A photo of the skyline as we left the city last night. I figured I could post this since my fellow passengers are in silhouette and not identifiable.
Spent the day in the city and took notes on our second run through of Anastasia. It’s a gem. There were lots of ‘guests’ in the room; producers, people that work for the producers, designers, etc. I’ve worked on Broadway once before – also on a musical – and in both cases, I was/am aware that I am just a small piece of the whole puzzle. Broadway musicals are huge juggernauts, unlike anything else I’ve every worked on. There are at least three producers (maybe more) on this one. One of them knows me and took the time to introduce himself in Hartford, hugs me when he sees me etc. The others? They have no idea what I do, nor do they care. That’s not a criticism at all. It’s just an acknowledgement of how huge the whole thing is! There are so many elements for them to worry about, far more than when Anastasia premiered in Hartford.
So I just do my thing, stay in contact with the actors and the writers and Darko, working quietly behind the scenes. In truth, I don’t know if I would ever want more responsibility than that! I like to maintain a quiet profile.
More from the bus.
It is friggin’ cold here today. It’s 8:30 am and the temperature is 8 degrees. I saw buds on my lilacs the other day and I’m praying they aren’t damaged. Enough with the bizarre weather! Each time we have a major change, as we’ve had more than a few times in the past couple of weeks, I get all congested again and this bug I’ve been fighting ramps up. Yesterday, as I was leaving the house, I felt sick. By the afternoon, I felt better. And so it goes.
Today I’m feeling better. I’m definitely through the worst of it and I’m very grateful I don’t have to work every day. I’ve got two days now to rest and relax and then one more run through on Tuesday. Then a break until the week of March 20th, when I stay in the city through dress rehearsals and the first four previews.
The man in the Oval Office is insane. I woke up yesterday to those tweets about “wire tapps” – his spelling, not mine, and he kept putting the words in quotes. The level of paranoia is ramping up and he’s losing it. Captain Queeg in his very own version of the Caine Mutiny. I was thinking of one of my very favorite movies, Doctor Strangelove, and how its brilliantly satiric look at the insanity of those in power doesn’t look so outrageous anymore. How can satire top what we’re witnessing now?
And yet, there are still those who believe everything he says. Ignorance is not bliss. And willful ignorance is choosing to remain uninformed, to drink the kool-aid, to blindly follow.
God gave me a brain and I’m going to use it.
Happy Sunday.
Weather here has been crazy too. We had ridiculously warm weather, buds came out on the trees, and now it’s frigid. I think lots of the farmers will end up losing their fruit crops.
And yeah, the man in the White House is insane. I don’t get how he has any supporters at all.
My mom always say’s that….”God gave you a brain so use it”. Unfortunately she and my dad are getting up in years (I know that’s no excuse) and I believe she as well as my dad drank that kool-aid :-( but, I digress….happy thoughts, happy thoughts :-) 3+years to go;-)
I don’t think it will be 3 years. I think it will all come crashing down.
I don’t either. The willingness to believe him boggles my mind!
It’s a hard pill to swallow and has created a lot of tension in families on opposing ends. I find it frustrating to make my parents see “the crazy”. Sometimes it’s best to pretend the world outside isn’t so fractured it could drive you into some serious depression with what’s going on, not to mention how hopping mad it makes you.
If I didn’t allow myself pockets of time where I didn’t engage with ‘the world’ I’d be insane right now!
I read the comments of one of the men who was in a pro-Trump march or rally this last weekend. I’m paraphrasing, but he said something like, “The man is going to bring jobs back. Who would want to quarrel with that? And he wants to keep us safe.” Of course, the economic theories under which President Trump seems to be operating have been debunked, and the “us” and “safe” are both being narrowly defined. “Us” narrows to Christian white men, mostly, and “safe” does not include safe from illness, worry about illness or economic disaster if a chronic illness strikes. It does not include safety from others’ paranoia. Still, his comments helped me a little to see how anyone could support him because that was that person’s focus, ignoring all else. I couldn’t disagree more, of course.
But, of course, he’s not going to bring the jobs back that they think he is. He only cares about himself.
