The first day in a long time when I've had a minute to catch my breath. Disorder proliferates around the edges of my life when I work at my current pace. Piles on all desks, accumulated messages and action items. My morning goal: whittle away a few items from that list.
Started on the Mega-Mix for the SOTA show. A funny idea, in concept: a collage of excerpts from dozens of plays and musicals, arranged so that the transitions and juxtapositions produce some humorous and some resonant moments. After the first rehearsal last night, I'm feeling very dubious about the appeal of this idea - it didn't send off too many sparks of excitement as we worked on it. My colleagues (choreo Nancy, asst dir Chris) seem enthusiastic about it, so I guess I'll hold off killing the child and give it a little longer to get on its feet. I keep thinking, maybe when it's staged it'll seem like it has some reason to exist. But will the audience assembled for a 20th anniversary celebration warm to my grotesque whimsy? As always, it's a shot in the dark.
Spring break starts today - a week without students, without classes to prepare (or not). Always a cheerful prospect. Hope springs eternal that somehow I'll get a little more caught up while they're gone. I think that the state of "just need to get caught up" will be my perpetual condition for the rest of my days. Put it on my tombstone: "Here lies Charlie - death caught up with him before he got caught up with himself."