My Fair Lady - NOLA part 2
On Thursday I woke up late again, still generally feeling unwell.
I'm trying to rest and hydrate and get this head cold gone. Head colds feel so much worse than they actually are, it's annoying.
After breakfast I puttered around while Jameson began the toilet installation process with a local plumbing company. Everything started out fine but after both toilets were installed, both were leaking due to faulty builds. We have the WORST luck with household repairs, I swear. First the AC repair guy who broke our Nest thermostat, now this.
He had to re-install the old toilets, and I guess we'll have to send the new toilets back and get DIFFERENT new toilets. Sigh.
While all of this was going on I walked over to Breads on Oak.
I'd been here before with Tootsie and their bread was great, this time I wanted to try a sandwich!
I got the pumpkin cheddar biscuit sandwich with soft tofu scramble, andouille "sausage", lettuce and tomato, and aioli. It was so good! Messy to eat but very flavorful and lots of different textures to enjoy.
From there I just wanted to get some exercise, so I hoofed it through the obnoxious touristy parts of NOLA and got to a quieter residential street.
Went into a local grocery and didn't find anything of note...except this absolute UNIT of a purple cauliflower. I should have brought over an apple for size comparison. It was bigger than my head.
Found a Loretta's Pralines shop and bought one of each kind: original, rum, and chocolate. They're big so I'll break them in pieces and eat a little each day (plus they're made with evaporated milk so I gotta be careful haha.)
Back at the hotel, a small snack and more hydration and resting.
The evening show went well. I made sure to arrive a bit early to warm up properly since I'd played a less-than-ideal show the night before. This time there were no snafus on stage either.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday was rainy and dreary. I'd set an alarm for 7am so I could do laundry.
The only reason I need to do laundry already is because I only have two black dress shirts. I REALLY need to find a third.
With that in mind I Ubered to a Goodwill (the walk was over 2 miles and it was rainy) and actually did manage to find something serviceable, though it's pretty wrinkly. From there I walked to Whole Paycheck again for supplemental groceries for the weekend, then back to the hotel (so I walked 3 miles total.)
Spent a long time trying to iron the shirt and I think it'll be ok.
Ate lunch and chilled. Then when it was dinnertime I walked to GW Fins.
My sister Raven got me a gift card for this restaurant, otherwise I'd NEVER have gone. Too fancy for the likes of me!
Ever since the flight fiasco on Monday my stomach hasn't been quite right, but sometimes cramming it full of incredible food can be a good way to reset, no?
I started with a Cakebread sauvignon blanc and a sort of small biscuit-thing that was sweeter than I expected and very delicate. My food came out quickly, which suited me just fine.
Medium-rare salmon, house-made gnocchi, whipped butternut squash, mushrooms, arugula, and sage brown butter.
It was incredible. Every bite as perfect as they could get it.
Crispy salmon skin and soft salmon, the gnocchi was fluffy but also a bit chewy which was really nice, and the mushrooms and arugula were perfectly earthy. The squash was sweet, almost dessert-like, and was a nice contrast to the salt in everything else. The butter sauce was a little much for me personally (I was glad to have gotten a white wine and not a red as everything was really rich), but the portion size was perfect and I felt full but not bursting at the seams. Also it's really nice to have an especially decadent meal once in a while!
I wrapped it up with a coconut sorbet (I only ate one of the golfball-sized scoops as I was rather full at that point.)
Made sure to thank my sister. What a treat!
Walked back and had about 30 minutes to get changed for the show and digest a bit.
The show went well, again, nothing to report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, for the first time I feel that my head is starting to de-fuzz and I can begin to think clearly. I still have some gunk to clear out and still feel less energetic than usual, but overall I'm sticking to a textbook cold recovery timeline (the internet says "By day 8 you usually start to feel better" and that's about where we're at.)
I meant to walk to Rouse's this morning to stock up on travel foods, since we have a bunch of one-nighters and bus travel coming up, but instead ended up doing laundry again because the shirt I got from the thrift store was SO SMELLY I couldn't stand to put it in my suitcase where it might stink up my clean clothes or be next to my cooking utensils.
By the time that was done I didn't have time for Rouses so just had lunch and did the show.
It went well, we have a substitute cellist currently because our normal chica broke her hand over the holiday break, and now we have ANOTHER substitute cellist shadowing our current one because that one won't be able to travel with us. I'm kind of amazed at how many of us have had to get subs when the tour has only been running for about two months. Seems unusual, but we all do what we gotta do.
During the break I did nothing of note, showered and laid out all of my winter gear so I'll remember to carry it, rather than pack it. We go to Mississippi next and there's supposed to be a pretty big winter storm moving through on our travel day. I have strong memories of being semi-stranded while waiting for the circus train in Charlotte after just a few inches of snow (documented HERE) and that experience is informing me that I can't rely on local businesses to be open when there's ice or snow on the ground. Even after the storm is done temperatures will remain frigid, which is unusual for this part of the country. I doubt many places have the infrastructure for this kind of weather. So I want to make sure my winter clothing is with me instead of under the bus, and that I've got lots of snacks and water for both the travel days and the hotels.
