gypsygirl

I finished the first of my two paid audiobook gigs last weekend. I just checked, and they've already got it listed on the website! http://www.catholicaudiocompany.com/current.html

This was actually the second gig I got, but it had an earlier delivery date, so I'd been pushing to get it finished. The other one, Clara Vaughan, is due by the middle of June, so it's time to start pushing on it.

At some point the publisher is going to post my profile on their website, but as far as I can tell, they haven't gotten that far yet. They have, however, posted the excerpt that was the first thing I read for them (it's available from their front page: http://www.ipublishpress.com/).

One more weekend of Brigadoon to go. It did finally come together (like, the night before we opened!), and it's going pretty well. Not the hugest crowds we've ever had, but not the worst either.

Off to the Amigos conference tomorrow morning. Just going for the first day, not both. They rented me a car from the library, and when I went to pick it up, they gave me a frickin' Hummer! Not exactly the statement I'm interested in making in life. Still, it's only for one day and then I can give it back (and thank goodness I get reimbursed for gasoline!!!).

I don't think I've ever before been so frustrated during rehearsals for a play. S, who was such a great director in Nunsense, turned out not to have... I'm not sure what's missing... discipline? organization? cojones? I don't know, but whatever it is that's missing, it's driving me crazy. The show opens this coming weekend and we've only just last night run the show all the way through (supposedly we were going to run it without stopping, but for no reason I could understand, she kept stopping to block scenes that had already been blocked. One more show like this would be enough to put me off theatre (or at least the WCT) for life.

I guess it doesn't help that I'm working on two paid audiobook gigs at the same time, so I really don't have much in the way of free time (hence the long gap since my last post), but at least those are coming along nicely. I should be done with the first one due within a week or a week and a half. The other I have another month to finish. I'll be able to really get busy with it once I finish the first one.

One thing I have been enjoying in Brigadoon is learning Scottish Country dancing. One of the girls who auditioned used to do it for a hobby in the last place she lived, and she's choreographed a couple of scenes. It's great fun, and several of us are trying to convince her to start a Scottish Dancing Society here in Waco.

I usually get my taxes done at the earliest possible moment (I dread leaving them too late so I overcompensate), and this year all my paperwork was available before the end of January, so I already have my refund! I'm using most of it for sensible things, like paying down my credit card, but I wanted to get at least one fun thing, and I ended up getting this:

I'm calling it my NKDR (pronounced enkader), short for Non-Kindle Digital Reader. Eileen and I were in a silly mood when I told her I was getting it, and we came up with the acronym. It arrived yesterday, and I've been having fun playing with it since then.

I don't particularly like the proprietary software that came with it (Sony's eBook Library). It's not particularly intuitive, doesn't allow for much sorting or for editing of the metadata (which, since I'm planning on putting a lot of gutenberg texts on there, I'd need). Fortunately, I found a free, open-source alternative, calibre, which in addition to the things I've already mentioned, will also convert non-DRM ebooks from one format to another.

The reader can handle several different ebook formats (.txt, .rtf, .doc, .pdf, as well as their proprietary .lrf), which is fortunate, because there don't seem to be a huge number of books available in their proprietary format. But most ebook stores I've seen offer secured pdf as one of their formats, so I don't think I'm going to run out of books any time soon.

My main reason for getting it, though, was to use when recording, so that I could sit further away from my computer and its noisy fan.

I went by the Friends of the Library Book Sale today and got fourteen books for $19.50! I found a complete Shakespeare in a hard back, three volume set for $4.50. I looked for knitting books but didn't find any (not to say there weren't any there though); lots of cross-stitch, sewing, weaving and all other sorts of crafts, but I couldn't find any knitting. I got a few mysteries, and some straight fiction, and found the two volume set of A. A. Milne poems that I'd had on tape as a child in hard back - those two look brand new!

I do like the Book Sale.

So, not much new going on. I had fun at that workshop in Austin. Our meeting room was a computer lab, so there was plenty of hands-on time. We were at UT, and the Bullock Texas State History Museum was right across the street, so I went there one night. Other than that, I didn't get out much. I asked Darryl when I got back what we actually use XSLT for here, and he could only think of one example off the top of his head, and that project's done (though it may need tweaking at some point). So, though I was glad to learn the stuff, I don't know when I'll get to use it.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is just over a week away from opening (a week from tomorrow's our preview performance) and it's coming along nicely. Yesterday was the first night the actors weren't allowed to call for lines (except for Big Mama, who only started about a week ago, due to an injury to the original Big Mama) and they did pretty well... except they were concentrating so hard on lines that they tended to lose energy. Tennessee Williams is a depressing enough playwright when the energy is up, so last night's run-through just dragged in places.

