My Fair Lady - Yakima part 2 and Eugene, OR
Thursday, my stress levels were pretty high despite having most of the day free.
I guess I'm feeling overwhelmed and frightened by this digital court reporting. I feel like I don't know ANYTHING; like I won't be able to pass the AAERT exam in time to begin earning money over the summer; or that I WILL pass it and then still fumble around with the whole process of the job or just outright hate it. I am not an extrovert, so the thought of directing courtroom proceedings to the extent of putting people under oath, clipping mics onto people, handling any technical issues that come up, and all the while monitoring the testimony recordings to ensure a good transcript later...it freaks me out. I've worked retail before--heck, I was a retail MANAGER--but that was different, imo.
I recognize that the fear comes from ignorance and the unknown. Which just makes me annoyed with myself and angry. But another part of the fear comes from, I've just spent all of this money on microphones and mixers and cables and carrying cases and notary supplies, etc etc, none of which I know how to use yet and some of which PROBABLY will have to be exchanged due to incompatibilities that I was ignorant of. I'm afraid that I've just blown all of this money on something that won't work out; that I won't get certified and I'll be stuck with all of this equipment, and it'll become yet another abandoned "pandemic project" like my steno machine or my bread-baking supplies.
If nothing else, I'm going to complete certification. I have the chance to take this course for free, and I am determined to benefit from that opportunity. Even if I don't pass the test, I will get to the point where I can take it.
But I don't know if that will take a month, or two months, or six.
And I need to be WORKING. NOW, IMMEDIATELY.
I still have TSOLife (the nursing home data entry, $12/hr PT) and in addition I have Papa Pal ($17/hr helping the elderly, and as much or as little work as I'd like, and there's plenty of it in Florida.) And there are some other apps, that I've recently researched for a friend, that I'm willing to consider too. So this year won't be TOTALLY like last year because I have these little side-gigs to protect myself with.
But I will be doing those side gigs AND studying for the AAERT exam AND doing the music gigs that I've committed to AND practicing for said gigs, plus cooking and cleaning. It's going to be a lot. Yes I've done this much before, but perhaps it gets harder as you get older. And right now it all feels very overwhelming.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Other than that, all I did was work on my court reporting modules, pack, and walk to a Goodwill (which turned out to be a waste of time as they didn't have fitting rooms, I hate that!! But at least I got some fresh air.) I was feeling low energy, not only depressed but also a stomach ache (stress!), so took a nap and only got up when it was time to make dinner.
At the theatre, we had our final show in Yakima. It was well-attended, and tonight's Cute Audience Moment was when Pickering declared, "Mr. Higgins will miss her? BLAST Mr. Higgins! I'LL miss her." The whole audience in unison did a soft, "Awww!" that was just adorable :)
And then, like, that was it. We packed up and loaded out. Seven more shows to go.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up at 5:30am after barely any sleep, and a smaller-than-usual breakfast to try and keep my guts and tummy calm for the six-hour bus ride ahead.
We took off and I was fine, dozing for part of the way but my eyes popping open as the scenery got more and more awesome. Starting with rolling green hills covered in farmland and moss and budding trees:
Then these huge cliffs and rock formations, and Mount Rainier in the distance (I couldn't get a clear pic from the bus.)
We were riding along the river that is the border for Washington and Oregon, and it was quite beautiful.
Pics:
Video:
We stopped for lunch in Portland, which looked like a fun city, too bad we don't get to visit :/
Then as we got closer to Eugene everything was so GREEN. And there were so many SHEEP.
We arrived a bit early, but for the most part rooms were ready. There were just about two hours before sound check so I unpacked and scooted over to Bao Bao House. Inside, no one spoke much English and there was handmade bao being constructed. Both very good signs.
I ordered some char siu bao, some walnut brown sugar biscuits, and some anchovy peanut appetizers. All of the buns/biscuits were made fresh and came out scalding hot, to the point where they steamed the containing bag haha. The anchovy peanut snack had been made prior, I could tell because it was cold.
Peanuts and dried anchovies, stir-fried with sesame oil and chili flakes. This was very good: not too salty, not fishy-tasting or -smelling, nor overly spicy. Just good flavors, crunchy peanuts, and the anchovies were kind of chewy AND crunchy. I liked it a lot!
