Tatsächlich…Liebe

So Netflix just came to Austria last Wednesday. This is big news for Austria and big news for us. We had been doing a tricky, potentially not completely above board thing to watch American Netflix over here, but this is so much better—everything's available auf Deutsch! We can still use our regular account, and we're getting a bargain, since we pay $7.99 a month and the Austrians are being charged €7,99 (over $10) for the same service. There's lots of American TV and English-language movies, most of which you can watch either in English or in German, with the option of German subtitles as well. So good for language study! Plus, of course, all kinds of German and Austrian titles we know nothing about. I can't wait to explore.

First, though, I might already be addicted to Modern Family dubbed in German.



Ausgezeichnet! Oder?

Hello out there

A few weeks ago, after a series of events so coincidental they could only be fated, I found myself saying five words I thought might never come out of my mouth again:

I should blog about that.

It's been ages since anything has felt particularly blog-worthy to me, but just the saying of it seems to have unlocked a door behind which every blog idea I've ever had was hiding, clamoring to be written down. They're following me around, filling my head as I'm running, or standing in line at the grocery store, or killing time playing Threes (so, all the time). It's thrown me for a bit of a loop.

I've been missing the blog, honestly. More than the act of writing itself (though I know I've gotten rusty in that respect), I've missed the lens of the blog, the parsing of my day to write about it, the surprise flashes of inspiration. There's a popular theory that our constant need to document our lives is hindering us from actually living/experiencing moments in real time, but I have found the opposite to be true. When you have a terrible memory like I do, you have two main options: 1) Surround yourself with people who have creepy total recall (as I unwittingly did during every embarrassing undergraduate adventure, as it turns out), or 2) write it down. Many of my strongest memories from the past few years are the things I blogged about—not because I re-read the posts, but because I wrote them, and through writing got to experience them twice.

So here I am, poking my head around the door, seeing if this is a room I'd like to live in again. I think it might be.

We don't have to do that thing where I catch you up on absolutely everything that's happened in the past 18 months, do we? That sounds tedious for everyone. Just the briefest of recaps to bring you into our present:

Some time ago, CM and I realized that we weren't spending nearly enough time together and that we hadn't come close to achieving any sort of healthy, sustainable work/life balance. So we set about to change that. We have moved our things into storage (AGAIN), packed up our kitties, and become homeless nomads. This season we're experimenting with being together a lot more, working a bit less, and trying to carve out a life that matches our stated priorities. For the moment the whole family's in Vienna (AGAIN!) for the fall while CM works at the Staatsoper. We'll be back in the States after Christmas while I work in Houston and New York, we'll take a springtime jaunt to Japan, and after that…TBD. It's all very exciting/terrifying.

I'm thinking about bringing you along for the ride. Care to join me?

Photo by CameraMan

Instagram Paris

We had 4 days off over Easter weekend, so while all the Europeans in the cast went home to see their families, I took a fast train to Paris to hang out by myself eating croissants and wandering the streets. I used Airbnb for the first time, and it was a huge success! I ended up in this little apartment in the heart of St. Germain-des-Prés—I highly recommend it for 1 person (or 2 who like each other a lot).

I lugged my big camera with me to Geneva and then to Paris, but I haven't found myself reaching for it very often. It's so much easier just to grab my iPhone, and I'm especially loving Instagram (@littlemsbossy, natch). Here are a few shots from my Parisian weekend.

Lucky for me, Maison Kayser was just a few blocks away. Croissants and croissants aux amandes and baguettes for (almost) every meal.

 Of course every vacation needs a little opera thrown in. Or a lot of opera. Siegfried!

The view from the window of my apartment. Because it was a 5th-floor walk-up. Phew.

I've written about it before (here and here), but for me no visit to Paris is complete without time spent in the beautiful Water Lily rooms at  the Musée de l'Orangerie. This is my happy place. They seem to have abolished photography since I was last there. Rules are made for breaking, I say.

I had a lovely Easter morning at the Museum of Everything, which definitely deserves its own post.

French study is trés important, n'est-ce pas?

The gorgeous Seine. I loved staying on the Left Bank and crossing over the river several times a day.

Gare de Lyon as I waited for my train back to Geneva.

I got back to Geneva feeling rejuvenated and ready to get back to work. Sometimes a tiny vacation is all you need—such a gift in the middle of a rehearsal period. Have you taken any little vacations lately?

Bonjour!

Oh, hey. So apparently I needed a month off from the blog. Whoops. What have you been up to??

I… watched the HGO Studio rock the Studio Showcase, flew to Chicago at the crack of dawn for a few days of Bohème rehearsals, had a mini staycation with CM in H-town, sprang forward for Daylight Savings, finished the Whole 30 with only a few alcohol-related cheats along the way, said goodbye to CM, flew to Geneva for Butterfly, tried to speak some French to the chorus, saw Rheingold, went to Paris for Easter weekend, ate every macaron and croissant in sight, saw Siegfried, sprang forward for Daylight Savings AGAIN, reactivated my Facebook account(!), trained it back to Geneva for more rehearsals, and…that pretty much brings you up to date.

I'm having a delightful time in Geneva, which is a charming, convenient city with 2 rivers, a lake, and mountains all around. So pretty. Rehearsals are going swimmingly—we hit the stage this week! You can see some rehearsal pics from the first week here. I'm loving being over here, besides missing the hell out of CM and the kitties, and my French is improving, albeit more slowly than I would like. Luckily for me, rube American that I am, everyone speaks English. I've completely abandoned the low-carb thing in favor of an all-carb thing. However, I'm walking many miles every day, so maybe it all evens out?

Back at home, CM is working on Tristan and Trovatore, hanging out with the Familie Lausmann (I'm so jealous!), and sending me adorable pictures of the cats. Case in point:

GAH!

I have lots of pictures and stories to share with you. À bientôt!

Happy weekend!

My friends, how was your week? We've been in production for the Studio Showcase (a scenes programs with the incredible young artists at HGO), and the show is tonight! It's been such a lovely process, not least because CM and I got to be in the same room all day long. Tomorrow morning we both head out on VERY early flights (the car's coming at 4:30am—ack!): CM to NYC and me to Chicago (more Bohème for me, happily). Luckily, we've both been upgraded, which should help our early morning moods. What are you up to this weekend?

Meanwhile, a few links:

I'm loving the new Prabal Gurung collection for Target. I walked away with this cardigan, which is perfect for brightening up chilly days.

Papa Bossy sent me this amazing video, the first thing I ever saw that made me consider getting a dog.

Wow, this and this have made me feel even better about the way we're eating these days.

We've been researching summer vacations and CM discovered this awesome site for finding hotels. Yes please to ANY of them.

Can't wait to make this! And here's another fave of ours.

The Bossy Cat was feeling left out because I've been posting so many kitten pics, so here she is, in all her glory:

Hope your weekend is filled with smooth travel, museum afternoons, and cuddly kitties! xoxo LMB