Day 69 - Wednesday - show and load out of Amarillo (Thank the good Lord!!!!)
The tour will be ending on June 6th so it's time to start job hunting again. Every time I start looking for a job I think about if I want to go back to normal life, do I want to live in a new place, do I want to settle down... It's can be very overwhelming if you let it.
For the most part I have accomplished my two career goals that I had: 1. Work for Disney and 2. Become a touring stage manager. But...now what? I'm not sick of touring so I feel like I should keep touring until I can't take it anymore and then settle down for awhile until I get that familiar itch to take off on the open road again...or open waters if it may be.
I'm only 30 so I feel the need to come up with some new career goals and life goals in general. I know that I want to own and run a farm animal sanctuary, live in New York, San Diego, Montana, travel, vacation, have a cat, a boyfriend, and maybe....MAYBE even a family....although it really seems like way to much pressure at this point.
In any case I sent off my resume and cover letter to a couple different production companies to see if I can't stir something up on the touring front and make decisions according to that. But who knows what my future holds...I'm up for anything at this point.
Love and peace,
Kim
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 67 & 68 - One of the longest days....but man do I love it when it's all said and done.
Day 67 Monday - Load into Amarillo, TX
Today was one of those days that just would not end. These days seem to always come after a night on the sleeper bus. I think it's because you don't get to have your usual "go back to the hotel and relax" fix that you need at the end of a run and load out. Sunday night after load out I got into my comfy clothes, got ready for bed, then walked my frumpy-ness across the load out and onto the sleeper bus. The bus is filled with yummy non-diet/non-vegan food that is waiting with open arms to hug you and comfort you while you wonder why you live such a crazy life. The buses on this tour are always really nice but for girls it's a different experience entirely than it is for the boys...mainly for the fact that you are not allowed to use toilet paper on most buses. On the upside though our tech guys are really good about cleaning up after themselves in the kitchen and not leaving trash around the place so it's great to share space with respective peeps.
The sleeping area is always an adventure...you have twelve bunks very close together with people that snore, grunt, moan, listen to music, and watch DVDs as well as (god-willing) a driver who will stay off the drunk bumps and you try and get as much sleep as possible before arriving at the theatre the next morning for load-in or if you're lucky at the hotel at 3am. I have found that if you can get to sleep before the bus starts moving you have a better chance of staying asleep. Also...a great suggestion (thank you Catherine) is to put in some ear plugs!
Halfway through the night the bunks got very warm and I wanted to take off my sweatshirt, but being raised by a Dad, who is a firefighter and on a rescue team, I had always been taught about being prepared for emergencies...so I left it on. Our overnight bus trip was happening at the same time as it was snowing so in my worst case scenario mind I thought that if our bus was so hit ice and slide off the road and I was knocked unconscience it would be best for me to be in a sweatshirt and not die of hypothermia. I know...I'm a little nuts.
We arrived at the theatre later than expected so the advance crew got up and started the load in, while the rest of us tried to get another half hour of sleep. Catherine and I waited nearly an hour for a cab to get us to the hotel (which was less than 3 miles away) so we could grab a shower before coming back in instead of trying to shower at the venue....never an extremely fun event. We got back to the hotel for an hour before heading back in. The shuttle from the hotel had a driver named Carlos who everyone in the van seemed to know besides us. We found out that Carlos likes Diet Rootbeer, tenderloins, and has a broken nose...so there's nothing wrong with his lung like he had originally thought...uh, good?!?
The venue has a long driveway covered in snowy mud, rock salt, and small lakes at the bottom of it. As we come into the venue there is a distinct smell of camel shit which was just cleaned up after the circus that was playing in the arena the previous night. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG DAY........ Our load in goes pretty smoothly, the smell of camel feces is lifting and the office is getting warmer by the minute...things are looking up!
We get away for a quick dinner at The Olive Garden after driving in circles for a minute or two trying to catch up with our blue dot on the iPhone. Sound check goes well...we have our singers back in the show! Troupe checks, half hour, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, beginners please, lame house speech, lights up.
Another show down and back to the hotel to crawl into bed and hopefully not wake for many, many hours.
Day 68 Tuesday - Stage Managing
I woke up this morning feeling groggy and wanting to sleep another 8 hours...but my body is ready to get on with the day. FINE. Start the coffee maker.
