Mid-March Monotony
Mar. 16th, 2025 05:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39I woke to find that it has finally happened.
Our cover has been blown. In THIS article.
Aah, whoops. I forget that people don't read any more and I'm supposed to spoon-feed information.
TL;DR:
This is the first-ever official Universal mention of our band.
Next week are family and friends previews, and from what I've heard they're planning to drop the photo restrictions (NOT video, though if they allow the one I feel they can't prevent the other.) So, I will STILL not share any more details than this, because of the NDA and because spoilers are likely to start coming in a week or two.
(Artistic rendering of a strolling violinist, who also tells scary stories, in Dark Universe. This was one of the events that we were taken to see during our rehearsal period...all of the musicians did a fantastic job, and I'm excited that they'll have real audiences soon too!)
Well, back to Thursday.
It was a day off and I hadn't really scheduled myself anything to do, just the lesson with Will and packing for Epic tomorrow. And I was feeling extra-tired. So, a nice slow breakfast and when Jameson went to the gym I watched anime, meal-planned, made a quick trip to Wawa to see if they had seasonal Irish potato candy (they didn't,) got bagels for the week (egg, rye, French toast, cinnamon raisin), and was practicing bass when Jameson got home. I also turned in my transcription work, worked on Foodie Finds, packed my food and clothes for Epic, and received a crappy trombone I'd gotten from Goodwill Auctions for us to use at Epic. With shipping and tax, it was only $186.
I bought it based on photos, obviously couldn't try it in advance when buying from an online auction. But I was lucky. It's not great, but has minimal damage and will be usable for our purposes. I gave it a bath and will bring it with me to Epic tomorrow. Talking with the other two trombone ladies, we'll probably have both junk trombones serviced in coming weeks. A bad, scrape-y slide makes them much harder to play, and dropping a little cash to help us sound slightly better seems reasonable.
After dinner I had my lesson with Will. Got to meet his wife this time, she's also a musician and happened to be on a gig during my last lesson. She seems awesome, I'm hoping that she and Will and Jameson and I can have a couples night of some sort, but with ALL of us musicians it's very unlikely!
The lesson went well again, I was once again flabbergasted at all that I do not know, but think I learned some more things about how I should be shaping my embouchure and moving air through the horn. Will gave me breathing and buzzing exercises to do, so I will try them tomorrow. Once again we went over by 30 minutes, neither of us complaining. There's a lot to learn and an hour honestly doesn't seem to cut it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up very early for Epic.
TMI warning:
my intestines have been a mess since yesterday, I don't know why but perhaps too much dairy lately, or something else indigestible. It happens from time to time but is very uncomfortable and stressful when you're trying to perform in front of people but are mildly nauseous and crampy and gassy.
Anyway, our prop is still broken meaning I could bring my own, good trombone to play as I wouldn't have to set it down on the prop. I also brought the Goodwill trombone, and ALSO kidnapped the frankenbone so that I can take it to be serviced and cleaned (as I mentioned wanting to do a few paragraphs above.) Also, to thank me for A) bringing trombones for us to use and B) volunteering to drive all the way out to Pat's to get one serviced (he lives an hour away), Andrea called Pat up and paid for the cleaning in advance! This is why I love working with these ladies! I get the sense that the men would NEVER be proactive like this for each other. Mariah has been at a wedding this week or I'm sure she'd have pitched in as well (she's also very young so I had zero expectations, let her save her money.)
The day went just fine, nothing to report except that my character's hairstyle was thrown into question because my hair has grown out a bit since I was given hair/makeup criteria. I am still amazed at how much scrutiny we are all under from day to day--is the length of my hair really going to contribute in any way to the success of the park?--but considering that all of us represent the Intellectual Property (IP) of high-value brands like Nintendo, JK Rowling, How to Train Your Dragon, etc., I suppose it's understandable.
After work, Whole Paycheck for shrimp to make po'boys and a few other ingredients.
