Carpe Diem

    Sitting in an arena in the mid to late 90's watching my husband Jim's load in for a Backstreet Boys tour, a crew member said "You miss it, don't you?" He was a good friend of mine and my husband but I hadn't realized that my face was telegraphing the feelings I was trying to conceal. I could only manage an affirmative nod. I ached for the work that I gave up to raise my sons, but for our family the best choice was for Jim to tour and for me to stay home. Anyone who has had to make this choice knows how conflicted it feels, even if you know you made the right decision. 

    As the years passed and the boys got older I eased back into the workforce, first as a production coordinator at an events company and then a short foray into the OR as a surgical technologist. Eventually I returned to my beloved industry as a stagehand. I worked my way onto the Video crew because my husband said I should learn to run a camera. I also stage managed some gigs, as I had been a stage manager before my children were born.

    But always in the back of my mind was the missed opportunity of touring. After all, I have more years in the rearview mirror than I have out the front windshield. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still a hard worker and the corporate gigs can be brutal in many ways, but I just didn't think it was even a remote possibility, especially after the pandemic stopped our industry cold.

    Never say never. Because Jim had started wanting to tour again, he began to put out feelers with companies we have  worked alongside for corporate gigs. Lo and behold, some old crew members of his worked for one of these companies and put in a good word for us. It helps that Jim is exceptionally talented and well rounded in many areas of our industry and he was never an asshole on the road. As for me, I'm a good all around tech and I know how to utilize a local crew effectively. I am thrilled for this chance to realize a goal I had as a young tech. My time has finally come and I am going to make the most of it. 

    Carpe Diem

    Nancy