goofball on a train

**DISCLAIMER** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. Thank you.**

This post covers Monday & Tuesday.
As part of trying to post more frequently = shorter posts, expect posts on MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, and FRIDAYS (it was previously Mondays and Thursdays)

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MONDAY

Actually had a good sleep for once, but felt like I could've used another hour in bed!

I got up nice and early, had breakfast and all that, and walked to the theater early so I could have time to warm up.
I wanted to feel more comfortable and ready for our first full rehearsal in the pit!

And I brought the Positive Potato that Jameson got me. For moral support :)


I quickly found out that it would be best to take my in-ears out when playing certain pedal notes on the bass, at least for a while. I am not used to playing bass with earbuds in, so listening to how it sounds with and then without will help me to acclimate to the change and trust my ears more.

Although we received corrections and notes each time we stopped playing, this rehearsal wasn't really for the orchestra.
It was for keycomp, to make adjustments to how it sounded both with the live musicians and also in the house.

We'd play most of a number or maybe all of it, then stop and the keycomp folks would make their changes or ask to hear a specific section again so they could tweak it. These tweaks can include changing the overall volume of keycomp; changing the volume of specific instruments in keycomp; changing the tuning/pitch of individual instruments within keycomp; and even changing the articulations of keycomp instruments! And I'm sure many other types of changes that I'm not aware of. Sometimes they asked for all of us to play our parts as normal, other times they'd ask for just a few of us so they could match one instrument's volume or articulation.

I guess that's why it's called "sound design." The keycomp guys were definitely designing some sounds today!

Rehearsal was from 10am-5pm with a lunch break. Afterward we were treated to some nice snacks in one of the hotel conference rooms (it was their way of apologizing for construction going on in the hotel during our stay.) There was cut fruit, crackers, meat and cheese, wings, pretzel rolls, cheese dip, sliders, and brownies, plus misc teas and juices. It was really nice! I had some wings and a brownie and ate my actual dinner later while watching LEGO Masters "with" Jameson.

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I wanna mention one thing that I'm a bit proud of.

In the last post, I mentioned getting very frustrated with my playing and having to give myself a pep talk about it. Well today I woke up determined to do my best, stay positive, and play confidently whether I ended up feeling confident or not.

It worked. There were times that I started to feel inadequate or worry that I wasn't doing a good job. And at those times, I was careful not to back off, and to play confidently even if inside I was cringing.

No one complained about my playing, or sat me down to discuss my ability to do this job.
Whatever I was nervous and insecure about did not come to pass.
Are there things that I could do better, of course. But the same went for everyone. Every single person made mistakes today, including the MD, including the guys programming keycomp. It doesn't make them any less skilled or qualified. It makes them human. And I need to consciously, actively extend that same grace to myself.

As a person with a loud inner negative voice who has constantly put herself down since childhood, being able to project confidence today was a big deal.

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TUESDAY

Just a half day of rehearsal but it started pretty early, so I was up at 6. Breakfast and walking to the theater, warming up and chatting with the other musicians about generic stuff like our dress code, transporting misc items on tour, the fancy new Nespresso coffee machine that the musicians at Hamilton sent us as a gift.

Rehearsal went well, though many of us felt that intonation was kinda off. Having done many tech rehearsals I know that we'll have some quality fluctuations for a while until we all settle in. Again, considering how little time we've actually spent playing together, if intonation is our big worry then we've got nothing to worry about.

We were finished at noon, and I stomped up to Company Management looking for a fight :p

Not really, but I had recently been told that I would not be able to continue working as a substitute musician for Walt Disney World :(
Disney doesn't like it's cast members to work multiple positions within the company, so I knew that not being allowed to do both was always a possibility, but had hoped an exception could be made.

Company Management already knew about all of this, but after finding out they planned to remove me as a sub I'd spoken to my colleagues at Walt Disney World and they'd advised me to ask for more information, so that's what I was all-fired to do today.

But as soon as I walked in, Maia (Company Manager) said, "I sent you an email!"
Like a good little trombonist I hadn't checked my email during rehearsal. Sure enough, HR been able to work things out so that I WILL be allowed to continue subbing at Disney World! YAY!!! I'm so relieved and happy! I thanked Maia profusely.

Back at the hotel I was happy to see that my room had been cleaned and refreshed :) I clean up after myself pretty well but we're here for several weeks so I'm gonna have housekeeping come by once a week. A rare treat. Then I received a 19-quart weatherproof container I'd ordered to put inside my trunk. Another musician suggested these because they fit perfectly inside our trunks and can hold things that might leak or melt or get damaged form bouncing around.

On top of all that, the front desk gave me a warm cookie :D

The rest of my day was spent making plans for the upcoming day off, chatting with Jameson and the two female musicians in our pit, and watching Dune since it was rainy out.

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Fun Facts:

Touring shows have what's called a "footprint," which is kind of like the storage and transportation space that all of it's equipment, personnel, costumes, set pieces, etc are expected to take up. Beauty and the Beast's "footprint" is based on that of the Aladdin national tour.

Maybe partly because of that, I've discovered that we've got some road cases and equipment that were quite clearly "borrowed" from the Aladdin tour! I wonder if they'll update the labels, or keep them the same as a bit of origin story/reminder to return.


Proctors Theater here in Schenectady has a cute little shelf in the main stairwell, and visiting shows have used it as a place to leave mementos (there are also wall tags and signed dressing room tables here.)

Here is what the stairwell shrine looked like when I was here with Tootsie in 2023:


...and here it is today! You can tell I had to back up to get everything in the photo, a lot has been added!


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Wednesday: Another half-day, and picking up a rental car.

Thursday: Driving to Dillon Music to try out a Yamaha bass trombone, and maybe some side quests if there's time.

**YE OLDE TOUR DISCLAIMER** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. (get used to seeing this at the top of any tour-related posts.)

Jameson did too, tossing and turning next to me.
But eventually I did get some sort of sleep and my alarm went off at 5am.
I got up that early so I could have quiet time alone to drink coffee, eat breakfast, and FREAK OUT.

This is happening. This is happening!!

WEDNESDAY - TRAVEL DAY

Jameson got up around 6:30 and drove me to the airport. He dragged my bass trombone and I dragged my janky suitcase (it has taken a lot of hits in life.) Fortunately the airport was very chill, which is rare in Orlando let me tell ya. Checked both bags and they kindly slapped some bright orange FRAGILE stickers onto the bass case.

Jameson walked me to my gate, and we hugged goodbye.
Always the hardest part. We squeeze really hard.
At least this time I know he won't be totally miserable at home! He's got his exciting new job, too!

No line at all at security either...what an auspicious day!...so I had about 45 minutes to kill.
Spent most of it reading my book and checking that I'm not dreaming.

(The hideous MCO carpet)

The flight was very smooth and uneventful.

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CHECKING IN

Took a company Uber to the hotel...
...and LO, my trombone and accessories arrived right as I was checking in!

I had worried for nothing this time. But next time, I will make sure that there is a BUFFER DAY. Geez.
Used a luggage trolley to get everything upstairs and checked on both trombones. Both were completely unharmed!

My two trombones pictured with their respective foam cones, which are put inside the bells to absorb impact. The cases are also some of the best currently available for transporting trombones. Because if I don't invest in my gear no one else will.


My accessories also got here safely though the box was barely a box any more and had clearly been handled badly. But I'd packaged everything carefully, so no damage.

I fell right back into my tour routine: checked that the fridge felt cold, dug an aquarium thermometer out of my suitcase and threw it in there, grabbed some tote bags, and hoofed it to a grocery store! Well, this time I had to Uber because there aren't any within reasonable walking distance. I first went to Niskayuna Co-op because I remembered it being really good with lots of local products, but was disappointed to see that their selection has dwindled. Maybe the local stuff hasn't been selling well. But I got a bar of raspberry and cracked pepper dark chocolate which I'm very intrigued to try, and some house-made pretzel rolls.

Next, Market 32 down the street which is really just a fancy version of Price Chopper. Got everything else I needed there. I actually got more than usual because we're gonna be here through July! But the hotel only has a little box fridge so I still have to be careful about how much refrigerated stuff I get. That means mostly canned or shelf stable veggies this week.

Got back to the hotel, put the food away, and unpacked.
It is so weird...it feels like I never left. Unpacking and putting stuff where I like it is like riding a bike.



There's thankfully a lot of counter space here, so all the food is gonna live under the TV. There's a microwave so I won't need the Itaki this time. The collapsible silicone kettle is at the far end because there's an outlet there. That'll be my morning coffee or evening tea. And no, I don't use hotel coffee makers generally because have you ever looked inside one? They never clean them. Nope nope nope.

