Coffee!

Yah, I'm totally addicted. 

Sad thing is, besides the random Starbucks or two that we've run into on tour lately ... Spain and Italy are not big fans of "to-go" coffee. 

And they also serve just espresso shots or little tiny cups of coffee. WTF? 

If we go into the city tomorrow, I'm going get a venti something-or-other!

A bit more on what I think about things ...

We are told to treat others the way that we want to be treated. I believe that completely. So, if you want people to act professionally and like adults, they first need to be treated that way. Professionalism is not only your actions, but your environment as well. Professionalism amongst employees comes from a professional workplace. 

I understand the need for rules and guidelines. We can't have everyone running amuck. But, if we are act like and be treated like the adults that we are, we don't need a hall monitor watching our every move.  

I've said before, anger is contagious. So is negativity. You put it out into the world and it will come back to you. 

Problems need to be seen from every angle. What seems like information and enforcing rules from one person, looks like rumors and bitching from another. 

Ok, another deep breath.

What I think about things....

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's how I feel about things...

But, just a few words to clarify. I don't complain because I hate my job and I want to leave. I complain because I LOVE my job, and I want to enjoy doing it in an environment that allows to me to do the job that I love to the fullest.

I just wanted to be treated like everyone else. Rules are rules, and they apply to EVERYONE! I don't think rules should be enforced on some, yet bent for others. 

Problems don't get solved by not talking about them. The saying goes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." Problems don't go away just because you don't talk about them. Not talking about things and keeping them inside only cause problems to build up, and eventually it will all come tumbling down.

Ok. Deep breath. Here's to tomorrow.

Good Ass Pants

My friend Kevin, who I toured with a few years ago, introduced me to these great pants. They are Bonobos - a company who makes pants tailored for men. 

Now, I must say, Kevin and I both have some junk in the trunk - as well as other places. :) And that's exactly what they are tailored for!

They are also made of fun fabrics and they have super cute linings! They are just great!

So, go buy me a pair! 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I've had a great Christmas. I'm here in Madrid, but we - along with other people on tour - have bought decorations, and we've made our hotel rooms mighty festive! Today, Brad and I went over to our friends Steve and Andrea's room and opened Christmas presents. And tonight, we are having a company dinner, to celebrate the season ... together.

It's times like this that make being on the road hard. I'd love to be at home with my family, and I'm sure everyone else on tour would enjoy the same. It tries your patience, and puts everyone a little on edge and people get a bit emotional.

But, we need to remember what we do have. Here on tour, I have Brad and friends that have become like a family. Sometimes we are a dysfunctional one, we are still a family. 

I'd like to send that thought out to my family, too. It was hard knowing that when I called, my family wasn't together. I'm sure it was hard for them, but it was hard for me knowing that those who COULD be together, weren't. I get numerous forwards with cute graphics, reminding me to remember the gifts that we have during this holiday season. I hope that the sender takes the time to read those forwards, and think about the message that you are spreading. 

I really wish that I could have been home for Christmas. More than that, I wish that everyone acknowledges the fact that they could have spent the holiday together, because some of us couldn't.

"Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

It's a good question. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Glinda was smart asking that question. I mean, Dorothy just dropped a house on someone. I'd want to know who's side she was on, too.

But it's a question that we need to think about all the time. Are people using their powers for good or evil? 

Now I'll admit, I'm not the most positive of people. I try to keep a smile on my face, but there are times when I'm a total bitch. Times when the world has done me wrong, and I'm going to take it out on the nearest living thing. It's ok - we all have these days.

But lately, I've realized that some people seem to be stuck in this place. A place where no matter what the situation, things aren't settled until everyone loses and all we are left with is anger and hostility. And this anger only leads to people trying to "get back" at those who have wronged them, only creating more losers and more anger.

I just wish people would redirect their energy. Instead of using your energy to get back at people, or to see how many people you can piss off  - let's use that energy to do something good? Use that energy to make our environment a better place to be. I grew up hearing my parents say, "Kill them with kindness." Trust me, it works!

So you hate the direction your life has taken? Instead of using your energy to pull 

everyone else down the same path, use it to change YOUR path. Instead of focusing your energy against others, turn it around and change YOURSELF! 

