goofball on a train

 I forgot that I don't need to do the disclaimer at the top right now lol.

Also, here are the Female Brass photos from the Candlelight concert a few days ago. We had at least one woman represented on each brass instrument, for possibly the first time in Candlelight's 65-year history (yay and also SIGH)

Left to right: Sarah (trumpet), Kathy (horn), Angela (horn), Me (trombone), Robin (tuba):



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MONDAY

I was up early ostensibly to get stuff done, but all I managed was breakfast and prepping for stuff I'm going to do later in the day.

Had the realization that between Candlelight and Epic, I will have played all three sizes of trombone in the past four days! The large tenor on 12/20, the bass last night, and the small tenor for Epic on Tuesday!


My friend Jacob, who attended Candlelight on the night of the 20th, sent me a big zip folder full of photos and videos...of the trombone section!! He zoomed in on us for much of the performance. Now I have some REALLY excellent media to add to my portfolio. What makes Jacob's footage so useful and vital is that I have very little media of myself playing in the classical style, and that's a big missing piece that this footage will now fill. THANK YOU SO MUCH JACOB!!!

I sorted through that footage after breakfast, then the rest of the day was spent on the following:

• Packing a lunch & dinner for Epic tomorrow
• Packing general stuff for Epic (sunscreen, makeup kit, water, etc)
• Shipping my sister a small present (for the Friends Only crowd, it's the shirt that my dad designed and that we found in a vintage store)
• Stopping by Five Below for last-minute stocking stuffers for Jameson
• Picking up groceries + ingredients for Christmas dinner
• Lunch w/Jameson
• Practicing Epic music and lines (1 hour)
• Receiving what seemed like a zillion packages, some presents from family and others equipment for Jameson
• Splicing and editing the excellent footage that Jacob got for me because I REALLY wanted to share it!

First, here is the best clip I could find of the whole concert including Brendan Fraser's narration. Since it's long, you can put it on in the background while you do something else and just enjoy listening :) Or watch it when you have time. It's such a huge privilege to be a part of this amazing production each year.

Watch on YouTube

After cutting down Jacob's footage of just-the-trombones to eliminate long pauses where we weren't playing, I had about 30 minutes of material (which you can see on my YouTube channel if you're THAT obsessed with trombones.) I shared that clip with the other trombonists who had played that night, then did another big edit, only preserving 3 minutes of footage for use in my own portfolio:

Watch on YouTube

The concert is about an hour long and it took me about that long to edit it, and even longer to get my 3-minute portfolio clip as I had to listen carefully for the best trombone audio. When Jameson was done working we had dinner and pretty much called it a night.

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TUESDAY

Slept terribly because A) I was very nervous about Epic, and B) I developed a tension headache from being so nervous about Epic. Got up at 2am to take a Motrin and was able to sleep after that, but only got 4 hours of sleep ahead of a long day. Sigh.

Normally I would've practiced my Epic stuff across multiple days ahead of performing, but this time I didn't because I prioritized getting the Candlelight bass music, which is new to me, under my belt. I just didn't feel totally secure in my memorized Epic music, which is a very uncomfortable feeling when you're going to be standing in front of large crowds all day. But that's showbiz, baby.

Anyway, coffee and breakfast and off I went. First I stopped at Whole Paycheck to get ingredients for Christmas dinner as this would be my best chance and fighting the least traffic. They had everything I needed for a fancy spread: beef tenderloin, tender asparagus, creme fraiche for the horseradish sauce. I also picked up caviar and blini for us for New Years. Caviar is Jameson's family's tradition, not mine...we didn't have access to nor could we afford caviar to my knowledge. But I'm sure that it's nostalgic for Jameson to ring in the new year with it, so I always try to get it :) 

Then to Epic, where I got through security without issue for once, settled into the break room, put my makeup on, got dressed in my costume, and played through my music before the rest of the band arrived. We all got caught up, I was very happy to see everyone and hear about how they've been doing since I was last in. This little jazz band, which premiered just this year after weeks of intense rehearsal, has become one of Epic's more reliable entertainment offerings, consistently getting good reviews from guests. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and grateful that they still let me pop in once every 60 days or so! 
My first show was a bit rough, not surprising as I hadn't given myself enough time to adjust to the small horn again. But it wasn't BAD, and I remembered all of my lines and choreo without issue. All of the other shows were up to snuff. No one gave me any notes. We had good crowds because the weather is cooler and people are willing to stand and listen to us play. And I got about 13,000 steps/400 calories burned from all the prancing around as Phillipa :p 

Also, the Wizarding World is decorated nicely for the holidays. There are lighted garlands on almost every building, the Metrofloo is lit up green, and there were snowflake decorations in some windows. I also heard that there are wreaths and trees in some of the shops. 

(photo courtesy WDWNT)

Overall a successful day, and I had no need to be nervous because the shows were just fine. 
It was a long drive home as traffic was horrific, per usual in Orlando in general and at this time of year especially. 
Tomorrow is CHRISTMAS EVE DAY!! I am not ready!!

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Wednesday: Hopefully a relaxing day. Both Jameson and I are free. We hope to go for a walk since the weather is nice right now. I'll do some small chores but otherwise hope to just rest. 

Thursday: Christmas Day!! Treats! Presents! Christmas movies! Fancy dinner! Time with my special person!

MONDAY

Jameson fell asleep at 10:30pm...not surprising, and I'm sure he'll be jet-lagged for the next day or two. I fell asleep with him, but that meant being awake and rolling around at 6am. Breakfast and I finally finished my Kansas City Foodie Finds, and made a grocery list. When Jameson got up he took his wedding suit to the dry cleaner's and went out for groceries, and while he was out I practiced so as not to disturb him later. And when he came back and started working I went out for ingredients for dinner.

We ate lunch together, then he went back to work and I went for a neighborhood walk. It was threatening rain so I brought an umbrella, so of course it didn't rain.

I was surprised to come across the same large, beautiful golden orb weaver in the same place. It's been three days!
The hunting must be good here, and the evidence of that was the big juicy beetle she was holding.


The rest of the walk was uneventful; I had to dodge all sorts of people walking dogs, and landscapers, so there weren't many animals out with all the humans around. Back home I showered and dove back into Foodie Finds while Jameson went into a meeting. I had stopped working on Foodie Finds after hitting Wisconsin, not sure why but probably because I got bored. We've still got a lot of cities to go so I'd better get cracking.

Partway through that I got a text from Billy, our scheduler for Epic Universe, who wanted to know if I'd like a brush-up day. To be honest...I kind of don't. But...I should. Sigh. If I do it, it'll be Thursday.

We had taco salads for dinner. There's Monday.

