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My Fair Lady - Madison, WI part 2
Nov. 26th, 2023 10:24 pmThanksgiving was very nice for me :)
Jameson's dad came to get me around 10am, and we drove about 40 minutes to their home in a town that shall not be named for their protection. Jameson's mom and dad moved here recently, and their house is quite new and smaller than their last house (a good fit for the two of them, and probably a lot less work!)
I was greeted at the door by Addison, their Bernese Mountain Dog. I met Addison in 2014 when she was just a wee little thing:
Because the circus came through the cities where Jameson's parents lived quite often, I got to watch Addison grow up into a gawky teen puppy. I was there when she went through teething, and during that time I used to let her chew on my hands (she wasn't allowed to chew much else, especially not hands, so it was "Auntie Megan's little secret" between us haha.) Years have passed since I saw Addison last; now she's nearly ten years old and weighs almost as much as me! I wondered if she'd remember me. At first she didn't seem to but then she licked my hand, and the rest is history.
I could tell she remembered because she grabbed my hand gently in her mouth, like she used to when teething, and did a sort of gentle light chewing before letting me go and doing a few excited spins. Goofy girl! She also used to love playing with me because I was the only one who'd roll around on the floor with her, and I could tell she remembered that too because she grabbed my hand again and pulled me down to her level so we could goof off together :)
I messed with her for a while, then visited Brian. Brian is the 23-year-old cockateel who hates my guts...has ALWAYS hated my guts since the moment he met me. I've never teased him or done anything other than stand within a few feet of him and say reassuring things, but he's not having it. The best I ever get out of him is silence instead of hissing :p
Today was no different. As soon as I said, "Hi Pretty Birdy!" he started hissing, stomping, and smacking his beak against his stand.
A short clip of both Addison and Brian (CLICK HERE to watch)
Pet introductions through, I settled in with a glass of wine to chat with Mr. Boyce while Mrs. Boyce prepped dinner (I always offer to help and she always wants to do it all herself, only asking for her husband's help with one or two heavy-lifting things.) We got caught up on family doings, and I got a tour of their beautiful new house, soso new, even the water heater all clean and shiny.
We ate seasoned cold shrimp and a little charcuterie, crackers and cheese and dips and fruits and whatnot, it was very nice. We watched the parade and a little of the football game, and an episode of The Amazing Race which Mrs. Boyce is into. We called Jameson to wish him Happy Thanksgiving and to express sadness that he couldn't join us. And when the turkey was done, we had Thanksgiving!
My plate:
It was all SO good. Mrs. Boyce is a great cook, and though she does do some traditional stuff she also likes to try new recipes and seasonings. This year she cooked her turkey under a butter-and-herb-soaked cheesecloth, which turned out amazing. The sweet potatoes had gruyere cheese mixed in, so they were sweet and savory with lovely rosemary bits. Every year she makes this divine cranberry sauce with whole cranberries and orange juice/rind, I love it so much. And this year she introduced a shaved brussel, pomegranate, bacon, walnut salad that was totally amazing, I would have been happy with just that!
Needless to say everything was delicious, we all ate too much, and sat around moaning for another hour before trying to tackle dessert which was a homemade pumpkin pie (I mean HOMEMADE, she even made the pumpkin puree herself!) to which she'd added orange zest...it was amazing! Never thought that orange zest would be good with pumpkin pie but it was incredible. Note To Self, big time!
After we'd rested a bit again, it was time to take me back to the hotel.
On the way out of town Mr. Boyce took me on a small tour, showing me the dog treat factory where he works part-time (he's retired) and the Main Street all lit up for Christmas. It's about the same size and outline as my hometown in Pennsylvania, and made me feel nostalgic :)
Back at the hotel I made myself some tea and watched anime before bed.
It looks like everyone had a good cast Thanksgiving too! They took a group picture afterward.
We have six shows this weekend, which is "a lot", at least for the theatre world.
But as a Circus Person, that is nothing. We sometimes had nine or ten shows back-to-back!
And not calm theatre music with interspersed dialogue, either; we played for the whole 2.5 hours, and STOOD for every show too.
Not to mention living in a train yard instead of a convenient hotel, and having to walk a mile to get out of said train yard before taking a 30-minute bus commute to the arenas.
Aaaanyway. What I'm getting at is, a lot of people are talking about how hard this weekend is going to be, and I am just keeping my mouth shut in public because contextually, for me, this is nothing at all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday I had a normal morning and eventually the matinee show.
