Ohio Light Opera

OLO is one of the only companies in the US that focuses entirely on light opera and operetta.  I started there in the summer of 2006, singing almost entirely in the chorus, and moved into more interesting and prominent roles over the next couple years, arriving at  the "golden summer of Anthony" in 2008, in which I played fun, exciting roles in every show I was in.  Here is a brief photo tour of the roles from that summer.  (There will be a pay-off for looking at all these, I promise.)

First, Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma (Guest-starring in the photo is Amanda O., who played my daughter, Ado Annie.)

Carnes is an old curmudgeon who carries a fire arm at all times and has a crackly voice like an old-timey prospector.  When Desiree saw the show, she swore my dad had walked onto stage the first time I entered.  Note the brilliant age make-up, provided by yours truly.

Next, Bennie Kidd in The Desert Song.(Guest star: Karla H. as Clementina)

Bennie is a New York reporter caught up in a world of espionage and intrigue in Morocco.  He and his girl friend, Susan are the comic relief of the show.  Perfect.  Bennie even gets to dress up like a girl, because humiliation is always funny.  So, try not to pee yourself when you see this photo of me in harem pants and a skimpy top.

Next, The Grand Duke from The Czarevitch.  That's me at the far right.  (Guest stars: Robin and Todd as the Soprano and Tenor who couldn't stop singing)

We couldn't tell if this show lost something in the translation from German to English or if it was always really bad.  But my role was kind of fun to play because I was a serious, villainy sort of guy.  Again, kickin' age make-up by yours truly.

Next, Mr. Gravvins from The Cabaret Girl. (Guest star: Sahara as Little Ada)

Doing this show was probably one of the funnest things I have ever done in my life.  Gravvins is a British music store owner who constantly gets himself in trouble by being a big idiot and raving like a lunatic.  Here he is posing as the vicar:

He actually just looks like a beatnick.  And here he is in the world's most ridiculous cabaret costume:

There's a CD recording of the show you can purchase.  It's awesome.  Tell me you bought it and thought I rocked, even if you never do.

Last of the 2008 photos is Herisson de Porc-Epic.  He is the obnoxious ambassador from France who looks like a mime and wears Puma-brand tennis shoes.  This show was also outrageously fun to do.

So, point is: every character in 2008 was wildly different.  An Oklahoman farmer, a New York reporter, a Russian duke, a British musician, and a French ambassador.

Now on to 2009:

A sailor in HMS Pinafore

Dick Dauntless the sailor in Ruddigore

Enrico the sailor in A Night in Venice (Guest star: Tania as Barbara)

A chorus dude with a sailor hat in La Belle Helene (Guest star: Cecily.  We were wicked fierce!)

and a gangster?  Wait a minute!  He's not a sailor!  

But wait... he gets appointed to be the secretary of the navy in the second act of Of Thee I Sing.  Oh, that's better!  He's a sailor after all!

Everyday when I'd show up at the theater in 2009, it was just a question of which sailor outfit I put on.  I kept wondering if it was some cosmic sign I should join the navy.

Settling in to Salt Lake City

We have now been here a month - we arrived on Tuesday, August 11th to a warm welcome at my younger sister's home where we stayed for a week.  Since that time we have been staying with my oldest sister while we have been figuring everything else out.  Things are finally falling into place.

I am working part time in the box office at Rodgers Memorial Theatre in Centerville.  It is an overall enjoyable job where I get to help people support performing arts by selling them tickets. Our Friend, Cecily helped get me connected with the opportunity and it is working out very well.

Anthony is on the substitute teacher list at 5 school districts - although it seems that everyone that is unemployed in Salt Lake has done the same kind of thing.  Not much has come of it yet, but it is also still in the first couple weeks of school  We are still hopeful that jobs will come from the schools.

On the music front, Anthony has also been busy trying to coordinate and work out some details for an opera recital series that will take place throughout the next year.  It has been tough trying to get it to come together, but I know it is something he is excited about, so I would be surprised if it didn't happen.  Anthony will also be directing the Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta HMS Pinafore for Rodgers Memorial Theatre in the early spring.  He is also teaching voice lessons - he has about half a dozen students with a few more wanting to start in a couple of months.

I am not sure if many of you know this about Anthony, but while in Binghamton he had a little more time than he counted on and has written a few children's books and has started a novel.  I am not going to get into any details, but he is busy continuing to write as well as digitally re-creating the artwork for his children's books.  Things are going great - and one of the books will probably be ready to send to a publisher within the month.  We just need to figure out the best way to do it - and have a real chance at being successful.

The other exciting thing is that we are starting a job as apartment managers.  It is really funny because we knew that some of the properties with open positions were downtown - and it ends up that we will be managing some apartments that we lived in for three years - several years ago.  We loved those apartments - and we are so excited that we get to live there again - and that our compensation is free rent!  It means we have a place to live and bring our baby home.

I have felt for months that the Lord would take care of us and that everything would work out and be okay.  Not everything is ideal, but we are going to be able to make ends meet, and Anthony is still going to be able to have artistic pursuits and fulfillment, and I think we will be able to make it so that one of us can be home with the baby (when she comes) almost all of the time.  We have been so blessed - and a lot of it is that we have generous family and friends that have been keeping us in their prayers and helping us with our networking.  Words cannot adequately express the gratitude I feel for the blessing that everyone around us has been.

A very special thank you to Valerie and Adam and Aunika and Bill who have so unselfishly opened their homes (and fridges) to us since we arrived.  Also, a thank you to my parents, Ray, and Mark and Maren for keeping all of our stuff while we have sorted everything out. We love you guys.

Pregnancy Update

I am sure you are all wondering what news we have concerning our great expectations... 

Well you don't have to wait any longer.  I am now 23 weeks along.

As you can see, my belly continues to grow... but that is good news, right?

This past Tuesday was a wonderful day and well worth the wait.  As you know from my last blog I had an ultrasound.  At this point I am pleased to say that it is no longer 'it', but is now she.  We will be having a baby girl.  There are several parts of the ultrasound process that I loved...

