Christmas.. A Time of Magical Wonderment for...

... Cats? You bet! Both Mr Patterson and Chase (both cats present in the picture, above) love to hang out near the Christmas tree we put up a couple of weeks ago!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I enjoyed a really nice, relaxing 5-day long weekend. WEDNESDAY - I took this as a personal "catch up day," and spent the entire day running errands and doing miscellaneous chores around the house. Fortunately, I was also able to call my aunt in New Hampshire with whom I hadn't talked in several months. I hadn't realized just how many things I had let slip while I was in Follies! THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING) We got up early and drove to Columbus and picked up April, Jason's sister. We then drove further North to the Cleveland area for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I had never met Jason's mom/step dad; they were nice, laidback people and I enjoyed the albeit short stay. We drove back to Columbus to April's apartment and crashed hard with turkey in our bellies. (Truth be said, I slept a lot in the car that day--I love car naps.) FRIDAY (BLACK FRIDAY) - We woke up relatively early and headed to the outlet malls in Washington Court House, Ohio--midway between Columbus and Cincinnati. We weren't expecting any special deals (as are typical the day after Thanksgiving.) We were, therefore surprised to find that several stores had "everything 40% off" signs in their windows. We left with Jason sporting a dashing new coat. I managed to find some great bargains, as well. Later on that day, we went to the lighting of the Christmas tree/Ice Skating display on Cincinnati's Fountain Square: SATURDAY - We relaxed and Jason made a carrot cake for Troy's Christmas party. The party was fun and lasted late into the night: SUNDAY - We recovered from the party. I watched the Cincinnati Bengals win a game (oddly enough) and made a delicious chopped salad (recipe to be posted soon.) We hosted Paul, Glenn, Troy and Romeo for a formal meal along with a mid-season episode of Battlestar Gallactica, followed by our usual Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. I wish I could say I lasted to watch all the TV; I did not. Shortly after the beginning of Desperate Housewives, I got especially tired and, with guests in the midst, I excused myself and fell to sleep immediately, in bed.

Fall Walk @ Little Miami Trail

Jason and I decided to venture off to a new part of the city, to Loveland. There, we took a nice walk on the Miami Valley trails, naturally with our cameras. Here is a selection of photos:

Weekly Roundup

FREEDOM @ LAST - I'm very thankful to have my life back after the 7 day run of Follies. I loved this show! I met some amazing people. I learned some new things about theatre and I pushed myself in new ways. I learned and pulled off 2 dance numbers. Still, the show came at a very crazy time, and now I need to focus on getting caught up on the things that I had put off for so long. IKEA or NOT TO IKEA - The townhouse still needs some shelves for the garage. I've priced around and I know exactly what I want, the GORM shelving system. The problem is that the nearest IKEA is in Canton, Michigan--a 4 hour drive from Cinci. We could, in theory, wait until the IKEA opens in West Chester, Ohio, next Spring. Or, we could by some cheaper shelves that we aren't content with, or some much more expensive shelves that are more than we want to spend. WORK... FIRST DAY - I've now been at my new assignment, in Mason for 2 weeks now. Things are smooth sailing, although my first day was rough, from a logistical point of view. While I risen early and had laid out ironed clothes the night before, I somehow managed to not put my laptop in its bag and forgot it. I had to drive all the way back downtown to retrieve it, in traffic, only to get stuck in traffic, in Mason. Cinci traffic is not good; I could not fathom living in LA or Boston or Chicago, for example. AN AFTERNOON WALK/PHOTOSHOOT - Jason and I decided to go out of our comfort zone and drive to the suburbs, to walk one of Cincinnati's nicer walking trails, the Little Miami Trail. Photos to come soon.

Cincinnati...The City of... Lights?

To sleep better and encourage digestion, I want to get into the habit of walking after dinner. Jason suggested going down to the square to get some night shots. We drove down and snapped some shots of the city at night:

Follies: Closing Weekend

All good things must come to an end. Last night, after seven performances, the curtain came down and "Follies" was no more. Outfits from Bolero d'Amore: Outfit from Live, Laugh, Love: Afterwards, we had a nice dinner at Bella Luna. Afterwards, there was an informal awards ceremony. I left soon thereafter the ceremony. Not because it was so long but because I was so tired. Oh, and they decided to close the bar wicked early, at just 1:00 am. I woke up this morning feeling tired and. I was not excited about going back to the theatre today. We had "strike" (which is basically disassembling the set and returning the rented theatre back to its original state.)

Follies: Opening Weekend

© EJ Hanna Photo 2003-2007 (I appear left of the stairs, in the white jacket.) I survived the opening weekend of Cincinnati Music Theatre's Follies! I was especially excited about the adrenaline and a large, really great audience on Friday night, including 13 friends! Afterward, we went to Below Zero for a cast party. Saturday was another great audience and the show was even more "tight" and cohesive, despite sound problems that we didn't have opening night. The Sunday matinée was a smallish crowd--a wave of grey and white heads in the audience. If it's not too bad to say, I was pleased with my personal performance. My most challenging number was Live, Laugh, Love, which is jazzy dance number with a top hat and cane. I managed to pull this number and most of my scenes off with concentration, confidence and very few errors. Along with practice, I've done some stress management and both have been a huge help! We have 4 more performances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On one hand, I would like to have my life back. On the other hand, I have grown fond of several cast members, and it will be sad to break the cast up.