goofball on a train

**Long post, more adventures**
**DreamWidth is garbage for embedding video, so view this post on LiveJournal for the best experience**

I woke up before my alarm on Thursday. Bakery time.

Walked a mile to Moxy bakery and was disappointed to see two sad cookies in the pastry case.
The cashier explained that they were "behind" and would have the croissants out at some point later.

So instead I walked to Brown Bear Bakery, which has been around for a long time and is very popular with the locals.

Now THAT'S what I got up early for.



Choosing just one thing was freaking difficult, but I ended up with the everything bagel croissant.


It was crispy, like a super crisp crunch on the outside that sent seeds flying everywhere haha.
But it was so delicious, and chewy nearest the herbed cream cheese filling (which was amazing and perfect)


On the same block was Allez Bakery. It might seem counterintuitive to have two bakeries side by side like that, but Brown Bear caters to individuals and walk-ins while Allez supplies rustic breads to many Cincinnati restaurants as their main business, so they're not really competing.

Still, their pastry case was ALSO epic.


I had to get the orange blossom cranberry scone with candied orange and pistachios. I mean look at it.


I haven't tried it yet, that's for tomorrow.
I asked the cashier which bread was her fave, and she said the rye because it's so flavorful.


She specifically recommended the marble rye because "There is NO good pumpernickel in this city and that rye is the closest you're gonna get!" Good enough for me! They also serve sandwiches on their breads in the afternoon, so I made plans to go back later.

Back at the hotel I unpacked and had the croissant for breakfast and a small sample piece of the rye.
It was extremely good. Malty and chewy and indeed very flavorful.


Then some computer work and emails.
Then heck yes I walked back to Allez for a sandwich.
I'm sure y'all think that I should be 500lbs by now, but let me remind that

A) We're here for two weeks this time so I've refrigerated half the bread and it'll last the entire two weeks
B) I am cutting the two pastries (scone, croissant) in half and eating half at a time over the course of four days
C) If the sandwich is large I'll also eat half of that at a time

The sandwich WAS also large. It wasn't very photogenic so no pics, but it was a jambon-beurre with yellow Swiss added and herbed butter on a big hunk of baguette. The bread was still the star of the show. Half for lunch and half for dinner.

I tried to do some data entry but the company has just rolled out a new version that is not working quite right (not unusual for new tech I think) and they had everyone doing a sort of inventory to see what info had transferred where. It was kinda chaos, so I backed off and will try again later.

Our show went well, nothing specifically stood out that I recall (writing a day later it's always tough to remember).
When I got back to the hotel I didn't have internet, and that's been happening every day which has made it really hard to do my remote work and also just function online. After multiple calls to the tech support number that the front desk had given me I finally went downstairs at midnight, and happened to find their engineer there too.

He came up to my room to troubleshoot and immediately his own equipment stopped working too.
Ghost in the machine, apparently!
So the only solution that they had for me was to change rooms. ugh.

I packed everything up and put all the furniture back (when you're staying somewhere for two weeks there can be a lot of rearranging) and transferred everything--food, clothing, luggage, cooking equipment, toiletries, water, etc---to the new room. Which was absolutely half the size of the previous room :(

But hey, the internet worked.
I finished rearranging and unpacking around 2am.

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Friday, a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo!

I was operating on like four hours of sleep, but excitement and coffee helped to keep me motivated.
I took an Uber to the zoo entrance and waited outside, keeping far away from the mobs of screaming children running around the parking lot.

Soon my friend Val came to get me. Val has been a zookeeper for 37 years!

( CLICK HERE for Elephants )

From then on I got to explore the rest of the Cincinnati Zoo.
It was around 40F but the windchill must have put it close to 35 or 30F, because I found it very difficult to keep warm and had to keep ducking into buildings to warm up. Most of the mammals were indoors due to the crummy weather, but I did still get to see a lot and spent probably 2.5 hours enjoying the animals and insects.

Everyone is obsessed with the Cinci Zoo's hippos, so I had a look.
They ARE very cute, and very active! CLICK HERE for video

The baby is Fritz, and the larger one is Bibi.
Fiona was off to the left showing off for her audience while I captured this cute playful moment.

The wild dog pack was out and running around, nipping at each other.
They went back in shortly after this video, though. CLICK HERE to watch

Red ibis. I came into the bird area to get warm, but it was also humid in there so when I stepped back outside I felt even colder :p CLICK HERE to watch

Ostriches and other African savanna birds.


Sadly for me that was pretty much it for "creatures spending time outdoors". But I could hardly blame them!

I spent the rest of my zoo time in the Insect House and Reptile house, which were very interesting and enjoyable.
There were naked mole rats, a big orchid spider eating a fly, and way too many cockroaches for comfort :D

(If you don't like BUGS or SNAKES here's your cue to scroll past!)
.
.
.
Close-up of a tarantula.


There are two HUGE bugs in this habitat, can you see them both?


The face of a stick bug.


Cookies n' cream booplesnoot.


I was starting to get hungry, so made my way to the gift shop.
I was surprised that little of the merchandise had to do with the elephants...everything is hippos, hippos, hippos everywhere you look.
I found the ONE keychain with an elephant and bought it, for the memories and to support the zoo.

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From there I took an Uber to Drunken Bento. I felt frozen from my fingertips to my toes, and nothing sounded better than a piping hot, crackling bowl of dolsot bibimbap after this wonderful zoo adventure!

"Dolsot" means "stone pot".
Bibimbap is a Korean dish of steamed and pickled veggies, seasoned meat, and rice topped with a fried egg.
So, dolsot bibimbap is bibimbap served in a heated stone bowl.

Turn up your volume and CLICK HERE to hear the rice crackling!

My bibimbap had tofu, carrots, soybean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach, topped with a fried egg.
You're supposed to mix all of these things together in the bowl with some gochujang and sesame oil.


This is the golden-brown, crunchy rice from the bottom and sides of the bowl.
The absolute best part of dolsot bibimbap!!


They also gave me a small dish of traditional Korean sides: kimchi, a slice of steamed egg roll, and fish cakes.


Everything was incredible, all the textures and fresh veggies and spices and seasonings combining to form the absolutely perfect meal for a cold day. I ate half and saved the rest for later, then Ubered back to the hotel to rest before the show.

Our show went well, though a lot of the male cast are out due to injury or illness or LOA so it felt like we were all a bit hesitant.
These things happen, and we still put on a great show :)

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Saturday I was thrilled to catch up on sleep a bit before typing this massive post out. Phew!

We had two shows, and three male cast members out.
The rest of the cast covered so well. I admire how hard they all work...but I hope they get a break on this upcoming Golden Day!!

Sunday was another two show day, and Josh's last day as our MD.
Next week we will have our other MD, Soto, back.
They're both awesome people and musicians :)
I'm excited to have Soto back, but will miss Josh, who was a friend before we both joined Tootsie.

The coolest photo of Josh that I could find.


Both shows went well. I was distracted with excitement for visiting Jungle Jim's tomorrow, and also didn't go to the bar with everyone after the show to bid Josh farewell. I hate bars, I hate being around drunk people, I hate being right next to people I want to get to know but not being able to hear them over the racket in a bar. So I hugged Josh goodbye in the pit and said, "See you down the road!", traditional circus parting words that imply parting is brief and we will meet again.

Then back to the hotel to sleep, because tomorrow is an early, exciting day.

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Looking back on this post...wowzers.

Visiting the circus train, finding amazing bakeries and restaurants, visiting the zoo, performing shows, and having to switch hotel rooms in the middle of the night made this an action-packed week for me.

