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2008! It's going to be a year of many changes and I am glad it's here. I can't stop watching all of the election coverage on the news. I've had the TV programmed to automatically turn on to CNN but that was bloody depressing and so repetitive. I was going out of my mind. Luckily the Australian Open started so now it's ESPN. Equally addictive, I guess, (for me) but at least it gets me away from all the campaign coverage and Bad News. I even had to change my homepage on the Mac to Goodnewsnetwork.org to get a better start to the day!

Christmas was very calm this year. We had a couple of days off from Cyrano and I was on my own in the city so I was really looking forward to just staying in the house and watching a bunch of movies. I was having microwaved Turkey. Unfortunately, late Christmas eve I lost my glasses! In order to watch TV, I had to sit really close to it. I need a better pastime than blind couch potato. The lost glasses eventually made their way back to me, for which I am grateful, but this is a good reminder to get myself some new contacts.

So here it is. 2008. I'm excited about it. More than other years. Don't you have a sense of joy? Maybe that joy will have worn off as the climate warms and it reaches 110 in New York through the summer but till then, it looks really good!

New Year's Eve celebrations were preceeded by a gig in Birmingham, Alabama. Many of you have heard me go on about how much I enjoy this city and now I finally got to perform there. We had a nice party afterwards. I've had some rather sedate new years for the past few years so this was a good change. I think I made it to bed at about 5 am, and then started the first day of 2008 with a vigorous hike.

Oh. Cyrano is over-- we closed last week. We did film the show for PBS though, which means if the strike messed up your chances to see it then you can watch it on the telly. It was nice to be back on stage with a company of actors again, but I am really eager for my next project which I will be talking about in the next few weeks.
The band and I are rehearsing for our run at the Oak Room in The Algonquin Hotel. We start on March 4th and run until March 29th. We have 7 shows a week but if I have my math right then I have 2 days off a week too! (Sunday and Monday!) This will be the most singing I have done since Taboo so I have to get back into a routine of taking care of my voice and looking after my health in general. I don't normally get too panicky about voice stuff but as I get older I worry about taking care of “the pipes” more, certainly.

Before the gig, I am taking a little time to travel. I'm packing the dog up and we're going to check out the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory in Vermont. It has been too long since I've gone for a drive and that is my main excuse for the trip. In late January, I am heading back to Peoria, Illinois to play some gigs there too. I never get tired of travelling this beautiful country. (Except the I-95).

So that is us all caught up then. I've got to go as I am preparing the apartment to have some people over for a Games Night. I've threatened to have a little gathering here for a while, and now I'm finally doing it. I've been hoovering dog hair all day and now its time to go put some snacks together. What do people want at these things? I've just got wine in the fridge is all. That's all. And some peanuts…

So starting 2008 with a little holiday seemed like a good idea. I took myself hiking and visiting ice cream factories in Vermont with the dog. We stayed in a haunted inn called The Old Stagecoach in Waterbury. I didn't have any ghostly encounters, but I did spend a lot of time with Sophie, the parrot who lived there. She eventually chewed a hole in the shoulder of my sweater and made Cole very jealous because I spent so much time trying to get her to talk to me.
Cole… he was my favourite part of the trip, I think. The first night we were there it snowed, and Cole was so happy.

The thing he liked best was climbing Hunger Mountain. Unfortunately, I was hiking in my sneakers so we didn't last as long as the dog would have liked.
We headed up to a small town right near the Canada-Vermont-New York border to stay with a friend's family in an amazing house they designed and built themselves. It was a great night of new friends, wine, singing by the fireplace and food—there was even a black dog for Cole to play with. We stayed over and the next morning our hosts led us on a walk across a frozen Lake Champlain. This was all fine until I saw that the dog was drinking out of a water hole in the middle of the "frozen" lake. Suddenly, it didn't seem so frozen anymore!

