Masquerade

It is hot, absolutely hot and miserable right now in NY. It's 72° at 11:30 PM. It was 77° this morning at 8:00 as I drove to work. I just took a shower to cool down and now I'm covered in sweat. My upstairs is like a little Easy Bake Oven and I'm getting cooked.

Still trying to figure out if I can swing an international vacation this year, and I found a great deal with an online place called Airtreks. When I called I got the rudest service this side of the DMV, so I decided that I would need to take my tiny travel dollars elsewhere. Well, tonight I got my sample itinerary and final price via e-mail, and I'm afraid I can be bought. It's that easy. So the question is - should I feel comfortable going to the Middle East right now alone? I do, but I'd pretty much go to Iraq if someone would let me. The trip would be Jordan, Israel, Egypt, with a little Greece thrown in for fun. (I'm going to be disappointed if someone doesn't make a joke about a little Greece for fun.) What do you think?

In other news, I've had a rough week or so. I'm struggling with generalized anxiety - a constant feeling of being on alert and like there's bad news just around the bend. Along with that, I've decided my boss is the absolute devil, and I'm trying hard to not let interactions with her dictate my moods. If anyone figures out how the hell to do that, drop me a note.

But here's the point - tonight I had the complete pleasure of going to see Phantom of the Opera. Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan (I mean, it's no Cats) (just kidding - I hate that Cats show!), but there is something about a musical, almost any musical, that I love. I arrived early and sat in my seat (fifth row, middle! - the perks of ordering one ticket) and noticed the sights and smells and sounds and just took it all in. People milling around visiting and waiting, looking at the orchestra pit, humming the theme song. As I sat there I noticed that my anxiety had left me (sweet relief), and I felt overwhelmingly grateful to be right where I was. (And Phantom isn't really one that I'm crazy about.) The voices. The voices! Few things reach me or touch me or something like a musical does. In the playbill in an ad for a local bank that supports the theater it says, "The arts have the unique ability to transport our imaginations and refresh our spirits." Exactly.