A quick check-in from Florida

May 3, 2020May 2, 2020 | jamiefeinberg

Hope this finds you and your family well. I’d love to hear how things are going where you are.

Here in Florida, the governor has announced that all but 3 counties (the ones hardest hit) are opening up Monday. Restaurants and retail at 25% capacity etc….it will be interesting. As you’ve no doubt heard, some Florida residents have been pretty ridiculous flaunting whatever freedom they have right now, so it’s hard to say if opening up somewhat will make it better or just make them even more carefree and ultimately more likely to endanger all of us.

I spent some time yesterday reading NH’s plan for the next phase, and I was so impressed. PDFs of maybe 25 pages total with super detailed plans on rollouts in all industries as well as specific ones, including state parks (ocean beaches will stay closed!) and campgrounds (NH residents only will be welcome). In light of the campgrounds part, my current leaning is that we won’t go back to New England this summer. Even if family offers to host us, I don’t think we’d be comfortable doing so with this virus on the loose (we’d need to use their shower and laundry facilities at minimum), and if no campgrounds will have us, it just doesn’t make sense to go up there.

We’re still considering our options for the fall. Do we drive up in the RV just for a couple of weeks, for doctor’s appointments, and then leave again? Do we fly again and stay in a motel or air b & b and rent a car? Do we drive up in a car as an in-between of those options? Or do we find doctors in another part of the world entirely?

Yes, there’s a lot of uncertainty. But we’re so thankful for so much. Delicious meals (thank you Ross!) and plenty of food and supplies. A wonderful family. Sunny days, and cooler nights. A safe and comfortable home. Regular online sessions and phone calls with family and friends.

We’ve also submitted our video to the Tiny Desk Concert. We were able to perform (through the miracle of technology) with our favorite drummer, Tom Holmes!

Life is good. Wishing you all the best. Take care!

P.S. You can still show your support and get yourself incredible resources by purchasing the Essential Work from Home Bundle from us this week!

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Progress and Passion

January 17, 2020January 22, 2020 | jamiefeinberg

It’s been a good week. This, despite both Ross and I battling illness (again). We’ve been plugging away at our respective jobs and projects, and while nothing is complete, we’ve seen some progress along the way.

Today we had one especially fun thing happen. A national news station reached out to us about Ross’ ukulele work with older adults!

Now, this wasn’t technically out of the blue, because I’d sent about twenty five unsolicited pitches in the fall. But this was the first positive response we got!

We don’t currently have a class, so no news yet, but if they covered the program, it could greatly increase the rate we can book the program at.

It was also a nice pat on the back to say yes, you’re doing good work and yes, people can recognize that.

So between that and my work on a musical theater workshop, there’s lots to be excited about this week.

I will leave you with a few photos from the campground. Have a great week, and thanks for reading!

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Goblins and Parties in Concord, Oh My!

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Well, as we’ve mentioned, Ross and I have been super busy here in New Hampshire. This past week, we had the final classes and “final sharings” where our ukulele and theater improvisation students, respectively, got to share what they’d learned with the community. Both celebrations were a huge success, and we are extraordinarily proud of the work we’ve been doing with older adults. If you have any leads on venues for us or potentially funding sources, please let us know!

Next up we are diving even deeper into our production of the musical Goblin Market. Get ready for puppetry and poetry, in a take inspired by the world of Jim Henson fantasy films and with an astonishingly talented cast of singers and actors who move. It’s a beautiful and unique show, and you can learn more and purchase tickets here. It’s at the small Hatbox Theatre in Concord, a fantastic venue, and we’ve got an amazing VIP party on the docket for Friday evening. (You can save big if you purchase your ticket for that now!)

Otherwise, we’re plugging away at our work, teaching and helping our clients as virtual assistants. Life is good and we’re thankful for all of the opportunities!

Back in NH

September 6, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Hi all!

I’ve got SO MANY posts for you, but life has been super busy and I needed a little break from blogging.

