pronto!

rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. so this is my current full-time job? i can live with that. beats sitting at a desk, waiting for my lunch hour. today, gaby told me that she wants to see more of me in my character. hmm. sometimes, when she's talking to me about my character, i feel like we need to speed up the conversation so that we don't take up too much rehearsal time, even though i know that's what rehearsal is for. my mind thinks crazy sometimes. too much italian air. sometimes, i think there is just too much talk about the "process" -- can't we just start the scene and get on with it? why discuss? of course, after we have our little chat, the scene is better. i'm impatient. no time for process. someone with curly hair needs to relax a little.

and can i just say that i had no idea that i was this out of shape? some yoga in the morning, a warm up at the beginning of rehearsal (javi leads and he's a dancer and i feel quite unlike the graceful gazelle), followed by a full day of rehearsing has really done me in. i'm like an ancient woman when i stand up now; one hand at the small of my back, knees cracking, a good groan as i straighten myself out. no wonder i'm eating like a horse. it's one thing i can still manage.

i found out that friday is a national holiday here, so after rehearsal tomorrow, we're taking a train to a beach house for the weekend. i brought a bathing suit, a two-piece i'm afraid, so i'll be sucking it in if i actually have to reveal said swimsuit. if only there was a way i could hide my superfluous areas yet still expose my pasty skin to some much-needed vitamin D. there's no internet at the beach house, so i'll be spending the weekend old-school style -- no computer, which means no new post til next week. i just remembered that this will be my first chance to break in my new prescription sunglasses! i hope they look so stunning that no one notices anything below my neck.

i've just read an email from a friend in california who wrote:

Italy is all about food,

Sandra loves food,

Therefore Sandra loves Italy

so true, so true.

and now for a few photos...

gaby directs. this is going to be our performance space.

javi perches.


rehearsal comes to an end.


we immediately start eating. the restaurant/bar adjacent to the rehearsal space offers free food when you buy a drink during happy hour. javi ordered a "rainbow". was i surprised? no.


later, we rush to the grocery store only to find it closed, so we stop and pose for a moment. the sun has set on another day in milan.