Catching Up

Edmonton/Winnipeg via Minneapolis/Chicago

I have some serious catching up to do with you all. I spent a very long and busy week in northern Canada with basically no internet access, and as such, I’m more than a little behind on the updates here. My sincere apologies to you all for dropping the ball. One would think that I would manage to record my thoughts better, I had a bit of free time to do so, and there sure as hell wasn’t much else to do, but I didn’t. I got lazy…

When I last left you I was in Vancouver, just a stone’s throw from Portland. Ah, that Edmonton was the same. We have been putting the miles on the last week. It was a 14+ hour drive to Edmonton, and I’m pleased to announce that I managed to sleep through half of it. This alone is an accomplishment. We must have passed the exciting stuff while I was watching the inside of my eyelids, because when I got out of my bunk, all I saw for the next 7 hours was flat prairie. Let me say that again, flat prairie.

There must be something in Edmonton that keeps people living there; I must have missed it. I don’t see the draw personally. It snowed (twice) while we were in town, so I got to see the first snow of my season. Those of you who know me will know just how thrilled I was by that. No accumulation, but snow never-the-less.
Oh the inhumanity! Our wardrobe room in Edmonton was a tiny black box with what appeared to be asbestos sprayed all over the ceiling. We couldn’t even fit half of our cases in the room, much less all the racks required for prep. Of course, we just sucked it up and kept on rolling, but it wasn’t an easy venue for us. First of all, it was damn dark, even with additional lighting it was hard to see what we were up too. We made it all work, and the crew… was… marginally helpful. I’m no longer going to rant about skills or the lack thereof. They were ok, just ok. There were a few hair raising moments but nothing was completely damaged, and the show was presentable when it needed to be. I would have preferred to not do a second show but I’m not the manager and just do what we are told… hehehe

Did I mention that it was cold? I said it was snowing, but it was also WINDY and very very temperate. Just walking two blocks to the ghetto mall beside the hotel took my breath away, slicing right through multiple layers of leather and fleece, and blowing the tears right off my face. ‘Nuff said, right?!

This Imp didn’t care for Edmonton.

Nor did he care for the 15+ hour haul from Edmonton to Winnipeg, where it was even colder upon our arrival. You just know something is amiss when I begin to miss the old USA. The whole change of time zones and weather was making me want to curl up somewhere dark and warm and hibernate. The lack of sunshine can get downright depressing at times. Even STAR light only goes so far with me…

Alright! Winnipeg. We finally got a decent wardrobe room again in the Peg. Decent lighting, enough space to work (creatively) in. I’m going to refrain from commenting too much about our crew, but will say again, I was not looking forward to two shows. Perhaps I’m just too jaded, but I prefer to have the professionals working for me on something this large, instead of feeling like a teacher and having to educate the next generation. It was a tense city for all of my department; I wasn’t the only one. I will give many many points to Roxanne though, who came in on the second day to replace a person who didn’t show up for work. She was bright, intuitive, eager and professional. She made my day and my show.

All things considered I got a lot of work done in the Peg. Shannon, I owe you a couple of drinks for doing the alterations on that first red dress back in the city. The second dress was handed off to a ‘stitcher’ in Portland, and I’ve spent the last 3 cities trying to undo the damage and get it presentable and wearable. I think perhaps, after one more city of work, I’ll have the damn thing done…
Let’s just say that the show set changed a little in the Peg. Herself wasn’t feeling great. She still put on an amazing show but it was different and we all had to change our muscle memory around a bit to adhere to the new set list.
I saw the Dr(s) walking down the hall the second day at the Peg…

Now I sit in Minneapolis with my bus call approaching. Many of you Minneapolis peeps will know by now that the show scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled for February. That is right kids, we postponed one. MaMa needs her rest and so we head off to the Windy City a day earlier than planned, knowing we will be hitting the Mark in February. A few of my friends were attending the show here, and I hope to see them again when we are back in town.

