Monday, June 13, 2011

Ending Soon

Well we are back on the road. As mentioned in my previous post, we opened and spent a week in Norfolk which was great! We then spent a day in Salisbury, MD and had a couple of days off and then a show in Concord, NH. Concord was great because I went down to Boston with some friends on this tour and got to see one of my dear college friends while I was there. We just spent the weekend in Worcester, MA and have the day off today in Mentor, OH where myself and some crew are heading to Cedar Point!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been there in at least 15 years. We will be spending Tuesday to Sunday in Milwaukee, WI.

Junto:


I was reading an article online a few days back that talked about how airlines lost money if their websites did not load fast enough. This did not come as a huge shock to me, I can relate that if websites are not loading in what I believe is a reasonable time, that I will also search out for alternatives. What did amaze me about the article is that it said something like 40% of the people interviewed would look for a new website if the site they were trying to access took more than 2 seconds to load. I just timed myself reading that last sentence and it took me about five seconds. I feel for most of you who read this it would also take about that amount of time. I timed myself reading that sentence to help give some perspective on how quickly two seconds pass. Have we really become a society based on needing something now that we cannot sit and wait for more than two seconds? Have we lost the ability to "stop and smell the roses" as they say? I would encourage us all to remember to take time to breath and not get so sucked up in the needing things here and now that we forget to take time to enjoy the life in front of us.

Friday, May 13, 2011

50 States - check!

We are currently in  a month layoff from tour and the time has been quite productive. I am currently sitting in one of my favorite coffee shops from college, drinking one of my favorite drinks from said coffee shop. It has been very nice being back here in Salisbury, NC. I have gotten to see some of my beloved friends, and professors, and will hopefully see a few more in the next few days.
I came to NC from Hawaii! My dad flew out and met me in Seattle, where I spent a few days visiting friends, and we spent about a week there. One of the major reasons I wanted to go to Hawaii was that it checked off all 50 states for me before my birthday. It was an amazing week, even if I did only go to the beach twice for a couple of hours because it was overcast/rainy almost the whole time. We saw some great sites while we were there and had some amazing meals.
I will be staying here probably through Sunday, and then heading to my dad's/g-parents for a few days before heading home to finish layoff and then play Norfolk with fiddler for a week.

Junto:


Today's Junto comes courtesy of Coffee News, my favorite free little paper that you can find in numerous cities and towns. The one at the coffee shop today has the quote, "It is books that are a key to the wide world; if you can't do anything else, read all that you can." Jane Hamilton. I cannot agree with this quote more. I am very grateful that my family instilled in me a love of reading at a young age. As a child there were numerous times that I would lay on the couch in my living room and not get up again until I finished a book that I had just started. When I am home, it is not uncommon for me to have 2 or 3 books going at the same time. For about the past 5-7 years I have been working my way through the classics. I read Les Miserables, Don Quixote, and I am currently working my way through War and Peace. 
The quote put my thoughts perfectly that I have had while reading War and Peace. While the book is extremely long, there have been numerous life lessons that still apply today. One major point Tolstoy has been making throughout the book is that while people like to think they are acting on their own, they are actually acting based on numerous influencing factors that are surrounding them, that no one decision changes the course of events, but numerous little ones, that most people don't even realize they have chosen.
While I will probably write another junto or two about quotes I have found in War and Peace, Tolstoy also states, "...one need only admit that public tranquility is in danger and any action finds justification." A quote which we could apply to our own current political environment, a couple hundred years later.
Besides life lessons, reading also teaches us history, it teaches us about other cultures and people, it teaches us new ways of doing things. Have you read any books that have helped you gain  new perspectives on your life, other cultures, or opened you up to new ideas?

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sail away from the safe harbor!

The three weeks sit downs (San Jose, Thousand Oaks, and Tempe) were amazing! What was especially enjoyable about them was a few crew members, and myself rented a car and were able to really explore and see the sights. We went to Hearst Castle, which I highly recommend, rode up highway 1 which is gorgeous, hiked in Joshua tree national park, and toured the Reagan presidential library. Keep these places in mind when reading my Junto, they were part of that living life idea. We have also played Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, and Modesto (an amazing town, think taco trucks, with great locals). Yesterday we had a day off at a casino in Elko, NV that bested me, and today we are in Rock Spring, WY on our way to Pueblo and Greeley, CO.

Junto


Have you ever had one of those ideas that make you wonder how it took you x amount of years to realize it? I had one of those during my quarter life crisis, as my friend likes to jokingly refer to it. At my college, as I’m sure at most, one of the most frequent phrases heard during orientation is, “College is what you make of it.” I took this idea to heart, and had a great four years in college, making lasting friendships and taking part in numerous enriching organizations. So, what is this simple idea that I couldn’t believe took me twenty four years to realize?
            I have thankfully been blessed to have amazing jobs touring this great nation, and will be taking a vacation with my Dad in May to visit Hawaii, my 50th state. While this job, and especially the travel involved are amazing, it can easily have all the stigmas of a “job” attached to it and lose its sense of wonder. A friend of mine was texting me a few weeks back, when she asked how tour was I gave her my usual answer, and she stated, “You better be careful or I am going to think that tour is boring.” As I thought about this concept, about how a job so amazing can get boring, it hit me; life is what you make of it. How the idea that life is what we make of it took me 24 years to formalize, I will never know. I think we as humans easily fall into ruts, and expect entertainment and fulfillment to be given to us through our jobs, when in reality we have to do those things. We have to go out and make life all it can be.
            I was watching a show about ER doctors and nurses on TV a few nights ago and they had a case where a mother almost died. It took numerous hours for the woman to be diagnosed and she came very close to death. When she was finally able to leave the hospital she took the time to thank the doctor for saving her life. The doctor stated on the program, “When you are doing the day to day you think of it as a job…” I share this story to demonstrate that life is what we make of it. If a doctor who literally works miracles every day to save peoples lives can fall into a rut and see his work as just a “job”, how easy is it for us? As mentioned in the where I have been section, taking time out to see the sites is part of how I am taking hold of life and making it what I want it to be. 

Friday, March 18, 2011

Sunny or Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

So, I believe it was shortly after I wrote my last blog post that I stopped working out again. We are finally into the nicest part of our schedule for the whole tour, we have three week sit downs in a row, so we shall see if I can motivate myself to work out during them. So far, it is not looking good.

Since leaving the wonderful two week sit down in Cincinnati, which was a great time filled with seeing some great friends and family, I have been to: Whitewater, WI; Wausau, WI; Ames, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; Omaha, NE (where I got to see my family); Boise, ID; and Palm Desert, CA (which had amazing weather and the theatre had an outdoor patio with a grill). I am currently spending the week in San Jose, CA.

I always forget how much I enjoy CA until I make it back to the west coast. I love the weather, the food, and just the pace of life. While I also do love my east coast cities, it's a nice break to come visit the west coast.

Junto


As some of you may know, the concept of pursuing your dreams, no matter how crazy they seem, is a concept that I am very much in favor. There are numerous reasons given for people not pursuing their dreams, or reasons why someone will not be able to pursue their dreams. One excuse heard often is that the person who accomplished their dreams is just luckier than person X. That person A made it so big because they were lucky.
So I ask, what is luck and how are some luckier than others. Is it possible for someone to learn to have more luck in their life? In thinking about all this, I found a quote from Oprah where she stated, "I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity." A Beattle Baily comic that I read had the quip, "It takes skill to be lucky." There is also the oft used quote, "Luck favors the prepared." While some of these are cliche, they demonstrate the very valuable point, that "luck" might not be an out there unattainable concept. Having "luck" is about being prepared for whatever may come your way, to have the skills needed to pursue your passion. 
My goal getting out of college was to do touring theatre, and I thankfully was able to achieve this goal. While I would agree that I was lucky to get a call from my first touring company, I received that call because I had done research into touring companies and sent them my resumes. With my resume, I took the time to craft a cover letter specific to each company, and made sure to make my resume looked as best as possible. Going back even farther, the information on my resume was hard work that I had done during college, and represented numerous hours spent in scene shops. So, while I do feel lucky that they called me, they called because of the skill and preparation that I had put into pursuing my dream of touring and especially touring theatre. To me, luck is being prepared to answer when opportunity knocks. 