In the little box fridge I've crammed as much Greek yogurt as will fit, some cooked chicken, boiled eggs, pickled beets, and berries. I've left some room so that I can pack and refrigerate a lunch.
Choice shelf-stable foods include oats, tuna pouches, single-serve canned green beans, roasted hazelnuts, canned pumpkin, PB Fit, Core Power shakes, rice, and misc fruit. And of course I have brought Snack Pod loaded with roasted edamame, dark chocolate chips, Cheerios, Mike & Ike's, and peanut butter M&M's!

After unpacking everything else I lubricated and otherwise prepared my trombones for work tomorrow, and put my accessories and everything I'll need into a pile ready to go. Then a shower, and then we FINALLY GOT ONBOARDING PAPERWORK. MY GOD. Turns out we were supposed to get it a long time ago. I think someone forgot about us. It'll definitely get worked out, but will be keeping an eye on the progress of it.

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THURSDAY - FIRST REHEARSAL

Reminder: PLEASE DO NOT SHARE OR REPOST ANYTHING. Thanks!

I was awake early, nervous. Made breakfast in the hotel room (oatmeal with Core Power for milk, Fage Greek yogurt, blackberries) and packed my lunch. Since I don't know about our fridge situation at the theater I'm mostly packing nonperishables today, and will adjust as needed if there's a fridge. And I'm not packing dinner because we're supposed to be done rehearsing by 5pm, and since this is a union gig we WILL be done by 5pm.

Around 8:30am I loaded myself up with the two trombones, two trombone stands, bag-o-mutes, and my backpack with lunch and iPad and pedal...and realized that I needed to call an Uber. It's a short walk to the theatre but the combined weight of the trombones in their cases is about 50 pounds, plus all the equipment and my backpack...I would have been a sweaty mess. So I used the company Uber and just hoped they'd be ok with it. 

I've played at Proctor's Theater before. It's small and old, but beautiful. 
There's a sort of promenade just inside the entrance. To the right I immediately saw the stage door, and next to it this big poster. 


We had been instructed to go up a marble staircase and make a few turns to get to our rehearsal space. 
I found the stairs.


As I was staring at them and hyping myself up for dragging all of my equipment up there, a theater associate saw me and kindly directed me to an elevator. Which was also covered in a huge Beauty and the Beast decal, and which I couldn't photograph because my hands were full of trombones. Good lord, Disney does go hard on the marketing! 

The rehearsal room was like every other tech rehearsal room I've ever been in. It's always either a hallway, or a conference room, or a black box. The MD, keys, drums, and something called keycomp have already been rehearsing here, so everything was set up and ready to go. 


I quickly found my spot right on the end, and got set up.


They made us that HUGE and beautiful book of music, all printed on exquisitely thick cardstock, all lovingly bound in that heavy black folder. I felt like a poo-head, but picked it up and plopped it right on the floor next to my chair. We received PDF parts about a week ago, and I know that they match the paper parts (it's ALWAYS important to check that before ditching the printed part.) Plus, the digital part has all of my notes and I don't want to have to rewrite them, especially not if it's gonna mar these beautiful paper parts.

Anyway, here's the setup I'm going with for now.


The bass is at my left elbow since I use it the most and since it's the heaviest. 
The tenor is at my right-front, so that I can grab it cross-body with my left hand once I've put the bass down. This is normally where my Aviom would go but I should be able to put that kinda behind my stand when we start using mixes (we don't need them for rehearsals.)
My mutes are lined up on the floor to the right of my chair because I prefer to grab them with my right hand. Water bottle goes over there too.
...that's pretty much it. Mute bag will eventually live under my chair and/or to the right of the mutes when I'm ready to pack up.

The other musicians filtered in gradually, and we introduced ourselves and chatted while rearranging our gear and tuning up. When the MD came in, he rushed right over to me and we hugged excitedly. I am so glad he's here! So glad that someone I KNOW is here! And he had a big big BIG hand in getting me this job. I feel that I owe him a lot. Michael, our rehearsal keyboardist, is also a good friend from My Fair Lady national tour, and we hugged and exclaimed excitedly about this tour for a bit. 

Then it was time to rehearse. 

We "ran it down," meaning we ran the show from top to bottom, only pausing afterward for the MD to give us notes or for us to ask questions about our parts. When we broke for lunch I went to the management office to rustle up a backstage pass. I met some of our management team, and received not only the pass but also this very cool nalgene bottle and the ubiquitous gel luggage tags! 


Here is a better picture of the bottle after I took the protective plastic off, front and back. 


On the way out of the office I saw this red arrow that said "TRUNKS" and decided to check it out. 


Musicians are supposed to get trunks too. Sure enough, I quickly found mine! Luggage tag for scale. 


You guys, this is a BIG DEAL. 
Normally on tour (or at least all the tours I've done to this point) you get two 50 pound suitcases for your personal stuff, your "band box" which is a shared road case for carrying work-related gear and instruments...and that's it. Personally I don't care to drag 100 pounds of suitcase with me everywhere, so I usually opt for one large suitcase or that plus a carry-on at most. But this trunk means that I can bring lots more stuff! I'm actually a bit overwhelmed thinking about what I could bring. A full-sized Instapot! A bigger selection of clothes! And...I honestly don't even know what else! I'll have to think about it. But this is so exciting for someone used to living out of a 29-inch suitcase! 

Our rehearsal ended 30 minutes early, so we must be doing something right :) 
I felt that it went well and hope that others felt the same way. Everyone was so professional, and SUCH excellent musicians. When everyone in the room has that kind of focus, we can sound GREAT and be very productive. 

Someone had sent a picture of the new tour truck, so I went outside to see it in person. 
I've done lots of tours but never one with it's own truck like this. A very big deal!!





Selfie in front of the truck. I am so grateful to be here.


I walked back to the hotel, and Jameson and I sent each other audio messages about how our days had gone. 
I ate dinner and typed up this post for y'all. 

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Welp. I'm exhausted. And still can't believe that I get to do this. 

To be honest, all day today I was freaking out inside. Absolute raging Imposter Syndrome. 
It felt like any minute someone was gonna say, "You know what...it's just not working out," and kick me out in favor of some better trombonist (there are plenty.) I was terrified of making mistakes; of disappointing or embarrassing the MD, who advocated for me to be here; of committing some shadowy faux pas that would offend someone in management.

Mainly, though, I am afraid that I haven't done a passable job on the bass trombone. It still does not feel very comfortable to me. 

Now, that said, NO ONE has given any indication that I'm doing a bad job. I got many compliments today from the other musicians and the MD. The MD even said to me, "This is your gig." But I have also been there on other gigs, when a musician was not a good fit for the group, and everyone was all smiles and compliments and then she was gone. 

Ultimately, all I can do is my best. And whatever the outcome may be...if they keep me for years, or if they approach me after a week and say, "Yeah, sorry but..."...either way there is very little that I can do about it, other than give them my best and hope it's enough. 

The problem is that the more you care about something--the more you value it--the more terrifying it is to think about losing that thing. And that is what I'm experiencing now. It was the same while i was on the circus. For the first 3 months or so I was a nervous wreck on the inside, constantly terrified that any day could be my last on the best gig I'd ever had. That day never came, and I eventually felt like I belonged. I will probably be a nervous wreck for at least a month or two on this gig...definitely until we get past the Chicago layoff. But it is my deepest hope that I'll get to stay, and that I'll get to belong here, too. 

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Friday and Saturday: Same schedule as today, rehearsing from 10am-5pm both days.

Sunday: Same schedule but after rehearsal we'll move to the pit!

Questions: If you have any questions about tour, tech rehearsals, music, etc, feel free to ask! Just please make sure your answer wasn't already given in the post, it'll save me having to repeat myself. Thanks and welcome along on this amazing adventure!!

Thursday, work at Epic, the usual routine.

Super hot. We had hoped it would rain but sadly it did not, so it was just stiflingly humid.
Our sets were well attended however, and I saw Small Bee Photography there again, so perhaps we'll have some nice photos of our sets too :) It is so incredibly awesome of these pro photographers to give us FREE access to the images that they take.

At the final set there was a "show dump" happening right when we were going out to start our performance.
A "show dump" just means the audience is clearing out of the theatre and back into the street. The circus was dumping, and all the people who had just seen that show were pouring into our performance space in Place Cachee. We only have one handler and there was no way she could clear all those people out by herself.

