The Middle of Nowhere

Well, we are well into our second full day at sea, about 40 hours into our transatlantic voyage.  A friend of mine is being kind enough to let me use his internet access, so I don't have to pay for this blog, at least.  So far the crossing hasn't gotten too rocky yet - I think maybe we're just getting used to it.  I know when we arrive in the Azores in 4 days, everyone will get off the ship as soon as possible, and probably no-one will be able to walk properly.  It should be an amusing sight.  :-)  

Last night we played our last Broadway show, which was an exciting feeling!  That show is the roughest on the brass players (all two of us) and I am happy I won't have to do it again.  But I will miss it a little bit, the cast is always fun to watch.  During the tech run in the afternoon we were all a bit excited that it was our last one and goofing off a bit - like playing wrong notes at wrong times on purpose.  hey, thats how we amuse ourselves.  One we all played an opening chord up a half-step to confuse the singers. :-)  

Today is a very light day for us - we only have one 45 minute Dixieland set late this afternoon.   We're trying to get into Casual Dining since we basically have the night off - here's hoping!  I am definitely craving steak right now, so I hope we get in.  

I received my flight details today, and the aren't the greatest, but such is life.  I don't leave London until late at night, then I have an overnight somewhere in New York or New Jersey (still don't know where), and then another flight that has a layover in Texas before arriving back in Cali.  I get into Ontario about 3pm the day after I sign off.  But I'll get home eventually!  I hope....  :-)  Well, I'm going to give my friend back his computer now.  I'll try to post again soon, but no promises - the internet is on and off out here.  10 days til I'm home!

Last San Juan!!!

Tonight we sail off into the unknown! I can't wait to begin the transatlantic cruise - my last cruise! Just the idea of physically sailing across the Atlantic Ocean gets me excited. Here is our itinerary (I couldn't find a map)

Sat, Mar 29: San Juan, Puerto Rico Depart 11:00 PM
Sun, Mar 30: At Sea
Mon, Mar 31: At Sea
Tue, Apr 02: At Sea
Wed, Apr 02: At Sea
Thu, Apr 03: At Sea
Fri, Apr 04: Ponta Delgada, Azores Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 2:00 PM
Sat, Apr 05: At Sea
Sun, Apr 06: Vigo, Spain Docked Arrive 11:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM
Mon, Apr 07: Gijon, Spain Docked Arrive 10:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM
Tue, Apr 08: La Rochelle, France Docked Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 1:00 PM
Wed, Apr 09: Cherbourg, France Docked Arrive 12:00 PM Depart 6:00 PM
Thu, Apr 10: Sign off in Southampton, England!

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to get online in the next several sea days, so I wanted to let you know where I'll be! Today I'm at Starbucks in San Juan, with Anabelle. I'm about to leave and do some last minute souvenir shopping. This afternoon I'm going to help out my friend Caroline in the spa who couldn't find a person to do her demo. Darn, another seaweed wrap and massage....life is tough. :-)

I got to talk to my friend Wanda today on the phone for a while. It is unfortunate that we never had a chance to get together. When I said this was the last time we're here, she said, "Don't say that!! It's not the last time! You will come back!!" She offered her apartment to me if I ever want to go on vacation in Puerto Rico. She travels a lot to the States, and said if she's gone she'd just leave me the key. I hope she gets a chance to visit me in California sometime. The one thing she kept telling me today was that I need to know I have a friend in Puerto Rico, and always will. That was great to hear. I have a feeling we will meet again.

In other news, I DID get to go parasailing with Joey and Thomas in Aruba - it was great! And a little bit scary. But mostly cool. And you were right, mom - I was singing up there! I also made myself a little dizzy my leaning backwards until my head was upside-down so that it looked like the ocean was the sky. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

This cruise will be very different for us, schedule-wise. Andy is trying to negotiate us a day or two off (we haven't had one in over a month). Hopefully we get two!! But we'll be happy with one. Hopefully it isn't on a sea day. :-) Well, I hope to check back in soon! Off I go across the ocean!!

