Monday, February 23, 2009

Almost

We put on one hell of a show in Salt Lake City. Great crowd, and the seemed to loved the hell out of it!!!

short and sweet this morning, as i pack and head towards the airport. i'll be in Denver this afternoon for the show tomorrow. then one more travel day to the Big O (Omaha).

we are down to the final two shows.

my, how the time has flown.

i'll be home march 2nd, late, and am looking forward to the week of settling back into my own abode.

thank you all, for you support and kind words. they help more than you realize.

love and light!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

busy busy busy

hello peeps!

i've been a very busy camper... even on these days off here in montreal. i've been in front of the computer 12 or 14 hours a day. bleeding money, doing my part to stimulate the economy.

alitalia had a rare sale on tickets, so i jumped and purchased. i'll be out of the usa 29 june - 20 july. 3 blissful weeks in italia. timing is everything, and nycballet is helped by ending the spring season early enough to allow me to make it to siena in time for il palio, with my italian, thank you.

i have secured the most gorgeous loft in firenze for the week following il palio. i am over the top excited about the space. i discovered this loft online about 4 years, and i am just thrilled that i found it available for the week i wanted it. in addition, it's close to the train station (walking 200 meters) so any day trips (lucca) are easy and more than doable!!!

plus i've been online booking our hawaiian activities for march. all the while looking for lodging in italia and trying to block out my remaining time for roma, salerno, et. al.

plus i've been thoroughly enjoying my quiet alone time.

we depart montreal tomorrow morning, before sunrise (4:45AM) and head towards san jose, via dallas. the last week of ugliness commences tomorrow, bright and early.

bring it on!

i'm ready to wrap this puppy!!! 4 more shows and i get come home!

where the taxes and months of mail await me.

hope all of you are doing well!!

love and light!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Hmmmm

i spent valentines day with HerSelf, and at the end of the show, rose petals rained down upon us. yes, really.

sigh

we played the last french show this evening. After 11 shows (total) in montreal, we have now laid to rest the french version of the show. which is somewhat a shame, as i really like the french show... it's a little more upbeat!

i'm now on the last 'break' of the last 11 days of the tour. we stay in montreal until the 19th, and then we hit it hard and heavy for the last 4 shows.

peeps in omaha, i'm almost there!!! i think we should have brunch on sunday!! plans to be announced as soon as i get the hell out of canada and have free phone service again. (yah, i'm tight... did i mention that i'm going to europe this summer?)

hey, i'm going to Italia june/july. finally. 3 blissful weeks, some beautiful art, il palio de siena, botticelli paintings, beautiful beaches, italian food and wine, and much much more...

thank you MaMa!!!

where does the time fly?

hope you all are well, i'm going to attempt to catch up on some serious email to you all soon...

love and light!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

You know you are in for it when:

You know you are in for it when your cpa takes a look at your final paystub from a rock and roll production company and says, "even with the family discount, this return isn't going to be cheap!"

sigh

Yes, i know... i have to file a state return for every state that i played a gig in, which is considerable.

Yes, i know. it's why i now have a cpa... so ballpark me a figure, ignore my sticker-shock, and we'll chalk this up to the cost of continuing success in my career.

it's ridiculous actually, and i can't believe that the touring laws have changed so greatly in the last 10 years, but there it is.

again i say, if it weren't for HerSelf, i wouldn't do it. lol

back in the land of canada...

i'm enjoying a relaxing morning on a show day! i love sitdowns! we don't start until 2pm. i have clean laundry waiting for me, so we just have to do prep and set,and we are ready to roll! of course, even on this 'easy' day, it will still be 12 hours. i'll be in the arena doing laundry until about 2am. but that also means i get to come in at 2pm, and not 9am.

we are back at the illustrious Bell Centre in montreal. great arena, people that know the show (this is THE arena for us; we will have played over 11 shows here on this tour, it makes a difference.

and for most of the crew, we are 'home.'

i'm in a pretty decent place mentally and physically. and i've been very busy online tracking flights to italia and discovering new adventures to add to the oahu itinerary.

i'm off to deal with some paperwork. i hope you all have enjoyable and productive weekends!!

love and light!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Royalty

The queen has returned home. (no, not me, i'm not home yet), but the Canadian royalty has returned to her providence, and as far as rock and roll is concerned, there is no place like home.

what a difference it makes. people jump to make things happen. they are happy to have us, and believe me, we are pumping money into the economy; so we are doing our part to help. i think of it as the international Diva stimulus package. You pay her, and we are all happy! hehehe

Quebec City is beautiful, but freaking cold! i mean really freaking cold. COLD!! As my dear mother put it so well this morning, these last days you will be earning every penny of your salary. it's the truth. deep breaths, keep your head down, and keep rolling.

there really is nothing like the Canadian audiences. HerSelf really is the closest thing they have to royalty, and they flock to us and are extremely involved and appreciative. not only that, but we are now back to doing the french set list, which i personally adore. you have to go to canada or france to hear the french songs, and it's not so littered with the english ballads either.

we have one more show in QC, and then we head off to Montreal for 3 (more) shows there, bringing our grand total for the tour to 11 performances (selling out all performances to a capacity of 20,000+).

