Monthly Archives: June 2012

So much has been happening lately!

I think it’s a common myth that things are slow and calm in the summertime. That when school lets out and work slows down that there’s lots of lots of spare time. Time for naps in the sunlight beneath a whirling ceiling fan. Time for picnics in the park, long scenic drives in the sunset, and margaritas and queso with the girlfriends. Time for mojitos in the shade, sundresses and sunglasses, festivals, picking up a pile of great reads from the library, bubble baths, beaches, long walks with ice cream cones, leisurely vacations, biking, dining out, and lazy days spent poolside or exploring with friends and family- something relaxing, something adventurous, something freeing. Time, time, time, and no schedule to keep.

Well, that’s a load of crap.

I’m at least twice as busy as usual since June showed up. I think I kind of knew this would happen all along, but I also think I was kind of delusional and thought, “eh…maybe things won’t be as crazy as they seem.” Delusional. I have a total of two whole days off the entire month of June. Some of my work days are 14 hours long and others will only be 5 hours. But, very thankfully, I am busy with work that I love and work that I’ve been aching to do and work that is fun and work that matters to me: ASMing Next to Normal at ETC, earning my last four equity points so I can at last turn equity (a lifelong dream of mine!), prepping lesson plans and choreography for 6-weeks of camp, applying for theatre jobs, beefing up my audition repertory, and building my website. It’s good work, and it’s important work, and it’s work I am so happy and lucky to be doing this summer. I’m actually being paid pretty decently to work in professional theatre, I’m meeting some huge career aspirations, and I’m going to get to frolic on the shoes of Lake Michigan for 6 weeks – IF I can just get through the massive quantity of WORK, WORK, WORK that is June!

In fact, this summer really did turn out to be my ‘best case scenario’ summer. Life is good. Really good.

My entire week so far has consisted of full day rehearsals, all day everyday, for Next to Normal, which is so fun and is going just swimmingly. Saturday and today we are in 10-out-0f-12 tech rehearsals (so, 14 hour workdays both days) but the work is so gratifying that I don’t even feel the exhaustion.

On Friday night we did take a little “easy living” break after a wonderfully productive rehearsal. Ted and I walked downtown. It was beautiful out and we stopped at a street cart for dinner. Hot dogs. There’s nothing quite as tasty as a good old ball park-style hot dog on a summer evening. We enjoyed our hot dogs as we walked, stopping at a live jazz club to split a beer and enjoy some jazz and fresh air before catching the opening night production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Cincinnati Shakespeare with free comps from a friend, who designed lighting for the show. As all Complete Works shows are, it was hilarious and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After we got home we walked over to the United Dairy Farmers store, which is a short walk from our home, to pick up some hand-dipped ice cream in waffle cones and eat them while we strolled home in the moonlight. It was a really, really great night. I’ll have a few great escapes like this in June, a few more in July, and then a few in mid and late August – and though they are seemingly few and far between, they are truly worth the wait!

Happy rainy Monday, Cincy. Enjoy!

Over the past few weeks I took the challenge of embarking on an epic hunt for the perfect one-piece maillot swimsuit that is stylish, bold, and sassy, yet somewhat modest, without being matronly or dipping too heavily into my meager accumulation of funds.

Now you understand what I mean by “epic hunt.”

Some of my favorites, style and color wise, came from fancy designers and were priced at upwards up $250 – which, let’s be honest, is just asinine for 1/4 yard of spandex, no matter how adorable it is. And the more reasonably priced maillots just didn’t fit as nicely, weren’t made as well, or weren’t quite unique enough for my tastes. Fortunately, women’s one-pieces have gotten much more attractive and appealing these past few years, so the options weren’t quite as horrifying, nor the search quite as harrowing, as I’d imagined. One-pieces are back in style! I still like tasteful and playful bikinis when among family and friends, but since I’ll be working and potentially splashing in the lake/pool with high schoolers at a professional fine arts camp this summer, I’d feel more comfortable and appropriate donning a one-piece around them instead.

In swimwear, I prefer brighter color choices, unique silhouettes, a standout detail or two, and a fun, slightly skin bearing back (it is a swimsuit after all!). So, throughout the past month I ordered over a dozen of my top pick swimsuits to try on (and return!) and researched hundreds more online.

Below are the winners for this season’s maillots. They were selected based on quality, fit, price, color, style, and general attractiveness.

First place:

Caspian Paisley Bandeau Tank from J. Crew, $98.

