The last Premiere

Premiere went well, with very few problems -- and certainly no big ones by any means -- and a pretty good vibe overall. It was the first Premiere since, probably, Hong Kong or San Diego where I didn't feel like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off right up until the point of opening.

I spent the day putting the finishing touches on my suite, buying plants for the terrace and flowers for inside, hanging my last few signs and my big pole-mounted projector, and just getting everything ready. In fact, it was the first Premiere in a few cities where I didn't have to duck away to our on-site shower to rid my body of all the grime on my hands and sweat all over my body, accumulated through my hectic pre-Premiere panic. Nope, this was a very relaxed Premiere by all counts.

And for that, I am very thankful. After all, it is my last one. And I just wanted to enjoy it a bit more than normal.

We had the post-show party in my suite, but our liquor license was only valid until midnight (thanks to the limitations of the local municipality). As a result, my party was finished by 12:15am, and I finished cleaning up and closing 15 minutes later. Wow -- heading home at 12:30am on Premiere night was quite unusual. But don't think that the fun ended there, my friends. In celebration of our last Premiere in North America, the tour organized a really fun party at the City Museum.

And the following pics prove that plenty o' fun was had by all. Enjoy!

Risky Boy tries a peek-a-boo. He got game!

Not to be outdone, Giggles performs her own peek-a-boo. Well done, gal.

Tower Girl tries to get in my pants -- yet again! The gal just can't help herself. And who can blame her, really. I mean, look how drunk gorgeous I look : )

Things get interesting. Risky Boy gets friendly. Of course, that's after I said to him, "You know, it just isn't a staff party until I awkwardly hit on you and ask if you're ever coming over to the dark side...." His response was a teasing kiss on the cheek and a bump and grind routine.

Our first-ever staff party with Sheila on the team! She rocks! And she's cool enough to request the DJ to play Girls on Film by Duran Duran. Now that is one cool momma.

And our first-ever staff party with Nebraska Girl as an official spouse instead of an employee. But some things never change: she still makes me smile.

And then the questions began. Nebraska Girl's boyfriend asked me why I called him "The Gay Boyfriend" on my blog. My response: "You called yourself that, dumb-ass. I borrowed the phrase from you!" Him: "Well, OK. But I'm a bit insulted." Nebraska Girl (to me): "You know, if you wanted him, he could be all yours right now....." I rest my case -- he'll always be The Gay Boyfriend to me!

Safe and sound. So one of the hardest working people on tour is Feather Boa Girl. She works -- and plays -- hard, and is always good value at a staff party. I walked into the party, she saw me and said thank you for something I did earlier (which was, in fact, simply thanking her for something she did for me that day), and we danced and touched each other's intimate parts inappropriately stuff.

The Driver. This evil-looking babe is anything but. Fun and frivolous, she's a soon-to-depart spouse of one of our awesome Logistics fellas. I've only hung out with her a couple of times, but how much fun is she?!

And there you have it folks: some of the highlights of our party. I bet it felt like being there, didn't it?! It roared until 4:30am, at which point Tower Girl, Giggles, her boyfriend, and I grabbed the shuttle to get home. An entertaining ride later -- thanks to some revealing admissions by Giggles' boyfriend -- we were home and ready to hit the hay.

Luckily, we all have a day off today on account of the fact that the circus is closed!! Imagine it: our last Premiere and Premiere party for our North American tour, and we're blessed with a day off the next day.

Amen, sistah!

Crazy good

Last night I went to see Jamie Cullum with four wicked friends (Nebraska Girl, Ladybug, her boyfriend Monkey Boy, and Giggles). How should I describe the show? Can you say energetic?! And fun?! And whacky? And entertaining beyond belief?!

He was crazy good. Hell, I even bought a t-shirt.

If you have the chance to see this guy, please take it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. And the stupid thing is that he's obviously not that well known yet in America, as evidenced by the fact that he played a 2000-seat venue that still had tickets available at the door. When he first made a name for himself two years ago, I was living in Australia. His first gig in Sydney sold out in about 10 minutes. They added a second gig, and it, too, sold out in about 10 minutes.

Go see this guy before he starts selling out arenas all over the Yoo Ess of Eh.

With any luck, a bit sooner

Last night's dinner was just fine, thank you. Plenty of food, plenty of libations, plenty of take-home cheesecake. And no agony-inducing celebratory toasts or speeches. Yippee!

This morning was my interview for one of the internal positions I applied for. I wasn't sure what to expect, seeing as how I feel like I'm a wee bit out of my comfort zone with this one. Still, the interview went extremely well -- the interaction was two ways, the interviewer didn't seem bothered by the fact that I don't have direct experience doing the key element of the position, and it seems that I'd be a good fit. They interviewed three candidates in total, so I'm pretty confident that it wasn't a mercy interview as I had been afraid of.

