creme bruele to die for

Wendy and I went to Paris to visit Kiyoshi, who is the best host in the world. While there, he treated us to Eze where we stayed in Chateau Eza the former home of the Crown Prince of Sweden. Our first evening in Eze we ate a wonderful meal at the chateau which, ironically, was Japonaise. It was an interesting Franco versions of Japanese cuisine and included five courses, one of which was sushi. It was served with a fork?... which threw us so we asked for chopsticks. We received a look of complete puzzlement for this request so we used our hands to eat the delicately rolled ball of salmon and rice. Of all the delicious meals we ate while on vacation, my favorite dish as the creme bruele. It was a light, creamy, cool dish topped with a sliver of sugary stained glass.

i'mmmmmm baaaack!

7 days away and I am anxious to get back to my family, friends and work. The South of France, Italy and Paris were beautiful/amazing, not to mention... delicious. When one is with Kiyoshi, they don't go hungery. We ate our way around the country. Right now, I am extremely jet-lagged and ready to sleep so I will get back with more details later. Au revoir.

...on parade

Subject 1: In just two short days I will be winging my way to the South of France and I am stoked! In the meantime I have quite a few things to get done. First, the costumes of Fiddler have to be Ready enough for the students at Albion to finish. Done! Tonight a "dress parade" was held to see were we stand and things appear in great condition. There are many alterations to do, the constable's jacket and two Russians' shirts to make but a whole week to finish the work. Second, notify the Union that I will be out of town... Done. Third, pack and make copies of my itinerary for the family. Done. There are a few other things to do but they are small and, mentally, I am already there.

Subject 2: Porscha is on her way to El Paso for a few days of climbing. It's great that she is able to see old friends and have a break from work but I sure worry about her getting there, sleeping in her car and getting home. From the time she leaves her home until the time she arrives back home I worry. (I love you, Porscha! Keep safe.)

Subject 3: Cynthia and Virgina are out at the Necto tonight. Surprized? I am. Virginia talked Cynthia into putting on a satin brocade corset and gold jeans and off they went.

and, Subject 4: This morning I had a glorious manicure and pedicure at Silk, an upscale nail salon in Ann Arbor. Alexis bathed my feet in rose-petal water, slathered it with cucumber creams and exfoliators, as I set back in a body massaging chair. Two and a half hours, I walked in a relaxed fog to my car with my sparkly copper fingertips. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well, it was until nine of the ten tappered nail shed their lacquered coats completely! Tomorrow morning you will find me in the manicurist's chair again.

shopped 'til i dropped

The heat is on as the shows come into technical week and I still quite a bit to do especially for Fiddler. It would have been very nice to go skiing with Greg tonight but I just got home from shopping for shoes, fabric, coats, wigs, hat, paint, dye and so on. Now that I am home I have sorting and building to do. The first thing I should do is build a rope ladder and then sails for the masts of Pirates of Penzance, next I will sort out my purchases for Fiddler and cut out three vests and a pair of pants. It would be nice to work out tonight but I am insistant about getting my eight hours rest tonight. As for cleaning the house? Well, I bought Cynthia a pair of nice shoes tonight and am hoping she will do me a favor and help out. Wish me luck!

count down

Things are beginning to come together for Fiddler and that makes me more relaxed. I worked in Albion all day and supervised the students work. There is much to do and many students stop by to help out. They come in not knowing anything about sewing or having some experience and, if I'm lucky, very experienced. But mostly, they have never sewn before. It slows my progress to stop and explain how to gather or clip; corners or finish an edge, but teaching and watching the excitement that comes with mastering a new skill.
My first sewing experience was in 7th grade HomeEd (Now, known as domestic engineering) where I made a knit tank top of a blue, white and turquoise blocky print with a navy ricrac trim. Back in the seventies even Meijer's sold fabric. Now, it's difficult to find sewing material.
I would like to write more but I have been trying to get to sleep earlier and the wine I am drink has started to take effect. So I must sign off for tonight. I'll catch up with you tomorrow.
Good night.

Stressed by making progress

Yes, it has been days, maybe a week since I have posted to my blog. No apologizes but an explanation... I have been so busy that I have been barely able to sleep. A typical day goes something like this: I wake about 6a. and go to Ann Arbor's Power Center and run wardrobe for the Hubbard Street Dance Company, off at 1p. and spend the next few hours shopping the show I am doing for Albion College, run back home to grab a bit and some paint clothes and I am ready to work on the set for Pirates of Penzance from 7:30p to 10:30p, finally, I return home to do paperwork, any web updates for my clients and organize costumes for the next day. Usually, I get to bed about 4 but two nights ago I couldn't turn off my mind and was only able to sleep 1.5 hours. How do I keep going? Well, Pirates moves into the theatre next Monday so I can see the light at the end of that tunnel and I leave for France on the 21st and the thought of that mental health break keeps me going. Fiddler opens the day after I return so that will be off my plate. However, I still have one more show to design before the madness is under control. That is the dance show for Albion College. But, I don't want to think about that now. My most desperate concern is the union. I call in every Monday to see what jobs they have for me that week and I can not turn them down. Things have worked out well so far but the next week is very busy already and I don't know how I could fit another 15 minutes of work into it.
Tonight, I wanted to go to a show at Eastern for one of my old professors that is retiring. He is designing the set and my friend, Madeliene, is designing costumes. It was there final dress and I was to take photos. After returning from Albion I just couldn't get up the energy and I still have some planning to do for tomorrow so I decided not to do it. The guilt is heavy but I have to learn to do what I have to do for myself. This was a first step.