Sitting at the bank. The Christmas music is almost enough to drive me out.

I have no conferences today, so I will be spending the morning at my desk, finishing the second Dungeon Crawler Carl book and listening to the Pirates! The Penzance Musical soundtrack, which I just downloaded as I await the full cast list for the show I just got into. I lead a weird life.

I am closing the show I directed tonight, and then we have strike and a cast party that I'll probably be at for all of 30 minutes. 12 hours later, I have auditions for my spring show in which I have 30 seconds to get myself into a show that has 150 other people auditioning. 😭😭😭 #theatresky

9.2 just called me into the room because he recognized the opening of Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell playing in the background of one of his TV shows. My job as a parent is complete.

I just started attempting to learn the music for my audition on Sunday. It SUUUUUCCCCKKKKKSSSSS. It's in 6/8, it's FAST, it's got differing numbers of rests between phrases each time, and it's Sondheim, so the accompaniment in no way matches up with the vocal line. I have work to do before Sunday.

Well, this is just precious. #cats #catsofbluesky #caturdayeveryday

Some shows go off without a hitch. Other shows have the light board up and die 7 days before opening. And some shows have an amazing lighting designer who owns his own board, brings it in and saves the day. This is one of those shows. #theatresky

That feeling when you're in an experimental theatre production and you've been beheaded, so you take your head and go sit in the corner. I've had so much fun directing this show. #theatresky

Well, nuts. There goes my birthday present and my kids' first trip to Manhattan.

Chaos Mode by Piers Anthony got me into fantasy novels in sixth grade. Salem's Lot got me into horror the same year. Ultimate Spider-Man got me back into comics, which resulted in me working at Marvel for four years.

I made butternut squash coconut noodle soup for dinner. It was excellent. Recipe from the New York Times.

The librarian at my school has been getting the faculty to read the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I'm about 40 pages away from finishing the first one, and he was right about it. It's super fun. I already have the second one on my nighttable.

Just found a hole in the crotch of my jeans and I can't get home to change until after work. So...that's cool.

I picked up Kung Pain Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe's today on the recommendation of another shopper who said they were amazing. I am oddly excited about this.

I take my kids to a ton of theatre. I am going to see Spring Awakening tonight. I will not be taking the kids.

I can't get over how pretty the set for the show I'm directing is. We took the set from last year's musical, added a few elements, and gave the whole thing a facelift. #theatresky

9.1 came home with a bookmark he made in art class. He is definitely my kid. #DoctorWho

I showed the 1981 Clash of the Titans to the nine-year-olds yesterday. I hadn't seen it for about 30 years. I am pleased to report that although it was a little slower than I remembered, Harry Hamlin was still ridiculously good looking and Bubo was still my favorite.

It's for me! #cat #catsofbluesky

Extremely niche audience post for '90s desktop computer gamers: After playing live-action Survivor from Return to Zork with the boys last night, we watched the final Survivor game versus Morpheus from the walkthrough of Return to Zork available on YouTube. 1/3

I spent as much money on new orthopedic house shoes as I did on Korean Hot Pot for 4 people this weekend. But the house shoes last for 5 years, and the Hot Pot lasted one night...plus a lot of reflux the next day.

I went to work as "girl who bought a dress at Spirit Halloween" but I will be going trick-or-treating as "girl who bought a dress at Spirit Halloween but it got too cold so she changed into sweatpants."

My second block class picked independent reading books. Among their choices: INVINCIBLE, vol. 1 DEATH & OTHER UNKNOWN RISKS HAWKGIRL: ONCE UPON A GALAXY MILES MORALES (prose novel by Jason Reynolds) This post could also be titled "What happens when half my comics collection lives in my classroom."

I'm going to work in that classic Halloween costume, "girl who bought a dress at Spirit Halloween."

I think I may officially be "that weird teacher." I am currently subbing, proctoring a French exam while sitting at the teacher's desk, sewing hooks and eyes onto two full grocery bags of skirts.

Using my copious free time (sarcasm) before going into the city to see a play my former student wrote that is being performed at a big university to make vegan butter chicken. Let's see how this turns out...(the butter chicken, not the play--I'm sure the play will be great).

My cartoon in this weeks @newyorker.com 🎶

The children are currently in stitches watching Hundreds of Beavers AGAIN.

I just read ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #8 and FANTASTIC FOUR #4 back-to-back with the nine-year-olds. Holy tonal shift, Batman.

I am irrationally excited about tomorrow's all-day theater cleanout even though I know my body will completely fall apart at the end of it. #theatresky

More adventures in directing experimental theatre: Me: I broke up a bunch of those large sticks that were behind the shed. They're in my car now. Husband: Me: It's for the play. H: You need sticks for the play? Me: They're babies. H: What? Me: They are stick babies. Just go with it. #theatresky

Student cast members were talking about cult films in my room today. Me: Do you know Repo! The Genetic Opera? Goth kid: No. Me: OH, (student's name)... ::proceeds to explain entire plot:: Goth kid: I think I need to watch this. Me: YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS. I'm educating the youth of America here.

"You're probably wondering how I got here..." -- Fozzie Bear #catsofbluesky #caturdayeveryday #cat

Guys I found the cause of the AWS outage

The nine-year-olds are coming to high school with me tomorrow (they end up there a few times a year). The high schoolers think they're cute, and they get to see examples of what not to do and how they should behave when they're in high school. Plus, they get to participate in Drama class.

I'm not a superstitious person, but the Scottish Play curse is REAL and not to be trifled with. I won't even say the "M-word" outside of the theater now. It's the only play I've ever directed that involved two ER visits from rehearsal-related accidents (one of which was mine). #theatresky

2025 feels like that late-stage game of monopoly where you just go round and round paying rent and utilities forever and nobody knows what the rules are anymore and everyone’s just waiting for it all to end except the one player who cheated and has all the money

Started Matt Smith's first #DoctorWho season with the kids tonight. They were more hyped to see the TARDIS redesign than the new Doctor. And I had the deja vu of the first time I saw the episode, when my brain couldn't process Smith as the Doctor until his speech at the very end of the episode.

Currently singing "A Little Priest" from Sweeney Todd to my cat, while harboring no illusions that he wouldn't eat me if he has the chance. #theatresky

There is not a single reason to outsource your creativity to a computer. Not one. To do so removes the very point of being creative in the first place.

The thing I found about turning 43 is that now I eat brussels sprouts for lunch.

Best birthday present: the hematologist drew blood in the office so I didn't need to deal with going to LabCorp.

After many hours, two sets of full-size black sheets (because I screwed up cutting the first one), four spools of thread, one time taking apart my sewing machine to fix it after it broke, and using more of my fabric stash than I might have expected, I finished 17 sashes for my play. #theatresky

I started reading the Hickman FANTASTIC FOUR run to the kids today. Will I like it better now than I did the first time I read it? (I remember finding it really boring at the time.) Time will tell...

9.1 and 9.2 are currently on separate floors of the house, both watching K-Pop Demon Hunters-related programming.

Meanwhile in #Portland

Things that happen when rehearsal starts at 7:30 a.m.: I insert a Clone High reference into the play that (probably) no one but me will get. #theatresky

Just finished "The End of Time, Part 1" with the nine-year-olds. When the episode was over, 9.1 said, regarding part 2, "I think this is going to be amazing." I wish we had an entire season of Tennant with Bernard Cribbins. #DoctorWho