I Could Never Be Rich
So I went to Bloomingdales to try to use a $50 gift card. $50 at Bloomingdales is almost silly. It's enough to get something, but nothing substantial. I mean, tee shirts were $35. $35!! That's insane. I can get 3 tee shirts for that at Target. Hence, why I could never be really "rich." I could be comfortable, where I don't have to worry about money or just go shopping at Target whenever I like, but I could never get to the point where I actually purchase $35 tee shirts.

So I looked at ridiculously overpriced clothing, totally expensive shoes, and just plain odd looking hats and scarves. Finally I reached the cosmetics department and circled around there for a while. I tried the Clinique counter, but it was occupied by annoying looking women and when I hovered around, the women in lab coats (is that supposed to make me think that these women know more about skin than the glammed up Chanel girls? it really makes me think the opposite) basically ignored me, so I gave up on Clinique for good I think. I cautiously made my way over to the Chanel counter. The girls there were really friendly and I just made my request as plain as I could. So then, lo and behold, less than 5 minutes later I'm walking away with a beautiful compact with pressed powder.

I think I'm going to start an almost all-or-nothing policy when it comes to cosmetics. Either I'll be buying Revlon and inexpensive makeup or saving my pennies for Chanel. I love it. It comes in this little velour pouch, and the compact is this simple black style with the delightful logo on it. Plus, the cosmetics are just such high quality. I'm definitely hooked.

Caution - Cello Under Construction

So I have to take Fred in for some minor work. There's a hairline crack that I've got. Luckily, it's nothing much, and should just take maybe a week to have fixed. Plus, I ordered a new A and D string and really, really need my bow rehaired. I'm thinking once this is all done, Fred will be in tip top shape and ready for the next marathon I have coming up. I have 2 free weekends and then non-stop action:

Sept. 23/24 - Free
Oct. 1 - Possible baseball trip/Oct. 2 - Free
Oct. 7 - Free/Oct. 8 NPSO Rehearsal
Oct. 14/15 - Fall Fair at work - working crazy-like all weekend
Oct. 21 - Free, Oct. 22 - NPSO Concert followed by rehearsal for King & I
Oct. 28 - King & I performance/Oct. 29 - King & I performance followed by rehearsal for My Fair Lady
Nov. 4/5 - My Fair Lady performances
Nov. 11 - My Fair Lady/ Nov. 12 - Free
Nov. 18/19 - My Fair Lady Performances

So basically, I have craziness till Thanksgiving. But it's all good - I'll be seeing my pals and just playing my little heart out. Nothing bad about that at all. It's just odd to look at my schedule and *poof* my weekends are filled. But what good is having weekends if you can't fill them with something you love?

Have You Seen the Way They Kiss in the Movies?

So, my run of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" has come to an end. It was an amazingly fun run. There was just this great dynamic in the pit that was so great and so synchronous. Plus, we're all talking about the next couple of shows coming up, so it's all good. The cast was great, we were smokin', it was all good.

Friday
Mom, Dad and Tommy come to the show. I'm extra excited to play and pay uber-close attention so as I don't make any stupid mistakes. Show goes well, audience seems to like it. Family enjoys it (which is always a plus) and everyone could actually hear me as an added bonus.

Saturday
Two shows on Saturday. An afternoon matinee which went fairly well - good crowd - and they had interpreters for the deaf. We all joked that if the audience was deaf - why would they need us? But it was another good show. Eight of us then piled over to Bertucci's where we drank (it was a 2 martini weekend - I had a Berry Smoothie type martini here), stuffed ourselves silly and just had amazing conversation. We all talked about music and how this generation now that we're all teaching has very little frame of reference when it comes to music. We all grew up watching Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry. Classical music galore. So when it came time to play the Hungarian Fantasy or William Tell or The Barber of Seville, we were already accustomed to what it was supposed to sound like. It's interesting. So we talked about that, we talked about movie music, about current and future shows happening. Jill had me try Sapphire Gin mixed with club soda with lime. Now, I'm not a fan of lime, but it was a pretty good drink - I'll have to keep that in mind. So we trek back to the theatre and it was just beautiful outside. Balmy, breezy, just nice. So Jim, Jon, Ed and Jill start up a frisbee game and I settle down next to Denise to just read the paper and enjoy the fresh air. They were having fun, I was having fun watching them and it was just great to be outside and soak up some last bit of warmth before fall really kicks in. We head back inside for our second show and that's where we all start getting punch drunk. All of us were chiming in when we could with what was going on onstage. It was just too too much fun. But then, at the end of the show, where I have this hugely exposed part I miss a G#. Argh. I was pissed all night. But I got over it.

Sunday
I get to Jill's house and we head off to Hofstra. Park far away to get some exercise. Then went on to the Italian Fest and ate a piece of bread stuffed with pepperoni, salami, ham and cheese. Argh. But we had a good time walking around, just enjoying the gorgeous weather and looking at different wares from different vendors. Then inside we went for the last show of Millie. It was quite bittersweet - lots of fun, totally jamming on the score but knowing it was the last time (for a while at least) we'd be playing it. Then after the show, Jill, Sandy and I hit Papparazzi for a nice, leisurely dinner, complete with martinis to celebrate the end of a real good run, good friends and good health.

It was just such a great weekend. And even though I was plenty busy without much time for myself, it was so fulfilling and wonderful. I mean, how many people really get to spend their free time doing something they enjoy thoroughly and get paid for it?

Pink Elephants on Parade

So I've been stressing all week about my appointment with Dr. B. I was trying to think logically, that I've been feeling really well, been doing good at the gym, not coughing, not having fevers or sweats or anything. But I can try to think as logically as I want and it doesn't matter. There's this tiny voice in the back of my head that continues to chant "You had cancer, you can get it again, it might come back." So I just needed the validation. And once I heard that my CT scan came back clear and that the scar tissue is shrinking yet even more, it felt like 2 of those pink elephants that plagued Dumbo after drinking the champagne-tinged water just floated off my shoulders.

So then I was able to enjoy a nice evening of playing my heart out and just generally enjoying the bliss of being healthy.

The Tube Music Network

So in flipping channels over the extended weekend, I discovered a new one I really hadn't given much time to. The Tube. All videos all the time. No reality stuff, no awards, no news, just videos. And it's so random, like one of those format-free radio stations. I mean, you've got an archived performance by Marvin Gaye, followed by the video for Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's absolutely brilliant. The best thing since Vh1 Classic. I've done almost nothing all weekend but watch it. I'm soaking up old favorites and new-found treasures.

I Turned A Corner

Well, we opened Millie last Friday. It went pretty well. (With the exception of a misplaced prop and an actor then hissing "f*ck f*ck" into their mike) And it was fun to get back into the swing of being a musician again!

Plus I hung out with the fellow muscians, gobbling up free food at a party Friday night and staying out past midnight 2 nights in a row!! What a wild life I lead.

But each night as I was sitting in the pit, I actually took some time to just enjoy playing. I relished in it and looked around. I love how it gets so loud down there, I love how there's this little glowing light coming from all the stand lights, I love how as soon as the overture starts we all just sink into the groove like the show's on this track and just chugs along. I'm really lucky to get to do something I love so much.