... then, of course, filming did not begin as scheduled, and both the stilling of the rumor, and that momentary burst of adrenaline in anticipation had to be dismissed ...

... and what passes as normalcy has returned.

New information (received in an email this morning) is that on the upcoming Tuesday the team will arrive at the Visitor Center at 9:45 to scope out the existing lighting in our little theater in order to figure out what supplements will be needed for the cameras.  It is only after that's been done that the work schedule will be arrived at, and (of course) activities of the holiday season are fast approaching.

Since I'm planning to take a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, later to be followed by two weeks for Christmas and the final week of the year -- it's getting pret-ty "iffy."

Find myself wondering whether this can happen before the first week in the new year?  Sounds very unlikely, but since this is a first experience -- I'm not sure what the preparation period demands, and was under the impression that it's in the editing stages that time is a factor.

So much more time for apprehension to build, and confidence to erode ... but there is also time for experiences with new audiences to absorb, and for that magical warmth to build ... .

I suppose it all balances out in the end.

Maybe it just means that the expected adrenaline rush is a stage that will dissipate over the prep period, and that it will all be uneventful.  But then maybe that nervousness provides the edge that sharpens the experience for us all.

So much to learn.

So little time remaining ... .

... and yesterday, November 12th, is the birthday of my late younger sister, Lottie, and this year I'm missing her dearly which provides it own edge.  She died only 3 years ago.  That sense of urgency returns with a vengeance when I remember just how fragile is life in this final decade.  I cannot imagine Lottie not being alive. She was so vibrant!  How impossible it is to try to visualize the state of non-existence... .