One of my favorite quotes is "Anger is contagious." It is, and it spreads faster than the speed of light. People need to take this anger, this energy, and use it for the greater good. 

I know, I sound like a motivational speaker. But although anger is contagious, so is a smile. 

Now go out there, and use your powers for good ... or someone might drop a house on you, too!

I'm too sexy for this blog ...

Leave a comment! :)

Travel Day .... FROM HELL!!!

So, check this out!

Now, we all know that I HATE travel days, and I've written about some pretty horrible ones. Well, add this to the list!

So, picture it. Salamanca. 5 AM. I wake up to make it downstairs to leave at 6 AM. So, I get on the bus and we drive for about 2 or 3 hours to Madrid. So far so good.

Well, we get to the Madrid airport, and our flight is delayed a bit. No prob. We grab a bite to eat and we get on the flight. 

Well, once we get to Milan, we've missed our flight. But wait, that flight was delayed a bit too! We made it with about 20 minutes to spare.

Then, it gets delayed more. Well, then we had plenty of time. Some people grab some stuff to eat. I just waited it out.

Well, wait is EXACTLY what we did. For HOURS! Our airline apparently went on strike. Our flight got delayed again and again until finally it was cancelled. Then they put us on another flight ... which was DELAYED! Food places started closing. It was insanity. We didn't know if we were going to leave the airport that night or not.

Well, Brad and some other people were on a different flight. That flight was actually leaving, so we gathered the crew and some other peeps, and sent them off while the rest of us wait it out.

We finally get on a flight! So, we are all happy and I'm looking out the window watching them put our luggage on the plane. THEN, I watch them take all the luggage OFF the plane! 

Yah, so we get to Naples, and NO ONE from that flight has luggage. Oh, and neither does anyone from THE OTHER flight! NO ONE IN OUR ENTIRE CAST HAS LUGGAGE! 

So, we all head to the hotel. Hungry. No luggage. 20 hrs later.

Thankfully, we got our luggage the next afternoon. And we're traveling by train the rest of Italy! :)

Staying Afloat...

The human spirit is an amazing thing. It's this need to survive that drives us day to day. This desire that pushes us through the hard times.

I know the strength of the human spirit. Just when we think that we that we can't go any further or do any more, the human spirit pushes us forward. It gives us the strength when we are at our weakest. When we are knocked down, it's what makes us get up, dust ourselves off, and try again. It's what keeps us looking forward to the future, and not back at the past.

I've seen the human spirit tested.  It's relentless. No matter how far we are pushed, it pushes back. It keeps us afloat. 

It is this spirit in us, and in others, that gets us through the rough times. Time ticks by and life moves forward, no matter how hard we hold on to the past.  We can only move forward, knowing that tomorrow lies ahead.

I wonder...

So, the weather's a bit chilly here, and everyone has the sniffles.

I wonder if this would come in handy?

Cloudy ... with a chance of rain.

Today was a rough day for all of us. One of our cast members had to leave the show, adding to the other 2 cast members who left only a week ago. 

It's like the dark clouds have rolled in, and it's hard to find a ray of sunshine breaking through.  

At times like this, we can only come together to keep warm on these dreary days, and pray for brighter skies.

Something I love!

Ok, don't ask me why, but I find this video HILARIOUS! I can't stop laughing. 

Hush hush...

So, here we are, beginning our 3rd month on tour. It's been a good 3 months but we had to see 2 of our performers go. It's sad to see people leave, and it was kinda nice that despite the issues that people might have had with each other, we all put those aside to give these guys a great farewell.

Well, now they have left, and things are falling back into place. And, although I'll be the first person to say that we DON'T have to always hang out as a cast, I hate to see us so separated.

 Everyone seems to have found that one person they hang out with and that's it. And maybe I'm making it out to be more than it is, but it makes everyone seem very secretive. Like walls have been put up. The whole "You can't sit with us!" feeling. 

I dunno. I found it nice that we could all go to dinner and put everything aside and just have a nice meal. Now, I'm not asking for that to happen every night. Good God, I'd probably kill someone. Let's hope that some fresh faces will mix things up. 

Change...

So, here I am, across the Atlanic while America changes. Barack Obama has been elected to be our next president. The first African-American to be a President. Big changes.

I'll admit, I wasn't REALLY into the election race. I wasn't totally up on all the topics. But I did watch the debates. I watched the news. 

I just didn't trust McCain. As a debater, he and Palin sucked. I'd been forced to watch high school students debate, and they did a better job than these two. My gut instinct was that these two were shady. The thought of these two running the country just scared me - like they had a hidden agenda. 

But, no need to worry.  Our new president is an advocate for change - which is exactly what this country needs. I know that not everyone will like him, and I'm pretty sure that I won't like everything that he will do. No one ever likes EVERYTHING the president does. But we aren't in a good place. And it's time to shake things up. A time for first times. 

Along with all that, I'm gonna get back to this blog, and write more. It's time for change.

Electronically Challenged...

So, sorry that it's been a while since I've blogged. I've just been having too much fun out here on tour. Actually, I've been too busy travelling from city to city and doing shows all the time to sit and write anything.

But, here I am between shows, and we're all on our laptops since the hotel doesn't have internet, so I decided to write a little blog.

And, speaking of computers and such, we had quite the week with electronics. It all started with us trying to watch Mean Girls. Well, it was a foreign DVD, so we'd have to change the settings on our computer. Well, we put it in Brad's computer, but her didn't want to change the settings. Then we tried mine. I didn't want to change the settings either, so I tried to eject the DVD, and it gets stuck in my disc drive. Well, I finally get it out. But Brad tries to watch another DVD, and his computer won't read an DVD's. Well, after a few hours of rese

arch, he got everything to work again.

Then, a few days after that, we go to the gym. While Andrea is on the treadmill, she drops her iPod and accidentally kicks it INTO the treadmill. We had to get some gym personnel to take apart the treadmill and get her iPod out.

Now, Brad's been having trouble with this new internet modem he bought for his computer, and he thinks that he might have a virus on his computer, too. 

So, besides all that, we've been having a ball out here. Just doing shows and trying to do some 

sightseeing along the way.

A white light...

Well, after an overnight bus trip and a smoking room, our week in Sevilla was not starting off well. Then there was a white light....

Yah, that's right! Heaven! 

And this heaven has a Starbucks and a TGI Fridays! Oh the little things that make us happy! It was a good day! :)

Damn Rudolph!

So, thanks to all the sweating, stage make-up, and character heads that I dealt with the past 3 weeks, I've been blessed with one of these beauties.

Yah, that's right! I got a zit on the tip of my nose. It's starting to heal, but my nose is still all red. So, I kinda resemble this guy ...

Damn.

Leaving Las Palmas...

Well, it's time to pack our bags and get this tour on the road ... literally! We're leaving Las Palmas tomorrow and heading to Malaga. After 3 weeks here, I'm looking forward to being in a different city and see some different things. 

Las Palmas was a fun place. We found some good restaurants, some cute clothes, and a nice beach. We had some great crowds at the shows - although the venue was CRAZY hot, and the cast felt like they were melting the whole time. Our locals were really great, and I'll miss them next week when some new person is trying to get me into my costume.

So, here's to Las Palmas - it was fun, but it's time to hit the road!

Hello again from Las Palmas!

Hello again from Las Palmas! We've been doing just fine out here. We opened Thursday to a great crowd, and the crowds were great all weekend! The audiences here are really responsive and it's been great. We've been working hard, getting the show back on its feet after our summer off, but it's looking great!

Here's a pic from a little get-together that we had after our opening night. Brad made us shirts that said "Illusionist Assistant - Off Duty!" - so we all wore them down to the hotel bar. Cute huh? 

Besides that, we've pretty much just been doing shows, going to the gym, eating and sleeping! We found a cute little Japanese place called Zen and some other cute places to eat. We spent a little time at the pool yesterday, but for the most part ... nothing too exciting.

Today we start back up with shows and that'll keep us pretty busy for the week. Then we head to mainland Spain - and who knows what's in store! 

Well, hope everyone back home is doing well! Much love!

One week down ....

Well, as you can see, we made it safely to the Canary Islands! Once we got here, we jumped straight into rehearsals - teaching some new people the show, training some people in new roles, and giving the rest of us a brush up on all that we've forgotten over the summer.

