A benefit of getting on the road so early in the morning: the spectacular sunrises, which we clock as we drive east toward the Hudson River.
Speaking of spectacular, I am spectacularly tired. Sleep has been nearly nonexistent and as I head toward the end of a six-day-straight week of commuting back and forth, I am just trying to get through the day today and tomorrow and then I can relax. Maybe it’s the stimulation of the senses – so much music and text, long train rides, long bus rides, the crowds in Grand Central Station and Times Square, the insanity in Washington DC…probably a combination of all of the above. Sometimes I can’t get to sleep at night. At other times, I get to sleep but wake up in the middle of the night. The night before last, I actually slept through the night and I felt so much better yesterday, only to lose sleep again last night.
Though I often commute to the city, I don’t think I’ve done it for 6 days in a row for a long time and the rehearsals start at 10 am. I now regret that I didn’t push to be put up in the city this week, but I didn’t…so that’s that.
That’s West Point in the photo. I get a gorgeous view of it each morning as the train travels south along the Hudson River.
Even though I’m sleep-deprived, let me say that it is absolutely worth it to be a part of this production. Anastasia won my heart last spring in Hartford. It’s simply glorious. When Darko told me he wanted me to be a part of the Broadway production, I was so grateful and happy. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s special. It’s rare. The cast is special. Wonderful people both onstage and off. Who knows if I’ll ever get another chance to work on Broadway? So I am lapping the whole thing up, trying to be present every moment, which also, coincidentally, helps me weather the work day after a sleepless night.
All is well. At least, in my little Hudson Valley – New York City – Anastasia world. I am fully aware of what is going on in our nation’s capital. To say I’m appalled is putting it mildly. My sister wrote a great post the other day about needing to speak out. If you’re a blogger, one of the avenues for your voice to be heard is through your blog. I applaud her for writing about it. I will again, as well, when I have some time to put my thoughts together in a coherent fashion. I’m pretty sure you know what I’m thinking. Saving our republic, our democracy, is at stake and the need to do so is about as urgent as it can get. Finding out the truth about the FIC’s ties to Russia is imperative. Speaking out is of the utmost importance.
More on Sunday. I miss you all. I do not like being away from the blog!
Happy Friday.
I miss your voice but I know you are so busy and the commute is a long one. Oh the love of being on Broadway. I am living vicariously through you. I once dreamed of being an actor (can’t sing) but then children and other life happened.
I can’t begin to say how awful that press conference was with ‘him’. Our country is losing (lost) our dignity. We must stand up to this tyrant.
Wishing you a good end to the week and rest on Sunday!
Happy Friday Claudia. Hopefully you will get some decent sleep this weekend. Thanks for taking the time to stop and fill us in. xo
I watched more of the news last night than I’ve allowed myself lately and I became physically ill, and that’s no lie. My husband and I are also sleeping very, very poorly. Days of waking up in the morning feeling relaxed and rested have just disappeared. We’ve all got our own stresses and issues of aging…but then you add in what’s happening to the larger world and it’s a prescription for disaster when it comes to anxiety control.
Claudia, you sound exhausted except for also sounding grateful. I wish you could sleep on the train but I never can on planes or trains either. Don’t you just envy those people who can nod off for power naps for 20 minutes and wake up revived?
You are a dear to give us photos when you are so busy. West Point; a treat to see for me, out here ‘way out West where, I should mention, we are getting absolutely DELUGED with rain which we hope isn’t become damaging. Where I live is still considered, as of the drought indexes last week, excessive drought but, wow, coulda fooled me, considering the amount of rain we’ve been getting which is nothing short of eye-popping. We currently have standing water around much of our property…and we have excellent drainage as a rule, although we’re also in a flood plain (I pay $1000 per year for flood insurance in addition to ‘regular’ homeowners’ insurance)…and there are hours yet of this heavy rain today. Yikes.
Remember that old pop-rock song from the early 70s, “It Never Rains In California” ?? HA!
