have yourself a merry little christmas...
My favorite Christmas carol has got to be 'Have Yourself A Merrry Little Christmas", and nobody does it, or will ever do it better than Judy Garland. The season is gearing up, and I can't help but be a little happier this time around. I've got more time off this year: 21 days off starting on the 18th. Twenty One !!!! Hooray for working for a university! I haven't had that much free time since... I was a student, I guess.
We just finished a one evening only performance, that took approximately 3 weeks to pull together. It was a flurry of madness, but it's all done as of 11:00pm last night. A day off, and on to the next one, that should last until the 18th of December. I'm going to be working part of the time unsupervised. I'm going to be the Stage Manager for one week assisting during rehearsals and taking notes, and then slide into a more technical role the next week. I'll be cueing up for 5 days and nights of performances, which will be fun. Basically, it means I'm offstage with a headset, and calling out transitions to the booth upstairs. I watch for certain actions during the performance that will cue the booth to run a special sound effect or music. It doesn't sound difficult, but it requires some concentration. Sometimes, after spending a week in rehearsal, all the scenes just blend into one another. You pretty much have to know everyone's lines to do the job, although a script is necessary to have on hand at all times, in case prompting is ever required.
A windfall of money this year. I paid my rent in advance, and have several thousand dollars remaining. I'm planning on giving a portion of it to my parents. It would help them out a lot this Christmas, and I certainly feel that, considering the cost of hosting Christmas for our family, it would be helpful. I'm also planning on saving a portion for Kole's use. Although I haven't mentioned it lately, her testing is ongoing, and it has been recommended that certain computer programs would be of great benefit to her. Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance was suggested (as well as other similar programs), and unfortunately, its looking like my CrapComputer would not be able to handle that kind of program.
It was also recommended that if I was ever going to upgrade, a laptop would be far more suitable, as she would be allowed to use it in class and would be needed for her ongoing schooling. She's still being recommended for enrollment in a demonstration school, which is a residential school for children with severe learning disabilities. The school has some ancillary fees that I would be better off saving up for now if she does attend.
I'm thinking about putting up the tree this afternoon, and just having a popcorn and movie night, tonight. I have a babysitting offer, but just long to stay in, cuddle up, and stay warm while the snow falls in heavy flakes.
Nothing wrong with that....
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