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A blessing and a curse

I just got finished reading an article in my running magazine about several runners who are planning on participating in the New York Marathon in memory of someone who had died due to the 9/11 tragedy.  Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t normally read these kinds of articles or watch programs on anything even remotely sad. I feel like there is enough sadness in life I don’t want to read it, or hear about it, or watch anything about anything…sad.  I read the article though and it made me just want to burst into tears. 

I am so grateful for all that I have in my life.  I have such loving friends and family who support me and keep me together when I want to fall apart.  I have all these wonderful people in my life and I can’t possibly show each and every one of them how much I love them and how much they mean to me.  There’s not enough time in the day to call up each individual person and tell them I love them and that I’m only who I am today because I have them in my life.  This HUGE feat is so depressing and frustrating  to me. 

I am lucky enough to have parents that are both there for me and I don’t get to see them on a daily basis.  I have siblings who mean the world to me and I can’t hug them every day and share a meal.   

And my truly, truly awesome friends that are spread out all over the world…I miss you and I want to hang out and laugh together on a regular basis…but we can’t.

We never know when someone we love is going to be taken from us so as lame as facebook, twitter, myspace, and personal blogs are, it makes me smile just a little bit to know that even though I might not be near enough to hug you, I will keep up to date through your shared pictures and status updates. I will feel a little more connected and hope you know that I love you and that you are still in my heart. 

If you are close enough to hug your friends and family please do…and hug them for me too. 

Much love and HUGE hugs,

Kimmy

Being single

I have been thinking about how much I appreciate the single life recently and then I found myself watching a video of a co-worker's model railroad track that he had built.  He obviously put a lot of work into this tiny masterpiece and it reminded me that it's totally ok to enjoy time alone and not want to spend it with anyone else.  He may very well being creating this project with someone by his side the whole time but for some reason it just felt very individual.  I know a lot of couple who would resent their significant other for spending so much time on something like a train set and that thought is so irritating to me.  And this is why I chose to be single.  I don't want to be the girlfriend who is pouting in the other room while my boyfriend spends time alone in a room with things that cannot talk back or communicate with him, nor do I want my boyfriend to be angry when I want to go spend time alone at a movie or wander around a bookstore for hours and hours or go off to a job that requires all of my time and energy. 

I enjoy my constant freedom.  I love that I can mess up and not have anyone to remind me of it later or splurge on something I really want and have a look of disappointment staring back at me when the receipt is found.  I like sleeping the wrong way in my own bed without someone stealing the covers.  Sleeping in without morning coversation is always a nice way to start my day.  And most of all I love spending time with whoever I want to spend time with at the moment without having to share my time with someone else. 

I have so many wonderful friends and family members that are married and happy with that choice and I applaud them for it.  For a long time I thought that was the life I wanted and didn't feel complete without having a certain someone in my life, but as the years go on and I get more and more set in my ways I am coming to a place of complete peace with the thought of being happy with my own company.  Either that or I'm destined to be a crazy cat lady.  Either way...it sounds like a plan to me.

Lots of love and peace,
Kim

3/16/11 Willamsport, PA

After 3 hours of sleep it was time to roll out of my bottom bunk (my favorite bunk preference...I'm terrified of falling off the top bunk, I did as a kid).  My head carp and I wander around and go through all dressing room/set up scenarios (best and worst) and then our days is off and running.  Because we leave right after the show and jump on a sleeper bus on one nighters there is not normally showering time so we roll into the next venue looking a little more scrappy then the day before and with a little more attitude as well.  Somehow less showering equals more attitude...hmmmmm.  I've inspected the showers at this venue and they aren't nearly as scary as some so this may be one of the days when a venue shower changes my whole world of a day.

After a couple hours of work I reach for my breakfast of champions:

Ok...off to do more paperwork. Cheers!

Love and peace,
Kim

3/15/11 York, PA

York is just as cute as I remember it!!! I love it so!  Here are a couple pictures of just how adorable it is:

The weather was really nice and I had some delicious grilled veggies with wild rice at restaurant called something like the White Rose....can't remember.

Here's another pretty picture of the sun through one of the many beautiful trees there:

One of the many reason I LOVE coming to York is for the amazing donuts...pictures you say???

And of course here's a picture of my office at the venue we played at:

In my office you will almost always hear some kind of music blaring from the tiny laptop speakers, several piles of paper, coffee, water, and eventually a printer that likes to fight with me on a daily basis.

