Gigs or Gigs
On Thursday, the Minick finally reached James!
Of COURSE the box was damaged. The horn is ok, but this made me very glad that I both took pictures of my packaging and also sent those pictures to James before shipping, to protect us both from these box-chucking yahoos.
His reviews:
I was amused to hear that he'd chased the delivery truck down five blocks early so he could get hands on his horn! But I totally understand. I did essentially the same thing when my Williams was delivered in Chicago many years ago. And I am SO GLAD that he's so happy with it! I've felt GUILTY about it because in my opinion, the Williams is significantly superior to that horn (they're both great horns but imo.) But if that type of horn is his ideal, I'm very glad. It deserves someone who will love it, not someone like me who shoves it in a closet for years on end :p
Meanwhile after doing some data entry (and stressing beyond belief about not having a job in a few days) I drove all the way out to Groveland where my friend Pat, a sick jazz trombonist and excellent repair tech, lives. I brought both Williams's so he could enjoy playing them!
He absolutely LOVED the new Williams, after just a few minutes of playing he felt that it was superior even to the Williams I already have. He has played my Williams several times, and also the Minick once, so when he started jumping up and down over the new Williams and exclaiming over how awesome it was I totally believed him!
Since cleaning and repairs would take a while I wandered off to a Publix where I just stayed in the AC to kill time. Would have loved a walk but it was insanely hot outside, way too hot for comfort. During that time I got a call regarding an application I'd put in to a library, which was exciting, but it was from a recruiter so I have a feeling the job is a scam/data harvesting instead of an actual job posting. I'd love to be wrong but the majority of "interviews" I've had have been a recruiter calling to "confirm" my application and ending with "You'll hear from us soon" and never hearing from them again.
Eventually Pat texted to say he was finished, and sent a few pics of his work as well.
Here is the bell of my own Williams, all polished up! Note the chicken eggs in the background, lol.
Here's a pic of the partially-polished bell, so you can kind of see the difference it makes to remove the tarnish that builds up on this old horn. I take very good care of my horns and I like how the tarnish looks too, but it's good to clean it up 1-2x per year.
When I got back Pat went over all of the repairs he'd done, which mostly involved re-corking the spit valve and removing some corrosion. The slides were perfect and didn't need to be touched. I was so grateful for his work, he didn't even charge me that much, and gave me a dozen eggs as well! He has chickens and ducks and says he gets about a dozen eggs every day! The large egg over on the left there is a duck egg, I will have to figure out something nice to do with it :)
Back at home I showed Jameson the lovely repairs, and received a follow-up text from Pat.
He talks first about James, then about the Minick and Williams.
Really, I do feel like this was a STEAL for me. I'm extremely happy with the new horn, and after playing both Williams's back to back I had suspected that the new one was even better than the one I had, but wanted a second opinion that maybe wouldn't be clouded by a honeymoon phase. If I weren't so anxious and consumed with losing my job, I'd probably be geeking out all day about this! And especially about the strange karma that brought James and I together, so that we could each get a beautiful instrument at essentially no cost!! Right after his Minick got stolen, and right when I realized that I'd need a second horn to play for Disney. The timing could not have been more perfect for either of us.
When I spoke of this karma to James, he exclaimed, "Karma's name is Megan!"
Aww geez.
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The stress of knowing I'll be out of work soon makes working feels like wading through mud. I guess this is like "task paralysis"...a hopelessness that the work I'm doing is no longer relevant, and I'm going to be fired...and shouldn't I be looking for more jobs instead of working, or catching up on chores...I end up feeling overwhelmed, and fail to do anything at all. Well I'm still doing things but a lot slower than usual.
Case in point: I paid Jameson for the toilets, vacuumed, took some salmon out to thaw, weeded the backyard, practiced, got ingredients for dinner, applied to jobs, did more work for as long as I could stand it, and made us sous vide salmon with lemon asparagus orzo for dinner.
And somewhere in there, I got a termination email.
Welp! I should be used to getting thrown out like a used rag by now, it happens often enough. The good news is that I have an interview with a kennel on Disney property tomorrow morning (I've worked there before between jobs) and that pays the same as the data entry job, it'll just be a lot more physically demanding. In a last-ditch effort to find higher pay, I'll ask to delay my start at the kennel by about a week. But after that it's time to face the music and get sweaty and dirty with some dogs. The dogs I don't mind, actually, it's their human owners who are the worst.
Anyway that's that.
My dad's soul is smiling, wherever it is, to see me in this situation. It always seemed to please him when I fell short.
