Merry Christmas!

I saw my last Christmas markets of the year in Nuremberg, Germany and for the first time saw how festive Sun Valley is with all it’s Christmas lights.  Overall, it has been a good Christmas season.

Christmas makes me think of gifts and gifts make me think of this:

Recently, I have grown a likeness for, let’s call it, “item matchmaking.”  I like to find things that already exist in my life, and give them to people that might like them.  

For instance, when I was cleaning out some things in Germany, I ran across a DVD of Happy Texas, the movie my uncle directed and co-wrote.  Knowing I wanted to bring a thank you gift to friends in Sun Valley, I grabbed it to give to them.  We had talked about the movie this past summer, so I thought they’d like to see it.

And when I was cleaning out my old room this past fall, I found a pink and white Hello Kitty scarf.  A few days later, I visited my brother’s family and found out my niece’s  bedroom is completely decorated in Hello Kitty stuff.  So--*spoiler alert, Diamond!*--I have left this scarf for her as a Christmas present.

But before I go patting myself on the back, I will admit that I don’t actually know if this is a good thing. Is it really nice to give someone something I found in my suitcase or my old bedroom?  Or is that mean? Or cheap?  Or both mean and cheap?

If the answer is yes to these last  questions, I would like to clarify that I do not participate in this item matchmaking out of meanness or cheapness.  Okay, maybe a little bit of frugality gets the better of me sometimes, but I do know that my motivation lies somewhere else.

This habit has manifested as a by-product of this gypsy lifestyle.  Because I have such limited space to store things, I don’t like accumulating a bunch of stuff.  Absolutely everything in my suitcase must have a purpose.  This is key.  

Therefore, there is nothing more maddening than running across something-- say a sweater, book, make-up brush--on a daily basis, knowing that you haven’t used it and most likely will not.  I feel I am just basically giving this object a free European vacation without it giving me anything back.

Unfair.

So, this is how I have picked up the habit of matching items to owners.  And, isn’t it a win-win if I can find someone who might use this sweater, book or make-up brush?

Makes sense to me.

But let me tell you about the things that can’t find a purpose or appropriate owner.

Some of us skaters have been lucky enough to inherit trunks.  These trunks travel in one of our several trucks that transports the show (the props, costumes, etc) from city to city.  This is our one source of storage outside of our suitcases.

And what seems to happen is that you stuff your trunk with things you might need, but obviously don’t use (or else it would be in your suitcase, right?)  So, when you come across one of those items that you aren’t using--that slightly itchy sweater, that kinda wordy book, or that odd-looking make-up brush--and there is no obvious home for it (like someone who would actually appreciate it) you put it in your trunk.  Just in case.

And then what happens to it?  

Well, at some point, you throw it away.  It is a bit of a  drawn out process.  Suitcase--trunk--then eventually trash.

Yep, our trunks are like traveling garbage cans.

But, like I said, that is for the items that don’t get matched.  The ones that do find loving owners with my help avoid this whole sad story!

Which leads me back to the part where I hesitated to pat myself on the back.  I think I will accept that pat now.  I think what I am doing isn’t so bad after all.  :)

Merry Christmas all.  And, you are welcome for those old and dusty gifts.

Every Day Cannot be like Valentine's Day

I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day.  And for no other reason than that I just don’t care about it.  On a few occasions, when I have said, “I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day” I have been met with “I know, because every day should be like Valentine’s Day, right?” 

Wrong.  Every day should not be like Valentine’s Day.  For starters, it just can’t.

I thought about this a lot this weekend.

Very quickly the show has begun to consume my whole day.  We had our first 3-show day on Saturday, which is of course pretty tiring (as each show lasts 2 1/2 hours) but also borderline mundane.  You check-in, put on your make-up, warm-up a bit and then... skates on, costume on, costume off, skates off, skates on, next costume on, costume off, skates off, skates on, Christmas costume on, costume off, skates off, skates on, next costume on, costume off, new costume on, costume off, quick change into next costume, costume off, quick change again, costume off, skates off.  Repeat. And repeat again.

