The Consumption.

Yes, that's me in a shower stall in Miami. Again.

I was probably as close to death as I've come in my 40 years (aside -- I'm sure -- from some heretofore unknown close calls while driving after a couple of drinks), but I didn't know it yet.

We were performing on New Year's Eve-eve at the new Crobar in Miami, South Beach (see pic), had NYE off, then had two shows on New Year's Day -- one in Miami and one in Orlando. I had just made the transition to a full-time "job" job with the Joffrey, but was still keeping all of my restaurant shifts during the 2-weeks-notice period, plus rehearsing for our Florida tour. Needless to say, I was a bit overworked, overtired and looking forward to a mini-vacation in between shows.

I was subsisting on Coldeeze and naps, but I was really skinny! The first show went well enough except for the fact that they kept reducing the size of our stage and then "forgot" to readjust the lighting, so we performed basically in the dark. Oops! We kicked ass and had a ball, I'm just not sure anyone saw it.

Hurray - time to party...but I couldn't get up enough energy to do anything. The next day I got progressively worse until at a large dinner with local sponsors I started uncontrollable crying at the table. Luckily, the gay sitting next to me was a doctor and told Circuit Mom & Dad what drugs to get me, we went to the drug store and straight back to the hotel. I was in bed, sick and crying, at 9:30. Happy New Year!

I slept until it was time to leave for our first show, and then slept in a make-shift dressing room until it was time to perform. This number included lip-synching (which I still cannot do unless literally singing). The dj forgot to reduce the bpm's, so the music was uber-fast. I couldn't breathe. Close to the end, I started to black out. I remember looking for someone in the crowd I knew, so they could catch me when I fell of the stage. In slow motion, I looked to Matthew for help. (My choreographer -- hey Todd! -- said this was the only time he'd ever seen me forget my steps!) Somehow I made it through to the end and, once off stage, promptly collapsed.

Security thought I was on drugs and wanted to kick me out. The next hours are a blur. I was on so much nighttime cold medication that I slept for the entire trip to Orlando. They woke me up to get ready for our last show. I assume it went well -- don't really remember. We did go out late that night and I remember dancing and drinking, etc...in between lung-wrenching coughs. That night at our host house it really got bad. I was coughing so hard I couldn't sleep or breathe. My girlfriend was calling the airlines to change our flight home ASAP. I just wanted to sleep and didn't really care if I ever woke up. By propping me up on all the pillows (Weekend at Bernie's anyone?), Leigh rigged it so I could sleep sitting up and I made it through the night.

I found out upon getting home that I had walking pneumonia -- yikes! -- and missed another entire week of work.