First, actually seeing the baby in my belly.  It was fun to see her and watch her move around.  Second, when the technician checked "normal" next to everything on the checklist at the end.  And third, when Anthony said 'I can now honestly say I am excited.'

The debriefing after was also a huge relief.  The doctor was able to tell me confidently that based on the actual measurements of our babies head, brain and  femur that I am really due on December 5th.  It is really great to know (approximately) when to expect our first daughter.

Later that same evening, our friends Kalina, Sahara and Cecily kindly threw us a baby shower.  I think I will cut to the chase and just post some pictures of some of the fun.

Yes, it is a Girl!

The yummy food!

All our friends that came.

Some of our favorite gifts were hand made by our friends.  This one is a quilt from our friends Kalina and Cecily.  It is especially meaningful because time off is a valuable commodity while at the Ohio Light Opera.

"O" is indeed for Opera - I am laughing because the character in the picture is Anthony as Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore.

Which one of these will deliver the baby?

Even Anthony had fun at the party... he is wearing a College of Wooster bib.

The party was a lot of fun and our friends were very generous with us and kept in mind that everything needed to fit in our Toyota Corolla.

Okay, I think I have kept you in suspense long enough... if you are still reading this novel of a post you get the privilege of seeing our surprise pictures.  I think you will enjoy them, even if they are not of the best quality.

This is our baby's foot.

She is looking toward us - you can get a good idea of what she is going to look like.

This one you can see her profile.  Anthony and I both think that it looks like she may have his nose. 

She is waving.

It was such a blessing to be able to see our daughter and we are glad that we could share some of the latest news with you.

Frustration

Do you ever feel like you are in the wrong place at the wrong time or that you take action a little too soon based on the information you have just to find out it was better left alone?  I do.  This morning I am so frustrated with myself.  I had an appointment for tomorrow for a comprehensive ultrasound.  On Friday at 4:30 I cancelled the appointment and scheduled it for a week later.  I did this because we discovered that the show Anthony is in that is being recorded is having all the dialogue recorded on Tuesday morning.  Yesterday, much to my chagrin I discovered that he does not have to be at the recording session until about 15 minutes after the scheduled end time for my appointment.  It is soooo frustrating.   I called yesterday to see if I could leave a message to try to get my original appointment time back, but the recording gave me other numbers I could call if I was having an emergency and would not let me leave a message.  So I called this morning about 3 minutes after the office opened to try to get my appointment back and they have already scheduled someone else in the time slot.  

Really in the big scheme of things having to wait another  week is not a big deal, but I learned a couple of things at a doctor's appointment last week that makes me a little anxious to have it done and over with.  First - The nurse and doctor that saw me were both a little distressed that I did not have an ultrasound in my first trimester.  The people I saw in Binghamton said nothing about needing an early on ultrasound to confirm the due date, and I was relying on them to let me know if I needed any procedures done in my first trimester and before losing insurance when I moved.  Second, when the doctor did the push-on-the-belly thing he looked at me and asked (for probably the fifth time in the appointment) "You are sure you know when your last period was?" Then he took out the measuring tape and measured my girth just to nod his head and say, "Yep, I think you are a month further along than you think you are."  What!?  A month less to get things settled when we move and make sure we are as ready as humanly possible!?  No further explanation from the doc. Third -  Just frustration with having cancelled an appointment that was actually okay. It ends up that the company is doing something it usually does not do with its recordings - they are staggering the times that people need to be there based on when they are actually needed and it ends up that Anthony is not needed before 10:15.  Anthony and I could have gone to the appointment and been just fine with the timing - the appointment was for 9 AM and was to last an hour.  It would be cutting it a little close, but is a risk I am willing to take.

I know I just need to let all this roll off my back, but I am still frustrated.  I guess I will just remind myself like I find myself doing a lot lately... "Everything will work out okay."  So I am just stuck in anticipation one more week - and the results of the ultrasound will probably be the same then as they would be tomorrow.  I am already getting exercises in patience and the baby isn't even here yet.  I think I am in trouble.

Random Thoughts

I keep wanting to write a blog, but I don't have enough ideas about any one thing to write about, so you get a spattering of my thoughts.

I am pregnant.  I am not sure if you have heard, but it is true.  I am expecting a baby.  I have been feeling fluttering movements in my belly... nothing concrete, like a kick, but it definitely has not been gas or hunger pangs.  Sometimes when I think about it I am humbled and amazed at the miracle that I am going to have a baby.  Theoretically I should be dead - without surgery I had a 21 year life expectancy - with no chance of having children - it would have killed me for sure.  Now, I am pregnant with a completely normal, healthy pregnancy so far and it is wonderful!  Some of the things I think I will not get used to...

• People asking if I feeling  am okay - as if there is something wrong or like I should not be feeling okay.
  
• People not letting me lift anything.  My philosophy is if it is lighter than a 3 year old It should be okay to lift (not carry) it.  Mom's lift their children all the time when they are expecting, so why can't I move a kitchen chair or carry groceries?
• My belly is starting to feel like it is something separate from me.  The other day I felt fine, but I had a little ache in my belly - probably ligaments or something stretching, but it was definitely not me that felt funky, just my belly.

Me at 13 Weeks - 

Some of my clothes were just starting to get uncomfortable at this point

There is not a huge difference here, but it feels pretty big comparatively.

Me at 18 Weeks

 

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This morning I happened upon an article in the Deseret News about a Utah born device that would fix a hole in the heart like the one I had - using a catheter to insert a sort of a patch that would immediately close the hole 60% of the time and would allow for new heart growth to close the hole the other 40% of the time.  The device has been approved for use in Europe - and is waiting FDA approval for use in the USA.  It is incredible to think that in just a few years people won't even have a scar like mine to fix the same problem that I had.  It is incredible.

By the way, a lot of people have holes in their heart like mine (just smaller) and if they go unfixed it can cause migraines and stroke.  I guess what I am saying is if you have migraines you might want to have your heart checked.