It wasn't going to last forever, unfortunately, and I've actually been back in town for a couple of weeks now. I'm getting ready for a month long residency at The Algonquin. New songs that I want to perform occur to me every day. I wander down the street… singing bits of songs to myself but I've really noticed recently how many other people do too so I feel like it helps me to fit in. The next few weeks will be about figuring out a set list, adding the songs that pop into my head on these walks and getting some early rehearsals in. There have been a lot of other behind-the-scenes preparations going on as well. I needed some new pictures so we had a photo shoot—but in order to get the shot I wanted, we had to sneak onto the roof of my building which is not technically allowed. It's a shame because, as you can see from the test shots, there is a lovely view! The next task was to make posters and flyers—which meant I needed to come up with a title. I decided on Here and Now but as soon as the poster got printed and the press release went out, I learned that Betty Buckley's current show at Feinstein's is called Then and Now. If only the writers strike had ended before this debacle then there would have been much less of a title drought!
I'm really looking forward to performing in this New York landmark, and I'm actually gonna be spending some time staying at the hotel too. Need to avoid those long treks from 96th Street ! I put the Algonquin flyer on the gigs page here at OEM so take a look if you feel like coming down in March. The shows are later in the evenings so we can capture that after theatre crowd who just can't get enough of late nights in NYC.
And Finally… If you need to see more holiday pics than the ones embedded here then check out my updated gallery!

With a bushel and a peck
From
Euan
X

PS I hope you all rushed out to vote at the recent primary? I engaged in much street debate that day!

Despite being here at the famous Algonquin hotel I've still been seeing lots of great shows around town. I'll mention 3 really good ones I took myself out to see recently. Hunters and Gatherers, which is a great 4-person play about finding an apartment in New York. Well, it's actually about a lot of other things—but the apartment search is one of the themes that really resonated with me as I have spent more than my fair share of time sofa surfing! Closed now due to its limited run but I enjoyed it none the less.

Then, I attended the opening night of Sunday In the Park With George. Can you believe I had never seen this Sondheim musical before? I would see anything that the marvellous actress Mary Beth Peil appears in, so this was not a disappointment. The set was remarkable—I'm not even going to try to explain—and the two leads have both come over here from the UK. (This production was a big hit in London). It seems that New York is being as welcoming to them as it was to me… That's probably because we're not coming over to murder the indigenous population this time!!

A few years ago I appeared in a workshop of a musical called Passing Strange, that has finally opened on Broadway. I'm not a theatre critic (and I'm a little lazy), so I won't attempt to write a review here. I will simply urge you to GO SEE THIS SHOW. It is innovative and exciting and I am so happy that it has found its way to Broadway. Just go. Trust me. The music is excellent, as are the cast. They are on my Tony time betting list. (Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens was only my second cash win so I'm due a big boost)!

Now… to the real focus of the last few weeks (and for two more to come). Things have been going really well in The Oak Room. It has been an interesting time bringing my style and humour to this beautiful, historic room and I was very nervous that my friends and family just wouldn't fork out the cash to come see me… but… you haven't let me down, so for that I am grateful! In fact, even my parents came over again for this gig and they paid for their own flights! (Mum, if you are reading this, that was a joke and I know I still owe you $200,000)! They saw the show a few times actually, which was great for me cos it meant I could avoid being too touristy in mid town right near St Patrick's Day. Did still manage to fit in FAO Schwartz toys and a few chunks of the Berlin wall however…

Talk to the hand

I have not been back to Scotland for 3 years, so how good it was to hear their accents and wallow in their foreign idiosyncrasies. Haggis and Burn's all week. Lovely. Did miss having my sister and niece there but I think I convinced them to come over in the summer bearing large birthday presents for me… They have given me a room here in the hotel. It's great to be living right in the heart of Times Square but bloody hell, do they ever stop construction in NYC? The noise right outside my window is hellishly loud. I'm woken every morning at 8am by jack hammers and dumper trucks. It's so loud sometimes that I feel like someone is building a high rise in my brain. I'll miss the The Algonquin and her amazing staff but I won't miss seeing the Bovis construction folks! And on that note… yes it is 3pm, but that's a coffee break for the men and women building our latest sky slicer so I go back to bed for 20 mins. The whole routine works like clock work. If I haven't seen you here yet. Squeeze the pennies from your jar and come! I'm really trying this time!

