When in Rome . . . Georgia

All Roads apparantly DO NOT lead to Rome.
I drove from somewhere in South Carolina to ROME GEORGIA Friday after a long day and a rough show. The drive was long- something close to 6 hours after an early morning, a tricky load-in and all that chamber theatre entails. Then after a long drive on two-lane highways it started to get dark and we got lost and turned around just enough times to make everyone irritable and punchy. When we finally pulled into one of the more vile hotels we've experienced it was after 8:00 and we had two minutes left before we reached the legal limit of on-the-clock hourage.

I would like to thank our kind hosts and hostesses in SC however, for one of the best lunches we've been treated to! I had a Ham, swiss and PINEAPPLE sandwich on a croissant!! and then I got a real treat-- my very first sample of a favorite southern dish: Pecan Pie!! I have to say that it was quite sweet and delicious, though if you ask me I could have done without the Peacans! In any case that particular southern favorite is, in my humble opinion, a darn site better than GRITS!! But I vow to try them again if I'm able. We're promised a Hot Breakfast tomorrow- a real treat in a string of stale, cold continental breakfast offerings.

I had planned to blog this weekend but unfortunately we stayed at a wretched succession of hotels without the slightest hint of modern technology! Now we are at a lovely motel in Albany GA that makes my heart feel glad. Even the fact that I have to do an entire suitcase full of laundry owing to the (ironic) fact that my laundry detergent burst open and thoroughly soaked and sudded my wardrobe (and unfrotunately some other toilettries), even that is not enough to dampen the happy mood.


The last week was difficult. I'll be honest in saying that I have seriously considered walking away- buying a bus ticket and bidding this whole ordeal adieu. It is not the fun experience I had anticipated- and more that 'hard' it is infinately frustrating. a thousand things that should be fixed, should run smoothly or be improved upon and they are simply not. It is, to be frank, a pain in the rear end. Another factor which makes this difficult is the fact that after a long days work you can't escape- you live with your collegues and often feel like there isn't any breathing room. It has been a challenge for me to figure out how to maintain professionalism in such a situation, which is really more like a family group dynamic. It is as walking a tight rope.

But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. While I'm not seeing as much of the country as I'd like- more like driving through most of the country without pausing to enjoy it- at least I am seeing and experiencing some fabulous things, and for that opportunity I am grateful. While I'm not really being paid appropriately for the amount of work we're asked to do- sound engineer, sound tech, understudy, truck-driver, moving crew, house manager and teacher liason, I am learning a great deal about myself and the limits of my personality. And I think I might be building some muscle!

Here are a few firsts for me:

Pecan Pie
Grits
Seeing Tobacco Crops
Seeing COTTON crops
piggly wiggly
pomegranate margarita (yummmmm)
Touring the country with a theatre troup (heeeheeehee!)

All my love- and I'll write whan I can,

BETH