taz_39 | Uniondale, NY (Long Island) (Reply)

Uniondale was another pretty chill city...not a ton to do, but that's ok,
the down time was appreciated! I caught the flu so ended up using most of
the train run to rest.

Our train was parked next to a community college, very close to some houses.
We were conveniently close to a Walmart, a Target, and a Fairway!

Have you ever been to Fairway?
It's a Tri-state only grocery. They've got EVERYTHING.
Generic stuff you'd find at Walmart, organic and fair trade items like you'd see at Trader Joe's,
and lots of imported foods too!

I treated myself to some special goodies, including
candied ginger, Belgian dark chocolate, cactus pears, and Irish soda bread.
The bread is in the freezer for next week, as I'm finishing a loaf of generic stuff this week.
Normally I would have gotten some coffee too; Fairway roasts their own and it's very good.

I have enough coffee, so got a cookie instead :)
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Their shortbread cookies remind me of my Mom's.
Sorry my thumb is always in half of my food photos...I am always 2 seconds away from
eating something before I remember to take a picture for the blog :P

I also finally picked up a memory foam mattress topper!
Probably the best gift-to-self of 2013 :D
For the past year I've been sleeping on the somewhat thin, stiff foam "mattress" that came in my room.
Granted I have slept on harder surfaces, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.
I've already noticed a huge difference; mainly, I can sleep for more than 4 hours at a time. Yay!!!
Small pleasures matter when you're trying to sleep on a bumpy train!

Uniondale is our last city before the 3-week Brooklyn extravaganza.
It might be nice to be in one place for a bit.
On the other hand, it's going to be a heck of a commute from the train in Secaucus to the Barclays Center!
And it's a heck of a show schedule too. There will probably not be time for sightseeing.
But the Barclays Center is built on top of a subway hub, so getting into the city should
be easy if there's time to do so. There also seem to be lots of things to do around the arena.
We'll see what happens!

Here on Long Island the crowds were excellent. The arena was full most nights.
The building itself had a few issues...during preshow one night the power went out,
causing the kids' Bounce House to deflate and trapping an aerialist in the ceiling!
But it was a temporary problem...everybody was fine, everything turned out ok :)

A mural I found near the arena offices:
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This was a pretty uneventful week, but I want to mention that this week marks my one year
anniversary with FELD Entertainment!
At this time last year, I had just finished rehearsals with Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Several months before that I had sent a portfolio to the circus, and forgotten all about it.
But on St. Patrick's Day 2012, my soon-to-be boss sent me an email:

"My name is Brett Barlow, and I am the conductor for Ringling Brothers Circus...I was wondering what your availability and interest would be in coming out on the road with the circus. There will be an opening soon on my show, which is currently in the Washington, D.C. area...Thanks for your time, I look forward to hearing from you."

I remember being totally shocked, but responding with interest,
then going through the motions of opening day at Busch Gardens wondering
if I could REALLY drop everything and run away with the circus!!
(Answer: YES!)

Well it's been a wonderful year, and I'm looking forward to working here for several more years to come!!

In other news, FELD Entertainment is launching an international Marvel live show!!
The official site is here: http://www.marveluniverselive.com/

A photo of FELD Entertainment's massive costume collection, housed at the brand new
headquarters in Ellenton, FL: