The Next Hundred Pounds

THE MAD RUSH

Well, an update is loooong overdue! I've been in one of those crunch periods and along with it, fighting what seems to be the new monster under my bed, stress. This is kind of new to me, as I've always been fairly happy-go-lucky. Maybe I've just been bottling things up for years and they're messily exploding now, or maybe it's just a rough patch. Whatevs. I'm dealing.

In my chosen field, there's a certain amount of mad rushing about, followed by periods of relative calm, and sometimes interspersed with stretches of what seems like endless dead time. I have just been through Mad Rush and am currently settling into Relative Calm.

Mad Rush started with an all-too-brief trip to Puerto Rico. In addition to singing, I give workshops and do consultations for other artists, to teach them how to get into the business or troubleshoot the careers they have. The faculty of the Conservatorio de Musica Puerto Rico invited me to come and address their students, so off I went! And it was a great experience.Puerto Rico is gorgeous and the students were delightful, charming, and extremely talented.

 

With the talented and utterly charming young singers at the Conservatorio!

 

As one of my Puerto Rican colleagues said to me, "But you see why it's impossible to diet on this island?" The food is AMAZING and very tempting. And I did enjoy myself, without overdoing it. Since I was teaching almost all the time I was there, there was not a lot of opportunity to sightsee or exercise. However, I did spend the better part of Sunday morning strolling around Old San Juan and touring the Bacardi distillery. Old San Juan is spectacular:

 

A view of the coastline from the fortress San Felipe de Morro

Love the colorful stucco buildings and the beautiful blue bricks!

 

Sunday night the real Mad Rush began. Long story short, I MISSED MY FLIGHT and had to get on another --- the very last seat on the very last flight off the island! This was especially stressful because we had plans to hit the road at 6 a.m. on Monday to get to my next gig. Somehow, on four hours of sleep (and with a van pre-packed by my darling husband), we managed to do it.

So, here I am in Tulsa, where I'm rehearsing for The Most Happy Fella with Tulsa Opera. My character is Marie, who is sort of the villain of the piece, and a real Debbie Downer. She's crucial to the plot, but the role isn't very large, so I have a lot of free time. And so far, I've been using it wisely! Since I drove, I was able to bring the bike. I'm biking to rehearsal, and I've gone on two rides along the Arkansas River.

The City of Tulsa has a beautifully developed  and well-maintained hike and bike trail along the river.  It's possible to do a big loop, or just go for miles along one side. I've done both so far. This time of year is undoubtedly not the area's prettiest. The river below the dam is reduced to a trickle, with vast stretches of sand bars and piles of boulders that look rather like an abandoned construction site.

 

The rather dreary winter river

Since one side is very industrial and the other very urban, I can't say it's the nicest trail I've ever ridden. But it certainly has its moments. Fantastically beautiful wildlife statuary is scattered up and down the trail, and there are inviting benches and even chairs and tables placed strategically around. There's also a disc golf course that extends quite a long way along the trail!

 

Otters and a turtle!

Bobcat and pheasant

 

Today I went upriver --- you can only go so far --- but it enabled me to get a shot of the old Route 66 ( a minor obsession of mine) along with this spectacular sculpture.

 

My favorite so far!

 

Then I looped around to the other side of the river, which took me past the power plant, the malodorous wastewater treatment plant, many parks, and finally into the Turkey Mountain  Urban Wilderness Area ... but not before I went up two VERY steep hills which ... shamefully ...I walked up, hoping no one would see. The knee does fine with cycling as long as I don't jerk it, and since the gears on my bike are a little temperamental, uphill requires a little more force than I am currently comfortable giving. But also, it's been a while since I exerted myself so much, and frankly, I just couldn't do it. Boo. But I did ride for about an hour and forty minutes,  without stopping any longer than it took to snap a couple of photos. I'm not sure how far it was, but I'll guess around 15 miles RT.

The apartment complex has an exercise room, which I have yet to check out. Balmy temperatures and sunny blue skies make me prefer to be outside for my workouts, and besides, I need to get out of the apartment lest I turn into a hermit, or eat everything in sight which is always a temptation when I'm holing up somewhere.

Tulsa is a great town, and I look forward to doing some urban cycling and taking lots of photos of the incredible architecture around here. So stay tuned!

 

 

 

KNEED TO KNOW

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I posted --- this has got to be the longest "time off" I've ever taken for this blog. However, things have been INSANE. A quick catch-up:

Immediately after Thanksgiving, I traveled the short distance to San Antonio to rehearse and give three performances of Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony --- such fun! We stayed in the gorgeous and historic Gunter Hotel, and performed in three different churches around the city.

 

With the cast outside Augie's Smokehouse. R-L: Baritone John Buffet, Soprano Kathryn Mueller, Maestro Patrick Dupre Quigley, and me!

