In Which I Explain How to Comment

I've had a lot of folks ask about how to comment. It seems all I needed to do was change my settings. I think anyone can now. Just click on the words below the post that say how many comments have been made (or if none have been it says "no comments"). It will take you to a comment box where you will type whatever you'd like to say and when you're done, make sure to choose "anonymous" where it says "comment as".  If you want me to know who is commenting, be sure to sign your name in the comment. Also, please know that your messages will be read-able to everyone who visits the page.

Thanks guys! If you have trouble, most of you know my phone numba, email, or Facebook.

In Which We Prepare. And Nap.

Rehearsed pretty much all day. Did several run-throughs of the show. We feel good about the material. Sammy simplified the show a ton from last time. Fewer shifts, fewer props, etc. We expect everything to go much smoother.

It was rather a long day, and during a bit of down time, Sammy and I tried to catch naps. His spot must not have been as comfy as mine because he got up before me and snapped this picture

I love my job.

That being said, to anyone who believes that being a magician's assistant is glamorous: you could not be more wrong. I spent my day in a tiny storage unit. I picked up close to 200 playing cards and lovingly wiped the dust off of them. This has to be done every time that trick gets practiced. It gets practiced multiple times a day. The space is dirty and loud and cramped and we spend a lot of time looking for things. We have lost not one, but two packs of flesh-tone ear plugs since the last show. They just keep disappearing!

I say all this, not to complain (although I'm sure that's how it sounds) but to let you in on the secret that showbiz (especially in the beginning) is not what people think. I am part of a performing team. I like doing what we do. I think magic/illusion/stage performance is really important. It takes effort to make things look effortless. Sometimes Sammy and Darius and I have to split the "bitch work," but we do it because we believe in this project. And also, sometimes there is pie or ice cream at the end of rehearsal (like today). I will do a lot for dessert. It is an excellent motivator.

Dinner was grilled pepperjack cheese sandwich with toasty pita and hummus on the side. Slice of Irish cream pie to finish it off and it's about time to call it a night. I just checked the time after writing that sentence. It's only 7:30! wow. Why am I so tired??

In Which Tennessee is the Place to Be

More rehearsing today. Repetition, repetition, repetition. I love it. Getting and staying comfortable with the material. Nothing worse than going in front of people feeling less than prepared.

I ate breakfast (pita and jam) and lunch (brussel sprout and onion tuna salad on pita) today, plus two granola bars. In spite of this I've felt really drained. Maybe I didn't eat enough, but I did try! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more energy. I have eggs and cheese that are just waiting to be omletted.

Erin is in the same state as me! I am so excited about this. I don't think we are in the same time-zone, but that's ok. I look forward to seeing her soon. Hopefully our schedules will allow this.

In Which I Relocate

I white-knuckled my way from Asheville to Nashville this morning. The first few miles were the hardest, but I know this is right. This is what I need to do. The drive was uneventful. That's how I like my long car trips, safe and boring. I was fully prepared to have to sit in traffic for hours on end. I brought lots of water, wore a skirt, and had a few empty cups on hand. Luckily though, there were no horrendous, life-stopping accidents today on I-40. Probably the most exciting thing that happened was that I did sustain a (very) minor injury: a stunning case of driver's arm. My arms are two completely different shades now. I even had sunscreen in my car so it was completely preventable. Oh well.

Rehearsed a bit today. Mostly making sure I remembered things. Which I do. We practiced a new illusion today too. That was fun.

It was good to see Sammy and Darius again. They're good guys and I missed them.

Did some grocery shopping. I don't like that I'll be having to cook for myself these days. I would so much rather get in Carlos's way while he cooks for me. But I've learned a few tricks from him. Exciting stuff to try.

This is Carlos. He is a lovely person. I like him lots.

I'm about to call it a night. So tired from sitting all day.

Shout-outs to the gang I would normally go to the Rose with. Sean, Adam, Alan, Crystal, Henry, Brett, and friends- Missed you tonight. (I give no regards to that drunk red-headed girl- she is not a part of the group.)

Love and granola!

