goofball on a train

A normal travel day.

This TSA agent at Lubbock International gave me the creeps.
The minute our large group started piling in and lining up at the baggage drop, his hand went straight to his gun and he stood there staring at us and clutching it the entire time. Dude, CHILL :(


My stomach did not do well on the rapid-fire double flight with basically no layover (I tend to need time to recover from motion sickness between flights and didn't get it) but I didn't barf. Today my stomach feels temperamental, but I'm ignoring it.
Stress and travel, blah blah blah get over it.

The hotel in Kansas City. You guys.
I walked into my room and could swear they finished building it minutes before we pulled up.



Everything new and shiny and so clean that I could possibly be the first person to stay in this room.
And it's very "Millennial Grey", which made me laugh.

It's a nice way to end this nearly three-month stretch on the road.
Three days of shows, then we get to go home for a bit.

I walked to the Whole Paycheck, also SPANKING new.
Since we only have three days I got limited groceries, and the only "new" items that I tried were an ayurvedic lemon chai-thing that was spicy and kinda grainy, and an Urban Remedy drink called "Blue Magic" that I've seen many times and have wanted to try.

Back at the hotel, unpacking and chatting with Jameson as we got ready for bed.
Oh, and finding our company rental car in the garage for easy access tomorrow.

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Friday morning, it was dreary and rainy out which suited me just fine as I have a lot of prep work to do.
Starting with pre-interview paperwork for Osceola County.

I now have a PCP appointment on Tuesday, an interview for Court Clerk with Osceola County that same afternoon, and an interview with Sprouts the day after that. Orange County hasn't set up an interview with me yet for their Court Clerk position, so we will see if that happens. All of that plus my usual cleaning, gardening, cooking, repacking, errands, and actually spending time with my Jameson, will keep me very busy for the whole week home I'm sure.

In the afternoon it was raining pretty hard and my umbrella was six miles away at the theatre, so I took the rental car to Andre's Confiserie Suisse for lunch. At first glance online it looks like a chocolate shop...and it is! But they also serve three square meals, wine and beer, and of course desserts.

( CLICK HERE for Andre's! )

The afternoon was lazy as it continued to rain steadily.

In the evening we drove out to the Starlight theatre.
I've been excited to play here ever since finding out that it's an outdoor stage.


I've played outdoors for theme parks, and this definitely had that theme park vibe.
Backstage entrances disguised as ivy-covered walls, castle-like structures, the sound booth shed.
Reminded me of Busch Gardens.

In the pit we had a surprisingly large space.


There were difficulties with the MD's setup, however.
The primary difficulty being the expensive and vital laptops, keyboards, and Ableton rigs exposed to rain.


Because of that, after sound check the MD station was moved completely under the stage.
He'll be viewing and conducting the show via a camera.
This is the first venue where we've been FULLY remote.


It felt very odd. The pit was super quiet; we couldn't hear our own sound out there in the theatre at all.
That makes a big difference because how we hear the sound in the space impacts how we play in that space.
I don't know about everyone else, but it certainly made me play with more hesitancy.
The fun part, though, was that we could still hear audience reactions.
And I think being outdoors gives a certain casual vibe, which results in people being more raucous.
Lots of loud whistling, cheering, "woooos", and of course laughing :)

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Saturday I had a slow morning and worked on applying to be a Notary in the State of Florida.
Because half of these government jobs seem to want it, and it's actually pretty easy to become one.

Partway through I took a break for lunch and a walk to Bay Boy, a sandwich shop only a few blocks away but up a steep hill.
They specialize in sandwiches made on Dutch crunch bread (also called "tiger bread".)

Today, it being a weekend, they had BACON crunch bread in addition to the regular!


I got one of each (had planned on only one but they were only $2 each!)
Here is the plain one. The bread is brushed with a mixture of rice flour, sugar, and yeast.
When it bakes the flour dries and creates the crackled pattern, a crunchy exterior but soft interior, and a little sweetness.


I tore off a piece of the bacon one to try and thought it was delicious! The bacon was in thick chunks but was also super crispy and delicious, and the inside of the bread was pillowy soft and divine. The bacon one was more dense than the regular due to the weight of the topping and probably some extra fat residue, but both were amazing.

After that I wanted to go for a walk as it was sunny and lovely out.
In the hotel lobby I came across Kevin (Head of Sound) who said that he and some friends had gone to a soul food restaurant I'd recommended for this week, and it had been amazing. Then as I continued on my walk, my phone kept dinging with all of the messages, pictures, and links that people were sharing in Megan's Foodie Finds.




As this tour comes to an end, it makes me feel really good knowing that I contributed something that brought enjoyment to some of my coworkers. The recommendations lists were fun to make, and lots of people got to eat locally and try something new that they may not have experienced otherwise. I'm glad I did it :)

I walked to a little plaza with a Half Price Books and a food co-op.
There was nothing that I needed but of COURSE I always find something to bring back!
This time it was a brand of jerky I'd never had before, and a can of local chocolate raspberry flavored coffee.

The show this evening went well, I had several friends in the audience!


This is my friend Kristy (far left) and the friends that she brought to see our show.
The Starlight is WAY too big for our little production, so the box office is giving away free tickets with the passcode "Tootsie Pop".
It's nice to be able to get my friends free tickets for once!

They had a great time, and after the show we had a quick hug and a selfie before parting ways.


It's too bad that we didn't get time to actually catch up, but with the show ending so late and having to carpool back (and me with the keys) I didn't think it fair to keep my passengers waiting or to keep Kristy out late. It was good enough that we had a moment to say hi in person.

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Sunday I woke up with my brain buzzing through all of the to-dos that come with a layoff.

