SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

What a day!  It started with a 6am alarm.  We had our full crew immigration today.  This is something that has to be completed every 3 months, for any ship that sails out of the U.S.  Essentially, every crew member is “interviewed” by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol officials, to make sure nobody has illegally immigrated, or smuggled anything, into the country.  It’s an inconvenience, but from what I’m told, this is one of the smoothest, and quickest, that veterans who’ve been on ships for quite some time, have been through.  I was tasked with standing at the head of the line and “directing” crew members to the two areas where the “interviews” were being handled.  U.S. citizens were pretty much looked at, compared to their passports, and told, “have a nice day.”  Thank you very, much!

The usual Sunday events followed – a bit of time on land, walking around, the sail away party, a short rehearsal for the Welcome Aboard Show, two performances of that, and then this week, a late night tech. run-through for tomorrow’s PURE VARIETY performances.  Because we can’t use the theater until 2pm on Mondays, and two dancers have safety training all afternoon, we did the tech run-through tonight.  By the time I hit my bed at 11:30pm, I was beat.   

I did manage to speak with several friends & my parents today (on the phone, that is).  Mom sounds like a kid at Christmas . . . you'd think she'd never been on a cruise before.  I love it!  One week to go!

Time for some zzzzzzz . . .

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

Somehow, Saturday seems to be my busiest day.  The day starts performing crew cabin inspections, followed shortly afterward by a technical run-through of BOLLYWOOD, and then two performances of BOLLYWOOD at night.  In between, there always seems to be an abundance of paperwork and odds & ends “to do.”  Ah well, I’m sticking to my line . . . “ I’m livin’ the dream.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013

It’s Friday . . . we’re in Cozumel . . . that can only mean one thing . . . lunch at La Choza!  Candi and I went today and it was, as always, delicious!  Those margaritas should have an octane reading, though!  Wow!  Delicious!

 

Afterward, we headed to No Name Bar.  It’s a bar at a hotel, right off of the pier, where crew members from the ships hang out.  There’s a pool, a beach area, a restaurant, and of course, the bar.  I met Stacey, my counterpart on the Norwegian Sky.  We had emailed back and forth for the past two months, but never met in person.  We talked shop, shared stories, and such.  She looked very familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out why.  Finally, when we started to chat about our pasts, I figured it out!  She was one of the stage managers on the tour of CHICAGO, that played at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, in the spring of 2006.  At the time, I was the Director of Education for Florida Theatrical Association.  I must’ve had interaction with her when the tour was in town.  Here we are, nearly 7 years later, in Mexico, having margaritas together.  Yes, it truly is a small world after all . . . thanks, Walt!

Oh, and I must report that this morning, I weighed-in for the first time since January 1.  I lost 2.6 pounds! WOO HOO!  OK, OK, OK . . . so it’s probably mostly water weight from being sick.  I don’t care – I’m celebrating the loss and using it as a target for next week’s weigh-in.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

Another day livin’ the dream . . .

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013

After being down and out for the last week, it was great to power walk on the promenade deck with Captain Pain.  While we haven’t started the Insanity workout again, just this bit of fresh air was a welcome treat.

Today I had the first of 9 weeks of “new manager training.”  I received an “invitation” via email a few days ago.  What a misnomer . . . isn’t one allowed to decline an invitation?  As such, something that’s mandatory shouldn’t be by invitation.  Essentially, it was two hours of my life that I can’t ever get back.  I am very grateful for the educational experiences I’ve had throughout my life.  Along with the professional experiences, I like to believe that I have made something of myself, and with all of the leadership training I’ve had in various forms, and at various venues throughout the years, this class is a complete waste of my time.  UGH!  UGH!  UGH!  God, grant me serenity . . .

Tonight I had dinner with Candi and Claire Nichol, our Guest Services Manager, who is leaving on Sunday.  She’s heading back to England for her vacation.  Fortunately, she returns mid-March.  She was one of the first people to “take me in” and show me great kindness when I arrived to the Dawn.  So, it was a treat to have dinner at Bamboo (sushi) with these two lovely ladies.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

My mother sent this email to several friends & family members this morning and I think it is about all I care to post today . . .

