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Manhattan: Coaching, Book Reading, Book Buying

October 21, 2015 at 9:29 am by Claudia

I’m late to my laptop this morning.

Blame it on this:

10-21 lee child make me

I read it on the bus to NYC yesterday. I read it on the way home. I read it in bed last night. And I read it this morning. I’m getting very close to the end. But, as with all good books, I don’t want to race through the final pages. I want to savor them.

Because I know the final pages will be unputdownable (my new word) and I also know that it will be another year until a new Jack Reacher adventure arrives in the bookstores.

Tom Cruise? What were they thinking??? Don’t answer. I already know. They were thinking box office.

I got into Manhattan a little early yesterday and I had to walk from the bus station to East 59th Street, which took me up expensive Fifth Avenue, past Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany and the Plaza. Along the way, I stopped at Barnes & Noble because who can resist a bookstore? Not me. I saw many books I wanted, but didn’t bite. Except for one: Broken Monsters  by Lauren Beukes. I read about it last year and tried to get a review copy but I was too late, it had already been published. It takes place in Detroit, which always draws me in because it’s my hometown. While browsing in the Mystery Section yesterday, I remembered the book and tried to find it, but I wasn’t sure of the author’s last name or even the title. I figured I’d see the last name and find it that way. No go. I finally resorted to signing on to NetGalley on my phone so that I could find the rejected request for an advanced reader copy. Ah, Beukes! As sometimes happens, it wasn’t under mystery but it was under literature.

Like I need another book on my To Be Read pile.

Anyway, it was a lovely day and I was on the edge of Central Park, but had no time to explore it. People were everywhere, as you can imagine, and I find I am always amazed at how many wealthy people there are in this part of Manhattan. You can see it in the clothes they wear, in the way they carry themselves. And there are many, many wealthy tourists. Where does all that money come from?

And then there’s me, in jeans and sneakers, wearing a sweater and a funky jacket that’s more than twenty years old. More like twenty-five.

My coaching session lasted twice as long as I had planned and was a difficult one, and I was hungry and dehydrated when I left the theater but, you guessed it, I had to walk about 25 blocks back to the bus station in order to grab the next scheduled bus, so I grabbed something to go and ate it on the bus. New York is lovely, or can be, but I’m usually racing through it on my way to and from some point in the city.

10-21 red leaf

We have about a gazillion leaves to rake over the next few days. They are everywhere. Did I mention I don’t like raking leaves? When you’ve got as many trees as we do, it loses whatever appeal it has very quickly. And we don’t even tackle the back forty.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page with some links for your reading pleasure.

Don’s CD is back in stock at CD Baby. You can either click here or travel over to my sidebar and click there.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, bookstores, New York City, On The Road 29 Comments

Day Two in the City

October 5, 2015 at 7:32 am by Claudia

10-5 piano top

It’s early morning and I’m doing my best to get this post up and head on into the city for another day of coaching. This will be a long one, as I have to have individual sessions with all ten actors in the show. It’s the kind of thing I can’t think about too much or it will be overwhelming. I just have to breathe and take one session at a time. I’m grateful, of course, for the chance to do some work and get paid for it and for the chance to be of service.

It’s a talented group of actors. The musical is called Songbird  and it’s an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull  set in modern-day Nashville. The idea is an interesting one and it really works well. It has great country music sung by very talented performers. They also play their own instruments. I really liked it. As is almost always the case, I walked in the door and recognized someone I knew. The musical director worked on Kiss Me Kate, the show I did earlier this year.

I’m tempted, but only tempted, to go to John Connolly’s book signing at The Mysterious Bookshop tonight. Since the day off in theater is usually a Monday, I never even entertained the possibility that I might be in the city. But I will be.

We’ll see. I might be too tired at that point in the day. When you add in 3+ hours of travel, it makes for a long, long day. But I’ll keep it rolling around in my brain as a possibility.

Don’s box of shiny new CDs should arrive today. He is very excited. Hopefully, he should have them available and on a web site by sometime next week. (I wish I could be here when he opens the box!)

How are you? What are you up to today?

Quick little post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: New York City, On The Road, theater 22 Comments

Home Again

August 27, 2015 at 8:53 am by Claudia

8-26 morning glory 1

I’m home.

A day earlier than I had originally planned.

I got on the road about 8 am yesterday, crossed over into North Carolina, and by the time late afternoon rolled around, I knew I was close enough to keep going. It seemed foolish to spend more money on a motel if I could get home that day – even if it was late in the evening. I called Don and told him I was going to go for it and I rolled in around 9 pm.

Thoughts about the trip: Driving through the greater Washington DC area is a nightmare. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my trusty GPS and even with it’s help, I can’t tell you how many times I had to cross 3 lanes of traffic in order to exit at the very last minute. And sometimes the directions given by the GPS were unclear, so I had to take a chance and hope I was right. Somehow, I managed to get through that crazy spider web of roads and too many people driving too many cars.

Once you drive north of DC you start to hit toll roads. Most of the states had modest tolls, but Maryland? A state I was in and out of very quickly? $12. Come on, Maryland, that’s just plain ridiculous.

The car drove beautifully and I like it a whole bunch. I either listened to CDs or the radio. I’m not a book on tape sort of person because I like the narrator’s voice to be in my imagination. I want to set the pace, if you know what I mean. Meredith sent one along with me, just in case, but I went for the music and NPR instead.

Happy to be home. Scout is having a hard time of it – she’s falling a lot. So I’m glad I’m here to help with my girl.

8-26 zinnia

I’ll write more about Little Z on another day. He’s my hero, that boy. I miss him so much it hurts.

Grateful to be home safely. Grateful to my dad for his generous gift. Grateful to my sister and her family for a great visit. Grateful to Don for holding down the fort while I was gone.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: flowers, garden, On The Road 52 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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