A Gibson Girl

1. OK, so to start off, in honor of Jen (who hosts this thing!), she retweeted one of my most popular posts from the old Bucket—If I Never Knew You. Thanks, Jen! I sort of updated that post here. I hope you enjoy. If you have any comments/feedback, I’d appreciate it! 
2. This is sort of 1a, but yeah, I’m on twitter. I’m @capchoirgirl. My twitter productivity varies widely! And can one say “twitter productivity”? Probably not. 
3. The birthday celebrations have continued! Cupcakes at rehearsal on Wednesday—when blocking death, chocolate is good to have—and dinner with my friends after rehearsal today. We’re going to Mezzo in Gahanna, one of my favorite restaurants. 
4. Rehearsals are ROCKING. Today we’re running Act III off book and then tomorrow we’re whole hog—running the entire show! Really excited. Also excited because this week is the week we start to build in the set and work with props. TIme to break out the character shoes!
5. Been working on the physical activity. Went two miles on the treadmill on Thursday and going to hit it today as soon as I’m done with this. :) I actually enjoy it….shhh, don’t tell anyone!
6. Read a lot of great books this week, but my favorites were Imagine: How Creativity Works, and The Song of Achilles. Both brilliant. 
7. I am really mad at my hockey team. In fact, I may just ignore them the rest of the year. 

1. A big off today—the body gets cranky when it’s get cold, which is why I tend to like summer better. Even post transplant and on prednisone, the joints are not so fun in the winter. And big magnets in the head make for head issues…but anyway, feeling better now, so maybe they just needed a day off, which they do need, occasionally. And in my increasing age (ha!), I have learned to listen to the body, which was something I didn’t really do pre-transplant.

2. I am super-irate (that’s putting it mildly) about this. Um, conscience? Faith? Religious belief? That pesky “Free exercise” clause? Wow. 

You know, he needs us—the Catholic vote. But he doesn’t respect us at all. Maybe it’s time to take our votes elsewhere, oui? Why would a Catholic vote for someone who continually ridicules what we believe?

3. The tree is finally coming down this weekend. I know, I know. I’ve been really slow on this…but I like my tree!

4. Snow. Again And wind. Apparently more snow tomorrow, but I’ve also got free tickets to a ProMusica concert here in town. I’ve never been to one of their concerts, and it’s got Chopin’s Piano Concerto #1 and Mozart’s 33rd Symphony on the program, as well as two works by Chinese composers (the program is in honor of the Chinese New Year), and a Chinese pianist playing the Chopin. So it should be fun—assuming the weather cooperates! I’ve also never heard Chopin in concert. 

5. Been cooking a lot this week, and I think I’ll be making some Pioneer Woman brownies tonight. Yum…although sans icing. I’m not really an icing on my brownies sort of girl. 

6. Tonight is a good night for movies! Contact, Michael Clayton and Silence of the Lambs are up, thus far. 

7. Books: Finding Calcutta and Here. Now. 

Long weekend!

FRIDAY: Got up at….7:45. Which is not long after I get up for work! Managed to sort of doze until 8:15. Then got up, did clips, showered, and went to Best Buy to get Harry Potter VII Part II at 10:00. (Yes, I was one of those people who was waiting at the door!) Brought it home, watched about 70 minutes of it, realized it was skipping a lot, brought it back to Best Buy where I swapped it for one that worked.

My mom was having Sisters’ Weekend at Easton, so I drove her up there to meet them. After saying hello to my aunts and my grandma, Mom and I hit Coldwater Creek, where I got a shell, a cardigan, and awesome herringbone print gray pants that have shimmer in them! My Aunt Mary also bought me Unbroken, which was a fantastic book! 

I left them to go meet Tiffany at her place. We had lasagna that Tiff made and then watched Harry Potter, where, again, I cried buckets. :) 

SATURDAY: Slept in. :) Clips, shower, over to my parents’ to watch OSU and Pitt games with my dad and brother. Left around 4:00 to get Tiff—in honor of her birthday I took her to dinner at Mezzo and then to the Columbus Symphony concert. It was all Russian composers. Great food, great concert. 