(photo courtesy touringplans.com)

So I went out there as Phillipa, ahead of our cart and the handler.
Saw our tech fighting the sea of people to get to his audio spot.
Planted myself in the middle of the square packed with people, looked around, and shouted,
"AH, SACRE BLEU! I MUST TEST ZE ACOUSTICS IN ZIS SPACE!"


Put my trombone up and started playing short loud notes: "BAP BAP BAP"
...and a few longer ones right at eye level for good measure: "BLAAAAAAT"
While doing that, swinging slowly in a circle, forcing people to move away from my slide.

They scattered like roaches!

"Jules" came up behind me and parked the cart. "Wow!" he exclaimed, in character. "Zat was effective!"
I gave him a pleasant Phillipa smile. "Well! I do my best."

When our day was done I got ready to go see Mariah's band play downtown. I wiped myself down with a "bathing wipe" that I picked up ages ago somewhere on tour. Quicker than a shower, and ensured that I wouldn't clear out the venue with my stink. Had started to drive over there when Jameson sent me a long audio message. Turns out he's already being poached by another branch of Disney corporate. This is only his second day of work!!

This one is called Disney Live Entertainment (DLE) which is a part of Imagineering and for whom Jameson has interviews MANY times. They want him to be a producer for them, temporarily, on the Disney Magic cruise ship at the end of June! The ship will be in the Bahamas and there's a band he'll supervise during rehearsals. How cool! He was SO EXCITED.

This is the thing about Disney. Once your pinky toe is in the door, YOU ARE IN. Buckle up and prepare for liftoff.

Feeling happy for Jameson, I continued on to Judson's Live, the venue where Mariah's band Raspberry Pie was performing.
Ages ago I promised to come see her play, and was glad to be able to keep that promise :)

( Raspberry Pie at Judson's Live )
I decided to leave before the end of the second set, having been up since 5am and knowing that Jameson would want to talk my ear off about his exciting cruise ship opportunity. Got home and as predicted he had a lot to tell me! I listened as he described the job and how it had been offered, his speculations about what it would be like, etc, until midnight when we finally wound down.

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Friday, Jameson had to pop over to Disney to work out some technical issues with his logins, but he was back by lunchtime.

I had breakfast and hydrated, washed our sheets, made the bed, did laundry, typed this post, got ingredients for sesame chicken salad for dinner, got the chicken marinating, and made the spicy citrus dressing. I "should have" practiced but was feeling cranky, don't wanna, didn't. I was in a bit of a mood, perhaps from drinking too much the night before and not getting much sleep.

Ultimately I'm grateful that our non-standard lifestyle does generally allow large chunks of time to rest if I choose. From 2pm to 4pm I was able to doze, read, decompress, and try to gentle myself back into a pleasant mindset. I was 50% successful. Cooked the chicken and assembled the salads, which are napa cabbage, romaine, the sweet-spicy chicken, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, toasted nuts (your choice), crispy wontons, avocado, sesame seeds, and a tangy citrus dressing. Jameson loves it and that makes me happy :)

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Saturday. I was kind of a slug. Breakfast and mostly practiced, spending 1 hour on Beauty and the Beast and 1 hour on the Chicago tribute band stuff. I am starting to (barely, sort of) feel better about the Chicago music, but will be happy when that gig is over with.

Jameson went for a walk, and we both kind of lazed around, then decided, why don't we use some more of our Disney Dining Discount coupons? We looked at the resorts, and Jameson recommended Flying Fish which is at the Boardwalk resort.

Got our reservations and drove over around 5, enjoyed looking around a bit, and were seated very quickly.
Very cute steak and seafood restaurant with whole schools of glass flying fish dangling from the ceiling.
We each got a drink (sauvignon blanc for me, vanilla bean bourbon for him) and I got the following:

Strawberry Gazpacho (vegan)


Ash-crusted Salmon with Herb Risotto, maitake mushrooms, baby turnips, greens, and shellfish broth
(I got too excited and dug in before remembering to take a pic)


Matcha Bavarian Cream with guava curd, sesame white chocolate, and vanilla panna cotta


Jameson had the shrimp cocktail appetizer, "Frutti di Mare" entree (assorted shellfish with pasta and red broth), and this Hazelnut Chocolate Bar that came with a golden truffle.


All of it was extremely good. The gazpacho was visually stunning and also amazingly complex in flavor, herby and tart and fresh. There were tiny cubed vegetables hidden in it. The salmon was very interesting, I assume it's capped in charcoal powder with maybe a little salt. The crust wasn't very flavorful but did give a fun smoky, crispy texture. The risotto was excellent, and I could have eaten those baby turnips in a bag as a snack lol. The matcha guava dessert was VERY good, matcha and guava go together quite well. Jameson's favorite was the shrimp cocktail which featured plump white wine-braised shrimp, though he loved the flavorful pasta in his main dish too. We both felt "meh" about the choco-hazelnut bar as it was kind of one-note; a little fruit would have been welcome with it, that's all.

Once again we were able to use a 50% off coupon. With tip it was probably about $100 each (in other words it would have been $200 without the coupon!) Very, very grateful for our castmember perks.

Back home I took time to move some of the furniture off the pool deck because we're having it sealed tomorrow.

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Sunday, Jameson kept kicking me in his sleep and almost kicked me out of bed!
So I finally just got up ahead of my alarm. Poo-head!

Had breakfast and then moved the heavier pool deck furniture outside of the screen, swept the pool deck.
The sealant guy came around 9:30 and after an amicable chat he got to work.
I had hoped to go for a walk, but received a surprise transcription job so plugged away at that instead (it was supposed to be sent on the 30th so I'm a bit annoyed that I've lost those days to work.)

Pool deck dude was done a little after noon. He always does an excellent job and is THE only contractor we've ever called back (three times now.) I always write him a very good Google review with pictures, so this time he asked me to take photos while he was working and made me promise to add them to my review, which I'm very happy to do. His work was $$$$ and it made me cringe, but I definitely couldn't do this myself and it took him 3 hours, and we only have to do it once every 3 years or so.

After that, lunch and trombone practice, all three sizes of trombone. Then back to transcription while Jameson watched the Cubs game.

Checked my email during a transcription break and was thrilled to see that the music coordinator for BATB has finally sent our music, and play-along tracks!! There are only TEN DAYS until tour begins, and I am seeing our actual music for the first time. Turns out, it's exactly the same as the Australian version. Wooooo!!

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Monday: Transcription, rehearsal for the all-chick Chicago tribute band.

Tuesday: Transcription, and finally getting this Chicago tribute band gig out of my face.

Wednesday: Transcription, packing for Epic, getting my trombone stands and mutes ready to ship to Schenectady.

Posting early because Friday was very exciting and made for a long post.

My journal is ultimately for me and my memories, so don't feel obligated to like, READ.
There are some pretty pictures for you to scroll past. Enjoy.

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Friday May 16, 2025.
A day that will live in our hearts.
It was a "karma wave"...and boy did we ride it. You'll see what I mean.

We got up early, excited for our celebratory day at Hollywood Studios!
We got to the park around 9:10am, thinking that it had opened at 8, but it was actually 9, so we got better-than-usual parking! Didn't even have to ride the tram.

Walked right through the gates because we are fancy-schmancy Cast Members.
The first thing we did was to go to Guest Services to ask for Celebration Buttons.
Jameson has worked for Disney for YEARS and has never worn one, and of course I haven't either. But today was special. He got one that said, "Music Producer DEG!" and mine said "BNB National Tour!"

(BNB is the acronym for Beauty and the Beast used in the theme parks. On tour it's BATB. I went with theme park version today.)

We paused to take photos of the pins, and Jameson used the photo to finally announce to friends and colleagues that he's accepted the Producer role.


I am so proud of him!!!
And we were both just in awe, all day today, that we were getting to celebrate these life-wins TOGETHER.
We know how rare and special that is.

Next, we walked to Galaxy's Edge to try and queue for Rise of the Resistance. It was down, so we rode Mickey's Runaway Railway instead. I've ridden it before but Jameson hadn't, and I really wanted him to experience it. The tech used in the ride is very cool, and the 2-D aesthetic is fun and cute. We enjoyed it very much!

We used our Cast Member snack coupons to each get a free Mickey pretzel and bottled drink, then decided to see what wait times for Smuggler's Run were like. On the way there we had to pass the queue for Rise of the Resistance again, and we saw some people start to run toward it ahead of us and wondered why. They entered the queue...the ride had JUST opened back up! We rushed over and were able to walk the whole queue and board the ride with only a 10 minute wait!! On a Friday in May! A miracle!! (The average wait time for this ride is 1 hour!)

