Tootsie on Tour: Tempe, AZ
Mar. 21st, 2022 08:29 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.**
The venue: ASU Gammage (the guys say it's nicknamed "The Birthday Cake")
(stock images)
Covid Tests to Date: 70
TL;DR TikTok: CLICK HERE
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Monday, what a nice travel day!
No delays, Southwest flight, direct flight! Couldn't ask for anything more.
We arrived super early, but it felt super late thanks to Daylight Savings and the time zone change.
I think we were at the hotel before noon, but they somehow did have our rooms ready for us!
(photo courtesy Graduate Hotels but this is EXACTLY what my room looks like, wall art and all)
This hotel is on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus, and it's dorm-themed.
Lots of hipster, desert-y art on the walls.
A rotary hotel phone!
A particle board desk with a little corkboard section, like you're a student who might pin photos and such up.
The keycards for the doors are made to look like student ID badges.
The doors themselves are a toothpaste shade of mint, and evoke a sort of vintage feeling.
And the "do not disturb" door hangers are little pennant flags! Awww!
The hotel concierge caught me taking this photo and gave me an extra one to take home.
Jameson is gushing over it, I think he wants to put it on the bedroom door. Like I said, adorable.
Since we had access to rooms so early, I dropped my luggage and took a walk to a dry cleaner to get my peacoat cleaned (it's WAY overdue).
It's been a long time since I've been in a desert environment, but my body remembers this strange sensation of sweat evaporating as soon as it forms; of a stark temperature difference between shaded and full sun areas; a cloudless sky and scrubby low trees and clean streets with a haze of dust and sand.
Immediately I remembered that I need to get sun lotion, because although the olive-toned skin cells inherited from my mother protect me from becoming a lobster, it's far too easy to burn quickly out here. So, a quick dip into Walgreens and a light slathering before walking to Mango Rabbit.
Mango Rabbit does boba tea and bubble waffles in a very over-the-top, Instagrammable style.
They have special theme nights and limited-run treats based on anime characters and K-pop stars.
I've never had boba tea, mostly because it's high calorie and a lot of milk teas are made from powdered mixes that contain loads of bad stuff like condensed milk, lactose and whey, and dyes and preservatives. But Mango Rabbit uses all natural ingredients, many sourced locally or made on-site. They still use condensed milk, but sometimes you just gotta make an executive decision and suffer the consequences.
If I'm gonna try boba tea for the first time, this is probably a really good place to do it!
CLICK HERE to see the crazy drink that I got!
I chose the Ube Frappe: house-made ube ice cream drizzled with ube paste, ube blueberry milk tea, honey boba, whipped cream, topped with two Pocky sticks, blueberries, and gold dust. Insanely decadent.
I found the texture of the ice cream fascinating. Very thick, with large ice crystals.
The starch from the ube (ube is a purple sweet potato) must have something to do with such an interesting texture.
The flavor was earthy and just slightly sweet.
In fact, the whole thing was less sweet than I was expecting (thankfully!).
I ate the whole thing (I had planned for this in my calorie counter) and it was delicious.
Totally hit the spot! Did I have a lactose attack later, yes. Was it worth it, yes! Lol.
On the walk back I was in a crosswalk and nearly stepped on an adorable white robot heading in the opposite direction.
Turns out ASU has a robotic food delivery service!
CLICK HERE to see their cute little wheels and the sweet little flag!! DAAAAW
In under a mile I saw three of these little dudes scooting around. They must be popular.
A quick stop at the hotel to drop off my lotion and pick up my tote bags, then on to Whole Paycheck!
And it was a GOOD Whole Paycheck. Some of the best selection I've seen in a while.
In addition to my usual proteins/veg/fruits, I picked up some unusual treats:
dried jackfruit, "snacking" lupini beans, a new plant-based protein shake to try, and calamansi sparkling water.
I cracked open the calamansi right away, not knowing what a calamansi is or what the flavor would be.
Turns out it's a small round citrus from the Phillipines with a green rind and an orange interior.
It's very tart, and is related to kumquats. Refreshing and nice :)
Later in the week I tried the protein shakes and they were very good!
I won't be able to get this kind normally because it needs to be refrigerated, but the cinnamon horchata flavor was fantastic.
The "jackfruit snack" is literally just dried jackfruit segments, but it was hard to tell by looking if they were chewy or crunchy (answer: crunchy).
They were very delicious, a sweet low-cal snack.
