Feathers and leotards and food

I made wings today. Not happy little fairy wings, but REALLY big wings to be worn by a 6'4" nearly nude guy playing Eros (think the Greek equivalent of Cupid) in the show I'm working on. I just can't seem to get away from feathers or leotards lately. The show has a lot of movement in it, so I'm having to put the women in leotards. I just made nine for a dance company. Feathers and dancewear - that's what this job is becoming. But it's definitely not boring. I have to get into the habit of taking more pictures so I can post cool things, like my wings. I want to work on the structure and maybe make them a little fluffier, so when I'm done with that I'll make sure to capture it digitally.

That's my big news of the day. I was in a time crunch to make a publicity photo shoot, so all day my goal has been to finish the wings (at least good enough for photos if not for stage) and get to the shoot. So now I'm home, trying to wind down, and all I can talk about is "I made wings." That and I'm hungry. HB has made surprise plans for us again which include dinner, so I have to wait. I love how excited he gets about it, and whatever the plans turn out to be, it's always fun. But I'm exhausted. We haven't slowed down for a break in a long time. Usually we take one day on the weekend to relax and recoup., do household chores and all that other stuff that is hard to get to during the work week. That didn't happen last weekend with our engagement and family visits and all. And we've both been putting in long days between all our jobs and school work and such. So instead of surprise plans, I would really love to get some takeout and veg on the couch all night. Especially since we have a wedding to go to tomorrow 90 minutes away from home. But I guess that leaves something to look forward to on Sunday. Of course I'm proabably going to love whatever it is we're doing tonight and all thoughts of the couch and takeout will fly out the window......as soon as I'm fed, that is.

WHOOPEE!!!!

Well, I didn't have time to sleep over the weekend after all, because, as it turns out.....I GOT ENGAGED!!! Honey Bunny took me out Friday night to celebrate our two years together since our first date. He treated me to a fabulous dinner at Chapel Bistro ( I have to share the name because he was dropping a hint by taking me there - I didn't catch on), then took me to a fancy fondue restaurant for dessert. Over dark chocolate fondue and champagne he proposed with the prettiest durn ring I've ever seen.

I'm totally elated, and of course I'll be writing lots about it. For now I have to get some sleep...one of my shows informed me late tonight that I have a publicity photo shoot in a day and a half. Luckily they're only using two people, but that's still two costumes to procure in a short amount of time, on top of two other jobs......oops. I didn't mean to let my stress slip into the Good News blog. Scratch that. Stop reading. Dream of beautiful engagement rings. Like mine. It rocks. (oops - the pun just slipped out)

Southern Theatre

I have a few minutes before the rest of my day begins, and I feel like I should be blogging to make up for lost time. The first half of my day went smoothly - work at my main theatre gig. I have to pause here for a moment and talk about the show I'm working on. It's a play all about a Southern funeral. Not any ol' Southern funeral, mind you, but a white trash Southern funeral. Naturally, it's a comedy. It's frickin' hilarious! Even though it's a modern show, which usually means we can use the actors' natural hair, we have to wig almost the entire cast because the hairstyles are so hideous! (Yes, there are mullets involved.) My main project today involved airbrushing a t-shirt similar to what you would see at a booth in the mall or at the beach. It was a blast! Of course, I love to work with the airbrush any chance I get - it's really a great tool - but this was a first for me. It was a lot easier than I expected, and I have bad hand-writing. Who'da' thunk? Once it gets the finishing touches (glitter), I'll try to remember a picture.
So the rest of my day involves going to another theatre's rehearsal in order to take actor measurements. This is the gig I do for fun - they pay me, but it's not much. There's quite a few theatres in town that fall into the "doesn't pay much" category, but these guys really appreciate their designers. A lot of the other theatres are too busy asking for so much on a shoestring budget that they forget how demanding they are - thank-yous are few from them. These folks know how little they have to offer financially and they are truly grateful for what they get. It makes them very pleasant to work with. And it doesn' t hurt that I like the shows they produce. Having said all that, I need to get moving so I can keep a job with them!
Hmmm....Honey Bunny just came downstairs and told me we have plans for tonight - after he gets out of class around 9:30. That's close to my bedtime. I guess there will be time to sleep over the weekend, if I'm lucky.

Apologies

I know there's really no excuse for such a long lapse, but I'm going to try anyway. Last week I was laid out with a bad back. I could stand okay and lie down, but sitting was very painful. Thus, no computer. Ahhh...someday I'll have a laptop so I can blog in bed (or at the coffee shop), but that day is in the distant future. The two weeks before that were nightmarishly long, working four different gigs. Everyone had a deadline to meet (except my regular gig, go figure) and needed help, so suddenly, all the usually unemployed stitchers in town were working their fingers to the bone. The ballet had us working the most - my favorite senior citizen stitcher clocked 110 hours in two weeks! I also worked for another dance company, picked up a few hours at my regular theatre, and worked at a puppet studio. The puppet studio is where I got these pics. I'll give you a few guesses as to what famous character I was working on - farm wife excluded, because she called me while I was there. I'm trying to convince her that she could make the extra cash she needs for her internet connection by dying and selling feathers. These are actually bad ones. The boss man wanted to order feathers from a cheaper company - you pay cheap price, you get cheap feathers. Okay, here's another hint...

If you can't get it now.......well, I don't want to think about it.

So anyway, I realize this is no excuse, but I just want the world of blogger to know that I am sorry. I really do miss you when I'm not around. I want to post everyday, and someday I may be able to. But for now I have to work my butt off when there's work. Whew, I think I'm ready for a (gasp) desk job. At least then I could check in more regularly. Of course, now I have to go to work. But I'll post again soon. I promise.