Neither of us had ridden it before, and once again we were blown away by the tech and visuals and overall ride experience. In fact we would have been willing to ride it again if the queue hadn't filled up!

From there we wandered a bit and window shopped. As we passed Oga's Cantina, Jameson noticed that the queue was lower than usual (it's a very popular bar and can be difficult to get in without a reservation.) We asked the hostess about the wait and were told 15 minutes, so we decided to go for it.

We had waited a grand total of just 60 seconds before our names were called and we were ushered inside!


I can see why this bar is so popular. It's incredibly, intensively themed, the bartenders are extremely in-character, and drinking there is really an experience. Each drink that we saw looked unique and exotic; there were some that bubbled with dry ice, others with black ooze dripping down the lip or strange foams frothing over the top.

Jameson got the Fuzzy TaunTaun: Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps Liqueur, Orange Juice with Tangerine, Pure Cane Sugar, and ‘Buzz Button Tingling Foam.
I got the Nysillin and Bubbles with Brub Berry Essence: Empress 1908 Gin, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Blueberry-Lime Juice topped with Tonic Water and garnished with an Edible Hibiscus Flower.


Both drinks were amazing, with Jameson's having some very strange foam that caused one's lips to tingle and then go a bit numb! He let me try it and it was a very fun sensation. We wrapped the experience up with a Rodian Ration jell-O shot: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Dekuyper Pucker Sour Apple, Green Apple, Sprite, and Boba Balls with a Pop! This was really cool and a lot bigger than we expected, it was supposed to be a petri dish and had pop rocks and red chocolate "gravel" sprinkled on top. The boba balls inside were juicy and refreshing. Texturally this was fun to eat.


A bit more wandering, then we went to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show.
Jameson has a good friend who plays Belle, and she got us VIP seats!! We were front and center!


It was a lovely show, and of course made me think of the tour adventure awaiting me in June :)

We also had to go see Muppet Vision 3D, which is going to be closing permanently in early June. This was essentially the last time we'd ever see this show in person. It's a great show, funny and cute, but it's dated and I can see why it's being closed/replaced. It was a privilege to get to see it one last time.

For an afternoon snack we went to a random bar where Jameson got a beer and we shared a charcuterie.


Next we rode Toy Story Mania, which is a shooting game. Jameson won, of course, as usual, and I sulked good-naturedly :p

We decided to try queuing for Smuggler's Run again as the wait time was only 45 minutes. But 45 soon turned into an hour, and longer, and by the time we were nearing the end of queue we both badly needed a restroom! Daunted by the thought of working our way aaaaaall the way back through the line (it is QUITE long), I volunteered to find a Cast Member to ask for help finding a restroom. The woman I found, Elaney, was so gracious; she immediately led us backstage to an employee restroom, without even knowing that we were Cast Members ourselves! When I saw that she was nervous to be taking us "backstage" I quickly told her that we work here too, and she was VERY relieved. Still, the fact that she would go out of her way like this for non-employees is exceptional, and we both took note of it.

Elaney let us rejoin the queue about where we'd left off, which we were very grateful for. Smuggler's Run was fun as usual (we've been on it three times) and this time we had two kids piloting our ship so we crashed A LOT haha. Jameson was laughing his head off, and I have to admit doing a bad job smuggling was a lot more fun than successfully delivering our cargo!

By the time that was finished we only had a little time before our dinner reservations. We just window shopped and enjoyed the vibes, then went to the most exclusive restaurant in Hollywood Studios: The Brown Derby.

You may remember that a few days ago when Jameson called me at the car dealership to tell me he'd gotten the Producer job, after hanging up with him I "got him something special." It was this reservation for this very fancy restaurant! Jameson has only eaten there once before, when he was too young to remember or appreciate the experience. And I've never been inside at all. I figured there was no better way to celebrate our achievements...and I was right :)

The first thing that went amazingly right was we met Dana.
Dana is a longtime Disney employee, possibly a manager at The Brown Derby. He noticed our Celebration Buttons and asked what we were celebrating. We told him, and he congratulated us and then engaged Jameson in a discussion about the "good old days" of Hollywood Studios since they'd both worked there around the same time period. He was just lovely, and when it was time for us to be seated our server started to take us to a standard table but Dana said, "No, let's celebrate properly!" and ushered us to a comfortable booth.


From there we were treated to an incredible meal!
Jameson had a refreshing gin-and-lemon drink, I had a French rose wine.

We shared these escargot with Roasted Garlic Béchamel, Crispy Prosciutto, and Puff Pastry.


Jameson's entree was the Pan-Roasted Halibut: Braised Bok Choy, Roasted Cashew-Jasmine Rice, Olive Oil-macerated Heirloom Tomato, Thai Coconut Sauce.


I had the Root Beer Brined Pork: Creamy Polenta, Pickled Corn, Herb Chimichurri, Barq's Root Beer Lacquer.


It was absolutely incredible. I don't think I've ever had pork like that. Sweet but also a slight bit of heat, and the veggies there on the side are pickled which gave a great hit of acidity against the sweet pork and rich polenta. I was very surprised when those mini corn ears turned out to have been smoked by themselves, they had amazing flavor!

For dessert Jameson got a poached pear with vanilla panna cotta, and I did the Derby's famous grapefruit cake.
Both were incredible, but I have to admit that the poached pears were better than the cake. The flavor was so complex, fall spices and smooth clean panna cotta...it was just WOW.


With dessert, Dana brought us each a celebratory mini-flute of champagne!
We made a very grateful toast to our career successes.
Throughout the day we had been talkng on and off about how we felt, what these recent life-events mean for us, what our hopes and dreams are for the future. This whole day was absolutely perfect, and this exquisite dinner was the perfect way to wrap up a celebration of each other. We have both worked extremely hard. Life is unpredictable and things may still not go as we hope or plan. But we had today. We had this moment where both of us had something amazing to celebrate, and the means to make this memory, which will live with us for many years to come.

Probably the most memorable of all was getting the check for this extravagant dinner!
Here was the crest of the "karma wave" we'd been riding all day :)
We were Cast Members, so we knew we'd get a discount.
But I had also brought our Cast Member Dining Discount coupons, which range from 20% off up to 50% off of a meal in the parks. I asked our server if The Brown Derby accepted Dining Discount coupons, fully expecting that they wouldn't (they usually can't be used in the upscale restaurants.) She asked me to give her a coupon and she'd see if she could apply it. I handed her the 50% off coupon, because why not? If there was a time to use that one, it was now. Again, fully expecting her to come back and regretfully inform us that she couldn't apply it, and perfectly happy to pay with our regular discount.

To both of our amazement, she came back with the check and no coupon.
WE GOT 50% off our meal!!!
I couldn't stop smiling like an idiot. We quickly paid (I gave her a MASSIVE tip) and got out of there, joking that they'd probably chase us down for the rest of the bill!

We considered sticking around for the Fantasmic show, but it had been a scorching day and we'd been outside in 90-degree heat nearly the entire time. We were wiped. We drove home, happy and full and exclaiming over how exceptionally WELL this day had gone. I seriously felt that the universe was celebrating with us.

Tally of Awesome Things:

     - Excellent parking
     - A mere 10-minute wait for Rise of the Resistance
     - Getting to see Muppet Vision 3D one last time before it closed
     - Getting into the most exclusive bar in Galaxy's Edge with essentially no wait time
     - Getting "rescued" by an amazing Cast Member in the Smuggler's Run queue
     - VIP seating at the Beauty and the Beast stage show
     - Special seating, complementary champagne, exceptional service, and 50% off our meal at The Brown Derby!!!
     - Getting to spend an entire uninterrupted day with each other, and both of us in a good place in our lives.

To try and pay back some of the "karma wave," or "pay it forward," as soon as we got home I went to the Guest Services website and filled out a Cast Compliments form for both Elaney (the woman who helped us in the Smuggler's Run queue) and Dana (who went out of his way to make our evening exceptional.) When Cast Members receive kudos, they don't necessarily "get" anything other than a pat on the back and a certificate. But I used all of my skills with words and did everything in my power to show that these two really deserved recognition. So who knows...at minimum I hope they are touched by these words and proud to be who they are :)

Here is what I wrote:

"I have TWO cast Members to recognize!

"First was Elaney working on May 16 around 4pm at Smugglers Run. My partner and I had been waiting in queue, and he suddenly needed a restroom. But we were almost to the ride, and weren’t sure if we’d make it all the way back through the queue in time for him. I went looking for assistance and found Elaney, who guided us to a nearby restroom and waited with us to ensure our safety and comfort. We were then able to rejoin the queue and still ride the attraction. Elaney was empathetic, kind, and most of all she put our safety and health first. We appreciated her so much today, and really wanted her to know that and to recognize her for that.

