Packing for Nashville

I leave for Nashville in the morning. EARLY morning. Ugh.  But I needed it to be an early flight so I can actually work tomorrow. I hope all the flights are present and accounted for - I have been reading about pals who are stranded here and there due to weather.

Packing is not that fun, you know?? I used to love it as it meant I was going somewhere cool.  Now that I am always going.... well it gets old. Coordinating outfits to conserve space? Check. All my electronic gadgets? Check.  Photos of family and dog? Check. Toiletries? Check. Vitamins and medicines for every possible situation? Check. Books? Check. (Soon I will be able to change this to Kindle but not just yet... C'mon tax check!) Then the rest of the evening thinking - What did I forget? Oh my jewelry box... better grab it now. Oh my emergency cash, better put that in my wallet. This goes on for hours.

I'll be in Nashers for 6 days.  I have to help get everything ready for the NCL Gem cast changeover. The cast starts arriving on Sunday, so I have only a few days to make the contact sheets, send out the "what to do on arrival" emails and get myself oriented before I begin my airport pick-ups.

I'm excited to see some old pals who will be leaving on the Celebrity Summit just after I arrive.  I love seeing dancers and singers I have worked with before.  It's cool to catch up and see how they have changed.  I think they feel the same way.

I'm staying with my good friend and boss, Mindy, for the first few days of my trip.  It will be nice to not just sit alone in a hotel room in the evenings.  I do enough of that while I am there!

I will also be prepping for Shotgun at Orlando Shakes while I am there.  I actually started yesterday so I don't get overloaded with my insane schedule.  I feel bad for my poor ASM who will be on her own at the first production meeting. I am trying to conference call in but I don't know that it will happen. The meeting got moved up to while I am flying home instead of after I get home.  *sigh* Such is life.

Ok, time to finish packing... now... where did I put that luggage scale I got for Christmas? :D

Next stop: Nashville

I leave for Nashville in a week.  This time I am heading in for the start of the NCL Gem rehearsals instead of the end.  I will be picking up the cast members from the airport and getting them installed in their hotel. I'm looking forward to seeing some old faces and meeting the newbies.

I'll only be there for a week and then I have to rush back to Orlando for Shotgun rehearsals. As soon as I open and hand off Shotgun to the resident PSM at Orlando Shakes, I will drive to Ft. Lauderdale to join the Gem in progress.  I don't get to shepherd my cast to the ship like I normally do, but I will be there 2 days later. That will be a little crazy, but such is my life.  Seems I am always running to one gig or another.


I am not looking forward to the cold and snow in Nashville! After all, I live in Orlando for a reason.  But it will be fun to see everyone and I am thankful to have a job at all considering the recent lay-offs at my dear GMP. Now that we have less ships, I will be lucky to keep the Gem, let alone get the other NCL ships back.  I just got spoiled having so many ships last year.  It was a wake up call to go from 4 ships in fall season to 1 ship in spring season.

So my calendar is filling up quickly.  I have the Gem, then Shotgun, then the Gem redeux, a visit to Indiana to see my family and then the looong drive West to work at Utah Shakes all summer. Who knows what the fall will bring, hopefully more work!