Summary for New Friends
Oct. 5th, 2024 10:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39It occurred to me today, thanks to a DW friend, that I've added a lot of new people lately, who were added in the middle of a lot of changes in my professional life and might be confused about some of the stuff I'm posting about.
So here is a small summary-update, to introduce myself a little and share what kind of stuffs are coming up for future posts!
INTRO
Name: Megan
Age: 40
Married: No, BUT my partner Jameson and I have been together for over 10 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 (upcoming); 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. My two primary jobs right now are working part time at Chapel Hats in Disney Springs (I got this job after TSOLife fired all of it's data entry workers in August and replaced them with AI), and working as a contracted transcriptionist for the Department of Justice, processing federal hearings remotely. All of these jobs are new to me this year, so it's been very exciting to learn all of these different kinds of work (I'm REALLY enjoying the transcription!)
(UPCOMING/FUTURE): I am constantly looking for work in music, especially Broadway tours. A few months ago there was an opening for a trombonist on the holiday tour of Elf the Musical. I applied and just recently was offered the job. The tour starts at the end of October and goes until the end of December. This means that in a few days I'll be giving notice at the hat shop, and also letting my transcription job know that I'll be traveling while doing work for them (they're supposedly ok with this but we'll see.) I am also still attending rehearsals for the Disney ensembles while on tour, so that's a logistical nightmare but that's what you have to do if you want to maintain your Castmember status and your spot on the call list.
TL;DR pretty soon there will be no more hat shop pics, but you'll get to travel with me as I tour with Elf the Musical for the holidays!
One last thing, a "negative" about me that you should be aware of:
Peeves: As a 40-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!
So here is a small summary-update, to introduce myself a little and share what kind of stuffs are coming up for future posts!
INTRO
Name: Megan
Age: 40
Married: No, BUT my partner Jameson and I have been together for over 10 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 (upcoming); 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. My two primary jobs right now are working part time at Chapel Hats in Disney Springs (I got this job after TSOLife fired all of it's data entry workers in August and replaced them with AI), and working as a contracted transcriptionist for the Department of Justice, processing federal hearings remotely. All of these jobs are new to me this year, so it's been very exciting to learn all of these different kinds of work (I'm REALLY enjoying the transcription!)
(UPCOMING/FUTURE): I am constantly looking for work in music, especially Broadway tours. A few months ago there was an opening for a trombonist on the holiday tour of Elf the Musical. I applied and just recently was offered the job. The tour starts at the end of October and goes until the end of December. This means that in a few days I'll be giving notice at the hat shop, and also letting my transcription job know that I'll be traveling while doing work for them (they're supposedly ok with this but we'll see.) I am also still attending rehearsals for the Disney ensembles while on tour, so that's a logistical nightmare but that's what you have to do if you want to maintain your Castmember status and your spot on the call list.
TL;DR pretty soon there will be no more hat shop pics, but you'll get to travel with me as I tour with Elf the Musical for the holidays!
One last thing, a "negative" about me that you should be aware of:
Peeves: As a 40-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!
no subject
Date: 2024-10-05 04:56 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing!
I hope the tour goes well!
no subject
Date: 2024-10-06 12:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-06 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-06 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-07 09:39 pm (UTC)(Complicated family: I feel you on that one. There was a point where I had six parents, though it's only five now.)
no subject
Date: 2024-10-07 10:28 pm (UTC)Oh no, I didn't know I wanted to do music until the last year of middle school (14 years old maybe?) Up to that point I had been forced to take piano lessons, like most kids I liked to play but didn't want to practice, so I didn't like it very much. Then in middle school we had the opportunity to play in band. I chose clarinet because "all my friends are playing it" and having no knowledge of the roles of each instrument. I remember the first time we played a note together in band, a big chord, and I was amazed at the sound of 80-some kids making music! It really stuck with me, and I know that was a point where I firmly decided that I did like playing music.
But the clarinet was meh. One day my band director found out that I could read bass clef, so he threw me onto trombone because he needed trombones (every band needs low brass I think haha.) My parents were pissed but I guess they came to some agreement with the band director about not having to pay for my clarinet rental? So suddenly I was across the room from all my friends, sitting with a bunch of smelly boys and blowing into a yellow tube.
But you know what, I liked it A LOT. I liked The Power lol. I liked what the trombone did in a band/orchestra setting, which was most of the time providing big blocks of sounds for the other instruments to build on. Then later I learned about all the other stuff trombones could do.
But anyway I took it with me to high school and competed in all those band competitions, County and District and Regional and State. So by the time I graduated I absolutely loved it, loved how playing music got me away from my tiny hometown, let me meet new people and learn new interesting music, etc. So I took it to college. And now I'm here :)
Sorry that's kinda long. But oh yeah, I guess I did make it "work however it needs to", which is why I am what's called a "commercial musician" today. Some people will only play classical style, or are just jazzers, or want to play only party band stuff on cruise ships, exclusively salsa bands in NYC, etc etc. But a commercial musician is basically willing to play any style...for moneys :p I have always been happy to take most any gig, and find all kinds of music interesting to play. Even if I don't like the style or am insecure about it, I'll always at least learn something about the culture around that music, or about how to play it, or about myself as a musician. So there :p
no subject
Date: 2024-10-08 09:52 pm (UTC)Anyway when I finally did get into playing music it was bass guitar first, for me, so I think I know what you mean about The Power :D And constantly getting to learn and experience new aspects of music sounds brilliant!
no subject
Date: 2024-10-09 12:33 pm (UTC)Kids in our area could choose pretty much 3-4 "electives," in other words, classes that you "elect" to take in addition to your regular classes. You had to have at least two or three I think. So the school's football team was an elective, so was band (you had to try out for both of these of course, you didn't just get what you wanted but had to show an aptitude.) There were art class options and science stuff too (astronomy I think was one, and some sort of animal husbandry because we lived in a farming/hunting area.) And there was a debate club and stuff like that.
But anyway the band competitions were a great way to gtfo of town and experience larger cities while under supervision. If I hadn't had those opportunities, and experienced what it was like to play the trombone in competition and with people I'd never met, in place where I was a tiny fish in a big pond...I never would be where I am now. Very grateful.
YES, the bass Power LOL! On tour and in general the bass is ALWAYS up in my in-ear mix, and we always gotta introduce ourselves and stick together as the low end of the spectrum! Would love to hear you/your band play sometime! I know it's amateur or whatever but that doesn't matter.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-08 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-09 12:25 pm (UTC)