Week two in Cincinnati should be slightly less crazy, but there's still a lot of fun ahead!

- Spending the day at Jungle Jim's International Grocery!
- Visiting with my boss Brett one more time
- Having lunch with a trombonist buddy of mine
- Laundry, shows, sending souvenirs home for family and such!

I'm so glad to have made wonderful memories in this city <3

Leaving the hotel in Syracuse turned out to be more of an "adventure" than bargained for, because as I was heading out I noticed a house centipede sitting on the ceiling.

They are my least favorite bug on the planet, 100% because of how they look:


So I edged past it's corner and was about to scoot out the door when I thought, I should show Jameson this bug!

So I turned around to take video.

And it
SPRANG
OFF THE CEILING
AT ME
and proceeded to RUN at me on the floor.

(CLICK HERE to be horrified)

Got my heart rate nice and elevated.

We had two flights and a layover in Atlanta.
For once I bought airport food. I'd had tuna pouches the last two days in Syracuse and needed a break from that.

The flights were ok, with the second flight being a big rough due to weather.
I had anticipated this, but still had to do my box breathing and put on my wuss bracelets.
Jealous every day of people who don't get flight anxiety and/or motion sickness.

Anyway we landed too late for a walk to the grocery, so I Ubered with three bandmates to a local chain called Homeland.
Was able to get everything that I needed more or less.

The hotel is very tall, and most of us are on the top floor. There are glass elevators so the view can be appreciated or feared, whichever.


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Tuesday morning, I had breakfast and tried to do data entry but the wifi here is So. Slow.
So perhaps on the weekend I'll have to bring my computer to the theater and work between shows, if their wifi is better. We'll see.

Around lunchtime I walked a mile and change to Harvey's Bakery & Kitchen.
It's a cafe with a very large bakery visible behind big glass windows, you can see the breads and pastries being made!


The pastry cabinet was very tempting indeed, but as usual I was mean to myself and just ordered a sandwich and some sourdough bread to take home.


The sandwich was The Vegan:
portobello mushroom, roasted carrot, wild rice, walnuts, dates lettuce, tomato, and cashew cream on house bread.


While the ingredients were fresh and delicious, I have to admit to being really disappointed by the amount of oil and/or dressing.
Nowhere in the description was there anything about oil or dressing, but the contents of the sandwich had been tossed in oil and possibly left sitting in it. When I tried to pick the sandwich up, oil was literally dripping and puddling onto the plate.

Not only that, the ingredients themselves were really difficult to handle in sandwich form.
I ended up having to get paper towels from the bathroom to put down on my plate, then deconstructing the sandwich into a salad, eating the filling with a fork and having the bread on the side. Which wasn't bad; again, the flavors were great. Just kind of annoying to have to do that, and the amount of oil was plain gross, I'm sorry but it was.

Anyway, as embarrassing as it was I did say something about it, trying to be kind and constructive.
Hopefully I didn't come across as a Karen.

After lunch I walked back to the hotel, stopping at a local coffee place to restock on ground coffee (try to buy local when I can).

I felt very tired, probably because flying here was very stressful for me yesterday and also my body may not have adjusted to the extremely minor time zone change. I cooked chicken in the Itaki and did some Christmas shopping and chilled until sound check.

This is the first non-1920s theatre we've been in for a while.
It's nice to have climate control, and modern plumbing, and water fountains, and space in the pit.


The show was nice, I couldn't really tell how full the house was but the audience reacted like they enjoyed us.

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Wednesday I forced myself to stay in bed until 8 (9am EST) then had a light breakfast and tried to do some data entry.

The wifi still wouldn't let me upload audio files, so oh well on that.
For lunch I walked to Stitch Cafe because they have spiked coffee and also homemade pop tarts.
Who could resist?

I got the "Dark Side of the Mocha", which is a mocha latte with Oaxaca-inspired spices and a shot of some sort of booze.
It was fantastic. I had two kinds of buzz at once lol.


I picked the bacon egg and cheese pop tart with everything bagel dough.
Also fantastic. Flaky and warm and savory.


Cross-section view.


I got a graham cracker crust, apricot jam filled, vanilla iced pop tart to eat later.
I'm sure it'll also be fantastic.


I spent some significant time chilling at the cafe. It was a nice vibe in there, especially as it was sharing space with a small plant store that was bright and full of lovely greenery.


Eventually I had to start walking to my hair appointment two miles up the road.
Teszeract Salon. There were only two stylists in there, and they both had beautiful hair which gave me high hopes.
I really just needed a clean-up as mine hasn't been cut for two months and is becoming a mullet.
Devon did an amazing job with my cowlick-plagued, awful hair.
She made it clean and even, which is all I can ever ask for.

Probably a bit difficult to tell from this picture, but it's the best I could do at the time. Trust me, it's an improvement.


The walk back was very nice because it was cold-yet-sunny.
I stopped at a dollar store for some lotion (it is very dry here!) and found some cheap Reptar pj pants also.
Meanwhile in my foodie group, two people visited Stitch Cafe based on the pictures I posted. Nice!

Back at the hotel I had some chill time before our show which went well.
The walk back was quite cold, mid-to-low 30s. I walked seven miles today.

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Now it's Thursday, which I've designated a "chill day".

I'm doing laundry, trying to do data entry, making Christmas plans to visit with family, watching anime, cooking a pork tenderloin, and possibly going for a very short walk later.

For the weekend we have one show on Friday, two each on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday I hope to visit a botanical garden. Saturday and Sunday, not much planned.

**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.**

The venue: SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
(It's so new that all I can find are the concept renders)

(stock image)

Covid Tests To Date: 90

TL;DR TikTok: Click HERE

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I slept terribly because I was constantly anticipating my alarm.
When it finally did go off I hopped up right away and got dressed, grabbed my luggage, and out the door to the waiting cab.

At the airport I had a little time for a snack before we boarded and took off.
A short layover in Salt Lake, and one last leg to Sacramento.

And just like that, I'm back on tour!

I got to the hotel way before pretty much everyone, and as a result my room wasn't ready yet.
They asked me to kill 30 minutes, so I dropped my luggage and was heading out when Adam (our new bassist) arrived.
He's from Salt Lake so it's not surprising that he showed up around the same time as me.
I told him that I was off to find Osaka-ya for Japanese treats, and he decided to tag along.

We chatted on the way about this and that, then found the little shop on a street corner.
It was even smaller than the one in San Jose had been, and it being a Monday they didn't have a big selection.
But what they did have looked beautiful, and it was hard to narrow down which to take home!


I ended up with these three, and Adam and I also munched on some peanut butter-filled mochi as we walked back.
This was his first mochi/manju experience, and he seemed to enjoy it.

In following days I ate all of these, and unfortunately they were kind of disappointing...the strawberry mochi was very artificial and left a bitter, weird aftertaste; the white bean-filled baked bun was salty rather than sweet. The purple one had cherry leaves and juice and a red bean filling, and that one was my favorite, but the bean filling was dry and it was kind of an unpleasant texture. I gotta say, the "wagashi" shop in San Jose was better by far. Sorry I couldn't give this one a better review :/

By the time we got back it had been almost an hour, and our rooms were ready.
I did my usual of dropping the luggage and having a look at the fridge before rocketing back out the door for groceries.

Along the way I noticed a gaggle of men standing on a street corner and taking turns gawking at their phones and then up at the sky.
Three construction workers in orange vests and hard hats, one homeless guy pushing a shopping cart, and a sleek-looking dude in a full suit, uncharacteristically clustered together and pointing excitedly upward. I looked and didn't see anything, but one of the construction dudes saw me looking and told me to take a picture of the sun using my phone. So I did.