I'll know more around mid-October or, with any stroke of luck, a bit sooner. Fingers crossed big time for this one!!

Mercy interview?

Set Up is going well. I'm ahead of where I normally am at this point in the process, and I'm taking a day off tomorrow with the knowledge that I don't have too much remaining to finish on Wednesday. Yippee!

Yes, you heard me correctly -- a day off tomorrow! And that means fun tonight!! Well, we'll see....we have a department dinner tonight to celebrate the end of our tour. While there are some absolutely awesome people who I absolutely love to hang out with, there are some people with whom spending time is as close to torture as it gets for me. Still, I'd best keep a positive attitude, lest I offend our leader, who keeps lecturing everyone about how it's important to avoid negativity despite the fact that her "leadership" is as close to incompetence as anything I've ever had the displeasure of working under.

But onto other, more positive (sic) things. I have an interview tomorrow for a cool job that I applied for within the company. It's a bit of a long shot, but I'd love to have the opportunity to get this job and make it mine. Hopefully it's not a mercy interview, and I actually do have a shot at getting it.

Fingers crossed!

Ruby red

First day of Set Up? check

Currently surviving my very first tornado warning? so far

I've never been in a tornado warning before. So far, it's a bit of a let down. No sign of the little guys or those ruby red slippers anywhere.

Dispatch from the midwest

I'm quite the jetsetter road tripper. After consecutive weekends in Indianapolis (not what I expected, but quite lovely) and Columbus (what a great feeling to that city), we slogged through our last week in Cincinnati. It was fine, but Tear Down was tough. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I couldn't do much of the preparatory work that I normally do in advance of Tear Down day. As a result, I finished two hours later than in Philadelphia, and that was with other people pitching in and doing the last few things that I normally do.

I sent my temp staff home at 9:30, however, so there wasn't a big delay for them. It was only the rest of us permanent staff who ended up staying later than normal to finish up. All told, however, it was just fine. Hell, just fitting everything into my 18-wheeler is triumph enough for me. I seemed to end up with the requisite amount of cuts and bruises this time, but my back was hurtin' like hell. Oy. Still, it's over and it all got done just fine.

So on Monday, Tower Girl and I drove to Louisville, Kentucky to check it out. We hit some ugly rain along the way, but managed to make it there intact. Despite my unwillingness to accept applications for new programming, we watched Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and, as I suspected I might, I loved it. The only good thing is that it's on TV Monday nights, and I know I won't be burdened with work any Monday night, so may actually be able to watch it.

Afterwards, we had a late night bite at T.G.I.Fridays on Fourth Street -- clearly the happening place in Louisville. The next day, we hit the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, each of us walking away with a Louisville Slugger mini-bat for our nephews, as well as an appreciation for how freakin' fast a 90 mph pitch looks to the batter. Zoiks!

The drive from Louisville to St. Louis was longer than I thought it would be, but uneventful for the most part. Well, uneventful, that is, until I started weaving all over the highway on account of my lack of caffeine. With that rectified at last, and sufficiently alert to finish the drive, we made it to St. Louis and our new glamourous digs. And I mean glamourous! We have space enough for a dancefloor, plus ultra modern appliances, a balcony, secure parking underground, and two bathrooms. My room is loft-style, with walls that reach 4/5 to the ceiling, and tons of closet space. The only problem is the gym next door that puts out pumping bass on its nightclub-calibre stereo, thereby causing our Glamour Pit to rock on its foundations. Still, we're pretty damn happy to be in luxury after the dodgy, 70's-vintage quality of our Cincinnati accommodation.

I've got an extra day off before Set Up, as our normal Management meeting isn't happening on Thursday. Yippee! Tower Girl and I are doing some sightseeing today, and who knows what tomorrow brings. Ain't it grand?! Actually, strike that: Tower Girl will be juggling TV shows tomorrow as the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy competes with the season premiere of CSI, featuring a crime scene investigation behind the scenes at one of our Vegas shows. Having sworn off Grey's on account of my previously-mentioned unwillingness to accept applications for new programming (OK, so aside from Studio 60), I'll try and find someone watching the CSI option. Cuz I've been behind the scenes at that Vegas show, and it's cool.

OK, that's all for my latest dispatch from the midwest. Oh except that you have to ask Tower Girl about my Peek-a-Boo fiasco in CVS drugstore on Monday. Not the most elegant thing I've ever done...

Wanted

Wanted: a call from Luscious Lorna.

Reward: the chance to talk to me.

PS: please don't call until Monday, cuz it's Tear Down on Sunday and I'm waaaaay behind schedule (although in no way on account of my doing).

Luscious, I'm worried. Call me, babe.

