A Great Big Diva!

Diva in the Sky with Redmoon Theater and The Great Chicago Fire Festival.. Feeling Good.

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It was the most wonderful performing experience of my life. There I sat on a swing suspended some twenty feet in the air over my audience singing a song that I first sang as a teenager in a high school production of "Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd." "Feeling Good" is such a simple song but thanks to Nina Simone's arrangement, it has plenty of room for drama and dynamics. And then there was the Full Moon in the night's sky shining down on me, …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Sitting Up and down in a chair. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

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It's been awhile since I have reported on my actual workouts. I guess that's because I have been busy writing and singing, going to France and talking about that. Going to the gym and working with my trainer has become less of a novelty which I guess is a good thing. It is part of my lifestyle now. It is routine like putting on my glasses or brushing my teeth. BUT because I work with a professional trainer it has not gotten easier, in fact Jeremy the Devil slave driver comes up with subtle ways …

The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: France, July 2015, Heat, Pain, Endurance and how I got through it!

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Time to get real with you. The Chateau de Blandy Les Tour was wonderful. The Opera "Don't Worry, Be HaRpy" was gorgeous and a great collaboration. I don't want to sound like a whiner but my last trip to France was tough! Heat, exhaustion, knee pain and obesity made it a real test of endurance for me. I KNOW that my fitness journey made it possible for me to persevere. Up until I started my fitness program, I was almost totally sedentary. All of the things that I mentioned above (except for the …

France: July 2015 Don’t Worry, Be HaRpy – The Whirlwind Adventure!

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The Chateau de Blandy Les Tours - what a setting! It is fairytale-like, and very hot. There is a heat wave happening in the region with temperatures reaching Ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit! We arrive in Paris and are driven immediately to the castle for the first of two nine hour rehearsals. This is no tourist trip. We get right to work. We have a show to do. …

France: July 2015 Don’t Worry, Be HaRpy

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It was a whirlwind. A quick weekend to France to perform the original Jazz Opera: "Don't worry, Be HaRpy" by French composer and harpist Isabelle Olivier. This particular weekend also happened to be my birthday weekend. It was not an easy trip but it was a wonderful one. High temperatures in the hot Sun, hours of rehearsal and my knees never add up to much in the way of comfort but it did make for a thrilling adventure. The show is wonderful, Isabelle is genius and the players and crew were …