Ohio Theater chandelier. 

SUNDAY: All church day! Clips. 10:30 Mass. Then at noon two make-up novitiate classes for the Lay Dominicans. Then our meeting. Then interview with our spiritual director, Fr. Thomas, which was the last thing I needed to do before the council can vote on me making temporary promises next month! We continued our Scott Hahn bible study, then said rosary and vespers together in the church. Dinner @ Bob’s with mom, dad, and bub. Then back here to bill pay, prep things for this week (last one before Thanksgiving, wooooot!)Dr. appt. tomorrow so going to bed after Once Upon A Time. :) 

1) Happy Veterans’ Day! In my family, I have an aunt, a grandfather (my mom’s dad), and my cousin’s husband who have served. I also have two friends from college. THANK YOU! Do you have any veterans in your family? 

2) Since it’s Veterans’ Day, I have the day off. So I was planning on sleeping in, but nope! Got up at 7:45. Well…gotta give the body what it wants. So I have a French breakfast puff and coffee. This is good. 

3) It’s also Harry Potter VII Part II release day! Yay! I might even (gasp!) walk to Best Buy to pick it up at 10. There is a Best Buy right down the street from me. So it might be fun to pull an Elizabeth Bennet and walk. 

4) Tomorrow I’m taking my bestie Tiffany out to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was in September, but for her gift I had her select a symphony concert she wanted to attend, and I’d get tickets. She chose this weekend’s Russian Soul. So we will have dinner, then attend the pre-concert talk, then the symphony itself. Party! 

5) Seems like fall has finally set in. It’s getting colder and may even (gulp) snow. Don’t know how I feel about that. I like snow in very small doses, all before Christmas. 

6) Lay Dominicans this weekend at St. Pat’s. Always a fun day (long day, but fun). Next month I make my temporary promises! Wow! Can’t believe I’m already there. 

7) RE: Harry Potter. I might have to watch it by myself first, so I can have a good, cathartic cry. Man, that movie makes me sob. Even more than the book, which I didn’t think was possible. 

Feast of all Dominican Saints

Outside my window…getting dark…the one thing I don’t like about daily savings. Oh well. Lovely fall day,. 

I am thinking...about my massive to-do list for tonight. There’s a lot on there, mostly stuff that needs organized, found, written, and done (like exercise). One thing about it getting dark earlier, it really kills my after-dinner walks, so have to find something else to do!

I am thankful for…the approach of another holiday season. How I love it. (All of it…Turkey Day, Advent, Christmas…)

To live the liturgy…Mass today for Dominican saints; tomorrow we remember all the souls of departed Dominicans. Also, being faithful to the Office. My life is a lot better when I do that. 

From the kitchen…cinnamon puffs from The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook. It’s a feast day! And these look yummy for snacking and breakfast. (and QUICK)

I am wearing…black pants, a berry colored sweater, and matching camisole underneath.

I am creating…A short story. 

I am reading…Five for Sorrow, 10 for Joy

In the CD player…Original cast, The Phantom of the Opera

Around the house….dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, lots of loads in the dishwaster

A few plans for the rest of the week….Voting tomorrow; 20s group on Thursday; DAy off on Friday, so watching Harry Potter Seven part 2 and crying my eyes out; taking Tiff to the symphony on Saturday

A photo thought: 

At the barn dance on Saturday with my favorite dance partner. :) 

Outside my window…well, can’t really tell because my blinds are drawn. But it looks sort of cloudy from what I can tell. :) 

I am thinking…glad my stomach is cooperating now! Also, that Once Upon A Time last night was really good. I now have something to enjoy about Sunday nights. If you didn’t see it, the general gist can be found here. (I think you can even watch the first episode)

I am thankful for…Sprite Zero. :) Also good TV shows, tea, autumn. And that I got to hear this awesome concert on Saturday. 