The good news is, we all now have almost a week off. Time for us all to rest. Our next show in Chicago isn’t until the 4th, which allows us all to get our rest and to relax a little. The only thing that is standing between me and a great mini holiday is today’s 7 hour bus ride.

It’s all good though, I have a new episode of SGA downloaded, so that is 44 minutes of entertainment in the 7 hours, and I also finally managed to find the book I was searching for… so I have reading to keep me entertained the rest of the way.

The highlight of Minneapolis was seeing my dear friend Trina!!!! I once again took my girl out to lunch and then shopping (for dinner items) and then got the tour of the new house!!! I’m very glad we got the chance to spend the day together. We worked/lived together for many years in Omaha, and it’s always good to see her. She’s VERY pregnant, and I’m glad the child didn’t appear during our day together. She’s due on November 5th, that’s how Very close she is… we had a great time catching up and then making dinner together. I also got to see her fantastic husband when he got home from work, and we all had dinner together before he dropped me back the hotel!!

All in all, a very pleasant and easy stay in Minneapolis. I am looking forward to our return in February.

Now I must get off this machine and get my new purchases packed, repack, and get showered and downstairs. It’s time to head for Chicago!! Happy Halloween to you all… I get to enjoy a full 24 hours with my female BFF (without her precious daughter) in Chicago. Time for scrabble games and card games and a bottle of something…. It’s going to be so good to catch up with her again.

I just saw that a lot of snow is falling on the east coast… are you peeps there buried under it yet? I mean, 25 inches? WOW!!!!

Miles to go before I sleep….

Love and Light!

Priere de ne pas deranger

You get bonus points if you can translate the French above…

Vancouver. It’s pretty, what I’ve seen of it. It’s a blessing from the gods that we had an EXCELLENT local crew here. Sasha, David, Clydia, Lisa, you guys rocked our world. Thank you so much for being hard and committed workers. See what theatrical experience will get you. If only all our crews were so freaking fantastic. I managed to even get some ‘extra’ work done, and catch up on a lot of things that have been getting ignored due to time constraints. Again, they rocked with us…

I’m trying very hard to stay awake now. We loaded out of the venue here last night and then returned to the hotel instead of the tour bus. We have a 14+ hour trip to Edmonton tonight that I’m not looking forward too. Even tour bus travel has been difficult on this tour, for me anyhow. Perhaps I chose a very poor time to quit drinking, but there it is….
I did finally get a decent (passable) pair of sunglasses today!!!! No more bright light first thing in the morning!!! YAY!!!! Also, the bargain of the day was the complete set of The Lucy Show dvd’s at a store here, for only $15!!! Canadian. I treated myself…

Now I MUST sit down and do some receipts and pull myself together . it’s time for a late lunch, and then packing and getting ready for the next stop.
I don’t return to the USA until the 29th of October, when we hit Minneapolis. Then I get to enjoy a couple of days in Chicago with my BFF (female) and enjoy a mini holiday filled with deep dish pizza and catching up. I guess I had better find a scrabble board before I hit Chicago, and a deck of cards. I’m so looking forward to it!!!

Love and light to you all. We continue forward!!

Tacoma

Tacoma

What shall I say about Tacoma? It’s stunningly beautiful and the people are so very nice. I wish I could say the same for the wardrobe crew (local). It was a very long and very rough day. We earned our daily bread in Tacoma.
We played the arena with the wooden dome. Yah, it sounded great but it was a pain. Literally. The floor was shallow and the seating came right down to the floor. Yah, we sold the hell out of that place, but as a result, we had to do the modified stage which meant no rake. Which meant it did the show on my knees the entire night.
Have I earned the right to complain a little? Just a little. See, I’m already done.
We had a pretty bumpy trip to Vancouver, but we are here now. I’ll be in Canada for the next few weeks before we hit the Midwest and blaze our trail south to Mexico.
But for now, I’m going to enjoy the last hour of my evening off by watching some Stargate Atlantis and then curling up with my very interesting book. (thanks again D for putting it in my hand, I am enjoying Dhampir very much, even if I am already 2 books ahead as far as the character arc’s/relationships go).

