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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 the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
My phone making little pinging sounds woke me up.
It was a friend from Ringling. The circus will be in Philly at the same time as us! They wanted to know if I could come see a show. Unfortunately most of our show times overlap too much, but there's ONE day where it might be possible, so I'm going to look into that (it's a masterclass day so I'll have to get more info.) Then ANOTHER Ringling friend texted, but he's not with Ringling any more, just lives locally. Looks like I'll get to have dinner with him and more circus people! Wooot!! Unexpected reunion!!
After that I spent a lot of time reading updates over on DW (I won't tag anyone here in case you don't want to be seen on LJ, but you know who you are) because a lot of people had an eventful week and wrote extensively about their doings. I like to sit with my morning coffee and be immersed in the interesting lives of people all over the world :)
Did a load of laundry...what a LUXURY to have in-unit washing! Didn't have to set timers or climb up and down stairs or fuss with quarters! I could consider booking airbnbs JUST for that!!! (I won't :P )
Breakfast, and ran through my masterclass early because I've actually got a lot to do today. A solid 45 minutes this time! I did stumble over a few talking points but that's ok, bound to happen. Folded the laundry, and then took myself thrifting.
It was a gorgeous sunny day and close to 60°F (15.5°C)! I soaked it in, because in Philly it's about to be a LOT colder and drearier than that. Walked to Walgreens first for earplugs. It was down a big steep hill so I had to brace myself for the climb back UP the big steep hill (panting and gasping, lol.) Went from there to what I thought was a thrift store and turned out to be a vintage clothing store. Which is fine, but I wouldn't risk bringing nice clothes like that along on tour. Womp womp. There were lots of touristy little shops in this area (I have been here before) so I wandered aimlessly, window shopping and not buying anything and just enjoying being outside in the sun :)
On the way back to the apartment I got some bagels at a local bakery.
Oh! I almost forgot to review the foods from the local co-op!
Red "Xs" across both parts indicate when to switch back to the OTHER part, and yellow dots (which I later changed to purple to avoid confusion) indicate where to pick up after a switch. Ideally I would be turning the pages of both books simultaneously, and therefore when I see a red "X" in whichever I'm reading I could instantly look to the other book and find the purple dot. There are some parts where this system won't work, mostly in trombone-heavy parts where I'll be too entrenched in my own part to switch back and forth. For those cases I will likely write the horn solo into the trombone book as subtext. There are also parts where we both have prominent lines and I obviously can't play both at the same time, so I'd ask DAR which line he'd rather sacrifice in the event of an emergency. Again, very much hoping that I NEVER have to use this and that all of this effort is for nothing.
After probably 3 hours of that I HAD to take a break, transposing was turning my brain to mush! I probably got 1/3 of the way through. Watched some Mighty Nein, had dinner, got dressed for work, and walked to the theater. We had a nice evening show, I can't remember anything special happening and that's a good thing.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
Managed to sleep until 8am, then coffee and descaling my mini Keurig (first time I've done this) and drying it for storage in my trunk. Packed a bunch of trunk things. Got confirmation that I WILL be doing the additional grade-school-level masterclass with my friend whose name is BethAnn. I sent her an invoice and W9 because she made arrangements for me to be paid (unasked for, and how generous!) I still don't have confirmation from Temple but am assuming it'll go through only because better safe than sorry.
With all of that, in Philly I will have
Anyway. A normal morning, masterclass run-through (46 minutes, not bad not bad) lunch, and walking to the theater a bit early to pack my trunk. Many others were doing the same. Tour ritual, I suppose!
The matinee was good, though DAR has pulled his back and was hurting :( He is going to PT between shows and I hope they can help him. If not Connor (Key 1) will conduct.
Between shows we had a special treat! For Black History Month, some of our cast members arranged for a local black-owned restaurant to cater dinner for us! It's from Wes BBQ in Fayetteville and the food was FANTASTIC. Cornbread, brisket, pork, sausage, green beans, potato salad, baked beans, big slices of Texas toast, and sweet potato pie for dessert.
