Well, it's begun--Nikki's Gypsy Summer. Now for the second summer in a row, I have packed up and will be floating around Minnesota as I gig wherever the work is and leave my beautiful apartment empty because there is NO work in Mankato for me.
The first couch I have found myself on is Diana's. A quick refresher for those audience members playing at home: Diana and I went to undergrad together from day one, Voice and Movement class. We were a part of the Freshmen Divas--7 girls who were obviously all best friends to begin with and then exploded shortly thereafter. Other members include Suz, Eve, Sarah (married w/baby), Brytta (married w/baby) and Bell (married w/baby). We few single ladies left must stick together although that hasn't really been our tendency. Furthermore of all seven ladies, I am the only one left in Theatre. Everyone else has a "real" job. Which is fortunate for me as I need to stay at their houses now!! :)
So Diana lives and works at the Excelsior and Grand complexes in shi-shi St. Louis Park. Last night was the first time that I became horribly aware of how different my life was from my college friends who have left theatre. Diana's apartment is GORGEOUS! It literally has three times the square footage my one-bedroom heaven in Kato. There is private underground parking, an indoor pool, workout rooms and tons of shops and eateries along the boulevard, essentially insuring that none of the people that live in the complex ever have to leave the square block. Diana is living in a yuppie retirement home pretty much. I met up with her last night after the gym and she and her co-workers/neighbors/friends were sitting outside at McCoy's, a restaurant across the boulevard from their office and apartment. They had been there for four hours just sitting outside talking to everyone who walked by. It seems that the Excelsior and Grand folk have figured out a way to make a teeny tiny town exist in the middle of urbania. Diana described her day to me: Wake up, get dressed, take the elevator down to her office, go on a coffee run next door at Starbucks, breakfast run on the other side at Panera's, back to work, lunch across the boulevard at Laredo's, back to work, happy hour at McCoy's, back up to the elevator to home. Need groceries or booze? Trader Joe's is at the end of the block. Clothes? There are 4 or 5 boutiques on the block. Pet supplies? Pet boutiques too. Good old fashioned Target run? Well, that's about 9 blocks away, so Diana hasn't gotten there in about a month is in dire need of it. She hopes to get that done this week.
Her couch was wonderfully comfortable and the central air was a nice change. She is a delightful hostess and it's nice to see her so happy. I can't hang out with her in this world of course, as I cannot afford any of those places mentioned. But when she comes home at night, I bet we'll have nice talks. It's not jealousy that I have when I look at her life, it's shock. How did I not notice my friends going into these different lives? I had no idea homogenization would make D so happy but it really has. She's calm in a way I have never seen her before, especially when we used to run around Uptown or Northeast. It's nice. I guess we have all been working on finding ourselves and sure enough, we ended up in different places. D has a lovely life.
And I thank her for sharing it with me. And her couch too obviously. :)
