drama rant

Ugh, I actually had to WORK today. Why does theatre have to be so...well...dramatic? I know actors have a born flair for it, the good ones, anyway, but do they have to use it offstage? I had to put an understudy on TWICE this weekend, and last night the poor girl had FIFTEEN minutes' notice because the primary actress couldn't decide if she could do the show or not (after telling me this at half-hour). FIFTEEN! I hate having to call someone in like that. Luckily, she is a true pro, came in, was ready on time, and did a fabulous show. This morning, we made the call one and a half hours before the show started. So at least it wasn't completely last minute. The understudy is doing a phenomenal job, and I feel bad that we have to keep her dangling, wondering whether or not she will go on. Apparently, this has been an ongoing problem all summer as well, so now some of the higher-ups are starting to look more closely at it. I know the actress has legit physical concerns right now, but as they say, the show must go on, and if she needs to back out, take some time, and get her body and her life back in order, I have a replacement already here who I would not feel the slightest hesitation putting onstage. Heck, she's already done it, fabulously I might add, three times, and we've only done nine shows so far! Unfortunately, the drama is starting to create some rumblings among the cast, so we need to get that settled soon. One more week here, and then we go to the outdoor theatre, where it will be cold and damp and slick, for three weeks. If she's sick now, it ain't gonna get any better in Solvang, I can guarantee! Ah well. To top it all off, over the weekend we've also had a broken mic, a spot op 20m late to his call, mics falling off, and a broken glass water pitcher backstage, as well as patrons having some problems in the house. Is it a full moon or something?? Things were just really crazy this weekend!

I finished another Winter Night square the other day and am a bit more than halfway through the second one. I'm just keeping that bag of project up in the booth for now, since it's the only place I'll probably work on it. I've gotten a couple "Can you really knit and call a show at the same time?", and the answer is yes. If it is a simple knit or purl stitch, non-ribbing, I don't have to look at my hands, and I can watch both the show and my book. Granted, it's slower, and there are times that I have to put the knitting down completely, but it keeps me from waving my pencil around or sitting on my hands to keep them from fidgeting. I feel better when I knit, or at least have the needles in my hands, as it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something outside of work.

Now, just to cap off the weekend, I get to go home, do laundry, and then spend tomorrow (my weekends are Mondays and Tuesdays) up north with Steve's family for his grandmother's visitation and funeral. I'm going to spend the evening knitting and playing games between laundry loads, I think. Definitely time to de-stress...I may work on the charts and start the simpler Christmas stocking tonight. Or CO the second mitten finally. I'm kind of in the mood to cast something on. Have to do two more rows on the Knitted Stripes first, though. Steve says the pattern he was thinking of is more similar to these. I really like the Holly and the Evergreen patterns, but they're a bit intimidating. I know I *can* do it, but I want to do it *well*, too...