Could it possibly get any hotter??

Welcome to summer in Arizona where it is 108 degrees in the shade at 5am.

If ever I miss having a pool nearby, it's now. I found myself washing the car last weekend just for an excuse to play in the hose like I'm 8 years old.

This week was swamped with photo shoots and belly casts, which is awesome... but also means my butt has been in front of this computer for hours at a time, rotating, cropping, editing, burning, etc. I think my brain is officially fried.

In between editing, I'm trying to get off-book for Noises Off before rehearsals start in August. It's SO tough for me to get off book alone with a fast-paced farce. I thank my lucky stars that I have a willing victim in Jason, who will run lines with me... but I'm an audio-learner. I get used to the sound of the actors saying the lines that precede mine... every cast develops its own rhythm and tempo. Ever since I learned to actually 'listen', I found myself drawn into the timbre and inflections of my castmates. It becomes its own song, which changes every night with the most subtle of differences... and this is the beauty and magic of live theatre. It's also an invaluable tool (for me) in the process of memorization. So, I find myself using my old stand-by method of writing out my every line and cue from start to finish. It's not quite as organic, but it's just as effective.
Now if only I had better penmanship.

Had a great 4th of July weekend with the kids at my mom's house. We BBQ'd with (most of) the fam at my mom's house (and pool) and like a bunch of old fogeys, we (kids included) were asleep by midnight. Happy Independence Day!
Our days have consisted of photo shoots and casting calls, editing and writing - between taking the girl to and from her volleyball camps, movies, mall excursions and sleepovers. The boy has been a little easier on me... living the summer schedule of a typical 16-year-old as he eats, sleeps, and plays video games. On a positive note, his reading and speech have taken a decent leap this summer as I listened to him read aloud a passage when 'resilience' rolled off his tongue like it was nothing. It's the small victories. ;)

Next month, my baby girl will be 15. I don't know where the time has gone. I remember my mom at 35. She was so young. So why do I feel so old?

Her birthday party will be fun. We're going the route of 'cheap but creative', since she understands the value of 'party budget' and its proportion to 'gift budget'. They also start school again soon and though I've sometimes been very jubilant at the thought; I'm actually starting to realize how much I'm going to miss them when they're back in school and much too busy and preoccupied to hang out and goof off with mom.

sigh

I love them immensely. They're pretty damn awesome.


So, in summary... it's hot outside, my brain is fried, I'm almost blind, terribly poor... and couldn't be happier.

Well, at least for now... until I find something to complain about. :) Kidding.