tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-03-21:2819117goofball on a train(adventures of a touring musician)taz_392024-01-25T22:30:14Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2017-03-21:2819117:238028My Fair Lady - Columbia, SC2024-01-25T22:30:14Z2024-01-25T22:30:14Zpublic2I was nervous for the flight out of San Antonio because it was pouring rain in the morning, but by the time we loaded up and got to the airport it was a drizzle. Even so, I was watching myself carefully because anxiety/the fight-or-flight response likes to jump out at you unexpectedly.<br /><br />Several coworkers kindly checked on me to make sure I was ok. I felt both grateful and embarrassed by this. I don't like to be the "weak link" or the "wuss" and I DEFINITELY hate to make others feel like they need to expend time and energy on me. But also, it was nice to know that people cared and empathized.<br /><br />And then, the flight was fine. I was more nervous than usual of course, but also less nervous than I used to be about flying in the past, if that makes sense. In other words I haven't been set back entirely by the bad flight experience to NOLA. Just a little bit, and I think that's understandable and will only require a bit of patience to overcome. I was so grateful that this was a normal flight, so that I could be kind to myself and reinforce that flying is GOOD and SAFE to my subconscious.<br /><br />Anyway, we landed in Charlotte and rode a bus for 1.5 hours to Columbia. The last time I was here was <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/68494.html" href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/68494.html"><strong>with the circus</strong></a>, and though there wasn't much time for sightseeing I have fond memories of <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/55653.html" href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/55653.html"><strong>doing an elephant walk</strong></a> here, and of the fun college atmosphere.<br /><br />We are staying in a Graduate hotel (this is probably the fifth one I've stayed in at this point) so the room key is a fake student ID card.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008356/2008356_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008356/2008356_original.jpg"><img width="440" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008356/2008356_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008356/2008356_800.jpg" height="440" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And the decor is...interesting. (The school mascot is a gamecock)<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008698/2008698_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008698/2008698_original.jpg"><img width="440" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008698/2008698_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008698/2008698_800.jpg" height="441" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The room is huge! I have a living room! Once again it's a shame we're only here for a few days because how comfortable and nice!<br /><strong>(</strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I4MZcEaqVHw"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a><strong> to see)</strong><br /><br />After dropping my luggage I walked to Good Life Cafe. They specialize in healthy food, and there's nothing like some refreshing veg after a long travel day! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2007854/2007854_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2007854/2007854_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2007854/2007854_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2007854/2007854_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Shrimp spring roll: avocado, kelp noodles, mango, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, red peppers, wrapped in rice paper, served with wasabi and teriyaki dipping sauces. Yummy and colorful! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008128/2008128_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008128/2008128_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008128/2008128_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008128/2008128_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />From there I walked to Publix, and immediately recognized it so I must have been there during my circus days also. Ran into Kyla in the produce section (our substitute cellist) and we split an uber back to the hotel. Our MD wanted to have a "band hang" at the hotel bar, so after putting groceries away I went down and had a glass of wine with everyone. We talked about random stuff, like you do, and I was happy to learn more about my bandmates :)<br /><br />Sneaky and not very good pic, taken by me<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008914/2008914_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008914/2008914_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008914/2008914_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2008914/2008914_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Better, organized group photo taken by our MD. The guy wearing grey/white is Jim (Company Management.) <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009704/2009704_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009704/2009704_original.jpg"><img width="760" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009704/2009704_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009704/2009704_800.jpg" height="570" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After that I unpacked, filled out some paperwork for the masterclass I'm doing at USC on Wednesday, and reviewed some Mexico excursion options that Raven had sent for our Sibling Reunion trip coming up in February. I tried to narrow it down to just two excursion options, but there were so many price points/factors that I decided to have a closer look in the morning when I was more awake and focused.<br /><br />----------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />As promised to my brother and sisters, I narrowed down the Mexico options (to three not two) and offered them up in the Sibling Chat for discussion. So far no one has voted on them. I'm not surprised, we're all "beta" personalities when it comes to decision-making :p<br /><br />I'd ordered some black pants from Amazon, because my black yoga pants are fading from being washed and it's become too apparent that they're NOT dress slacks. One pair fit pretty well and the other was too big so I packaged it back up and walked to a UPS Store to return it. Right next to the store was smallSUGAR, a bakery that I'd planned to hit anyway, so I popped in for lunch. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009320/2009320_original.png" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009320/2009320_original.png"><img width="760" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009320/2009320_800.png" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009320/2009320_800.png" height="428" alt="" /></a><br />(image stolen from a random review site)<br /><br />They were low on pastries (it was lunch time after all) so I went with their "shakshouka-ish": spicy tomato and onion sauce with a ramen-style soft-boiled egg, marinated eggplant, <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%27atar" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%27atar"><strong>za'atar</strong></a> seasoned toast, and a big pile of parsley. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009418/2009418_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009418/2009418_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009418/2009418_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2009418/2009418_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It tasted just as good as it looked. The bread was crusty and flavorful, the za'atar seasoning a perfect complement to the tangy tomato sauce, the rich jammy egg taming the acidity of the sauce, and the marinated eggplant which was tangy in a different, almost citrusy way. Everything worked together so well, I could have eaten this all day! But I saved 2 of the 3 bread pieces and half the sauce to eat later. The chef area is open to the dining room so I made sure to tell the guy who prepared my food how amazing it was, he looked very pleased (as he should be, he put quality and love into this food!)