Rehearsals went well, with the expected mistakes, and our first run back in costume was a TRAGEDY! But, that's why we have a bunch more runs before we open! ;)

So, today was our first day off, so we all headed down to the beach. Well, the beach was quite the adventure. It was hot as all hell out there, so we got umbrellas and chairs and set up camp. 

Well, in fine European fashion, ladies were topless ALL OVER the place. And why do people who SHOULDN'T be going around topless let it all hang out? Well, if that wasn't enough, Brad and I took a walk down to the nude section of the beach. EEK! I think we are both going to have bad dreams tonight.

As usual, I got a little burnt, and I think that everyone who went got a little color. But it's back to the grind tomorrow! 

Hola Las Palmas!

Hey everyone! Well, after MANY MANY hours of traveling - I made it to Spain! I left Louisiana a day early to beat the hurricane, and then the rest of the trip was chock full of layovers and waiting.  That picture pretty much sums up that travel day - or days! 

But, we're here, and things are ok. The hotel is kinda tiny, and the food is expensive.  But, we here, and we'll make the best of it. 

Well, that's about it for now. We start rehearsals this afternoon, so I might try to grab some time by the pool first! I hope everyone at home in Louisiana is ok and safe, and talk to you all soon!

Saying goodbye ... again.

So, here I am, starting up the blog again for what it was made for in the first place.

That's right kids, I'm headed BACK on tour. I did the short stint in the spring, but now I'm headed for about 7 or 8 months in Europe with Disney Live! 

I'm excited to see Europe and join my magic family again. I'm looking forward to being with Brad that whole time, and have him there to experience everything.

But it's not a totally happy goodbye.

I'm sure everyone knows that there is a huge ugly hurricane headed straight for Louisiana. Well, it's headed straight for my hometown. I had to leave town a day early to beat it. 

I didn't get to give everyone a proper goodbye. Everyone was running around, worrying more on getting me OUT of town. 

I just want to let all my friends back there that I love them, and I'll miss them. But,  as always, I'll be back to visit  - and I'm sure they'll be there at the bar to join me for a drink.

To my family - I'll miss you guys terribly. It wasn't til I was driving away did I realize that I won't see you guys for a few months. I love you guys, and I'll be thinking about you guys all the time.

And to everyone - I'm watching that hurricane. I'm worried about all of you, so keep me in the loop as to what's going on!

Love everyone, and goodbye for now!

-casey

Shutting it down!

 So, I watch lots of Bravo TV.

And they have a new show - The Rachel Zoe Project. Well, this bitch is hilarious! She is a crazy fashion diva stylist and she has the craziest phrases like -

"You're shutting it down."

"It's bananas."

"I die"

"It's amaaaazing"

She's shutting it down! :)

MAC ... and cheese!

So, I am totally lovin' my new Mac! It's so cute. It's so fast. It's awesome.

There are still some things that I don't know how to do, but I'll wait until I get on tour, and have all the other Mac users show me how to use it! :)

And as for the cheese ... Photobooth is too much fun. It's great to take silly pictures of yourself. 

:)

More new things!!!!

Oh yah! Project Runway 5 starts tonight! And I'll be at work. Boo!

Thank god for Tivo!

An apple a day...

Oh yah!

I'm getting one of these! My old computer has been suffering for a while now, and the other night it told me it was tme to let it rest. The battery barely holds a charge, so it's been living off of the power cord forever. Well, the power cord was starting to die, and the other night it sparked and smoked a bit. Yah - time to die.

So, I made a deal with my parents, and they are helping me to get a lovely Macbook! I've heard nothing but great things about Macs, so I'm hoping that this will be a lovely relationship.

I can't wait! :)

A&F?

Ok, so I need a second job. The Hilton is a cool job, but I'm not making as much as I thought I would be making. And after my excursion to NJ, the bank account is a little on the low side.

So, I have a friend who works at Abercrombie and Fitch, and he said that I should go apply.

So I did. We'll hear the news on Saturday - will I get to be a hot bitchy A&F queen? Oh I hope so!

Until then ... enjoy these!

UPDATE: I got the job! I go in for orientation Sunday!

HAPPY 4TH!!!