"And next we have Dana at the Brown Derby. We made dinner reservations at this special restaurant to celebrate both of us recently getting amazing career advancements. We were wearing celebration pins, and Dana noticed and took time to inquire what we were celebrating. We told him, and he not only congratulated us and engaged us in a lovely conversation, he also seated us at a comfortable booth and arranged for us to each receive a flute of celebratory champagne to toast our success! The evening was already so special, but Dana went out of his way to make it EXCEPTIONAL. We will remember our fantastic meal at the Brown Derby for years to come.

"Both of these Cast Members showed us what it means to actively apply The Disney Way, and how that seemingly small extra effort can turn a guest’s experience into not just a day at Disney, but a treasured lifetime memory. As Cast Members ourselves, my partner and I were touched and inspired by the service we received from these two individuals today. We would appreciate if you could pass on our gratitude and thanks."

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If you've made it this far, congrats, you've probably met your reading quota for the entire day.

What can I say, today was incredible. We are both grateful beyond anything in words.

Thursday, as you saw, the casting list for Beauty and the Beast went up!
This meant that I was able to share my next adventure with everyone!

I was at Epic early in the morning again as usual. Stopped at Whole Paycheck beforehand to get wings and a few groceries, then practiced bass trombone backstage. Eventually the boys came in and I got with them to discuss the day's plan, and right after that is when someone messaged to let me know the casting list had gone up!

(photo courtesy Disney Theatrical)

I posted to all of my socials, and then had to respond to congratulations and questions between sets for the rest of the day. I did not mind! It has been hard to keep quiet about this gig, it is an actual dream job for me and it has not felt like it's really happening, and still probably won't until I'm actually in rehearsal!

Management at Epic has known for a long time that I'll be leaving, and has invited me to stay on as a sub during layoffs, which I VERY much appreciate. The truth is, I'm not sure that they'll be able to find another female trombonist. That's not to be critical or snooty, but to say that there just aren't that many to begin with. In the whole state of Florida, as far as I know, it is just us three whom they've already recruited who play professionally.

I hope I'm wrong.
Or that they hire some boys to play trombone! Lol.

It was a normal day, though we didn't have the cart or Plume.
The last two shows of the day were "rained out," though it was only drizzling. We don't really have a rain contingency yet so even a drizzle causes a bit of chaos, but for now if We The Band agree to stop the show, it stops. That will likely change.

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Friday I was up early again to drive to the nearest Toyota dealership.
My car is overdue for the 100k service. I delayed that due to the rodent infestation that I had to take care of at the beginning of this year. This time they presented me with about $3000 of work to do, but only half of it was the 100k service, the rest was just stuff they found (something about the undercarriage and linkage, blah blah blah.) They said those things could be addressed later, so I handled $1500 of it today and will come back for the other stuff before the end of the year.

This, combined with replacing ALL of the faucets in our house, has been a financial gut punch.
But it's ok you guys! Because I have Snack Pod.

While waiting for my car I chatted with Jameson, who said he was gonna go on a walk.
Just a few minutes later he CALLED me.
He NEVER calls me unless it's urgent.

HE GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!

He had just started his walk when Disney Event Group called, and offered him the Producer role.
FINALLY!!!!!!

I almost screamed out loud in the dealership. Managed a medium-loud yelp that made some people turn around haha. So, this role is only part time, BUT. There is already talk of making it a full time role depending on DEG's needs. And as with many aspects of Disney, a foot in the door can be enough leverage to get you REALLY moving within the company. Jameson will still be doing his online teaching for LA Film School, but he is extremely hopeful that the future will center around this job.

After celebrating over the phone with Jameson he hung up to go call his parents, and I checked out the DEG website...and also got a special little gift for Jameson ;) TBA.

Here is where Jameson will be working!!



Shortly thereafter my car was done, yeah yeah whatever I paid for it and drove home as fast as my little wheels could take me! Where Jameson excitedly told me all about how he was offered the job, and showed me that video of the offices, and described all of the hopes that he has for this going forward. He got emotional, because we were both just so excited and exclaiming about all the work he's done, all of the sweat and tears he's poured out for Disney, and all of the years of waiting and of trying SO HARD and not getting any response from the universe. But now, here is a wonderful chance for him. Everything is worth it for that moment of success. I am so, so happy for him.

Also...I'm pretty sure this makes us a Disney Power Couple! What a funny thought!

We had lunch together and I did laundry, Jameson worked and did some research on some stuff he'll need to buy for this role, mainly clothes. He's very excited to have an office again! (That probably sounds weird lol)

For dinner we celebrated with pizza and air fryer wings :)

Late in the evening I was surprised to receive a transcription job!
No announcement of resumption after the long pause to funding/due process. They just said, "Thanks for your patience, here's an extra $0.25 per page as gratitude." I felt a flash of annoyance because I'm off for the next 4 days and as a Lazy Millennial, I like down time. But then I accepted the job and felt good about it. First of all I really do enjoy the work, and secondly I'm happy (and relieved) that at least some people out there will receive their right to due process.

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Saturday I was up earlier than I'd like because of the transcription work.
Felt bummed but, when the universe gives tasks I think it's wise to complete them when one can.

Unrelated, a photographer called Small Bee Photography took some nice photos of Place Cachee Jazz during a set this week.
Here are my two features:


Jameson was up early too for a massage. I simply plugged away at transcription while he was gone, getting through about 30 audio-minutes of the 3 audio hours I was sent. After lunch, practicing. I'm doing tenor and bass for Beauty and the Beast, plus practicing switching mutes, then have to practice Chicago music for the all-female Chicago tribute band I've got at the top of June, so all three sizes of horns were out and the guest bedroom looks like a frickin trombone petting zoo.


After that a small rest before another real-time hour of transcription which completed Case 1 of 3.
We'd planned to go out to celebrate Jameson getting a new job, but he was feeling a bit under the weather so we ordered sushi instead.

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Sunday, transcription. Went to the grocery for myself and Jameson.

I think he's got a cold. I wonder if it's the same thing that I felt earlier in the week, except it's grabbing him a little harder (he eats fewer veggies than me so :p ) Because of that we sort of threw all plans out. I dusted and practiced and did a second round of transcription, and that's about it.

A month from today, I'll be flying to Schenectady for tech rehearsals.
We are still waiting on LOADS of information.
Direct deposit forms, onboarding paperwork, logistics for our instruments, luggage allowances, a route schedule...THE MUSIC. It makes me very anxious, but there's nothing to do. They'll have to give these things to us at some point.

Dinner was the last of the dino nuggets with marinara sauce and whatever leftover shredded cheese we had lying around. And broccoli trees, of course.

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Monday and Tuesday: As much transcription as possible, I need it done before the Epic workdays when I'll have zero time to work on it. Probably some chores and cooking too.

Wednesday and Thursday: Work at Epic.

Monday, I was up at 6:30am to have coffee and get my soul in my body before the sink installer (plumber?) arrived.

Before anyone mansplains me about how easy it is to install your own sinks and faucets:

     - I've been mansplained about this several times already. Thanks, though.
     - I did try to replace/fix the guest bathroom faucet, and was unable to remove it without breaking it.
     - I'm unwilling to rely on my complete inexperience to both remove the old and install the new properly. This is NOT MY HOUSE, it's Jameson's, and we both agreed it's worth the money to have someone do it right.

M'kay, thanks.

Of course the guy did not show up during the first half of his window, so I got up early for nothing, but if I hadn't gotten up then Murphy's Law would dictate that he'd have been here EARLY. While I waited I packed lunch and dinner for Disney tomorrow, worked on foodie finds, and watched some anime. He did show up around 9:30, so I nervously piddled on the computer while he got to work. He was just finishing up when Jameson got back from the gym.

Thanks everyone who had kind thoughts in our direction for this installation.
For once, everything went smoothly and we did NOT get ripped off! Yay!!


One of the new sinks. I forgot to do before-and-after photos. The old sink was off-white with a very corroded Moen single handle faucet. The old sink was also metal, and rust was coming through the enamel where it had cracked (had been like that when we moved in.) Jameson was very happy with the new sinks, and that made me happy :) Since he doesn't let me pay bills, I am glad to contribute to household things when I can!

After that was a normal day: grocery for dinner ingredients, practicing, small tour things here and there, and some down time which I very much appreciated.

One extra thing that I did was wash the little scrap of felt that my mom embroidered for me, many years ago, to put over my trombone stand.


