Well, it’s my birthday. I am on the home stretch of 16 hour days 7 days a week. I won’t have time to do anything until it’s over on the 10th, which yes means I leave on this adventure a week from today, assuming I get my license renewed (it expires today). Oh and I just got the jeep running again last night…
Today I turn 31. I’ve got to tell you, 30 was an interesting year. I mean last year I celebrated my birthday in a hotel parking lot after working a 14 hour over night shift on the new falcons stadium. Basically my father bought me a decent bottle of bourbon and then we, along with a few of my coworkers, drank the bottle while sitting on concrete steps shooting the shit. It was not a bad way to celebrate, but it did set the tone for 30. 30 has basically been all about getting things done. I put a serious dent in my debts, mended some proverbial fences with touring companies, did a short tour, and got double ETCP certified in rigging. Not a lot of socializing or adventures outside of taking care of business. Hell this year I will be celebrating my birthday while working a 16 hour day.
The above project is what I have been working such insane hours on for the last month. This thing is massive, and in 2 days we are going to premiere it off the beaten path here in Bloomington. Once we have our one and only performance we’ll spend a few days packing it up and send it off to the Kennedy Center in D.C., where it’ll enjoy a 6 week run before heading to LA for a few months, then Toronto, and finally Broadway.
But nothing past the 9th is my problem at this point. On the 9th we’ll finish loading it onto the trucks and say goodbye and I’ll get to sleep in for the first time since mid April. I will be spending Sunday the 10th preparing the jeep with all of its new sensors, freshly cleaned grounds and new ball joints for the trip. This thing is gonna happen folks! On the 11th I will be driving the fully loaded beast to the BMV and as soon as I have my new license in hand… West, I am heading westward!
The exact route is not set in stone, the timeline is still fluid, but the above map is what I think the trip is going to look like. I am still trying to complete things off the scavenger hunt, but I may not be making it to the East Coast on this one. The reason I won’t be is simply time…
I am only going to have a month to play and after that I will be returning to Bloomington to see to my adult responsibility… Because I am now 31, and bills must be paid, jobs must be done…. oh and I am moving into a 5 bed, 3 bath monstrosity that also has a home gym, greenhouse, 25′ vaulted ceilings in one of the two living rooms (yes I am building an indoor rock wall), kitchen, dining room giant fenced in yard, and a 1,000 square foot garage… Excessive? Probably, but I am 31, single, and it’s too late for reason to prevail. I am dubbing the house, The DeLong Cultural Center.
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