<br /><br />I was glad for the walk back, it was in the mid-50s and dreary but the fresh air was nice. Between getting cooped up for a day and a half in Jackson, and then all the one-nighters of being crammed on buses for 15 hours and shuttling around between theatres and hotels, it feels like I haven't been outside in ages.<br /><br />Walking past the SC State House, there was some press conference going on so I circled wide but also documented it.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010623/2010623_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010623/2010623_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010623/2010623_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010623/2010623_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Back at the hotel I printed out some notes for the masterclass tomorrow, then packed dinner and chilled until sound check.<br />The "theatre" is more of an auditorium. It's the Koger Center, which is part of the USC campus. The whole performing arts complex is very big and looks new and modern. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010001/2010001_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010001/2010001_original.jpg"><img width="760" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010001/2010001_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010001/2010001_800.jpg" height="351" alt="" /></a><br />(stock image)<br /><br />The pit is shallow, so I have an unusually good view of the stage for once! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010316/2010316_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010316/2010316_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010316/2010316_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010316/2010316_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After sound check I ate a packed dinner, then we had the show. It was a full house, and went really well! Our understudy was in for the character of Freddie and he did an excellent job :)<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Wednesday I woke up SO NERVOUS for the USC masterclass!<br /><br />Nathan (the grad student in charge) showed me around a bit, then we went to a studio room where about 12 young trombonists were waiting for us. It felt so weird...I swear I was JUST a student myself not so long ago! And now I was the one coming in to describe how to "make it." SO WEIRD.<br /><br />It was very casual, and really just a chat. It was supposed to be Q&A but this group seemed fairly introverted, and not many questions were asked. Nathan mostly directed the questions, asking the usual stuff like my background, how do I handle the logistics of travel, the pressures of auditions and applying for music work, etc. A few kids had good questions; one asked an especially pertinent one about how to handle the physical trials that come with a lifestyle on the road.<br /><br />I gave the best answers that I could, and probably rambled somewhat, but with only about an hour to work with it's tough to cram in the information and advice that comes with 27 years(!) of playing the trombone. The main points that I did get to speak about:<br /><br />- Challenges of traveling for work, and finding time to practice and stay healthy<br />- Descriptions of what the work was like, and what types of horns/gear I've used for various gigs<br />- Handling your "inner voice" and Impostor Syndrome when auditioning or performing or just existing<br />- How I got these jobs in the first place (I really wanted to touch on this and was glad it came up; all of my gigs have come from cold-calling, so I wanted to encourage students not to be afraid to do that)<br />- What life was like in the circus (of course, you gotta go into that more in-depth!)<br /><br />Other non-musical topics were things like my interest in food and restaurants across the US, and some things that can make each city interesting and fun, or how we keep ourselves entertained on travel days and such. I brought up that I like anime, which was the most engaged moment of the masterclass, lol. Everyone wanted to know what shows I was into, so I listed my classic favorites (Cowboy Bebop and Trigun because I'm an old lady) and some new shows that I'm into recently. I felt "cool" for about five seconds :p<br /><br />Parting advice, from me, was "Don't make decisions based on fear." The topic of anxiety and Impostor Syndrome came up more than once, and I expressed that those were things that I face constantly. Every show, every night, and between shows too. And the nasty voice in my head that tells me I'm garbage and don't deserve to be here never goes away entirely. My advice was to not let that voice make decisions. Feel however it makes you feel--inadequate, afraid, frustrated, whatever--but don't let those feelings, or that voice, have a say in your life path, in whether or not to take an opportunity or apply for a job. Feel inadequate, and apply anyway.<br /><br />Also, cold calls!<br />I hope that was good advice.<br />And I'm annoyed that I forgot to ask for a group photo.<br /><br />Afterward I shook hands all around and walked to Food Lion for supplemental groceries, mostly for the upcoming bus rides to Greensboro and Pittsburgh. We have lunch stops on those rides but I often get hungry between stops. Then I did laundry and enjoyed some tea before the evening show.<br /><br />The show went well but there was some weird chick in the crowd wearing a puffy, bright pink "Barbie dress" who talked the entire first act in a high-pitched baby voice that everyone could hear. Then she got up to pee in the middle of the show and nearly fell on her face...and when she came back, she went down the wrong row! And instead of just turning back around and going out, she loudly apologized, in her baby voice, to every single person she passed. It felt like she was doing a bit. But she was probably either really drunk or really messed up in the head. We didn't see her for the second act so either she/her companions were smart enough to leave, or they were "removed."<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------<br /><br />I usually post early on Thursday, but because our schedule has been so weird I'm posting later.<br /><br />Today is our last day in Columbia. I was grateful to get up knowing I had nothing to do except pack and perform the show in the evening. Breakfast and a lovely chill morning of watching anime, doing a few updates to the Pittsburgh foodie finds sheet, and chatting with Jameson as he went about his day. He's been going to the gym and has changed his eating habits, and has lost nine pounds already!! I'm extremely proud of him :)<br /><br />For lunch I walked to a restaurant called MOA for bibimbap. The pictures of the food looked great, but it turned out to be one of those pretentious "power lunch" places, so it was me and a bunch of middle-aged white men in suits guffawing loudly and making demands of the wait staff as though their needs took priority over everything. Very cringe. The bibimbap was good, and came with a rainbow of veggies on top and a fried egg. I appreciated that the sauces were served on the side so I could control the salt and heat levels.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010757/2010757_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010757/2010757_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010757/2010757_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2010757/2010757_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><strong>(</strong><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tromboneontour/video/7328110372479700266"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a><strong> to see me pop that egg!)</strong><br /><br />And of course the best part of stone bowl bibimbap is the sizzling, crispy rice on the bottom! (My bowl was not very hot so sadly I didn't get much crispy rice to speak of.) <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2011116/2011116_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2011116/2011116_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2011116/2011116_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/2011116/2011116_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Going to be honest, it didn't hold a candle to <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.facebook.com/Sageyoku/videos/526042609683581/?ref=embed_video&t=0" href="https://www.facebook.com/Sageyoku/videos/526042609683581/?ref=embed_video&t=0"><strong>the bibimbap from Drunken Bento in Cincinnati</strong></a>. And the vibe in the restaurant was pretentious and offputting. But it was still very tasty bibimbap, and I loved the variety of veggies. I ate half and will eat the other half tomorrow on the bus.