I managed to squeeze in enough time, before the show yesterday, to read the first chapter of Mad Kestrel.  Show-time then = DID NOT WANT!  WANTED TO READ!
Misty, honey, I ADORE your writing style and am totally intrigued by your characters (a must for me to enjoy a book), and am probably going to devour the rest of your book, whole, today in between phone calls at work.  If I mail it to you, will you autograph it for me?  I may be First Mate on the Lament for Tommy, but you were my Captain, first!

The tale of how I obtained my copy of said book is rather amusing.  I promised the good Captain of the Thanos that I would wear my pirate hat when I went for my copy and take a picture.  Well, I waltzed into a Barnes & Noble I've never been to before, with my fabulous hat on, and started looking around for the Fantasy section.  Before I could get ten yards into the store, an anxious looking assistant manager came up and politely inquired if he could help me with anything. 
He was very polite and eager, but it was that form of nervous manners that practically shouts, I'm going to give the crazy woman whatever she wants, quickly, so she'll leave my store, before something goes horribly, horribly wrong.
I explained that I was looking for my friend's book, which had just been released and wanted to take a picture.  He practically leapt at the shelves to find it, and offered the take the picture, himself.  Then, after making double sure I was satisfied with the picture, he practically ushered me to the cashier, himself.  The security guy was eyeing me, too, and everyone else in the store was studiously ignoring me.  IT'S JUST A HAT, FOLKS!  A very fabulous hat, but just a hat.
I think I heard the assistant manager start to cry when, after I had paid for my book, I sauntered over the the cafe and got some frozen coffee and a pastry instead of leaving right away.
So, here it is, my, my pirate hat, and my copy of 's book.

After I bought mine, they only had one left, and I know they started with at least four, cause I checked inventory before I went!

And today's Progression of Spring picture.  It looks exactly like yesterday's.  This bores me.  Come on, tree, I want leaves!  Or at least, a more interesting sky.

I am REALLY ready for my show to be over.  Two more weeks and then I get my free time back.  YAY!  Next time I do a show, I'm going to remind the person who makes the schedule at my day job that I am a part time employee.  37-40 hours a week is not part time.  I don't mind working that much most of the time (keeps the bills paid), but when I have a show, it's a bit much.  I was originally hired to cover a 20hr/week shift.

Pilates/ballet/yoga last night, for the first time in forever!  I only get the chance to work out about once a week, right now, but it felt good.  Confused the hell out of Phouka, though.  She didn't appreciate my Downward Facing Dog.  Afterward, I got a good night's sleep, and only woke up a little sore.

Today, I'm just not feeling the show.  I want to go home after working my shift at the box office, do some chores and do some stuff off my To-Do list.  Spring always makes me ambitious for home projects....

I really thought that there would be a more dramatic change from day to day.  It always seems like spring blooms and leaves on the trees just appear one day.  But apparently, that's just because I don't pay enough attention.

Until I get a tripod, that shot of the beautiful white tree in my woods is impossible.  (And by the time I get a tripod, the view will be totally different.)  It only looks good from the elevation of the porch, but it's so far away, when I shoot it with the zoom, it gets blurry.  Bugger.  It's so beautiful.

So, which came first?  The annoying stupid person, or Jessica being sarcastic to annoying stupid person?  Hmmmmm...

"I want to buy tickets for the event tonight, but once I give you my money, how can I get them, physically?  Oh noes!!11!!!11!!!"
"Well, since we don't have time to mail your tickets, for tonight's event, they'll be held at the will-call box, this evening; that's our standard procedure."
"I don't appreciate your sarcasm!"  *click*
*blinkblink* 
I'll be sure to let my manager know that you consider the standard, formulaic answer to a standard question, sarcastic.  You don't know sarcasm.  Sarcasm would have been, "Oh, NOOOO!!  We've been an operating theatre for years and this issue has never come up!  How will we do it!  Oh, PANIC!  Woe, grief and blackest lamentation!  No, wait!  I guess we'll just take your money over the phone and you'll never see your tickets!  Muwahahahahaha!!!!"  That's sarcasm.

I am so completely weary of people who call and assume, just because they have no idea what the hell they're doing, that I have no idea what I'm doing.  Trust me, been there, done that, made the bloody t-shirt myself when it comes to box office stuff.

and I watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still" last night.  Actually, it was no where near as bad as I had expected it to be.  I was all set for a cheesy B movie, and actually got a pretty good piece film-making, purporting some innovative political ideals, especially for its time period.  Of course, I was amusing myself by shouting, "Communist!" at the television half the time.  It was made in the 50's!

I got a beautiful shock when I stepped outside, this morning.  One, solitary, little tree, in the midst of the winter brown, red and gold had bloomed a brilliant white!  I tried to get a good photo of it, but it was raining.  In order to protect my camera from the wet, I had to stay on the porch, and it was just too far across the yard to get a good shot.  Maybe when I get home, or tomorrow morning.

I did get my Progression of Spring photo, this morning, though. 

I wish the clouds had been a little more mottled.  Then this would have been an AWESOME shot, as opposed to just a nice one.

Is it faire yet?  'Cause I want it to be faire.  Or I want to at least have some free time to do garb sewing.

The matinee yesterday went remarkably well.  Matinee crowds are usually very quiet, but yesterday we had some good laughers and they were very energetic.  My cast did a great show.

I will be glad when the show is over, though.  "Free time" has become a hazy intellectual concept to me, sort of like Schrödinger's cat.  It either does or does not exist, but either way, it's in that box, over there, and cannot affect me.  As usual, I have so many things I want to do, but don't have the temporal resources to even get started!

Here's today's "Progression of Spring" picture. 

 

I was really expecting more progress on the buds; we've had two days of beautiful weather that I haven't been photographing my tree.  And I love the little hazy clouds that drifted by at just the right moment!

This is why I wear men's pants.

I decided I needed to get a new pair of jeans, or two. So, this afternoon, between the matinée and evening shows, I went off to the thrift store. I browsed the size 9's and 10's because that's where I assumed I was; that's the size listed in the waistband of the few pairs of women's pants I have.

I CURSE YOU WOMEN'S GARMENT INDUSTRY!!!!

Apparently, everything is skinny fit, these days. What does this translate into? The thighs of these size 10 pants I was trying on were snug on my calves! There is no WAY they were ever going to fit of over my thunder thighs. Seriously, are the damn pants a size ten or not? *sigh* Just when you've managed to scrape up a little bit of self image....

So, I went over to the men's section. Grabbed some waist 36's. 'Cause those fit on exactly the right place on my hips, and the legs are big enough. None of this "skinny fit" shit. A 36 is (more or less) a 36. The only variable is how much am I going to have to hem them. I now continue in ignorance of what my pants size actually is.

And after that pathetic rant I give you today's photo.

This is my Progression of Spring picture from yesterday. I love the marbled appearance of the clouds!