I made myself a plate and scooted away back to the apartment to enjoy it. Good, much appreciated home cooking.
Back at the theater just a short while later, I saw this Mrs. Potts crochet plushie stuck to the bulletin board!
It was made by a local crew member. My favorite part is the sparkly Mickey on the spout (which intentionally or unintentionally references a Hidden Mickey.) It is being auctioned off and the current high bid is $40, but I expect that to jump up by the end of our last show. And tbh, I think that this should just be GIVEN to Kathy (the actress who plays Mrs. Potts) but also understand that a lot of work went into this and the creator should profit!
The evening show was...interesting. DAR decided to sit this one out due to his back (as he very much should!) so Connor conducted. Most things went fine but there were a few weirdnesses...I missed a note that I'd been working on all day, probably psyched myself out?? Missing it made me so annoyed, I wanted to throw my horn!! Then Tim (trumpet)'s valves got stuck during a number, which he says hasn't happened in YEARS. And something odd happened with the vocals too at one point, it was only a split-second and we recovered so smoothly that I doubt the audience noticed. But good grief, it must have been a full moon or something. I joked with Tim that I should buy the Mrs. Potts plush so I'll have something to throw every time I miss a note and get mad :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Coffee, breakfast, prepping and packing for the trip to Philly. I made overnight oats to save time tomorrow, and even brewed my coffee ahead of time so all I have to do is heat it up (or drink it cold.) Made a few changes to Pittsburgh Foodie Finds, and wished my brother Jonah a happy birthday! His b-day falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year so he's not doing anything special. As someone with a February birthday this has happened to me too and I totally get it.
Masterclass run-through (47 minutes) and lunch and off to the theater. Mrs Potts bidding had not changed so I put in a bid of $50.
It felt odd to only have one show on a Sunday! My friend Kizzi, a former circus person, came with her friend to see our show and managed to get down to the pit to say hello just before the show started. The show went "ok." We had NINE understudies in, including a new Gaston who did an excellent job! I just got a feeling--a vibe--that people were distracted and/or thinking about Philadelphia. It is a BUSY two weeks, for all of us.
After the show I packed up super-quick, made sure to thank our French horn sub for filling in and express that it was a pleasure to work with her, and headed out. The last bid I saw on Mrs. Potts was $60.
Our wall tag had just been finished. It is interestingly situated on a corner, and looks like a beautiful book :)
Can you find my initials? (Recall that you can click on the image to enlarge in a new tab.)
Back at the apartment I showered, packed some more, ate dinner, and did a final load of laundry with the Super Bowl on in the background. And now that I'm leaving, you can see what my airbnb looked like. It was very nice and I had a wonderful stay!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: All-day travel to Philadelphia. Hoping to get there with enough time to get groceries.
Tuesday: A Golden Day for some of us because it takes the trucks a long time to get from Arkansas to Philly and then load in. I plan to do a little shopping/get groceries if needed, and meet up with some circus friends for dinner.
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
My phone making little pinging sounds woke me up.
It was a friend from Ringling. The circus will be in Philly at the same time as us! They wanted to know if I could come see a show. Unfortunately most of our show times overlap too much, but there's ONE day where it might be possible, so I'm going to look into that (it's a masterclass day so I'll have to get more info.) Then ANOTHER Ringling friend texted, but he's not with Ringling any more, just lives locally. Looks like I'll get to have dinner with him and more circus people! Wooot!! Unexpected reunion!!
