Emily Ellet

March was National Poetry Month. While I read poetry all month long, I squeaked in writing my own poem on the last day! It’s only a vacation If I see the ocean Beyond, the soft sandy haze Borne aloft by the sea salt scent I can almost forget The harsh horns of humanity My eye follows The gentle curve of the hills With a lover’s awed, Astonished caress How do we deserve this Tenderness and majesty of Our nature matriarch My heart leaps to my eyes and Trickles down in soft rivu

Here’s the latest episode of Gingham and Steel Bakes!  Notes and recipe after the video. Notes on this week’s episode: Honestly, guys, I almost scrapped this whole episode.  I tried a new camera (my computer’s) and angle (on the counter) and HATED the result.  The lighting is atrocious, I couldn’t stage the room cutely, and most of all, I spent most of the footage looking at my own image instead of the camera (which is cruelly located above the escape key).  But…my schedule w

We have finally finished our weeks of short California cruising!  It turns out four-day cruises are much harder than seven-day cruises, since you have fewer days off and you start to lose track of time in general.  (It’s very unsettling for me not to know what day of the week it is.) We are currently en route to Hawaii, a fifteen-day trip that involves four straight days at sea the first week and five straight days at sea the second.  Fortunately, we’ve got plenty to distract

Blue skies, warm beach, and lots of sunshine.  Must be in Santa Barbara, California! We are now officially into our second week of California cruising, which will comprise the remainder of September.  There have been a few things to get used to, but one I don’t mind at all is the sunshine.  After the downright cold temperatures and rainy days we experienced in Alaska, a bit of sun is quite welcome. And folks, I’m tanning.  I didn’t think it was possible, both because I’m soli

You see, all of our rehearsals so far have been costume-less, prop-less, and light-less.  We’ve occasionally rehearsed with live microphones, but they’re not the same mics we’ll be using onstage.  We’ve had sets to work with, but they’re not the real sets – we’ve been miming the lifts (the pieces of stage that rise and sink out of view), pretending to be aware of the pyrotechnics happening (can we say spectacle?), and approximating the entrances, exits, and numbers we’re supp

This post has nothing to do with the cruise ship rehearsal process, but I wanted to share my thoughts anyway. Night-blooming jasmine It’s been fascinating to be back in California.  I was actually born and raised here in Los Angeles, until we moved to the Midwest when I was six.  I didn’t realize till I got my feet on the ground, but it has actually been over ten years since I’ve spent time in L.A. – and boy, have the memories come flooding back! One of my first choices after

Yah.  My sincere apologies.  The truth is…I’ve been sooooo tired when I get home that I just haven’t been up to posting.  It’s amazing how exhausting eight hours a day of learning/rehearsing/running/reviewing choreography can be.  Most of my life, the longest I’ve ever had to rehearse was six hours…on, like, tech day or something, and never was I on my feet that whole time!  It’s also been high 90s hot for the last couple weeks, and it’s amazing what that takes out of you (se

The requisite pilgrimage: a classic burger meal from In-n-Out! I’m back home after my first day of rehearsal in Los Angeles (or technically, Santa Clarita)! Thought I’d share a handful of pictures from this first day as a production vocalist with Princess Cruises.  I’m really trying to document this experience, guys!  For you and for my eventual children. Other than the photos, there’s not that much that’s cool or unusual to share.  It was like most first days at a new job: s