Jameson has been in an awful mood all day and I don't really know how to alleviate it. He's out with friends as I type this, which is probably good to give him a distraction and get him away from his leech of a girlfriend. I spent the time waiting for someone supposedly from a local company to call for a phone interview; it's been at least 30 minutes since he said "I can call you right now," so I imagine this is another letdown. Isn't job hunting fun!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
ETA: I was woken at midnight to a text from my Main Street Phil boss: could I come in tomorrow?
I had a moment of panic because my job interview is at 10am, but it should be easy to reschedule. But also...do you see, these last-minute calls are why I'm in a catch-22 with jobs. I need something very flexible so that I can continue to accept jobs with Disney. But I also can't afford to be so picky right now.
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I didn't get to sleep until 2am because that's when Jameson got home and I was frankly worried sick. He was with friends and all that but he rarely comes home that late, and he was in just such a dark mood yesterday :( He seemed to have perked up a bit when he came home last night so that was a relief. But still, I only got about four hours of sleep last night ahead of a full Disney day.
The hiring manager for the kennel agreed to let me change my interview date/time, which was a relief.
I threw a bag lunch together, had breakfast, typed up more of this blog, and was off.
At 8am it was 80°F with a "real feel" of 91°F, and the heat index today got up to 106. I hate Florida.
But I enjoy playing in the park, and REALLY enjoyed playing my new trombone! It is wonderful, sounds great and is perfect for me. By the end of the day I felt much more comfortable with it and am looking forward to playing it more.
This footage is not from yesterday but I just found it: one of the only two times I've done the Frozen Medley in the park! Glad someone caught it so I can see what parts of the choreo I need to fix haha.
One fun thing that happened today was a "shortened" parade, which the guys called a "dog bone."
I think they call it this because of the shape of the shortened parade route, which is a "C" in front of the castle, a straight shot down Main Street, then another "C" in the square/train station area, which when you think about it is like a dog bone shape!
Anyway "shortened" is in quotes because we walked 1/2 mile in the 106-degree heat to the head of the parade...and then found out our equipment cart was broken down (it hauls all of the percussion and the sousas.) We then had to walk 1/2 mile BACK to the gate where we usually enter the park for sets, and that's where we started the parade. So it wasn't "shorter" by any means, the parade route may have been shorter but it was definitely more walking!
Anyway it was a good, if exceedingly hot, day, and right now I am extremely grateful for any time in the park at all. I don't know what will happen with my professional life this year and going forward, but to have just ONE place where I can musically be myself is a great gift.
Back home I caught up with Jameson, who was in a much better mood having put up some really awesome new lighting in his studio. We had a quiet night, both of us were tired from not getting any sleep the evening before.
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Sunday I was up at 8:30am which made me feel guilty and wrong. I should be out scouring for jobs, shouldn't I?
But even in this secular day and age, a lot of companies simply don't post job openings on Sundays.
I typed this post up, applied for what I could, and had a good long practice session in which I switched the slides and bells of the two Williams trombones (a fun thing to do when you have horns made by the same manufacturer!) I'd go into detail about the differences in sound and blah blah but suspect y'all won't care.
Completed my Uber Eats profile and activated it, so now food delivery is an option for me too.
I think I'd actually LOVE working on Instacart, but there's a waiting list.
And I booked myself a Papa Pal service. Just one but I'm trying to take things slow to start, and give myself that one week for some perfect opportunity to present itself.
What I am thinking now is that I could really just dive into gig work. The hours/pay may not be consistent, but I'd have a lot more schedule flexibility. The problem with a traditional job is, if I want to keep doing on-call for the Main Street Philharmonic, I have to be able to call out on short notice and most employers very understandably will not be cool with that. Anyway, as I've said, giving myself a week to figure out the best options.
Some foodie things from today:
I made deviled eggs with some of the eggs Pat gave me from his chickens. Half of them have a "bullseye" of hot sauce :)
For dinner we ordered from our favorite local Greek restaurant. Every time I go pick up the food there are new evil temptations hanging out on the counter. Today it was these baklava absolutely SLATHERED in dulce de leche (there were chocolate-slathered ones too.)
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I'm not feeling so hot tonight and hope I'm not coming down with something. It's likely just being stressed as my job came to an end, and then not getting much sleep lately. Tomorrow's plan is to hit Whole Paycheck for dinner ingredients (air fryer coconut shrimp), apply for more jobs, practice, and cook. Tuesday I have the kennel interview, Thursday is my Papa Pal service, Friday is a job fair, and Saturday is my last scheduled Disney day.