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TUESDAY

Jameson was up at 7:30 for work and I got up with him.
Breakfast and then

• Washed guest bedroom sheets & towels
  
• Dug my Epic Universe music, script, and small trombone out of the closet
• Wrapped one of Jameson's birthday presents
  
• Ran the dishwasher
• Target for measuring spoons, chili powder, new underwear, and a birthday card
  
• Made the guest bedroom bed
• Drain-o'd the shower drain
  
• Lunch
• Practicing bass trombone
  
• Practicing Epic Universe stuffs
  
• Neighborhood walk (the big spider is still there, the rest of the walk was ho-hum)

Jameson's birthday isn't until mid-November, but I won't be here and thought it would be nicer to receive wrapped gifts as opposed to a slew of Amazon packages or whatever.

Practicing the Epic stuff sucked, it's now been a REALLY long time since I've played it and I'd definitely forgotten some things. It'll be fine, but I'll be glad when that half-day rehearsal is over. 

Evening was finishing Hazbin Hotel....sheesh, I can't WAIT for the next season, it's been a really long time since a show engaged me as much as this one. Which is funny to say because I disliked it the first time I watched it. Character depth and scenic nuance will do that to ya. Jameson came home around 6 and brought Panda Express. 

We are now watching The Office, then I'm sure Jameson will game later. He's still a bit jet-lagged but had a nice first day back at Disney corporate: they took his headshots and gave him some nice polo shirts with the logo.

I know I say it every five seconds but I'm still SO SO PROUD OF HIM. 


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Wednesday: Same as the last two days, I'll make something for dinner.

Thursday: Half-day at Epic Universe.

This post covers Thursday night + the weekend.

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THURSDAY NIGHT

Around 5:30 Jameson came home and fetched me to go see ENCORE's preview rehearsal of Hunchback of Notre Dame.

ENCORE is a local nonprofit performing arts organization known for recruiting from the very substantial local talent pool. The organization used to be affiliated with Disney pretty directly, and as a result anyone wanting to see or be seen for hiring purposes shows up to participate. ENCORE is also known for putting on massive, gorgeous stage productions with 200-voice choirs and 150-person orchestras and incredible set pieces, which is another excellent reason to participate; it's not often that artists get to perform in ensembles of that size!

This photo is from Hunchback rehearsals. There are so many people involved that they couldn't even get everyone in frame.

(photo courtesy ENCORE facebook)

Jameson and I got downtown, parked, had an "ok" dinner at a pizza place. We walked to the theater and spent some time in the lobby so Jameson could connect with misc friends who were either seeing the show or involved in its production. I still don't know a lot of people in his circle, so just smiled politely and listened most of the time.


I DO know many people in the orchestra, and made a point to post to socials to let people know I was there in case they wanted to interact. As a result Adam, who is one of the trumpeters at Epic Universe with me, came over to say hi and catch up during intermission! He seems to be doing well and I'm glad we got to meet up!


The show was impressive and beautifully done. The orchestra was on stage, with the choir lofted THREE levels above! WOW!!

(photo courtesy ENCORE facebook)

The actors performed on set pieces at every level of the stage and balconies. And the lighting was phenomenal. Don't even get me started on how emotionally moving a 200-voice choir sounds with a full orchestra. It was honestly a privilege to hear them. A lot of the women around me were crying. I'm not a weeper myself, but definitely had goosebumps.

It's a 3-hour show but there were no stops or holds, and it ended right on time. We hung out in the lobby a bit to congratulate performers and so Jameson could say hi to a few more people, then left because we both have an early morning tomorrow. Got home around midnight.

This cicada was guarding our garage door. Isn't she beautiful!


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FRIDAY

I was up at 7 for breakfast before a dentist appointment.

The dentist's was boring, they tried to spring x-rays on me but sadly I can't afford them right now (nor do I really need them. My teeth are crooked but well-behaved otherwise.) After that I put air in my tires and gas in the car and went to the grocery for taco salad ingredients. Back home Jameson was gone to Disney corporate to do some work, but came back by lunchtime and we ate together. Then I practiced bass for a long time and enjoyed a little chillax before throwing together our taco stuff for dinner. I love taco salad because all it involves is cooking some ground turkey in spices and chopping some veg. Minimal actual cooking and super easy cleanup.

Before bed we noticed that there was more traffic on our residential street than usual. A LOT more.
Turns out the city had blocked off the main road for construction, and had put up a sign to detour traffic through our neighborhood...but then also blocked off the exit to our neighborhood. Sigh. We went outside to check out the fiasco and found some community HOA members already on top of it, calling the cops to come help. As of right now there are still people trying to cut through but at least everyone seems to be able to get out. This doesn't really bode well for traffic this week.

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SATURDAY

Up at 8am for no reason. Coffee and quiet while Jameson slept in.

I typed up a Huge Long Rant...but deleted it...but here's the short version because I've still got residual annoyance: 


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( CLICK HERE for A Rant )

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Ironically, Saturday and Sunday were indeed a sort of forced "vacation" because I had absolutely nothing planned and no one giving me any work. Jameson has worked very hard at his two(!) jobs all week, so he took this opportunity to relax with some Outside Xbox and gaming while I did some dinner prep for us, practiced bass trombone, booked some flights for upcoming layoffs, and packed things for returning to tour. We went for our neighborhood walk in the afternoon and came back hot and sweaty but at least we got some exercise. Jameson watched a horror movie while I dozed or read my book.

Dinner was a homemade bolognese that I'd made and frozen before tour started. I reheated it on the stove, made a salad, boiled some wheat spaghetti, and made garlic bread. Basic but good. Ice cream for dessert.

As we were winding down my bosses at Epic Universe reached out to see if I could do a rehearsal day, and I said yes (they've HALVED the rehearsal pay since I left but money is money and I should keep my hand in.) Now at least I've got a crumb of work to look forward to next week.

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SUNDAY

When I was younger I could sleep until noon and spend all day in bed.
As an adult I find it really hard to do nothing for an entire day! How did I do it back then??

After breakfast I made iced tea, shuffled a few more things around in my suitcase, helped Jameson take our pool string lights down (they are 6 years old and have started literally crumbling.) While we were doing that Jameson noticed what appeared to be a tiny baby snake floating in the pool. I love baby snakes and ran to scoop him out.