In Which the Wind Begins to Pitch

A violent thunderstorm struck my little hometown today. Nothing too major, but lots of sound and fury. The sky had been gray all day so I knew it was coming. Sure enough, just as I was about to step out from under the awning at the DMV, rain started to come down pretty significantly. I had papers and keys in one hand and a cell phone in the other as I talked to my mother. I tried to juggle things a bit in order to hold onto my wispy summer scarf. The wind had picked up, seemingly trying to relieve me of it. I did manage to keep it on, but only just. Lightening flashed quite near, followed closely by an enormous crash. I felt like Dorothy, about to be blown out of town. Pausing only a moment more to roll up my pant legs- revealing sparkling, red slip-on shoes- I sprinted into the fray.

I have said farewell-for-now to my family. I worked with Deb for the last time today. Tomorrow I work with the Moltons and Kate and then my time at the cinema will be completely finished. I have loved this job so much and of course my coworkers were the best part. It was a sad thing to watch from behind the snack counter as Deb turned at the door to smile at me, knowing that I would never have exactly that view of her again. I'm sure the same thought occurred to her. But she told me radiantly, "Don't forget what your shoes are supposed to remind you- You've had the power all along." She and I talk a lot about the Universe, how we have the ability to go anywhere and do anything if we believe we can. I'd say she's my fairy godmother, but that would be mixing allusions.

In Which I Make Fun of Tourists While They Watch

I went back to the Parthenon with my mom, my aunt, and my grandma. We had a fun time. It's better to go with people than alone, although I found both to be good experiences. My mom was kind enough to indulge me in taking a tongue-in-cheek dorky photo in front of Athena. It wasn't easy looking this dumb on purpose. Particularly since I had a bit of an audience. There were folks waiting in the wings to do the exact same thing- but not in jest.

Please note that my jacket is tied around my waist. God willing, this is the only time such an event will occur or be documented.

Cheese from a flakey ham.

In Which We Have Difficulties But Do Well In Spite of Them

Nashville: Day of the Show

Sammy and Darius and I woke up at 7am today to get our ducks in a row. We had to get the U-haul to the rehearsal space, load up, and then take the props and illusions over to the venue. The people at the venue did not understand our needs very well. We were made to shove everything into a corner until an hour before showtime. It was madness, but somehow it all got done. Doing a last minute practice, I made a dumb mistake and fell really hard. I was ok, but my shoulder will be sore for a few days to come.

The really challenging thing was that the stage was tiny. We had less room during the show than we had had in the storage unit. The lack of space and the weirdness of the set-up caused a lot of things to go wrong. I cannot fully go into detail on that, but we got through it. The audience was very complimentary. They could tell that we didn't have enough room and that we did the best with what we had.

The band was awesome. It was so cool to have live music, especially during the big moments. Omega Swaaaannn!!! Woo! And Darius the stagehand helped us keep it together too. He is fantastic.

One of my favorite pieces that Sammy does is performed using a banana in place of a bandana. It's very funny and if you haven't seen it you will just have to come to one of our shows. Long story short, because the banana falls apart during the act, we just left it on stage. I slipped in it. Several times. No actual ass-busting, but I did come close. Doing choreography knowing that there is a banana puddle waiting...somewhere...is a bit daunting.

The big illusions went well. It felt great to be a part of the show. I know that I'm only going to get better at this as time goes on. I look forward to the next show and to signing on with Sammy for this show season. I have made up my mind to do so. It's going to be amazing. So different from anything I have ever done. I am ready to start this new chapter of life and kick butt doing it


Shout-outs to Carlos, Jordan, Jeremy, my mom, grandma, and aunt Lulie who all came out to support us! Plus I got a phone call from Erin before going on stage! Couple texts from Greg, too. Thank you guys! It means so much to have all of you and so many others in my corner, cheering me on. This has been a crazy journey so far and it's only just starting.

In Which We are Almost Ready

Nashville Day 10:

Rehearsal from 2-10. Put flyers on windshields. Ate.
Seriously. That's all we did. Here is proof!

Got some beautiful flowers from Carlos! So pretty. Made me smile.
Starting to get super nervous about tomorrow. I know it's going to be amazing. I've just never performed in this kind of show before. Sammy says we'll do great. He would not say that unless he was sure.

