Karma

Monday was pretty normal, for me. Although the worst of the hurricane had passed, poor Jameson still did not have power (along with, you know, six million others!) Because of this I didn't hear from him much...he was trying to conserve battery. At work it was surprisingly busy in the morning, and then traffic died down a bit near the end of the day, so we got to leave close to normal closing time.

On Tuesday I got up early to practice, then went to work a bit earlier than usual. I cleaned up a bit and brewed some coffee for us. My boss was at the factory doing repairs. Kristy and Eric were busy with repairs for a local university. I spent my day helping customers and trying to inventory what instruments we've got in preparation for selling some step-up instruments during the fall. My progress on that was pretty slow as for each instrument, I have to consult existing records to find out if it's BAC-owned, consignment, Rent My Instrument-owned, on loan from a manufacturer, etc. And when I do finally find out what it is, I have to carefully log the info (model, price, condition, age, etc) and input all of that into a point-of-sale system. It's slow going but I hope it will be helpful later on.

After work I dropped by a luggage store to pick up my trombone case, the one that came with my Williams. I was hoping they'd be able to fix the latches, but they couldn't/wouldn't. I'll have to try again somewhere else. On the way home Jameson reported that his power had come back on. Awesome!

Wednesday was pretty straightforward. We finally got the Yamaha Advantage Primers we'd ordered...this was important because a local school started using them this year, but declined to tell any of the local stores (or the parents!) so even though everyone needs it it's difficult to get ahold of. I'd been taking names of people who needed the primer, and when they came in today I called each one, offering to either hold the book or drop it off at the child's school. Most parents were happy to pick it up :)


I should mention that on Wednesday morning before work, I had kind of an ugly interaction with a customer on facebook. I had recently listed a silver Bach 43 trumpet for sale on fb marketplace. As I ate breakfast and scrolled through facebook, I saw a message from this person asking about the differences between the bells on the model 43 and 37 trumpets. I replied with what I knew, which is that the 43 has a specific taper to the bell, and the bell is also made from one piece and hammered by hand. He snootily responded that "almost all" trumpets have one piece bells (not true) and then asked again what the differences were. I told him very frankly that I was not sure, and suggested that he consult the internet for the differences between the two trumpet models. I then did this myself and sent him the results of my search, where he would have easily found the answer to his question. Instead he continued to mock me, asking why I had "no clue" about an instrument I'm selling and basically going on about how I'm a horrible salesperson.

At this point I lost patience and ended up trying to defend myself, which ended in getting blocked. While interactions like this are commonplace in any retail setting, this happened while I was off the clock, in my pjs eating breakfast. I was more annoyed than I should have been.

But I mention this because over the next 24 hours, karma repaid me twofold. That same morning, a customer purchased a harp from me. This harp was in our shop on consignment and was one of few instruments that I personally got to choose to accept (because my boss looked at me and said, "Well? It's up to you.") I took it in about a week after I started working at BAC Music.

Over the months it became a sort of joke, a hopeless cause that took up space on the sales floor, periodically dragged to this-or-that corner to make room for some rental cellos or music stands or something. I swear, every kid who came into the store touched it, running their excited fingers over the sensitive nylon strings. Even most adults couldn't walk past without reaching out to give it a pluck. It eventually ended up in a corner near the register, where it gathered dust and made the occasional racket when someone's unsupervised child couldn't resist it.

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In other news, I thought it might be nice to do a sort of "Where Are They Now" for circus folks. Here is what some of my circus family are up to.

First off, the Great and Powerful LaRena. LaRena was a Ringling clown, and after the circus folded she got a gig with a Japanese circus. Shortly after moving to Japan for work, she started having health problems that unfortunately turned out to be quite serious. No one likes to hear the "C" word...imagine having to hear it in a foreign country, far from home and everyone you know and love. LaRena and her mother have been documenting their battle with cancer, and her circus family has been watching with worry and love. After several long months of chemo and intense struggling, it seems that LaRena is coming out the victor. LaRena, we love you and we're cheering for you. You're the strongest person I know.


Next up we have Adria. Adria was an elephant handler for Ringling. After the circus closed, she tried to work at Feld's CEC so that she could stay with the animals that she loved. Unfortunately Feld chose to keep Adria on in another capacity that didn't allow her to interact with her charges, Mable and April. So Adria chose to take on a more fulfilling role with an elephant habitat in Texas. Now I'd say she gets to interact a LOT. It's great that she can continue working with these animals without being treated like a criminal by the public. Same wonderful human being, same loving heart, same quality of care. 


Let's check in on some of the boys. Ryan Henning, former Ringling animal specialist and spokesperson, bought many of the circus's animals and equipment before the show folded. Now he's opening his own attraction: Camel Kingdom, which is part of his preexisting venture, America's Show Camels. Congratulations Ryan! Ryan's hard work and dedication to his animals is apparent when you look at these gorgeous camels.

After the circus closed, Koji Kraft hit the ground running (or riding if we're being totally accurate). He participated in several extreme sports competitions and events, continuing to wow audiences across the country with death-defying feats...and his relentlessly positive dedication to the sport he loves. From what I can tell, Koji is currently on tour with ASA Entertainment, showcasing the art of BMX to promote acceptance and anti-bullying in high schools across America. Rock that modern bushido, Koji. \m/


Keeping track of the Mongolian troupe has been hard work, mostly thanks to that pesky language barrier. However most members look like they're doing well. Especially Monjok here. You don't need no language to see that he's freaking AWESOME. Congrats!!


And of course, there are many circus people who have not yet found their "life after Ringling". For privacy reasons I can't say any names, but I am aware of at least two circus friends who lost literally everything but their lives in Hurricane Harvey. Again, I hope these people know we're standing by to help in any way possible.
Members of the Red Unit circus band also seem to remain nomadic at this point in time. At least three members are relocating to different cities/states in the next few months, and some are starting to tour again with cruise ships or national productions. An unpredictable lifestyle is par for the course for many musicians, but that doesn't always mean it's easy.

There were hundreds of people in the circus, and it's hard to keep track of what everyone is up to. I'm seeing a lot of people getting married, having kids, finding new jobs, finding the next steps. I hope for a bright future for every one of us.