The Mother of All Updates (Installment #3 - Crappy Birthday)

So . . . this birthday was a BIG birthday for me. Years ago I had vowed I would have a huge party and, if not yet married, go ahead and register for all the cool stuff one should have even if one doesn't get married.

Needless to say, it didn't happen. Any of it.

Here is how I spent my 40th birthday and the days following:

I woke up at 3 AM (yes, THREE IN THE MORNING) to get ready for my 6 AM flight to Chicago - the first of four legs to Laramie, Wyoming for my on-campus interview there.

At 4 AM, as I was gathering my phone to pack, I noticed I had a message in my voicemail. I listened to it, and lo and behold, my flight to Chicago was canceled due to weather and I needed to call United to rebook my sequence. So I made the necessary arrangements and called my contact at the school to inform her of the change. My new flight was scheduled to leave for Chicago at 11:30 AM.

Rather than going back to bed, I informed my pet-sitter I was delayed and took Zoe for a walk myself, then spent my free time leisurely finishing my last minute packing for my trip.

I left for the airport a little after 10 AM, arrived, checked my bag, and proceeded to my gate.As I flipped through a magazine while waiting for the boarding to begin, a voice comes over the loudspeaker explaining there was a delay in the flight due to mechanical issues. Oh dear. At least my connection in Chicago wasn't until 2:45 so I had plenty of time.

I managed to chat with my sister for a bit and figured that since I packed my phone charger in my checked luggage, I should keep the phone off much of the time. Finally, we boarded at 12:30. I still wasn't worried because I knew I'd have about an hour before my connecting flight left Chicago.

When I landed in Chicago, I proceeded to the departure screen to check on my gate and flight status. I looked up and saw that my flight had an assigned gate, but was now not scheduled to take off until 5:15! WHAT?! Uh oh. So off I went to speak to an agent about yet another flight out of Denver to Cheyenne. I booked the LAST flight out of Denver and called my contact in Wyoming. She took my information and said to stay in touch. I shut the phone off again to keep from wasting the battery and tried to stay busy until 5:15. Not an easy task. Though O'Hare offers "free wifi", you need to subscribe to connect with their system. SO, here it was, my birthday, and I was stuck at O'Hare with no phone or e-mail contact with friends and family. Bummer. At least I had my iPod. I finally got so bored I PAID for 15 minutes of Internet service at a little kiosk . . . just enough time to check new messages and send two.

I listened to some music and finished my magazine . . . even did some prep work for the next day's series of interviews and teaching . . . and ate some lunch knowing I would only be getting peanuts on the flight to Denver.

I checked the board again, and 5:15 had become 5:45 . . . then 6:15. SIGH. We FINALLY boarded a little after 6:30 PM. By this time, I had been up for 15.5 hours and I still had TWO legs to go before my final destination!

The flight to Denver was crowded, and I was in the center seat of a five seat middle section . . . but was surprised to take off with nobody sitting directly next to me. Sheer luck. However, due to nerves, I was unable to get any sleep. I watched a little "TV" and then listened to some more music and read the airliner's magazine.

We touched down in Denver about 8:00 local time and I proceeded to the departure screen again to find out about my connection to Cheyenne. Miracle of miracles - it was on time! So I grabbed some dinner to go and headed to my new gate. If you have ever been to the Denver airport, you wouldn't be surprised that my walk to my new gate took about half an hour! That airport is HUGE and of course I was taking a tiny commuter plane located in the terminal on the very edge of the airport.

When I arrived at my gate, I checked that all was well with my flight and once again turned on my phone. I had a ton of messages and decided I could spare listening to them - good thing, too, because my mailbox was FULL (my fabulous friends' & family's birthday wishes mostly). As I listened, I deleted. I then called my contact in Laramie to let her know I was due in Cheyenne on time at 10:30 PM. That's when she informed me that the roads from Laramie to Cheyenne were closed and that nobody was going to be able to pick me up! I was going to have to spend the night in Cheyenne and hope that the roads were clear early in the morning. We chatted and decided they would book me in a hotel in Cheyenne that had a shuttle and she would call me with the confirmation information. In the meantime, she wondered if I could look into flights into Laramie from Cheyenne just in case that made more sense. So I made a few phone calls and discovered it wouldn't help to fly there as I would have to fly BACK to Denver to fly into Laramie. When she called back, I relayed this information to her and she said she would call me early in the morning with the plans for getting to Laramie. In the meantime, the hotel shuttle doesn't run after 10 PM in Cheyenne so I was going to need to call the hotel upon my arrival and they would send a taxi instead. CRAZY!

By this time, my phone battery is very low, so I again power it down and wait for my flight. It's finally time to board and the wind is whipping snow around us as we walk what felt like a mile to the tin can with wings. Seriously. Except for the plane I jumped OUT of, it was the smallest plane I've ever been on.

The flight to Cheyenne was short, VERY bumpy, but not too miserable because I was sitting by a real character with a smart mouth. I laughed most of the way there.

We landed, and I watched as the baggage handlers took ONE suitcase off the plane and onto the baggage cart. I laughed a little more because it seemed absurd my bag would be the only one on board.

We made our way across the frozen tarmac to the airport and the baggage conveyor belt was already moving. One bag was moving towards the center on it . . . but it wasn't mine and it another man took it off and departed. Then the belt STOPPED.

I had no bag.

I had no change of clothes for my interview, no charger for my phone, and no toiletries.

I burst out laughing 'cause otherwise I would cry. Surely the universe was playing a practical joke on me!

I walked over to the counter and asked the young man (I swear he was a high-schooler) if any more bags had been on the plane. "Nope," was my answer. He asked me if I was supposed to be on an earlier flight and I said yes, so he checked in the back room for it. Still no bag. "Where are you staying?" he asked and I replied, "the Holiday Inn, but I'm leaving for Laramie early in the morning for a job interview." "Oh no," was my reply. Apparently, the first plane out of Denver to Cheyenne doesn't arrive until 9:30 AM! He then asked how he could reach me, but of course my cell phone was dying so I gave him my contact at the University and he said he'd call when it arrived in Cheyenne.

With the last of my cell phone juice, I called the Holiday Inn to order my taxi. They said it would be right there and I should wait by the double doors. I thanked the man, hung up, and waited. And waited. The airport was closing down around me . . . lights were going off and it was finally just me and the young man. He asked if I had a ride coming and I told him the setup, but this nice fella, "just in case" called me another cab.

My cab finally arrived and slowed down in front of the double doors . . . but didn't stop! I ran out of the airport as he was driving away, yelling "HEY!" after him. Just as he was about to exit (it's a very small airport) he heard me, stopped, and backed up to me. I go into the cab and we were off, bag less, to the Holiday Inn. Upon my arrival, I called my contact one last time to let her know her cell phone was the number for the airport to contact her regarding my bag. At least she knew my bag hadn't arrived now, too.

And, 20 hours after I woke up on my 40th birthday, I fell into bed.

Of course, the next morning I was awake by 6:30 and my contact called me by 7:00. I was picked up at 7:30 . . . wearing the same clothes . . . and off to breakfast with several faculty. I'm happy to say I had some sympathy regarding my previous day and missing bag . . . and breakfast was casual and fun (the car ride to Laramie was a bit more intense - I was "interviewed" the whole way).

Then I was off to teach back-to-back workshops in front of most of the faculty and meet with the Department Chair (fortunately, a man I had worked with professionally and liked very much). In my interview, I let it slip the day before had been my birthday (his was the coming Sunday) and was surprised and touched by his reaction. After my interview with him, I was brought to my hotel for about an hour's rest (I spent it online in the "business room") and then I was off to meet the Dean. I met with him (a strange meeting, I will say, as he did most of the talking) and then the Department Chair drove me around Laramie so I could get a feel for the town. He was very candid about cost of living, et al, but I sensed from him I was his first choice for the job (I was the last candidate to be interviewed). Then it was off to coffee with the design faculty and then off to a "happy hour" at the Department Chair's home.

When everybody finally went home, I spent about a half hour with two more faculty members "chatting" and then I was driven back to my hotel. It dawned on me, as I arrived at the hotel, that I hadn't had lunch or really even any dinner (I nibbled some appetizer-type things at the happy hour). However, I was too exhausted to do anything about it, so I went up to my room to, once again, fall into bed. Still no bag though!