 

The day after I got home, I flew to New York for several auditions. I got home around midnight on December 7 and on December 9, made a quickie trip to Madison, Wisconsin for another audition. I was barely there, but the little bit I saw was beautiful. It snowed just enough to be pretty, and I was staying on the square, right across from the lovely Capital Building.

 

Wisconsin State Capital in the snow.

 

This was a very brief trip --- I wasn't even there 24 hours! And I barely had time to kiss my husband and cuddle my puppies before I was on the way back to New York for more auditions.  At least I got to hang out with some friends and enjoy cooking fabulous (though not really healthy ... umm, not healthy AT ALL) dinners. And of course, New York is beautiful at Christmas.

 

Love the changing lights at Columbus Circle!

I got home on Saturday afternoon, and that evening my Spotlight on Opera troupe had their Christmas performance, A Rose in Winter. I was exhausted, but there wasn't that much setup, and I thought I could relax and enjoy the show. NOT. A lady in the audience, who turned out to be the mother of one of my singers, had a medical emergency. She's fine, thank goodness, but I spent the entire second half  helping her and the paramedics. I needed my own blood pressure checked after that episode! We had another show the next day, which fortunately went off with no greater hitch than a traffic accident that made half the cast a little late.

And this morning, Monday, I had an MRI.

In my previous post, I discussed the rather painful cortisone shot I had for my knee. Long story short, it didn't help that much, so an MRI was the next step, and I'll get results on Thursday. I may need surgery, but the good news is it will most likely be arthoscopic, with relatively little pain and a short recovery. In the meantime, to make things even happier, I suspect I broke my left little toe whilst running around New York.  Having broken the right one a couple of years ago, I now have a matched pair. Hurrah.

What all this means in terms of health and fitness is that November and the better part of December have been DISMAL. I have been so busy, exhausted, and frankly not feeling all that well that any attempts at working out have been minimal and quite honestly, I haven't done all that well with eating, either. I feel fat, sluggish, and unhappy about all of that. But I also feel overwhelmed. So, one day at a time. I need to resolve this knee issue and get some rest, so I can marshal my forces and get back to the work of getting and staying fit.

The coming year is a good one, gig-wise. Currently, my engagements will keep me busy from the end of January through May, and there are some very exciting things on for the summer that I can't talk about yet. (Keep your fingers crossed). But all of this means I need to work out, watch what I eat, and get as healthy and fit as I can. And I will.  :)

LET US GIVE THANKS FOR DO-OVERS

 

What I did with my October: Falstaff, Opera Idaho. L-R: Elizabeth Ashantiva as Nannetta, Tiffany Calas as Meg, Leslie Mauldin as Alice, me as Quickly.

Can I just have a do-over for the first two weeks of November? (Well, except for Election Day; I don't think any of us wants to relive that, whether you're estatic or desperate over the outcome). Despite having embarked on this month full of enthusiasm and armed with a plan, I quickly got bitch-slapped down to the ground with a weird combination of illness, injury, and exhaustion which  leached my strength and endurance on every level. Feeling poorly is never convenient, but my schedule since getting off the plane from Boise hasn't let up for a minute: immediate rehearsals and performances for Spotlight on Opera's  Fright Night at the Opera, our supercool Halloween show; a trip to hurricane-ravaged New York just in time to slog to my auditions and lessons through a snowstorm; rehearsal and a performance of a fundraiser the day after I got back.  There's no avoiding a lot of walking in New York, so the knee is mucho unhappy again, when it seemed to have been getting better. I mustered just enough energy to drag myself through everything, and still give what I thought were pretty good auditions, but each of these activities left me completely drained, and I just have not been myself --- forgetting things, getting times wrong, unable to put two words together in a coherent sentence.

 

 

8:15 p.m., Nola Studios, NY. Having slogged through the nor'easter to get to my audition, I pause here at the elevator to immortalize the moment, so you may all share in the glory and glamour that is the life of an opera singer. You 'll just have to take my word that under the duck boots and puffy coat, I was EXTREMELY glam.

 So, there's my sob story, and to sum up, except for one or two good sessions before I headed out to NY and all the walking I did there, there has been NO exercise and my eating has, quite frankly, been lousy.

 

One of my friends has recently been ultra-stressed, studying for comps and trying to maintain a workout routine, and at some point, she just gave herself permission to let it for for a short time while she concentrated on her studies. As disapppointed as I am with my lousy start to November, I'm making an executive decision not to beat myself up and not to make myself crazy trying to "catch up". In fact, although I am feeling a lot better, the truth is I am still tired and my knee is still pretty jacked up, and the really healthy thing to do right now is probably to give myself a break on the working out for a few more days at least. But I CAN concentrate on healthy eating.

Here's the good thing:  you can start over again, as many times as you need to, whenever you need to. It all counts. And there's still time to make sure the holidays are healthy.

