Detroit Rock City

It was 10:30 PM. I had all my stuff packed. We were getting ready catch the red eye from McCarran Airport in Las Vegas to Detroit MI. I was ready for another adventure, to a brand new place in a brand new city. It will be OK, I thought. How hard could it be? The flight took all night as we had a layover and I didn't get any sleep. By the time we got there it was already morning. I was real tired but too wide awake to sleep. I noticed as we shuttled to the car rental place some light chunks of ice on the ground. We waited outside the as Steve went in to get the van. I was cold, tired, and beginning to think that the reason why I couldn't stop sneezing was due to an allergy but in actuality early signs of a fever. We packed the van to capacity and made the one hour drive to the hotel. I felt real tired from the traveling and from having a fever. I found myself dozing off but unable to really sleep. We got to the hotel and found out I had to share a room this time. I'm used to spending alot of time on my own and here I was surrounded by people all the time and beginning to feel claustrophobic. I had to share a room and be around someone all the time. My roommate was the bassist in the band who seemed nice enough. She let me stay at her place in Nevada. She had a lively personality onstage and offstage was a completely different person. It was almost like being around two people. She was on the phone constantly, slept late and had been on the road for years. I liked her but I wasn't exactly thrilled about sharing a room. I was going to have to make the best of it. Step it up a notch and learn how to get out of my comfort zone. At home I had what I saw as a comfortable routine. I went to the gym. I ate healthy. I am a California girl that looked at the nutrition labels before considering buying a product at the grocery store. I didn't eat junk food or drank much. I was Miss Homebody, staying at home most of the time. Now I wasn't even working in the same city. I no longer had a set routine. By the time we had got our stuff, grabbed our suitcases, checked in, we had just enough time to shower, get dressed, put on make up, drive to the venue, check in at the security desk, get our backstage passes, set up the equipment, do a sound check and then play a show of 4 sets complete with playing guitar behind my head. In between sets, I had just enough time to run down to the elevator, go down to the bottom level to the dining room to grab a bite to eat. I had worked jobs were I was rushed but this was a little different. My entire routine from traveling, no sleep, no time to eat was rushed and also a rush. The gigs were really fun and made you forget about any stress from running around all day. Some people came up to me after the show and would thank me and shake my hand. Sometimes I'd get asked for a picture or an autograph. I was surprised. I didn't think anyone would really notice much. The people there were so friendly and it warmed my heart at the reaction I'd get especially playing guitar behind my head. It was interesting to me how even when I felt exhausted and irritable, I still really loved the experience. I recall how I had a sudden rush of emotion at the airport in Michigan. I was thinking about how much and how often I had dreamed about being a musician on the road. Somehow I knew even when it never seemed to work out in the past, even when it was just a wish I carried with me to every day job I had and every moment of my waking consciousness, casting any thoughts of doubt and negativity aside. Somehow I knew that someday I'd be telling myself as I was telling myself that morning: I am here. I am really.. really.. HERE.