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I think that some of our time in Limbo (not knowing anything about our future plans) is coming to an end.  Ohio Light Opera is ending in a few weeks and none of our possible plans have panned out, so it looks like we are moving to Salt Lake City in about a month.  I don't really have more details than that, but I am glad to know where we are headed next month.

More soon...

By the way, Thank you to Ray who kindly gave us his wonderful 'old' camera - I am getting things ready to post some pictures soon, so you can all see what we have been up to.

Wooster

In a few days, Anthony and I will be heading off to the Ohio Light Opera where he will be singing for the fourth summer.   I am finding myself looking forward to the quaintness of the quiet town.  A few summers ago when I first arrived in Wooster I thought that the town was rundown and dying.  Now I have been to Binghamton and understand that Wooster is still in excellent shape.  There are still new developments being built in the area and it is still attracting new commerce.  Honestly I am not sure if it is attracting any new industries, but hope still has a presence in the small – all American town.   Spending time in a town where hope has not died will be a wonderful thing after the time we have had in New York (not the city). 

Last weekend we stayed a couple of nights in Wooster – to take a few things down and for an audition in Dayton.  By the time we had been there just a few hours Anthony was acting more like his energetic – excited – motivated self than I had seen him act in several months.  I also found my spirits lifted – people there had nice things to say and were interested in having short, but very human sorts of conversations.  The clerk at the hotel recognized Anthony and me from last summer.  It is a small thing, but makes a difference and is so nice.  I am not sure what I will be doing for employment for the summer, but nonetheless I am finding myself looking forward to our few months in the humid, warm, green, hopeful paradise that is Wooster, Ohio. 

Blog

One of the reasons I started a blog is so that I could keep people up to date on our adventures.  I have found it to be a difficult task.  I don’t want to say too much that is negative.  I prefer being positive.  I want to tell everyone everything that is happening, but not much is happening.  It ends up that the life of a young opera singer and his wife is not all that exciting.  I go to work every day – and try to be there by 8:00 AM.  I take a lunch starting somewhere between 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM.  I leave work at 5:00 PM.  I arrive home between 5:15 and 5:20.  Anthony generally has at least a few hours during the day at home with not much scheduled, so the dishes are always done and dinner is frequently already on the stove or in the oven.  We sit down and have dinner and a bit of conversation and maybe play a game.  Then, Anthony frequently leaves in the evening for some sort of rehearsal. 

Honestly, it almost feels like it did a few years ago, before I  went back to school and Anthony spent his evenings doing community theatre.  It is a little uncanny.  This time though, I know it is furthering opera opportunities – well, at least we hope it is.

Eyes

A few weeks ago Anthony and I went and had eye exams.  It was not such a big thing, until we went to pay… Holy Cow!  Expensive!  I just hope that my new glasses (once I get them) last six years like my current ones have, although comparatively, the frames were not too expensive.   Those darned lenses… too bad they are the part that Anthony and I need to actually see.  

Speaking of seeing, I was not expecting to have to have my eyes dilated… well it happened, and boy, my pupils got nearly as big as my irises.   It looked like I was possessed or something as I was looking in the mirror at possible frames.  I am not even sure what some of them looked like because all I could really focus on was how crazy my eyes looked.  It is a good thing that we went back later to look at glasses again, otherwise who knows what I would have chosen.  Scary thought.  The other problem with having my eyes dilated is that I had to wear those stupid plastic inserts you put between your face and your glasses to block some of the light.  Apparently, the inserts were not made for people like me – they rested about an inch above the glasses and refused to rest straight up and down, but instead rested just below my lower eyelids, causing me to blink way too often.  Not only that, but the drops made me nauseous and a little sleepy.  I don’t know about you, but excessive blinking plus tired while driving is not a good combination.  Oh, well. The nausea passed and I stayed awake the rest of the day at work and nobody died as a result of my driving.  In addition to that, in about a week I will have a new pair of glasses.  Nobody will recognize me – I will look so different.  Not only that, I will see them better too.

Spring

It seems like lately I just want to talk about the weather. It is not true... well at least not quite. In Binghamton the birds have started singing, it gets up to above 40 degrees fahrenheit almost every day and it is sunny about every third day. You would think that spring would definitely be here. The town is still gray and dead. There aren't any leaves that have started to explode out of their cozy little buds. It is a bit depressing to have it be a few days into april and have almost no green around. You would think that the grass would be really green, but living downtown in a city with little designated green-space that is not along the rivers that run through the area it is difficult to know if the grass indeed is green yet. The houses and apartment buildings that surround the large grey building we live in do not have anything growing around them - it seems that grass doesn't grow in the thick mud that lines the thin strip of unpaved land that is between the sidewalk (which the buildings are frequently built right up against) and the road. I am not sure what to make of it. I am used to the snow melting in the spring to expose a fine carpet of green sprouts that are pushing their way up around the dead yellow grass from the previous season. I have yet to see more than a tiny clump of weeds that is green, which surprisingly made me smile. I hope the green of spring finds Binghamton soon.

Snow in Binghamton

When I moved here I figured that I was moving to New York and that it snows every year several times during the winter season.  It has snowed several times, but more often than it has snowed there have been "winter storm" warnings issued on the local radio stations.  The result has been somewhat baffling to me.  

In Salt Lake, life would continue as normal without much interruption to anyone's schedule... the biggest difference is that people might leave for work 15 minutes early, but not much else.  Last year, there was a snow storm that dropped about a foot of snow between 5 AM and Noon.  I walked to work at the University of Utah, where I was bombarded with telephone calls from students and faculty who could not make it up the hill. The University didn't announce a closure until it had stopped snowing, the roads were clear and was actually sunny outside.  They closed, not directly because of the snow, but because there was a problem with the heating system and 1/3 of campus was going to be out of heat.  

In Binghamton, as soon as anyone says the word "snow" all of the schools announce that they are going to have a delay, close early or just not happen at all. 

