goofball on a train

Firefly petunias went on preorder on Sunday night, so I was up WAY too late ordering them as gifts for my ENTIRE FAMILY haha.
After a super early breakfast, piled onto the charter bus at 7am and off we went.

For this trek we had to cross all of Pennsylvania (which, for my overseas friends, is a state that is 283 miles or 433 km wide!) It generally takes about 7 hours to drive longitudinally across the state.

For us it took close to 10 hours, partly because of traffic and partly because we did two rest stops that were about an hour each.
PA is my home state, and I have driven back and forth on I-80 hundreds of times.
I made sure to be looking at Maps to see my hometown of Bloomsburg as we passed it, because you can't see it from the highway.


Today was also Jameson's birthday!
( Jameson's Birthday )
Meanwhile our lunch stop was at the Pocono outlets in Tannersville. I have lots of fond memories here; being from a small town there was not much shopping locally, so around the holidays my dad would take us for at least one day trip to the outlets. It was a luxury and a special experience, back then. Today I window shopped, and made sure to visit the Gertrude Hawk store as they're a local chocolatier. We used to sell their chocolate bars as fundraisers at school, and dad would always put their Smidgens or Teenie Boppers in our Easter baskets or Christmas stockings :) Today I just got a few truffles from the display case, for the memories.

We finally arrived in Stamford around 5pm, and I bolted out the door to a nearby Japanese grocery!
They had all of the usual candies and snacks you'd expect--Harbio stuff, weird Kit-Kat flavors, rice crackers, dried squid--but the real draw was the prepared food section, which sported a huge variety of traditional Japanese bento, dons, sushi, and sides/appetizers.


They also had sandos, onigiri, a prepackaged baked goods section, and a wall of high-quality matchas and imported teas. And it's right next to the theatre. Knowing that I will not be able to resist going back at least one more time, I limited my basic grocery shopping mostly to breakfast items. We're only here for the weekend anyway...why not enjoy some REAL Japanese food?

Tonight's dinner was this grilled eel bento with seasoned white rice, assorted pickled veggies, sweet glazed pumpkin cubes, a seaweed and/or dried mushroom salad, and slices of tamago. It was absolutely LOVELY.


I also got these "sweet wheat crackers with chestnut," and unfortunately they were pretty gross haha. They had a bizarre fishy aftertaste which I hadn't expected at all. Their texture was also weird and grainy, like rehydrated beans. Solid nope!


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Would have liked to sleep all day on Friday, but having been on a bus for 10 hours yesterday I knew I should get out a bit.

This hotel does not have a microwave or free coffee, so here are my familiar travel companions: a collapsible silicone hot water kettle, an Aeropress, and an Itaki steam cooker! Made myself some lovely oatmeal with yogurt and berries, and coffee :)


A little time to chill and then I took myself for a walk to get local bagels (blueberry, pumpernickel, wheat) and to pick up a pizza from Colony Grill because my friend Bill INSISTED.


Colony Grill, established 1935 by Irish immigrants, has been serving this same style of pizza through both World Wars and up through present day. They're a chain now, but this location in Stamford is The Original. I wasn't inside for long but it was a lovely old bar decorated with headshots of service professionals who have eaten there over the years.


What makes this pizza special is the ultra-thin crust and the way the cheese is thinly spread and caramelized. Also, the "hot oil" is a MUST. I got light cheese (because lactose intolerance) and hot oil on half. The texture was incredible, crispy and lightly charred with chewy, browned cheese and savory sauce. The hot oil was amazing.


Luckily these pizzas are quite small and light, so I ended up eating 3 of 6 pieces and saving the rest for later.
If you're ever in Stamford, take my friend Bill's advice and get you a pizza from Colony!

After that I relaxed, hydrated, and did some online Christmas shopping. I've been very stressed lately with Certain Things going on. My next job isn't until Monday, and I am grateful to be able to recuperate a bit.

We only had sound check and one show in the evening. The pit is cramped, but the one in upcoming Red Bank, NJ is supposedly even worse so this is good practice for that. The theatre, like most theatres, is beautiful.


Everything went just fine, and despite being a small audience the crowd was the most enthusiastic one we've had yet. I looked out and saw a sea of Elf hats and Christmas sweaters, and there were loads of kids in attendance. During intermission so many crowded the edge of the pit that most of the guys went and hid under the stage overhang haha. I was in a decent mood so decided to interact, and asked if anyone had questions:

"What are all those?" (the HEDGE of woodwind instruments)
"What are those bottles?" (the trumpet mutes)
"How can you hear each other?" (I showed them the Aviom and describe a bit of how it works)
"What do YOU play?" (showed trombone and made slidey noises)
"Why's the drummer in a box?" (LOL, explained that the drummer is very loud and if he weren't in a box you wouldn't be able to hear what the actors are saying)

Over the weekend we have four shows, I hope the crowds will stay enthusiastic :)

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Saturday, breakfast and messing with a personal project, then walking to the Japanese grocery again for takoyaki.


Ate them for lunch and they were lovely despite being cold.

The first show was fine, though we had audio issues throughout.
The second show was also fine, audio issues were better and it seemed to fly by quickly.

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Sunday, I did not WANT to be up early but also wanted to get laundry out of my face and early is the best time to do that, because no one else on tour will be up and the washers are likely to be free.

I packed such minimal clothing this time that I need to do laundry once a week, which is one of the many catch-22s of saving weight in one's luggage. Emailed some family that I haven't been in touch with, packed gradually for bus travel tomorrow, reviewed corrections to my transcription work recently made by a proofreader. On one case I did pretty lousy, on the other I did surprisingly well. Will be interested to see how many corrections are needed on the recent Punjabi case that I did.

There were two shows today, one at 12:30 and one at 6pm.
First show was fine, very noisy as there were lots of kids in the audience.
Second show was fine too, also noisy because someone in the cast had guests who were screaming and cheering for them! I hope that felt nice :) Our understudy for Buddy was also in for the first time and did a great job, especially since it was last minute.

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Monday: Travel to NJ. It's a short bus ride so we are leaving late and also stopping at some shopping plaza to kill time (hotels generally don't have rooms ready until after 3pm.) I'll hit a grocery and start a new transcription project.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Transcription, transcription, transcription, and a show on each day.

Sunday, I was up early to have breakfast and finish packing.
A 40-minute ride to the airport, returning the rental car, checking bags, through security. Easy.

This was a Delta flight so I was excited to pester some pilots for trading cards again!
(CLICK HERE to learn about Delta's trading card program, an ongoing employee initiative since 2003)

Lexington airport is relatively small, so I only found one pilot, but he had a card to give and it's a new one for me!
(Remember that you can enlarge the pics by clicking on them)


I thanked him and walked back to the tour group, many of whom asked, "What's that?" so I got to show it off. Most people look at me like I'm insane, but one or two always get SUPER excited and start looking for cards themselves.

The flight was short and uneventful, and in the Detroit airport (which is much larger) I approached three pilots, one of whom didn't have any cards and two others who had giant stacks of them!

The most exciting card was this special edition square-shaped one, minted this year to commemorate the 2024 Paris Olympics and Team USA! How pretty it is!


The other two new ones were an A330 and a 757. I do have cards of these planes, but they're from an earlier year and so these are not duplicates.



I did get two duplicates which I gave to two people on tour who were excited about them :)

We got to the hotel only to find that our rooms weren't ready (it was only 1pm) so I dropped my luggage in a storage room and walked to a Whole Paycheck for groceries. I figured by 3pm our rooms would be available, and I was right. Put groceries away, unpacked, ate dinner, and just as I was finishing my next transcription project showed up in my inbox. I set up my formatting and transcribed up to the Q&A point, then made tea and chilled for the night.

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Monday, breakfast in the room since this hotel doesn't have complementary. The coffee I bought in Kentucky is very good!

Worked on transcription for the entire morning. It's an expected 1:4 ratio for actual audio vs. audio processing time. I worked from 9am-11:30am and fell just short of an hour of actual audio, so my ratio was approx 1:2.5. Considering I got up to pee and stretch and write emails during that time, that's pretty good!

For lunch I decided to get a real taste of Detroit. There was a Buddy's Pizza just a few blocks from our hotel.


