goofball on a train

All night there was thunder and rain, and the sound of wind whistling through the lanai as Hurricane Debby skirted us.

When I woke up it was like this (CLICK HERE to see)

I hadn't really expected it to be noticeably "bad," but there was a tornado watch and the winds were concerning, so after fighting myself about it over coffee I caved and called my Papa Pal client to ask if we could cancel, citing concerns about travel safety. Since this person didn't actually need any help, just companionship, they were totally fine with canceling. It was important to get their approval because anything canceled less than 24 hours before a visit is considered last-minute, and you can be penalized for it.

Spent the morning practicing trombone, reading the hat shop employee manual, picking out what to wear. The dress code is wildly vague (literally the only stipulations are "have good hygiene," "nothing too baggy," and "wear one of our hats") so based on what my boss was wearing I'm going with my cruise ship "Hawaiian" outfit, white dress pants and a red sheer floral top, which I think would go well with a sun hat while still being somewhat dressy.

When the rain died down I drove to Walmart specifically for Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Coffee for me and milk for Jameson. Back home, packed my little lunch for work. I feel a bit silly packing like I would for a grade school kid, but when you don't have health care maybe the next best thing is self-care, in the form of a healthy meal lovingly packed.

Apple, low sodium V8, carrots, celery, peanut butter, leftover pork, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 NuGo bar, mint.


I am nervous about my first day. The job is self-explanatory, but there are always unknowns with new things. What will my boss and coworkers be like? Will I meet their expectations? What are the names of all the hats? What's the POS system like? Where am I supposed to park? What will customers be like? etc etc.

And I also wonder, what jobs should I CONTINUE looking for? Seems like data entry is going the way of the dinosaurs. So...more transcription? Library opportunities? Recertifying in digital court reporting? Something full time or part time? What work would I ENJOY doing, that I could recertify in without concerns that AI will take it over in a few years? So far I'm coming up blank on that.

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After breakfast and an early lunch a bit later on, I drove to Disney Springs. Parked in Lime Lot (I think we're supposed to park there) and got through security, got to the hat shop. The minute I walked in the door it seemed like twenty families followed me in, and the registers crashed.

Go figure!

Since I was fresh as a newborn babe I was exactly zero help, and all I could do was clock in and then assist people as best I could with hats I knew nothing about. Perhaps this sounds stressful...but really, they're HATS. It's not like people were queuing at the registers while my boss was fixing them (there was one customer who waited patiently for a solid 20 minutes, bless his heart.) Most everyone else in the store was essentially there to "do it for the 'gram": i.e., to play with hats and then leave :p

So, I helped people play with hats for about an hour...and played with some myself. Our dress code states that we're supposed to wear a hat at work. I had picked my "cruise ship" outfit for this reason, knowing that it was dressy-casual, summer-y, and would probably go well with some sort of sun hat.

The outfit in question, at work on an actual cruise ship circa 2019. White pants, red top. Sorry it's a blurry screenshot, I haven't found any photos of me wearing this.


And the hat I picked for this outfit:

(Used a pretty heavy filter here because this photo was taken in a storage closet with hideous lighting, I looked like a total corpse without some light and warmth, promise.)

I got compliments on it from guests all day so it must have been a good choice.

Anyway, finally my boss came up for air and gave me a name tag. It has a music note on it, without my asking :)


He showed me all of the hats and the more-or-less organization (a lot of which I'd figured out on my own for the hour he spent fighting the registers.) At his prompting I pelted him with questions: why were the Panama hats so expensive? (THIS is why.) Are most hats considered unisex? (Yes.) And other more basic questions like where's the nearest bathroom, how do we pick break times, how do we pick up shifts, etc. My boss seems very laid back and chill, and answered everything in a very straightforward way. And not one word about upselling or pushing this-or-that promotion. Maybe that will come later, but for today I was grateful and hopeful that this will not be a pushy-sales type of job.

One funny/ironic thing happened as we were talking. He asked if I'd seen any other hats that I wanted to try next, and I pointed to a fedora-looking thing, explaining that since I'm a musician I own a lot of black clothing and figured a hat like this (it's available in many colors) might look slick with a black collared shirt. He agreed and said, "You know, that's called a Pork Pie Hat, and it's actually a musician's hat. Very popular with jazz musicians in the 1930s."

Of all the hats in the shop, figures I'd pick the ONE hat with an association to music.
There are ghosts laughing over my shoulders, I swear.

After my dinner break my boss had to leave, and there were three other employees showing me the ropes. Everyone was very nice and chill. I also noticed that everyone was dressed WAY more casually than me. What I'll probably do (in consideration of wearing hats and because the shop AC barely works) is pick 5-6 "hat shop outfits" to wear specifically for this job. I just don't wanna wear my actual business casual, which I mostly bought for court reporting work and paid full price for. It's seems that my thrifted clothes will be more than acceptable.

Before I knew it the day was over, and I'd been offered a shift for Wednesday, which I accepted. Now I've got close to 30 hours, woot. Back home I did all the stuff people do, who work real jobs: cleaned myself up, packed a lunch for tomorrow, laid out an outfit for myself, charged my phone, told Jameson about my first day.

I anticipate more of the same, all week.

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Wednesday was a morning shift, opening the store at 9:30am. I was up way too early, because I'm a type of person who needs quiet time and time to center themselves. Coffee, breakfast, watching anime, watching the morning sun streaming onto my banana trees. Stuff like that. 

Off to work, and the annoyance of my own n00b ignorance, nervously shuffling from foot to foot while my boss unloaded and tagged inventory. I have a great deal of retail experience, and could see exactly what we were doing and what needed to be done. But it's only my second day and I don't know their tagging system, the names of the hats, some of the key differences between hat styles and weaves, etc. I couldn't touch anything for fear of mistagging something, shelving things in the wrong place, etc., but my boss seemed disinclined to hand me a task or give instruction. I had such helpless frustration!

Eventually he gave me some baseball caps to tag, and by that time customers were filtering in. I learned more about misc hats today, including how some hats could looks EXACTLY the same as far as color and style, but might have just the SLIGHTEST barely noticeable difference in weave that could cause them to have different SKUs. The flat caps were especially guilty of this feature.

And to my great disappointment, I discovered that fedoras and pork pie hats don't look good on me whatsoever. I have a long, plain, horsey face, and I think the height of fedoras makes my face look even longer. Hats with big generous brims seem to look better on me, maybe because they give an illusion of width and balance to my face. Eh...anyway, I was bummed.

I'd worn black-and-grey with a plan to wear a matching fedora, but with that off the table I had to hunt around for another hat style. Found this cloche and turned it slightly sideways, and liked it.

(Again, heavily filtered re: abysmal storage closet lighting.)

I once again got many compliments on it throughout the day, so I think rounded hats with wider brims and soft swoops/dips are a good choice to offset my horsey face. Two outfits and two hats down...tomorrow I want to do a "super casual" outfit so I can wear one of the rhinestone-encrusted novelty hats! Other hats on my personal Must-Wear List include a sage green sun hat; a stripey Australian "outrigger" hat; an Indiana Jones-style leather hat (it's a fedora BUT they have wider brims); a derby hat; and a Dapper Dan straw hat (otherwise known as a boater or skimmer.) And I am working up my courage to wear a real Panama straw hat.

