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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 Wednesday and Thursday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
Woke up to the sound of rain on the window. We're under a tornado watch today. The rain was off and on in the morning so I was hopeful to at least get to my hair appointment by walking.
But first, breakfast and chatting with Jameson. He's taking a day off so he can get his shoulder looked at in the afternoon. It's been bothering him since his arm surgery, and he has been waiting to see if the pain/discomfort would lessen but I guess it hasn't :/ Because of this he's been feeling rather down. I'm glad that I'll be home in a week to clean up, cook him some nice meals, and hopefully take him for dinner once or twice to provide a distraction and show-through-actions that someone cares about him no matter what's going on. <3
The sun came out briefly around 9am so I decided to get walking and go to Haymarket first, then the hair salon as they're close to each other. It was a windy but pleasant walk, and I only had to take my umbrella out once for hard rain (and luckily the wind died down during it so the umbrella was actually useful!)
The Kentucky Center today with our sign out front.
A few blocks down, the Yum! Center. The last time I was here it was in 2014 with the circus, and this is where we performed.
It is always so strange to walk where I've been before, with other tours or shows, and feel the memories of those times floating to the surface. Ghosts of past lives.
Soon enough I was at Haymarket. It's a cute little bodega-thing, and most of the offerings are rather touristy (local wine, cans of peanuts from Virginia, knick-knacks, etc.) There was some produce but I didn't need anything today. The bread, however, looked fantastic, and they had half-loaves! I got a half loaf of sourdough for five bucks.
Walked to the salon and was taken a little early which was nice. Some stylists like to talk; this one did, so of course within a few questions she'd uncovered that I'm playing trombone in a show and the questions poured fourth without interruption after that, lol. I don't mind as long as, you know, she also pays attention to cutting my hair. I was hoping she'd be able to follow the previous excellent cut that I got in OKC. She did her best but it's not a match. That's ok, I will probably let it grow out again. With winter coming to an end I'll want to tie my hair up to get it off my neck anyway.
Walked back to the hotel, had a snack, typed up this post and read my book sitting by the window until lunchtime. Lunch, a very short nap interrupted when Jameson texted to share what the shoulder/arm doctor had said. They think it's not his shoulder, but some sort of nerve pain or pinching in his neck. So, next would be a neck MRI but he has to get insurance to approve it, and that is expected to take....months. Isn't America GREAT.
Sigh. I'm sorry he'll have to wait in pain and discomfort, but at least it's not "debilitating?" What a horrible thing to have to say.
Feeling restless, I went back out to CVS to get roasted cashews. It was VERY windy but still wasn't raining. Back at the hotel and binge-watching Owl House and eating dinner before the evening show.
It turned out to be a weird one (at least for me.)
I warmed up as normal, then covered my mouthpieces with paper towels because my horns are near the pit wall. Being near the pit wall means the audience is walking around directly above one's instruments and can cough/sneeze/kick dust onto them. Any time I'm directly below the audience I try to cover at least my mouthpieces, and also wash them more frequently.
Here's a pic of my tenor near the pit wall so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.
That ledge is the floor where the audience's feet are.
You can see some of the first row chairs through that mesh (we'll get to the mesh later.)
(and those drips down the side of the pit wall are just what you think they are.)
For the moment, pretend the mesh wasn't there because it wasn't at the time.
I wandered away and did my usual backstage stuff: had some water, used the bathroom, chatted with the other musicians. When I returned to the pit and sat down in my spot (about five minutes before we were to play), I noticed a strong smell of red wine. Didn't think much of it, but when it was time to tune I picked up my tenor and realized that it was sticky. Apparently an audience member had spilled his wine into the pit, onto my trombone, and hadn't said anything. So instead of tuning I had to frantically wet a paper towel (using a spray bottle I keep for my slide) and try to get the wine off my horn before the show started. I was still wiping between entrances during the Prologue, but had gotten it mostly off during "Belle."
As the show continued I could hear a man wiping paper towels along the floor while talking to his children (he had three with him, all 5yo or below.) And I could see the kids' snacks and beverages all lined up on the floor next to their feet...directly above my head and my instruments. (Keeping in mind that the mesh in the photo above wasn't there, it was just open space.)
The show had already started so there was nothing to do but cross my fingers that one of the kids wouldn't overturn their M&M's or their juice cup onto my head. While this kind of thing is pretty common unfortunately, it does make for a tense show.