I am reading "The Backstage Guide To Stage Management" and really enjoying it. Thomas A. Kelly totally had be grinning from ear to ear as he ended his introduction to the book while he described what his experience as a SM has been. I think it's very true for most of us in this field...it's a job you can love and hate at the same time. It's one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life, it has caused me much happiness and much heartache, but there's nothing in the world like it that comes close. He talks about what a great escape it is because you don't have time to think about what might be going wrong in your life while trying to call a show or help a performer stay off book for a rehearsal. There are times when I want to pull my hair out, but there are more times when I sit back and am in complete awe of the beauty of theatre.
I love my job. It really is my dream job...camel shit and all.
Love and peace,
Kim
Today was one of those days that just would not end. These days seem to always come after a night on the sleeper bus. I think it's because you don't get to have your usual "go back to the hotel and relax" fix that you need at the end of a run and load out. Sunday night after load out I got into my comfy clothes, got ready for bed, then walked my frumpy-ness across the load out and onto the sleeper bus. The bus is filled with yummy non-diet/non-vegan food that is waiting with open arms to hug you and comfort you while you wonder why you live such a crazy life. The buses on this tour are always really nice but for girls it's a different experience entirely than it is for the boys...mainly for the fact that you are not allowed to use toilet paper on most buses. On the upside though our tech guys are really good about cleaning up after themselves in the kitchen and not leaving trash around the place so it's great to share space with respective peeps.
The sleeping area is always an adventure...you have twelve bunks very close together with people that snore, grunt, moan, listen to music, and watch DVDs as well as (god-willing) a driver who will stay off the drunk bumps and you try and get as much sleep as possible before arriving at the theatre the next morning for load-in or if you're lucky at the hotel at 3am. I have found that if you can get to sleep before the bus starts moving you have a better chance of staying asleep. Also...a great suggestion (thank you Catherine) is to put in some ear plugs!
Halfway through the night the bunks got very warm and I wanted to take off my sweatshirt, but being raised by a Dad, who is a firefighter and on a rescue team, I had always been taught about being prepared for emergencies...so I left it on. Our overnight bus trip was happening at the same time as it was snowing so in my worst case scenario mind I thought that if our bus was so hit ice and slide off the road and I was knocked unconscience it would be best for me to be in a sweatshirt and not die of hypothermia. I know...I'm a little nuts.
We arrived at the theatre later than expected so the advance crew got up and started the load in, while the rest of us tried to get another half hour of sleep. Catherine and I waited nearly an hour for a cab to get us to the hotel (which was less than 3 miles away) so we could grab a shower before coming back in instead of trying to shower at the venue....never an extremely fun event. We got back to the hotel for an hour before heading back in. The shuttle from the hotel had a driver named Carlos who everyone in the van seemed to know besides us. We found out that Carlos likes Diet Rootbeer, tenderloins, and has a broken nose...so there's nothing wrong with his lung like he had originally thought...uh, good?!?
The venue has a long driveway covered in snowy mud, rock salt, and small lakes at the bottom of it. As we come into the venue there is a distinct smell of camel shit which was just cleaned up after the circus that was playing in the arena the previous night. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG DAY........ Our load in goes pretty smoothly, the smell of camel feces is lifting and the office is getting warmer by the minute...things are looking up!
We get away for a quick dinner at The Olive Garden after driving in circles for a minute or two trying to catch up with our blue dot on the iPhone. Sound check goes well...we have our singers back in the show! Troupe checks, half hour, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, beginners please, lame house speech, lights up.
Another show down and back to the hotel to crawl into bed and hopefully not wake for many, many hours.
Day 68 Tuesday - Stage Managing
I woke up this morning feeling groggy and wanting to sleep another 8 hours...but my body is ready to get on with the day. FINE. Start the coffee maker.
I am reading "The Backstage Guide To Stage Management" and really enjoying it. Thomas A. Kelly totally had be grinning from ear to ear as he ended his introduction to the book while he described what his experience as a SM has been. I think it's very true for most of us in this field...it's a job you can love and hate at the same time. It's one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life, it has caused me much happiness and much heartache, but there's nothing in the world like it that comes close. He talks about what a great escape it is because you don't have time to think about what might be going wrong in your life while trying to call a show or help a performer stay off book for a rehearsal. There are times when I want to pull my hair out, but there are more times when I sit back and am in complete awe of the beauty of theatre.