The day went well, I felt it wasn't as crazy as my first day.

For the first time in many months, Jameson made dinner for us!! I felt very spoiled and treated.
He made wheat spaghetti and one of our favorite bolognese recipes which includes beer and marinates on the stove for about three hours. He also made garlic bread using the leftover Cuban bread I'd bought this week. Smart cookie! I was very grateful :)


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Thursday: A shorter morning shift at the hat shop, maybe some time to practice at night if I can drum up the energy.

Friday: My first night shift at the hat shop, it's probably gonna suck because supposedly the drunks like to come in and try on hats after the drone show. Sigh.

Saturday & Sunday: Theoretically an actual weekend. I'll have chores and practicing to catch up on, but hope to also do a little thrifting, gardening, and cooking. The usual.

A surprising lot happened on Monday.

Uber Eats:

I decided to try being an Uber Eats driver for the first time. On the way to my start point I realized, I don't have a thermal bag! You can get away without one but often the customer is there for the food handoff, and can see how you've transported their food. It's been recommended that you have a thermal bag to show that you handled their food safely or kept it warm/cold for them.

So I drove to the nearest store that had one, which was QUITE far away, but now I have a really good thermal bag which frankly I should have for myself in the excessive heat of Florida anyway.

By the time that was done I only had time for two delivery requests and both were to the same location, Flamingo Crossings. It's a mixed-usage village for Disney's college program. I learned two things from this: one, that Flamingo Crossings is likely the closest cash cow if I want to stick close to home; and two, that Uber Eats reimburses you for tolls (I had to take toll roads to get there totaling $3, which was returned to me after each trip.)

The first delivery was from Chipotle. It was just like picking up your own food, you give the cashier a name/order number and they hand it to you. You confirm that you've got it in the app, then follow the GPS to the delivery spot. Then follow whatever instructions the customer has given ("meet in lobby," "leave at door," etc.)

The second delivery was from Panda Express and was a bit troublesome because there were three large sodas and the restaurant was out of beverage caddies. Looks like I'll have to get one of those too (I've sourced one for just $3 at Michael's craft store, thanks to Uber Drivers Reddit.) For both deliveries the handoff was fine and both times the customer saw me pull their food out of my giant thermal bag. This is important because later on I received additional tip money. Extra tip money comes from good service and hot food!

I had meant to work for 2-3 hours but because of the trip for the thermal bag, only got about 1.5 hours. However with just the two trips I made $10. If you consider that a basic tip is usually $3 I'll need to do at least four deliveries per hour to make this worthwhile.

--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

Dinner:

For dinner I made us carbonara. I've been nervous about it because I'm using the farm-fresh eggs that Pat gave me, they're unpasteurized and carbonara is essentially pasta with undercooked egg yolks. But I decided to trust, and go ahead with it.

I used the real Italian bucatini that I'd bought from Eataly in Houston so long ago. Then the whole duck egg that Pat gave me plus two chicken egg yolks. Grated some fresh parmigiano reggiano, crisped up some pancetta, cracked fresh pepper on top, and stirred the whole thing together with a wooden spoon. It came out beautifully. Served with arugula and toasted pine nut salad with lemon vinaigrette.


I don't eat enough duck eggs to know a flavor difference, especially in this format, but can say that the sauce was rich and delicious and I'd totally make this again.

--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

Firefly Petunia:

After dinner I received an Amazon box with a grow light and a tub of petunia fertilizer. I feel a bit guilty for the expense, but it's probably true that anyone who gardens should have ONE grow light, and the fertilizer may help this rare and special plant take off. The thing is, the company that developed it has given permission to propagate!! That means I can clone the plant via cuttings or grow them from seed. So if I can get the petunia large and healthy, I can grow MORE of them! Not for sale of course, but I thought a bioluminescent flower would be a wonderful gift for family this Christmas. Not to mention simply having more glowing plants of my own!

The plant has started producing flower buds again, and they are the brightest part, like little LEDs in the dark.


--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

Jobs:

I got onboarding paperwork for my new hat job, which I completed and returned.
Then I got a surprise message from the transcription company that I onboarded with months ago, saying they'd like to go ahead with a background check (again) for contract work this fall. Sure, why not. Will be interested to see if I ever actually get to do work with them, or if it just keeps getting put off indefinitely until I'm in the nursing home.

Then I got a zip folder full of Disney's Candlelight music! This means I'm still on the sub list for that event come Christmas. Yay!

And THEN I was offered an interview for a library job, to take place via Teams on Tuesday morning.

Now before anyone tells me what to do about this, LISTEN because there are some factors to consider.

1) The library job is a 45-minute drive away.
2) The library job is temporary, the contract is only for six weeks.
3) Although it is full time and pays more than the hat shop, the library is very unlikely to be flexible with hours, especially since it's contract work. This increases the likelihood that I'd have to turn down trombone gigs if I accept this job. In addition to being out of a job again after the six weeks is up.

The pros are that it pays more, it's full time, and I've always wanted to work in a library! I'd really like to get the experience, which could help me get library jobs in the future. But the question is, how much am I willing to sacrifice in my musical professional life for that opportunity? Mainly I need to know how flexible they could be with my schedule, and whether there is any chance that the position could extend beyond six weeks (highly doubtful, it's a TINY library.)

Well the interview is tomorrow so let's see what happens.

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Up early for breakfast and to get dressed, then interview at 9am.
It was short, only about 15 minutes, and inconclusive. The hiring folks seemed nice but couldn't tell me whether the temp contract has any possibility of extending past 6 weeks (it depends on getting government funding and approvals for said funding.) On the upside they said I could have work hours flexibility if I was able to give 48 hours notice for gigs/Disney stuff, which I think is very reasonable.

Still, I'll probably end up sticking with the hat shop. It's a lot closer, a lot more flexible, and even if it doesn't pay as well it's not temporary.

After that Jameson went to the gym so I vacuumed, then tried Uber Eats again. I was less successful today, and waited nearly 45 minutes before getting an order. It was a "drop at door" so I got to do the thing where you take a photo of the food before leaving. Then I got a grocery delivery order, which I enjoyed; just walking around Target and finding the items, scanning the barcodes, and delivering them. Easy.

But between 10:30am-1pm I only got those two orders, for a total of $8.50. Not worth it.
I'm still considering this a "training period," but want to figure out how people actually make money doing this.

Tomorrow I'm going to try a flat rate opportunity. If you sign up for these, they require you to drive to and stay in a specific area for a set number of hours. During that time any jobs that you pick up and any time spent working are paid out at $12.50 per hour, plus tips. The time slot is from 11am-2pm, and it's in Winter Park which is an hour away but I'm willing to try this once and see what the payout is like.

Back home I ate lunch, cleaned the inside of my car because it's getting dusty, and practiced trombone.
I put the firefly petunia under the new glow light for about four hours and it seemed happy with that.

For dinner we went to Skyline Chili because Jameson was craving a hot dog. I've never in my life had Skyline! It was surprisingly good; the chili looks like poop on a plate but the flavor was more complex than expected. The red cream soda really hit the spot too :)


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Wednesday I drove all the way out to Winter Park to try Uber Eats fixed rate driving.
This experience finally solidified for me that driving for Uber Eats is not financially beneficial.




