Yarrr, It Be July
Probably going to go back to once-per-week posts on Mondays now that touring is over, with occassional friends only posts.
Thursday was a normal day that ended in a hard way.
Jameson went to his Disney course.
It turned out to be just another general safety/equipment class, now I know for when it's my turn.
While he was there I had breakfast, went scouting for Blue Bell Dr. Pepper Ice Cream and didn't find it, and bought myself a Pub Sub for dinner. Then I practiced the large trombone for a bit. It doesn't sound great right now, but each day it'll be a little better until it's "good". Like riding a bike.
Then I was asked to send some samples of "classical performance" to the music coordinator for Crossroads (formerly Troika) for an upcoming tour. I couldn't help but cringe because I have virtually no video of myself playing classical stuff. Reasons being, everyone is asked to turn of their phones during classical concerts, so no one is recording live, and also I didn't own a video recorder until around 2015, so never got to record myself in rehearsals or small ensembles or practice rooms until then.
I sent her some recent classical-ish audition videos (if it's good enough for Disney it's good enough for Troika, right?), and offered to record some excerpts from the musical they're looking to do. We'll see how she responds. I have a feeling that they have someone else in mind for this gig.
Anyway, it felt good to practice the larger horn at least and get more comfortable with it, and with the Spamalot part.
I was taking a break and reading a book when Jameson got home with some bad news that I can't share publicly, other than to say we've unexpectedly lost someone dear to us. It was saddening--heartbreaking and horrifying actually--so the rest of our night was subdued as he did his schoolwork and I tried to distract myself with more reading and making some end-of-day calls for post-holiday appointments. Then Jameson went to Spamalot rehearsal (choir, so I don't have to be there) and I ate my Pub Sub and watched anime and drank tea and had quiet thoughts until he got home. We talked long into the night.
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Friday I legitimately had nothing to do all day.
My Aunt called and we had a great conversation for about an hour, much needed.
I practiced trombone again for probably about an hour, really working on muscle memory and trigger usage.
Jameson did his work and did some work in the studio.
We had Panera together, then when he went to a production team outing I dusted all of the ceiling fan blades and the large bookshelf. I didn't feel like tackling the shower today, so started rereading Saga because there's a new chapter out and I neeeeeeeed it!
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Saturday, during breakfast I once again had painful cramping and burning in my stomach and abdomen.
I must have some kind of ulcer or acid damage, I assume, since taking a Pepcid makes it feel better almost right away. But also I know that Pepcid is essentially symptom management.
So I got dressed and let Jameson know I was headed to our local walk-in clinic.
I had to pay out of pocket (insurance is gone now that tour is over), and in return for $114 someone listened to my symptoms and prescribed 20mg Omeprazole, gave me a referral for a GI, and an order for a CT scan.
I felt like an idiot when I went to the Walgreens to pick up my "prescription", and it turns out "20mg Omeprazole" is just the standard OTC dosage of Prilosec. In my defense, I have been fortunate to not need prescriptions in my life at all to this point aside from birth control pills, so it never occurred to me that anybody would write a prescription for something that you can just walk in and grab off the shelf. It seems ridiculous. But what do I know.
It also made me feel better about the whole situation, like if she's telling me to just take a regular course of proton pump inhibitors she obviously didn't think anything was serious. My brain always goes to the worst case scenario, so I'm over here visualizing an intestinal perforation and septic shock and all that. When the truth is, this hasn't even been bad enough to stop me from finishing what I'm eating while it's happening.
For reference (mine and yours), I've ALWAYS had a bad stomach. Maybe something to do with living in fight-or-flight mode since the age of five! The first time I did a shot with friends in college, 15 minutes later I was doubled over in pain and had to eat a piece of bread to soak the alcohol up. I was always the one puking on road trips. I was taken to the doctor at 14 for acid reflux. If I eat or drink any type of citrus fruit or juice for breakfast I'll be incapacitated for the next hour. So there you have it.
Anyway, I'm doing a week of Prilosec and if there's no improvement, the CT scan, which I'd then take to the GI.
Would love it if things just go on and get better with the Prilosec.
Today was finally a day off for Jameson so he did a well-deserved NOTHING. We watched TV and he played video games, I read some Saga graphic novels and poked around online. I did not practice because it occurred to me I haven't taken a break from the trombone since the travel day, and I figured now would be a good time. Was also feeling very unmotivated in general.
We had a quiet uneventful night.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, sitting around makes me twitchy so today I wanted to Do Things.
It was still boiling hot out so I started with trombone practice as soon as Jameson was up.
Went out to the store in the afternoon because I ran out of peaches (can't have that!!) and we wanted to buy dinner in advance. It's now a holiday weekend sort-of, and the tourists are like a sudden swarm of locusts, clogging up store aisles and weaving across lanes of traffic and making queues 4x as long as usual. Better to shop at 3pm when it's at least manageable than to wait until 5pm when EVERYONE will be scrounging up food.
Later in the day I decided to go for a swim.
I rarely do this because I'm self-conscious in a bathing suit, but it's so hot and uncomfortable out and the pool is very inviting AND I need to get TF over it.
When I was done I weeded the pool deck and trimmed the banana trees.
It is so hot and awful here right now, and kind of dry for Monsoon Season.
The largest banana tree is now well over my head.
It is wilted from the heat.
The lemon tree has grown back it's leaves. Unclear if it'll produce lemons, but if it does it won't be until at least next winter.
Jameson and I ate our grocery sushi together, then he went to Spamalot rehearsal and I read more Saga and contemplated life. I am just so incredibly impatient to get past the 4th of July!
That's when I'll start Disney training, and have a blood draw done for my pcp, and have dress rehearsals and performances of Spamalot, and get my car repaired, and either start my new job or restart my part time job. And then I can start cooking and baking again! But it's all got to wait until after this dang holiday. Hurryaaap!
