Hi there! I am writing this to you from a super hip coffee shop/plant shop in Oklahoma City. I ordered a coffee and a sandwich and they served my coffee in a mason jar and gave me a playing card as my service ticket (I am the 10 of clubs). I am closing in on my last few performances here in Oklahoma city and it has treated me well. I am staying in this ADORABLE Airbnb with some pretty rad ladies. It's owned by the head electrician of the theatre and he gives us rides home and his wife does our laundry. It's unreal. It's insane. And it's perfect. He is an english man with blonde dreadlocks who loves Dr. Who, and although I have never in my life seen an episode in my life my friends tell me that means he's cool. So far I have had nothing but positive experiences here in the good ol' OKC save for one evening.
STORY TIME!!! The other day the cast decided to go out for a birthday and we wanted to go to this Barcade down the street from our theatre. It sounded really cool and the perfect environment for what we were looking for. After the show we all walked to this bar (there were 3 people in the bar before we walked in...there were like 25 of us, so there was a lot of money about to be spent in this establishment). As soon as we walked in we were all carded. Fair dues. This was a bar. No worries there. As we all took out our IDs there was one person with us who did not have a US issued ID. They had an drivers license from their country saying when they were born, it was a picture ID, it was valid and within the guidelines of government picture identification. The bartender looked at the ID and refused service. He then proceeded to say that this person could not remain on the premises because his owner told him to do this to anyone without a valid US ID. We explained to him that we were all there for a birthday and if they weren't allowed to drink could they please stay and hang out with us. We were told that this person had to leave. I then interjected and asked is this was a state wide rule or if this was a rule particularly applying to this bar at which time the bartended said "i don't know. this is what I was told." We obviously then all left and went to another bar and had a wonderful evening and that Barcade lost a shit ton of money. Now here is my issue, If the owner of this bar actually told this bartender to enforce this rule that means that the owner of this bar does not allow anyone on the premises that is not an american citizen WHICH IS SO SO SO SO WRONG. It could be argued that the bartender was just "doing his job", but like...he could have at least let this person stay. He didn't have to serve them drinks. I will not say that I hate living in America. There are many things that America stands for that is awesome. I will say that America at the moment (some would argue longer than a moment) is broken. It's so broken. I have spent a lot of time with people that are not United States citizens lately and I have seen American through many different colored eyes. There are some HUGE issues. This night made me sad. I included this story so that you see what is happening. I think a lot of people in a lot of small towns without direct ties to anything that might be seen as "controversial" choose not to see what is happening in the world. Maybe this situation is being blown out of proportion, but I will say that no other bar as had this issue while we have been here. No other bar has refused service. Look around at whats going on. It's real and it's happening and it sucks. I have recently begun reading the Artist's Way. I think many of you who read this blog have read it before, and if you haven't I think that as creatives we owe it to ourselves to experience it (at first I wrote, "we owe it to ourselves to read it" but realized later while editing that I am doing much more than that with this book). One of the things that is involved in "experiencing" this book is doing "Morning Pages". You just write for three pages first thing in the morning. Whatever comes to your mind. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I am not even having problems finding what to write. It's the fact that I have to write first thing in the morning. I have been doing a terrible job of doing it in the morning but that's okay. I do that sometimes, I "fail" at something I want to do and then I just decide I might as well quit instead of getting back into it at my own pace. It takes me a long time to commit to things sometimes. I learned that about myself. I learned that if I don't do it the way others think it should be done that's okay. As long as I do it and I am proud of myself. I have been reading the book for three days and I have already learned something. It's a gem. Read it. That's all I have for now. I'll see you in Arizona!
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Hello, Friends!
