Hamstrings, Proper Pronouns, and Tanning, Oh My!

       So, I have had a few days off, which has been wonderful. These are called golden days on tour--days in which we neither travel, rehearse, or perform.  I have been staying with my brother and sister-in-law (Jason and Darby), and my niece and nephew (Lyric and Ollie) which has been so fun.  Today, Jase and I went on a hike in the Santa Monica mountains.  There were many lizards doing the hike also, though they were much faster than us.  At the top of the mountain, we could see LA spread out before us--and the pacific ocean in the background.  I was trying to walk in a way that worked out my hamstrings, and so you don't think that statement is absolutely random, I will tell you why...Recently, I went to a massage therapist who gave me the unfortunate news that I have a pulled muscle in my right hip (which was not a surprise, because it has been hurting), and that my hamstrings were messed up (though, he did not use such a benign term for it).  Basically, I have overdeveloped quads compared to my hamstrings and glutes--and my quads have been taking over my life.  Oh--and my hamstrings are tight as a drum and need to be stretched pretty much every second of the day.  Awesome.  Now, if you saw the choreography that I do in this show, then all this would make sense.  So, anyway--I was trying to make sure my quads were not taking over, but I think they are used to it, so it's hard not to do.  But, I have been making a point to stretch even more...But, the hike was awesome.  I love being outside, love seeing natural beauty.

       Yesterday, I went to the promenade with Darby because she had an appointment for her mac at the Apple Genius Bar.  Now, her mac were being assessed by an individual named Dee. Dee is somebody who is midway through a metamorphosis.  Dee is a man, but is becoming a woman.  Dee is very tall, with broad shoulders, an adam's apple, and a boxy torso--none of which helps Dee's case so much.  Plus, though Dee does not suffer from a lack of make-up, Dee does suffer from a lack of skill when it comes to applying it.  Anyway, at one point I randomly asked Darby a question for which I could have bitten my tongue the moment I said it. Referring to Dee, I asked, So, is HE going to be able to fix it?  At that point, I couldn't have said, I mean, she... Cause that would have just made my faux pas even more obvious.  Darby just looked at me, I looked away, and Dee just walked away for a moment.  So, moral of the story: Always use the proper name of a person--especially when the person is somewhere in the middle of a big change.  

        On a final note, I was walking around the promenade for a while yesterday--which happens to be an outdoor mall.  So, yeah, I was in the sun.  And I ended up with stripes--tan lines.  Oh, and I am NOT ALLOWED to have tan lines, because of my costume for the show (a halter leotard and fishnet tights) the tan lines would be very visible.  I am not supposed to alter my appearance at all--and Kristine (my character) really cannot go on stage with stripes.  So, now I have to visit a tanning salon here in LA (first time ever at a tanning salon), and try to even out everything.  I am a little nervous. I'll probably be a little red. I know tanning salons aren't good for you, so please don't harangue me with all the reasons why I shouldn't go--it's just so I don't get in trouble (which probably isn't the best reason to do something that isn't good for me, I realize).  And I guess while I am out, I should pick up some sunscreen. Had I done that in the first place, I could have avoided this whole mess.  Sigh.