<br /><br />Back at the hotel I pretty much crashed for the day, only getting up to make tea and to pack my suitcase, and eventually get ready for the show.<br /><br />I'm posting this to DW before the actual show so let's just say "it went well." <br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Tomorrow, bussing to Greensboro. There's a stop at a Walmart, and ETA is 2:30pm with a show at 8pm. <br />I'm hoping that this'll give me enough time to hit an Asian grocery near our hotel, but won't hold my breath over it. <br />It's a tight show schedule with two shows on both Saturday and Sunday, so I won't have a lot of time for sightseeing but hope to walk around downtown a bit if the weather is nice (it's not supposed to be but why not hope) <br /><br />And my aunt and uncle are coming to a show! I'm excited to see them and spend a little time with them!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=taz_39&ditemid=238028" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2017-03-21:2819117:230938My Fair Lady - Salt Lake City Part 22023-11-16T15:28:31Z2023-11-16T15:41:46Zpublic0Monday was a day off, which was good since we'd all partied hard after opening night :p<br /><br />I only had two glasses of wine, but being social and shouting to be heard in a bar with music playing for two hours had drained my figurative battery. I woke up slightly late and had a slow breakfast, and wrote answers to some interview questions for Jameson for one of his classes (he had to interview some random musician, and I'm pretty random, so there)<br /><br />Here is another look at the My Fair Lady hoodie that we were all given, in better light so you can see it's blue.<br />I like it a lot! Cozy sweaters and hoodies are always a fave. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935770/1935770_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935770/1935770_original.jpg"><img width="468" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935770/1935770_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935770/1935770_800.jpg" height="760" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It was a nice day out so despite being tired I took myself for a walk. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935878/1935878_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935878/1935878_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935878/1935878_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1935878/1935878_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I walked to the Sprouts, enjoying looking at the city and the plants and the people along the way. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936143/1936143_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936143/1936143_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936143/1936143_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936143/1936143_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />While walking someone shared photos from the opening night party, here is the one of the orchestra + audio crew (two orchestra ladies not pictured as they chose not to attend) <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936430/1936430_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936430/1936430_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936430/1936430_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936430/1936430_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />A picture that someone took from the Eccles Theatre upper balcony, very cool shot.<br />I probably mentioned it in the last post, our opening night was sold out. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936726/1936726_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936726/1936726_original.jpg"><img width="760" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936726/1936726_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1936726/1936726_800.jpg" height="569" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And here is me:<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938467/1938467_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938467/1938467_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938467/1938467_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938467/1938467_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, back to walking. I didn't actually "need" anything at Sprouts, but y'all know how I love to discover new food items! I found apples and blackberries, some <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong"><strong>biltong</strong></a> on sale, an herb-seasoned nut blend, and a dessert <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.fillos.com/pages/walking-tamales" href="https://www.fillos.com/pages/walking-tamales"><strong>Walking Tamale</strong></a> (I knew that they came in savory flavors but didn't know they had dessert tamales too, AND it's dairy free!)<br /><br />I was about to leave the store when I saw the sample associate had Waterloo sparkling water to try, in seasonal Cranberry and Spiced Apple flavors. I asked if he had individual cans to sell and he said no...but then gave me one of each flavor to try, for free!! I was very grateful and promised to leave a good review, which I did as soon as I got home, naming him specifically and tagging both Sprouts and Waterloo. When the universe gives, ya gotta give back. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937094/1937094_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937094/1937094_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937094/1937094_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937094/1937094_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Back at the hotel I just chilled because that was three miles round trip and I've got the whole week ahead to enjoy more of SLC :)<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Tuesday I was up a bit early to have breakfast and then walk to the nearest laundromat, where I read a book and did laundry for 2 hours or so. On the way back from laundry I saw this tiny restaurant. The tentacles and neon skrimps at the roof corners made me happy. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937348/1937348_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937348/1937348_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937348/1937348_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937348/1937348_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After putting my laundry away I decided, ya know what, I'm going to go check that place out. It seemed fairly new (few reviews or photos, and it hadn't come up in my foodie research) but who doesn't love a good ceviche? And to my delight there was a lit-up neon skrimp inside :D <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937654/1937654_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937654/1937654_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937654/1937654_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937654/1937654_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After placing an order I was given tostada strips seasoned with something amazing (<a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj%C3%ADn_(company)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj%C3%ADn_(company)"><strong>tajin</strong></a> probably) and definitely made fresh either on-site or somewhere local because they were damn crisp. I wanted to save room for ceviche though, and was glad I did. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937720/1937720_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937720/1937720_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937720/1937720_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1937720/1937720_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Ahi tuna ceviche with cucumber, mango, strawberry, red onion, and cilantro, served in an absolutely delightful citrus-lime-soy sauce, with tostadas for scooping. Very fresh and very delicious! I took my time eating and savoring the crunchy veggies and sweet tangy sauce and the fresh fish chunks. I wish I could have drank that sauce tbh. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938103/1938103_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938103/1938103_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938103/1938103_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938103/1938103_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Immediately recommended it in the Foodie Finds group, hopefully others from the show will pay a visit before we leave! They serve so much more than ceviche too, I was tempted by the fried red snapper and the grilled octopus options. There were a decent amount of people in there for lunch so I think the word is spreading, and hopefully they'll get lots of business. They certainly deserve it!<br /><br />Back to the hotel for chillax until the show.<br />Today was Jameson's birthday! I hope he finds some time to relax and enjoy himself today.<br />Wish I could have treated him to ceviche <3<br />Instead I sent him some books, and a gift card to use at the LEGO store. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938332/1938332_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938332/1938332_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938332/1938332_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938332/1938332_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The evening show was good, our Eliza understudy was in because unfortunately our lead had to attend the funeral of her partner who passed away during rehearsal. The understudy did a great job, and the audience seemed to have a good time. <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Wednesday I woke up kinda early, but that was fine because I wanted to walk around town like a tourist again :)<br /><br />First I went toward Temple Square to see the big church and other facilities (which <a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/30736.html" href="https://taz-39.livejournal.com/30736.html"><strong>I had seen before with the circus</strong></a> but apparently hadn't cared to take pictures.) I had no idea that the entire square is currently zoned off for construction, and the church was covered in scaffolding. Rats! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938701/1938701_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938701/1938701_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938701/1938701_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938701/1938701_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />No big deal; I just kept walking up a big ol' hill to see the Utah State Capitol. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938982/1938982_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938982/1938982_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938982/1938982_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1938982/1938982_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939407/1939407_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939407/1939407_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939407/1939407_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939407/1939407_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The big giant hill that I walked up to get here. Not sure if you can tell how steep it is but my calves can tell you :p <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939625/1939625_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939625/1939625_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939625/1939625_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939625/1939625_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I had only really come up here to see the building, not to do anything involved like take a tour or whatever, so as soon as I had my photos I started back down. On the way I was startled when a LARGE spider came swinging out of a tree in front of my face! It was just a spiny orb weaver but it was a big girl (forgive me for repeating myself on these videos, I made the first video then tried for a better take which is why I say the same sh*t in both clips)<br /><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tromboneontour/video/7301734270790421791?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7291472743572063787"><strong>(CLICK HERE to watch)</strong></a><br /><br />Some still shots which are not good because I couldn't get close: <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939869/1939869_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939869/1939869_original.jpg"><img width="440" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939869/1939869_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1939869/1939869_800.jpg" height="441" alt="" /></a><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940110/1940110_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940110/1940110_original.jpg"><img width="440" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940110/1940110_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940110/1940110_800.jpg" height="441" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Kept walking until I was on level ground again, then took myself to Gourmandise, one of the top-rated restaurant/bakeries in SLC. Since I had planned to walk a lot today I was OK with having a "treat yo'self" with a bunch of extra calories! There were so many amazing treats to choose from! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940273/1940273_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940273/1940273_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940273/1940273_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940273/1940273_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />They even make those viral filled croissants here! <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940491/1940491_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940491/1940491_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940491/1940491_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940491/1940491_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I saw salted caramel root beer on the menu and asked the server about it, and she said she'd check to see if they had it. I thought she'd come back with a "yes" or "no", but she came back with one, lol. So I guess I was also having a dessert drink! It was extremely good, with big Maldon salt crystals on top that were an amazing contrast to the sweet root beer. I only drank half of it.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940843/1940843_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940843/1940843_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940843/1940843_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1940843/1940843_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />For my treat I chose a "<a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_baba" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_baba"><strong>baba au rhum</strong></a>": brioche cake soaked in white rum and syrup with Chantilly cream and a little chocolate-strawberry garnish. <br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941172/1941172_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941172/1941172_original.jpg"><img width="640" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941172/1941172_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941172/1941172_800.jpg" height="640" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It was about the size of a tennis ball, and was so, so good. I ate it slowly and with four Lactaids!<br /><br />After that I did a loop that took my by Whole Paycheck where I got nothing but oatmeal (how did I run out already!) and walked back to the hotel. It was about 6 miles total, some of which was up that steep hill, so I think that burned enough calories for half the rum baba, haha.<br /><br />Speaking of walking, this is now my third year of touring in a row, and I've noticed how my phone's step counter reveals when I went back on the road. Each bar on this graph represents a month. You can see my steps drop off significantly from July through October, when I'm at home doing data entry. And then that last bar is November (and we're only halfway through the month too!)