I got a bunch of recording done this weekend. I had the time on Sunday, and I was in the right mood, so I just went for it. I got all my collaborative chapters done (a couple of the Arabian Nights [in French] and a few chapters from Kilmeny of the Orchard [which the BC asked me if I'd be willing to do]), and a monologue for the latest Shakespeare Collection, plus several chapters from my solos. I may get some more done tomorrow morning. I'm taking half a day off from work to get new tires for my car, so I may have some time before they open to get some chapters done. That's one thing about doing shows, my evenings are pretty much gone. I have time between work and rehearsal to get a bite to eat or take a little nap (not both), but that's about it. So I usually only get to record on the weekends.

The Man Who Came to Dinner has finished. I got lots of compliments on my character, and lots of "it took me a second to realize that was you when you came on stage" type comments. During the course of MWCtD my friend Tredessa applied for and got the directorship of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which is the next show coming up. I hadn't been particularly interested in auditioning for that show (I find Tennessee Williams terribly depressing), but I enjoy working with T, so I checked to see if they had a stage manager for it yet. They didn't, so I signed up for the job. We've had auditions, but rehearsals don't really get started until the New Year, so there'll be a bit of a break. As much as I enjoy doing stuff at the Civic, it's nice to know that, for this gig, I actually do get paid a small stipend (yay, crew!).

I'm heading off to CA on Friday to spend Christmas with mum and Paul's family. I just learned that Alondra's sister and her two sons will also be there during that time. That is going to be one crowded house. I think I may be asking to go to work with mum more often than I would otherwise have done. I know she wants me to play Santa to all her friends one day at least.

I've been knitting frantically for the past few of weeks to finish Christmas presents. I've made a purse for my sister-in-law. I finished the actual knitting a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I got around to sewing up the seams and putting in the lining (which I think I made a little too big, but by the time I figured it out, I was so far into it that I couldn't bear the thought of starting over (again - the first try was too small)). My other project was a scarf for mum's friend Natalie, which I also finished last weekend. I took both patterns from my "knitting pattern a day " calendar. I've been pulling out the patterns I like and storing them in one of my notebooks. I was pleased to be able to use a couple of them. I'd post pictures of them, only I haven't been able to find my camera for several weeks now.

I've finished both the projects I was working on for LibriVox. I finished Pride and Prejudice over Thanksgiving weekend, and Novelas Cortas the following week. Now I'm working on another of the Scarlet Pimpernel books, The Elusive Pimpernel. At this rate, I may end up doing all of them (that are on gutenberg, anyway). I got the new MCC continuing ed schedule in the mail last week, and I saw that one of the seminars they're offering is about doing voice over work. I'm seriously considering signing up for it.

I went to see August Rush and Enchanted around Thanksgiving. I really liked them both. I've gotten to the point where I usually just wait for a movie to come out on dvd before watching it, but there are a few that intrigue me enough that I'm willing to shell out five bucks for a matinee.

I'm in the middle of rehearsals for The Man Who Came to Dinner at the WCT. I got cast as Lorraine Sheldon, bombshell. The thought still makes me giggle, because I so don't think of myself as the bombshell type. I wasn't actually up for the part originally. The director only had one person read for it the night that I auditioned; but when she got up there and started to read (in the same normal voice she had used for all her other readings), I happened to glance at the director and saw her shuffling her papers, shaking her head and muttering to herself in reaction. Well, based on the description she'd given us of the character and the fact that her first word in that scene was "Darling" I had a decent idea of what she was looking for, in the voice, at least. So at the end of the night, when she asked if anyone had wanted to read for a part and hadn't gotten to, I raised my hand and asked to read for Lorraine. The producer told me later that the director cast me in the part as soon as I started reading. It's been a fun show, quite apart from playing a vamp, because Tredessa's in it too (as the female romantic lead), and it's always fun to play with her! Plus in this show we play rivals, so even more fun.

I'm working on two projects at LibriVox right now; I'm still working on Pride and Prejudice (on the sly, so to speak). I'm more than two thirds of the way through it. And for my "public" project I finally decided on a compilation of short stories by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. I have one left to go, and it's the longest in the bunch, so I've broken it into three sections, to keep the file sizes manageable. I'm thinking of going back for more Scarlet Pimpernel after this; specifically, the Elusive Pimpernel, which is the book that comes between the two I've already done. My output has dropped lately, though, as I'm spending my evenings at the theatre and can only record on the weekends.

