• 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.
The flowers from Don are lovely, the red and white so pretty for Christmas. We had flowers delivered to a friend in her 80s. She was thrilled and told us she had never received flowers at Christmas before so I’m so glad we sent them. Hope you find some way of accepting the job in N.Y. And the group shot of the girls is charming. I wish I could remember all their names. Hugs, Elaine
Half the time, I can’t remember their names!
Stay safe, Elaine.
sending virtual hugs and flowers to you.
and trying to subscribe to don’s channel (i need new passwords because i can’t yet find the last ones).
better days are ahead!
kathy
Fingers crossed, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Good luck…you always decide wisely…perhaps it has nothing to do with your success…I know most of my friends who live all over do not go to movies…perhaps it is the movie…who knows? Doesn’t matter anyway..I was in a similar situation and come to find out my teacher friends thought I was crazy to travel to study Shakespeare…a waste of time to them…the awards silly…did not bother me as I did it for me…however, I totally understand your thought process…no advice…just understanding…oh yes…when we bought the Hallmark store, a dear friend made some comments that could have crushed me…alas…you know how I feel about criticism…constructive builds up…criticism tears down…don’t even ask about the negative comments I got when I quit my own store and went to college, living there, to become a teacher…whew…
No, it’s not the movie itself. It hadn’t even been released officially yet when this happened. Anyway, I’ve deleted that part of the post. Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my writing.
Thanks, Brenda.
Stay safe.
We vent
We wonder
We think
It goes out the window
It is gone
Poof
You are an amazing woman
Bless you, Brenda. You brought tears to my eyes.
Much love,
Claudia
OMG, I love what Brendab wrote!
Are you saying that some people in your circle are not happy for your success? If that is the case, I’m so sorry because it hurts. But people can be very disappointing. Hang in there and Merry Christmas.
I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that maybe it was hard in that moment to applaud for whatever reason. I made sure to say that the vast majority were thrilled.
Stay safe.
Great. I’m Subscribing to Don’s YouTube channel. His talents should be celebrated!
Thank you so much, Darlene!
xoxo
Happy to subscribe to Don’s youtube channel – he’s very talented! I hope all of your friends are truly happy for your success. Your talking about it is never braggadocios and I can always sense the sincere excitement in your words.
Thanks so much, Jenny.
The flowers are lovely….Don is so thoughtful. I subscribed to his channel….hope it helps.
I hope you receive the answer you are seeking regarding the voice coach job. It sounds like a difficult decision, that is complicated by the financial times we live in. Wishing you well.
“The girls in the slammer “ does explain that deer in the headlights look on their faces…Lol! Enjoy your day! ;)
Thank you for subscribing, Donnamae.
I had a good conversation with her this morning. We’ll see what happens.
Stay safe!
I am thinking Santa will be good to the girls in spite of being in the slammer because of how much joy they bring you. I hope you have a beautiful day. The flowers are lovely.
They’re not getting any presents this year! I’ve spent too much on them this year.
Stay safe, Trina.
Beautiful flowers ….. carnations have a lovely scent…can almost smell them from here…love them!
Sometimes decisions are such a pain…. good luck…
The girls look cute in their line up!
Take care…
They are very cute!
Stay safe, Barrie.
Making decisions when something has so many moving parts is hard. I hope it works out. I subscribed to Don’s channel. The flowers are lovely. Hugs!
Thanks so much, Linda.
Stay safe.
I’m sorry you’re wrestling with some of life’s complications. It’s just not the time of year when we want such things. A friend of mine got directly exposed to Covid from a family member; she called me in tears this morning although she doesn’t yet have symptoms. But it has upended her entire Christmas plans (she was to leave Thursday), which were out of town, and she’s really bummed, having to cancel and stay isolated. Sometimes life just all-around sucks. I’m continuing to have a tough time getting over the death of my little feral cat; it’s put a pall over everything. Maybe we’ll all have a better day tomorrow, Claudia; hope so; hang in there.
I’m so sorry about your sweet cat, Vicki. I would be feeling the same way. It would be heartbreaking and poignant at any time, but especially at Christmastime.
Stay safe.
I don’t know why I didn’t think I’d be THIS griefstricken over the little yard cat but I’m particularly offended (have been spitting nails over it) that our weather was nearly 80 degrees HOT on Weds afternoon, full sun, so why couldn’t he have been allowed to lift his little whiskered face to sunshine instead of being ‘way too cold in the gray, bitter-cold days and nights (bitter cold to anything that’s a Southern Californian) when our temps dipped to below 40 after sunset. How could just four days be such different weather? So, I despair over the timing. Believe me, I’d tried everything over the years to coax him into a shed, garage; but he was feral and a wild kitty does not like to be confined even if it’s for his own safety and comfort at night.
Again, it was a head-banger, trying to ‘control’ his life over almost 15 years. But, yeah, I’ve been cursing the weather; it feels insulting; like why couldn’t have been warm on the last few crumbling days of his life. But I just have to move on; sorry I’m talking about it too much. My husband took me out on Weds evening to look at lights but I was underwhelmed; maybe some people in our small town have already left for the holiday goings-on, out of town, so that’s why their houses are dark. It’s just my mood, though. I’ve gotta try harder to lift myself; move on. Thanks for understanding, Claudia; your sympathy is comforting.
It’s always so hard. I still think about the loss of all my pets, second guessing whether I made the right decisions in a timely manner. But we can’t control everything. Remember that you helped your cat live a long life.
xoxo
The girls’ portrait is great! Love seeing them all together.
And now I know the end to the story you presented here. I’m glad. Yes, you were wise to hold out — these are hard time to even consider “undervaluing.” And see, it worked. Don is a gem — the flowers are beautiful!
Thank you, Jeanie.
A bit of a stressful week, but now I can relax.
Stay safe.