OH, Canada!
Apr. 26th, 2005 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansGreetings from the Delta Chelsea in Toronto. The weather here is overcast and the temperature is in the 40s, a big change after a week of sunshine and 80-degree temps in Ft Myers, Florida. I have today off before beginning our six-week run; this week will be a busy one as we open on a Wednesday matinee. Our performing schedule for the first week includes double shows on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and single shows on Thursday (opening night) and Sunday afternoon.
The week in Ft Myers was successful; houses held steady at about two-thirds, as our time in the Florida came just after many of the snowbirds had returned North. My Cousin Shirley and her friends attended the Saturday matinee and enjoyed the show immensely. Due to a stomach bug that was going around...and allergies which affected Kathy, Shirley saw Angela as Eva. Since, Rachel was also out, we were down one woman in "Aristos". I had no partner to circle in "Peron's Latest Flame". I had to circle myself. I was worried that I wouldn’t get around in time:) Ha!
It was a long travel day. Up at 4:30am on Monday, the troupe traveled in three groups. Six people were routed through Chicago and then on to Toronto; 24 of us flew from Ft Myers to Toronto via Newark and the final group of 20+ flew through Cleveland before arriving in Toronto. The first two groups will receive double overtime for the infringement on the night travel ban in the contract; the last group will receive overtime for traveling 12 hours on the day following a performance.
Our company manager, DeAnn, did a terrific job in preparing for the border crossing. Her manifest was complete and organized; everyone had passports and no secrets. We didn’t have to individually go through immigration, nor did we have to collect luggage and have it gone through. It was just about as painless as possible. I did have one minor shock, a bit funny in hindsight. One of my suitcases weighed 46lbs; the other weighed 54lbs. The desk agent for Continental told me I needed to shift the weight to get to the 50lb per bag weight limit. I pulled out two pairs of blue jeans. The TSA guy put them on the scale and they weighed exactly four pounds! Two pairs, four pounds!!! Yikes! It’s not fair. Our tiny women and skinny dancer boys don’t face that problem:)
My hotel room is small, but comfortable. The Delta Chelsea is right off Yonge Street, a short walk from Church Street with all of its bars and businesses geared to the Gay & Lesbian Community. After grabbing supper at a diner, I walked around for a couple of hours , making a mental note of the clubs and coffee shops which teddybtoronto thoughtfully identified for me in an email. I am hoping a club called the Barn and Stables will have two-steppin’...fingers crossed. A huge two-story mural on the side of the building shows two men, dressed as cowboys, obviously dancing. I can only hope!
My activity on the internet in Toronto will be intermittent for the next six weeks. I’ll be incurring extra charges every time I sign on to AOL. I have a local number for AOL and there is no charge by the hotel for local and 800 calls, but I checked with AOL billing and I’ll have a $2.95 an hour surcharge added each time I sign on because I’m in Canada. Perhaps I’ll be able to find a less expensive way to access the internet, but for now, I’ll write my posts off line, sign on to post, read mail quickly and sign off. In Ft Myers last week, I had to watch the clock and sign off every 30 minutes before they started charging 10 cents a minute. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re watching the clock.
I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to read live journal during the next month and a half. I ask my LJ friends to email me information or posts you really want me to read during this time. I want to keep up, but I can’t afford to sit online for hours and scroll journal entries. It will break the bank. Signing on and off the internet will be held to a minimum....Oh Canada.....
The week in Ft Myers was successful; houses held steady at about two-thirds, as our time in the Florida came just after many of the snowbirds had returned North. My Cousin Shirley and her friends attended the Saturday matinee and enjoyed the show immensely. Due to a stomach bug that was going around...and allergies which affected Kathy, Shirley saw Angela as Eva. Since, Rachel was also out, we were down one woman in "Aristos". I had no partner to circle in "Peron's Latest Flame". I had to circle myself. I was worried that I wouldn’t get around in time:) Ha!
It was a long travel day. Up at 4:30am on Monday, the troupe traveled in three groups. Six people were routed through Chicago and then on to Toronto; 24 of us flew from Ft Myers to Toronto via Newark and the final group of 20+ flew through Cleveland before arriving in Toronto. The first two groups will receive double overtime for the infringement on the night travel ban in the contract; the last group will receive overtime for traveling 12 hours on the day following a performance.
Our company manager, DeAnn, did a terrific job in preparing for the border crossing. Her manifest was complete and organized; everyone had passports and no secrets. We didn’t have to individually go through immigration, nor did we have to collect luggage and have it gone through. It was just about as painless as possible. I did have one minor shock, a bit funny in hindsight. One of my suitcases weighed 46lbs; the other weighed 54lbs. The desk agent for Continental told me I needed to shift the weight to get to the 50lb per bag weight limit. I pulled out two pairs of blue jeans. The TSA guy put them on the scale and they weighed exactly four pounds! Two pairs, four pounds!!! Yikes! It’s not fair. Our tiny women and skinny dancer boys don’t face that problem:)
My hotel room is small, but comfortable. The Delta Chelsea is right off Yonge Street, a short walk from Church Street with all of its bars and businesses geared to the Gay & Lesbian Community. After grabbing supper at a diner, I walked around for a couple of hours , making a mental note of the clubs and coffee shops which teddybtoronto thoughtfully identified for me in an email. I am hoping a club called the Barn and Stables will have two-steppin’...fingers crossed. A huge two-story mural on the side of the building shows two men, dressed as cowboys, obviously dancing. I can only hope!
My activity on the internet in Toronto will be intermittent for the next six weeks. I’ll be incurring extra charges every time I sign on to AOL. I have a local number for AOL and there is no charge by the hotel for local and 800 calls, but I checked with AOL billing and I’ll have a $2.95 an hour surcharge added each time I sign on because I’m in Canada. Perhaps I’ll be able to find a less expensive way to access the internet, but for now, I’ll write my posts off line, sign on to post, read mail quickly and sign off. In Ft Myers last week, I had to watch the clock and sign off every 30 minutes before they started charging 10 cents a minute. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re watching the clock.
I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to read live journal during the next month and a half. I ask my LJ friends to email me information or posts you really want me to read during this time. I want to keep up, but I can’t afford to sit online for hours and scroll journal entries. It will break the bank. Signing on and off the internet will be held to a minimum....Oh Canada.....
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