Day 178: Ahhh...

Slept till I woke up.
Drank coffee.
Patzed around.
Read Little Women.
Took a long nap.
Wrote a PR-brief.
Drank elderberry soda.
Watched Downtown Abbey.
Writing blog.
More Little Women.
Sleep.

Ahhh...

Day 177: Proximity

Today, I think a great deal about my brother's children. How close to my heart they stand and how far away they live. How happy I am to be part of their lives. How I wish they were a greater part in mine. And I hope they are safe.

Sister and brother a few years ago

Nephew in April

Husband and wife earlier this year

It's not in our teachings to be the aggressors. But it is to stand up for our rights. Take responsibility. Build a future. Invest in education. Science. Technology. The Arts. The Humanities. Medicine.

Peace would benefit the Israelis much more than the Arabs. And therein lies the crux, in my opinion. If you're truly interested in Peace, you would strike a deal that is reasonable. And then you would stick to it. That's what trust is based on. The past is the best predictor of the future. That doesn't mean that you never make mistakes. You do. And you learn to acknowledge them, take responsibility for your part. That also becomes part of the past...and thus part of the future.

A bit philosophical this evening. It's that kind of happy.

Day 176: Brainstorming

Tea kettle's ready. Soon, three of the most creative people I know will arrive, put their heads together and talk theater. We are going to focus on the program this evening and after almost a week of rehearsals, I have a much clearer picture of where we're headed.

I love the theater!

Day 175: Hearing voices now

A threadbare somewhat worn dressing at a theater in the outskirts of Stockholm. Harsh lighting. Temperature a bit too low. Footsteps in the corridor.

And the sounds of working actors from every corner and way. Piano too. Dialogue. Singing.

I'm part of the creative process. Square, organizational, administrative me.

Now THAT's happiness.

Day 174: Forgetfulness, part 3

Can hardly put together coherent sentences I'm so tired tonight. Still it was fun to lift my head out of the intense focus on our musical and attend book club this evening. I'd read the book, A Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler (one of my favorite authors) a couple of months ago and was surprised at a) how much I had to say about it and b) how much of it I'd forgotten.

The discussion centered for a while on just this subject: books you've read and cannot remember, even when you remember that you really liked (or disliked) them. A couple of decades ago, I was a very avid Rex Stout fan and collected all 58 of his Nero Wolfe mysteries. You'd think it would be impossible to reread mysteries...after all, what's the point of reading a who done it when you already know who did it, right? This is when forgetfulness comes in handy. I'm pretty sure I've read the entire series at least twice, possibly three times.

Which reminds me, I need to start taking a good book along with me for the long daily commutes I have through the end of November. Good thing I've got plenty on my shelves that I know I read and loved...but could not tell you what they were about :-) It's like watching reruns, only better!

Day 173: Food for thought

Actually, food for stomach would be a more appropriate title. So happy that rehearsals for Assassins are now in full swing. Somewhere along the way today I realized that if I am going to make it through this intensive period, I'd better be sure to take care of myself to the same extent that I am taking care of others around me.

Today this meant leaving the theater when my presence was no longer needed and heading home to cook. I'm especially happy that when I got home, I stuck with my plan, went food shopping and came home to prepare one pot of soup and a lasagna. Now I'm all set for lunch and dinner for the remainder of the week: nutritious and delicious food, and price worthy to boot. All in time to catch this evening's episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Day 172: My cups runneth over

It's the day before rehearsals begin and there's a buzz in the air. It's the bees who are busy creating magic. The bees are not driven by the music. (Or are they, but I'm not really tuned in?) They're driven by safety, and aesthetics and possibilities. And they've build a world to build a musical in. Magic.

And me, I've been busy too, preparing the "mys" factor. Naturally, there's the basics (coffee, tea, fruit, fika plus stuff to fix them in) but my pièce de resisténce are the real coffee mugs I found on sale at Co-op in my neighborhood. Just under 10 kronor a piece and in different shades of browns they are sure to raise the mys factor significantly. AND they're good for the environment. Ran them through the dishwasher and all.

À demain!

Sneak Preview...sprid vårt ord!