After breakfast I booked a taxi for Monday's airport trip because I'm paranoid about Uber availability at that hour.
Two coworkers wanted to come with me, so at least it turned out to be a useful booking.
Printed and signed my paperwork for my notary application, then in the afternoon walked to CVS for an envelope for said paperwork.

And that was pretty much it.
Packed, prepared for tomorrow's travels, ate my meals, and finally got ready for the show.

It was a pretty normal show, except we all got to wear graphic tees because Brandon (bass) is leaving us, and it was his departing request. I'm sad that he's leaving, but he lives in Florida so hopefully I'll see him around!

The show went normally, and afterward we packed up as usual and maybe a little extra because we're all about to be home for a week!
Near the stage door here at the Starlight is this plaque:


The wall in question:


There is not much space, but I made do. My initials are there somewhere at the Starlight.
Until we meet again, KCMO.

I drove the guys back to the hotel, filled the rental car with gas, and turned in the keys.
I weighed my luggage and set it waiting by the door.
Only a few hours of sleep, then it's off to Orlando!

It was a normal if long travel day.

I ate lunch at the airport, a rarity for me but it just worked out that way this time.

Both flights were fine. Jameson told me that there were thunderstorms last night, which is great news for my banana trees.

Riding the bus into Dallas gave me some nostalgia. It's another "circus city", so I recognize much of it from my time with the circus (we were also there for two weeks at a time). I'm hopeful to make some nice new memories here with this tour.

The hotel is decent, but I just keep having the WORST luck with rooms lately, this time my key cards didn't work and then my sink was completely clogged and after maintenance left it was STILL clogged so now I have to get some Drain-o or whatever.

They offered to switch my room but I was like...over a clogged sink?? No, I'll wash dishes in the tub if I have to. It should have been checked and fixed before anyone else stayed in the room.

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Tuesday I woke up regretfully early, but for a good cause: to visit Village Baking Co for my loaf of bread for the week.
It was far enough, and I was tired enough, that I chose to Uber instead of walk.

I got there just about an hour after they'd opened, but it was pretty busy in there for a Tuesday morning. In fact someone came in and bought the last almond croissants while I was there, and I was lucky to snag one of the last two loaves of Meyer lemon rosemary bread as well. I also picked up a pretzel croissant, having never seen one before.

Before heading back to the hotel I stopped at Tom Thumb for Drain-o and protein shakes.

At the hotel I administered the Drain-o and admired the croissant, which was very big and beautifully laminated.



The outside has been dipped in lye like a pretzel, creating a chewy skin sprinkled with salt.
The texture and flavor combo was phenomenal. I ate half and saved half for later.

The lemon rosemary bread was also fantastic, I tried a little piece while wrapping it up.
A crusty boule with a subtle citrus flavor, coupled with the herbal rosemary, and the crumb is fluffy and dense which will make for excellent sandwich bread.



After that I wanted to rest but the Drain-o didn't work, the pipes under the sink began absolutely pouring water out onto the floor :(
So I called maintenance again, and they got the sink to drain veeeeeeeeerrrry slowly and also fixed the leaking pipes.

Whatever. Moving rooms would take over an hour for me to pack everything up again + groceries, move it all, rearrange the room again, unpack again. So if I can at least use the sink to brush my teeth I'll live with it. For once, though, it would be nice if a two-week stay didn't involve a filthy room, or fixtures that don't work. Idk why I'm having such awful luck with this lately but I hope it passes.

In other news, we did get our money back from our payroll company along with profuse apologies.
Our company management promised an explanation, which never came (there was a general one in the initial email so I guess they figured that was enough, but HOW and WHY Vensure was able to take whatever they wanted from my checking account without any permissions was never actually explained.) After inquiring on the travel day I got another explanation letter that still didn't really cover the how/why, and included the words, "It was an honest mistake" which truly made me cringe to read. All this tells me is that Vensure does not have nor will they incorporate failsafes to prevent massive withdrawals in the unlikely-yet-apparently-possible event of a system error + my employer is fine with continuing a relationship with this company.

So since Vensure has no protections in place, and since my employer is going to continue forward with them, I have to protect myself on this one. At Jameson's suggestion I called my bank to see if there was a way to block Vensure from making withdrawals. Lo and behold there's a thing called stop-debit, which is just what it sounds like. Now Vensure may deposit my check, but they will be declined if they ever try to withdraw again. Hopefully. We'll see how it goes.

That behind me, I walked to the theatre for sound check.
We're playing the Winspear Opera House, the name of which made me think of another 1920s space but it's actually a modern theatre with climate control, big dressing rooms, and one of the most lovely pieces of modern theatre decor I've seen.

This is the Opera House chandelier, when it is "down".
It is made up of rods illuminated by colorful LED lights, inspired by and intended to look like shooting stars.


Raising the chandelier takes about two minutes, and the rods rise up in a sort of randomized way to mimic shooting stars, all nestling themselves into the "night sky" ceiling one at a time until they are points of light.


As guests enter the theatre the chandelier is in "down" position for all to enjoy.
When the performance is about to start, the chandelier rises, and a two-minute composition is performed to accompany it.
Currently the composition is "The Lights Are Rising" by a local high school student. That's pretty cool!

I got this video from my spot deep in the pit, so it's not the best angle, but now you see what I will see every night for two weeks in Dallas.



The chandelier is capable of a lot more as far as movement and color patterns and such, CLICK HERE to see another great video of that.
If you want to see the technical aspects of how this all works, CLICK HERE

Anyway, it was very cool to see and will be an enjoyable opening to our show each night.
The band mascot, David Hasselsloth, has the best view of all of us I must say ;)


My friend Brandon was in the audience and enjoyed the show immensely.
We didn't have time to catch up tonight, but hopefully later this week while he's in town for a rehearsal.

