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Miracles and Afterthoughts

 There were so many small miracles that occurred the night I passed the Kidney Stone. 1. It was a Monday. Meaning, we were in one city for over 24 hours and I had a hotel room rather than being on the road. I cannot imagine. 2. I was with a friend who had a car in a city where there weren't any Ubers around on a Monday night. If I had been at the hotel, it would have taken a lot of extra time to order a taxi to get to the hospital. 3. The bar, hospital, and hotel were all within a couple miles of each other. 4. The time difference allowed me to stay in touch with my parents the entire time. 5. I was in a state that accepts Medicaid and I actually had my card on me. 6. T he average time it takes for a kidney stone to pass is within 1-2 WEEKS! Mine passed in less than 4 hours!!!! 7. My phone was fully charged and I had my headphones. 8. I wore comfortable pants that didn't have any metal on them so I didn't have to struggle out of them before the CT Scan. If I had to have a k...
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Winooski? More like WinOWWWWWski! (Part II)

Later that night, I got dinner with the cast at the only restaurant open walking distance from our hotel. For context, it was a Monday in South Burlington, VT. Even though Downtown was just a couple miles away, there weren't any Ubers around to go anywhere. So the restaurant closed at 9:30pm. I happened to have an acquaintance from college who lived Downtown, so he picked me up to grab a drink at a spot called The Wallflower Collective. Yes, it was technically a date. We'll call him James. We sipped on gin and tonics and caught up on life, and just as it was nearing midnight, I felt a sharp pain in my right side. I'd been sitting in a twisted position on the couch all night, so at first I thought it was a muscle spasm. I tried to subtly stretch it out. Then I thought maybe it was gas pain, so I excused myself to the bathroom. Nothing. It worsened in a matter of seconds, and when I exited the bathroom, I was hunched over and said  "I don't know what to do,  I'm ...
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Winooski? More like WinOWWWWWski! (Part I)

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 It was the best of times....then it was the absolute freaking WORST of times.  Two words. Kidney. Stones. If you just want the Kidney Stone Saga, skip to Part II. We got TWO nights in a hotel room this week! This is extremely rare on our days off because we usually arrive at the hotel early Monday morning, go back to bed, spend the day off however we want, get one night in a real bed, then back on the bus early Tuesday. But this time, we left Lowell, MA at 8pm on Sunday so we were checking in by midnight and got a full night's sleep before our day off! I got up around 9:30 am to grab complimentary breakfast downstairs which I brought back to my room to enjoy while I caught up on House of Dragons. I stayed in bed until about noon and then decided I wanted to get out and explore before it started raining. I packed up a bag with snacks, a rain coat and an umbrella, popped in my earbuds and started on the 45 minute walk to Winooiski Falls.  It was a gorgeous walk through the...
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The Art of the Shower

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Theater showers are like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get... What most people don't know, is that while on tour, the theaters are essentially our hotel rooms 6 days out of the week. All 3 meals of the day are catered, we spend 80% of our day in the dressing room, and we shower at every venue. We play all sorts of venues: small local auditoriums, big arenas, fancy equity theaters, and even ice hockey rinks! With that, comes a variety of dressing and bathroom accommodations.  Each morning is a scavenger hunt. After I get off the bus, I first must find the stage door. Sometimes this is a lot harder than it seems when it's an unmarked door in an alley way in the city... Once I actually find my way into the building, there are laminated signs posted by production that direct us to all the necessary destinations. Sometimes the layout is easy to navigate, and other times it is a straight up maze. I love the days where the dressing room, catering, green ro...
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My Little Bunk

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 I have one of the front bottom bunks (starboard side if you're familiar with ship terms). If I toured again, I would probably choose a higher bunk in the back instead. I am closest to the door to the front lounge and the bathroom and I get 100% of the foot traffic walking through the bunk area. To get into my bunk, I do a technique I call the "stop, drop, and roll." Who knew elementary fire safety would prepare me for tour bus life in my 30's?  We only have about a foot and a half of head room in each bunk so you can't sit up. I bump my head at least twice a day trying to adjust my covers, reach for something at the end of the bunk, or just getting in and out. There is one power outlet by my feet and a bright lamp above my head. There are also two vents that I keep closed at all times because they blow freezing cold recycled air and directly on my face.  Sometimes we get some weird smells that come through said vents... The septic tanks hadn't been cleaned ou...
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MTV Cribs: Bus Edition

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 Bus life... It's kind of like camping in an RV...with 9 of your coworkers...for 3 1/2 months... Actually, I quite enjoy bus life! Yes, it's crowded and we are all many different personalities forced into one small space...but there are also lots of laughs!  Our tour travels with big rigs and 2 tour busses each with a trailer attached to the back. We have 4 drivers and 20 passengers, so only 24 humans total on our tour! Our bus consists of the driver's cockpit, a front lounge with a half kitchen, a toilet and shower, a sleeping/bunk area, and a back lounge.  The cockpit has a driver and passenger seat, and a sliding door that can separate the cockpit from the front lounge if the driver wants some privacy. The bus is generally on the road between 12am and 9am, so unless I choose to forego a night of sleep, I don't plan on riding in the passenger seat anytime soon. The front lounge is the area where I spend the most time. There is a TV with Direct TV that is on pretty muc...
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Home Is Where the Mouse Is!

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 It's been over 8 years since I last blogged during a contract...so I think that means it's time to start it up again! I'm on tour! This time it's a real Rockstar Tour Bus tour. After years of multiple roommates and tiny cruise ship cabins, I never thought I'd subject myself to such close quartered communal living again, but here we are!  I first auditioned for this tour in 2018. At the time, it was called Disney Junior Dance Party, and I made it to final callbacks for a dancer track. Although it was a Disney show, the creative team consisted of notable names in the commercial dance world, the rate was high, and it was clear it would be way more than "just a kid's show." Obviously I didn't book it, but in the back of my mind, I hoped that someday I would have the opportunity. The tour was in circulation for a few years, but of course Covid threw a wrench in any 2020 plans. Fast forward to Spring 2022 when I received an email from my agent inquiring...
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