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taz_39Monday, up early for Epic.
It was a fairly normal day, except now people can record us. Crowds were thin but I think it's because most rides and shows are actually up and running, so people don't need to loaf about under the blazing sun when they could be, you know, petting dragons and such.
There was a snippet video of us posted later on, not the full show, just some nice highlights.
This is the first public footage of me performing with Place Cachee Jazz!
(the timestamp is 14:04 if the video doesn't automatically start there)
Between shows I practiced a little, but there still just isn't time for it...by the time I get everything set up I've only got 10 minutes to play. If there were a dedicated warm-up room I could leave my things there, but there isn't.
After work, Whole Paycheck for the hot bar and some favorites (tofu bites, Koia shakes) before booking it home to pack for tomorrow and practice bass.
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Tuesday, Epic again.
It was a bit drizzly in the morning which made it cooler :)
We did one show without the cart (mostly to protect Plume the puffskein from drizzle) and the rest were with the cart. All of the shows went well, though some were a bit underattended.
TMI WARNING (nothing explicit, just talk about "gut stuff")
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I also felt malaise during the second-to-last show, it felt like either my usual nerves/stress physical reaction or something that I ate causing abdominal cramps, or perhaps both. Sometimes this happens. I've suspected for a while that I've got stress-related IBS or something similar, but since I don't feel nauseous, stop eating, or lose weight due to these episodes, I generally ignore them. A buildup of stress? A reaction to something I ate? Something more sinister? As a Millennial American, I have no financial way of knowing unless it becomes a medical emergency or starts significantly disrupting my daily life. It must be nice to have the privilege of simply seeing a doctor when you don't feel well. What must that be like! Only my parents and grandparents got to enjoy that before pulling the ladder up behind them.
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Rant over...but not really.
I'll probably die from something completely preventable, thanks to this, so will never not be angry about it.
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Anyway, it was a normal day and I drove straight home afterward. It took me a while to pack breakfast, lunch, dinner, and clothing for Disney tomorrow, and afterward I wanted to rest and make sure I'm not getting sick (based on tmi events above.) Ate dinner and dessert just fine...who knows.
Also, on the way home I was listening to NPR and they were discussing the workings of immigration court. I was gratified to hear the host describe the details of the work I've been doing for the past several months. It also made me worried, for the first time, about what it means that immigration trials are currently on hold. And with Trump deporting people like he's doing. That's peoples' rights on hold.
Not for my sake at all...I really hope that immigration hearings resume soon. Because people who come to this country are supposed to have rights. And if these cases DON'T resume....it's pretty damn bad sign.
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I got to sleep in a bit later, 7:30am!
A relaxing morning of breakfast and seeing Jameson off to the gym, then I left for the Magic Kingdom.
The weather was calm and clear, not too hot even, and attendance was clearly up. We had great crowds all day!
Apparently Wednesdays are when the Dapper Dans rehearse under the Castle. They were with us in the warm-up room all day (not the group performing in the park that day, but a different set of four guys, possibly subs.) This meant that the band guys mostly stuck to their man-cave break room, and I stayed in the warm-up room because to me that IS the break room. The Dappers didn't mind at all, so I got to enjoy sitting quietly between sets and listening to their lovely harmonies all day :)
Here's a clip of them in the park.
(For those who are LJ or DW Friends, you'll get to see a video of their actual rehearsal today in a separate Friends Only post!)
We added "Heigh-Ho" to the parade music, and it went quite well. I was glad I'd memorized it in time.
Overall a really nice day.
Small introspection: it is a wondrous thing to be working at two amusement parks right now, one old and one new.
I've possibly mentioned this in previous posts, but felt it again today.
At Epic, everything is frantic with the energy and chaos of a new park about to open.
Everything is innovative and novel, the landscape is constantly changing, excitement is high, things are moving quickly.
There is an incredible undertow of hope and anticipation.
It is stressful, but also exciting.
There is a feeling of being a pioneer of sorts...every day I am aware that I am one of the first to walk these halls, to ride these rides, to look upon this newly-made "world."
My voice--the sound of my instrument--is one of the first to echo in the Ministry of Magic.
Those who work here, right now, are the first to call this park "home."
There's a wonderful feeling of pride to be a part of this new venture, a phenomenon about to be revealed that will surprise and delight millions, and touch the hearts of people around the world.
Memories waiting to be made. A legacy waiting to be written.
(photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
And then the next day I'm at Disney, riding the employee bus to the Castle.
The bus drivers are chill and friendly, take time to smile and greet everyone, and in return employees wave and shout, "Thank you!" as they get on off the bus.
Everyone walks patiently into the Utilidors, chatting and clocking in, most already in costume.
Nothing seems rushed or frantic; routines here are established.
Everyone knows their role and if they don't they've got someone to guide them.
The floor is worn, worn, worn by the feet of thousands of Castmembers before us.
The walls are covered in the legacy of Walt Disney...his image, his art, his innovations new and old.
Decades of memories. A legacy writ so deep that it has become a part of human existence.
There is a feeling of pride equally deep...of being part of an old magic, a cherished treasure passed down like an heirloom through time and space.
There is a feeling of belonging.
(photo courtesy AllEars.net)
Both places have such strong magic.
Standing with one foot in each world, as I'm doing, leaves me awestruck when I stop to think about it.
What a treasure.
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Thursday: "Day off" for me, so catching up on housework and practicing AND supporting Jameson as he has another interview with DEG today!
Friday: Epic Universe, but rehearsal is at NIGHT for the first time! I can't wait to see Place Cachee all lit up :)
Saturday: Day off, supposedly meeting with someone to talk about bass trombone mutes.
Sunday: I picked up another day at the Magic Kingdom, hooray!!
no subject
Date: 2025-04-10 10:12 am (UTC)Your impressions of the parks I find very interesting. Almost every place my group performs is temporary. Or, at least for that kind of event.
The idea of a permanent location so many share is a very different thing to me.
My wife has digestive problems like that, often around shows. For her it is stress. (After decades of doing it she still experiences it.)
I certainly hope it isn't more for you.
If it is any consolation, a couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor's office, only saw a nurse, was there less than 15 minutes, I was weighed, blood taken, told everything looked OK and billed $608.
I had been told over email by the doctor "you MUST come in to make sure everything is going OK".
I have health insurance, but it is a $2000 yearly deductible, and only April. So, I haven't hit it yet. If I do, then everything is covered.
Still a long way to go.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-10 11:08 am (UTC)Yes, Disneyland has been around since the 60s or so(?)and Disney World since the 70s. The circus ran for 146 years. Other theme parks and entertainment venues (The Globe Theatre, The Fantastic Fox, casinos, etc) have been “in one place” for decades or for generations to enjoy. I don’t think it’s unusual, just that entertainment has always taken many forms.
Wow, so after you hit $2000, insurance will pay your medical expenses!
What a nice feeling, to know that you are covered! I imagine it must be nice.
If I need to get any kind of medical help, my career is essentially over. Facing down a $2000 bill sounds like a great privilege compared to hundreds of thousands of dollars (and honestly no one is ever going to see that kind of money from either my earnings or my assets, so why even send the bill?)
The money I actively pay now, from my checks, into social security and Medicare, is gobbled down daily by The Greatest Generation. I will never see a dime of it. It will never be used to help or protect ME. It was all, always, set up to benefit people who came before me, while I was yet an exploitable fetus, a twinkle in someone’s greedy eye.
I mean good on our parents and grandparents for figuring out a system to exploit their own children’s ability to work after they became old and frail. And once I commit the inevitable “crime” of being unable to work due to illness or injury, I’ll be “punished” with a medical debt that I can never hope to repay. Which will, of course, force me to drag my broken body back to work.
Sorry, I know this isn’t your fault. You’ve hit on a huge chip on my shoulder. The majority of my generation works to benefit the people who came before us. All I can do is bank experiences in my heart, because once I'm inevitably unable to work at full health, I won’t even have that. If I break my pinky toe I’m F*CKED for the rest of my short life.
It sickens me and makes me feel rage like nothing else.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-10 11:26 am (UTC)I remember when congress voted to be able to “borrow” money from social security. Everyone said “they’ll rob it blind and it will go broke”. And, yep, that’s what happened.
And, I am grateful that any bigger expenses will be covered. It’s just a long way to that $2000 some days.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-10 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-04-10 06:22 pm (UTC)It really is special. I'm still just a human being and the economy is still garbage, so there are always little things to complain about or feel dissatisfied about, and pay seems never enough even if I love the job. But if nothing else I can look back on my short fruit fly life and say that I used it to do exciting and interesting things.