Huntsville to Hotlanta and Onwards

'Bama is behind us, as Ichabod and I drove the truck from Alabama through Tennessee to Georgia. Largely the drive was through NOTHING, which made finding lunch difficult. We pulled off literally on the Alabama/Tennessee border, by the Fireworks Wholesaler and Big Daddy's Outdoors (that would be guns, bait, ammo, all the essentials.) We pulled up to Stone's Dairy Bar, which had not changed one iota since Margie Stone opened it in 1972. Faded wood paneling, front porch, framed family photos on the wall, the world's oldest cash register. Margie Stone herself was our waitress, and we were the only people in the place who weren't Stones. For serious. Great grandchildren kept trooping in and out. I ordered the taco salad, which featured lettuce, tomatos, the famous homemade chili and much to my suprise...fritos. Although in defense of their inclusion, they were chili cheese fritos. So I guess that makes them very taco salad-y. Pretty much, it was awesome.

My exposure to Atlanta consists of Gone With the Wind, the Buckhead Betty episodes of My Super Sweet Sixteen, and Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta (in my humble bravo-loving opinion, by far the best of the franchise. Orange County has nothin' on Hotlanta.) My time in Peachtree Central was not as exciting as any of these shows would have led me to believe, but enjoyable none the less. We spent the evening at the Georgia State diner watching Dancing With the Stars.

The Atlanta theatre was our biggest - 5000 seats. It didn't feel as big as I'd thought - it's funny how fast you adjust to big theatres. 5000 feels normal now, the 2000 seaters feel a little small...what? who am I?

This has been a pretty easy week. Loading docks in all the theatres, and crews who really know their stuff. Also the southern crews are (in general) much more likely to go "here now, ma'am, don't hurt yourself I'll carry that fer ya" and I know, I KNOW, I should be all strong woman and say "no, I will heft that proscenium arch alone! HEAR ME ROAR!" but quite frankly I don't like carrying heavy things and if some stagehand wants to be chivalrous, I say chival away.

This week we shared the stage with such luminaries as Bear in the Big Blue House Live!, Care Bears Live!, Dragon Tales Live!, and four fucking thousand teenage beauty queens - every Miss South Carolina/Carolina Teen ever. Care bears and pageant girls...magical.