I went out to CHS with MB last Saturday to see Mandy's production of Seussical. It was fun to compare similarities and differences in the costumes, because Mandy costumed the production we did at the WCT a few years ago. It was lots of fun, anyway. And Mandy played Mayzie; I'd always wondered how she would have played the part if she'd auditioned for our production (because I'm pretty darned sure she'd have gotten that part), and it was fun getting to see.

Since I still haven't gotten back my knitting patterns book from Meredith, I've decided to start a project of my choice for Asa. I figure if I don't start it soon, I may as well give it to him for his high school graduation. So, I found this pattern for a stuffed elephant that looked really cute, and I decided to do that for now. I'll probably still do the other when/if I get the book back from her.

Cute, isn't he? I'm making two of them, one in a darkish blue-grey for Asa, and one in yellow for Jana, since I don't yet know what her baby will be. I'm about two thirds of the way through the first one and I only started Friday night, so it's knitting up really quickly. I'll post photos of my two versions when I get them finished (this photo is one of the ones on the pattern).

I did finish A Little Princess last weekend, but I didn't get around to finishing cataloguing until the end of the week. I decided to do a collection of Alarcón short stories for my next official project. Ans is proofing both that and P & P for me, because I was starting to run out of room on my laptop with all the audacity files for P & P that I'd been saving up. She can't understand a word of what I'm reading for the short stories, so she's reading along and just comparing sounds.

I finished El Dorado yesterday! Woohoo! No more wanting to smack Armand!

It really did end up being a very good book, once I got past those beginning chapters where he was being such a goose, and once the action moved onto the other characters. I've decided that one reason I was so annoyed with Armand was that Orczy changed him so much from the first book to this one. In that, he was the responsible elder brother, who had looked after his little sister from the time their parents died, and was completely devoted to the Scarlet Pimpernel's cause. In this book she made him younger than Marguerite and completely reckless and foolish.

And I have two chapters left of A Little Princess, so I should be done with that this weekend. Now I need to find something new to read. I am still working on Pride and Prejudice, but when I started it, I didn't realize there was another solo version in progress. It had been semi-abandoned, but it started back up this week. As it's a newer reader, I don't want them to feel like I'm infringing on their territory, so I'd rather not take P&P public just now. My plan is to keep working on it, but I need something else for my public project. I'm thinking of, perhaps, some more Nesbit, another Anne book, or maybe the first Katy Did book. But I haven't decided yet.

I finally got my invite to Ravelry yesterday. I spent part of today adding completed projects to my page. I don't know how much I'll use it for organization, but it's a great place to get new ideas!

So after everything I said about the WCT being somewhat picky about casting the leads of plays, I have to take it back. I watched Annie the weekend it opened, and ended up leaving during intermission. Like Once Upon This Island, the casting of the leads left much to be desired. I will say that the three people cast as Miss Hannigan, Rooster and Lily St. Regis were fantastic. They were the only leads who seemed confident onstage and with their lines, songs and choreography. They were also the only leads who seemed to be having fun with their parts (not really difficult with those).

My main objection was to the poor child who played Annie (well, the one I saw that night... the role was shared by two girls). It's not her fault. I've worked with her before and heard her sing, and know that she has a very nice voice, but someone made the decision that she should belt all her songs... and they just weren't in her belting range, so the result was that she sounded strained and painful.

I decided not to audition for Amadeus after all. I'd only just regained enough energy (after the stress of adjusting to the new job) to get back into my LibriVox project, and I'm on a roll with that, so I wasn't willing to give up my evenings just yet.

I'm still working on El Dorado, but I'm not as blocked as I was before. The focus hasn't been on Armand as much as it was in the beginning, so he's not driving me crazy like he was. I've also started two other projects - A Little Princess and Pride and Prejudice. I've been wanting to do both for a while, and doing chapters in those was a good motivation to deal with Armand. I haven't put P & P into the catalogue yet, I'm just working on it on the side for now, but I'm five chapters each away from finishing El Dorado and Little Princess , and I'll be taking it public once I do finish them.

I learned of a knitting group here in Waco a few weeks ago. I've been thinking of visiting it. I'm a bit shy of going because I only know one person... and also because I don't have anything particularly interesting on the needles just now. I've got that scarf I started for Ethel last winter still going; and a hat for the Dulaan project. I had bought a whole bundle of a particular yarn... ooh, probably two years ago that didn't turn out to be how I expected (it said worsted, but it's much thicker than that), so I figured I could use it up making hats and things for the Dulaan project.

And now I'm off to eat lunch in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.