Summary for New Friends (updated June 2025)

I've recently both added and removed friends here, and am about to go on tour again, so figured it's time to throw this out there again.

Here is a small summary-update, to introduce myself a little and share what kind of stuffs are in my posts.

INTRO

Name: Megan
Age: 41
Married: No, BUT my partner Jameson and I have been together for over 11 years. We met while performing in the circus; he was the keyboardist and I was the trombonist. You can read about my circus life starting HERE or on any post with a "circus" tag, i.e. "circus: elephants" or "circus: train"


Occupation: Commercial musician + random other stuff to fill the gaps between gigs. I am good at and enjoy tedious work like data entry and transcription, so am always on the lookout for jobs like that.
Residence: Orlando area, United States. Florida has a tropical climate so you will hear me talking about the heat, alligators, reptiles, strange plants, etc pretty often.
Hobbies: Reading, going for walks, amateur gardening, amateur cooking/baking, being a foodie especially while on tour, watching anime.
Family: I have four siblings (in order of age: a stepsister, a sister, and a half-brother and half-sister. This is because my parents married, had my sister and I, and then divorced and both remarried resulting in my other siblings. Hope that makes sense.) Both my mom and dad have passed away, my mom from pancreatic cancer in 2001 and my dad from COVID in 2021. My grandparents are also deceased, so all I've got for blood are some aunts and uncles, most of whom I don't keep in touch with, and my mom's sister whom I love very much and is very special to me. Because my parents had a bitter divorce when I was very young, and because of how some things went during childhood with my dad and stepmom having majority custody, you may sometimes see me write with residual bitterness about family things. I try to do this only rarely or in Friends Only posts.

(me and 3 of 4 siblings)

Questions: If there's anything you'd like to know about me feel free to ask! My social media and my journal are generally very open, and I post about most aspects of my life.


WORK HISTORY

MUSIC: I went to school for music, majoring in trombone. Some music gigs I've had include Knoebels Amusement Resort band; Busch Gardens Williamsburg band; Princess Cruises house band; Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit band (for five years); Tootsie the Musical National Tour (two years); My Fair Lady National Tour (one year); Elf the Musical holiday tour (a few months); Disney's Epcot Candlelight Processional, Disney's Main Street Philharmonic (as a substitute); and a variety of local theater, big band, and orchestral performances. My big orchestral claims to fame are The Florida Orchestra and the Orlando Philharmonic as a substitute trombonist. You can see pictures and evidence of pretty much all of these gigs on my socials (IG and Facebook)


NON-MUSIC, PAST: I've worked a lot in music retail (Music & Arts Centers) and have been a retail manager, and also excel at administrative work, especially editing, data entry, and transcription. Some of my favorite recent jobs have been CapTel Service Specialists, which was voice-transcribing live phone calls for the FCC; and TSOLife, which was data entry for nursing homes in order document the life stories of the elderly while also compiling information to enable a better quality of life. I've had a HUGE variety of jobs throughout my life, including movie theater projectionist; janitor; confectioner; kennel associate; courtroom hearing reporter; Director of Sales for a music retailer; assembly line worker; and probably loads more that I'm not remembering right now!

PRESENT: Currently I'm working several jobs. I'm a substitute musician with The Florida Orchestra and the Orlando Philharmonic, which means if one of their regular trombonists needs a day off I am on call to fill in. I'm a substitute trombonist with the Main Street Philharmonic and the Epcot Candlelight Processional, both of which hold regular rehearsals that I attend and am paid for whether I get called to play or not. Thanks to those jobs I am a Disney Castmember, and have free access to Disney World.


As of June 2025: I have just finished five months of working as a musician/actress/"streetmosphere" entertainer for America's newest theme park, Epic Universe! I was part of a group called Place Cachee Jazz (PCJ) consisting of a trumpet, clarinet, and trombone busking in 1920s Wizarding World Paris. My character's name was Phillipa. You can still catch this show if you visit the theme park, I just won't be back in it for a while.


My other job is working on and off as a contracted transcriptionist for the Department of Justice, processing federal hearings remotely.

(UPCOMING/FUTURE): In just a few days, I am joining the 30th anniversary production of Beauty and the Beast! I have done lots of touring with non-equity shows, but this is my first true Broadway production and I'm extremely excited (and nervous) about it! This is an all-new rendition with new costumes, orchestrations, and choreography. Stay tuned!

One last thing, a "negative" about me that you should be aware of:

Peeves: As a 41-year-old woman, a musician for more than two decades, and someone who has traveled extensively and worked many MANY different types of jobs, I am deeply annoyed by people who feel the need to mansplain me on how to do this and that, or who use the comments section of my journal for unsolicited advice. If I did not explicitly ask for help or input, I do not need or want help or input. It's a journal; I often write to vent just to get things off my chest and move on, NOT to solicit life-critiques from the Peanut Gallery.