<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941614/1941614_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941614/1941614_original.jpg"><img width="419" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941614/1941614_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1941614/1941614_800.jpg" height="760" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The evening show went well I think. We received notes on our stands from the MD, stylistic things that maybe we're not doing totally up to par, dynamics to pay attention to, stuff like that. I was gratified to not receive any direct notes specifically for trombone, but imo that means I do a good job of indicating when I know I've made a mistake, so he knows he doesn't have to tell me!!<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Thursday is supposed to be rainy all day, which is why I walked so much on Wednesday. <br />I expect to sort of chill indoors, read, watch movies, have a relaxing day. <br />This is when it would be good to have a remote job, but the nursing home data entry requires a minimum 30 hours and I can never guarantee that on tour. And soon we'll be doing a lot of one-nighters and there may not be time for extra work. <br /><br />We have the weekend shows to do, and on Sunday I fly back to Orlando for the overnight Disney Candlelight rehearsal! <br />It's going to be a LONG day: flight takes off at 6am, lands at 12:30pm, I'll have the afternoon to do laundry and eat and swap things in and out of my luggage (or nap if I'm extremely lucky), then rehearsal from 8pm-3am, then I fly to Madison WI to rejoin the tour the next morning at 9am!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=taz_39&ditemid=230938" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2017-03-21:2819117:209219Tootsie Yr2: Orange & San Antonio2023-05-04T11:31:10Z2023-05-04T11:31:10Zpublic2<strong>*Rant Alert* Regular blog continues after rant.</strong><br /><br />------------------------------------------<br /><br />Our bus call was at 7am, so around that time I stepped into the hallway with all of my luggage to find a queue for the elevators that wrapped partway down the hallway. There was a robotics competition in town, and I guess all of them were leaving at the same time as our group...and there was only one working elevator.<br /><br />Heart sinking, I texted our tour manager to make sure she knew what was happening.<br /><br />This hotel has been, frankly, the worst hotel I've ever stayed at in my life.<br />Even worse than the terrible, dirty Golden Nugget where they made me come to the lobby with 102°F fever and an active case of Covid on Memorial Day Weekend because they wouldn't let their staff bring food to my room.<br /><br />Friends, seriously, <u>if you go to Dallas do not under any circumstances stay at the Crowne Plaza Downtown</u>.<br />Over the course of the two weeks:<br /><br />My key cards stopped working three times,<br />I was walked in on by hotel staff three times in a single day,<br />had a clogged sink and leaking toilet in two separate rooms,<br />had to switch rooms (and no one checked to make sure fixtures were working in the new room),<br />lost a night of sleep to a massive after-prom party that ended in violence and a mass-arrest,<br />lost last night's sleep to a crazy/drugged up/irate adult man screaming in the hallway and POUNDING on the door across from mine,<br /><br />....and finally, to leave this hotel, I waited FORTY-FIVE MINUTES for an elevator.<br /><br />I am unfortunately not joking. I was in the queue at 7am, and by the time I got on a car it was 7:43, made it to the lobby at 7:45 on the dot.<br />The bus was supposed to leave at 7:30. I was on the 19th floor with close to 100lbs of luggage so could not use the stairs, and in any case the stairs at this hotel <i>don't lead to the lobby</i> but to an attached parking garage.<br /><br />I was not the only one trapped on their floor, several others from our group made it to the lobby at about the same time as me.<br />Pardon my french but this entire stay has been incredible, inexcusable, mind-blowingly awful bullshit.<br /><br />As I got on the bus coworkers were asking if I was ok and I couldn't even answer because I was afraid I'd say or do something that might get me fired or at least written up. That's how livid and fed up I was. And I'm not only going to write reviews across multiple sites for this hotel, I'm also going to contact their corporate. No one should be giving money to this location until they get new management. I don't care if that makes me a "Karen", no one staying in a 3-star hotel should have to go through what I went through these past two weeks.<br /><br />----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Let's get back to some positivity.<br /><br />Once on the bus, I had time to doze and de-stress.<br />I ate some snacks and chatted with Jameson and felt interested to see Orange, TX.<br />This will be my view for the next several days.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1744937/1744937_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1744937/1744937_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1744937/1744937_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1744937/1744937_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />We stopped at a Buc-ee's in Madisonville.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745160/1745160_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745160/1745160_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745160/1745160_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745160/1745160_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />I exercised incredible self-control and only got an enamel pin (I've been looking for a Buc-ee's enamel pin for a while but the FL locations haven't had any), no food despite all of the tempting offerings. This location even had a Beaver Nugs scented candle! Good grief.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745539/1745539_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745539/1745539_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745539/1745539_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745539/1745539_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />We continued on and got to Orange somehow earlier than expected, so I had just enough time to unpack a bit, get a shower, and get quarters for laundry from the front desk (that's another thing, the Crowne Plaza would not give quarters for their washers, wtf). Then it was back onto the bus to get to the venue.<br /><br />Orange, TX and the Lutcher Theatre were actually the very first place that I ever performed on tour, way back in 2010!<br />It was strange to be here again. I was so much younger then, so nervous to be on my first tour and certain I'd be sent home the very first day for sucking at the trombone lol.<br /><br />Now as then, the wonderful staff of the theatre offered us a home-cooked meal which was VERY appreciated as most of us, especially crew, had ZERO time to find dinner. The meal was homemade chicken or cheese enchiladas, rice and beans, beef soft tacos or nachos, vegan chick'n dip, and an assortment of desserts served with sweet or unsweet tea. It was very good!<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745684/1745684_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745684/1745684_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745684/1745684_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1745684/1745684_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />After dinner we had sound check, then I went for a walk around the grounds.<br />On the way to the theatre I had seen little statues of oranges on many street corners, in front of local businesses and landmarks, and in seemingly random places, scattered all throughout town. I thought, this is the only time I get in Orange...why not try to find some oranges!<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://taz-39.dreamwidth.org/209219.html#cutid1">CLICK HERE for Oranges</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />I had fun finding as many of these as I could, and got some exercise too after being on the bus all day.<br /><br />The show went smoothly, and we immediately packed up and loaded back onto the bus, because tomorrow we do it all over again!