Thursday was a normal day that ended in a hard way.
Jameson went to his Disney course.
It turned out to be just another general safety/equipment class, now I know for when it's my turn.
While he was there I had breakfast, went scouting for Blue Bell Dr. Pepper Ice Cream and didn't find it, and bought myself a Pub Sub for dinner. Then I practiced the large trombone for a bit. It doesn't sound great right now, but each day it'll be a little better until it's "good". Like riding a bike.
Then I was asked to send some samples of "classical performance" to the music coordinator for Crossroads (formerly Troika) for an upcoming tour. I couldn't help but cringe because I have virtually no video of myself playing classical stuff. Reasons being, everyone is asked to turn of their phones during classical concerts, so no one is recording live, and also I didn't own a video recorder until around 2015, so never got to record myself in rehearsals or small ensembles or practice rooms until then.
I sent her some recent classical-ish audition videos (if it's good enough for Disney it's good enough for Troika, right?), and offered to record some excerpts from the musical they're looking to do. We'll see how she responds. I have a feeling that they have someone else in mind for this gig.
Anyway, it felt good to practice the larger horn at least and get more comfortable with it, and with the Spamalot part.
I was taking a break and reading a book when Jameson got home with some bad news that I can't share publicly, other than to say we've unexpectedly lost someone dear to us. It was saddening--heartbreaking and horrifying actually--so the rest of our night was subdued as he did his schoolwork and I tried to distract myself with more reading and making some end-of-day calls for post-holiday appointments. Then Jameson went to Spamalot rehearsal (choir, so I don't have to be there) and I ate my Pub Sub and watched anime and drank tea and had quiet thoughts until he got home. We talked long into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday I legitimately had nothing to do all day.
My Aunt called and we had a great conversation for about an hour, much needed.
I practiced trombone again for probably about an hour, really working on muscle memory and trigger usage.
Jameson did his work and did some work in the studio.
We had Panera together, then when he went to a production team outing I dusted all of the ceiling fan blades and the large bookshelf. I didn't feel like tackling the shower today, so started rereading Saga because there's a new chapter out and I neeeeeeeed it!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, during breakfast I once again had painful cramping and burning in my stomach and abdomen.
I must have some kind of ulcer or acid damage, I assume, since taking a Pepcid makes it feel better almost right away. But also I know that Pepcid is essentially symptom management.
So I got dressed and let Jameson know I was headed to our local walk-in clinic.
I had to pay out of pocket (insurance is gone now that tour is over), and in return for $114 someone listened to my symptoms and prescribed 20mg Omeprazole, gave me a referral for a GI, and an order for a CT scan.
I felt like an idiot when I went to the Walgreens to pick up my "prescription", and it turns out "20mg Omeprazole" is just the standard OTC dosage of Prilosec. In my defense, I have been fortunate to not need prescriptions in my life at all to this point aside from birth control pills, so it never occurred to me that anybody would write a prescription for something that you can just walk in and grab off the shelf. It seems ridiculous. But what do I know.
It also made me feel better about the whole situation, like if she's telling me to just take a regular course of proton pump inhibitors she obviously didn't think anything was serious. My brain always goes to the worst case scenario, so I'm over here visualizing an intestinal perforation and septic shock and all that. When the truth is, this hasn't even been bad enough to stop me from finishing what I'm eating while it's happening.
For reference (mine and yours), I've ALWAYS had a bad stomach. Maybe something to do with living in fight-or-flight mode since the age of five! The first time I did a shot with friends in college, 15 minutes later I was doubled over in pain and had to eat a piece of bread to soak the alcohol up. I was always the one puking on road trips. I was taken to the doctor at 14 for acid reflux. If I eat or drink any type of citrus fruit or juice for breakfast I'll be incapacitated for the next hour. So there you have it.
Anyway, I'm doing a week of Prilosec and if there's no improvement, the CT scan, which I'd then take to the GI.
Would love it if things just go on and get better with the Prilosec.
Today was finally a day off for Jameson so he did a well-deserved NOTHING. We watched TV and he played video games, I read some Saga graphic novels and poked around online. I did not practice because it occurred to me I haven't taken a break from the trombone since the travel day, and I figured now would be a good time. Was also feeling very unmotivated in general.
We had a quiet uneventful night.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, sitting around makes me twitchy so today I wanted to Do Things.
It was still boiling hot out so I started with trombone practice as soon as Jameson was up.
Went out to the store in the afternoon because I ran out of peaches (can't have that!!) and we wanted to buy dinner in advance. It's now a holiday weekend sort-of, and the tourists are like a sudden swarm of locusts, clogging up store aisles and weaving across lanes of traffic and making queues 4x as long as usual. Better to shop at 3pm when it's at least manageable than to wait until 5pm when EVERYONE will be scrounging up food.
Later in the day I decided to go for a swim.
I rarely do this because I'm self-conscious in a bathing suit, but it's so hot and uncomfortable out and the pool is very inviting AND I need to get TF over it.
When I was done I weeded the pool deck and trimmed the banana trees.
It is so hot and awful here right now, and kind of dry for Monsoon Season.
The largest banana tree is now well over my head.
It is wilted from the heat.
The lemon tree has grown back it's leaves. Unclear if it'll produce lemons, but if it does it won't be until at least next winter.
Jameson and I ate our grocery sushi together, then he went to Spamalot rehearsal and I read more Saga and contemplated life. I am just so incredibly impatient to get past the 4th of July!
That's when I'll start Disney training, and have a blood draw done for my pcp, and have dress rehearsals and performances of Spamalot, and get my car repaired, and either start my new job or restart my part time job. And then I can start cooking and baking again! But it's all got to wait until after this dang holiday. Hurryaaap!