Off and running....

The fates have smiled upon me and I am able to check and post to my blogspot from the ship (unlike Facebook and MySpace.....though I'm probably gonna delete my MySpace page soon anyway. Not so much a fan anymore). This Saturday I'm gonna try and put a link to my facebook page on my blogspot profile as all my pictures are currently on Facebook. I'll see what I can do about getting pix on Picasa so they're linked directly to this blog.

Also, many thanks to my brother, Jeff, who not only turned me on to the idea of posting a blog (something I'd scoffed at for a long time prior to leaving the northern hemisphere for 4 months) and also for his help with some technical issues, including creating my header. That is actually a photo of me playing the bass, believe it or not. Pretty cool though. Thanks ffej!

Anyway, the ship is running a bit behind at the moment. We had some form of impropriety on the ship a couple nights ago. This was severe enough that we now have police on board investigating the situation and they have forced the ship to slow it's progress. Not sure how much that's going to affect us in turnaround tomorrow, though I now some people are already gonna have to deal with missed flights.

Big party tonight in the crew bar. The seasonal youth staff are all disembarking tomorrow so a big party for them plus the two guest entertainers who have been on since the New Year's cruise are disembarking as well. I know we've got Dan Shearin joining us again with his "A Little Bit of Swing" show and I'm not sure who the other guest will be. This will be a nice change though, as we haven't played a show since the Christmas Cabaret on Christmas Eve. I've been getting a little tired and frustrated with playing only trio stuff all the time for an entire month. It's especially hard when the drummer plays on the back of the beat, the piano player miles ahead of it and I'm supposed to find the pocket. If I play with the drummer, I'm behind the beat. If I play with the piano player, who is always way too loud, I'm rushing. And they're both a whole generation or more older than I am. It's a no win. Sight reading shows is far more relaxing.

I do have this to say though. This ship may not be the greatest, but the crew that make her up are some of the most fantastic people I've ever met in my life. They make the whole thing. A lot of them are leaving in the next few cruises and they will be missed. The replacements who have already come on are incredibly cool people though and I'm glad to have known them all. Hopefully my next ship will be as good.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!
Oy! Oy! Oy!
(it's Australia Day)