SICKO- What Country Shall I Move To?

Tonight I decided to have "movie night" after the show on the Jesus Bus with Darrel and two good friends. I have been waiting for the Michael Moore documentary Sicko to come to me via Netflix. It was on a long wait for quite some time, and finally arrived.

**One of my friends left about half way through because she was just handed an $11,000 hospital bill yesterday that her insurance company is paying about $2,000 on., and was very upset. She had a kidney infection over Chritmas, and wound up in the hospital for six days. The doctor would not release her, for very justifiable reasons.

To preface this blog, let me explain my health insurance situation to you briefly: I have been sub-contracted out for the last 1.5 years for the Superstar tour, meaning that no one covers my benefits. I did not realize what a blessing health insurance was until it was gone. I paid out $430 a month to be on a company policy Jan-Jun, paid out $600 for the summer and fall for a terrible plan incase I wound up in the hospital (I was not employed full time) and am paying out $310 a month for this tour to be insured. I still have medical bills. I was denied insurance numerous times due to a "pre-existing health condition" that was a bunch of bull. I wound up in tears due to the frustartion of trying to find coverage when I was not employed. The only way I can have full benefits is to work for a company and be on their group policy, because you can not be denied (you can be denied as an individual), then reimburse them.

That being said, Sicko explores stories of Americans who have been devastated by the American health care system, compared to countries on universal health care/socialized medicine. Countries visited in this documentary include Canada, England, France, and Cuba. Cuba. A country we have considered an enemy, yet they provide pretty decent health care for their people. It is unreal as an American to see how easy it is for people living in these countries... no medical bills. Have a baby, walk out the door. Have a heart transplant, walk out the door. Go to an emergency room, be seen quickly, have no bill. Mind you, they pay for it via taxes, but if you have a $300,000 surgery, your paid taxes seem like nothing. Perscriptions for nothing. There was a drug that cost an American $120, and it was .05 cents to purchase in Latin America. Why??

I completely understand that this documentary is one sided. I did not watch the other Michael Moore films. But this was close to my heart, and I wanted to see what he had to say. While I know the film is non-objective, Toni, my roommate from Australia, is on a universal health care plan. No complanints. She also has college paid for by the government, which is a whole other ball game.

No wonder so many Americans are in debt- medical bills, college loans, child care... Unless you hate the idea of all of the above, I suggest watching the movie. Even if it's just to learn a bit about what we do not have. One sided as it might be, it makes you think.

Ghost Singers

I learned something new today that I thought I would share, from Ted and Corey. They have been in this business for a long time, and it's so interesting to learn the ins and outs from them.

We were talking about Miley Cyrus and how unbelieveable it is that she has sold out all of these shows at such a young age. I wondered out loud if she sang live at her concerts, or lip synched. I then asked Corey if there is a machine that exists so that when someone sings into it live, they sound better to the audience. (There is- it fixes your pitch). This conversation eventually led to Madonna. I said, "you can TELL she's not lip synching because it sounds live, but I just don't understand how she can dance and not lose her breath". They kind of laughed, and explained Ghost Singers to me....

Turns out that a lot of acts have singers that sound very similar to them who are on tour with them. These people act as "backup" singers, but it is really THEIR VOICE you hear sometimes live! Mick Jagger, Madonna, and Cher were all confirmed today. The woman who is Cher's ghost was found at a Vegas show impersonating her- next thing you know, she is a backup singer. This makes complete sense to me- you won't get busted for being a fake, the voice sounds real, and you can still dance. Obviously the Britney Spears of the world don't use this, but the legendary singers/entertainers do.

Pretty interesting, huh?

PS- I am in Des Moines, IA. Nothing too special. :)

Wal-Mart

When I am at home, I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. I think they are terrible. They close down local businesses, and in my opinion are practically a monopoly.

That being said, Wal-Mart night on the road is the best night of the month! When you live like this, you have no car, and most downtown areas near theatres do not have a CVS or a grocery store. So The Jesus Bus and the Crew Bus stop when needed, on the way out of Anytown U.S.A. Last night was our first night on our NEW buses (which are right out of Cribs- I will try and post photos this week) and we just needed general stock. Bottled water, some food, toiletries, etc.

You walk into Wal-Mart and it is unreal how big it is. The ones that are open 24 hours have a full grocery store as well as the regular store. I told myself I was only going to get what I needed, and $85 dollars later I walked out. That place is dangerous! I got some fruit, everything I need to make the best turkey sandwiches ever, chips, and microwave soups. I then hit the bathroom section, stocked up on shaving cream, soap, and shampoo, laundry detergent, (never know when you'll be able to get more) and then decided I needed socks, a new curling iron, some makeup... ugh.