Suffice to say, summer was amazing overall and we are excited to be back in New Hampshire for a few months.

Here are a few photos from recent adventures to tide you over.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Return to Denver

July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Well, we’ve been parked in Denver for the last three weeks, and as usual for Colorado, we loved it!

Though I was traveling most of the time, we had a great time, enjoying an awesome park with four lakes next to our campground, performing at Your Mom’s House and the All Terrain Yoga at the Boulder Farmer’s Market and visiting new and favorite spots for ice cream, gluten-free treats and hard cider as well as open mics.

The only bummer in the area was that Ross’ favorite bar is desperately raising money to stay in business. We love you, Dungeons and Drafts!

We also got to catch up with my friend from high school, Melanie.

Here are a few highlights from our time!

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

The Las Cruces Uke Fest plus Silver City Fun

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Our adventures have continued in southern New Mexico, and though we both caught a virus that we struggled through for a few weeks, we didn’t let it slow us down too much.

This past weekend was especially fun. Friday, we made our way to Silver City, where we had a return gig at Diane’s Restaurant. After mailing out a yoga CD (thanks to everyone who bought them here) we drove about an hour north from Deming. It’s a gorgeous drive, and returning reaffirmed how much we love it there. We visited favorite old haunts, like the game store and Vicki’s Eatery for homemade ice cream, and new spots, like this incredible vintage shop where every dress I tried on looked incredible and the hats were absolutely gorgeous too.

After that, we headed to Diane’s, where we enjoyed a tasty meal, three drinks each (Jamie stuck to port and sherry!) and played three super sets. The audience loved it and showed their love, doubling our compensation with their tips!

The only downsides to the gig were that a) we didn’t get enough sleep and b) Ross missed the concert at the Las Cruces Uke Fest. But no worries – he spent the rest of the weekend soaking up workshops, assisting with sound and making new connections with people from across the country. I volunteered for a few hours too, and enjoyed the jam, but otherwise I occupied myself with visits to a couple of gardens and getting some work done.

After a wonderful weekend, we knew we needed to pack up and leave Deming. But with a few more days at our disposal, we decided a return to Tucson was a priority.

So we returned to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson for another round of animals, cacti and gorgeous views.

I also found a family of birds (with seven little babies!) and Ross, as always, made friends too.

Thanks for a wonderful stay, Deming! We highly recommend Roadrunner RV and look forward to returning someday.

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Music Projects and Bills – Oh My!

Music for yoga, Alamogordo, NM I Ross and Jamie Adventure

April 12, 2019April 4, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Ross and I have been working almost non-stop on our businesses this winter. Ross in particular has been very focused on two projects: his online ukulele course, and his new album, an ambient album composed with yoga and meditation in mind.

The number one challenge in working on both projects, but particularly the ukulele course, has been the limitations of Ross’ current gear. Ross has an old, reliable, wonderful laptop, but because it’s almost ten years old, it just can’t keep up in the video department. After waging battle after battle to edit and render video his laptop, Ross finally admitted defeat and came to me for help in choosing the next step.

After much debating, we decided we’d get him a new iPhone. The fanciest one, so it would have all the space and specs to do everything he wanted. (To be fair, his old phone was about three and a half years old, and it was no longer useful as a phone, so some sort of replacement was imminent anyway.) Ross spent his first week with the phone testing all of the things to make sure he’d be able to edit the videos on his phone and wouldn’t still need a computer. The phone passed all the tests with flying colors!

Unfortunately (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?), we’ve since found that while the phone itself is equipped for it all, the editing apps can’t handle long (10, 20, 30 minutes) videos without crashing. After putting up with it for a while, it became clear that for Ross to get his course ready at the speed that I was asking him to (aka within the next few months, not the next few years), we’d need to invest in a new laptop.