Within this show cycle there are the numbers of course, the skating.  That fortunately takes a little bit of focus.  A saving grace of the day, possibly.

Also within the day are these things we call “goodies.”  They are little moments you have with other skaters, like a point, look, high-five, secret handshake, little dance, etc. They can be backstage, in the dressing room, on the ice.  And here is the main thing: they are consistent.  Once you have a goodie, you do it every show.

Because this is now our second year performing the same show, and our principal cast has stayed the same, there are many goodies that have carried over from last year’s tour.  For example, I always look at Andre in Bolero right before our bracket step and give him a little nod or wink.  I did it last year, and now it is just part of my choreography, whether I like it or not.

And in the opening, right before Brent and I do our 3-turn step around each other, I look over my left shoulder and give Michael a little point, and he gives a smile.  

Again, we did this last year, so instantly we did it this year as well.

A few night ago, we had a moment of truth.  A heart-to-heart let’s say.  Maybe we said we felt bored in the show, maybe we said the drinks at the bar were too strong.  Who knows.  This is what I do know:  Michael turned to me and said exactly what I felt.

 “I F#$%ING HATE OUR GOODIE!”

And it felt so good to get the truth out.  We had done that goodie so many times.  It wasn’t genuine anymore.  I didn’t want to point at Michael.  He didn’t want to smile back.  It was a faked goodie, and it felt awful.  It made us both angry.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why every day CANNOT be like Valentine’s Day.  Because, even when something starts out fun and with some meaning, after you do it each and every day, it will loose its luster.  It will become boring.  And worst of all, it won’t be genuine.  It won’t be genuine until the day someone turns to you and yells in desperation,

“I F#$%ING HATE VALENTINE’S DAY!”

We usually have travel days on Monday, like today.

I realized I like travel days for this one and only reason: I feel like I am moving forward.  Which is funny, because if you were to plot all the cities we go to on a map (like someone did last year) you would see that we are just traveling in circles.

And, after only one week of performances down, the feeling of progression couldn’t be more welcomed.  Even with a break, it feel as though we haven’t missed a beat with the show.  We basically picked up where we left off.  We are now on month 10 of the show.  

Brent put it pretty well when he said, “I don’t know my mom’s phone number or my parent’s address, but put that music on and I will do exactly the right steps.”  Sad or not, this is the truth.  So it feels a bit (as in, it feels a lot) like it is back to groundhog’s day. 

But let’s stick with the travel for a second. I have learned from last year.  Learned from my mistakes, and just learned in general. I have learned to not care which bus I am on (there are two,) who is on my bus (because who cares?) who has saved seats for whom (because no one has for me, so it’s none of my business,) and if I am the first off the bus to check in to the hotel (because, let’s be honest, the hotels aren’t usually gems, so we don’t need to make a mad dash to confirm this.)  

Most importantly, I learned to come prepared with DVDs.  And this has made my life all the better.  Not only do I feel as though I am moving forward in space, but I am moving forward in the Ugly Betty (television show) plot line.  Double the false sense of productivity.

There are other things I have learned from last year’s tour.  Other things I am incorporating into my tour “re-do.”

For one, I learned that I like some alone time.  I like exploring a new city by myself, getting the lay of the land without relying on others, and only having to confer with myself whether I want to go left, right, or straight at the next intersection. So, another goal on tour:  having a balance of being with people, and being by myself.  

I also learned that it is really stressful to worry if a group of 50 people “like you,” not to mention completely self-centered.  I don’t plan on tripping my co-workers on the ice, or purposely stepping on any crew guy’s foot while wearing my skates.  I realize that shouldn’t merit likability, but at least I can go to bed knowing I am not evil at heart.

Something else, a small thing, I learned from last year:  never check to see if your blades are dull.  Guess what? They are.  Between skating on poor ice conditions, feathers and sequins, and running around on carpet or the accidental piece of cement, they will become dull. So, not so much a goal as a new rule:  I will not check my blades.  I will go as long as I can before getting them sharpened, and I am guessing “as long as I can” means skate until I fall 90% of the show.  

Hope no one is watching when that day comes.