You will appreciate the flood insurance if you have a flood. Ours is over $2000 a year and we had to use it in 2015 when we got flooded out. Flood insurance will not pay as well as homeowner’s and will not cover your storage costs or to stay somewhere else while the work is being done, but it does help a lot. I will be thinking about you and hoping that you never ever have to use it. We aren’t sleeping either, but I have found that if I make a small donation, every time that I get very upset, to an organization who is fighting for the environment or help for animals that it helps a little. I might go broke though. I wish that you did not have to go through the possible flood trauma and the other trauma at the same time. Reading this blog helps a lot too.
Oh, yes; reading this blog and hearing what all of Claudia’s readers have to say (as well as Claudia herself!) is relief for all that stress!
Thanks for the info about flood insurance; I’m hoping I don’t have to use it. Very strange; front yard is in the flood plain but rear yard is not. FEMA gives us no choice now. Got a mortgage? In a flood area, even if you’re lower risk like us? It’s a federal regulation; a lender requirement.
We actually had to get out in the thick of this storm today (couldn’t be avoided) around 2pm and my town has many flooded intersections; the police and CalTrans are out in force, checking on drains and slowing down cars before they get stranded in too-deep water. I saw many cars parked on the street where the water was over the tires and lapping at their passenger door frames. I saw people sandbagging at the fire department yesterday and a lot of businesses are closed, front doors bagged; I really do think, though, that they should have cancelled school today because the traffic tie-up when all the schools let out was a mess and I felt so sorry for kids walking home in the rain, thoroughly drenched which, after the novelty of it, just isn’t very pleasant especially when the wind is blowing rain sideways.
Since we were out anyway, we also did what we’re asked not to do, which was to take a quick trip to check on the creek and river. (My husband is a professionally-trained, local, certified emergency response volunteer and, believe me, he is cautious out there…in fact, he’s standing at the ready, gear packed, expecting he may get the call that he’s needed this weekend…) Anyway, oh wow, haven’t seen this in YEARS here in SoCalif but the creek is raging, muddy-muddy water and rising; a park ranger was out surveying the integrity of the bridge over it; they’re of course really keeping an eye out.
This completely unexpected and mis-forecasted winter of rain for us is a blessing but, right now, it’s just coming down too hard and for too long; my driveway itself looks like its own river and I’m just glad I’m on a raised foundation. An hour ago, the city sidewalk curbing was under water. I’m hoping my roof holds and that we don’t spring a leak; our roof is scheduled to be replaced later this fall (because all weather forecasts said not to worry yet, because the 2016-2017 ‘Winter’ would be DRY!). A couple of months ago, the creek and river were sort of a joke; just a rivulet/tiny ditch of water. Not today!
Maybe this rain will save some trees whereas so many others have gotten too far gone to save: “The U.S. Forest Service has identified an additional 36 million dead trees across California since its last aerial survey in May 2016. This brings the total number of dead trees since 2010 to over 102 million on 7.7 million acres of California’s drought stricken forests. In 2016 alone, 62 million trees have died, representing more than a 100% increase in dead trees across the state from 2015. Millions of additional trees are weakened and expected to die in the coming months and years.” (ScienceDaily from about 3 months ago.) When we were out today, a huge tree on the side of the highway was completely uprooted and had already been cleared; those parched, weakened roots just can’t get a strong-enough foothold when saturated to such a degree with water. So sad; wish we could have gotten some of this rainwater to save them before it ever got to this point.
I’m going on and on here; I’m a weather geek and this is crazy weather here in SoCalif.
Nice to hear from you again, but I worry about your lack of sleep. Hope that will get better when you get a day off, and then begin staying in NYC instead of commuting. Stay well, Claudia.
The lack of sleep is horrid. I was up in the night, as I am nearly every night, and I feel myself going into a panic attack. I know my BP is skyrocketing when it happens. After that “news conference” that I heard bits and pieces of, I am ready to head back into the Land of Denial. LOVED Peter Alexander throw those electoral college vote counts in his face when he threw out one of his “slightly” altered facts. What an idiot.
Are you back home now for a while, or do you move into housing at some point soon? Hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend. Take care.