I will continue to hate Wal-Mart, but they sure to make life easy for us bus riders! Sam Walton is now a few dollars richer because of me.

PS- I just realized I forgot deodorant. Darn. Oh, and mustard. Darn.

Vacation (or lack there of)

Well, after a whole week of vacation from tour, we are back out on the road. It went like this:

Last Sunday, I flew from Denver to Ft. Lauderdale to spend three nights with my grandfather. I am SO happy I went! However, I had to work every day because even though I am not getting paid, no one emailing me outside of the company knows that, so I have to check email and messages or else I look bad. :) Heidi got in a little fender bender while I was there, so we spent a lot of time chasing down Raj, her rear-ender, all over Lauderdale. I think it will all wind up OK. The penthouse they rented is beautiful- it's bigger than my house! We ate great dinners in, enjoyed each other's company, and relaxed.

Thursday I flew to Cleveland, and went strait from the airport to my mom's house, where Kubach's, Darrel, and his parents were waiting to have dinner, and play a little LCR (one of my favorite dice games). I didn't win the pot, but I guess you can't win 'em all!

Friday was four appointments, then a quick dinner with my mom and Ernie. Saturday was two appointments, dinner with Matt and Megan, and RAIN, a Beatles cover band that was playing downtown. It was awesome! We scored free tickets through work, and had no idea what to expect. It was like we were at a Beatles concert- people were standing up and screaming for Paul and John. :)

Sunday Darrel and I picked up our rental car, drove from Cleveland to Terre Haute, slept in the GROSSEST HOTEL EVER, and finished our drive to Columbia, MO this morning.

700 miles later, here we are. And I wonder why I didn't write this week!

Zion National Park, UT

We stopped in this little town called Saint George, UT this week for a stop on our way to Salt Lake City. On the way there, I looked at a map to see where the heck we were going, and saw we were close to Zion National Park! I went with my dad and Matt about 10 years ago, and really wanted to go again with Darrel. So we rented the smallest car I have ever driven, and went for the afternoon. Enjoy the photos!

People Watching in Vail

Here we are in Beaver Creek/Vail, CO. The fact that we are here is ridiculous- the theatre seats about 500 people, and we are far from sold out. We are used to about 2,000+. They are busing the cast here from Denver, four hours away, and everyone is miserable about it. Tears have been shed. However, it has been fun people watching in this cute little ski town. A few random things:

There is SO MUCH MONEY HERE. I didn't exactly grow up with a rough life, but this is above and beyond anything I could ever imagine. Hotels in Beaver Creek start at $400 a night, and that would probably be pretty crummy. Average is about $700. You can live at the Ritz Carlton- they have a residential section. Realty ads talk about purchasing 1,000 square foot condos "with staff" for 2 million. Houses are 10 million. I have never seen more full length fur coats (except maybe in Russia), Prada, Burberry, Louis, huge SUV's, diamonds the size of rocks... it's unreal. What funny is that we have sold practically no merchandise.

There was a local girl working at the theatre for us as a dresser. Dressers are brought it to help the cast with costume changes, get things in place in dressing rooms, and help our wardrobe guy out with anything he needs. We had one with a few screws loose. She showed up yesterday with heels on (not practical) and was just strange. Today she told us that she didn't wear heels because she realized she was not the star, she was here to undress the stars. ?? About an hour later, one of the girls walked into a dressing room to find her with the Mary Magdalene dress ON, dancing around. What is wrong with people? Needless to say, she's not here anymore.

Earlier today I saw something really cute- a little girl, about 4 or so, was waiting for a shuttle in the lobby of the theatre with her mom, dad, and little baby sister. They were all decked out in ski gear (not sure where the baby fit in) and she was just walking around in her snow suit and boots. The cute part here is when she discovered the revolving door. It was obvious she had never seen one before, and it was so interesting to watch her and think about how every person in the world has to learn what everything is. Her mom was showing her how it went around and helping her. Within a few minutes, she was not scared anymore, and it became a game for about a half hour. Inside, then outside, then forward, then backward. I just got a kick out of it. :)

We have a one week break starting on Monday, so I am going to visit Poppy and Heidi in FL for three nights, then head home for a few days. Can't wait!

Oh- when I called a cab here yesterday, an H2 showed up. Hummer cabs! Only in Vail!

Sick on the Road

Being sick on the road is the WORST! I woke up today worse than yesterday, and after really thinking about things, came to the conclusion that I have my first sinus infection. It is nasty. People have always called off work or cancelled plans because of these, and I thought they were fakers- I will forever have sympathy from this day forward. What stinks about it is that I still have to work. There is no one else who can sell the merchandise for the show. So I called my doctor at home, found a pharmacy within walking distance here in Orange County, got a prescription, and headed to work for the day. I have an hour free, then back for the night. I would rather do almost anything than have to go to work. The good news is that now I have pills, so hopefully this will not get any worse!

