Tootsie Yr2: Fort Myers part 2
Apr. 10th, 2023 03:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Thursday before our shows I decided to just take it easy.
My anxiety has been through the roof lately, what with flight turbulence phobia and audition prep and job hunting and uncomfortable hotels for the past month.
Once in a while I have to force myself to truly sit still and just be here and now.
Let go of built-up tension.
And this is one of those times.
So after breakfast I literally went back to bed.
Watched TikTok and sipped herbal tea and read my current book (The Shadow Rising) until it was time to do shows.
I did my best, and so did everyone.
The audience seemed to enjoy it which is the goal!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, I had trouble sleeping but no matter.
Had breakfast and went for a walk around 10 so I'd be back before the hottest part of the afternoon (it's getting up to the low 90s down here)
I walked to Whole Paycheck, not because I particularly need anything but because window shopping at the grocery is just as fun for me as thrifting or perusing a bookstore. There's always something new to find!
For example this flavored milk. I would have loved to try it, but it's excessively high in sugar so had to take a pass.
There were some smallish packages of misc grains that I'd be interested to try cooking in the Itaki.
I don't want to buy them now, but will keep an eye out for them later.
And I found baru nuts again! Which makes me realize I never reviewed them here after buying them last city.
So these are from a tree that grows in Brazil called baruzeiro.
Despite being a tree, it's part of the legume family and produces an edible fruit that has these "nuts" inside.
(As with peanuts the term "nut" is a misnomer)
There are several things that make baru nuts special, but here's a chart that really spells it out for you:
In addition to all of the nutritional benefits listed in the chart, they actually taste GOOD.
The bag describes them as "if peanuts and almonds had a baby" which I would say is very accurate, but would add that they have a toasted flavor similar to popcorn kernels and they are harder/crunchier than either peanuts or almonds. Bottom line is that you could easily substitute them for either almonds or peanuts in you life, for fewer calories and more fiber/nutrients.
Plus, the trees do not need to be irrigated.
They can grow wild and be harvested wild, with no deforestation and minimal environmental impact.
Obviously they're not mainstream yet so they're about a dollar more than other nuts, but personally I'm willing to pay that on the rare occasion that I get to eat them. This is the second Whole Paycheck where I've seen them, so from now on I'll keep an eye out because these fit really well into my nutrition macros AND they're tasty.
Anyway. I bought the nuts and a few other small items and headed back.
It was about a four mile round-trip, so good cardio for the day.
On the way I went off-path a few times as I like to do, because sidewalks are for chumps.
This is a powderpuff mimosa, a native FL ground cover plant.
And, I am convinced, the inspiration for the flower from Horton Hears a Who.
A bottlebrush tree.
Like most unhinged and chaotic Florida plants, this can be an adorable prim little shrub if you keep it in a pot...
or a towering monstrosity of a tree if you let it grow in the ground.
I accidentally off-roaded myself into some underbrush, which at first was annoying because I thought I'd have to backtrack to get to the sidewalk, but then I saw that there was a canal with a narrow cement wall...my only chance at getting home without a 15-minute backtracking detour. It looked kind of like THIS but without the waterfalls, and with an 8-foot drop on either side of the wall.
I was a bit nervous but the worst that could happen was I'd get wet and my groceries might be ruined.
So, onward. And I made it just fine. AND made a fun discovery on the opposite bank: apple snail shells!
They were among some mussel and clam shells, so either a human or an animal had been eating shellfish there.
I slid down the bank to grab the largest one I could see, and a smaller yet pretty one, then finished the walk home.
I washed the shells with soap and hot water, then wiped them with a Clorox wipe, then poured boiling water over them and let them soak for 30 minutes or so. Here is the large one with a grapefruit and kiwi for scale.
The mouth of the shell is 2.5 inches. What a big snail that must have been!
And the shell is close to 4 inches across at the widest point.
Since they are both pretty, some more pictures:
I put my groceries away and had a relaxing afternoon of working on Foodie Finds for Dallas and watching anime and eating a bit of Easter candy.
When it was showtime I brought my snail shells to the theatre for people to gawk at.
Brianna (Cast Management) liked them so much that I gave them to her, and she immediately stuffed a toy skeleton into one.
