A body at rest

I’ve started half a dozen new posts in the past couple weeks - here’s another - and yet I hadn’t been able to finish anything. I’m feeling very writer’s-block-ish, and I’m starting to think it has something to do with the fact that I haven’t been working for a few weeks now. A little downtime is good for the soul, but after a while things start to stagnate. 

A body at rest tends to stay at rest...

The Flow that comes with creative endeavors bleeds over into the rest of your life, into other creative endeavors, into your activity level, your diet. I’ve pretty much been “on vacation” for the past two weeks, and I’ve reached the point where my “flow” has pretty much trickled out. I’m not really writing, not working on music, not really getting much exercise other than a “walk” with Henry down to the rock pile on the corner. I’m starting to feel static, flat. 

I’ve been working on this post on and off for an hour now, between Facebook checks and coffee breaks, and something just came to me. I’ve been on vacation! Is this what vacation feels like? At first it’s great to do nothing and then after a while you’re dying to have some momentum and get back to work?

Aha! Lightbuld. I’m not stuck in a rut; I’m just coming to the end of vacation. Problem solved.

Although I will still need to figure out how to balance being a “stay at home mom” for the next two months with all the work I need to to prepare for next season. I’ve got two operas to review and three new roles to learn, including one in Russian. Not exactly something I can pick up and be ready for in a day. Some daily armchair work or note learning or practicing will have to be part of my days with Henry. We’re looking at finding a preschool / drop-in day care place for him while we’re there. He has LOVED going to school with my mom every day here in SC, so we’re thinking that a couple mornings a week would be good for him. Plus it would give me some built-in study time. Win-win, as they say. 

As with any vacation, it ends with packing the suitcases and hitting the road, so I need to start sweeping the house for all our things. But maybe after one more cup of coffee...

Checking in

Remember when I said this month was going to be crazy?

Yeah. Well, it has begun. We relocated to Richmond on Tuesday, "moving in" with B's parents for a couple weeks. Henry made the transition seamlessly; he's thrilled to be spending time with his grandparents. (And if you'll allow me a parenting brag, he didn't have any potty-training regression when we made the move! No more diapers!)

We've had a couple of quiet days, hitting the Science Museum in Richmond, riding bikes and tractors (aka lawn mowers), and running and rolling around the big back yard. We've mostly maintained our preferred family rhythm, just embellished with grandparent time! I haven't quite found my writing rhythm here yet, but I didn't want to let too many days go by without a post.

Packing to leave Norfolk was not too bad; it's so much easier to pack up a "home on the road" than it is to pack up and leave Home. You just take all the stuff that is yours, everything you came with, and pack it up! No need to hem and haw and decide what to take and what to leave. The hardest part was saying goodbye to Beverly, the sweet lady who sits at the apartment front desk and who formed a deep bond with Henry. True, that bond was formed mostly because she gave him treats every time she saw him, but there was a very sweet "mutual admiration society" going on there. Add her to the long list of wonderful people we know so briefly in this lifestyle...

Tomorrow B & I drive up to Fairfax and get back into Figaro-land! We'll spend the night up there, come back home on Saturday, and then drive up again for the Sunday matinee. Lots of driving time for us, but it's worth it for Henry to have a settled place with people he loves. We hope to connect with several friends from our summers at Wolf Trap, hosts and colleagues and friends. And, I'm not going to deny it, I'm really looking forward to sleeping in a hotel bed. Pillows!!

I can't wait to see how our show has grown as it has had time to "simmer" over the past few days. We'll brush-up on the recitatives a few hours before the show; that will help get us back in the game and - hopefully! - prevent any train wrecks on stage. We'll let you know how it goes!

Monday Miscellany

All my favorite blogs post "weekend links," a collection of things they've taken note of during their Internet browsing through the week. I'm guessing that for those who blog as a job take the weekend off from writing, and so they put this list up to entertain their readers while they're quiet for a couple days. But we don't have "weekends," per se, so instead we'll start your week off right with our Monday Miscellany posts. Enjoy!


We talk a lot about screen time regulations for Henry, a member of the Touch Screen Generation. We limit access, but we definitely use it, both as a tool for learning and for entertaining.


I wore my hair like this for the Virginia Opera Gala last weekend. It was a perfect match for my Grecian-style gown.

I'm so happy for Lucy and her new studio! Everyone needs a room of their own, yes?

This scarf was given to me this week by a generous colleague - she gave me hers after I admired it! I have worn it almost every day. It goes with everything!

"Manimilist Parenting?" Yes, please. Although, frankly, it just sounds like the way our parents raised us thirty years ago...

We dyed eggs this week, and I made a conscious decision to NOT do anything fancy, Pinterest be damned! We were not alone.

After a warm & sunny day yesterday and then a wet and cold egg hunt today, I'm definitely identifying with this post.


We start dress rehearsals tomorrow, but I'm hoping to get a few posts up this week, including the first post from B!

Have a great week!