Baltimore Maryland - Week Seven

Well, since the crisis at home is under control and my mom is doing great, my spirits have picked up. Just in time too! I have always loved Baltimore. Unlike Memphis, which I also love, Baltimore has a booming downtown. It is so rare these days to find a medium sized American city that can still boast about the downtown area...of course it helps to have the Chesapeake Bay gleaming at it's feet!
Load in at the theater was easy peasy. Jaki kept burping and farting on me. Why is it that my American friends do that and it is gross, but Jaki does it and it is completely hilarious. Must be that Lucky Charms accent of hers. To her credit they didn't smell, although one time she burped and almost choked which threw me into a spastic fit of laughter. Work is always better when you can laugh the whole time. The costumes are all looking good, because of our kick ass crew in Atlanta. I expect the same here with another good crew. It has been a great week as far as the locals are concerned. Much has been accomplished and Opening Night was a breeze. I keep forgetting that Florida is just a completely different planet. Too many perscription drugs, if you ask me. Once you get through the tough ones down there, you are really looking good. Well..until we get to Rochester...
The beginning of the week was fairly smooth. I spent a lot of time fixing the French flag for props this week (Olive branch anyone?) It was shredded all around the ends at the pole and had been repaired on top of other repairs without really fixing the issue. 4 hours later it was done. I have to admit that towards the end, I just wanted to tear the thing up. French people bug me.

The venue threw us a party on Thursday night, across the street from the theater called Maggie Moore's. I keep calling it Maggie May's. Seriously, I just had to correct my typing just now. Maggie May is my favorite Rod Stewart song. (I am such a geek. ) The bar is this enormous Irish pub. They had us in the upstairs bar, but downstairs they were playing U2 so Suzanne and I sauntered down there. You can always count on some U2 and a flirty brogued bartender in a city irish pub. good times good times...

Friday I finally got out a little and went to the Aquarium. As far as fish museums go, this one has always ranked pretty high for me, but I have to admit, this time I was a tad bummed. The last time I was here was in 1993. Back then, the Rainforest exhibit they had just built was ground breaking. It is still exactly the same. Lovely, but no big shakes if you have seen others. I don't know why I bothered to take the 35 minutes to blow dry my hair straight. By the time I walked out of there I looked like Shirley Temple.
The new exhibit they had which was kinda cool, was the Austrailian Pavillion. As soon as you walk in look up.
There are 5 of the biggest fruit bats I have ever seen hangin by their rodent feet right above you. They are actually quite cool and I couldn't help but stare at them for a spell. Very social creatures. I also hung out at the Dolphin tank for about a half hour. They were playing together, and I swear I could hear them laughing.

That pretty much sums up the week. Sunday was the St. Patrick's Day Parade here in Baltimore. I could lean out my hotel window and see it. Man, you have never seen such a ragtag crap parade in your life. The marching bands had no formation, the Riverdance wanna be's were never in time, and they actualy let traffic pass during the whole thing. Hilarious. The guys in kilts and bagpipes held it together at least. I guess I am spoiled by the all out, uber-organized parades that happen in NYC. I mean, if there was a Hamster Day parade in New York it would have an executive board that would hold weekly meetings to make sure it was JUST SO.

Lastly, I went out on Sunday night with a small crowd to Fell's Point. Fun was had by all, although my head hurts a little this morning. We went to this place called Bertha's and all I kept hearing about was the mussels and Bertha's. the place is plastered with bumper stickers that say Eat Bertha's Mussels. So everyone settles in. They order the stinkin things (except me. I think they feel like snot in your mouth. gag) and they don't have them!!! Hilarious. I had to take a picture of the bartender Michelle. What a nut. I had to remind her, not once, not twice, but 3 times to take my money. She was a riot. The locals were singing songs like Irishmen and she is running around with rose petals plastered to her lips asking for chapstick. You can't make this shit up people. It was fun. We moved on to a place called the Cat's Eye. Just your average bar with some decent live blues. A good group outing actually. My trunk now has bumper stickers on it and I have another t-shirt from a bar to pack. Josh bought us all shirt's at Cat's eye.

Josh Moberly. Lots of people know him, but this is my first time meeting him. He looks so much like a friend of mine from college. Jurgen.
Jurgen was always so special to me. I had a horrible freshman year and it was Jurgen who brought me out of it. He was a senior and somehow saw something of value in me, when I saw none. He took his own life in August of 2001. I have been thinking about him all week, and how he must have not seen his own value in the world, which is beyond wrong to me. Maybe he knows now. I thought I was over that loss. It amazes me how even when you think you have conquered something, just a face will bring it all right back to the surface. Jurgen should still be on this earth. It was incredibly hard to look at Josh and talk to him everyday. But that was all an instantaneous shock. The more I work around him, the more he becomes an individual instead of my memory of a friend.

Yeah, that was a total downer, but at least Josh is cool and fun. It would suck if he looked like Jurgen and was a jackass.

Alright, back to the fun and frivolity. I gotta get out of this hotel room!!!!!!!!
ahhh all hail The Day Off!!!!

Love you guys.


The Extra Pics:

First some arty Aquarium shots
Arty Baby Reptile.



Arty Dolphins Playing




Arty Fish.








Went back to Maggie May's (see???? I keep saying it!) on Saturday between shows and had dinner with Jaki, Jamie, and Micheal. Michael plays King Arthur. He is really good in our skit and a great hang too. Jamie was the first person I didn't already know to be genuinely nice to me. Love her. And of course the ever fantastic Jaki. You all know how I feel about her.




This is the Men's Quick Change Area during the show.




This is taken from Stage Left during the show, right before the Lady of The Lake makes her first entrance. Kinda weird with the giant dice (die or dice? 37 and i still have trouble with the English language.)




Jaki attempting to fart on me. LOL. She kills me.