<br /><br />----------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Tuesday was indeed wash-rinse-repeat, with the exception of WORKING elevators so that we could actually leave on time.<br /><br />Our lunch stop was at H-E-B, a Texas grocery chain that's pretty good.<br />I got shrimp spring rolls and a few proteins for the week, then we were off again.<br />We arrived at the hotel nearly an hour early (they've been planning for traffic) so I took the opportunity to walk to Mi Tierra in Market Square.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746083/1746083_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746083/1746083_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746083/1746083_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746083/1746083_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746342/1746342_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746342/1746342_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746342/1746342_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746342/1746342_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />There are lots of other shops here selling Mexican crafts and clothing and such, but I didn't have time to explore sadly.<br /><br />The bakery was big and colorful. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746618/1746618_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746618/1746618_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746618/1746618_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746618/1746618_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />I wanted one of everything! <br />(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/23113215/videos/pcb.10106618182102042/770703924729887"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a> to see the bakery cabinet)<br /><br />Instead of baked goods this time I went for the dulces, Mexican candied pumpkin and sweet potato.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746722/1746722_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746722/1746722_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746722/1746722_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1746722/1746722_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747120/1747120_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747120/1747120_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747120/1747120_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747120/1747120_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />I had thought these would be sold by the pound (like American candies are) but no, it's sold in huge hunks...whole candied sweet potato halves, and huge wedges of pumpkin. So, I got one of each.<br /><br />Close-ups to show texture:<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747328/1747328_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747328/1747328_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747328/1747328_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747328/1747328_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747493/1747493_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747493/1747493_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747493/1747493_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747493/1747493_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />I chopped them up to share at work since I hadn't been expecting to get so many.<br />The pumpkin tasted good but still had a vegetable aftertaste and a pretty wet texture, so tbh it wasn't my favorite.<br />The sweet potato was very good, though, and if it weren't so very sweet I could probably have eaten the whole thing.<br />My coworkers also liked the sweet potato best!<br />Anyway it was fun to try these, I've never had candied vegetables before.<br /><br />Back at the hotel I cleaned up and walked to the theatre for the show.<br />A year ago Tootsie played The Majestic downtown, which is historic but VERY old and cramped.<br />This theatre is modern and nice, with a large open pit and comfortable backstage.<br />I ended up having very little time for pictures because of some band issues that required me to actually be a Band Rep for once, but here is the outside of the theatre post-show. Lit up very beautifully.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747859/1747859_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747859/1747859_original.jpg"><img data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747859/1747859_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1747859/1747859_800.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Wednesday was supposed to be a day of non-travel, a day to sleep in and relax, but I had a lot to do so ended up sleeping poorly and getting up early, feeling stressed.<br /><br />Wrote this post, prepped my Crowne Plaza corporate letter, drafted an email for the Band Rep issue, repacked my luggage because tomorrow we're off again for Tyler TX. Set aside some show tickets for my grandma, who I'll hopefully get to see in a few days in Columbus, GA. Badly wanted to do laundry but there are just no facilities close enough, not enough time, and I'm not paying $50 to have a service rush it.<br /><br />In the afternoon I had a zoom meeting with someone doing a documentary on the clown scare of 2016, basically she wanted contact info for actual clowns which was easily given. Then a short walk to CVS for necessities, then to the theatre to take the temperature in the pit. I was heckled the entire way by a homeless man calling me names and wanting to know "Where'd your ASS go?"<br /><br />I think he was saying I've got a flat ass. He's not wrong. I blame the Asian portion of my genome :p<br /><br />The show went well, although there was a little weirdness with lines and also a bit of disruptiveness in the audience.<br />I'm thinking we're all getting kind of loopy-tired with all of this back to back travel and endless shows.<br />But after tomorrow's show in Tyler we'll at least have a travel day without a show at the end of it, and that should help.<br /><br />It is my dream to do a load of laundry.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Other stuff:<br /><br />Wigs & Makeup area backstage.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748168/1748168_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748168/1748168_original.jpg"><img data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748168/1748168_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748168/1748168_800.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />The moon was close to full last night, with a beautiful nimbus.<br /><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748354/1748354_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748354/1748354_original.jpg"><img data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748354/1748354_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748354/1748354_800.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />Some reviews of the Asian foods that I enjoyed last week!<b><br /></b><a target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748642/1748642_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748642/1748642_original.jpg"><img data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748642/1748642_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1748642/1748642_800.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a><b><br /><br /></b><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- Marinated Quail Eggs:</b> very good! These were “iron eggs” which are prepared a special way and have a smoky, spiced flavor, thankfully not too salty either. Chewier texture than regular eggs but in a good way.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- Hawthorn candy:</b> freeze-dried hawthorn berries coated in sugar. Tasted similar to cranberry with a fun crunchy texture. Yummy!</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- “Smiling” chestnuts:</b> I liked these a lot better than other packaged roasted chestnuts because they had a drier texture and were slightly sweet. Good, would eat again.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- Peanut sprout tea:</b> surprisingly good! Tasted like peanut-flavored water. Probably wouldn’t drink it again but glad to try it.