So, do-over. And if you need one, you can have it too. You can start right this instant, even if you just had a gigantic piece of chocolate cake and a triple pumpkin spice latte with extra whipped cream for breakfast. Who's with me?

BREAK A LEG

Tomorrow, a new challenge begins --- the Healthy Holiday Challenge, sponsored by a FaceBook group I'm part of, Larry Brownlee's Fit Club. This is a group of singers and friends who encourage and challenge each other, and exchange information. It's a great idea to help us all get through the holidays enjoying ourselves without guilt!

The challenge is this: set a daily calorie intake for the entire 61 days from November 1 - January 31. During this time, you get five "free days" during which you can exceed your daily limit, essentially taking a "day off". You also select five days to come in lower than your daily limit. And you plan to increase your activity level during entire 61 day period.

 

Opening night of Falstaff in Boise, Idaho. I am in the storage/locker room in the basement of the historic Egyptian Theater. Built in 1927 as a cinema, it has no dressing rooms to speak of!

That last part is going to be a bit of a challenge for me, thanks to an adventure I had on opening night of Falstaff.  Falstaff is a very physically active comedy, with a great deal of running around (especially for my character, Dame Quickly, who is a sort of go-between). In my very first scene, going up a flight of stairs, I felt a wrench that went from below my knee all the way up to my hip. The next step was excruciating. It's a very good thing I wasn't singing when it happened, because it would have come out as a yelp! As it was, I was able to take a deep breath and make my next vocal entrance as if nothing had happened, and limped through the rest of the scene (literally), but the moment I got offstage I had to call for a chair, ice, Advil, and a bandage. Within minutes my knee was so swollen I could no longer bend it. And naturally, this happened on a Friday night.

 

 

Close-up of the makeup and the back of the costume. My jaunty little hat got rave reviews.

I got through the rest of the performance, limping and modifying my staging somewhat, but I did not sleep well that night. It hurt to lift or move the leg laterally, and it was badly swollen. On Saturday, I went to Urgent Care, which proved fairly useless. The doctor said I either had a bad sprain or a torn ligament, and offered X-rays "to rule out anything else", an Ace bandage which was not wrapped sufficiently to give any support whatsoever, and a type of pain medication I'd never heard of and wasn't willing to try, given that I had another performance on Sunday. Other than that, she had no advice other than to continue what I was doing --- RICE, aka Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation --- and to get an MRI.

 

Luckily, one of my colleagues and her husband are locals who own a chain of physical therapy centers called Rehab Authority. She arranged for one of their best therapists, Heather Henderson, to meet with me on Saturday evening. And Heather was a miracle worker. She worked on me for two hours and got the inflammation down, the knee to bend, and me to be able to walk, carefully, without pain. On Sunday, with care and a good brace, I was able to do the show much more comfortably.

 

Getting shockingly good treatment (here, electric stimulation) at Rehab Authority in Meridian, ID.

 

On Monday it was a long and frustrating day of travel, beginning with our flight being canceled due to fog. We were rebooked on a later flight which was delayed three or four times, and when we finally got out, the "premium" seats I paid for ended up being bulkhead window seats without enough leg room to full extend my leg. This was a problem. Luckily, I was seated next to an extremely kind  (and tall) young man who offered to switch places with me. I'd already experienced another very painful wrench earlier in the day, when I moved too quickly to catch something that was falling, a good reminder that even with improved mobility and less pain I need to be careful.

So, I have set my calorie intake goal and dedicated myself to this challenge, but I am not sure how much cardio I'm going to be able to do! Elliptical would work but I'm not currently a member of a gym. I may be stuck with the stationary bike, which I don't really care for. However, I am determined to heal my leg and get back into fighting form so I CAN really step it up. In the meantime, the Healthy Holiday Challenge is the perfect way to really enjoy the holidays and rev up for a happy, healthy new year.

But please --- don't anybody suggest I break a leg!

 

PS - HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (This is my Act III costume).

 

LET'S BE GORGEOUS

The other night,some colleagues and I were sitting around enjoying a post-rehearsal glass of wine.  This is a pretty fit bunch, over all. Several of the guys do P90X, and I'm constantly running into the tenor at the gym.

The soprano is a tall, willowy sort with a very athletic figure (despite three kids!); the type of body many women strive for and envy. She has a figure that can still handle the type of jeans teenage girls wear. I forget how we got on the subject, but we were talking about eating healthy and our various struggles with weight. I once again found myself surprised that slender, athletic people struggle with food and weight, too! Intellectually I know this, of course, but it always manages to surprise me anyway.

I continue to struggle with my feelings about my own body, weight, and what is truly healthy for me at this particular point in my life. Where is the balance between physical health and emotional health? If I work out regularly and watch what I eat, is that good enough even if I don't like the number on the scale or the tag on my clothes? Is relaxing my regimen from time to time cheating, or is it doing what I have to do to keep from stressing and obsessing?