Interesting that you bring up Captain Queeg from The Caine Mutiny. Stephen King also referenced him in one of his satirical tweets yesterday, saying something to the effect of this—”and somebody stole the strawberries from the mess locker!”…And “he (Obama) is in the closet and he has scissors!” Someone should check him for Alzheimer’s, I think!
Ah, yes! The strawberries! That is perfect. I saw a photo – no doubt photoshopped – with Trump standing in the oval office looking out the window and Obama dressed as a sort of ninja hanging on to the outside of the window with those suction cups. Holding a camera. Made me laugh out loud.
After a very mild winter, with barely any snow, just fog and some cold days here and there, we woke up to a full blown blizzard yesterday morning. Followed by the Trump tweet fiasco ~ which I just read today has continued with a new tweet this morning. We put our “brand new in the Fall, on sale at almost 50%, still in the crate because we had no snow ” snow blower together last night and we get to try it out today. Almost Spring and we can finally use it! On Friday, we had to take our coats off, the sun was so warm. Today, the furnace is back on and it’s a frosty morning out there. Hope it warms up soon and stays warm in your region too!
The production sounds amazing. Best wishes for a successful run.
X Chy
Well, you’ll at least get to use your snowblower! We bought ours two years ago and last winter we didn’t use it once! This winter is another story.
Same in Virginia, crazy weather and a maniacal madman close by. However, there is a method to his madness. His mentor was Roy Cohn. He utilizes fascist speeches. He deflects every time he is scrutinized. He is truly scary.
Oh, I know all about Cohn being his mentor. That says everything about the man.
Two days of rest…yeah! I couldn’t believe those tweets! Yes…I do believe there is something wrong with the man mentally. And I believe too much kool-aid has been consumed by his followers. Did that expression come from the Jim Jones disaster? I realize I am not a mental health professional, but I do have a brain. And my brain says this behavior is nuts!
The only other explanation is that the art of the deal, is really the art of distraction. #45 is good at that. Throw enough stuff at the wall and see what sticks! Do something over here to deflect from what you are really doing over there! Whatever…it’s all a sham! And if it weren’t so serious ( our country), it would be laughable.
And that concludes my Sunday morning rant….I can feel my blood pressure rising. Hopefully, you can enjoy your day! ;)
Yes, it came from the Jim Jones disaster. I guess we shouldn’t make light of that, but that’s what everyone did. They drank the same substance.
I’m addicted to Twitter today – and lately, that’s all I look at on the bus home. Can’t believe what I’m reading!
Insane is being kind. And the fact that his followers simply don’t care about his rants and his lies is beyond my comprehension. The fact that he can’t spell or construct a sentence is a disgrace. And I, too, believe the Roy Cohn influence is by what he leads his life. The fact that he goes to Florida every single weekend, and WE PAY for his “room and board” plus security there, in HIS commercial property ~ which goes right into his pocket ~ is beyond reproach. How is this legal?? Someone needs to take that damn phone away from him. When he tweets ~ like a Looney Bird ~ our entire country looks like idiots.
I am glad your work is keeping you busy, with a few breaks here and there. I can’t imagine how exciting it is. When is the show slated to open? We have ROBINS in the yard today!! yay!! Have a good day, Claudia!!
Of course. Roy Cohn taught him to never take the blame, always to sue in response to something he doesn’t like and to be aggressive and call people names. I’m sure there’s more but that was Cohn’s MO.
I tweeted him a while back and said I was tired of paying for his trips to Florida. We’re paying for this nonsense. He’s already spent more money on trips to Mar-a-lago than Obama spent on vacations last year.
Show starts previewing toward the end of March. It opens in late April.
I’ve been reading about this subject. DT is already costing us a lot of money. I don’t think our country can afford to support his billionaire lifestyle! To me, he’s giving off this air that he’s The King, which I worried would happen. I think we made it known in the 1700s that Americans do not wish to be ruled…we need a leader, not a ruler; huge diff. But, truly, have other presidents so frequently retreated to, say, Camp David and I just wasn’t aware of it enough? How many times now has DT gone down to Florida? Is he going to live in NY at his Tower, in Florida at his big estate/club, or in The White House where he should stay put and do the job he was elected to do. I say, make up your mind, dude.