Claudia, I am thrilled for you to be part of a Broadway show. I would be doing a happy dance. I loved seeing West Point. You are lucky to see all the amazing things people can only dream about ,most times. Blessings to you and Don, hope you are both well. xoxo, Susie
What an extra special time for you with this show! Am assuming adrenalin and happy excitement helps you get through the day. Very special for your readers to be able to share this experience . Hang in there for this unforgettable time will bring many happy memories to cherish! Grateful to know we have you and Meredith to voice shared thoughts of the utmost concern for our country and about this nightmare causing so very much endless stress……Dianne
Pretty pic of West Point. I’m not sure anyone is sleeping well this week….what a lot of noise coming from D.C. And, it seems like there is no end in sight! Hope you get some time off soon! ;)
One more day. You can do it!
That man is going to self destruct, so hang in there.
Sleep well,
Monica
From 2/15/17 (multiple news sources): ‘Dr. Allen Frances, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University Medical College (wrote in a letter to the New York Times)…”Most amateur diagnosticians have mislabeled President Trump with the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder…he may be a world-class narcissist, but this doesn’t make him mentally ill, because he does not suffer from the distress and impairment required to diagnose mental disorder… Mr. Trump causes severe distress rather than experiencing it and has been richly rewarded, rather than punished, for his grandiosity, self-absorption and lack of empathy…(but) it is a stigmatizing insult to the mentally ill (who are mostly well behaved and well meaning) to be lumped with Mr. Trump (who is neither).” But some mental health experts, including psychiatrists, have said Trump is so dangerous that they must speak out. On Feb. 13, the New York Times published a letter signed by 33 psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. “We believe that the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr. Trump’s speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president,” they wrote. Dr. Frances (however) disagrees. “Psychiatric name-calling is a misguided way of countering Mr. Trump’s attack on democracy. He can, and should, be appropriately denounced for his ignorance, incompetence, impulsivity and pursuit of dictatorial powers,” he wrote. “His psychological motivations are too obvious to be interesting, and analyzing them will not halt his headlong power grab. The antidote to a dystopic Trumpean dark age is political, not psychological.”‘
Still. Whose head isn’t shaking over what they’re hearing from him? Why with a brand-new leader are we having to be thinking about his self-destruction and/or impeachment? It’s all so, so wrong…SO going in the WRONG direction, our poor-dear country. How can we not be thinking what will happen to us? (A great way to get ulcers and, yes, insomnia.) Is that really the effect a new President wants to have on the country/people he’s supposed to be leading? It’s certainly not positive. It’s never leadership. Has there ever been a more horrible start to a new presidency? I can vaguely remember (I was very young; grade-school age) a feeling I got from adults around me that they didn’t seem to be very satisfied with Lyndon Johnson as President. I can recall, as a young adult, how deflated I felt with the Nixon-Watergate thing, and even of course how disgusted with Bill Clinton’s sex-debacle…but I never felt downright scared like I do now.
There’s still nothing I’m seeing or hearing from DT that convinces me he can effectively serve as leader of the free world; leader of my beloved country. I’m sure we look very weakened to the rest of the world. I’m just as disappointed and wary as I figured I’d be with him as President, since ‘way before the November election. I get the feeling, even with the finest image consultants/advisers/experts at hand, that DT listens to no one, which is the height of arrogance. Does he even care about trying to be a good president or a better man? If you’re not popular, at least hope you’re respected. The brash and bold demeanor is not powerful; instead, sorrowful.
“They” said we were understandably a nation of anxiety-ridden citizens after 911; we’re already there, with a DT presidency. He’s making us sick in every way. Heartsick, for sure.
Claudia..you should be very proud of working on Broadway…that is a dream that many have but only a few will ever experience…To be a part of something so wondrous and beautiful is an amazing thing…especially at a time like this…People want this gift you are preparing for them…people need this now more than ever…Please, give our regards to Broadway!
We miss you too!
Thanks for always taking the time to write even at your busiest times, I wish you a very relaxing and cozy weekend / Sunday! Hugs, Susi
So glad to see your post and am glad your traveling is almost over. I know you love what you do but being sleep deprived can certainly wear you or anyone down fast. Take care.
Judy
Loved seeing your photos, Claudia. Here’s hoping things will settle down a bit for you workwise and you can relax. (If the mess in DC will allow that.) Your show sounds great. Do you think it will ever come to the West Coast? We just saw a fun revival of Pajama Game locally and enjoyed it and the music .