Going, going, gone(but far from forgotten)

Nebraska Girl (Hong Kong, December/2005)

I love this girl. But I'm starting to get all sappy as I realize that I won't get to see her every day. She's leaving the tour and I'm gonna miss her so much that it makes me all wimpy and weepy every time I think about it.

You know how there are those particular people in your journey along life's highway? You know who I mean -- those people who leave a lasting impression and make you realize that it might actually be easy making friends? The people with whom you have that out-of-the-blue moment and realize that they're pretty darn cool, and that your life will be richer from that point forward? Nebraska Girl is one of those people.

It was cemented with a post-Set Up beer (or several) in Perth with her Gay Boyfriend, the Gringo, Cowboy and me. Her Gay Boyfriend told me he's never been happier in a relationship, we joked about everything under the sun, and we made ridiculous radio talk about how "The dog fell on the house" and other equally drunken interesting things. Damn, that was some funny radio chatter!

Can you imagine that I thought Nebraska Girl didn't like me when I first met her?! Luckily I was wrong, cuz she's awesome, and has been one of the people who has kept me sane over the past six months.

She won't be gone from my life -- of that I'm absolutely certain. Still, she's not going to be there every day. And that will take some getting used to.

I love ya, Nebraksa Girl. Damn, how I want to sing a karaoke duet with you!!

We'll miss your brave spirit

Emilie Mondor: April 29, 1981 - September 9, 2006

Dora the ExplorerJeff the Adventurer

I'm just rolling along here, getting ready for the last few shows in Cincinnati, which will be followed by Tear Down madness (the second-last Tear Down of the North American Tour). It seems a bit of an anti-climactic week here for some reason. I'm not sure why -- the numbers are good for both me and the show in general, the staff continues to be good, I've had my three days off in a row. I guess I'm just a bit numb on account of the fact that the next city doesn't really interest me all that much, and that it will be the last where Lucky, The Hire Guy, Tower Girl and I will all be together.

I've started to apply for other jobs outside the company. I'm not sure if it's anything to get excited about just yet, but we'll see shortly. How much luck do you really have when you apply to an internet posting, after all? Hmmmmm. That's how I got my current job.....so maybe one of these opportunities will be converted into a new adventure.

Come to think of it -- just rambling here, folks -- why do I always refer to these things called adventures? In my last post, I said I was heading to Columbus for an adventure. I just now said that I'm hoping to start a new adventure, career-wise. I suppose that's how I see my life: as a series of new and different and exciting adventures. When one ends, a new one starts. When that one begins to look like it's hit its expiry date, I search out a new one. And I feel really proud of myself for having this sense of, well, adventure. This attitude helps me seek out new chapters in my life and new learning experiences. It shows that I'm comfortable challenging complacency, and am doing a fairly good job of growing and changing.

I've struggled recently with the lack of real permanency in my life. I suppose that's because it's been three years since I felt it, having moved to Australia without knowing how permanent that would be, followed by my escape to this crazy nomad touring lifestyle. I love the ability to experience new places and people, and think that a combination of permanency and travel would be ideal. Ya, like who wouldn't want that, right? But when I say I seek new adventures, I need to be clear on something: I don't just mean the next travel destination or new city. Heck, I've done that, sometimes with less-than-optimum results.

Nope, a new adventure and a sense of permanency are not mutually exclusive. You can find adventure in your own backyard, if you're open to it. You can embrace opportunities for newness wherever you are. For instance, I felt a sense of adventure in the 11+ years that I was with my old employer. I felt a sense of adventure because there was something new and different and (often) exciting happening all the time. So I guess by adventure, I really mean that I search out new opportunities for growth, both professionally and personally.

Professionally, I need to feel a sense of affiliation with a company that I work for -- or at least would like to feel that. I want to believe in the end product or service that we're producing together. I want to feel like my service philosophy and management style are congruent with that of the company. I want to feel that cultural fit.

Personally, I love to feel that I'm getting opportunities to see new things. Whether it's a new city, a new play, a new blog, a new friend, or anything else, I like to feel that I have a chance to observe. I need to feel that I'm experiencing things in my personal life that are making me richer in a spiritual sense.

And that kind of search for affiliation and growth is what life is large means to me.

Three of the jobs I've applied for would give me a mix of permanency and travel. We'll see if any of them materialize, but at least I've started the process. On the other hand, my next job may not involve a glamourous traveling lifestyle. It may not be well-paying or make people jealous when I say, "Oh ya, I work for insert cool company name here and it's awesome." Still, I'll consider it a new adventure. After all, it has to be. If it isn't an adventure, it probably isn't right for me.

So I'll look to our next city as having the potential for new adventure. This city may be winding down rather anti-climactically, but the next new opportunity to learn is just around the corner. Cheers to the next adventure!