The beans were quite interesting. The picture on the bag made me think of hominy or maybe a yellow lima bean, but they were like neither of those. They were kind of squareish and enclosed in a transparent gummy-looking pod.
They smelled fantastic, garlicky and herbal. These are not dry-roasted, and need to be refrigerated after opening.
They were harder than I expected for beans, and they had a pleasant sourness to them (as I was eating I was reading the bag and saw that this is due to fermentation). You can eat them with or without the shell according to preference, so I tried them both ways and liked them just fine. It's too bad they need to be refrigerated or I'd add them to my "must-have" grocery list.
As it is I'll keep an eye out for them in the future because I'd love to eat them again!
Back at the hotel I unpacked, which was a bit of a challenge as there's not much surface area in this room.
I'm going to be using part of the bed as storage, since I don't roll around much in my sleep.
After a light dinner of summer rolls and tuna I got a frigid shower; the water heater is broken!
Gosh, it's like a real college dorm! Lol.
What an exciting and fun first day in Tempe :)
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Tuesday!
Being a "dorm-themed" hotel, there is a communal microwave in the hall and I woke to the sound of incessant beeping as everyone on the floor took turns using it. In other words I'll be using my skillet this week :p
A quick breakfast and the weekly PCR/rapids, then out the door to hit the Trader Joe's AND the H-Mart!
There are so many great groceries so close by!
Please note, I am very careful not to waste food and try very hard to only buy what I need for each week.
Most of my groceries I picked up at Whole Paycheck. I just wanted one specialty item from TJ's, and frankly I always find new and exciting things to try at Asian groceries. Plus I am continuously restocking my nonperishables that come with me from city to city like jerky, nuts, oatmeal, coffee, and granola bars. And we are taking a bus to the next city, which means I can bring food with me to the next city for once. AND if I do happen to buy too much and can't finish it all, 99.99% of the time there are homeless folks camped out within a block or two of wherever we are. All I have to do is bag it all up and place it at a campsite, and it will not go to waste.
The Defense rests, lol.
I got pea protein at TJ's that will be useful to add to many foods.
Then I got to enjoy the H-Mart and Mekong groceries.
Ah...I miss having a full-sized fridge. Imagine what I could do with these beautiful cuts of beef. 
Japanese daikon as long as my forearm.
I want one, but have no idea how to prepare it and don't think a hotel room is the best place to learn.
I enjoyed going up and down the aisles and wishing I could try everything, then carefully picking out a few things to bring home. 
Here we have eel jerky; a pear drink with absolutely no English so I have no idea what it is; some tricolor dango; and two Java bananas.
I may have had Java bananas before, but they were only 50 cents, why not try 'em again!
When they are this bluish color, they are not ripe yet. When they look like normal bananas, they are ready.
I waited patiently, and by the end of the week they were ready to eat.
These bananas, and the "lady finger" variety too, are a bit sweeter than regular bananas and have a thicker, starchier texture.
They were very nice :)
Dango is a popular Japanese snack or dessert that falls under the category of "wagashi", which is "a traditional Japanese confection typically served with tea". They come in many flavors and sometimes with sauces on top. This one is "hanami" dango, which comes in three colors and is typically served during Sakura-viewing season.
They were chewy and sweet, similar to mochi I guess.
The white and pink dango tasted the same, but the green had a sort of earthy flavor, it's colored with some grassy plant so that is not surprising.
I was super curious to try the eel jerky! I've had eel many times and enjoyed it, but never in jerky form.
Turns out it wasn't exactly "jerky". It was in individually-packaged pouches:
Opening it revealed something similar to a Starkist tuna pouch. It's essentially canned eel seasoned with a spicy BBQ sauce.
It was quite good! Not particularly special, but tasty and I could easily see how one would serve it over rice or as part of a salad, just like canned tuna or chicken. There were also little mushrooms in there which was nice. Overall it was as enjoyable as canned fish can be, lol.
And the pear drink, it didn't seem carbonated so I thought it might be a pear-flavored juice drink, which was correct.
Sadly, it was not very good at all. I really do not like artificial fruit flavors, and this did not come close to encapsulating "pear".
It was overly sweet and heavy and just, bleck. BUT, this will happen sometimes when you choose interesting-looking foods at random!
Every once in a while there's a dud!
Before leaving the grocery stores, I picked up some chicken sheng jian bao from one of the restaurants lining the plaza.
Look how beautiful and fluffy!
Inside is just ground chicken with chives and other seasonings.
It's a simple snack, but very delicious, one of my favorites.