Of COURSE the box was damaged. The horn is ok, but this made me very glad that I both took pictures of my packaging and also sent those pictures to James before shipping, to protect us both from these box-chucking yahoos.
His reviews:
I was amused to hear that he'd chased the delivery truck down five blocks early so he could get hands on his horn! But I totally understand. I did essentially the same thing when my Williams was delivered in Chicago many years ago. And I am SO GLAD that he's so happy with it! I've felt GUILTY about it because in my opinion, the Williams is significantly superior to that horn (they're both great horns but imo.) But if that type of horn is his ideal, I'm very glad. It deserves someone who will love it, not someone like me who shoves it in a closet for years on end :p
Meanwhile after doing some data entry (and stressing beyond belief about not having a job in a few days) I drove all the way out to Groveland where my friend Pat, a sick jazz trombonist and excellent repair tech, lives. I brought both Williams's so he could enjoy playing them!
Click to viewHe absolutely LOVED the new Williams, after just a few minutes of playing he felt that it was superior even to the Williams I already have. He has played my Williams several times, and also the Minick once, so when he started jumping up and down over the new Williams and exclaiming over how awesome it was I totally believed him!
Since cleaning and repairs would take a while I wandered off to a Publix where I just stayed in the AC to kill time. Would have loved a walk but it was insanely hot outside, way too hot for comfort. During that time I got a call regarding an application I'd put in to a library, which was exciting, but it was from a recruiter so I have a feeling the job is a scam/data harvesting instead of an actual job posting. I'd love to be wrong but the majority of "interviews" I've had have been a recruiter calling to "confirm" my application and ending with "You'll hear from us soon" and never hearing from them again.
Eventually Pat texted to say he was finished, and sent a few pics of his work as well.
Here is the bell of my own Williams, all polished up! Note the chicken eggs in the background, lol.
Here's a pic of the partially-polished bell, so you can kind of see the difference it makes to remove the tarnish that builds up on this old horn. I take very good care of my horns and I like how the tarnish looks too, but it's good to clean it up 1-2x per year.
When I got back Pat went over all of the repairs he'd done, which mostly involved re-corking the spit valve and removing some corrosion. The slides were perfect and didn't need to be touched. I was so grateful for his work, he didn't even charge me that much, and gave me a dozen eggs as well! He has chickens and ducks and says he gets about a dozen eggs every day! The large egg over on the left there is a duck egg, I will have to figure out something nice to do with it :)
Back at home I showed Jameson the lovely repairs, and received a follow-up text from Pat.
He talks first about James, then about the Minick and Williams.
Really, I do feel like this was a STEAL for me. I'm extremely happy with the new horn, and after playing both Williams's back to back I had suspected that the new one was even better than the one I had, but wanted a second opinion that maybe wouldn't be clouded by a honeymoon phase. If I weren't so anxious and consumed with losing my job, I'd probably be geeking out all day about this! And especially about the strange karma that brought James and I together, so that we could each get a beautiful instrument at essentially no cost!! Right after his Minick got stolen, and right when I realized that I'd need a second horn to play for Disney. The timing could not have been more perfect for either of us.
When I spoke of this karma to James, he exclaimed, "Karma's name is Megan!"
Aww geez.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The stress of knowing I'll be out of work soon makes working feels like wading through mud. I guess this is like "task paralysis"...a hopelessness that the work I'm doing is no longer relevant, and I'm going to be fired...and shouldn't I be looking for more jobs instead of working, or catching up on chores...I end up feeling overwhelmed, and fail to do anything at all. Well I'm still doing things but a lot slower than usual.
Case in point: I paid Jameson for the toilets, vacuumed, took some salmon out to thaw, weeded the backyard, practiced, got ingredients for dinner, applied to jobs, did more work for as long as I could stand it, and made us sous vide salmon with lemon asparagus orzo for dinner.
And somewhere in there, I got a termination email.
Welp! I should be used to getting thrown out like a used rag by now, it happens often enough. The good news is that I have an interview with a kennel on Disney property tomorrow morning (I've worked there before between jobs) and that pays the same as the data entry job, it'll just be a lot more physically demanding. In a last-ditch effort to find higher pay, I'll ask to delay my start at the kennel by about a week. But after that it's time to face the music and get sweaty and dirty with some dogs. The dogs I don't mind, actually, it's their human owners who are the worst.
Anyway that's that.
My dad's soul is smiling, wherever it is, to see me in this situation. It always seemed to please him when I fell short.
