a night at the opera

BRAVA!!!!!! BRAVISSIMO, BDUB!!!!!

if it isn't already apparent, bdub surprised me with a romantic night at the opera!

though i have played in several opera performances as part of the orchestra, i have never been to the opera for reals. in fact, i would venture to say that i have really never heard such a fantastic orchestra in person before last night. in a word: amazing.

i wore a little white and black number, and tried to style my hair into an opera-worthy 'do:



bdub looked smashing in his black suit:


(this image is an approximation--simply a sample. bdub did not play drums at any time during our anniversary festivities).

we trotted along eighth avenue after my job, got a coffee, and then hailed a cab. an important detail, because the cabbie stopped in the middle of the street (rather than along the sidewalk), and between tossing my cup of coffee in the garbage and running to the cab...i nearly didn't make it. i was almost struck by another cab right there in the middle of eighth ave. i have promised bdub (who was practically inconsolable) that i would share a PSA with all who will listen: WATCH OUT FOR THE CRAZY CABBIES!!.

but onto the rest of our evening, which was much more fun and much less disturbing:

we saw don giovanni at city opera, which is a fantastic company whose mission is to bring opera to the people. the tickets are well-priced and they aim to define the american "voice" of opera.

the talent level was just incredible...i have decided that the opera singer is the greatest of all the musicians: they are intensely physical with their instrument PLUS they possess an amazing capacity for the dramatic bravado, of which i am clearly a fan. really, though, all i could think of when i was listening to the insanely gorgeous voice of soprano jiyoung lee's young bride, zerlina, was that i wanted to hear this music in my dreams that night. it just made me melt.

(another zerlina with her marsetto:)


but i know that what you really want to hear about is TESSSLLLAAAA!!!!!!

upon arriving at the venue, the crew and i were accosted by tesla's street team post haste. we were given homemade magnets for our refridgerator and told that we were in for a treat. the woman who was talking to us (she of bleached hair and lazy eye, bless her heart) had travelled all the way from MICHIGAN for the show! i have heard talk of the loyalty of tesla's fans, and felt honored to have witnessed their dedication in person.

tesla the band were very nice. one of them asked me to powder him (i usually don't powder the bands that are interviewed for billboard unless they ask me-which is never-- or if they are insanely shiny and really need it; after all, i don't want to soil their tough, rock star reputations). i found it to be endearing that he asked.

sadly, i didn't bring my camera, so i have no visual proof of my meeting with tesla. curses!

in other news, the dub is currently enroute to london, and i will be a single lady in the city (if only in that i will be alone...sigh...) until i meet up with him in zurich. just ten days, and i'm countin' 'em down!

i know that this is insane to complain about, being a freelancer and all and living the "feast or famine" life, but dammit, i'm tired. as bdub and i like to say when we're plain exhausted, "i'm TARD" (that's west virginia for super tired). i will have worked a solid EIGHT DAYS in a row after tomorrow eve (when i conclude a twelve hour tv day @ 10:30 pm), and i actually passed on a job that i was asked to do for SUNDAY. i need a day of rest. plus, the subject is an opera singer (weird coincidence, right?) and i would have had to do her hair as well. so i passed. i didn't need some diva freaking out on me, like with this poor fella: