goofball on a train

LONG post. You've been warned.

I had set an early alarm for Thursday knowing there'd be limited time to do things before our understudy rehearsal, but was so tired that I went back to sleep for an additional hour.

No matter. It was still a productive morning. I managed to make an appointment to get some testing done while we're in South Carolina; it's always a pain to do/schedule medical things while traveling for work. Then I sent a portfolio and resume to an opportunity I'm interested in. The opportunity isn't until 2025, but I want to be in consideration from the start because you never know what people will need and when. Maybe I'm being an annoyance, but I'd rather get my hat in the ring early than hear later, "Oh, we've already picked someone for that job."

Then, rehearsal. The call time was 12:15 and it ran until 4:30pm. The purpose was for the understudies--not just actors but also our assistant MD--to be able to do a whole show. Since it was for such a good cause I was happy to be there, but near the end my goodness we were getting hungry.

That pretty much took the whole day. I had time to go back to the hotel, shower, eat dinner, and decompress a bit before it was time to do the show.

Also, Jameson has applied to another corporate opportunity with Disney. I don't know if he has good odds of getting it, and after what happened last time (a string of interviews ending in no job offer and literal silence) I don't want to get hopes up. But still, a chance is a chance.

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Friday, my stepmom and sister drove into town to visit!
After getting them settled into their hotel room, we walked over to Bae Bae's Kitchen, which is kind of mod-Korean plates and cocktails.

My pandan cocktail (with house-made pandan syrup!) and Kate's plum sour.


For the plates you could choose a protein and two sides. I did panko shrimp and two pickled dishes, white kimchi and yellow radish. Everything was fresh and delicious.


From there we took an Uber to Phipps Conservatory, a sort of botanical garden/greenhouse.



For the winter they have an orchid and bonsai tree display. There was also a miniature train set that was cute (didn't get a pic of that), a desert plants area, and many fruiting and spice trees/plants. We had a good time walking through and looking at as much as we could see!







We finished up earlier than planned because the outdoor sections were closed, and also frankly the displays were not as extensive as we had expected overall. I mean, orchids are lovely and everything, but after the fourth room of them or so it's kind of like...ok more orchids...got it...haha. But we did enjoy the experience :)

To kill time I suggested hitting The Strip for window shopping. The initial plan was to go to Prestogeorge's for coffee or tea, but the Uber dropped us off right in front of an Asian grocery and I knew Kate especially would lose her MIND in there!

An hour and a half later we marched out with all kinds of goodies to try! My sister and stepmom are from a rather small PA town, and while it has a small Thai/Asian grocery, there's not nearly the selection that you can find in a large city. I was so happy that they'd enjoyed new and exciting grocery items just as much as I did! We opted to walk back this time as it was only about a mile to the hotel.

After a brief rest and prep we walked to Gaucho, an Argentinian steakhouse where I'd made reservations for us.
Despite being a steakhouse it wasn't super-upscale; the food was certainly steakhouse-quality, but reasonably priced and there were small plates as well as the expensive wood-fired premium steak entrees. Oddly enough, I was the only one who got steak! A sliced steak sandwich with roasted veggies and chimichurri on HUGE fluffy ciabatta. Everything wood-fired and with a beautiful smoky sear to it, even the bread.


Kate got the seafood special which was seared scallops on a bed of pureed potato and turnip with crusty wood-fired bread (nobody took a pic somehow.) My stepmom got a roasted eggplant with roasted carrots, onions, beets, couscous, lemon ricotta, and pistachio gremolata. All of us tried it and honestly, I think it was the best dish of the three. The flavor was just incredible, between the smoke and the rich spices and the creamy lemon ricotta.


For dessert we had coffee and shared a banana dulce de leche bread pudding (as you can see, it was ALSO fire-roasted!)


Everything was amazing. I saved half my sandwich but everyone else crushed their meals. Good job us!
We walked to the theatre and picked up the tickets at the box office, then I left them in the lobby and went to the pit to do the show. It went pretty well, though I made some total weirdo mistakes, probably from being nervous with family there and also from being tired (socialization is draining on me no matter who I'm with or how much I love them.) After the show I found my fam in the lobby and we walked back to the hotel together. They had a great time and said they absolutely loved the show. Yay!

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Saturday I was up early to work on Foodie Finds for Auburn because it's recently been pointed out to me that we DO have time to explore there. I wanted to add some downtown options in case people find the time/money to Uber there and check things out.

I met my stepmom and sister in the hotel lobby, and we walked to The Speckled Egg for breakfast. I was very thankful to have made reservations because we overheard the hostess say that there would not be open tables until 1pm!!