The next morning, after sleeping in a little and getting some hotel breakfast, I showered and put on my suit for the THIRD DAY IN A ROW. Yuck. I then waited for my ride back to Cheyenne to start my way home.

The ride to the airport was fairly quiet and I couldn't decide if that was good or bad, but at this point was really too tired to care. I got to the airport and asked for my bag. Sure enough, it was there and the guy behind the counter asked if he should just check it. I said, "After I change my clothes you can have it back," and I went straight to the ladies room to put on clean clothes and freshen up. At the same time, I removed my chargers for my phone and laptop, and threw my teaching papers, etc. into my suitcase.

I returned to the counter, checked my bag, and was informed the flight was delayed. Big f*cking surprise.

So, I plugged in my phone and computer and enjoyed my myriad of birthday messages while I waited for the plane. We took off and I can gladly say the rest of the trip was uneventful . . . until I got back home.

I stood in front of the baggage claim with the rest of the passengers and waited patiently for my bag as the snow began to fall outside. One by one, the others picked up their bags and left until I was standing there was one other man . . . and the conveyor belt stopped.

No bag.

AGAIN.

And the airport was once again closing up for the night. I waited by the counter with this other gentleman for about 40 minutes when I finally CALLED the airline from my cell to start a delayed baggage claim. Eventually an airport representative showed up at the counter and I dealt with her instead. I wasn't convinced I would ever see my bag again at this point . . . but got into my car and as I was driving home noticed the Chinese place was still open so I stopped for some food because naturally I was famished. I got it to go and finally pulled into my driveway about midnight.

I ate my "birthday dinner" and drank a glass of wine with the company of Cats and Jammer and finally crashed about 1 AM.

What a crazy three days.

The next morning I called to check on the status of my bag and ended up having to speak to another representative because I never got a claim number. UGH. I finally got that and was told they couldn't find my bag. What? I had just been told the night before it had been scanned at O'Hare. SIGH. My hopes of seeing the bag (with my expensive suit and skirt, my running shoes and teaching stuff all in it) were dashed some more and it was compounded by the fact that the snow was really coming down now. I didn't think any flights would be landing at our small airport anyway, so I released myself of the bag worry and focused instead on the audition I had later that day.

Yeah, I was once again auditioning for ISF - this time for the roles of Kate in Shrew and Tamora in Titus. I was ready, but of course a bit nervous. I left VERY early due to the snow and the fact that my put together picture/resumes were in my damn bag. I got to campus, put my stuff together, rehearsed my pieces a few times, and then was off to wait my turn. It was a small group auditioning this day as most had auditioned in NY, Chicago, or St. Louis. Finally it was my turn and I thought I gave a really strong audition. I was coached once, people laughed, and I was outta there.

My insane week was FINALLY over - or WAS IT? No . . . I had to get my grades in and prepare for the 19 hour drive to New England with the two cats and dog.

Fortunately, Sunday night, my bag was delivered so I could unpack, do laundry, and pack again. I spent the next day grading, doing laundry, and cleaning and left the house for my LONG trip home at 6 PM Monday night.

Around 2 AM the next morning, the animals and I were toast and we stopped somewhere in eastern Ohio, near Wheeling, WV. After I settled the animals down, I went to sleep for what turned out to be a very short nap because one of my cats managed to crawl into the box spring of the bed and couldn't find her way out. She woke me up around 5:30 AM "stuttering" (she doesn't meow) and I spent the next 15 minutes fishing her out. I finally succeeded and foolishly tried to go back to sleep but by this time the dog and other cat were wide awake and ready for breakfast. Damn it.

So I gave in, got up, fed them and walked the dog and went to the lobby for my free breakfast. I ate my oatmeal, drank my coffee and returned to my room. I showered quickly, packed the car, and packed the animals back up for the last long day of the trip.

Long it was . . . over 12 hours . . . cats crying, the dog pawing me, and bad traffic when I finally reached my parents' home town. When I was about an hour away, my dear old dad called and asked if I wanted the wine to breathe, so you can imagine what was waiting for me at the end of my drive. I was thrilled to finally drive into the driveway, release the animals, unpack the car, and enjoy the first glass of wine of my vacation.