16 days, 5 more cities, 8 more shows.

last night was the first night i felt connected to the show. i'm always in it to win it, but last night i was finally embracing the show again. even amidst the chaos of one of the dancers going out during the first number, and having to race around to put the dance captain on. (note, i'm STILL) looking for her laundry bag which disappeared from where i stored it, making a mid-show turnover a pain in the arse. but we gave them their monies worth last night and then some.



we are beginning to hit the finals section of the tour. we take our final tour bus ride tonight to montreal. then we lose the buses. it will be air travel from here on out. i will not miss the long bus rides, but considering my current attitude about airports, i'm a little afraid of the next week and will have to make a concentrated effort to remain calm in the face of the tsa idiots.

i'm looking forward to montreal. we've done it so many times there, and the crew is great and know what it's all about. perhaps i can relax a bit, and i'm hoping we get our same crew back in wardrobe. they all crack me up and it will be a large pleasure to share the next 4 days with them, and also then to have our last 'break' without traveling and shows, before the last week hits us hard.

D, you are in my thoughts and meditations. i hope things are improving and you are feeling yourself again. i'm very sorry that you won't be able to join me this week; i understand, but i miss you! i hope we can get together in early march before i take my holiday.... but more importantly, i hope you are well!!

word from the roommate back home: granny has returned to residence in the house. part of me breathes a sigh of relief, she's been gone for almost a year following her fall in the bathroom (where she laid for 2 days before they carted her off to medical care and assisted living). part of me wonders how i'm going to deal with greek opera vibrating through the floorboards at 3am when i get home. i'm relieved though, as her being home makes my top floor apartment SECURE. her daughter isn't going to sell the house out from under us while her mother is still living there. which means i have my beautiful apartment to go home too... to quote my Diva, "I count the nights, i count the days, away. Yeah!"

my mother has informed me that i am the activities director for our week in Hawaii, so i had best pull out the calendar and get my act together. we have a lot of things to do during our holiday, and i need to sketch out a game plan, one that still leaves me a couple of afternoons on a beach!


I've got to go and deal with capezio and pack my life up. time to clean up, pack up, and get to the arena.

love and light to you all. i will be home soon!

Friday, February 06, 2009

Windsor

back in canada peeps!!

today is a load in day at the casino in windsor. we have a later bus call by an hour, and i'm very glad for a regular 10-6 gig today.

i have no idea what the crew will be like, but i had a great day yesterday. my baby sister came over from the states for dinner and an evening. we had bbq (bad bbq) and she watched me lose some money, rather quickly, at the casino.

i'm excited to see my sis and her husband again this evening. i'll be taking them out to dinner following our work call today. go family.

we are down to the final 10 shows. yes, i can officially count them on two hands. very exciting if you don't consider the fact that i have yet to converse all of the usa one more time before we wrap.

i have to go, bus call is looming.

love and light!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Meet Me in St Louis

Meet me at the fair! Lol

I’ve arrived in st Louis. After a fitful bus ride from Tulsa. I repressed the urge to beat the driver with my shoes, but I did have the urge! Hehehe

The gods threw me a bone yesterday with the Tulsa local. They rocked. It’s so great to do a show with people who understand what is happening, and know their craft. These ladys were fantastic and there to work. Work them, we did! But it was also a fun day, and I never once got tense about having the show looking fantastic and being ready on time! I give them a 9.

I’ve played St Louis years ago (a few times) and I remember liking their local here, so I have high hopes for tomorrow. I am relieved that we are finally getting out of the south (and labor pools) and back to venues with IATSE. I am not joking when I relate that I had to show my last two crews how to assemble and USE a steamer. Adios mio!

Anyhow, we are in St Louis now and are returning to old man winter. It was a whopping 13 degrees when we arrived the morning and it was quite a shock stepping off the bus, and having the wind take your breath away! Crazy cold. I checked in around 8am, and pulled out my list of things to do today.

1) Post office. I am no longer seeing any warmer climates; the rest of this tour is all up north and at high altitudes. I shipped home a medium sized box of books and shorts and tshirts; things that I will no longer need. The suitcase is blissfully about ½ full again and I’m not lugging around tons of baggage! Of course, I haven’t pulled out the big down coat(s) out of cargo yet either. But I do think I’ll be able to do the final week of this tour, when we are flying everywhere and then home with one suitcase, one murse, and the computer.
2) Lunch. I found the cutest little city grocery (not quite a balducci’s) and grabbed potato salad and a wrap from the deli for breakfast/lunch. Mmmm
After that 10 block r/t walk in the wind, I decided that I’m done for the day outside. Hehehe I will be inside in the heat, thank you very much. I have just started a new Sharon shinn book, and I have potato salad and a dr. pepper. I’m set for the afternoon. This in most certainly involve a nap too, I am still trying to catch up on my rest, and last nights bus ride didn’t help a darn bit. But I’m only a few mere days away from the next border crossing, which is a milestone in this final leg. We are closing in on it.