Oh also! I have a HUGE dressing room all to myself this week!
So of course I had to make a big todo over it :P
CLICK HERE to watch

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Wednesday, a normal morning followed by a walk to Sandwich Hag for lunch!
The weather was overcast and humid and windy, but it wasn't too hot especially with the cloud cover, so it was an enjoyable walk.

( CLICK HERE for Sandwich Hag )

All in all, a really nice lunch and relaxing way to spend the afternoon :)

I walked back, handing off the rest of my sausage bites to a homeless guy who panhandled me outside a 7-eleven but keeping my half-sandwich to myself for dinner. It was a 3-mile round trip, plus the walk to the theatre is a mile each way, so I've certainly gotten my exercise today.

At the hotel I rested a bit before walking to Neiman Marcus (posh!) for a haircut.
This salon was too nice for the likes of me, but at this point in my life I've had too many bad haircuts at mid-priced places, so whenever I can afford a high-end haircut I am willing to pay the price. The stylist was friendly and we chatted, mostly him prompting me with questions and me rambling because socialization makes me nervous. I walked out with my normal cleaned-up bob or whatever.

Then I got to truly chill out for about two hours, had the rest of my fabulous sandwich for dinner, and walked to the theatre for the show.
My friend Adria came to the show, albeit a bit stressed because one of her elephants was sick.
We happened to run into each other as she was heading to the box office and I was headed to the stage door, so we chatted a bit about what was happening with her animal.
This is something that a lot of people (looking at you, activists) don't realize about what it means to work with animals.
It means they ALWAYS come first. Before your ideals, before your social obligations, before your own needs many times.
I feel sad that Adria was stressed, but also proud for her, because she is doing very important work whether people recognize it or not.

The show went well, nothing to report except that the chandelier was in a different pattern-configuration before it was raised.
I guess the theatre has fun with that. Very cool!

Between walking to the restaurant, walking to the haircut, and walking to and from the theatre, I got seven miles in today. Tired!

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Now it is Thursday morning and I thankfully, magically, don't have anywhere to be for most of the day.
I received an invite to apply for a job so I'll work on that, and hopefully do laundry, bookmark more jobs, and work on Foodie Finds.
It's supposed to rain so that's a good excuse to do quiet indoor things.

Jameson is traveling to visit with one of his musical idols today.
I won't share details until he does, but I'm very excited for him!

Thursday was our day to tour The Fabulous Fox!

( CLICK HERE for the Fox )

What an incredible tour. We all thanked Carl profusely.
Also, I'm extra-glad that I recorded my personal promo videos here!
What a cool thing to be able to say, that I played in the pit orchestra at the Fabulous Fox for two whole weeks!

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Friday was a weird day.

We had one show at night. I woke up with a headache and a sharp pain in my wrist (slept on it wrong? idk) so had kind of a 'meh' day of air-tromboning along with my audition excerpts, walking to the grocery for travel foods for Monday, chatting with Jameson, and posting my deluge of pictures from the Fox theatre tour.

We were supposed to get a strong storm with potential hurricanes, but fortunately it swung south...not so fortunately for the people of Little Rock, AR :( There have been a lot of catastrophic storm systems lately.


The show was fine, and I tried to practice my excerpts a little during the half hour before showtime but it was hard to concentrate.

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Saturday, a slow morning of breakfast, coffee, packing a little, making calls to try and get a space to record my audition in Fort Myers.
So far no one has so much as called me back, which is very disheartening, but I've got to keep trying.

Both shows went well and seemed to fly by...I felt very distracted with worry about making the audition recording, and with questions about submitting the material, until I finally caved and emailed the audition coordinator some of those questions.

The other thing is PRACTICING the audition materials between now and Thursday.
Pretty much the only time that I can do it is today right before each show, and tomorrow the same.
Monday is a travel day, Tuesday is loading in.
I'll be able to "air trombone" so I can get muscle memory down and solidify articulations and such, but that's not the same as actually playing.
These are the problems with playing a LOUD instrument.

All of this is why I'm hunting down a space, rather than crossing my fingers that the next theatre will have somewhere that I can do this.
It WILL work out--I mean if I have to record outside for pete's sake, I will--but as an INTJ leaving things to chance is like my kryptonite :p

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Sunday. Slept pretty poorly, but that's kind of been the case all week!
Breakfast and reaching out to more churches to ask about using their space.

Getting to the theatre for our last show at The Fabulous Fox.

I was thrilled to sign the completed wall tag!
It's way back in the labyrinth of the basement, but that's ok. It's awesome that it's there.


There are OTHER wall tags too! Everyone wants to leave their mark in this historic theatre :)

Wardrobe made one for themselves in their room:


And here is one in the Laundry room (photo taken by Katie, I had no idea this had been made):


A shiny arch for Production! (photo courtesy Molly)


This small one is above a hallway on the 5th floor, left by "The Pants"...that is, the men.
I was an idiot and didn't see that, and left my initials because the band dressing room is also on this floor. D'oh!


Our last show was just fine. We had a pretty big audience too.
A nice sendoff to Fort Myers!

When we got out it was only around 4pm! But we have a 5am bus call tomorrow, so a lot of people will probably want to pack and get to bed early (I know I do!). It's gonna be toasty in Florida, around 92 degrees!

**Long post, many pics**

The bus ride to Sarasota was uneventful, except for the fact that every single time the driver braked it was like he was about to rear-end someone. Every use of the brake was to SLAM it. So there was no dozing, and much ginger candy to prevent yarfing all over the nice clean seats due to this guy's lead foot.