I love my job. It really is my dream job...camel shit and all.
Love and peace,
Kim
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Day 66 - HOTEL IDIOTS
One of the biggest pet peeves for myself and several others on this tour (as well as most tours I would imagine) is when the village idiot is allowed to work the front desk. They never seem to be working the busy part of the day....just the time of the day when very tired people who have just poured off a bus at 3am are coming to check in after doing a load out and having to be up in 3 hours to do a load in. Or like the past 3 mornings when my phone has rang at 5:45am and then again at 5:50am. The first morning I thought someone was calling me by mistake so I called down to ask for my phone to be put on Do Not Disturb...the idiot says "you got it! Have a nice morning!" The next morning it happens again. I call down to the front desk and the same chipper guy answers, "Hi, it's me again, in 436...my phone rang again at 5:45am and I had called down yesterday to put a DND on the phone and someone is still being able to ring through or maybe there's an alarm still set on it, can you please make sure that this doesn't happen tomorrow." He apologizes and tells me that it won't happen again. This morning at 5:45am my phone rings. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I call down (now slightly annoyed) to tell the SAME GUY that my phone just rang again this morning....I want to launch into the fact that I don't go to sleep until 2am most days because I have to work until 10:30pm so I try not to get up until later in the morning and when my phone rings at 5:45am after only a couple hours of sleep it's very hard to go back to sleep and then I don't want to go to the F@%KING gym because I am tooooooo tired because my F&#KING phone won't stop ringing before the sun is even up out of her bed.....but instead I just allow him to apologize and listen to him tell me that he even wrote a note to himself to make sure to check everything on the phone, turn off any alarms, and get a DND on there. He also tells me that today he will put in a work order because there must be something wrong with the phone lines. I thank him and turn over to try to go back to sleep and get the 2nd phone call at 5:50am. I noticed that it's only the phone by the bed and as much as I think that God has a great sense of humor I don't think it's him trying that hard to get me to the gym at 6am so I call back down one last time. "Hi, it's me again. I have some interesting information for your work order...it seems that only the bedside phone is ringing...not the one on the desk." The idiot goes silent and then says"OHHHHHHHHH...That might have also been my fault, you see there are two phone lines in each room and I only put the DND on one phone line, but I will go ahead and add that info to the work order." "Thanks."
I'm not one to ask for apology gifts...I'm not a freeloader and I don't want to be mistaken for one, but can we please have someone at the front desk who knows how to put the DND on both lines if there is more than one line?????? Please!
Love and peace,
The very tired and now cranky Kimmy
I'm not one to ask for apology gifts...I'm not a freeloader and I don't want to be mistaken for one, but can we please have someone at the front desk who knows how to put the DND on both lines if there is more than one line?????? Please!
Love and peace,
The very tired and now cranky Kimmy
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 65 - 2 shows in Albuquerque, NM
Today could go a little faster and that would be grand. I didn't make it to the gym today because I was sooo tired. We are finishing up our first of many split weeks and it's as mentally tiring as it is physically tiring. I woke up on time for the gym then changed the alarm time and slept for another two hours.
Starting next week I will be training in the gym with one of our dancers that is a personal trainer when she is home. I am extremely excited about this but also nervous to the bone. I've stayed the same weight since I started living as a vegan so it's time to take it up a notch and start kicking butt in the gym. Chloey took my measurements last week so we can compare those along the way in case my weight stays stubborn. I'm thrilled to be working with Chloey because everyone that has worked with her tells me how good she is and how supportive she is. Can't wait!!!! Come on next week!
Well it's time to finish up my soy latte, update my script, then get on with another show.
Oh...another cool website: http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp
Love and peace,
Kimmy xo
Starting next week I will be training in the gym with one of our dancers that is a personal trainer when she is home. I am extremely excited about this but also nervous to the bone. I've stayed the same weight since I started living as a vegan so it's time to take it up a notch and start kicking butt in the gym. Chloey took my measurements last week so we can compare those along the way in case my weight stays stubborn. I'm thrilled to be working with Chloey because everyone that has worked with her tells me how good she is and how supportive she is. Can't wait!!!! Come on next week!
