It’s not about what happened but how we felt about it.

The NaBloPoMo could not have gotten off to a worse start. My home town has been snarled for 2 days in a horrific transit strike that has made my commuting life a mess (and that’s using my nice person word). This morning was Day 2 and I hopefully boarded my morning train only to be stopped 10 miles down the line, for 2 hours because a train ahead of us caught on fire. I should know better to not believe rumors upon first blush, but at the time, we were told it was foul play.

What weirded me out about this were the reactions of people in our car when we heard the news. People were laughing and joking or not reacting at all. It was a strange reaction to observe and then it hit me: people are getting used to it. Nothing is shocking us any more. I shutter to think at what will. An entire train car was on fire – on our line, and it could have been us. It was only when we passed the charred and smoking train car (where you can see the emergency windows people had kicked out), did people become quiet.

Later we found out that the train was just old and the engine overheated. Um….that’s also bad!

I promise to post more positive stuff but after 2 work days of 2+hour commutes each way, I’m just drained.

Tuesday Top 10 – Top 10 Unexpected Advantages to getting healthier.

I weighed myself after dinner at the end of the day where one might think one would be heavier – just to see – 148! This is huge. I haven’t seen those numbers since first moving here, fresh from the hiking, biking, and skiing of Colorado. Hello, numbers, it’s good to be back, which brings me to this week’s Top 10 unexpected advantages to getting healthier.

1. Choice was what I needed all along – I just had to stop and realize that everything was a choice and that I just had to make the right one. Looking back, was it really incredibly hard once I committed to making the right choices? To dealing with why I had made the wrong ones and then to stop? No, it wasn’t and it’s hard to wrap my head around that because we all make poor choices and we don’t have to.

2. Justifies my clothing, pack-rat nature. And increases the wardrobe! I am not afraid to throw crap away – accept for clothes. I keep those. Now, what is weird about my weight gain over the past decade is that I’m tall, so I never went up a size. Still a 10 but on the high, muffin top, uncomfortable-if-I button- or-bend-in-any-way side of 10. So, those clothes I would keep. Now, I’m on the loose side of 10, flirting with an 8 IF I caught a stomach flu, so I’ve gained another 2 pairs of pants!

3. Headshots-Finally, I can get these done. I have to wait until Spring, come in to some money, or have a fundraising concert (any ideas there?) But I can get them done now because I feel like I’m “me” again!

4. Energy-Yep. More of it. This may be because of the better eating.

5. Fit modeling-There was an article about this in a past article in Classical Singer magazine. There are specific fit model measurements from like 4 to 18 but you had to have the right measurements. I think I have those now – up to $100 an hour? Sign me up!

6. Looking younger at auditions! I need all of the help I can get.

7. Muscle tone-Remember to eat your protein if you are experiencing weight loss so you continue to maintain muscle and only lose fat. Since I’ve been doing this, and losing the fat layer, the muscles are coming through. Can’t wait to wear sleeveless again!

8. Endurance -I started writing this post this morning and now, this afternoon, after waiting in line for an hour, because of the Septa strike, don’t even get me started, I found that I have better endurance and disposition.

9. Self-Esteem – one of the most important virtues. It’s not the weight either, or the way it makes you look, or even the way it makes you feel physically. What I’m talking about here is the way you feel after being met with a challenge and overcoming it, following through and being successful.

10. Learning the value of consistency and ritual- Making a good habit stick can be hard. Any successful person you observe has things that they do every day to get to their goal.

The post where I will not complain about Daylight Savings Time but will talk about the advantage of making lists.

For the record, that subject title up there was inspired by The Bloggess, (www.thebloggess.com) which is a wild and crazy blog, but funny, and written by a fellow Texan, like myself. Not for the kids, is all I’m going to say about that! In my effort to keep up with the one- blog-a-day challenge (am I cheating if it’s from my cell phone?), brought to you by NaBloPoMo, I wanted to talk about being overwhelmed and why lists are our friend.

For some strange reason, I hate making lists. I think it’s the accountability factor, or the procrastination? But whatever it is, when I get overwhelmed, I’ll sit there and stare at the wall or watch internet tv. It’s ridiculous, really. I have so much to do on top of a bunch of auditions coming up and the only way to get through it all is to write the lists. I was talking to my husband about this and he asked me, “do you make lists for vacations?” For which I eagerly said that I did. Of course! I have fun plotting and planning. And the packing list! How I love that list! He said, “well…why isn’t life exciting enough for one?”

Good point. And a blog post for another day.

So, what will combat and help with procrastination is making the list. I know I will feel better when I’m done. Why wouldn’t I want to get things done? Those things are keeping me from those enjoyable-vacation-like things as is the singing. I promise you, my readers and the internet that I will make my list tonight and will let you know how it went.