Anyway, we got there.
And this hotel is the polar opposite of the Best Western Roach Motel.
Spacious, clean rooms. Working air conditioning.
No fist-sized holes under the sink for creatures to come waltzing in.

And, AND! Free breakfast every day until 10am!
Coffee and tea 24/7! Cookies and apples at the front desk for guests!
What a dream!

Truly, we don't experience many hotels with that level of accommodation.
After last week's war on palmetto bugs and damp, musty-smelling bedsheets, I'm SUPER grateful for this hotel.

We arrived with just a few hours to unpack before sound check.
I grabbed the latest rental car and drove Paul (drums) to the theatre, which is a huge purple building right on the Sarasota waterfront.

The view:


The sunset:


The rather purple theatre:

(photo courtesy Molly)

The weather is lovely. Too bad we're only here for a few days.

Sound check was fine, we have Soto (MD) back with us so don't have to worry about the missing keyboard part any more, and our reed 2 player is feeling better as well. The show went nicely, it was an enthusiastic audience. Always great to be able to tell the audience is having fun!

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Tuesday, I gave the rental car keys to Paul because he needed them for an outing.
I had a slow morning, and took advantage of the hotel's breakfast which saved me having to do dishes, that was nice.

Spent some time responding to emails and trying to do some research for my stepmom who's selling some of my dad's things, in preparation for eventually selling the house. It's good that she's being practical and trying to move forward. I hope I can help with the process.

Then some data entry, and then I was feeling antsy so walked to a Goodwill even though I don't need anything.
It's always fun to look!
And Lo, this time I did find some nice grey plaid pants from Forever 21 that fit perfectly!
And they are very comfortable. Should be nice for travel days.

When I got back to the hotel Paul was back from his outing, so I stole the keys back and went downtown.
( CLICK HERE: Exploring Sarasota )

Overall February 14th in Sarasota was a way more interesting and good day than I was expecting :)
Oh, and since it was Valentine's day, here's a memory from five years ago when Jameson and I had a romantic V-day gig together.


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Wednesday I got up eventually and had breakfast, then some data entry before walking over to Mama G's Coffee.
Bill (trumpet) found this place while looking for good coffee near our hotel, and recommended it to me for the baked goods.

Ya know, it's amazing what DOESN'T come up on Google Maps. I always search "bakery" in every city we visit. This is a highly rated, local German bakery owned by a woman who makes ALL of the pastries and meals in-house, from scratch, fresh every day, and yet Google didn't feel that I needed to know about it. WTF!

That's why legwork is important.
Anyway, it was only a mile so I walked over. Supposedly some of the band guys were going to carpool over around 11, so I started walking in time to get there by 11.

When I arrived the boys were nowhere in sight, so I enjoyed the view in the pastry cabinet.


I was sorely tempted by this apple strudel.


But then I noticed these VERY fresh Berliners on the back counter, cooling below the wall-mounted bread racks.


I ordered one of those and a German pretzel (that'll be my carb for the travel day) and waited around to see if the guys would show up.
Finally it got to be about 11:20, and I said "screw it" and started walking back.
By the time I got back to my room Bill had posted a pic of coffee and a croissant he'd gotten there. WTF!!!
I guess we missed each other by minutes. But they'd said 11, so...idk. I should have texted to get their ETA. Next time.

This doughnut was amazing.
Incredibly fluffy and light, not oily at all.
The filling was rosehip jam, but it wasn't overly flowery and it wasn't "sugary" like American doughnut fillings either.
It was fresh and floral and just subtly sweet.

Honestly, it was the best doughnut I've had in a really long time.



It was very big, so I weighed it on my food scale (113g) and used the weight, MyFitnessPal, and some Berliner recipes online to calculate the calories. Settled on 350 calories and made it my lunch along with some egg whites.

After that, stole the car key again to do laundry. Could have waited for the next city but I hate packing sweaty clothes in my suitcase.
Started working on the Foodie Finds for Cincinnati, which I've decided to make two pages as we're there for two weeks and there are hundreds of incredible restaurants around.

Back at the theatre we had a good last show.
Soto (MD) is going to head back home after this; since Sam (keys) can mask up he should be able to rejoin us after just 5 days instead of 10. We packed up and loaded out. I filled the rental car with gas and finished packing most things, and tried to go to bed around midnight.

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It's Thursday morning and almost time for the bus that'll take us to Tampa (we are right next to Sarasota airport so idk why we're not flying out here). From there we fly to Birmingham (again...there's an airport in Huntsville so....why...) and then take a longish bus ride to Huntsville. When all is said and done we arrive at 4pm Central Time. Sigh.

It's been a really nice week.

Oh, and if you're friends with me on social (or even if you're not, most of my posts are public) look at my Stories on either Instagram or Facebook to see sage advice and quotes from Miss Piggy's Guide to Life :)

After the travel day on Sunday, and after checking in, I layered up and walked to a restaurant called Shuga's.

It was only a mile from the hotel, but the high was 20F and that is VERY cold.
So I wore my down coat under my peacoat, and gloves and a hat.
Even so, my fingertips were burning and painful with cold just from that short walk. Sheesh.

The restaurant is very small and at least 50% of the floorspace is taken up with a big bar.
At 3pm on a random Sunday it was packed in there, with only one seat available at the bar.
I had a seat and admired the decor: misc art and posters on the walls, and a flock of white, black, and ivory paper cranes criss-crossing the ceiling.


I was sorely tempted to order a drink but refrained, already feeling nauseous and headachy from the altitude (normal for me).
No need to make it harder for my body to adjust.