Love and butterflies!

In Which I Am in a Hurry

Nashville day...9? can't keep track!

This is a quick and dirty post. I will clean it up later. just getting some thoughts down and letting you guys know I'm still kicking.

Blade box rehearsal today with Sammy and Darius. Just tightening up some loose ends.

Shopping with Jordan in a few minutes! Woohoo! Girl time. It's been a hot minute.

Went to the Parthenon yesterday. It was great. Crappy phone pictures to follow.

Love and leather! Ow! (that's a sexy, rock n' roll "ow", not like "ouch, I've been stabbed by a sword".)

In Which I Go to the Parthenon

Nashville: Day 8

Went to the Parthenon! It's something I had read about in every art history class and every art appreciation text book since high school. Since I was in Nashville it seemed like the thing to do.

I didn't realize that it is in the middle of a park. Good place for it, very lovely.
I got up onto it and started walking toward the front doors. Turns out Spiderman was also vacationing in Nashville.

 I almost mistook him for Alien McScribbleface, but he had webs shooting out of his hands, so I knew it was Spiderman.

Actually it was just a little boy climbing on the walls, being adorable. (What?? Sarah your photo editing is soo good- I was totally fooled!) I know, right?

Probably it would have been fine to post his picture online, but I didn't feel right about having his recognizable face on my blog for anyone to see. So I also made up a story in my head where he was a spy in a clever disguise:

Handlebar mustache. Super inconspicuous.
He has this fantastic look, like he's concentrating so hard to stay on this tiny ledge. You can see from his right hand there that he's got a lot of finesse. This kid is going places.

Ok, so Parthenon:
I was confused when I got to the front and the huge bronze doors were not just closed, but actually gated off. In my mind they were the entrance. It was Sunday and I started to think that the website had lied and they were closed. I walked around to the back. Those huge bronze doors were open, but had glass ones in front of them which were closed. I noticed people milling around inside and a sign that said "enter on other side". I walked back around, still confused. But then, clever girl, I saw people entering below where I was. You have to go in on the ground floor. I thought that the *spoiler alert!!* giant Athena was the only thing there. Wrong! So I walked into the air conditioned lobby, paid the friendly attendant, and sped past the artifacts/fancy art gallery to the second floor where I could see Athena.

Being in the chamber felt like it should have been holy. It almost was, and it probably would have been, except here were all of these people milling around, talking loudly, taking photos in front of her like she was Mickey Mouse at Disney World. She's enormous (42' tall!). And beautiful. Pictures don't do her any kind of justice.

I know it's just a replica. And a tourist attraction. But being there was like connecting with something old and real. I began to understand how, in the Bible, the Jews strayed and started to worship idols. She's so much bigger than we are. Even though I know she was created by human hands, she still feels powerful, protective.

I wanted nothing more than to sit on top of that platform at her feet. You can't get close though. It's roped off. Everything there is safely behind plexiglass, gates, ropes, etc. No touchy! Kinda sad, really. I like to touch. I think we miss a lot by not touching. I know, preservation and all that, but we live in this world where we stare at computer screens, iPhones, and tvs all the time. We can conjure any image to these devices that we choose. So when I was actually in the presence of the Athena and the Elgin Marble replicas it would have been nice to experience them in a tactile way since I can see them any time.

An issue I had with the Elgin Marble castings was that they were placed in such a way that walking around them was difficult and possibly discouraged. I understand that they were only meant to be seen from the front since they were part of the friezes on the Parthenon, however that fact did not stop the sculptor from fully forming the figures. The backs have just as much detail as the fronts do. Since the pieces are now fragmented, they have become a different piece entirely. I think they should be appreciated in the round. But, as you see, the Parthenon personnel think of the space behind these sculptures as storage space.

Another silly thing: just out of frame there is a braille sign. I'm all for blind people being kept in the loop, but there are all these notices and ropes that say "don't touch." So, I guess if you're blind you can read about these things, but you're not allowed to experience them other than knowing that you are in their presence. Maybe that's enough for some? I don't know how blind people feel about this. To me though, it seems to fall a bit flat. These Elgin Marble guys are replicas. Replicas. Would it really be soooo bad if folks were allowed to feel them? Just sayin.

