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taz_39**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.
This post covers Monday and Tuesday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
Up at 4:45am, quietly brewing coffee in the dark. I worked on Foodie Finds and watched Vox Machina until it was time to get ready for the Uber. Equally quiet packing of the final toiletries, chargers, and computer, then slipping outside with two trombones and a huge suitcase, locking the door behind me.
Because I nearly always leave in the predawn, before Jameson and most people are awake, it seems like time has stopped every time I leave for tour. The silence, darkness, and stillness make everything feel suspended, crystallized. Under a blanket of Florida fog, our neighborhood becomes a liminal space. I move silently through the still air, load luggage into the Uber, and we pull away, a bug extracting itself from jello. Gradually the sun rises, the fog begins to lift, and time seems to move forward again. Bit by bit, picking up speed as warmth and light increase.
Anyway. It's just an impression I've often had when sneaking away in the early morning.
Everything at the airport was normal except that for some reason United had their oversized luggage trolley sitting right in the middle of the floor. Literally, instead of being behind the luggage counter where it normally lives or even against the wall, it was smack in the middle of the queue, among the check-in stations where people were coming and going. The attendants told me to leave my trombones there and someone would take them, but they didn't fit on the trolley so I had to set them on the floor next to it. In the middle of the public space of a very busy airport. Needless to say, I did as they asked, but then stood nearby and waited and watched. I waited a little under 10 minutes, at which point an employee came, loaded my trombones, and took them away.
If you think for a second that I'm going to leave my entire livelihood in the middle of the floor unattended, you are nuts. I would rather miss my flight.
That done, everything was fine. Holiday decorations are still up at MCO.
The trombones (or rather their AirTags) letting me know that they were somewhat nearby:
The flight was smooth and normal. The trombones both arrived perfectly fine. Each one has now been checked ten or more times on ALL of the major US airlines. I am very grateful that so far they've been returned to me unharmed.
A short Uber to the hotel, the room was ready for me even though it was before noon. I dropped luggage off and scarfed down some of my travel foods before catching a Lyft to Kroger. Unfortunately it was an incredibly disappointing understocked Kroger, so I walked 35 minutes to, you guessed it, Whole Paycheck, where I found everything that I needed. Back to the hotel I put everything away and unpacked while listening to a playlist my brother had sent of some of his favorite music of 2025 :) Dinner and typing up this post, later on tea and leftover Christmas cookies, and honestly just enjoying a quiet night in at the hotel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
I fell asleep at 10pm because my body thought it was 11pm. But as a result I had a longer-than-usual sleep, which is good.
When I woke up I had NO IDEA where I was for a minute. Common experience with a traveling lifestyle.
Back home, Jameson's alarm didn't go off (he uses Alexa and must have somehow changed her programming during the holidays.) He was a bit late to work because of it, but only a bit. 2026 is off to a special start :p
I raided the hotel's free breakfast and got two bagels, peanut butter, and walnuts. There were other yummies that I'll be happy to come back for later in the week. A slow morning of breakfast, meal planning, packing dinner and snacks for work, and starting on Tulsa Foodie Finds. An even slower afternoon of listlessly watching YouTube videos and itching to go to the theater, but they understandably don't want us showing up while load in is wrapping up.
The trombones are anxious to get to work too. Waiting by the door :p
Lunch and more pacing in my hotel room and FINALLY it was time to head to the theater. I took a Lyft just for today so I wouldn't have to drag my trombones and backpack 1/2 mile in the 80°F (26.6°C) heat. I was here in 2021 with Tootsie, but that's nearly 5 years ago. While I remembered the stage door, I didn't quite remember the backstage area. Turns out it's square-shaped and covered in wall tags.
I found the Tootsie wall tag! Can you find my initials? It's a tough one because A) I write small and B) this is a textured wall and the signatures got all woobly and weird! (Reminder that you can click on the image to open it in a new tab and enlarge)
Directly across from it is a My Fair Lady wall tag. It is in fact from "my" tour but before I had joined (I joined partway through, after their first trombonist quit.) This is the second time that "my" two tours have had wall tags extremely close to each other.
There is a note on the MFL wall tag about how the tour was suspended due to the pandemic, then resumed in Houston. Cool and crazy.
I entered the pit and remembered this theater right away. It has a pretty skyscape!
Here are both the "lights on" and "lights off" views.
Sometimes there is a shooting star that goes by...I saw it once tonight and thought I was hallucinating but found out later it's real, and appears every 5-10 minutes.
As people started filtering in for sound check we all greeted each other warmly, asked how breaks or stints in Dallas had been, etc. I found out that during the Dallas run a LOT of people had gotten RSV, and at one point there were ELEVEN actors out!!! That's bonkers!! Some bandmates are still recovering from it, too...DAR declined hugs because he's still coughing a lot. I also learned that while in Dallas, our show was the second-highest grossing 3-week engagement ever, besides Hamilton! Wow!!