I got the "Shuga's favorite tray", which is a sort of sampler of their more popular dishes: Mediterranean spreads with pitas; caprese bruschetta; spicy Thai coconut shrimp soup; nicoise salad; and a mini-slice of their gooey butter cake.


Close-ups of the soup, which was my favorite, and the butter cake, which was both photogenic and delicious.



It was such a cute presentation that the two women sitting on either side of me at the bar immediately started exclaiming over it and looking for it on the menu. The food was simple but very good and wonderfully prepared; everything had distinct flavor and texture, and each sample was exactly the right size so that by the time I was done eating I felt refreshed and comfortable instead of over-full, if that makes sense. Also I only ate half the pitas and spreads, and left some butter cake behind too as it was pretty dense.

From there I walked a few blocks to Bread and Butter, a locally owned grocery.
They had a good selection of things, especially local breads and pastries, but ultimately not quite what I was looking for and the produce was rather ragged. So I took an Uber to Natural Grocers, which might seem "extra" but the temp was dropping and I just got here from 80-degree Florida, and I didn't feel well enough or acclimated enough to walk there in 20-degree weather today.

I was dumbfounded at all the interesting products at this grocery store!
Puffed cereal grains of all kinds (millet, corn, barley, buckwheat, oats, rice, sorghum, and more).
Venison and elk in the fridge.
Tofu made from pumpkin seeds.
Local kombucha and sodas.
Goat and sheep cheeses and yogurts...in fact they had more goat cheese yogurts than cow yogurt!!

And the selection of vegan snacks and goods was astounding. I immediately sent pics to my sister Kate, who loves new vegan food innovations. We squealed excitedly over every new food item as I went up and down the aisles like a total food nerd.

It was a lot of fun. New foods are so exciting, innovations in food are exciting!
I have traveled so much that sometimes it feels like I've "seen it all" in the U.S., but I REALLY haven't.
There's so much out there that's new and different and yet to be discovered!

After what seemed like hours I finally tore myself away and checked out and took an Uber back to the hotel (by now temps were in the single digits). Here is my haul:


After trying them:
- The dried veggies: these are wonderful, I would love to see those in supermarkets. They are unfucked-with, unprocessed, freeze-dried veggies, and they were delicious and nonperishable and would be perfect travel snacks.
- Water lily seed puffs: good but have a very strange aftertaste that will not appeal to everyone. I got used to it after a while. The texture is very nice, like popcorn but lighter and fluffier. This brand offered other flavors that might do a better job of masking the aftertaste.
- The carrot chickpea stew was a true stew, not a soup, so it was very thick. A lot of good herbal flavors from lemongrass and red peppers and ginger, and there was also rice and lentil in there. It is oil-free so you could add a flavorful oil as a drizzle and that would be really good. I liked this a lot, would eat again for sure :)
- Elderberry drink: tastes like any all-natural juice drink, like blackberry or cherry juice, rich and dark and tart. I enjoyed it but at the price point would not buy again.
- Sheep's milk yogurt: very good! It had that "funk" that you'd expect from goat cheese, but it was not nearly as strong as goat so it was like a mild earthy background flavor. Since this was plain yogurt it was tangy, and it was SUPER smooth, no chunks at all and very nearly a liquid. I enjoyed it with blackberries.
- Vegan nori power wraps: weird! You can definitely tell that tomato paste is an important ingredient, lol. It's made with sprouted grains which give a nice chewy and filling texture. More spicy than I expected. Too expensive to buy again but it was fun to try :)
- Bacon-flavored mung beans: Very good! These would make a great sub for Bacon Bits. You can hardly tell they're mung beans, they're just crunchy little salty bacony goodness. A nice nutritious alternative to nuts and seeds.

For the rest of the night I unpacked and chatted with my siblings and Jameson and Katie (PT), and just took it easy.
Staying up late was hard, but had to be done.

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Monday! I woke up way too early because my body thinks it's on the east coast.
Had breakfast (we have a microwave, yay!) and tried the sheep's milk yogurt.

After breakfast I did two solid hours of data entry, then crashed again for a little while my phone updated.
I do feel better today, but still excessively tired, so will take it easy. Also it's only six degrees outside so there's that. Probably won't be exploring much...

( CLICK HERE to read hidden text )
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As you're reading this it's probably Thursday morning, and I'm dragging myself out of bed at 5am, to catch the bus at 6am, to get to Denver Airport by 8am. From there at least it's a straight shot to Sioux Falls, where we hope to reach the hotel by 1:30pm.

It's going to be so VERY cold, but I still want to at least walk to the Sioux Falls co-op. I think I can stand 20 minutes.
And on our Golden Day (Sunday, the day after my birthday) since it's supposed to be nice I hope to treat myself to lunch or something.

Sioux Falls is a new city for me, and I don't want to neglect it just because the weather is uncomfortable.

I was still feeling awful when we loaded up on the bus for a two hour ride to Toledo.

Another covid test came back negative, and I think Teledoc is right and it's a flu.
I don't ever recall covid being associated with green phlegm in the lungs. (TMI)

You'd probably think a two hour bus ride would be a great time to rest, but the truth is bus seats are just as uncomfortable as airplane seats and useless for sleeping. Plus sitting still for two hours while racked with body aches only made everything feel worse. I tried to doze but only managed to go into a sort of meditative "It's ok, we'll be there soon" state.

"We'll be there soon" was not very reassuring either, because as soon as we got to the hotel it was GO GO GO throwing luggage into rooms and rushing to unpack and finding something to eat for dinner before sound check. I really hate load-and-go shows, and I'm sure everyone else does too.

