My neck

Last night on the way home from the theater, I had a weird experience. I was driving along, talking to Bo about something (Kelly Clarkson? Sci fi novels? Bananas? Unrequited love?) when all of a sudden I had a strange feeling in the back of my neck, and my head. I guess I was just stiff, or it was a muscle spasm or something? It hurt. After the tech part of the rehearsal, Bo and the rest of the cast get notes from the director. Last night's rehearsal was... interesting, so the notes were longer than usual. Since my part is done (no notes for me), when I carpool with Bo, I wait for him in the lobby. Usually I have a book or my iPod, but last night I just sat there in one of the leather chairs, covered up by my coat, shivering.

When he was done, and we left (we walked to the car accompanied by Ken, Jessica, the very talented David Frank, and the big ol' full moon; Ken was signing The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down," which we all agreed is one of our favorite all-time songs, and I was shocked to find that I don't have it on my iPod; now I've had that song in my head for a good 9 hours, including while I was sleeping. Nice singing, Ken!), I got in the car wearing my coat, and at first I thought I was just sitting on it weird and tried to shift around for a better position. There wasn't much I could do about it, at 75 MPH on the 405 freeway, except comment on it - "My neck feels funny!" Then Bo said "What?" and kept talking about whatever we were talking about. I didn't want to alarm him - we were almost at his exit - and when we did get off the freeway, luckily I hit a red light. I stretched, rolled my head around, listened to all the cracking and it felt a little better.

After dropping him off and driving away, I could still feel a little of the stiffness. My left arm felt funny, too. I must've done something to it but I have no idea what. I don't even use my left arm in the booth (I write a little, but this isn't a "writing" injury). This show's lighting and sound is pretty simple - even if it weren't, the job in there isn't strenuous at all. When I got home, I stood in the living room talking to Patrick, and tried to stretch it out a little, but decided that going to bed would be the best remedy. It was, but then when I had to get up again 5 hours later, I felt it all over again. I'm going to take an Advil and see if that helps. I don't have to go to the theater tonight, but I do have flute choir, which requires more of me than the booth. Like standing, holding a flute and/or piccolo, reading music, thinking, playing the right notes, watching the conductor, remembering my pencil... there are a lot of details.

...

From an email to my friend Michael about something that happened a couple of weeks ago that I won't be telling here but I like this once sentence:

I did take the time to do my hair, which was blackish and shiny and gleamed like a new Lincoln Town Car, and apply lipgloss and a teeny tiny bit of eyeliner on the one eye (damn Bo and his old-fashioned punctuality). I rubbed it off in the car. From the neck up, I looked great.