It took over an hour to drive the 16 miles home. The tourist traffic around here is only going to get crazier.
Jameson and I caught up, I practiced bass, and received a new transcription job and set up the formatting so I can begin it easily tomorrow. We watched Traitors, went to bed. The usual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I slept poorly and was very anxious for some reason. Assuming it's because my guts are bothering me. Such things make me think of how my mom died, and I am her age, and sometimes my subconscious latches onto that and freaks out.
Coffee and transcription for an hour.
Jameson woke up to find he'd been offered an interview with DEG (Disney Event Group) on Tuesday, so we will begin crossing our fingers and toes for him right now.
When Jameson went to his massage I took a break from trancsription to make tartar sauce, go get po'boy hoagie rolls (for some reason Whole Paycheck has stopped selling demi baguettes), and practice bass until lunch. Then more transcription and a small break before whipping up dinner. I make grilled shrimp po'boys about twice a year, they're easy and tasty and failsafe.
We watched Traitors and Severance, and I binged Beastars for a while (should I be embarrassed about that? Unsure.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I was able to sleep a little better. It was very gusty, the tornado-filled storm system that's been moving across the Southeast US has reached us. It's passing north of Florida but will clip us a bit.
Transcription. A little about that for those interested below the cut.
Most of the cases have several audio clips and the first one is usually what's called a "group advisal" in which large groups of illegal immigrants are herded into a courtroom and advised of their rights, and consequences if they fail to show up for their hearings. These big groups usually consist of multiple family units, with the parents representing the children. There is always a bit of child-noise going on, but for the most part kids are well behaved and also the judge makes a point to say, every time, that kids are welcome in the courtroom because he knows how difficult it is to get childcare.
There is always a Spanish translator present interpreting the words of the judge. The common advisals are simply telling people why they've been summoned to court; advising people to keep the court informed of any address changes in case hearing dates change; advising people of their right to find an attorney or represent themselves; distribution of info packets including sources of free legal representation; and specifically which documents the court will need from them. Probably other stuff too that I'm forgetting.
Somewhere in these throngs of people are the illegal immigrants whose case I'm transcribing. I have to take down everything that is said, but I listen carefully for my immigrant's A-Number, which is similar to a Social Security number and is an identifier. I also listen for any A-Numbers that are consecutive to my immigrant's, or last names that are same/similar, because these may be children or relatives of my person who will also be mentioned in the case that I'm transcribing.
The next audio clip is usually simply looking over paperwork, organizing evidence, and scheduling a date for the actual "removal proceedings." This is pretty boring and sometimes the immigrant doesn't have a lawyer yet, and there's always some form-or-other missing too. There is nearly always a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorney present to represent the government, but I don't usually save their name for future use as it's rarely the same person for the next hearing (because these aren't considered individuals, they represent the entity that is "the United States Government" if that makes sense. The judge also is not "an individual" but rather refers to himself as "the Court," and his statements and decisions for the record are made by "the Court.")
There are sometimes multiple scheduling audio clips, but eventually there's a removal proceeding. This is usually the longest audio clip because it's the part where all parties are present, all evidence is gone over, and there is a cross-examination of the immigrant, who must answer questions from their own attorney (if they have one), the government attorney, and the judge. This is where I get to find out when the person immigrated to the US and how they did it; how long they've been in the country; what made them leave their home country (99.99% of the time it's some sort of violence or threat from cartels or gangs); and lots of other details about their lives and their families and their life here and before they came here. Sometimes the audio is great, sometimes it sucks. Sometimes everyone's participating via Zoom or Webex, other times everyone is present in the physical courtroom or some parties are present while others appear remotely. Sometimes the case takes place across multiple states because the immigrant moves.
It's all very interesting. A bit repetitive, because the process has to be consistent and you're generally asking people the same questions no matter what their background is. But I like it, and I've learned a lot about how our government handles illegal immigrants (very fairly and empathetically imo) and about what kinds of people come to the U.S. via Mexico and other countries (99.99% of the time, completely normal humans just trying to make life better for themselves.)
