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Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 101

June 27, 2020 //  by Tommy Hensel//  Leave a Comment

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Time for a nap.

As I move towards the 15th week of sparkling isolation, things do seem to be moving incrementally back towards some normalcy. Yesterday, I had a doctor’s appointment and except for the new entry protocols (temperature check, COVID questionnaire, and masks) it was not all that removed from any prior appointments.

Later in the day, I celebrated the first day of restaurants opening for indoor dining by making a reservation at one of my favorite spots in the Chicago Loop. I had a lovely meal and caught up with the owners and managers of the restaurant – all of whom have become friends of mine over the years.

For the first time since early March, I rode on public transit in Chicago – taking the Blue Line from Oak Park into the Loop and back again. Riding the El is nearly always irritating on some level, and being stuck on cars with people who weren’t wearing masks – well that is no more annoying to me than man-spreading and people lighting up cigarettes on the El so I wasn’t surprised that my blood pressure went up a little from the experience.

Today, I had a wine certification exam that had been rescheduled four times, but finally happened. I drove into the city for that, had brunch at a nice diner, and then picked up my new suit that was finished with the last bit of tailoring.

Overall, I am feeling a tiny bit more normal than I have in a while. 

Now that I am back home and have time to sit and gather my thoughts for this post, I find that my mind is really quite calm and more or less blank. I don’t have anything profound bouncing around in there at the moment – at least in the more conscious part of my brain. Actually, I feel rather tired after waking early, driving in to take the test and running other errands. It is early afternoon now, and I have no other desire than to take a nap.

I suppose the point of this post today is that after all of the mental energy I have expended in the past week – pondering, wondering, examining, etc. – my body and mind are utterly exhausted. Today is a day of rest and rejuvenation.

Tomorrow, I will turn my focus back to more important existential questions – but for now, it’s time for a nap.

It’s only Quarantine if it comes from the Quarante province of France. Otherwise, it’s just Sparkling Isolation.

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Category: ThoughtsTag: Sparkling Isolation

About Tommy Hensel

Tommy Hensel is the Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Moraine Valley Community College (www.morainevalley.edu/fpac), a position he has held since January 2008. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, he has worked for more than 35 years as a professional actor, singer, stage manager, director, and arts presenter. He holds a B.A. in music and a B.A. in communication from Florida State University and an M.A. in theater from the University of South Carolina. He currently serves as Chair of the Illinois Presenters Network and is a board member of NAPAMA. He served as co-chair of the 2018 Arts Midwest Conference and currently sits on the professional development committees of both NAPAMA and Arts Midwest.

Prior to his move to Chicago, Tommy was an 11-year resident of the Seacoast region of New Hampshire where he served as Executive Director of the Rochester Opera House and sat on several non-profit arts boards. He has served on grant review panels for the New England Foundation for the Arts, New Hampshire Arts Council, Vermont Arts Council, and Illinois Arts Council. During his years as an arts presenter, he has also served on the juried showcase panels for the Arts Midwest Conference and Performing Arts Exchange.

Among his many theater credits, Hensel was the founding artistic director of the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival (now part of the Gamut Theatre Group in PA). He has over 50 professional directing credits to his name and an extensive resumé as a theatrical performer and cabaret singer. In Chicago, he has a side "gig" as a restaurant reviewer for The Local Tourist website (http://chicago.thelocaltourist.com) and blogs about travel and food at https://www.tableforoneplease.com.

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