The walnut brown sugar "biscuits" were like a pan-fried doughnut with chopped walnuts and brown sugar filling. Extremely good, crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. I had to get a whole order of 5 so brought them with me to the theatre to share with everyone. (I brought the anchovies too but shockingly, no one wanted that :p )
The char siu bao, of course, were fantastic. Ate two for dinner and will eat two for another meal.
The theatre is pretty interesting-looking. The ceiling looks like a woven basket...or a lawn chair, or something.
Once again I can't see the stage, ah well. That's normal!
It was a good opening night audience. We didn't get back to the hotel until nearly midnight, and then I was up too late reading an unfortunate article about sexual misconduct in the NY Phil. It was interesting to see my male colleagues surprised to hear this story and acting like it's breaking news...meanwhile most female musicians have known about this incident since it happened back in 2010 or 2011. How STRANGE that this is such a SURPRISE to the MEN.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I woke up extremely tired and stressed. Too much to do and too little time.
I started laundry and ate breakfast, typed up this blog, then got to work on an application that I'm doing in the hopes of protecting myself against failing the AAERT exam. It was intimidating and frustrating, but I stubbornly plugged away and by the time 10am rolled around I'd gotten about 1/3 of it done. It looked extra-dreary outside but I was INSISTENT on seeing at least one tiny slice of Eugene...I am so annoyed that we don't get more time here! So I Ubered downtown.
A mural that I loved by local artist Liza Mana Burns.
My first stop was a small "hippie grocery" called Kiva Grocery. They were VERY small, and didn't have really anything that I needed, but I found chocolates from Seattle and a pouch of canned tuna that was caught and hand-packaged literally by one local family of fisherpeople. The big draw at this tiny grocery was the HUGE bulk section.
From there I walked to Whole Paycheck and had lunch at the hot bar, got a few things for meals, then walked to the theatre...in the absolute pouring rain. I had planned to visit Eugene's Saturday Farmer's Market, and it looked like a huge and fun affair with loads of vendors selling everything from veggies to bongs to murals, just everything, but the rain got harder and harder and it was cold to boot, and I was carrying groceries, and after struggling past a few stalls I gave up and practically ran to the theatre. I was early so at least there was time to get myself from "soaked" to "damp" before the show started.
The show went well. It was Michael (our assistant MD's) last time conducting, and he did a great job.
Between shows I went back to the hotel to shower, put away groceries, eat dinner, and work on the transcription evaluation some more (yeah that's what it is, I should have said that earlier.) I went faster this time; once all of the case info is plugged in things are easier, and making progress made me feel more confident. Typing things out verbatim is something that I enjoy, weirdly.
The evening show was also fine, though we were all very tired and some note mistakes were made.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, I woke up a bit late, but then finished the transcription evaluation and after combing it a zillion times for mistakes, sent it in. There are some things that I'm unsure if I did correctly, but I'm hoping that I did well enough to receive consideration. And if not, it just means going ahead with the plan I'd already initiated.
The break between shows was not very long so I packed dinner to bring to the theatre.
The first show was good but had scant attendance. Between shows I tried to work on my court reporting modules but the theatre's wifi had a "nanny," some sort of annoying content-blocker that for some reason designated the site I needed to use as spam. I was able to get in sporadically through rapid-refreshing, but it was too annoying and I had to give up after a while. Tried to work on this blog too but of course it's a RUSSIAN site so it was ALSO blocked. Tried to watch anime but THAT was blocked too. I MISS THE 90's AND THE WILD WEST INTERNET.
Well, soon it was time for our last show in Eugene and our last day of double shows, ever.
It was packed, which was great, and it was a vibrant and responsive audience.
Again, I really wish we'd had more time here, to get to know the city. Perhaps some day I'll get to come back.
(this amazing photo courtesy Aaron, one of our sound techs.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are flying to Modesto tomorrow, and it's a late flight so I'll get to sleep in a bit and take my time in the morning.
And work on court reporting modules.
In Modesto I don't really have any plans. We are only there for two days, and then tour is over.
If we arrive early enough I'll enjoy a trip to Sprouts for some groceries, but there are no more Foodie Finds for me.
