Back to the (Bump and) Grind

So I'm back in Miami. That's Lucius showing me how glad he is that I'm back with him. His enthusiasm blows me away. He actually welcomed me back to the land of humidity and breast augmentation by purring a little then promptly vomiting on my magazines. Fitting somehow.

The air here is stifling. I noticed it the second I got off the airplane, a pervading sense of suffocation and seawater, condensation on my arm . . . my arm! I commented to my landlord as he drove me home and he replyed by saying that he thought it was really dry here this time of year. People here are in denial. Though I can't say that I didn't get a little bit used to it. I wasn't as bothered by the heat and moisture when I left three weeks ago.

I spent the whole day getting my bearings today. I talked to my boss on the telephone and cleaned my room and went grocery shopping. I watched a little television in the middle of the day. Weekday television is always interesting because of all of the career community college commercials and "get-out-of-debt-quick" ads. There's always someone on the screen trying to convince me to start up an "exciting new career in accounting," or realize my potential as a court typist.
There was one commercial that caught me off guard today and made me realize that I was definitely back in Southern Florida. Two leathery girls in string bikinis were laying on the beach and one looks at the other and says, "Isn't it bothersome that we have to go to all of these different places to get each procedure done?"

The other girl looks incredulous. "Yes," she says, "I go one place for breast augmentation and another place for a face lift, and a third place for lipo!"

The first girl continues, "Wouldn't it be great if we could just go to one place for all of them?"

Then the voice over comes in: "You Can!" I am insulted for no particular reason and suddenly quite aware of my surroundings. Miami is Los Angeles on crack.

Despite, we are starting "Rigoletto" tomorrow and it should be quite a ride. I can't wait to regale stories of giant moving scenery, missing singers and running around like a crazy a.d. girl trying to get it all smooth as silk.. I had dinner with the other assistant director tonight and we vented about our jobs and talked about the woes of being freelance. Both of us would love to find a company where we could stay for a couple of years without having to constantly uproot ourselves. This job cannot be good for anyone's health.