I think we’ve spoken of this here on the blog, but it came to light in my reading some weeks back that there’s a potential problem of him being at that Florida location because he mingles and is among his club members like for lunches or dinners and there’s fear he can be overheard when discussing presidential business on his phone and within earshot of people who should NOT be in the know. Whether there’s real truth to that or not, who knows, but I see the point. Presidents are probably/generally more isolated than this as a rule, don’t you think? I can recall, infrequently, President Obama and The First Lady going out to dinner, but don’t you imagine they cleared out the restaurant of other patrons first? I know it’s fiction, but remember that movie where Michael Douglas was “The American President” and he didn’t carry money or credit cards, so he couldn’t even buy flowers for someone when he tried? They have to live less ‘normally’ and lose a certain amount of freedom due to the nature of the job. There have to be some controls; some boundaries. And I’m betting DT doesn’t like to be controlled.
The Secret Service is taxpayer-funded. On the Sunday Morning (CBS) show earlier today, they did a segment on that Kellyanne Conway person (I do NOT like that woman or I guess I should say I don’t like a lot of what comes out of her MOUTH) and it was revealed that she has full Secret Service protection now, I guess because she’s had ‘threats’. Why, as a taxpayer, is that my problem? In her role as counselor, this expense is justified? They actually CAN do this…the Secret Service can provide protection for ‘government officials’ if the President says do it. I guess she’s a ‘government official’ now. As for HIM, I think he’s getting more nuts the more he realizes how increasingly unpopular he is…he’s like an immature child who cries or puts his dukes up because he wants to be liked and accepted and paid attention to…and can’t handle it when he’s not. He wants adulation and applause; he likes to preen. I keep saying to my husband, “This is a trainwreck; somebody’s got to step in and stop the speeding, out-of-control train before we have the crash of the centuries.”
There was an incident at Mar-a-lago when the Japanese head of state was there with his wife. They were dining in a restaurant along with club members and something that North Korea had done was brought to Trump’s attention. There they were, in front of patrons (who took photos) talking and conferring about the incident. That should have been handled in a situation room or something like it.
It is a train wreck.
Wow. I mean it totally leaves you speechless.
xo
Weather, I know crazy. I do think it happens every year we just forget. My neighbor on south facing side had a front yard fill of purple crocus . I walked up to CVS yesterday they had all given up to the cold weather. Sad all were laying on their sides, some waving little white flags of surrender. I saw a robin but not sure if it is local or a Canada robin. I read the comparison before… Queeg is spot on! The man should be institutionalized.
I haven’t seen a robin yet. I hope I see one soon. But I did get to watch our male and female cardinals yesterday.
In Southern Alberta we have the weather you are now having all the time .The Rockies and the west winds have a huge influence. Montana has similar weather. I love the artwork for the poster of Anastasia……Nidia
I don’t mind the weather itself – we have very hard winters usually. But global warming/climate change has brought extremes to all parts of the globe. It’s the change from very warm, unseasonably warm to very cold that’s making it hard for so many of us.
I live on Vancouver Island in Canada – we have much the same weather as Seattle/Portland and we are all having the weirdest coldest winter in ages with tons of snow (normally none or 1 per year) and lots of days below freezing. As for the orange man….everyone outside the USA sees that he is psycho. The only good thing is time is ticking and he is imploding, hopefully impeachment will happen sooner rather than later. Things like tourism are starting to suffer as many like me won’t step a foot inside the USA until he is no longer in power. Not only that but tried and true Republicans are starting to speak up like Bush whom I was never a fan of but he was a much saner man than the orange one.
You’re actually getting more snow than we are!
I don’t blame you for not visiting while he’s in power. I wish I could ‘not visit!’ Never a fan of Bush either, but I never doubted his sanity or the fact that he is basically a good guy.
My tulip tree, yellow jasmine and azaleas are almost at the end of bloom. We had one freezing night this winter when it dipped into the high twenties. The temps were mid eighties this week as I tried to tidy up my flower beds. I think we are in for a long hot summer here north of Houston.
I feel we are at the beginning of the end of this administration. It can’t come too soon. I hope all the hate and ugliness goes with him, but I know that is being overly optimistic.
I fear the hate and ugliness are with us for a while. It’s as if everyone who ever held those thoughts but kept quiet about it now has permission to be hateful.
The end of this administration cannot come soon enough.
It has been a pretty horrible few days, news-wise. AND I had to hear once again, on CNN and on Meet the Press this morning, the words, “The people who voted for him find this refreshing, blah, blah, blah…” or, “This is what America voted for…” which makes me sick to my stomach. The vast majority of Americans did not vote for him and are forced to wake up to his insane tweets on a regular basis. We don’t find it refreshing or novel, we find it treasonous, ludicrous, maniacal, and mentally ill and a great national embarrassment. Additionally, the fact that craven politicians are not calling him out for this because they want to erase the gains of the 20th century through their agenda, is shameful. Like the poster above, I find myself in the odd position of thinking that Bush (who I protested against) has been sane recently. What a world, what a world…
I hope you continue to feel better and get stronger. You have lots on your plate, and it will take all of your energy. Be well and find peace,
Leslie P.
No, it isn’t what Americans voted for – by 3 million votes. What is with these people?
Republicans have lost any moral standing as far as I’m concerned. Occasionally, someone like McCain or Graham speak up, but not enough.
“A national embarrassment” is spot on…
What is tremendously sad in terms of dividing people and to think it has lingered this long after the election but what is also very telling…I have a cousin (recently moved to the Midwest, in the past year) who is a rabid Trump supporter; won’t stay off Facebook about it either. Her born & raised-in-California (and still here in Calif) adult son is not a Trump supporter. They are divided by miles already but now they are divided by their politics. Her niece told me this week that mother and son have stopped speaking to each other entirely/forever and have ceased any contact which is beyond-sad because there’s a granddaughter also involved. It’s actually a very serious situation; has apparently been going on for awhile, and building to the pressure cooker point since before the election. And he is her only biological child by that father; her firstborn, and oldest. They’ve always been close. Politics should NOT divide a family but, clearly, it’s more than politics with this new administration. It’s about core beliefs, one’s moral compass, principles by which we live…all of this has been discussed on the blog before but I hate seeing it hit home to this degree in my own extended family.
Very sad, and, I think, very common these days. Because it’s not just about political differences – we all have those within our families and extended families – it’s about morality, about respect, about inclusiveness. You’re right, it’s all been discussed before. Those differences are about the way we live our lives and it doesn’t get more basic than that.
So I guess that making ridiculous lies and accusations is part of making America great again…Well, I suppose that’s easier than working on real problems…
Yeah, go figure. What about anything this man has done or said makes America great? He’s hateful and we look ridiculous.
Just witnessed micro-climate insanity…over the course of 20 minutes, just a few minutes ago, the weather went from gray skies to heavy rain to hail, back to light rain, and now the clouds have parted to very bright sunshine.
Wow!
Cityscape photo; wow, amazing to me; I’d love to see NYC. Love it when you post photos like this!
My husband and I were talking about this DT stuff last night and how psychologists are coming out now, more than ever, with real concern for the mental health aspect and I said, “How would it work? Congress would step in and remove him from the presidency?” My husband said, “How can we know; has anything like this happened before?” I’m thinking, okay, what would it have been if Reagan had started showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s while at the helm instead of afterward when he was no longer President…like, say he hadn’t had a Nancy in the background yet staffers all around him were realizing he was ‘altered’…what would they have done? Or if you had a President who became terminally ill with, say, cancer, while in office; in treatment, maybe taking a lot of medications which can skew ‘thinking’ – just the tragic things that occur to anyone. (I have a childhood friend…brilliant woman…who has recently endured a brain aneurysm and is fighting her way back. It happens. Things happen.)
When the days are going on and on, yet a President isn’t fit physically and/or mentally for the job…doesn’t know or can’t know or won’t abide that he/she needs to step down…what would be the procedures? I want to understand more of how this can all go; I’m just too ignorant about how things work in government. Like you said, we have brains; it’s a new topic but we have to get educated. No matter where I go, it seems to be the subject that comes up; it’s on everyone’s minds; we’re uneasy and things feel so unsafe.
25th Amendment. Has to be done via the Vice-President I believe, with a majority of cabinet members or Congress in support. Has to do with mental instability and not being able to complete his duties as President.