I type it all up in the DHS formatting, notate any audio issues or times where I couldn't understand what someone said, and listen to it all again (sometimes at 2x speed to save time) and check my work carefully for any mistakes that I might have made. Then I upload it to a secure server, and receive a new job a few days later.
Well, so, I did transcription for most of the morning until I was nearly done. The sooner I finish the more free time I can have for other things. After lunch I practiced trombone until Jameson left for Universal, he's seeing a concert there tonight with a friend. After practice I washed and changed our bedsheets, took myself to a new pho place for summer rolls for dinner, stopped at a hardware store for a pipe joint for trombone breathing exercises (someone is ABSOLUTELY going to think it's a bong), then hit a liquor store for no reason other than it's a new one and I've never been in it before. They didn't have much that I was interested in, but did have Underberg which I've thought about often since trying it in Salt Lake City. So I got some of that to enjoy, and some mini bottles of peanut butter whiskey for Jameson.
Back home, much chilling. I felt very lazy, but maybe that's what's needed.
Summer rolls and leftover tofu and veg, peanut butter whiskey and a carrot cake muffin for dessert.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday thru Wednesday: more days off! (From Epic lol.) I don't really know what to do with myself. Goals include practice, sweeping the pool deck, walks, cooking meals, depositing savings bonds, transcribing, and catching up on sleep. Oh, and taking the frankenbone to be cleaned.
Our cover has been blown. In THIS article.
Aah, whoops. I forget that people don't read any more and I'm supposed to spoon-feed information.
TL;DR:
This is the first-ever official Universal mention of our band.
Next week are family and friends previews, and from what I've heard they're planning to drop the photo restrictions (NOT video, though if they allow the one I feel they can't prevent the other.) So, I will STILL not share any more details than this, because of the NDA and because spoilers are likely to start coming in a week or two.
(Artistic rendering of a strolling violinist, who also tells scary stories, in Dark Universe. This was one of the events that we were taken to see during our rehearsal period...all of the musicians did a fantastic job, and I'm excited that they'll have real audiences soon too!)
Well, back to Thursday.
It was a day off and I hadn't really scheduled myself anything to do, just the lesson with Will and packing for Epic tomorrow. And I was feeling extra-tired. So, a nice slow breakfast and when Jameson went to the gym I watched anime, meal-planned, made a quick trip to Wawa to see if they had seasonal Irish potato candy (they didn't,) got bagels for the week (egg, rye, French toast, cinnamon raisin), and was practicing bass when Jameson got home. I also turned in my transcription work, worked on Foodie Finds, packed my food and clothes for Epic, and received a crappy trombone I'd gotten from Goodwill Auctions for us to use at Epic. With shipping and tax, it was only $186.
I bought it based on photos, obviously couldn't try it in advance when buying from an online auction. But I was lucky. It's not great, but has minimal damage and will be usable for our purposes. I gave it a bath and will bring it with me to Epic tomorrow. Talking with the other two trombone ladies, we'll probably have both junk trombones serviced in coming weeks. A bad, scrape-y slide makes them much harder to play, and dropping a little cash to help us sound slightly better seems reasonable.
After dinner I had my lesson with Will. Got to meet his wife this time, she's also a musician and happened to be on a gig during my last lesson. She seems awesome, I'm hoping that she and Will and Jameson and I can have a couples night of some sort, but with ALL of us musicians it's very unlikely!
The lesson went well again, I was once again flabbergasted at all that I do not know, but think I learned some more things about how I should be shaping my embouchure and moving air through the horn. Will gave me breathing and buzzing exercises to do, so I will try them tomorrow. Once again we went over by 30 minutes, neither of us complaining. There's a lot to learn and an hour honestly doesn't seem to cut it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up very early for Epic.