If you are one of those people who just can't help themselves, who NEED to instruct others on how to live their lives according to you, be advised that I WILL respond curtly/bluntly/rudely to advice that I did not ask for, ESPECIALLY if it's written using command language (i.e. "You SHOULD do this," or "DO THIS") or written to criticize past actions that I cannot undo (i.e. "You SHOULD HAVE done this" or "Why didn't you do X"). If you can, please refrain from using my journal as an advice dispenser to hear yourself talk.

TL;DR: I generally don't ask for or want advice, so if you feel a need to advise me, consider A) ASKING if I've tried/thought of doing something instead of assuming that I haven't, and B) Choosing your words carefully, remembering that you're talking to someone with a lot of life experience, not a child who was just born yesterday.

OK that mostly brings ya up to speed, thanks for reading!

General Updates

Sorry for posting twice in a day (unusual for me) but I feel it's necessary.

I'm about to go on tour again, and having adventures always sparks an influx of new friends and interest in my journal posts.
That's great! But there are some things that new readers should know, and updates for longtime readers. 

Here goes.

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GENERAL STUFF

POST LENGTH: Lately I've had more complaints that my posts are too long. To help with this, I'm going to start posting more frequently such that each post will cover fewer days and therefore become shorter. I'll probably start doing this once tour starts. Hopefully that will be a help.

FRIENDS ONLY POSTS: My journal is mostly public, but every once in a while I want to write something more private and personal. My Friends Only posts are usually highly personal and cover things like family matters, introspections, life/work difficulties, or exclusive sneak peeks from my life as a musician. If you can see my Friends Only posts, it means that you are one of few people that I trust with my personal details and restricted content. Friends Only posts are NOT an invitation for unsolicited advice or critique. Please keep that in mind when you find yourself reading a Friends Only entry. Thank you.

PET PEEVES: Longtime readers know this already but for new readers, I have three pet peeves when it comes to this journal:

     1 - I REALLY do not like to be mansplained.
     2 - I REALLY do not like unsolicited advice.
     3 - I REALLY do not like being asked questions that show that you have not read my content (i.e. the answer to your question is right there in the post but you are too lazy to read it)

If you still feel a need to advise me or explain something to me, please consider A) ASKING if I've tried/thought of doing something instead of assuming that I haven't, and B) Choosing your words carefully, remembering that you're talking to someone with a lot of life experience, not a child who was just born yesterday.

COMMENTS: Believe it or not and despite the pet peeves above, I really do love the social aspect of journaling here. I like to hear your thoughts, learn about your life experiences, and answer your questions in the comments! It's easy to have a great conversation WITHOUT the pet peeves above. Let's just talk; let's just be friends.

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TOUR STUFF

IN-PERSON VISITS WHILE ON TOUR: I am ALWAYS willing to try and meet up with online friends while on tour! Keyword is TRY. If you'd like to hang out, please reach out at least few days ahead so that I can make time for you or see what's going on. Thanks!
ADDENDUM: Please don't be offended if I have to decline or cancel a visit. It is NOT personal. Touring is a lot of fun, but it's also WORK. Sometimes I need a day to rest and recover. Sometimes my schedule changes and I have to attend a rehearsal or take care of errands. Thanks for understanding this.

TICKETS TO SHOWS: In order to get you tickets, I'll need two things from you. Thing One: Reach out at least 3 days in advance to let me know that you'd like tickets. Thing Two: Tell me what DATE, TIME, and NUMBER of tickets you'd like. Once I have this info I can find out if I can offer you discounts, freebies, house seats, etc., but to do that I need this info FIRST. Thanks!

FREE TICKETS TO SHOWS: If I have free tickets available for you, I will offer them. If I have not offered free tickets, I DO NOT HAVE THEM and there is no point asking. Sorry!

SNEAK PEEKS/EXCLUSIVE ACCESS: I won't be allowed to bring people backstage or to the pit for Beauty and the Beast :( I am sorry but this is up to Disney, not me. Similarly, in this blog I will always share what I can and answer any questions that you may have about the show or tour life. That said, Disney is very protective of their content, and there will be times when I will not be allowed to share media or information. Please try to understand, and let's be appreciative of the exciting behind-the-scenes things that I WILL be allowed to share!
NOTE: My Friends Only posts sometimes include exclusive sneak peeks that are absolutely not to be copied or shared. If you can see my Friends Only posts, it means that you are one of few people that I trust with my personal details and restricted content. Please do not break that trust.

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That's all I can think of for now. I'll update this and repost it as needed.
Thank you so much for reading, and for coming along with me on this journey!