Tootsie on Tour: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan. 17th, 2022 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**
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The venue: Broward Center for the Performing Arts
(stock photos)
Covid Tests to Date: 41
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TL;DR: TikTok:
TikTok by @tromboneontour
On Monday we had straightforward, drama-free travel to Fort Lauderdale!
We arrived around 3pm. It's a nice hotel to be in for two weeks! Clean and comfortable room (see TikTok)
I've even got a balcony!
I did my usual grocery run. There's a Winn-Dixie directly across from the hotel and I got most of my groceries there, but there's also a Fresh Market a few blocks down where I went for a few special things like "Lucy" apples, which have a red flesh instead of white; some strawberry vanilla seltzer; a forbidden + Jasmine rice blend; chicken potstickers; vanilla flax milk. I love trying new foods!
I also got dinner from Vale, a nearby healthy/clean food store. I didn't take a picture because my takeaway bowl got shaken up among my groceries, but it was delicious, sweet potato noodles with broccoli, grilled chicken, and curry sauce! I hope to visit again.
Back at the hotel I went exploring and found the very fancy rooftop pool.
(photo courtesy weddingwire)
I joined Bobby (bass) and Taurus (drums) on one of the lounge chairs up there, and we enjoyed the cool breeze and chatted about this and that. It was nice.
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Tuesday I woke up to a slight breeze and clouds, which always means rainy weather in Florida.
After breakfast I decided to walk the 30 minutes to get my local bread before any big storms hit.
The bakery/cafe is Gran Forno, and they make beautiful rustic loaves fresh every day.
I'd had my heart set on their "specialty" raising fennel bread, but turns out you've got to order that in advance, so got myself a whole wheat boule instead. There was so much delicious stuff in here: all kinds of pies and cookies and desserts, most of them Italian, and quiches and big caprese and chicken pesto sandwiches on house-made focaccia. I mean we're here for two weeks, I'm GOING to come back and get a sandwich at some point!
But for now, the crusty wheat bread still warm from the oven, and a tangerine tart because it was just so beautiful.
The bread tastes rather mild to me, probably because I've become used to breads that are sourdough-based or baked with flavorful grains like rye or barley. This is plain wheat, probably just flour/water/salt/yeast, and although the flavor is not very intense the texture is phenomenal and I'm all about it for sandwiches and soups or just by itself.
I cut the tart into quarters so I can enjoy it throughout the week :)
It's delicious, especially the caramelized fruit on top!
My only criticism would be that the custard was not very creamy, it was kind of "eggy". But still, freaking delicious!
Please note that I'm not over here trying to be picky about these beautiful foods.
I simply like to be honest and convey any impressions that I have without filters.
If something is mind-blowing or uniquely different then I'll say so; if it's normal, I'll say that too :)
I did get rained on a bit on the way back and had to break out my poncho, mostly to protect the bread which they gave to me unwrapped. Here is a wet-rat dreary day selfie for you, which you may enjoy comparing to last week's golden-glowing sunset selfie in Falls Park. Lighting makes a big difference, you know?
Back at the hotel I cut open the bread to take pictures, then had to clean up the resulting explosion of crumbs, then had some lunch and tried to do some meal planning for the week. Finding nutritional info for a random tart is pretty tough. Then I packed dinner to take to the theatre because sound check is right at dinnertime and there doesn't seem to be much nearby for food. The hotel is 1.5 miles away from the theatre, and I'd like to walk most days, but today it's pouring rain so we used the company Uber account to get rides.
This theatre has a big gate all around it, so we still got soaked trudging to the stage door in the rain, but once inside it was a nice place to be. The pit is tighter than the last several, but the theatre itself is beautiful and the backstage is nice too.
After sound check there was indeed not enough time to source out food, so I was glad I'd packed dinner. Yael (trumpet 2) and Steve (trumpet 1) and I chatted for a bit to kill time. They mostly talked about trumpet problems, which I can kind-of relate to being a brass player as well, but trumpet is a pretty unforgiving instrument and causes a lot more physical damage than trombone. My issues tend to be shoulder tension and occasional embouchre tiredness; theirs are both of those things plus lip swelling, pain, mouth pain, tooth pain, dental issues, throat issues, and sometimes even an inability to play because your body just kind of yells "STOP IT" and won't let you continue.