Thursday, February 17, 2011

Two Weeks!!

So, the title of this post refers to the fact that we are spending two weeks in Cincinnati with Fiddler. This will be the longest I have ever sat down on tour, and so far I am enjoying it. The hotel could use to be a little better, but it's not horrid, and did I mention I am here for two weeks!! I will also get to see a few dear friends while I am here which will be great. My mum is also coming in early next week which is always nice.

Since my last post I have been to: Hagerstown, MD; Roanoke, VA; Springfield, OH; Toledo, OH; Bloomington, IN; Wheeling, WV; and Lexington, KY. 

I have been doing pretty well in keeping up with working out. I went two days in a row while we were in Toledo, and have been to the gym every day that I can here (I don't work out on load in days). Today I will be cheating and will be going ice skating instead of to the gym, but it's still exercise right? I will still do some push ups and crunches later tonight. 

Junto

In the interest of self punishment which I decide to put myself through every few years, I have taken up reading the tome War and Peace. So far, I have been enjoying it and came across this quote that got me thinking. In the tome it is said, "We don't love people so much for the good they have done us, as for the good we have done them." I truthfully am not sure how much I agree with the quote. I feel that there are many people in my life that I love because of how they have been there for me through the years, and even if I have been able to help them as well, I love them for how they have helped me. 

Though, I can also see the quote being true. If someone just kept doing something for me, with me never giving anything back in return, I feel myself (and humans in general), would begin to feel entitled to the good, and not love the person. We would get a sense of entitlement to the person, forgetting that they also have needs and wants, and begin to take advantage of them. I would love to hear my friends take on this quote? Do you agree, disagree, or are likewise undecided?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Snow Day!!

So, while I am definitely getting tired of the snow, we have been following it for what feels like months now, it came in handy last night. Last night, here in Easton, PA, they cancelled our show, so all we had to do was a load in and then came back to the hotel. This is our first hotel in I think a week and a half, so I was very grateful for the night off. They even had Karaoke at the hotel bar last night and I sang Fishin in the Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Since my last post I have been to: Lowell, MA (a place where the goal of my touring career is to get on a show that does not play here); Portland, ME; West Point, NY; Indiana, PA; University Park, PA; and am now here in Easton. Tonight we leave for Waterbury, CT.

A friend of mine posted a picture, both in their blog and on fb that really makes me want to get back in shape. They are a runner, as am I even though I haven't done it in forever, but I'm thinking after I write this post I may sneak on down to the hotel gym before my bus call. If nothing else I really need to do some push ups and crunches in my room. I've also thought about picking up yoga again (the again being I did it during one of my acting classes in college). One of our cast members told me about a yoga studio that has free podcasts that take you through the various salutations and such. We shall see if I actually do any of the above. Friends, you are more than welcome to text, fb, skype my butt to encourage/push me to work out, it would be much appreciated.

Junto:


I finally finished reading The Five Love Languages, and would like to revisit the issue of love. It has always been an issue that fascinates me, from finding out what my friends believe love is, to seeing how it is possible to deceive yourself into loving someone. But in this post, I want to look at the differences between love and hate, though I welcome comments from my friends on what you believe that love is, especially now that all of you are getting married and engaged, which you need to stop (JK I love you all and am very happy for all of you!!).

During my Christmas Break I was waking up really early for part of it, so I started watching a slew of daytime talk shows. I forget what the exact issue was that they were discussing on The View, but Whoopi Goldberg stated, "Hate is a learned behavior", and that got me thinking; if hate is a learned behavior, then what is love? If we have to learn how to hate, which I believe we do, then are we born knowing how to love? This also interests me because my mom introduced me to the five love languages years ago, and since first taking the love language test with her, mine have changed. So, how did I "learn" to have a new love language?