Love and Light, and I’ll see you on the ice…

Pleasure in Portland

Hello Friends!

Time to play a little catch up, as I’ve been extremely busy being entertained while traveling. Oh yes, there is work involved, but I have also been working the social calendar lately. One of the great things about traveling is seeing new places and reconnecting with friends from days gone by.

Imp had a great time in Portland. We arrived after a very long overnight drive from CA, and checked into a nice hotel (the president stays there when in town). I rolled into the hotel with the beginnings of a major headache (yes, one of those), but I refused to be disabled by it. I immediately swallowed enough advil to shock a baby elephant and took a very LONG and very hot shower. I think perhaps the altitude and travel of the last few days was finally catching up with me. It took a lot of will power but I departmentalized the pain and moved forward with my day.

The real thrill of the city was not the show, the guests, nor the crew. They all basically reflected the city, gloomy, hazey, and basically overcast. Don’t get me wrong, the show went well, but it wasn’t easy. I was also slightly hung over ( as you will soon learn) so that could have also impacted my rough recollection and perception.

The real joy of Portland was the sanity break that I had!!! My friend Sara has lived in Portland for about 2 years now, and I haven’t seen her (or her darling girlfriend Rebecca) in about 3 years. We had worked together for many years in upstate NY during the summers and always had a great time and it was so freaking great to see her again and she more than rose to the occasion. We had planned to get together for the day (what are the odds that both of us being in showbusiness and both of us having the day off!) and we made good on that promise.

Sarah came to the hotel and picked me up. We had talked about taking the puppy for a hike, but amended our plans due to the nature of my still recovering head. We decided to grab some lunch, which we did at a local eatery that Sara had been trying to try for a while, but hadn’t quite succeeded in the getting in the front door. It was delicious! I had a fantastic (and almost perfect) French onion soup, followed by a bbq chicken pizza that really hit the spot.

I had heard many tales of the ‘do not miss this’ bookstore in Portland, called Powell’s. I mentioned it to Sara as I knew it was close to the hotel and of course, I am always interested in wandering through a really good bookstore, especially one that is an independent!! Imagine my surprise when I learn that Rebecca works at that store as a buyer!! Our lunch eatery was a mere block away from the bookstore, so we stopped by after lunch to smack a howdy on Rebecca and to wander around for a bit. It IS truly amazing. Room after room of new and used books. Had I not had other plans, I could have easily spent all day there, sipping coffee and wandering the stacks. After a quick meet and greet with some of the store staff, I did a quick commando run through the sci-fi/fantasy section. Yes, I bought a few things to keep me occupied, but it wasn’t until I had paid for everything that I realized I should have looked to see if they had the new Mercedes Lackey Valdamier book. Oh well, less to haul around. As it is, I have three of the riftwar prequels by Raymond Feist which should prove interesting.

After our short shopping stop, we headed off to Sara’s new house, and I got the grand tour. It’s a really lovely house and it is so apparent that she is happy there. She has done a lot of work on it, and it is truly a beautiful home. I was especially interested in the guest room, where I plan on crashing the next time I am in Portland!!

We grabbed the puppy dog and headed off to the beach for a walk. This was in substitute for the hike we had talked about earlier. I had a great time with the puppy and wandering through the sand and watching the water and even eating a few wild blackberrys, tart, but right from the vine! We had a good long walk and talk on the beach and it was so great to be able to catch up with her and hear about everything and everyone we have in common, and to also discuss what we have been up to for the past few years. She shared some very excited news with me, which I am not at liberty to disclose, but I wish you all the best in that and can’t wait to hear how that develops!!!