I usually get them steamed but these have been briefly pan-fried on the bottom with some sesame for a really nice added texture.
Soon it was time for sound check at "the birthday cake" as everyone is calling it.
Finally it is warm enough to wear my new 70s-vintage black polka-dot top! I got many complements on it :)
The pit is a little small but has an open ceiling, and the sound is pretty "live" in there because of the round shape of the building.
In fact once the audience was packed in it sounded a lot like an arena circus show.
Yes, PACKED in on a Tuesday night! We had a full house and a very enthusiastic audience for our opening show.
I'll never stop saying it: it's such a wonderful thing to be part of a show that brings joy, fun, and laughter.
And the overages ain't too shabby either ;)
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Wednesday, I decided to take it easy.
I've walked quite a lot over the past several days, plus that ube frappe did a number on my guts.
And daylight savings + the time zone change haven't been helpful either.
I handled random adulting things: gathering some items to ship home, walking to a UPS store to ship them, writing emails to family, making travel plans for our upcoming layoff, enjoying some of of my exciting grocery items.
Jameson had his rescheduled interview with Disney this afternoon, so I nervously cooked myself some lunch while waiting to hear how it went. He called just as I was finishing up, and it sounds like it went very well! Yay! I am so happy for him!!!
Right now his dad is in town to visit, plus he's beginning rehearsals for a local production of SpongeBob, so he will be very busy for the next month. I am happy to know that I'll be home in time to catch at least one performance of SpongeBob! Not only that, I am looking forward to cooking some nice foods for us. High on the list are fermented pepper honeyed chicken and a "cheese bombs" recipe that Jameson found on TikTok.
While we chatted Jameson informed me that my plants are doing mostly ok: the little lemon tree is in full bloom, my bananas have new growth despite all the damage they took over the winter, and my vanilla is also recovering.
This was so good to hear!
As long as there is new growth, there is hope.
When my chores were done I watched Downton Abbey and Kimetsu no Yaiba and drank ginger tea and dozed.
There is something special about catching a nap on a sunny warm day, the sound of a lawnmower in the distance, the sun marching lazily across the sky as a breeze shifts the curtains. I needed today.
The evening show was great. Such awesome audiences we have here!
Also, it was our 150th performance!!
Thinking back to summer 2021, when I was grinding away at CapTel and trying to learn stenography and had resigned myself to the fact that my dreams of a career in music were completely over. And out of the void this gig randomly fell right on top of my head. Despite the pandemic and despite everything I thought I knew.
There are things about touring that are very difficult.
And my year thus far has been full of trials and difficulties, especially where my loved ones are concerned.
Being away from Jameson is especially hard!
But all of that said, getting to be a part of a touring show again is an absolute gift.
Whatever happens next, whatever comes next, I will always cherish my time on this show, and I will not take it for granted.
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Thursday, I finally managed to sleep up until 7am!
Got up slowly and had a nice breakfast, did some research on what's around in our next city, and took myself to a local thrift store just for fun.
Didn't find anything so walked to a Safeway because there are few grocery stores in walking distance in the next city, and we are riding a bus there. So I decided to pick up some shelf-stable protein shakes to save myself a little trouble next week. It was so nice out and walking around in the sun felt good.
Back at the hotel, lunch and trolling Netflix and a nap. Maybe I can become a napper! Doubtful.
The evening show was great again, great crowd.
Steve (trumpet) was on pins and needles waiting for his granddaughter to be born, and we all tried to keep the mood light by placing bets on when during the show she might come out. Turns out it was around 9:30, which was near the end of the show, a Reprise I think :)
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Friday, slept until 8:30 but that is mostly because I didn't go to bed until 1am.
And THAT is because my new luggage arrived last night, and I spent extra time checking it out!
My poor old blue suitcase has been with me for literally decades.
But up until now I hadn't done much flying, so it served me when I traveled cross-country in the car, or moved stuff around on the circus train, or moved in and out of shared Craigslist housing. So it was already somewhat beat up from all of that, but getting thrown around on a plane once per week this year finally did it in. A few months ago one of the sheaths for the retractable handle (which also serves as part of the frame support) snapped clean off, and I "fixed" it with duct tape, knowing that the end was near but wanting to push it as far as it would go (luggage is expensive!). Then on this last flight when I got the suitcase back it could not stand up on its wheels any more, and when I got it to the hotel I found that the other handle sheath had also broken clean off. With no more frame support and barely able to roll, and with some good used luggage on sale on Amazon, I decided it was now or never.