TMI warning:
my intestines have been a mess since yesterday, I don't know why but perhaps too much dairy lately, or something else indigestible. It happens from time to time but is very uncomfortable and stressful when you're trying to perform in front of people but are mildly nauseous and crampy and gassy.
Anyway, our prop is still broken meaning I could bring my own, good trombone to play as I wouldn't have to set it down on the prop. I also brought the Goodwill trombone, and ALSO kidnapped the frankenbone so that I can take it to be serviced and cleaned (as I mentioned wanting to do a few paragraphs above.) Also, to thank me for A) bringing trombones for us to use and B) volunteering to drive all the way out to Pat's to get one serviced (he lives an hour away), Andrea called Pat up and paid for the cleaning in advance! This is why I love working with these ladies! I get the sense that the men would NEVER be proactive like this for each other. Mariah has been at a wedding this week or I'm sure she'd have pitched in as well (she's also very young so I had zero expectations, let her save her money.)
The day went just fine, nothing to report except that my character's hairstyle was thrown into question because my hair has grown out a bit since I was given hair/makeup criteria. I am still amazed at how much scrutiny we are all under from day to day--is the length of my hair really going to contribute in any way to the success of the park?--but considering that all of us represent the Intellectual Property (IP) of high-value brands like Nintendo, JK Rowling, How to Train Your Dragon, etc., I suppose it's understandable.
After work, Whole Paycheck for shrimp to make po'boys and a few other ingredients.
It took over an hour to drive the 16 miles home. The tourist traffic around here is only going to get crazier.
Jameson and I caught up, I practiced bass, and received a new transcription job and set up the formatting so I can begin it easily tomorrow. We watched Traitors, went to bed. The usual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I slept poorly and was very anxious for some reason. Assuming it's because my guts are bothering me. Such things make me think of how my mom died, and I am her age, and sometimes my subconscious latches onto that and freaks out.
Coffee and transcription for an hour.
Jameson woke up to find he'd been offered an interview with DEG (Disney Event Group) on Tuesday, so we will begin crossing our fingers and toes for him right now.
When Jameson went to his massage I took a break from trancsription to make tartar sauce, go get po'boy hoagie rolls (for some reason Whole Paycheck has stopped selling demi baguettes), and practice bass until lunch. Then more transcription and a small break before whipping up dinner. I make grilled shrimp po'boys about twice a year, they're easy and tasty and failsafe.
We watched Traitors and Severance, and I binged Beastars for a while (should I be embarrassed about that? Unsure.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I was able to sleep a little better. It was very gusty, the tornado-filled storm system that's been moving across the Southeast US has reached us. It's passing north of Florida but will clip us a bit.
Transcription. A little about that for those interested below the cut.
Most of the cases have several audio clips and the first one is usually what's called a "group advisal" in which large groups of illegal immigrants are herded into a courtroom and advised of their rights, and consequences if they fail to show up for their hearings. These big groups usually consist of multiple family units, with the parents representing the children. There is always a bit of child-noise going on, but for the most part kids are well behaved and also the judge makes a point to say, every time, that kids are welcome in the courtroom because he knows how difficult it is to get childcare.
There is always a Spanish translator present interpreting the words of the judge. The common advisals are simply telling people why they've been summoned to court; advising people to keep the court informed of any address changes in case hearing dates change; advising people of their right to find an attorney or represent themselves; distribution of info packets including sources of free legal representation; and specifically which documents the court will need from them. Probably other stuff too that I'm forgetting.
Somewhere in these throngs of people are the illegal immigrants whose case I'm transcribing. I have to take down everything that is said, but I listen carefully for my immigrant's A-Number, which is similar to a Social Security number and is an identifier. I also listen for any A-Numbers that are consecutive to my immigrant's, or last names that are same/similar, because these may be children or relatives of my person who will also be mentioned in the case that I'm transcribing.