Last Aruba. :-(

First thing's first - I just posted some new pictures so here's the link:

http://upload.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052120&l=ead31&id=56903845

Anyway, I got up early to use the internet here in Aruba for the last time. I'll be heading back to the ship soon to meet up with Joey and Thomas - we're going to attempt to go parasailing again. Maybe they'll let us this time!

Yesterday we had Jacqui Scott's show again, which I still really like. I don't know if I've already said this, but she plays a song she wrote for her husband called, "I still belong to you" that I love more and more every time I hear it. We had an afternoon rehearsal, though, which cut short my time off the ship. But I guess the job should come before snorkeling. :-) Anyway, I got off as soon as I could and then got back just in time. I used up the 27 exposures on the underwater camera my mom thoughtfully sent me in a matter of a few minutes. (Curse my dependence on digital cameras!!) I could have taken hundreds of photos. Oh well. I'm going to get them developed here on the ship because I can't wait to see if any of them are good. It was a lot of fun to take pictures underwater.

After my film ran out I snorkeled a little more, and then explored the rocks near the shore. I saw some amazing things - like tons of sea urchins, two huge crabs, and those neat sea stars that have long skinny arms and kind of move like an octopus. But the neatest thing I found was a small green eel living in a cranny of a rock. I stuck a piece of coral down in the water near it, and it came out and bit it! Mouth wide open and everything = so cool!! I guess it was a Moray Eel. I was fascinated by it for quite a while. Then I had to hurry back to the ship, making another quick stop to pick up a pin for my collection (why did I wait til my last chance??) :-)

Anyway, Jacqui's shows went well - and it was great to have a guest entertainer again and play live on stage. We're looking forward to the crossing for that reason. I think we play for a few at least, and hopefully we'll do Kelly Broadway's cabaret on the big stage. I can't believe these are my last two days in the Caribbean! Wow.

Last Dominica!

Around we go, for the last time! Yesterday for my last day in St. Maarten I got my mango smoothie from my favorite place (which to me symbolizes St. Maarten), and walked around one last time. I did some shopping for a couple of souvenirs - funny how I always put that off til the last time around. :-)

Today for my last day in Dominica I did something amazing...sat at the coffee shop using their free internet. Yep, nothing too exciting today. I had some plans with a couple people, but said friends didn't get out of bed this morning because they are lazy. So its the internet cafe for me. :-) I did some souvenir shopping as well.

Tonight we have an odd night: rehearsal at 5, shows in the theatre at 7, 9, and Kelly Broadway's show at 11. Get it? An ODD night? 5,7,9,11? I thought it was funny. Anyway, obviously I don't have anything very interesting to say today. Last night I spent some time with Anabelle, the harpist, and we got to have some girl talk, which I've been missing. We have a date for next formal night, as well. She is delightful company. I wish we were roommates - I know we'd be up all night talking. (which is a good thing!) She reminds me a lot of Marie (mostly the accent - they're both French Canadian). Well, its getting to be time to head back to the ship. I might try to be out on deck today as we sailaway from Dominica for the last time.

American soil (SJ - PR)

Thus begins my last trip around the Caribbean! How time flies! Today I got up at 6:30am to make sure I made the early window to get off the ship. I've been here at Starbucks ever since - using the internet and talking on the phone. They have a really big back room with big comfy chairs, tables for your computer, and plugs. I could stay here all day, living off of hot chocolate and blueberry muffins. I probably will, at that, unless Wanda (the lady I met here in San Juan) calls me back soon.

