Tootsie Yr2: Tyler, TX and Columbus, GA
May. 8th, 2023 05:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Tyler was a blur.
I guess we got up early yet again, and rode the bus for another 5-8 hours or so.
We arrived with no time at all for our drummer or key 1 to rest; they were taken right to the theatre along with members of crew to begin setup right away. The rest of us were carted off to the hotel where we had just under an hour to get ready.
Before leaving the hotel I made sure to place my overfull bag of laundry, detergent, and quarters right next to the door.
Because when I came back I was GOING to do laundry dangit!
We had a sound check, and I ate the canned tuna and week-old bread from Dallas and fruit that I'd brought for dinner, and then it was showtime.
We actors and musicians made a few wonky mistakes due to being tired, but I don't even know how crew is functioning. They've been doing sleeper coaches this whole time, sleeping on a bus overnight and loading in first thing in the morning. That's heavy manual labor on top of limited rest, for an entire week. Thankfully, after Tyler, we're done with this "8-hour bus ride every day" nonsense.
It was an 8pm show so we didn't get back to the hotel until nearly midnight, but I ran up the three flights of stairs, grabbed my laundry stuff, and bolted down to the laundry room. I needn't have rushed...I think everyone else was too tired to deal with laundry. I was too, but when you're on your last pair of underwear that desperation does set in!
Laundry was finished around 1am, then folding it and packing it and getting the heck to bed.
-------------------------------------------------------
Did not sleep well and was awake at 6 so I could take advantage of free breakfast.
I pilfered two bagels to travel with me, now I won't have to buy bread in the next city.
Back on the bus for two hours to DFW, where there was a little time to eat before boarding.
I went looking for a Core Power shake and saw one inside this convenience store:
There was some pretty cool tech happening here!
To enter the store you have to either swipe/insert/tap a credit card or hold your phone to the gate so it can access your Apple or Google Pay.
Once that's done the little lights turn green and the gates open.
Inside it's pretty much just a regular store, except for a few things...
Did you notice all of the cameras in the ceiling?
That is partially what is used to track items.
And YES, you can pick stuff up and carry it around and then change your mind and put it back.
Difference Number Two is that there are no baskets or carts.
You are can put items directly into your own bags/luggage.
And Difference Number Three is that when you have everything you need, you just leave.
No checkout. No scanning things. Literally just walk out.
When you exit the store, the card/phone that you swiped in order to enter is charged for whatever you took.
It felt...weird. It felt like stealing! But it was also REALLY nice.
We've all needed to grab just one item at the grocery store, or have run inside a gas station for a "quick cup of coffee."
You go in and get what you need right away...but then you have to take it to a register.
It only took 30 seconds to get what you needed, but after that it takes minutes to wait in line, interact with a cashier, and go through a payment process before you can leave.
This negates ALL of that.
Imagine popping into a grocery because you forgot to get milk, and being able to just grab it and walk out without waiting in any lines!
It's truly a beautiful thing. Efficient, time-saving, elegant. I LOVE it!
Shopping at this store was a small part of my day, but after experiencing it I instantly longed for every store to offer "frictionless shopping".
The technology was fascinating and it made me feel excited for what the future holds!
It also made me feel like an ancient and obsolete caveman, lol.
If you are interested in more about frictionless shopping, here is a 2-minute video on Amazon's GO store (CLICK HERE to watch)
And here is another 2-minute video explaining some of the technology that makes this possible (CLICK HERE to watch)
Anyway, back to travel. The flight went smoothly. Then it was another two hours on the bus to Columbus.
By the time we got there I was motion sick and exhausted.
But because I'm a Plan-Ahead Person, that morning I had scheduled an Instacart grocery delivery, and as we pulled up to the hotel I also placed a dinner order at a nearby poke place. Dropped my luggage, got the food in five minutes, and was back at the hotel eating and unpacking and not having to go anywhere for the rest of the night.
----------------------------------------------------------
Saturday we only had one show, so I slept like a dead person until 9:30 or so.
Breakfast and a short walk to Fountain City Coffee for some locally-roasted beans.
The weather was beautiful so I kept walking.
Lots of people were out shopping and eating, it was really nice.