 

My costume for Dame Quickly in Falstaff at Opera Idaho. This photo was taken in the basement storage/locker room of the Egyptian Theater where we're performing. A former silent movie house, it has no dressing rooms to speak of!

These types of thoughts run like a ticker tape in the back of my mind whenever health and fitness talk comes up, and this time was no exception. And then something happened that, for the moment at least, completely stopped it.

 

My colleague leaned across the table and said, "You  know, you have the cutest figure!"

I was, needless to say, very pleasantly startled and flattered; no one has ever accused me of such a thing before. I thanked her and told her a bit about my weight loss and ongoing struggles. She very kindly said, "You look great now. When you were singing that Dalila aria the other night at the aria auction, you were so sensual! And you just looked great."

Well, this was just balm to my soul. Why is it that we are so susceptible to the compliments and criticisms of others? Nevertheless, these kind words did give me encouragement. I feel encouraged to keep up with my workouts (been going to the gym, hiking, or jogging on the greenbelt trail nearly every day). It gives me encouragement to continue to eat healthy most of the time, and not to worry too much if I slack off or take a WHOLE DAY OFF like I did earlier this week. It gives me encouragement to allow myself to be more comfortable in my own skin.

 

.. and back, with a close-up of the makeup. They used my own hair instead of wigging, too. om b

 

That's a powerful gift, from a few little words.

Let me leave you with this. Today, and every day, let's just be gorgeous and not worry about it. Deal?

GROOVE JOGGING AND FINE DINING IN BOISE

For the past week, I've been in Boise, ID where I am rehearsing for Falstaff with Opera Idaho. It's my second time singing with this company; the first was in spring 2010, when I came out to do Daughter of the Regiment and discovered what a lovely part of the country this is. Boise  is a great place to spend time, and now in the fall, the weather is actually nicer than it was in the early spring when I was here last! We've had balmy, sunny days, decorated by the emerging fall color. Since we don't usually begin rehearsals until afternoon, that leaves the morning free for my workouts, and I've been taking advantage of the gorgeous Boise River Greenbelt.

It's a spectacularly beautiful greenbelt, winding along the banks of the river, through isolated wooded areas and parks, across bridges big and small, behind businesses and houses.

Fortunately for me, the trail, though well-used, it also fairly isolated. And this is fortunate because, in an effort to get the most cardio/calorie burning potential from my walks, I have taken to performing an activity I shall henceforth refer to as "groove jogging". This involves high BPM tunes on the IPod, moving as many body parts as possible in time to the music, and a complete lack of shame. It may or may not incorporate kickboxing, Zumba, white girl dancing (think Elaine from Seinfeld), and actual jogging. Thanks to ongoing issues with my knee and ... well, seems like most of my lower body ... I can't really run, although with such a beautiful trail, I'm itching to. But I can jog gently, and pump my arms to add cardio benefit. So that's what I'm doing.

We are fortunate to have been given gym passes to the local Anytime Fitness, so I've also made a couple of trips there to spend time on the elliptical and treadmill.  With afternoon rehearsals, there's really no excuse not to work out! And it feels very good to be active again, after having taken several days off prior to the trip. I also spent one afternoon leaping about in the neighborhood park --- push-ups, jumping jacks, kickboxing, any and every cardio move I could think of --- just to get moving. But frankly, when the weather is this beautiful, nothing beats the greenbelt.

If all this natural beauty weren't enough, there's a terrific farmer's market downtown on Saturdays. The most beautiful produce and wonderful crafts.

 

Meanwhile, when I'm not out enjoying the local beauty and goodies, I'm in rehearsal or attending opera-related events. Our director, David Cox, emailed the cast before we showed up here with the very accurate warning that this is a VERY active show. "Keep up with your cardio!" he admonished us, and quite right. We are all running hither and yon, and singing at the top of our lungs while doing it --- this is, after all, a madcap comedy. Opera, done correctly, IS aerobic exercise, and even more so when it's a show with a lot of movement!

Boise is a great town for good food, and it's near and dear to the hearts of the opera folk here, too. The general director of the compaby, Mark Junkert, is known for his cooking, as is his wife Kathy. After our very first musical read-through, they invited us over for a delicious meal of African-inspired dishes, and I am happy to say they were all very healthy. There was a dahl ( a bean dish, very similar to the better known Indian version ), a delicious seafood stew flavored with coconut milk and cardamom; and roast pork with a raspberry sauce. Amazing! I begged a copy of the seafood stew recipe and plan to make it as soon as I get home.

On Friday night, we were invited to a fundraiser for the opera called the Aria Auction. This is a lovely dinner (catered by Open Table) with a silent auction of goods, followed by a raucous auctioning off of arias provided by the cast of the current opera. Some kind people actually paid $800 to hear me sing "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" --- well, no pressure, right?  We raised a nice sum of money for the opera company and enjoyed the dinner the caterers saved for us afterwards --- a delicious salad with some kind of light vinaigrette and cranberries; very tender strips of beef over egg noodles, a wonderful eggplant lasagna, and a light, un-iced almond cake which was just to die for. 

On Saturday, a couple of the singers who live locally invited us to their home for an informal get together, and served salsa, chicken, and veggies with produce from their backyard garden. And tonight, we went to some board members' homes for a wonderful meal of salmon flavored with fennel and other herbs, topped with pickled red onions, over mashed potatoes. It was as fine as you'd get in any restaurant. So you see, people in these parts know (and love!) their food.

See why I have to hit that trail every day? Tomorrow, bright and early, the gym!

BURNING CALORIES IN THE CANYONLANDS

This morning, hubby and I finally got to got on the hike we've been trying to do for three weeks now (Attempt 1: Rained out. Attempt 2: Dog barfed on the bed in the middle of the night out. Attempt 3: Golden)! We went to Doeskin Ranch in the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.

The Canyonlands are home to two endangered species of migratory birds, the Black-Capped Vireo and the Golden-Cheeked Warbler. We saw neither! Apparently they are rather shy and spring mating season is the best time to see them; they may even have begun migrating by now. But we weren't disappointed, as the scenery is beautiful.

The trail is really not much more than a cow path, except on the occasions when it joins with the remains of an old ranch road. It's fairly rocky, and winds through pastureland, past a tiny old settlers' cabin, dry creek beds, and up and down steep ridges.

There are plenty of nice cedar breaks along the way, providing shade and cooler tempertatures, but out in the pastures it gets pretty hot.  The pasture trails are well-marked by rock cairns, which can be seen from quite a distance.

And although we're in the middle of Texas hill country, with no water in sight (all the creek beds were bone dry, thanks to last year's drought), the ground is littered with oyster shells ... fossil oyster shells, that is.

Like  much of North America, in ancient times Texas was at the bottom of a vast sea. It's not unusual at all to trip over fossils as you walk pastureland. When I was a kid, we used to find giant shells, the size of an adult hand, sitting on the ground around our  grandparents' ranch.

Like this one:

I kept an eye out, but I didn't see any that size on our hike!

So many beautiful visitas ... hills and mesas in the distance, winding paths through the cedar breaks. It was open and quiet and relaxing.

We hiked for about two and a half hours, and calculated that we did a little over 4 miles.  Lose It says this was worth a whopping 1,459 calories! I find that a little steep. Maybe it's time to get a FitBit or BodyBugg or some such thing ... on the other hand, that might be a little obsessive. I found a site which offers calculations of calories burned by walking and hiking, so maybe Lose It isn't too far off. It's imprecise, anyway. Calories burned depends on a variety of factors, including your weight, condition, how hard you're working, and your metabolism. At any rate, as elated as I am when Lose It tells me my net calories for the day are 143, I try to resist the temptation to eat my "calories earned". I think that's a bad habit to get into.

It was great to hike again --- the last time we did so together was in Florida, and in the middle of it is when we got the news that Eric's father had passed away quite suddenly. We're hoping to get in a few more this fall, between our conflicting travel schedules. And I'm going back to Boise in October, so if I can corral a few colleagues into going with me, I may attempt the four-hour ridge hike we did last time. In Texas, I really want to revisit Colorado Bend (my absolute favorite) and McKinney Roughs. I've always loved hiking, but now that I know how many calories it burns, I want to do it every week! ;)

 

 

 

I LIVE FOR OLIVES

Olive oil is a huge industry worldwide, and you might be surprised at who some of the world's biggest consumers are. Globally, 2,000,000 tons of edible oil are produced per year. Spain is the largest producer, followed by Italy and then Greece, but olive are also grown in Portugal, Brazil, Australia, Chile, Turkey, New Zealand, and South Africa ... and of course, the US, increasingly in Arizona, California, and Texas. But the biggest consumer? China, believe it or not. China requires a minimum of 17,000,000 tons edible oil per year, and they are starting to grown trees locally.

The groves at Bella Vista Ranch.

Why this sudden interest in olive oil? A couple of weeks ago, Eric and I toured a local olive grove and oil press called Bella Vista Ranch. The owner, Jack Dougherty, gave a very informative and entertaining lecture about the origins of olive oil and its many uses, the cultivation of trees worldwide but especially in Texas, how olive oil is made, and a lot more. Jack is both knowledgeable and opinionated, and it was fascinating --- and also very beautiful, sitting under the trees amid the olive grove and vineyards, looking out over the Texas Hill Country on a hot July day.The tour ended in the tasting room, where we enjoyed samples of Jack's grassy, peppery olive oil and several of his wines. We went home with a few bottles of each!

