houses on both Friday (opening) and Saturday nights. Sunday's matinee was very sparse, but they were still a supportive and energetic crowd.

Two of my fellow bloggers showed up as well, so thank you to Carie and Smash for showing up and being so supportive and fun! Carie blogged about her thoughts here, and even included a few GREAT pictures! I LOVE the one of the marquee outside the theatre and of course the one of Carie and me together after the show. Please excuse the excess of makeup...I hadn't gotten out of costume and make up yet. :)

I'm already a little sad knowing that this weekend is our last, and I can't believe there are only 3 performances left. I love this show, and I could play this role forever and never get tired of it.

This cast and crew has been so great, and I love everyone of them for so many reasons.

Next on the docket: auditions for Crazy For You tomorrow night! No rest for the weary!

Teaser Tuesdays - 2/10

Teaser Tuesdays: Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

My Teaser sentences:

Bobby: I rushed out of there and I drove around until I could find a liquor store and a drugstore open and I got all this champagne and the oil and finally I started back to the motel and -- I --could not -- find -- it. I looked for over three hours.

From the libretto of "Company," the musical I'm currently working on. Book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

You guys? I don't have time to read. I PROMISE that as of March 1st I'll be done with this show and will actually start reading and posting real "Teaser Tuesdays" posts again. Sorry. :)

The Last Concert

I VERY rarely check MySpace anymore. (Haven't you heard? Facebook is the only way to go!) This morning, I felt like I may have been neglecting poor MySpace, so I logged in. Much to my surprise, others are still using it, including an artist and friend over at the UNT College of Music. He had written a new blog entry, and it really spoke to me. I felt the need to share it with you, my loyal readers (all dozen or so of you). Read, and enjoy:

The last concert....


Friday night I did something I have done many times- I sang a concert. I greeted members of the audience,congratulated my colleagues, and drove home. I took off my tux, put my studs and cuff links in the jewelry box, and dressed for bed.

Some years ago as I did that, I began to muse on how often most men wear a tuxedo. Maybe two or three times-the senior prom, their wedding, weddings of friends and family. But it is something I do several times a year. I actually have something of a
ritual. I take the tux to the cleaners, so I won't have to think about it next time. I put the score back on the shelf. I make a folder for the program, reviews, etc. and put it in the "Performances" file cabinet drawer.

As I thought about singing concerts, though, it occurred to me that one day I will do
it for the last time. One last time I will greet the audience, congratulate my
colleagues, drive home, and take off my tux. Will I know it's the last time? If I do, will it make a difference in how I sing? Will I be a weepy mess, or will I give the performance of a lifetime?

At that moment I softly voiced a prayer that I would not live to see the day when I wasn't singing. Of course,that would mean that I will die with SOMETHING left unsung. But perhaps that is for the best. I have known singers who stopped singing with many years left in their lives. True, they found satisfaction in other things. They taught,traveled, spent time with hobbies they had neglected during their singing
careers. They enjoyed time with their children and grandchildren, making up for
lost time.

But I want to sing. I want to sing until the end. Let me die onstage just like Leonard Warren, and I will die happy. I would die doing what I love to do.

If I do get to choose the time and place of my "last concert", I imagine it will be at my church. I will close with "Give me Jesus"...

"Oh when I come to die, Give me Jesus..."

But God only knows...

I know how he feels.