Ok, my watch just beeped at me to say that it is 4:30am so now that I have finished my performance report, laughed up a storm with my crew, and updated my blogness it's time for some shut eye before heading into the theatre in 3 hours....it's good to be back! xo

Love and peace,
Kim

3/13/11 Last day of layoff...Back to blogging

So...I'vI had several very sweet friends ask about my blog and if I would ever update it.  To those friends: I love you, I will try to keep this puppy updated...here we go!


We've been on a layoff week this past week and as much as I love sleeping in and taking little kitty cat naps every couple hours I NEED TO GO BACK TO WORK!!!!  I'm just not any good at sitting around.  I'd much rather be loading in, running a show, or loading out.  I could do without the dragging of suitcases to and from buses but that's part of the gig.

I frankly don't have a clue as to what day of tour I'm on so I won't be using that as a time marker for the blog anymore, but I will post the date and the city we happen to be in.  I'm really excited about tomorrow because we are headed to York, PA.  York, PA is one of my very favorite cities because it has the most charm of any city I've ever been to.  It's super cute with a total Pennsylvania feel.  It's hard to describe but I'll try to remember to take pictures and post them.  I could totally see myself living there at some point in my life.

I also have come to the realization that I need to crochet another blanket or scarf.  It's been MONTHS!!!  I miss it terribly and need to get back to it.  Our props guy is a crocheting genius!!!  He wants to teach me how to crochet something more than totally tweaked out blankets and scarves but I refuse.  I love my wonky masterpieces!

Ok, time to finish packing, watch a docu film to get me motivated to be a vegan again, bed, then back to tour!!!!! Yay!  I miss my CATS family! xo

Love and peace,
Kim

The ups and downs of touring.

Today is one of those days where it seems nothing is going to get me out of the grumpy funk that I am in.  I woke up and considered eating my instant oatmeal for breakfast and it sounded like torture.  How many times a week can one girl eat oatmeal for breakfast?  The answer is: too many! Then I thought I would just head to the fitness center and let a good jog lift my spirits.  Well...the hotel I am in has a brand of cardio machines that do not agree with my body type.  The treadmill has a weird lagging thing. The Elliptical machine is made for someone who is at LEAST 6 feet tall, and both stationary bikes are not plugged in, or missing the cord, or trying to make me crazy. UGH.

I walk on the treadmill for 5 1/2 minutes when I finally give up because the ever now and again jerking motion is beginning to make me contemplate returning to the life that trades exercise for chocolate cake WITH vanilla ice cream for every meal.  This won't do. 

I get on the elliptical machine and do my best to get motivated to work up a sweat and 2 minutes into it get off because having my hands above my head for 20 minutes sounds like something out of a SAW movie. Goodbye fitness room.  I will not be returning for anymore of your aggravating punishment.

To the lobby, pour a cup of coffee and into the elevator to head back to my room and hopefully shake the funk in solitude.

The grumpies never stay with me for very long.  Even now I feel the chipperness creeping back into my soul and will once again go on to have a great day with only mild bumps and bruises.  It's times like this where I have to take the time to reflect on all the good that is in my life.  It's hard to stay negative when you practice gratitude.  So in order to get myself back to being myself here is what I am grateful for at the moment.

I am grateful that I woke up this morning.

I am grateful for my body who has taken me to so many places and has not given up on me even though I treated it badly for so many years.

I am grateful for my family and friends who love me and support me in everything I do.

I am grateful for my job because it challenges me everyday. 

I am grateful for the free lobby coffee that will hopefully kick start my day.

I am grateful for my faith because without it I wouldn't be alive and would not find the strength to try over and over again.

It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day and I am thankful to be here to enjoy it.

Love and peace,
Kim

Day 93 - 108...It's been wayyyyyy toooooo looooooong.

Ok...I have to just throw some info up here to catch up quickly so we can mooooove along.

March 6-7, 2010 Day 93 - 94 Buffalo, NY
This was the message that was displayed on the marquee as we were leaving load out.  It read:
Thank you Riverdance Cast and Crew for a wonderful run. 

March 8 - 9, 2010 Day 95 - 96 Manchester, NH
Our one and only...one night only.  It was nice enough...arena style..it was fine.

March 10 - 14 Day 97-101 Wallingford, CT
We had a few rehearsals for our upcoming week at Radio City Music Hall. 

