Closures (but not really)

I've been going on about prep work for our show, Chasing Boudicca (including many tick illustrations), and last night was showtime.  I don't think I managed to sleep enough to put coherent thoughts together, as my thoughts need to percolate (or at least be caffeinated), but I woke up with all of these wondrous moments and impressions still wrapped around me like a comfy blanket.

The bogging heat of the spotlights.  Becoming acquainted with the stage.  Spotting family and friends in the packed room.  The sound of someone crying.  The flute lamenting the loss of lives and of innocence.  The drum murmuring of heart beats.  The way Kate gracefully slid off her stool.  The lights reflected in Ruthanne's red hair.  The dimming of those lights when I told the saddest parts.  My heart racing during the final battle.    Fearing my voice would crack with emotion during the last scene.  The silence of the room.  The standing ovation.

It's all fractured in my head, along with the bits of stories and song that still cling to my mind like a fine web, unwilling to let go of my subconscious just yet.  Thanks to everyone who came.  Chasing Boudicca was an experiment in weaving poems and stories, with three voices and a musician, and we're ecstatic that it was so well received.  We're hoping to tour it, so please pass any invitations along! 

I must also apologize.  I left you all dangling (I'm sure you were) on what my niece's name turned out to be.  It's not actually Something Something Bilodeau, or Something Quequ'chose Bilodeau (weird, I know).  She has a very cute name.  It's Ada-Marie Marguerite Bilodeau.

When the tired but happy parents told me her name, I was so stunned I don't even think I reacted.  You know the spinny disk that appears on Mac computers when they're processing?  My head tends to do that when something very strange occurs.  And it did then.  As my sister-in-law said: "you get a hyphen!"  And what greater honour!  (And she's adorable, of course.)

It's another name steeped in family history.  Ada Bruce Torrance was a wonderful artist who studied with the Group of Seven, and Marguerite is my sister-in-law's mother's middle name.  Pretty awesome, eh?

So now the curtain call is over and I'll be focusing my energies back on my writing. Yesterday, I sold a short story to a yet to be announced extremely cool anthology, which is a nice way to re-spark the full-blown writing process.  Daily targets will be significantly increased and I intend to become well acquainted with the solitude of my writing room over the next few weeks.  I'll pop my head out now and again, but if you need my attention, please send me an e-mail, or send singing telegrams.  I've always wanted to receive a singing telegram. Who am I kidding - I've always wanted to deliver singing telegrams!