All the time that I was admiring him and before letting him go in the backyard, I was thinking that he looked kinda "off." His head and body had an odd angular shape, and his body near his neck was thicker than usual for a snake. I dropped his photo into iNaturalist and found out that this was not a snake at all, but an Eastern Glass Lizard! It is a "legless lizard," which sounds pedantic until you learn that he has non-snake features like eyelids and external ear holes. Neato! How cool to meet a new creature today :)

After that I sauteed some button mushrooms left over from making our salad last night. I cooked them in a little avocado oil, seasoning salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, leftover minced onions from the taco salad, parsley, and a bit of cooking wine. Didn't use a recipe, just looked up what to season them with and tried to eyeball it. They ended up a bit saltier than my preference but still very delicious, and will probably be eaten quickly :)

We watched Happy Gilmore 2 (slapstick is up Jameson's alley, not mine) and I very briefly practiced my Epic Universe music to make sure it was still floating around in my brain (it most definitely is.) Lunch, Jameson watched the Cubs game while I watched anime or read my book or felt restless. 

Seriously, how did I do so much nothing when I was younger??

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Monday: practice, some form of exercise, possibly cooking dinner for us.

Tuesday: Jameson's at Disney corporate so I'll have the house to myself, but not sure that'll change my apparent layoff routine.

Thursday, work at Epic, the usual routine.

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

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

(photo courtesy touringplans.com)

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


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

They scattered like roaches!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Strawberry Gazpacho (vegan)


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday. Very very tired after 16 hours at Epic yesterday. I wanted to sleep in, but had to get up and go take care of my stupid mute situation.

Got to Ilan's house around 10 and he tried a smaller version of his mute, which looks like it'll be a better fit. We also tried each other's bass trombones, and I was annoyed because his felt much easier to play than mine. But five months ago I couldn't play bass trombone AT ALL, and would not have been able to tell which horns were a good fit even if I'd been able to try a bunch. Now I can tell, but can't do anything about it until there's an opportunity to try more horns.

Nerd stuff.

I got home around lunchtime, packed meals for Epic and practiced very minimally, then tried to rest.
I have friends out tromping around in this ungodly Florida heat right now, logging 10+ miles in the sun and then doing it again the next day or going to the gym same-day, and I wonder if there's something wrong with me that I'm exhausted after a fraction of that effort.

Around 8pm the "emergency" bass trombone mute I'd ordered showed up. It's a traditional aluminum mute, so it required modifications. While we watched TV I filed down the corks, cut away some of the felt around the base to allow the cup portion to move the way I'd like, and used a hammer and nail to slam a small hole through the bottom of the mute. All of these mods help the mute to sound better...and are also why Ilan's 3D-printed mutes are important. We shouldn't have to damage equipment to make it work properly!

Before bed someone shared this post with me, from the Harry Potter official Instagram account.
It's part of a post that you can see HERE titled, "How to Spend a Day in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic."


This is important because the more Universal and "Harry Potter Official" acknowledge and promote the band's existence, the more job stability we have in the park. So far we have a small snippet in Universal's official Epic Universe trailer, and now this. Very good signs that Place Cachee Jazz might be sticking around!

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Friday morning, I felt exhausted but gotta suck it up. Time for a day at Epic.

I left earlier than usual because our set times are an hour earlier this week, and also with it being Memorial Day weekend and Epic fully open I wasn't sure how bad traffic would be. Luckily it was normal and I got there in time to get good parking and practice bass for 30 minutes. I had to practice in a stairwell again because the warm-up room was in use. As I was playing some of the wizarding students found me and perched themselves on the stairs to listen, lined up like little birds. They tried to guess which Beauty and the Beast song I was playing, and I had fun switching pieces for that game :)

Because park attendance is capped, it was not as crazy as we'd expected out there and our sets had "normal" attendance. It was extremely hot with heat indexes close to 100°F (37.7°C), and I felt awfully drained by lunchtime. Luckily there were many sweet treats floating around in celebration of opening weekend, so a small slice of cake and some butterbeer-flavored popcorn bucked me up!

We also received a few small mementos, including this touching card that was made using a pictures of our shows and rehearsals.
(Remember that you can click each image to enlarge)


And this picture, which was taken after a set on Grand Opening night.
This is our management and I think also the production team.


Before I knew it the day was done and I was packing up as usual.

Today I realized, I've only got FOUR more work days at Epic Universe before tour begins. Crazy!

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Saturday, managed to sleep until 8 and felt somewhat-recovered. But we were spending the whole day at Fringe Festival, which is outdoors. I made sure to hydrate extra before we left.

Boiling hot again, but we made the best of it. We ordered brick oven-fired pizzas from a food truck, they were delicious! Jameson ate all of his, I shared mine with two of his friends who joined us for the festivities.


We went to see four shows throughout the day. The first was Everfolk. It was a show about a failed attempt to start a fantasy-based amusement park in Utah, involving Taylor Swift!


This play was based on a real event, and now we are both interested to learn more about Evermore Park and how it almost came to be.

General sidenote: all Fringe productions are generally low-budget artistic statements when it comes to props, costuming, audio, and sound, but the artistry and vocal/acting/dance skills of the people involved ALWAYS shines through. I am always blown away at how much raw talent resides in the Orlando area, and always find myself wishing that there were more opportunity for all of us struggling to make it down here.

Before the next show we had time to kill, so went to the lawn/food truck area to grab a snack and drink. Canned alcohol was BOGO, so we got two nutrl seltzers, and Jameson got cheesy fries. I found a Vietnamese stand with a tiny old woman shaping dumplings, LEGITIMATE. I got her tofu summer rolls and they were excellent. We had a good time chatting and many of Jameson's theater and theme park friends stopped by to hug him and catch up :)

Next show was Ghost Stories by Paul Strickland. This was my favorite show purely because the timing of the light and audio effects was PERFECT. We found out later that this was because he brought his own sound/light crew, one of whom was his wife. Rarely at Fringe do you see GOOD audio/lighting; this might have been the first time I've seen it happen lol. It made his storytelling that much more immersive, and I sat perfectly still for the whole hour, entranced. Good stuff!

We only had time for a quick pee before the next show, which was outdoors. It was a stage combat version of CLUE! The "stage" was a dusty patch of earth under a big drooping tree, where we sat on benches and enjoyed watching CLUE characters pummel each other with everything from their fists, to knives and cudgels, to a garden gnome! But in the end it was POISON that "done them in," and the butler who finished the job with the candlestick (of course!).

We had a little time before our final show, so got ice cream sundaes. I asked for half the ice cream and double the toppings and got it! Lots of chewy brownies :D And yes, I took two Lactaid!

The last show was a condensed version of The Great Gatsby.


I think the music was all-original for this production. The choreo was especially impressive. The storyline got a bit lost--if you hadn't read the book or seen the movie you might be a little confused--and there were LGBTQ+ and BIPOC elements added that are definitely not in the original story. But Fringe is all about artistic expression and interpretation, and these additions were in good taste for this production imo. I wasn't too impressed by the music, but the other elements were very well done and it was a good show. Our friend Lea played an important role and did an excellent job.