This post is coming to you LIVE from the new and improved internet connection in my Holiday Inn Express hotel room in El Paso, Texas. As the smell of my frankincense essential oil and the sweet sounds of SZA fill the room, I sit here on my king size bed (that I only use half of...seriously half of the bed has remained made up to perfection since I checked in) prepared to fill you in on my life and provide you a bit of entertainment on your Thursday evening. I must warn you, I am very tired and I just got my computer fixed so I am excited to type. Get ready for some ramblin'. Tomorrow is Friday!! Which for me doesn't matter because it means I am about to go into a weekend of two show days, but for you I hope it means time off and lots of sleeping in. *brief bunny trail that TRULY has nothing to do with anything: There is a pizza place down the street from the theatre and I went there last night for pizza and tonight (your judgement is accepted). I walked in and this man asked me if I was ready to order (he worked there, he wasn't just some rando man) I ordered my pizza and a fountain drink. After him asking me many questions about my life he whispered to me, " I didn't charge you for your drink." ... Sir, work on your swag. I would be going home with you if you had whispered "I didn't charge you for your second slice of pepperoni" (not really mom. It's a joke.) I am in my second city on tour and its really hot and hard to breath here. We are at an altitude of 3,740...if you don't know what that means...it basically means you feel like you're going to die anytime you do any sort of activity. -Our dressing rooms are two floors away from the stage. -We are doing a musical. -We are alive and functioning humans. THERE IS A LOT OF ACTIVITY! It's hard out here for a Kentucky girl (a western Kentucky girl...we don't deal with that thousands of feet above sea level mess). I am still trying to get used to this whole tour life thing. It's a big struggle to get out of this hotel room and do something other than laying around and watching Netflix until call. I think I am going to start making it a goal to do something outside of my hotel/ airbnb every day. I'm already exhausted thinking about it. That is a thing I really have to get on top of. This was going to be the city I "started to do things" so far... I have watched 2 full seasons of Weeds since Monday. So I'm basically killing it. I am excited to get into a rhythm and get settled into what my life is for the moment. That would be chill. In short: Life is good. My job is sweet. Long distance relationships are hard. I really enjoy travel sized bottles of toiletries. And I saw a cat jump fearlessly into the gutter last night; I can only hope to be that brave one day. If you are reading this and you have any suggestions on things that I should do with my free time feel free to comment! No promises that I'll take your suggestions because I really enjoy being lazy and complaining about it, but I might! * special shout out to: Sarah G. Who was shocked that it took me years into our friendship to divulge that I was a blogger. Our whole friendship has been based on lies. I'm sorry. Sarah B. Who just didn't understand what my blog was...here it is, you're welcome. And to Kaylee, I haven't said anything about you yet. Wait until we live together next week. Peace out, ya'll! See you in Oklahoma City! SOOOO many things have happened since I last posted. If you follow me on Facebook (which I am sure most of you do because how else would you know this blog existed) then you know that some big changes have happened. So let me give you a bit of backstory on how my life got so crazy.
About 2 1/2 years ago I auditioned for the first national tour of Beautiful: The Carol King Musical. I was still in college. I got a final callback in NYC for the tour and a replacement with the broadway company. I didn't book. I have been seen several times over the past couple of years to no avail...or so I thought. Fast forward... Last April I had just gotten the news that I booked the Carnival Freedom and I was so excited to check that off of my list of places I was dying to work. One day while I was browsing in the National Museum of Sex (I love New York) my agent called me and told me that Beautiful wanted to see me for a swing on the tour before I left town for the cruise. I crossed my fingers, took a deep breath, relearned the material, and went in to the audition. I was told I would find out something within the next two days. I didn't book. I decided that I would go ahead and take Carnival and if Beautiful was supposed to happen it would happen. It just wasn't my time yet. That has been the hardest thing I have learned since college. That sometimes it's just not YOUR time yet. I went through rehearsals with the ship and about a month and a half/two months of performing onboard when I got a text from my agent right before I was going onstage for one of my shows. "If you got an offer from Beautiful would you take it?" WOAH... I had no idea what to do. I had no idea what to say. I literally starting shaking. I tried to put it out of my head and get on with my performance but there were so many things going on in my head, "Was this the last time I would perform Getaway Island? Was I just cast on the national tour? Was I just cast on Broadway? What is my life? What do I do?" Literally having a nervous breakdown while singing "Surfin' Safari". I stayed in contact with my agent and two days later I had an offer and an invite to join the national tour in Toronto. I found out Wednesday. I had to get off of the ship Saturday. Needless to say everything started speeding by and life got real crazy real fast. I had no time to process anything. I was all of a sudden packing my entire cabin and trying to fill out my bio and paper work at a little cafe in Mexico and send it to press people and company managers. Everything basically went to a slightly controlled and unbelievably exciting shit storm. I flew to Toronto saw the show 4 times, rehearsed, met some lovely people, spent a lot of money, and now I am in a lay off week in Cincinnati with my boo thang. I am so thankful for everything that has happened to me in the last 3 weeks. I am so thankful for the people around me that have made this an easy transition. I'm living my dream and I couldn't be more excited. |
AuthorMiki. 26. NYC. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical National Tour. Archives
January 2018
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