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- Coconut drink:</b> I’ve had this before and loved it so got it again.</span></div></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>- Corn husk tea:</b> also surprisingly good! Slightly sweet, corn-flavored tea. It would probably be amazing with honey and milk.</span><br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=taz_39&ditemid=209219" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2017-03-21:2819117:208326Tootsie Yr2: Dallas part 22023-04-24T11:34:04Z2023-04-24T11:34:04Zpublic0Thursday was basically a wash.<br /><br />I felt very tired, perhaps because of the weather or maybe I was fighting the cold that's going around from entering my body.<br />Either way, I had a lovely indoor day of doing laundry, watching <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1ahorojPg" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1ahorojPg" target="_blank"><strong>Ousama Ranking</strong></a>, researching jobs, updating Foodie Finds, and sharing Jameson's excitement as he flew to Chicago to MEET DARREN HAYES!!!!<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724343/1724343_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724343/1724343_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724343/1724343_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724343/1724343_800.jpg" width="570" height="760" /></a><br /><br />Eeeeeeee!!!<br /><br />If you don't know, Darren Hayes was the vocalist for Savage Garden, a popular 90s-2000s band.<br />You'd probably recognize the song "<a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjnmICxvoVY" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjnmICxvoVY" target="_blank"><strong>I Knew I Loved You</strong></a>", among others.<br /><br />Jameson and Darren became internet friends somewhere in the late 2010s, and somewhere in there Darren asked Jameson to arrange some of his classic works to rejuvenate them for his albums and upcoming tour.<br /><br />Darren is now on tour, and Jameson was able to finally meet Darren in person and hear his own arrangements performed live, in front of an audience of thousands, by his friend and pop idol. I mean HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT!!!<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724545/1724545_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724545/1724545_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724545/1724545_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724545/1724545_800.jpg" width="570" height="760" /></a><br /><br />To say I'm proud, happy, and excited for him would be the understatement of the year.<br />Jameson has worked very hard for musical recognition throughout his life, and often hasn't received it.<br />I hope that today was very rewarding for him, and fun, and a great experience.<br />His dad was there with him for all of it, which is absolutely wonderful.<br />It's got to be an amazing thing to be a proud parent watching your son hug a pop star, and listen to music your son wrote for said pop star, live to an arena full of people singing along. Just, amazing :)<br /><br />Anyway, that's mostly what Thursday was for me.<br /><br />Then we had a show which went well, but the band did get a note that we need to step up our game and stay focused, so I will try very hard to meet those expectations. I think that after playing a show 400+ times, perhaps we (I) can go into autopilot too much. I want to stay engaged and give the best possible performance each night!<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Friday started off with disappointment: once again my sink was fully clogged.<br />I don't know why or how this is happening...all I've done is brush my teeth and wash my dishes (no I am NOT putting food in the drain either!). The hotel offered to have me switch rooms but then didn't have any rooms available, so I packed everything up anyway.<br /><br />I waited around to see if maybe they'd move me in the next hour but it didn't happen, so walked to a convenience store for some fruit.<br /><br />Along the way, this giant eyeball:<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726078/1726078_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726078/1726078_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726078/1726078_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726078/1726078_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />I wanted to get close but it was in a fenced-off area and it looked like you needed tickets (had I been in a better frame of mind I ABSOLUTELY would have. Maybe next week.)<br /><br />I canceled lunch with my friend Brandon (the drummer who came to our show a few nights ago). It was just stressing me out to be waiting around when the hotel could call any minute to have me move and we might be out somewhere, plus Brandon revealed that he wouldn't be ready until 2pm which is WAY too late for lunch for me personally (my body still thinks it's east coast time, remember). I'll try to catch him again next week.<br /><br />Around lunchtime I got the ok to move to another room, so off I went, riding elevators up and down, dragging luggage, unpacking everything, stealing the microwave in the old room because the new room didn't have one and I'm rude like that. By the time I was all moved in and unpacked it was close to 2:30, so I was glad I'd canceled on Brandon though I felt bad about it.<br /><br />It was a lovely sunny day out, but as I only had 2-3 hours until dinnertime/show prep I wasted it searching for jobs and researching activities for next week. The show went well. Back at the hotel the lobby was packed, some sort of conference in town coinciding with prom festivities. It took a long time to get the elevator to our rooms...and then my key cards didn't work. Alllllll the way back down to have them re-keyed. Straight to bed.<br /><br />----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />It seems the prom night festivities got out of hand last night.<br />There was an absolutely WILD party happening on my floor, it sounded like WAY too many people for one room, a lot of screaming and general party noises, but around 3-4am it all dissolved into a fight of some sort. Someone had brought young children who were screaming bloody murder, angry adult voices raised, etc etc.<br /><br />Someone (hopefully the hotel) called the cops, so this morning when I finally dragged myself out of bed after minimal sleep there were many cop cars parked outside, and the elevators were kept busy with cops coming up and down shuttling zip-tied youth out to the waiting patrol cars.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726338/1726338_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726338/1726338_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726338/1726338_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726338/1726338_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />Yowza.<br /><br />Not going to lie: because of the room issues experienced thus far + this incident, my nerves are kind of shot.<br /><br />I had breakfast and tried to relax a bit, but housekeeping knocked and as I came to answer the door the woman OPENED it.<br />She apologized profusely of course...they had the room marked as unoccupied.<br /><br />But then about an hour later, same thing happened again. This time it was a maintenance or facilities person.<br />I called down to the front desk to say, "This room is occupied, could you PLEASE update your staff", and was assured that it had been done.<br /><br />So I went for a walk to kind of lower my blood pressure and find some peace somewhere.<br /><br />A few blocks away is something called "Thanks-giving Square".<br />It's a park that came about due to a rare private-public sector partnership; both the City of Dallas and the public raised funds for its construction in the 70s. The garden portion of the square (the gates of which were still locked this early) is 15 feet below ground to isolate it from traffic and create a more serene space. Since it was locked I didn't go in (could have easily slipped the gaps in the fence, but trying to be a "good citizen" here.) I will probably go back again next week.