I don't usually indulge in food delivery but I was hurting hurting hurting, so ordered some hot wonton soup and a summer roll from a Thai place across the street. This turned out to be very worthwhile, I gobbled the wontons and drank half the broth (why is broth SO helpful when you're sick!) and threw the summer roll into a bag to take to work.

And then we were off.

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

You may recall that our Reed 2, Clayton, is out with covid.
Well, since everyone is rushing around to load in during a load-and-go, there's more potential for things to go wrong.
Sam, our Key 1, hurried into the pit to begin his setup...and cracked his head on the unmarked, black, low overhang at the entrance.
I mean it's so low that *I* have to duck, much less the taller boys.

Would have been cool if it had been marked for safety.

Anyway, Sam got a mild concussion and was now out of the show for tonight AND tomorrow.
We had about two hours to find someone to come in and sightread his book.
Luckily someone--either our MD or our Music Coordinator--knew who to call, so in a short time we had a woman joining us and doing her best to sightread for the show.

Well...there's not much else to say. We all did our best, and it all felt very "fly by the seat of your pants", but the audience still seemed to have fun and gave us a standing O afterward.

I was feeling too awful to appreciate it. The pit was cold, around 68 degrees, and if you've ever had body aches in a cold room it's like all of your muscles are trying to contract and snap you in half, and it hurts A LOT. No amount of OTC painkiller was helping the sharp, shooting pain that was zapping me in the right ear every few seconds, and near the end of the night the medications began to wear off so that I was in pain all over and just exhausted and cranky. Violent coughing for hours the night before had made my upper back muscles sore, and this made it extra painful to play my instrument, especially high notes that require a lot of air support (not to mention being super congested meant having half the air support to give anyway).

And with two other band members out, no matter how lousy I was feeling, there's just no way I could have called out and forced our poor MD to find yet another musician on short notice. This is just the nature of our work; there's nobody on call for us, no understudies for musicians.

Anyway, we all pulled through it.

And you know what, I really have to mention how considerate and attentive the guys in the band were.
They all checked on me, asked if I needed anything, offered to go get stuff for me, and were generally just supportive even though there was little to be done. It was extremely nice and very much appreciated. After the show Bill quickly offered to drive and get me back to the hotel ASAP even though the guys wanted to do a grocery run and the store closed in less than half an hour. I felt bad, but also very grateful. I was about ready to burst into tears when I finally got to the hotel, just from pain and exhaustion and a petulant feeling of  "the unfairness of it all". But once in pajamas and with a lot more medication, I felt better and was able to sleep.

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

Friday I woke up way earlier than I wanted to because I needed to get something to eat.

I enjoyed the free hotel breakfast (a much-needed mercy!) and typed this post up before hopping in the rental car and going to Meijer.
It's been a while since I've been to a Meijer, and I was surprised at how similar the layout is to Walmart.
Anyway, I tried to get healthy things and high-vitamin things to help my immune system out.
I found a turmeric ginger vinegar cayenne drink that burned my throat but REALLY hit the spot.
And got some beets, and pomegranate, and a pre-cooked salmon filet for those healthy fats.

Back at the hotel I unpacked and went right back to bed with a cup of hot tea.

Several hours later we did the show, and Sam was back with us, having recovered from his skull-cracking of the day before.
I felt somewhat better, but was still very uncomfortable in the cold pit.
The show went well.

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

Saturday, I can tell I'm on the other side of this flu.
It was very windy and cold, and we aren't near any sightseeing opportunities or any parks or anything like that, so I just took it easy again.
For some reason both my sink AND shower decided to clog today! No idea why but those pipes have got to be connected, right, otherwise that would be a super weird coincidence. Maintenance came by to unclog them and I watched them work and pelted them with questions and did some more supplementary Christmas shopping.

The first show went fine. I felt very tired, and cold, and tired of feeling cold, even indoors.

Between shows we came back to the hotel where I ate dinner and watched Dragon Prince instead of doing data entry as I should have.
Also started making a list of what I'm taking home and what I'm leaving behind over the layoff.

For the second show I added a long-sleeved shirt to my layers.
I'm now wearing three damned shirts in the pit and finally feel mostly-comfortable, except for the parts where we play for extended periods when I start to overheat. But this week that seems to be the preferred option to freezing.

After the show there were shots given out in the production office to celebrate the end of our first round of touring. How nice!
I didn't participate because, you know, SICK.

The band also went to Smokey Bones across the street from the hotel around 11:30pm.
And I didn't participate, partially because I'm trying to pull my health together, and partially because at 38 years old I know that going out close to midnight to a loud bar/restaurant, where I'll have to shout to be heard and strain to listen to my friends, and where I won't want to eat or drink, is just completely un-fun for me.

Mentioning this because I was asked why I wasn't going several times (the fact that I've been sick all week should really make this a no-brainer) and low-key pressured/poked to go. I understand that the reason people apply this pressure is because they genuinely want to spend time with me. I very much appreciate that! But going with a big crowd to a loud place and having to drink to interact is not "spending time with me". I appreciate and respect that this type of interacting is fun and fulfilling for many people. I WISH it were also fun and fullfilling for me! But it's not. And I wish that people would appreciate and respect that, instead of pressuring, pushing, and interrogating when I say, "No thank you."

A refusal does not require an explanation.

Anyway, having to explain myself made me feel frustrated and sad.
But once everyone went out, I'm sure they had a great time, and thinking of that made me feel better about it.
It's great to blow off steam after a really trying week like the one we've had.

Personally, though, I really badly needed one more night of actual rest.

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

Sunday was the first day that I woke up without body aches, and feeling close-to-normal. Yay!
I'd love to be mostly better by the time I get home on Monday.