Trombone stands are made with rubber parts, and when there's condensation in the trombone bell it can stick to the stand and cause a loud suction-y noise when you pick up your horn. A lot of trombonists simply put a sock over their stand top to prevent that issue. My mom wanted to do something special for me. So she took a little blue piece of felt and embroidered it, and cut a hole in the middle. It has never quite fit properly, but that doesn't matter, I use it anyway.

My mom died before I got to college.
She never got to see me perform with the circus, or on a cruise ship, or on tour, or at Disney or Epic.
She died not knowing whether I'd succeed as a musician or not.
But that didn't matter to her. She supported me anyway.

And I fully believe that that is a big reason why I was successful in the end.

Today I washed her gift so that I can attach it to my bass trombone stand and bring it on this next tour with me. That way my mom can be there in a way. She would have been SCREAMING and crying happy tears to hear what tour I'm on this summer. We would have been overjoyed together, I know.

Anyway.
Dinner was just Chicago dogs and smiley fries.
After dinner I had a little surprise for Jameson!

A few days ago he sent me THIS TikTok.
If you can't see the video, it features this XL pill bottle...except instead of pills, someone filled it with SNACKS.



I was FLABBERGASTED. What a great idea!!!
You can have your sweet, savory, chocolatey, gummy, sour, or crunchy snacks, all together! Yet separate!
It's like a grandma's candy dish, only portable!

And the bottle is so cheap, I HAD to get it. I mean, how convenient this will be for tour!! At the airport, or on an 8-hour bus ride, or a long rehearsal with short breaks! I can mix and match snacks as I like, and I can refill it from the free hotel breakfasts that offer dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips. Not to mention the candies that inevitably appear on tour. And I can easily share with others without them shoving their sticky hands into my bag of candy. People can take what they want from any compartment.

I got one for each of us, and an assortment of movie theater boxes of candy for us to choose from.



There are six compartments with one being double-sized (I felt that this would be good for larger gummies, salty snacks, or granola.) We each added some Good n' Plenty, Jelly Bellies, Skittles, and Peanut Butter M&M's to our bottles. Jameson added Sour Patch Kids and plain M&M's to his, and I added pepitas, and a mix of leftover Robin Eggs and 72% chocolate chips to my large compartment.


Everything fits through the spouts. We might have to shake stuff once in a while, but really, even the large Robin Eggs fit!
I am so unreasonably excited about this!! The possibilities are endless!

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Tuesday was a rehearsal day at Disney. I love rehearsal days because it's essentially full-day pay with half the work for both myself and Keith (the full time trombonist.) I got to do one set and the parade. We did our "Disney Classics Medley" with a new dialogue break, and the guys are doing "You Can Fly" for parade so I got to try that for the first time and it went well. It was a very hot day so I made sure to drink lots of water and keep an eye on myself.

Also, I brought my Snack Pod! (That's what I'm calling the pill bottle full of candy lol)
It was SO NICE to be able to grab a small snack between sets if I felt like it!
Yes, I know that you can pack a small snack for yourself as well, but to have lots to choose from is what's so fantastic here. Sometimes I pack myself salted nuts and find later that I'd rather have something sweet, or vice versa. Whatever I'm still excited about it haha.

It was a nice day, and at the end of it Keith asked me to come in on the 18th! Yay! Always happy for Disney work!

Back home, catching up with Jameson while packing breakfast lunch and dinner for tomorrow at Epic.

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Wednesday, Epic work. The routine has become

5:30am - 6am Wake up, make coffee, do "Phillipa hair"
6am - 6:45am Drink the coffee and work on Foodie Finds or watch anime
6:45 - 7:30am Breakfast, washing dishes, grabbing my stuff, out the door
7:30am - 8am Any early morning errands that can be done. Shipping packages, picking up bagels, going to Sprouts or Whole Paycheck. Today it was Sprouts for extra electrolyte drink mix and a snack mix for my Snack Pod.
8:30am - 9am Park, go through security, sign in, put lunch in fridge, put on makeup and costume
9:10am - 10am Practice bass trombone
10am - 11am Chat with the guys when they arrive, have a snack, warm up on the tenor trombone
11:30am First set of the day

The cart is gone again for repairs, and so is Plume, so we had to do the shows without it. It was fine, I never miss the cart but always miss cute little Plume. No drunk people in our faces today so that was nice. It was very hot so we all tried to stay hydrated.

After work I ate dinner in the car while driving home. Packed meals for tomorrow and made a dinner plan with Jameson for the weekend.

The MD for the tour I'm on announced his involvement across all his socials today, so have hopes that I'll be able to share it with you all soon too. Still going to wait because etiquette is for the full casting announcement to go out first and that hasn't happened yet.

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Thursday: Another day at Epic, no cart and no Plume.

Friday: Early morning car appointment for the 100k service and regular maintenance. Crossing fingers and toes that there's nothing beyond that because after spending $2k on replacing all of our sinks and faucets this week my bank account is hurtin'.

Saturday & Sunday: Nothing planned. Practice and cooking and chores.

I was awake too early on Thursday. Not sure why. Generically anxious, I guess.

Breakfast and messing around online until Jameson got up.
His Disney interview was at 10, so I busied myself with quietly dusting and packing meals for tomorrow while we waited. During his interview I eavesdropped a bit...it sounded fairly "normal" but he had headphones on so I couldn't hear much. It about 30 minutes and he said all of the questions were exactly the same as ones he's been asked by Disney Corporate in the past. This makes me a bit annoyed and sad, but then again, what are they supposed to ask? What new information could they be looking for? This is probably Jameson's 7th or 8th interview with Disney, with the same questions asked, again. Will anything come of this one?

He's supposed to hear back in about two weeks. Fingers and toes crossed, but we are both past the point of keeping our hopes up about these. It's great that he's getting these interviews, but they seem to be just toying around, and it's very frustrating. He needs a new job.

I practiced bass trombone, ate lunch, went to the store for secret Easter treats (ssh!) and a few nice things to get me through these busy days. Specifically, Cracklin' Oat Bran. You'll probably laugh but I swear to God, this cereal is essentially miniature oatmeal cookies. They're one of my absolute favorites, especially soaked just slightly in some sort of non-dairy milk to make them soft. Ugh, so gawddamn good!

(wikipedia photo)

Back home I did nothing important, just made tea and downloaded my raw genetic data from 23andMe since they're going out of business.

I SHOULD be planning dinner. I SHOULD be practicing tenor stuff. I SHOULD be learning civil court transcription.
Instead I nearly fell asleep watching TikTok on the floor.

Well...as an adult, that's my prerogative I guess.

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Friday, a day at Epic but it was NIGHT rehearsals, ooooOOOOoooo.

Really, just the same as usual except that I didn’t have to get up at 5am! Which meant I actually had time to DO THINGS before work. After Jameson went to the gym I practiced bass and vacuumed and spent 30 minutes doing “Phillipa Hair.” Left a bit after Jameson got back.

The first three sets were hot, being in the middle of the day, but we had good crowds.

For the evening sets it was beautifully cool and we had GREAT crowds because it's so much easier for people to stand and watch a show without the sun beating down on them! I found out tonight that we're averaging around 90 people per set, and that's during normal daytime sets. I think that's pretty good considering we're just an "atmosphere" band without an actual stage or anywhere to sit.

And for us the performers, it was so nice to not be distracted by sweat soaking our clothes or the sun stabbing us in the eye while we try to play an instrument and smile at guests. Night shows are pretty great!

The other thing that I noticed during these lovely nighttime sets was some people out there with professional camera equipment. I guessed (rightly) that we had some actual freelance photographers with us, and made sure to stand still more often to aid in some decent shots. Not for ego, but because any media taken of me can be a part of my resume. My portfolio is entirely made up of live performance media.

Later I interrogated some of the ladies in our Ministry of Magic dressing room to discover local photographers who do theme park work. They graciously gave me some names, and lo and behold the very next day one of those accounts shared photos of us!

These are from @motley_joey on IG. Excellent, high-quality shots of our performance.



I am especially grateful for these two headshots.


Additionally, some photos from one of our show techs, Tiffany:



And finally, one of the wizarding students (her name is Ashley and she's an actress) went to the trouble of getting into plainclothes and taking photo and video of our set!

Here is the video snippet. Love it! I can't wait to someday have a whole set to share with you!



Here are some of her photos. I really like a lot of these and wish they were higher resolution. Thank you so much Ashley :)




Seeing Place Cachee at night was lovely, though we really just had dusk, not true night.
I do hope that we end up doing some night sets once the park opens, it's a very nice vibe.

