"At Least It's Not Hot Out"
Thursday, a final Disney rehearsal before a full day in the park on Saturday.
I did three castle sets and the flag retreat. Was excused from the parade again, but rather than feeling grateful I felt embarrassed when everyone else came back to the dressing room hot and panting, having worked hard while I did nothing. But then, that's what Keith's whole day is like whenever I'm there shadowing, so I need to remember that too.
I think I'm getting the hang of things now. Still not perfect but the more I get to play-and-move the better it gets. On Saturday I'll get to play the Encanto medley in the park for the first time, and maybe the Classics Medley too weather permitting.
"Weather permitting" because it is HOT. Today was a high of 98°F / 36.6°C with a heat index of 112°F / 44.44°C. I don't know how people can spend the whole day outdoors at Disney in those conditions. Yes there are gift shops and restaurants to duck into but there's also an awful lot of unshaded ground to cover.
Anyway I felt that the day went well. The guys gave me notes here and there, some regarding small movements (i.e. when to have both hands on my trombone for Star Spangled Banner instead of one,) and others were for small musical things (i.e. holding notes a little too long or cutting them off a little too short.) These are very minor things that will naturally get corrected with repetition/familiarity, but I was glad for the feedback because I don't want to learn things wrong or get into bad habits. Really appreciated that they were watching me for mistakes! No one seemed worried that I wouldn't be ready, or concerned that I wasn't going to meet the band's standards, and that's what really mattered.
Back home I unpacked, had dinner, and collapsed with a big water bottle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up at 6am for data entry.
After lunch I decided not to practice the trombone for once (if I haven't learned what I need to get through Saturday by now, it's not going to happen in one practice session) and instead embarked on the long trek to Whole Paycheck. Kind of a treat to myself, and to get those items that are difficult to find elsewhere. Some of the treats that I indulged in:
- Salmon candy: salmon that's been marinated in sweet-and-salty stuff then dried/cooked/smoked until it has a jerky-like texture. I've always wanted to try it and today they had a very small $4 container of it! It's good but very oily, and the skin is chewy and stretchy making it kinda hard to eat. You can FEEL the Omega-3s in it haha.
- Koia in exclusive flavors. My faves are Banana Creme and Fruity Cereal.
- Mezcla bars. They're a protein bar that is low fat and calorie so I like to have some on hand for travel (or in this case for my Disney days.)
- NuGo bars in exclusive flavors. Similarly to Mezclas, they're vegan protein bars. Most gas stations have them but Whole Paycheck has exclusive flavors like Almond and Coconut.
- Ingredients to make us a summer BBQ dinner
- Australian licorice
- A few bulk cookies, today's selections were a pineapple cake cookie for Jameson and a guava sandwich cookie for meeeee
- Frozen sockeye salmon filets so I can make us sous vide salmon next week
- Grocery store sushi, we are posh like that.
It's almost an hour and a half round-trip for only a 15-mile drive, not counting the shopping, so by the time I got home I was very tired but had to put in at least another two hours of data entry. After that we had Whole Paycheck sushi for dinner, I vacuumed and packed a lunch for work tomorrow...and that was pretty much it. I'm nervous but what else is new.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I was up early. First full day as a sub at Disney. No one there to step in if I collapse from heat exhaustion; no safety net if I forget my music or mess up the choreography. Here we go!
I got there way too early but used the time to do a run-through, warm up, and get partially dressed (it's easier to have my pants and undershirt on before the menfolk arrive.) My friend Will was on tuba and Sara on trumpet, but most of the other musicians were new to me. The Main Street Phil has 24 substitutes plus at least 12 full time members, maybe more. It is hard to keep track of everyone but nevertheless I shook hands and tried very hard to make names stick in my brain.
Jameson, bless his supportive and loving heart, spent the whole day in the Magic Kingdom to record the band.
I can't tell you how much it meant to look out into the crowd and see his face :)
My family (such as it is) is all hundreds of miles away, and my parents are dead. It means a lot to have someone in this world who would care so much about what I do, that they'd spend a whole day in 106°F (41.1°C) heat to watch me and record footage for me. It's hard to express how monumental that is.
I did all three castle sets, the parade, and the flag retreat.
Some screenshots, courtesy Jameson:
This was such a good picture but for some reason my phone seems to darken screenshots.
