coaching — Page 32

Deer, Wi-Fi, Shakespeare & Egg Cups

March 27, 2013 at 8:37 am by Claudia

babydeer

A young one. Look at that sweet face, staring right back at me as I took a photo through the kitchen window. This morning I arose rather early and it was still a bit darkish outside. I went to let Scout out, realizing too late that there was yet another deer in the corral. Fortunately, Scout was a big groggy and it took her a second or so to realize just what was going on and the deer turned and jumped gracefully over the fence, flying across the back forty.

When I saw these guys feeding yesterday afternoon, I called to my husband as I grabbed my camera: Look! Don! Some deer!

Don: I’ve pretty much seen all there is to see about the deer.

Me: What? You don’t want to leap up, as I do, every time there is a photo op???

Don is over it. And he doesn’t have a camera obsession like I do. I just hope I can get him to take some photos of Prague with his iPhone.

rileyscout

I’m happy to say that the Wi-Fi problem here is resolved, thanks to a cable employee who immediately got the situation and quite readily said that my router would be better than anything the cable company had. I love it when an employee is upfront and honest with me. Ten minutes later, my router was back in business, I had a strong, consistent signal and we were good to go.

shakespeareprep

I’m anxiously awaiting the hard copy of Twelfth Night. The director has made some cuts and, now that they are finalized, I should shortly be receiving it in the mail. I have to start work on it. I’ve coached Twelfth Night at least 4 or 5 times in the past, but have I saved any of the scripts with all my notes in them?

No.

There’s only so much space around here and I usually end up tossing them. And then I have to start all over again. Oh, for a big office/studio space of my own, in its very own room, with four walls and lots of storage space. And a door.

Note coffee stained reference book. A year ago, I had an unfortunate incident with a bag of books and a coffee cup, while trying to juggle too many things as I made my way to the car. Bad Claudia.

scoutbybasket

Just had to stick this in the post. She’s awfully pretty, isn’t she?

More egg cups:

eggcups11

On the left: To be honest, this might be a toothpick holder, but I choose to call it an egg cup. Love, love that sweet face.

Center: This one was found in California. Those are my colors, how could I resist?

Right: A goose egg cup, made in France.

Some of you have remarked about how hard these figural egg cups are to find nowadays. And you’re right. Back when I started collecting, about 10 years ago, I would haunt eBay, often sneaking out of our bedroom in the wee hours of the morning to put a last minute bid on one I particularly wanted. There was much more variety in those days. I spent some time on eBay the other day and was disappointed in the lack of interesting egg cups, which, unfortunately, has been the case for the past couple of years. For that reason, I haven’t added to the collection lately, the goose egg cup being an exception. I found that a year or two ago in a local shop and I pounced on it! I’ve never seen another one like it.

I apologize for not responding to comments yesterday. The day got away from me. That will happen occasionally. But I read them all and I’m so grateful for them. Thanks, friends.

Oh, please visit my sister’s blog for two posts about a surprise that Mer found wrapped inside a quilt my grandmother had made for her. It’s the best story! Visit here and here.

Happy Wednesday.

signature2

Talking to Shakespeare

January 10, 2011 at 6:01 pm by Claudia

Scout read all your compliments on her chapeau and she says thank you. Although, to be brutally honest, Scout knows she is pretty. She just does. Even if I never told her how pretty she is (but I do – all the time) she would still know.

My pretty white kitchen table is currently covered in research materials. I have begun text work on The Merchant of Venice. Today I spent hours in my sun-filled kitchen reading, note taking and immersing myself in the play. Tomorrow I go to Manhattan to work with the lead actress, who plays Portia. We are doing a little pre-rehearsal work on the text. I’m not officially under contract until the end of the month. Since we are due for another snow storm Tuesday night and Wednesday (sigh), I scheduled my 2 sessions with the actress around the dreaded weather. The other session will be on Friday, which gives us enough time to shovel out, once again, from several inches of snow.

I have this pattern of behavior: I tend to put off gathering up all my research books and beginning my text work. ‘No, I’ll wait. Let me finish my crocheting,’ or ‘I have to do the laundry first’ or any one of a number of reasons I give to delay the process. But once I begin – especially with Shakespeare – I become immersed in the research and detective work. No matter how many times I have worked on a particular play, I always learn so much. There is such depth, such rich language and such truth in his work. I guess that’s to be expected when working with the greatest playwright that ever lived. And perhaps the greatest writer that ever lived. I’ve always said that if I could go back in time I would want to meet Shakespeare. We would sit down in a pub and I’d ask him how he knew what he knew. How did he become so wise about human nature? How did he know so much about the complexities of the human heart? How did he write in iambic pentameter and do it so beautifully? How?

That would be quite the conversation.

I’d like to talk to Mozart, too. And Gershwin. And Rachmaninoff. And Abraham Lincoln. And Fred Astaire. And Frank Capra. And Jane Austen.

And Harper Lee. But she is still with us. She just doesn’t grant interviews. Oh, I have a long list of questions for her.

If you could go back in time, who would you like to chat with? I’d love to know.

Wrestling with the Blues

January 8, 2011 at 9:53 am by Claudia

This is the time of year I have to watch myself closely. Christmas is over, the new year has begun and what seems like endless gray skies and cold weather stretch before me. We had a lot of snow yesterday. It’s light, fluffy and quite beautiful. But the snow and the steel gray of the sky can quickly take me to a place where I feel claustrophobic and blue. When I first moved to San Diego after a lifetime spent in the upper Midwest and in the Northeast, I realized just how much those gray, wintry skies had affected me. I came back to San Diego after spending Christmas in Northern Michigan with my family and it was 70 degrees. The sun was out. Heaven.

Of course, after 8 years out there, I was craving the seasons again. So there you have it. I have them now. And that means I have Winter.

Don, being a Southern California boy, wrestles with this even more than me. He yearns for the sun. Every year at this time, he wants to be back in San Diego. It’s a given. And I don’t blame him. (Don’t tell him, but I often feel the same way.)

I’m heading into this year with hope. Hope for a better year for us financially. For work that is creative and satisfying. For all good things. But, my heart is heavy as I see my mother decline and my father exhausted from caring for her. I know that this year might bring the most awful of changes in my life. This awareness permeates my being. It is always there. And it is intensified in this wintry darkness.

We lost Don’s father last year as well as some dear friends. A neighbor of ours was in a terrible, terrible car crash right before Christmas and is fighting for his life in a hospital just north of us. All of it is heartbreaking.

I have coaching work starting at the end of this month – a production of The Merchant of Venice that will rehearse in NYC and eventually tour to Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. Being immersed in a project will surely help fight the blues. I have to begin my prep work this weekend.

Do you feel blue at this time of year?

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On a side note: some of you have asked about the yarn I used in the scarves. It is Mochi Plus by Crystal Palace Yarns. The pattern is here. (There are at least two links for this pattern, but this is the one that worked for me.)

Also, for those of you who have commented on my chalkboard: I’m proud to say I made it and the tutorial is here.

Deer, Wi-Fi, Shakespeare & Egg Cups

Talking to Shakespeare

Wrestling with the Blues

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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