Problem 1: As it turns out, just because Uber Eats wants you to START in a particular area, doesn't mean you get to STAY there. The second order I got took 50 minutes to complete, and took me all the way to downtown Orlando, then halfway to Kissimmee before I could turn around and get back to Winter Park.

Problem 2: While working a flat rate time slot, you cannot turn down more than one order per hour. If you do, you will lose your flat rate. That's why I HAD to accept that order that took me all the way to Kissimmee and took 50 minutes to complete. What if I had rejected it, and another EVEN WORSE order had come up? I'd HAVE to accept it or risk losing the pay I'd driven all the way out to Winter Park for in the first place.

Problem 3: You are only paid the flat $12.50 per hour rate while ACTIVE. This means while actively accepting, picking up, and delivering an order. So for example if it takes me 10 minutes to get the food and another 20 to get to the person and drop it off, I only get paid $6.25 plus the tip. I'd have to get literal back-to-back orders to earn an actual $12.50 per hour.


The end result was that after spending three hours actively driving for Uber Eats, I had only completed three orders and earned $20. By contrast, working just ONE hour for Papa Pal gets me $17 an hour plus travel reimbursement. Needless to say I'm switching back to Papa Pal IMMEDIATELY.

Other driving/delivery services pay more...which is why they have wait lists. I should have known that there must be a reason it was so easy to get into the Uber Eats loop.

Well I learned my lesson, and it wasn't such a bad day, I didn't LOSE money (unless you count grocery shopping afterward) and I learned something new :) Also, I think it's good to keep Uber Eats as a way to earn a little extra money between jobs or gigs. For example if I'm scheduled to work at the hat shop until 5pm, I could turn Uber Eats on for the commute home and complete an order or two for some extra cash, since I'm on the road anyway.

Back at home I put away the groceries and told Jameson of my discoveries. We had Whole Paycheck sushi for dinner. I mixed up the first batch of fertilizer for my petunia in a 1/2 gallon Motts apple juice jug.


Three of the flowers are formed and will probably open tomorrow or the next day.
I'm very glad that it's bounced back so well from shipping.


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Tomorrow I haven't scheduled anything, the plan is to have a morning walk, practice the trombone, and make cocktail meatballs in the crock pot for dinner.

Friday and Saturday I've scheduled three Papa Pal visits totaling about 4 hours, we will see how that goes. Might do more on Sunday. I've emailed the hat shop to see when my first day will be...hopefully next week.

Oh and also...I was offered the library job, and had to turn it down. Why? Because they lowballed me. Same pay as the hat shop but it's temp work and 40 minutes away. It wasn't meant to be.

Having been let go from nursing home data entry forever, I am now looking at the following opportunities:

- Diving into the gig economy: I am waitlisted with Instacart and Amazon Flex, and have set up a food delivery account with Uber Eats. I've also got Papa Pals fully set up. Papa Pals pays about $17/hour, which is $5 more than what I was making at data entry, so even if I can't hit 30 hours per week I should be able to break even with that. There are other work apps that I'm looking into, like Instawork.

- Getting a part-time job: The highest actual possibility here is the kennel on Disney property, which is a Disney affiliate and whom I've worked with before. Cons: it pays same-or-slightly-better than data entry for much harder work; it involves outdoor work in the heat, and getting dirty (slobber, dog poop & barf, etc); it may not be flexible enough to allow me to continue doing Main Street Philharmonic. Pros: the manager is likely to work with me at least a little on flexible scheduling; getting to interact with puppies is nice most of the time; it's on Disney property so if Main St. Phil does call and I AM allowed to leave, I could get there pretty quickly. I am hoping the upcoming interview will help me decide if this is the best option.

- Getting a full-time job: The most inflexible option and the one for which I don't have a realistic offer so far. I have a supposed application to be a library assistant (FT temp) that's a 40-minute drive away but pays $17/hour. Jameson's dad has also offered to have me work for ClassWallet, which he's apparently involved with in some way, but he'd have to clear it with his superiors and I don't think he'll be able to do that. Overall a full-time job is unlikely to let me scoot over to Disney when I need to.

--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

Monday I woke up at the guilt-inducing, late late hour of 8am.
Breakfast and job applications, applied for two and bookmarked a few more for later.

Then a fight through theme park traffic on I-4 to get to Whole Paycheck for shrimp and other dinner ingredients, and my favorite meal supplements: Mezcla bars, Koia shakes, NuGo bars. You might be tisking my choice to shop at an expensive grocery store while out of work, but please remember that as a Millennial I will never have/haven't earned the express privilege of health care, so my "health care" is eating quality foods even if it costs more.

Back home, more job applications and lunch. I didn't feel like practicing so dusted the ceiling fan blades and the lights above the bathroom vanities, changed our bedsheets, cleaned the bathroom (since I'd gotten dust everywhere,) washed a load of towels, and applied for several more jobs that I'm sure will never call me for an interview.

Despite all of this griping, I have said over and over again that if getting to be a circus musician for five straight years means I have to scrub toilets for the rest of my days, I'll do it. I meant that and I stand by it.

Dinner was air fryer coconut shrimp with mango salsa, rice, and snap peas. It was good but the shrimp by itself was pretty bland, next time I want to add something to the breading (the flour dredge was seasoned but the panko was not.)

When we went to bed I had the idea to bring my little firefly petunia into the bedroom.
Although the flowers and buds have all died, the foliage is looking a lot better, and the plant glows so strongly that I can see it now even if the room is not completely dark. It was an amazing thing to see it softly glowing on the nightstand as I fell asleep.



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Today, July 23rd, is my and Jameson's 11th anniversary!

We aren't married, however if there were Common Law in Florida, we certainly would be.

(Yeah I know I've used this pic a zillion times already, we don't have a lot of recent pics of us together, ok)

It doesn't feel very special because we didn't make plans, it's just a random Tuesday. But it's kind of amazing to think of all we've been through together: the circus, a long distance relationship, relocating multiple times, the pandemic, several surgeries, touring, Florida-in-general, physical and mental struggles, good cooking, bad cooking. Politics. It's kind of wild. We have our struggles (dare I say we are in a fulfillment struggle right now, both of us!) but there's no one I'd rather face all of this nonsense with than Jameson.

--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

Tuesday started with me getting up at 7:30 for no reason. Not like I have anything to do but apply for jobs.

Did that, had breakfast, got gas and got to my kennel interview. Ended up waiting for 10 minutes for a 5-minute interview with my former boss, who is suuuuuper busy. She essentially said, "Look, I know you can do the job, but I'm hiring for multiple locations now and it'll be a week or two before I get back to you." This is actually ideal for me so I said, cool, just let me know.

Then I had a random moment of inspiration, realizing that a new bagel place had just opened recently in Kissimmee and that they had multiple locations around Orlando. So I called, randomly got the manager of the Orlando location on the phone, and he asked if I could come in for an interview same day. They have a morning baking position open that would be from 4:30am-1pm or 5:30-2pm, something like that. This would allow me to get a 6-to-8-hour day most days, and if they're flexible I could get to Disney if they happened to call. It wasn't clear if that'll be doable or not, but anyway the hiring manager was nice and their bagel flavors are pretty cool (cacio e pepe, Old Bay, vanilla, and more!)

Obviously I bought bagels before leaving!