I had not planned to say anything about it because A) no damage had been done, and B) I had observed that the dad was alone and wrangling three kids. But at intermission the dad stood up to take his kids to the bathroom, and Tim (trumpet) decided to say something to him. Tim was kind about it. He asked about the wine, and the dad admitted it had been him and that he'd tried to clean it up. Tim told him that some of it had spilled onto my instrument, and while that doesn't harm a trombone, if it had been a violin or a woodwind it could have caused significant damage. Therefore please be careful in the future, etc etc. Like I said, Tim was gentle about it, but the three young children were staring down at us too and I felt bad that they were experiencing this interaction at all, no matter how well-meant.
Took my trombone with me to the bathroom during intermission to wipe it down more thoroughly. The rest of the show went normally. The dad and kids did not come back at all for the second act. I don't know if they relocated, or if dad was embarrassed, or if he simply wanted to get the kids home before 10pm (parents with young kids at the night shows sometimes do leave after the first act for this reason.)
Now as you can see in the photo above, I went back to take a picture for this post the next day and was surprised to lift the curtain and find this mesh! Someone besides me must have spoken up and asked if there was anything we could do, and as a result the theater(?) made this solution for us. The mesh will stop most food items from falling in, and there's thick tape on the bottom that will slow or stop most liquids too. I was VERY grateful and relieved to see that!
Still, for the remaining shows I will move my trombones away from the pit wall after warming up. I have been lucky through most of my career to NOT be placed next to the pit wall, so this is a relatively new problem for me. Once the show starts if someone drops something on me there's not a lot I can do, but before the show starts and during intermission I can take steps to protect myself and my things, and I want to train myself to do that :)
Anyway no harm was done, I'm just writing about it to document as it's the first time it's happened to ME personally. I was disappointed that the dad chose not to say anything/apologize, but I was not angry or upset. It happens. My dear readers, please be careful of your drinks and food if you're in the front row above the musicians!
------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
Up early, excited because today was In-Ear Day!
Well, we are getting fitted for the custom in-ear molds. The in-ear monitors (IEMs) themselves likely won't be ready for a month or two after this. But still! Breakfast as usual and typing up this post before walking to the theater around 10am. DAR (Music Director) was just finishing up when I arrived. I busied myself taking pictures of the mold-making equipment!
I have been using IEMs with custom molds for 14 years, and this was my third time getting fitted so I knew what to expect. I chatted with the audiologist as she shoved a small piece of foam on a string into my ear, pretty much as far as it would go. This is to protect my eardrums from The Goo, and the string is to pull the finished molds out when they're done. She mixed up the quick-drying silicone and used a large syringe to push it into my ear canals.
Close-up. When The Goo is in there you can barely hear anything! It feels odd and a little uncomfortable, but only takes 5-10 minutes to cure. The little piece of foam I'm biting is to keep your jaw still and your ear canals open to get a good fit.
It took maybe 15 minutes. The molds will be sent off to make custom silicone ear buds (see THIS VIDEO for the process.) I'm very excited to get new headphones!! The ones I use now are Shure 315s which I received from the circus in 2012 and are now 10+ years old. These new ones are UE7s and will be much higher quality. I can't wait to hear the difference! Very grateful to Disney for providing these for us as they are NOT cheap to buy on your own.
When I was done I popped down to the pit to grab my iPad and charger, then walked back to the hotel. I finished DC Foodie Finds while the iPad charged, then updated the iPad and downloaded my Easter gig music onto it. Later on, a snack and kinda frantically trying to get American Airlines to reimburse me for one of my trombones-as-baggage for the upcoming layoff flight because I've just found out I don't need to bring it home after all. Eventually, dinner and Owl House and walking to the theater for the evening show. It was a normal show with a good audience, nothing to report. Red Bucket fundraising has started again, so after Bows we get to listen to the actors give a little speech about Broadway Cares and showcase some of the goodies for donation-sale (signed programs and posters mostly.) And that was that. Good Thursday!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: Laundry, packing stuff to go back in my trunk, solidifying a plan for this layoff. Hopefully eating at that Korean place nearby, and going for a walk if the weather's nice. One evening show.
Saturday and Sunday: Two shows each so no plans except preparing for three weeks at home!!
This post covers Wednesday and Thursday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
Woke up to the sound of rain on the window. We're under a tornado watch today. The rain was off and on in the morning so I was hopeful to at least get to my hair appointment by walking.
But first, breakfast and chatting with Jameson. He's taking a day off so he can get his shoulder looked at in the afternoon. It's been bothering him since his arm surgery, and he has been waiting to see if the pain/discomfort would lessen but I guess it hasn't :/ Because of this he's been feeling rather down. I'm glad that I'll be home in a week to clean up, cook him some nice meals, and hopefully take him for dinner once or twice to provide a distraction and show-through-actions that someone cares about him no matter what's going on. <3
The sun came out briefly around 9am so I decided to get walking and go to Haymarket first, then the hair salon as they're close to each other. It was a windy but pleasant walk, and I only had to take my umbrella out once for hard rain (and luckily the wind died down during it so the umbrella was actually useful!)
The Kentucky Center today with our sign out front.
A few blocks down, the Yum! Center. The last time I was here it was in 2014 with the circus, and this is where we performed.
It is always so strange to walk where I've been before, with other tours or shows, and feel the memories of those times floating to the surface. Ghosts of past lives.
Soon enough I was at Haymarket. It's a cute little bodega-thing, and most of the offerings are rather touristy (local wine, cans of peanuts from Virginia, knick-knacks, etc.) There was some produce but I didn't need anything today. The bread, however, looked fantastic, and they had half-loaves! I got a half loaf of sourdough for five bucks.
Walked to the salon and was taken a little early which was nice. Some stylists like to talk; this one did, so of course within a few questions she'd uncovered that I'm playing trombone in a show and the questions poured fourth without interruption after that, lol. I don't mind as long as, you know, she also pays attention to cutting my hair. I was hoping she'd be able to follow the previous excellent cut that I got in OKC. She did her best but it's not a match. That's ok, I will probably let it grow out again. With winter coming to an end I'll want to tie my hair up to get it off my neck anyway.
Walked back to the hotel, had a snack, typed up this post and read my book sitting by the window until lunchtime. Lunch, a very short nap interrupted when Jameson texted to share what the shoulder/arm doctor had said. They think it's not his shoulder, but some sort of nerve pain or pinching in his neck. So, next would be a neck MRI but he has to get insurance to approve it, and that is expected to take....months. Isn't America GREAT.
Sigh. I'm sorry he'll have to wait in pain and discomfort, but at least it's not "debilitating?" What a horrible thing to have to say.
Feeling restless, I went back out to CVS to get roasted cashews. It was VERY windy but still wasn't raining. Back at the hotel and binge-watching Owl House and eating dinner before the evening show.
It turned out to be a weird one (at least for me.)
I warmed up as normal, then covered my mouthpieces with paper towels because my horns are near the pit wall. Being near the pit wall means the audience is walking around directly above one's instruments and can cough/sneeze/kick dust onto them. Any time I'm directly below the audience I try to cover at least my mouthpieces, and also wash them more frequently.
Here's a pic of my tenor near the pit wall so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.
That ledge is the floor where the audience's feet are.
You can see some of the first row chairs through that mesh (we'll get to the mesh later.)
(and those drips down the side of the pit wall are just what you think they are.)
For the moment, pretend the mesh wasn't there because it wasn't at the time.
I wandered away and did my usual backstage stuff: had some water, used the bathroom, chatted with the other musicians. When I returned to the pit and sat down in my spot (about five minutes before we were to play), I noticed a strong smell of red wine. Didn't think much of it, but when it was time to tune I picked up my tenor and realized that it was sticky. Apparently an audience member had spilled his wine into the pit, onto my trombone, and hadn't said anything. So instead of tuning I had to frantically wet a paper towel (using a spray bottle I keep for my slide) and try to get the wine off my horn before the show started. I was still wiping between entrances during the Prologue, but had gotten it mostly off during "Belle."
As the show continued I could hear a man wiping paper towels along the floor while talking to his children (he had three with him, all 5yo or below.) And I could see the kids' snacks and beverages all lined up on the floor next to their feet...directly above my head and my instruments. (Keeping in mind that the mesh in the photo above wasn't there, it was just open space.)
The show had already started so there was nothing to do but cross my fingers that one of the kids wouldn't overturn their M&M's or their juice cup onto my head. While this kind of thing is pretty common unfortunately, it does make for a tense show.
I had not planned to say anything about it because A) no damage had been done, and B) I had observed that the dad was alone and wrangling three kids. But at intermission the dad stood up to take his kids to the bathroom, and Tim (trumpet) decided to say something to him. Tim was kind about it. He asked about the wine, and the dad admitted it had been him and that he'd tried to clean it up. Tim told him that some of it had spilled onto my instrument, and while that doesn't harm a trombone, if it had been a violin or a woodwind it could have caused significant damage. Therefore please be careful in the future, etc etc. Like I said, Tim was gentle about it, but the three young children were staring down at us too and I felt bad that they were experiencing this interaction at all, no matter how well-meant.
Took my trombone with me to the bathroom during intermission to wipe it down more thoroughly. The rest of the show went normally. The dad and kids did not come back at all for the second act. I don't know if they relocated, or if dad was embarrassed, or if he simply wanted to get the kids home before 10pm (parents with young kids at the night shows sometimes do leave after the first act for this reason.)
Now as you can see in the photo above, I went back to take a picture for this post the next day and was surprised to lift the curtain and find this mesh! Someone besides me must have spoken up and asked if there was anything we could do, and as a result the theater(?) made this solution for us. The mesh will stop most food items from falling in, and there's thick tape on the bottom that will slow or stop most liquids too. I was VERY grateful and relieved to see that!
Still, for the remaining shows I will move my trombones away from the pit wall after warming up. I have been lucky through most of my career to NOT be placed next to the pit wall, so this is a relatively new problem for me. Once the show starts if someone drops something on me there's not a lot I can do, but before the show starts and during intermission I can take steps to protect myself and my things, and I want to train myself to do that :)
Anyway no harm was done, I'm just writing about it to document as it's the first time it's happened to ME personally. I was disappointed that the dad chose not to say anything/apologize, but I was not angry or upset. It happens. My dear readers, please be careful of your drinks and food if you're in the front row above the musicians!
------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
Up early, excited because today was In-Ear Day!
Well, we are getting fitted for the custom in-ear molds. The in-ear monitors (IEMs) themselves likely won't be ready for a month or two after this. But still! Breakfast as usual and typing up this post before walking to the theater around 10am. DAR (Music Director) was just finishing up when I arrived. I busied myself taking pictures of the mold-making equipment!
I have been using IEMs with custom molds for 14 years, and this was my third time getting fitted so I knew what to expect. I chatted with the audiologist as she shoved a small piece of foam on a string into my ear, pretty much as far as it would go. This is to protect my eardrums from The Goo, and the string is to pull the finished molds out when they're done. She mixed up the quick-drying silicone and used a large syringe to push it into my ear canals.
Close-up. When The Goo is in there you can barely hear anything! It feels odd and a little uncomfortable, but only takes 5-10 minutes to cure. The little piece of foam I'm biting is to keep your jaw still and your ear canals open to get a good fit.
It took maybe 15 minutes. The molds will be sent off to make custom silicone ear buds (see THIS VIDEO for the process.) I'm very excited to get new headphones!! The ones I use now are Shure 315s which I received from the circus in 2012 and are now 10+ years old. These new ones are UE7s and will be much higher quality. I can't wait to hear the difference! Very grateful to Disney for providing these for us as they are NOT cheap to buy on your own.
When I was done I popped down to the pit to grab my iPad and charger, then walked back to the hotel. I finished DC Foodie Finds while the iPad charged, then updated the iPad and downloaded my Easter gig music onto it. Later on, a snack and kinda frantically trying to get American Airlines to reimburse me for one of my trombones-as-baggage for the upcoming layoff flight because I've just found out I don't need to bring it home after all. Eventually, dinner and Owl House and walking to the theater for the evening show. It was a normal show with a good audience, nothing to report. Red Bucket fundraising has started again, so after Bows we get to listen to the actors give a little speech about Broadway Cares and showcase some of the goodies for donation-sale (signed programs and posters mostly.) And that was that. Good Thursday!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: Laundry, packing stuff to go back in my trunk, solidifying a plan for this layoff. Hopefully eating at that Korean place nearby, and going for a walk if the weather's nice. One evening show.
Saturday and Sunday: Two shows each so no plans except preparing for three weeks at home!!
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Date: 2026-03-13 06:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-13 07:32 pm (UTC)