Well, not really. Can we discuss for one minute the fooking weather in NY! Ya know, I didn’t move here to live in the same climate as Dallas! I could use some snow and cold weather right about now. I am not feeling any of the holiday normalcies. I don’t ever get to hear any Christmas music b/c I don’t drive any more, thus no radio, and I left all my holiday CD’s in Dallas. Alex and I are not going to see any of our families for the first time in our lives on Christmas. And our version of tree is a little but totally cute, 2 footer that my mom sent us all decked out with lights, ornaments, garland and a star. I totally love the little guy, but it doesn’t beat my parents big ol’ beautiful at their house. Alex and I are going to make the best out of this Christmas by going to our friend Donald’s house in MA. Being in New England for Christmas will be so cool. I can’t wait to see all the lights, drink hot chocolate and hopefully have snow! He also has a big, beautiful tree to make it more like home.
So, I haven’t written in a while and a lot has happened in my life throughout Nov. and Dec. So, Barber went so well. I was so pleased with my singing and performing. The audience loved the show and laughed at everything! That is what makes me do all these auditions every year…in hopes that I can make someone laugh again from the stage. One of the most exciting things of the month was that I became an Auntie again! My sister had her first child on Nov. 17th. My new nephew’s name is August Paul Shipley. He was 8lbs 6oz and 20 inches long! The birth was normal and Leslie did a great job getting him out. So, we didn’t get to go home for Thanksgiving either, but Donald had us over for a great couple days. We did the whole dinner…mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, gravy, corn, rolls, pearl onions, pumpkin pie, pumpkin squares, and of course the turkey. So, here is my funny story about Thanksgiving. Y’all know I always have funny stories. Okay, so we get to Donald’s at around 6 Tues. night of that week. We had tried so hard to buy everything ahead of time, but of course, we still had to go to the store. So, we go and buy all the things that are remaining and bring them home. I do other things when we get home and assume the boys have put the groceries away. Well, never assume anything, right. After being home about an hour, I go into the kitchen and see the groceries still sitting on the counter, so I start to put them away. When I finish, I look over at the stove and see this giant round thing sitting in groceries bags on top of it. I automatically freak and think, Oh my Gosh, is that the Turkey! I pick it up and feel if it is cold…um…not so much! Then I calmly carry it into the living room and say, “Donald is this the turkey?” To which he replies, ‘yeah.’ Inside I am dying and freaking, but I am staying calm outside. ‘Okay, how long has it been sitting there?” D: “Well, all day.” L: Inside, Holy Crap, ALL DAY! Outside calm: “who told you to defrost it on the counter?” D: ‘The guy at the store.’ L: “okay.” So I go back into the kitchen freaking and thinking we can not eat this turkey…we will all get sick! I decide to check on the internet to see if any sites think this is a good way to thaw a turkey. Calmly and quietly I go back into the living and start Googling “Thawing a turkey.” Many sights pop up and all of them say there are three safe ways to thaw a turkey…1 in the fridge 2 in cold water 3 in the microwave, and all of them said NEVER, NEVER, EVER THAW A TURKEY ON THE COUNTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE! Well, I am dying and freaking inside b/c I have severe food phobias and I knew Donald spent a lot of money on this turkey. So calmly I asked again, “who told you to thaw the turkey on the counter? Was it the butcher?” D; ‘yeah, well no, it was the guy putting the turkeys out to buy’ L; inner dialogue, ‘What?! You had the guy who gets paid minimum wage tell you how to thaw a turkey! L: outer dialogue, losing my cool: “Okay, well I have looked on like 9 websites and none of them say it is okay to thaw a turkey on the counter. I mean y’all can eat it but I will just have the sides.” D: “no, I want you to have turkey. Let me call my friend Philip who is a chef.’ So, Donald calls his friend and says, ‘So I bought a frozen turkey and thawed it on the counter’ P: over the phone, very loudly, NO NO! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN THERE? D: “Well, since last night.” P: NO,NO, OH GOD NO! DONALD REPEAT AFTER ME…NEVER, NEVER, NEVER THAW A TURKEY ON THE COUNTER….ALWAYS, ALWAYS THAW IN THE FRIDGE!” Well, by this time we are laughing so hard and decide at 11:00 at night to go to the store and buy another turkey. The entire ride there, Donald and I are laughing so hard I am crying b/c of the situation and in particular me walking in holding the bird saying calmly and inquisitively, ‘Donald is this the turkey?” We found a great 10.5 lb bird without any possibility of giving us salmonella poisoning. We thawed it in the fridge until Thursday and had a yummy, diarrhea free Thanksgiving!
So, the rest of Nov. and beginning of Dec. had been the usual and painful auditioning process. We don’t need to talk about that. We all know how it goes.
Last week, I had a great opportunity to sing new songs written by my friend Scott Parry. He composed a song cycle for 4 voices and asked me to do the mezzo! I was so thrilled he did b/c the poetry was Dorothy Parker for my solo songs (love her) and the music is opera and musical theater mixed in one. Y’all know how I like singing me some MT. The songs are composed in such a way that the text is really portrayed, and the audience really loved them. I also really loved the journey my character takes from the duet and the through each solo song. The quartets are so cool too. They build off of each voice and give the poetry a more neutral feel, like each one of us makes one whole person. I also got to meet 3 other great singers/people in the process, and the hilarious and talented Gerald (Jerry) Steichen. I was really pleased I could bring Scott’s songs and ensembles to life.
But in other news, starting this week, I have been working at Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. That’s right y’all, and not as some sales girl at the mall. I am in the Global Makeup and Marketing Dept. I mean is there anything more perfect for me?! Not only b/c it is makeup, but b/c I wear Estee Lauder. The pay is the most I have ever made for a temp job and the work is cool. I actually get to use my brain and computer skills. I will be here until the end of Jan.! Here is what is even cooler. I had been here for only three days when this woman comes into the office and says, Merry Christmas, and hands me a large red box. Well, I know it is for the girl who shares my office and not me. So, I put it on her desk, reluctantly, b/c I know what it is. It is their huge bonus gift they do every Christmas. My Dad got me one last year. When you buy a perfume the whole things is only $45 and it has like $300 worth of makeup in it! So, of course, I was trying to find some way in my head to get one, but gave up b/c I had only been here for 3 days. Then on Thurs., I come into my office and can’t believe my eyes. There is a big red box on my desk! I quickly look at the girl’s desk behind me to see if she still has her gift, and she does! I am ecstatic! This is for me!? Well, I had to find out who was so nice to get me one. It turned out that one of the French men who works in the office thought it was tacky that I didn’t get what everyone else got, so he gave me his! He also said he didn’t need it b/c it is makeup, so, Voila, it is mine! I am so excited with it. It is this beautiful red leather makeup travel case, ya know, like the ones ladies used to carry all the time. Really hard and strong for the plane. Inside there is a smaller makeup bag that matches the other one, and then all these goodies…an entire set to new brushes, a compact with 12 eye shadows, a compact with 1 bronzer, 1 translucent powder and 2 blushes, not 1, not 2 not 3 but 4 lipsticks, 2 lip glosses, an eyeliner, a lip liner and a mascara! All for FREE! Holy crap I’m happy! Then yesterday, the same nice French guy gave everyone in the office a candle from Bergdorf Goodman for Christmas! I have never gotten anything form there! In fact, I don’t know if I even spelt it correctly! This place rocks! I couldn’t have asked for a better temp job! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Hopefully, I will have more stories to share about the upcoming Holidays. Ciao!
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