We were seated right away and enjoyed catching up with each other while eating bagels with lox, a crab and lobster roll, and "Hen's Hash," which was over easy eggs on potato, sweet potato, brussels, mushroom, and onion, with sourdough toast and a drizzle of house-made pineapple habanero vinegar. That was my dish, and it was simple yet the seasoning was perfect and it felt healthy to eat :)


When we were done eating we took time to appreciate the architecture (the restaurant is located inside the Union Trust Building which like many skyscrapers in Pittsburgh is historic and beautiful.)


We made sure to get selfies in the lobby!


I am extremely grateful for this time with family. Because of my lifestyle it is difficult to coordinate visits with family; time home is brief, so much needs to be done when I'm NOT moving all around, and then when I catch them during tour like this our time is limited. Which is why I'm so grateful that they drove four hours just to spend time with me, and see the show. And yeah, eat some great food!

Back at the hotel I walked them back to their room, then we hugged goodbye. I'll see Kate again soon when we do the sibling trip to Mexico! Then it was time to type this post and digest that exquisite breakfast before the 2pm matinee. It went well, and our assistant MD got to conduct the show for the first time and did a wonderful job.

(photo courtesy Laura, drums)

Between shows I finished fixing the Auburn Foodie Finds sheet, and tried to chill and drink tea because I was feeling a little yucky. Our French hornist has a cold (she says it's a cold anyway) and she'd BETTER not have given it to me.

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Sunday was my birthday! The big 4-0!

I spent the morning responding to a barrage of well-wishes on social media. People are so kind! But today is certainly the day that I hate facebook the most haha.

Then, to my surprise, I got a message from one of the trombonists who sat next to me for Candlelight.
He was the musician from The Florida Orchestra, on the gig where I ran to my seat with only two minutes to spare before downbeat. He wanted to know if I'd sub for the orchestra on Trombone 2, for an upcoming Pops concert in May (Disco-themed!) I have nothing lined up so of course I said yes!

Here it is, you guys! The payoff! All of that finagling last year, and I actually get to sub with an established symphony orchestra. It may not seem like much, but to me it's the fulfillment of a dream (and also an absolute strategical win; my inner INTJ is CACKLING)
A fantastic birthday present!

Soon it was time to walk to the theatre.
There's an art installation on the way. It seems eerily meant for me.


I shared it to my socials, with the following caption:

"Today I am 40, and spending the day being a trombonist with My Fair Lady at the Benedum Center. Which is next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where I performed with the All-Eastern Band as a high school student in 2001…hoping to become a professional musician.

"In a way, it’s a full-circle moment. I’m surprised, happy, and maybe even a little bit proud…that in the end, I really did get to be a musician after all. And on some pretty amazing gigs too. How wild is that? Looking back, it feels like a miracle.

"Today I’m playing two shows. And the fact that that’s “normal” to me is incredibly special.
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"Edit to Add: It’s special because this wasn’t just my dream. It was my mother’s dream too. She passed away before she could see me realize it.

"She never once discouraged me from music.
She never once tried to bar my path.
She never once suggested I try something “safer.”

"She supported my dream of becoming a professional musician with no reservations.
And I have felt her love, and her unconditional support, every step of the way."

I don't feel particularly older, today. But giving my first masterclass last week made me realize that I AM older...and as a musician, I'm now considered to have "made it" in music. As I'm still struggling to find work and get gigs, this is surprising to me. And yet, from the perspective of a kid in college with no experience, I have done a LOT. I am surprised to look back and see so much. Life is strange. I'm grateful to be here.

The show went well. All of our shows here have been very well attended.
Between shows I partial-packed and did more responding to b-day wishes.
The evening show also went well. At intermission Company Management called me into the office to receive this loverly card from the cast! How nice! Several people took this time to thank me for doing Foodie Finds, which made me feel extra warm and fuzzy.


And then, the show was over. Did the usual pack up, typed up this post, and went to bed.

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Tomorrow we fly to Atlanta, and from there it's a two hour bus ride to Auburn, Alabama.
I've never been there before, and we do get a little time to explore so I'm hoping to see the downtown and visit a restaurant.
But I also REALLY need to do laundry!

I think I actually slept all right, though had weird dreams about a huge crocodile coming after me in the water because I didn't give it an offering (this seems like a mash-up of TikTik account @fishingarret, which I did watch before bed, and the Mugger of the Ghaut from The Second Jungle Book)

Anyway, before I could run off and have fun I had to do my cooking.
Hello Itaki, it's been a while :)


I cooked my chicken breasts first, in a regular chicken broth and seasoned with Goldy's spice blend and black pepper.
Next were the tilapia filets from Harmon's, also given the spice blend and pepper treatment before going into a turmeric ginger chicken broth.