Whoa. What is this witchcraft??
I didn't know at the time what would cause that, so I was a little freaked out and a LOT curious, and kept glancing up at it as I walked.
Turns out it's called a 22-degree halo, and it's a fairly common phenomenon that happens when there are cirrus clouds containing hexagonal ice crystals high up in the atmosphere. Wild! I was happy to see something so neato.

Anyway, I walked two miles to the Sacramento Natural Food Co-op.

(stock photo)

It was lovely! Nice big store, lots of organic produce, great selection of locally-grown and locally-made foods.
I got some coffee beans which smelled fantastic, and a loaf of bread from Grateful Bread.
There were many local bakery offerings to choose from and I was having trouble narrowing it down (soooo much sourdough) until this dark "Algonquin bread" caught my eye. Any unique or unheard-of flavor is a must-try for me!



I have no idea what makes this bread "Algonquin"; if anybody knows please fill me in. It's likely just some reference that I'm ignorant of. The bread is a dark brown and looks like maybe a rye or pumpernickel, but it tastes more like a Borodinsky bread. It has malted flour, wheat bran, and molasses, which give it a rich sweet flavor that is very enjoyable.

For my primary groceries I walked another mile to Safeway and just got my usual boring stuff.
Having walked nearly eight miles since arriving in Sacramento I decided to Uber back with all of my goods.
Unpacking took longer than usual both because I kind of forgot how to do it efficiently, and because there's limited counter space in this hotel room. It reminds me of the hotel in Kansas City actually; kind of a vintage, Deco theme with a lot of brass trim and aged furniture, but not a lot of actual surface area to put things out. No matter, I'll manage.

After unpacking I wolfed down a big piece of salmon with rice and broccoli for dinner, then spent the rest of the night typing this blog up and trying to remember how to do my job.

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I woke up right at 7am on Tuesday, which is of course 10am eastern time. Sigh.
Made myself some of the local coffee I'd bought (it's REALLY good) and some oatmeal with raspberries.
Took a quick walk to Target because I'd forgotten that I'm out of dish soap.
Washed the dishes, and just tried to chill.

It worked, I got in a nap before sound check, which went well.
This theatre is extremely new, and while that generally means a clean space and a good design it also means some kinks being worked out, like wifi is sketchy and there are doors with keypads that refuse to open for love or money.
Anyway, it was nice to be back and both cast and admin expressed that they had missed "their" band :)

Here's my stand, music on my iPad, and my little monitor for watching Soto (our MD) with.


Our show went well, I think we had some intonation issues from being apart, but in my experience as a musician that's pretty normal.
A good crowd, too.

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Wednesday, still up way too early.
Noticed that there was a post from Ringling's social media, announcing the reopening of the show (again) and with several AP articles and interviews and videos to pick through. There still aren't many details about what they plan to actually DO, but there will definitely be no animals, no train, and possibly no clowns. There's also a big emphasis on audience participation. Some of my circus friends are speculating a sort of "America's Got Talent" tour, and I think that's not a bad guess, but that's also not very "circus".

Anyway, the main "update" here is that they've apparently decided on a new logo.
This interview from Today has the most detail, but there are more videos on the Ringling site if you're interested.


Anyway, this announcement unfortunately took up a lot of my morning as there are people out there who think I'm a one-stop shop for Ringling info. The only reason I had All The Info while the circus was active was because I was upkeeping the blog, and the company supported my efforts with that. I don't know why people still think I'd have some sort of super-secret insider information when I haven't been employed by Feld for five years, and never even mention them unless it's to reminisce or share a news article.

Getting bombarded with questions and commentary just because I shared a link this morning was kind of a final straw for me.
Because I do "interesting things", or perhaps because I'm female and they feel they are entitled to my time and attention, over the past year I have garnered and unwanted following of specifically white men, between the ages of 25-65, who feel that they MUST send a private message for EVERY post that I make. Because just liking or leaving a comment is not enough; they require MORE. I'm supposed to take time out of my day, every time I post something, to individually respond to their private messages, usually asking a question about the content that has already been answered (i.e. "Is Ringling coming back?") or making some inappropriate remark about my abilities as a musician or as an amateur baker, or even about my appearance despite the fact that I rarely post pictures of myself (which is WHY I rarely post pictures of myself).

To sum it up, receiving six unwanted PMs this morning, all from men who can't be bothered to read what I posted or have any consideration for my time, was finally too much. I have tried to be gentle, I have tried to be polite, I have tried to be responsive despite the idiocy of the questions and the time it takes me to spoon-feed responses to these people one by one. But with Ringling coming back, there are plenty more announcements to come, and with a second tour of TOOTSIE on the horizon, I am just not going to be able to handle more and more private messages from this demographic. PMs are fine, when we are actually conversing. But that's not what this is.

So I made a short, kind of whiny TikTok, in which I begged anyone engaging with my content to please think a minute before asking a question that could possibly already have been answered by the very content that I posted.
Now, that is VAGUE considering the actual issue that I'm dealing with, which is PMs from a specific demographic.
But I am still trying to be gentle. I am still trying not to pick a fight. I am still hoping that some people are capable of changing their behavior.

Plus, I absolutely reamed out several of these men via PMs yesterday so those should have gotten the "hint" now that I'm not so cutesy and subtle. I doubt anyone will actually stop messaging me with stupid questions, or stop expecting me to dedicate chunks of time to their neediness each time I post something. But at least now I can say I've tried.

After dusting my hands of that, I took myself to the State Capitol.


There was some kind of administrative press conference thing going on on the lawn, so I couldn't get the distance I needed for a decent photo of the building. But it was nice to wander around. There's a garden attached to the capitol grounds with lots of very large trees and interesting flowers.

They had a small rose garden; most of the roses are about spent, but there were still some looking fresh.


There was a desert plant section, where some of the cacti were in bloom.


This cool little orange flower is called Lion's Tail, and it's related to mint.


I had never seen a "Chinese lantern" like this!
They were growing all over a large bush.



These pretty red coral flowers grow on the branches of a big stout tree:


But my favorite flower of all was not a part of the garden: a milk thistle standing proudly at an intersection, spiky and good.


It was getting to be around lunchtime, so I took myself to Solomon's.

(photo courtesy Visit Sacramento)

This used to be an Empire Records store, and the restaurant is now a tribute to that legacy.
It was unfortunately rather depressed-looking, perhaps because it was a weekday, but I got 1/4lb of house-smoked lox to take home and enjoy with my Algonquin bread and some egg whites and some chopped bok choy.


The evening show was just fine, we had a large crowd.
There's a line in our show, "I don't think you should be telling me what I can do with my body", that is getting a LOT more applause than usual thanks to current events.

Covid tests are now taking place after shows on Tuesday and Friday, so I got those and then walked home.

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Thursday, we had matinees.
I managed to sleep in until eight, woohoo!
A slow breakfast and the realization that I'll have to go get groceries again, I'll be out of protein and fruit soon.
I'd like another jug of water too as it's so hot here.
Vegas will be even hotter, with daytime highs above 100F.

I decided to walk to Target before the matinee, and got my groceries and the water.
On the way back I figured, why not hit Frank Fat's for their famous banana cream pie?
It's a Chinese restaurant but for some reason they have the best banana cream pie in Sacramento.