The next audio clip is usually simply looking over paperwork, organizing evidence, and scheduling a date for the actual "removal proceedings." This is pretty boring and sometimes the immigrant doesn't have a lawyer yet, and there's always some form-or-other missing too. There is nearly always a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorney present to represent the government, but I don't usually save their name for future use as it's rarely the same person for the next hearing (because these aren't considered individuals, they represent the entity that is "the United States Government" if that makes sense. The judge also is not "an individual" but rather refers to himself as "the Court," and his statements and decisions for the record are made by "the Court.")
There are sometimes multiple scheduling audio clips, but eventually there's a removal proceeding. This is usually the longest audio clip because it's the part where all parties are present, all evidence is gone over, and there is a cross-examination of the immigrant, who must answer questions from their own attorney (if they have one), the government attorney, and the judge. This is where I get to find out when the person immigrated to the US and how they did it; how long they've been in the country; what made them leave their home country (99.99% of the time it's some sort of violence or threat from cartels or gangs); and lots of other details about their lives and their families and their life here and before they came here. Sometimes the audio is great, sometimes it sucks. Sometimes everyone's participating via Zoom or Webex, other times everyone is present in the physical courtroom or some parties are present while others appear remotely. Sometimes the case takes place across multiple states because the immigrant moves.
It's all very interesting. A bit repetitive, because the process has to be consistent and you're generally asking people the same questions no matter what their background is. But I like it, and I've learned a lot about how our government handles illegal immigrants (very fairly and empathetically imo) and about what kinds of people come to the U.S. via Mexico and other countries (99.99% of the time, completely normal humans just trying to make life better for themselves.)
I type it all up in the DHS formatting, notate any audio issues or times where I couldn't understand what someone said, and listen to it all again (sometimes at 2x speed to save time) and check my work carefully for any mistakes that I might have made. Then I upload it to a secure server, and receive a new job a few days later.
Well, so, I did transcription for most of the morning until I was nearly done. The sooner I finish the more free time I can have for other things. After lunch I practiced trombone until Jameson left for Universal, he's seeing a concert there tonight with a friend. After practice I washed and changed our bedsheets, took myself to a new pho place for summer rolls for dinner, stopped at a hardware store for a pipe joint for trombone breathing exercises (someone is ABSOLUTELY going to think it's a bong), then hit a liquor store for no reason other than it's a new one and I've never been in it before. They didn't have much that I was interested in, but did have Underberg which I've thought about often since trying it in Salt Lake City. So I got some of that to enjoy, and some mini bottles of peanut butter whiskey for Jameson.
Back home, much chilling. I felt very lazy, but maybe that's what's needed.
Summer rolls and leftover tofu and veg, peanut butter whiskey and a carrot cake muffin for dessert.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday thru Wednesday: more days off! (From Epic lol.) I don't really know what to do with myself. Goals include practice, sweeping the pool deck, walks, cooking meals, depositing savings bonds, transcribing, and catching up on sleep. Oh, and taking the frankenbone to be cleaned.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 11:22 pm (UTC)How do you keep the bagels fresh? Ziplock bags?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 12:44 am (UTC)They are certainly interesting. I don't know how people are "caught" or brought in or whatever, so I hope it's not as traumatic as we often hear on the news with ICE raids and whatnot. Nobody seems traumatized, and no one is detained or under arrest, they all have normal suburban addresses and such, kids in school, etc. And the cases I get are from all over the country. Most are from the southwest of course, but plenty from the other states too.
Since it's very humid here in Florida, breads go bad pretty quick.
First I make sure the bagels are room temp (when they're fresh they're hot and put out steam which can encourage mold.)
Next I wrap each bagel individually with plastic wrap. Doing this with DRY HANDS is also very important, any moisture added = mold within 48 hours here.
Then they go either into a large Ziploc, or a clean brown paper bag.
THEN they go into a bread box. This protects them from heat and light (which = mold.)
And because I only eat 1/2 bagel per meal/serving, I'll often freeze 1-2 of them so that the last two don't go stale or moldy. I just take 'em out a few hours or the night before using em, bread thaws surprisingly fast.
Hope that helps.