Anyway, the show went well...or I thought so, but we did get a note about maintaining focus, so maybe I was so unfocused that I thought the show was good!
------------------------------------------------------
Saturday my guts were feeling a little messed up so I took it easy all morning. Anxiety! Stress!
Our first show went well. Our covid officer Katie brought in some bubble wands for us, so I made a nuisance of myself blowing bubbles as often as possible and throughout the entire building. I mean why the heck not.
During the break between shows I decided to hit Fresh Market for tomorrow's dinner because Easter will mean reduced hours for many businesses. Three different people were super kind to me in the store for no reason: a woman who let me cut in front of her at the sushi counter because she couldn't decide what she wanted; the woman at the bakery counter who, when I asked for a single bagel, gave it to me for free; and the woman in front of me at the checkout who ALSO let me cut in front of her because I only had two things.
By the time I left I was practically blushing with undeserved niceness!
I had better be on my best behavior for the rest of the week!
The evening show went well, one of our MD's friends was in the pit to audit the show (this was common practice pre-covid, to have your musician buddies enjoy following along to the music with you!). We also had an enthusiastic audience, so the energy levels were pretty high and that was refreshing!
Afterward some of the band went to Dave & Busters to have fun, but it was already 11pm so Grandma Megan went to bed :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Easter Sunday! A nice slow morning.
I packed and hung out until showtime.
We get a wall tag here, it's up near the ceiling this time.
For some reason there were stuffed animals all over the bandstand today!
(The guys went to Dave & Busters and this was how they spent their tickets haha)
The show went pretty well, then we packed up for load out.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow is the earliest travel day yet: a 4:30am bus call! Ugh X_X
So I'm going to be in bed by 8pm, and we'll see if I end up with any extra sleep.
The good news is that should put us in Schenectady between noon-1pm, plenty of time to get groceries and unpack.
My plans for Schenectady include a meal with a friend, a visit to a rose garden and a local food co-op, three local restaurants, and bread from a 100-years-running Italian bakery.
Other stuff:
On Friday before bed Jameson messaged me to say there was a bird outside singing very loudly.
I asked him what it sounded like, and was able to guess the bird on the first try! Bird nerd!
My anxiety has been through the roof lately, what with flight turbulence phobia and audition prep and job hunting and uncomfortable hotels for the past month.
Once in a while I have to force myself to truly sit still and just be here and now.
Let go of built-up tension.
And this is one of those times.
So after breakfast I literally went back to bed.
Watched TikTok and sipped herbal tea and read my current book (The Shadow Rising) until it was time to do shows.
I did my best, and so did everyone.
The audience seemed to enjoy it which is the goal!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, I had trouble sleeping but no matter.
Had breakfast and went for a walk around 10 so I'd be back before the hottest part of the afternoon (it's getting up to the low 90s down here)
I walked to Whole Paycheck, not because I particularly need anything but because window shopping at the grocery is just as fun for me as thrifting or perusing a bookstore. There's always something new to find!
For example this flavored milk. I would have loved to try it, but it's excessively high in sugar so had to take a pass.
There were some smallish packages of misc grains that I'd be interested to try cooking in the Itaki.
I don't want to buy them now, but will keep an eye out for them later.
And I found baru nuts again! Which makes me realize I never reviewed them here after buying them last city.
So these are from a tree that grows in Brazil called baruzeiro.
Despite being a tree, it's part of the legume family and produces an edible fruit that has these "nuts" inside.
(As with peanuts the term "nut" is a misnomer)
There are several things that make baru nuts special, but here's a chart that really spells it out for you:
In addition to all of the nutritional benefits listed in the chart, they actually taste GOOD.
The bag describes them as "if peanuts and almonds had a baby" which I would say is very accurate, but would add that they have a toasted flavor similar to popcorn kernels and they are harder/crunchier than either peanuts or almonds. Bottom line is that you could easily substitute them for either almonds or peanuts in you life, for fewer calories and more fiber/nutrients.
Plus, the trees do not need to be irrigated.
They can grow wild and be harvested wild, with no deforestation and minimal environmental impact.