Oh yes, it was just as good as it looked!
The bananas were somehow magically perfect, not over or under-ripe.
There was enough custard to coat the bananas and not much more, giving them almost a candied or glazed appearance and texture.
Topped with a big fluffy mountain of real whipped cream, sitting on a flaky yet strong crust (it HAS to be strong to hold all that!)
Man it was good!

I ate half with lunch and half with dinner.

Both of our shows went well, I didn't do anything else special between shows.

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Friday, I woke up a bit nervous because of a job interview later in the morning.
I had breakfast and scheduled a laundry pickup with SudShare; I have tried to use this app before but the particular hotel that I was staying in would not let me leave items at the front desk for pickup. There are many cities where laundry services are not readily available, so I want to get used to using this app once in a while, and this seems like a good week to test it out.

My interview was at 10:30 and it went shockingly well.
It only took about ten minutes, and it was basically to ensure that I'm a Real Person who really can do some data entry.
MY concern here was to confirm that the job was fully remote, and that the work can be done at any time of day, as long as it actually gets done, and the answer to both of those was a strong "yes". This means that it's a job I can do both during the twelve-week layoff AND while on tour. Yay! I've never done remote work like this before, but it sounds like it could be a good fit.

While I was in the interview a Sudster picked up my laundry at the front desk, so now we wait and see what it's like to get the clothes back!

To celebrate supposedly getting a job, I took myself thrifting!


First to a Goodwill that was not on the map as "boutique" but was definitely boutique.
I was surprised to see such nice stuff in a Goodwill; prices are higher, but you also don't have to paw through a warehouse-load of clothing to find your hidden gems. I tried on several things but in the end nothing was a keeper.

There were two more vintage/thrift stores nearby so I visited each, where I found many fabric patterns that I absolutely adored but just my luck, everything was either the wrong size or wrong style. Plus their dressing rooms weren't open, so there were lines of women in front of the mirrors, all of us struggling to cram blouses over our t-shirts and try to guess if they fit well. I did find one nice blouse, a shiny black with red flowers, that I think will be good for post-tour work. Ten bucks.

By then it was well past lunch time and I was very hungry, so walked back to the hotel.
I got a message from SudShare:


That was quick! The next message was from my Sudster saying they'd drop it off in a few minutes.
I had just enough time to throw my bag in my room and scoot back down to the lobby before he showed up with my laundry.


Look how nicely folded! And the underwear was separated neatly in a smaller bag inside.
This service was WELL worth it.

Without using SudShare I would have paid $20 to Uber to the nearest laundromat (or alternatively, spent 30-45 minutes walking in 90-degree weather carrying all of my clothes to get there, then paid $7 to wash and dry, plus spent the next two hours trapped at the laundromat getting harrassed by random men while I waited. Then another $20 Uber back to the hotel (or alternatively walking back in the heat with all of my clean clothing against my sweaty body). The total cost would have been $27 plus 2-3 hours of my time. Just for one load of laundry!

But instead I paid $20 for someone to pick up, wash, dry, fold, package, and drop off my laundry while I went thrifting.
That's a good deal!

I will definitely keep this app and use it again.
Typically I have no problem walking to a laundromat or spending a few hours at one to save some money.
And a lot of hotels do have laundry facilities.
But every once in a while you have a city like this where paying someone with a car and a washer to help you out really is the best option.

Anyway you get the idea. I put the clothes away and ate lunch, then was going to take a nap but a live band started rocking out in the park across the street, go figure. Instead I watched a little Netflix and did a little Vegas research.

The evening show was nice. Our trumpet chica Yael volunteered to do a "Tootsie Takeover" on Insta, so she was making little stories throughout the day and as the night went on. I was briefly in one, awkward as usual, which you can see on this week's TikTok.

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Saturday, I woke up earlier than I wanted to. Weird dreams about baby quail kept me up. Sounds cute, but it wasn't.

Breakfast, a little internal moaning because I'd intentionally "forgotten" to get some small grocery items and would now have to walk to Target...I do this kind of thing to myself on purpose because without a reason to exercise, I often won't, and "Unless you go get that food you're going to be very hungry today" is a good way to bully myself into a walk.

So the morning was spent savoring the quiet cool of my hotel room, then huffily walking to Target for literally just a banana and some protein, then cleaning up and heading to the theatre for the matinee.

The show went well, both shows went well, nothing to report except that for the first time on this tour I had to run to the bathroom in the middle of Act I because I'd chugged a coffee right before the show started (so amateur, I REALLY should have known better!). But it didn't impact anything thankfully, and it happens to literally all of us at least once. Once in a blue moon matter does trump mind.

On the way back to the hotel I chatted with Adam (bass) who said he'd been back to Osaka-ya to try more of their manju, and that he really enjoyed it. I resolved to give them another chance tomorrow morning.

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Sunday, only one show today!

I ate breakfast and started packing, then walked back to Osaka-ya.
They did indeed have a better selection, and some fresh sushi as well, so I picked up two manju and a bento.

The manju were chocolate-filled chocolate mochi, and a sort of dorayashi (sweet pancake) wrapped around a piece of peanut mochi.
Both were quite good. The sushi was "futomaki", which is a type of vegetarian sushi roll containing picked vegetables and seasoned egg pieces. That was also really good, the flavors were sweet and sour and nostalgic. I'm glad I went back to try more of their food!

We had our one show and it went by quickly.
Really lovely audiences here in Sacramento, lots of laughter and each night a handful of people stuck around to applaud the band, which doesn't happen often and makes us feel special :)

I was happy to spend the rest of my night packing more, eating a dinner of random leftovers in my room, drinking tea, and watching anime.
In Vegas, the food situation is going to be "rags to riches".

On one hand, I have some exciting restaurants to visit including a taiyaki stand in Chinatown; a new Italian restaurant in the Arts District serving handmade pasta; a bar in Container Park that sells Hot Cheetos sliders; and an old favorite cafe, Makers & Finders, that has a really exciting and eclectic menu.

On the other hand, we are staying in Old Vegas and will have nether refrigerators nor microwaves in our rooms, meaning the rest of my meals for the week are going to consist of delicacies like canned meats and vegetables, shelf stable fruits, dry goods like nuts breads and jerky, and single-serve meals cooked in my electric skillet. Yum, yum. Going without a fridge sucks, and I'm bummed, but will make the best of it like everyone else.

Let's ROLL them dice!

**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.**

The venue: Buell Theatre

(I took this one of the outside myself!)

(stock image)

Covid Tests To Date: 76

TL;DR TikTok: CLICK HERE
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We flew to Denver without incident, just a minor flight delay.

Once at the hotel I dropped my bags and made sure my little fridge worked before catching an Uber with Bobby, our bassist.
Bobby is vegetarian (or vegan?) and wanted to take me to one of his favorite restaurants here in Denver: Watercourse Foods!

The entire menu is 100% vegan, which is surprising considering it features "chicken" and waffles, "pastrami", "smoked turkey", and other seemingly meaty mains. But it's all made from plants, prepared in a way that best matches texture and flavor to that of meat.

We started off with a charcuterie board, which featured house sourdough and a variety of "meats", "cheeses", nuts, and fruit.


Everything was delicious! Although the meat looks a little ridiculous, the flavor and texture were actually quite good.
It was difficult to hold back so I'd have room for the main course!


This was Bobby's pastrami Reuben. Looks convincing, doesn't it!
He gave me a piece, and it was delicious!

I ordered the fried "chicken" with mac & cheese and kale salad.


