Well. I woke up at 4 am today. I suppose I heard Don get up just before me, but what kept me up and awake after I had visited the bathroom was a tickle in my right nostril that made me sneeze over and over and then remain so stuffed up that I finally had to get up. I still have the tickle 4½ hours later.

I came downstairs and immediately took a shower, thinking the steam might help.

A first. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a shower that early.

Then I made some coffee, of course.

Anyway. I have to follow Don so he can drop off his car. Something, we think, with the transmission, which was rebuilt right before he bought it. So, this shouldn’t be happening, if, it is indeed the transmission. It could be something else, I suppose.

And, to top it all off, for the first time in the over 20 years we have been using our accountant, they didn’t file our taxes in time for the deadline last Friday. What???? I am stunned. We got everything in on time – a full month before they had to file, which is exactly what we have done for over 20 years. Same date, same submission of deductions. I wrote to them three times over the weekend asking why we hadn’t heard anything yet. This morning, I opened my mail to get the message that our taxes haven’t been filed yet because “there were a lot of people who got their info in before you.”  I am not happy.

Car, taxes, trying to deal with paperwork re: the film, and not enough sleep.

But, it’s a beautiful day out there, so there’s that!

I will most likely lay low today. I’ll read some more of The Lantern Men  and scroll through Instagram, looking at all the adorable Blythe dolls. That will make me smile.

Yay Red Sox! What a game!

You know, of course, that I don’t expect or require you to leave comments. But I do register how many there are since I answer nearly every all of them and when the comments drop in number for more than a day or two, I begin to wonder if that drop has anything to do with what I’ve written or not written. I’m only human. So yesterday’s post was simply about one instance of that thought process and my resulting realization. That’s all.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

You can see all the wild asters that have sprung up next to the garden. The burning bush is turning red. I quickly snapped this picture just a minute or so ago. It’s definitely Fall. Leaves are on the ground everywhere. Normally, this change would leave me feeling more melancholy – I love summer and I dread the onset of winter – but I’m so busy right now that I just acknowledge what I see outside and move on.

I did some zoom coaching yesterday and I will do more on Thursday and Friday. I sent in all my receipts and my bill to the company producing the tour of Anastasia. Today, I’m going to do some cleaning around the house and start making lists for what needs to be done around here before I leave for NYC and what I need to pack and the many things that I do on a daily basis that I need to explain to Don. It’s just a little over two weeks before filming begins. How did the time go by so quickly?

I feel like I’m constantly making lists in my head and I’m also worrying about a possible strike by IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. This action doesn’t concern the theater, but it does address TV and film. They voted to strike for the first time in their history because of impossible working conditions on film sets – 15 hour days, not enough breaks, larger contributions to health and pension plans, and residuals for content aired on streaming services. They are absolutely in the right. They are on the set far longer than the actors, director, or people like me. They’re in a good negotiating position because film is getting off the ground after a long hiatus and no one wants to lose more money. Nevertheless, we are supposed to be starting this film in a few weeks, so this impacts whether I work or not on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

There’s too much going on in my head and, as you know, I’ve been a worrier since I was a child. I well remember lying awake at night, worrying about school, or gym class, or math, or what happens to us when we die, or why do we die?

Deep breath.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Today is the day I get my PCR test and let’s all cross our fingers that the results are sent to me in time to work on Monday morning. It’s not like I can get the test any earlier. It has to be done three days before the job starts. The feeling of being overwhelmed is still with me and to top it all off, I lost part of a tooth this morning – I think it will have to be pulled – and my dentist is retiring as of today. So we’ve been referred to a new dentist to whom I will have to explain all over again by phobia-level fear of dentists. Thankfully, the tooth isn’t hurting and I have an appointment for next Wednesday morning.

Anyway, travel plans have been made by the touring company. I’ve worked with this company before and they are very efficient and extremely helpful, so that’s a plus. I’ll take Amtrak into the city on Sunday afternoon, then hop on the subway and head over to Queens. Monday and Tuesday will be filled with individual coaching sessions and I’ll head back home Tuesday night.

In the meantime, here’s little Sophie wandering around outdoors:

She reminds me of myself as a girl. My hair was brown and long and I wore bangs and I often wore a serious/worried expression. And I had freckles.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.