We met up with Lea afterward to share a drink with her and other members of the cast. At this point my social battery was 100% drained, so I'm sorry to say that I just stood quietly and tried to survive the crush of people and loud guffawing and screeching of actors around me :p I am completely understanding of the extrovert need to be loud, central, and "on," especially after the adrenaline rush of a performance well done. But I'm not that person, and it was better for me to hang back and not be a killjoy.

Eventually Jameson was ready to leave, so we said our goodbyes. Got home around 11, asleep by midnight.
It was a fun night, we go to Fringe almost every year and enjoy it every time :)

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Sunday, breakfast, laundry, dusting our big bookshelf which is a tedious chore that I only do about twice a year.

After lunch Jameson went for a haircut and I practiced trombone, then relaxed for a bit. It was Sunday and a holiday weekend after all.

Dinner was Olive Garden. A nice thunderstorm rolled through.

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Monday: Memorial Day, I doubt I'll get much done other than cleaning, practice, and cooking dinner.

Tuesday: Day off, probably running errands in addition to the usual stuff.

Wednesday and Thursday: Working at Epic.

Thursday, working at Epic.

It was quite hot and no cloud cover at all. High of I think 92, with a heat index of 96 (33-34°C.)
And it is still MAY. By the time we hit July the heat index will be triple digits every day (41°C and up.)

All of our sets went just fine, we were sweating buckets and I drank a whole electrolyte drink which I don't normally do but it seemed a good idea. Not surprisingly most of the talk backstage is about the park opening, and the special event on the 21st. It's all very exciting but I'll be happy when the publicity part is over. They hype is well deserved of course...just speaking on a personal (introvert) level :p

Adrian (clarinet) has a garden which has produced a surplus of veggies. He gave me some!
The little tomatoes are called everglades tomatoes and are the size of blueberries.
Not sure what I'll do with everything yet but the tomatoes will likely be a weekend snack!


Back home I caught up with Jameson and packed a small purse for Hollywood Studios tomorrow.
I'm very excited that we'll get to have a day just for us. For fun, for enjoying each other, for enjoying Disney, for celebrating having made it this far, and for the exciting job things that are hopefully to come.

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Friday was an INCREDIBLE day at Hollywood Studios! Full post HERE.

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Saturday. I got up and did laundry, hydrated a lot to make up for yesterday, vacuumed, ran the dishwasher, and practiced bass and tenor trombone. Ran through all of my Disney music in anticipation of subbing in at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow.

After lunch I drove out to my new friend Ilan's house to pick up the 3D-printed bass trombone mutes I'd ordered from him a while ago. Ilan is the founder/owner of Morningstar Mutes, among other things. And he recently celebrated the birth of a little girl. He's not new to fatherhood, but even a childless schmuck like me knows that a newborn baby is just as much work as a full time job. Therefore I was pleased and grateful that he'd managed to get my mutes finished in the original time frame.

I got to his house and texted "I'm here" rather than ringing the doorbell and potentially waking any little ones. That was a good call: the baby was dozing and the toddler was having a quiet storytime, and Ilan was able to bring me into the house without disrupting either. He went to go get my mutes while I looked around the foyer. There were mutes EVERYWHERE, and a 3D printer quietly humming away in the corner. Ilan informed me that there were two more printing night and day in his garage.


Ilan just recently started producing these mutes after years of testing and collaboration with other professional trombonists (he's a bass trombonist himself.) While trombone mutes are important for creating colorful sound changes (hear some samples HERE), many mutes do not work well across the entire range. Some notes can sound distorted, out of tune, or may not even sound at all if the mute disagrees with your horn. And the design and structure of mutes has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years.

The options available up to this point have been Humes & Berg cardboard composite mutes (virtually unchanged design since 1935) and a variety of aluminum mutes, all shaped like wine bottles and perhaps sporting a copper base if you wanted to get boujee. There were also mutes introduced by jazz artists, such as the plunger, bucket, and hat mute, and you can guess from their names where all of those originated!

To counter the problems of imperfect mutes, musicians have done goofy things like drill holes in them, wrap tape around them, intentionally dent them to change the sound, etc. And mutes freefalling out of your bell in the middle of a concert has always been a common problem thanks to the use of cork to hold them in; cork wears and chips over time, dries out and crumbles, and even filing cork down to fit your bell doesn't guarantee a good fit (especially if you get a new horn later on, or want to sell your mute to someone with a different horn.) So as you can see, all sorts of problems exist.

If you've read this far, congratulations, you total nerd.

Anyway, Ilan's mutes address a lot of these issues. For the problems with distortion and tuning, he's made the mutes larger than traditional ones which results in less backpressure and adds more resonance. He can do this because carbon fiber-infused plastic is even lighter than aluminum, so the size of the mute can be increased without increasing the weight. Additionally, carbon fiber does not dent or rust, so the mutes are more resilient. And instead of cork, Ilian is using a sort of soft synthetic material attached to the mutes via velcro so that you can move them around and adjust them without permanently changing the shape of the mute, as would happen with cork.

And on top of all of these improvements, you can add metal bottoms to the mutes which improves the sound. Copper is very preferred for adding warmth to sound, but he also offers brass or aluminum bottoms which usually offer a sharpness/clearer resonance.

Here are my two mutes, a straight mute and a cup mute for bass trombone.



The cup portion of the cup mute is a flexible plastic, which makes it easier to store and less likely to crack on impacts.
The straight mute has a small handle printed into the body on one side to make it easier to grab and remove (another innovation you won't find on traditional mutes.) Both mutes have a copper bottom. It's been a long time since I could afford a copper-bottomed mute.

In addition to these, Ilan showed me a tenor cup mute that hadn't printed quite right and asked if I might like to buy it at half price. There was nothing wrong with it other than aesthetics (some visible glue + it went a little wibbly on the cup portion) so I took it. In fact, since the cup is removable it's exactly what I need for one specific mute change on this tour. Yay bonus mute! It was great to meet Ilan and do business with him. He's a bit in the weeds with orders right now but I really hope that he'll get his feet under him because he's got a great product with innovations that a lot of trombonists really do need.

On the way back home I stopped at a Walgreens to get some special Snack Pod treats for Jameson and I!
He wanted Nerd Clusters, Mike & Ikes, Reeses Pieces, and Combos. I also got PB M&Ms again, sesame stick snacks, and Gushers. We weren't sure that all of these would work, and we were right: Combos are too big, and Gushers are too sticky. I tossed some Gushers in corn starch and we'll see if that helps. This is a fun experiment!

