…is something I often need to remind myself to participate in when things have gotten a bit hectic. If I can manage the breathing part, the rest will likely follow. Last SATURDAY I was in Minneapolis for my husband’s “triumphant” conducting of “Casanova’s Homecoming” by Dominick Argento (what a brilliant score and LIBRETTO!!). SUNDAY found me flying to San Francisco to rehearse a few hours for my recital on MONDAY night to a wonderful crowd of my west coast “family”. 6:00 AM TUESDAY morning a car arrived to whisk me away to the airport to fly to Los Angeles to begin my rehearsals for my LA Opera debut in Barbiere … after getting lost on the freeway system several times, I had my 2 1/2 hour costume fitting, (3 costumes x 5 layers each = 15 hemlines to stand tall and motionless for whilst they take exact measurements!), followed by 6 hours of staging rehearsals. WEDNESDAY brought another 6 hours of staging and I whisked myself away (not getting lost this time, thank god!) to LAX for the red-eye flight to New York City. Arriving at 7:30 AM on THURSDAY, I had more fittings for gowns, a brief nap (which wasn’t productive at all, since I couldn’t stop the ol’ mind from spinning off it’s axis with the list of things I needed to accomplish in the next 10 hours!), and before I knew it I was standing at a podium thanking the world for the wonderful “Opera News Award.” (Much more on that later) No after parties for me, for I had to get home to finish lining up things so that our apartment would be ready for it’s first renter, not to mention being sure I was awake and packed for the car that was coming at 5:15 AM FRIDAY morning to whisk me back to JFK to catch the plane that would whip me to LAX and into my 6 hours of piano dress rehearsals for the day.

SATURDAY I stayed in bed until 4:00 PM.

So we’ve crossed off the “Break a leg” mantra for me, and now any of those jokes about divas staying in bed all day eating bon bons? They’re off limits, too!!!

Sadly, a full-fledged weekend doesn’t seem to exist in my world, so it’s back to the theater for orchestra stagings today, BUT I kept breathing, took all my vitamins, and look – I’m still standing!!! And breathing…..