From the kitchen…well, not much today. :) But housewarming party this weekend so I need to get shopping for food!! I’m thinking cocktails and nibblies. 

I am reading…The Annotated Dracula, because it’s that time of year; Helen of Troy

In the CD player…Rachel Barton Pine playing Beethoven’s violin concerto

Around the house…hanging some pictures pre-party; some dusting and vacuuming, also pre-party…narrowing down furniture selections for the living room and bedroom.

 One of my favorite things…“Sword and sandal” epics. Watched Ten Commandments earlier and am now on Ben-Hur. 

Plans for the rest of the week…Lay Dominicans class after work tomorrow; party on Saturday.

Tonight was the first CSO Masterworks concert at the Southern Theater—yes, that’s a change for you long-time CSO fans. This year, Maestro Zeitouni is having four concerts at the smaller theater, in order to take advantage of its great acoustics and share its music in a  more intimate setting. Having never been to the Southern, I was very happy with the classical decor and design (it’s set up more like a European opera house—or the Met—meaning that is has the floor, then two “tiers”—mezzanine and balcony).

The program was all 20th century pieces for strings: Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Barber’s perennial classic Adagio for Strings, and the CSO’s premiere of Bernstein’s Serenade (After Plato’s Symposium), which featured American violinist Rachel Barton Pine.  

This was, perhaps, the most transcendent night of music I’ve ever experience. Maestro Zeitouni led an ethereal Adagio, which was perfect in its execution. Conducting it sans baton, and with gentle hand motions, the orchestra responded perfectly and the piece was executed with one musical vision, leading to a truly magical listening experience. 

In Serenade, Barton Pine stole the show with her brio and commanding stage presence. Her playing was a master class in the violin, with her full expressive range, solid technique, and spot-on musicality. Her duet with principal cellist Luis Biava was especially well-done. The piece, based on Socrates’ discussion of love with other Ancient Greeks, is a frolic: Bernstein wrote that he hoped the audience would see it as “the natural expression of a contemporary American composer imbued with the spirit of that timeless dinner party.” I think he succeeds very well. The Ancient Greeks knew how to have a dinner party, that’s for sure. 

The first piece on the program, the Bartok, was disturbing (well, it was used in The Shining), but in a way that made you want to listen to it again, to better understand it. I’m not a huge Bartok fan (I sung his music in college—just about did me in!), but this piece has potential in my musical catalog. I’ll have to hear it again. Particular applause goes to Timpanist Benjamin Ramirez for his great work in this piece, and also the Serenade. The other interesting bit in this piece in the celesta—an instrument that is probably best known for being the “music box” sounding instrument in The Nutcracker score (see “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. Those arpeggios? Yup. Celesta). 

The concert was a bit more casual than other CSO events. The men wore plain black shirts and black pants, instead of tuxedos; the maestro even dispensed with his black jacket after intermission. The instrumentalists (with the exception of the pianist, celesta, pianist, double basses, and timpani) stood—highly unusual in a symphony concert—for the Bartok. Maestro Zeitouni also did a bit of teaching: he had slides that demonstrated the Golden Ratio and the Fibbonacci sequence, both of which were used in the Bartok. (“There will be a test,” he joked). He also has slides for the Bernstein, and Barton Pine was also able to speak to the audience, dedicating her performance to Daniel Pearl World Music Days. It’s great to hear the soloist and maestro speak to us—normally they just smile and bow. Pine’s encore was the fabulous Mephisto Waltz.

The concert will be reprised tomorrow at 3:00 at the Southern. I would highly recommend attending—it is a true musical treat that should not be missed (And you can get signed CDs in the lobby after the concert! ) Tickets are available at the Southern Theater box office two hours before showtime.  