The alternative isn’t pretty.

NaBloPoMo – on your marks….

As you may, or may not know, and what I had forgotten about until 5 minutes ago with only an hour and a half to spare, even with daylight savings time, is that it’s NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month: http://www.nablopomo.com/#) in which, to be successful, you have to blog every day of the month without fail for which the prize is, well, your pride (or shame if you fail). So, kick off! The only amazing thing that happened to me this weekend is that I didn’t devour all of our Halloween Candy (for which we had 100% left – not one tricker treater, how depressing) but I did manage to fall completely off the wagon by eating the dreaded pizza. But WOW, it was so good, and then it was so bad. (Sigh). So, if you are a blogger – join the NaBloPoMo challenge!

Food Challenge Update and Link Love

Time for another update about my food and exercise regime that I’ve been on for about 2-3 months now.   This, inspired by the lovely Maren, who has kept up with her routine admirably!  You can read about her update here and some very interesting exercise television shows on cable here, here, and here.   There are a lot of choices out there!  I’m currently down 12 pounds with about 5 to go.  I need to step it up as I’ve started the slow down that is normal when you are nearing the bottom.  But, I need to do what Maren is doing.  She’s incorporating weights into her workouts which I did, and then stopped when I broke my finger and then never picked up again.  I hope this, along with the interval training that I haven’t started yet because I’m too lazy to read the manual, will help get me over the hump.  It’s extremely important to add weights and I know this.  I am a dork.  How is the food coming along?  I’m starting to like the one-salad-a-day rule.  Doing that ONE thing has been absolutely essential.  Maybe it’s my imagination but everyone in my office got sick instead of me, when usually I’m leading the pack.  Or I’ll lead the pack and then come back around for seconds several weeks later.  It could be the salads, or maybe the fact that I’m a germaphobe and washing my hands every 5 minutes because I’m afraid of the swine flu.  You decide.

One thing that I’m having to learn is how to order healthy food when out and about.  For example, how does one eat healthy at a football tailgate party and should one even try?  Yes one can and one should.  The rules are pretty easy – grilled instead of fried, salad but dressing always on the side or not at all.  And, no seconds.  In general, it seems that it’s the toppings that get you.  And beer?  Um…yeah…haven’t been working on that part yet!  I can’t bring myself to order wine at a tailgate.  I just can’t.  I guess I could not drink at all.   (crickets).  I’ll keep you posted here!  5 more to go!

Penn State beats Michigan!

Friday Fermata – Let’s Grow Guts

……And I’m not talking about what you see on Grey’s Anatomy, or a show about cloning. But the kind of guts that gives you the courage to just go for it. The guts that make you leap with only yourself to depend on. You need to leap to live. I don’t know about you but I’m sick of being afraid, scared, uncertain and unsure. Our business is challenging but, last I checked, being challenged is a good thing. All we can do is study our craft, market ourselves wisely, audition a LOT because, if nothing else, it gives us the chance to perform and gives us practice in dealing with the nerves to grows guts, and to keep dreaming because without dreams, what do we have? So, I’m going to stop being scared – it ends today!

P.S. This new found anthem may or may not be due to the fact that I’ve watched Every Little Step five times in a week.

Movie Recommendation: Every Little Step

One thing I try to do, beyond the coaching, the courses, and the music studying, is to watch things and read things that are motivational, to remind me that quitting is not an option no matter how hard it seems sometimes.  It may not be a story about a singer, but a story like this one story which I refuse to tell you about here but implore you go watch because it is incredible and will be the best 13 minutes you’ll spend today.   There is an awful lot of not giving up out there to inspire me.  So, when I saw the first previews for Every Little Step, a documentary about the audition process and cast search for the revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway, I wanted to be first in line for the DVD.  I’m not a dancer but, of course, this doesn’t matter for the film will affect you.  The film not only allows the viewer unprecedented access into the audition process by following a handful of hopefuls from the daunting open call to the final casting, but also nicely weaves in the history of A Chorus Line and how it came to be, with interviews with original directors, music creators and cast members.

From the time I pushed ”play” to the closing credits, I noticed that my stomach was clinched, that I was feeling the adrenaline rush along with the performers on the film, that I was living it with them, because I was and I have.  It’s not just the winning that is so thrilling, but the hope of winning.  It’s not just the performing that is rewarding, but the auditioning and working towards the performance.  One common thread with all of the performers is that they were not going to give up.  No matter what.

For anyone who wishes and dreams for anything in life – go and see this film because it will remind you of this.

