This post would have a clever title if "It's a small world" had better lyrics

I've written before about what a tiny world the field of opera is, how you're constantly seeing all the same people and how everyone's connected by far fewer than six degrees. Now that I've been doing this for a while, I don't even get excited anymore when I meet someone and find that we have people in common. Of course we do.

Lately, though, there have been a series of coincidental connections that qualify as something out of the ordinary, and I'm completely delighted by them.

In a conversation with a colleague, I discovered that he went to graduate school with the very first director I ever worked with, back when I played Molly in Annie, circa 1989.

The director I'm assisting right now arrived at the Met and found out that a member of our Giovanni music staff is actually his neighbor in Cornwall—their properties border each other…and they've never met before.

Last week I was talking to a soprano in our cast, and it turned out our fathers went to music school in Germany together, at a tiny school of 50 students.

Poetic conclusions are begging to be drawn here. Mostly, though, these discoveries just make me want to talk to people more, to take the time to find out where they come from and where they've been. I want to make a collection of these tenuous threads that are holding us together.

What's amazing you these days?

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

 

I've emerged from ONE week of labor (ish—it was a prep week!) completely exhausted, so this 3-day weekend is a gift. What are you up to? Barbecues? Squeezing out the last drops of summer? I flew home to Houston last night and I get to stay here until Monday! Happiness. Our lovely friends are throwing us a little wedding celebration tonight. I can't wait to see everyone!

Some links for your holiday:

This slideshow is so beautiful. It's nice to look at pictures of other people's weddings for a change.

We can't seem to find just the right rug for our living room. I've ordered this one. Cross your fingers!

I love these fun coasters for parties! And they're on sale!

Have you noticed that mounted faux animal heads are showing up everywhere? We laugh every time we seem them. I kind of want these for our fridge as an inside joke.

This photo shoot is amazing! It makes me want to buy lots of cozy sweaters (and, you know, go to the gym once in a while).


Hope your weekend is filled with friends, sunshine, and good old-fashioned retail therapy. xoxo LMB

The day after

So apparently there was some kind of bad weather that came through New York yesterday (YESTERDAY!). Did you hear about that? I know it was lighter than expected and that most of the New Yorkers I know seem to mostly be disappointed, as if they were hoping Irene was going to provide them a great story to tell at parties, and now the story is, "Hey, remember that one time when the subways closed down and we did some day drinking in our pjs while it rained some?"

I'm having a hard time believing it even rained here. I just got in (my flight was even early!), and sprang for a cab from the airport, since trains weren't running and the bus situation was chaotic. Now I'm sitting on a park bench across the street from my apartment, belly full of Shake Shack, waiting for my landlord to meet me in half an hour. The weather is idyllic, the city is alive. It feels like every New Yorker is out walking, and the benches around me are filled with people reading, sketching, journaling, and people watching. And then there's me, mooching off the Museum of Natural History's wifi so that I can blog.

This is New York at its best. I'm remembering why people live here; the energy is infectious. It's decidedly summer, but I can already sense the crisp promise of fall. After the relentless heat and humidity of Houston, I'm going to spend every minute I can outside. Tomorrow I'll walk to work, put in a day of meetings and prep, get a drink with a friend, walk home as the evening air cools. But for tonight I'm on vacation, and New York is an awfully nice place to visit.

Happy hurricane weekend!

My lovelies, what are your plans for the weekend? Being very safe if you're anywhere in Irene's path, I hope! I was planning to fly to NYC Sunday morning, but I've rebooked for Monday so that Irene and I don't arrive at the same time. Meanwhile, in sunny Houston I'm running lots of last-minute errands, cleaning, and spending as much time with my sweet husband as possible.

Some links to get you through the hunkering down:


What a treat to explore this site! So many fascinating people and projects.

We're in the market for a dining room table with some industrial charm. My current fave is this one.

I cannot WAIT to see this movie.

I just bought a print for our living room by Lisa Chow. She's a Houston local and I'm loving all her stuff!

This vacation sounds dreamy. Who's with me?


Here's the Bossy Cat enjoying our new couch:

 

Hope your weekend is full of preparations, board games, and snuggling. xoxo LMB

Exciting things that happened today

In no particular order.

• The new lamp arrived.
• Little Ms. Hardcore had a hair appointment, so I got to babysit Shelby. Mostly we played cooking, which involves stirring water in a pot with a spoon.
• We bought two of these for our kitchen. Now we want two more.
• Legs McGee came over for burgers on the grill.
• We found the local recycling center. The amount of cardboard in our apartment is becoming more manageable.
• We FINALLY got internet and cable. No more blogging from coffee shops, thank goodness.

 I'm in complete denial that I leave in three days.