Wolftrap Virtual Season Launch... my little piece of the pie

HI all!  I've been sitting on a fun little project for the past week or so and AT LAST I get to share it with you.  I think this may just  be the first in a series of short interviews with interesting women. FUN, RIGHT??

OK, Let's do it...

Kim Witman of the Wolf Trap Opera Company is celebrating today’s announcement of the WTOC 2010 season by doing guest blog posts and interviews in a few places across the blogosphere.   You can see links to all the others here.   As always, WTOC is doing a wildly interesting mix of rep with some really stellar young talent.  I hope one day to join them myself, but in the meantime, let's take a peek into the mind of the lady pulling the strings.....



Is there a “typical” day for Kim Witman?

Typical non-summer day:  Corresponding with production teams, refining staff schedules and responsibilities for the season, planning special events for donors and patrons, writing supertitles, reviewing budget figures, writing and editing program books, planning workshops for the next commissioned opera, preparing preshow talks, managing databases, researching repertoire, writing artist recommendations for competitions, reviewing box office reports, remembering to breathe deeply.

Typical summer day: Whack-a-mole.  Show up and problem solve.

What is the best part of your day?

Depending on my frame of mind, it’s either a creative challenge (writing supertitles, brainstorming with artistic staff, researching repertoire for future casting) or a satisfyingly linear task with a tangible outcome (a beautifully geeky spreadsheet, a clearly-documented cut list, a well-edited bit of copy.)

What part do you dread?
      Meetings.  Thankfully, they are few.

If you had to sum up in one sentence what you want an audience member to take away from a visit to Wolf Trap this summer, what would it be?
      That they’re glad they came, for whatever reasons matter the most to them.

What is the thing you are most proud of at Wolf Trap?
      The positive regard in which our alumni hold their WTOC experience.

What is something you’d really like to see change at Wolf Trap?
      We desperately need venue renovations at our main theatre, The Barns.

What are the best books you’ve read in the last year?

The Black Swan (Taleb), Drive (Pink), The Last Lecture (Pausch), Three Cups of Tea (Mortenson), What the Dog Saw (Gladwell).  It’s not that I don’t read fiction, I do… it’s just that I haven’t really liked a bunch of what I’ve read recently.  And after I turned 50, I promised myself that I wouldn’t force myself to go any further than 50% through a book that I hated.  Life is getting shorter and shorter.

What blogs do you read every single day?

Yours, of course. 

Sadly, there are 175 blogs in my Google Reader feed.  I spend no more than 20 minutes on them a day, though, and therefore there’s lots of surfing.   About half of them are music and arts-oriented, and the rest are technology, marketing, psychology & general news and ideas. 

What are your three “desert island” bits of music?  

I am so spectacularly bad at this.  Every day I have a different answer.  Today, I will give you the 3 songs in my iPod shuffle that gave me particular pleasure during my most recent plane ride: “Slow Me Down” by Emily Rossum, a cappella version by the Virginia Sil’hooettes; “Take It with Me” by Elvis Costello, sung by Anne Sofie von Otter; and Handel’s Lascia ch’io pianga.  All kind of mellow, but that’s where I was that day.

What reminds you who you are?
      My kids and my husband.

Who are you leading? Where are you going? Does it matter?

I will lead anyone who trusts me enough to follow.  I’m trying to go in the direction of the dreams of those who trust me.  And it does matter.

What is delighting you today? 
          Feeling connected.


Hope you all are delighted with our little interview.  I know I am.... and can't wait to read the other blogs dedicated to celebrating the day!   As soon as the links are live, I will post a few over here.  Happy virtual season launch, Wolftrap, and thanks to Kim for sharing her time!

Trolling for valentines on Etsy

Loving this card.

Also, this one, though that one stings because it was recently kind of true. And now it is not.  (sad trombone)

What are yall doing for valentines?  I am considering having a girl-fest and watching Fatal Attraction and eating popcorn in pajamas. 

Wednesday delights -February

Things that are delighting me this Wednesday morning....