Since arriving, I haven't heard from Wyoming or ISF . . . and though Wyoming tells me they are still in the process, I am no longer convinced I am their first pick. I do know, that I won't be hearing from ISF. The Fight Guy was nice enough, AGAIN, to be the bearer of bad news and tell me the roles went to somebody else.

All I can say is it is ISF's loss.

And my gain, because it means I will be outta the WASTELAND by May 31st. And that's the BEST birthday present of my 40th birthday I can imagine.

Crappy Birthday to me! :)

The Mother of All Updates (Installment #2 - Turkey Break and The Naked Show)

So PhD has been pestering me to update and to be fair, I finally "published" installment one a few minutes ago even though I wrote it ages ago. So here we go for #2 and perhaps #3 as well.

It is now December 22 and I am sitting at my father's desk, waiting for family to arrive for the holidays, and enjoying the last remnants of peace and quiet before the masses descend upon us.

Anyway, Turkey Break and The Naked Show are the topics of this installment and I guess I should get to it!

Well, the day after returning home from Jamaica (relieved and a little wealthier, thank you very much), I returned to my Alexander class and had lunch with Coach P. at a sweet little Thai place in town. It was fun to catch up with Coach and hear all the latest . . . now that we weren't running together, I had to hear the news. After lunch, I heard from some friends in Chicago who decided to join me for Turkey Day . . . so I was off like a crazy lady cleaning and grocery shopping for the big feast. I also got a call for a phone interview at Wyoming! FOR THE NEXT DAY (what IS it about schools doing that to me?).

The next day I baked a little and then prepped for my interview. It was short and sweet . . . I believed a good interview . . . but I had a lot on my plate for the next day and had to get busy so I let go of the phone call and moved forward.

The next day was Turkey Day and my friends arrived about noon. We enjoyed catching up and some wine and ate a late dinner. It was a nice visit.

The following morning, they took off for home and I got another call from Wyoming . . . this time from the department chair, a man I worked with in Virginia professionally. He was hoping to chat with me as well. So I called him back and we proceeded to have an interview on the spot! Again, short and sweet and I thought went well.

Whew! I decided to chill out for a day on Saturday - hell, I deserved it, right?

Well, the next day I checked my e-mail and lo and behold Alabama had sent an e-mail looking to set up a phone interview! Woot! But when? I have classes all day . . . so I took a morning off from Alexander and had my HOUR LONG conversation (very one-sided I might say, which was fine by me 'cause it was the other side doing most of the talking) with the department chair. It felt pretty good, but I was less convinced that one went well.

The next thing I know, Wyoming is calling and e-mailing trying to set up an on-campus interview - which is GREAT but I had a show to do (see The Naked Show below)! So, I set it up for Finals Week - for them and me. And that will be the topic of another installment.

So, as I wrote way back in September, I was cast in a University production as a faculty artist in a show where I needed to appear "mostly" naked. At the time, the director thought I'd be barely covered, but as the time wore on and the more we rehearsed, the more it became clear the only way to be true to the story and the character was to be NAKED - completely.

As I am a professional and pretty free spirited (no comments from the peanut gallery), I didn't have any problems with that. And come to find out, I wasn't the only one that needed to be naked! A young, very attractive, male in the show was also going buff for a short portion of a scene. Nakedness loves company!

Rehearsals were, for the most part, fun . . . but challenging. All of my instincts worked against who this character was and there was a point in the process that I really thought I was the weakest link in the show. That's a terrible feeling to have when you are TEACHING those around you!

It got so bad, I finally sought out the director. I was so frustrated! Before Thanksgiving break, I had a huge breakthrough, but upon my return it was like it never happened. What I had found, I had lost in that time away from the process. UGH. Anyway, I tapped on the office door of the director, sat down, and in my frustration burst into tears. Fortunately, the director is a cool chick and understood the tears weren't a sign of weakness . . . 'cause believe me, the last thing I wanted to do in front of her was freakin' cry!

She chatted with me and in a director's mysterious way, found something to say that relieved me of my frustrations and fears, and grounded me back in the character. Amazing.