There were a few street stalls selling crafts and food, but they were starting to close for lunch as I did my loop.
On the way back I passed the theatre where we'd be performing.
The rest of my afternoon was lunch and much-needed resting and working on Foodie Finds for Fort Worth, which I'd usually have ready by now but it's been such a whirlwind week that I haven't had a moment to spare for it.
The evening show went well. Some friends of my step grandmother were in the audience, and I got to say hello to them.
After the show there was a company-sponsored pizza party, but I was still very tired and in no mood to start an activity at 11pm.
---------------------------------------------------------
Didn't sleep well on Sunday despite my best efforts, but at least we don't travel today.
Breakfast and coordinating with my step grandma and grandpa for lunch.
My grandpa can't walk well so rather than eating inside the restaurant the plan was to order pickup and eat it in their car.
But the restaurant didn't take orders on Sundays, so around noon I went in-person to wait in line and place our order.
Grandma came and got me while I was waiting :)
We walked back to the car chatting and enjoying the nice weather, then decided to eat in the theatre lobby as it was pretty hot out.
There wasn't nearly enough time to fully catch up, but we checked in with each other and talked about what we've been up to recently. Grandma has always been very active in the Columbus arts/music/theatre scene, so as we were eating several ushers and volunteers who walked by said hello to her personally.
It was good that I was there when they picked up their tickets, because someone had seated them directly in the middle of a row (my grandpa needs a walker and can't navigate a row.) The box office staff were wonderful, and got them a much more accessible spot before I had to say my goodbyes and head to sound check. It's extremely rare that I get to see these two relatives, and I'm very grateful for the little time we enjoyed together today.
The show was just fine, though seemed pretty underattended to me (I mean it WAS a gorgeous day out!)
---------------------------------------------------------
This morning our bus call is 6:30am with a 2-hour ride to ATL.
So I am up at 4:30 for coffee and a light breakfast to help avoid motion sickness, and quality computer time.
Next we will be in Fort Worth for a full week...hooray! A little stability again!
My plans are:
I guess we got up early yet again, and rode the bus for another 5-8 hours or so.
We arrived with no time at all for our drummer or key 1 to rest; they were taken right to the theatre along with members of crew to begin setup right away. The rest of us were carted off to the hotel where we had just under an hour to get ready.
Before leaving the hotel I made sure to place my overfull bag of laundry, detergent, and quarters right next to the door.
Because when I came back I was GOING to do laundry dangit!
We had a sound check, and I ate the canned tuna and week-old bread from Dallas and fruit that I'd brought for dinner, and then it was showtime.
We actors and musicians made a few wonky mistakes due to being tired, but I don't even know how crew is functioning. They've been doing sleeper coaches this whole time, sleeping on a bus overnight and loading in first thing in the morning. That's heavy manual labor on top of limited rest, for an entire week. Thankfully, after Tyler, we're done with this "8-hour bus ride every day" nonsense.
It was an 8pm show so we didn't get back to the hotel until nearly midnight, but I ran up the three flights of stairs, grabbed my laundry stuff, and bolted down to the laundry room. I needn't have rushed...I think everyone else was too tired to deal with laundry. I was too, but when you're on your last pair of underwear that desperation does set in!
Laundry was finished around 1am, then folding it and packing it and getting the heck to bed.
-------------------------------------------------------
Did not sleep well and was awake at 6 so I could take advantage of free breakfast.
I pilfered two bagels to travel with me, now I won't have to buy bread in the next city.
Back on the bus for two hours to DFW, where there was a little time to eat before boarding.
I went looking for a Core Power shake and saw one inside this convenience store:
There was some pretty cool tech happening here!
To enter the store you have to either swipe/insert/tap a credit card or hold your phone to the gate so it can access your Apple or Google Pay.
Once that's done the little lights turn green and the gates open.
Inside it's pretty much just a regular store, except for a few things...
Did you notice all of the cameras in the ceiling?
That is partially what is used to track items.
And YES, you can pick stuff up and carry it around and then change your mind and put it back.
Difference Number Two is that there are no baskets or carts.
You are can put items directly into your own bags/luggage.
And Difference Number Three is that when you have everything you need, you just leave.