I mean, clearly it's cauliflower florets. But you might have to do a double take!
Also, the fact that they fried cauliflower and it wasn't wet or soggy, and it truly did resemble fried chicken, is pretty damn amazing.
I spent a lot of time wondering how they did it. Run it through the dehydrator after boiling? Just let it drain for a really long time? It didn't look like the cauliflower had been roasted or handled in any way except to be steamed or boiled. Fascinating stuff.


The sides were also incredible. The texture of the mac & cheese was a bit runnier than real cheese, and there was a strong aftertaste of coconut (coconut milk and soy based), but it was still very delicious.
CLICK HERE for a video of the mac & cheese.

And the kale salad was crunchy and refreshing, with toasted chickpeas and pickled beets and onions on top.
Overall what a fantastic first meal in Denver!

While we ate we talked about some personal stuff...Bobby has been thoughtful and concerned for me pretty much since day one, since my dad passed away right as we were starting this tour. I have to be honest, since then it feels like although I'm personally "ok", everything and everyone around me has just been falling to pieces and I don't know how to pick everything up and put it back together (in fact I really don't think I can). The number of people in my immediate circle who have depression, or health problems, or who have lost a job, just seems to keep multiplying and multiplying. I feel frozen in place, like if I reach out to one I need to reach out to all, and I just do not have the emotional and financial resources to do that.

I'm sure it looks happy-go-lucky, being on tour and seeing wonderful things and eating wonderful foods. I'm going to defend that and say that this could be my last chance to do something like this. I could spend it hoarding ALL of my money and holing up in my hotel room in an effort to help everyone around me who's struggling. Better people than me would do that. Or I could try to wring some enjoyment out of this rare, unexpected gift that I was given before it comes to an end in a few months. I'm selfish, and that's what I choose to do.

Well anyway, you don't want to hear all that. But it's what we talked about, just personal things and how things are going, and Bobby gave me some really good advice, which I will try to follow. And then we walked off our meal, going to a vegan bakery/ice cream shop, where Bobby got in line for a treat and I called an Uber so I could get my groceries for the week.

For once there are quite a few groceries within walking distance, but it was late and it was almost closing time so I Ubered to ensure I'd have time to shop. I did walk back to the hotel (where I certainly started noticing the altitude), put everything away, unpacked and crashed.
( Read more... )

**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.**

The venue: Tulsa PAC


(stock images)

Covid Tests To Date: 67

TL;DR TikTok: CLICK HERE

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Monday was a pretty normal travel day, our first flight was delayed but that wasn't so bad since we had a long layover.
The airport in San Antonio has a pizza vending machine. Naturally someone had to try it out.

Pro: You get a CUTTING WEAPON with your pizza!
Con: Burnt and barely edible!


Both flights were fine and we arrived at the hotel around 7pm.

Bobby (bass) and I shared an Uber to the nearest grocery because there are none within walking distance this week.
The protein shakes that my dietitian suggested are starting to stress me out...they are so difficult to find!
Most of the time stores carry them, but they are always shelved in different sections.
Sometimes they're in the "Nutrition" aisle with the protein bars, sometimes in the pharmacy with the Ensure, sometimes in the refrigerated section with the milk, sometimes in the "beverages" aisle with protein-enhanced waters, or sometimes in the "alternative milks" section because they are shelf stable and lactose free. And when I ask an employee they almost never know where they are either.

It's costing me an extra 15-20 minutes in the store to go up and down each and every aisle until I find them.
I might start buying a case and stuffing it in the band box.

That aside, I got mostly everything I need for food.
No exotic foods this week, Tulsa doesn't seem to have a lot of that in their groceries :)
I got my local bread at the grocery, from a bakery called Farrell Bread & Bakery.
It's a Tuscan loaf made with whole wheat, and while it's not my favorite bread (kinda salty) it'll certainly do for all of my sandwiching needs :)

(stock image)

I got home, unpacked, and settled in for the night.

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Tuesday, we had PCR and rapid tests in the morning, which I felt very wary about but my results came back a strong negative.
So I guess that drama is over, and I never had covid in the first place. Whew!

I needed a can opener so walked around downtown until I found a convenience store.
Downtown Tulsa is pretty nice, it looks like a "typical" midwestern city if there is such a thing.
The architecture--tall buildings and the city itself built on the highest point, and and high arched bridges--puts me in mind of Kansas City and Omaha.

I had Googled a place that had Vietnamese crepes and was really excited to get them.
Banh xeo are crispy, lightly fried egg crepes with shrimp and pork mixed into the batter, stuffed with fresh herbs and lettuce and bean sprouts and onions, with a tart dipping sauce on the side.
Unfortunately, despite the restaurant having good reviews, their crepes were pretty awful :(
The main problem was that they were absolutely swimming in grease. I'm talking tablespoons of grease in the bottom of the container, coating all the fresh herbs, soaking the crepes so that they were soggy and disintegrating. Yuck.

I used a ridiculous number of paper towels to try and blot off what oil I could, and ate what was edible because I didn't want to waste food, but it was very disappointing.

About that time some recommendations from the band started rolling in on our group chat.
Right next door to the hotel is a row of awesome restaurants, bars, and shops.

Yael (trumpet) found a great bakery, so I popped in there and I definitely shouldn't have because it is AWESOME and DANGEROUS and once again I want to eat everything I see. The layout and uniqueness of the treats reminds me very much of se7enbites in Orlando, actually.


I managed to escape with three macarons, a "crack bar", and a prepackaged caramel rice crispy treat.
The crack bar seems to be a cookie base with homemade marshmallow and caramel/peanut topping.
I cut a piece off and it was AWESOME.
The caramel rice crispy treat is decadent, again I cut a piece off and planned to give the rest away tonight at sound check, they are large and I don't wanna see them get stale as I ration them throughout the week. Better to let the boys scarf 'em down.

The macarons are Banana Toast, Blackberry Lavender, and Chocolate Passionfruit.
The flavors are so strong, they definitely taste exactly like their descriptions. What a decadent treat!


Sound check went well, this pit is more open and thank god there are no carpeted walls and ceilings here, lol.
I can see part of the stage but not enough to see any of the show. Still, it's nice to feel a part of the show again.

I had packed dinner and ate it at the theatre.
Our first show here in Tulsa went very well, nice rowdy crowd for a Tuesday night.

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Wednesday, I must have been extra tired because I woke up late.
Breakfast and chatting with Jameson, who had a Disney corporate interview in a few hours.
I really, really hope something comes of this for him.
And even if not, I JUST hope that he is able to glean SOME positivity from the experience!!
He is talented, and smart, and deserving, and he does not feel any of those things right now, and I want him to so badly.

Anyway. After breakfast I got dressed and went exploring, because Tulsa is a new city and there are some good things to see.


This is Black Wall Street, otherwise known as the site of the Tulsa Race Massacre.


In 1921, Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood became a hub for Black affluence.


It had a thriving business district and surrounding suburbs, which came to be known as "Black Wall Street".

One day, a black man rode an elevator with a young white woman.
Afterward, accusations of rape were made, and the black man was detained as an investigation was made.
Tension began building around this incident, anger and hate brewing until a large white mob had gathered around the courthouse, followed shortly by a smaller black mob determined to prevent the accused man from being lynched.


Police attempted to disperse the crowds, but shots were fired and the next 24 hours saw a horrific massacre take place.
The white mob descended on Greenwood in the early morning hours, killing people, looting businesses, setting buildings on fire.
It should be said also that the local police selected WHITE MALE CIVILIANS and gave them authority as deputies, to make vigilante arrests (and killings too, probably).

The National Guard was called in to intervene, which they did, but along they way they detained around 6,000 black people (because THAT'S really fair), some of whom were held for as long as eight days.

Meanwhile THIRTY-FIVE city blocks were burned to the ground, around 800 people were injured, and although there is not an accurate count it is believed that around 300 people were killed in the violence.


It is a disgusting, shameful piece of American history. And it's very important to remember this, so that it never takes place again.
With ANY race.


It was sad to see the remembrance plaques set in the sidewalks, where livelihoods once stood.
It was hard to imagine what might have been, on this site, if hate and hateful people hadn't come to tear it all down.
It was hardest to think about the horror that day, and the people who lost their lives for nothing other than being Black and Having Things.

It was hard, but it needs to be learned and faced and shared. And never, never repeated.

After this visit I knew I'd want to walk more and think about things, so I went across town to Boston Avenue Methodist Church.


Like Kansas City, Tulsa is all about that Deco architecture.
This church was completed in 1929, has 15 floors, and was designed by a local architect and a local artist.
There are much better pictures of it online, taken by drone.



After getting my fill of the visual beauty of this church, I walked the 30 minutes back to the hotel.
Along the way I saw many other examples of Deco in the downtown buildings.
There was even a small Deco museum set up in the lobby of one office building.



Something about this artistic style deeply appeals to me.
Something about the angles, the minimalism, the abstraction. The way it always seems to be have upward, skyward motion.
The "industrial-chic-ness" is somehow uplifting, and always makes me feel like the future is now.



Based on the visceral reaction I have when viewing Deco things, I often wonder if a small piece of my soul was gleaned from the 1920s.

Anyway, back home I ate lunch and enjoyed some chill time.
The show went well, the audience was a little more subdued than last night but I think they had a good time.

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

Thursday is a matinee day!
It's nice to have the matinees spread out instead of back to back on the weekend.
I had a normal breakfast and didn't do anything special in the morning, just relaxed and watched Netflix and did job research and such.

For lunch I popped over to a vegetarian cafe called Chimera to try their carrot lox toast.
It was delicious! Crusty toasted sourdough with creamy cashew spread, marinated carrot ribbons, pickled pink onions and capers, and an egg on top. Really really good.


The matinee was not very well attended, but I think our show schedule was changed with perhaps not enough time for people to buy tickets.
We did our best regardless!
During the break I hustled back to the hotel because the wind was picking up and it was getting colder.
The evening show went well and was much better attended.

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Friday, I woke to a winter wonderland.




Yesterday was 60-something, and now it's 35 and snowing.
I lit a scented candle and made coffee and did my laundry, which all made me feel wintery and cozy.
This might be the last time I see snow this year, so I want to appreciate it.

After laundry, our rapid tests for the week and I wrote some emails, chatted with Jameson, and lounged around in pajamas until lunchtime.
Then it was off to explore Route 66 in the snow and sludge.
I have these silicone "booties" that cover my sneakers, but I think they are not meant for long walks because after about a mile I noticed there was water gathering in the bottom of one of them. So it's got a hole. Sigh. But my feet remained dry for the entire walk, so there's that.

I wasn't really going here to see Route 66, but to visit a Native American goods store and also Decopolis, a tourist-y shop mostly geared toward kids with bulk vintage candies and plush dinosaurs and collectible shiny rocks and such. I was looking for presents for my sister's daughter Elliotte, who will be turning three this month. Having no kids myself, I'm just kind of guessing what a little girl might like...or what I would have liked at that age. So...after asking Mom's permission, I ended up with a handmade Native American bracelet; a "magic rock" which is just quartz treated with titanium to make a metallic rainbow sheen (but I would have loved something like this as a kid); a smaller version of said magic rock, smooth for holding; and a small bird ocarina which she'll probably be bored with in about 30 minutes.

But, I got to go exploring, and on a nice walk in the cold, and chat with my sister.

Back at the hotel I warmed up and got dressed for the show, then Downton Abbey and dinner and off to the theatre.
This was the coldest night of the week so I was bundled up tightly in multiple layers.
Next week in AZ it's supposed to be in the 80s, and I'd really like to send my winter clothing home.

The show went well, it was a good audience.
Oh, and we got our overage pay! Huzzah!

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

Saturday was quite the lazy day for me. I saw no point going anywhere in the morning, so continued my job hunt and emailed family and chatted with my sister while watching TV. I sort-of packed up a little, but since we only have one show on Sunday I don't need to pack everything up quite yet.

Both shows were just fine. We had some understudies in to practice their roles, and they did an excellent job.
Josh (Key 1) conducted the second show and did a great job.

Meanwhile Jameson had callbacks for a production of SpongeBob happening in Orlando.
He said there are already a lot of laughs and good times happening, which is great. He unquestionably needs that.

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

Sunday, daylight savings and I barely slept. Lots of stress dreams lately.
Maybe because the end of tour is coming and I don't have enough info to make a decision about what comes next.
Maybe because I miss Jameson. Or because I'm still angry about my dad's death in October.
Maybe because it seems like every loved one in my life is going through something right now, and it feels like a game of Twister and they're the dots that I'm trying to connect with, but I've only got so many limbs and there are only so many ways I can twist.

Anyway. I woke up fully around 8am new-time and decided to have hotel coffee to save myself some dishes.
Breakfast and typing up the blog. Packing 80% of my things. Picking up a nice grilled chicken banh mi for lunch from Lone Wolf down the street.


Our 1pm show was just fine. A decent audience to see us off :)

This month is the month of the "three T's": Tusla, Tempe, Tucson!
(And yes I HAVE been getting them mixed up lol)

Tomorrow we fly to Tempe. We're supposed to arrive before the hotel is ready for us, so maybe a quick outing to get lunch.
The hotel is college dorm-themed, so that should be fun.
We are pretty much right on the ASU campus, and there's lots of good food and beautiful areas around.

Mostly I'm excited that we are walking-distance from both a Whole Paycheck AND a Trader Joe's!
Not only that, there is a large H-Mart plaza only four miles away. Temptation abounds!

**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.**

The venue: Bass Concert Hall


(stock photos)

Covid Tests to Date: 60

TikTok: Was too tired to make one this week, too bad for you :p

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Our travel day turned into a 15-hour slog due to a "mechanical issue" with our plane.
I'd much rather endure a delay than have the plane I'm on fall from the sky!
However this did make our day a lot longer and more stressful than expected.

All three meals at the airport, a few flight changes as our tour manager and American Airlines tried to get us where we were going.
Eventually we got to Austin in separate groups, with the earliest group arriving around 9:30pm (that's me, lucky) and the latest arriving I think around 11:30pm or midnight (oof).

I unpacked and went straight to bed, but did note-to-self that my refrigerator does not seem to be working very well...it's definitely hovering around 50F in there, which is not safe.

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

Tuesday, I woke up early because I was stressed out.
This week the theatre is 3 miles from our hotel, and we have been given rental cars to share, but it still means extra time to get to and from the venue each day and extra planning for all sorts of things like meals and show prep and warm-ups.
That and the fact that I hadn't been able to get groceries yesterday AND dreams about my lukewarm fridge all had me up at 7am.

I went to the front desk first to report the fridge for insubordination, then walked to Easy Tiger, a local bakery right down the street from our hotel.

As soon as I stepped outside I felt better.
It was one of those magical pre-spring days; overcast, the air cool and humid, but there was a hint of warmth to come, and the birds were singing their heads off in anticipation of the haze lifting for the sun. It's the kind of morning that reminds me of Easter Sundays at my mom's house...of being gently shaken awake at 5am for sunrise church service, but feeling excited rather than annoyed about the early hour.

With this calming aura of times past around me, I had a very nice walk to the bakery.

Founded in 2011, Easy Tiger is a beer garden slash bakery that makes rustic breads and German pretzels and beautiful pastries, and also serves a few egg items for breakfast, and also holds events and baking classes. The breads are made each morning with local ingredients, on site.
I wanted to take pictures of the baking equipment and pastries, but there were four employees staring at me and I didn't want to be a weirdo.

Torn between a 40% rye/sourdough blend and a sourdough quinoa, I finally settled on the quinoa just because it's slightly more unusual.


It has a lovely texture, the toasty quinoa grains have a crunchy pop.


After a brief stop in my room for coffee and to pray for maintenance to come look at my fridge, I walked to Target for groceries (and a bag of ice to preserve said groceries). I'm grateful to be within easy walking distance of a Target this week! It was a surprising 86 degrees out, so by the time I got back I was all hot and bothered, but maintenance was there to swap out my fridge just as my bag started to leak from the ice so that was perfect.

But I still wasn't done. After all, I got up at 7 and it was now only about 10am.

I went walking again, this time to 99 Ranch Market.
It's an Asian grocery chain--like, one of the really big ones.
I knew that I would love it. And I did.


No, I didn't get any Peking duck, but I sure wanted it!
And there were soft fluffy castilla roll cakes in the bakery, and succulent-looking bites of seafood in the back, and exciting and exotic ice creams and dumplings in the freezers. I wanted it all, so so much. But, we are only here for a week, and I have a tiny baby fridge.

So I window shopped and that was fun. Then I picked out what I could carry back and eat for the week.


( Read more... )

**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.**

The venue: Des Moines Civic Center


(stock images)

Covid Tests to Date: 54

TL;DR TikTok:

TikTok by @tromboneontour

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I woke up before my alarm at 4:30am (I have a great internal clock) and the taxi was already there and waiting.
I hurriedly brushed my teeth and hair and rushed out the door, careful not to wake Jameson.

I got to the airport in good time, and it was very busy so I'm glad I didn't risk waiting for Uber even though the taxi was so expensive.
The waiting could have cost me me flight. I got to my gate about 15 minutes before boarding, which is pretty "late" by my standards.

Layover in Atlanta was 45 minutes but I used a lot of that just getting to the next gate, ATL being so big and all.
We landed in Des Moines about on time, and while retrieving my luggage I found Isis (crew) and shared an Uber with her.
Luckily for us, our rooms were ready!

As usual I dropped everything, looked at the fridge, walked to the nearest grocery (a Hy-Vee).
I got most things there but didn't find any local bread, so dropped off my groceries and walked to the next-farthest grocery, a local place called Gateway Market. They carry Big Sky breads (an Iowa chain), but they also make their own breads in-store!
I decided to try a loaf of theirs (go local!) So many to choose from!


I was tempted by the plain Italian but went with sourdough instead because I thought it would make a better grilled cheese.
Yes, I'm making skillet grilled cheese this week! It's cold, it will be good! :)

There was also a weird-looking cookie in the bakery called a "Dutch letter".
I picked one up out of curiosity, and also some Chinese chicken steamed buns and a grapefruit basil seltzer water, because fun food is fun!

Here is the "Dutch letter":


Yes it looks like an S-shaped poop!
Turns out it's a puff pastry filled with almond paste or Marzipan.
Originally shaped to look like the first letter of the surname of whatever family was making them,
in the US they're typically made into an "S" shape.
You can find them in Iowa because Dutch immigrants brought them there, specifically to the town of Pella in 1845.
It was really cool to stumble across an Iowa-specific food with a great cultural history.

Here's what the inside looked like:


It was flaky and very sweet, lots of almond/marzipan flavor.
I've cut it into quarters and will enjoy it for a few days.

After all that I unpacked, then took my rapid covid test in the lobby.
Enjoyed some grocery store sushi for dinner while fielding phone calls and emails about some health tests I had planned to take this week.
I had scheduled a DEXA scan and an RMR, but both got canceled...and then rescheduled. It's been weird.
I don't know what will happen, but for now I'm definitely getting the DEXA and meeting with a nutritionist, so I'll post about that!
Very interested to see what it'll be like!

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Tuesday, woke up wondering what on earth time it was. Time changes are weird!

( Read more... )

**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.**

Covid Tests to Date: 45

No TikTok this week because they are a lot of work and I didn't feel like it.

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Monday was a "Golden Day", meaning a true day off.

No shows to do, no packing up and traveling all day to get to the next city.
We only get THREE of these on the whole tour.

A lot of people went to the beach, or to the pool and bar up on the hotel's top floor, or home for visits.

I decided to do a "Treat Yo Self" day.
Have you watched Parks and Rec? No? Here's an explanation of "Treat Yo Self":


My idea of "Treat Yo Self", if I can't spend time with Jameson, is to eat more than I should of foods that I shouldn't be eating while doing absolutely nothing else for the entire day :p

So today, for LUNCH because I'm an adult and can do what I want, I went to Wilton Creamery where the ice cream is made in-house in a variety of wacky flavors. Lactose in hand, I marched up to the counter and asked for "The Flight": three half-cup scoops of three different flavors of homemade ice cream.

They have so many flavors to choose from! But I knew right away which ones I wanted to try.

Grapenut:
Exactly what it sounds like. Malt ice cream with softened Grape Nut cereal mixed in. If you like the flavor of malt and/or barley, you will absolutely LOVE this ice cream. I loved it and would eat it every day if possible. It was my favorite of the three.

Christopher Loves Chocolate:
I don't know who Christopher is but he's got great taste. This was 70% cacao dark chocolate regular-cream ice cream, not as sweet as the others, with big chunks of dark chocolate mixed in and swirls of chocolate fudge. Indulgence at it's finest.
I love dark chocolate and eat it almost daily, but tbh this was my least favorite of the three and I couldn't really tell you why. Maybe the other two were just that good.

Monkey Business:
A banana buttermilk ice cream(!) with pralined pecans and swirls of dulce de leche. This was the softest of the three ice creams, melting very quickly and with a very rich texture. It was also the sweetest of the three. Extremely good and I only wish it had been served a bit colder so I could have savored it a bit longer.

The TikTok:

TikTok by @tromboneontour

I highly recommend visiting Wilton Creamery (and Wilton in general) if you are ever in Fort Lauderdale.
The owner was awesome, I enjoyed chatting with him as I savored every bite of this special treat.
The ice cream was more than I could have hoped for, fresh and decadent and unique and just the indulgence I wanted.
Someday I want to come back and try more flavors, or maybe get one of their over-the-top sundaes.

After ice cream I walked to Dulce Salato Pizza & Gelato, (which I assume was named re: "Domo Arigato Mr. Robato"), where I picked up a personal-pan Margherita pizza to take home for lupper/dinner. I enjoyed it with a glass of Sauvignon blanc.
Truly a fully indulgent, "Treat Yo Self" day.


It's moments like these where I truly savor the fact that I do not have children. GOD it's so beautiful.
Any time I want to go do--well, whatever I want--I can.
No babysitter, no tantrums, no compromises, no deadlines.
Just me and my two feet instantly out the door to get three scoops of ice cream and a whole pizza, and a nice white wine buzz to boot.
I absolutely ADORE not having kids. Extremely grateful to live in a time where I can get away with it.

Anyway.