I believe we have 11 shows left. A mere 11 shows, and yet I will still be completely back and forth across the continental USA 2 twice in the next 3 weeks. (and then twice more for my trip to Hawaii)

Do you see why I am cranky with airport incompetence?

Suffice it to say that I no longer have my sense of wander-lust. Its cured for the time being! Lol Of course, I will be traveling again soon, but it won’t be for work, and will be on my schedule! I don’t think I’m going to overly mind my mother waking me up at 6am in Oahu. She knows to do with a cup of coffee…

I’m about to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your support and everything that you do for me.

Love and Light!

Sunday, February 01, 2009

RANT

Just arrived Tulsa from san juan, and I’m here to tell you that the airports are getting even nuttier than before. Longer lines, less than competent help, and more cues than freaking Disney land.

It’s getting to the point where even allowing 2 hours at the airport for a domestic flight isn’t enough time to assure you actually make it to the gate. When is America going to stand up and refuse to put up with the shit that the airlines are pulling?
Don’t get me wrong, we need to be safe. We need to be screened to keep us safe, both in the air and on the ground. Why are we placing our safety in the hands of people who haven’t even received a high school diplomia? Why are we forced to tolerate incompetence and rudeness about their incompetence. I remember when flying used to be a relatively pleasant experience. These days, you pay an astronomical amount for a coach seat, only to be battered with fee after fee when you check in. is it too much to ask for free water on the plane? No, I don’t think so… I also doubt that charging 3 dollars for a cranberry juice is what is breaking the airlines bottom line. Stop paying the CEO’s billion dollar bonuses, and you just might be able to run a profitable airline. Seriously people, I love to travel, but I am seriously pissed off at the airline companies. Fuck you United for leading the pack on charging for baggage… (just charge me 25$ more for the ticket instead of nickel and diming me at the counter, you assholes; people travel with clothing!) fuck you United for making me wait in line for hours on end while idiots all over the world try and cram a suitcase that was never meant to fit in the overhead compartment, in the overhead compartment. Let me say it again, fuck you United!! And fuck the rest the airlines for following suit… and don’t give me the sob story. I refuse to pay 3000$ for a first class ticket to avoid paying a baggage fee. You continue to cut services and continue to whine and raise prices to try and offset your loss of business. Perhaps if you treated your consumers like people and not cattle, you would have a more loyal cliental. Fuck you United for selling me an expensive coach seat that a normal human doesn’t fit in, and the offer me a 30$ upgrade to a ecomony plus seat. WTF? And let me just state for the record, that after I pay you 50$ in baggage fees, I expect to have my luggage arrive with me, or I expect a full refund for fucking up! I’m even beginning to get disgusted with Continential, whom has been my favorite airline for US domestic travel for years.

Why is the common public so stupid as to put up with this behavior? The airlines are taking ADVANTAGE of your fear and cowing you into submission… heaven forbid you argue or raise your voice with any airline or airport employee. It’s AMAZING how fast security comes out of the woodwork.

One should NOT have to take a valium to check in at the airport.

Yes, I’m outraged. Rightfully so… if I wanted to pay good money for people to be rude to me, I could just walk down the streets of nyc, where there is less chance of being arrested for telling someone they are an asshole, when they are clearly being an asshole.

Stand up people, WE are the consumers. The airlines are only getting away with this shit because we are ALLOWING THEM TO DO SO. Do you think American and Delta would have not charged baggage fees if United hadn’t have proven to them that the general American public was ready to fork out more money to their coffers? There is a good reason why I will pay more money to fly on Continental than ever set foot on another united airplane…

End rant, before my blood pressure exceeds even my high parameters.

So uhm, yah. I’ve had about 8 hours of sleep in the last 3 days, and then, of course, dealing with various airports (and fuck you GWBush/Houston international while I’m at it). Don’t you dare tell me I’m going to be arrested for politely asserting my first amendment rights.

San juan was a mess, as was fort Lauderdale. Two crappy crews in a row. Uhm, I should NOT have to show you how to steam a garment if you are on my fucking wardrobe crew. Do I look like a fucking educator? No! take your wrench and go back to electrics or props, and get the hell out of my way.

Seriously. There are days when I feel like my department are the only professionals on this tour/ and I will state that between the three of us, we have more professional experience than anyone else on this tour will EVER have beyond working for HerSelf.

Yes, I’ve had a day. Now I’m going to have cake and go to bed.

I miss you all, and am really looking forward to being home again soon. No buses, no airplanes, no working with people who haven’t got a clue. I value MY WORK too much to have such a lackadaisical attitude about my career, and if you are only in it for the experience, get the fuck out and go do community theatre.