Cheesecake!

The O'Haras took me out for a birthday dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory. It was SO YUMMY! And they sat through 300 Europe pictures with great forebearance. :) I'm sorry about your Yankees, guys...I guess I can't have too much pity though, because your Red Sox beat up on my Angels earlier this week. Go Cleveland!!!

For some reason I keep staying up late trying to finish a million things, even though I know it will hurt the next morning. This week my brain feels continually exhausted as I try to learn as much as possible from a departing coworker whose previous responsibilities now rest squarely on my aching shoulders. It's interesting work and an exciting challenge, but also stressful and a little daunting. Once again I find myself grateful for a busy life with diverse activities. At least if I stumble in one area there is still a chance of having other successes to lift my spirits.

The past two weekends I have attended musical performances as an audience member rather than a performer. Although I usually find myself preferring to sit on stage holding an instrument, this brief respite from the pressure of performing was a rare delight. Amusingly enough, the upper section of the Mezzanine is not a total improvement over sitting in the pit; I still couldn't read the supertitles at the opera (there's a reason our seats were so affordable!) Nonetheless, Mike and I had a great time, and it was fun to dress up in a color other than black!