Home Home on the Range

I had rehearsal a little later than anticipated last night, but I'm here and functioning (barely) today. I've also started the day off right with organic egg whites and green tea for breakfast. Now to continue the goodness that I'm doing for my body throughout the day.

My mom has been visiting me in NYC for the past 10 days, and I'm sad to say goodbye as she flies back to Texas today. It's like we never missed a beat when we're together, and yet on different planets when we're apart. Hopefully I'll see her again soon. While she was here, she got a taste of my everyday life and the regularly hectic schedule I keep: Up at 6am, get ready, cook breakfast, feed the cats, pack the bag and run out the door & down 10+ blocks to catch the bus/train to work. 8 hours at the day job, with an hour lunch with mom, return to work until my day job is done, then we run to my next appointment for the day, whether it be a voice lesson, coaching, rehearsal or audition...maybe catch something to eat in between. Then after hours of whatever the night's activity was, we catch the train/bus back home, in bed by 11ish and start the day all over again. If it's an earlier night where I get home by 8 or 9pm then it's an hour on the elliptical before getting ready for bed, or if no lunch plans with mom, then my lunch break is spent at the gym...gotta get in the exercise somehow. Somewhere in the day, I may even get to see my boyfriend, but usually that's just to say goodnight and then it's off to sleep.

This past Sunday, we were invited out to the Maestro's parents house for dinner and had a lovely time...and can his mom cook! We started with cantaloupe and prosciutto (which I couldn't eat, because I'm allergic to cantaloupe...I was so embarrassed) but his mom graciously gave me just the prosciutto & roasted eggplant instead...delish. The next course was papardelle (broad noodles) w/fresh marinara that she had made from her garden's tomatoes & whole wheat rolls, and then quickly the 3rd course followed, which consisted of roast beef & roasted potatoes, chicken parmigiana, and a mixed green salad w/balsamic vinaigrette. OMG everything was so good and perfectly prepared. As we sat and digested everything we had just supped, out came the fresh fruit bowl for everyone to munch on (in case someone were to possibly get peckish in between courses) as she prepared coffee and presented us with a Lamb shaped panatone for desert. I assure you no one left that table hungry. The lovely thing about Italian families: the food is always good and abundant and the conversation always entertaining and central around the dinner table. Luckily after dinner was done and our visit had ended we still had a good walk to the bus and then to the train and then to another bus home where we could walk off a bit of that which we ingested. Yes, there's a lot of walking in NYC...thankfully. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the Maestro's parents are always so lovely and hospitable.

So as I said earlier my mom flies out today, so send her good thoughts and wishes as she embarks on her journey home and that the trip is comfortable, quick and without incident.

Have a great day!

-Bex

Over Tired = Bad Decisions

I'm currently writing this while sipping organic carrot juice and eating organic mac & cheese. Sounds healthy-ish, except organic or not, mac & cheese is still mac & cheese and the carrot juice has tons of natural sugar in it...and you don't even want to know what I had for breakfast, but I'll tell you anyway: 1/2 a blueberry muffin, 1/2 a chocolate croissant, and a cup of coffee. Why the bad food choices...well my decision making is a bit off today due to the 4 possibly 5 hours of sleep I got last night. HOWEVER, there is a good reason for my lack of sleep...THE Jingle Audition. Let's just say...I got the job!!! Woohoo! In fact, it turns out that they weren't just hiring one person for one jingle ad, but a core group of singers to do at least a dozen jingle ads over the next couple of months. I've already been assigned 3 jingles to sing with possibilities of more. So look out world I'll be singing my way into your hearts through your trusty old TV and Radio machine. I'll be more detailed about which products to listen for once I've actually signed a contract and the check clears the bank, but it promises to be a fun and lucrative venture.

Today's plan is to meet with a composer for a possible project with Opera Manhattan this afternoon, and then window shopping with my Mom who's visiting from Texas. Poor thing, I've been dragging her all over, including to my audition last night, which by the way I forgot to mention didn't end until after midnight...thus the lack of sleep...I got to bed by 1:30-2ish and had to get up at 6am to come work my day job. After my mom and I window shop for a bit, then we'll take in some early dinner, and then head back to my apartment where I will drag my tired @$$ onto my elliptical and attempt to get an hour on the damn thing. I just gotta suck it up and do it!

So there's the latest and greatest. I will keep you posted once this Jingle Thing develops.

Have a great day,

Bex

Updates, updates, updates

Ok...so what's on the agenda for the singing career, fatness, and other such things?

Well on the Fatness part, I've only been averaging about 3 times a week with the work-outs...so I'm just holding at my weight pattern at the moment. My mom is here visiting NYC until the 23rd and after she's gone, I'll get back to at least 5 times a week.