The day before yesterday in Aruba I tried to go parasailing with Joey and Thomas, only to be foiled by high winds and choppy seas. We took the public bus to the beach only to find out they had closed due to dangerous conditions. We were more than a bit bummed out, but we'll try again next time. Instead, Joey went to the beach, Thomas went back to the ship, and I went to the Butterfly Farm (about a three minute walk from the bus stop). The entrance was adorned by a sign that said, "Let it snow" - something I'm quite sure never happens in Aruba. I was told that the cost was $13 and included a tour. As is my habit, I asked if there was a crew discount. I'm glad I did, because she said in that case, I could go in for free, and hop on any tour I wanted. Yay! I was so thrilled I bought a $13 butterfly pin. :-) It was nice being there by myself, because I didn't feel rushed or have to worry about if my companions were bored and ready to go. It isn't a very big enclosure, but I spent over two hours there going crazy with my camera and just sitting on the benches and relaxing while watching the butterflies. It was really beautiful. Here's the link to those pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051591&l=30218&id=56903845
If you like butterflies, enjoy! And tell me which one is your favorite in a comment. If you are afraid of butterflies (Mel), don't look at these pictures. :-)

One other neat thing that happened this week: in St. Maarten I revisited a little souvenir shop owned by a little Indian woman who moved to St. Maarten decades ago (She is probably 65?). My mom and I had made some purchases there, and she had mentioned I should come back by and say hello. So last St. Maarten I finally did. She didn't remember me, but when I told her that she had told me to come back and say hello, her face really lit up. She began talking to me, and giving me all kinds of advice and telling me what some of the lessons were that she had learned in her life. She asked if I needed to be anywhere, and I said no. She talked for over an hour, grasping my hand and looking intently into my eyes when saying something she believed particularly important. She talked about life, adjusting to new situations, standing firm in your values, being patient, appreciating God's creation, learning from others, and so much more. I was so blessed by her - those were treasured moments. I almost wish that I had had a tape recorder in my pocket so I could listen to everything she had to say again. But sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment and not worry about documenting it for later - that would ruin the magic of it somehow.

Grenada

Yesterday I had an amazing day in Dominica! My friend Anabelle (harpist) invited me to go hiking with her and Philip (one of the On Point acapella guys), and of course I said yes. When I showed up at the gangway, though, it turned out Anabelle couldn't make it, but the rest of On Point wanted to come. So it ended up being me and the four of them going on a 2 hour hike in the rainforest. I had a great time with those four guys, even if the cab driver gave me a hard time because I was the only white girl. He told Phil he'd give us a discount because they were his black brothers. Shawn said, "What about your white sister?" The cabby responded: "You guys make up for her." Hooray for reverse discrimination! :-)Anyway, the hike was absolutely incredible. Everything is so green and wet and alive! I took so many pictures. We hiked to a lesser known waterfall called Middleham Falls, and there were a lot of steep ups and downs and slippery slopes. At the trailhead just before we began hiking, a local woman who was selling souvenirs took one look at us and said scornfully, "Do you really think you're going to make it to the falls?" And scoffed at us. We couldn't believe it! We entered the rainforest a little less sure of ourselves. One hour later, we proved her wrong - arriving at a gorgeous slender waterfall that fell from an impressive height. Another hour and a half later we arrived back at the trailhead ready to give her a piece of our collective mind - lucky for her she was gone. :-)

The rainforest was filled with the sounds of falling rain and the birdcalls produced by both exotic birds and four acapella singers. Oh, and random singing, of course. Shortly after we started hiking it began to rain. The neat thing about being under the canopy of a rainforest is that you can hear the rain begin to pound the tops of the trees about 5 or 10 seconds before it actually makes its way down to you on the forest floor. Once we arrived at the waterfall, though, we were out by some cliffs, without that protective cover, and the rain poured gloriously down on it. It felt great. Thomas and I went swimming in the beautiful blue-green pool at the base of the falls, and climbed up a short rock wall into a little cave on the other side. I tried swimming underneath the falls - that was a rush!! I will never forget the feeling of lying in that pool, feeling the intense spray on my face, looking up, up, up to the top of the falls. I felt really alive. I love days like that.

