The Power of Love

This week we got to play a show for a lady named Tracy Shield, whose entire show is a tribute/impersonation of Celine Dion. When I first heard we were going to play a Celine Dion show, I was a little concerned...but it turned out to be one of the best shows we've done in a while. Tracy was very professional in every way, organized and prepared for everything. All of her charts were put to a click track so there was no guess work, and she did an absolutely fabulous job singing and performing. There were a few really great musical moments in the show, and by the end of it I was ready to sign up to be in Celine Dion's band when she opens her show in Vegas this year. I hear there's going to be a live 30 piece orchestra...and after playing this show I decided that I don't hate Celine Dion. That must be the Power of Love.... :-) love for good music anyway, and for a great performer.

This week I took my second crack at Fiji, and actually had a really great time. Thanks to all the work I've been doing for the Shorex team on board, I was invited to go along with them in the ports. The shoreside tour companies gave them a van and a guide each of our two Fiji ports and took them wherever they wanted to go for free, as a thank you for the work they did organizing the guests and selling the tours. I got to go along for the ride both days, saw some scenery, went to a beach, a great resort, had some great food....and it didn't cost anything, which is always the best thing. :-)

Today we said goodbye to Nick, one of my best friends on board. There were a few tears....but the show must go on. Now everyone is talking about me leaving and how soon that is coming. I still feel like its a ways away, but the count is 2 cruises, or 5 weeks to go. Yikes!! Its coming quick!! Today we start our circumnavigation of Australia, heading up the coast towards Brisbane, which will be our first port of call. We've also just heard that our itinerary will be a little bit altered - instead of going to Paupua, New Guinea, we're heading to Bali. Sounds just as exotic to me! :-)

The new cast is settling in, and have opened two of their shows, with one more to go. Lucky for them, they don't need to add their last show in until the end of the cruise, which is about 17 days from now, so they are now able to relax a bit. My new roommate Mandy is lovely and a great roommate, and a wonderful singer. I couldn't have gotten a better roommate, and I know I have a new Christian friend in her as well. Its going to be a fantastic finish to this contract! I'm about to conquer Australia, all the way around!! Here I come!!

Sweet As!!!

I'm going to take this post to share some Kiwi (New Zealand) lingo that I'm learned and come to love over the past few months. I picked this up from my good friend Nick, who uses it all the time, and all the New Zealanders I came across during our time there. Kiwi's have a construction where instead of saying "very (blank)", they will say "(blank) as!" So for example, "really funny" becomes "funny as" and really drunk becomes "drunk as", eg: "Man, last night I was drunk as!!" It can be placed after any adjective. Another example: our Kiwi rafting guide said at one point, "this next waterfall is scary as." But specifically the phrase "sweet as!" is used all the time to express agreement or excitement. It only really sounds right if you have a Kiwi accent, though....when I say it I sound funny, its supposed to sound more like "sweet azzz". But hanging out with Nick and my friend Hayden has inserted it into my vocabulary, so I may be stuck with it for a while. I remember the first few weeks hanging out with Nick, I thought he was saying "sweet a$$" which led to some confusion....but now I know what he's actually saying. Good times. Sweet as!