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This post covers Monday and Tuesday.
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MONDAY
Our first Golden Day in quite a while!
I was up early knowing that I wanted to look for a blazer/tux jacket, and that this would take more time than it ought to, lol. After breakfast I Ubered to Snooty Booty Mall where I met with an associate from Nordstrom. Not surprisingly, despite having told her that I needed a
black tux jacket for a concert, she had pulled lots of things that were nowhere near that description. Cropped jackets with faux gemstone buttons; grayish or blueish jackets; a few with pinstripes; several with fashionable crumpled 3/4 sleeves. There was I think one jacket that might have worked with significant tailoring, but all of the others I could see at a glance were not what I needed. I felt bad to have wasted her time, but to be fair I had described exactly what I was looking for, plus pictures, well before the appointment.
Anyway, I visited Zara, Macy's, Dillards, and Aritzia. Some things came kinda close, but none close enough to convince me to buy. After two hours of hunting I threw in the towel and Ubered to Verna Cafe.

(stock image of the cafe)
It looks just like a house...it IS a house. But with a cozy little bar and dining room. It was very slow; there was only one family in there and they were finishing up as I came in. There were two gentlemen running the bar and kitchen, and after looking up their pictures later I am 99% sure that they were the owners, Beau and Connor. I had a seat at the corner of the bar and felt welcome and warm. Outside flurries started coming down, and that made my heart flutter in a good way :)

I had wanted the miso pecan overnight oats, but they were out! That's ok, their menu is so intriguing that I'd already planned to come back twice. Today I went with the NOLA Rice Cakes: Crispy Cajun-seasoned rice cakes topped with crab Rangoon, a soft-boiled egg, chili mayo, and Japanese seasonings.

It was very much just as good as it looked. The texture of the rice was SO COOL, crispy on the outside and soft sushi rice on the inside. The crab Rangoon is an extra charge but it is SO worth it. And the molten egg yolk...perfect. I immediately shared a pic to the tour foodie group. Now I can't WAIT to enjoy another meal here later in the week!
When I was finished, bundled up and stepped outside into my first flurries of this winter. How lovely!
There was a Buffalo Exchange thrift store just a few blocks away so I walked there and poked around a bit. Walked to a vintage clothing store that turned out to be mostly menswear. It was only two miles to the hotel and normally would have walked, but with the 18mph windchill it was 25°F (-3.8°C) and me without a coat. I didn't want to brave that cold for 40 minutes. Yet another Uber. At least they're relatively cheap here.
Back at the hotel I was pleased to see that they'd serviced my room (I'd taken the Do Not Disturb tag down and forgotten I'd done so, so it was a pleasant surprise.) I warmed up with a half-glass of cheap wine and watched a video on mandolinist Chris Thile that Jameson had sent me. Feeling burnt out about the suit jacket, I ordered one from a band/chorus uniform supply company to arrive in San Antonio. It looks like this:

(image courtesy Southeastern Performance Apparel)
I would probably wear it with a black shirt so that I don't have to get a bow tie. If am lucky it will mostly-fit, then I can get it tailored in San Antonio and bring in to Candlelight rehearsal with me. Alternatively, I've made an appointment for a consult at
Indochino's Nashville location later in the week. They do make women's jackets but I still expect them to be out of my price range and/or that they wouldn't be able to have something ready for me in the next 12 days. At least I can say I really did try everything!
One of our Chip kids will be leaving the tour after this city, and there was a nice going away party for them in the rooftop bar. I popped in just to wish them well but didn't stay long. Social circles had already formed, and I've never understood how to break into one of those.
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TUESDAYSlept in (for me that's 8:30am), had breakfast, worked on Dallas Foodie Finds. Dallas is another city where half the musicians are laid off for Union rules, so I am sad to miss out, womp womp. But on the upside, it does give me time to spend with Jameson and enjoy Christmas and New Years with him!! I feel better just thinking about it :)
I considered going to the grocery, or to Music Row, or doing laundry...thought about all these things and did nothing. It was Veterans Day, a lot of places were closed or had reduced hours, and it was still very cold out. And so it became a
bed rot day. Watched movies and YouTube videos, read some books, chatted with Jameson, at one point went to the lobby to fetch quarters for laundry. Cancelled my Indochino appointment because upon more careful consideration I'm not willing to pay for another Uber just to get to the store and find out they can't do anything for me.
I packed dinner to bring to the theater because Haley (Hair/Makeup) was giving me a haircut today!
I walked over early to put together my instruments and fill my water bottle, then found Hair/Makeup. Haley was quick and efficient and very good at cutting hair; we chatted while she worked and I got to know her a little better :) She ended up taking off about an inch and a half. It looks about the same as before, this was just a trim.
The evening show went well, and I was startled when what seemed like the whole first row popped up out of their seats to give a standing O after Be Our Guest! Turns out our Belle had something like 30 family and friends in the audience tonight! It was great to see and feel the enthusiasm.
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Wednesday: Getting up early to go to Verna for breakfast! From there walking to get groceries, back to the hotel to do laundry and watch Hazbin Hotel. One show in the evening.
Thursday: No plans as yet, one show in the evening.