It was nice to have Eileen back in the French horn chair, she sounded great and gave us one less thing to worry about!
During the dinner break I drafted a big "info dump" email for my sub who is coming in at the end of next week. It included his travel itinerary, misc instructions, notes for the music, his schedule, and pretty much any info that I could think of to give him so he'd have it all in one place.
The second show went well also, the audience was really responsive and laughed a lot.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I had to get up early and brave the 25°F weather plus windchill for the laundromat. There is dog hair on everything that I wore to Thanksgiving + I was rolling around on the floor with the dog, but also, I need to admit the need for another black shirt on the road. Two is not enough to make it through eight shows whether I sweat or not.
So, up at 7am, breakfast at 7:30, and started walking around 8:30.
First stop, Gotham Bagels for my Travel Bagel for Monday's long bus ride. They make all of their bagels in-house, and I especially love their egg bagels (REAL egg bagels, you can tell because the texture is different!)
I had the laundromat all to myself and chatted with my Aunt via text while washing and drying.
Walked back and put everything away and had a snack, then chilled until lunch and showtime.
The first show went well, and in between I had a nice dinner and researched things to do in Omaha.
The second show also went well, nothing to say except we were all a little more tired than usual due to the number of shows, but that is to be expected I think. Oh, our pianist also had a massive issue with his keyboard, I'm not sure what was going on but we couldn't hear him for most of the show. I hope a resolution is found by tomorrow's shows.
After the evening show we had S.N.O.T.S., which is an acronym for Saturday Night On Tour Shots.
This is a theatre tradition that someone started: if there are two shows on a Sunday, i.e. no load out or load out prep on a Saturday, someone is tasked with providing shots for the entire company! The shot flavor/content is based on whatever the host/hostess thinks is good, and there is always a non-alcoholic option for those who don't want to drink.
I don't know most folks' names yet, but I think this is Emily Elizabeth from Wardrobe, and her shots were apple-flavored!
I did not partake (I usually don't) but it's a cute social thing to do.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, it was snowing! (CLICK HERE to see)
Yay! This is the first snow I've seen since February or so.
It was only light flurrying. I decided it would be nice to grab lunch at Ruyi Hand-Pulled Noodles.
They really do pull the noodles in-house! I was too shy to take a picture but here is one from Google Maps:
And yeah, the dude was there making noodles when I walked in, and someone else was making soup dumplings.
I went simple and got the chicken with fresh noodles, veggies, and a soy egg.
It was glorious. I added a bit of hot sauce but not much else, there were already spices making the broth fragrant and rich. Everything was great but the star of the show was of course the chewy, fresh noodles. So so good!
I saved half for later (knowing they wouldn't be nearly as yummy; fresh noodles lose their chew when they sit and get cold) and had started for the theatre when I noticed a small Asian grocery next door. Oh, why not.
(It just happened that most everything I wanted was purple, that was not intentional)
Mulberry tea made with black rice, black sesame, barley, goji berries, and more stuff.
Purple sweet potato congee with black rice, mung beans, kidney beans, and more stuff.
Hot & Sour chicken foot-flavored potato chips!
And some hawthorn Oreos.
I'll be doing a review of all of these once I try them.
The mulberry tea and congee are most intriguing because they have a LOT of ingredients. And I figure a good way to find out what chicken feet taste like, without actually having a chicken foot, is to try these chips. It's not that I wouldn't try chicken feet, it's that you always have to order a bunch of them, and what if I don't like 'em and they go to waste?
At the theatre, Andrew (our clarinetist) had brought us a taste of the holidays with this lovely spread!
It was just the pick-me-up we needed to get through the matinee :)
Jameson's parents were at this show, and thankfully everything went well. They said they had a great time. We didn't meet up afterward as they had to get back to walk Addison plus I didn't have much time because the evening show was at 6:30. So at the hotel I showered and packed and scarfed down my cold (and sadly mushy) noodles before heading back for our last show in Madison.
It went well, I thought, and afterward we loaded up and out, and I was able to fit my black boots into the band box, which is GREAT because they are heavy and that will save some luggage weight for future trips.
Back at the hotel I packed a tote with snacks, utensils, etc., for tomorrow we bus to Omaha.
Seven hours on the bus (that counts one lunch stop and one gas/bathroom stop.)
I am sad that it will take so long, but hopefully it'll be a smooth journey.