 

The first time I really noticed this phenomenon was a day when there was a "winter storm" warning for that night from about 8 PM until midnight.  My co-workers all got phone calls letting them know that their children would be out of school at 1:30 PM because of the storm.  It wasn't raining.  It wasn't snowing.  People just said the word "storm".  That night it started to rain at about 7 PM.  I have to admit, walking outside was a little slippery, but the roads were fine.  I know this because I went out with Anthony to run some errands.  At one of our stops, a friendly cashier asked how the ice storm was going.  I almost laughed at her.  Ice storms are one of the things I have feared about New York Winters... I had no idea that the cold, but gentle rain was a dreaded ice storm.  I had imagined that in an ice storm ice cicles would come down from the sky as if being thrown by Zeus - if he threw ice cicles instead of lightning.  I knew it would not be that dramatic, but also really expected the rain to turn into ice more immediately upon hitting the ground, it just became a nice thick slush.  The next day, my ever so helpful co-workers were able to confirm my suspicions that it was not a very bad ice storm the previous night.  The funny thing is: school was delayed by two hours that morning.   The weather was fine the rest of the week, but someone somewhere had said the word "snow" or "winter storm" so apparently the schools had to be postponed for at least one hour every day the rest of that week.

Since I first noticed the school closure phenomenon, it has continued and every time it happens I have told another person about how baffling it is to me.  I finally said something to someone from this area who was able to clear it all up for me... it is the school's way of not having to pay for crazy insurance for their busses and a way to avoid law suits that would inevitably happen if a bus was in accident as a result of the snow and ice.  I was glad someone was able to clear that up for me.  

It just started raining and it is supposed to turn to snow.  I wonder how long school will be delayed tomorrow... wouldn't it be nice if work was delayed too?

Four Holidays and a Funeral

December 21st marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  For centuries people have celebrated this day because it is the shortest day of the year.  That means less time at the office, right?  It actually means that the year, which has been continually "dying" as the days get shorter and shorter, will now start to be "reborn" as the days get longer and longer.  In other words, the sun comes back and keeps us all from freezing and starving to death.  The celebration is called "Winter Solstice."  And I'm sure all of you know this already.  The idea I want to draw out is this- it is a celebration of the natural world.  Even without being pagan, I think most of us can see the value of honoring the natural world around us and learning from its lessons.

Coincidentally, this year Hanukkah started at on the Solstice.  Even though I'm not Jewish, I love Hanukkah.  I think it's a really neat holiday.  Hanukkah is a celebration of a miracle that happened in Israel around the year 175 BC.  While the temple was under siege by Syrian armies, they ran out of oil for the sacred lamps that must always be kept burning.  Miraculously, oil for one day lasted for eight days, which is exactly enough time for new oil to be pressed.  This explains why the celebration lasts for eight days and why candles and lights are such an important part of the festival.  Each family is encouraged to light candles in their own homes to remind them of how the Divine interceded in the world of the natural.  In other words, contrasted with the Solstice, a fully natural celebration, Hanukkah celebrates the intervention of the Divine in the natural.

This brings me to the funeral.  On December 23rd this year, I attended the funeral of our stake president.  For those of you who don't speak Mormon, a stake president presides over a group of congregations in much the same way that a Catholic bishop presides over all the parishes in a diocese.  He had struggled with cancer for a short time, but it was very difficult.  His strength and health left him very quickly and were replaced with a great deal of pain.  However, he didn't wish to be released from his duties.  He served for nearly a year with his disease, right up to the time of his death.  He continued to speak at meetings where it was his duty to do so and continued to work for the members of the church in his area.  At his funeral, the message of Christ and of Christmas was everywhere.  Not only did those who spoke remind us of Jesus' teachings of comfort and joy, but they also reminded us of the miracle of the resurrection and Christ's triumph over death.  This man who died was not scared.  He knew that his natural life would be joined to the Divine when he died.

At Christmas we talk a lot about Baby Jesus.  This year, I thought a lot about the triumphant Jesus who became "natural" at his birth, but who shattered the sorrows of the natural world by virtue of his Divinity.  And not only did He do it for Himself, but for each of us.  Christmas is more than a celebration of the natural, or of the Divine interceding in the natural.  It is a celebration of the natural becoming Divine.  Christ made his natural life Divine and offers us the same promise if we follow Him.

Today is New Year's Eve.  As we watch another year die, we can rejoice in the Divine gift of Jesus Christ and resolve to join ourselves to Him more resolutely in the next one.

Good old fashioned update

ATB: Hey Desiree.  What's up?

DB: Not much, How about you?

ATB: Oh, just writing a blog with you!

DB: Really?  What else has been going on lately?

ATB: Funny you should ask!  That leads us right to the title of the blog: "Good old fashioned update."  Well I guess the biggest news for me centers around the opera company here.  I got to sing a really great role in "Rigoletto" a couple of weeks ago.  It went pretty darn well.

DB: Yeah.  It did.  I should know.  I was there.  You sang the role of The Duke (sleazy guy that he is) really well.  Even if meant you had to make out with a couple of women. :)

ATB: I can't believe you told everyone that!  Don't worry everyone.  It was only onstage.  I got to sing lots of high notes and wear tights.  And have my hair curled.  And wear makeup.  This sounds worse and worse.  But really, it was fun and went really well.  And what do you mean by "I was there," Desiree?

DB: How nice of you to ask.  I had a great time being a "Super" (a person in an opera that does not sing).  There was a big party scene, and you can't have a party without women, and Verdi did not write any music for a women's chorus.  The result:  I wore a really pretty dress and makeup and flirted with a bunch of gay men (most of whom were twice my age) wearing makeup and tights.  It was a lot of fun to be onstage instead of backstage.  I think I might just try it again sometime.  What else has been happening for you, Anthony?

ATB: Well, now I'm rehearsing the Christmas opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors."  Some of you may remember when I directed it in 2006.  Now I'm singing Kaspar.  It's a nice role and more along the lines of things I'm used to singing.  Too bad you're not in this one too, Desiree.

DB: It will be a little weird not to be in this one too.  It was fun seeing you back stage and stuff.  It is nice to have my evenings available though.  After all, I have an 8-5 job.