Even though it’s not Friday anymore…still gonna quick take. :) 

1. A beautiful and blustery day here. Making chicken for lunch and then going for a walk. When it’s sunny, you gotta take advantage of it before Ohio winter sets in.
2. Sort of have a cold…but it could just be my sinuses being dumb, as they are prone to do. Feeling better post-shower, which is always happy. I keep having to remind myself that it’s FALL, and yeah, it’s cold and flu season. I keep thinking it’s summertime!
3. One great thing about Fall—stew season is back. :) Making stew either tonight or tomorrow. There’s just something about the warm deliciousness of having something bubbling away on the stove top, keeping the house warm and smelling delicious, that is instant happiness inducing. 
4. Tiff was over last night and became the first person to see the new house other than a family member. :) We had noodles for dinner and then girl bonding, because her husband was off with some of our mutual friends. Always nice to start the weekend off with that (And Williams-Sonoma hot chocolate!0 
5. Just finished Son of Neptune and The Very Picture of You. Both excellent. Now reading Allison Weir’s bio of Mary Boleyn, Anne’s (older) sister. 
6. Next week is going to be ca-razy busy. Hope I can survive it. :) 
7. Going to the symphony tonight for the first pops concert of the year—Opera to Broadway. Sounds like something I might like. :) 

Late summer provides an absolute bounty of local food in central Ohio, especially with the good growing season we’ve had (it was scary in the beginning, with all the rain, but the heat and occasional rain has helped here). The local farmers’ markets are just overflowing with beautiful produce.

In a nod to “get while the getting’s good”, I’ve been stocking up on some of the more beautiful pieces. :) Last week, I told the glories of roasted tomatoes with old bay and blueberries. This week, I’ve decided to try drying/roasting them so I have lovely dried tomato slices for muffins, pasta, salad, and other things when tomato season is over. I didn’t buy many this week—maybe 6 or 7—but if it works well I will be tempted to buy more.

Also on the tomato front—heirloom tomatoes. I bought four—two green zebras, one yellow, and one HUGE reddish pink one. These will go into my Roman Salad tomorrow night, which I’m serving with Chicken Piccata. For the Piccata, I found local eggs. (The lemons, alas—no. They don’t grow in Ohio. Or if someone has done it in green houses, they aren’t at my local market—yet.) There is also local garlic, which will go in pastas, sauces, and tonight’s Sundried Tomato Pesto. (Really excited ab out this!) The heads are smaller than you usually get, but I’m excited to try them.

And—local onions! They’re white, and they look really pretty. I grabbed about 6 of them, in various sizes, because I love onions. If I knew how to braid onions, these could last a while. (Well, onions last a while, anyway) So I might also stock up on these. There were also local sweet onions and red onions, as well as shallots.

And in the fruit category, local peaches. These are probably going to be eaten plain, although I could bake them into a cobbler.

And also in tonight’s pesto—a big cup of local basil.

AND! In addition! Local cheese! Not just my Lucky Penny Farm Chevre, which I worship, but also local goat-cheese feta! I am excited to try this.

So the only non local things I bought today were the canned sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (for the pesto) and the lemons. I feel pretty awesome about that.

And the tomato abundance continues—big boxes were being unloaded, fresh from the farms, as I shopped. And I also saw corn! Sweet corn and radishes with lime juice make for a GREAT salsa or side dish!

Recipes will be posted as I go through them!

We last saw our heroine anxiously awaiting a AAA truck on the side of 70E bound, hoping her car did not get hit, smashed, or any strangers appear to proposition her…and behold, there was a flashing of light…

S o the AAA guy arrives, and he says, “I thought you had an Accord.” (Dad must have gotten our cars mixed up. Ooops. We have two Accords, two Civics, and 1 Prelude—that’s dad’s man car.) Anyway. We pry the spare out of the trunk.

“So where’s the bolt?”

The what?

Apparently, the person before me liked to fancy up his car, so he had special hubcaps put on. I don’t really mind them. But this means that to get the hubcap off, there must be a special bolt.

It is not in my trunk. (The whole time I’m thinking, I must clean out my trunk, I must clean out my trunk…).

“Maybe it’s in the glove box.” The AAA guy said. He was a big, brawny guy, about my dad’s age, and I could tell he was thinking, Does this girl know anything about cars? I wanted to tell him, yes, I do, I can change spark plugs! But I didn’t.

Glove box? Where are we, England? But yes, it was in the very bottom of the compartment. I handed it over triumphantly, then perched myself on the guard rail and watched him jack up my car and change the tire, all the while thinking of Ralphie and his dad in A Christmas Story. 

He got the spare (AKA, “doughnut”) on, and dropped the huge and deflated tire and rim into my trunk. “DO NOT go over 50 MPH, or you could blow it out,” he said. (I knew that, having read the owners’ manual while I waited.)

So I thanked him, got back in my car, and merged into traffic—going 45 mph.

I knew this wasn’t going to work. So instead of creating road rage incidences on 70, I decided to take a side road—Livingston Ave.

Now Livingston is not in the best part of town, for the most part. It runs by Children’s, and it runs past Capital (my alma mater) and would take me back to Reynoldsburg. But it wasn’t a place I wanted to be at almost midnight.

But my car and I creeped along, going about 35-40. There were entirely too many people out for my taste—It’s midnight! go to bed!

Finally I pulled into my parents’ driveway, where my dad gave me the keys to the other Civic and I drove home. He took my car to Firestone this morning (at 6:30, I have an awesome father) and the new tire was on before my work day had even started. Joy!

Went there post-work, picked it up, and drove it back here. So I am happy to have my car back. And extremely tired. And I do not want any more car adventures.

But I will definitely renew my AAA membership.

Friday: Kicked off Memorial Day with some local theater—Columbus Civic’s (where I did Earnest) production of Hamlet, which was EPIC. Fantastic cast, and great work by the entire company, especially Ben (Hamlet), Brit (Gertrude), John (Horatio) and Sarah (Ophelia). EPIC work. Probably the best local production I have ever seen (that I haven’t been in, natch). So if you live in Columbus, you need to see it. Check the website for details! So, even with a streamlined version (minus all the Fortinbras/Norway stuff), I chatted post-show with friends and cast members and wasn’t home until close to 12:30. Oh well! It was so fun!

And started the annual Jane re-read, with Sense and Sensibility. :)

Saturday: Mostly chilling. Finally got to work on my theater scrapbook, where I keep articles and notices from newspapers about shows I’ve done, as well as programs and some photographs. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and finally crossed it off my list. Also finished watching Gotterdamerung, and with it, the Ring Cycle. I have now seen the entire thing! Before all that, though, I had lunch with my parents at Old Bag of Nails in Gahanna (a pub sort of place) and ate on the patio, since it was only about 70 degrees. :) Then went went to my (potentially!) new apartment complex, where I showed them the two apartments I was looking at. I’m on the waiting list, and now someone just has to move so I can move in! :) I’ve started moving a few things out of the apartment—wall hangings and stuffed animals that I want to keep—and cleaning out my closet.

Sunday: Very HOT. Went to noon Mass, then drove to my parents, where I’ve been spending my time, since my A/C is STILL BROKEN.  Gah. So I had lunch here. Then we had dinner at Friday’s before I skedaddled over to Schiller Park, where I saw Actors’ Theater’s fantastic production of The Scarlet Pimpernel (starring my Earnest buddy Beth (Cecily) as Lady Blakeney). Magnifique! It had cooled off and was a great night to watching theater outside. Two of my friends from church joined me, and I think we all had a good time. I also had some folks recognize me from Earnest, and compliment the performance, so that’s always good. :)

Monday: Ragtime cast list posted, with rehearsals starting on Wednesday! It’s going to be a fantastic show. Updated my journal (it’s been sadly neglected) and worked on some Ragtime music. I’m not totally sure what to work in Act I until we get divided into various choruses, which will happen this week, I imagine. My mom, dad, sister and I went bowling (good first game, not so good second game) and had dinner at the bowling alley. My parents are beastly bowlers; they used to be on a team before I was born. Dinner was really good.