The evening show was also good. I'm playing a little better now that I can breathe through my nose and provide better air support.
----------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I set an alarm for 7am so I'd be up and ready to go to Rouse's. View from hotel.
For travel food I have nuts, dried edamame, jerky, protein bars, a few cheap dinner rolls, some Core Power shakes, tuna pouches, pickled veggie pouches, canned coffee, apples, and granola. Plus water of course. And I grabbed a 1/4 muffuletta from Central Grocery, why not, it's better than gas station food any day. Now I feel like I've got enough for at least a few meals if restaurants are closed and there aren't grocery stores nearby.
Everyone was talking about the travel hazards and potential show cancellations today.
By the time the second show rolled around we learned that the city of Oxford has closed their schools and suspended government services (trash pickup, city transportation) for Monday and Tuesday. Those are pretty strong indicators that people are not going to be risking a drive to the theatre.
After the second show we loaded out. It was a relief to put my trombone in the road case where it belongs! I HATE checking my instruments on flights, especially after this last fiasco where my trombone went AWOL for a while. That earned me a lot of grey hairs for sure.
I made sure to sign our wall tag, which is at stage level of this history Saenger Theatre.
It's a really beautiful design!
I also noticed the wall tag for Tootsie! I don't think I ever signed this one (and should have retroactively signed it tonight but didn't think of it in the moment!)
Walking back to the hotel I overheard some actors saying that they'd heard Jim (company management) adding an extra night's stay to our hotel in Jackson, MS. This makes sense; Jackson is not only halfway between NOLA and Oxford, we are also scheduled to do a show there on Wednesday. So I'm guessing that we'll try to hit the road tomorrow, and if conditions are too poor and/or if the theatre cancels our show, we will be waylaid to Jackson and just wait the storm out. Personally I think that's a GREAT plan.
We will see what happens! 2024 is turning out to be a wild one.
Oh one last thing: tonight Jameson got to go see the new Ringling show. He said that it's almost exactly like how our show used to be, only without animals. And that a lot of former circus family are performing in it! That is great, and it's so wonderful that he got to see circus people, performing in THEIR show, once again. Something that we never thought would happen. It was also probably difficult and sad for him, to watch the show from the sidelines without participating. I know it would have been hard for me. Also, today was the anniversary of the day we were notified that Ringling would be closing, and that really brought all of this full circle. It sounds like he had a great time, and I deeply wish that I could have been there, but am happy that he got to have this experience :)
I'm trying to rest and hydrate and get this head cold gone. Head colds feel so much worse than they actually are, it's annoying.
After breakfast I puttered around while Jameson began the toilet installation process with a local plumbing company. Everything started out fine but after both toilets were installed, both were leaking due to faulty builds. We have the WORST luck with household repairs, I swear. First the AC repair guy who broke our Nest thermostat, now this.
He had to re-install the old toilets, and I guess we'll have to send the new toilets back and get DIFFERENT new toilets. Sigh.
While all of this was going on I walked over to Breads on Oak.
I'd been here before with Tootsie and their bread was great, this time I wanted to try a sandwich!
I got the pumpkin cheddar biscuit sandwich with soft tofu scramble, andouille "sausage", lettuce and tomato, and aioli. It was so good! Messy to eat but very flavorful and lots of different textures to enjoy.
From there I just wanted to get some exercise, so I hoofed it through the obnoxious touristy parts of NOLA and got to a quieter residential street.
Went into a local grocery and didn't find anything of note...except this absolute UNIT of a purple cauliflower. I should have brought over an apple for size comparison. It was bigger than my head.
Found a Loretta's Pralines shop and bought one of each kind: original, rum, and chocolate. They're big so I'll break them in pieces and eat a little each day (plus they're made with evaporated milk so I gotta be careful haha.)
Back at the hotel, a small snack and more hydration and resting.
The evening show went well. I made sure to arrive a bit early to warm up properly since I'd played a less-than-ideal show the night before. This time there were no snafus on stage either.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday was rainy and dreary. I'd set an alarm for 7am so I could do laundry.
The only reason I need to do laundry already is because I only have two black dress shirts. I REALLY need to find a third.
With that in mind I Ubered to a Goodwill (the walk was over 2 miles and it was rainy) and actually did manage to find something serviceable, though it's pretty wrinkly. From there I walked to Whole Paycheck again for supplemental groceries for the weekend, then back to the hotel (so I walked 3 miles total.)
Spent a long time trying to iron the shirt and I think it'll be ok.
Ate lunch and chilled. Then when it was dinnertime I walked to GW Fins.
My sister Raven got me a gift card for this restaurant, otherwise I'd NEVER have gone. Too fancy for the likes of me!
Ever since the flight fiasco on Monday my stomach hasn't been quite right, but sometimes cramming it full of incredible food can be a good way to reset, no?