Today I wasn't as sore as I anticipated being after that hike, so I accepted Phil's invitation to try spinning. If you've never tried it, let me tell you it can be brutal. It involves bikes (not thread or yarn) and the way Phil was pushing us it wore out my entire body. I had no idea how intense it can be. We did a 45 minute workout, which totally knocked me out. He wants to do it as often as possible cause he's working on how to teach it, so I'll probably be at it again in a couple days. I always like trying something new though, even though I know walking might be difficult tomorrow. :-)

Well, it is time for me to head back to the ship for rehearsal - "Night of Stars" is tonight. Luckily they are early shows, so I'll get to sleep sooner than usual. Heaven knows I need it! Until next time!

Saint John

Good afternoon, everyone! We’ve had some interesting things happen since I last posted, especially in the theatre. At our final production show of last cruise (2 days ago) we had some machinery malfunction near the end of the show. Just before a big section from Les Mis, a screen that covers the whole stage is lifted to reveal the cast. Well, the other night it only lifted to a height of about 5 feet off the ground. So no-one could see the heads of any of the cast, and the ones who were supposed to be upstage had to duck under it as they sang and danced. The A/V team tried desperately to raise it manually, but no such luck. With the screen in the way, we couldn’t do the rest of the show (about 10 minutes of Les Mis), so at the end of that song, they just cut the track and acted like it was the end of the show. Luckily that song is rather climactic in itself. The cruise director came out and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the incredible Celebrity singers and dancers!!” And we took a bow as well, since we weren’t playing bow music like we’d normally do. It was a nightmare for the cast, but they handled it well, and honestly I don’t think the audience realized anything was wrong. They gave us a standing ovation, in fact. ☺ I guess if any of them talked to the audience who saw the second show, they might be confused. “What do you mean, what big Les Mis section? ‘Bring him Home?’ No, they didn’t sing that. Huh?” Then during that second show, although they did get through it, minus the screen and their computer software, there was one other equipment malfunction: the curtains opened very quickly in the middle of one of the female vocalist’s big solos: she happened to be standing too far back on stage and the thing whacked her on the side of the head and almost knocked her over right when she was getting really into her solo. She started hitting the curtain to get it away from her. She was mad, but not hurt at all. I’m not going to lie - it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. ☺

Last night was Jefferson’s last night on board (solo guitarist). I am definitely going to miss having him on board and hearing him sing every time I walk through the lobby midship. I caught his last set that night since it was my last chance to hear him play, and he played “I will be here” by Steven Curtis Chapman and dedicated it to me, and to my absent parents, for whom he had played it when they were on board. It was sweet of him to include it in his lest set ever, since I was there. I wish good people weren’t always leaving! He will be missed.

Today I tried to get off the ship early, because we were told there was a window of time to get off early, before debark. It turned out that I got the wrong time – the window closed at 7:45, when I thought that was when it opened. I was there right on time, unfortunately I needed to be there like a minute earlier. I was a little grumpy that they wouldn’t let me off even though I was literally seconds late, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it. They weren’t going to reopen the gangway for crew until after 11. So, back to bed for me. This afternoon I went back to the spa to be a live demo for the spa and treatment tours they give guests on embark day. Today it was a facial for me – the first one I’ve ever had in my life. It was wonderful, the best part being getting a $150 treatment for free. ☺

I recently realized that since daylight savings time just began for the U.S., I am not longer 4 hours ahead of you all, but only three. Not that you really care, but I thought you should know just in case you ever find yourself wondering, “I wonder what time it is the in the Caribbean where Andrea is?”