The rest of the evening was pretty chill, I just packed my Disney meals and tried (and failed) to relax.

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Sunday, up early for the Magic Kingdom.

(photo courtesy Disneytouristblog)

The Castle stage is under repairs right now, so they're having the band do more sets to provide more entertainment in the area. Five sets, one parade, and the flag retreat, which is seven sets total and two more than usual. It has still been very hot, mid-90s even without the heat index, and minimal cloud cover. Therefore I went into work bucking myself up for a long and sweaty day with shorter breaks between each set.

When I arrived, however, I was surprised to find Cory, another of Keith's subs, setting up. After conferring we realized that Keith must have double-booked us. This happens from time to time; Keith did book Cory first but neither of them remembered to tell our boss, and then Keith must have forgotten about it and asked me to cover later on.

Our boss walked in, looked at both of us, shrugged, and said, "Rehearsal day. You two work it out."
Translation: Neither of us needed to go home. We could both stay, get paid, and he'd just call it a rehearsal for one of us. Yay!!

We quickly decided to divide the sets evenly, and for the flag retreat Cory offered to play the 2nd trombone book so that Crash (2nd trombonist) could go home early. The result of this was that instead of doing 7 sets today, I only had to do 4! YAY!!

Needless to say I had a wonderful day and did not care one whit that it was hot and sticky work. I got to play all of my favorites including Be Our Guest, Hot Dog Dance, and the parade, had time to cool off and chat with the guys between sets, and did not feel overexerted. Truly lovely.

(Courtesy random IG account)

The tough thing about subbing right now is that I don't know which day will be my last before tour starts.

So, I treasured today. I noticed the smells of candy and popcorn and roasted nuts. I felt the little bubbles from the bubble wands pop on my cheek and hands as we danced with kids during our sets. I played "When You Wish Upon A Star" as we marched past the castle, and remembered how my heart had pounded and my eyes had welled up with tears the first time I'd gotten to do that, because it was a dream come true.

Things like that.

It was a good day. I'm sure there'll be more...just don't know when :)

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Monday and Tuesday: Days off. Now is the time to prep for tour. Practicing, packing, cleaning the guest bedroom, gathering supplies. Some cooking and cleaning too I think.

Wednesday: You guys. Can you believe it? Wednesday the 21st is the Epic Universe Grand Opening Celebration. I'll be at the park from 8am-9pm for this special event. The entire event will be livestreamed HERE if you'd like to watch (you do need to sign up.) Not sure if you will see me in the footage (or if you'd even want to) but there will certainly be lots of exciting stuff in store!

(random photo)

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

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

(photo courtesy Disney Theatrical)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HE GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!

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

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

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

Here is where Jameson will be working!!



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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday and Thursday: Work at Epic.

Up early again for Epic.

This time I went to Sprouts before work, because they have Spindthrift sodas and it turns out Jameson likes them :)

From there it was a normal morning, I was able to get a full hour of bass trombone practice before our sets which made me very happy.

The sets were all normal, but...there is already some pretty crummy behavior going on.
Universal is more of an "adult" park, which in some ways is a good and fun thing...and in some ways, opens the door to a lot of potential unpleasantness.

Today we had good crowds, but for the first two they were like TV audiences.
That is, we looked out onto a sea of phones. I felt like I was at a press conference or something.
And when we tried to interact we got no response or blank stares from most people.

Usually by the end of the set, if people stuck around that long, they'd start to warm up and clap and dance and whatnot. But not everyone stays that long; a lot of people take a quick video clip and leave. We're an ATMO band, which means we're supposed to add to the ambiance of Place Cachee, and make people feel like they're in 1920s wizarding Paris, and give guests an experience that they can't get anywhere else. But if you never once look up from your phone...what exactly did you pay for when you bought your ticket? You could have stayed home and watched videos of the park online, and saved some money. I guess that makes me old but, it was my thoughts today.

We had more questionable guest behavior in the form of a drunk guy who came running up to me during our performance and started yelling at me in Spanish. He didn't seem aggressive, just seemed to be acting stupid, but he was much bigger than me and got right up in my personal space. Our handlers were apparently too timid to do anything about it. The other two musicians immediately stomped over to "suggest" he step back...politely, and still in character. But they shouldn't have to do that in the middle of a show. We shouldn't have to stop a show to "handle" guests, that is what a HANDLER is for.

This stuff is only going to happen more and more, so we'd better get used to it and our handlers had better step up. I would hope that at some point we'll have training on how to handle negative interactions...but I won't hold my breath for it. I will simply have to watch out for myself. If I see that help is not forthcoming, I will act to protect myself...i.e., I will simply leave the set until the problem is removed. In the event that I can't leave because someone is trapping me or grabbing/touching me...let's just say I'm grateful to be holding a trombone. Which can be a VERY effective weapon. Which I hope no one will ever have to experience.

But you know. FAFO.


Aaaanyway, that was the excitement. Otherwise it was good sets and good crowds.

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I ate dinner in the break room and then drove to Will's for what was likely my final bass trombone lesson.

Chatted with him and his wife a bit, asked questions about his recent heart surgery which he said went really well, he's just a little sore and is recovering nicely. This is our first lesson in I think 3 weeks, and I was very gratified when Will exclaimed over the noticeable difference in my playing. I don't always practice as much as I should or work on all the areas that I should, but I do practice regularly and have worked very hard to be more comfortable with the bass, and it showed. I could feel it myself in the lesson, remembering how I'd sounded with Will previously. I'm still not as good as Will and probably never will be, but that's ok. I'll get better with time, and will continue to do my very own best :)

Back home the routine of unpacking and cleaning myself up and splatting on the floor.
Jameson had his last gig at Epcot tonight, and is tired but overall positive about his first performances post-surgery.
We will see how his arm feels over the next 48 hours.

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Friday I was up too early. Coffee and typing this and breakfast, trying to figure out what to make for dinner and settling on a cheeseburger fusilli bake that we both like. Got the ingredients for that. Did not practice, didn't feel like it.

Had an exchange of information with the upcoming tour management, and that made me feel relieved although they still haven't given us much. Now I've got flight and hotel bookings for rehearsals in Schenectady. What I REALLY want is onboarding paperwork and the dang music. But, gotta be patient.

The rest of the day was slow, I just did research related to touring, worked on foodie finds, and read my book to relax a bit.

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Saturday, up early for no reason again. I guess this is my life now.
Slept poorly too because had eaten too many acidic things all day yesterday, and felt mildly heartburn-y and nauseous all night. It happens.

Jameson had a playdate with friends this AM, so after he left I drove out to the nearest Michaels to look at foam inserts for my bass trombone case. The case is heavy-duty, but the padding inside is not the greatest so I need materials to cushion the horn further for transport.

$80 later I had some chunks of foam, some dark grey felt (they were out of black), two sheets of black craft foam, two foam cones, a small cushioned black case that was maybe meant for glasses(?)...and these adorable post-its, because they're fun and life is short!


Back home I chopped up the foam and put a chunk in the bottom of the trombone case to cushion the trigger mechanism, which currently is touching the hard side of the case and could be easily damaged as-is. I think the foam is perfect to protect it but we'll see. Additional foam in the more narrow section that houses the tuning slides. There was a lot of leeway for motion there that is greatly reduced with the foam.


The black craft foam, I cut a piece to put in the bottom of my mute bag to help muffle sound. I like to start packing up mutes before the show is over where possible, and this will help me not to make noise while doing so.

The foam cones are to be inserted in the trombone bells, to protect them from being crushed during transport. They extend slightly beyond the edge of the bell, which allows them to take impacts instead of the bell itself. The bell may still receive damage sometimes but odds are greatly reduced by using a cone (this is why my bass trombone's bell got crushed during shipping to me, because the idiot who packaged it did NOT follow my directions and did NOT use a cone.)


The small black case is for one of my small tuning slides on the bass, which must be removed for the instrument to fit in the case. It will probably also hold my mouthpiece once I get an appropriate sheath to protect them from clinking together. For the time being I cut a bit of the dark grey felt to go in there and provide extra cushioning, and threw random things in there like a mouthpiece brush and tape and spare trigger gummies.


More of the grey felt will be put in front of the bell-and-cone, just to snug it in there more tightly. I was very satisfied with how my little plan worked out here.

I practiced a bit but wasn't feeling great, so mostly tried to rest.
Later on we drove down to Colonial Ave to see a Queen tribute concert.
We've seen this band before, our friend Allen (whose nickname is Shrek) was a sound guy on the circus and now exclusively tours with this tribute band. It's good money for him and he absolutely loves it, plus they come through Florida once or twice a year and we get to see him! We had dinner together and got caught up, then Allen got us our tickets and took us backstage to meet some band members. Everyone was pleasant as always, and since Jameson is both a keyboardist and Queen fan he always has lots of nerd-stuff to chat about with the lead singer and the keyboardist :)

The concert was lots of fun. The theatre is old so it was warm and stinky, but that also made it feel, I guess "classic!" Like, this was a common live venue setting back in the 80s and 90s. Few people were looking at their phones or even recording...most were really interacting, cheering, and having fun. I feel like that might be a rarity any more.


After the show we said goodbye to Allen and thanked him for the tickets, and left so he could get started on loading out.

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Sunday, my brain finally allowed me to sleep through the night AND stay asleep until 9am.

This was partly because it was raining! It was darker than usual so I think my brain didn't know what time it was.
We have been in a drought here in Florida and BADLY needed this rain.



It also gave an excuse to have a nice slow morning.
I still feel kind of like, on the verge of having a virus, though I feel better than yesterday so that's something. I had an electrolyte drink, and waited a while before practicing bass, and then Disney stuff on tenor. After practice I had lunch with Jameson and then took a coffee grinder I'd sold on Ebay over to UPS so I won't have to worry about it on Monday. Then Jameson and I rested. He gamed and I watched Aladdin for no reason other than I felt like it. Maybe it's just comforting while I'm feeling under the weather.

Before dinner I cleared out the areas under the guest bathroom and kitchen sinks, and after dinner I did the master bathroom. Tomorrow we are having new sinks put into the bathrooms and new faucets in all three. Opened each box to make sure all parts are there and nothing is broken. We've had terrible luck with contractors and getting ripped off and/or paying for services that do not get completed, so please cross your fingers for us that we will just be able to get these installed without drama or issue.

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Monday: Three faucets and two sinks getting installed early in the morning. The rest of the day should be free. I'll probably practice and pack for Disney. If I'm feeling better I'll make something for dinner.

Tuesday: Rehearsal day at Disney.

Wednesday & Thursday: Working at Epic.

Thursday at Epic.

I was up early working on Foodie Finds, then had intended to stop at Sprouts on the way in to work but missed my exit because I was distracted/tired so decided to skip it.

At work after getting makeup and costume on I practiced bass, but only for a bit because I felt tired.
I'm about to have like a week off here anyway, so there'll be lots of practice.

Our sets were mostly just fine.
For one set, our puffskein Plume was "dead"...that is, her battery died unexpectedly. So when we revealed her to the crowd she was perfectly still, eyes closed, "in repose," LOL. We continued on with the show because what else could we do, but during my very first break in the music I casually slid back and forced her eyelids open so people could at least get pictures of her.
Sorry b*tch, but if I gotta work, so do you hahaha

Someone from Wardrobe sent me this picture later (Plume is presumably alive here haha)


It was very hot out, with temps in the high 80s and a heat index above that (31C+). The 70-degree days and cool nights are behind us...from now until November, we will not see temps below 80 again.

Traffic getting home was horrific, it took over an hour.
I scraped my makeup off and chatted with Jameson, showered and had a snack, and chilled.

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Friday. I hadn't realized that I've got FIVE days off in a row!
Now that we're past Easter, my schedule is suddenly very light.

There is still a lot of work to do, though.
With the tour in mid-June, I have to practice daily and gather equipment (mostly for the bass as I've never toured with one before.)
This is also a time to clean, cook, and spend time with Jameson.
Selling things that I don't need and then taking what I don't sell to a donation spot.
I've got an all-female Chicago tribute band gig to practice for, and transcription is supposed to start up again in May (fingers crossed.)

After breakfast I was twitchy waiting for Jameson to wake up so I could start on chores, but with five free days ahead of me I could stand to be more patient. He was up soon enough and went for a walk, and while he was gone I cleaned our bathrooms, vacuumed, and mopped the tile floors. Then practicing bass and large tenor. Switching between the two isn't "hard" per se, but one instrument gets cold while you're playing the other and that makes it tough to sound good sometimes. Simply remembering to switch is probably the hardest part...and then on top of that I'll have to learn when to use which mutes.

Since I'm an old lady I felt tired and low-blood-sugar after that, so chilled until lunch and then even after lunch, just figured out what to cook for the week, read my book, watched anime and some luggage reviews, and emptied the dishwasher. Updated my resume with the Epic stuff.

For dinner we went out for once, to Lazy Dog. Jameson needed a break, he had a frustrating week at work culminating in the probable loss of 5 months' worth of his efforts due to the carelessness of his bosses. I don't want to put so much weight on his Disney interview on Monday but...he wants and needs it real bad.