Don't let the hat fool you. Jack looks like a good ol' boy but he's a Naturalized Texan, from California. Well, he's here now, so that's what counts. ;)

One of the things I found most interesting, of course, were the health benefits of olive oil. Of course, it's no news that it's one of the healthy oils. It's a monounsaturated fat, which can help control your cholesterol levels and normalize blood clotting.  But what I didn't know previously was that olive oil contains a phytonutrient called oleocanthal, which imitates the effect of ibuprofen, reducing inflammation. And among its other benefits as a natural anti-inflammatory, it may be able to decrease the risk of breast and lung cancer. It's also rich in antioxidants, which help lower the risk of several types of cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties also have benefits for other diseases, including stroke, heart disease, arthritis, and some dementias. 

And olive oil has recently been tied to studies suggesting that a Mediterrenean diet (which is rich in olive oil) significantly lowers the risk of Type II diabetes --- by almost 50%, compared to a low-fat diet. Olive oil contains a hormone called adiponectin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Of course, it's still a fat, and therefore high in calories, so it should be used judiciously. But isn't it impressive that one tree, and one tiny fruit, could produce so many health benefits? Furthermore, considering that raw olives are inedible (they contain capsaicin, the compound found in chilis that makes them hot, and will burn your mouth if you taste one straight off the tree), it's rather surprising that ancient people figured out how to cure and eat them. The history is really fascinating.

As long as we're talking about healthy oils, I've recently become enamoured of cooking with coconut oil, a healthy and natural saturated fat. Try cooking your scrambled eggs in a tiny bit of it --- YUM! Among its benefits, coconut oil can join olive oil in boasting a good influence on heart health, Type II diabetes, the immune system, metabolism, and weight loss. I recently bought two big jars from a place called Tropical Traditions, and have been very happy with it. It's a much better deal than what you get in the store! 

As if olive and coconut oils didn't do enough for us, they are also GREAT for your skin and hair. Years ago, one of the makeup artists at Chicago Lyric Opera told me that her greatest beauty secret was olive oil, which she used as a moisturizer on her face (she had gorgeous skin). It also works well as a deep conditioner for your hair, and helps control dandruff. Coconut oil is also great for your skin --- it's full of Vitamin E and fatty acids, which have anti-oxidizing and anti-bacterial properties. It's great for giving your hair some extra shine, or for treating dry, damaged hair; and it's especially good for Black hair.

By the way, we ended our trip to the Hill Country with a stop at the beautiful Italian restaurant, Trattoria Lisina, where we started a delicious meal with a dark green, deeply fruity olive oil and some really yummy bread for dipping.  Thanks to the high calorie and carb content, that's not an everyday treat, but we sure did enjoy it!

THE MANY FACES OF ZITA (AND OTHER ADVENTURES)

I guess things got a little busy for a while there. When I am on the road for opera engagements, there are always other projects to work on when not rehearsing or performing. I had a couple of auditions, and worked a lot on my opera training program, Spotlight on Opera, which starts up on Sunday and will consume me 24/7 between now and the first week of August. Typically, I'd ride the bike down to the local coffeehouse, and work there for several hours; then ride for about an hour before heading home to get ready for rehearsal.

My makeup for this show was scary! My character was a mean old woman named Zita. She got progressively meaner and older and scarier as the final week of rehearsals progressed.

Take 1 --- in costume, with street makeup.

Take 2 --- a few character lines and prosthetic eyebrows.

Take 3 - many more character lines, plus a lot of stippling (using different colors and a rough sponge to create that tissue-paper-skin texture); also, misshaped lips.

Take 5 - all of the above, plus red stippling to look like rosacea; lips are even more exaggerated.

Take 5 - same makeup job as the one above, without the wimple. You can really see the stippling here. And it looks like I've had a stroke!

Tell you what, after seeing these pictures, I went out and got a facial. And redoubled my interest in sunscreen.

Ironically, my costume was very flattering, and had it not been for the GIANT hat and wimple, there would have been some impressive cleavage on display. But this was not a glamour show for me.

Here are a few of the production shots, all from the Princeton Festival's recent production of Gianni Schicchi:

The late Buoso Donati's relatives realize that if they can only find his will, they can dispel rumors that he has left everything to the friars.

The will is found ... the results are not favorable to Buoso's family.

The Donatis consult  the lawyer Gianni Schicchi to see what might be done about making the will more amenable.

Whoever thinks opera is about fat people standing around bellowing at each other has another think coming. In this photo, the boys are attempting to hide the corpse of Buoso Donati in the closet when a knock comes to the door (which they're blocking with the body). I had to leap over the trunk, run to the door to see who it was, leap over the trunk again, and rush downstage to sing my line. In a floor-length dress with train, and giant hat with wimple.There is a lot of running around in this opera!