 This poor horse. It's in so much pain. Or it has been startled. I'm pretty sure Erin has posted a few Facebook pictures of me with this expression.

I sat on the second floor, just looking up at Athena for the longest time. I also took up people watching. It was funny and made me feel superior to them which is dumb. If I had been with others I would have been making the same comments and doing the same things. I will say though, there are a few fashion mistakes that make you into a flashing neon sign that says FRUMPY TOURIST:

*Balloon-y, high-waisted, knee-length shorts
*comfy shoes/sneakers/tennis shoes (especially with socks above the ankle)
*brightly colored shirts (especially floral print)
*fanny packs (duh)
*jacket tied around your waist- you get to have your arms free, but it's a high price to pay

When I had had my fill of watching folks smile cheesily in front of the resident deity, I went to the art gallery downstairs. There was a fantastic exhibit of photos. Like a good tourist, I hit the gift shop on the way out, buying a few postcards to send home. Back out in the Nashville heat with nothing much to do, I decided to go ahead and write on the postcards. I sat crossed-legged with my back to one of the huge columns on the upper level and leaned my head back into one of its concave grooves. Just the right size and shape for my cranium. Comforting.


I pondered what to write, what life as a magician's assistant will be like, the meaning of life in general, and many other things as I sat there. Thunder began to rumble. At first it was distant. Then it came closer. Lightening started flashing. It was a bit magical, or mythical perhaps. Easy to imagine Zeus flexing his muscles somewhere in the sky when you're at the Parthenon. Finally, deciding that it was a good idea to mosey on, I got up. This is what I saw:

Teach me to wear shorty shorts and sit cross-legged for 45 minutes at a time. It sprinkled as I walked leisurely around the lake. My walk became less leisurely as the rain got less sprinkly. Soon it was coming down in earnest and I had to make an all-out run through flash-floody puddles to my car.
















So ends this detailed description of my first visit to the Parthenon.

In Which My Life is Exciting

Nashville Day 7

Here are some phone pictures I have been taking. They are blurry little snapshots of things I see every day.

This is the manicure that my mother insisted I get before coming. As with most things, she was right. I have been glad to have pretty hands.

This is the tube of toothpaste I brought with me from home. I used it until I absolutely could not squeeze another drop out of it.

And this was the first satisfying squeeze from my new tube of toothpaste.

Last night Sammy and the band and I went to 5 Points Pizza for dinner. We are likely to be on a first name basis with the staff by the time this is over. It's so good! Plus it's really close to the storage unit, so we've been there quite a bit. We were sitting at the bar and as I looked down the way, all of us (myself included) were engrossed in our phones.

Being "social."

What's the matter with kids to-daaaayyy? (Eh? Bye-Bye Birdie reference? Anyone?? *crickets*)


Love and oral hygiene!

In Which I Have Not Yet Achieved Perfection

Nashville Day 6

The last two days have been focused on rehearsing. We are trying to tighten up the show and really make sure everyone knows what to do and when to do it. Down time has been spent eating, sleeping, and craigslisting jobs and apartments. So far so good. Couple of good leads on jobs. None on apartments yet, but that won't be of concern for a month or two.

Elvis impersonator sightings: 2
I figured after being here for almost a week that there would be more. Alas.

Because of time, we decided to add another illusion to the show. It turns out that I do get to get cut in half. Well, more like thirds. It's a lot of fun.

My body has stopped being so sore. But it continues to be bruised. I keep getting more scrapes, etc because of our limited work space. This is a glamorous lifestyle. I do like it though. It feels really good to be doing something other than take sandwich orders and answer phones. I have loved working at the cinema. I will miss it dearly. But this is a long-due change.

Rehearsal was kinda funky today. I think they start to get that way around the three-quarter mark. Some days stuff doesn't go right. We had that and now we can move on.

After getting back to the apartment from practicing, Sammy's friend Eric came over. He was easy to talk to and very friendly. Everyone I've met so far has been really nice. I'm sure there are off-putting people in Nashville, but so far they've kept themselves hidden. *knock on wood* (I'm not superstitious, I'm just a little stitious.)

And now it's off to bed with me! Things to do on the morrow!

