Feb 15 – Today my guy flew 2000km to come and visit me. I am grateful for him having the kind of job that allows him the time to come out and see me when I’m so very far away. I’m also grateful that on this particularly long contract we have a week off for March break so I will be able to reciprocate the visit and fly home mid-contract. It isn’t very often that I get a vacation mid-contract.

Feb 16 – I am grateful for an easy tech. Counting the time the lighting designer was setting up the cues on his own it took us 2.5 hours to do levels and Q2Q! It took us 20 minutes to do levels with me, the director and the lighting designer and then it took us an hour to get through Q2Q. Now it’s only a 55 minute show (counting Q&A) and there was only 16 cues counting lighting and sound. But it was fantastic to have everything done so quickly!

Feb 17 – It’s Opening Night! Today I am grateful for fantastic teams. A show is just so much more enjoyable when everyone gets along and are happy to come to work everyday. I’ve been blessed with an amazing team on this show. We’re going to miss our wonderful director when she flies out tomorrow morning. AND I’m not the least bit worried about being stuck in a van with my 2 cast members for the next 11 weeks as we tour around Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

Feb 18 – Today I am grateful for extremely easy touring sets! This set was pretty simple when it toured Ontario but somehow the wonderful people at MTYP made it even easier and lighter!!! Crazy! I’ve done a tour with a monster of a set and I can’t tell you what a difference having a light easy set makes to the whole touring experience.

Feb 19 – Today I am grateful for other Stage Managers. I was fortunate enough to sit down with a group of Winnipeg (and one Vancouver) stage managers tonight where we talked about things that we wanted to learn more about, questions we had, concerns we had. It was great to talk to people in the same business with different views but similar issues. I think it would be great to do one in Ottawa when I get back … we shall see. It’s not always the easiest thing getting stage managers together. The night was planned by the wonderful Evan Klassen and was called Stage Management Geek Out or SM GO for short. I was very happy to be involved.

Feb 20 -
I’m grateful today
for spontaneous haiku’s
that make the day fun.

That being said. I am grateful for my friends, my family and my coworkers. I likely don’t say that enough.

Happy Valentines Day.

Yesterday I was grateful for my Wii and the fun we can have being active. Sure I’ve got Wii tennis elbow today but it was a lot of fun having a group of people over being completely ridiculous and having fun.

On Feb 10th, I couldn’t think of anything to be specifically grateful for. It wasn’t a bad day it was just a day where everything was pretty good. Nothing outstanding but also no catastrophes. But looking back and looking at the past few weeks I am grateful for a calm rehearsal period. There is work to do on this show and it’s really interesting but it’s calm. We’re working but having fun. It isn’t super stressed wondering how we’re possibly going to get everything done. I’m not staying for hours after rehearsal getting notes out and checking in on people. It’s very nice.

I’m in Winnipeg. It’s cold in Winnipeg tonight (although I’m sure a true Winnipeger would tell me to quit my whining and wait ’til winter gets here). It’s -24 but feels like -36 with the wind chill. I got home from rehearsal today and did NOT want to go back out into the cold. After eating WAY too much dinner all I wanted to do was curl up with a movie and slip into a proper food coma for the night. However, my cast and I had somewhere we promised to be. So, we all bundled up and braved the cold for the 2 second jaunt from the front door to the warm cab and off we went.

We made it out and had an AMAZING time. I saw a few truly amazing feats. There was great skill (or maybe luck) and fantastic courage.

Where were we? Bowling. Against Fred Penner. This was one of those nights where I look around me and think, “Really? This is my life? I get to do this?”

I did pretty well considering I haven’t bowled in several years. My best game was 164. I’m pretty proud of that one. Meanwhile, Fred trounced us by bowling over 230 … twice! There were some pretty spectacular shots and my starstruck cast member got to sit and chat with Fred Penner (which was adorable and courageous).

All in all a great night and a great story. All of which I would have missed if I had just stayed in.

He is silly and kind, child-like (not to be confused with childish) and flirty, intense and playful, so smart about somethings and so adorably clueless about others. He’s a sharp dresser, an amazing communicator, a great theatre date, friendly, silly, considerate, silly, sexy, silly … did I mention silly?

I’m so glad he is in my life. Before he became my partner he was a wonderful friend to me who helped me through a few really rough times. Now that we’re together we’re still fantastic friends but it’s just so much better. He makes me smile and laugh when I’m having a bad day, he holds me and cries with me when I am sad, he puts up with my ridiculous theatre schedules, he comes to visit me wherever I go to work (including Winnipeg in February!), he teaches me about languages and history, he takes care of my Smurfs (it’s an iPhone game), he tells me silly stories and sings me silly songs.

A friend once asked me, “Does he make you feel Happy? Beautiful? Safe?” I love this question and yes, he absolutely does, every single one. Even in my anxieties I feel safe (but anxious … don’t make me explain it.)

Now, to balance my praise of him I will also say that he isn’t perfect, but neither am I. No one is. I still love him even with his imperfections and sometimes even because of them.

So today, on the day he was born, I am grateful for my guy.
Happy Birthday my Love.

Also, getting to say RF Modulator has lead to some pretty fun conversations today.

Sleep is the best meditation.
Dalai Lama

And even though I hate him, I like this quote:
I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?
Ernest Hemingway

G’night

1- I’m grateful for Netflix. For giving me TV shows and movies at my fingertips even when I can’t bring my movie collection with me.

2- I’m grateful for telephones and Skype and anything that makes being away a little bit easier.

3- I’m grateful for modern medicine. Although we may not have all the answers yet the things that they can do are pretty amazing.

4- I’m grateful for the grocery store in the basement of this place!! I can buy groceries and not have to go outside! (Except on Sundays, they’re closed on Sundays.)

5- I’m grateful for beautiful, pretty things like this beautiful jewelry or new dresses. I just like getting prettied up. Even if I do feel like the most fancy person at the Fred Penner opening.

6- I’m grateful for this crazy tiny theatre world where I can go to an opening night in a city far from my home and run into people I know.

7- I’m grateful for fruit salad. I mean… it’s just yummy … and sweet. I like sweet.

8- I’m grateful for shop parties and BBQ in February! Mmmmm BBQ Burgers.

OH! And a bonus one. I’m grateful for hoar frost which is just beautiful.

I will try to be better about posting daily but I make no promises.
~Erin