After our walk we headed off to grab a coffee and then back to her house. Sara had promised me a homecooked meal, and I remember her cooking from years ago, so I was most definitely excited at this prospect. She surprised me (pleasantly) by informing me that they were throwing a dinner party that evening!! Oh did we have a great time. I got to meet two of their friends, C & H, who were a hoot and a half. Not to mention that I was fed to within an inch of my life. A very delicious chicken enchilada casserole was served, with a fantastic salad, along with more margarita’s than I actually remember consuming!! Hehehe C made desert, and it involved ginger/caramelized pears and ice cream; along with a few more margarita’s, because heaven forbid we not kill that bottle of José Quervro….

I know I had stated in the past that I enjoy traveling, and touring is definitely travel, but it is the hours spent with friends that you haven’t seen in years that really makes my day. Thank you again Sara for such a wonderful sanity break. It is just nice to have a ‘normal’ day sometimes in the midst of a very large and in charge national tour!

Of course, the next morning was a bit rough… only a bit but I think perhaps I was still slightly inebriated that next morning. Yes, 7am is early on any day for me, but following such guilty pleasures of the day before, I was in no mood to hop on my bus and do a pageant. We hit it running though and made do. Oh oh oh!!! Sara and I had briefly discussed a certain crazy character in the local union, and sure enough she was on my crew. I completely agree with you sara, she’s a handful and really thinks she’s funny. No, you didn’t bias my opinion, as I didn’t remember her name, and I had formulated my own opinion of her well before she mentioned the ballet you two were working on together… but it was an “AHHHH” moment when she mentioned it… hehehe I refrained from telling her we were friends, as I was not the least bit interested in furthering any conversation with her. She is not capable of talking and working at the same time, so it wasn’t just prissiness on my part…

It is now getting to be very late as I sit here and type. I’m currently in Tacoma, WA and tomorrow we head out for the next show here. It was a blissful day off today, and I am falling in love with Tacoma. No, seriously people. I like the vibe I felt today when I was wondering around. I didn’t do anything super, just a short walk in search of food and possibly entertainment. I grabbed a couple of subs for food, but I really enjoyed my sunny walk around town. In fact, part of me believes that I could live here, and I’ve been thinking about it all day. The people are super friendly, the city is beautiful, and they have opera and ballet companies, along with more art museums and glasswork than you can shake a stick at. I wish I had more time to explore this city, in fact, I’m putting it on my list of things to do. I will be back, and beforehand I just might investigate the social and economic status of this city, along with work possibilities. Don’t panic people, I’m not up and moving, but one is never to ignore that inner voice when it speaks, and it’s been speaking loudly here. I’m not easily impressed and this city is definitely worth further exploration. AND…. I have a view of Mount St. Helens from my hotel room… just saying.

PR, is your property/parents around this neck of the woods? I have thought of you often today…

It is past time for me to close this 1500+ word posting and pull out my suitcase. I have to repack and organize the laundry and get ready for the next couple of days and shows. Then it will be past time for bed!! We continue forward and I’m ready to see how we roll in Tacoma.

Love and Light to you all!

The Next Leg

Sacramento, CA

It was with light suitcase and heavy heart that I departed my comfortable home and begin my 12 hour travel day across the whole of the States.

Budget Travel has got nothing on me this leg. I managed to pack one suitcase that will hopefully attire me throughout the west coast, Northwestern Canada, and Mexico. It still wasn’t full either. This leg is all about layers, and (gasp) currently running on only two pair of shoes. (I must be insane). Of course, I was intelligent and savvy enough to pack a few things into my road boxes so they were meeting me here in Sacramento. There is no point in paying to fly my shower bag home and back when the contents are not worth the now 50 or 100 dollars it would cost to fly them roundtrip.

Having never imp’d around Sacramento before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What little I did see of the city was positively rural yet beautiful. The venue itself was nice even with (what looked like) years of unfinished construction. The landscaping was incredible and our room was very near (one of) the loading docks, so it was difficult to pass by the dock without seeing how stunningly beautiful it was outside. I’ve always been a sucker for palm trees and sunshine, and Sacramento had this in abundance during our short stay.

Those of you who have been on the road before know that the local crew is the fulcrum that will make or break your day. I will whole heartedly endorse the wardrobe local that we had there. Not since Buffalo have we had such a great crew. They were actually waiting for us in the wardrobe room when we arrived and were ready and willing to work. This was a great blessing to us all, as we had more work than usual to accomplish, on this first stop on the next leg. Many cases needed to be unpacked, reorganized and repacked, due to the cleaning that happened in another country and without any of our assistance. (Our two people in Montreal are to be commended for their excellent work; it all came back relatively correct.) It was such a blessing to have a knowledgeable and talented crew. One of them had actually toured before and really took everything seriously. How great that someone would complete a job and then actually return to us and ask for the next project.
I took a special liking to one of our ladies for completely aesthetic reasons. She was standing and steaming a rack of clothes, and I caught her profile as I was working in the corner. I suddenly realized she reminded me of someone. My co-workers didn’t see it, but then again, my coworkers aren’t the fans and have not the background that I have concerning HerSelf. This crew person actually looked like HerSelf (about 15 years ago). It could have been the eye makeup application, it was definitely the bone structure and hairstyle of HerSelf about 5 or 6 albums ago. It made me smile even broader than before, just seeing her working so diligently on HerSelfs clothes. It was almost like a time lapse photo, seeing an early star look alike working on the present day diva tour wardrobe. It’s the small things that get you through a day, right?!

Obviously the show went well. HerSelf was in fine voice after a break and she nailed it to the arena audience, who repeatedly were stomping their feet in appropriation and approval. I don’t think I need to tell you how that gets this Imp off. Or perhaps I do; I get a huge charge out of seeing thousands of people screaming and applauding HerSelf. I feel the energy pass from the house through the Diva and back along through all of the staff. It’s the main reason I put up with the lifestyle that one must embrace and endure to do this gig. It really is that 90 minutes that makes the whole day worth it. There are very few people who give me such a charge to work with/for. I can count them on one hand. I haven’t experienced such a working thrill since my Sho-Sho was belting her ass off as the green girl on Broadway.
All in all, it was a great return to the road. It was a pleasure to reconnect with everyone and to see everyone rested and ready to roll once again. Many thanks to the powers that be for providing the gift of returning to work and having it be such a wonderful, wonderful experience.

Love and Light to you all!

Sacramento, CA

I hath arrived in California. Ahhhhh, Palm Trees. I love palm tree's. We have the rest of the day to ourselves before we kick this tour into high gear tomorrow.

Yes, many of you have emailed, asking why i quit blogging while i was at home. Well.... how interesting is me talking about sleeping (yes, I was actually doing it). I had dinner with many of you, or as many of you as I could schedule.

Now we are back on it... and away we go. I'm meeting my boss for dinner (although I have yet to determine when she arrives. She is not here yet, and my stomach is rumbling like an ancient Egyptian chariot race.

We are in a SWANKY hotel. nice without being pretentious. Of course, it helped that I arrived with my dancers (who have an incredible tour bus, we are being robbed).

One of the airport security guards came up to me while I was sucking down a fag (cig, you filthy minded bastards) as soon as i finally escaped from the frontier flights i put up with today. "You missed your bus!" he said to me. It was then I realized that i was wearing my tour jacket and so of course, he knew. We chatted for a little bit, while i had my eye on the luggage carousel. I explained that there were many buses, and thanked him for looking out for me, as I was shrugging off my jacket and taking in the palm trees.

Now i'm off to find a cup of coffee (which i am making in my own room, cause i can) and wander over to the beautiful capital park that is right across the street from my current digs. Tomorrow we begin; again.

Love and Light to you all!

Oh Auntie Em, There's No Place Like Home

Those writers knew what they were talking about Chil'! I just love being home, as proven by my track record the last 3 days. I got industrious and went and got my flu shot the day i returned, but I haven't ventured more than 5 blocks from my house for the past 3 days. And that was only to get moisturizer and coffee mate. LMAO


Imp has been industrious though. I fixed my dresser drawer (this involved tools and parts) and just today I went out to the front porch and started the fall cleanup of garden. When next I return home, it will be December, and I don't think one should hang christmas lights on, say, dead tomato plants. That's just tacky.

