Break on through to the other side

I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.


Tuna's open (hooray!), things at home are settling down and I'm determined to stay positive, work hard and have a great year.


It was a long tough couple of weeks, and things can only get better from here.


I'm looking forward to some peace and happiness.

Crossroads

It's so hard to stand firm in something, especially something this Big and Important.

Am I shooting myself in the foot? Giving up the best I've ever had? Should I just be Content?


But I've been away for so long....

Wish Me Luck

I've got something tough to do today.


Keep me in your thoughts.

Give Thanks

How was your Thanksgiving?


Mine started off great, thanks for asking. Deb and I got up very early on Thursday morning and drove the four hours to Homer, NY. We had a great breakfast, wonderful cheese and cracker platter (thank you, Deb) and one of the most amazing Thanksgiving dinners ever. And that's saying something. Along the way we got visits from Matt & Weas and Caitlin & Christine.


Pretty much the perfect day, right? Well, it would have been if, due to a horrific chest cold, a new atmosphere, a lot of stress and a lack of sleep, Deb's asthma hadn't started to act up. It had been bothering her all day, and periodically she would disappear to the back bedrooms to catch her breath.


Late that evening, after we said goodbye to Caitlin and Christine, it really got bad. Deb literally couldn't breathe. It was very scary. We decided that it was well past time to go to the hospital.


The staff at Cortland Memorial Hospital were extremely helpful and very speedy. They got Deb on a nebulizer right away and soon she was feeling much better. After chiding her for her one-cigarette-a-night habit, we were on our way.


We had planned to get up at 6am and be on the road by 7am, but since we didn't leave the hospital until just before 4am, that didn't happen. We got up at 8am and slowly got onto the road. Now the drive back to Philadelphia isn't a complicated one, but I still managed to miss two exits in my sleepless fugue.


Deb arrived just in time for Act I of Peter Pan to begin, and I was able to catch a small nap myself before my evening show.


So this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my wonderful family for providing delicious food and a warm atmosphere, the staff at Cortland Memorial for restoring my girlfriend's health, and my car for somehow knowing the way home by itself.


Now I'm just hoping Christmas is very, very uneventful. Because I'm still suffering from a little bit of a lack-of-sleep hangover.

Stress Mess

Seriously, at this point in the process, it's supposed to be getting easier.


I feel like I'm still trudging uphill through the mud and the blood.


Some support would be nice. Some support that didn't involve my long suffering, ever patient girlfriend.


I can't handle this hot/cold moody shit either. I like to know where I stand with people. And why.


Rant over.

Annual Migration

It's that time of year again.... hard to believe Thanksgiving is just two days away. Weren't we just throwing hotdogs on the grill for the 4th of July?


Anyway, after our respective shows tomorrow night, Deb and I will climb into the old Subaru and make the 4 hour journey home through the dark mountains. Thankfully it's supposed to be warmer this year, so hopefully there will be no repeats of the terrifying black ice incident from last year.


Although we only get one day off for Thanksgiving and have to race back to Philly for our Friday night shows, we wouldn't miss this for the world. Something about the Thanksgiving meal at my house just means love to me. It's pretty much a cliche to take this time to reflect on all of your blessings, but hey, why not? I'm a pretty lucky girl, surrounded by people who love me.


And that's why they call it the most wonderful time of the year.

Tuna Melt

It's tech week for our production of Greater Tuna. And boy, oh boy, this is one show you shouldn't miss.


The rehearsal process has been a ball-- much easier than I thought it was going to be. Last year around this time we were doing The Mystery of Irma Vep (apparently the Walnut has decided that this is the men-in-dresses-running-around-like-ninnies-and-being-excessively-silly slot) and sweating some major bullets over the copious costume changes, weird &difficult set tricks and thousands & thousands of insanely complicated light & sound cues.


Things are much more calm for Tuna-- oh, sure, we're still sweating a few costume changes, but generally we're in much better shape. Our two actors (John Zak and Ben Lloyd) are not only side-splittingly funny, but all around super nice guys.


This is definitely not a show to be missed. We run November 20th-December 30th, so if you're able, please come and see it!

First comes love, then comes marriage...

Well, it's official: my brother is a married man. Despite the, ahem, pretty crazy/hectic time that lead up to the ceremony, both the wedding and reception managed to be the most beautiful, wonderful affairs I have ever been to.


But because I was in such a frenzy, I totally spaced and didn't bring my camera. So pictures will be trickling in slowly, and from many different sources.


The following pictures were taken by my cousin (in-law?) Matt Coulter, who's a super talented photographer and an all around nice guy.

Beautiful bride Maria and her dad, beginning their walk down the aisle. Isn't she the most radiant bride you've ever seen?

The wedding party. A classy bunch, I tell ya.

AaaaaAAAAaaaawwwWWwwwWWWWwwww!!!!

Time to party... I don't know who passed out the percussion instruments to the white folks, but we tried to keep that rhythm going. Joseph was the Best Man, and his toast was just perfect. I'm so glad this awesome dude is my brother!

Oh, yeah, I don't dance.

(They were playing Queen, I couldn't help myself)

More pictures to come...