Joey, our wonderful cat since 2001 passed into heaven yesterday.  He had contracted a feline fatal disease recently for which there was no cure.  We had four days with him and Tim in Charlotte over the Christmas holiday but not enough time at all.

A friend of ours once said that Joey won the lottery when he came to live with us but we think the reverse is true.  We won the lottery with him.  He was a remarkable cat who sometimes thought he was a dog.  Mike taught him to fetch, sit and speak at our house on Parkridge Drive.

Tim promised him many lakes of clean water to drink from and butterflies to chase as he faded away.  We will all miss him but Tim most of all.  He was his best buddy for the last 11 1/2 years going with him to Bonaventure for Tim's senior year, to Brunswick Street and on to Charlotte to two different addresses.  He always adapted to his environment easily.  And, best of all, he spent every summer with us at the lake where he first appeared. For those of you with animals, you know the heartbreak.

Christmas Eve 201

Summer 2012

I am not really a pet lover, but for some reason, even though I was allergic to him, I loved the little guy - especially when you held him up to your face and asked for kisses - he responded w/ little nips at your nose (far cuter than Jack Frost).  My heart aches for my little brother . . .

MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2013

I finally feel like I am on the “living” (as opposed to dying) side of the line.  Finally.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2013

This morning, the Manager of Theatrical Operations came aboard to “check in” with the cast, say hello, see how everything is going, etc.  I then had a lovely chat with him afterward about what was happening on board, the future of NCL Productions, my future with the company, etc.  It was a great conversation and I feel as though I am on track with my job, and my career in this industry.

I got off the ship later in the morning, along with Candi, and her friend, Blaire, who used to work for NCL (now for Holland America) and had been sailing with us the past week.  Blaire rented a car, as she had all day to kill before her flight to Canada at 9-something tonight, so we drove to the International Mall.  They shopped and mani-pedi’d, while I ran some errands (bank, mail, Walgreens).  Blaire dropped us back at the port shortly after 2pm.  It felt great to be on land and out in sunshine, especially since the weather report we heard yesterday called for rain.  We had a great sail away party and the week is off to a great start.

We also gained a new cast member this morning.  Trenton Bainbridge, who was one of the four production singers in the last cast on this ship, returned for a month to fill in for Desmond, who was medically disembarked on Christmas day.  We are all hoping he is having a speedy recovery and will be back with us at the beginning of February, but for now, it’s nice to have Trenton here, filling in.  He knows pretty much all of Desmond’s parts in all of the shows, so putting him in has been relatively easy for the dance and vocal captains (fortunately).  He seems like a great guy and is fitting in quite well with this production cast.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 - SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2013

Back to work today to get caught up, though I took it easy and was back in my cabin around 6:30pm, ordering room service again, and watching another movie (this time, JOYFUL NOISE – the Dolly Parton/Queen Latifah film from about a year ago) . . . it’s a pick-me-up, yet always makes me cry at the end . . . well, at least it helped drain the fluid in my head.  Early to bed Friday . . .

And as low-key a day as possible on Saturday, though it was a BOLLYWOOD day, so we had a technical run-through, and two shows.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013

YIKES!  I’m sick!  I had a fever at some point last night and the cough continues.  The aches and pains have set in, as has a sore throat.

I went to the ship doctor and was given lots of drugs . . . antibiotics to prevent a bacterial infection (though this is viral), pain killer/fever reducer, cough suppressant, decongestant, etc.  My temperature was 101+ (I don’t remember exactly what it was) and I’m on 24 hour isolation in my cabin.  The good news is I didn’t have to go to the crew boat drill.  The bad news is I can’t do my job.  Fortunately, I have terrific show/prompt books, and the Technical Supervisor is able to jump in and call the cues for the technical run-through and tonight’s two performances of BAND ON THE RUN on my behalf.

I tried watching a movie, but couldn’t keep my eyes open.  I slept almost the entire day, getting up around 5pm and calling my mommy . . . yea, it’s something I still do when I’m sick.  I went back to bed and about 7pm, I finally ordered some room service.  I wasn’t really hungry, but knew I had to eat so I ordered a tuna sandwich and some fruit & yogurt.  I did finish my movie (MAMMA MIA) that night and was in bed early.