I’m not through all the books I got recently (about The Constitution, etc.), so thanks; I’ll read up on that amendment.
xo
Claudia,
I love your photos taken as you ride the train! Thank you for those. I am the one person who has never been to New York.
Well, you are right on with politics and your thoughts on the horrid man who is only as clear as his latest tweet. What a scary human. You are correct; he is not thinking right…to put it nicely.
All the things that have happened with Presidents, and we now have one who is such a bully. I just watched Dana Carvey do impressions of Trump, Geo. Bush, Bernie, and others. He has nailed the trump one and the Bush one is pretty good. I had to watch some streaming comedy to make myself feel better.
By the way, I don’t usually say mean stuff but he is scary.
You’re not being mean, you’re just airing your thoughts and fears about this man. He IS scary, you’re right.
Glad you are feeling better, but yes this weather is crazy this year. Oh that man in the oval continues to amaze me and not in a good way. I’m at a loss for words today. We must continue to fight with our words! I hope you had a good Sunday.
I’m feeling better, but boy, do I get exhausted quickly! I’m still coughing, but not as much. I’m just trying to be very low key on the days I don’t have to go into NYC, so that this thing finally goes away. Mere said hers lasted about 3 weeks.
Mine lasted about 3 weeks also. So just keep taking care of yourself!
xo
Reading all the comments is helping me to stay sane and giving me hope that the citizens will not tolerate DT much longer. We must write our representatives. I plan to march on Women’s Day next Wednesday at the Florida state capitol.
Marie in Tallahassee
Good for you, Marie! We have to, as I’ve been reading on Twitter, “Stay Woke.”
I too love your photos from the train. How I miss New York!
And yes, Trump is seriously out of hand. The audacity of him tweeting about President Obama is beyond crazy. The man is so over his head. At least Comey (of all people!) publicly stood up. And the hypocrisy of flying back and forth to Florida every weekend (after 6 weeks in office??), after he did nothing but criticize President Obama about taking too many vacations? But what is worse are the “quiet” things that are going on; the elimination of workplace rules, the bans on medicinal cannabis, the removal of environmental restrictions. These are dreadful but because there are so many other, “louder” dreadful things he’s doing, many people don’t even realize what is happening.
We must all find our voice and use it.
And that is the end of my rant for today…
He actually accused a former President of something illegal. That just isn’t done. He has no sense of decorum. He has no moral compass. He’s likes cornered animal right now and he’s lashing out because it’s the only thing he knows how to do.
I have a friend from way back who voted for him simply because she “hates hillary”. She keeps saying we just need to give him a chance. WHAT??? He’s had his chance. Time for him to go!
If I were his daughter I would be so ashamed of him.
Did you see the funny photo on Facebook of Trump standing next to window in Trump Tower and Obama spying on him through the window? LOL It was hilarious! Trump is so fricking paranoid. Can’t wait to wear my Ivanka dress from Macy’s to the impeachment party. LOL
No more chances allowed! I did see that photo – I think I mentioned it in this comment section – it made me laugh out loud! And heaven knows, we need a good laugh!
Impeachment Parties – what a good idea, Diane!
This crazy roller coaster weather is effecting all living plants and animals. Trying to hold onto our sanity with the Orange Psycho Menace in charge, while facing the insane weather seems to tell us we are truly deep in human created madness. I always see this whole evil madness as being the responsibility of Orange Psycho’s followers and supporters. There is something incredibly mindless and stupid with the words “give him a chance.” The man has been nothing but vulgar, crude, hateful , despicable, and a liar since day one. His destructive and incompetent pathway has always been evident.
Your NYC trips must be exhausting but thankfully rewarding at the same time. Great work is a blessing when it provides a worthwhile distraction from personal anxiety. I know you and Don have the strength to get through the difficult days knowing you will be visiting and the day will come when you are together again in MHC. Dianne
I just laugh at people who say “Give him a chance.” As if there is any normality to any of this.
I saw the writing on the wall about Trump years and years ago. He isn’t going to change.
Thanks, Dianne. We’ll get through it, but it’s going to be hard!
President Obama, has more class in his little finger, thanT-man,and his crowd will ever see.!
-Judy A-
Amen.