Sound check was kinda rough for me, but this is how it ALWAYS is coming back from a long break. I've been performing with a 130+ piece orchestra, in a section, and now I'm back in a hole in the ground, alone on my instrument, and surrounded by plexi. I've done both kinds of playing many times before, but it's always sort of a spatial adjustment and relearning how to fit in musically with your peers (who are having the same struggles.) We all manage to be patient with ourselves and each other (and I am so grateful for that!) and things will fall into place in the coming days.
Here is me and my trombones, happy to be back at work.
(Yeah I know my face is ugly. Don't like it, scroll past it.)
Ate a packed dinner at the theater, and after a little scavenger hunt managed to find my trunk and retrieve lots of stuff from it. Our evening show was well attended, and at intermission there was a surprising number of people ringing the pit and pelting us with questions. Though I'm an introvert, I appreciate it very much when people take an interest in where the show music comes from, and am very happy to answer any questions!
It was a good first show back. Afterward DAR said some incredibly kind things about our playing, which of course made me want to do BETTER than I'd done, and which I will in coming days as I get my tour feet back under me. For right now it was really nice to be back at work. What a thing, to be able to look forward to work. I am so blessed for that!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: One evening show. Not sure what I'll do yet but was thinking to see Sam Houston Park and maybe walk part of Buffalo Bayou trail.
Thursday: One evening show. I have a dermatology appointment in the morning (supposedly, if they're OK with me being self-pay.) Possibly grabbing lunch at a Foodie Find ;)
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
Up at 4:45am, quietly brewing coffee in the dark. I worked on Foodie Finds and watched Vox Machina until it was time to get ready for the Uber. Equally quiet packing of the final toiletries, chargers, and computer, then slipping outside with two trombones and a huge suitcase, locking the door behind me.
Because I nearly always leave in the predawn, before Jameson and most people are awake, it seems like time has stopped every time I leave for tour. The silence, darkness, and stillness make everything feel suspended, crystallized. Under a blanket of Florida fog, our neighborhood becomes a liminal space. I move silently through the still air, load luggage into the Uber, and we pull away, a bug extracting itself from jello. Gradually the sun rises, the fog begins to lift, and time seems to move forward again. Bit by bit, picking up speed as warmth and light increase.
Anyway. It's just an impression I've often had when sneaking away in the early morning.
Everything at the airport was normal except that for some reason United had their oversized luggage trolley sitting right in the middle of the floor. Literally, instead of being behind the luggage counter where it normally lives or even against the wall, it was smack in the middle of the queue, among the check-in stations where people were coming and going. The attendants told me to leave my trombones there and someone would take them, but they didn't fit on the trolley so I had to set them on the floor next to it. In the middle of the public space of a very busy airport. Needless to say, I did as they asked, but then stood nearby and waited and watched. I waited a little under 10 minutes, at which point an employee came, loaded my trombones, and took them away.
If you think for a second that I'm going to leave my entire livelihood in the middle of the floor unattended, you are nuts. I would rather miss my flight.
That done, everything was fine. Holiday decorations are still up at MCO.
The trombones (or rather their AirTags) letting me know that they were somewhat nearby:
The flight was smooth and normal. The trombones both arrived perfectly fine. Each one has now been checked ten or more times on ALL of the major US airlines. I am very grateful that so far they've been returned to me unharmed.
A short Uber to the hotel, the room was ready for me even though it was before noon. I dropped luggage off and scarfed down some of my travel foods before catching a Lyft to Kroger. Unfortunately it was an incredibly disappointing understocked Kroger, so I walked 35 minutes to, you guessed it, Whole Paycheck, where I found everything that I needed. Back to the hotel I put everything away and unpacked while listening to a playlist my brother had sent of some of his favorite music of 2025 :) Dinner and typing up this post, later on tea and leftover Christmas cookies, and honestly just enjoying a quiet night in at the hotel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
I fell asleep at 10pm because my body thought it was 11pm. But as a result I had a longer-than-usual sleep, which is good.
When I woke up I had NO IDEA where I was for a minute. Common experience with a traveling lifestyle.
Back home, Jameson's alarm didn't go off (he uses Alexa and must have somehow changed her programming during the holidays.) He was a bit late to work because of it, but only a bit. 2026 is off to a special start :p
I raided the hotel's free breakfast and got two bagels, peanut butter, and walnuts. There were other yummies that I'll be happy to come back for later in the week. A slow morning of breakfast, meal planning, packing dinner and snacks for work, and starting on Tulsa Foodie Finds. An even slower afternoon of listlessly watching YouTube videos and itching to go to the theater, but they understandably don't want us showing up while load in is wrapping up.