I did a load of laundry mostly so I'm not bringing flu-and-snot-infested fabrics home.
Felt good enough to do some data entry and finish up my Christmas shopping, at least for Jameson.
Started packing, and started feeling excited to do these shows and get going!

The first show went well, good audience, although Kyle (trumpet 2) has started coughing and sniffling and I am pretty sure he's caught my flu :( I feel terrible to have given it to him. I wore N95s this entire time, even during dialogue bits in the show and any time we weren't playing. I used hand sanitizer every time I blew my nose, and stayed out of the dressing room, and made sure my face was covered if I had to cough. But the bottom line is that we are directly next to each other blowing air through instruments for at least two hours each day. And the flu is just as contagious as covid.

Between shows, back to the hotel for dinner and more packing.
Then it was finally time. Our last show of 2022!

The audience was great, one of the rowdier ones we've had here in Toledo.
The show went well. I could practically feel the anticipation humming through the air.
Many crew and cast were walking around in holiday-themed jammies or wearing antlers or santa hats during intermission.
There was a fun air of festivity everywhere you looked!

Before we knew it the show was over.
I wiped my instrument down extra carefully (would have loved to wash it but it'll have to wait until after the break) and packed up my things. I did take my mouthpiece home with me, I can use it with one of my other trombones if something comes up (which it won't).

While we're on break everything will sit in our band boxes, hopefully untouched.

When I was packed we drove to the hotel, where I indulged in Tiktok videos and chatted with Jameson until it was time to sleep.

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

Welp, that's pretty much it.
It's Monday, thank God, and I'm eagerly waiting for the airport charter to take me to Detroit so I can finally finally finally see Jameson after like two months away.

I'm also really looking forward to a calm, two-person Christmas.

I'm sorry that this final tour post of 2022 is so lackluster, but it was TOLEDO and not even downtown Toledo proper.
I was pretty sick, everyone is extremely tired and in need of a break, so we're going out with kind of a whimper.

But certainly I'll be sharing pics of Christmas cookies and dinners that we make at home, and my plants and any activities that Jameson and I do together. Maybe I'll take pictures while spending time with family.

And before we know it it'll be January and time to rejoin the tour in Knoxville. That should be fun!!

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

Other stuff:

Jameson is being recommended for a promotion at work!
He would no longer have to teach; instead, he'd be a sort of supervisor, doing more administration and evaluation.
The money of course is a positive, but mostly we are hoping he'll enjoy the new role more than the job he's doing now.

Also in the last week, he's been asked to make arrangements for Darren Hayes (he and Darren are good friends) and has been nominated for an award for his work on Spongebob over the summer. His stars must be in some kind of alignment!

It goes without saying, I'm extremely proud of him and happy for him!

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.


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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Monday was a long day.

The bus left the hotel around 11:30. Flights were at I think 1 or 1:30, landed in Charlotte, another flight to Raleigh.
From there, a 3-hour bus ride to Wilmington with a stop at a Pilot on the way.
I always carry a lot of nonperishables, so only picked up a bottle of water and a yogurt for tomorrow's breakfast.

When we finally got to the hotel it was after 9pm.
I watched some Food Network with Jameson while unpacking, took my covid test, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

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

Tuesday I took my time in the morning, doing data entry and chatting with Jameson.

At 11 I walked to Better Basket, which I had thought was a sort of grocery but turned out to be a very weird collection of cheese, wine, candies, and deodorant, with some sad and aged vegetables in a few dusty baskets. I rescued some tangerines and another yogurt, and found some pepitas, but that was about it.

A few blocks further was a DGX, which is Dollar Store's attempt at an urban grocery, and they had much more of a selection.
I got my protein shake and some granola there, and dropped a link to a walking map in my foodie group since I'd initially directed them to the Better Basket. So kind of a grocery fail this week, but I can't see everything via Google Maps, after all.

Then I had a nice stroll to The Kitchen Sink, a restaurant near the theater offering a nice assortment of sandwiches and soups.
I was gratified to see three of our crew in line for sandwiches when I got there...some had already known about the place because they'd been through Wilmington before, but others had used my foodie sheet. Cool :)

I got the "Sweet & Savory", which is a turkey sandwich with Brie, green apple, microgreens, sweet hot pepper jelly, and mayo.
It was supposed to be on a croissant but I subbed in oat bread.


I guess it's kinda similar to the sandwich I got in Grand Rapids.
I like the contrast of salty deli meat, rich cheese, and sweet fruit.
A "handheld charcuterie", if you will.

After lunch I relaxed a bit, feeling extra tired from all the traveling the day before.
I tried to give myself good seats for the next set of flights, not that it matters since they're so short.

At the theater in Wilmington we were treated to a Green Room packed with snacks and beverages.
There were bagels, muffins, fruit, prepackaged snack cakes and crackers and chips and cereals, coffee and tea and milk and juice and several kinds of water, and even a soda fountain.
This is far more than we would usually expect, and it was really very nice, especially in a town with no real grocery store.
I nabbed a bagel for my travels, and a few individually-wrapped prunes because I found them amusing.

Whoever set up our stuff in the pit had put labels on each seat to help local crew know where things go.
Then they forgot to remove the labels afterward.


I had to play with mine. You guys I play trombone! Thank goodness for this label or I might have forgotten lol.

(photo courtesy Bill Dowling)

Our show went well, and the audience was nice.
Even though we were only in town for a day, it felt very welcoming. Wish we could have stayed longer!

I tried to get to bed early but the toilet in my room runs constantly, there was a lot of street noise filtering in, and the climate control wasn't working so it was cold and I had to burrow like a hibernating animal under the covers.

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

Wednesday morning I was up before my alarm, very tired and not feeling very rested.
Had a coffee and some random breakfast items before the bus arrived.

A 2-hour ride back to Raleigh/Durham, then a longer-than-usual layover.
I treated myself to a sandwich from La Farm. Read my book on my phone. Walked around the airport.

Took a picture of 5/10ths of the band waiting for our flight.
(from left to right: Paul, Drums; Brandon, Bass; Kevin, Reed 1; Jared, Guitar; Josh, Key 2/MD)


Travel day things.

Both flights went well, both were very short. One of them was delayed a bit, so we were a little later getting to the hotel than planned.

Our hotel in Lexington is approx five miles outside of downtown, so we have some rental cars to use.
Immediately on arriving I checked to see that I had a fridge and that it was working, then shot out the door to find the rental car with Paul and Jared. We went to Whole Paycheck for groceries (I hadn't been planning on this as there's a Walmart Supercenter a lot closer, but listen here, I am NOT complaining!!) and on the way Jared revealed that he's not been to a Whole Paycheck in a REALLY long time.

Oh boy, I thought to myself. You're about to have an experience!
An hour later we were back at the car, Jared with like ten bags of food and a big smile on his face.
Nothing like a good grocery haul to cheer one up after a long travel day!

Back at the hotel I unpacked while watching LEGO Masters "with" Jameson.

You guys, Jameson started studying to get his Masters degree today!!!
I'm SO extremely proud of him!!!
Whether it ends up being a milestone for him or not, the fact that he is trying, and learning, and attempting to grow, is a wonderful thing.
His first day went well, and I'm excited to see what the future will hold for him :)

He also recently started a meal subscription service, which I'm ALSO very excited about for him as it will mean healthier and more varied food options. When I'm home I like to cook for us, but he doesn't prefer to cook so when I'm gone he's been eating out a lot.

Here's his first subscription meal: creamy dijon dill chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli!


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

Thursday I woke up a bit later than usual, tired from the travel day and trapped for a bit in dreams where I was still moving.
Had a lovely breakfast thanks to Whole Paycheck and my adorable Itaki which was responsible for my oatmeal.

After the oatmeal I got some snap peas going, and got the timing right (8-10 minutes).


Then I set it up to cook some barley. It's happily bubbling away next to me as I type up this post.

(notice the silicone trivet it's sitting on. So pleased to finally have gotten one!)

When the barley is done I'm going to Walmart to find nut-free protein bars, earplugs, and wet wipes (Whole Paycheck doesn't have EVERYTHING you know), then heading downtown for an unhealthy lunch from DV8 Kitchen!

I have one other special foodie stop planned. We also get free breakfast in this hotel, and the theater is providing an "usher meal" for us between shows on Sunday, so I'm feeling very fortunate food-wise this week.

I probably won't have a load of time for exploration, but will do my best!

We've been in three different hotels in as many days, and it's a miracle I haven't walked directly into a wall when I've gotten up to pee in the middle of the night!

This hotel room is very nice, with a separate little sitting room and kitchenette with small fridge, microwave, and sink.
I don't plan to break out the Itaki this week as we've only got four days, plus I want to enjoy the microwave for once.

I was happy to see that someone posted a food recommendation in my group this morning :)
That's the first time someone besides me has done that!

For lunch I took an Uber to Rosenfeld's Big Fish, a Jewish deli and restaurant outside of town.
They used to have a location downtown, but closed it I assume due to cost.

The deli was very nice, lots of spreads and dips and pickles and imported Jewish and kosher foods.
I was excited to find "Cel-ray" soda in the drink cabinet!
Celery flavored soda. I've always wanted to try it!


It was VERY sweet, and only tasted mildly of celery. Very refreshing, actually. I liked it pretty well :)
One can has 34 grams of sugar, and I usually have 45 grams of sugar per day, so that's probably why it seemed excessive to me.
Weird how our bodies change like that.
(Also, I only drank half the can. The server had never had it before, so I poured half into a cup and gave him the rest. He hated it lol)

For lunch I got matzoh ball soup and a potato knish.
The soup was lovely if a bit salty, with bits of shredded chicken and chopped carrots, celery, and onions.
Sprinkled with dried dill, and of course that big fluffy matzoh ball! Yum.


The knish was very flavorful and very big!


Cross section: delicate golden pastry wrapped around some flavor-packed mashed potatoes.


It was peppery, and I tasted lots of garlic and onion. I don't think there was cheese, but as you can see there was a lot of oil involved so it was very rich. I ate half and saved half for later, then picked up some deli turkey breast and some rosemary thyme crackers (they didn't have half-loaves of bread and I didn't want to waste food). All in all a lovely taste of the northeast, something I haven't experienced in a long time.

Back at the hotel I worked on my data entry and got ready for sound check and the show.

This is a small older theater, and we have to enter the pit via a little crawl door.
A ridiculous Oompa Loompa door like this is always an indication that there will not be much space to work with.


My ass in the doorway, for scale.
I'm 5'5" and have to duck-walk or do a deep crouch to get in.


Kyle (trumpet 2) and Josh (MD/keys) wanted to photobomb it :)


Kyle had to be squished back a row so that we could all fit, but we made it work in the end.
Sound check was fine, and the show was fine.

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( Read more... )
It is Monday and it is EARLY.
I got up at 5am, because we leave around 7am and I like to have time to gather myself.

It'll be a 20-minute bus ride to PHL, a 2-hour flight to Detroit, and a 2.5 hour bus ride into Grand Rapids.
With good luck we should arrive between 3-4pm.