So, the two weeks after Thanksgiving break were MADNESS. I was going into tech and performance for the show, I had one phone interview and was madly trying to set up an on-campus interview in freakin' LARAMIE on top of going to class in Urbana, teaching classes here, dealing with student assessments, and trying to grade the stack of papers that were up to my knees. YIKES.

Surprisingly, I managed and we had our 10/12 on a very snowy Saturday. The next day, naked boy and I decided, would be our first naked rehearsal (we had been wearing less and less over the rehearsal period). So, first tech run we dropped the robes and did it. And it was FINE. We had two dress rehearsals (or no dress as the case may be - ha ha) and those went well, too. Finally, it was OPENING. Thank heavens!

Opening night was sold out and many of my colleagues and students were there. I was nervous, of course, 'cause of all that was at stake, but felt pretty good after the show was over.

The next day, a colleague who is very hard please stopped by my office and congratulated me. Gave me some high praise, for which I was extremely grateful, and went on his merry way.

The day after that, another colleague sent an e-mail to the director, the school director, and me extolling the show and calling me "AWESOME". Now that was pretty satisfying, I have to say. I knew then the school director would see it (a small vindication). I was just sorry it hadn't been copied to the entire faculty.

In the end, most of my colleagues had very nice things to say to me and even the Wicked Witch of the Midwest, in her ungracious manner, congratulated me. So, I didn't suck. WHEW!

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and this one more quickly than I would have liked. When the director came down to the dressing room on closing to give us all hugs, I cried again. Only this time it was because I once again am an actor without a show and don't know when my next trod across the boards will be. Naked or not.

And I am sad.

The Mother of All Updates (Installment #1: Jamaica Redux)

Oh my! Where do I begin????

Since I last updated, I have been to Jamaica and back, enjoyed Turkey Day with friends, opened and closed the Naked Show, conducted finals, and have interviewed for a job in the Cowboy State.

In fact, I am STILL IN the Cowboy State. And I am wondering if I'll get OUT of the Cowboy State. It is snowing . . . albeit lightly . . . but after my adventure getting here, I'm not sure of anything.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about Jamaica, Mon.

The trip there was about as smooth as trips out of the country can be. I met up with my friends and their friends in Atlanta and we were off. We arrived a little early, even, in Jamaica. But that's when the trouble began.

So there are six of us, right? And we booked the trip in FEBRUARY. Upon arriving at the Jamaican airport, we headed to the lounge area to arrange our transportation to our resort as we had been instructed to do. We get up to the clerk and she tells us we have no reservations. WHAT???!!!

So, for the next three hours or more, we are on the phone to our travel agent in the States, the resort manager, and the booking agency trying to solve the problem. Yeah, 'cuz that's a fun way to spend your first day in Jamaica. By the time we got the problem "resolved" (and by that I mean unsatisfactorily), the sun was setting, we were hungry (and a couple were drunk), and off to a lesser resort. Bummer.

It was a long drive to the other resort and along the way, we made a potty stop for the drunk ones. Come to find out, one of my friends' friends made a "purchase" while there from the bus driver to enjoy later in weekend. Nervy broad.

We finally arrived at the resort at the one time of the day when there is practically no food being served so we inhaled a plate of french fries, got settled in our rooms, and waited for the full dinner. While wandering about the place killing time, I noticed two young men playing pool. Very attractive, European-looking, and my appetite for dinner disappeared. :) I made eye contact with one . . . but felt a little shy because I was out of my element with these friends.

In the end, this shyness would be my achilles heel . . . and the one single gal of the trip would be lonely the entire time. SIGH. What was I thinking???? Still, we hung out with them the entire weekend.

So, the trip wasn't all bad. Because of the resort's mistake, we ended up getting our money back and a bunch of free amenities we wouldn't have had otherwise (massages, etc). I got to sail one great day, climbed Dunn's Falls, and enjoyed a booze cruise and lots of food and sunshine. But I admit, I felt like I was in high school again with my friends. I'm just not myself around them. Not even close. I'm suddenly 16 again and fade into the background. Not a place I like to be, as most of you know.

On the return trip, we once again spent too many hours in the Jamaican airport. To be honest, I was ready to go home when we did and grateful for the money back.