Pops in Pictures

We ended a great run of the Broadway Revival concert with Peter Nero and the Philadelphia Pops.  I think it was one of the best concerts the Voices of the Pops has ever been involved in.  We were challenged with a large playlist of songs to learn in a very short period of time and we are proud to say that we were up to the task.  It was a lot of fun and I hope that we can do this concert again next year.  And now, some pics!

Becky, Melissa and me

Me with Chris Lenz

Me and Debbie Gravitte

Hats used for "Heart" - fitting!

Me and Sal Viviano

Me and Lisa Vroman

Voices of the Pops

Blogging from the Train

So!

My performance run has come to and end and, like every performer, I am experiencing the all-too-familiar recipe of relief (that it is done and that I survived), a tad of exhaustion, with a pinch or two of sadness thrown in because performers are always looking ahead for the next thing. My food challenge during the rehearsal/performance months went off much better than I had hoped. During that time, I bought only a few meals in town when I was in rehearsals all day and couldn’t store stuff in a fridge or if I was singing out of town. When I bought food, it was healthy stuff such as salads and the like. I dropped the (sniff) Starbucks visits, cut cokes out all together and drank tons of water. If I could chose only word to describe what helped to make it a success it would have to be, “planning.” I literally had to plan and prepare what I would eat and when I would eat it for a 12 hour+ stretch. If I did that, it helped to stave off the temptation and lack of decision-making skills that is usually the precursor of bad eating for me. It’s when I’m tired and busy that it’s the most challenging. On the exercise front, I was always able to get a run in at least 5 days a week. It’s what keeps me sane so I find time at all costs. So, overall, pretty darn good. I am down 12 pounds and wearing 2 pairs of pants that I couldn’t wear all of last year and I rocked a black dress at a wedding this weekend that, although I could squeeze in to before, actually fit properly this time without the muffin-way-up-top. That’s the petruding fat rolls that stick out of sleeveless tops in front of the armpit. HATE!

Biggest Challenge ahead – Pumpkin Spice Latte season has begun at Starbucks and I’m convinced that this was something that started the whole gaining weight mess. I was downing 1 per day – you do the math. I won’t be doing that this year. Instead, I’ll grab fat free pumpkin Spice flavored creamer and make my own. I also need to vary my eating so I don’t get bored. I hope Maren (www.supermaren.com) has had equal success on her end and look forward to an update!

I will be doing a post-in-pictures that shows some great shots from the concert and wedding!

Friday Fermata – Temptation at the witching hour

Well, right now, in the throws of the performance season, I’m holding steadfast to my diet and exercise regime and I can’t say that it has been easy, but it’s getting easier.  Today at my office, there was a new employee starting, which means dunkin’ dunuts for all, spread out in the kitchen for all to partake.  I was diligently making my afternoon snack, which is my sword to fight the demon of the 3PM, ”food witching hour.”  The time when I’m the most vulnerable to all things chocolate and sugar.  When, in the past, my utter exhaustion met up with my sweet tooth, as they conspired to bring me down. 

So, with my homemade yogurt, granola and fruit bowl in hand, I opened the box and sniffed the donuts.  People, I sniffed them   I took a huge whiff and took in the aroma of yum and then felt an incredible amount of power at being able to control myself with them literarly right in front of my nose.  I also found out something very surprising – you can get a lot of satisfaction from sniffing the food and not eating it.  Who knew?  Now, let’s not misunderstand.  I don’t deprive myself but I choose my indulgences carefully.   I do eat chocolate every once in a while.  Just this week, I took a Godiva coupon for three free 3 truffles and then decided that I would stretch them out over 3 days just to see if I could do it.  I did.  So, I sniffed the donuts while the receptionist looked at me and told me how weird I was.  There is a fine line between being diligent and being obsessive and I’m right on the edge, but on the right side.   I’ve watched enough Biggest Loser to know that if you want results, you need to change your habits.

I’ve managed to buy only 2 meals when I had rehearsals during the weekend where I couldn’t store my food.  For me, that’s a huge success, and definitely a change for the better.  I’m at 10 pounds and holding steady so I’m going to be kicking it up a notch with the treadmill training once my heart monitor comes in the mail so I can shed the remaining.

What does this have to do with singing?  Well, with another huge round of auditions around the corner, I hope that I will feel (and look) better than before and that it will help.   But the other thing, the really important thing, is that my attitude is changing.  If I have some control over this, I can control my reactions to the many auditions (and the rejections decisions made that are not in my favor and out of my control) that come with them.  Let’s hope this will translate into a more confident and energetic singer and that they pick up on that.  But, it’s mostly just for me.

A singer's memorizing is never done.