 |
| dreaming of New Mexico.......a tribute to Miss O'Keeffe from my garden |
I's a semi-functional migraine, meaning that I can still get on with my day, mostly. I did sleep most of Thursday, though. When it is one of these bloody hangers-on the meds only push it down, tame it a little, but it never really goes away. And, cruelly, it will wait until I am sound asleep and sneak up on me and whang me in the head with an iron skillet. Every morning, at 3:30 am. Special.
But life goes on. And one thing I have learned living 44 years with my special friend, Migraine, is that I can only let it win some of the time. The best offense is to enjoy, in spite of it. I have learned to Be In The Good Stuff even when my head is relentlessly aching. I have to, otherwise I would have missed so much.
Which brings me to "Uncle Vanya." I hopped on it and got tickets to Sunday's performances of the Sydney Theater Company's sold-out production at Kennedy Center. So, come Sunday, headache or no, I was going to go and bask in the brilliance of Chekov done to perfection. And, yes, Migraine came along for the ride. I have learned that I have to make a soft gray space inside and settle my brain into it for rests, between moments of having to think and do. So while we drove down to D.C.:quiet grey place. Waiting before the show: quiet grey place. Like a computer powering down to sleep mode. That way, balancing moments of interaction with moments of reserve, I can kind of cruise through and Be Here without escalating the pain.
The show was wonderful. Here is a link to the NY Times review that says it better than I : chekhovs-slugfest-with-pratfalls I have seen many performances of Chekov over the years. It is notoriously challenging to hit the right note of humanity without swinging to much toward tragedy or satire. I have seen productions that made me beg for the gas pipe. ("Will we ever get to Moscow"---I'd like to get out of this bloody theatre!) I have seen productions that only lacked roller skates and a taxi horn. This is the first time I have ever seen Chekov where I wished it would not end. The characters were so honest and real and I felt so for each one that I wanted to see the story go on. If you know Chekov, that says a lot! It was one of the finest ensemble performances I have ever seen. Such a delight and rare privilege to see the craft of acting done with such depth and delicacy, the whole human catastrophe, beautiful! Although the star draw was Cate Blanchett- lunimous- I felt that Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh stole the show with their Astrov and Vanya. I haven't stopped thinking about the whole production since we left the theater. I will be thinking about it for a long time. An unforgettable performance and a seamless production.
Now on to New Mexico. For which we are departing Thursday bright and early. Excuse me while I indulge in a happy little shudder of excitement! Headache or not, today I need to start getting organized.
I am looking forward to getting in a couple hikes with Georges and Sue this trip. Sadly, I think climbing Pedernal might be beyond me at this point. A 15 foot technical climb up a sheer face to the summit...hmmmm. But there are plenty of other trails, for sure. I am PRAYING that my migraine friend decides to play nice while I am out there. We'll be in Santa Fe in time for the Indian Market. Very Exciting. Today, I have to go in and out of the quiet grey place so I don't go into spazzy overwork mode. I want this f'n headache to MOVE ON! Breathe....grey place.....e a s y.
new mexico! yippeeeee!!!
