Tired

I'm afraid there's no excuse for my lack of blogging over the last week (!), except for sheer exhaustion. If there is one thing that this tour has taught me, it is that Slim Goodbody requires a stamina that borders on super-human. On a rough day, I wake at 5am to ensure that I'm down at the car by 6am. Then I drive two solid hours to my first school, where I set up and perform two shows. After tear-down, a stop (or two) for lunch and another drive, I arrive at my third school, set up, perform, strike and drive home. Usually I'm back by 4pm; sometimes earlier. Then rinse and repeat, five days a week.

(Oh, and did I mention that the show is extraordinarily physical and high-energy? Yeah, that plays a part too.)

As such a grueling pace can take a toll on one's body, mind and sleep quotient, I've come up with an ingenious solution to ensure maximum alertness on the road, as well as minimum interruption in my day: "the in-car nap."

It works very simply. Should I find myself tiring while driving from, say, Franklinville, NJ to Brooklyn, NY, I plug the search term "7-Eleven" or "Wawa" into my GPS. As it searches, I assess the situation in the back seat, to ensure props will not be crushed by a reclined captain's chair. When the GPS returns my destination, I swerve off the road and into the parking lot. There, the parking break turns on, two windows crack open, the seat crashes backwards and I black out. For at least a good 20-30 minutes.

Afterward, revived (but a tad bleary-eyed), I stroll inside for a soda and a hot dog (at 7-Eleven, I add extra jalapeños, just for a little more kick!), pop in the car, blast my iPod's "Energy Playlist" and start a-crusin'.

However, that doesn't stop me from crashing around 10pm every night.

Call tomorrow (um, today): 12:30pm, ExtendedStay America in Amherst, NY. My last big out-of-town show (and last chance to power nap during a six-and-a-half hour drive back to Brooklyn).

Kid quote of the day: As they were leaving, my entire audience sang the "Decision Reggae" song from Lighten Up!... in Jamaican accents.