So after breakfast I transferred everything over to the new suitcase, which looks great and will serve me well.
Then it was covid testing in the lobby and a walk to the dry cleaner to get my peacoat back.
And THEN I took my laundry to a laundromat, and while I waited for that to finish, found lunch at Cornish Pasty Co!
I have been to this chain before when the circus played Phoenix; Jameson and his friend Krista and I ate here together before doing an escape room. At that time I had the lamb pasty and I remember it was fantastic. This time I got the "Porky", which is pork with apple, potato, onion, and sage with a side of red wine dipping sauce. 
So yummy! Flaky pastry and savory sage pork and potato, with a little sweetness from the apple.
And I could just about drink that dipping sauce too!!
Cornish Pasty Co is a chain found in the Southwest, so if you find one in your area definitely make time to stop in.
They have loads of different pasty flavors, vegan and vegetarian options, and even dessert pasties!
Well worth a visit.
I had wanted to walk home but it was hot out, and I was tired.
Instead I walked a little ways to the Whole Paycheck for a few small items, then splurged on an Uber to the hotel.
I felt so tired probably because I've been taking a nap around this time every day.
Well tomorrow we have matinees, so I can't afford to be all sleepy! I pushed through it and felt a little better once it was time for the evening show. Which was important because my friend Krista was there, with some of her friends!
We didn't really get to hang out because she'd had to work and I'd been busy with finding a laundromat and all that, but she came to the pit and we chatted a while, then had time for a photo after the show. It's always nice when friends come out to support you at work!
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Saturday, I woke up semi-early because another local friend and former theatre manager, Jim, wanted to take me for an early lunch.
So after a light breakfast and chores and whatnot he and his wife came to pick me up, and we drove to The Original Blue Adobe Grill.
We chatted about theatre stuff...he was curious to know what travel was like for us, and how we'd handled covid, and what the different pits looked like in the theatres across the country. He caught me u pon his doings since retirement and during the time of covid, luckily he and his wife both managed to avoid catching it and his kids as well. It seems like he's doing well and enjoying life, so that's great!
Our food was lovely, I had chile-rubbed salmon with green pepper mashed potatoes and veg. 
Back at the hotel we parted ways, and I put my leftovers away and went to do the matinee.
Jim and his wife both said they enjoyed the show very much :)
During the break I didn't do much, just had dinner and ironed some clothing.
The evening show was just fine as well.
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Sunday I woke up early for no real reason, had breakfast, and started my packing process.
The new suitcase is deeper and has lots of pocket storage, which is great!
It did take me a little extra time to decide where everything should go, but it all fit perfectly in there.
The matinee show was fine, very good crowd. Lookin' forward to those overages!
During the break I packed a little bit more but mostly had a relaxing 1.5 hours of researching things to do in Tucson, chatting with my sister, writing a letter to my aunt, and watching the reboot of The Animaniacs.
The evening show was great. Great audiences all week!
I'll be sad to leave this one. Can't we bring a studio audience? lol.
And I will miss my adorable robot overlords.
Next on our route is Tuscson, AZ, which is only an hour or so down the road.
As I write this I'm waiting for the charter bus that will take us there; we should arrive today around 2pm.
Tucson is very spread out, and it's got a middling altitude of a little over 2,000ft above sea level, so I may take it easier than usual for the first day or two. But the weather is supposed to be nice and there's lots to see, so hopefully I'll have fun stuff to share with you :)
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Date: 2022-03-21 05:21 pm (UTC)Glad to hear your garden is doing okay as well!
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Date: 2022-03-21 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-21 07:38 pm (UTC)I hope you enjoy Tucson. The altitude is really not that dramatic, especially since it's only about 1000 feet more above sea level than Tempe is.
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Date: 2022-03-21 08:06 pm (UTC)I don’t think I thought or said it was dramatic, just that it would be a good head start on gaining altitude leading up to Denver. Also for people who live at sea level for years like myself 2000ft up actually is noticeable, I can’t really help that.
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Date: 2022-03-21 08:19 pm (UTC)My aim was to point out that you've already spent several days at a higher altitude than FL (because Tempe is 1140-1450 ft above sea level, though it may not seem so because the landscape is so flat). Because of that, the transition to Tucson will hopefully be easier for you than it might otherwise be if you were flying in from FL or another place at sea level. Clearly that didn't come across well.
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Date: 2022-03-21 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 01:09 am (UTC)