Looking forward to Omaha...I have some nice restaurants picked out already!
Jameson's dad came to get me around 10am, and we drove about 40 minutes to their home in a town that shall not be named for their protection. Jameson's mom and dad moved here recently, and their house is quite new and smaller than their last house (a good fit for the two of them, and probably a lot less work!)
I was greeted at the door by Addison, their Bernese Mountain Dog. I met Addison in 2014 when she was just a wee little thing:
Because the circus came through the cities where Jameson's parents lived quite often, I got to watch Addison grow up into a gawky teen puppy. I was there when she went through teething, and during that time I used to let her chew on my hands (she wasn't allowed to chew much else, especially not hands, so it was "Auntie Megan's little secret" between us haha.) Years have passed since I saw Addison last; now she's nearly ten years old and weighs almost as much as me! I wondered if she'd remember me. At first she didn't seem to but then she licked my hand, and the rest is history.
I could tell she remembered because she grabbed my hand gently in her mouth, like she used to when teething, and did a sort of gentle light chewing before letting me go and doing a few excited spins. Goofy girl! She also used to love playing with me because I was the only one who'd roll around on the floor with her, and I could tell she remembered that too because she grabbed my hand again and pulled me down to her level so we could goof off together :)
I messed with her for a while, then visited Brian. Brian is the 23-year-old cockateel who hates my guts...has ALWAYS hated my guts since the moment he met me. I've never teased him or done anything other than stand within a few feet of him and say reassuring things, but he's not having it. The best I ever get out of him is silence instead of hissing :p
Today was no different. As soon as I said, "Hi Pretty Birdy!" he started hissing, stomping, and smacking his beak against his stand.
A short clip of both Addison and Brian (CLICK HERE to watch)
Pet introductions through, I settled in with a glass of wine to chat with Mr. Boyce while Mrs. Boyce prepped dinner (I always offer to help and she always wants to do it all herself, only asking for her husband's help with one or two heavy-lifting things.) We got caught up on family doings, and I got a tour of their beautiful new house, soso new, even the water heater all clean and shiny.
We ate seasoned cold shrimp and a little charcuterie, crackers and cheese and dips and fruits and whatnot, it was very nice. We watched the parade and a little of the football game, and an episode of The Amazing Race which Mrs. Boyce is into. We called Jameson to wish him Happy Thanksgiving and to express sadness that he couldn't join us. And when the turkey was done, we had Thanksgiving!
My plate:
It was all SO good. Mrs. Boyce is a great cook, and though she does do some traditional stuff she also likes to try new recipes and seasonings. This year she cooked her turkey under a butter-and-herb-soaked cheesecloth, which turned out amazing. The sweet potatoes had gruyere cheese mixed in, so they were sweet and savory with lovely rosemary bits. Every year she makes this divine cranberry sauce with whole cranberries and orange juice/rind, I love it so much. And this year she introduced a shaved brussel, pomegranate, bacon, walnut salad that was totally amazing, I would have been happy with just that!
Needless to say everything was delicious, we all ate too much, and sat around moaning for another hour before trying to tackle dessert which was a homemade pumpkin pie (I mean HOMEMADE, she even made the pumpkin puree herself!) to which she'd added orange zest...it was amazing! Never thought that orange zest would be good with pumpkin pie but it was incredible. Note To Self, big time!
After we'd rested a bit again, it was time to take me back to the hotel.
On the way out of town Mr. Boyce took me on a small tour, showing me the dog treat factory where he works part-time (he's retired) and the Main Street all lit up for Christmas. It's about the same size and outline as my hometown in Pennsylvania, and made me feel nostalgic :)
Back at the hotel I made myself some tea and watched anime before bed.
It looks like everyone had a good cast Thanksgiving too! They took a group picture afterward.
We have six shows this weekend, which is "a lot", at least for the theatre world.
But as a Circus Person, that is nothing. We sometimes had nine or ten shows back-to-back!
And not calm theatre music with interspersed dialogue, either; we played for the whole 2.5 hours, and STOOD for every show too.
Not to mention living in a train yard instead of a convenient hotel, and having to walk a mile to get out of said train yard before taking a 30-minute bus commute to the arenas.
Aaaanyway. What I'm getting at is, a lot of people are talking about how hard this weekend is going to be, and I am just keeping my mouth shut in public because contextually, for me, this is nothing at all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday I had a normal morning and eventually the matinee show.
