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Heading toward Christmas

December 21, 2022 at 8:48 am by Claudia

Spoiler Alert  is still playing in movie theaters, but, as is the case nowadays, it is also streaming as of yesterday. It’s the initial release/early access via various streaming platforms, which means it’s still a bit pricier than it eventually will be. For us, it’s still cheaper than going to the movie theater.

I think we’re going to purchase it through Amazon Prime, so I can watch it whenever I want. I still haven’t really “seen” my scene. I was so surprised at the additional lines that I sort of froze and didn’t take it in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a short segment, but it’s not as short as it was.

Also, there was an article in the NY Times about Jim yesterday and I was mentioned – though not by name.

This isn’t entirely accurate. Ben met with two coaches, one of which was me. I have no idea who the other coach was. And Ben made the final choice. But Jim sure gave me the opportunity and made sure I was one of the options.

I spoke with the woman who is producing the workshop and she is doing her best to find a way for me to do the job. That’s all I can say for now. I really want to help my colleague, so we’ll see what happens. We had a good conversation

I spent an hour or two herding the girls in order to take a group holiday photo. I’ve yet to pick one but I used both my big girl camera and my iPhone.

I have two more sweater photos to share; one today and one tomorrow.

Zoe and bokeh. You know how I love bokeh.

And because I loved both of these shots and couldn’t decide what to post, here’s another:

I would be happy to accept a life-sized version of this sweater.

We’re due for awful weather tomorrow and Friday – over two inches of rain. The temp will reach 52 degrees on Friday and then will drop 30 degrees on Saturday, with high winds. That makes for dangerous driving on Christmas Eve. Frigid temps on both Christmas Eve and Christmas – highs only in the twenties.

And no white Christmas. Sob.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Christmas, Spoiler Alert 26 Comments

Tuesday Thoughts

December 20, 2022 at 10:05 am by Claudia

• Flowers from Don.

I needed some cheering up, I suppose. I came up against the same thing I almost always have to deal with as a dialect/text/voice coach in the theater; an offer that is problematic. I don’t want to go into details, but it’s for a workshop so the budget is understandably low. I get it. But it will require me to commute into the city for several days and at about $50 a day, the travel costs add up. I would be earning far less than my standard fee – which, by the way, is much less than many other coaches. I thought I had a way to get around it, which would have been to stay at my former student’s apartment in Brooklyn, but she has already rented it for January. Living far from NYC is always a problem when negotiating a contract.

Sometimes when I’m wrestling with something, I turn it over to my Higher Power and wait for guidance. And I did that. The next morning, I received the clear thought to contact my former student. Since this seemed like what I call a God-Shot, I was sure it would work out. But no. So I was a bit crestfallen and Don got me the flowers.

This is a job I want to do because it’s for a longtime colleague and friend of mine. I don’t have an answer yet and I know I’ll be talking to the person who is arranging this today. I don’t need advice. I’m just sharing this particular struggle. Theater budgets are, by necessity, small. It’s just the way of the world.

• I had a paragraph or two here about success and applauding each other’s achievements, but it’s being misinterpreted – most likely because I was clear enough in my intent. So I’m going to delete it as I don’t want it to be overblown. Sigh. Moving on…

• Don has a YouTube channel and he has begun posting his new work and some of his older songs, as well. If you have any interest in his songs and are so inclined, would you subscribe to his channel? If he reaches 100 subscribers, he will get his own URL instead of the very long address that he has now. This is the link to his channel. Thanking you in advance.

And finally:

The girls in the slammer. (Late afternoon sun and the blinds in the den.)

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: life 29 Comments

Lake Cottage: Christmas Edition

December 19, 2022 at 9:06 am by Claudia

Okay. I managed to get some new photos of the Lake Cottage. This involved dragging a heavy wooden chair that normally lives in the kitchen to the den. I used the big-girl camera for everything except a shot of the tree, which happens to be placed at the back of the miniature living room – a very dark corner. So I shoved my iPhone in the room, hoping I was aiming at the right place and kept taking pictures until something passable appeared.

A few photos of a dark interior on a dark day.

But here we have a brighter photo of the exterior.

The living room. I haven’t really done anything to it since I first grabbed some pieces of furniture and accessories that I had on hand. I did my best to fill the bookshelves and supplied a cozy chair and sofa for the owners to sink into as they sit in front of the fire. The only new piece is the Arts and Crafts side table by the sofa. I purchased that at a miniature show. Looking at these photos has made me want to do more with the interior – at the very least, add some more books and rugs.

This little house is funky. The two rooms next to the living room are very small. I can barely get my hand into the one that is by the front door. I often think about trying to add a bed – but how? I do have some ideas. But the only way you’d get to see it is in a picture shot from outside the front window.

The kitchen – or kitchenette – has hardly any room either. I have added a piece exactly like the kitchen island in Dove Cottage. I bought it because I knew it would fit. It’s still in its raw wood stage.

I also think I could stick some “tile” down on the wood floor. It, like the wallpaper in the living room, would be installed with something temporary. It wouldn’t be glued in. The door is a bit too wide (wider than the front door!) and out of scale, but opening that door temporarily might offer another view of the bedroom for a photo shoot. Now, to figure out where I could put a little stove, because the left wall contains another door to the living room. There’s barely any wall space available.

The tree. It used to be in the modern dollhouse where it worked perfectly. It’s not what I would have initially chosen for this house, but after looking at it here, the glittery silver is much better than a dark evergreen tree. It stands out more.

It needs a skirt. I’ll work on that.

One good thing about this mini photo shoot: it’s inspired me to do a bit more with this beauty of a dollhouse.

Okay. I referred to the book about Dorothy Kilgallen yesterday. I want to add that it’s not perfect. It definitely needed better editing. At times, a word is omitted. The author sometimes repeats himself. But he has really done his research and none of those things have had an impact on my reading enjoyment.

Time to get going. The last January 6th Committee meeting will be televised today. It’s at 1 pm.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, dollhouse, miniatures 16 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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