Xx Euan

"When it's spring again, I'll sing again, Tulips from Amsterdam".
Ok, so I'm in Virginia so maybe the tulips didn't come all they way from Holland but how pretty this month is becoming. I've been hiking nearly every day. There are some stunning hikes down here : River Bend Park (check out my video of the bluebells – filmed on my cell phone so excuse the quality but you'll get the idea), Arlington Park, the “Billy Goat Trail” on the Maryland side of Great Falls Park.

Click on the thumbnail to see video

Now I have been to the Virginia side of Great Falls Park many times—I have even posted pictures of it here, but the Maryland side? What a difference. This side is even more beautiful. I never quite made it to the Billy Goat part of the Trail, but that's only because I was distracted by so many amazing things. I took a long walk all along the C & O canal—the funniest part was watching Cole attempt to cross a rickety old bridge. He never seems very afraid of anything, but apparently, crossing bridges is his weak point. He made it across, unhappily, but safely. We both did.

At the beginning of the day I happened upon a group of people participating in a Civil War reenactment. This is a big thing down here in Civil War country, and I find it fascinating. The people who get involved come from all walks of life. They were friendly and welcoming, and offered me the chance to join their Union Regiment—so… I did! In return, I got an invitation to dinner for the evening, and was even asked to spend the night in one of their tents pitched by the banks of the Potomac. Thankfully I had the forethought to say no since it rained and the sky roared with thunder all night and all of the next day! I thought of those lovely folks out on the banks of the river as I stayed safely tucked up in bed.

It was lucky that I had made such kind friends because when I returned from the afternoon peregrination, I learned that the park exit was shut because a power line was down! All the other hikers were stuck in their cars, waiting for a chance to exit the parking lot—but I was sitting by a fireside, with my Union brothers and sisters, enjoying beef stew and chicken salad sandwiches. The best thing is that our regiment has several musicians so we sang through the night, accompanied by fiddle, flute and guitar. We did some Civil War era music, but also some more contemporary songs. (My fault, I fear)! As I sang by the fireside, it all seemed so random. Here I was, having traveled so far away from Scotland, in the woods of Maryland, surrounded by virtual strangers all wearing period attire. I felt completely joyful to have such an opportunity. Sometimes it really is the simple and unexpected things...

All of this exercise (and the drive to want to improve myself) has been helped immensely by the fact that I have finally quit smoking! I vowed I would get onto it before a 'certain age' and after a few failed attempts in the past I really feel like I am succeeding this time. I'm not doing it with just will power though. That would be a miracle. No, I have the help of this new drug called Chantix. I get the headaches and weird, vivid dreams people talk of but it's all worth it. I can breath again and climb stairs without the help of the railing. I've even taken up jogging! I wasn't going to announce it publicly, you know, in case it went wrong but I am so confident now I think I'm gonna make it. I finish my twelve-week course on the pills in two more weeks, then it's all up to me. I occasionally still crave a cigarette, but even that is getting better. It feels good to be free from the clutches of the evil tobacco industry and I am no longer treated like a social pariah in certain parts of the world either. Lucky me…
My body is now a temple and all that…
Well, it's more like the pokey entrance to a lovely temple but we all gotta start somewhere.

It's not all about helping myself either. Earth Day just ended last week. I'm so pleased that the world seems to be catching up with all of the warnings the environmental experts have been issuing for decades, but Earth Day?! It's like Valentine's Day… you know, the day where you tell someone you love them? I think you should say that every day and I think we need to pay a lot more attention to our planet than one special day we set aside to 'feel better about ourselves'. I know, I know, it's a start. And I am sometimes as guilty as the rest when it comes to my lack of environmental awareness. I learn more and more each day. I'm really paying attention to what I'm putting in my body and what I'm dumping in the trashcan. It's so hard to be a good recycler when we don't always get the outside help to make it more accessible. When I was visiting Toronto I noticed every street corner had a trash bin and recycling bins. It's certainly not that easy in NYC. I mean my building has recycling programs but they never supply the right bags they claim are needed and when I am at work… rehearsals, workshops, concerts, many buildings still don't recycle scripts and sheet music. They just chuck it on the trash pile. There is still much to do if we want our children to be living on more than a giant dumping ground and swimming in a plastic and waste filled toilet.