(Image from West Orange Times)

I got two vanilla sprinkle bagels, a cacio e pepe bagel (which the hiring manager gave me for free!) and some banana pudding cream cheese. If nothing comes of this, at least I got tasty treats :p

From there to Staples to pick up a laminated copy of my Papa Pals Terms, to protect myself from being taken advantage of. I also printed some resumes because I want to do a legwork run of Disney Springs and Old Town, this week or next.

Very clearly, as a lazy Millennial, I don't want to work at all.

ANYWAY back home I'd planned to practice but Jameson had a migraine so instead I broke down boxes for recycling, took out the trash, looked for more jobs, then was a lazy ass and watched a bit of anime. Did practice later, memorizing all of my Halloween tunes. We took it easy since Jameson still wasn't feeling well, I applied for more jobs. Made sure to bring my plant to the nightstand to be my nightlight again :)

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As if losing my job wasn't enough, last night right around midnight a fraudulent charge was made to my bank account. I called Fraud Protection right away and they said it was through an app partnered with PayPal called Xoom, which I've never heard of or used. And the charge was for $$$$, way more than I'd authorize right now. Weirdly this charge isn't showing up in PayPal itself, so I don't know what to make of that. But anyway I did all I could, and now have to wait for the charge to actually hit my bank, according to my bank. Which is torture but whatever, I can only react and hope to get my money back.

Breakfast, got dressed in slightly shabby clothes for my Papa Pal visit. Repotted the firefly petunia (because the internet said I should now that it's recovering) and checked on the banana (it's fine.)

The Papa Pal work was fine, it was another bathroom cleaning which is gross but what did we say about scrubbing toilets for life as backpay for five wonderful years as a circus musician???

(stock image)

So I scrubbed the toilet and the sinks, swept and mopped the floors, and even managed to vacuum the bedroom carpets for them before my time was over. It was only an hour's service today, and it was pretty far to drive; next time I must remember to book at least four hours' worth for this distance. But that's why I'm starting out slowly, to learn and get things right faster.

Back home I ate lunch and used my remaining energies to pack up my work-from-home setup.
It was this:


...and now it's this:


A nice empty space. The bed is still covered in trombones lol.
I felt low-energy after this, so mostly rested when I should have been doing something, anything.
(I did apply for more jobs after dinner.)

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Thursday: Walking around Disney Springs to apply for jobs in person. Practicing trombone, making dinner.
Friday: 11am-3pm job fair, I certainly won't stay for the whole thing. Packing for my last scheduled Disney day.
Saturday: Last scheduled Disney day. I was going to go to Miller's Ale House afterward and invite anyone from the band to come along, but as of now am not feeling it.

Sunday: Nothing. Probably just catching up on job applications and making dinner again.
Monday: Start getting familiar with Uber Eats + scheduling more Papa Pal visits for the week.

I was up early on Monday but not 6am, because I'm already behind on hours + there is a work shortage. The AI has kind of messed a lot of things up, so the profiles it's touched are inaccessible to us right now. Of course. Go figure.

Not to be a pessimist but...I don't have a good feeling about this.

Because I'm an opportunist + constantly thinking way too far ahead, instead of eating breakfast first like normal I did an hour of work, just in case the little work available got snatched up. If I'm short on hours this week (which I will be) at least it won't be for lack of trying, and at least I want as many as I can get.

And lo, after just 1 hour 40 minutes of work we ran out of tickets to process. So it's good that I thought ahead or I'd have only gotten half that. While I waited to see if there'd be more work I applied for jobs, as many as I could find. Janitorial, grocery stores, office work, kennels, call centers. I'm still avoiding the restaurant industry like the plague if only because I know it'll be exhausting and it would mostly be nights. But if it comes down to it, those will be next.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

After lunch we had two wonderful surprises!

Surprise Number 1: Our second toilet showed up!

I am thrilled to death to have my own toilet again! (TMI WARNING: ....................... especially because my period just started!!................)
And it took the guy just 15 minutes to install it.

Surprise Number 2: My new trombone showed up!!

While the toilet was being installed the doorbell rang, and it was USPS with my Williams Model 6 trombone!
To catch you up if you haven't read my recent posts, a trombonist in New York wanted my Minick trombone and I wanted his Williams...both are rare trombones, so we agreed to an even trade. He should get the Minick on Wednesday.

Here are my two Williams trombones side by side. Mine is the one with the brown wrap on the neck and the darker finish.



It turns out that the serial numbers are only 29 digits apart! These trombones are incredibly close in age. I wondered whether they had been in Earl William's shop in California, back in the 50's, at the same time. Perhaps side by side on a display wall, or in cases on a shelf. And this could be a reunion for them, the first time they've been together since that time so long ago. It was a really nice thought.

Here is the master craftsman, Earl Williams, holding one of his horns (could it be one of mine?)


Considering that these horns were made around the same time, it is surprising and fascinating to see how differently they've weathered time. Mine has never had a repair (knock on wood!) and is in all-original condition, which is exceedingly rare. It had one owner before me who took incredible care of it and preserved it to the best of his ability. Despite those efforts, mine has intense lacquer wear which is why it has a darker color. It's also got chipping and pitting where you grip it, and the metal has worn so thin where the mouthpiece attaches that you can see the leadpipe underneath. But I love it. It's like a well-loved stuffed animal :)

James's trombone (Trombone Guy's name is James) has had a LOT of work done. There was damage done to the neck at some point, and ripples and dents in the brass where you can see soldering, patching, and refinishing repair work. The hand grip is not original, and looks like one of the grips made by Bob Williams (Earl Williams's son) and the bar where you hold the slide is also a replacement part. The leadpipe has been removed and/or is removable, which is a customization (Earl always had his leadpipes built in and not intended to be removed.) Finally, the whole horn has been relacquered, James thinks sometime in the 1960s (I think it was done later than that but won't argue.) All of that said, whoever did the repairs did an excellent job. Appearance-wise James's horn actually looks newer, but that's only because of the relacquer job.


Now for how it plays. I was startled to find that the "new" Williams sounds significantly different from my own Williams. I'm going to need more time to investigate, but my first impression was that compared to my horn, this one is more "mellow" and "centered." When I played the two horns back to back, mine felt somehow "raw"...it's hard to describe, it was like the sound from mine felt "sharper" than from the other Williams. The responsiveness of both horns, though, is excellent.

Ok you get the idea, I'm nerding out.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I reeeeeally wanted to keep playing the trombones for like, the next four hours, but had to get back to work. It was very hard to focus! Then while I was working my boss from the Main Street Philharmonic texted to ask if I could do a full-day rehearsal tomorrow! YES!! I'm bringing the new horn and will play it! So excited!

I've got to remember to be careful, though, because James hasn't received the Minick yet. Even after it arrives safely I want to confirm that he's happy with it before considering the trade complete. I'd be careful of my own horns anyway, but will be EXTRA careful on the off chance that he changes his mind and wants the Williams back.

For dinner I made us a pork tenderloin which was just "ok," with potatoes and broccoli.
We watched the Home Run Derby and I packed for my impromptu rehearsal day tomorrow.

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Disney rehearsal was fine. We played through the Halloween music and that was fun.
Cruella de Vil! Poor Unfortunate Souls! Grim Grinning Ghosts! Pink Elephants on Parade!
There are only four pieces, I wish there were more!

