Step, step into Christmas. Yeah, forever and ever...

And so, it begins.
Monday marked the first day of our regular weekly schedule going into effect. For any of you interested in visiting me up here, I am scheduled to do all three of the shows (The Christmas That Almost Wasn't at 11:15, 1:45, and 4:15; Mistletails at 12:30, and Storytime With Candy Cane and Peppermint Twist at 3:00) on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays, Saturdays, and most Sundays, I will be doing one or two of those shows, with Tuesday as my full day off. It's actually quite an easy schedule, and we're always done no later than about 5pm every day. 

Rookie and Knock Knock, from The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

 

Candy Cane from Storytime...

This is a very different set-up from any other show I've done (except maybe for The Yellow Brick Road tour, where most shows were in the morning), but it's great because we have the opportunity to spend time together as a cast every night, and to hang out with the international work-study kids who live next door. They're flown in from various countries to work the summer season on the rides and in the shops, and we've been having a great time with them. They live in what used to be a restaurant that has been converted into a living space that holds 22 at capacity. This year, we have people from Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Taiwan, China, and probably a few I've forgotten. I've listened to more foreign-language techno in the last week than i think I have in my whole life, but it's really been fun!
We're still sort of settling in here, and now that rehearsals are over, we have time to get into a rhythm and relax. This last Friday, the cast was treated to a dinner prepared by our own John Raterman (the other Equity actor here)..steak, minted couscous, and swiss chard salad with feta! It was amazing. So amazing, in fact, we decided to make it a Friday night tradition, rotating the person who cooks for the cast. I called dibs on this Friday, and I can't wait to serve them my Julia Childs-inspired Beef Bourguignon!

Cast bonding.

 We also went to the movies together on Sunday night, and saw Snow White and the Huntsman. We collectively do not recommend it. Mondays, however, are $4 movie night (Sunday was $7...a far cry from NYC's $14+ ticket prices!!), so we want to make a weekly movie night as a cast too. Next up, maybe Madagascar 3?

 

My friends from Montreal, Karine and Marc, are coming down to the park today, and I can't wait to see them!! They also took a vacation in Florida last year that coincided with my tour, so they got to see me perform down there as well. Luckily, Santa's Village is only about 4 hours from Montreal, so this trip is a little less taxing than their last one! Whether they're coming down to enjoy the park and see me, or just to giggle at my ridiculously crinoline'd costumes, I feel very blessed to have friends like them. :-D

That's all for now! Have a wonderful Summer Solstice, and a Happy Hump Day!
...coincidence...?