On The Road — Page 33

Tuesday Thoughts

January 3, 2017 at 8:36 am by Claudia

• A curious phenomenon: a day off seems to pass so quickly, yet, at the same time, it seems to take forever. It’s Tuesday. I’m back to work with a run-through of the show scheduled for this morning. Yesterday, on that day off, I got in my car and went to Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe’s and the bookstore. Errands accomplished, I came back to the apartment, put everything away, had some lunch, and the rest of the day seemed to drag on. This was due in part to gray, cloudy, cold and damp weather which did nothing to encourage me to take a walk or go exploring. I also missed my husband.

But now it’s a new day and I have to work and that’s a good thing. I did do a bit of reading yesterday and that was nice. And I started the morning today with more reading. And coffee, of course.

• I posted this on Instagram yesterday because I love all of the color and pattern in this little area of the apartment. After taking the Christmas tree down on Sunday, I replaced it with this vase of flowers. I don’t seem to shy away from pattern. Or color. I bought the new Country Living magazine yesterday and it focuses on neutrals. Sigh. I have nothing against them and I like looking at the way in which people use them in their homes, but I have to say that I flipped through that magazine pretty quickly because a little of that goes a long way for me.

But it would be boring if we all decorated the same way, wouldn’t it? So vive la difference!

• I’m including a picture of my new wall calendar from Rifle Paper Company. It’s actually prettier than it appears here. I really like it. It will hang above my desk back at the cottage, but for now, it’s cheerfully hanging above this desk.

• Changing Font:

Some might deem this next photo/screenshot political, but to me, it is simply further proof that a dangerously petulant child is about to become President. This, my friends, was one of that man’s tweets on New Year’s Eve:

I have no words for this. Well, I do, of course. But I’ll let this speak for itself.

Happy Tuesday.

Sofa or Couch?

January 1, 2017 at 9:50 am by Claudia

I’ve already screwed up and labeled this photo with 12/31 as the date.

It will take a while. New month, new year. (I’ve never be enamored of odd-numbered years.) I was born in an even-numbered year, I graduated from high school, college, and graduate school in even-numbered years. I met Don in an even-numbered year. I even married him in an even-numbered year. None of this was done with that in mind, but it does present a pattern, doesn’t it?

Yesterday, I got a text in the morning from the company manager saying she had found my sofa. By that, I mean the sofa that was in this apartment last year. She recognized it because I’d sent her a photo of it. (The rewards of blogging.) She happened to be in an apartment which had just been vacated by an actor in A Christmas Carol when she saw it. Later in the day, after I’d come back from rehearsal, she and her assistant took me to the apartment to ‘identify’ it.

Yep, that’s it! And, bless their hearts, after a long day for both of them, they switched out the sofas. Now, here’s the deal: it’s also squishy and missing any sort of support. It’s better than the other sofa, but I’m thinking that I’m going to have to shove a piece of wood under a cushion. I’ll get around it.

But doesn’t it look better than that old dark brown faux-leather sofa? It has a slightly smaller footprint, as well. And it lightens up the room. So I’m very happy. The chairs are staying as well, which makes for an intimate little seating area.

Do you say sofa or couch? I grew up saying ‘couch’ but I now say ‘sofa.’ Sort of like I grew up saying ‘pop’ and now I say ‘soda.’

Chairs, I might add, that were purchased a couple of years ago for Kevin Bacon’s dressing room when he was here starring in Rear Window. I didn’t know that little bit of information until yesterday.

It’s looking very nice in here and I’m enjoying what Don labels my “Mary Tyler Moore Life.” We were laughing last night about the fact that there is absolutely no wall space at home on which to hang my quilts. So the only chance I have to see them on display is when I come to my pied-à-terre in Hartford.

This is the first time I’ve been in Hartford on New Year’s Eve. They celebrate by having fireworks in the park at 6 pm and again at 12 am. I watched the 6 pm display from a window in the hallway of the apartment building and they were fabulous! Really beautiful. Bravo Hartford! (I heard the second round as I read in bed, and thankfully, I went to sleep before they had even finished.)

Today, more rehearsal and a run-through. Darko has accomplished so much in two weeks, it’s mind-boggling. It’s going to be a very funny show.

Then a day off tomorrow, with errands to run and laundry to do.

Happy New Year.

Happy Sunday.

Potpourri on a Friday

December 30, 2016 at 9:25 am by Claudia

• Thank goodness for alstroemeria – they stay fresh for at least two weeks, usually three weeks. I bought another bunch of them on Wednesday and that vase is currently on the kitchen counter.

• Tomorrow is the day that the Company Manager is going to exchange my current sofa for another one, as tonight is closing night for A Christmas Carol and the actors in that show will be moving out of their apartments tomorrow. That will allow the actors that are in The Comedy of Errors and currently staying in the hotel to finally move into an apartment. Musical apartments. Somewhere in there, they’re going to try to change out the sofa. My request: something firm, but comfy – which may be a pipe dream considering everything is used/donated. But nothing can be as uncomfortable and unusable as my current sofa. Cross your fingers for me. The chairs are fine but not made to lounge in, so I can never really relax. Much better than the sofa, though, so I’m not complaining.

• I have a long day today – Darko is starting to run chunks of the show and I need to be there to listen and take notes and do what I call “coaching on the fly.” That means that I grab the actors when I can and verbally give them a note or two. It that isn’t possible, I’ll write them up. This is a very short rehearsal period and it’s a production full of complicated blocking and music and dance, so a lot has to be accomplished in a short time.

• Gosh, this little travel-sized printer is a gem! You can’t really tell from this picture but it’s about 12 inches by 6 inches. Once I got the USB cord and set the whole thing up, it worked beautifully. It’s meant for small jobs, of course, but it does the trick for me on the road. I can copy information for the actors, I can type up notes, and I can print out the daily crossword puzzle from the New York Times! Huzzah! I love doing the puzzle. I go into a sort of Zen state. It’s very relaxing.

• I ordered something for me. Well, for us, but I’m the one who will be using it the most:

photo from Pier One

This chair. It will replace my ‘blogging chair’ in the den.

I’m in love with it. And it was on sale. I’ve always been crazy about roll-arm sofas and chairs. I think the lines are so elegant. In fact, I’d love a roll-arm sofa some day. In the meantime, I’m treating myself to this beauty.

My current blogging chair is vintage, probably from the forties, and I love it, but it desperately needs to be reupholstered. The fabric under the slip cover is – I’m not kidding – patched together with duck tape. Everywhere. No one can see that, of course, but I know it’s there. It deserves to be restored. I’m not sure where I’m going to put it in the meantime – maybe in the office. I have to find a good upholsterer and research fabrics and I don’t have time for any of that at the moment.

This chair has a somewhat smaller footprint and I think it will work nicely in the den. It should be here within a week or so.

Have to go. Rehearsal starts soon.

Happy Friday.

Tuesday Thoughts

Sofa or Couch?

Potpourri on a Friday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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