No checkout. No scanning things. Literally just walk out.
When you exit the store, the card/phone that you swiped in order to enter is charged for whatever you took.
It felt...weird. It felt like stealing! But it was also REALLY nice.
We've all needed to grab just one item at the grocery store, or have run inside a gas station for a "quick cup of coffee."
You go in and get what you need right away...but then you have to take it to a register.
It only took 30 seconds to get what you needed, but after that it takes minutes to wait in line, interact with a cashier, and go through a payment process before you can leave.
This negates ALL of that.
Imagine popping into a grocery because you forgot to get milk, and being able to just grab it and walk out without waiting in any lines!
It's truly a beautiful thing. Efficient, time-saving, elegant. I LOVE it!
Shopping at this store was a small part of my day, but after experiencing it I instantly longed for every store to offer "frictionless shopping".
The technology was fascinating and it made me feel excited for what the future holds!
It also made me feel like an ancient and obsolete caveman, lol.
If you are interested in more about frictionless shopping, here is a 2-minute video on Amazon's GO store (CLICK HERE to watch)
And here is another 2-minute video explaining some of the technology that makes this possible (CLICK HERE to watch)
Anyway, back to travel. The flight went smoothly. Then it was another two hours on the bus to Columbus.
By the time we got there I was motion sick and exhausted.
But because I'm a Plan-Ahead Person, that morning I had scheduled an Instacart grocery delivery, and as we pulled up to the hotel I also placed a dinner order at a nearby poke place. Dropped my luggage, got the food in five minutes, and was back at the hotel eating and unpacking and not having to go anywhere for the rest of the night.
----------------------------------------------------------
Saturday we only had one show, so I slept like a dead person until 9:30 or so.
Breakfast and a short walk to Fountain City Coffee for some locally-roasted beans.
The weather was beautiful so I kept walking.
Lots of people were out shopping and eating, it was really nice.
There were a few street stalls selling crafts and food, but they were starting to close for lunch as I did my loop.
On the way back I passed the theatre where we'd be performing.
The rest of my afternoon was lunch and much-needed resting and working on Foodie Finds for Fort Worth, which I'd usually have ready by now but it's been such a whirlwind week that I haven't had a moment to spare for it.
The evening show went well. Some friends of my step grandmother were in the audience, and I got to say hello to them.
After the show there was a company-sponsored pizza party, but I was still very tired and in no mood to start an activity at 11pm.
---------------------------------------------------------
Didn't sleep well on Sunday despite my best efforts, but at least we don't travel today.
Breakfast and coordinating with my step grandma and grandpa for lunch.
My grandpa can't walk well so rather than eating inside the restaurant the plan was to order pickup and eat it in their car.
But the restaurant didn't take orders on Sundays, so around noon I went in-person to wait in line and place our order.
Grandma came and got me while I was waiting :)
We walked back to the car chatting and enjoying the nice weather, then decided to eat in the theatre lobby as it was pretty hot out.
There wasn't nearly enough time to fully catch up, but we checked in with each other and talked about what we've been up to recently. Grandma has always been very active in the Columbus arts/music/theatre scene, so as we were eating several ushers and volunteers who walked by said hello to her personally.
It was good that I was there when they picked up their tickets, because someone had seated them directly in the middle of a row (my grandpa needs a walker and can't navigate a row.) The box office staff were wonderful, and got them a much more accessible spot before I had to say my goodbyes and head to sound check. It's extremely rare that I get to see these two relatives, and I'm very grateful for the little time we enjoyed together today.
The show was just fine, though seemed pretty underattended to me (I mean it WAS a gorgeous day out!)
---------------------------------------------------------
This morning our bus call is 6:30am with a 2-hour ride to ATL.
So I am up at 4:30 for coffee and a light breakfast to help avoid motion sickness, and quality computer time.
Next we will be in Fort Worth for a full week...hooray! A little stability again!
My plans are:
- Vintage record thrifting for Jameson at Doc's Records
- Visiting my veterinarian friends Jessi and Adria at the Fort Worth Zoo
- Eating real French souffle for the first time
- Filipino rice bowl at Ober Here
- Local sourdough from 3rd Street Market