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Saturday was when I dredged up all of these photos. Making social media posts, updating my LinkedIn and YouTube playlists/portfolios, and responding to people commenting on all the media took up pretty much the whole morning.

I had been supposed to meet up with Ilian of Morningstar Mutes for lunch and to check out some mutes, but for one thing he didn't have any of his new models ready, and for another I decided to back out because of my unexpected Disney day tomorrow. Performing outdoors is a lot of steps and a lot of energy, and I am not that young anymore, so this was mainly a self-care choice to have a buffer day.

Groceries, packing lunch and dinner for Disney tomorrow, practicing bass, and relaxing for a bit while Jameson was out day drinking with friends. He messaged me while he was on the way home so I could start cooking dinner. I'd had the good fortune to find a place just a few miles from us that sells Amoroso hoagie rolls direct from Philadelphia!! How unlikely! So I made us Philly cheesesteaks. Tried to keep them as authentic as possible but added mushrooms (that's not inauthentic, just less common) and used American cheese slices instead of cheese whiz. They turned out quite excellent and I'll keep that recipe on file, and gotta remember those hoagie rolls the next time I do po'boys too.

That was it. Pretty chill day and I was grateful for it.

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Sunday, up earlier than I wanted to be for breakfast and the commute to Disney.
I like to get there a bit early to try for better parking, and to have time to get changed before the guys arrive too.

Had a pretty basic day, although I got to learn firsthand why my boss was so reluctant to have me learn multiple trombone parts this year. Harry, another sub trombonist who has learned both the first and second trombone parts, accidentally started doing the first part's choreography halfway through our Encanto medley. I'M the sub for first trombone, so this left me in a really awkward position in the middle of a live performance! I basically had to guess where the second trombone would probably move or stand, and just do that for the rest of the set. We got through it but boy was that awkward. He apologized and I wasn’t mad, I might’ve done the same thing (ok I CERTAINLY would have, I’m a putz) but it made me realize that the risks of too many people knowing too many parts. If TWO people ever got confused at the same time, it could wreck a show.

Anyway, otherwise normal and a nice day with the guys.

Also, for the first time today Epic Universe has overlapped into my Disney workplace!
I saw an employee wearing a Nintendo World Bowser backpack in the Utilidors.
And I overheard more than one conversation about rides, attractions, and food that people want to check out.

There is a misconception that working for Disney AND Universal is a Coke-and-Pepsi situation.
I have even alluded to that, as a joke, in this blog.

It is not like that at all.
Many, MANY people work for (and love!) both parks.


If either park were to enforce a non-compete on it's employees, it would instantly lose AT LEAST half it's work force.
It's kind of interesting to consider how these competing theme parks are linked by their shared work force, imo.

There are some die-hards for either park, of course, and especially at Universal I've met a lot of people who are passionately anti-Disney either because they love Universal sooooo much, or because they had a bad experience working for Disney. Still, few of the employees who work for both parks would actually badmouth "the other park," whichever park that may be for them.

Eh, just something that I was thinking about today.

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Monday: Rehearsal for "Steamboat Lillie" 1920s-themed Disney band. I'm nervous!

Tuesday: Day at Epic.

Wednesday: "Steamboat Lillie" performance.

Thursday I was up at 8 which is late for me anymore.

Breakfast and finished timestamping my bootleg of the tour I'm gonna do this summer, then sort of rushed through breakfast because I am ITCHING to practice this music! I've been waiting for it for a long time. It would have been nice to get it from the actual touring company, but whatever, I'm sure they're super busy with all sorts of other logistics plus it's possible our arrangements aren't even finished yet.

That's right, the part I was given by the guy doing this show in Australia isn't even the part I'll be playing. It's a lot closer, but his version of the music is for a stationary show. A touring show will require changes to set pieces for easier breakdown, and changes to staging to accommodate many stage sizes, and changes to the choreo too. Likewise the music will have more cuts and reorchestrations based on all of these changes that happen on stage. Regardless, being able to practice the actual part is a HUGE leap forward from practicing the 1990s version part, which is what I've been doing up until now.

Anyway, I practiced most of the first act. Right before lunch I went to the bank to deposit some savings bonds that have been sitting around forever. Most of them are within the last 2-3 years of maturity, and I don't feel it's worth the few dollars to keep them lying around when our country is going down the toilet.

Back home, lunch and even more practice just because I am so pleased to have the part!
Then relaxing with Jameson for two hours before driving to my lesson with Will.

Meet Will, who like Jameson is a raging Cubs fan:


This is a "bad" picture of him, he'll be mad that I shared it :p
My lesson went ok, but it's clear that I need to actually get into a routine now that Will's given me all of these exercises to do. I've been kind of grab-bagging exercises, and need to play them daily and consistently instead. Decided that I'm gonna start with deep breathing and stacked breathing, followed by sustaining long tones with a stopwatch, then interval exercises and mouthpiece buzzing, then Rochut melodies, and THEN I can hit the tour music after doing all that.

Second half of the lesson was spent on gear. I need straight, cup, and plunger mutes for bass trombone, and Will has extras of all of these that he was able to let me borrow. He also let me try his new 3D-printed mutes, which I was skeptical of but they really do sound fantastic. Which is a shame because I'd rather save money and use free/cheap mutes! But now I'm tempted to get the new ones!

Here is a traditional aluminum trombone mute on the left, and a 3D-printed Morningstar mute on the right.


To show the bottom of the Morningstar mute, which comes in several metal options (copper, aluminum, brass):


They don't look very different, but there are some important differences. The Morningstar mute is significantly bigger, which isn't necessarily "better" but is probably one reason why they sound so good. It also won't dent during transport because it's 3D-printed. And it doesn't use cork, which dries out and breaks. Instead he uses a velcro system that is actually adjustable so you can move the mute further in or out to get the sound you want. I thought all of this was a gimmick until I tried it...it's not, it's actually very functional and an improvement over traditional mutes which have not seen much innovation since time immemorable. The creator is an actual trombonist too, so my trust level is high. He lives here in Orlando(!) and I'm gonna meet with him in April to try the other types of mutes, schedule permitting.

Will sent me home with his old mutes to play with, plus a gig bag! My monstrous road case is great, but for just getting my bass around town locally a gig bag will be very convenient. I might buy it from him.

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Friday morning, I woke up to an email from our Australian Angel (the trombonist doing my show on the opposite side of the globe.) He'd sent me the French horn part! I quickly forwarded it to Sarah, the French hornist joining me on tour and who sent me frantic texts last week asking if I'd gotten any updates. She'll be thrilled! Super grateful that musicians are willing to help musicians, sort of regardless of any "consequences." This isn't some black market music smuggling ring; we just want to go into rehearsal at our absolute best for this show, and need to see the music in advance to do that.

I poked away online until Jameson got up, then had a rather productive day:

     - washed and seasoned our new saute pan which had shown up last night while I was at Will's
     - practiced bass for an hour
     - took old tax documents and void checks to UPS to be shredded
     - called my doctor to set up a regular checkup in May
     - called my bank to close an inactive checking account
     - dusted
     - trimmed the banana tree

...and went for a neighborhood walk.
The weather today was warm, breezy and 75F (23.8C) and there won't be many more days like this.


One of our neighbors has planted these gorgeous roses.


Back home lunch and a shower, Jameson had an afternoon meeting so I did quiet things like dumping transcription files to an external drive, looking for wallpapers for my new iPad, and researching getting a will. I'm not all that old and I don't have loads of assets, but there are things like my trombones that are rare and valuable and I'd like for those to be handled properly, and would like to leave as little work for my younger siblings as possible whenever I cack it.

While doing that I was surprised to see an email from Epic Universe land in my inbox...an invitation to queue up for PREVIEW TICKETS!!!

(This girl from the Epic commercials is essentially my inner child right now)

Since we are not Universal employees, we have been barred from participating in several other Team Member events that have already taken place. None of us had our hopes up to be included in the park previews. Our third party employer must have advocated for us to get these. I was quick to write them an email GUSHING thanks, then jump into the queue!

Only a limited number of guests may preview the park each day, so just like a popular concert on TicketMaster, you've got to dive into the fray and get that reservation ASAP. It was lucky I'd been working and had my email open to see it come in. Even so, available tickets for the day we wanted were at 10% remaining when I got through just 10 minutes later!! Crazy.

But now, I WILL GET TO SEE ALL OF EPIC UNIVERSE!!!
I may bring one guest, and since I have no friends it's Jameson again. You can bet he doesn't mind!!
I will bring my wand, and we can zap everything we can in the Ministry of Magic!
And we will eat treats and drink drinks and ride rides! And, and...!!

