On The Road — Page 46

Sunday. That’s the Best I Can Do for a Post Title.

January 31, 2016 at 7:42 am by Claudia

To say my sleep patterns have been erratic since I arrived in Hartford is putting it mildly.

Today I woke up at 5 am – too early for the long day that lies ahead.

Sigh.

It isn’t the bed, which is quite comfortable. It isn’t the noise because it’s fairly quiet here. All I know is that sometimes I wake up and it’s still dark, but I’m sure it’s later than it is – maybe around 6:30 – and my brain starts going or I get up to go to the bathroom and I look at the clock at it’s not even 5 yet. I try to go back to sleep but it’s too late, usually, because I can’t turn off my brain.

So I get up and make some coffee.

I wish it would all even out, but I don’t think it will, so I simply have to go with it.

We start early today, working through some key scenes, and eventually do our first stumble-through of the entire play. A mutual friend of ours from the Old Globe days is in town and we’re all going to dinner after rehearsal.

I’m not going home on my day off because there’s really not enough time make it worthwhile and I’m tired. I think I’ll be able to grab a couple of days back at the cottage at the end of the week, when we move onstage.

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The Hartford Public Library, taken last Saturday, right before the snow arrived. If you look closely, you can see the café. I’ve never had the time to dine there, but maybe I will this time around.

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There’s a Jazz series every Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and I wanted to share my new favorite hand cream with you.

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Inexpensive and really lovely and smooth. And no animal testing. I really want to eliminate any products that are tested on animals from my life. It might take a while, but that’s my goal for 2016. I saw a photo recently of cats being tested and it sent a chill down to my very core. There’s no excuse for using a living being as a test subject. And I’m very firm on that one and no amount of debating will change my mind.

So I haven’t picked a ‘word’ for 2016, but I am vowing to do as much as I can to research the products I routinely use and throw them out if there is any animal testing involved. It’s time for me to step up.

That’s my goal.

I’m not preaching, except to myself.

Happy Sunday.

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Sunset: City Edition

January 30, 2016 at 9:31 am by Claudia

As I was walking back to the apartment after rehearsal yesterday:

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That’s Trumbull Street, by the way, not Bull Street.

It seemed like every few seconds I saw some incredible view of the sunset and whipped out my iPhone to record it.

No one else seemed at all aware of the staggering beauty of the sunset (though I’m sure many were.) But no one else was taking any pictures. End of the work week, tired, on their way home – I’m sure all of those things were at play for the commuters trying to get out of the city and back home again.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s all in the timing, isn’t it? I happened to be walking home at the perfect time. Any later, and it would have disappeared.

It’s not the end of the work week for us, of course. Sunday is the end of our week. On any given day lately, I find myself confused as to what day it is. This morning, I slept until 7:15, so it was light when I got out of bed. I looked out the window wondering why the parking lot across the way was empty.

Beat.

Oh…it’s Saturday.

Three more weeks after this one. We’re heading into our last week in the rehearsal rooms and then we’ll be moving onstage. Three and a half weeks isn’t a whole lot of time in which to do table work, stage the entire play, work with the actors, and have several run-throughs before hitting the stage. I don’t know how Darko and the cast and stage managers and crew do it. In the old days there was more rehearsal time available. But it’s a costly endeavor, and most non-profit theaters have had to cut back on rehearsal time. Certainly, way back when I was working at the Old Globe, there was more time allotted for the rehearsal room. But every theater I know of has had to cut back.

So, I’d use the word ‘miracle’ but it really isn’t. It’s hard work and planning and dedication and drive and all the things that theater artists do without blinking an eye to create a fully-realized production.

Some of you have recently asked me what I do when I’m working on a play and what ‘coaching’ means (in my case.) I’ve written about it before on the blog and this post (from 2009, when I was working at the Old Globe for 10 weeks) pretty much covers it.

Book review on Just Let Me Finish This Page today.

Happy Saturday.

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Mystery Solved

January 29, 2016 at 9:25 am by Claudia

As to the mystery item….where did we leave off?

Ah yes. I ordered it online and drove to another Target location to pick it up. But first, some back story. Last week, when I was back home, I read a post on a favorite blog, Call of the Small, about a child’s dollhouse she had picked up at Target. Call of the Small is one of several miniaturists who love the midcentury modern look in miniatures and dollhouses, and it’s hard to find dollhouses that have that look because most of them are more traditional in design.

This particular dollhouse was $49, and it was part of a line called Our Generation, the Lori 6″ dollhouse – Loft to Love. The 6″ notation refers to the doll size. Dolls for dollhouses are not something I am into. But the house itself looked to me like a great roombox (which just got auto corrected to rhumba!) and a fun way to play with the midcentury modern look – a look I’m not at all interested in for my real home, but one I’ve really come to love in miniatures.

I was going to stop at our local Target on my way back to Hartford, but I didn’t. Thus began my Hartford-area search. And now I have it.

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Here’s a glimpse of the outside. The door is plastic and huge (probably for the dolls) but it can work. Green felt top for a roof garden.

Here’s the inside:

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You can see the loft and a battery operated yellow light, which I’ll probably remove at some point. I’m in love with the tall windows. Since this was designed as a kid’s toy, plastic furniture sets are available for the rooms, though there were none available at the Target store I went to. It comes with a kitchen.

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It’s okay, but it’s plastic. It takes up too much of the main space. And it’s a little bigger than 1:12 – maybe 1:10? I’m not sure. I think I’ll be ‘redesigning’ the kitchen.

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I think it’s really cool.

I brought a couple of pieces back with me, just to play a bit. But not enough to truly play, darn it!

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Such a neat space and so full of possibilities. After all, though I have midcentury modern in the Top Secret Project, it is for Don. So I can’t really play with it after it’s finished. I have to be a good girl and leave it alone.

Reader Bridget solved the mystery and I was shocked and delighted that she did! Good for you, Bridget. I left one clue in yesterday’s comments and replies: miniatures. That, coupled with the fact that I was looking for the item at Target, was apparently enough for Bridget. Bravo!

It’s available online here, if you’re at all interested. Target: once again I am referring readers to your site.

Ahem. Hint: Loveseat.

The Target I went to yesterday had about three of these left. I think they’re quickly going out of stock because the one I visited the other day had none on the shelves. And none of the Targets had the accessories, but since I wasn’t interested in them, it was fine. In other words, they’re pretty picked over, due, I’m sure, to it being post-Christmas.

So I have added a little dollhouse to the temporary digs. I wish there was a miniatures shop nearby but there isn’t. Sigh.

And I do have to work. Right?

Happy Friday.

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Sunday. That’s the Best I Can Do for a Post Title.

Sunset: City Edition

Mystery Solved

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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