I was very happy to revert to my "normal" look after spending many days as a grumpy old lady!

We had a big break between performances, so I took the train up to New York for a couple of voice lessons and coachings, and thence to Boston, where I caught the bus to Manchester, NH to visit with a good friend for a couple of days. Said friend is having some knee trouble, so there was not much exercise going on. Instead, we drove up to the mountains and visited a couple of the grand old Victorian mountain houses, beautiful resorts where people have escaped the city heat and bustle to relax in gorgeous, bucolic environment. It was a chilly, misty day when we drove up, but beautiful nonetheless.

This was definitely my favorite --- the Mount Washington Resort, a truly glamourous and grand old lady. We enjoyed coffee and dessert just inside the veranda (it was too cold to sit outside, more's the pity).

My friend and I did not behave all that well in terms of healthy eating, so the less said about that the better. But the next day, when I headed back down to Boston, I made sure to walk as much as possible. I love Boston, especially when the weather's good, and it was a gorgeous, sunny day. So I walked all over town, following the Freedom Trail. It's a must-do when visiting this lovely city.

The Tea Party boat. (The REAL Tea Party. I don't know if the boat is the original).

Sculpture of Paul Revere, close to the Old North Church.

So, at least I got a lot of walking in.

Now, I am back in Texas, and gearing up for four weeks of Spotlight on Opera. I am the general director; I organize everything, do most of the administrative work and all of the scheduling, put out fires, haul props, wipe noses and other less desirable parts, stage direct, teach voice lessons, and give business seminars. In other words, I'm the mom. I have a few days at home to rest and gear up for all of this, and I am sorry to report that I have been an absolute slug in the workout department. Despite my July resolution to write a food plan every day, log everything on LoseIt, and do some form of exercise, I have not gotten it together, and that must change beginning today. Yes, I have been exhausted and even felt some of the old stress symptoms, but eating right and moving will only make me feel better. So, that's the goal for the day, to heave myself back on track one more time, as often as necessary. I am determined to make healthy lunches and get in a workout first thing in the morning for the duration of Spotlight, so come September I will be fit enough to start a heavier duty workout regimen again.

It's good to be home for a while and have a chance to regroup. And there is always another chance to regroup. Repeat as necessary.

24 MILES ON THE D&R CANAL

The show is completely staged, we're into run-throughs, and soon we'll be moving into production week, the week leading up to opening night, where we finally get into the theater and begin working with costumes, makeup, the set, the orchestra. Most of this will take place in the evening, leaving the days free for  --- what else? Working out!

Being in Princeton has been a special challenge; I'm blessed here with a very friendly, social cast, and that has led to a great deal of socializing at restaurants and bars, which has in turn led to a short circuit of my healthy eating. I have healthy food at home, but it's been way too easy to grab a slice or a burger when out with the gang. And that can't go on.

However, I have been taking advantage of the lovely weather and my host's bike to cycle to rehearsal whenever possible, and make other forays around town.  Today was a day off, and I celebrated with a 24-mile RT ride along the Delaware & Raritan Canal.

I started off in Cranbury, where I'm staying, in a nice suburban neighborhood surrounded by thick forest. It's not uncommon to see woodchucks, bunnies, foxes, and deer. There's a bike trail that leads past the busy main road and gets you all the way down to the canal --- this is what I take to rehearsal. It's so beautiful that it just feeds the soul -- not until you reach the bottom of the big, mile-long hill leading up to the church where we rehearse does it actually begin to feel like exercise!

Upon leaving the neighborhood, I pass a beautiful pond where a Great Blue Heron is almost always in residence. Today he took exception to my passage, spiraling up over the water with harsh complaints. His flight took him too close to a nesting robin, who took exception and chased him away as I've only seen smaller birds do to hawks.

Next, I pass a huge, sweet-smelling field of grasses, richly inhabited with butterflies and red-winged blackbirds who dart and dip among the waving fronds. And then it's on past some wetlands and woodlands, which border a couple of major corporations who have created hiking and biking paths for their employees and kept much of the forest surrounding them intact for that purpose.  Onward, past banks of wildflowers in riotous colors: white, purple, pink, yellow, and bright orange, all massing together. Sadly, this photo doesn't do the colors justice; or the sweet herbal scent that perfumes the air.

Soon after this, a quick detour down a side road brings me to the entrance of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, and in short order I am crossing the first of the bridges which will take me towards the Princeton University campus. Look carefully at the photo below; there is a pile of turtles on a dead branch. Such turtle piles heavily stud the canals and their banks! There is quite a healthy turtle population here, including some sizable snappers.

Today, I had to make a decision about whether to turn left, towards Trenton, or right, to Kingston. I decided to see if I could make it to Trenton. First, I paused on the bridge to snap the beautiful river. No scullers this year; last year it seems I saw them fairly regularly.