Love and oreos!

In Which I am Mulling It Over

Nashville Day 4

We rehearsed from 1 to 5 today with Darius. More breathing room with just the three of us.

We have been hanging around in East Nashville quite a bit, since that's where the storage unit is. Sammy and Darius and I were noticing that there are a lot of tattooed folks who frequent that part of town. Our waitress at the bar yesterday had quite a few (along with pink streaks in her hair). I'm pretty sure that one of them said, "Love Cuts Butter." I would have studied them harder but I was torn. On the one hand, if you have a lot of tattoos then you clearly have a lot to say and should probably expect people to be interested. On the other, it's probably impolite to stare at people even if they've brought it upon themselves.

It was great to spend more time with Darius. If I sign onto this project for real, it will be Sammy and Darius and me spending lots of time together. I think we have a good dynamic between the three of us. It's something I'll be paying close attention to, but I think it has the potential to be really constructive and form a tight bond. I think they're both trustworthy, cool people.

Right now I'm leaning heavily toward staying on. I still need to consider some things, but we're talking about 9-10 months here. That's lots of hard work and long hours, plus having another job to supplement income, but what else am I doing right now? Moving seems scary, but it doesn't have to be for good. You can always go home.

Love and butter.

In Which I Do Not Go Deaf

Nashville Day 3

We practiced with Omega Swan for the first time today. Rehearsal went from 2-10pm with only a bit of a break for food and poster hanging. These three guys really know what they're doing. It was great having the band there, even though space was super limited with the amps and drum kit, etc. Somehow we all fit and it worked. Looking forward to more of that.

It was fun to see the band watch Sammy. Even up close, most of the time they had no idea what was going on. (Sometimes I still don't either.)

We covered a lot of ground and got a lot of things figured out, but we also had a lot of fun. It's going to be a great show. I knew that before. Now I really know it.

Here's a photo Sammy took. You can see that we have a very limited amount of space here. It's a storage unit. But between magic, creativity, and spacial awareness- no problem. The music was so loud, echoing off of the metal walls. Luckily I had a pair of earplugs in my pocket from hanging out with Carlos and his musical friends the other day. Serendipity!

You can click here to buy tickets! Just scroll down a bit and you'll see the event.

Productive day. So tired. This feels like being at the Green Room Summer Shakespeare Theatre Institute. Work and play. Hanging in there. Learning stuff.

Love and sparkles!

In Which I Do Not Get Lost...Much

Nashville Day 2

Talked to Tara first thing in the morning. We enthusiastically agreed that hanging out should happen soon. In fact, we had planned on seeing each other today, but my rehearsal got moved up by a few hours so we decided to do it another time.

The first night, I had no blanket. The futon couch was comfy, but I had to improvise a cover with some jackets and scarves. Good thing I packed every stitch of clothing I own. After waking up, showering (for god's sake, a shower! I was so grimy from sweat and dirt- the rehearsal space floor is quite unswept), and eating breakfast, the first order of business was finding a blanket. Sammy gave me directions to Target where I fully intended to go, but I couldn't find it. Instead I just tooled around seeing what was in the area. I found a place called Thriftsmart. Pretty much like Goodwill. There were several blanket candidates, but the winner was a rainbow fleece for $3.99. It is quite warm, but not too warm.

After this thrifty, smart purchase I decided to drive around for a bit. I tried to get a little lost, but I kept coming back to the same place from different angles which was probably not helpful to my mental map. I still have no idea how the roads work.

Rehearsals went well. I am getting the hang of things slowly. There's a lot to this assistant thing. It's not just helping to perform illusions. It's also about personifying the magic, taking the audience on a journey, and helping them understand that something amazing is about to happen. We're telling a story.

I have a few new bruises from practicing dances and one from running into a wall. You know, the usual. Realized I forgot only one thing: A shoe. Not a pair, just one. It's being over-nighted by my wonderful aunt. I look forward to its arrival with great anticipation.

We are practicing with the band tomorrow. That should be exciting and loud. I found a pair of earplugs in one of my pant pockets, so that was serendipitous.

It was a good day, but I am dead tired. So much moving around.

