They Don't Grow on Trees but They Do Fall from the Sky
I woke up later than usual, must have needed a little extra sleep.
After breakfast Jameson wanted to go for a walk so I joined him. We talked about this and that, and speculated about a house in our neighborhood where the mail and trash have been piling up, the car parked in the driveway has not moved in months...and we're starting to wonder if we, or someone, should call the cops for a wellness check. A younger guy used to live there, or that's who we saw coming and going. We don't really know what to think but, if the next time we walk past the house nothing has changed we might call it in.
Back home we cleaned up and I practiced while Jameson packed an overnight bag. He's celebrating a friend's birthday in Miami, and will be taking the new Brighline train from MCO! He had a 40% off coupon for the ride, so splurged on the all-inclusive which includes a free lounge before the trip. It's about a four hour train ride, and I'm very excited to see how it goes for him! He plans to spend most of the day on the beach with friends, then they'll go out for a fancy dinner. Glad he's getting a daycation!!
For dinner I made us THIS RECIPE from Half-Baked Harvest, crispy buffalo chicken.
It was VERY good, and I'll probably make it again, in fact I'd like to try this breading on some air fryer wings!
(photo from Half-Baked Harvest, mine looked just as good as this and it was so easy to make!)
Jameson and I were relaxing in front of the TV when an unexpected TOUR OFFER fell out of the sky and landed in my inbox!
Yep, Elf the Musical!
The tour is through NETworks Presentations, whom I've only worked with once before and a very long time ago (circa 2010!) Incidentally that was ALSO a seasonal holiday/Christmas tour called Handel's Messiah Rocks. It was an abject failure as a show, but the soundtrack was actually quite good and won two Emmys. CLICK HERE for a compilation of some of the songs.
Ever since that tour in 2009, I have consistently applied for every available NETworks touring opportunity...and have never once received a response. Until today. Never give up, kids :p
I'm going to accept the offer. As usual, the pros of touring out weigh the cons and include gaining musical experience, networking, and of course, adventure. It's also a chance to visit with family, as the route has several NC and PA cities. And any time there's paid work in music available, I'm still gonna take it.
The biggest con is that I won't get to spend the holidays with Jameson :( I will get Christmas Eve and Day off so will be home for that, but that doesn't give me time for baking cookies, picking out a tree, or the other activities that tend to make that holiday special. The next-biggest con is that I won't be available for any Disney work this holiday season. That said, they DID choose to sublist me once again after I gave them my full availability, so if I look elsewhere for work it shouldn't be a surprise.This tour is so short that I can't (and won't) take time away from it for Disney like I did with My Fair Lady. Finally, I'll have to quit my hat shop job after only three months of employment. They'll get two weeks notice, and I'll try to do a great job so that they'd consider taking me back after the tour is over.
Anyway. I can't tell you how shocked I was to open my email and randomly have a sudden job offer.
I spent the rest of the night in a sort of bewildered shock. I still have the hat shop and Papa Pals and other stuff to do...but now I gotta think about being packed and ready to travel by October. Wild.
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The coordinator sent my contract summary right at midnight, so of course I barely slept because all I could think about was going back on tour! Jameson was tossing and turning next to me too, excitement for his trip.
We both got up early and I hugged him goodbye, then dusted our bookshelf (it's very large and cluttered so I only do this 1-2x per year) and vacuumed. Went to Marshall's hoping to find a few cheap work shirts but no luck. Ate lunch, received and email from the Elf coordinator letting me know that the orchestra parts are being reorchestrated so they won't be sending them until a few weeks before tour starts. So instead I pilfered it from a previous trombonist (this is why it's good to network), and got to work indexing it on my iPad and finding a bootleg video to practice with. Lucky for me, a clarinetist on the 2014 national tour took a full pit recording of the show!! This is so super rare, and the absolute best practice track! I added timestamps to about 1/3rd of the video and had to quit because I got tired and needed a mental break, but listening to the music and seeing that it fit with my part was a big relief.
Today's hat. I wore this specific shirt with this specific hat in mind.
The purples didn't *exactly* match, but I think it's all right.
Of all the hats I've worn so far, this one got the most compliments and exclamations from both men and women. So due to popularity this combo will probably make a repeat appearance. It turned out to be a hard sales day overall. I did sell more fascinators than usual, and a new cream-colored felt fedora (that is now my favorite fedora in the shop, it's quite beautiful.)
Quick Story: One of the fascinators that I sold was to a little girl. She wanted a green one for a Halloween costume. I asked what the costume was, and she described it: she's gonna be a pumpkin, and the green fascinator is her "leaves." That's cool but check this out: her friends are ALSO going as pumpkins, wearing hair accessories like green fascinators or bows or scrunchies. And they're gonna get a green jump rope, and run it through their green hairpieces...and that will be their "vine" that they are growing from!!
How adorable is that? And what a cool costume idea!
Back home it was a kinda strange going to sleep without Jameson, but I managed.
It looked like he'd had a nice dinner with friends and a lovely day on the beach. Wonder how burnt he'll be when he gets back!
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Saturday I was up very early for no reason.