Well it's time to finish up my soy latte, update my script, then get on with another show.
Oh...another cool website: http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp
Love and peace,
Kimmy xo
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day 64 - Load in for Albuquerque, NM and realizing I am a crazy person when it comes to chocolate cake.
Today is my 64th day of being a vegan...or at least giving it my best shot. I am still having a really hard time giving up the cake and ice cream. The cake and ice cream cry out to me to eat it and I don't want to...I don't want to eat animal products anymore but if I don't eat the cake and ice cream I just want it more. Then I give in and eat the cake and ice cream and feel AWFUL about it and beat myself up about not having any will power. A vicious cycle. I know. I am totally fine if I have vegan cake around to ease my sweet tooth...it's only when I'm without a vegan delight that I am tempted into the chocolatey hell.
Everyday I renew my vegan vows to not consume or use any animal products and most days are very successful and I am very proud of myself for having more good days than bad ones. I just need to work on being more forgiving of myself and focus more on the things that I AM doing.
I thought I would post some of my very favorite websites and products that I have been using and that I think are actually really cool.
Today I just signed up here: http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/green to start getting some new tips on living a healthier, greener life.
I am reading "The Kind Diet" and became a member of thekindlife.com It's the book that the actress Alicia Silverstone wrote about becoming a vegan. It's really great with lots of tips and recipes. She posts really often on her website and seems to be a really down to earth kind of gal.
The hair products and face products I have been using for the past month are called "Yes to Cucumbers" and they are really fantastic. I buy them at Walgreens but I have noticed they are popping up in other stores all over the place. Here's the website: http://www.yestocarrots.com/
Hmmmm....I think that's all I've got for now.
Time for dinner, sound check, show, sleep...in that order.
love and peace,
Kim
Everyday I renew my vegan vows to not consume or use any animal products and most days are very successful and I am very proud of myself for having more good days than bad ones. I just need to work on being more forgiving of myself and focus more on the things that I AM doing.
I thought I would post some of my very favorite websites and products that I have been using and that I think are actually really cool.
Today I just signed up here: http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/green to start getting some new tips on living a healthier, greener life.
I am reading "The Kind Diet" and became a member of thekindlife.com It's the book that the actress Alicia Silverstone wrote about becoming a vegan. It's really great with lots of tips and recipes. She posts really often on her website and seems to be a really down to earth kind of gal.
The hair products and face products I have been using for the past month are called "Yes to Cucumbers" and they are really fantastic. I buy them at Walgreens but I have noticed they are popping up in other stores all over the place. Here's the website: http://www.yestocarrots.com/
Hmmmm....I think that's all I've got for now.
Time for dinner, sound check, show, sleep...in that order.
love and peace,
Kim
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 54 - 63 A bit grumpy...
Day 54 -59 These several days were a big blur for some reason...I need to update more often so I don't forget all the good stuff.
So one of the reasons why I haven't been updating very often is because I've been crocheting like a mad woman trying to finish a blanket for our Tour Baby's 1st Birthday!! I spent all of Monday in bed watching A&E detective shows, napping, crocheting, and munching.
OH...one more time...I finished the baby blanket just in time for Rian's Birthday party!!! WOO HOOO!!! Here's a pic of Rian and his new blanket and some pictures of the party:
Day 60 Monday 2/1/10 – GOLDEN DAY!!!!
2/2/10 Day 61 Tuesday Load in to Mesa, AZ
The load in went very smoothly. Catherine and I made a couple trips away from the theatre because we had the time and things were going as they should….it’s so nice when this happens. The theatre had a very nice patio outside the green room where we ate our lunch and dinner. The weather was beautiful and it made me want to have a BBQ and drink margaritas…but instead…a show.