1. Replacing a burned out tail light by myself..... for the cost of the bulb. 
2. My brother getting engaged on his birthday!
3. Going to Discount Tire to have them check out a slow leak, getting it fixed in 30m, no charge!
4. Cuddly kitty boyfriend nose rubs.  (Even more delightful, considering how they were completely scared of humans when I first got them!)
5. Julia Child.  (Reading "My Life in France" for the first time)
6. Getting taxes done... in February!
7. House hunting. 
8. Steamed crab.  And butter.  And a cold beer.   How long till dinnertime??

Transitions

 

Hi there. We sure are getting big.....almost time for us to go find our forever homes.  How will you go on without seeing these long whiskers every day??

Lordy lordy it will be tough.

But something tells me this little guy might help me assuage the pain....

January books

You may recall I made some fancy vow to read "one book a week" for the 52 weeks of 2010.  After doing some simple math, I determined that that plan was sheer folly, but that I would consciously make an effort to devote myself to more reading.  And thus I find, here on at the tail end of January, that I have indeed completed a fair number of books this month.

1. Restoration by Rose Tremain.  A beautifully written tale of a 17th century man coming to know himself.  I was absolutely swept away by the lyrical, witty loveliness of this story.  I began the book expecting an everyday pleasant historical fiction read, but I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a novel more.
2. Real Estate Riches: How to Become Rich Using Your Banker's Money by Dolf de Roos.  I read this in a single evening, after having dinner with a fellow "starving artist" who is getting into the real estate game.  It has lit a fire in my belly. 
3. What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell.  I am sorry, this man is genius.  Not only does he connect the dots that no one else even sees, he explains the connections in the most fascinating way.  My favorite chapter: the one about Caesar, the dog whisperer.  Amazing. 
4. Raising Lazarus: The Science of Healing the Soul by Blair Justice and Pittman McGehee.  This one is still in progress.  "Chronicles the relationship of a mind-body scientist and a Jungian psychoanalyst priest as they bring together the wisdom and knowledge from each of their fields to save the life of the scientist from severe depression."   Report to follow.  But you know the intersection of psychology, mysticism and molecular biology is an interesting little corner I am happy to visit. 

I feel certain that the moment I publish this post I will recall other books that belong on the list... no worries, I will report on them next month.  In the meantime, I have foster kitties to wrangle. Thank you and Good night. 

The Livermores

I have been very very busy on my latest show, and thus have not taken too many pics of the latest kitties to bless my household... The Livermores!!

Head of the class, the big talker, Wally Livermore...

Adventurer, intruder: Matilda Livermore....

Sweetheart and beauty queen: Maybelle Livermore....  (black cats are ridiculously hard to photograph!)

And my little boyfriend, the roly-poly Wilbur Livermore....

I'd love to show you a family portrait, but getting this gang together in one place, still enough for a shot, is a bit of a Herculean effort. 

Squiggy & Lenny on the move!

I have very happy news to report:  the baby kittens I kept for 6 weeks over the holidays HAVE NEW HOMES!  

 

Lenny & Squiggy seemed to grow up overnight, from tiny little babies to muscle-y strong toddlers, and when I took them to the HSPCA on Monday morning, they both weighed in at just over 3 pounds.  Leaving them was tough, coupled by the fact that Squig climbed up onto the bars and gave me the biggest round sad-eyes ever, and a well meaning lady in the room kept saying over and over "I don't know HOW you can walk out of this room."  Thanks lady. I have developed a heart of steel, that is all.  Now please excuse me while I go sob in my car. 

ANYWAY,  saw that they were posted online for adoption by noon on Monday.... and Squig was adopted that very afternoon!!!  He is such a super model.  Of course, then I was all worried about poor Len, wasting away in a cage all by himself, sad and alone, so on Wednesday morning I revamped his promotional materials and took them over to say hi.   He was doing wonderfully!  Seemed to be just fine, but delighted to have a visit, gave me lots of purrs and nuzzles, and we had a ball playing for a bit.  I gave him a pep talk, told him to show his best side to the ladies, and went on my way. .... and by 3p, Lenny was adopted and on his way home to a new family!
Shwew!

Fostering is just an amazing blessing.  Yes, I do get attached, and it IS hard to say goodbye, but I just feel so lucky to have these little guys in my life for a time before sending them on their way.  My heart is full.