To cap off a fabulous day of gluttony, I watched Kids Baking Championship "with" Jameson, and then finally watched Disney's Encanto.
Every single social media and streaming outlet that I subscribe to has been pushing this movie at me for, like, months. And it has good reviews. And it's been ages since I actualy Watched A Movie. So, ok! And it WAS ok. Not great as far as plot, but gorgeous and meticulous animation, and like many Disney/Pixar movies lately there was a focus on shared emotion...on a specific shared emotion, which in this case was one's children being "never good enough" for their parents. When that undercurrent was finally brought to the surface in the movie, I felt it resonate hard inside me. Ouch. But that's certainly why many people find it a relatable and good movie.

( Read more... )

Next stop, Atlanta.
We are staying right next to the Fox Theatre, how awesome!
I should have some fun adventures to share here.
I want to visit the Georgia Aquarium, and eat at a Japanese cafe, and spend time at Ponce City Market.
And I have some friends in town from Busch Gardens and the circus, it'll be nice to see them!

Look forward to it. I am!

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Writing Prompts 2022:

12/17: What's the most creative use of emojis you've ever seen?
A: The webcomic Room of Swords. There's a character named Sylvia who is a caveperson/neanderthal, and she speaks exclusively in emojis, and it's endearing and fantastic.

12/18: Where do you get most of your news?
A: A combination of places. For "mindless" or clickbait news I use Facebook or the News app on my phone. If I want to actually know what's going on out there I use Google News for the initial search, then when I see a topic/event that I want to read more about, search reports from different outlets on the same topic/event.

12/19: What's the biggest challenge in your life right now?
A: You know...most of the challenges in my life right now originate from outside my own life. It's a challenge to be present and supportive for the people I love. It's a challenge to find the distinction between what people want from me, vs what they actually need from me, vs what I cannot provide and must be found on their own. There is a huge amount of uncertainty in my own life, and in many important lives around me, and it's hard to take even the smallest action without knowledge of what's down the road.

12/20: Think about a job you hated. What did you learn from it?
A: That being treated like a human being is of much higher value than being paid well (although being paid well is also part of being treated like a human being). I had a job that paid pretty decently, and had a lot of room for advancement. But the boss treated me like I was his personal servant, like my time was his time all the time, and like my time "at work" could be spent doing basically anything he demanded, as opposed to my actual job description. The straw finally came when I was trying to leave at the end of my shift, and my boss walked in and demanded that I help record a commercial for him using his phone camera. I had already clocked out so I refused, but he demanded that I clock back in, shoved the phone into my hand and said, "You don't know anyone in this town, you have nowhere to be right now." And that was the beginning of the end of that.

12/21: What's your least favorite room in the house?
A: In the current house? The living room. Listen, I still like every room in our house including this one. But I want to make it more comfortable, and it doesn't want to be more comfortable. It's full of junk drawers and food particles no matter how frequently I clean. We badly, badly need a new couch. When guests come over they have to sit on the floor. It's just...it needs help.

12/22: How fast do you read?
A: Talking about ACTUALLY READING, like, reading a book, not skimming a tweet or clickbait. Reading books as opposed to skimming, I read moderate-fast. When reading for pleasure I'm pretty fast, but I really like to absorb and be immersed in the imagery of the book, so I'm not going to rush it. When reading for instruction I read extra slow and force myself to pay attention, and it takes longer. If I really like the book I can finish an 800-pager in two weeks or so just casually reading it.

12/23: What are some of your favorite candies?
A: In no order: Caramellos, Sunkist Fruit Gems, any dark chocolate 70% cacao or more, candied orange peels, Whitman's chocolates, Starburst jelly beans, Albanese gummi bears, red Swedish fish, homemade caramels or toffee, and more I'm probably forgetting.

**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.**

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The venue: National Theatre


(stock photos)

Covid Tests to Date: 25

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TL;DR: A slapdash TikTok summarizing the week in DC.

TikTok by @tromboneontour

For the past week I have been home visiting family and trying to help with my dad's funeral.
As you can imagine that took up a lot of time and energy for all of us, and so I didn't keep up with happenings on the tour while they were in Baltimore. But according to all sources my substitute trombonist did well, and there were no problems, just a regular week. Yay!

Being home was difficult. Not only because we were mourning my dad's passing, but also because so many in our hometown are STILL not vaccinated, and still seem to believe that covid-related deaths have nothing to do with them or their choices. It was very frustrating, especially since a lot of these folks are good friends who I've known since I was a toddler, and they are people that I care about and wish would take these incredibly minor steps to protect themselves.

As the daughter of someone who refused to vaccinate and is now dead because of that decision: if you are unvaccinated, please reconsider vaccinating. Everyone has their own reasons for not doing so, so I'm not sure what each person might need to hear in order to rethink this. But if you need to talk about it with someone, absolutely message me any time. Maybe there actually is a good reason for you personally to vaccinate. Or if someone in your life has not yet vaccinated, and has no medical reason for not doing so, please continue to respectfully offer information and perspective to that person. I would really, really hate for anyone else to have to go through what my family is going through right now (although I know a lot of people have already).

Thank you for considering, and again, please reach out if this is something you'd like to talk about.

Here are a few pictures of myself with my sisters' kids.
I'm never having kids, can't stand 'em, but it was nice to have a little time and see how much they've grown over the past two years!




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After the service was over I traveled back to Baltimore, returned my rental car, and checked in to a hotel.
The next morning I dragged my luggage to the lobby of the tour's hotel, where Erin (our Covid Safety Officer) was waiting with a rapid test for me. We sat and waited while it processed, and eventually it showed a red line for negative. Now I could safely get on the bus and ride with everyone to Washington DC!

The ride was short, only an hour, and we got there at noon.
Surprisingly the hotel was ready for us that early. It was also a very nice hotel, modern and clean, with a microwave and minifridge in each room. It's amazing what a difference these two appliances can make convenience-wise!

I dumped my luggage and took a walk to the nearest grocery, which this week happens to be Whole Paycheck*ahem* I mean, Whole Foods.
Oh, Whole Foods during the holidays!
So many temptations. Holiday themed products, unique and inviting pastries, so much fresh delicious produce!
I got all of my usual suspects: eggs, yogurt, chicken, veggies, fruit, water, plant milk, and replenished some nonperishables. I also found my local bread for the week in the form of a rye teff rustic loaf from Bread Furst.

This was kind of cheating...Bread Furst was over three miles away, and I didn't want to walk all the way there and back :P But Whole Foods often carries locally-baked breads, so I lucked out! According to the bakery's website, teff is an ancient grain that is gluten free, and it's also the smallest grain in the world. It has a sweet and complex flavor like molasses or dark chocolate. The loaf was indeed very dark, and also flatter than other loaves I've had, probably due to a lower gluten content. The crumb was tighter too, but it was still very delicious bread, slightly bitter in the crust with a sweet middle. This will be very enjoyable to eat :)



Friendly reminder that when I buy a loaf of bread each week, that is pretty much my main carbohydrate for the entire week, almost all 18 meals. That is how I'm able to get through a loaf of bread in a week. I'm not sitting over here munching on a whole loaf in one sitting, lol.

Anyway, because there are always exciting new things to discover at Whole Foods, I also got an ume plum soda (which was fantastic), a jar of pomegranate beet soup (intriguing!), and a bar of pine-and-berry scented holiday soap! I'm out of soap this week anyway, and who doesn't want to smell like a Christmas tree ;)


Back at the hotel I put everything away. It's always satisfying to see the fridge stocked for a week of shows.
Then I walked to what was supposed to be a nearby Christmas market but it was closed so the vendors could restock. So instead I picked up some pork bao buns to have for dinner later. DC has an incredible Chinatown, and I intend to have a few delicious Asian meals before we leave!


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