Sunday, March 3, 2013

Oh, The Places I Go ...


Well, I’ve been with the circus for over five months now! I realize more and more each week that there are both pros and cons of living on the road full time.

Cons:
It’s really hard to try and find the post office, grocery store, Walgreen’s etc in a new city .. every week. It’s definitely sad to get wedding and party invitations in the mail that you know you’ll never get the opportunity to go to. Taxes are gonna be killer this year. Since you have to file taxes in every state you’ve worked in and we are in a new state just about every week .... I win the complicated taxes game this year  :)

But, despite the challenges, there are still So MANY amazing things I discover while out on the road :) Here’s a few recent highlights and discoveries:

Pro: You get to visit old friends in new cities. I got to see my girl Katie Stevenson in Nashville several weeks ago!!


Pro: Touring is kind of like a food and beverage tour of the U.S. In Charlotte, I found an AWESOME coffee shop ... it came complete with a FRIENDS reference. Winning.

   

Pro: Absorbing culture is so easy at the circus. There are people here from China, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Peru, Russia, the Ukraine, Mexico, Hungary, Italy, and more! Recently, I’ve been eating as much Latin American food as possible and learning to cook it too :)

Pro: Learning a language is so easy because of the aforementioned culture collision that is the circus. My Spanish is coming along quite nicely.   If you happen to want to learn, I’d definitely recommend this Duolingo app and book ... and to get yourself a native who will give you lessons. This has been a wonderful combination in my experience. Also, the Latin Workout Pandora mix is awesome.
                               


Pro: Vising cool landmarks across the U.S. Recently, I was at the Georgia Aquarium, the CNN center, the World of Coca-Cola factory, and a rotating restaurant that Whitney Houston used to frequent in Atlanta. Pretty sweet.
CNN Center
Some sort of Dragon fish at the aquarium ...
you just can't escape the Dragon ;)
    

View from the Westin Sundial Restaurant in Atlanta!

     

Pro: You get to do things that normal people just don’t do at work. In past posts, you can see pics and stories of me riding Cossack trick horses, feeding a variety of circus animals, learning clown skills, posing on a Globe of Steel motorcycle... and other things. This week, I hung out on a lyra – used in aerial acts. We’ll see what act I manage to sneak in next.

  

We are just a couple cities away from hitting the Washington DC area – quite possibly one of the areas I’m most excited about this year on tour.

Until next time ...  :)

Monday, January 21, 2013

Wintering with the Circus

 


After wrapping up "Dragons" in Indianapolis on Dec 2, the Blue unit performers got a much needed 5 weeks off! Ringling Brothers has 3 touring circus units, however, and the other two shows (dubbed the red unit and the gold unit) were in full rehearsals in Tampa over the holidays, preparing to open brand new shows.

After visiting the Tampa rehearsals for a couple weeks, better known as "Winter Quarters,"visiting Ringling's Center For Elephant Conservation in Florida (fed an elephant for the first time!) and even
making it up to NYC for a PR event n Brooklyn, I got to go home and spend the holidays with family and friends in Minnesota.

                                                           


Today, we wrap up our 2 week "re-opening" engagement in Miami! Miami has been a frenzied and hectic two weeks with extra rehearsals, the addition of a new troupe on the unit, and trying to get back into work mode. However, it's been great to have my sister, Sarah visiting me!

We've definitely done all the quintessential Miami things since her arrival- hit up the beach on several occasions,  eaten and drunk Cuban food and coffee (it packs a little more espresso punch than American coffee does), hit up ocean side shops and restaurants, and of course, drank fresh coconut water out of coconuts! :) I've of course, also tried to give Sarah the full circus experience.




Last but not least, the Ringling elephants seemed to be quite popular in Miami. They hit Ocean Drive, decked out in beach attire, upon our arrival. Since then, they also made an appearance on The Today Show from their bayside animal area here in Miami.

                                                         




Up next is Nashville and and the Carolinas - definitely cooler weather than I'm getting here in Miami, but definitely warmer than the -35 degree wind chill I'm hearing about back home in Minnesota ... I'll take it.

Until next time!