Steve is dealing with some playing issues right now and it sounds like those will require dental work in his near future. I worry about him, but since all I can do is worry, I try to just listen and be supportive. And be glad that I play trombone. And that my time in the circus has built up my endurance to such a degree that I never need to worry about suddenly not being able to play.
The opening night show went well, the audience was responsive and seemed to enjoy it.
I'm starting to think about making some recordings to add to my promo reel.
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Wednesday, it was somewhat dreary out again so I didn't make plans. Laundry at this hotel is kind of pricey ($4 per machine, yowch!) so I looked up laundry services in the area. I spent the morning cleaning spam out of my dad's email account and unsubscribing him from mailing lists, emailed some relatives just to see how they are, had a nice long chat with my aunt while she waited for a covid test, started watching Sweet Tooth because apparently I'm into antro stuff lately.
In the afternoon I walked to a Walgreens in a less-pleasant part of town and got heckled by four different homeless guys and two random people just walking past. Annoying. I dress like crap when out walking in FL for this very reason, and also because I'm going to sweat all over everything so why wear something nice? But sometimes it's not about what you wear. Sometimes you are just a woman in America, a second-class citizen who can't even walk a mile to a pharmacy without harassment. Anyway. Just annoyed.
The Walgreens had not one thing that I needed (replacement poncho, feminine products, wet wipes) so I walked back, still annoyed. Ate dinner and got another company-sponsored Uber to the theatre for the evening show. Again the show went well and it was a nice night.
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Thursday I woke up late because I'd had a dream about my dad.
I took a moment to steep in my feelings, and cry a little about it before beginning my day.
After breakfast I found the laundry room and decided to spend the money and do a load.
Then a walk to Fresh Market for sashimi for dinner and a few extra pieces of fruit.
Then when the laundry was done I walked to a thrift store (had no luck) and another Walgreens and a Publix, and between them I found the items I'd been looking for. No harassment this time.
Back at the hotel I found out that my friend Bill, a trumpet player who I worked with on the circus, will be subbing in for our trumpet player Steve while he tries to rehabilitate. As mentioned Steve has been struggling lately, and I guess he's decided it's time for a break. I hope Steve gets better soon, and am also excited to perform with Bill again! Fun!!
Here are the three trumpets in the pit: Yael, Bill, and Steve.
Bill is "shadowing", meaning he will watch Steve play the book and ask any questions about cuts and cues and things, so that he will be better prepared to play the book tomorrow. Yes, TOMORROW. This, friends, is the difference between a professional musician and an amateur. Bill is unlikely to play the book perfectly tomorrow, but he will play it well on his first try because he's a pro. You won't get the same result if you grab someone fresh out of high school or the local community band.
The show went well, and afterward we said goodbye to Steve for now. Hopefully he can take some time to recover and decide if he'd like to rejoin us by the time we go to Atlanta.
Also, we were gifted these stickers that one of our backstage crew had printed! How cool!
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Friday I woke up waaaay earlier than usual, like 7:30 for some reason.
So I made breakfast and did my "chores" of emptying my dad's email, called Gran Forno to order a loaf of their raisin fennel bread for pickup on Sunday (they're the ones who said I needed to call 24 hours in advance to get it), scheduled a room refresh with the hotel front desk, then decided to take a walk to a mall.
It was about two miles away, so a 40-minute walk. And I was about to pop out the door when I remembered we're still in a pandemic and the supply chain is ruined, so I checked the mall's opening time and it's not until 11am. Good save, I would have been sitting outside for an hour and a half.
Do I need anything? No.
Do I want a small tea light to make my room smell nice and make me feel cozy? Yes.
Could I have a look for a new button-up blouse since mine are 5+ years old and starting to show it? Yes!