ATB: An 8 2 5 job?  Why, whatever do you mean?

DB: I technically work for Kelly Services (temp agency) but I have been working every day at a place called STCR - stands for Southern Tier Cash Register.  Did you know Binghamton is in the "Southern Tier"?  Apparently it is what they call the part of New York that is not "The City" and not "Upstate".  Anyway, I am doing the billing for maintenance the company provides to its clients - independent grocery stores.

ATB: That's very informative!  But I wouldn't understand any of that.  I just sing high and try to look pretty.

DB:  Well, that is what you went to school for.

ATB:  Except for the looking pretty part.

DB: Yep.  You did not need school for that.  It just came naturally.  But I get the feeling that people don't want to hear us have a conversation like that (I am inserting that for Anneke's benefit.)  So, how about them Senators?

ATB: And by Senators, you mean the local hockey team?  I have no idea.  I still don't follow sports.  But speaking of things: Maybe we could tell people about our "Thanksgiving- Round 1" event.

DB: OK.  Here's the scoop.  We have a bunch of friends here that are a little bit like family, but the thing is- most of them are going to be with people that don't live in this area for the holiday.  So I thought we should have a dinner for all of us to just get together and have a nice time.

ATB: So you made a lemon meringue pie, a chocolate cream pie, an apple pie and a pumpkin pie.  Oh yeah, there was turkey and stuffing too.

DB: And all of our friends made things that are traditional for their Thanksgivings too.  Now I know how to make "Ellen Potatoes".  Ellen is one of our friends who thinks that if it involves the microwave it is cooking... I am so proud of her - she learned how to use a vegetable peeler and a hand mixer all in the same day.  And the potatoes were delicious.

ATB: So true.  So let's see... work, opera, friends... oh church!  Since we both voted Democratic for the presidential election, are we still allowed to go to church?

DB:  Silly, Anthony.  We have gone to church since then... and they even gave us callings too!  I am now on the activities committee and you teach sunday school for the 14 and 15 year olds.

ATB:  Well, it sounds like we're doing pretty well.

DB: I think so.  I think we both miss people in Salt Lake though.

ATB:  Yeah.  That's true.  But who knows where we will land next year.  I do have an audition with Utah Opera again this year!

DB: And with several other companies.  I am sure people don't want to hear about all the places that want to hear you sing.  How about we just tell them where you are going when we find out in February... or March... or April?

ATB: Fair enough.  Let's call this blog "good enough."

DB:  Ok.  Thanks for encouraging me to send everyone an update and even helping me make it happen.

ATB:  You bet.  It's only because I love you.

Advertisement for Arrogance

So, Desiree has titled this blog "Life Happens."  I think I may have mentioned somewhere that I'm not in love with this title.  But that's only because I have a superiority complex the size of Lake Superior.  Ha ha.  Seriously.  I do.  And that's what this post will be about.  So those who are faint of heart around conceit, please avert your eyes.

I'm a pretty talented person.  I'm also a pretty smart person.  I'm also a pretty nice person.  I feel good about these statements.  When I was finishing my Master's degree, I felt really great about myself.  I was happy with the work I was doing and with the people around me.  When I was at Ohio Light Opera last summer, I felt like the king of the world.  I not only enjoyed my work but I was also extremely good at it.  I had good relationships with the people around me.  I just felt awesome.  Feeling awesome made me act awesome-er.  It grew on itself.  And it wasn't just for me.  Other performers told me that they enjoyed being on stage with me because my confidence gave them confidence.  It was good all around.

Then I came here to Binghamton.  The program here has a lot of strengths and I am getting a lot from it.  I don't want to deny that.  (Here comes the but...)  But it has placed me in situations where I feel out of my element.  I have been left to question the level of talent and intelligence I always thought I had.  Sometimes I have even wondered if I'm not really as nice a person as I always thought.  Surprise, surprise- my ability to perform has diminished at a corresponding rate!  I guess it's kind of like Peter trying to walk to Jesus on the water.  If only I'd believe, I could do it.

So I guess this seems like an advertisement for arrogance.  If thinking I'm awesome makes me awesome, then why not be arrogant and be REALLY awesome?  That's only partially true.  At the same time that telling myself I'm good at singing high notes makes me sing high notes better, telling myself that I'm great at ping-pong will never change the fact that my hand-eye coordination rivals that of a 2 month old.  It's about knowing your strengths and owning them proudly.  And at the same time acknowledging who gave them to you.  Obviously God made me a performer.  (Insert joke about God having a vindictive sense of humor here.)  And many people have helped me shape that talent over the years.  Not the least of those contributors is myself.  I have worked hard for this and to deny myself that credit is dishonest and undermines my ability to "walk on the water" with out doubting myself.  I tried the other day to ask God to sing my arias for me and he told me not to be silly.  They are my arias and God doesn't want to take them away from me.  My strength.  My responsibility.

Additionally, there's a degree of humility necessary in this process.  When I don't feel good about myself and what I'm doing, there's always someone there to tell me that my work, though not perfect, still has merit.  My prideful tendency is stubbornly to deny this, thereby ignoring the gifts God has given me and the opinions and help of the one encouraging me.  This "false humility" is actually the real and dangerous arrogance in disguise.  Humility would teach me to "honor the divine" in both myself and all around me.  In other words: I'm awesome, you're awesome too.

So here's the cutesy part where I "bring it full circle."  This process is Life Happening.  I'm learning my relationship with God and myself.  It's happening through singing a leading tenor role in a Verdi opera.  For someone else it might be teaching a child to ride a bike, or dealing with a difficult co-worker.  But the human being I am becoming is the most important happening of my life.

Palmyra excursion

In church last week, a member of the temple presidency came to speak to our ward.  We live in the Palmyra temple district.  Strangely enough, he and his wife spoke about the importance of attending the temple.  What a surprise!  All kidding aside, the message was loud and clear to me and Desiree.  We needed to go to the temple.  We had not been since very shortly before we left Salt Lake City in May.  As it was then the very end of September we knew it was long overdue.  We made plans to go that Wednesday night since I didn't have rehearsal.  It's a three hour drive, so Desiree had to leave work a bit early to make it.  (She was temping for the opera company that week.)