Aaaaah!

Ok, ok, back to the present.

I got our tickets all set up, worked on my will a bit more, did a load of laundry, and when my iPad case arrived I installed that. Ate leftover meatballs with Jameson until he left for a party with friends. After he left I enjoyed several hours to myself to relax. Lit a candle, made tea, watched anime, researched what to check out at Epic Universe. I still have so much to do in coming days...but I also did a lot today, and gotta remind myself that it's ok to do nothing, too.

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Saturday, I had a new transcription job and got started on it. Jameson slept late so I was itching to practice trombone by the time he got up. Practiced, hit the grocery store for dinner ingredients, packed for Disney tomorrow.

More transcription in the afternoon, then made a chicken pot pie for dinner that tasted great but turned out runny, and it was supposed to have a puff pastry "crust" but it didn't work at all. I ended up having to scrape wet puff pastry off the top of the pie, and we were left with only the parts that hadn't touched the filling. Lame. Next time I'll have to par-bake the pastry separately I think.

I felt restless today overall. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

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Sunday, up at 5:30am to make coffee and put in an hour of transcription.
Stopped at 7am to hit Publix for croissants, which when heated in the air fryer become crispy enough that they can be used as a "crust" topping for the pot pie leftovers. More transcription, breakfast, off to Disney with tenor and bass trombone in tow.

It was a cloudy day, but it didn't rain and we didn't get out of anything :p
We did have a shortened second parade because it looked like rain, and the flag retreat was shortened as well because huge thunderheads were rolling toward us, lightning visible. No explorations today, I just practiced bass and tenor and shot the sh*t with the guys.
It was a good day.

Grocery store sushi on the way home, hot tea when I got home.
Jameson has begun putting together a LEGO Piano set that he got at a discount. It's huge and I've no idea where it will live, but maybe we'll figure that out by the time he's finished it!


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Monday & Tuesday: Days "off." Lots of transcription, probably gonna make us Chicago dogs.

Wednesday & Thursday: Epic Universe. Gosh, it's been forever, do I even remember the show? Lol

In closing: Did you know that ChatGPT can make any picture you give it into an anime version? I fed it two photos and they are adorable!

(It's Been A While Since I Did A DISCLAIMER: The viewpoints and opinions expressed in this post and throughout this blog are my own, and do not reflect the viewpoints or opinions of my employers, including Disney, Universal, Epic Universe, Warner Brothers, and any other parties mentioned herein. I take full responsibility for my own content.)

Thursday up early for Epic.

Started the day a bit cranky as often happens when one gets up at 5:30am.
But it was a nice day, we had good sets, and I was happy to think that tomorrow Jameson will be here to enjoy the park!

(picture of the Toothless and Hiccup meet and greet available at Isle of Berk.)

And then,
throughout the day,
people FINALLY started communicating with me!!

First my boss at Main Street Philharmonic communicated to ask if I'd like to do a rehearsal next week.
So I communicated with my transcription boss and asked if I could reduce my workload by one hour.
He communicated back right away with a yes, so I scheduled the rehearsal. This will not only be additional money, but a chance to work on memorizing the Trombone 2 book, which I've slacked off on last week.

Then, the music coordinator for the tour I've ACCEPTED finally communicated three days after I'd reached out to him, apologizing for the delay and confirming that YES, I am CONFIRMED and itineraries will be sent out SOON. Thank god! I felt bad for having heckled him, but also three months of dead silence is a very long time to sit meekly and trust that someone still intends to employ you.

Finally, I communicated with the Asian tour that I HADN'T yet accepted, to politely and regretfully decline their offer. I made sure to express how much I wished I could have done it, and asked them to keep my 'fo on file for future opportunities.
The MD communicated back to say he'd absolutely keep me on file. Yay!

I guess I'm sorry to have worried and complained as much as I did?
But not really.
I am a human with obligations and commitments and needs just like everyone else, and limits to my patience just like everyone else.

After work I went to Whole Paycheck, made myself a hot bar plate, and just kinda hung out because Will lives 20 minutes away so it was easier to just stay in the area before my lesson. The lesson went "ok," but this was my first one after a day of playing tenor trombone at Epic. Switching horns was weird. I'll have to remember that for next week and see if I can mitigate it.

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Friday, a normal day but unusually cold.
( Shirt Shenanigans )

Aaaanyway, I was a bit nervous for Jameson being there to see the show, but when the time came we had a great energetic crowd and he stood right in front to watch :) I was so happy to see him! I only wish we'd had our prop, with our little animatronic puffskein. Ah well, he will be able to watch videos of it online quite soon.

My day went completely normally, I left Jameson alone knowing that he had a limited time to enjoy as much as possible today and wanted him to have that experience without interruptions. After work, Whole Paycheck for wings, and they were giving away Irish soda bread(!) so I HAD to take a loaf!

Back home I got cleaned up and chilled until Jameson got home to tell me about his "Epic" day (ha-ha)
He first of all said that he LOVED our band. Not just because I'm in it and he's biased :p but because he's a musician too. He said that we sounded tight, we were energetic and entertaining, and after seeing almost all of the other "atmosphere" entertainment in the other worlds, he felt that none compared to how good we sounded or how put together we were. That was big flattery and I passed it on to my bandmates right away :)

He got to spend a lot of time in Super Nintendo Land and loved it, and ate at Le Gobelet Noir and said it was exceptionally good. A lot of rides and experiences were unfortunately down today, but he did get to ride some rides and saw most of the major stage shows. He was impressed by the How to Train Your Dragon show but said some of the effects were not quite working right today. And he was blown away by the Cirque Arcanus show...like REALLY blown away, which was awesome to hear because I was ALSO blown away by it and have been dying for him to see it. It's truly a crown jewel of the whole park. I bet Warner Bros will win a load of awards for it.

He must have had a truly amazing time because he raved about all he'd experienced for a solid hour, and said it had been a fantastic day! Also, he did most of this experience with Kristen, his longtime friend and one of my bosses at Epic Universe, and Jodie, another dear friend who had a hand in the actual construction of the Ministry of Magic. She was able to tell him all kinds of insider stuff related to the buildings and artistry and such.

I was so, so happy for him, that he got to experience this park! Once it opens it'll be packed solid for YEARS. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm so grateful to Kristen for getting him (and Jodie!) in!

(Jodie, Kristen, and Jameson in front of the Ministry of Magic portal)

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Saturday I slept poorly and was up early to do transcription, but the job was sent later than expected so I didn't get started until 9. Plugged away at it until lunch, then trombone practice and a trip to Publix just for cottage cheese, then packed breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.
Then more transcription.

Somewhere in there, our Epic Universe scheduler wrote to say that next week we will have two paid days off!!
This is because the park will be "dark" on the 26th and 27th (i.e. it won't be open for guest previews) but it seems Universal forgot to tell our third party employer that. So they scheduled us as usual, but we aren't even allowed to be on property. At first they tried to schedule an off-site rehearsal, but I guess it didn't work out.

I'm EXTREMELY grateful that we can still be paid!!

Jameson relaxed for most of the day, his knees were bothering him after stomping around Epic all day yesterday.
We had pizza and air fryer wings for dinner, and watched the season finale of Severance. What a crazy, innovative show.

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Sunday, subbing in at the Magic Kingdom.

I decided to take my bass trombone, to practice and to show to Tony (Main Street Phil bass trombonist.)
This was my first time actually using the heavy duty, hardshell trombone case that I got for this bass.
The wheels turned out to be a huge lifesaver! I am ABLE to carry it, but it's very heavy and difficult while also carrying my tenor trombone and my backpack. The wheels saved me a lot of sweat and backache.

This case:


Tony liked my trombone a lot. He played it a bit, and also gave me tips on breathing and finding the center of the pitch instead of wibbling around (like I tend to do.) I also practiced throughout the day between sets, and that was so nice that I'll probably do it again! Notice how I'm always trying to do two jobs at once :p

There was a new signed drumhead in the band's dressing room:

(Do not share this picture, please.)

This is from the Disneyland Band!
The two bands exchanged signed drumheads during their visit last week. How adorable :)

It was a normal day, two parades and two sets and the flag retreat. I enjoyed it very much, got my bass practice done, got to see lots of smiling and happy Disney guests, and got my 17,000 steps / 7 miles of walking.

Back home, unpacked cleaned up and relaxed with Jameson. He found a Savannah Bananas game on TV! That was fun to watch.

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Monday: "Day off," mostly transcription, trombone practice, maybe some chores.

Tuesday: Magic Kingdom rehearsal day.

Wednesday: A PAID day off!!! Wow!!!