Jameson has been in an awful mood all day and I don't really know how to alleviate it. He's out with friends as I type this, which is probably good to give him a distraction and get him away from his leech of a girlfriend. I spent the time waiting for someone supposedly from a local company to call for a phone interview; it's been at least 30 minutes since he said "I can call you right now," so I imagine this is another letdown. Isn't job hunting fun!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
ETA: I was woken at midnight to a text from my Main Street Phil boss: could I come in tomorrow?
I had a moment of panic because my job interview is at 10am, but it should be easy to reschedule. But also...do you see, these last-minute calls are why I'm in a catch-22 with jobs. I need something very flexible so that I can continue to accept jobs with Disney. But I also can't afford to be so picky right now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't get to sleep until 2am because that's when Jameson got home and I was frankly worried sick. He was with friends and all that but he rarely comes home that late, and he was in just such a dark mood yesterday :( He seemed to have perked up a bit when he came home last night so that was a relief. But still, I only got about four hours of sleep last night ahead of a full Disney day.
The hiring manager for the kennel agreed to let me change my interview date/time, which was a relief.
I threw a bag lunch together, had breakfast, typed up more of this blog, and was off.
At 8am it was 80°F with a "real feel" of 91°F, and the heat index today got up to 106. I hate Florida.
But I enjoy playing in the park, and REALLY enjoyed playing my new trombone! It is wonderful, sounds great and is perfect for me. By the end of the day I felt much more comfortable with it and am looking forward to playing it more.
This footage is not from yesterday but I just found it: one of the only two times I've done the Frozen Medley in the park! Glad someone caught it so I can see what parts of the choreo I need to fix haha.
One fun thing that happened today was a "shortened" parade, which the guys called a "dog bone."
I think they call it this because of the shape of the shortened parade route, which is a "C" in front of the castle, a straight shot down Main Street, then another "C" in the square/train station area, which when you think about it is like a dog bone shape!
Anyway "shortened" is in quotes because we walked 1/2 mile in the 106-degree heat to the head of the parade...and then found out our equipment cart was broken down (it hauls all of the percussion and the sousas.) We then had to walk 1/2 mile BACK to the gate where we usually enter the park for sets, and that's where we started the parade. So it wasn't "shorter" by any means, the parade route may have been shorter but it was definitely more walking!
Anyway it was a good, if exceedingly hot, day, and right now I am extremely grateful for any time in the park at all. I don't know what will happen with my professional life this year and going forward, but to have just ONE place where I can musically be myself is a great gift.
Back home I caught up with Jameson, who was in a much better mood having put up some really awesome new lighting in his studio. We had a quiet night, both of us were tired from not getting any sleep the evening before.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I was up at 8:30am which made me feel guilty and wrong. I should be out scouring for jobs, shouldn't I?
But even in this secular day and age, a lot of companies simply don't post job openings on Sundays.
I typed this post up, applied for what I could, and had a good long practice session in which I switched the slides and bells of the two Williams trombones (a fun thing to do when you have horns made by the same manufacturer!) I'd go into detail about the differences in sound and blah blah but suspect y'all won't care.
Completed my Uber Eats profile and activated it, so now food delivery is an option for me too.
I think I'd actually LOVE working on Instacart, but there's a waiting list.
And I booked myself a Papa Pal service. Just one but I'm trying to take things slow to start, and give myself that one week for some perfect opportunity to present itself.
What I am thinking now is that I could really just dive into gig work. The hours/pay may not be consistent, but I'd have a lot more schedule flexibility. The problem with a traditional job is, if I want to keep doing on-call for the Main Street Philharmonic, I have to be able to call out on short notice and most employers very understandably will not be cool with that. Anyway, as I've said, giving myself a week to figure out the best options.
Some foodie things from today:
I made deviled eggs with some of the eggs Pat gave me from his chickens. Half of them have a "bullseye" of hot sauce :)
For dinner we ordered from our favorite local Greek restaurant. Every time I go pick up the food there are new evil temptations hanging out on the counter. Today it was these baklava absolutely SLATHERED in dulce de leche (there were chocolate-slathered ones too.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not feeling so hot tonight and hope I'm not coming down with something. It's likely just being stressed as my job came to an end, and then not getting much sleep lately. Tomorrow's plan is to hit Whole Paycheck for dinner ingredients (air fryer coconut shrimp), apply for more jobs, practice, and cook. Tuesday I have the kennel interview, Thursday is my Papa Pal service, Friday is a job fair, and Saturday is my last scheduled Disney day.