Personally, I do believe that we are born knowing how to love. If you have ever spent a lot of time around children, you will notice that they don't care how another child looks, speaks, or dresses, they just want to have fun with them and share their toys, usually. Now, can children be taught to hate at a very young age, sadly yes, but I do not believe that this is natural. One of the favorite parts of my life has been watching one of our foster children go from when he came to us, if he ran into a wall he would just stand and glare at us with arms folded, to if he just brushed the wall he would come running asking for us to kiss his arm. It took a while, but we were thankfully able to teach him how to love again, which I believe it is possible to forget how to love, but I think we begin life knowing how. I think

So mainly, I guess I am asking two questions. What do you believe love is? Do you believe that we are born knowing how to love? How do you think that we can learn new love languages?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Back on the road

So, I have fallen greatly behind in updating my blog, you shall see why here in a second. To finish out where I left off on my last post:
Christmas was great. It was a pleasure to get to see all my family and such! The time spent in NC was also wonderful. I rang in the New Year with some of my friends from high school down at the ocean front. On January 1st, my first real productive act of the new year was to run a 5K in a suit with my best friend and her sister. It was pretty awesome, and I was only 9 minutes slower than my pr, which I consider awesome having not run one since probably high school (we won't talk about how long ago that was). On January 2nd, I flew back to tour meeting up with the company in Schenectady, NY. We spent a week in Schenectady and since leaving there on January 9th I have been to:
Kingston, Ontario; Erie, PA; Morgantown, WV (where I got to see our old college shop foreman and his wife); Portsmouth, OH; South Bend, IN (where we set our record load out, as we also did when I was on Annie); Wabash, IN (where I met some amazing people!); Knoxville, TN (where I got to see an old friend from high school, who I only knew was there because I accidentally texted him, but was great to see); and am currently sitting in a coffee shop in Colombia, SC waiting to do a show tonight, and then head to Harrisburg, PA for a day off before starting a rough weekend. But yes, overall the life goes well and I still love my job (even if we are in the worst part of our schedule until Mid-February)!

Junto:

An issue that has been huge these past few weeks is Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, if you can call it that, protesting at the funerals of those killed in the events that took place in Arizona. I don't know of anyone who likes Fred Phelps, and I believe that is because what he and his group do is disgusting, and it is also hypocritical. Having been raised in a protestant household, I can tell you that nothing (maybe an exaggeration, but you get the point) that this group does is biblical. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus gives us the two greatest commandments, he says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” When you are standing with signs that read, "God Hates Fags" while people are in their deepest time of mourning, how is that loving your neighbor? When you are telling people how much God supposedly hates them (which is in no way, shape, or form supported biblically), how is that showing love? And yet, they continuously insist that they are doing "God's" work. It makes me sick. How would this group feel if when one of their members dies, a crowd gathered to hurl insults at them as they attempt to cope with this loss? 


All of that to say, hypocritical people have always been one of my biggest pet peeves. Truthfully, I don't care what you believe, but I want you to own up to it and take credit for it. I hate it that people have skewed ideas about religion, politics, etc because someone claiming to be part of x belief system is giving it a bad name because they are not following any of its tenants. They are claiming to be part of x, but show no sign of having that belief system, as the Bible says, "you shall know them by their fruit". Sadly, most humans will never investigate to see if what this person claims lines up with x belief system, they will just write off that system. The few giving the many a bad name. 


I was talking to our new bus driver recently and he was talking about a Christian metal group that he has driven for. He said he doesn't understand how metal and Christianity go together, but that the members of the group are genuine and truly care about others. He mentioned this a few times in conversation. That is what a believer should be, wether of religion, politics, or any number of things. People should say, I may not understand why they believe the way they do, but they are genuine about it. People like those who take a stand and hold to it!


Longest Blog Post Evah!!!