Wednesday

RECORDING!!! It usually makes me very nervous, crazy, scary focused, and neurotic. "Scary focused" is a technical term, that has come to be used by my husband to describe me when I am literally unable to smile, laugh, converse or think about anything other than the thing I'm scary focused on. If it happened too often, I think my marriage would end in divorce...just kidding. But really, it's probably not that far off.

The hall I had been using to record in the past is about an hour away (the very ridiculous and ironic part is that I work literally steps from four perfectly lovely concert halls every day-- but can I use those? No.), and the plan yesterday was for me to drive up after work...RIGHT at rush hour. After thinking about that for, oh, about five seconds, I realized that it was one of the dumbest plans I've ever made. Having just assumed we should do the recording in that particular space because we always have-- but still-- to drive up 95 at rush hour, on top of how nervous I usually get about making a recording...well, it would have been a disaster.

Well, it seems, my friends, that I had completely overlooked the perfectly wonderful recording venue in my OWN living room! Wood floors, high ceilings, silent neighbors, shutters to block street noise, and the best piano around! It seemed to good to be true, but we just thought: Let's try it, and see what happens. I felt so relaxed, happy, and, well, at home in my surroundings (having silenced the phones and taken the cats bells off), that I was able to get a great version of Donde lieta and Porgi, amor in two takes each. I tried for Je dis, but by that time, I was tired, and the aria itself makes me even tired-er, so, while one of the takes had some surprisingly good things in it, there were some not quite in tune moments, and some Renee-like over emoting problems. I didn't stress about it and sing it five more times (always to my poor little voice's detriment) like I usually do, because there is always tomorrow, when you are recording in your own house. Talk about unbelievable fortune, to listen to the play back and hear that the quality was great. I have never been more thrilled.

So tonight, we will come home, eat a normal dinner (Melissa's 4 step chicken with spinach and mashed potatoes because I have some Yukon golds that are on their last legs), and get back to work on finishing up.