March 15 - 21 Day 102 - 108 New York, NY

I could hardly believe that I was working at Radio City Music Hall...it was a dream come true.  We loaded in on Monday, Tech Tuesday with some Rehearsal and Press calls, Wednesday 2 shows, Thursday walked from 52nd to 14th street and back again before 1 show, Friday walked from 52nd to 150th to meet up with Brionne, took the subway down to 17th for lunch, walked back up  to 52nd then time for a show, Saturday 2 shows, Sunday met up with Katie's mom and had a lovely bike ride in the park with her in between two shows. 

This is a picture of the smoothie cart I would go to every morning for a delicious breakfasty smoothieeeee! 

My first glimpse of Radio City on load in morning!! 

 

My desk after two days of pure awesome madness. 

The RCMH Rehearsal Room.  

I sat here for a few minutes on my 100 block walk to see Bri.  

Mom Jan bought us a bike ride through Central Park...What a great memory!!!

I'll update again soon. xo

Love and peace, Kim

Day 89-92 Unpack, pack, drag suitcase to car, unpack, pack, drag suitcase to car...

Day 89 - March 2 - Tuesday - Load in and show in Rochester, NY
It's a nice theatre with plenty of room in the dressing rooms and plenty of room on dcck...this makes for a nice load in.  I spent some extra time today making some dressing room number signs for the doors because the dressing rooms aren't numbered...this tends to make me a little crazy.  The signs turned out lovely and I was off to put up the name plates and move along my day. 

Within the hour I had been attacked by whatever illness had been taking out our cast, crew, and band. I had been fighting it off for the past two months and this morning it body slammed me.  I threw down some cold and flu medicine hoping to catch it early and by evening started feeling a little more alive.

The show seemed to go by pretty quickly then it was off to sleep and kick the rest of this cold. 

Day 90 - March 3 - Wednesday - 1 show
I spent the entire day drinking water and napping and successfully won the fight!!! Woo Hooo!!!! I'm BACK!

Day 91 - March 4 - Thursday - 1 show and load out, travel to Buffalo, NY
Today I wrote a letter of reference for one of my cast members from the Disney Wonder and it was so nice to revisit the memories of working with her.  I packed up again and got ready to drag my suitcases down to the car.  When you are on tour for 8 months it takes a lot to live day by day out of your suitcase.  I officially have too much stuff now.  I have a big suitcase full of clothes, a big suitcase full of kitchen supplies, a small suitcase full of books and a duffle bag I use for laundry.  I need to send stuff home...soon....before my back breaks. 

Day 92 - March 5 - Friday - Load in and show in Buffalo, NY
I'm up at 7am and would normally go for a jog on a load in morning, but yesterday I moved onto my 3rd week of my 10 week plan and my legs are needing a recovery day.  The pain is a good pain...I've grown to love it. xo

Love and peace,
Kim

Day 70 - 88 Thank you Linz for guilting me into updating this thing. xo

Day 70 - Feb. 11 Thursday - Travel to El Paso, TX
We stayed at the Camino Real Hotel and all I could think of is my friend Brionne and how he let me borrow his Tennessee Williams "Camino Real" script and how I still haven't returned it....sorry Bri!!! xo

Day 71 - Feb. 12 Friday - Load in and show 
The hotel was just across the street from the theatre which is always awesome!  The load in wasn't anything special, just the usual.  We went for lunch at the hotel and it was fine.  Back to the theatre, sound check, troupe checks, and show.  

Day 72 - Feb 13 Saturday - 2 shows
It was a normal 2 show day for us. 

Day 73 - Feb. 14 Sunday - 2 shows and load out
The 1st show was great as usual.  As we were waiting for the time to start troupe checks the fire alarm started going off...REALLLLLLLY???  We filed outside and we took a roll call of everyone to make sure we had all cast and crew out of the building....All those Crew Evacuation Drills on the ship really paid off...Dario our Safety Officer would be so proud.  We did troupe checks outside in the parking lot and still pulled off a good show.  The audience loved getting everyone's autographs before the show.  Load out went quickly and then time to pack.  

Day 74 - Feb. 15 Monday - Travel to Lubbock, TX....LAST TEXAS CITY OF THIS TOUR!!!!
My friend Steve warned me well before getting to Lubbock about how bad it was going to be.  It was such a bizarre town...very brown without any architecture.  Very strange.

Day 75 - Feb. 16 Tuesday - Load in and show
Load in went quickly, lunch at Chili's, sound check, troupe checks, show, sleep. 