The trail is pretty shady, which did not keep me from coming home with an impressive farmer's tan. Along the way I saw adorable little chipmunks, a fat woodchuck who scurried out of my path, and plenty of Canadian geese on the canal. My hosts take exception to their presence (too much poop, I suppose) but I think they are beautiful.

Now, what would an adventure be without ... well, and adventure? As I peddled along, I heard yelling and splasing in the canal. There are lots of canoe and kayak rental places, and I correctly assumed this was a group of kids --- but they were stranded. There were about 10 of them, far too many to be in two canoes, ranging in ages from about 8 to perhaps 12. And they were clearly part of some religious group. All the girls were wearing black mid-calf skirts, opaque stockings, blue button-down shirts and black sweaters or sweater vests; the boys were dressed the same except they had slacks, of course. Not your typical canoeing attire, and far too hot for the weather. As they had managed to capsize their canoes, they were all soaked and must have been miserable. They saw me approach and yelled at me for help. The biggest boy was in the water, trying fruitlessly to empty his waterlogged canoe; but it was too heavy for him to tip himself, and they were on the far side of the canal. Now, this water is not very deep; nor is it very inviting, being a muddy brown. I stopped, and called out some encouragement, telling them how to empty the canoe. (They just needed to drag it to the bank, get it slightly on the bank, and tip it over, which, working together, they could have done).  In retrospect, I probably should have just stayed there and hollered instructions until they managed it or made them pull the canoes and wade over to my side where I could have helped them without getting too wet myself; but they asked me to ride on and get the manager of the canoe concession, so after a few more words of encouragement, I did. There were several other canoes with their colleagues in them dotting the canals --- not a single adult superviser in sight, either. I got to the canoe concession and found the one adult, a very pissed-off woman who said that the manager was not helping them at all. I told her she was just going to have to walk down there and help them, and told them where she was; and went on my way. She herself was wearing a knee-length black skirt and sweater, and heels. I felt kind of bad for the kids and just a little bit for the woman but honestly, this was not well-planned. Those kids were all over the place with no supervision, and not dressed appropriately for the outing. It was not well thought out. Anyway, there were plenty of other people walking and biking the trail, and by the time I got back they were gone, so the poor things must have eventually either rescued themselves or gotten help!

Soon after this little adventure, I passed a canal house, and shortly thereafter was in (for me) previously uncharted territory. And look who was waiting for me down the trail:

The first of many deer I was to see along the way. In fact, around the next bend the trail began to taper off and become nothing more than a footpath; so I had to cross to the other side. At the crossing, I happened to glance down the trail a bit and saw a doe resting herself along the banks of the canal, among the lily pads. (They aren't actually lily pads; I'm not sure what they are, but that's what they look like. Sort of).

Click on the pic to enlarge, and if you look carefully you might be able to spot her. The camera on my phone unfortunately doesn't have a zoom. When I got to the other side, I was able to see what I couldn't from my first vantage point --- the doe had two darling little fawns with her! They are well-camoflauged. Look at the water's edge.

There isn't much signage along the trail. Occasionally you will find a map of the WHOLE trail system (which is quite large) but they never show where you are right then; and none of the bridges have street names on them. However, there was a little trail shooting off the main, which promised to go past a house built in 1761; so I thought that was worth a little detour. This was in Lawrence Township.

Sure enough, the house was a pleasant sight and there were picnic tables and chairs. It was time for a break, so I stopped to eat some trail mix and enjoy the view.

There were a number of people in office clothes walking by on the trail, and when I left I followed the trail from whence they were coming, which led to some large building in the middle of cleared forest. They had made a trail connecting to the D&R Canal Trail, and I passed many of their employees having a lunch time jaunt. What a great idea!

The trail is better kept in some sections than others,  but always ridable.

It crosses over US 1 ...

... and continues, lovely and serene, for many more miles. However, by this time, I wasn't quite sure how far I'd gone or how much further it was to Trenton. I'd had fantasies about getting there and having a little rest in a cafe before heading back; but none of the maps showed how much further it was, or had any distance markers on them at all, and I realized that I'd gone about as fur as I could go and still hope to make it back.

So, at the next road crossing, which happened to be where this dilapidated but still lovely house stood, I stopped and whipped out my new phone with its fancy GPS, and figured I was still in Lawrence Township, on Carnegie Road, and it was about 12 miles from home. I figured that'd be a good ride, by the time I got back. So turn around I did.

My path was strewn with flowers ---these pretty orange lilies that grow wild everywhere around here.It was a good ride. I do confess to stopping for frozen yogurt on the way home --- hey, I only had trail mix for lunch --- and when I did get back, I took a quick shower and then lay down on the bed while the overhead fan did its work in finishing drying me ... and promptly fell into a heavy two-hour nap. So it must have been a good workout. ;)