PS: You know, sometimes I scare me. I started to write a post because it had been a few days since my last one. I was thinking that I'd just scribble something like, "Not much happening. Tear Down blah blah blah..." and sign off. Sorry for the lengthy, wince-inducing glimpse into my current state of mind. I just have a lot on my mind, with the impending departure from tour of Nebraska Girl and the recent news of the passing of a young Canadian athlete that I greatly admired.

OK, now I'm done : )

Next stop: triple dark

I have another luxury coming up: a second Sunday off in a row! And that means that I'm in line for a triple dark, instead of the normal double dark that we always have during the last week of a city run. The Hire Guy and Lucky went to Columbus last weekend, giving me a full report on the goings-on there. Sounded like fun, so I'm headed to Columbus and a new adventure myself.

I can't believe it's nearly the last week of Cincinnati. It seems as if it's just started.

A tidbit kind of day

I rarely do this, but I feel like today is a day for random tidbits. So here are some thoughts floating around in my consciousness, suddenly ready to be released to the world for digestion. Please enjoy bear with me:

• I just heard an extended air raid alarm here in Cincinnati. Not sure what it means, but it was damn loud and awfully long. Still, nothing is about to break me away from blogging and coverage of the US Open to investigate.
• There were only 4 buildings in Indianapolis that were visible from the horizon downtown core. It was a lovely place, and full of beautiful neighbourhoods, gorgeious houses, remarkable architecture, and friendly people. But the downtoen core was not what I would have expected of the 12th largest city in the Yoo Ess of Eh. That's just fine, cuz it's nice to be surprised and feel like you've learned something.
• My big toenails are ugly. They've been ugly most of my adult life, and will probably always be. And yet, all I want to wear is flip-flops. If I could work in flip-flops, I'd be a happy man.
• My left lower leg has been hurting ever since Set Up 2-1/2 weeks ago. I'm not sure why, but yesterday was the first time since Set Up that I was able to crouch down to lace up my tent without my knee and lower leg rebelling by sending shooting pains all the way up my leg. Maybe I'm on the mend?
• My brother's dog just died. RIP Preacher.
• Five years ago today, I was in San Francisco to see Madonna in concert with my best friend Suzie. Suzie worked for the official travel agent and ticketing agency that sold and organized packages for her concert tour, so I was the lucky recipient of a free ticket, a gorgeous suite at a 5-star hotel, entry to the VIP Welcome Party, and fun fun fun. That was damn cool.
• It doesn't seem like 9/11 was five years ago next week. Just. Can't. Believe. It.
• Exactly four years ago this week, Suzie and I went to NYC to watch the US Open and to have plenty of fun. It was a riot.
• I don't want to go into work today. But that's not so much a random tidbit as it is a fact of life these days.
• The picture below is one I took in Tiananmen Square when I visited Beijing last December. I was talking to my tour guide to try and get an idea about how the whole 1989 Tiananmen massacre was portrayed by the Chinese media, and she very specifically told me to speak quietly and generally, without referring to specific details. She said that the press portrayed it as a student uprising and that any responsibility was on the students who started the conflict. Very interestingly, she said that in no way was it referred to as a response to Communism, a cry for democracy, or a bid for human rights.

Thank you for enduring my tidbit Tuesday Wednesday. It's been real.

Indy

I'm off to Indianapolis today for a couple of days R&R. Have fun, be well, and enjoy the fireworks while I'm gone. Apparently it's the second-largest fireworks display in the Yoo Ess of Eh; an event watched by 500,000 drunk people. Yup, these people will be all around our riverfront site.

I'm so damn glad I won't be there.

How many lifelines do I have left, Regis?

Nebraska Girl and me (Hong Kong/December 2005)

So it's definitely equal time for equal people. In a recent post, I briefly touched on how lucky I am to have met Ladybug on tour. Now it's time to post a pic of Nebraska Girl, who is one of my other lifelines. We laugh, we commiserate, we get to work side by side, we wonder why certain people are incompetent talk about stuff.

And Nebraska Girl is the one who came up with the most brilliant idea I've heard in months: Work, the musical. Man, we've got so much fodder that we could write a 12-hour musical, complete with recurring themes and subplots galore. One of these days, we'll get it written. For now, we're just living it. Sigh.

Nebraska Girl: ain't she wicked?! Please feel free to leave her a comment.

Two consecutive days

Another Friday in Cincinnati. And I still haven't properly unpacked my suitcases. I need to go through al lthe crap I'm hauling around with me and part with some of it, but probably not today. There's still 2 weeks left in Cincinnati to do that, so I'll find motivation at some point and get that all done.

Today, I'll laze around for a change, drink Diet Coke for a change and watch the the US Open on TV until I have to go to work.

And then I'll go to work and, invevitably, count down the hours until I go to Indianapolis on Sunday. Two consecutive days off -- yippee!!

Oh, and on an unrelated topic....can you believe it's September 1st already?! Zoiks!