It was nice to have Eileen back in the French horn chair, she sounded great and gave us one less thing to worry about!
During the dinner break I drafted a big "info dump" email for my sub who is coming in at the end of next week. It included his travel itinerary, misc instructions, notes for the music, his schedule, and pretty much any info that I could think of to give him so he'd have it all in one place.
The second show went well also, the audience was really responsive and laughed a lot.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I had to get up early and brave the 25°F weather plus windchill for the laundromat. There is dog hair on everything that I wore to Thanksgiving + I was rolling around on the floor with the dog, but also, I need to admit the need for another black shirt on the road. Two is not enough to make it through eight shows whether I sweat or not.
So, up at 7am, breakfast at 7:30, and started walking around 8:30.
First stop, Gotham Bagels for my Travel Bagel for Monday's long bus ride. They make all of their bagels in-house, and I especially love their egg bagels (REAL egg bagels, you can tell because the texture is different!)
I had the laundromat all to myself and chatted with my Aunt via text while washing and drying.
Walked back and put everything away and had a snack, then chilled until lunch and showtime.
The first show went well, and in between I had a nice dinner and researched things to do in Omaha.
The second show also went well, nothing to say except we were all a little more tired than usual due to the number of shows, but that is to be expected I think. Oh, our pianist also had a massive issue with his keyboard, I'm not sure what was going on but we couldn't hear him for most of the show. I hope a resolution is found by tomorrow's shows.
After the evening show we had S.N.O.T.S., which is an acronym for Saturday Night On Tour Shots.
This is a theatre tradition that someone started: if there are two shows on a Sunday, i.e. no load out or load out prep on a Saturday, someone is tasked with providing shots for the entire company! The shot flavor/content is based on whatever the host/hostess thinks is good, and there is always a non-alcoholic option for those who don't want to drink.
I don't know most folks' names yet, but I think this is Emily Elizabeth from Wardrobe, and her shots were apple-flavored!
I did not partake (I usually don't) but it's a cute social thing to do.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, it was snowing! (CLICK HERE to see)
Yay! This is the first snow I've seen since February or so.
It was only light flurrying. I decided it would be nice to grab lunch at Ruyi Hand-Pulled Noodles.
They really do pull the noodles in-house! I was too shy to take a picture but here is one from Google Maps:
And yeah, the dude was there making noodles when I walked in, and someone else was making soup dumplings.
I went simple and got the chicken with fresh noodles, veggies, and a soy egg.
It was glorious. I added a bit of hot sauce but not much else, there were already spices making the broth fragrant and rich. Everything was great but the star of the show was of course the chewy, fresh noodles. So so good!
I saved half for later (knowing they wouldn't be nearly as yummy; fresh noodles lose their chew when they sit and get cold) and had started for the theatre when I noticed a small Asian grocery next door. Oh, why not.
(It just happened that most everything I wanted was purple, that was not intentional)
Mulberry tea made with black rice, black sesame, barley, goji berries, and more stuff.
Purple sweet potato congee with black rice, mung beans, kidney beans, and more stuff.
Hot & Sour chicken foot-flavored potato chips!
And some hawthorn Oreos.
I'll be doing a review of all of these once I try them.
The mulberry tea and congee are most intriguing because they have a LOT of ingredients. And I figure a good way to find out what chicken feet taste like, without actually having a chicken foot, is to try these chips. It's not that I wouldn't try chicken feet, it's that you always have to order a bunch of them, and what if I don't like 'em and they go to waste?
At the theatre, Andrew (our clarinetist) had brought us a taste of the holidays with this lovely spread!
It was just the pick-me-up we needed to get through the matinee :)
Jameson's parents were at this show, and thankfully everything went well. They said they had a great time. We didn't meet up afterward as they had to get back to walk Addison plus I didn't have much time because the evening show was at 6:30. So at the hotel I showered and packed and scarfed down my cold (and sadly mushy) noodles before heading back for our last show in Madison.
It went well, I thought, and afterward we loaded up and out, and I was able to fit my black boots into the band box, which is GREAT because they are heavy and that will save some luggage weight for future trips.
Back at the hotel I packed a tote with snacks, utensils, etc., for tomorrow we bus to Omaha.
Seven hours on the bus (that counts one lunch stop and one gas/bathroom stop.)
I am sad that it will take so long, but hopefully it'll be a smooth journey.
Looking forward to Omaha...I have some nice restaurants picked out already!