The trombones are anxious to get to work too. Waiting by the door :p
Lunch and more pacing in my hotel room and FINALLY it was time to head to the theater. I took a Lyft just for today so I wouldn't have to drag my trombones and backpack 1/2 mile in the 80°F (26.6°C) heat. I was here in 2021 with Tootsie, but that's nearly 5 years ago. While I remembered the stage door, I didn't quite remember the backstage area. Turns out it's square-shaped and covered in wall tags.
I found the Tootsie wall tag! Can you find my initials? It's a tough one because A) I write small and B) this is a textured wall and the signatures got all woobly and weird! (Reminder that you can click on the image to open it in a new tab and enlarge)
Directly across from it is a My Fair Lady wall tag. It is in fact from "my" tour but before I had joined (I joined partway through, after their first trombonist quit.) This is the second time that "my" two tours have had wall tags extremely close to each other.
There is a note on the MFL wall tag about how the tour was suspended due to the pandemic, then resumed in Houston. Cool and crazy.
I entered the pit and remembered this theater right away. It has a pretty skyscape!
Here are both the "lights on" and "lights off" views.
Sometimes there is a shooting star that goes by...I saw it once tonight and thought I was hallucinating but found out later it's real, and appears every 5-10 minutes.
As people started filtering in for sound check we all greeted each other warmly, asked how breaks or stints in Dallas had been, etc. I found out that during the Dallas run a LOT of people had gotten RSV, and at one point there were ELEVEN actors out!!! That's bonkers!! Some bandmates are still recovering from it, too...DAR declined hugs because he's still coughing a lot. I also learned that while in Dallas, our show was the second-highest grossing 3-week engagement ever, besides Hamilton! Wow!!
Sound check was kinda rough for me, but this is how it ALWAYS is coming back from a long break. I've been performing with a 130+ piece orchestra, in a section, and now I'm back in a hole in the ground, alone on my instrument, and surrounded by plexi. I've done both kinds of playing many times before, but it's always sort of a spatial adjustment and relearning how to fit in musically with your peers (who are having the same struggles.) We all manage to be patient with ourselves and each other (and I am so grateful for that!) and things will fall into place in the coming days.
Here is me and my trombones, happy to be back at work.
(Yeah I know my face is ugly. Don't like it, scroll past it.)
Ate a packed dinner at the theater, and after a little scavenger hunt managed to find my trunk and retrieve lots of stuff from it. Our evening show was well attended, and at intermission there was a surprising number of people ringing the pit and pelting us with questions. Though I'm an introvert, I appreciate it very much when people take an interest in where the show music comes from, and am very happy to answer any questions!
It was a good first show back. Afterward DAR said some incredibly kind things about our playing, which of course made me want to do BETTER than I'd done, and which I will in coming days as I get my tour feet back under me. For right now it was really nice to be back at work. What a thing, to be able to look forward to work. I am so blessed for that!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: One evening show. Not sure what I'll do yet but was thinking to see Sam Houston Park and maybe walk part of Buffalo Bayou trail.
Thursday: One evening show. I have a dermatology appointment in the morning (supposedly, if they're OK with me being self-pay.) Possibly grabbing lunch at a Foodie Find ;)
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 09:35 pm (UTC)I can’t help but think you lead a very exciting life.
I was a music performance major that never got to work professionally after college, so I am admittedly extra-fascinated! I play the oboe and played for many years in adult community bands. I’ve recently gotten my horn out again and started practicing with the goal of going a community orchestra here in tucson.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 11:20 pm (UTC)On that I must agree with you: looking back on it all, I have experienced so incredibly much and have had such a varied and exciting life, and that is not meant to be a brag, it is simply a fact. The circus alone was exciting beyond anything I could have expected or asked for: living on a moving train for five years, working alongside elephants, playing to audiences of up to 30,000...but then all the other stuff that has happened since then!! Cruise ships and touring shows and theme parks and whatnot! Every day I'm just about speechless if I think about it for too long!
Oh, oboe is such a cool instrument! And so demanding/exacting. I really hope that there are some good orchestras in Tucson that would have you. Also if you have just started practicing again I hope that you're the type to be patient and kind to yourself as you relearn :) I didn't play trombone AT ALL for two whole years during the pandemic, and hooo weeee coming back was ROUGH haha!
We will actually be in Tucson soon (you probably already know this) so not to be a creep or anything but if you want to grab coffee or lunch or something, holler!
no subject
Date: 2026-01-08 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-08 05:12 am (UTC)Tucson is June 15 through 21. When we’re closer to that I’ll reach out!
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 10:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 10:42 pm (UTC)At least they didn't have to cancel shows because of it I guess.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 11:23 pm (UTC)