okay, so...life

I got back from vacation a week ago, though the majority of my unpacking boils down to pulling out toiletries and shoes as needed. As much as I like coming back to the routine of work (and I really do), I often feel like fleeing back to where I'd been for the first couple of days. [Side note: it seriously doesn't help this how many people tell me how much they've missed me, especially when it starts coming from those I don't deal with often. I like you all, but you scare me a little when I come back from vacations. Just so you know.]

Of course, who wouldn't trade in sitting behind a desk or running rehearsals for eating homecooked meals, having surprises at pizza parties, shoe shopping, canoeing on the local lake, visiting with college friends, watching my cousin as Elvis, cooking hot dogs over an open flame, rereading childhood books, crafting at 3 a.m., assembling classroom bulletin boards, and discovering Seventeen magazines from over five years ago (or, more specifically, making fun of their Next Big Thing lists). Sadly, none of these things come with a paycheck (maybe the bulletin board thing if I'd worked it right), so back to Texas it was.

Rehearsals have been fine, if a bit dull, so far. We were supposed to start blocking on Tuesday [after the week of read-throughs while I was gone], but have continued to be mainly around the table. It's not like it'll be complicated to block (probably 3/5 happens while seated in a car), but it'd be nice to have something else to do besides keep an eye on the script and make lists. (Getting out early each day has been pretty nice, though.)

Spotlighter is Spotlighter. I did pull rank and decide not to stage manage *and* be the blue bug this year, but that's also somewhat because the earlier entrance (compared to last year) would mean I'd have to call places already in the suit. Amusing, yes. Productive, no. (For once, productive is going to win. Clearly, I'm maturing.)

Things to do the rest of today: unpack, watch Netflix, go grocery shopping, weed plants, bake brownies, clean out DVR.