After that Kristen (trumpet) and I were left alone to practice/memorize, and we both got to play two sets in the park because she hadn't done the Frozen Medley yet and I hadn't done Prince Ali. It was nice to get those locked in. It was hideously hot with a heat index of 105°F, but since I wasn't there as a working sub I had plenty of time to cool off and relax. And so did the guys, because their last two sets were canceled due to thunderstorms/lightning. Sweet!

It was my first rain day at Disney. I enjoyed seeing people coming and going in ponchos, muttering about keeping their costumes dry (even fast food servers have such elaborate costumes here) and trading rumors about the duration of the storm.

After rehearsal I came home, ate grocery store sushi and chatted with Jameson. Eventually he started watching the Home Run Derby and/or whatever competitions that entails. I'm not a baseball fan but do find it fun to watch.

Unfortunately for me I got some really bad work news. Well, potentially really bad.

Basically, my employer is "restructuring" around their new AI.
And as part of that "restructuring" they've decided to "replace" all of the 30-some part-time, contracted Account Editors (that's me) with just eight full-time "Quality Control Specialists." They are going to select their eight employees from among us by the end of the week, and start them on Monday.

I am highly likely to be out of a job in the next five days.

Great! Just great. I expressed interest in the new position because I feel there's no other choice if I want to be employed come Monday, and because I most certainly could do the job. And I spent the rest of the night applying to jobs like a crazy person, just anything I came across that looked like something I could do. Each application takes a LONG time to fill out, so I only probably got five-or-so sent before 10pm.

I will wait until Monday to see if my employer will keep me as a full-time employee. And if they don't, I'll have to do Prolific surveys and Papa Pal work until I can find something. I don't know what else to do.

Was really hoping...well it's stupid to even say what I was hoping. I'm worth nothing and here's the proof. All that's left is to go as far as one can go on one's own fuel when one is not wanted.

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Wednesday, as you can imagine I didn't wake up in the shiniest mood. Up at 6am of course, because even if I'm getting shit-canned I want to get as many hours as possible on my way out.

While Jameson was at the gym I vacuumed and checked on my bananas. They're looking good, I think I might actually get to have edible fruit, finally, after like four years!


For dinner I made us an interesting recipe from iRick, it's another keto one but higher in protein so I'm ok with it :p
It's an air fryer empanada, made with ground chicken as the "crust"! The filling on these was "Jalapeno popper" so cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped jalapeno, and the outside was coated with Parmesan and a little dry ranch seasoning powder. For mine I used vegan cream cheese (lactose intolerant.) They were very delicious. We are planning to make a chicken parm version, a chicken pot pie version, etc etc.


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The good: we got our toilets installed finally, I got a beautiful trombone, I had an unexpected and enjoyable Disney rehearsal, we had tasty keto empanadas.

The bad: the existential crisis of suddenly having my financial security plummet out from under me. That, and James was supposed to get the Minick today and it got delayed, and now he may not get it until Friday. I'm very stressed out about it and just want him to get it, and approve of it, so I can consider the new Williams my own.

Thursday: Taking the trombones to my local guy so he can have a look, clean them up, and of course enjoy playing them. + work and job applications.

Friday: workworkworkworkworkworkworkwork apply for jobs workworkworkworkworkworkworkwork apply for jobs. Possible interview for the full time spot, if the have any interest in me.

Weekend: more of the same + hopefully a drink.

Monday: unemployment, I assume.

Monday was a "day off" which really only means no data entry and waking up an hour later than usual. I scoured for jobs but wasn't seeing much (it IS kind of early after a holiday weekend.) Went to get bagels, and put air in my tires and gas in my car. Came home for lunch and trombone practice, then off to The Fresh Market for dinner ingredients for tomorrow.

Not sure why I chose Fresh Market over Whole Paycheck...I rarely go there because their selection is less extensive. But it turned out to be a really good choice, because while I was out there was a deadly hit-and-run at the 1-4/192 intersection, which is my exit to get home (and also exactly where I had my one and only car accident back in 2019.) As a result the highway was closed and all traffic was redirected onto 192. Which sucked for me, but so much less than if I'd been coming down I-4 on the way back from Whole Paycheck with a car-load of groceries in 100-degree weather. OR if I'd been anywhere around when the accident took place.

At home I had a moment of wonder at the universe, that I should pick Today Of All Days to deviate from my usual pattern, saving me from whatever horror show had happened on the highway.

-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -

After unpacking the ingredients I made some peanut butter popsicles using this recipe from TikTok. Jameson sent it to me, which is his passive way of saying, "I hope that you will make this for us at some point!" This one was so ridiculously easy that I saw no reason not to just whip it up right away!

- 1/2c peanut butter (any kind, we are trying JIF No Sugar Added)
- 1/2c Greek yogurt (the comments said to use vanilla so I got Siggi's which is low in sugar.)
- 1/4c sweetener of choice. The author used allulose. I wanted to use monkfruit but it turns out that's got erythritol in it!! WTF!! So used confectioner's sugar instead. And only added 2Tbsp which is half what is called for.
- I also added a pinch of Maldon sea salt though it wasn't in the recipe, it seemed it would go well for the peanut butter.


After we'd had dinner they were frozen solid, so I dipped them in some leftover melting wafers that I had lying around.


These were SO GOOD. Tasted just like peanut butter cheesecake. Rich and decadent and creamy. I'd like to make these again but it is a VERY high fat recipe, probably intended for people on the keto diet. So my lower-fat, lower-calorie version will use PB Fit (defatted peanut flour) mixed with a chocolate koia shake. I think this might reduce creaminess, but I'll bet the flavors will still be incredible.

I input the ingredients for both versions into MyFitnessPal.
If you are into low-carb dieting the original recipe is for you; if you're trying to reduce fat and/or calories, the bottom version.


Just a bit before bed I got an email for a job interview with a bank, that will be via video chat on Wednesday. Sad that I'm not qualified for skilled labor, but grateful to be considered for something that pays more than $12/hr.

Also, checked my data entry email and saw that our company meeting tomorrow is mandatory and will have "important information." I'm a little nervous about what that could be, being the low wage cog that I am. "Important information" announced at "mandatory" company meetings is generally, in my experience, bad news for low wage workers.

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Tuesday I was up at 6am and plugging away at data entry, because I'm cooking dinner tonight AND want to go for a walk AND have two Disney days at the end of the week. Jameson and I went for a walk, and although it was 85°F the heat index was 98°F so it felt awful. But we made it.

In the afternoon was the mandatory meeting for my data entry job.
( Drama at Work )

Well. The rest of the day was normal.
For dinner I cut into our beautiful home-grown pineapple.

Look at the difference 48 hours has made! First pic from two days ago and second pic from just now.


It was perfect, and so much better than store-bought pineapple! Not stringy, hard, or acidic. A beautiful golden color, loads of juice, so flavorful and sweet. I'm so glad we'll have plenty of it left over after this recipe!


I hollowed out the pineapple skin to use as a bowl (why not!)
The chicken thigh stir fry was easy, but I messed up the rice terribly, it ended up overcooked somehow despite following the directions to the letter. Still, Jameson enjoyed it a lot. The star of the show was definitely that pineapple, though the chunks of chicken thigh were also tender and delicious. I'd make it again with some small changes :)


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Wednesday, up at 6 after a poor sleep. Slammed through an hour of data entry, a quick breakfast and back to it, because at some point today we'll be required to switch to the new AI-training method and I'll never again get to process audio interviews again.

My interview went "ok" I suppose. I'm grateful to get to the interview stage...that's very rare. But after the interview I was sent yet ANOTHER evaluation. So far, for an entry level bank job, I've filled out an application, taken two skills tests, done a one-way video interview, done a video chat interview, and completed a "personality" evaluation, which is supposedly the final step.

I have never, never been hired for a job that required a personality evaluation. I suppose because I never select words like "Exciting!" "Enthusiastic!" "Talkative!" "Social!" and instead choose the characteristics that I actually have and that no one seems to want, ho-hum things like "punctuality," "efficiency," "dedication," and "empathy." Whatever, just, finding out that there was a personality evaluation dashed my hopes because it generally coincides with not getting the job.

Jameson went to a rock concert in the evening so I was on my own for dinner.
As dusk was falling, a special plant arrived in the mail for me! I'd pre-ordered it back in April. A "firefly petunia!"


You can read all about these amazing plants HERE.

The TL;DR: There is a scientist who has been trying to genetically engineer bioluminescent plants since the 1980s. He was successful with splicing firefly DNA into a tobacco plant, but the luminescence didn't last long and wasn't very bright. He has since been experimenting with DNA from glowing mushrooms, and has just this year succeeded in consistently cultivating bioluminescent petunias! This is not only valuable commercially; scientists can also use the bioluminescence to study plant growth and development. There are already plans for more/more varied types of bioluminescent plants in the future.

Here's the box:


Unboxing. The plant is in a sturdy plastic enclosure and has a little cardboard disc on top of the soil to keep it from flying everywhere. Comes with care instructions (which are exactly the same as those for a regular petunia.)


I think for normal climates this would have been excellent packaging, but the plant arrived in Davenport and then spent the entire day, from morning until evening, on the back of a UPS truck in 100-degree weather. The pot was VERY warm to the touch and the plant must have been steam-cooking in its own juices inside that plastic pod :( It looks ok and wasn't entirely wilted, but there were lots of dead buds and certainly it was stressed.


I decided it would be best to put it on the screened back porch, because keeping it inside would be at least a 20-degree difference and I think that would shock it. It will also be in the shade for a day or two so it can adjust without getting scorched to a crisp.


So, this is essentially a beta, a prototype of new technology in the form of a plant. It doesn't glow like in the ad photo (the company is VERY clear about this) but it DOES glow and you can see it in a dark room with the naked eye. To get the glowing you see in the photo all you need is a long exposure camera/a phone with night mode. Which you would need anyway for pretty much anything you want to photograph in a dark environment whether it's glowing or not. 

Once I'm sure it's not going to shrivel up and die, I'll get some pics of it glowing! 

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And that's the week.

Tomorrow is just another day, then I've got two Disney days in a row.
We now have seven sets instead of five, they'll be shorter but the breaks between will ALSO be shorter so idk how to feel about it. It's definitely gonna be even MORE walking :p

Thursday, another ho-hum.

Up at 7, breakfast, data entry, lunch, trombone, data entry.

Somewhere in there someone came to repair our lanai screen because the vacationers next door were throwing water balloons at each other and broke one of the screens. They seem like a nice family and had no malicious intent, and the property owner sent someone to fix it immediately...but waking up to a broken screen with no note, no knock on the door to let us know or be accountable...was kind of sh*tty. Whatever, it's fixed, just...between this and the toilet situation, it didn't feel great. Getting a toilet installed should not take days and weeks. Getting someone to fess up to a simple broken screen shouldn't take multiple phone calls, or require constant vigilance against our neighbors. It's frustrating and tiring.

Data entry all day, and I'd meant to make us dinner but didn't allow time for grocery shopping so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Instead I picked up Chick-fil-a which is right across from Lowe's and whoopsie I somehow ended up in the garden section and the next thing I knew there was a jalapeno plant in my cupholder. How did that get there?? :p

The day ended without a new toilet installation appointment. I'm guessing it'll be another week, at least, of sharing a toilet. I don't mind that, but do mind the sewage-smelling hole in the guest bathroom floor.

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Up at 6am so that I can "make up for" the crime of needing an hour to pick up groceries for dinner.

Gosh I am in some kind of negative mood this week, aren't I. Here, look at my newly-potted jalapeno.


Managed an hour of data entry, then went to the grocery to get that over with.
Unpacked and was back to data entry by 9am.
Hit my six hours by 4pm, so worked on an application for Publix.

Yeah the grocery store. Why, you ask? Crossroads Live has just moved My Fair Lady to it's "Past Shows" section on the website. So if the show is marked inactive/past production, we're probably NOT going to China. And there has been no word of any other tours requiring trombone. And it's almost July. And I'm an unskilled garbage.

But if I work at Publix, maybe I'll get a grocery discount!
Useful to have in late-stage capitalism.
However I doubt they'll stoop to considering me.

Dinner was a broccoli chicken cheddar casserole, recipe from Half-Baked Harvest.
It's slightly healthier than a traditional such casserole because A) white meat lean chicken, B) no cream or canned soup, it's milk and low sodium broth instead, C) veggie noodles (it's supposed to be wheat but I couldn't find any,) and D) less cheese.

Ingredients are chicken breast, broccoli, tricolor rotini, onion, carrot, mushroom, garlic, thyme, broth, milk, a little butter, spices, cheddar cheese.


The cheesy pull (CLICK HERE to see)

It was quite good. Next time I'd put in effort to shred my own cheese as there was a bit of graininess (sometimes this happens due to anticoagulants in pre-shredded cheese) but everything else was lovely.

I felt pretty depressed tonight re: My Fair Lady, but applied for some more jobs and tried to cheer myself up by making plans for my upcoming Actual Two Days Off.

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Saturday, was up at 7am instead of 6 (lazy Millennial, no wonder you don't have a job.)

Before going to bed last night I'd been chatting with two places that have small Meyer lemon trees. Option 1 is an individual in downtown Orlando who is a hobby/side gig grower, Option 2 is an actual plant nursery way out in Dade City.

Not sure which I'll visit...guess I'll decide when I wake up on Sunday.

Meanwhile our MD from My Fair Lady posted that he's "unexpectedly free from August through May," so that confirms it, My Fair Lady is closed. Womp womp. I'll apply to more jobs tonight, and will make a plan to restart digital court reporting training post-Independence Day. Meanwhile I spent my afternoon doing data entry in a bad mood.

While practicing the Mary Poppins Medley FedEx arrived with a trombone for me! From my friend and former Bandmaster Brett, my boss on the circus. He insisted that I try one of his horns out before spending $$$$ on one, and sent it for free. I played it for the rest of my practice session. It's pretty good, but to be honest visually it's kind of a mess. I'll have to ask if I'm allowed to play it in the park, or if it looks too beat up.

I was so happy to hit my 30 hours of data entry. Now I will have a real weekend!!

It was pouring outside and traffic was horrific so we stayed in and ate leftovers.

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Sunday, my weekend started off with an attempt to sleep in! I made it to 8am.

After breakfast I decided to see the local hobbyist gardener's lemon tree first. They gave me a residential address and as I reached their street it was quite apparent which was their house: the one that looked like an absolute JUNGLE lol.

A lovely Indian woman and her toddler answered the door. She tisked over one lemon plant (which I thought was just fine) and pulled out another which looked even better and had three lemons already growing on it! I was happy to take it, and she walked me around to show her other plants which all looked beautiful and well cared-for. I was especially impressed by a beautiful mango tree laden with fruit, and a copse of lime trees so covered in limes that they seemed to have more fruit than leaves!

I asked about pineapple plants (why not) and she said she only had one left and it wasn't in good condition, she'd give it to me at a discount. I gratefully accepted and loaded my new "plant kids" into my car. Success!

Back home I showed the plants to Jameson over lunch, then we went to Lowes together for marigolds to plant along the side of the house (we've had them before but they died in the dry spell last month.) Shockingly Lowes was OUT of marigolds! But Jameson saw a large ornamental ginger plant that he liked so we got that instead. I also saw a pineapple plant WITH a fruit on it, so had to get it!

Jameson's ornamental ginger:


My new plant collection: pineapple, jalapeno, Meyer lemon.


The lemon tree especially has my heart. I was very fond of my little tree, which I've had for about three years and which gave me huge golden lemons without fail every winter. And this tree came from a lovely person who took great care of it. I'll try to do right by it.


The other pineapple not pictured because A) it's in bad condition and B) it has two pups! So I need to separate them out and re-pot everyone. I did re-pot the Lowes pineapple, but realized that I'd gotten the wrong soil; pineapples need sandy aerated soil. So tomorrow I'll pick up the right kind.

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Tomorrow is still "the weekend" for me, and current plan is to go thrifting, pick up what I need at Lowes, get dinner ingredients, repot the plants, practice trombone, and cook dinner for us.

The rest of the week we'll have 4th of July (no plans), I have a Disney day on the 6th, and more applying for jobs.

Monday was I guess a holiday.

Neither of us are very patriotic, so we did absolutely nothing special.
In fact we both tried to work. Jameson got some grading done before his boss emailed to say "STOP IT," and since I work low-pay data entry that doesn't have holiday pay I could do as much or as little as I wanted, which turned out to be about four hours' worth.

And Disney memorization, and when the temp got up to 96°F (35.5°C) with a 100°F heat index, I declined to go for a walk and instead took a dip in the pool.


I did do laps in there; it's a short little pool but exercise is exercise. Swam constantly for about 30 minutes anyway, and it felt nice. Dinner was just Panda Express, watching Jameson play Botany Manor video/puzzle game until I got motion sick, and watching some anime.

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Tuesday was super-boring. I had a regular checkup in the morning, and after that did all my usual things (data entry, memorization, lunch, data entry.)

In the evening Jameson had a short rehearsal to help a friend, and I needed something other than staring at a screen, so went for an evening walk. It was hot, I didn't see any animals. Just walked and contemplated life.

We got our own dinners but Jameson was home early enough that we could have our usual evening chill time together.

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Wednesday wash rinse repeat.

When the days get repetitive like this I get twitchy. Feels like I should be "doing something," taking action in some way to keep from getting stagnant, to help myself get a better job or the next gig. But also, sometimes the best thing you can do is be still and keep your head down.

Feeling a bit dejected about the audition...I haven't heard anything and they have not viewed my videos since I fixed access to them. As part of sulking about it I gave myself a "treat" by ordering the Vedshakti toothpaste that I'd loved so much while on tour. Nothing else has made my mouth feel so clean for so long after brushing.

Jameson, also, nothing from his friend on the Potentially Very Exciting Job that he'd hoped for. This has happened to him so. many. times. We are both tired of it. At least in my case I generally hear back from people regarding gigs (at some point Hadestown will probably at least send a rejection.) But when it comes to non-music jobs, I get ghosted or screwed over just as often as Jameson does.

I guess we are fools to believe that when someone offers you a job, they're actually offering a job. Or for believing that when someone says they'll get back to you, they actually will. Because we both keep falling for it.

Anyway, I'm just griping over small stuff. We are both relatively healthy and both have work, and our complaints have more to do with feeling fulfilled in our professional lives, which truly in this day and age is a first world problem to have. Jameson had a dentist appointment in the morning. I did data entry from 8am-noon. We had lunch, I memorized Disney music and did more data entry and planned for what to make for dinner this week.

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And that's the week, folks. You must be relieved that for once I've posted something less than a mile long.

Monday, I got up at 6:30am so I could force an hour of data entry, knowing that a drive to Whole Paycheck would constitute at least 40 minutes one way. And I was right, especially since they're tearing that intersection up to make a new on-ramp.

I went to Sprouts first because it's close and they always have fun stuff to try, then Whole Paycheck for the salmon and side dish ingredients. I ended up finding a lot of nice snacks!


- Theo's Sweet Potato Jerky: They had three flavors of this and also three flavors of beet jerky! I got the Maple Dijon. Haven't tried it yet.

- Fillo's Walking Tamale: You guys have seen me getting these before, I just wanted a good snack to bring to Disney rehearsals :p

- Vermont Maple Ginger tea: I made this on Tuesday. First of all it smells FANTASTIC. Like gingerbread kind of, but softer...more buttery? Not so cinnamon-heavy. A very "holiday" scent for sure. If you like tea with cream and/or sugar this would probably be incredible. Even plain I enjoyed it very much and will look out for it in the future.

- Chameleon Girl Scouts cold brew: They had Samoa, Thin Mint, and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors, and yes I got all three, and yes they have dairy but oh well! I'll be trying these gradually.

- Olipop Barbie "Peaches & Cream": I like most Olipop flavors (it's a "healthier" soda with probiotics and fiber) and this one is no exception! Good and fruity in a "peach ring" sort of way. If they made this a regular flavor I'd put it into rotation.

- Chocolate-flavored coconut water: There were several flavors, all fruit except for this one. I was curious. Haven't tried yet.

- Lesser Evil vegan pizza corn puffs: I tried these today and they're pretty good! Strong on the garlic/onion powder though so will have to remember that before blowing into my trombone lol.

After unpacking I whipped up the teriyaki marinade for the salmon, then worked until lunchtime, then reviewed my memorized Disney music, then more work. I don't want to fall short again this week so am trying to prioritize data entry a bit more.

The salmon turned out pretty good, though I had the pan too hot and burned my piece (rescued Jameson's before it was too late.) Served with half a box of couscous we've had sitting around forever, and sauteed sugar snap peas with a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice.


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Tuesday, another Disney rehearsal day. No costume fitting this time, just straight to Magic Kingdom to rehearse with the band. We sat in a crowded circle in the warm-up room and played through the Parade set, Flag Retreat set, and one Castle set that the subs have been given to learn. I had the Parade and Retreat memorized but not the Castle, so it wasn't perfect but I'm also not expected to know that stuff just yet.

From then on it was more shadowing. Kristen (trumpet sub) was there too along with another trumpet sub, so we practiced our music together with mutes in and followed the band throughout the day. I watched two sets, and stood with Kristen to watch the parade (didn't walk with the band this time just waited for them to come around the castle area), and at the end of the day watched the Retreat. The whole time Kristen and I were miming our slide positions/fingerings along with the band; the guys said it made them chuckle to see us doing that among the throng of people :p


As we were packing up we got a surprise.
Mike (trumpet, our boss) told Kristen and I that our costumes were pretty much ready...so, would we like to perform Parade or Retreat in the park? We both said yes! Kristen will go out on Thursday, and I will go out on Monday. I'm nervous but mostly about MARCHING. Playing is whatever, I've done that for ages, but I haven't marched a whole lot in my life haha. I'm sure it'll be fine...but I'll be thinking about it all week!