As we were leaving home, we checked to see if we had our recommends.  Desiree's eagle eyes spotted our foolish deficiency.  Our recommends had expired at the end of April.  Color us embarrassed!  It seems even stranger since our bishop in Salt Lake asked us if we needed them renewed before we left.  We blissfully and ignorantly said we were just fine.  So now we needed to make a decision.  We felt strongly that we should go to the temple, but were not able to go in.  Should we go anyway?  Since the Palmyra temple is located practically next door to the Sacred Grove, we decided to follow the promptings of the Spirit and go on the errand anyway, even if we were not able to fulfill it entirely.

By the time we got to Palmyra it was very dark.  We made a brief stop at the grounds of the temple.  It is beautiful there.  The windows all have gold and green stained-glass representations of trees in them.  The grounds are very colorful and perfectly manicured.  It was great to be there even if we couldn't go inside.  Then we went to the grove.  Since it was dark, we used a flash light to go down the somewhat lengthy path that leads to it.  There was no one else there.  This was kind of a comfort to me and Desiree since we both have a mild aversion to tour guides at Church history sites.

Honestly, the path was kind of scary.  The woods are frightening at night when the mist is gathering.  Perhaps if I had been there before it would have been different.  Maybe if I wasn't from the suburbs of Salt Lake where "woods" is more likely a last name than a topographical occurrence I would have been more at ease.  In any case, I was aware of every tiny noise around us as we started our journey down a path to what we hoped would be a place of spiritual enlightenment.  The clearness of the path laid out before us by people who knew the way was a quieting comfort.

We arrived at a small area that served as an outdoor chapel, with log pews facing the area where Priesthood leaders no doubt instruct and inspire those who want to enter the sacred area ahead.  Right before we stepped into the small clearing among the trees where Joseph saw his first vision, a foghorn went off in the distance.  It startled us.  Quite a lot.  We held our breaths in the way one does when frightened in an unfamiliar, foggy, dark wood.  But since we had come this far already, we decided to see the grove regardless of reservations and fears.  We stepped through the curtain of foliage into the sacred area and almost immediately the heavens opened and rain fell.  It seemed to me to be a gift from above.  I then realized that the foghorn was to warn us of the coming storm.  The canopy above sheltered us for the few moments we stood and felt that we were in a special place.  I felt giddy as we ran back through the rain to our car in the parking lot.

God watches us and gives us what is good for us even if it isn't exactly what we expect at the time.

Charlie Chaplin

When Desiree and I first moved to Binghamton, we had little to do.  There were a few days before I had any rehearsals and Desiree had no job (as you all know from her previous post).  We had no TV reception, we didn't have internet and we didn't know anybody in town.  It was pretty dull.  But across the street from us is the Broome County Public Library.  Ah ha!  Entertainment!  All those books just waiting to be read!  So we checked out some movies to watch.  (Insert ironic facial expression here.)

But I don't feel badly about this decision in the least because the movies we checked out were of Olympian significance in the world of film and in our American (and world) culture.  We watched 4 movies written by, directed by, and starring Charles Chaplin.  Let me just say; this guy was an absolute genius.

The first film we watched was "The Gold Rush."  Chaplin made this movie as a silent film originally, but re-released it decades later with his own original score and narration replacing the text panels common to silent films.  Next was "The Great Dictator," in which Chaplin first spoke.   We next "Modern Times," which was released before "The Great Dictator" but in which Chaplin first sang.  Most recently we saw "Limelight," which was his last film made in the U.S.

Each of these movies is a masterpiece.  I think the word "masterpiece" can be over-used since in theory, an artist should only produce one work to define him or her as a true artist, but I can't help it.  Each of them is a masterpiece.  I had the erroneous conception that Chaplin only made short films with little to no significant plot.  I also thought they were all written by someone else.  I further thought that he only played the "Little Tramp" character with whom he is so permanently identified.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The plots of these four films are not only his own creations, they each have a distinct voice and powerful message.  Each is evocative of a tone and theme that speak as resonantly today as they did at the time.  I can't recommend enough a viewing of each of these jewels.

The cool thing about watching these movies (besides the movies themselves) was the special features disc available with each film.  From them I learned a good deal about Chaplin's life.  There is one thing that I cannot pass up mentioning:  Charlie Chaplin, the undisputedly best loved and most famous film maker of his day was banned from the United States during the McCarthy trials of the late 40's and early 50's.  He returned to his native England and returned only to receive an Oscar for which he was only allowed to stay for a few short days.  He had lived and worked in the U.S. for 40 years.  I was absolutely crushed to hear our beautiful country had done something so coldhearted to a man whose only work was to make the whole world smile.  

Luckily those days of ideological intolerance are past.   Today careers of good-hearted men and women aren't smeared by insensitive stereotypes and accusations.  It would be a tragedy if a vocal minority of purportedly morally high-minded people convinced the rest of us that those who are well-intentioned are evil just because they are looking forward to a brighter future.

Livin' on Love

We have been in Binghamton one month and I still don't have a job.  It has been so much fun!  Ever since we got married we have been trying to figure out how to "live on love."  We used to say that we needed a wife... someone to cook and clean for us while we were busy being students and working.  Now, we have begun saying we need a husband to get a job that pays a little more than it pays to be establishing a career as an opera singer.

It has been so much fun just kicking around and spending lots of time together.  We have been playing board games, going for long walks along the river, taking drives to explore some of the surrounding area, having good conversations and spending time with friends from the opera company and church.