Hot Doggin' (free dance during Hot Dog Dance song.) I love any chance to goof off!
Critique:
The first and second sets were good, but I messed up the choreography for Encanto in a way that impacted where others could move around me. Everyone reassured me that it was not a big deal (and watching the video I agree, it is not noticeable to the audience whatsoever) but I certainly won't make that mistake again! My other biggish mistake was screwing up When You Wish during the parade, AGAIN, ugh I am tired of messing that piece up!! Something about it is slippery to my brain. The good news is that I will always drop out/stop playing when I'm crashing and burning, which means it's not usually noticeable to the audience. The bad news is that means a part is missing :/
Still, none of the mistakes that I made today were catastrophic. I received small notes from my peers, and got a second chance at Encanto for the third set and nailed it. I'd say it was a successful day!
Oh, I also had a pretty intense panic attack just before the flag retreat. I don't know what triggered it but can guess: maybe being in a high state of tension all day; the intense heat; being more hungry than I should have let myself get; and psyching myself into a freakout because "this is the last thing of the day, don't screw up or pass out from heat!" Physically I felt totally fine but internally was fighting the horrible sensations of panic. I suffered with panic attacks in the circus as well and was fully expecting that they'd resurface here, but that doesn't make it fun to go through.
Anyway, back to the GOOD parts of the day.
Actually before we get into today, here's a video that I found taken on June 6th while three of the four female musicians were rehearsing in the park. This set has all three of us ladies performing, which is super rare and may not happen again! Timestamps are in the comments. In the last song, When We're Human, I have two small solos.
1st set of the day: Mickey's Fanfare, Be Our Guest, Under the Sea, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Hot Dog Dance, Wanna Be Like You.
2nd set: Mickey's Fanfare, Be Our Guest, Encanto Medley. This was my first time playing Encanto in the park.
It's my job to hand out maracas during audience interactions, and doing that for the first time today finalized that I CANNOT use the Williams trombone in the park any longer. I can't risk the slide getting damaged as kids crowd around, while handling the awkward maraca bag, directing guests here and there, etc. So today became my trombone's LAST day in the park lol.
Some clips from the parade!
Parade start in Frontierland, we're doing the end of Frozen/Let it Go and then Hot Dog Dance.
When You Wish in front of the castle. Jameson didn't know that the band stops here; he just happened to be in the right place at the right time!
It's a Small World After All:
Jameson didn't record the 3rd set since we were repeating songs, so here's the flag ceremony, in which I was having a panic attack but nobody knows that. It's just patriotic stuff (see description for timestamps) but it's also one of the oldest ongoing events at Disney (since 1955!) and it's a privilege to participate.
In closing, a close-up of one of the buttons on my costume.
I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day.
Five sets in intense heat and humidity.
Walking (or marching) approximately 7-10 miles over the course of the day.
Sweating buckets. Hydrating like crazy!
But it was fun, it was successful, and I've already been scheduled to do another one on Monday!
Jameson and I had to drive home separately. He got so burnt! I was so grateful that he endured the heat for me today. He went to see the Dapper Dans and other shows as well, but still. We spent the evening crashed in front of the couch, him working on LEGOs and me editing and uploading and social-posting all of his wonderful footage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I was exhausted on several levels, but didn't feel "bad" thankfully. Still panicky/anxious but there's nothing to do about that.
Instead of data entry I finished uploading Jameson's footage, then made pasta salad and got some chicken drumsticks marinating for dinner. I did data entry for about an hour but then the site crashed and didn't come back. To be honest....I needed the break today. My nerves are destroyed and while I'm not sore, I'm physically tired and Monday might be more of a struggle. How do people do this gig on consecutive days??
The company data entry website never came back online; my bosses were discussing it when I finally gave up checking the chat around 7pm. At least if my hours are short this week it's fully justified, that actually takes a lot of pressure off of me.
For dinner: air fryer BBQ drumsticks, homemade pasta salad, sweet corn, watermelon.
The chicken was amazing but next time I want to do half of them with a BBQ dry rub so they'll stay crispy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow is now another full Disney day for me. It's supposed to be incredibly hot again BUT it's supposed to start raining around 3pm. God I hope it actually does, if only to make our sets slightly shorter or cool things off a bit.
After that, I am very much looking forward to a week of catching up on household chores and memorizing the last two pieces in my Disney repertoire.
I did three castle sets and the flag retreat. Was excused from the parade again, but rather than feeling grateful I felt embarrassed when everyone else came back to the dressing room hot and panting, having worked hard while I did nothing. But then, that's what Keith's whole day is like whenever I'm there shadowing, so I need to remember that too.
I think I'm getting the hang of things now. Still not perfect but the more I get to play-and-move the better it gets. On Saturday I'll get to play the Encanto medley in the park for the first time, and maybe the Classics Medley too weather permitting.
"Weather permitting" because it is HOT. Today was a high of 98°F / 36.6°C with a heat index of 112°F / 44.44°C. I don't know how people can spend the whole day outdoors at Disney in those conditions. Yes there are gift shops and restaurants to duck into but there's also an awful lot of unshaded ground to cover.
Anyway I felt that the day went well. The guys gave me notes here and there, some regarding small movements (i.e. when to have both hands on my trombone for Star Spangled Banner instead of one,) and others were for small musical things (i.e. holding notes a little too long or cutting them off a little too short.) These are very minor things that will naturally get corrected with repetition/familiarity, but I was glad for the feedback because I don't want to learn things wrong or get into bad habits. Really appreciated that they were watching me for mistakes! No one seemed worried that I wouldn't be ready, or concerned that I wasn't going to meet the band's standards, and that's what really mattered.
Back home I unpacked, had dinner, and collapsed with a big water bottle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, up at 6am for data entry.
After lunch I decided not to practice the trombone for once (if I haven't learned what I need to get through Saturday by now, it's not going to happen in one practice session) and instead embarked on the long trek to Whole Paycheck. Kind of a treat to myself, and to get those items that are difficult to find elsewhere. Some of the treats that I indulged in:
- Salmon candy: salmon that's been marinated in sweet-and-salty stuff then dried/cooked/smoked until it has a jerky-like texture. I've always wanted to try it and today they had a very small $4 container of it! It's good but very oily, and the skin is chewy and stretchy making it kinda hard to eat. You can FEEL the Omega-3s in it haha.
- Koia in exclusive flavors. My faves are Banana Creme and Fruity Cereal.
- Mezcla bars. They're a protein bar that is low fat and calorie so I like to have some on hand for travel (or in this case for my Disney days.)
- NuGo bars in exclusive flavors. Similarly to Mezclas, they're vegan protein bars. Most gas stations have them but Whole Paycheck has exclusive flavors like Almond and Coconut.
- Ingredients to make us a summer BBQ dinner
- Australian licorice
- A few bulk cookies, today's selections were a pineapple cake cookie for Jameson and a guava sandwich cookie for meeeee
- Frozen sockeye salmon filets so I can make us sous vide salmon next week
- Grocery store sushi, we are posh like that.
It's almost an hour and a half round-trip for only a 15-mile drive, not counting the shopping, so by the time I got home I was very tired but had to put in at least another two hours of data entry. After that we had Whole Paycheck sushi for dinner, I vacuumed and packed a lunch for work tomorrow...and that was pretty much it. I'm nervous but what else is new.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I was up early. First full day as a sub at Disney. No one there to step in if I collapse from heat exhaustion; no safety net if I forget my music or mess up the choreography. Here we go!
I got there way too early but used the time to do a run-through, warm up, and get partially dressed (it's easier to have my pants and undershirt on before the menfolk arrive.) My friend Will was on tuba and Sara on trumpet, but most of the other musicians were new to me. The Main Street Phil has 24 substitutes plus at least 12 full time members, maybe more. It is hard to keep track of everyone but nevertheless I shook hands and tried very hard to make names stick in my brain.
Jameson, bless his supportive and loving heart, spent the whole day in the Magic Kingdom to record the band.
I can't tell you how much it meant to look out into the crowd and see his face :)
My family (such as it is) is all hundreds of miles away, and my parents are dead. It means a lot to have someone in this world who would care so much about what I do, that they'd spend a whole day in 106°F (41.1°C) heat to watch me and record footage for me. It's hard to express how monumental that is.
I did all three castle sets, the parade, and the flag retreat.
Some screenshots, courtesy Jameson:
This was such a good picture but for some reason my phone seems to darken screenshots.
Hot Doggin' (free dance during Hot Dog Dance song.) I love any chance to goof off!