This suit was inspired by Moroccan tiles, which I think is lovely and refreshing, and the colors are much greener and more vibrant in person (they also complement a green-eyed, gold-complexioned, honey brunette perfectly… ;-), which, obviously, is one of the reasons why I chose the suit). Though I think the colors of are universally flattering and would look good on pretty much anyone. The pattern is unexpected and fun. The suit is slimming, figure flattering, comfortable, supportive, high quality, modest yet still very attractive, practical for swimming, sunning, and water sports, and worth its price tag. Plus J. Crew offers free shipping and free returns on all swimwear  for risk free try-ons – a big bonus in my book. Unfortunately, I don’t think the model does this swimsuit justice, as it looked a million times more awesome than the picture displays and it is a great option for curvy ladies. A definite winner because it scored an “A” in all categories.

Second Place:

St. Augustine maillot by Minkpink for Anthropologie, $106.

This suit is AMAZING! I will be the first to admit that the pattern is a little funky, and you look at the suit and kind of think “Huh…this could either be really cute or really, really ugly.” I went back and forth on it while browsing online, trying to decide if it would be beautiful or hideous, but I eventually bought it to try on because I couldn’t stop thinking about it! Something about it really struck a chord with me. It’s like a piece of fine art work. Luckily, it’s really cute…much cuter in person! It’s a beautiful seafoam color with pretty, rich detailing and, again, the coloring looks phenomenal on someone with golden undertones and brown hair. The back of the suit is really special and eye-catching. It marches right on the fine line between modest and sexy. It fits well, covers everything it should while still being attractive, is comfortable, and quite figure-flattering. This was absolutely my first choice suit, until I read the label and saw the words “avoid contact with sunscreen and other lotions.” Cue screeching halt on my perfect swimsuit daydream. Please forgive me, but it’s a SWIMSUIT. A $106 swimsuit (now on sale for $60!) and you want me to keep it away from sunscreen? If I didn’t love it so much, I would return it immediately for being so stupidly impractical. And, of course, now I’m curious – what is sunscreen going to do to it? Bleach it, erode it, or do absolutely nothing and it’s just one of those silly warnings they have to plaster on stuff nowadays? Regardless, this suit is completely worth a try-on, especially at the sale price, because it really is completely stunning in person.

Third Place:

Jersey Lomellina Asymmetrical Blouson Tank for J. Crew, $118.

This swimsuit is great if you’re looking for something a little different. It comes in four earthy colors, is incredibly comfortable, and the fitted-on-the-bottom, loose-up-top, one-shoulder look is both modern, classic, and extremely flattering! The material is so soft and silky! The support of the suit, as well as its quality, is just excellent. In general, I found that all of J. crew’s suits (and I ordered at least 6 of them to try on – both one-pieces and bikinis) are really well made and have a wonderful fit. If I had to choose just one brand of swimwear based on style and quality this summer, I’d steer you toward J. Crew. They have a huge variety of bikinis, one-pieces, solids, patterns, earthy tones, and brights.

Honorable Mention:

Athleta Shirrendipity One-Piece, $69.

This one-piece comes in a slew of great solid colors – everything from brights to earth tones – and is a real bargain. I loved the understated simplicity of a solid colored suit with an eye-catching back and a great silhouette that speaks for itself. It can be sporty (Athleta is a fitness brand), playful, or sexy. It’s fully lined as well, which is nice. What impressed me the most was how high quality this suit was. It was full of all these genius little details that you’ve secretly always wished swimsuit designers would include in their designs. Though J. Crew suits are a close second, this suit was the most well made. However, the V-neck was a little plungier than I was looking for (not inappropriate, just not what I was after this summer) and the torso runs a little short on it, even for someone who’s only 5’4″ with a short torso to begin with. Luckily, it is available in tall sizes, so don’t let that stop you from ordering. And the bright green is super fun!

Honorable Mention:

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Kashmir Paisley One-Piece, $98.

This maillot is great! The colors are brighter in person, but I found the one-shoulder, lower-back, cross strap, front ruching, and paisley print to be really flattering and unique looking. It was comfortable to wear, fits well, and is lined. I do think the suit would do a little better on someone slightly taller than 5’4″ because the strap is not adjustable and was just a little loose on me. But if you’re looking for something playful with a trendy silhouette, I’d point you in this direction.

What do you think?

Happy Swimming!

So, lately:

– The craybies are growing! What porkchops. Absolute porkchops, those crays!

– I’m back in my show blacks for Cincy Fringe and it feels so good! I’ve missed this.

– I make a mean mojito. I have or may not have bought a mint plant for the express purpose of mojito-making. Why on earth did I ever pay for one at a restaurant?

– With full-day rehearsals and shows for the encore run of Next to Normal and working my second job and my summer bucket list and TONS of camp prep and dance classes and soaking in time with the hubby and crays before I’m off to camp, the next few weeks aren’t about to get any less busy.

– With all this work I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately, so the thought of shimmying into my cute new suit, splashing in the pool, picnicking in the park, sleeping in, going out, mini-vacaying, and playing around sounds really, really incredible. I’ve got summer on the brain.