When Anthony is gone to rehearsal, I take great pleasure in cleaning our apartment and making fabulous meals... just this morning, Anthony told me that people in the opera company had begun asking when they were going to be invited over to eat the great meals I have been creating.  I guess word has spread that I have been going crazy in the kitchen.  It has been so much fun!  In the last couple of weeks I have made enough food to feed an army... and think we almost have.  I have been experimenting with new recipe I have wanted to try for a while and have just not had the time.  The result is usually that after getting the ingredients, when I am ready to start the preparations I realize "this recipe is not for two people... it is for six... or eight."  This would not normally be a problem, but one of the things I have been looking forward to each day has been making dinner, so leftovers kind of put a damper on things.  The result has been that we are having people over for dinner almost all the time.  It has been nice to get to know people in this way.

I think I could really get used to this... too bad the savings will be running out in not too long.  Besides that, I don't think that "living on our savings account" is the same as "living on love," oh well.  It has been fun... not to mention that while I have been able to get creative with our menu Anthony doesn't suggest going out to eat nearly as often.  I am loving this.

From Anthony: Two for the price of one!

Here's another oldie but goody back-log.  But this time it's a double-header!  Have fun with two topics in one.  There are comments left by people from the first time I posted this at the bottom.

Friday, June 06, 2008

hot

Must... write... blog... in... June!

For real. I really feel like I have to write a blog this month. I usually wait until something presents itself in a way that demands a written response. But today I just wanna write a blog, dang it!

So the topic du jour- Heat wave in Ohio. It's hot. And it's wicked humid here. We're talking over 90% humidity. And for a guy from Utah, that's more humid than a box of humid humidity with a side-order of humid. My skin is sticking to everything and I'm a pile of disgusting sweat. I stink all the time which really grosses me out.

Whenever I go to a really extreme climate (which isn't that often unless you consider living in Utah for approximately 27 years) I always think about what crazy kind of people settled those areas way back in the day. Like, think of living in Siberia in the 1700's or something like that. How did those people survive that crazy climate without all the exciting conveniences we have our modern world? Comparatively, living in humid Ohio in the early 21st century seems pretty easy.

I guess that brings me to another point I have visited several times on this blog; things really are relative. If I think my life sucks, it probably does for me, even if it may seem great to other people from the outside. Luckily, I don't think my life sucks. I'm probably right.

Well folks, that's it. Tune in next time for a discussion of how I always forget how strange I can come across to people.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

As promised...

I really don't love it when people brag about how weird they are. "I'm totally wild and crazy!" "You've never met anyone like me!" "I can't stand people who don't want to be the center of attention all the time! I mean... what?" You know the kind- the folks who really, really, really need attention and can't get it by simply being good at something or by being nice. They have to resort to wearing funny hats all the time or coining really loud and obnoxious catch phrases instead.

I know that may seem like a strange thing for me to say because I often seem to come across that exact way. But here's what I'm getting at- I really don't try for it. I try to behave myself. It turns out I'm just a... well... weird-o.

Right now I work with singers and assorted other artsy sorts all day everyday. This is part of the problem. Hanging out on a regular basis with people like this only gives me permission to continue to act like a freak because I rarely go too far beyond the bounds of what any of the rest of them have seen or have actually done themselves. The rest of the problem comes when I get back into the land of reality and suddenly have to switch gears to "don't-embarrass-Desiree-Anthony."

When artsy people would be laughing along with me or just not even noticing anything strange at all, normal people laugh their heads off or just leave the room and won't speak to me.

So that leads me back to my original point- I really don't love it when people talk about how strange they are, and that includes myself. I hate feeling like I'm a big freak whose life looks like a big act to get laughs or reactions.

Discuss.

Micky Jo: In highschool I was totally afride to talk to most people, so instead I died my hair every color and cut my hair in crazy ways. I liked being the freak because I knew people were talking about me and I didn't have to really talk to them. Now days I am the loudest person I know. I guess I am trying to make up for all the time I wasn't talking. 

I would love to be noticed for what I can do but the problem is I am not musicaly inclined (unless you count gutair hero), I am not a great actress, I can't really write and I insist on hanging out with the artsy types (like you) who with out trying at all make me feel very small. So to make up for it I am loud and crazy.

I know it drives people crazy and I kinda like that too. 

Maybe the problem isn't the loud and crazy people it is people like you who are to talented for there own good. Stop being so amazing Anthony and I will stop being crazy. (I would love to see either one of us try it....who do you think it would kill first)

ATB: Your comment is better than my blog! I love it. 

Desiree seems to have the same sort of feeling when hanging around with the artsy-types. When she went to study in France last summer, she found ways to branch out and feel less like a "small" person. So I don't need to be less talented and you don't need to stop being crazy, we just need to go to France a lot.

Sissy: I have no idea what either o' you are talking about.

 

From Anthony: Delaware

I was going to post a blog from the myspace site as a "classic" (meaning "re-run"), but I'm so enamoured of this Delaware concept that I think a new essay I wrote last night will pre-empt it.  Here it is:

As Desiree and I drove across the country this year, we played a game.  It was the “see-a-license-plate-from-every-state-in-the-country” game.  We have actually played it two years in a row.  The rules are these: 1. we have from the time we leave home until the time we arrive back home again to see all fifty, and 2. we must both be present in order to count the plate (though only one of us need actually see it).  Since we started from our old apartment right by a college campus that has lots of out-of-state cars parked by it, and spent the summer at a music festival that attracts people from all over the country, we had a great deal of success.  This year we saw all of them except for Delaware.  Last year we found all of them except for Hawaii and Delaware.  This is the part where every reader should say to him or herself, “What!?  They didn’t see Delaware either year?  Isn’t Delaware like… a state?  One of the lower 48?”  And I would reply, “Yes, reader!  Delaware is in fact the first state!  It would stand to reason that it still exists today and is issuing license plates to its residents.”

For a long time I made fun of Wyoming.  Part of this is because I was in a car accident there in 2001 and found everyone we dealt with there to be less than pleasant.  But part of it is because there doesn’t seem to be much of anything there.  I actually saw a cartoon lampooning this once.  It showed a map of the U.S that omitted Wyoming and everything still looked surprisingly complete without it.  I think I shall soon have to cease this mockery and take up mockery of Delaware instead.  How on Earth could we see a plate from every state but Delaware?  It defies the imagination!