And although I love my Betabrand pants, and my cheap yoga pants are "ok" for this gig as well, I'm always on the lookout for a pair of 70s-style, high-waised, wide leg pants!
So off I went. It was a pleasant walk, partly through a nearby park and some neighborhoods and partly along a busy state road. The weather was unusually cool for Florida, so I didn't get all gross and sweaty, a huge plus. The mall is closer to the beach so I was able to enjoy some waterfront views.
Once at the mall I enjoyed an iced tea from Starbucks (yay gift cards!) then started my hunt at Macy's, working my way to Dillards (I always forget I can't afford ANYTHING in that store) and Express and a few others that looked promising. I did fine one plain black button-up, but had no luck with wide-leg pants; most of them were a flowy tulle or crepe material, or linen, which is not the look I'm going for.
Last stop was Bath and Body Works for the candles. I settled on a citrus & sage candle, and also a "marshmallow pumpkin" candle because it was only $3 and smelled nothing like marshmallow or pumpkin, but did smell pleasant. Back home I realized that I have nothing to light the candle with, and had a heck of a time running around trying to find matches or a lighter. This also begs the question of whether I'll have to buy a lighter/matches every week, since you can't carry either on a plane in ANY of your luggage. Maybe this wasn't thought through.
But, I must admit that having the candle going soothes my soul, and makes me enjoy my room more.
I ended up ordering an additional black shirt, THIS ONE which is kind of 70s, and some very expensive wide-leg pants which I have a feeling I'll regret and return unless they look so spectacular that I need to keep them.
Bill played his first show with us tonight, and it went well considering he's only had one day to look at the music.
Yes there were mistakes, but that's to be expected. He did a great job.
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Saturday. I felt very tired from all the walking yesterday, but told myself to suck it up because I REALLY wanted a panini from Gran Forno!
I had a relaxing morning and breakfast, then walked 30 minutes to the restaurant and chose a chicken pesto sandwich. I'll eat half for lunch and half for dinner, bringing it with me to the theatre since we won't have time to return to the hotel between shows.
On the walk back I found this rainbow eucalyptus at random. So pretty!
30 minutes back left me just enough time to shower and get ready for the show.
I got a company-paid Uber and shared it with Bobby (bass) and somebody else, and we went straight to the Green Room for our weekly covid testing.
Where Bobby tested positive and was sent home.
Great! Now I've been in REALLY close contact with someone who tested positive in an enclosed vehicle. Awesome.
I feel bad for Bobby. I mean, I hope he has few symptoms and enjoys the down time. But I also know how weird and hard it can be to know you "should be" doing a job, but you can't be there. He'd probably look at me like I'm nuts for saying that, lol.
I went back to the covid officer as soon as I heard the news and asked if I needed to do anything, and she said no, just wear a stronger mask and handed me a KN95 as all I had that day was a paper mask. I kept it on even between numbers in the pit...that's all I can think of to do. I still have to remove it to play.
The show was weird without bass. During the break I wolfed down my delicious chicken pesto sandwich, and spent some time outside which was nice. Days where you've got to be at the theatre/arena all day can be a little tough, but really it's not so bad if you make the best of it. After the break we had a bass sub, the poor guy came in on absolutely zero notice and did his best, so there were a few times where he got lost or stepped in holes. But he literally could not have done any better. Good on him for taking on such a stressful situation.
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Sunday. I had a fitful sleep, maybe due to stress from the whole covid thing, maybe from excitement because we have a true day off on Monday (in theatre that's called a "Golden Day") and I couldn't stop thinking about my plans every time I woke up to pee. I don't really HAVE massively important plans; as usual, everything with me centers around food. So my big excitement is to visit Paris Morning Bakery, then go somewhere for a real coal-fired margherita pizza, then eat a big pile of ice cream (something I rarely allow myself to fully enjoy due to lactose issues), and THEN watch Encanto and day drink. Sounds like a good day, no?
I can already hear some of you whining, "Why don't you go out and make frieeeeendz??"