Day 76 - Feb. 17 Wednesday - show
The weather is very cold here so I wasn't able to go walking around....boring.  I worked on my Niece's blanket that I am crocheting for her 1st birthday.  The colors are really bright and I think she will just love it!!  It's 100% cotton and it's the easiest to crochet with so far. 

Day 77 - Feb. 18 Thursday - show then load out. 
Good show...quick load out.  Pack. Sleep.

Day 78 - Feb. 19 Friday - Travel to Independence, MO
Another flight...it never gets easier...I always hope and pray that one day I will get over my fear of flying. I have been on more flights than I can count so I figure if I haven't gotten over the fear by now it's probably not going to go away.  So I will keep up my mid flight prayers and promises to God that if he gets me on the ground safely I will be really, really, really good.  Amen.  

Day 79 - Feb. 20 Saturday - 3am Load in....and 2 shows
We had a super early load in because we had our first show at 4pm.  It was a very, very, very long day, but we all made it through.  We were playing in a hockey arena and arenas are nearly always a challenge.  This was no exception.  We thought everything was going to be great until we turned off the lights and saw the awful houselights spilling allllllllll over the preset look from all angles because the lights were for the entire arena not just the half we were using....we did what we could with what we had...sigh.

Day 80 - Feb. 21 Sunday - 2 shows then load out.
2 shows went by quickly, load out was super fast because we were all down one corridor, pack. Sleep. 

Day 81 - Feb. 22 Monday - Travel to Youngstown, OH
I was in 4 states today...barely.  We started off in Texas, flew to Milwaukee, where we barely missed our connection, but the connecting plane was also delayed so we made it on, touched down in Pennsylvania, then a drive to Ohio....the snow tried to slow us down all the way from Texas to Ohio, but we made it.

Here's the weather above the snow....

And a picture of what was under those fluffy clouds...

Day 82 - Feb. 23 Tuesday - load in and show
It was nice to be back in a real theatre...  Load in went well, quick lunch, sound check, troupe checks, show. sleep. 

Day 83 - Feb. 24 Wednesday - show
Nothing out of the ordinary today....we love that on the stage management team!  

Day 84 - Feb. 25 Thursday - show, load out, sleeper bus to York, PA
Another good show, load out, change into comfy clothes, climb into sleeper bus bunk and try to get to sleep before we start moving.   Mission accomplished.

Day 85 - Feb. 26 Friday - load in and show
Deja Vu... I was at this same theatre last year with Altar Boyz and it brought back so many memories of the Boyz.  What a crazy tour.... I miss them very much and still so thankful that I got to know each of them and see through many challenges together.  We were quite the little family.  

Day 86 - Feb. 27 Saturday - 2 shows
Coffee, coffee, coffee....somehow I slipped back into being a full time coffee drinker again.  I just love it!  Black of course..unless it's a soy latte.

Day 87 - Feb. 28 Sunday - 2 shows, load out, sleeper bus to Rochester, NY
2 shows couldn't go quick enough today...it seems like the last day in a city makes everyone antsy...we are all ready to get back on the road and move along down the line.   I'm not sure why the temperature on the bus fluctuates so much but I have adapted a well known childhood song for your enjoyment...sing with me:

The temp on the bus goes up and down
up and down
up and down
The temp on the bus goes up and down
all through the night....

Day 88 - Mar. 1 Monday - Day off in Rochester, NY
We got in to the hotel just after 4am and it was one of those toss ups of whether to try and go back to sleep or stay up and face the day.  I stayed up until 7am watching "Go Further" (one of my fave films) then went for a quick shower hoping to relax and fall back asleep.  I was able to sleep until about 9:15am and then I contemplated going to the gym until about 4pm and then decided to wait until the morning.  I normally like to go to the gym before load in because it puts me in a good mood and I feel very awake.  I spent the day crocheting, watching law and order, flipping through magazines, reading, and watching movies....I love a monday off!!! 

Love and peace,
Kimmy

Day 69 - It's that time again....

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

Day 60 Monday 2/1/10 – GOLDEN DAY!!!!

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. 

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 2^nd 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

 

Day 50 - 53 leaving Los Angeles into Arizona or Mountain Girl turned City Girl

Day 50 - 1/22/10   Last night after the show I drove down to Temecula to see my good buddy Monty and check out his shop.  I'm super proud of him and all that he has accomplished.  Here's his website if you care to take a gander: http://ch7ind.com/ I arrived at his house just before 1am and made into bed and fast asleep by 2.  My alarm went off at 5:15am and I was first in the shower to start my crazy day.  We left the house just before 7am, Monty on his way to Long Beach for a clothing convention and myself heading up the mountain back to my hometown. Here's a little pic of the road I was driving on: 

As I made up my way up the snowy roads and passed cars that were stuck on the side of the road  because the snow and ice got the best of them I thought about the past 12 years that I had been driving this mountain.  I was extra careful around the curves that I know get icy and just kept moving along until I wound up at one of my favorite old jobs...Fairway Market. 

I got to visit with one of my close friends Geri along with Di, Lois, Vicki, Crabby, and Matt.  It was great to catch up with them.  As I was leaving I ran into Cathy so there was an unexpected get together and found out that she is a Grandma!!  After the fairway visit it was time to go see my Dad for breakfast at the Red Kettle.  The Kettle had an awesome veggie scramble that I had made without eggs and with veggie sausage and it was too die for....or not to die for as the case may be.  My Daddy-O and I had a great time catching up and watching the snow fall.   After breakfast I drove up to Pine Cove to leave my car at my Dad's for the rest of tour.  Before driving up my Dad had to remove all the snow that settled on my car in the past hour:

 

Here's a picture of the highway leading up to PC:

There were two snow plows running this morning...but it's hard to keep up I'm sure. 

Once we dropped off the car in PC we made it down the hill and met up with Justin at Staters and then Justin and I were off to see the Bloom Family and their newest addition Landen.  I brought them two little sleepers for the baby one that looked like a baseball outfit that said "Daddy's Allstar" and another that said "Mommy's Little Prince".  Meeting Landen was a surreal experience.  Shannon is one of my longest friendships I have, we have known each other since we were 10 or 11 and I can't imagine my life without her.  Ever since we were little girls she had always wanted to be a mommy and after she got married to Ben (who I have also known since he was probably 6) kids were on her mind.  Shannon, Ben, Landen, and Roxy (their doggy) are a sight to be seen.   Very happy and well adjusted to having a wee one around the house.

Here's a picture of myself and sweet little Landen.

The thirty minute visit went by much to fast but Justin and I had to keep moving and make it to our lunch date with Rachel and little Ben.  We met up at La Fogata and i had a vegetarian tostada...we ordered it without cheese and sour cream...but somehow the cheese was destined to end up on my plate.  Another quick visit went by and then Justin and I were on our way back to LA so I could make it to my show call.

Justin had made us 2 CDs to listen to on our way back into the city and they were awesome!!!!  The first CD had a bunch of really great songs to add to my gym mix for when I run and the second CD was full of duets for he and I to learn to belt out at each other.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  One of my very favorite things to do in life is sing at the top of my lungs with Justy in our car and then bust up laughing when we totally miss the right note.

We made it to LA with a couple hours to spare so we went to dinner at Johnny Rockets and had a very yummy meal with wayyyy to many onion rings.  It was worth it.

Day 51 1/23/10
One of my Jr. High School Teachers came to see the evening show and it was so great to see her!  Mrs. Carratello, Patty, looked exactly the same.  She had brought her sister to see the show and they loved it!  We took a bunch of pictures together and talked about their favorite parts of the show.  She was also very complimentary on the article that was written about me in our hometown newspaper: http://www.idyl.com/stories/story.2.20091210.html

Here's pic of Patty and I near the stage door of the Pantages:

Day 52 1/24/10
Two shows and then a load out.  I love load out day.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as of feeling of freedom.  It nice to move along to another city....sometimes it good, sometimes it's bad...but it's nice to move along none the less.  After load out it was back to the hotel to have a little champagne with Ryan (just for the hell of it) then down to throw the suitcases on the luggage truck and then sleep..love it. 

Day 53 1/25/10
Travel day.  I was up early to make sure my hotel bill was at a zero balance and then waited outside in the sun for the bus to the airport.  The trip to the airport was nice, I finished up crocheting a scarf for my Aunt.  The plane ride was only an hour then less than a half hour to the hotel.  The hotel is the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed at....the grounds were well landscaped, the grass was a beautiful green, the flowers extra bright, the fountains bubbling, the birds chirping pleasantly...heaven. We are in this hotel for the next week and a half and I am loving it.  Did I mention that the pools are all kept very warm and there are 8 of them!