Bonaire

Well, I know its been a while since I've posted. My computer was acting up, but my computer-savvy friend Rob just took a look at it for me today and fixed it. Hooray! I can finally get online again!! I'm sitting at the KFC here in Bonaire, pretty happy with the food I just ate. :-)

Last night we did something pretty different - we played a late night "Cabaret" with the singer from the new lounge band, in the Rendezvous Lounge. Her name is Kelly Broadway, and I really like her. She is in her mid forties, and has a lot of personality. Her singing has a lot of character and is filled with passion, life, and spontanaity. We are friends already. Basically the Cabaret was like a rehearsal for her guest entertainer -style show that she plans to do on the transatlantic. She is trying to get hired as a guest entertainer full time. I think she definitely has what it takes. Her show is great, she's talented, and her charts are amazing (arranged by Elliot and Ian Finkel). We had a two hour rehearsal in the afternoon, which was long, but she's still figuring out how the charts work and how to work with a 7 piece band. She took us out for drinks after the show, and was really grateful for our willingness to give our time. She is bugging me to sit in on one of her sets and play trombone. She'll probably talk me into it soon.

Well, I will post a bit more tomorrow if I can! But once again I'm out of time. :-)

Arubaby

Here I am at my favorite hangout in Aruba (Dunkin Donuts). The internet is rather slow today. but I have a lot of things to catch up on online so I'll be here til my batteries run out. I am feeling much better, and I only have a cough that just won't quite disappear. But I'm back in the swing of things after three days of missing work. It is so good to be back! Especially to be out of my cabin. Yesterday I walked to a beach about 15 minutes away and went snorkling with Pierre. I saw a fish I had never seen before that was really neat. The beach we were at was really nice - part of a hotel resort. Pierre and I just walked in like we were supposed to be there and camped out on the beach for a few hours. It was a really nice afternoon - the first thing I've done outside since I've been sick.

Well, this week has been a tough one for the new cast and the theatre staff, with rehearsals and run throughs at all times of the day and night. They only have one more show to make it through, and then the all-important first week will be over. After tonight they will have performed all of the shows for the first time. Then the big head-honchos ("quality management personnel") from the company will be gone and everyone will be able to relax a bit. From what I've seen, this cast doesn't have as strong vocalists as the last cast did, but they have been doing a pretty good job with the shows. The dancers seem really good, and the dance captain is a very talented, friendly, and charasmatic, short british guy named Andy Lee. If you saw the shows from an audience perspective he would be the dancer that would really stand out. I watched one of their tech rehearsals, and he puts so much into his performance that its hard to watch anyone else. I think he will make this cast into a really strong team of dancers in a month or so. I haven't met most of them yet, although I have met the singers, and they are really friendly.

Andy keeps giving us a countdown on how long until drydock when we leave - its amazing how fast this contract is going by. We only have 3 more week-long carribbean cruises left after this one! Yikes! Then it will be the transatlantic, and then it will be time for me to go home. I can't believe it. Only 3 more weeks in the caribbean. I had better get a tan fast! :-) Well, I'm running out of batteries quickly, so I'll wrap this up for now.

San Juan (sort of)

Its"sort-of" because I wrote this in San Juan, but had no internet, so couldn't post it then:

Well, this will be the first time I’ve been in San Juan where I haven’t gone out, for one very good reason: I am not allowed to leave my cabin. I have been sick with the flu and out of commission since the day before yesterday. I am not sure how I got it, but apparently it is going around, and I’m unlucky. ☺ So I’ve spent the last couple of days sitting in bed watching TV, and drinking as much water as possible. I do feel a bit better today, but I am under quarantine until tomorrow morning, so I have the rest of the day to entertain myself here somehow. The food they bring you while you’re quarantined is pretty awful –I’m not going to lie. But, friends have been really nice and helpful about bringing me things that I need (water, tea, tissues), and things that I don’t (Kim smuggled me some pizza, Rob brought me handi-snacks and apple turnovers). I think I get to go back to work tomorrow, although I don’t think my cough will be gone by then. But I don’t want them to get wise to the fact that they don’t really need a trombone player. ☺ I feel bad about not being able to be there, and can’t wait to get out of this room and back to work. I haven’t been able to check my email these past few days, and I probably won’t until the day after tomorrow (I’ll only go online in my room long enough to post this cause its so expensive), so if you haven’t heard from me, that’s why. But I wanted to let you know that I’m still here – just under the weather for a few days. Thank you for your prayers!!