Rush is High

Several years ago, a dear cousin of mine, much to the chagrin of his conservative father, defaced a bumper sticker supporting a famed ultra conservative radio talk show host. Originally, the bumper sticker proclaimed "RUSH IS RIGHT." With the work of a fat black magic marker, my witty cousin corrected the bumpersticker: "RUSH IS HIGH." Little did he, his right-winged father, or the rest of the American public know that years down the line, Rush Limbaugh would really be high on OxyContin and attending rehabilitation for his very public addiction. After watching the news today, it is apparent that my cousin WAS right again. How high does one have to be to accuse someone (Michael J. Fox) with Parkinson's Disease that they are "faking" the characteristic tremor associated with the illness?

Like ADoD, I was enraged enough to want to throw a shoe or three at the television. I declined only because our television is close to shitting the bed anyway. I don't think it would survive under rapid-shoe-fire.

All Aboard!

I just read an article in the recent Metro Magazine about local San Jose theatres that not only angered me, but also leads citizens to believe that the business managers in the theatre industry take artistic risks for the good of the company. For those who have worked in the theatre industry, we all know that these business people who run the companies could give a rats ass for those who actually put the product out there. The risks that they take in choosing a production leaves the production staff wondering if they will have a job to feed their children for the next year, and the business staff asking why the production staff is being paid a living wage.

Where does the money go? Seats for a regional theatre production are not cheap. Admission prices have gone up to $50 or $60 dollars a pop, and on Broadway, you have to give up your first born for decent seats to a Tony Award Winning show. Tens of thousands of dollars are spent on production, depending on the size of the show. Which brings up the biggest question of all: Why must a company choose to produce a large show with a large cast, 10 costume changes per character, and a high-tech set, when there is doubt the company will stay afloat for the next season? They will make cuts by laying off production staff and ask the remaining staff not to work overtime because the show is over budget. Yet the show must get done. What now?

I've seen it all in my ten years of working in professional theatre. You only have to witness one company going under, or your friends being laid-off for the fourth time to make you question how theatre has lasted this long. The arts are important, and I stand by that, but I have been consistently disappointed by decisions made in the name of art. As some companies in the art business value their employees, others sacrifice backstage talent for artistic merit.

Next stop on the bitter train: Why must we elect a robot from the future as our governor?

Detox

Vacation. Yeah, that's right. The fella and I finally took a vacation after two and one half years of dreaming of the day we could actually travel outside of the holiday season. We had this planned for well over a year and the wait was well worth it. Here are some of the highlights:

1. A day trip to NYC to see a fellow Goodspeeder. Well, he was smart enough to leave before the fit hit the shan out there and has created a great life for himself. I met him at the Victoria Secret studios in Manhattan and was able to see the lingerie that will be showing on the televised runway show for this season. Did it make me wish I was back at my old life? Not really, but I am incredibly proud and not surprised that my friend is very successful in the fashion business in NYC. We then followed up with a tour of the Bodies, The Exhibition. I was very impressed and often disturbed by some of the bodies in the exhibit, but I can now say that I know what the inside of a goiter looks like. I'll use a little more salt in my diet now, thank you very much! Surprisingly, all the gross stuff did not disturb our appetites, as we headed over to the "Chat n Chew" for some comfort food. New Yorkers sure do love their comfort food.

2. The fella and I were able to meet up at the Pattaconk in Chester, CT for some delicious Magic Hat #9 beer and great conversation with some friends.

3. BBQ with the fam. Perhaps one of the many highlights was being able to BBQ with the fella's dad and sisters in the New England fall air. It was even more comforting to see how well my fella's sister recuperated after a really bad car accident. She is a really brave, incredible person and I am very proud that she recovered with such grace.

4. The Patriot's Gathering. One of the main reasons we booked the trip in the first place. My man has made connections with fellow Pats fans and wanted to put faces to names in a gathering that involved pool and Budweiser on an empty stomach...ultimately leading to a late-night trip to Wendy's...it was the only place open. It tasted like a gourmet meal at the time. As morning rose, we realized Wendy's was a really, really bad idea.

5. New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins. Early in the morn, we arrived in the parking lot at Gillette stadium, fired up the grill, and were chowing down on burgers at 9am. Was not my first choice after waking up with Wendy's cramps, but it was a tailgating party and I couldn't resist. The game...was freaking amazing. We had the best seats in the stadium: endzone, practically first row...a dream, really.

6. Lots of Dunkin' Donuts. Holy shit. Frosted strawberry glazed donut with a medium black french vanilla hot coffee. I don't know how many times those words were uttered with pride from my lips in those four days.

With all of the beer, burgers, donuts and Italian chocolates my fella's mom brought back from Northern Italy, I am officially trying to get healthy again. I made a joke in my yoga class that my trip to New England inspired me to binge on Dunkin' Donuts. The instructor laughed.

Ha! She thought I was joking.

Let the detox begin.