And...It'll be my first performance with the Main Street Philharmonic!! What a thought!

Back home I ate random foods and chatted with Jameson as he got ready for Encore rehearsal (he's stepping in because their director couldn't make it that night.) After he left I relaxed for a bit before doing another hour-or-so of data entry. Gotta meet my hours and also try to have a day off on Saturday!

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Wednesday I was up at 7 to eat breakfast and buckle down on those data entry hours.
And once again, I STILL got off to a late start because things NEVER go as planned.

Delay 1 was an email from the court reporting company that "hired" me in March, asking whether I was ready to start yet because "We need you to start as soon as possible." Well that's interesting because I was READY to start as soon as possible, but then you waited to tell me you needed me to complete a two-month certification program until TWO WEEKS before our mutually-agreed-upon start date. Meaning I had to scramble to find another job, since y'all clearly weren't it. And now you want to know whether I'm ready to start yet??

If you're Friends Only you already know about this because I ranted pretty hard. It's just such BS.
So I had to stop working to write back and say essentially, "Yes hello, I've had to put certification on the backburner while scrambling to find another job once you informed me that I would not have a job with you just two weeks before I was supposed to start with you. I'll certify as soon as I can. Thanks have a great day!!!!!!"

Delay 2 was right after that my aunt called, and we haven't talked in forever and she's got a lot going on. We talked for over an hour; it was necessary and I don't feel bad about missing a little work for my very favorite relative :) My aunt is very important to me and I want to be there for her.

After that, though, I did plug away at work, only stopping for lunch and to work on memorizing Be Our Guest for MSP.

For dinner we went to BurgerFi, and were surprised to find that it's been remodeled and now shares space and a menu with Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. Like, with servers and everything. It was bizarre to order a fast food burger and have it served on a real plate like some gourmet restaurant item, a la "Demolition Man" haha.

After that we walked around (the BurgerFi is in Margaritaville) and looked at what shops are new, and visited the IT'SUGAR candy store where we got things we shouldn't :p Jameson got a big ol' peanut butter cup, I got peanut butter malted milk balls, we both got a Chick-O-Stick BAR (I've seen the little bite-sized ones but never a bar.)

Back home I did an hour of data entry to make up for the one I lost to my aunt...see how easy that was?
And that was the day.

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Tomorrow more data entry, more memorization, I may go for a walk in the morning while it's still in the low 90s.
Nothing of interest for the weekend except possibly cooking dinner one night, and maybe it's gonna be time to take dips in the pool now that it's stupid-hot outside.

Monday was a quiet day.

Jameson worked, I worked on court reporting stuff and did get help from my teacher...via a live Zoom class which was incredibly embarrassing because in front of 15-ish people she was able to fix the problem quickly, and once again I felt like an idiot. Though, there WAS actually a problem, so at least I wasn't just completely inept. I had my microphone plugged into a USB hub, and you can't do that, but in addition my computer wasn't recognizing the mic when it should have and that needed fixing.

Anyway, after that I ran some small errands including the store for an ID card holder and to Michaels for a standing desk. I am tired of my work-from-home options being either shoulder pain and headaches from typing all day at the too-high dining room table, or back pain from being hunched over the guest bedroom bureau drawer as a "desk" while sitting in a folding chair that's crammed between the drawers and the bed. It's just stupid and not healthy, especially if I'm stuck doing this every summer.

I did a bunch of research last year (when I thought I'd get to enjoy a transcription job) and had picked THIS DESK because A) no assembly required, B) you can raise and lower it manually, and C) it's the only one I could find that you could fold flat and store. You can buy it at Michaels or Wayfair but not on Amazon. It was a 20-minute drive to the nearest Michaels but they had it. There was indeed no setup required, just removed the packing materials, unfolded it, locked the parts in place, and that was that.


It's still in a cramped little corner of the guest bedroom, but at least I'm standing and can stretch and look out the window. If I want to sit all I have to do is slide it to the right about a foot and then there's room for the folding chair. I think it'll do well.

After lunch Jameson went to the gym and I gathered some things for my Disney Day tomorrow. Sunscreen, snacks, headphones, charger, practice mute, stuff like that. Someone pointed out to me today that the Main Street Philharmonic has never had female members. Female substitute musicians, sure, but not members. I'm not a member either so not breaking any ground here, but it was a reminder that I'll be walking into a room full of men, who have held this gig for years, and who will be hearing me play their music for the first time. Naturally, no matter what anyone's intentions are, that's just plain intimidating. I am nervous, but will do my best and will just have to hope that it is enough.


Then I practiced through the music, playing each song twice. It is not perfect, but in my defense I've only had the music for 48 hours. There is not supposed to be any pressure yet; tomorrow is just for costume fitting, for seeing the workplace and meeting the people I'd be working with, for shadowing on the job, and for personal practice between sets. Nothing has to be perfect or memorized yet. I gotta remember that. Deep breaths.

For dinner we had Greek and watched the last two Fallout episodes. What a cool, well done show. Excited for the next part (no spoilers!)

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DISNEY ADVENTURE

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After dinner I spent a lot of time reorganizing my music on my iPad, now that I'm learning the lead book instead of Trombone 2. Got everything set up for memorization, stat. I'll work on organizing my videos later.

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Wednesday I woke up anxious with what felt like a LOT to do. After breakfast Jameson went to physical therapy, and I worked on this blog post and had my first day back with TSOLife (nursing home data entry.) All of my stuff and accounts are just as I left them so it was like riding a bike: get back in there and relearn it. I did that for about two hours, then lunch, then Jameson and I went grocery shopping. I'll make us a HelloFresh meatloaf with potatoes and broccoli tomorrow (did you know, most HelloFresh recipes are free online and you can make them without using their delivery service?)

Back home I spent a good hour working on MSP music memorization, and for all my effort only memorized two pieces, of which I'll certainly forget some tomorrow. But that's how memorization goes: it's time + repetition + muscle memory, and eventually it's just there in your head. About that time Mike (MSP manager) texted to ask if I could do my next costume fitting and rehearsal next Wednesday. Of course I said yes. So we can look forward to another Disney adventure next week :)

For dinner we had Target sushi, Jameson watched baseball and I did a little more work before switching to anime to wind down.

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Tomorrow more TSOLife, memorization, some small errands, making dinner.
Nothing really lined up for the weekend except workworkwork, hopefully some exercise, memorization...and setting the court reporting aside because I'm not smart enough to memorize 20 pieces of music AND 100+ legal terms at the same time, sorry. This is why I'm poor haha.

I am still under the weather and don't know what this is...it feels like someone put a towel in my lungs, it feels hard to breathe but there's not a lot of mucus, more like tissue in my throat and lungs is swollen or irritated. I feel tired all the time too. Maybe it really IS covid, but I don't have any urge to cough and no headaches any more. Meh. Since I don't have health care I'll have to wait and hope that it goes away.

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.