Home sweet home and back again

Three blissful days in Houston, and I had to be dragged kicking and screaming onto the plane back to New York. Chalk it up to "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" if you want, but our little visits are always incredible.

This time we took a trip to Brazos Bend State Park, a beautiful and completely bizarre place where dozens of alligators lounge in the water, by the water, and ON THE PATHS. I attempted to keep my cool. I failed. Alligators are scary, especially when they "sleep" with their mouths wide open. Check out CM's latest photos on his Flickr stream and you will see what I'm talking about. Yikes. We also got together for drinks with friends, spent relaxing mornings chatting over breakfast, and cuddled on the couch in the evenings. I petted and brushed and generally spoiled the cat (and bought her some diet food—I think she must be stress eating because she misses me). I cleaned the apartment, baked cookies, and cooked the most amazing and EASIEST pasta sauce ever. Seriously. Ridiculously easy and ridiculously good. Try it! All in all, it made me want to just blow off the rest of my job and stay put.

But I didn't. I got on the plane and I came back to New York and I went to work last night for show #2. The thing is, I shouldn't be complaining, because these few weeks after the show has opened, these are the weeks I live for. Sure, I love being in rehearsal (most of the time), but it sure is luxurious to own my days and stop in at work only a few times a week to watch the show and pick up my paycheck. It won't all be quite that easy, of course. This week we're preparing for Saturday's HD Broadcast (Get thee to the movies), and the week after we're rehearsing another Ophelia (yes, another one) for the last two performances. But mostly, I have TIME, time all my own, to do with as I please.

Too often these so-called easy weeks slip by in a blur of sleeping in, gorging on carbs, and zoning out in front of the TV. That is most likely what will happen this time too, but in an attempt to stave off the show week ennui, I have some plans. Studying German (in a 4-pronged approach, I'm using Rosetta Stone, Michel Thomas, vocab flashcards, and a grammar workbook), trying a cleanse (but not one of those freaky ones involving maple syrup), doing my taxes (with help from an accountant this year), worshiping at the Jillian Michaels altar (shred me, Jillian, shred me), and reading many many books on my Kindle...I think that's enough for a while, don't you?