We had fried deviled eggs for the appetizer, and he got a flight of beers while I tried a lemoncello basil cocktail that was ok-not-great (which is why I usually default to wine at chain restaurants.) For entree I got the bibimbap, which I've had here before and is rather inauthentic but flavorful and one of the healthier options on the menu. My favorite part is the carrots, which are spicy as heck.


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Saturday, after coffee I packed up a mixer that sold on Reverb and took it to UPS.
Kind of goofed off until Jameson was up and about...I can't exactly practice or do chores while he's sleeping.

We went to brunch at First Watch! Just because!
Jameson had a bloody Mary, I had a cinnamon toast cereal milk with rum and oat milk. Both were great.
And we both had French toast, he had a tres leches one with strawberries and I went for the seasonal lavender cream + berries.



Isn't that a pretty sight!
Most people would NOT like the lavender cream. By itself it was "soapy" for sure.
But spread evenly on the toast with the blueberry compote, I thought it was delicious.
I don't usually splurge like this. A great treat with my sweetheart :)

(Also when I DO splurge like this, I look up the calories ahead of time, add them to MyFitnessPal, and focus on staying within my normal daily caloric range based around the splurge. In this case, the whole plate of French toast is about 720 calories, the drink was 230, for a total of 950 calories, mostly from carbs and sugar. That left me with about 650 calories for the rest of the day, most of which ideally should be from proteins and veggies to offset the carby and sugary breakfast.)

After our lovely indulgent meal Jameson went to get a haircut and I stayed home to practice.
I played both tenor and bass, practicing switching between them, and also practiced mute changes for the first time. Most of them are tastefully written, i.e. I won't have to hold three damn mutes in my lap like I did on Elf.

After that I had to lie down a bit because playing trombone on an overfull stomach had been a Bad Idea.
But after some water I felt better, and went for a walk to earn myself 100 calories back. Sweet.
The rest of the day was chill and not worth noting.

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Sunday, I am still getting up too early but oh well. After breakfast I went out for ingredients for "white lasagna."
Back home, Jameson went on a walk and I practiced, then while he was having a dip in the pool I measured out and chopped up the veggies for the lasagna.

After lunch we didn't do much...this is Jameson's last day off for a while so he spent most of it trying (and failing) to stay calm about his interview tomorrow. I bought a few stupid things on Amazon, planned what to eat at Epcot on Tuesday when I go to see Jameson play, and turned away some people who came crawling out of the woodwork to frisk me for tickets / entry into Epic Universe.

In case anyone reading this is thinking of trying that:
     - I'm not a Universal employee. I do not receive any of the benefits of a Universal employee, including entrance to the parks.
     - Even if I WERE a Universal employee, employee previews are over. They ended around April 15th. Even employees no longer have free access to the park.
     - The best way to get into Epic Universe before opening day is to stay at one of the hotels: Terra Luna, Stella Nova, or Helios. The hotels are currently offering a limited number of single-day tickets to guests.
     - The second-best way to get into Epic Universe before opening day is to beg an Annual Passholder to get you in, or to purchase an Annual Pass yourself.

Additionally, if we haven't talked in years and you suddenly show up in my PMs pretending to be all chummy, then immediately hit me up for free stuff, you're clearly not my friend and you're definitely not getting shit :)

Anyway. It was a slow day that should have been relaxing but both of us have things on the horizon to be tense about, Jameson especially, so it just felt like a day of annoying waiting. For dinner I made a half-recipe of the "white lasagna," which is supposed to be a copycat recipe for Stouffer's Vegetable Lasagna.

(photo courtesy Sweetly Splendid which is where I got the recipe. Mine looked similar.)

Jameson described it as "A chicken pot pie lasagna," and I think he is right! I'd never thought of it that way but the process to make it is almost exactly the same, just with noodles instead of a crust. He liked it a lot so I'd make it again, but here are three notes for future me:
1) Make double the sauce.
2) Saute the veggies a little instead of throwing them in completely raw.
3) Check your dang noodles for doneness lol

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Monday: Jameson has his Disney interview, then he's got sound check for his gig with Hooligans at Epcot. I'll have a boring day of practicing and scrubbing the shower with bleach, which I only do when I know Jameson is gone so he won't have to suffer the fumes. Might take myself to a luggage outlet store as my tour luggage has taken a lot of damage and won't last much longer.

Tuesday: Normal morning, going to see Jameson play at Epcot in the afternoon/evening. This will be his first performance since getting surgery on his arm.

Wednesday and Thursday: Work at Epic.

Thursday was a blessed, much needed day off.

I was supposed to have a lesson with Will but his doctor had told him to take it very easy (he had a cardiac ablation) so I decided for both of us it was best to cancel.

Instead I had breakfast and washed our sheets while Jameson went to the gym.

Had a phone chat with the financial advisor for my meager investment account. It was boring and a waste of both our time but a chat is apparently required once a year or something. He is an elderly white man, and I despise working with him because every time we talk he interrogates me about my income, expresses bafflement that I haven't considered another line of work or marriage as a form of financial stability, and makes it clear that he disapproves of how inconsistent my income is. It, like, stresses him out that I can never tell him how much I make annually, because it varies so wildly from year to year that I don't know until the year is over. Don't ask why I keep this investment account, I've no idea.

This time at least, for once, he didn't interrogate me about my income.

Him: "Anything new you'd like to share? Any questions about your account?"
Me: "No, I generally avoid looking at my account right now because of the way things are going."
Him: "...Not a fan of the current administration, huh?"
Me: "Considering that the current administration has a problem with the arts, as well as the company I keep as an entertainment industry professional, no, I can't realistically be a fan of the current administration."
Him: *5 second silence* "Ok. Well, this has been a good chat."

I can't relate to people like my financial advisor, for whom money is a god to be lifted above all else.
I'm sure he can't relate to me and my incomprehensible fixation with being a musician instead of a breeding sow, either.

After that my day was pretty much done, and I was grateful for it.
Jameson's parents sent us a Kringle, which is a sort of "pride of Wisconsin" dessert that we've enjoyed while staying with them previously. This one is cherry flavored, and I'm excited to cut into it after Easter dinner on Sunday!

I got an email from the tour I'm supposed to join in June, asking for a headshot.
Wow, communication! The first real official one in about 3 months. I sent a photo and will hope for more info and updates soon.

Before lunch I enjoyed half a Dragon's Milk Crimson Keep (ABV 11% which is why I only drink half a beer at a time, just that small amount gives me a very wonderful buzz) and after lunch I was a lazy a$$, doing nothing but planning dinners and taking photos of stuff I want to sell online.

We watched Top Chef and went to bed.