Yes HI, I was just in a car with ONE person with an active case of covid. It would be LOVELY to lose my job or a week of work because my friends want to eat in an enclosed space together, ride in an enclosed vehicle together, spend the whole day breathing down each others' throats together. NO THANK YOU. When I'm not at risk of losing work or inconveniencing everyone around me by my covid-related absence, I'll consider hanging out in groups again. Until then everyone who has an opinion on my social life can go suck a toilet seat.
Anyway, back to positive stuff. I had breakfast and prepped my room for hotel services to come and clean it (gathered the trash in one place, towels too, made the floor clear for vacuuming), then got to Gran Forno again for the loaf of raisin fennel that I'd ordered a day earlier. I stopped at Fresh Market for a prepared meal for dinner since there won't be time between shows. Then I packed my food and got a shower and ate a quick lunch, including a slice of the new bread (it's very good! GOSH I love fennel!) and made my way to the theatre.
The shows went much better today as the subs have had more time to integrate. Great job everyone!
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Writing Prompts 2022:
12/10: Do you often make impulsive purchases?
A: More now than I used to. In the past I used to "treat myself" once a month or so to something that was definitely outside my budget, that I just WANTED right then and there. Lately I feel like I'm doing it more often, and for stuff I don't necessarily "need", like articulated slugs from TikTok or a fancy bar soap from Whole Foods or a graphic T that in the moment I feel I can't live without. Part of it is, lately no matter what I do I can't seem to save money, I'm always breaking even, so why bother. And the other part is, my dad's death has reawakened the urge to enjoy things in the moment, and that often means buying the thing, because money is just money.
12/11: Would you rather lose the ability to read, or the ability to speak?
A: SPEAK, 100%. Good grief, you can still communicate without speaking! Being unable to read is a massively greater handicap than being unable to speak!!
12/12: What do you think are three things that are pretty great or interesting about you?
A: Everyone has great things about them, even someone like me :)
1 - The incredible variety of jobs I've held. Across the US, on boats, on trains, in hotels, on each coast. Doing everything from cleaning kennels to calculating financial aid to running movie projectors to mopping floors and performing in front of thousands. Not many people can both say they've been a custodian, and also been kissed on the cheek by a billionaire, but that's me.
2 - I've likely got a significant chunk of Ainu DNA. From what I understand this is rare even in Japan.
3 - My eyes have a really large limbal ring. Everyone has limbal rings, just some are more visible than others. It makes my eyes look pretty, and I find it interesting because none of my relatives have/had big ones, so I consider it kind of unique to me.
12/13: What makes you suspicious of other people?
A: Everything, but especially offers of friendship and offers of unsolicited favors or gifts. I've been hurt way too many times. If someone wants to be my friend, it means they want something from me, or to use me for something and then throw me away. If someone buys me something, they want something in return. If someone invites me somewhere, it's to have a prop to make themselves look better, not because they actually want my company. I feel this way because these things have happened. A LOT. One time someone held a door for me and expected payment for it. Being left alone, while it's hard, is way better than being used.
12/14: What social stigma does society need to get over?
A: All of them, social stigmas are just plain bad. But on a personal pet peeve level, the NUMBER ONE stigma that NEEDS to be dropped imo is pressuring people to get married and have children. It needs to f*cking STOP. The same people who complain that Millennials ruin everything, or that people have no manners or no work ethic, are the SAME people who pressure and push terrible people into having terrible children, who grow up to be terrible adults! YOU are the reason we have so many bad people in the world!! STOP demanding that irresponsible, poverty-stricken, and unprepared people continue breeding!! STOP demanding that people forge a life-bond after hardly knowing each other!! YOUR unfounded social demands are making the world a worse place for everyone!
12/15: Do you like to be the center of attention?
A: NO.
12/16: What is your favorite number? Why?
A: I like 17, and I don't know why. Possibly because I've read Steven Brust books, and that number figures prominently in his writing. Or possibly because several good things in my life happened on the 17th.
