Never Miss A Chance to Piss- 2/15/06

Daytona Beach, FL - Traveling 500 miles in a day can really take it out of you, I've found. Not so much physically, although there is some of that, but psychologically as well. In Florence SC, where we had a one-night gig at Francis Marion University, the whole experience of touring became somewhat surreal. I've sort of felt as if I've had no real grasp on a sense of place these past few days. A quick visit to Due West, SC and Erskine College, and then another 9-hour trip got us to Daytona Beach FL, where we are housed at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, has reinforced the feeling. The ACA is a small artists retreat center, where master artists such as Paula Vogel, Arthur Kopit and other visual and performing artists stay as master teachers for Associate Artists who come to perfect their craft with the master artists. It's a nice place, but removed from any sort of conveniences such as stores or a nice beachfront. I don't know, but lately I get the feeling that we're getting housed at all these out-of-the-way places by design or something. Not only that, but it seems our gigs are all so widely spaced apart. After we finish here we have two more 9-hour trips facing us; from here to Monroe NC, and then from Monroe to Huntsville AL. We are not supposed to have any trips which last more than 8 hours according to the rules, but these trips, according to Google Maps, will take between 9 and 10 hours. You've got to piss at every stop.

The first two long days on the road since last I wrote in this blog took us from Monmouth IL in the heart of the great plains, through the Appalachian Mountains by way of the Great Smoky Mountains, and out into the Pee Dee River country of South Carolina. There's a very different feel you get when you cross the country in this manner, because you know that everything is going to be seen from a car window, and you'll have no opportunity to stop, take in a rest stop with a view, have a nice lunch by a riverside, etc. You're just a prisoner of the van, gawking as you pass. I do my best to whip out my camera and take a passing movie or picture, but the experience can be frustrating, and the view from the rear of the van is not always that good. You're just on the go, with the hellbent intent of getting to your next destination, not to luxuriate in the beauty of what you're traveling through. This passing-through feeling is what gives me that surreal feeling, because I never get the time to stop and let the scenery and beauty of what I'm traveling through soak in. Even choices for rest stops are puzzling. Sometimes when we have a chance to stop in a small location with some scenery we pass it by, only to stop at some MallofAmerica location which is like any other along the beaten path.

The stay at Florence was somewhat depressing, in that we drove all that way to do one performance of Planet on a Saturday evening to a somewhat small and reserved crowd, and then got a day off in Florence. Florence is not a place where you want to spend your day off, as it is economically depressed and ugly. The Red Roof Inn goes up there as one of the top three most horrible places we've stopped. It had absolutely no amenities of any sort, and was situated at the opposite end of town across from a crummy mall. Sarah ended up getting sick and covered with red welts of some sort (the diagnosis was scabies, but I am not sure that's the case because no one else got it). Kevin, Jessica and I traveled to Hartsville on Sunday for a hike in the Kalida Gardens of Coker College, about 20 miles from Florence, which was very pleasant. You can see pictures on my Flickr site (check the badge on the sidebar). We also ate at Pat's Restaurant, which featured a down-home Southern Sunday buffet (ham, turkey, pork, greens, lima beans, mashed potatoes, hush puppies, fried okra, and incredible sweet potatoes). I also went out with Alyssa and Greg to see a 10:25 showing of Brokeback Mountain at the local movieplex. The film, I thought, was beautifully shot, but the central characters, to me, were not really engaging. I was neutral about them throughout, and I never really understood why they loved each other beyond a physical attraction. I think the movie's popularity rests more on the fact that it's brave enough to depict gay cowboys and is getting something of a pass as far as character development and plot is concerned. My $0.02. We were the only people in the theatre watching that movie, and we were the last three people to leave the moviehouse, with everyone staring at us as we left. I did manage to have breakfast in three different places: the Huddle House (bacon and eggs), the Waffle House (Philly cheesesteak omelet), and the International House of Pancakes. IHOP won the breakfast war, as the whole grain pancakes I had were really good. But I was glad to get out of Florence.