San Jose and Eureka

Bethanne and I out on the town!

Since Bethanne arrived on Saturday, we have been to San Diego, San Jose, Arcata/Eureka, Bakersfield, and are currently on our way to Orange County. Whew! It's been a crazy travel week for us, but it is a great way for BA to cover a lot of California ground! Unfortunately, I have been SO sick, and the weather has not been ideal. But we have had fun none-the-less.

In San Jose, we visited the Winchester Mystery House. I didn't know anything about it, but apparently it has been widely covered on The History Channel. Long story short, this woman was married to the CEO of Winchester rifles, and her child and husband both died. She went to a fortune teller who told her to buy an unfinished house, and complete it. So she moved from CT to San Jose, bought a 6 room house, and continued to build until her death, 24 hours a day, when the house stood at 160 rooms. "The spirits of those killed with Winchester guns" were haunting her and she was told she must keep building. There are stairs that lead to nowhere, doors that open to 10 foot drops, windows in the floor- it's BIZARRE! The tour took over an hour, and the house was like a maze. We then went to dinner at Gordon Bierch, a great brewery they have out West.

Some shots from inside the Mystery House

Next we played in Arcata, and stayed in Eureka. We spent a lot of time hanging out at the hotel, but walked around the cute town and went to lunch at a really old oyster bar on the water that is a historical landmark there. This was the height of my cold, and I was pretty miserable! We found a pharmacy strait out of 1950 and I re-stocked on cold supplies- I just can't believe that I was sick the one week BA was here, but we are still having fun!!

Downtown Eureka, CA

San Diego, CA

San Diego was a great place! I already posted that we were there for New Years Eve, but we stayed through the week, until Sunday. New Years Day we all went to the San Diego Zoo. We got there early enough to be able to see the new baby panda they have. They only have viewings in the morning, and you have to be very quiet when you walk through. It didn't look like anything more than a fuzzy hairball, but none the less, we saw it. Darrel and I were lucky enough to catch the polar bears while they were playing under water, and we caught the gorillas during their lunch break. It's so funny to watch them- they're really like people!



Downtown San Diego is really nice- there are tons of bars and restaurants to go to, and a really nice outdoor funky looking shopping mall. The only downside to the city is the homeless population. There are SO many homeless people there. I was told it is due to a mix of the nice climate, and well as the city being home to many war vets. It's a huge military city.



Bethanne came out to visit on Saturday, and she is with us for the week, until we get to Orange County this upcoming Saturday. She's doing the bus trips at night with us- doesn't seem to be a big fan of the bunks, but I think she'll get used to it. :)

New Years Eve

Natalie and Christina are ready for the night!

The Superstar Girls on New Years Eve

New Years Eve wound up being a great night here in San Diego! A group of 23 of us took vans down to the Gaslamp district of downtown, having no idea where we were going to wind up. We found a bar that had a DJ and only a $20 cover (not bad for New Years Eve) and we all went in for the night. All of the girls got dressed up- two of the cast members really got into it, as you can see above. :) We had a fun night of drinking and dancing, and by the end of the night I am pretty sure all 23 of us had beer and champagne spilled on us. Success!!

Christmas at home

I was so lucky to be able to go home for Christmas this year- I had horrible flight times, but it was SO worth it! I stayed at my mom's house instead of mine, to put myself in the "Christmas Spirit". I just felt like my house would be a bit empty because I have not been home for a month, and didn't have any decorations or anything up. Plus, it was really nice to stay with my mom and Ernie and BA- I didn't have to bring a lot of stuff home because I just borrowed theirs!

Christmas Eve BA and I went to Gamekeepers with Poppy and my dad, then to Poppy's house for the night. We do an exchange between all of us where we pick names, and I was Santa for the night. Hanging out at Poppy's is always so much fun- the five cousins hang out and we played Trivia this year (one of the gifts I bought for PJ).

Christmas day was crazy! Poppy's for breakfast, my mom's in the afternoon for presents, then over to Kubach's for the night. It was so much fun- Susan's house is always decorated like something out of a magazine, and Brendan is such a riot. I definitely cleaned up in the gift department- everyone got me the BEST gifts this year! It's hard when you are living on the road because if anything, you need less than you have, not more. I got very practical things, and nice things that I can use when I get home.

I have posted a few pictures above from my few days home- I have not mastered the captions, but I am working on it!

Over and out from San Diego!