4 weeks down, 1 week left.

Fourth of July is a holiday for new friends. I need to reconcile that I probably will be spending my summers away from home from now on, as most regional work happens May - August. Last summer I was in Italy, this summer in Kentucky. Who knows where I'll be next year?

Our show got rained out, and everyone was a little down in the dumps. Rounded up a few folks to go out to a yummy Mexican dinner, and we were ready to turn in at 10pm (wild bunch, right?) when we passed the Louisville town celebration at Waterfront Park. The Ohio Players (yes, the original group) was playing an awesome set, and even though it was raining, we stuck it out and that was the highlight of the evening. I saw a great fireworks show, and then we got back to the dorms still fairly early, around 11:30pm.

Fourth of July is for new friends, New Years for old friends. Hanukkah for family, Christmas/Easter for singing at church. I've never put much weight on holidays before, but they are necessary markers for the passing of months, years. Especially now that my life is taking me so many new places and down so many new paths, its nice to associate each holiday with a specific place. Its a way to stay grounded.

Being away from home, even for 5 weeks, is much more difficult than I had anticipated. Last summer while I was in Italy, I was distracted by the absolute beauty of the country, the newness of the language and the surrounding, all the new friends, and the definite time set on my plane ticket home. Here in Kentucky, its way too American, way too job-like, and way too easy to imagine getting in my car and coming home. I miss home. I miss DC, I miss my friends and my family, and my new bed...

I guess this is a good warm-up to what being on tour will be like. For the first leg of the tour I won't be away from home for more than 5 weeks, but on the second leg, I'll be away for 8 weeks. Judge me if you will...but I've never been away from home for more than 5 weeks before. The opportunity has never presented itself.

I'm hoping that tour will be easier to endure and more exciting than my current situation. On tour, we will be traveling, and fulfilling my desire to be constantly on the go and seeing new places, theaters. I hope I will be artistically satisfied (as opposed to here, where I sit backstage for almost 2 hours and don't have much to play with in terms of character development), and the tour is Equity, and (I'm hoping/assuming) will be run in an efficient and professional manner. Did I mention I'll also be getting paid a salary?

I've never considered myself a homebody, but seriously....I can't wait to pull into my driveway and kiss my family. 1 WEEK LEFT.