Obviously they're not mainstream yet so they're about a dollar more than other nuts, but personally I'm willing to pay that on the rare occasion that I get to eat them. This is the second Whole Paycheck where I've seen them, so from now on I'll keep an eye out because these fit really well into my nutrition macros AND they're tasty.
Anyway. I bought the nuts and a few other small items and headed back.
It was about a four mile round-trip, so good cardio for the day.
On the way I went off-path a few times as I like to do, because sidewalks are for chumps.
This is a powderpuff mimosa, a native FL ground cover plant.
And, I am convinced, the inspiration for the flower from Horton Hears a Who.
A bottlebrush tree.
Like most unhinged and chaotic Florida plants, this can be an adorable prim little shrub if you keep it in a pot...
or a towering monstrosity of a tree if you let it grow in the ground.
I accidentally off-roaded myself into some underbrush, which at first was annoying because I thought I'd have to backtrack to get to the sidewalk, but then I saw that there was a canal with a narrow cement wall...my only chance at getting home without a 15-minute backtracking detour. It looked kind of like THIS but without the waterfalls, and with an 8-foot drop on either side of the wall.
I was a bit nervous but the worst that could happen was I'd get wet and my groceries might be ruined.
So, onward. And I made it just fine. AND made a fun discovery on the opposite bank: apple snail shells!
They were among some mussel and clam shells, so either a human or an animal had been eating shellfish there.
I slid down the bank to grab the largest one I could see, and a smaller yet pretty one, then finished the walk home.
I washed the shells with soap and hot water, then wiped them with a Clorox wipe, then poured boiling water over them and let them soak for 30 minutes or so. Here is the large one with a grapefruit and kiwi for scale.
The mouth of the shell is 2.5 inches. What a big snail that must have been!
And the shell is close to 4 inches across at the widest point.
Since they are both pretty, some more pictures:
I put my groceries away and had a relaxing afternoon of working on Foodie Finds for Dallas and watching anime and eating a bit of Easter candy.
When it was showtime I brought my snail shells to the theatre for people to gawk at.
Brianna (Cast Management) liked them so much that I gave them to her, and she immediately stuffed a toy skeleton into one.
Anyway, the show went well...or I thought so, but we did get a note about maintaining focus, so maybe I was so unfocused that I thought the show was good!
------------------------------------------------------
Saturday my guts were feeling a little messed up so I took it easy all morning. Anxiety! Stress!
Our first show went well. Our covid officer Katie brought in some bubble wands for us, so I made a nuisance of myself blowing bubbles as often as possible and throughout the entire building. I mean why the heck not.
During the break between shows I decided to hit Fresh Market for tomorrow's dinner because Easter will mean reduced hours for many businesses. Three different people were super kind to me in the store for no reason: a woman who let me cut in front of her at the sushi counter because she couldn't decide what she wanted; the woman at the bakery counter who, when I asked for a single bagel, gave it to me for free; and the woman in front of me at the checkout who ALSO let me cut in front of her because I only had two things.
By the time I left I was practically blushing with undeserved niceness!
I had better be on my best behavior for the rest of the week!
The evening show went well, one of our MD's friends was in the pit to audit the show (this was common practice pre-covid, to have your musician buddies enjoy following along to the music with you!). We also had an enthusiastic audience, so the energy levels were pretty high and that was refreshing!
Afterward some of the band went to Dave & Busters to have fun, but it was already 11pm so Grandma Megan went to bed :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Easter Sunday! A nice slow morning.
I packed and hung out until showtime.
We get a wall tag here, it's up near the ceiling this time.
For some reason there were stuffed animals all over the bandstand today!
(The guys went to Dave & Busters and this was how they spent their tickets haha)
The show went pretty well, then we packed up for load out.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow is the earliest travel day yet: a 4:30am bus call! Ugh X_X
So I'm going to be in bed by 8pm, and we'll see if I end up with any extra sleep.
The good news is that should put us in Schenectady between noon-1pm, plenty of time to get groceries and unpack.
My plans for Schenectady include a meal with a friend, a visit to a rose garden and a local food co-op, three local restaurants, and bread from a 100-years-running Italian bakery.
Other stuff:
On Friday before bed Jameson messaged me to say there was a bird outside singing very loudly.
I asked him what it sounded like, and was able to guess the bird on the first try! Bird nerd!