We'll have our closing show party, and pack our bags, and that will be that. Chapter closed.
Let's do it.
I guess I'm feeling overwhelmed and frightened by this digital court reporting. I feel like I don't know ANYTHING; like I won't be able to pass the AAERT exam in time to begin earning money over the summer; or that I WILL pass it and then still fumble around with the whole process of the job or just outright hate it. I am not an extrovert, so the thought of directing courtroom proceedings to the extent of putting people under oath, clipping mics onto people, handling any technical issues that come up, and all the while monitoring the testimony recordings to ensure a good transcript later...it freaks me out. I've worked retail before--heck, I was a retail MANAGER--but that was different, imo.
I recognize that the fear comes from ignorance and the unknown. Which just makes me annoyed with myself and angry. But another part of the fear comes from, I've just spent all of this money on microphones and mixers and cables and carrying cases and notary supplies, etc etc, none of which I know how to use yet and some of which PROBABLY will have to be exchanged due to incompatibilities that I was ignorant of. I'm afraid that I've just blown all of this money on something that won't work out; that I won't get certified and I'll be stuck with all of this equipment, and it'll become yet another abandoned "pandemic project" like my steno machine or my bread-baking supplies.
If nothing else, I'm going to complete certification. I have the chance to take this course for free, and I am determined to benefit from that opportunity. Even if I don't pass the test, I will get to the point where I can take it.
But I don't know if that will take a month, or two months, or six.
And I need to be WORKING. NOW, IMMEDIATELY.
I still have TSOLife (the nursing home data entry, $12/hr PT) and in addition I have Papa Pal ($17/hr helping the elderly, and as much or as little work as I'd like, and there's plenty of it in Florida.) And there are some other apps, that I've recently researched for a friend, that I'm willing to consider too. So this year won't be TOTALLY like last year because I have these little side-gigs to protect myself with.
But I will be doing those side gigs AND studying for the AAERT exam AND doing the music gigs that I've committed to AND practicing for said gigs, plus cooking and cleaning. It's going to be a lot. Yes I've done this much before, but perhaps it gets harder as you get older. And right now it all feels very overwhelming.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Other than that, all I did was work on my court reporting modules, pack, and walk to a Goodwill (which turned out to be a waste of time as they didn't have fitting rooms, I hate that!! But at least I got some fresh air.) I was feeling low energy, not only depressed but also a stomach ache (stress!), so took a nap and only got up when it was time to make dinner.
At the theatre, we had our final show in Yakima. It was well-attended, and tonight's Cute Audience Moment was when Pickering declared, "Mr. Higgins will miss her? BLAST Mr. Higgins! I'LL miss her." The whole audience in unison did a soft, "Awww!" that was just adorable :)
And then, like, that was it. We packed up and loaded out. Seven more shows to go.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up at 5:30am after barely any sleep, and a smaller-than-usual breakfast to try and keep my guts and tummy calm for the six-hour bus ride ahead.
We took off and I was fine, dozing for part of the way but my eyes popping open as the scenery got more and more awesome. Starting with rolling green hills covered in farmland and moss and budding trees:
Then these huge cliffs and rock formations, and Mount Rainier in the distance (I couldn't get a clear pic from the bus.)
We were riding along the river that is the border for Washington and Oregon, and it was quite beautiful.
Pics:
Video:
Click to viewWe stopped for lunch in Portland, which looked like a fun city, too bad we don't get to visit :/
Then as we got closer to Eugene everything was so GREEN. And there were so many SHEEP.
We arrived a bit early, but for the most part rooms were ready. There were just about two hours before sound check so I unpacked and scooted over to Bao Bao House. Inside, no one spoke much English and there was handmade bao being constructed. Both very good signs.
I ordered some char siu bao, some walnut brown sugar biscuits, and some anchovy peanut appetizers. All of the buns/biscuits were made fresh and came out scalding hot, to the point where they steamed the containing bag haha. The anchovy peanut snack had been made prior, I could tell because it was cold.
Peanuts and dried anchovies, stir-fried with sesame oil and chili flakes. This was very good: not too salty, not fishy-tasting or -smelling, nor overly spicy. Just good flavors, crunchy peanuts, and the anchovies were kind of chewy AND crunchy. I liked it a lot!
