My everything hurts.

We open the show tonight. Last night we did invited dress (as our technical director puts it: "The only dress rehearsal with ten thousand people in attendance.").

It HAILED.

First it rained, which was okay. We've run the show in rain before.

Admittedly, this was the worst rain we've experienced yet, the kind of heavy droplet pelting rain that pounds in sideways and soaks through all your layers before you can blink.

It started just before intermission, just before the motorcycles were supposed to jump the stage.

Needless to say, the motorcycles backed out at the last minute (which was expected; the landing ramp gets rather slick).

The comedian who went on at intermission was a trooper. I peeked out to check on him at one point (hoping he had a raincoat) and there he was, standing in the blaze of white spotlights and a column of rain, jacket pulled tight around his chin, entertaining the crowd.

But then, just as the kids were lining up to do the finale, ice pellets the size of peas started raining down on the area.

Our stage manager, bless her, ran around on stage while we all hid, getting kids to cover and evacuating the stars.

They didn't even go on for the bows, it was so bad.

Fortunately, when it was time to pack up the stage and clean things up, the hail had stopped and the rain had lightened considerably.

Didn't matter much. I was soaked to the bone. (Though my feet were dry-ish, thank goodness. My steel-toes are pretty good.)

~

I have all afternoon and some of the evening to do what ever I want.

And I don't know what I want!

I'm seriously considering starting on my new garb, but I think I have to clean some, first.

Ugh. I avoid cleaning a whole lot.

.

Rosie.

Before&After