Home, shower, then did the Ballet Beautiful Swan Arms series. Holy. Crap. It’s hard! (I was watching Black Swan, so I was motivated). Wow. This is a good workout! The creator of Ballet Beautiful trained Natalie Portman for Black Swan, so you can get a feel for the sort of training she went through. (If you think swan arms are easy, I challenge you to do one complete set.)

Excited for the short week, as well as rehearsals for Ragtime beginning in earnest. It should be fantastic. Also, on Thursday I’m giving an organ donation talk at St. Pat’s, to the 20s group. If you live nearby, or will be in town, come to St. Pat’s Patrick Hall at 8:00 if you want to hear me! :) I’ll be telling my story and then talking about organ donation and Catholicism.

1. SUMMER! SUMMER! “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” So in this Quick Takes, I’m going to give you seven (well, six) things that I am going to do as an homage.
2. Read my new Shape magazine next to an open window and listen to birds chirp.
3. Go swimming!
4. Start the annual Jane Re-Read: Sense and Sensibility. Tonight. Oh yes. :)
5. See lots of summer theater! Tonight: Hamlet at Columbus Civic (You KNOW you wanna come!), then Sunday, Actors’ Theater’s Scarlet Pimpernel in Schiller Park. Lots of Sword fighting. Lots of awesomeness. :) 
6. Write more of L&A. I wrote some new scenes today. Well not new. Scenes that had gotten lost amid the Widget 1.0 crash/doomsday. But I think (gasp) that they’re better this way.
7. Oh, and the cast list for Ragtime will be posted. At some point. :)

Outside my window…a really terrific thunderstorm this morning gave way to a beautiful day, sunny and blue skied. The birds are in full chorus in the trees out back.

I am thinking…that this weather is really lovely; that A Star Is Born is a fantastic movie. (The Judy Garland one)

I am thankful for…my friends and my family; the start of summer in Ohio

From the kitchen…a summery shrimp scampi from Summer With Matthew Mead. Since this weekend is Memorial Day weekend, I’ve got extra time, and I’m going to attempt Greek County bread (from The Olive and the Caper, one of my favorite cookbooks), as well as recipes from Barefoot Contessa At Home that I haven’t made yet. These two cookbooks are two of my all-stars. You can’t go wrong with either of them!

I am wearing…A Boden mint-green camisole, a Lands End Canvas skirt.

I am creating…my summer playlist. I do this every year, usually starting with the song I chose for summer theater auditions. I add songs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A big chunk of it is usually summer theater stuff.

I am reading…a lot of magazines. :) And parts of Get Happy (A Judy Garland bio) and Prayer Primer.

In the CD player…Ragtime, bien sur.

Around the house…chores…vacuuming, trash out, dusting…starting to sort through clothes and books in preparation for moving.

One of my favorite things…birdsong

A few plans for the rest of the week…Thursday: 20s group at St. Pat’s; Friday: Hamlet at CCT; Sunday, The Scarlet Pimpernel at Schiller Park (kick off to Actors’ Theater’s summer season!).

I am a sucker for artisan/locally produced Cheese. I really should try to make my own one of these days (Maybe once I have a bigger kitchen!). And today, I found a REALLY great one: Lucky Penny Farm’s Chevre. Oh. my. gosh. It’s tart and smooth and really, fantastically wonderful. So flavorful. You can eat it right out of the tub (not that I’m doing that, or anything)—it’s only 4 oz. per tub, so it’s not that awful of an indulgence!

They’re located in Kent, OH, but my Pittsburgh fans can also find them at the Pittsburgh Public Market. I found mine at the Greener Grocer at Columbus’ North Market.

If you like local cheese, you must check this out. It’s so yummy!