I remember looking at license plates when I was a kid.  They all followed a simple pattern then.  Each plate had a background color and a different color for the type.  There were no real illustrations, except maybe for a little insignia between the letter part and the number part.  I think in those days, Pennsylvania had a little blue keystone on its yellow background.  Utah was just plain black and white if I recall.  But now all the states have fancy plates with lots of colors and intricate illustrations.  And those are just the regular ones!  I’m not even talking about the “specialty plates.”  For instance, Michigan is now white with a blue banner across the top.  The word “Michigan” is then inlaid in white in that little banner.  But there’s also a Michigan that looks like some sort of crazy Renoir painting screwed to the back of every other SUV from Ann Arbor.  Or how about the cute little New Jersey plate that has a little cartoon kitty and puppy on it to symbolize some sort of donation to the humane society?  I remember when the really snazzy “Ski Utah” plate came out.  I’ve only skied once, but I still thought the plate was pretty cool.  And I’ve always gone for the one with delicate arch on it.  I like the orange and blue together I guess.

But let me tell you about Delaware’s plate.  True, in order to do that I would have to confess that I have actually seen one.  And that means admitting that there probably still is a Delaware out there lurking on the Eastern seaboard.  Alright, I admit it all.  Sort of.  Here’s the tale of seeing a Delaware plate.  Immediately after Desiree and I pulled into our parking lot last year (thus officially ending the game) I walked across the street and saw a little dinky trailer with a nasty Delaware license plate hanging off it’s rear corner.  I ran inside to get Desiree so that she could witness the grime-coated wonder.  It was gross yellow with a non-descript dark-ish color for the lettering.  It was too late to officially be part of the game (of course… rude), but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt even though it was so ugly.  Trailer plates are often ugly even from states that traditionally have nice plates.  And often they don’t get renewed for decades, so the old-fashioned bi-chromatic ones can linger long into the Technicolor era.  So I waited for the next summer to see Delaware redeem itself.

Well, it didn’t.  It was the one lousy plate we didn’t see this summer.  A week after the game was over, I finally saw one.  Two of them right next to each other, ironically.  But since we live in another college town I shouldn’t have been too surprised.  And I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was butt ugly either.  Two-tone, non-illustrated, puke-colored Delaware.

Yeah.  I think Delaware is my new state to make fun of.

back-logging: from Anthony

I just finished looking at Brian Tanner's blog.  He blogs a lot.  It made me wish I blogged more.  So instead of blogging more, I'm just going to re-post a blog here that was originally written for my blog on myspace.  That's the easy way around things.

A little about the way I approach blogging.  I usually don't like to narrate much about my life.  I prefer to talk about ideas that have been on my mind.  I also like to keep them rather brief.  Additionally- I am media-tarded.  I have no idea how to put cool pictures or film clips into them.  I just write a little something in the hopes that it will provoke some sort of discussion.  I posted this particular blog on July 15th.

Perhaps the transfer of back-logged myspace blogs signals the end of myspace blogs altogether.  I'm not sure.  We'll see what happens.  But for now, here is the blog entitled "too cool for school."

"Ohio Light Opera does a little Fourth of July concert on the town square of Wooster Ohio every year. We put together a few little patriotic choral numbers and the orchestra plays. It's really... cheesy... and awesome. I mean both of those adjectives with all my heart. This year we did an Irving Berlin medley and an Armed Forces salute. The music is not great. It's cheesy. But when we stand up on those risers and look out at the veterans stand up and be recognized and then sing to them... that's awesome in the real sense of the word.

The guy I stood next to runs wardrobe for the company and also plays little parts in a few of the shows every season. He had in his music folder a photo of his son who just joined the army last year. He may have thought it was cheesy, but you couldn't tell. He gladly stood up, proud to be an American and said God bless the USA.

Then we went to see the town fireworks display. Keep in mind, this is Wooster Ohio. Of course, that doesn't mean anything to most people. That's my point. The town is small enough that most people don't know it exists. So you'd kinda expect a wimpy fireworks display. Nope. It rocked. These people got it. This is our nation's frickin' birthday! Let's shoot the wad to say happy birthday to Uncle Sam! There maybe problems in Capitol Hill and in the White House, but we don't need to pretend we're too cool for America.

The Wooster Independence Day celebration isn't the only thing that has got me on the anti-too-cool-for-school rant. Singing operetta sure helps. None of these shows are Shakespeare. Some of them are kinda (or a lot) deficient in the theme, plot, and dialogue departments. But nothing sends an audience running away screaming better than the actors apologizing for the material. If we can just get past our too-cool mentality, we enjoy the shows and so do the audience.

Last on the "let's not pretend we're above everything" checklist comes from subbing as the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School teacher at church on Sunday. I got to stand up and tell people how excited I am to have the Book of Mormon in my life. I didn't use the Afterglow church voice for it either. I'm proud to report that I could use the same voice I use to tell people how excited I am for LOST to come back in the fall to tell people how much I love the Book of Mormon. I don't have to pretend to be cool about church. I really love it.

It feels awesome to not have to be cool."

I understand that ended with a split infinitive, but oh well.  Discuss.

Randomness

I am sitting here in Ohio thinking. "If I was in Utah, I could go to fireworks tonight." It's pioneer day, but only in Utah.  

Things that are happening here... OLO is finally in REP (meaning that there are no more rehearsals, just performances).  Yesterday the last show "Marinka: The Mayerling Story" opened. Anthony is not in that one, but it means that none of the people we live with have rehearsal any more... and it is going to be good.  

Here is a picture of the people we are living with this summer., we all get along very well. and are have a nice time sharing "family dinner" and good conversations.

On the front row from left to Right: Carissa, Sahara, Anthony, Amanda O. 

On the back row from left to Right: Amanda K., Jack, Paul

The picture was taken after the 4th of July concert that OLO puts on for the town of Wooster every year.  I hope to have more pictures to post soon.  The only thing is that I have misplaced our camera, and until I find it, or people we are here with post pictures online this is about all we have.  I hope to post more soon anyway.