After that I spent a lot of time reading updates over on DW (I won't tag anyone here in case you don't want to be seen on LJ, but you know who you are) because a lot of people had an eventful week and wrote extensively about their doings. I like to sit with my morning coffee and be immersed in the interesting lives of people all over the world :)
Did a load of laundry...what a LUXURY to have in-unit washing! Didn't have to set timers or climb up and down stairs or fuss with quarters! I could consider booking airbnbs JUST for that!!! (I won't :P )
Breakfast, and ran through my masterclass early because I've actually got a lot to do today. A solid 45 minutes this time! I did stumble over a few talking points but that's ok, bound to happen. Folded the laundry, and then took myself thrifting.
It was a gorgeous sunny day and close to 60°F (15.5°C)! I soaked it in, because in Philly it's about to be a LOT colder and drearier than that. Walked to Walgreens first for earplugs. It was down a big steep hill so I had to brace myself for the climb back UP the big steep hill (panting and gasping, lol.) Went from there to what I thought was a thrift store and turned out to be a vintage clothing store. Which is fine, but I wouldn't risk bringing nice clothes like that along on tour. Womp womp. There were lots of touristy little shops in this area (I have been here before) so I wandered aimlessly, window shopping and not buying anything and just enjoying being outside in the sun :)
On the way back to the apartment I got some bagels at a local bakery.
Oh! I almost forgot to review the foods from the local co-op!
- "Sweeties" Almonds: 8/10 They're a basic candied nut, sweet and delicious, but not overly sugary like the ones you get at Buc-ee's or at fairs and such. The chai spices came through nicely. I'd like to try their other flavors too :)
- Blueberry Sourdough Bagels: 10/10 These are awesome!! Real whole fresh blueberries were used and that makes a difference. I bought them fresh so they were soft and chewy. You can taste the sourdough tang, too. Totally awesome.
- Sweet Potato Soup: 7/10 This is REALLY thick, more like a hearty stew! Big pieces of vegetables, and made with very basic ingredients, no preservatives or excess salt. It's just slightly spicy. Tbh it was a bit gritty at times, points off mostly for that and because I found the texture kinda offputting. But over rice it was VERY good. If I saw it again I would buy it, and hope that the texture issue was a one-off.
- Olyra Cinnamon Tahini: 4/10 Not impressed. I mean, they were "good," like acceptable, but very dry and crumbly and imo less flavorful than a Biscoff. I didn't get tahini flavor at all. Overall I am sorry to say these reminded me of a teething biscuit! Would not buy again. In fact I'm bringing them to the theater to see if someone will take them off my hands.
Red "Xs" across both parts indicate when to switch back to the OTHER part, and yellow dots (which I later changed to purple to avoid confusion) indicate where to pick up after a switch. Ideally I would be turning the pages of both books simultaneously, and therefore when I see a red "X" in whichever I'm reading I could instantly look to the other book and find the purple dot. There are some parts where this system won't work, mostly in trombone-heavy parts where I'll be too entrenched in my own part to switch back and forth. For those cases I will likely write the horn solo into the trombone book as subtext. There are also parts where we both have prominent lines and I obviously can't play both at the same time, so I'd ask DAR which line he'd rather sacrifice in the event of an emergency. Again, very much hoping that I NEVER have to use this and that all of this effort is for nothing.
After probably 3 hours of that I HAD to take a break, transposing was turning my brain to mush! I probably got 1/3 of the way through. Watched some Mighty Nein, had dinner, got dressed for work, and walked to the theater. We had a nice evening show, I can't remember anything special happening and that's a good thing.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
Managed to sleep until 8am, then coffee and descaling my mini Keurig (first time I've done this) and drying it for storage in my trunk. Packed a bunch of trunk things. Got confirmation that I WILL be doing the additional grade-school-level masterclass with my friend whose name is BethAnn. I sent her an invoice and W9 because she made arrangements for me to be paid (unasked for, and how generous!) I still don't have confirmation from Temple but am assuming it'll go through only because better safe than sorry.
