Another week-end review.

I went to see Alan's show, Footlight Frenzy, again this weekend. Its tightened up a lot since the opening, which was very good - but the cast didn't have a large audience for the preview, so they were tentative on where the laughs would be. By the next week, it was crisp. The writer of the show came and loved it.

I've been offered the resident costume design job for the same people for whom I'm costuming Fiddler. I told them I'd like to very much. It would be about 10 hours of work a week pulling costumes for their day camps and school outreach plays, and then some stipended mainstage shows. It isn't set in stone yet. I still need to hear from Storybook how much they'll want me next year so I know how much money I'll need to cap off my income, but if it all pans out, I may be able to drop the day job next year. YAYYYYYYY!!!!

I'm filling in again for Emperor's New Clothes all weekend. I've decided I will understudy if they want me to, but I don't like doing it all that much. It's hard to learn a role that isn't yours, then come back to it everyone once in a while. It makes every performance feel like your first run, and since the main cast develops the show as it progresses, you're always coming back in and getting thrown by new schtick. But again, I won't turn the work down if that's what they want me for. Women in theater can't afford to be quite as choosy!

Alan's leaving for another five days. A family member in Vancouver hurt himself, and needs Alan to come and help him with his landscaping job for a few days. I'm going to miss him terribly. The Fiddler costume preview is on Sunday, so I'll have plenty of work to keep me occupied.

My sewing machine is in the shop for the time being. It's started developing a few quirks. I'll have it back again to the tune of $159.00 on Friday.

Yesterday after my shows Alan and I went antiquing in Kent to a place where Alan had found a really neat wall clock to replace the Batman one that committed suicide a few weeks ago. He took me to see it. Its an old French looking clock with an Art Deco ad for Turandot. I approved, and we made our first household purchase together. It works. That bodes well. Today we're borrowing his nephew and his truck to pick up Miles and Becky's old couch. Alan's is falling apart, and they want theirs moved. A great scenerio all around. And a free leather couch in the bargain.

Another manic week.

Alan's been out of town for three days, so I've been dutifully sewing away on some more "Lachellybelly" items to put on sale at Emma Jeans. I finished (or refurbished) ten items. Three dresses, two skirts, two blouses, one hat, one purse, and one belt. I'm just waiting for my labels to come in the mail from Canada, and I'll run them over. I'll try to post pictures before I take them to the store.

Last night was my night at the homeless shelter. A quiet night except for a woman who didn't wake up when we turned on the lights, nor when we made a "goodmorning, there's breakfast and coffee" announcement. Finally, at 6:20, my fellow overnighter woke her up with 10 minutes to spare. She was furious, and spent three of her ten minutes in the kitchen demanding to know why we hadn't woken her earlier.

I'm off to retail whore again for another day. Last week I was the top seller in the store, and so far this week, my sales-per-hour have been about $80 above my target goal. It's more fun at work now that I know how to check my productivity throughout the day.

Tonight I've been called in to do some extras work for a film that's been shooting in Seattle for the past few weeks. I'm a "passerby" - so mostly I'll sit at craft services and stuff my face, while occasionally getting called in to meander past the camera at intervals. This shoot will last most of the night.

Tomorrow I've got two production meetings back to back for Fiddler and Seussical. I'll stay the evening and do some more pulling for Fiddler before the cast shows up. Then, hopefully, I'll be able to grab my alterations to do over the weekend. I also have quite a lot of dying and tea-dying to do. I picked up a nifty book at the library called "The Dyer's Companion" to get some better tips.

Tomorrow is Alan and my official 6-month anniversary. I bought him bowling pin cuff links from a Vintage clothing store I love. (I'm not spilling the beans. I thought Monday was the 25th, had Alan over for the candlelight dinner - except I couldn't find a lighter, so it was a candlelight-less dinner - and gave him his present, and only after looked at my dayplanner and found out it was the 21st or something.)

Now I'm going to go back to sipping a latte and watching the rain fall on my beloved city.

FINALLY!

Here's the organization I was looking for when I found KIVA!

A microfinance organization that allows you to invest in microfinance while getting a return! I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to soon!

Happy Valentines Day, Alan!

I managed by some alignment of the stars to get three days off in a row from work over Valentines weekend. I spent all day Thursday running around getting costumes for the dress rehearsal. Friday I woke up, went to yoga, met with Meredith to borrow costumes from Greenstage, then ran some errands and home to hem pants and make armbands for my two men.

That evening I got the actors into costume after a brief altercation with the ghost, and left to meet Alan, John and Eric to see opening night of Company. Saturday I spent the day at Alan's, watching Frasier and being domestic. We went to see Woman in Black last night.

Today is going to be another lazy day, I hope. Some more Frasier, then Valentines dinner after Alan gets finished with his show's tech rehearsal. Such is the life when two theater people date. These days I see 4-6 shows a month, mostly opening nights if we can.

This week is full of more work than I'd like (but that's great, actually, because Banana rewards good employees by working them more hours, and I have the most hours of anyone but one salesman who also gets lots of credit cards to his name). I've done my finances for the year, and realized that I'm actually finally making it on acting and costume designing - and a bit of a side job. My finances are in even better shape if I can waitress in the summer and have my credit cards paid off and a bit in savings to help me through the year if ever I'm coming up short. My summer waitressing job wants me back this year.

I'm off to forage for coffee!

Dress rehearsal tonight. The person who is renting me the Victorian Mourning dress is a no-show today. Now I've got to find a plan B, and I'm working until 5:30.

Oy.

Life is Hellish...but only in a good way.

I'm working retail. I'm understudying The Emperor's New Clothes of which I'm doing all the Saturday performances, and days when the Empress has weekday matinees of her other show. I've just been hired to costume design Fiddler on the Roof and Seussical for the student training part of my Children's Theater. I was called in with 8 days notice to costume Woman in Black for OCT. That opens Friday. Rehearsals for The Princess and the Pea begin in April.

On top of that I spend every waking second that I'm not in rehearsal, and neither is He (since His show goes into tech next week) driving south to spend quality time. There's lots of Lattes and Pepsi in my diet at the moment.

We were standing in the checkout line looking (I was looking, He was heroically offering support of my enthusiasm for decor) at the shabby chic and do-it-yourself design magazines. There was one beautiful living room, painted robin's egg blue with eclectic furniture, kitschy afghans, bookcases lining the walls, and a vase of flowers on the table. I showed Him, and He said, "yes, but if this were a house YOU lived in, there'd be a half empty Pepsi can here (pointing), a half drunk coffee here (pointing), shoes here and here, and whatever project you're currently working on taking up this chair. And every cabinet door open. I had to give him that one. Though I've been much better on the cabinet door front. And the lining my shoes up next to his on the doormat front. (They look very cute and tiny next to His) I'm still bad at the half-drunk Pepsi front, but that, we've decided, is his fault. Every time I open a Pepsi, he decides we need to spoon on the couch, and it's impossible to drink sideways from a can. Maybe we can invest in straws.

I've been working on new Emma Jeans items for the past month, but the construction is happening in fits and starts. When done, I should have a whole line of tie dresses, a coat, and a purse. I've ordered garment care labels bulk off eBay, so this round should look even more professional.

I'm off to sew!