Boring, but not... (mostly non-knitting)

Some things I've been thinking about recently after the cut.

So this week hasn't really been too exciting, although I feel like I've been getting up way too early and going to bed way too late. I had Monday off, then Tuesday, I got up at 6:00a (yes, that's an A, as in AM, urgh!) to drive down to LA and hang out with John. He showed me a few new illusions he's gotten lately, and we started training a new crew guy he hired. We're doing a small show in May, the weekend after Dinner closes. It's a Friday/Saturday thing, although I'm going to try to get down there Thursday night. John's arranged a place for me to crash, since I no longer have housing down there, which is cool. I'll go back down for another rehearsal with new crew guy and the dancers next Tuesday, and then we'll be set, I think.

Being down in LA was a little surprising to me, though - I realized I actually missed the place! Okay, not the traffic, which only a masochist would miss, but living there. I spent the drive home thinking of how I could support myself if I moved back down. I came up with either going to grad school or by some miracle landing a full time gig somewhere (preferably with John, in which case I'd be on the road most of the time, but the show isn't quite at full-time status yet). I had the contacts to freelance when I had roommates to help split costs, but I don't think I could support myself on just freelancing, and I don't know anyone I'd want to room with there anymore.

I'm also applying to Blue Man Group in Las Vegas for an ASM position there, which prompted an email to Lance Burton's stage manager, who was amazingly cool enough almost five years ago to take time to talk to a college kid, barely 21, who knew nothing about magic shows, only that she wanted to work on them, and had the guts to call and ask. (Thanks, Mom, for pushing me into that, btw!) We've kept in intermittent touch since, and while we can't exactly discuss business (since we both work for different illusionists, trade secrets and all), he always gives me advice about companies and such. I have a standing offer to see the show anytime I'm in town. Which, I'm starting to think, will be as soon as I can get some cash saved up. I don't care if no one else wants to go. I do, and I've travelled by myself to far more unfamiliar places before. (I've been to Vegas something like seven or eight times - only two of which have been past the age of 21!)

I think I'm getting to the "I've been here too long and it's time to move on stage." In the past few months, I've been considering moving to Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Maybe I do like the city life? I don't really have any desire to move to the East Coast, though, unless it's a rockin cool job. I think I'm just built to travel (I come by it honestly), and I haven't really been able to for several years. I hope John goes on a tour!

Class has been awesome, of course, although there have been so many people there lately that there isn't room to do much work. Some of the black belts have taken to going outside in the back to practice weapon forms now that the weather is nicer and the sun is out longer. I did my board break on Monday with no problems - Sir got that look that lets me know the next one I break will be much harder. (I also somehow got blood on my pants - I think from a hangnail - and it won't come out. Any tips?) Mr. R taught me my one steps this evening. I like them - they're fun. Again, though, everytime I think "Hey, I'm getting better at this!" something comes along to knock me on my butt. We were doing a drill that involved some sort of front pushing kick, which looks really simple and I can't seem to do for anything. All the other kicks so far, I've been able to do, maybe not powerfully or gracefully, but the footwork for this one just would not compute for some reason. I hope we do it again!

I'm about halfway through the squares on the baby blanket, and only an inch or so into the toe of the second Green Gables sock. I've also worked on Tumbling Blocks a little, although somehow a 49 stitch scarf with an eight-stitch YO/k2tog pattern repeat is kicking my butt. I thought I had it memorized, but I'm finally admitting tonight that I am going to have to dig the pattern out again.

I really have to get going - we have a brat mat (a 10:00a student matinee, which means an 8:15a call for moi!) tomorrow, plus I have to teach Chrissy's class (she's doing a gig in Arizona for a few weeks), and go to a stage combat seminar by one of our RA's for my interns. And go running. And I really need a shower!