Wienies and Operas and Cocktails, Oh my!

Remember that time I started a blog, and then I never had time to keep up with it.  Well, the last three weeks have proved quite challenging, and blogging has not been my top priority.  Actually staying above water has been my main objective lately.  And it hasn’t been easy.  I’d sit here and complain about everything; unfortunately that’s boring.  So instead I’ll tell you about how much weight I’ve gained.

If I had a scale, it would be broken.  I can’t believe what life in upstate New York can do to you!  Too many lunch and dinner breaks with no where to eat except a pizza joint, fried food/burger places, Chinese, or McDonald’s.  It is slim pickings to say the least.  I also never make the time to pack a lunch.  I need to get back to that because after a day of eating out twice and then a couple beers (or G&Ts), my waist line is ever expanding.

Thinking I was going to be good and not eat out, on my most recent day off, I roasted a chicken from the farmer’s market with lemon, rosemary, and garlic, but that lasted for only two meals between Ryan and me.  It was delicious.  If only it wasn’t so short lived (the meal, not the chicken).  Finding the time to grocery shop AND cook is like finding a needle in a hay stack.  Don’t you love my over-use of clichés in this blog entry?  It makes me want to puke…or that might be the fried chicken wrap I had for lunch or the cheeseburger I had for dinner.  Ah well.

Check out this link my friend sent me on facebook. 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/anteater/lobster-dogs/
The Literary Southern Belle has asked for more pictures of Oscar, but she’ll have to deal with just getting this link until I have more time.

I’m not the oldest or most experienced stage manager, nor am I the youngest.  And as my fabulous friend Little Ms Bossy would say, I’m “pushing” 30 and feeling it.  However, there is one thing I don’t think I’ll ever get over:  I get nervous on day one.  That first day of rehearsal just stresses me out.  And I don’t know why.  It’s usually one of the easiest days.  In the world of opera, we usually have a music rehearsal.  I sit and listen.  DONE!  And yet, there are always butterflies in my stomach.  The feeling I have forgotten something important, that I haven’t checked every minute detail of the rehearsal room is always there.  It’s ridiculous really.  Especially with my current show:  I have 5 singers.  Several of whom I already know, and the rest I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews (and by reviews I don’t mean the ones that are written in Opera News, but the ones from other SMs and directors).  To me, it’s great to work with an extremely talented singer; however, I just want him/her to be nice and friendly.  Singers can be needy; singers can be forgetful; singers can be self-centered; however, none of that matters if they are cordial.  I don’t care at all.  I love my job.  I love singers.  I already love my current cast.   And I had no reason to be stressed about today, but nevertheless, I was.  Now for a glass of wine or maybe scotch.

People are often afraid of driving where there is a lot of traffic and huge highways with six lanes.  However, the roads of upstate New York are just as treacherous.  I would even say they are more dangerous.  Specifically because you never know what you’re going to find on the road up here.  Today, I saved a tiny turtle on the GO drive way, which I thought was not only humanitarian of me, but a great way to start my new project:  Signs of Upstate New York!  The one sign this region is missing is a turtle crossing sign.

Let’s begin with all of the warning signs of what might be on the road.  And the roads around here are hilly and windy, so you can easily run smack into something you didn’t see coming. 

Deer are actually a major problem.  Someone every summer hits one, and they’ll demolish your car, and you, if you’re not careful.  It’s part of orientation to warn the newbies about the deer.  Yesterday I saw a family crossing the street right by the opera.  It was a mommy and two cute babies.  Their bodies were smaller than Oscar with cute speckles, and their legs were itty-bitty and wobbly.  Adorable.

During our busy season, this is the most important sign for all travelers.  It's probably the most famous sign to anyone who works at GO.

Cow Crossing:  this is actually one of my favorite warning signs.  Several dairy farms have them because they have grazing pastures on both sides of the road and have to take their cutie cows across the dangerous path.

Below are some other warning signs that are around the farms and quite typical.

The snowmobile warning is hilarious because I’m always around here in the summer.  I also enjoy the qualifier that the sign is only in effect from Dec. 1 to April 1.  Let’s hope so!

The Costumer Conqueror asked me to take the above picture; it’s a sign I haven’t seen in years.  It brings a smile to her face every time she passes it.  I don’t travel the road it’s on very often, so it was a treat for me today as well.

One of the main inspirations for this project was the Amish of New York State.  They provide us with cookies, jams, cakes and other goodies, but they also create the need for additional signs, which I find delightful.

One of our favorite events up here is the Fourth of July Parade in Springfield Center, NY.  It is filled with local food including Brooks BBQ, unique floats, high school bands, and so many other spectacles.  As the sign says, “The Place to be on the 4th of July!”  Unfortunately, the parade is July 5th this year, and I’ll be stuck in rehearsal.

There are several hand painted signs.  Ryan’s grandfather was a sign painter/builder by trade, and the skill is still alive in NY.  I particularly like the Cherry Valley Sign.  The rest of the photos are a collection of signs I find interesting for one reason or another.  I wish I was a better photographer, but that wasn’t really the point.  ENJOY!

I was really nervous about my housing this summer at GO because there was going to be another dog living with us.  I wasn’t sure Oscar the Amazing Wienie Pooch was going to be a good roommate or how our new doggie roommate was going to react to Oscar.  You just never know with animals.  And Oscar has never lived with another dog.  He visits the ladies often at the dog park and works his magic, and his cousin Saxer the Weimaraner and he are best friends, but regardless I was nervous.

Our doggie roommate Ellie turned out to be the best dog ever.  Yes, I’m saying it:  she is amazing.  Ellie is a shepherd dog mix that knows about one thousand commands and is super-duper friendly with other dogs, cats, and even children.  When Oscar and Ellie met it was love at first sniff.  They chase and play and fight over Squirrel.  It’s truly a beautiful relationship.  We couldn’t be more happy with how everything panned out.

And the whole GO campus has become dog friendly.  Several people in admin bring their dogs to work, and Ellie accompanies her daddy to work every day sleeping soundly in the production trailer (and by sleeping soundly, I mean being fed treats by dog lovers of every kind).  So basically Oscar has a dance card full of little and big dogs to meet and greet.  I’m thinking of having a dog party :-)

One of Ryan and I’s best friends also brought her little pooch to the fabulous upstate New York.  He’s a pistol of a Chihuahua named Icarus.  Icky doesn’t necessarily like other dogs; he’s very territorial and not afraid of a fight, but Icky’s Mom and I were determined for Oscar and Icarus to be best friends.  A Memorial Day Eve picnic was their first meeting, and it was not candy and roses.  There was a lot of barking, and basically Icky tried to eat Oscar’s face, but he eventually calmed down a little bit.  We weren’t completely confident that anything would change, but I wasn’t going to give up.  So the next day I brought Oscar back to Icarus’ pad and it was much more productive.  There was some butt sniffing and no biting.  Breakthrough!  Both parents were very proud.

Oscar is so excited to be making so many friends at GO this summer.  Last time he was here in August of 2008, he only met a few people, which was completely boring.  He’s psyched to have so many doggie friends.  He’s especially eager to meet Penelope the Greyhound and Stella the Shy One.  So many poochies, so little time.