<br /><br />There are misc sculptures and monuments inside the garden, and scripture quotes scattered about the walls and walkways which convey religious symbolism and ideas without pinpointing one specific religion (supposedly). It's meant to be a nondenominational space of peace and contemplation...and thanksgiving.<br /><br />Towering 90ft above the sunken garden is a tight spiral structure, unmarked. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724740/1724740_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724740/1724740_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724740/1724740_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1724740/1724740_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />This is the Thanks-giving Chapel. It's open for a set time each day, and again, is meant to be a non-denominational place of peaceful thought and thanks. I had known of it while in Dallas with the circus, but had not been able to go inside at the time (possibly due to repairs).<br /><br />Considering the way things have been going, I figured now was the time to manifest some serenity and thankfulness.<br /><br />I climbed the spiraling ramp up the side of the tower. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725094/1725094_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725094/1725094_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725094/1725094_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725094/1725094_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />At the entrance was this sign describing the design and purpose of the chapel.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725333/1725333_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725333/1725333_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725333/1725333_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725333/1725333_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />It was completely silent inside except for the low hum of the ventilation system.<br />See for yourself what it was like to enter the chapel for the first time:<br /><br /><br />I was awed, and stood gaping for a moment.<br />A purplish-white, lilac light enveloped the round sanctuary, which was flanked by a circle of plain chairs.<br />It felt a little creepy at first, like walking into some sort of inquisition space. But it WAS peaceful, and somehow, approachable.<br /><br />I went up to the big marble cube and touched it. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725480/1725480_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725480/1725480_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725480/1725480_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725480/1725480_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />And of course I stood as close to center as I could get and stared straight up at the gorgeous 73-panel stained glass spiral. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725796/1725796_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725796/1725796_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725796/1725796_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1725796/1725796_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />And spun in a circle like an idiot. YOLO, amirite?<br /><br />Around then someone else came in so I quickly stepped off to the side so as not to mar their experience.<br />I left without filling out a "gratitude card" at the little station encouraging visitors to leave a note.<br />I'll come back and write something before we leave.<br /><br />After such a lovely experience I felt a little better.<br />I walked back to the hotel but not before stopping at Clean Juice for a "carrot cake" acai bowl.<br />Blended carrots, banana, almond butter, cacao, almond milk, cinnamon, granola, and dates.<br />It was supposed to have maple syrup too but I left it out; dates and banana and are sweet enough.<br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726491/1726491_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726491/1726491_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726491/1726491_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726491/1726491_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />It was very good, and seems easy enough to make at home too.<br /><br />Unfortunately my improved sense of serenity was immediately broken by ANOTHER person trying to walk into my hotel room :(<br />I got ready for the show and went downstairs, stopping at the front desk to reiterate, again, that people should not be coming into my room, and would someone please update their records, pleasepleaseplease.<br /><br />Walked to the theatre, bringing my computer and dinner because the last thing I want to do is go back to that hotel unless I have to.<br /><br />The first show went well.<br />I typed up this post and watched some anime in the dressing room during the break.<br />Jameson flew back to Orlando and arrived safely, and sent me a nice summary of his experience with Darren Hayes.<br />It's been a whirlwind week for him and it'll take a while for it to sink in that he got to HUG DARREN HAYES and hear his music performed live in an arena! But once it all hits him, I hope he's just as glowing and happy about it as I am!! :D<br /><br />The second show also went well, and afterward our MD was dishing out "snots" which is a post-show shot of some sort, but I wanted to hustle back to the hotel to wait in line to have my key cards reactivated, and to empty the bucket under the leaking toilet because it fills quickly and needs to be emptied twice a day. <br /><a data-cke-saved-href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726787/1726787_original.jpg" href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726787/1726787_original.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726787/1726787_800.jpg" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/taz_39/51907165/1726787/1726787_800.jpg" width="640" height="640" /></a><br /><br />Oh, did I not mention that?<br />Yeah, in the new room I've been assigned, instead of a clogged sink I get a leaky toilet.<br />When I tell people this they ask, "Well why don't you just ask them to move you again?"<br />Because I've just been moved from a room with a clogged sink, to one with a leaking toilet.<br />Neither of which hotel maintenance noticed at all before I moved in.<br />So if I switch rooms again...what's going to be broken in the NEXT room? Am I gonna have to do <i>electrical</i> work there? Or take sponge baths in the sink because the tub's clogged?<br /><br />No thanks. I'm cutting my losses now and emptying a toilet bucket twice daily for the rest of the stay.<br />That's far preferable to canceling plans with friends, being walked in on by hotel staff or maintenance, or making another disruptive move to a room where it's likely things still won't be right.<br /><br />Maybe I'll draw a face on my toilet bucket and give it a name.<br />Gotta laugh or you'll cry, isn't that right?<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Sunday, a rainy chilly morning.<br /><br />I did my usual things, breakfast and coffee and anime, and thankfully there was not one incident or interruption.<br />I walked to the theatre with my computer and a packed dinner and an umbrella.<br />The show was good, the break spent in my dressing room was relaxing and quiet.<br />Dinner was chicken soup with tofu chunks, baru nuts, lemon rosemary bread, dark chocolate and coconut turmeric tea for dessert. <br />The second show was also good, nothing to report except our key 1 Sam was conducting and did a great job :)<br /><br />I felt very tired, so took a company Uber home with the band guys instead of walking as usual. <br />It also saved me about 15 minutes of time, which I used to shower and prep things for tomorrow's fun.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Monday is our much-anticipated Golden Day!<br /><br />I am going ALL-OUT. Partly because this week has been stressful, and partly because this tour is coming to an end and it's all part of my mid-life pre-40s crisis :D<br /><br />The plan is Dallas Arboretum in the morning,<br />Eataly for lunch and family souvenirs in the afternoon,<br />H-Mart and 99 Ranch in the late afternoon,<br />and Billy Can Can for a light dinner and a much-needed glass of wine!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=taz_39&ditemid=208326" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments