Done!

And the grand totals...

10,000 miles traveled
19 states
8 states I had never been to before
150 hours in the van/truck
70 nights in hotels
51 shows
142 gunshots
102 awkward clinches with Anna
0 uses of the fog machine that we lugged around everywhere
10 company meetings
2 new cast members
12 "harp" strings
and a partridge in a pear tree....

Merry Christmas!

One More Show!

And so we enter the final day of Chamber Theatre here in Boston! Today's show went well, although we ended up having to load out after the show...so we'll have a full load-in tomorrow morning again. Argh. Otherwise, things are winding down nicely...three straight nights in the Holiday Inn, a lovely package from Janelle, a meeting tonight discussing the logistics for tomorrow, a lunch with our director Scott today, a lobster dinner tonight. Tomorrow we do the final show, and are pretty much done with everything. We're contracted through noon Saturday, but we should be done tomorrow night. Then I catch an Amtrak train to Philly and then to Harrisburg. Hurrah!

Concord, NH

First time in New Hampshire, as far as I know. Not much to say...go Eagles...only two more drive days left, since we have two shows in Boston to end the tour. Woohoo!

Last Weekend

Weekend in New London, CT. A lovely Best Western after our Quality Inn was in the middle of nowhere. Pictures included here are the scary British Petroleum man from Purchase, NY; the Edgar Allan Poe statue from Baltimore, MD; and a plaque from the USS Simon Lake at the submarine museum here in New London. Simon Lake was my great great great uncle, and an inventor of one of the first submarines.

Saw Casino Royale yesterday and was very impressed.

Tomorrow we head to New Hampshire after our show here!

Currently watching the Eagles game against the Giants. So far, so good...

6 more shows...

Nearing the end of what has become a very long week. The attached picture pretty much sums up the Monday morning experience. Heh heh. Major psychological impact knowing the end is so close, and yet so far. We are, however, over the hump and things have started to speed up. We had our last of three shows in Irivine Auditorium at Penn today. Great crew, although really tough to fit the truck in, owing mainly to the vast assortment of deliveries that were coming in and out of the adjacent loading dock.

From here on out, we stay fairly far north. Next week we venture to our highest latitude, in Concord, NH. It isn't quite as far north as one would imagine, however; it's just about even with Milwaukee. So whoop-dee-doo! Also the truck got fantastically lost today...the van arrived a little after 4pm, and the truck finally rolled in at 7:30. Ouch. Luckily, I was in the van...such an adventure does not sound appealing.

In one week, it will be the eve of our last show! We won't have to load the set out of the Boston space between our Thursday and Friday shows, so it'll be a nice and easy end to the tour.

Looking forward to Christmas Eve/Day with the family in PA, and then heading out to Chicago and finally seeing Janelle again!! It will also be nice to not ride in a van for hours every day, have my own room , have a fuzzy kitten running around, and having a fridge full of delicious food. Won't exactly miss the heavy lifting, either. Kind of puts a negative light on the tour, but we'll put a positive spin on it later.

Alpaca Adventures

On our trip from Milford to Baltimore, we took a turn for the rustic and visited Anna's alpacas on their farm in New Jersey. Alpacas are like camels and llamas...but way cooler. They're extremely soft, are fascinated by cats, and make little meeping noises that sounds like a printer that has a paper jam. What could be better??

In other news, I bought a new toothbrush and toothbrush cover. We also went candlepin bowling last night. For an explanation, see previous entry "Tourist Day in Boston."

Only 10 shows left, and only 943 more miles to travel, give or take a few. Get ready for the best fortnight of your life!

Hot and Spicy

Comatose and bloated in my bed after a gluttonous feast at Buffalo Wild Wings with the gang. We're once again stuck in Milford, CT in the same hotel next to the same Bennigans. It was time for a change of scenery.

Thus, the wingfest...waaaaaaay too hot, waaaaaaay too many, and waaaaaaaaay too expensive, but we did it. Argh.

After my lips stopped burning violently, I went into some sort of wing hangover and felt dizzy. But it was well worth it. Non-winglovers might be confused and think that I did not enjoy my night, but the truth is in fact the opposite. I am reveling in the glory that was buffalo wings. I'll look back on this feeling with fondness tomorrow, when I will be spending every available minute on the toilet.

In other news, we only have 10 shows left! Thereafter, I shall return to PA, then to WI, and then to IL to stay.

We have embarked upon Secret Santa on the tour, as well. I know not who mine is, but he/she has already graced me with a Starbucks gift card and some candycane-flavored PopRocks. Excellent.

Change of Scenery

Writing during the Eagles MNF game in West Haven, CT. This is actually our second hotel in the last hour, as we had our first hotel switch after seeing the conditions. Let's just say the hygenic quality of the rooms at the Quality Inn in East Haven left much to be desired. So after a few quick calls to the Boston office, we got the hotel switched to a lovely Best Western Executive in West Haven. Clean floors, clean walls, clean bathroom, and we get to stay in it twice more this week!

Dad, Maggie, and the Prestwoods got to see the show today at Penn...had a kid with a laser pointer get in major trouble during the show. Heh heh.

First week back

Well, it was quite the long week, but also fun. Monday was tough since it was basically like going back to work after vacation. Made it to Long Island in record time with my parents on Sunday, only to make the same drive back to Harrisburg on Monday for the Tuesday show. But I got to see the family a bit more, and they got to see the show. Performed at the Forum in Harrisburg, which I had been to many times for various school assemblies and award ceremonies. Definitely not really meant to be a theatre space, but the acoustics were awesome and the illuminated constellations on the ceiling are always a treat.

We had two shows at Hofstra University, as well as our first show back in Boston. Basically the entire office came to see what we could do, and our director Scott was able to see it and give us some feedback aftewards. We have quite a few shows in Boston left in our next 3 weeks, including 2 this coming week. We'll be staying at a Holiday Inn which is right by the Fortress building right off of I-93 in Boston. It's got a huge inflated chain and lock on one side (not visible in picture) and basically looks like a fortress. The hotel is also about a mile from Uphams, where we rehearsed for an eternity back in September.

We also play Philadelphia tomorrow and New Haven, CT Tuesday and Wednesday. So not too much moving around this week, which will be nice.

We are currently in Fort Washington, PA...just down the turnpike from my grandparents' old house. Last night we braved the holiday crowds at King of Prussia mall and will probably do so again today.

Also included in my post is a picture of a Cancun truck that looked very enticing as a cold front was moving through Boston.

If you get the chance, check out Anna's blog for good fun and a rather incriminating youtube video involving strawberry milk in Dunkin Donuts.

Also read Tom's...he has many pictures of dogs, food, and family.