The carry-out counter is pretty much the same as one you'd see anywhere, pick your slice and they warm it for you. It was $3.50.


I took it back to the hotel, popped some Lactaid, and enjoyed the cheesy goodness.


After that I took a little time to figure out my macros for coming days and chat with Jameson, then it was back to transcription until 3:30. That left me about halfway through the audio which I'm very pleased about. Went for a short walk to a local grocery just to check it out. It was like one of those tiny NYC convenience/grocery stores, tightly packed like a little maze but with everything you could imagine. You can kinda see by the ceiling lights how far the maze extends.


I got back to the hotel just in time to get a text from our MD that we have ANOTHER day off tomorrow, and did anyone want their instruments now? (per IATSE rules, we won't be allowed in the theater until the show day.) I said yes and hustled over to the stage door to get my trombone and practice mute.

Back at the hotel, got an email from the Orlando Philharmonic with an offer for a Holiday Pops gig! Obviously I can't take it and am pretty sad, but grateful to have been asked, and hopefully they'll consider me for other work after the holidays are over.

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Tuesday. It is so weird to have a second day in a row with no shows or rehearsals. I wondered if it's because of the election, or just coincidental?

Breakfast and straight into more transcription until noon, lunch, then brushing up on my memorized Disney music. It's been a while since I've practiced at a hotel and I felt shy about it, but used a practice mute and I would hope that between 1-2pm most people would be awake anyway...

After that finished my transcription (still need to do the edit/review), had dinner, made tea, felt depressed about the election. I kept CNBC on with the sound off so I could see the disaster unfold without having to hear the tittering.

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Wednesday. Under His Eye.

Breakfast and packing some snacks before heading to the theater.
The Fox in Detroit is an exact copy of the Fox in St. Louis; even the backstage area is the same. It gave such a strange feeling of deja vu, to be in a city I've never visited before yet to feel so familiar in this space.

The lights weren't up yet.


The iconic chandelier after the lights were brought up.


Backstage, it's just like in St. Louis: The stairs and halls are covered in signatures and wall tags from artists all around the world, famous and forgotten, spanning decades.


I found two Elf tags, one from 2017 and one from 2022. Certainly we will get one, too.
(Remember that you can enlarge the pics by clicking on them)


We did a run-through of the show that went pretty well. Tonight is opening night, and I hope the show will go smoothly and people will have a lovely time. Laughs are certainly needed today.

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Tonight is our opening night party, so you'll see pics of that in the next post :)
I'm looking forward to meeting people, and I know that there are some My Fair Lady and Tootsie cast in this ensemble as well!

Thursday: Finishing and sending transcription project, groceries for the weekend, if there's time I'll sightsee before the show.

Friday: Laundry, possibly another transcription assignment, possibly lunch with a local relative whom I don't know well, a show at night.

Saturday: Three shows! Oof. I won't have time for anything but that most likely.

Sunday: Only one show. Packing, transcription, and saying goodbye to Detroit.

You see, I am typing this on September 12th.
We are already nearly halfway through September.

Got up at 6:30am on Thursday, did NOT want to be up that early but life is life.

Did about 1.5 transcription modules, had breakfast, did another 30 minutes until it was time to get ready for work.

Today's hat:


A leather flat cap, handmade in Belgium and selling for around $130.
It's the only flat cap in the shop that looks "ok" on me. I am eating lunch super fast because I was offered a paid 15 in place of an unpaid 30, and took it (money is money.)

It was a very slow shift, I sold what I could but most people were just coming in to kill time before their meal reservations.
At 4pm I clocked out and drove 10 minutes to Epcot.

The Food and Wine Festival is going on right now, so there is Remy and Ratatouille decor everywhere.


( Night at Epcot )
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Friday, I got up at 8 to get as much done as possible before my hat shop shift.
Something I ate or drank last night did not agree with me; I didn't feel nauseous but (TMI WARNING)            my body definitely wanted something to get out, ASAP. I suspect the kabob or the carrot salad, it's hard to believe the drinks would've had anything to do with it.

Anyway, those "interruptions" messed up my timeline a bit, but I still did an hour of transcription training, washed our sheets and made the bed, practiced the first act of Elf, and packed myself dinner. I felt exhausted but also know that tomorrow is a day off and maybe I can allow myself to rest a little extra.

Today's hat:


As soon as I walked in Rin, the quietest retail worker I have ever worked with, jumped in front of me in a full-on goth red-and-black getup, 13s painted under her eyes, flapping her arms excitedly. "HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!" she said. Oh! I hadn't realized...but I'd conveniently worn red and grey with black shoes, so thought, why not do a novelty hat to celebrate!

The day started out unfortunately slow but picked up after 8pm thankfully.
And I had a wonderful surprise!

As I finished checking a customer out, a woman came up to the register and said something like, "I hope this isn't weird but...I'm bringing you a part of your digital life, in person!"

It was brittdreams from DreamWidth!!! She lives nearby and happened to be at Disney Springs, and thought she'd drop in to see if I was working!! AAAAAAAH this was such a treat! I've only ever met my LJ and DW friends a few times in person, but each one of them has been absolutely wonderful. And I admire brittdreams SO MUCH. Like most of us on these blogging sites, she writes about her work and her general life, outings and travels and day-to-day. But in doing so, she shares a deeper look at the challenges that she, specifically, faces, as a black woman. Reading her blog has revealed to me many areas where I've been blind to my entitlements...or rather, society's built-in entitlements. That aside, she also works damn hard at everything she does, and shares her travel adventures (especially what she gets to eat!), and all of this means that I look forward to her posts and root for her endlessly on the interwebs :)

We chatted a bit, as much as we could; the store was kinda busy and she had to get home. But we got to meet in person!! Really made my day!

Before I knew it the shift was over. And back home, Jameson had two pieces of amazing news!

1 - His masters degree arrived in the mail! He's going to get it framed :)

2- While he was holding his degree and pondering what opportunities he could now apply for with it, his phone rang. It was Carnival Cruises, inviting him to interview with them for a music production position!!! He applied for this job over a month ago, really wanted it, and was elated to finally hear back from them today!! I am SO EXCITED for him!!

Of course, we have both had bad luck and let-downs when it comes to exciting interviews/auditions, so my excitement and hope are tempered with bracing myself for the aftermath if he gets rejected. But at least he's got an interview and a chance. This job would take him to Miami, either a few days a week or we'd have to move there (we need more details.) This is actually a factor in our favor, because being touring musicians with no children or pets, we are more flexible than most when it comes to relocating. But again, we need to wait and see.

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Saturday, I was up at 8 to type this post and harvest my jalapenos.


I'm making cowboy candy! It's just jalapenos boiled in sugar and spices, and it tastes fantastic as a topping for eggs, sandwiches, etc. Think spicy pepper jam. Good stuff.

In firefly petunia news, one of my cuttings (the smallest one, that I started out in a dish of water) has survived and is now growing exponentially!! I will repot it before going on tour, and would like to give it as a gift to my Aunt. She has always been so supportive of me, and I'd love for her to have my first cutting from this rare plant.


It glows very nicely, though being so small it's hard to get my camera to focus on it :p


When Jameson went to the gym I worked on transcription modules, then hit the grocery before lunch.
After lunch I practiced and then made the cowboy candy.

Sugar, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic, celery seed, turmeric, and ginger.


The sliced jalapenos and garlic are added to the slightly thickened syrup.


The finished jars. I'm not water canning them, so they'll go in the fridge and last a month or so. We are supposed to wait a week before eating them, to let the flavors mingle. Yum!


Cleaned up after that, vacuumed and mopped the floors, and chilled for an hour. I ended up doing more transcription modules after dinner. I'm now more than halfway done.

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Sunday...I was up at 8 because there's so much to do :(
Would really like to sleep in one of these days and have eight hours of sleep.

The firefly petunia (the main plant) was the brightest I've ever seen it last night.
I had to put it on the floor so I could sleep!




This is the most blooms it's ever had too. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible because once I go on tour it will probably have to live outside, it will not be getting full care, and I expect it to either die off or die completely. In fact tomorrow I'm probably taking another cutting, since I've promised the first one to my aunt.

Anyway I won't bore you with the rest of my day. In summary: typing this post, doing transcription modules, going out to get printer ink, installing said printer ink, getting cheap sushi for dinner, practicing Main Street Philharmonic stuff, and going to work the closing shift at the hat shop. "Today's hat" will appear in the next post since I have to post this before work tonight.

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Monday: A day off. I need to catch up on cleaning, take a petunia cutting, and other chores.

Tuesday: Hoping to take my transcription tests + closing shift at the hat shop.

Weds & Thurs: Days off. Jameson's Carnival Cruise interview. I might pick up some Papa Pals, and I plan to possibly make a batch of caramels and send them out just so I can check it off my To-Do list. Definitely making dinner one of those nights. And definitely expect to be taking the transcription onboarding tests by then.

Woke up to glorious, glorious rain and a temperature below 90. Hooray!

I was scheduled for a rehearsal day at Disney, and it was doing an all-day drizzle when I arrived. We went out for the first set and as soon as the door opened there was a peal of thunder. Nope! We all piled back downstairs. We ate our packed lunches, and I played through my Halloween stuff. The guys played Rochut etudes or drum exercises, watched YouTube, chatted.

I got caught up with Keith (full time trombonist) and he’s doing well. Most of the guys are. They were able to do the second set which included two songs that I had wanted to record for choreo purposes, so that was great for me.

And the Fall decor is up, which makes me feel a bit nostalgic and also wistful for cooler temperatures.



For the parade they did the “dog bone” which is a shortened route that is shaped like a dog bone, hence the name. I placed myself at the “When You Wish” stopping point. Two of the trumpets have found me in this photo lol.


Also took a look at the spooktacular merch on Main Street. Tempting stuff! Sent a lot of pics to Jameson’s mom. (Reminder that you can enlarge images if you want a closer look. This is a tiny fraction of all the spooky merch in the shops.)


I was supposed to do the 3rd set but it got rained out, so instead I practiced and read my book and showed off pics of my glowing petunia to the guys. Overall I was a waste of space today, but am VERY grateful for, essentially, the free money and free Fall vibes. It must be nice to be a full time member of this band.

Back home, dinner and chill.
Jameson got an email from Disney's Candlelight Processional offering him a performance date.
I got an email from Disney's Candlelight Processional informing me that I'd be sublisted again, to fill in if a regular member is out sick or wants to be with their family. It would be lying to say I'm not frustrated and feeling inadequate, for having part-time work and gig economy contracted work instead of a "real job." But I need to remember to be grateful to have these opportunities at all, because many people do not. And if it's hard for me as a 40-year-old to be earning the same wage I earned in high school, imagine being a high schooler in 2024 with 2024 prices, and earning 2006 wages :(

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I was still in a mood on Friday morning re: always a last-resort musician and never a first call, so while Jameson was at the gym I dusted and then mopped so aggressively that I broke the Swiffer and will have to get us a new one (well, the truth is I got it jammed between a desk and the kitchen cabinets and yanked it free instead of being patient, and the head snapped off.)

At Disney Springs before going to work I swung by Sephoria for a sample-sized Commodity Milk perfume. I don't wear makeup or have any skin care routines, so have not been in a Sephoria before and don't care to go again. I've simply got heartache for Autumn Things, and am hoping that this perfume smells like chai. And as a Disney Springs worker I get a discount that makes it worth trying.

Today's hat:


You needed to see the shirt to understand why I chose the peanut butter-colored hat :p
I got just as many complements on this humble bucket hat as on the fancy derby hat last week. Just goes to show that the right hat at the right time is always a good fashion choice haha.

It started off moderately busy, but a big thunderstorm rolled through and cleared everyone out pretty quickly between 7-9pm. It rained very hard for quite a while. Though the rain was nice it made the night seem to drag on; I'd rather it be at least a little busy to make the time go faster. Though I did have time to notice, for the first time, that our lights lining the ceiling are fashioned from bowler hats!!


Highlights of the night included selling a Panama hat for $180, and my boss dropping in and telling me that Kathy Jeanne is working on my hat, they'll send it to our store so I can buy it at the employee discount + contribute toward our sales goals, and that we are just waiting for the owner of Chapel Hats to see if he'd be willing to go in on a new "interchangeable trims" product line with Kathy Jeanne. Either way, I'll have a hat with removable trim which I think will come in very handy. There are the two custom trims; then there are also elastic trims in the store that I could put on it; and then there are the fascinators which may be pinned to it. I intend to get a lot of use (and marketing for misc products) out of this hat.

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Saturday, I couldn't sleep so was up at 7:30am for no reason.
Made iced tea, swept the front walkway, took care of the petunia and cuttings.
When Jameson woke up I washed and changed our sheets. Made a quick trip to Target for a new Swiffer.

Watched The Boy and the Heron, finally. It was hurtful to watch. I suppose it's a lot of symbolism of grief, and processing personal trauma. It came across very "What Dreams May Come," which if you've ever seen that I'll bet you were only able to watch it once, that's how painful THAT was.

Our friend Rebecca was in town, she's Head of Wardrobe with Feld Entertainment and a total bada$$.
(CLICK HERE to learn about our friend Rebecca)

She lived on the band's train car in our Ringling days (mid-2010s.) We have a lot of great memories together :)
Jameson and I picked her up and we went to dinner at The Stubborn Mule, all of us getting the prix fixe for $40 each. I decided to live it up and have two glasses of wine because "it's been a week," what with hospice visits and retail work and feeling low in the self-esteem department.

I had the Korean sticky ribs, ratatouille with rice, and chocolate cake. Ratatouille not pictured because it was just a mess of veggies over rice, it was tasty just not very photogenic.

The ribs, despite being a starter, were a half-rack! So I ate three and took three home. Can't wait to fight Jameson for them later :p


Cake was cake. Can't complain about chocolate!


We talked about ALL things: our past together in the circus, all of the countries Rebecca has traveled to with Feld shows, some drama and experiences she's had on those shows, spilling tea on what circus friends and family are up to these days. It was really good to connect with her, we haven't seen each other for YEARS, probably close to a decade! I'm annoyed that I didn't think to ask for a group photo before we parted ways. She's currently doing the new Feld show, called "Let's Dance!" It's still in rehearsals but there will be performances this coming weekend, I work but maybe Jameson can go.

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Sunday, I woke up feeling those two glasses of wine a bit but nothing some water won't fix.

Late breakfast and then practicing trombone and packing dinner for work.
I'd wanted to go for a walk but didn't get up early enough before the heat hit.
Picked up two Papa Pal visits for Tuesday, both at the same memory care facility I'd visited last Monday. I didn't see any for the hospice place this time.

Visit 1 is a dementia patient who's hard of hearing and likes walks, watching TV, and games.
Visit 2 is a mid-60s guy in a wheelchair who rolls around with a speaker and loves listening to music and chatting it up.

Not sure what to bring them but sure I'll think of something.

I'll be doing a closing shift at the hat shop tonight so Today's Hat will be in tomorrow's post.

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Monday: Probably a walk, closing shift at hat shop.
Tuesday: Papa Pal visits, possibly cooking dinner.
Wednesday: A day off, not sure what I'll do with it yet but probably chores.
Thursday: Also currently a day off.

Hopefully you had a livable 4th of July!

Ideally with lots of friends and family around and BBQ food and good weather and some sort of body of water or sprinkler to splash in. And at night, fireflies and s'mores.

I haven't had a 4th of July like that since I was very little. Ah well.

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Was up at 6am on the holiday because there is no rest for the wicked. Did data entry and ate breakfast. Jameson got up at 10, he doesn't have to work today. There's a heat advisory, it could get up to a 110°F (43.33°C) heat index today, how very ENJOYABLE. (-_-)

After lunch and tromboning I saw that Jameson was in the pool with a High Noon seltzer and thought, f*ck this, I need that too. Promptly joined him. We talked--it always amazes me that we live together AND both work from home, and still we somehow find things to talk about!--and enjoyed the water and admiring all of my fruit plants. The neighbors were barbecuing and playing music, big summer vibes all around.

After just a half hour I went back inside to hit my 6 hours of data entry, then got to rest for a few minutes before starting dinner. Chicago dogs and sides. No photos because it wasn't impressive and you've seen such before.

The berry dump was easy to make. Poured the berry/sugar/bourbon/vanilla combo into a loaf pan and threw in cubed cold butter.

Layered it onto the berries, and the extra onto a sheet pan. It's always good to have extra crumble, guarantees a crunchy topping no matter how much juice the berries put out.

The sheet pan needs to be pulled about 20 minutes into a 45-minute bake. When it cools a bit you can break it up with your hands or a spoon.

Finished crumble, berry juices leaking up to the top.


I waited for it to cool a bit, then topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. So good! Because the berries marinated in the booze overnight you can really taste the bourbon (though I felt it was also a bit bitter; make sure you use GOOD bourbon.)

We were REALLY full after that, but that's what holidays are all about.

The neighborhood sounded more and more like a war zone the later it got. I expect the weekend to be noisy too.

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Friday doesn't feel like Friday.

The heat index today is 110°F with humidity at 85%, so I expect my Disney day on Saturday will be even worse than that (the high temp that day is two degrees warmer and no rain in the forecast.) We do 8 miles (12.8 km) of walking per day in general in the park, but I get to add an extra mile (14 km total) since the women's bathroom is far from the band's dressing room and if I visit it between each show, it adds up to the extra mile.

Well anyway, TODAY I did data entry and a short run-through of Disney music and applied to more jobs. In the evening Jameson went to Epcot with plans to at least partially "drink around the world," and I had to nearly bite my tongue in half to not nag/mommy him about staying hydrated. Gotta remember that he is 40 years old and is relatively responsible/mindful compared to many other men.

While Jameson was gone I went to Walmart because they're the only ones who carry Slate milk locally, and got other little things that we can use (black pens, dish soap, etc.) The rest of my night was chill and boring which is fine by me.

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Saturday I was up early for a Disney day. It's been a few weeks since I last performed at the park. The warm-up room is now decorated with glittery stars and fireworks stickies for 4th of July, and there have been some new storage shelves installed that are pretty nice (no pictures so I don't get in trouble for sharing backstage stuffs.)

I did very well musically today. Since memorizing all of the pieces last week, I've been able to just relax and practice them at my leisure, and that's been helpful for getting comfortable. I was nervous as usual today but was able to relax like 50%. I also appreciated having two members of the band approaching me separately to give complements on how I sounded today :) Makes me feel accepted, and like I'm doing a good job.

Evidence that I was there, taken from a YouTube snippet:

It was super hot but the heat index "only" reached 103 so it was "tolerable." I'll be in the park again a week from today.

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Sunday, I had kind of a frustrating morning, just didn't feel like data entry so kept allowing myself to be distracted by little side-projects like washing our second set of bedsheets and fertilizing my bananas.

They are looking pretty good! I don't want to get my hopes up but at least they aren't shriveling.


After lunch, more data entry instead of practice because I wanted to have a free evening. Around 3pm Jameson went out with his friend Lea to spend time at Universal and see the new night parade, which is based on classic movies I think? Will have to check it out myself.

As for me, I enjoyed a mango High Moon and an Eat Fresco dinner, watching anime, and worrying about my job prospects for the future. And while that was happening our neighbor Tom rang the doorbell. He gave us his largest pineapple, that he grew himself!!! I was stunned by his generosity but he waved me off, saying there was another close behind it (there is) and that they've gotten more pineapples than they know what to do with already. It's very beautiful and probably ready to be eaten, like, now.


Debating what to make with it. A fried rice? Upside-down mini-cakes? A jam, so I can give some back to Tom?
Feel free to throw ideas at me. Right now I'm thinking eat half of it fresh, and the other half as a sort of cashew chicken stir fry.

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Tomorrow will be my "weekend" day.
No plans other than to not set an alarm, to hit Whole Paycheck for some sort of ingredients, practice trombone, and go for a neighborhood walk. Oh, and apply for jobs. Cheers!

(I accidentally posted this a day early, so this is an "updated" version that includes today/Sunday. Whuuups) 

Thursday, just another day. After data entry and lunch I finally scrubbed the shower, my least favorite chore. Then memorized half of "Prince Ali."

Jameson expressed interest in shrimp po' boys, which I've made for us many times and am happy to make again, except it involves another 90-minute trip to Whole Paycheck for the best possible shrimp. Which I'm happy to do, just have to plan for it.

We had another lovely thunderstorm tonight. South Florida may be flooding currently, but Central Florida is not and we need the rain.

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Friday, no rain in the forecast for another week.

Data entry while Jameson was at the gym, then after lunch did my Whole Paycheck run. I try to make the most of these trips, so also bought their cornbread mix and puff pastry and a few other things for future dinners I've got pending in my brain.

Traffic was horrific, and for whatever reason Whole Paycheck didn't have hoagie rolls! I spent a stupid amount of time scouring the store, even the freezer section, for some. It took much longer to get home than expected, and then I had to put everything away and make the tartar sauce, then Jameson wanted to tell me about his work meeting...so by the time all of that was done it was nearly 4pm, and I did not get to practice trombone today.

It was one of those days where everything I did felt stymied. Inadequate. Not enough. All I can see is all the stuff I HAVEN'T done: the dead potted plants outside, the banana tree that needs to be trimmed, the overgrown palm out front, the fact that I haven't exercised yet this week, the dentist appointment that I need to reschedule, the bloodwork that I'm putting off again because needles scare me. The dust on the fan blades and light fixtures. Meanwhile I've caught up on the vacuuming, laundry, dusting, dishes, mopping, bathrooms, my own data entry work, and most Disney music. And I'm cooking dinner tonight. But it's not enough.

I don't know why these moods/mental states come on. Maybe it's my dad's ghost; my self, and the things I did, were never enough for him either.

Well. I made grilled shrimp po'boys, and these were local wild-harvested pink shrimp. I didn't think it would matter but was surprised that the flavor was very different than the farmed white shrimp I usually buy. These were sweeter, had kind of a more dense texture, and were more "fishy" in a good way. Glad Jameson suggested this for dinner.


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Saturday, up at 6am because I was still feeling inadequate. My work is not enough, I don't do enough, etc etc.

Did data entry and coffee until 7, then breakfast and cleanup, then more data entry.
Memorized all of "Prince Ali." Now the only one left is the Mary Poppins Medley, but we're getting a new Princess and the Frog piece that will probably come first.

For lunch, tomato and mayonnaise with everything bagel seasoning on rice cakes.
This is a nostalgia meal for me. My mom used to make us tomato mayonnaise sandwiches with similar seasoning every summer.


More data entry, then Jameson went to hang out with friends for dinner so I decided to get some of the yardwork out of my face. Trimmed up this annoying palm in the front yard.

Before and after!


Around back, finally threw out my finger lime which is 98% dead and has never once even flowered much less produced fruit. Probably going to chuck the meyer lemon and black sapote too, they have run their course and I've essentially killed them by being on tour all the time. To replace them I'd like a pineapple plant (will have to see if they can be grown in pots), definitely another meyer lemon...and maybe Jameson will have an opinion on what the third can be :)

As I was trimming the bananas I heard thunder in the distance. And as I was finishing up an errant bolt of lightning CRACKED across the sunny, clear sky! Scared the buhjeezus out of me! One of the hazards of living in a tropical environment: just because it's not raining where you are, doesn't mean you are safe.

I hustled inside and cleaned up, made a simple dinner, watched the storm.
You can watch, too. (CLICK HERE, recommend watching with volume on)

Once the storm was over and it was clear that it wouldn't be raining again tonight, I went for a neighborhood walk. The rain had made it intensely humid, but it was only 82°F which is the best I'm gonna get here in FL.

Soon Jameson was back with his pleasant buzz from drinking with friends, and we relaxed for the night.

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Sunday I didn't set an alarm but was still up at 8am. Guess my days of sleeping in until 10 are behind me.

After Jameson got up I put in a little data entry time (because I don't deserve a day off or a weekend!) and then he wanted to go for a walk so I went along too. It was a shockingly eventful walk because the following happened:

- We saw a little girl in a princess dress skip out the front door of a house and immediately hock a loogie onto the sidewalk like a 40-year-old man,

- A guy in a yellow sports car backing out of his driveway directly in front of us, and hit the gas so hard that he went flying into a bush, narrowly missed a mailbox, and landed in his neighbor's yard (We waited to see if he was ok...he was, so he was probably a moron trying to film a TikTok or something,)

- We were victims of a drive-by dad joke, from a guy with a white work van that said, "We fix what your husband broke" on the side. When he hit us with the punchline we both groaned and he cackled, I shouted, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!" as we crawled away in defeat :p

Eventful walk!

We got cleaned up and had lunch, then we both practiced. Jameson is working on stuff for an American Martians gig coming up, and I played through "Prince Ali" a few more times and started on the Mary Poppins Medley. Then we decided to start the LEGO sets that Jameson's friend got for us using her employee discount.


My set is the "Tiny Plants Collection." It's nine different tiny plants with three plants in each of the following categories: Arid Plants, Tropical Plants, and Carnivorous Plants.


Jameson worked on a Venom-Groot set. He is an experienced LEGO builder, and has even completed the massive 9,000-piece Colosseum set!
I decided to start with the pincushion cactus (the carnivorous are my favorites so I am saving them for last.)

Here's the almost-completed pot. There was a small piece missing from the pot rim, we couldn't find it anywhere so Jameson dug through his box-o-extra-bricks and found me an excellent replacement! Or rather, a "customization." I think it makes my first LEGO set even more special :)


The cactus was a tiny little guy and didn't take long to make, but I stopped to do laundry and document my progress several times.
The finished cactus. How cute!


When all nine are done I'm gonna hide them all around the house. Muahahahaaaa.

For dinner Jameson wanted a juicy burger so we went to Adler's. It is locally owned and by far THE best burger place in our area, but we don't go often because we both try to eat healthy. Jameson got their specialty burger which was a monstrosity topped with jalapenos, peanut butter, and bleu cheese (sounds very odd but he said it was delicious!) I had a classic burger, which I love because it's just a damn good quality smashburger with a lot of crunchy fresh veggies on top. It really hit the spot.


Back home we relaxed for a while, then Jameson went out with his friend Lea who recently got back from China. I had a quiet night of watching anime and researching new plants for the pool patio.

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Next week is a little more active. I have to make caramels for the band, and there's a dentist appointment, and at the end of the week I'm scheduled for two back-to-back days at the Magic Kingdom.

Thursday I was up early to work. I love the new standing desk!
But I still didn't get as many hours as I wanted.

On the other hand, I picked up my coat from the dry cleaners and got scallions and memorized two new MSP pieces and discovered that I'm missing an entire page of music from the disco set for The Florida Orchestra (seems like it was never scanned.) And I also made mini meatloaves for dinner, which did not turn out well because I used lean beef, but at least they were edible.

I'm now itchy and sneezing, so either the same Mystery Virus has moved to my sinuses or this is the worst allergies I've had in years. My throat feels a lot better at least. There is no winning!

Interestingly, the reason I discovered the missing page from the disco music is because the principal trombonist asked me to cover his improv solo in that piece (he was 100% conservatory-trained in FRANCE, and is not comfortable with improv, and I wholeheartedly empathize with that.) When I went to mark the solo in my own part, that's when I realized, "Hey, I don't have that page!" Guess it was meant to happen?

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Friday I was up early again, saved a little time by making overnight oats instead of cooking them in the morning. Got my three hours of morning work in, and also did one final check of my vanilla. It happened to be blooming! This is the second-to-last bloom.


I do think that I've got TWO successful pollinations! I've read recently that if pollination was successful, the flower will shrivel but won't fall off, and the bean is actually the stem growing behind it. That looks like what is happening to these two wilted flowers (all of the others fell off.)


In the interest of continuing the experiment I tried to pollinate the blooming flower as well. But I'll probably leave the last one alone. My vanilla orchid is still small, comparatively, so I don't want to overburden it.

More work, memorized one more song for MSP and reviewed the others, Jameson had PT for his hand, we went for a walk together in the afternoon and saw a shocking amount of wildlife including a raccoon in a tree, a couple of woodpeckers (too fast for the camera), and not one but TWO small alligators in the mini-lake behind our development.

CLICK HERE to see video of the raccoon. DW wouldn't let me embed from TikTok.

One of the alligators:


For dinner we did Portillo's, I tried their char-broiled chicken and it was very good. Jameson watched the Cubs game, I drank a can of sake that he got me for Christmas and did a little more work. We decided to visit Animal Kingdom on Sunday since castmembers don't have to reserve tickets any more, plus his friend is a stage manager for one of the shows and offered VIP seats, how cool is that!

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Saturday, another early morning and as much work as I could do before 11am.
Laundry, to the grocery for enchilada ingredients, back home for lunch followed by Disney music memorization hour.
I added two new songs (sort of; it always takes a day for stuff to "set" in my brain. Like Jello it seems.)

More work, then a little break before enchilada assembly. These are more like burritos size-wise, but who cares.
We enjoyed them and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

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Aaaaand Sunday, a day at Animal Kingdom!
Jameson has been many times before, but this was my first time ever in this part of the park.

It is still so strange to just show my Disney ID, and not have to pay for parking, and to just walk through the entrance totally for free. I feel very spoiled. The first thing we saw looming over everything was the Tree of Life.


( CLICK HERE for Animal Kingdom Adventures )
Now it was 5pm and we were TOAST.
We did so much, as much as we could in one day.
My step tracker says I got 16,000 steps and about seven miles in. Whew!

What a fun day, one I'll always remember. And the only thing we paid for all day was lunch, and my souvenir. Truly amazing. I will never NOT be grateful for the many perks of being a Disney castmember.

Back home we had leftover enchiladas for dinner, showered the theme park grime off, and Jameson played Fallout while I practiced my MSP music (I didn't try to learn anything new, just cemented what I've got so far into my brain.)

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Monday it'll be back to work and house chores for me. Wednesday I've got my next costume fitting and rehearsal with Disney so it'll be another full day of shadowing the band. Over the weekend I have a concert with The Florida Orchestra. Summer adventures continue.

We had a slow morning in Eugene as it was a late flight.

It turned out to be kind of a wonky travel day, though: first our flight was delayed, then United wouldn't let us check in as a group OR individually. Instead they made us line up at the counter in the order that the bookings had been made, of all things, and then proceeded to check us in AND tag our luggage, person-by-person, all 60 of us. It was absolutely ridiculous, took much more time than usual or necessary, and was probably the least efficient way to check in a large group, ever. I've been a touring musician for 10+ years, and in the hundreds of flights I've taken with all major airlines, no one has EVER demanded that we check in in-person, or in exact booking order, before. Absolute nonsense, and someone at Eugene Airport's United service counter BADLY needs to be re-trained.

Aaaanyway. Thanks to our company management being organized and awesome, it wasn't THAT bad, just idiotic.

Our flight was delayed about 30-40 minutes, and we landed in San Francisco just in time to hit rush hour traffic. The 1.5 hour ride to the hotel quickly became a 2.5 hour trip. I struggled mightily with motion sickness from the stop-and-go traffic, and finally had to resort to wearing my Sea-Bands and eating extra Travel Bagel to stop the acid sloshing around in my stomach. Thank god for that bagel!

When I could do it without my stomach rolling, I looked out the window as there is always much to admire about California.
This is the greenest I've ever seen it here. The last time I was in this area it was badly in drought, and the hills were all brown and crusty.


A housing development in which every single house had solar panels.


We passed many fields of crops, most notably acres and acres of almonds (at least I think they were almonds, the fruit looked pale green and oval. If I'm wrong, they may have been olives instead.)


At the hotel I dropped my stuff and went to Sprouts for one last "Foodie Find," a very small one. Getting just enough groceries for two days; I don't plan to eat out at all here. I found a few fun things to try including Sprout's own brand of seasoned tofu, and a single-serving carton of Woolala Banana Milk (I've had it before but Jameson loved it very much and drank it all :p )

I also picked up some new-to-me apples to enjoy: a cosmic crisp (left), a kanzi (right), and a lemonade apple (yes I've had the lemonade apple recently in another state, but this one looked different and I was interested to try it again since they're pretty rare to come across.)


- Cosmic Crisp: It was pretty good but idk why the big fuss. To me, it seemed like an improved red delicious. The skin was still thick and chewy like a red delicious, but less bitter than one, and the fruit was juicy and had a good sweet flavor. I like at least a little tartness in my apples though, so to me these are, like the honeycrisp, overly sweet.
- Kanzi: And this one was like an improved gala or fuji. Sweet and juicy, thin skin, really nice flavor, and I liked how light and not-woody the flesh was. Some people like a "harder" apple, I prefer ones that are lighter and more "crispy," and this one leans that way. Still more sweet than I prefer but I like it more than the cosmic crisp!
- Lemonade: I'll be eating this guy on the flight home.

Back at the hotel, an auspicious dinner of turkey jerky, nuts, half a NuGo bar, and canned pumpkin. I'm trying to eat down any remaining travel nonperishables, since travel days are about to be over. Unpacked, washed up, felt depressed about the end of tour, and went to bed.

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Woke up on Tuesday a bit disoriented (where tf am I again?) and walked into the bathroom to see water all over the toilet. The room above mine, or pipes I guess, is/are leaking. If there has to be a leak I suppose better over the toilet than, say, over the bed, or my luggage.


Maintenance took over an hour to show up, so I had breakfast and worked on my court reporting modules in the meantime. When they finally did show up he took one look at the ceiling, cringed, and said he was going upstairs to see where the leak was coming from, and I never saw him again after that.

Jameson had a tattoo appointment today and was very excited about it, naturally. I chatted on and off with him while working and worrying about the expanding water zit above the toilet. Finally the front desk called to say that maintenance hadn't been able to access the room above mine because there was a pet in there (they're legally prohibited from entering a hotel room with a pet) and asked if I'd like to switch rooms. I said yes because even if the leak was fixed, there's still standing/stagnant water trapped in the ceiling and I am not a fan of it. They brought a new key up right away and it didn't take me long to switch over.

In the time it took me to switch rooms, all motivation for working on court reporting modules went out the window. I just...I feel like once again I don't have a job. Yes, I have a chance to CERTIFY and THEN start working, but for fuck's sake, that means I need ANOTHER job in the meantime!!!
WHY am I always inadequate?
Why is it never enough?
Am I not human being enough to hold just a normal-ass job?
Once again, I was supposed to know to keep applying for MORE work after being offered a job?
Honestly, I was very upset today. I'm so tired of this happening after each tour.

It didn't even brighten my mood to receive an email from The Florida Orchestra about the upcoming disco concert that I'll be involved in; or shortly after that, a text from the Main Street Phil with directions to the costuming building. I should be excited and happy about both of these fun opportunities, but right now I just feel desperate and ashamed.

With all of that in mind I unpacked (again), and walked to a small fruit stall near the hotel.
Modesto smells a lot like Mexico...hard to describe but it's a mix of, like, hot dust, decaying garbage and food and plant material, grilled meats, and perhaps a touch of brine from sea air brought inland. Just something that I noticed, going outside here for the first time today and coming from a different state.

The little fruit stall/shop had a lot more than fruit, namely dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, and honey. Lots of honey.


I didn't get anything because I'd actually hoped they'd have some veggies, and they didn't.
Went back to the hotel, did work on more court reporting, then did a depressive nap until it was time for sound check.

This theatre has an "ok" pit, and the auditorium is nothing special to look at but the acoustics are "ok" as well.
Some actors started crying a bit during sound check; these folks have performed together for twice as long as I've been on this tour, so there are a lot of emotions as our show comes to a close. After sound check we were given a photo op on stage with the Higgins study set piece.

Full cast (I'm over on the right):



Full cast goofy photo:



My Fair Lady Orchestra only:


When I saw that no one was going to the middle, I planted myself there and did what I hoped might be a good Henry Higgins pose. Note that I took care to wear my shiny reflective shoes.


Opening night went well and the audience was wonderful.

Maeghin, the actress who plays Mrs. Pierce, got us each a pair of "My Fair Shadies" sunglasses! How cute is that!


After the show was our closing night party (even though it's not quite closing night, better to have the party the night before due to load out.) The cute cake:


There were lots of photo ops set up around the event space, mainly a My Fair Lady banner that we took turns with.
Here is my set:



Another set with the band (except Abe, our bassist, who got annoyed with having to wait in line for this photo and left):


A moment before the toasts given by some of our creative team who were present. The woman on the left there is Angela Rowles, the Chief Executive Officer.


To be honest...the party gave "not with a bang but a whimper" vibes. Probably because we just got here, and it feels (to me at least) like we should still have a full week of shows before we close out. The impression is oddly like some sort of "soft closing," with just the two shows and not a lot of fanfare. But each tour is different, and going out quietly like this is a new experience for me. Hey, I got a free glass of wine and got to chat with people a bit, and it was a nice time.

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Wednesday, I woke up at 8am to do a last load of laundry and had exactly the amount of quarters needed. A sign! Lol.
Breakfast, partial packing, and started to do court reporting but my stepmom called so we chatted it up and by the time we were done it was time to eat lunch.

If anyone is curious, I DID end up passing that transcription evaluation for employment that I was working on last week!
And then guess what! They wrote to say that there will likely be no work until JUNE. Hahahahahahahahaha.
So now I "have" two jobs, NEITHER of which will actually have me working and getting paid anytime soon.
That means that although I have two jobs lined up, I still need to find even more work.

Now is the perfect time for a crotchety 65-or-older know-it-all to appear and condescendingly sniff, "No one wants to WORK any more." So I can rip their bloody larynx out.

At least both jobs were up-front about it, and didn't leave me sniveling and groveling for updates all summer like some other transcription companies coughFedWriterscough. At least now I know, for certain, that for the month of May it's back to $12/hr data entry and scrubbing toilets for elderly people via Papa Pal.

Look well, all ye who are envious of my touring lifestyle! For this is the price.

Would YOU be willing to pay it, for the adventures I've had?
As much as I gripe and curse and worry and rant...in the end, I Will Pay That Price every damn time, for as long as I can.
That's how much it still means to me.

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I had planned to get my hair trimmed back in Orlando, but a salon nearby happened to have an opening so I did it today instead. One less chore. The rest of the evening seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was time to walk to the theatre for the final show.

I am not a very boo-hooey person, and still don't even know half of these people, but can empathize with the emotions that they felt tonight. The audience was fantastic and supportive, and cheered heartily for everyone. They knew.
I played the show "like normal," but was so conscious that this was our very last time together. We'll never be here again.

So, ya know. I wore my shiny shoes. For posterity :p


At intermission I joined everyone in signing our very last wall tag, at the top of the stairs leading down to the pit.


And before I knew it, it was over. We were playing the bows, and our MD was crying and so was half the orchestra, the audience was giving us a standing O and I don't know what was happening on stage but can guess lots of emotions. And then we all started packing up like normal, but shook hands and hugged and gave goodbyes. I said, "See you down the road" to everyone because that's the traditional circus parting phrase, implying that you're not saying goodbye; your paths are just forking and they'll come together again someday.

Walking back alone, on a quiet Wednesday night in Modesto, was strange. My mute bag and trombone felt heavy. I had many mixed feelings. But quietly, in the bottom of my shriveled cantankerous little heart, I felt the tiniest ember of hope that this show may be revived overseas. That's the rumor, but as for reality we'll just have to wait and see.

At the hotel packed carefully to protect my mutes and Jameson's souvenirs, and the luggage scale says I'm below 50lbs so hopefully all's well for flying. I missed a text from our MD begging for an impromptu band toast down at the hotel bar...I think he forgot to announce it in the midst of emotions post-show. I felt bad for not going but, I have to be up at 4am tomorrow for an entire day of flying, and though the sentiment is sweet, I don't want to drink tonight (or get weepy haha.)

Packed up, shoved a foam cone into my trombone bell, washed up, typed this blog. And went to bed.
And the curtain is closed on My Fair Lady.

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Tomorrow (or today depending on where you read this) I'm up at 4am, 4:30 shuttle call, 5am departure on a 2-hour drive to SanFran airport. I'll eat breakfast at the airport, then a 5 1/2-hour flight directly to Orlando. Jameson should be able to pick me up, maybe we'll get dinner and groceries.
And the next several days will be spent unpacking, cleaning, catching up with my sweetheart, and preparing for the stationary life.

On Monday my eyes popped open at 6am, partly because I remembered, "It's a day off!" and partly because I realized, "I should have shipped my trombone stand back home like EIGHT cities ago. Dammit!"

Shipping the trombone stand to Florida from Washington State or California costs more than the damned thing is worth. I've had it since college, and it's certainly not in the best shape any more...maybe it's time to leave it behind? Anyway, you don't care about all that :p

Today was a golden day..a true day off with no shows and no travel, the last one of the tour.
Let's see how much I got to check off my To-Do List.

First, breakfast and laundry. Since I was up so early and no one else was insane enough to be awake yet, I had the laundry room to myself and was done in no time. Then DCR modules and coursework. I didn't actually get to check off any modules, but did a big chunk of reading and videos for about 90 minutes. That done, I allowed myself thrifting.


No, I didn't buy those FABULOUS $4 golden pants. But I sent the picture to my siblings and was rewarded by my sister quipping, "I dare you to wear those during the eclipse. REPLACE THE SUN." Lol! What a goober.

Speaking of the eclipse, I didn't see a whit of it. Partly because it was cloudy but mostly because it was nowhere near Washington state. Everyone here went about business as usual; no eclipse parties or overpriced eclipse merch to be seen.

I did walk by the falls on last time, and didn't record it because I wanted to just look. For me. To keep in my heart.

From the thrift store to Cochinito, a relatively new taco spot downtown. My two tacos were (left to right): North African lamb sausage with Oregon hazelnut salsa, queso fresco, tomato, mint chutney, and herbs; and Oregon rockfish marinated in honey and chili, fried, with cabbage, radish, crema, cilantro, and chili mango gel.


Of the two, the lamb was my favorite. The sausage was full of rich spices, the salsa had a beautiful roasted flavor from the hazelnuts, the stewed tomatoes were sweet, and the queso brought every bite together with creamy goodness. The only thing missing was the asparagus, for the life of me I couldn't find it anywhere. The fish taco was also very good, but that one was more about texture. Light and crispy, not greasy at all, and the paper-thin radish was peppery, and the mango gel had such a cooling texture and made everything sweet-and-salty. This is another place where, if I lived here, I'd eat here once a week until I'd tried everything on the menu!

Next I got groceries to bring to Yakima, since grocery options there are extremely limited. I will be doing mostly nonperishables and smuggling food from the free hotel breakfast, but picked up yogurt, berries, water for the tea kettle, and eggs. On the way back I made sure to swing by Looff Carrousel in Spokane's Riverfront Park.


This carousel (or carrousel, as they spell it) is significant to me in a roundabout way.
Charles Looff was a master carver, who carved many carousel horses throughout his life, including the horses here.
He ran a shop employing apprentices, one of whom was Charles Carmel, an immigrant from Russia.
And Charles Carmel carved the horses for the Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA.

Which happens to be where I had my very first job, at the age of fourteen.
And where I palmed this carousel ring, 26 years ago. And have carried it with me ever since.


It felt somehow full circle...to be holding this ring from a Looff/Carmel carousel on the east coast, and looking at a carousel by the same maker on the west coast.

For the uninitiated, many carousels in the late 1800s featured a "brass ring game" in which riders on the outer horses could grab iron rings from a mechanical arm as the ride spun past. They could then throw their collected rings at a cloth or wood target, usually an open-mouthed circus animal or clown. A single gold-colored brass ring was included among the iron ones. If a rider was lucky enough to grab the brass ring on their go 'round, they'd receive a small prize (at Knoebels it was a pack of ride tickets.) CLICK HERE to see a short video of what this is like.


As an employee of the park, of COURSE I rode the Grand Carousel many times, and of COURSE I palmed one of the rings to take home as a souvenir :) Never thought I'd get to see a sister carousel, on the opposite coast for that matter!

I didn't ride the carousel because I had groceries with me and that would have been awkward. Only watched for a bit and enjoyed some memories from my own childhood, before heading back to the hotel.

The lavender honey hard cider that I picked up at Huckleberry's last week. It was pretty good! Not overpoweringly floral. It made for a nice chill-out drink after all of my walking around (4 1/2 miles!)


And that was everything on my To-Do List, you guys!
Laundry, classwork, thrifting, groceries, tacos, the falls, day drinking, and the carousel.

While I was plugging away at more court reporting training, two things happened.

One was that I heard back from the transcription job that I tested with last week; they DID send a nightmare 3-hour transcript assessment AGAIN, and this time I flatly refused to do it. Clearly if it takes me three hours to transcribe a 10-page deposition because I'm THAT incredibly unfamiliar with the formatting, I am not qualified for this job. Surprisingly, the recruiter wrote back to say that she appreciated my honesty and hoped I'd reach out in the future once I felt I could tackle it. I'll save their info.

The other was a call from the manager of Disney's Main Street Philharmonic, letting me know he'd gotten approval to officially sublist me with the band! This means I'll be fitted for a costume, attend some rehearsals, and receive a copy of their set list to practice.

(Main Street Phil, stock image)

This does NOT guarantee me any actual performances in the park. It just means that if someone needs a day off, calls out sick, or takes a vacation, I am to be on call and ready to fill in as needed. BUT I will be paid for the fittings and rehearsals. And the odds of regulars needing a day off, for a variety of reasons, are going to be HIGH. I am optimistic that I might actually get to perform as Disney musician this summer!!

And remember: this all came about because I took a chance and sacrificed two weeks of work with My Fair Lady so that I could substitute for Candlelight this past Christmas. I'm reiterating this because at the time I got some raised eyebrows and gently-voiced concerns from musician friends around me, who thought I was nuts for giving up two weeks of pay. But the value that I saw, was that by accepting this one tiny, seasonal substitute job, I'd be added to Disney's employee roster for an entire year. Which could open so many doors. That's why I chose to play the long game. And it's working out!

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Tuesday (it feels weird to be traveling on a Tuesday!) I was up too early and used the time to do more court reporting stuff. There happened to be a live Zoom class, and I got to participate! There were about 30 people there, which was heartening.

It was a short bus ride to Yakima, so we didn't leave the Spokane hotel until 11. I watched out the window a lot because I've never been to this part of the country before. It's very interesting and weird scenery here. Like if you took the flat farmland of Texas, threw in patches of rolling hills and desert scrub brush from California, some marshes and wetland lakes from Florida, and random clumps of tall pines and mountains from Colorado. It came across as kind of a mish-mash...but maybe I've been to too many places. Oh, and these interesting plateau-like boulder formations, some big and towering and some so small that you could mistake them for a stone property fence.


Checking Google Maps while surrounded by "crop circles" :D


We saw very majestic scenery as well, valleys and mountains and lakes with big impressive bridges spanning them. No pics because pics from a bus suck. We stopped at a Love's partway there. I have a habit of making short Instagram stories to share the bizarre stuff I find at these rest stops. Today's weird things: tiny 2"-long knives shaped like keys, guns, bullets, and deer; and this hilarious trinket box shaped like a sow with BEDAZZLED TEATS!!


The pig was $20 unfortunately; had she been $10 or less I'd have bought it no question.

After dropping luggage at the hotel I went to my one and only special meal in Yakima: a Chinese buffet!
I am such an absolute sucker for a good Chinese buffet, and this was a REALLY good one. They had steamed buns, whole heads-on shrimp, a large sushi selection, and a huge dessert bar! Jameson can't eat at these because of his Meniere's Disease (he has a bad reaction to MSG) so this was my last change to enjoy this guilty pleasure.


I ate more than usual but not stuffed-to-the-gills levels. Afterward I walked around and explored surrounding shops until I felt less full, then came back to the hotel and unpacked and chilled.

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Wednesday after breakfast (in which I stole an English muffin, banana, and peanut butter) I worked on finishing court reporting module 1, which ended with a small quiz. I was annoyed to miss three whole questions (= 88%), I need to re-read the material and not rely so heavily on the mock quizzes and flash cards.

Took a break to pack dinner and do misc work on Foodie Finds and listening to Main Street Philharmonic music, then walked to a craft store for a foam cone for my trombone (to protect the bell from being crushed when it gets checked for the final flight home) and then to a mall hoping to find one last tiny travel candle, to make these last few hotel rooms smell nice. I discovered a little plant store that had adorable mini-Mason jar candles from a local maker. This kind of thing gives me a deep, bittersweet nostalgia for my childhood in Pennsylvania...the Amish shops and hardware stores always had hand-poured candles like these. The most nostalgic of all are the Christmas and fall scents.

I got a "Log Cabin" scent, and a "Latte" scent, and lit one as soon as I got back. It made me sad and happy at the same time, which is how I feel most of the time lately. Lighter pictured for scale.


We bused to the theatre. It's an older one, and is a little run down perhaps, but still beautiful.
The ceiling:


This guy up there looks like he has a migraine. I feel those feels, my dude.


To my delight, the stage was shallow and there was no overhang, meaning I'd FINALLY get to see most of the show!!!
So glad that this happened before the tour ended!!
I couldn't take footage of course, but there are several parts in the show where I'm not playing for between 5-8 minutes, and during all of those times I stood with my back pressed against the pit wall, staring up at the stage. Got to see a LOT, it was wonderful :)

Also of interest, because the pit is sort of the shape of a narrow orange segment, the drums have been remoted to a separate room and I am now where the drums would normally be. I have a lot of space to myself (ironic as it's such a small pit) and also, I'm next to these massive screw-like pillars, covered in oil, which are part of the mechanism that raises and lowers the orchestra pit to the desired height.


A short 15-second video so you can see how massive this piece of equipment is...and how far down the drop would be.
As far down as this is, believe it or not I've seen farther. (CLICK HERE to watch)

The show went well and was well attended. I had a pretty solid headache afterward from staring into the stage lights all night! But it was worth it. What a wonderful, unexpected treat to actually see the show I've been providing music for.

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Tomorrow is mostly free, with one more show in the evening and load out to Eugene, Oregon.
I will do lots of boring stuff like court reporting study, packing my suitcases, and perhaps a little thrifting.

I slept poorly, as I always do before a travel day. Anticipation and anxiety.

Woke at 4:25am, managed to slap on some clothing and brush my teeth and grab my suitcase before the cab got here (he is always 10 minutes early, which I love.) We drove to the airport chatting almost the whole way; this guy has been picking me up on these early morning rides for nearly three years now! I was sorry to tell him that this would be my last ride for a while.

The first flight was just fine, the second was slightly delayed but otherwise normal. As the pilot pointed out features within the Cascade mountain range, I couldn't see jack from my aisle seat and felt annoyed with myself for not thinking to get a window for the second flight. BUT, my stomach had been upset all day, so the aisle was probably the better choice. Stupid body! Eight hours on planes today.

I split an Uber with Elen (cello) and Michael (clarinet) and we made good time to the hotel. It's a recently remodeled Best Western and the rooms are ideal for tour life. Moderately spacious; plenty of counter space; a larger-than-usual fridge; a big sink with food service-grade hot water; a microwave. I'll take all of that over ginchy decor or vintage charm any day!


I dropped everything and went to a local co-op right next to the hotel.


It was rather small and I was a bit disappointed not to find many local products. But they have a nice hot bar and serve a $5 dinner on Thursdays, which info I was quick to share with my peers.

From there I walked to the next-nearest local grocery called My Fresh Basket. To get to it you have to cross a bridge over Spokane Falls. I was not prepared for how big, how fast-moving, how awe-inspiring this waterfall would be. You could hear the roar of the rushing water from blocks away. It was amazing. Watching TONS of water rushing so violently down made me feel small indeed.
(CLICK HERE for video 1)
(CLICK HERE for video 2)

We are here for a week and I will DEFINITELY be taking more footage, but this was my first time seeing it and I was awestruck.

My Fresh Basket was lovely, and much more what I had in mind for finding interesting and local products! I tried not to go TOO insane here because there are a lot of co-ops between now and the end of tour, but I did take home these gems:


- DOMA coffee: A sample-sized 1/4 pound since it's sold in bulk, I just wanted to try it. A lovely medium roast.
- Ladder Coffee Original Black: another local coffee, canned. Sometimes I like to get a canned coffee for bus rides.
- Heart Water Pink Himalayan Salt: I thought this would taste like, idk, Pocari Sweat or something, but it was just..."soft" water. Like it tasted very neutral. Pretty good, but I can probably make it at home.
- WET Hydration Orange Mango Ginger Turmeric: A hydration booster (so kinda like Gatorade) but with zero calories because it's sweetened with monkfruit. This tasted pretty good! I would definitely try their other flavors.
- Laurel Tree Rosemary Garlic Hazelnuts: I didn't know that hazelnuts were a big Pacific Northwest thing, but apparently they are because there were bags of them everywhere in all kinds of flavors. This was the most unique flavor that I found, and hazelnuts are my favorite so looking forward to trying these :)
- Fage Greek Yogurt Stracciatella: Not local, but I've never seen these "Creamy Dreamy" dessert flavors from Fage before and had to check it out! Will get to this in the 2nd half of the week I'm sure.
- Tillamook Oregon Marionberry yogurt: Tillamook sells marionberry and huckleberry yogurts and ice cream ONLY in this part of the country; I have never seen it for sale on the east coast. A locally-exclusive flavor that I wanted to try!

And I got my usual groceries too (fruit, veggies, plain yogurt, protein, etc.)
Back at the hotel I felt VERY tired, but managed to stay awake and also not eat dinner until 4:30 Pacific Time.
Unpacked, got settled in, and did go to bed around 8pm because that's 11pm Eastern Time and at that point I'd been up for like 19 hours, and I had to get up at 6am tomorrow for court reporting training.

But damn, what a lovely first afternoon in Spokane! I hope the rest of the week is just as good.

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I was awake early, mainly due to the time zone changes but also because I had Digital Court Reporting training at 10am ET, 7am PT. It went pretty well...mostly it was just walking me through where to upload audio files and how to document things. I still need to learn how to use their dictation software, and how to notarize things, and how to use the audio equipment...I'm nervous about all of this, but also, how hard can it be? The job sounds like something I can do, let's just put it that way, and although I'm bound to make mistakes at first if I am conscientious and take notes I should get better over time. We will see what happens but for now I'm optimistic.

After that I had free hotel breakfast, which wasn't as good as I'd hoped (few protein options) but getting free food at all is very nice. I tried to relax for most of the morning because my guts were still upset over something. I don't feel nauseous or anything, just, uh, "overactive"? So it could be nerves, or that I ate something that didn't sit well.

My caramels arrived around noon! Excellent, because then I could bring them to the theatre for opening night in Spokane!


We are in this convention center theatre, which has 2,609 seats. Pretty cool!
It's a modern and new theatre, and the only bummer so far is having to climb three flights of stairs to reach the Green Room (which is where I stashed the caramels for everyone to have easy access.)


The stairwell does have open ports to the backstage area though, which is SUPER COOL.
I'm not supposed to be sharing these so PLEASE don't reshare them, leave them here. Thank you.
Points of interest: to the right you can see a lot of ropes for the fly rigging system. To the left you can see wigs lined up in front of chairs for the actors (a lot of costume changes happen directly backstage.) And of course setpieces and our road cases and all that. Reminder that all photos can be opened full-size in a new tab for easier viewing.



The pit was a normal pit. Our MD is still out because he's got a nasty cold and didn't want to be coughing/sneezing/blowing his nose throughout the show while also trying to conduct, so took a sick day and our assistant MD Michael led our sound check and later the show. The show was very well attended, and the audience was awesome! Lots of cheers, laughter, and applause. It's going to be a good week if that's what we're starting off with!

Also, the caramels got RAVE reviews :) So many people stopped me in the hall to exclaim over them, and three different people said they were the best caramels they'd ever had. High praise! I'm seriously considering entering them in a State Fair competition or something (but I'd have to be actually AROUND for that to happen haha.)
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Wednesday turned out to be very productive.

( CLICK HERE for Foodie Adventures )

After all of that I still had stuff to do, like research for court reporting and a few applications to touring companies and of course typing up this whole blog post. Jameson had his first physical therapy for his hand; it seemed to go well, and they gave him some sort of medical tape to try and help hold his inflammed vein/tendon in position while he plays(?) He has a gig on Saturday so I guess we'll find out how well that works.

And before I knew it it was time for the show.

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I decided to post this before the evening show, so hopefully it goes well haha.
Today was long and fun, and tomorrow I have an early, busy morning of court reporting things. After that I want to do some more exploring downtown (the falls and some thrift stores, a break from foodie adventures.)