The walnut brown sugar "biscuits" were like a pan-fried doughnut with chopped walnuts and brown sugar filling. Extremely good, crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. I had to get a whole order of 5 so brought them with me to the theatre to share with everyone. (I brought the anchovies too but shockingly, no one wanted that :p )
The char siu bao, of course, were fantastic. Ate two for dinner and will eat two for another meal.
The theatre is pretty interesting-looking. The ceiling looks like a woven basket...or a lawn chair, or something.
Once again I can't see the stage, ah well. That's normal!
It was a good opening night audience. We didn't get back to the hotel until nearly midnight, and then I was up too late reading an unfortunate article about sexual misconduct in the NY Phil. It was interesting to see my male colleagues surprised to hear this story and acting like it's breaking news...meanwhile most female musicians have known about this incident since it happened back in 2010 or 2011. How STRANGE that this is such a SURPRISE to the MEN.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I woke up extremely tired and stressed. Too much to do and too little time.
I started laundry and ate breakfast, typed up this blog, then got to work on an application that I'm doing in the hopes of protecting myself against failing the AAERT exam. It was intimidating and frustrating, but I stubbornly plugged away and by the time 10am rolled around I'd gotten about 1/3 of it done. It looked extra-dreary outside but I was INSISTENT on seeing at least one tiny slice of Eugene...I am so annoyed that we don't get more time here! So I Ubered downtown.
A mural that I loved by local artist Liza Mana Burns.
My first stop was a small "hippie grocery" called Kiva Grocery. They were VERY small, and didn't have really anything that I needed, but I found chocolates from Seattle and a pouch of canned tuna that was caught and hand-packaged literally by one local family of fisherpeople. The big draw at this tiny grocery was the HUGE bulk section.
From there I walked to Whole Paycheck and had lunch at the hot bar, got a few things for meals, then walked to the theatre...in the absolute pouring rain. I had planned to visit Eugene's Saturday Farmer's Market, and it looked like a huge and fun affair with loads of vendors selling everything from veggies to bongs to murals, just everything, but the rain got harder and harder and it was cold to boot, and I was carrying groceries, and after struggling past a few stalls I gave up and practically ran to the theatre. I was early so at least there was time to get myself from "soaked" to "damp" before the show started.
The show went well. It was Michael (our assistant MD's) last time conducting, and he did a great job.
Between shows I went back to the hotel to shower, put away groceries, eat dinner, and work on the transcription evaluation some more (yeah that's what it is, I should have said that earlier.) I went faster this time; once all of the case info is plugged in things are easier, and making progress made me feel more confident. Typing things out verbatim is something that I enjoy, weirdly.
The evening show was also fine, though we were all very tired and some note mistakes were made.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, I woke up a bit late, but then finished the transcription evaluation and after combing it a zillion times for mistakes, sent it in. There are some things that I'm unsure if I did correctly, but I'm hoping that I did well enough to receive consideration. And if not, it just means going ahead with the plan I'd already initiated.
The break between shows was not very long so I packed dinner to bring to the theatre.
The first show was good but had scant attendance. Between shows I tried to work on my court reporting modules but the theatre's wifi had a "nanny," some sort of annoying content-blocker that for some reason designated the site I needed to use as spam. I was able to get in sporadically through rapid-refreshing, but it was too annoying and I had to give up after a while. Tried to work on this blog too but of course it's a RUSSIAN site so it was ALSO blocked. Tried to watch anime but THAT was blocked too. I MISS THE 90's AND THE WILD WEST INTERNET.
Well, soon it was time for our last show in Eugene and our last day of double shows, ever.
It was packed, which was great, and it was a vibrant and responsive audience.
Again, I really wish we'd had more time here, to get to know the city. Perhaps some day I'll get to come back.
(this amazing photo courtesy Aaron, one of our sound techs.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are flying to Modesto tomorrow, and it's a late flight so I'll get to sleep in a bit and take my time in the morning.
And work on court reporting modules.
In Modesto I don't really have any plans. We are only there for two days, and then tour is over.
If we arrive early enough I'll enjoy a trip to Sprouts for some groceries, but there are no more Foodie Finds for me.
We'll have our closing show party, and pack our bags, and that will be that. Chapter closed.
Let's do it.