Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! And happy Valentine’s Day Eve! We just performed a Galentine’s Day show in Salem, NH last night (Patrons will get an amusing story about it) and will be in Salem, MA tomorrow. I hope you have your tickets because the early show is sold out and the late show is heading that way.

Here’s your tip!

In burlesque you can be anyone you want to be. How about being yourself?

By which I don’t mean be your ordinary, everyday self; do be your larger-than-life, fabulous self.

However, if you are going choose some character, whether fictional or a real person, on which to base an act and spend a lot of time, effort, and money making it a signature of yours, remember that the act is now tied to the fortunes of that character. If its popularity wanes or if public opinion changes, you could be out of luck. Just ask anyone who has a Harry Potter number.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Greetings on a frigid Friday! I can hear the wind howling outside my window as I write this and I hope you are all staying warm, especially those of you in places less accustomed to this level of cold. We had a lot of snow dumped on Boston last week and that inspired this tip, which is for everyone, not just my usual audience of burlesquers.

Clear the sidewalk.

I know shoveling snow is a pain in the ass, but it needs to be done. It makes you a good member of your community. Want to be a better one? Offer to do it for someone who might not be able to do it themself. Make sure curb cuts are accessible and fire hydrants are unburied.

If your landlord is supposed to handle snow removal, that’s great, but do make they take care of it promptly.

I’ve seen people who clean a narrow path from their front door to their car. Not okay. Or the folks who technically clear in front of their house, but leave a big pile between their place and the one next door. Really? Think of other people.

You never know when some poor performer is going to be lugging their suitcase to the venue and face an impassable stretch of snow*. Don’t be the one they cuss out.

*This is not me speaking from experience, but I can totally envision it.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope everyone who is in the path of the big storm stays safe and warm, especially those of you who might not be used to this sort of weather. Here’s your tip!

Keep a spare supply of pastie adhesive with you.

You never know when you might run out, or forget to pack it, or have a colleague in need. There’s a lot of things we can do a show without, but pasties aren’t one of them. And having the pasties and being unable to attach them is somehow worse than not having them at all.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! It’s tip time…

Keep a container for discarded sharps in your sewing space.

Sewing requires needles and pins and other small sharp items. Eventually they dull or break or bend and you are faced with tiny shards of sharp metal. Have a designated container where you can drop them while you’re working and dispose of them safely later.

I keep a pill bottle next to my sewing table for just this purpose. The child-proof cap makes me feel secure that the cats, even Bartholomew the engineering genius, can’t get at them. Lots of items can be repurposed thusly — an Altoids tin, a small jar, etc.

Happy and safe sewing!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader, 

It’s the first Friday of 2026! I have spent this week having no idea what day it was, but I remembered just in time to send you a tip.

When packing for a show, last in, first out.

To be efficient backstage, pack your suitcase in the order that you’ll be taking things out. A well-packed bag keeps you from digging through frantically looking for your g-string. It’s right on top because it’s the first thing you’ll be putting on.

And if you’ll excuse me, I need to go pack for tomorrow night’s gig.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! It’s practically the Solstice and days are about to start getting longer. I for one, can’t wait. Speaking of light, here’s your tip:

Work in a well-lit space.

Whether costuming or choreographing, you need to be able to see what you’re doing. If your work area doesn’t have good light, you can get a couple of clip lights at the hardware store. They’re not pretty, but they’re fairly cheap and you can move them around. 

A finished product wants to be checked under stage light conditions, but while you’re creating, you should be able to see your work in the best light.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.