I'm still tour-lagged, but I got out and about today. I had social activities. I had dinner with an old Wicked friend, and then coffee and gossip with another Wicked/Ballet friend. So great to get out and see the people i want to see. Tomorrow i Must see my best friend, whom i've spoken too, but not yet seen. Seems ridiculous that he's offered to make me dinner twice or thrice now, and I still haven't seen him (due to self induced need to be HOME the past few days). I'm taking him up on dinner tomorrow and we can hang and dine and watch the new Amazing Race together.

Had a great time with both my friends tonight. great to sit and chat about work, but not BE at work. Everyone looks so great, and P! I love your new place. Welcome to mid-town!!!

What does one do when one is national tour? For me, it has always been a time to improve and update my electronics. New computer, new phones for example. Well I bought a new phone this week and I'm trying to get it all figured out. It is a crack-berry, which means it's got it all, down to live tv and a media player. Problem is it all has to be set up and configured and blah, blah, blah. So i've got homework to do. It came with a big fat book, and i'm about a 1/3 of the way through it. Perhaps i'll get the email set up sometime in the next week. But I am rather excited about it, cause it's a quad-band and already set up and configured for international use. This will come in handy in the next 3 months when I shall be in three different countries... Not to mention next summer when all you European peeps are going to be seeing me.

Let me take a moment to reflect, on how lucky I am. The economy is going to hell in a handbasket and I'm booking guilt free trips to Hawaii, and buying new electronics as well. At least for the next 5 months, I know the bills are paid; when so many of my friends are already starting to lose their jobs. (shout out to you sister in AZ, take the tour and ride it out brother).

Yah, i'm enjoying being home. I'm going to leave you with that, as i have two kittens who really are insisting on some attention and who am i to deny them?

love and light!

H-O-M-E

Home. There is no place like it, is there?

I had a very special arrival home too. My Roommate rocks. I really pleased to come home to a CLEAN house. OK, our house is usually tidy (with the occasional sewing project strewn throughout the living room)but she deserves major treats for the condition of the house. The kitchen was spotless, the floors are shining; even the stairs, which are notorious furball traps, were spotless. It is so great to come home to a gleaming house.

Then it got even better because I had clean sheets setting on my bed AND a gooey cake on the stove (if you have to ask, Gooey cake is divine, and in my opinion, even better than her brownies). The weight gain continues... I can't stress how FABULOUS it was

Little Roo met me at the door, and was more than convinced she needed second breakfast (or lunch).

Sigh. I'm home.

The last show went pretty well. It was a Very long day for us, but we had a decent crew and drove all day and all night to get through it. I have stories but they must be relayed in person and not publicly. hehehe

I'm a little ticked about my new laptop though. Just yesterday the left shift key flew off. Yes I was typing, and then it just popped off. One of the 3 locking devices was obviously faulty, as it's broken. It's difficult to type when you can't capitalize on the left!!! Now I've got to get on the phone and find out who's going to fix this and how long it's going to take them. Papa is only on a 10 day break.

I've spent the day making appointments to the various people. I'm getting my flu shot tomorrow, and hopefully seeing the dentist as well.

Now it's time to make a few short personal calls. Don't be offended if you don't get one today people. I had to wade over a pile of mail to get to by bed, and none of it is my travel magazines. Then I'm going to cut myself a piece of gooey cake and reward myself with an hour of Stargate Atlantis....

Then I'm going to settle back into Magic and the Modern Girl, Mindy Klasky's third book in her Magic Series. If you haven't already done so, get her books. Neko is a very hilarious character, and i've enjoyed all the books. Special thanks to Sister sue for loaning me new latest book!!!

Love and Light to you all.