That's all for now...sorry for such a long one.

Love and peace, Kim

Day 48 & 49 - Catching up

I'm finishing up seeing everyone that I could see while in California and it's both happy and sad.  While on the road I feel disconnected from friends and family, not as much as I did while on the ship...but a little.  Facebook helps alot to keep up on day to day happenings of most people, but you still miss out on the "real stuff".  Friends that see each other frequently have the inside scoop on what's going on in each other's lives, they have their inside jokes and stories and I get to "catch up" when I am around for a coffee date, or lunch, or game night.  I don't mean to sound like I'm having a pity party...it's just the way life is I guess. 

I love seeing my friends while I am home; it's always a happy get together for a few hours, but it does make it hard to say goodbye. 

On a happier note... Laci and I went out to breakfast at this great little place in Pasadena with a very yummy tofu and vegan cheese scramble and a soy latte the size of my head!  Here are some pics:

This is the place.

This is the head sized latte.  Yum!!

Day 47 - Faith in People

I just received an email from a friend who has been wanting to take the leap into living her dreams and in her email she said "So,  thanks for all your faith in theatre, me, and faith itself."  Wow.  I am so touched that I able to encourage people.  There is a quote "if you knew who walked beside you everyday you wouldn't fear anything"...I love this because for me it's so true. I do have faith in people, not just people...amazing, talented, unique individuals who if they only saw in themselves what I see in them they would be working in their dream careers and living their lives they had imagined YEARS AGO!

I wonder if the people that inspired me know that I look up to them so much!  I listen to and watch a lot of Dr. Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay as well as keep in touch with my friends who encourage and inspire me on a daily basis.  I understand what it is to visualize something into existence.  I understand what it is to leap without knowing where exactly you will fall and IF  you will fall safely in a good place.  When I leap it's because I've got nothing to lose.  If I stay where I am then I won't grow and I won't know what other things are in the world for me to experience.  I want others to have faith in themselves enough to take those leaps, trusting in themselves enough to know that it can only get better.  Things will happen if you make them happen. Dreams come true if you make them come true. 

I know this all must sound so out there to people that aren't aware of the power they hold inside of them.  And I'm not saying that I am the most powerful being because I know that there is something bigger than me that helps all of this to come to life, but I do understand what power I do have inside and what I can accomplish. 

In any case I just want you to know you can do it. You can do anything you want to do.  I encourage you to go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.  I'll be there walking beside you.


All my love and much peace,


Kim xo

Day 46 & 47 - Joel and Fofi's Bday and LA rain

On the 18th Lindsay and I took Joel out to see the movie Nine and treated him to lunch for his birthday. Nine was better than I thought it was going to be, but really wasn't much of a movie. I hope that it made a better impact on stage. There were parts of the movie that were really awesome (Fergie's Performance) and the lighting and set were great, but the rest of the performances were pretty good...or maybe it was the script I didn't care for...or the direction. It was nice to go out with Linz and Joel and talk about the usual theatre stuff and catch up on all the gossip.

Later that night Lindsay and I headed over to Fofi's house for a game night to celebrate his bday. It was a lot of fun! It took around 3 hours to get through a game of cranium with lots of yelling and laughter, homemade chicago style pizza and ice cream cake. My tastes are changing when it comes to food now. Our friend Rob made the pizza and wanted everyone to have some. I love Rob and I love his cooking...but cheese just isn't the same for me anymore. The ice cream cake on the other hand...well...we all know how I feel about those yummy baked goods. The last time I had actually eaten real cake would have to be in early November because I had vegan cake for my birthday on Nov. 30th.

Today was awesome. The rain stopped and you could see the most beautiful blue sky and the air was very clear. As I walked to the theatre I passed by so many different types of people living here for many different reasons. The guy with his guitar case I imagined to be the next up and coming alternative rocker, the woman rushing by with a cup of starbucks is probably on her way to a production meeting for a new show...all really exciting. When I lived in LA I felt like everyone was very self involved, but I think it's a must in this city...it will eat you alive if you're not looking out for yourself. There is some kind of hopefullness in this city that is a little sickening for my taste, but really motivating for others.

I was really happy to see my friends while here and feel reconnected to my life in southern california. Here are some pics from today after the rain. I will miss it here...more than I would like to admit.

Nearly sunset...so beautiful!

The intersection by the Pantages...what a beautiful sky! 

Love and peace,

Kim xo