The Many Adventures of a Thede

It looks like I may finally have gotten another stage management job. It's a national tour of Junie B. Jones Live. Yesterday I was almost positive I wasn't going to take this job. Today I'm almost positive that I will. It's a tough decision. Here's the run down of pros and cons:

Cons:
-I would be leaving my comfortable apartment here in New York to live out of a suitcase.
-I have to figure out something to do with Tangent, my cat.
-This is not the kind of job I will be able to coast through. I'll basically be in charge of EVERYTHING on the road from planning travel to booking hotels to loading up trucks in addition to my normal SM duties.
-The first day of rehearsal in New York is December 26th. Not only does that cut into my Christmas plans, but it means I have to change my plane ticket, which will cost me.
-I won't get to see my boyfriend for months at a time. (Sad but true.)

Ok, now let's move on to the PROS!
-The contract runs from December to June. That is a lot of weeks of employment and a steady paycheck.
-I will work enough to be eligible for a whole year of very cheap health insurance.
-It's tour experience, which I don't have on my resume yet.
-There are several blocks of time that we will be doing "local" tour dates in and around New York City, so I'll get to sleep in my own bed and see my friends and my cat.
-The tour may take a break the week of April 20th. Perfect timing because that is the day Bo's and my friends James and Natalie are getting married in Seattle. I might still get to go!

So, yeah, I didn't have all the information yesterday, but I met with the production manager today when he offered me the job and I got a lot more details and it just seems like taking the job would be the smart thing to do. And who knows, it might be fun!

If I do end up taking this job, it will certainly help ease the strain on my wallet this holiday shopping season. And help me enjoy it a little more. It is so true that New York is at it's best between Thanksgiving and New Year's. It's immaculately decorated everywhere you go, all the street musicians switch to playing Christmas carols (the other day there was a full mariachi band playing Feliz Navidad in the subway car I was riding), and people are more friendly and cheerful in general. Or maybe it's just me who's more cheerful. Oh well. The effect is the same. I love Christmastime!