2/28/12 - Four Days Until I Leave for Anchorage

What happened today:

I exchanged emails with my Anchorage host (the person who houses me while I'm there.)
Had a good singing practice, despite forgetting to set my alarm to wake up for it
Called several gyms in Anchorage to see if I can get a 30-day membership
Spoke to a friend who has done a show in Anchorage, got the scoop
Printed maps of routes between the important places I need to go while I'm there
I started packing my suitcase!! Eep!

General ramblings:

I started to get nervous about not having enough cell phone coverage and internet access while I'm there. My host doesn't have wi-fi, so I have to decide if I want to bring my router. As a confessed internet addict, this is pretty important to me. My friend who did a show with Anchorage Opera assured me that coverage is fine, though the internet/3GS may run on the slow side. He also told me that there is ice and snow all over the road, to the point that you can't even see the pavement. And that they've had record snowfall this year! I guess I should have been prepared for that, but I'm so glad he told me.

He also reminded me that since I'm renting a car, I will need insurance. Since I don't own a car and have my own insurance, I would have to get it through the rental company, which is the most expensive way to do it. (Not having insurance while driving on a snow pack for a month is not an option.) So I'm looking into other ways of having insurance for the month.

I realized that Anchorage has to import almost all of its produce. That's important to me because I plan to eat lots of fruits and vegetables while I'm there, and I will probably have to pay a little more.

If I'm able to get a gym membership, I should be able to prepare to run the Bloomsday run in Spokane at the beginning of May - woot!

Here's where I am today:

Feeling good about how my voice sounds, after a really great practice. Getting more excited and a little less nervous. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast and explore Anchorage

Five Days Until I Leave for Anchorage

What happened today:

Got my flight information, car rental information, and housing information, sweet!
Read lines with Noodle - first he read mine and I read everyone else's, then we swapped
Had a so-so practice session, but I'll allow it since I woke up at 6am for work today

General ramblings:

Kicking off this blog in the days leading up to my departure for Anchorage. Flight, car, and housing - now that the logistics are taken care of, I can proceed to get nervous/excited about starting rehearsals!

I've been coaching with Martin Sola lately, who has proved to be AMAZING at dramatic coaching, and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a coach. Besides being really good at it, he's very generous with his gifts and his time.

To be honest, I was starting to get pretty nervous about the show. Nervous to the point that it was disturbing my sleep. And to make matters worse, during these bouts of insomnia, the song in my head was almost always "Lonely Goatherd," which isn't even one of MY songs! Working with Martin helped a ton (I swear, I didn't mean this to become an advertisement for him,) but what also helped was talking with my boyfriend, Noodle, about why I was so nervous. We came up with many reasons, not the least of which was scars from abuse I suffered at the hands of an early voice teacher, but that's another discussion.  I'm usually resistant to trying to help my mental state by talking it out, but it totally worked. Along with the coaching and getting more intense with my practice, it really helped me chill out and feel ready for this.

Here's where I am today:

Now it's time to start scouring my packing list and deciding what I absolutely need, what I can live without, and what I can buy when I get there. Also, since I had a mediocre music practice, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I can have a really good vocal workout.