Another important day just passed too. April 23rd was Shakespeare's birthday (and death day). In his honour, I cooked dinner for Cleopatra. Well, for my actress friend Suzanne who is playing the famous Queen here in the DC area! Those of you who saw Measure for Pleasure will remember her as the beautifully gross Lady Vanity. We recited poems and some of his most famous lines all with mouths full of whole wheat pasta and organic veggies, which we then composted in the backyard. Ooooo Saint Euan.

Though all of the above sounds marvellously lazy, all good things must come to an end. “What is a man if the chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed?”

And so my sleeping and feeding days are over. Yes that's right. It's time to return to NYC. Where feeding is a rare occasion (I mean, it's pricey) and sleep is near impossible with all that noise going on. I wouldn't change it for all the tea in China!!
Keep your peckers up. Summer is fast approaching, and with the President's days numbered and America moving faster and faster into this new state of ‘Green', things can only get better…

I wish I could put you all in my pocket and take you home with me but I can't so let's just say au revoir for now.

All my love
Euan
Xxx

PS. When I was a kid all I ever wanted was a snake. My Mother, rightly I now believe, said no. I was heartbroken and forced her to drive me to the pet shop almost every weekend so I could handle and wear these beautiful creatures like slithery bracelets and baubles. Never before have I seen one in the wild though. Never seen one swimming through its own territory. Well that all changed yesterday when I spied a little grass snake outside the Arlington Post Office. I snapped this quick video (on my cell phone again) and then left him to his own devices.

Click on the thumbnail to see video

I love America. Snakes and all. xx

Check out the journal archives for previous entries.

During New York's recent heat wave I have been shedding 5 pounds of perspiration a day. This has left me with no other recourse than to eat loads of Dunkin' Donuts and Nathan's Philly cheesesteaks. Since I am beset by these recent problems this won't be a long diary entry as I am dripping animal grease all over the keys.
No energy for hiking, no gas money for road trips, not enough morality to leave the air conditioner off. I would ask what you have all been doing but as I don't want to feel like the only lazy summer snail, I shan't bother.
The one good thing about leaving the house when I do are the vendors selling italian ice on the street corners. Mmmmmmmmmmmh.
Just to catch up quickly: I have been back in New York for a while now. Workshops, song-writing and auditions are what I have been up to (see, I have left the house, really!) It was actually a bit of a quiet spring and I was in the process of making plans to head home. Lots of family news going on and I wanted to be there to take part in all the good stuff -- and then of course, one of the auditions paid off. Why is it that every time I promise my Mum I will really do it this time, I really will make it home, the downswing turns to an up one again?! I can't go into any details now, but I will say I am excited to be working on a Shakespeare script. I promise when I wash my hands and wipe the little bits of doughnut from my chest that I will have the space and time to explain further. But I do hope you will find the time to join me in Connecticut -- I hear it's nice in the autumn.

So after all my hard work and undying suport for Hillary Clinton, its Barak Obama-- and I'm thrilled. I believe he can and will win, and the real change can begin happening-- not just in America but across the world. I am never an optimist but he makes me optimistic. Well done and thank you to Hillary. I really hope she continues to be a leader in calling for universal health care in this country. We need her voice.

That's about it. From my living room window I can see a street fair on Columbus Avenue. And coincidentally they have a Nathan's Hot Dog Stand on the corner. There have been two guys laying out carpets to sell for hours now. They've finally got the last few carpets laid out flat and hung over some awnings-- and then a huge peal of thunder cracked through the sky and it has started raining. So now I'm watching them roll the rugs back up again.
Wait! I just remembered! I'm going to the theatre tonight! I can't just sit here watching rugs-- I have to go have a shower!

Be well
Eat icy
Euan