I have a good sense of timing for the Itaki, and pulled the fish at the perfect time. It was flaky and moist, and the seasoning was great! Ate some of it for lunch with a challah roll and veggies.

Then a whole bunch of emailing and blog updating and meal planning before getting an Uber to the Natural History Museum!!
( Museum Stuff! )

By this time I had spent a solid two hours in the museum, and was getting tuckered.
I was about to head back downstairs when I noticed some people going out onto a sort of patio, and decided to follow them and see what was out there. An incredible view, that's what. (CLICK HERE to see)

There was lots of signage describing the atmospheric phenomenons, cloud structures, solar impacts of blah blah blah, but I just wanted to fill my eyeballs and not necessarily understand the mechanisms this time. It was 3pm, and the sky was just otherworldly.


Imagine what the sunsets must be like.

Unedited proof that I was here.


After that I did call an Uber, which was supposed to take me to Walgreens but we got held up by a "Free Palestine" protest. I was only a few blocks away so popped out of the car in the middle of stopped traffic, watched the protest for a while, then continued on to Walgreens just for a jug of distilled water for my tea kettle.

Back at the hotel I made myself tea and had snacks, and chatted with Jameson while he got ready for the premiere of Jollywood!! I can't believe the show goes live tonight!! He is SO HANDSOME in a suit :D


If you'd like to watch the new Jollywood show CLICK HERE.
Jameson is on the left upper level, sitting across from the blonde female keyboardist.

For dinner I had decided to try Zest, a vegan restaurant around the corner from the hotel.
It had great reviews, but I got a bad vibe as soon as I stepped in. 5:30pm on a Saturday, with a vibrant night life in SLC and lots of events happening downtown, and there were TWO people in the dining room. That should have been my cue to leave, but I didn't take it.

Here's what I ordered from the menu: "coconut yellow curry w/forbidden black rice and sesame stir fry vegetables, mung bean "tofu", sesame seeds, and cashews."

Here's what I got: green curry w/plain white rice in straight-up unseasoned coconut cream, with overcooked squash, bok choy, and green peppers, and mung bean "tofu."

AND IT WAS $25.

As soon as it came out I said something (I mean when you order BLACK rice and it is stark white, and the curry is green not yellow, something is clearly not right), and the server said, "Oh, our menu changed, the yellow curry was a SUMMER dish, this is our FALL curry."
Yeah ok, but like when were you going to tell ME that? Never, I guess. He seemed surprised that I had said something. I decided to eat it anyway--I really shouldn't have, but apparently my self-preservation was in the "off" setting tonight. Not only was it not at all what I'd ordered, it just was not good. The green curry broth itself was flavorful and nice, but the rest of it I'm sorry to say was just LAME. Overcooked eggplant and zucchini, bland goopy rice...and for $25!!!

I wrote them a scathing review but have to wait until we leave town to post it (it's one of the rules of traveling with a show, not to start a stink and invoke repercussions that could reflect badly on the company.) Man, what a disappointment. It WAS edible, but I could have easily made that in my hotel room with the Itaki and done a better job of it. I feel like such a sucker out-of-towner. I should have REALLY looked around and realized that the locals have shunned this place, and there must be a reason.

Ah well. This kind of thing happens from time to time. I'll have to take it as a "fool me once."
The rest of the day was lovely, so if that was the worst part of it I can't complain!

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Sunday was an early sound check because we had two shows, the first one being at 1pm.
So at 9am I was at the theatre warming up. It's a pretty one with a sparkly ceiling.


Sound check was fine, just running through a few numbers for the orchestra and then with the actors doing mic checks on stage. Back to the hotel for lunch, then back again for the first show. I thought it went well AND it was sold out, all three balcony levels were completely full! Yay! We did have a prop bouquet of fake flowers fall into the pit and hit Eileen (French horn), and it's not like a fluffy bouquet, it's a BATON with flowers tied to it, so she said it did hurt. That'll probably be an incident report. That's the second large object to fall into the pit so far, maybe we need a traveling pit net.

Otherwise it went well. Dinner at the hotel, then show number two, which also went well.

And then, opening night party!


It was at a restaurant a few blocks from the theatre, and what a nice setup we had!
Good food, really great mixed drinks (although I stuck with wine myself)


I tried to mingle but am not great socially, plus most of these people know each other already.


One fantastic surprise was my friend Tyler, who was my tour manager over a decade ago with another touring company and just last year was hired by my current touring company to do bookkeeping and tour management! I knew he'd been hired on, but didn't expect to see him here!! We haven't seen each other since 2008!! I didn't get a pic with him but should have! Ah well. We got caught up as much as we could in the loud environment, and it was just great to see him again. It is amazing that we met on tour so long ago, and our paths intersected again for the second time tonight. The entertainment world is a small one indeed :)

I drank and had some finger foods and a slice of cake, and chatted it up with mostly members of the band.
Somehow I managed to stay for almost the whole party (10pm-12am), but peaced out right before the end.
We were each given a lovely gift bag, which I checked out back at the hotel.


Inside were two luggage tags (obligatory, I've met people who use these as a sort of flex to display all of the shows they've been on) and a warm fluffy dusky-blue My Fair Lady hoodie! (It looks grey in the photo but it's not, promise.) I was impressed that they'd given me "my" size without having to ask me about it...I guess someone actually checked my existing records to see what size I am.


Not great photos but it was late at night and hotel lighting, you understand.
Everyone, male and female, also received these flower necklaces. I don't go in for jewelry but did appreciate how short the chains were, it will not interfere with my tromboning so I may actually wear it from time to time.


Overall, really nice party, and I appreciated the chance to interact with my peers outside of work hours :)

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Monday is another day off! Wow!
I'm definitely going to go for a walk, where exactly is TBD.
We also have single evening shows all week so really every day this week is quite free and open, there's no need to cram a lot into one day just because the evening is free. I expect to have small adventures here in Salt Lake, see some sights, play some shows, and then fly back to Orlando for that pesky overnight rehearsal (omg I can't think about it, I'll freak out!)

Other stuff:

There is a pup at this theatre named Tuukka who greets everyone who comes backstage!


Someone stuck googly eyes on this stairs sign. Watch OUT for those stairs, they're gonna getcha!

**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**

Note:
Due to an ongoing family emergency, there are times where I may post less regularly or with less content.
Thank you for your understanding.
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The venue: Straz Center for the Performing Arts


(stock photos)

Covid Tests to Date: 13

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TL;DR: an abbreviated version of this post via TikTok, I know people are opposed to reading so here ya go.

TikTok by @tromboneontour

For those who read:

We all woke up early for our flight to Tampa.

While getting to the airport was easy, we hit a few small snafus along the way.
Travel troubles are inevitable and should be expected, especially when traveling with a big group like ours. Our second flight was delayed. Then upon arrival in Tampa it was raining (welcome to Florida y'all!) and we had to wait a bit for the rain to die down so we and our luggage wouldn't be soaked. Finally, the hotel was not ready for us when we arrived, so there was a bit of a campout in the lobby as the rooms got sorted.

These are all really minor snags, everything worked out just fine in the end. I'm mentioning them not to complain, but to illustrate that traveling to a new city and a new hotel every week is not always the romantic, carefree adventure that people envision. Stuff happens!

Also, it's the bumps in the road along the way that make for the best tour tales later on :)

Once I was settled into my room and had a look at the fridge (another small square unit) I walked to the Publix only 1/4 mile away to get my groceries for the week. This time I was a little smarter about vegetables. Libby's vegetable cups can be stored without refrigeration, come in convenient single-serving cups, and won't go bad like fresh produce. I also bought less meat because with the grocery so close I can go back partway through the week, avoiding spoilage and allowing for more variety. And I got a full-size jar of almond butter, because I eat enough of it that it's worth making room for it in my luggage.

After dropping those groceries at the hotel I went looking for local bread, but was unable to find it where Google Maps had told me it would be. Turns out the bakery had moved, so that would be a project for Tuesday morning. Back at the hotel I overheard someone getting a microwave delivered to their room! Ohmigosh!! The skillet is great and all, but a microwave is SO much more convenient! I requested one right away.

The rest of my evening was spent relaxing, watching TV and checking on family.

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Tuesday I woke up too early, and did not sleep well. No particular reason.
I had a very slow morning because I was just not in the mood to go anywhere in the Florida heat.
I had a nice relaxing breakfast of yogurt and oatmeal with raspberries, then did some family stuff and made travel plans.

Around lunchtime I walked to the theatre for my first covid test of the week.
We are being tested by both the theatre and the production company, so there will be some extra testing!
I don't mind, if it makes us all safer and protects my job, let's do it!


This was the little testing booth. I checked in at security and in no time at all someone came out to help me do my rapid test. It only took a few minutes, and afterward I was given this vaccination card that is good for 48 hours.


Then it was time to find my local bread!
( Read more... )