Just In Time!

Met tickets went on sale yesterday. Denise was planning on going to the box office to get some but didn't get around to it. This morning I checked and the Dec 12 R&J was almost sold out! The section we wanted was and the best available was the balcony. So she called. The woman on the phone at first told her that they didn't have 5 seats together. Denise asked her in the most desperate way if there was any way at all to get 5 together, and the woman suddenly found some! We're in the center section but all the way off to one side, three seats in row F and 2 in row E. Or is that three in E and two in F? They're right behind each other which is better than 5 in a row. I'm looking forward to it! Just have to figure out what to wear!! It'll be interesting to compare the Met's production with this summer's.

On another note, I heard back from Manon after I removed the R&J videos from YouTube:

Don't worry, I am not upset at all. I appreciated the initiative. It is very nice of you to understand my situation.
merci beaucoup,
manon.

And now before opera keeps me awake again, I'm off to bed, early for a change.

What To Make of This...

A few weeks ago, after much deliberation, I posted onto YouTube a few of my personal favorites from the videos I took of R&J rehearsals. They're each 30 seconds long and I think I posted 5. So today at my YouTube account I had the following message in my inbox:

It is Manon Strauss Evrard. Thank you for putting up some videos.They are very interesting but I would rather not have them on the internet. I am not a hundred per cent satisfied by the performance. I would really appreciate if they could be taken off youtube.

Sincerely,
Manon.

So I went in and made them private, and sent a reply that of course I'd remove them and that I'm sorry if they bothered her, blah blah blah. But the whole time I was thinking, I took the videos and they're mine to post as I want. She'd probably never be satisfied with the performance because people always see what they perceive as wrong. On the other hand, she did ask very nicely, which is why I changed them to private. That's as good as taking them down since I have to specifically allow people to view them. I also went and removed the video I posted to the Summerfest page on Facebook. I'm not removing the videos from Photobucket since, although they're public, there are no tags and I don't think people cruise around Photobucket looking for videos. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know it was me because she didn't use my name in the message. Not that it matters.

What Justifies What? Chicken vs Egg

I'm excited about going to Chicago even though it's like 6 months from now. Yeah, for the opera, but also because I'm really looking forward to just getting away from real life for a few days. It'll be a mini-adventure and a mini-escape. Maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis or something! But really, I'm looking forward to doing something on my own. I'll eat where and when I want, sleep diagonally on the bed and Alex won't be climbing over me at 3am or whenever. Of course I'll probably need benadryl or something to get to sleep! But like I wrote on my MySpace page, it may seem strange to travel all that way just for an opera, but really what I needed was an adventure, and Barbiere with JDF and NG together not only gave me the excuse, it also helped me choose a location. Otherwise I don't think a March jaunt to Chicago would be my first choice of a "me" trip! And since Auntie Cyd left us each a healthy chunk of change, I don't even feel guilty about the cost.

Speaking of cost... I'm pretty sure I'm still going to Romeo at the Met in December. More on that later this week when individual tickets go on sale. Which reminds me... I was laughing because in that little MySpace email exchange I had with Nathan, I had mentioned that I might be going to Romeo, and he replied with the stock, polite answer, "Hope to see you there" or something similar. Yeah well OK if you grab a spotlight and shine it up into the balcony and then pull out your binocs (opera glasses?!) and squint through them, you might just see me there. But I doubt it. The Lyric, on the other hand... if I had taken the 2nd row ticket, definitely. In the 14th row... maybe, but probably not. If I wait by the stage door after the show, probably. Will I do that? Probably not. Oh who the hell knows. (and I know that whoever is reading this is probably also thinking, who cares...) Gotta go to bed. Once again, opera and its peripherals are keeping me awake.

R&J Tears

I’m here at work listening to (and sort of watching, in a small window) a movie version of Romeo et Juliette that Denise loaned me. It stars Roberta Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. I find myself mouthing the words along, and I didn’t even realize I knew them! Listening to this professional recording makes me realize how talented the NJO singers are. Manon especially. She could’ve been in this movie.

I may have to stop listening. It’s so beautiful and tragic that it’s bringing tears to my eyes. Part of that might be nostalgia for the summer…

Road Trip! (ok, Air Trip)

I'm going to Chicago, I'm going to Chicago! (sing it)

I called the Lyric on Aug 1st after many frustrating attempts at purchasing a ticket online. They offered two different seats - 2nd row center (!) and 14th row but slightly to the right of center. I thought about it and decided to go with the 14th row so I wouldn't get a neck strain (or get spat on! Blech). I got pretty good airfare from Newark to Chicago and an excellent rate at a nearby hotel. Three of my online friends from Connected Moms live there. I've known them all for over 4 years! I'm definitely meeting one and hopefully the other two also.

Let's see...

I left off some fun info from my previous post. Just silly stuff, really. Silly, giggly stuff to liven up the sometimes boring life of a mom and housewife. Remember the 29 year old boy who shamelessly flirted with me? (and anything else on two legs, but I don't care about them!) Anyway at the Sunday farewell party, he left early because his "ride" was leaving. Then he pulled me aside and said he was leaving b/c there was a good chance he was going to hook up with her that evening. THEN he said, "You know, Susan, it would have been you if you weren't married." Empty promises when there's no chance, right? I replied, "Oh yeah, I know." As if. Well maybe, in a different world where I'm single and 10 years younger!

Ok, here's the fun stuff.
Elizabeth F in Seattle is on my friends list on MySpace. I was looking at her page and saw a new friend - "Nathan." So I went to his homepage and sent him a little message, dropping Ricardo's name. Today I got a very nice reply!

I love the Internet.

Thank goodness it didn't exist when I was a teenager. Lord knows what kind of trouble I would've gotten into. Not that I needed the Internet to get me into trouble... But now I can do it all in the comfort of my desk chair. But I digress. This post is not so much about opera as it is about opera people. And ... I'd rather be sleeping so I'll sign off.