The singing career has taken an interesting turn, I've got an audition for a "jingle" gig tonight and if I get it, I'll be very happy :) Who knows, maybe I'll be singing your favorite commercial jingle in the near future...lol. Other singing news...Musetta (La Boheme) has been moved to November 2010. Should be a good show with orchestra and fun, funky costumes. Also, I'm working on the whole getting back into the Musical Theatre front and am preparing Carlotta to audition with for Phantom of the Opera in the next couple of months. Oh, and I've got a cabaret gig in May at Don't Tell Mama's here in NYC...so that promises to be fun. Not to mention the new burlesque troop I've started...you've gotta see this one, talk about sexy chic! So I guess there's lots of singing going on, but not necessarily in the Opera world. I wonder what my voice teacher is thinking with me singing all of these "unorthodox" styles?

Ok, so there's the latest in the world of Not a Fat Opera Singer...send good thoughts this way, and especially for the world of Opera, we're having a bit of a rough time in the current media heavy world, and our audience is dying off, and thus all the new productions and jobs with it. I'm afraid we've got a sick if not dying art form on our hands. I don't mean to be a pessimist, but I hear & see so many terrible things involving the Opera biz for the past couple of years and with all the companies that closed last year, it looks as if we're in serious trouble. So go out and support your local opera company and bring a friend...you'll experience great beauty and help an art form that has been around for centuries. Oooh...I almost forgot, talk about sexy chic, if you haven't already, check out http://www.operamanhattan.com/,
they're young, hip and chic and I know they will help change the face of Opera and bring it into the 21st Century.

Have a great day,
Bex

(PS the photo is of the new, modern version of La Boheme coming up in November...lots of surprises and fun events surrounding this production, that you won't want to miss. I'll keep you updated as we get closer.)

Calories In Calories Out

The old idea of calories in and calories out seems to be a staple that will never change. No matter what new scientific discoveries or new-fangled diet fad that comes on the market, you can’t get around the fact that calories exist and if you’re not burning them, then you’re probably storing them.

I’ve never been one much for counting calories. I would roll my eyes at the mere mention of such an archaic form of “dieting”, hey why don’t we pop in a Jane Fonda Video while we’re at it. All I have to do to lose weight is to eat healthy and exercise, right? That seems simple enough, and it is, IF you really know what you’re putting in your mouth and IF you’re really making an effort when you’re working-out. Let’s break it down: 3,500 calories = 1 pound, so if I’m eating 3,500 calories a day and don’t budge an ounce, then that means I’m probably going to see a higher number on the scale within the week right?...But if I burn say ½ those calories in the same day, then I will probably maintain my weight…THUS, if I only eat 1,500 calories and burn 500-1000 at the gym + the rest of my daily activities like work and walking about, then I’ll possibly see the weight on the scale go down…right? Eh…theoretically…calories in calories out right? Ok…right…but, if I eat say those 1,500 calories in potato chips in one sitting, then how the heck am I going to find the energy to really burn those calories at the gym instead of just wanting to lounge on the couch and watch Biggest Loser? Ok, ok….let’s break it down even more. Yes, the # of calories that you take in and the # you burn and get out are just that, a number, but where those calories come from, are an entirely different story. For example: Egg Whites are only 17 calories each, thus I can eat 6 egg whites cooked in no calorie butter Pam (totally 102 calories) and feel very satisfied for a couple of hours, as opposed to say 1 plain donut for 185 calories and feel greasy and on a major sugar high and then crash starting within 20 minutes and with the lasting crappy feeling effects for the next couple of hours, or until I break-down and start the vicious cycle all over again…oh and let’s not forget the 1.5 g of SATURATED fat in said donut, where as the egg whites are clean and lean proteins cooked in no fat no calorie Pam AND do nothing but feed your muscles instead of instantly going into your fat stores and clogging up your lovely organs and arteries…But again, calories in and calories out. You can eat egg whites until you’re blue in the face, but if you’re just sitting on your ass and not burning those calories, then those lovely protein laden nutrients are just going to go to that which you are sitting on, not to mention other fat storing places. You’ve got to get off your butt and do something, and you can even have too much of a good thing (too much water and you could drown yourself, too much rope to hang yourself with…) you get the point. Moderation peeps and basically get up and get going…That is the “secret” to weight loss…eating healthy foods within a certain caloric range, and the more you eat, then the more you have to burn. Really when it comes down to it, it’s all about balance…but that is another path that we will discuss someday in another blog entry.

Have a great day, eat well, and get your butt to the gym.

Best,
Bex