A real update...

Hello gang-
Never thought I would have a blog myself. I always thought of blogs as "What the hell is a blog?". Geez I didn't even get a cell phone until last year! But I Googled an old high school friend a few weeks ago and stumbled upon his blog and thought "Wow, so this is a blog. Very cool" and decided I needed one myself. So it must be an end of an era- I've actually entered the 21st century, at least technology-wise. Now all I need is to get rid of my dial-up internet. Sad, I know.

Have been trudging along through January, anticipating the start of Chess rehearsals (beginning Feb. 12th). Why is January such a hard month to get through? Is it the let down of Christmas? The gray days? Nothing to look forward to? Plus my dear friend Keith has left The Nati to be a gypsy the next few weeks. So that's been rough not being able to see or talk to him as often as we used to! Fortunately, he'll return to the Nati in a few weeks to begin rehearsals with the Childrens Theatre and to celebrate evenings at Mary-oke on Thursdays once again. Here is one of him at the K. Akimbo cast party last June. All I can say is...Wow.


Chess will be a super fun show. My other dear friend Mark is directing (who directed me in Love,Change), and starring alongside of me will be Michael Shawn, who I had some serious make-out time with during Side Show. Sadly, we won't get to have any make-outs during this show. We only get to scream at each other. We're still hoping our amazingly hot chemistry will light the stage curtains on fire sans lip-action. Mark has some incredible ideas, where he wants to take the show. It will prove to be a great show. I also get to spend time with my friend Sarah who was also cast in Chess. Sarah starred with me in Love,Change last year and we became fast friends over a rant about disorganized producers! Although the saddest part will be that our rehearsals will be far from the Pepper Pod. The PP is this awful dive where you get your choice of sitting in "Smoking" or "Smoking", with the strangest waitress this side of the Mason-Dixon. There isn't a place in town like the PP, where you can get a half chicken dinner with all the sides for only six bucks. But the french toast is great. All of us in Love,Change seemed to think that the many nights of eating at the PP after rehearsals/performances was really why my appendix decided to nearly burst during the run of the show.

Rob is anxiously awaiting word from the twenty-some schools he sent his application materials to. Of course we're hoping to move back home to the QC if Rob gets the Augustana job, but now, any place with health insurance will suffice. It would be nice to hear something as his anxiety is becoming infectious.

We're both doing fabulously on the WW plan. I'm down five lbs. since the holidays, and clothes fit again. But I told myself that I wasn't going to be a fat girl in this show. I usually lose weight during a show anyway, so hooray! It's hard to believe that when we left the QC 4 years ago, I weighed 30 pounds more than I do now. Jesus. I must have been huge!

I've been busy with research during my free-time. Grant-writing, PR, marketing, Web design, technical theatre, legal guides in biz and for theatre. Plus scripts- reading, analyzing. Hopefully within the year I will be beginning my own theatre company, my dream for many years.

Best to all,
ACE