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Friday I was up early, felt restless. Days off are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, but they just make me feel guilty for not being productive "enough," whatever that means.

So while Jameson slept I had breakfast, then
     - Took pictures of some trombone accessories that I'm offloading and listed them for sale
     - Bookmarked recipes for next week
     - Packed food for Epic tomorrow
     - Looked up how to repair the drippy guest bathroom sink

When Jameson got up I
     - Practiced bass
     - Went to the grocery for tonight's dinner and Easter dinner ingredients
     - Bought a sink repair kit and tried to repair the sink but the handle screw is so stripped that neither of us could remove it
     - Researched how to get our sinks and faucets replaced after consulting with Jameson about it
     - Sold two of my trombone accessories and set up payment and shipping for them
     - Prepped clothes and music for Easter Sunday gig
     - Bookmarked things I might need to buy for tour
     - Cleaned out the bathroom overhead light, which was full of ancient dead bugs

It feels like I did nothing at all today regardless of all this.

Eventually made "summer spaghetti" for dinner which is just pancetta, squash, tomatoes, balsamic, and basil on wheat spaghetti and sprinkled with cheese. One of our tasty staple dinners.

And finally sent notice to Epic and Disney that I'll be going on tour in June.
We're two months away from me leaving, and Epic at least will need to replace me. Disney probably won't be much affected.

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Saturday, up before my alarm for coffee and to work on Foodie Finds because receiving contact from the tour yesterday has re-motivated me. Left earlier than needed to get gas and pick up a Panera sandwich for lunch. Arriving early was good, though, because on Saturday traffic is lighter so for once I got decent parking, and also had time to play bass for 30 minutes.

Our sets were normal. We had one of the subs on trumpet, and…he did great but I really wish we could have a few more rehearsals for all of the subs. We also didn’t have the cart because one of the wheels snapped clean off as soon as it was moved. Yikes! It’ll be out for days if not weeks.

Employee-only previews are over, so now we have actual paying guests in the park (Annual Passholders.) It’s a different vibe but so far not a bad one. We had some good crowds and smiling faces :) I'm embarrassed to say that the only recording I've found of our trio performing today is one where I messed up terribly...and here I am criticizing the sub musicians! How's that for instant karma! Anyway I won't flinch from it. Remembering this performance will keep me humble and remind me to stay focused so I can do a better job next time.

Back home I prepped a light breakfast for Easter service tomorrow, and boiled some eggs for deviled eggs, then hydrated and relaxed.

Random photos from OCRegister, so you can see what's going on in this park right now.
There are more and more people, but it's still not CROWDED.
But oh, it will be.

Astrid/Stormfly meet-and-greet in How to Train Your Dragon / Berk


Frankenstein's Castle, Darkmoor, Dark Universe


The streets of Place Cachee, Wizarding World/Ministry of Magic


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Sunday, up at 4am, UUUUGH.

Before leaving I set out a small Easter basket for Jameson, along with a Japan Series Cubs shirt.


A 90-minute drive to some random Methodist church in the middle of nowhere. I arrived on time and so did the others in the hired brass quartet, we all pulled into the parking lot about the same time. Chatted as we got set up. Met the choir director, who started with a warm up and then ran through "Crown Him with Many Crowns" with us.


We were hired to play prelude music for 15 minutes before the two Easter services, and then play along with any hymns. It was easy. At the first service we were a little timid, and didn't get applause between songs because it was a scant, half-asleep audience. But we did get applause when finished with the set, and after the service many people came up to tell us they'd enjoyed our playing.

The population of this church is 99% blue hairs; I only saw one couple about my age and they looked like they absolutely did not want to be there. This meant that we four in the quartet were the youngest in the room...and also, being from out of town, the most interesting. Thus it was that between services we were invited to enjoy a light breakfast with the choir, and had our ears talked off by these lovely men and women who only had a scant 20 minutes to pelt us with all the questions they could squeeze in, and/or tell us about themselves! :D

It has been a while, and had forgotten what a novelty I am, as a female trombonist, to this generation.
And never before have I had multiple people simultaneously exclaiming over that, as I did today.

Within just a few minutes I got,
"Wow, you're really playing that big ole instrument, huh!"
"My band director wanted me to play the trombone too, but my parents would have been FURIOUS."
"How can a tiny thing like you play a big instrument like that?"
"You must have extra-big lungs to keep up with the boys!"

...and my favorite was,
" *Manly giggle* So tell me, at what age were your arms long enough to reach all the notes?"

Generally, I consider comments like these to be non-offensive, and simply an expression of the fact that very few women play the trombone (and also that it has been a rather frowned-upon thing for young ladies to do, making it novel/more interesting than would be otherwise.) Additionally, most people don't know very much about the trombone and so make assumptions based on pop culture and tropes and whatnot.

It makes me happy that people are interested; to share how I got into playing the trombone, and explain that most anyone of either sex can play trombone, even with little arms :) When it becomes offensive is when a man uses one of the above statements as a segue into a mansplain about trombone technique because he played it back in middle school and is thereby an expert; or continues to describe how women can't or shouldn't play low brass instruments; or turns it into something suggestive. All of which have, of course, happened to me before. But this was a large group of both men and women, and I think people were just plain interested.

The second service was much better attended, and we received enthusiastic applause after each and every prelude song. Adorable! Everything went just fine and we were told many times how our playing had been enjoyed and appreciated.

In all honesty...when it comes to Easter, most of the time I'd absolutely drive 90 minutes at 4am for a few compliments and a muffin.
Money isn't everything.

Here is some of our playing. (Please keep in mind that we've all been up since 4am lol)



Back home I found Jameson standing in our driveway dressed in gym clothes, facing the garage door. I pulled in behind him and he held a hand up, but it was too late...he'd been taking video of a large black racer, but my car scared it away. Drat! He did send me the video, though! They are beautiful and beneficial animals, and I hope this one likes living in our yard.

He went for a walk while I scarfed down lunch, drank the other half of my beer, and whipped up deviled eggs.
When he got back we had a relaxing day, snacking on Easter candy and gaming or watching TV.
Eventually I made a modest Easter dinner of ham, roasted asparagus, crescent rolls, coleslaw, and the cherry Kringle from Wisconsin for dessert. Did you notice what I left out? The stupid deviled eggs! Completely forgot them and left them in the fridge. I felt something was missing and even asked Jameson and he couldn't think of anything. I was SO ANNOYED. Eh, we'll just eat them tomorrow, I only made six.

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Monday: Day off. Shipping the sold trombone accessories, practicing, Something Else Productive.

Tuesday: Day off. Same as above but probably listing more items for sale and cooking dinner too.

Wednesday: Work at Epic.