Hogmanay in West Ashley

I was kept awake last night by fireworks raging past my window 'til 2.30 a.m. +, and the sound of merry Rednecks whoopin' and hollerin' the New Year in - the glorious sounds of America's annual rebirth.

In Hogmanays past I've been punched, trampled, propositioned by soused old ladies or left alone to contemplate my frail mortality, my personal history and the universe's future.

The more I look forward, the less seems to have changed; on a personal level, I'm still scared by the mere idea of performing on stage, even though I've done it countless times and I've taught acting to hundreds of people (a new course starts at the North Charleston Cultural Arts Center on Jan. 28).

That fear has something to do with the fight or flight reponse, apparently. But I'm stubborn which is why, perversely, I'm determined to get back up there as soon as I can...