On The Road Again- off to my next gig

I love traveling, but I'm not sure I actually enjoy the process of packing and unpacking and then packing and unpacking again. It's time consuming, and a major bore. Even though I have tried to limit what I am taking, in an effort to simplify things, the car still seems to get over-filled, which is the down-side of driving rather than flying to a destination. However, having mobility once there is the trade-off, I suppose. And, as you all know, I love my independence!!

I head off tomorrow on my road trip! I'm taking my time, so I will be doing the drive in 2 days, rather than in 1 mind-numbing day. I gave up on that many years ago. Am hoping that being sequestered in my car, with no distractions other than driving (don't worry Dad!), I'll get the final pages of the script memorized. Because of the extremely short rehearsal period, and my large part, I decided I needed to be "off-book" (as we say) before the 1st rehearsal. We shall see. Problem is, there are 6 different versions and I started by memorizing almost half of one version, until I discovered we'd be using another text, so ended up learning the other half in the other version. I'm not re-memorizing the first half, so that's that. They will have to deal with it. Age has priority, and the other 3 characters are young-uns, so they will have to adapt. Easier for them, anyway. Age does have it's usefulness.

Off to bed, so I can get an early start.

See you somewhere between here and there.

Flying home on 9/11

September 11, 2007

6 years have passed since that vicious attack on September 11, 2001. One of the few events in my personal life that have been indelibly etched in my memory, in mind-numbing detail. I remember exactly where I was...the exact moment that I, in concert with most of the civilized world, and in total disbelief, witnessed that horrendous massacre executed in the name of the god of a so-called religion of peace. Almost 3,000 people gone, in one fell swoop. Most people mourned, others celebrated. It was that day the lines were drawn in the proverbial sand.

Unfortunately, the longer time passes, the further it seems to recede from people's minds and those lines become faded for many. Some cross over to the other side, in spite of the continuing violence in the name of Islam and the increasing demands of an intolerant religious ideology. And yet for others, for those able to see the larger picture, that violence has only served to strengthen their resolve to combat the cancer that is conservative Islam. So they hold "anti-Islamisation" demonstrations in places like Brussels, in spite of being banned by the mayor. Others blog about the problem, in spite of threats and lawsuits. But we have to do what we can, to make sure that the world remains free!

Although we left Kaua'i last night, September 10, we actually arrived on September 11, and it was quite a sobering thought to think that so many people died on this same day, 6 years ago, on their way somewhere. Life has changed, forever, since that day. Air travel is a major pain, thanks to Islamist terrorists. They have forced us to change our flying habits, and to suspect everyone who looks like a Muslim or Middle Eastern. There happened to be 2 women in veils on our flight, 1 looked south asian the other looked mid-western, and yet I couldn't help but wonder. I wondered if they might be terrorists, I wondered what would possess them to fly on September 11, and I wondered what I would do if they tried anything. Until I drifted off to sleep, and dreamed about crash landing. Twice.

The most dangerous travel destinations

Your friendly Cote D'Ivoirian tour guide.

For all you thrill-seekers out there, looking for excitement and adventure, Forbes.com has come up with a list of the top, most dangerous destinations for both work and play. Forbes compiled the list by asking several risk consultancy firms to assess the dangers based on various factors ranging from crime to civil unrest. Though the list is by no means comprehensive, it does rate the top 13 highest risk destinations in the world. The U.S. State Department, however, lists 31 countries that they recommend you avoid completely, including the Philippines, Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most in Forbes' top 13 are engaged in some kind of violent conflict, but several are listed merely for their flagrant criminality and wild-west lawlessness. Some countries have the ignominious honor of being a combination of both.

In response to the ever-increasing dangers worldwide, risk consultancy companies and security contractors have been popping up all over the place, and they're making quite a hefty profit. Times they-are-a-changin' it seems, and so have the targets. According to the Forbes article, terrorists (and criminals) are now targeting what are classified as "soft targets--unprotected tourists, commuters and other civilians." With increased security at "embassies, government buildings and airlines" (formerly the prime targets) they have now turned their sights to these "soft" targets. More bang for their buck, apparently. So, if you do choose to head out for any of the following, do so at your own risk or hire a rent-a-security guy and/or pray!

TOP 13 SCARY PLACES TO VISIT OR WORK:

Somalia
Iraq
Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of Congo
C'ote D'Ivoire (also host to all all those 'Nigerian' scam artists, who have sent me 4 more emails since my post on that subject)
Pakistan
Burundi
Sri Lanka
Haiti
Chad
Lebanon
Liberia
Sudan