Coffee and fertilized the petunia, then worked on Elf timestamps and practiced the part for the first time. I can only describe it as "manic," almost circus-like with a lot of vamps and cuts based on what's happening on stage. But that's a fun challenge, and it's probably the style of music that I'm most familiar with at this point. After lunch I felt tired and sort of dozed, packed a lunch and started working on a "Foodie Finds" for Elf.
If you have followed this blog for my previous tours (Tootsie and My Fair Lady) you'll know that I've done a food recommendations group for my coworkers on tour, called Megan's Foodie Finds. This time I'm just doing it for me, firstly because the tour is only ten cities long and secondly because this is a new production company for me and I don't have the internal resources to promote a company-wide group here. It feels nice, actually, to just make a selfish list and not have to think about what others might like :p
After that I napped, then drove to work.
Today's hat:
Peanut butter themed again, this time with a tan cloche to go with my peanut butter + banana shirt.
I'm taking a cloche hiatus after this haha. I love them but need a break!
Disney Springs was absolutely PACKED today, because of the holiday weekend and because for once it didn't rain and because it's the final weekend for the drone show. It was so busy that at times the shop felt claustrophobic and overwhelming, but I hung in there. Sold three fascinators to one lady, and cowboy hats to every single member of a five-person family (I'm talking LEATHER cowboy hats, $$$), plus a bunch of other hats throughout the night. My keyholder supervisors were right pleased with me and even included a note in their nightly email to corporate to say that I'd done a good job :)
Back home Jameson had returned from his day trip to Miami and told me all about it! He said riding the Brightline there and back had been the best part of the trip. He showed me pictures of the new train stations and lounges, which looked spacious and included snacks and free drinks/booze! He also got free snacks and lunches for the four hour ride, and said that even with shared seating he had plenty of leg room and working wifi for the entire trip. The train departed and arrived on time both times, and his ticket included a voucher for Uber rides to and from his hotel! Overall it sounded like a great experience, and I'm now looking for excuses to take a train ride to Miami lol. He said the birthday celebration was all right, but he's not really a beachy guy and some of his friends like to bar hop more than he does, so the highlight was really the train.
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Sunday I was up way too early again. Having such trouble sleeping lately too, not sure why :(
After breakfast and once Jameson was up and about I practiced for quite a while.
Then did some research on Detroit, as it's on the route list for Elf and I've never been there before.
Gotta get an authentic slice of pizza, but will probably pass on a coney dog.
Later in the evening Jameson and I went to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights, but that will be in the next post since we'll get back too late to post about it tonight.
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Monday thru Wednesday: Hat shop, two closing shifts and a day shift. Probably won't pick up any Papa Pals this time.
After breakfast Jameson wanted to go for a walk so I joined him. We talked about this and that, and speculated about a house in our neighborhood where the mail and trash have been piling up, the car parked in the driveway has not moved in months...and we're starting to wonder if we, or someone, should call the cops for a wellness check. A younger guy used to live there, or that's who we saw coming and going. We don't really know what to think but, if the next time we walk past the house nothing has changed we might call it in.
Back home we cleaned up and I practiced while Jameson packed an overnight bag. He's celebrating a friend's birthday in Miami, and will be taking the new Brighline train from MCO! He had a 40% off coupon for the ride, so splurged on the all-inclusive which includes a free lounge before the trip. It's about a four hour train ride, and I'm very excited to see how it goes for him! He plans to spend most of the day on the beach with friends, then they'll go out for a fancy dinner. Glad he's getting a daycation!!
For dinner I made us THIS RECIPE from Half-Baked Harvest, crispy buffalo chicken.
It was VERY good, and I'll probably make it again, in fact I'd like to try this breading on some air fryer wings!
(photo from Half-Baked Harvest, mine looked just as good as this and it was so easy to make!)
Jameson and I were relaxing in front of the TV when an unexpected TOUR OFFER fell out of the sky and landed in my inbox!
Yep, Elf the Musical!
The tour is through NETworks Presentations, whom I've only worked with once before and a very long time ago (circa 2010!) Incidentally that was ALSO a seasonal holiday/Christmas tour called Handel's Messiah Rocks. It was an abject failure as a show, but the soundtrack was actually quite good and won two Emmys. CLICK HERE for a compilation of some of the songs.
Ever since that tour in 2009, I have consistently applied for every available NETworks touring opportunity...and have never once received a response. Until today. Never give up, kids :p
I'm going to accept the offer. As usual, the pros of touring out weigh the cons and include gaining musical experience, networking, and of course, adventure. It's also a chance to visit with family, as the route has several NC and PA cities. And any time there's paid work in music available, I'm still gonna take it.
The biggest con is that I won't get to spend the holidays with Jameson :( I will get Christmas Eve and Day off so will be home for that, but that doesn't give me time for baking cookies, picking out a tree, or the other activities that tend to make that holiday special. The next-biggest con is that I won't be available for any Disney work this holiday season. That said, they DID choose to sublist me once again after I gave them my full availability, so if I look elsewhere for work it shouldn't be a surprise.This tour is so short that I can't (and won't) take time away from it for Disney like I did with My Fair Lady. Finally, I'll have to quit my hat shop job after only three months of employment. They'll get two weeks notice, and I'll try to do a great job so that they'd consider taking me back after the tour is over.