I started with a Cakebread sauvignon blanc and a sort of small biscuit-thing that was sweeter than I expected and very delicate. My food came out quickly, which suited me just fine.
Medium-rare salmon, house-made gnocchi, whipped butternut squash, mushrooms, arugula, and sage brown butter.
It was incredible. Every bite as perfect as they could get it.
Crispy salmon skin and soft salmon, the gnocchi was fluffy but also a bit chewy which was really nice, and the mushrooms and arugula were perfectly earthy. The squash was sweet, almost dessert-like, and was a nice contrast to the salt in everything else. The butter sauce was a little much for me personally (I was glad to have gotten a white wine and not a red as everything was really rich), but the portion size was perfect and I felt full but not bursting at the seams. Also it's really nice to have an especially decadent meal once in a while!
I wrapped it up with a coconut sorbet (I only ate one of the golfball-sized scoops as I was rather full at that point.)
Made sure to thank my sister. What a treat!
Walked back and had about 30 minutes to get changed for the show and digest a bit.
The show went well, again, nothing to report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, for the first time I feel that my head is starting to de-fuzz and I can begin to think clearly. I still have some gunk to clear out and still feel less energetic than usual, but overall I'm sticking to a textbook cold recovery timeline (the internet says "By day 8 you usually start to feel better" and that's about where we're at.)
I meant to walk to Rouse's this morning to stock up on travel foods, since we have a bunch of one-nighters and bus travel coming up, but instead ended up doing laundry again because the shirt I got from the thrift store was SO SMELLY I couldn't stand to put it in my suitcase where it might stink up my clean clothes or be next to my cooking utensils.
By the time that was done I didn't have time for Rouses so just had lunch and did the show.
It went well, we have a substitute cellist currently because our normal chica broke her hand over the holiday break, and now we have ANOTHER substitute cellist shadowing our current one because that one won't be able to travel with us. I'm kind of amazed at how many of us have had to get subs when the tour has only been running for about two months. Seems unusual, but we all do what we gotta do.
During the break I did nothing of note, showered and laid out all of my winter gear so I'll remember to carry it, rather than pack it. We go to Mississippi next and there's supposed to be a pretty big winter storm moving through on our travel day. I have strong memories of being semi-stranded while waiting for the circus train in Charlotte after just a few inches of snow (documented HERE) and that experience is informing me that I can't rely on local businesses to be open when there's ice or snow on the ground. Even after the storm is done temperatures will remain frigid, which is unusual for this part of the country. I doubt many places have the infrastructure for this kind of weather. So I want to make sure my winter clothing is with me instead of under the bus, and that I've got lots of snacks and water for both the travel days and the hotels.
The evening show was also good. I'm playing a little better now that I can breathe through my nose and provide better air support.
----------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I set an alarm for 7am so I'd be up and ready to go to Rouse's. View from hotel.
For travel food I have nuts, dried edamame, jerky, protein bars, a few cheap dinner rolls, some Core Power shakes, tuna pouches, pickled veggie pouches, canned coffee, apples, and granola. Plus water of course. And I grabbed a 1/4 muffuletta from Central Grocery, why not, it's better than gas station food any day. Now I feel like I've got enough for at least a few meals if restaurants are closed and there aren't grocery stores nearby.
Everyone was talking about the travel hazards and potential show cancellations today.
By the time the second show rolled around we learned that the city of Oxford has closed their schools and suspended government services (trash pickup, city transportation) for Monday and Tuesday. Those are pretty strong indicators that people are not going to be risking a drive to the theatre.
After the second show we loaded out. It was a relief to put my trombone in the road case where it belongs! I HATE checking my instruments on flights, especially after this last fiasco where my trombone went AWOL for a while. That earned me a lot of grey hairs for sure.
I made sure to sign our wall tag, which is at stage level of this history Saenger Theatre.
It's a really beautiful design!
I also noticed the wall tag for Tootsie! I don't think I ever signed this one (and should have retroactively signed it tonight but didn't think of it in the moment!)
Walking back to the hotel I overheard some actors saying that they'd heard Jim (company management) adding an extra night's stay to our hotel in Jackson, MS. This makes sense; Jackson is not only halfway between NOLA and Oxford, we are also scheduled to do a show there on Wednesday. So I'm guessing that we'll try to hit the road tomorrow, and if conditions are too poor and/or if the theatre cancels our show, we will be waylaid to Jackson and just wait the storm out. Personally I think that's a GREAT plan.
We will see what happens! 2024 is turning out to be a wild one.
Oh one last thing: tonight Jameson got to go see the new Ringling show. He said that it's almost exactly like how our show used to be, only without animals. And that a lot of former circus family are performing in it! That is great, and it's so wonderful that he got to see circus people, performing in THEIR show, once again. Something that we never thought would happen. It was also probably difficult and sad for him, to watch the show from the sidelines without participating. I know it would have been hard for me. Also, today was the anniversary of the day we were notified that Ringling would be closing, and that really brought all of this full circle. It sounds like he had a great time, and I deeply wish that I could have been there, but am happy that he got to have this experience :)