Tis Fall

'tis Fall here in the City. The drizzle has been falling out of the sky for days, sometimes intermittently, sometimes steady, but always enough to make the manholes and subway ventilation grates extremely slippery. One must exercise great caution when zipping around this city when it's wet, if one wishes to not sprain or break an ankle.

Opera, Broadway, Ballet, Broadway. The phone is ringing constantly. Everyone wants to know my availability. No one but the opera has actually booked me. To be fair, I've turned some of the work down. I've also told others that I'm extremely interested. We are in a holding pattern. It's all good though, the opera is keeping me more than busy. One of the things that I like about the opera designer that I work for is that he will give me work if A) he has it, B) he can create it. He's a very easy person to work for in the fact that I 'get' his aesthetic and I know what he will and will not like. He's also grown to trust me over the last decade (as we both continue to mold each other) and so working for him isn't the hassle of some other people I've worked for. He's also a friend with a huge heart.

So when the labor dispute started to escalate, I mentioned that I would/may be needing work. Now I've got it. It was perfect timing. The opera is remounting his production of Cosi fan Tutti, and of course all the people are different sizes, so hundreds of yards of fabric need to be repurchased. Unfortunately, we did this last production almost 8 years ago, and so most of those fabrics are no longer available. Which works out well for me in that I get to tear around the district swatching and searching for suitable replacements (no pun intended).

Which means Imp is a busy Imp. No day off this week, and extra work at the broadway theatre as well. Monkeys come, monkeys go, and this week a brand new monkey arrived. He went on last night after an all afternoon rehearsal. I've been SO spoiled of late with my monkey business. When someone gets hurt, the usual course of action is to put the swing on, or to bring in one of the numerous 'universal' swings that float between the various companies. Only bad juju has been following monkeys around all over the world, and when our broadway monkey hurt himself, there wasn't a soul in the world who knew his track that wasn't already employed or available. So this week we put in a brand new person. They had to teach him everything, again, no big deal, it's what we do. But it is a LOT of work playing with virgins (as most of you know). Not only do you have to deal with nerves, but you have to explain everything and hope they retain it. Then you have to stay on guard all evening, especially if your actor tends to be a loose cannon. This isn't a 'here is your suit' musical. I'm dealing with metal rods with a 6 foot wingspan. I am terrified that before I release myself from this show that I'm going to lose an eye. (I'm not exaggerating, this is a very real possibility). There is a huge level of trust between myself and the people I dress; there has to be in order for us to function efficiently. This trust takes time, we have to learn each other rhythms and quirks. Actors need time to settle into their roles before they really begin to pay attention to what they are doing in the middle of a change. Elbows are my enemy. I've experienced several nosebleeds and almost had my jaw dislocated in my years on the broadway, all from flailing elbows.

Yesterday was a very long day at the theatre. The new kid is very pleasant and I have hope that he will settle into his show soon. There was some serious damage to a very expensive (and almost new) set of wings last night, and at 11pm my boss was still standing at the counter, with them completely dismantled and trying to get them back into working form. Not the actors fault really (although he did smack the hell out of them on the set). It's a learning process, and it takes time before you can be spacially aware of just how big you are when you monkeying around in a mask that hampers your peripheral vision. I do wonder what the hell I'm going to have to work with this afternoon though. This was the magic growing wings, and not your average chorus kid wings that were broken. What about the back up set, you may ask? Uhm, well, those were broken several weeks ago and have yet to have the metric hardware purchased to fix them (don't get me started - not my job). Evidently it wasn't important enough to warrant attention. Believe me when I say, I've gotten very good (and Stubborn) about not wasting my breath. I don't cry wolf, and if you are foolish enough to ignore me then you get what you deserve. I DO know what I'm talking about...

Alas, I haven't had much time to pursue my latest hobby/studies. I do have my software installed and I did spend 90 minutes actually using it on Tuesday. I have great hopes that Imp will be able to wrap his mind around it and succeed. I'm determined (and therein lays 90% of the battle). Now I just need to commit myself to setting aside the time needed to make progress. Many thanks to Devon for tips (who wouldn't enjoy browsing through Italian Vogue) and I hope to be at a level in a few weeks that I can actually make sense of it. Also, she provides excellent motivation: I don't know anyone who manages so many projects and has such a high productivity level. She's a great rolemodel and advocator in 'shut up and commit yourself if it's important to you." When I need motivation, I just look at the Picture in my 'london' frame.

Imp is banking funds for his travel accounts.

I've sucked up and signed the lease renewal, but I have yet to find the courage to put it in the mail. I don't want to live here. I want to live in Italy. I'm looking for a way to work in Italy. Not so easy, the Italian unemployment rate is a whopping 19%. I would like to stay in my area of expertise, although there is something mildly attractive about getting certified to teach English. But first I need to have a grasp of the italian language... (not to mention that my writing skills are atrocious; I am a master at incomplete sentences and dangling participles. And starting sentences with prepositional phrases.)

The older I get, the more I find myself longing for a simpler and less hectic life... and yet I manage to continue to complicate my own life. It amuses me, greatly...

All is good here. I must get into the shower and prepare myself for a weekend of shows.

Love and Light to you all!