With all of that, in Philly I will have
- Three groups of family attending shows on three separate days
- Time presumably spent visiting with all three family groups across those days
- Three masterclasses on three additional separate days, two of which are 90-minute round trips
- Meeting with our Musician's Union rep on Valentine's Day between shows
- Possible meeting with our creative director/supervisor
- Dinner with circus friends one night
- Misc other small meet-ups, coffee grabs, meals, etc with friends who have reached out
- ...and of course eight shows each week with completely sold out crowds nearly every night!
Anyway. A normal morning, masterclass run-through (46 minutes, not bad not bad) lunch, and walking to the theater a bit early to pack my trunk. Many others were doing the same. Tour ritual, I suppose!
The matinee was good, though DAR has pulled his back and was hurting :( He is going to PT between shows and I hope they can help him. If not Connor (Key 1) will conduct.
Between shows we had a special treat! For Black History Month, some of our cast members arranged for a local black-owned restaurant to cater dinner for us! It's from Wes BBQ in Fayetteville and the food was FANTASTIC. Cornbread, brisket, pork, sausage, green beans, potato salad, baked beans, big slices of Texas toast, and sweet potato pie for dessert.
I made myself a plate and scooted away back to the apartment to enjoy it. Good, much appreciated home cooking.
Back at the theater just a short while later, I saw this Mrs. Potts crochet plushie stuck to the bulletin board!
It was made by a local crew member. My favorite part is the sparkly Mickey on the spout (which intentionally or unintentionally references a Hidden Mickey.) It is being auctioned off and the current high bid is $40, but I expect that to jump up by the end of our last show. And tbh, I think that this should just be GIVEN to Kathy (the actress who plays Mrs. Potts) but also understand that a lot of work went into this and the creator should profit!
The evening show was...interesting. DAR decided to sit this one out due to his back (as he very much should!) so Connor conducted. Most things went fine but there were a few weirdnesses...I missed a note that I'd been working on all day, probably psyched myself out?? Missing it made me so annoyed, I wanted to throw my horn!! Then Tim (trumpet)'s valves got stuck during a number, which he says hasn't happened in YEARS. And something odd happened with the vocals too at one point, it was only a split-second and we recovered so smoothly that I doubt the audience noticed. But good grief, it must have been a full moon or something. I joked with Tim that I should buy the Mrs. Potts plush so I'll have something to throw every time I miss a note and get mad :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Coffee, breakfast, prepping and packing for the trip to Philly. I made overnight oats to save time tomorrow, and even brewed my coffee ahead of time so all I have to do is heat it up (or drink it cold.) Made a few changes to Pittsburgh Foodie Finds, and wished my brother Jonah a happy birthday! His b-day falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year so he's not doing anything special. As someone with a February birthday this has happened to me too and I totally get it.
Masterclass run-through (47 minutes) and lunch and off to the theater. Mrs Potts bidding had not changed so I put in a bid of $50.
It felt odd to only have one show on a Sunday! My friend Kizzi, a former circus person, came with her friend to see our show and managed to get down to the pit to say hello just before the show started. The show went "ok." We had NINE understudies in, including a new Gaston who did an excellent job! I just got a feeling--a vibe--that people were distracted and/or thinking about Philadelphia. It is a BUSY two weeks, for all of us.
After the show I packed up super-quick, made sure to thank our French horn sub for filling in and express that it was a pleasure to work with her, and headed out. The last bid I saw on Mrs. Potts was $60.
Our wall tag had just been finished. It is interestingly situated on a corner, and looks like a beautiful book :)
Can you find my initials? (Recall that you can click on the image to enlarge in a new tab.)
Back at the apartment I showered, packed some more, ate dinner, and did a final load of laundry with the Super Bowl on in the background. And now that I'm leaving, you can see what my airbnb looked like. It was very nice and I had a wonderful stay!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: All-day travel to Philadelphia. Hoping to get there with enough time to get groceries.
Tuesday: A Golden Day for some of us because it takes the trucks a long time to get from Arkansas to Philly and then load in. I plan to do a little shopping/get groceries if needed, and meet up with some circus friends for dinner.