Then we got to Due West, where I recorded my last audio blog. Again, I have to scratch my head, because we stayed in Abbeville, one of the quaintest little towns I've seen in a long time, and did the show in Due West, about 20 minutes or so away. But we left Florence around 11:30 AM, arrived in Abbeville about 3:00 PM, have to leave by 4:50 for Due West, do the show to another small, but this time enthusiastic crowd, load out, get back to Abbeville where everything is now closed (as was most of the town's restaurants and coffee shops in the afternoon; Monday seemed to be the town's "day off"), sleep in this quaint hotel, and leave at 8AM the next morning. In other words, we stay three nights in a lousy location, and practically do not get to see or stay in a nice location. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! The fates have not been kind in this regard, only exacerbating that surreal feeling.

Then the 9-hour trip to Daytona Beach.
On the way we ran into an accident where a tractor trailer flipped, and we waited on the side of the road for about 35 minutes. We got in last night in time for dinner at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's dining center, and then off to the artists complex. I happened by sheer chance to occupy one of the corner rooms (everyone has their own room here), which is bigger than most since it is designed for handicap access. It's a nice set-up, with refrigerator and work space. For some reason everyone had received the impression that this was going to be some sort of "hippie commune," with rustic cabins and barns and such. Far from it. The rooms are modern and nice, and the actual artistic complex has wireless internet around it. The complex has a sculpture studio, painting studio, music studio, dance studio, small theatre and library, with a commons room and administration buildings. Today the temperature got up into the mid-60s with plenty of sunshine, and I spent all day before the show preparing my lecture for UA-Huntsville, checking email and the web, and relaxing in the warmth. I got a bit of sun on the top of my head, as I neglected to wear a hat. Not enough to burn, but enough that I should take precautions tomorrow.

The show itself this evening was Much Ado, and it went over very well. Unlike the last two performances, it was a large and enthusiastic crowd. The space itself is awkward, with no exit stage right, a carpeted hard floor and a steeply-raked audience. We solved the entrance/exit issues, and the audience was very much with us throughout the show. One funny incident was when Tyler got stuck underneath the stage left onstage seats while hiding during the first gulling scene. He actually got stuck underneath the seats to the point where he had to have the audience members get up from their seats to set him free. Of course, his grandmother, who drove all the way from Boca Raton to see him, was in the audience to watch him make a fool of himself. He brought his saviors out onto the stage fro a round of applause. The Embry-Riddle theatre students were there in force as well, complete with embroidered polo shirts, sitting in the front row, and they were loving it. I'm always glad when theatre students come to see our plays, as it's so important for them to see outside theatre.

Tomorrow ought to be an interesting day, because we are here in Daytona during Speed Week and the running of the Daytona 500 (another bit of scheduling genius from the powers that be). They tell us that traffic tomorrow will be impossible, and that if we are not at the university by 2:30 PM (which is situated pretty much next to the racetrack) we will never get there between 2:30 and 5:30. That's because they route all traffic away from the race track and many avenues become one-way in the wrong direction. So instead of another relaxing day at the arts complex it will be a rush to get to the university for that night's show (R3). Not too bad, though, because the university campus is pretty nice. I just have to remember to get up early tomorrow to do laundry or wait until I return from the show that night. I also want to film a movie tour of this complex for you all.

So on the whole I won't get to see much of Daytona Beach. I'm not really a beach person, although Kevin and Jesssica hung out at the beach today while others did workshops or went to the gym to work out. I took a walk this morning and did get to see some bayfront, but not really beachfront. But as I say, lounging around this complex in the nice weather was very pleasant. I am thinking at the moment of renting a car for the next day off in Monroe NC so I can get a little sightseeing in that is not restricted to the 20-mile limit of the vans. And I also have to prepare for the next two long rides. How do I do that? XM Radio and podcasting, baby! "The Office" gives me a very quiet, subdued place to pass the time. I download three or four podcasts (On The Media, Democracy Now!, Major League Baseball Radio and the Leonard Lopate Show are my staples), and get my XM radio rolling. BBC in the morning (or XM Public Radio if BBC is dull), MLB Home Plate in the late morning/early afternoon, and podcasts from mid-afternoon to destination arrival. It works; time does pass more quickly this way. I might also get a new audiobook as well. I've finished Will in the World and need something else.

And of course - I never miss a chance to piss! -TWL