Reminder to self to support my local theaters that see too little of me.

Any news on Bobby, yet, Laura?

He gets his MRI at 2 today. They don't know what is up with him. My maternal instinct thinks it is likely more than one thing, hence the many symptoms pointing in different directions. Poor kid feels like crap but I made him go to school until noon today anyway.

But...theaters open. That's pretty much Theater History. It's very cyclical and longevity is not the byword.

That is very true. It is also very true that it's heartbreaking each and every time to those who devoted a lot of energy, sweat, and love to a place they called home.

Not right now and not in California.

Not anywhere really. The arts have been hit hard by the economy everywhere. Ticket sales, personal contributions and subscriptions are down because people have lost jobs or have taken paycuts. Corporate money is down because corporate revenues are down. Government funding has been cut. It's ugly everywhere.

Sigh. My phone interview just went horribly. I don't think I managed to say anything of substance. I do not like phone interviews.

Yet, in a bit of bright theatre-related news, Abby came home yesterday with a permission slip to ask to audition/be part of the musical theatre group at her school. It's an after school program, twice a week, one of the school's teachers who has drama experience works with an outside music teacher who's been working with the kids for a few years, and they put on a production at the end of the semester.

Elementary school, guys. It's considered a privilege, only for the fifth and sixth graders and the agreement that they sign is their commitment to rehearsals.

Considering that we came from a so-called "good" district in Florida with a vast majority of the families being well-to-do, yet they couldn't muster this kind of activity for the kids, while this one is a far more balanced school district, with families from all over the spectrum, you can only imagine how over the moon I am.

It's a little victory for the arts, but I'll take it.

Rick Krispies:

Laura, much ~ma for Bobby and his tests and to finding out what's going on.

Well, I just finished the last caffeine I'm allowed to have till about noon tomorrow. I've got a thallium heart test tomorrow because they found unpleasant enzymes in my last blood work. Joy. Do Not Want.

{{Sean}}

Bobby~ma, Laura.

As for me - there comes a time in every busy student life where she has to go dark because papers are threatening to drown what's left from her sanity.

Now is my time.

Cya somewhere around the end of this month/beginning of March.

Really sorry to hear about your theatre, Sean.

The arts have been hit hard by the economy everywhere.

It's a complete nightmare for the theatre in London at the moment. The Girl may have to give up on directing, which she's been doing for about seven years, and go and get a 'proper' job - directing barely pays at the best of times, on the London fringe, but it really doesn't now. Apart from the major theatres in the West End, everyone's having problems, especially with the Olympics coming to London in 2012 - the government has cut the arts funding budget to pay for it.

Just woke up from a three hour afternoon nap. Clearly I'm not going to get much work done today. This is highly irritating as I have an article to finish and PhD applications to write.

Laura, much ~ma for Bobby.

Can I have some ~ma for TCG's step-grandmother? She fell last night and when she got to the hospital they found she has pneumonia. It sounds like she is doing ok, but she is in her 90s.

~ma for TCG's family.

Oh my god, guys, I am going to New Orleans! (forgive me if this is a zillionth time hearing about it because of FB squee-age.) Smonster linked a while back to Historic Green and it's been on my mind for a while...

Then yesterday I found out I didn't get a job I'd been hoping for, but instead of getting mopey and pissed, I decided it meant that I was able to take a vacation next month and go help rebuild in the Lower Ninth Ward! So... flash to less than 24 hours later, I have registered, gotten a plane ticket, and booked a hotel.

I am so excited about this I don't even know what to do with myself. The opportunity's just been haunting me ever since I became aware of it, and especially on the heels of a couple seriously self-indulgent holidays, I am overjoyed to go and put my time and sweat into a project that needs help and that I believe in. Also, it sounds hella fun. Also, SMONSTER! How is this not the awesomest?