On The Road — Page 122

The Minivan from Hell

May 9, 2011 at 10:07 am by Claudia

Theaters rely on donations. Whether a generous donation to fund a particular production, cast-off furniture for actor housing, or older cars to be used by visiting artists – all is welcome. Which brings me to the minivan from hell.

“Come on, Claudia, it’s just a regular old minivan,” you say. “It looks perfectly innocent!”

It’s not.

When you climb into the driver’s seat, you are greeted by 3 laminated signs permanently attached to the dashboard.

#1. “What to do in case of an accident. Look in glove box.”

#2. “The radio and CD have been disconnected in this car because they would run the battery down. Completely.”

#3. “Attention Blue Mini Van Driver! Don’t Start without Reading!
1. Start the Van.
2. WAIT 3 MINUTES while it is running. Do not start driving yet!
3. After 3 minutes or so, tap the accelerator.
4. WAIT A MINUTE more.
5. Drive to your destination.
Please do this EVERY TIME you start the minivan. It will help keep the catalytic convertor from having to be replaced.”

This gets old fast. Every time I start it, I have to go through this rigamarole. When you’re actually timing it, 3 minutes is a long time. Often we’ll all be leaving at the same time and within a minute, everyone will drive off. Not me. I’ll still be sitting in my parked van, waiting for the moment I can tap the accelerator.

It is also a gas hog. If you care to look up gas hog in the dictionary, you will see a photo of this minivan.

Unlike most of the company who are being housed within 4 miles of the theater, I am living 11 miles away. Most days, I have to go back and forth a couple of times. I was stunned at how much gas was being used in these relatively short trips. In a desperate plea, I asked if I could change cars with someone who was living closer to the theater. No one wanted to do it.

The theater has suggested we split the cost of gas, which will help a great deal. However, if given an opportunity, I will exchange this beast in a heartbeat.

I hate it.

It’s our day off. We’re all tired. One of the other vocal coaches and I are driving (in her car) to the big city today. You know that MHC is in the country, right? Well, the surrounding area back home seems positively urban compared to this area. It’s beautiful here, though. So Chris and I are going to Madison to visit Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods….we can hardly stand it, we’re so excited.

I’m buying some flowers. Yes, I am.

Trees, Rocks & Pine Cones

May 4, 2011 at 9:15 am by Claudia

One of my favorite trees back home is our Weeping Willow. At this time of year, the new growth is the perfect shade of apple green. But I’ve lucked out. This is what I see from my window here in the condo:

Isn’t it pretty? There’s another willow off in the distance. And these beauties are to my right:

I can’t complain about the view.

Rehearsals started yesterday and boy, are there a lot of new faces and names to remember. I still get confused each time I turn a corner in the main building. I constantly get lost. My job here involves coaching Blithe Spirit, teaching classes to the apprentices, and looking in on another show, Crime and Punishment. Yesterday, I listened to the read-through of C & P. Today, we start on Blithe Spirit. Next week, I begin teaching. Yikes. I have a lot of prep to do in the meantime.

I’m so tired at the end of the day that I fall asleep watching television.

I made my favorite biscuits yesterday without a biscuit cutter or a cookie sheet or a proper mixing bowl. A stockpot became the bowl and a casserole pan became the cookie sheet. I needed some comfort food. Much to my surprise, it worked.

I found these outside my front door:

I love pine cones.

And a pretty little heart shaped rock.

Bird’s nest update: Still no sign of potential nesters. I’ll keep you posted.

More later.

So Far Today…

May 2, 2011 at 6:46 pm by Claudia

So far today, I have:

:: discovered this bird’s nest right outside the door to the balcony

It’s really a work of art. A closer look:

I suspect it is from last year, as I’ve seen no activity there. Just to make sure, I got up on the dining room chair and peered in. A perfect little nest with no eggs. Of course, I do have a smidgen of hope that the birds have it all ready to go and will soon be laying eggs. If it’s still there and hasn’t been used by the time I leave, do you think I can take it home as a souvenir? I just may do it. You know how much I love bird’s nests.

:: drove into town to buy some more groceries. I now have the route to town and to the theater all figured out.

:: looked everywhere for a metal steamer insert. I eat a lot of vegetables. I’m a vegetarian. I ended up paying $10.00 for one at the local hardware. A small town mark-up, wouldn’t you say? Yikes. I actually felt ashamed that I paid that much. But to get anything cheaper, I would have to drive to Madison and with the cost of gas, I would lose the amount of money saved on the amount of gasoline used.

:: tried to rescue a dog. Wherever I go, this happens to me. I was talking to Meredith on the phone and saw a Brittany Spaniel puppy running around on the golf course. Collar but no leash. Off I went to see if the puppy needed rescuing. But then I saw the owner walking across the green, exasperated expression on his face. Good thing, because this little guy wasn’t going to come to me. “Beauregard” was the cutest darn puppy, full of the dickens, but so cute. Once I knew the owner was on the case, I left.

:: bought this copy of Midwest Living because…(take a guess):

No, it’s not because of the Twisted Chicken (see note about vegetarianism above.) You get a star if you guessed the pottery in that perfect shade of aqua.

Of course, I am from the Midwest – a Michigan girl – so a magazine about the Midwest makes perfect sense.

:: said many thank yous to my husband for suggesting I bring the small Bose speakers we use for his computer with me. Before I left, I took an afternoon and downloaded lots of my favorite pieces from our CD collection to iTunes. Having my music to keep me company makes me happy.

:: started to play around on Pinterest. Sort of fun!

Tomorrow we begin rehearsals.

The Minivan from Hell

Trees, Rocks & Pine Cones

So Far Today…

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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