In Which I am Not Dismembered

Nashville, Day 1

I left from Asheville around 8am. It was a beautiful day for driving- no weather to speak of, just 95 and sunny. The GPS (which I named Agnes) tried to take me a weird way, so I cussed her pretty soundly. Karma's a bitch though. Right after I got onto I-40, she died. No annoying Agnes voice telling me to "bear right in 80 miles." I was terrified. After a frantic call home, my sainted mother instructed me to take trips like people have been taking them for literally hundreds of years: with a map. She was right of course. I did just fine with the help of a fancy, plastic Tennessee map and directions from the nice lady at the gas station. She seemed genuinely concerned for my safety when she told me to be careful driving all that way.

The drive was largely uneventful. Just long. And sweaty. At least I had the good sense to stay hydrated.

Right outside of Nashville, I hit the time change line. So it went from being almost noon to only being 10:40am! That was delightful. Got into the area around 12:30 and met Sammy. We hugged, which I thought was brave of him since I looked like a drowned rat from sweating- the air conditioner in my little car doesn't always do a great job of conditioning the air.

I met the stage hand, Darius, over lunch. He seemed smart and capable to say the least. After that Sammy and I began rehearsing. [This is the part where I DON'T tell you anything about what we did.]

A quick tour of Nashville's various sections brought us through East Nashville, into Brentwood (lots of big, crazy mansions full of famous people- I love you Brad Paisley!!), and downtown. The heat was really something. 114 degrees when we got out of the car. At first, I was really enjoying experiencing the downtown area. Lots to look at, live music spilling out of all the open bar doors, some interesting scents wafting too (some good, some bad). Then the heat began to catch up with me. I began to feel dizzy, so we went for dinner. Mostly to get out of the oven-like street. Sammy suggested a place called Dick's Last Resort where the waitstaff is rude and insulting. It's a pretty funny gimmick, really. As the server was listing off specials and mixed drinks, I started to feel quite ill, so I interrupted her to ask for a pitcher of water. I expected some sort of smart retort, but I must've looked bad because she gave none and obliged quickly.
Once I started to look and feel revived we left, making a beeline for the car.

We were approached by a few homeless-type folks while we were out. According to locals, it's better to ignore than engage them. It was hard for me to do, but the heat was threatening to wilt me again so when the last guy asked us for spare change, I could only manage an almost imperceptible head shake with a mumbled, "sorry." Apparently he found this offensive and began shouting obscenities at us. He even started to follow us in a semi-threatening manner. I was more resentful than fearful of this gesture because it made us have to walk faster. Ultimately though, his heart wasn't in it. Too hot for him too, I suppose. I was just thankful we didn't have to run. I'm not sure my mountain lungs would have stood for it. Sammy said that that had never happened to him before, so I think it was a fluke. Plus, I had my pepper spray. We would have been fine.

Back to rehearsing for another hour or two. Then went to Wal-Mart for a few last-minute cold groceries. For those of you who are interested in my dietary habits, I am eating lots of Greek yogurt, granola, and frozen blueberries. I also brought lots of veggie burgers and hummus (buy 1, get 1 at Bi-Lo!). I am well-stocked in Cliff bars, ramen, tortilla chips, and pop tarts as well. Sammy and I are going to scout out a farmer's market on Saturday.

So, that was my day. If you're still reading, then probably you really care about me. Please know that I care about you too. I'm being careful. I'm drinking lots of water. I'm still in one piece- he won't cut me in half for this show. *wink*

Love and best.

The Magician's Assistant

I have accepted a temporary position as Magic's Royal Duke, Sammy Cortino's assistant and leading lady. It's an exciting prospect and has the potential to turn into a more permanent position provided that the show we are working on goes well and I am willing to move to Nashville. We will see how it all pans out. This blog is a response to the people who have asked that I keep them posted on my whereabouts and activities. It will also be a helpful tool for me to look back at and evaluate my experience here so I can make an informed decision about whether or not to stay on.

I have an amazing village of people who love and support me. I am very lucky. They all want to see me succeed, even (perhaps, especially) at something as wild as being a magician's assistant. I cannot say "Thank You" enough to all the folks who have encouraged me to do this.

Love and hugs.