Critique:
The first and second sets were good, but I messed up the choreography for Encanto in a way that impacted where others could move around me. Everyone reassured me that it was not a big deal (and watching the video I agree, it is not noticeable to the audience whatsoever) but I certainly won't make that mistake again! My other biggish mistake was screwing up When You Wish during the parade, AGAIN, ugh I am tired of messing that piece up!! Something about it is slippery to my brain. The good news is that I will always drop out/stop playing when I'm crashing and burning, which means it's not usually noticeable to the audience. The bad news is that means a part is missing :/
Still, none of the mistakes that I made today were catastrophic. I received small notes from my peers, and got a second chance at Encanto for the third set and nailed it. I'd say it was a successful day!
Oh, I also had a pretty intense panic attack just before the flag retreat. I don't know what triggered it but can guess: maybe being in a high state of tension all day; the intense heat; being more hungry than I should have let myself get; and psyching myself into a freakout because "this is the last thing of the day, don't screw up or pass out from heat!" Physically I felt totally fine but internally was fighting the horrible sensations of panic. I suffered with panic attacks in the circus as well and was fully expecting that they'd resurface here, but that doesn't make it fun to go through.
Anyway, back to the GOOD parts of the day.
Actually before we get into today, here's a video that I found taken on June 6th while three of the four female musicians were rehearsing in the park. This set has all three of us ladies performing, which is super rare and may not happen again! Timestamps are in the comments. In the last song, When We're Human, I have two small solos.
Click to view1st set of the day: Mickey's Fanfare, Be Our Guest, Under the Sea, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Hot Dog Dance, Wanna Be Like You.
2nd set: Mickey's Fanfare, Be Our Guest, Encanto Medley. This was my first time playing Encanto in the park.
It's my job to hand out maracas during audience interactions, and doing that for the first time today finalized that I CANNOT use the Williams trombone in the park any longer. I can't risk the slide getting damaged as kids crowd around, while handling the awkward maraca bag, directing guests here and there, etc. So today became my trombone's LAST day in the park lol.
Some clips from the parade!
Parade start in Frontierland, we're doing the end of Frozen/Let it Go and then Hot Dog Dance.
When You Wish in front of the castle. Jameson didn't know that the band stops here; he just happened to be in the right place at the right time!
It's a Small World After All:
Jameson didn't record the 3rd set since we were repeating songs, so here's the flag ceremony, in which I was having a panic attack but nobody knows that. It's just patriotic stuff (see description for timestamps) but it's also one of the oldest ongoing events at Disney (since 1955!) and it's a privilege to participate.
In closing, a close-up of one of the buttons on my costume.
I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day.
Five sets in intense heat and humidity.
Walking (or marching) approximately 7-10 miles over the course of the day.
Sweating buckets. Hydrating like crazy!
But it was fun, it was successful, and I've already been scheduled to do another one on Monday!
Jameson and I had to drive home separately. He got so burnt! I was so grateful that he endured the heat for me today. He went to see the Dapper Dans and other shows as well, but still. We spent the evening crashed in front of the couch, him working on LEGOs and me editing and uploading and social-posting all of his wonderful footage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I was exhausted on several levels, but didn't feel "bad" thankfully. Still panicky/anxious but there's nothing to do about that.
Instead of data entry I finished uploading Jameson's footage, then made pasta salad and got some chicken drumsticks marinating for dinner. I did data entry for about an hour but then the site crashed and didn't come back. To be honest....I needed the break today. My nerves are destroyed and while I'm not sore, I'm physically tired and Monday might be more of a struggle. How do people do this gig on consecutive days??
The company data entry website never came back online; my bosses were discussing it when I finally gave up checking the chat around 7pm. At least if my hours are short this week it's fully justified, that actually takes a lot of pressure off of me.
For dinner: air fryer BBQ drumsticks, homemade pasta salad, sweet corn, watermelon.
The chicken was amazing but next time I want to do half of them with a BBQ dry rub so they'll stay crispy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow is now another full Disney day for me. It's supposed to be incredibly hot again BUT it's supposed to start raining around 3pm. God I hope it actually does, if only to make our sets slightly shorter or cool things off a bit.
After that, I am very much looking forward to a week of catching up on household chores and memorizing the last two pieces in my Disney repertoire.