It was a tough decision, but we eventually decided to go with what we could afford without debt, which turned out to be a gaming laptop with great specs that can handle all sorts of video editing. It won’t replace his existing laptop, but it should be an incredible asset for video editing. (Please send all the good vibes/prayers/happy thoughts are way that we’ve got all we need to succeed in this department!) The extra benefit of going with the computer? Now we can market Ross as a video editor for real – he’s got the gear he’ll need to edit video for anyone who needs it.

Luckily, in the midst of the ukulele course editing drama, Ross was able to distract himself by recording/editing/mixing his new album. We’re putting the final touches on cover art and hope to release it before the end of this month. In the meantime, if you’d like some free tracks, head here to join the list and get some free stuff!

So if it seems like we’ve been quiet in New Mexico, it’s because we’ve been oh, so busy with projects…and making the tough decisions about financing a phone and not financing a laptop. And we’re extremely thankful that we can handle these purchases – we haven’t forgotten that if this had happened two years back, we’d have been forced to ask friends or family for help.

One fun piece of news – our new podcast, “Finishing The Season”, has received some happy (5 out of 5) ratings on iTunes! Here’s what Christie Conticchio had to say in her review: “Jamie and Ross have an undeniable chemistry and conversation in regards to everything Broadway. Jamie is so resourceful and knowledgeable about music. Her fun personality comes through. Ross adds his opinion and banter which makes this show so fun.”

That’s the news from Deming today! We’re setting up CD release parties and working on booking out through the summer, and we’ll be returning to New Hampshire as teaching artists (both of us!) this fall. Life is beautiful and we’re exceedingly thankful.

Stay warm and safe, wherever you are, and we’ll talk to you soon!

p.s. We’re giving away some private music lessons on Facebook if you’re interested! Just find the post and follow the instructions.

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

A Quick Solo Jaunt To New Hampshire

March 22, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

At the end of February, I had the opportunity to return to New Hampshire for a visit. The main reason for my trip was to accompany the auditions at the NH Professional Theatre Auditions, but I managed to squeeze in a social night with the Actorsingers teaching a couple of songs, many outings with friends and family, returning to play a church service at the Congregational Church of Henniker as well as a few online voice lessons.

It was also a good reminder of why I escaped NH – in major part, the weather!

Robbie and Mom, Manchester, NH | Ross and Jamie Adventure — Dinner with Robbie and Mom

It was such a busy and fun trip. My friends and family were incredibly generous, and I had amazing meals, hugs and conversations. People truly went out of their way to spend time with me, and those conversations and the love have continued to fuel me since then.

Dad, Concord, NH | Ross and Jamie Adventure — Breakfast with Dad

Thank you so much to everyone who made time for me, and my sincere apologies to those I didn’t have time to connect with. I look forward to seeing you all on a future visit.

The Puritan Backroom does gluten-free very well.

Much love from the Southwest!

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Visiting Ruidoso, NM

February 8, 2019January 29, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Last weekend, Ross and I made our first visit to Ruidoso, a touristy kind of ski town with a casino in New Mexico. I’d booked Ross a gig playing music for a yoga class there, so we headed in a few hours early to explore.

It reminded me of Estes Park, Colorado, the community at the base of the Rocky Mountains. There were tons of cute galleries and shops, including a boutique called 25th in Mid that I will definitely go back to for US-made tops at affordable prices. We also loved the bookstore, which also carries amazing backpacks and purses, games and gamer toys that are really fun.

I definitely want to return and visit the winery, but I did visit a local coffee shop for gelato, which was delicious despite the clueless staff.

Ruidoso was a fun place to spend a day or a half day, and it’s an easy trip from Roswell or Alamogordo. Have you visited Ruidoso?

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Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Crafting The Life You Want: A Practice in Living

Ross and Jamie Adventure – Coaching and Creating

music

A quick check-in from Florida

Progress and Passion

Goblins and Parties in Concord, Oh My!

Back in NH

Return to Denver

The Las Cruces Uke Fest plus Silver City Fun

Music Projects and Bills – Oh My!

A Quick Solo Jaunt To New Hampshire

Visiting Ruidoso, NM