Anyway. I can't tell you how shocked I was to open my email and randomly have a sudden job offer.
I spent the rest of the night in a sort of bewildered shock. I still have the hat shop and Papa Pals and other stuff to do...but now I gotta think about being packed and ready to travel by October. Wild.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The coordinator sent my contract summary right at midnight, so of course I barely slept because all I could think about was going back on tour! Jameson was tossing and turning next to me too, excitement for his trip.
We both got up early and I hugged him goodbye, then dusted our bookshelf (it's very large and cluttered so I only do this 1-2x per year) and vacuumed. Went to Marshall's hoping to find a few cheap work shirts but no luck. Ate lunch, received and email from the Elf coordinator letting me know that the orchestra parts are being reorchestrated so they won't be sending them until a few weeks before tour starts. So instead I pilfered it from a previous trombonist (this is why it's good to network), and got to work indexing it on my iPad and finding a bootleg video to practice with. Lucky for me, a clarinetist on the 2014 national tour took a full pit recording of the show!! This is so super rare, and the absolute best practice track! I added timestamps to about 1/3rd of the video and had to quit because I got tired and needed a mental break, but listening to the music and seeing that it fit with my part was a big relief.
Today's hat. I wore this specific shirt with this specific hat in mind.
The purples didn't *exactly* match, but I think it's all right.
Of all the hats I've worn so far, this one got the most compliments and exclamations from both men and women. So due to popularity this combo will probably make a repeat appearance. It turned out to be a hard sales day overall. I did sell more fascinators than usual, and a new cream-colored felt fedora (that is now my favorite fedora in the shop, it's quite beautiful.)
Quick Story: One of the fascinators that I sold was to a little girl. She wanted a green one for a Halloween costume. I asked what the costume was, and she described it: she's gonna be a pumpkin, and the green fascinator is her "leaves." That's cool but check this out: her friends are ALSO going as pumpkins, wearing hair accessories like green fascinators or bows or scrunchies. And they're gonna get a green jump rope, and run it through their green hairpieces...and that will be their "vine" that they are growing from!!
How adorable is that? And what a cool costume idea!
Back home it was a kinda strange going to sleep without Jameson, but I managed.
It looked like he'd had a nice dinner with friends and a lovely day on the beach. Wonder how burnt he'll be when he gets back!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I was up very early for no reason.
Coffee and fertilized the petunia, then worked on Elf timestamps and practiced the part for the first time. I can only describe it as "manic," almost circus-like with a lot of vamps and cuts based on what's happening on stage. But that's a fun challenge, and it's probably the style of music that I'm most familiar with at this point. After lunch I felt tired and sort of dozed, packed a lunch and started working on a "Foodie Finds" for Elf.
If you have followed this blog for my previous tours (Tootsie and My Fair Lady) you'll know that I've done a food recommendations group for my coworkers on tour, called Megan's Foodie Finds. This time I'm just doing it for me, firstly because the tour is only ten cities long and secondly because this is a new production company for me and I don't have the internal resources to promote a company-wide group here. It feels nice, actually, to just make a selfish list and not have to think about what others might like :p
After that I napped, then drove to work.
Today's hat:
Peanut butter themed again, this time with a tan cloche to go with my peanut butter + banana shirt.
I'm taking a cloche hiatus after this haha. I love them but need a break!
Disney Springs was absolutely PACKED today, because of the holiday weekend and because for once it didn't rain and because it's the final weekend for the drone show. It was so busy that at times the shop felt claustrophobic and overwhelming, but I hung in there. Sold three fascinators to one lady, and cowboy hats to every single member of a five-person family (I'm talking LEATHER cowboy hats, $$$), plus a bunch of other hats throughout the night. My keyholder supervisors were right pleased with me and even included a note in their nightly email to corporate to say that I'd done a good job :)
Back home Jameson had returned from his day trip to Miami and told me all about it! He said riding the Brightline there and back had been the best part of the trip. He showed me pictures of the new train stations and lounges, which looked spacious and included snacks and free drinks/booze! He also got free snacks and lunches for the four hour ride, and said that even with shared seating he had plenty of leg room and working wifi for the entire trip. The train departed and arrived on time both times, and his ticket included a voucher for Uber rides to and from his hotel! Overall it sounded like a great experience, and I'm now looking for excuses to take a train ride to Miami lol. He said the birthday celebration was all right, but he's not really a beachy guy and some of his friends like to bar hop more than he does, so the highlight was really the train.
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Sunday I was up way too early again. Having such trouble sleeping lately too, not sure why :(
After breakfast and once Jameson was up and about I practiced for quite a while.
Then did some research on Detroit, as it's on the route list for Elf and I've never been there before.
Gotta get an authentic slice of pizza, but will probably pass on a coney dog.
Later in the evening Jameson and I went to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights, but that will be in the next post since we'll get back too late to post about it tonight.
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Monday thru Wednesday: Hat shop, two closing shifts and a day shift. Probably won't pick up any Papa Pals this time.