Here's a picture of the sunrise on our way into the load in:
2/3/10 Day 62 Wednesday – 2 shows and Load out of Mesa, AZ
Tonight was load out…and I was happy to go. The theatre was very beautiful but a HUGE pain in the ass. I’m not really sure what kind of production would sit well in there because the calling and mixing position was in a hole in the middle of the audience. Our sound guy couldn't stand because the heads of the people behind him would have been blocked (he’s not a giant….so it’s totally ridiculous) and even if he could stand the heads of the people in front of him would be interfering in hearing a good mix. As for the PSM (in the same hole) she could hardly see the stage because of the heads of the people sitting in front of her. Why, why, WHY would someone design a theatre like this? It’s an honest question…please tell me. I’m extremely curious as are many others I’m sure. The ushers would not stop seating people during our 2nd show even though we make it VERY CLEAR TO ONLY SEAT PEOPLE IN BETWEEN NUMBERS. This is not helped by the fact that the ushers are nearly 200 years old and aren’t as sprite as they used to be, thus making it a very slow moving train of people. I don’t have a problem with 200 year old people…I just think they should be sitting and enjoying the show, not distracting from it. And to top it all off the house tech guy could not be bothered to be useful and had the smallest amount of personality of anyone alive, in fact I think I’ve owned toasters with more personality than this guy….I would say he didn’t have a personality but he made a pretty good grumpster. What did he have to be so grumpy about? A house gig with a very self-sufficient production he didn’t have to deal with? I mean truly…he sat in a corner waiting for me to give him the house and get clearance to start the show for Act 1 and Act 2…seriously?…seriously. OHHHHHH….and then there were the GOD AWFUL LEDs that were chasing in Rainbow colors on the house walls (for our final show) and when I asked him if why they didn’t go off when we opened the house he said that it’s because they had been working on them. To which I politely asked him why they were on now when they hadn’t been on for the two previous shows while the audience was walking in? Which he (in a very monotone way) answered “because we were working on them, they will go out with the house lights.” I ask, “Does Catherine know about this?” “I didn’t specifically tell her” he said…..I walked off as to try and not have my head blow off my shoulders and I hear him call after me “IS THAT A PROBLEM??” Long story short…the LEDs were turned off… but then they were back on when Catherine went out to her hole to call the show…she had them turned off again and we just waited to see if they were going to pop back on in the middle of the show. WHY WOULDN’T YOU TELL THE PSM THAT THE LEDS WERE GOING TO FLASH IN CRAZY RAINBOW COLORS LIKE WE ARE AT A STRIP JOINT????? Sir…you are very grumpy and I hope you find another job that makes you happier, therefore making it a happier working environment for those around you. I send you good thoughts in your future employments but please don’t use me as a reference.
On another note…I had a very yummy Kashi vegan frozen dinner and it was lovely. Some other really great things I found to munch on while here in AZ :
- ZEN SOY Chocolate soy milk single servings…awesome for a little treat!
- ZEN SOY Chocolate soy pudding…pretty tasty, but only if you miss pudding as much as I do.
- TOFURKEY Roasted Tofurkey Flavor slices which I put on my double fiber wheat bread with spicy brown mustard and pepper jack veggie slices….YUM!!!!
- GOOD HEALTH NATURAL FOODS Veggie Chips…awesome with the above sandwich.
- I bought some organic fruits and veggies as well as well as a new soy protein powder for my protein shakes.
OH...and I had my first vegan pizza at the True Food Kitchen! Very delicious!!! Here's the link: http://www.foxrc.com/true_food_kitchen.html
OH...one more time...I finished the baby blanket just in time for Rian's Birthday party!!! WOO HOOO!!! Here's a pic of Rian and his new blanket and some pictures of the party: 
2/4/10 Day 63 Thursday – Travel Day to Albuquerque, NM
Yesterday I was thinking about how we would be moving to a new hotel today and it made me start wondering when I stopped looking forward to seeing my new hotel room. When I say looking forward to seeing my new hotel room I mean that I was totally excited about each new room. I would take pictures of it and send them to Justin and my Mom and I just loved walking into the room the first time. I don't remember staying in many hotels when I was growing up so it was always a kind of novelty. My friend Danielle and I would stay at different hotels in Hemet "just for fun"...odd now that I look back at it, but not at the time. It's not like I'm annoyed and upset by having to move all the time, I still really like it...it's just doesn't have me on the edge of my airplane seat like it used to.
I'm actually really excited about going to New Mexico, it's been one of the places that I have always been drawn to though I'm not really sure why. I hope it's as beautiful as I think it's going to be and if there were several vegan eateries around that would even be better.
Lots of love and peace,
Kim
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