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Average week
Dec. 15th, 2018 11:27 am12/09
Today was pretty straightforward. Breakfast. Practice. Lunch. Gym. Rehearsal. Shows.
There’s really not a whole lot to report. Just an average sea day.
Tomorrow in Cabo I have IPM duty. The horns are rehearsing with the Mariachis in the afternoon and possibly playing a set with them in the crew bar late (LATE) that night. Before that, though, we’ll have Dwight’s Motown show, which is always fun.
Well, since today was boring…
Some passengers decorate their cabins for Christmas, or for special occasions. Here are some of the decorations that I’ve seen this week!
12/10
The weather today is making me sad that I’ve got IPM. Absolutely perfect…not too hot, not too cold, sunny and gorgeous.
It felt good to just sit on deck and read a book. The Grand Princess was docked next to us.
We were supposed to have Mariachi rehearsal today, but Nia wasn’t feeling well so we cancelled. Honestly I was kind of glad. I was the one who pushed so hard to do Mariachi stuff in the first place, but it just keeps getting pushed back, and no one seems to be considering it as an actual part of our work but more as a side project.
Today after practicing I tried to finish my Christmas shopping! Shopping is a bit difficult on my phone. I did what I could, then went inside to put some Christmas specials on a flash drive to share. You know, that Rudolph Claymation special, and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown! Always good to pass these around at this time of year!
So it ended up being a slow, beautiful day. I had some nice meals in the mess, I skipped the gym because over the next two days I’ll be doing a lot of walking to reach internet (assuming I can go ashore). In the evening we had the shows with Dwight, they were well attended. Molly’s (drums) parents are here to visit for the holidays! We got to meet them after our last show. Really lovely people.
Almost as lovely as the sunset that night. Wow!
Later on several of us did end up going to the crew bar to hear the Mariachis play. I brought all of my equipment because I wasn’t sure if the horns were going to play or not…some of us seemed to want to use this opportunity to rehearse. We didn’t play, so I ended up standing against a wall with my music tablet trying to take notes whenever they played a song we shared. It was kind of awkward, but sometimes I guess that’s “part of the gig”. The band sounded awesome though, and they had a huge crowd dancing and enjoying their playing!
Tomorrow I only have a dance set at night. I’m getting peer-pressured into playing the late night jazz set, but one thing to know about me is that peer pressure has the exact opposite effect that you’re looking for. If I’m asked sincerely to come along, I will probably cave and do it. But if I get bombarded with “C’MOOOOOON DOO IIIIIIT” and a lot of egging on, it’s a definite no. I don’t like being bullied.
Anyway, sorry, got off subject there.
12/11
I got off the ship in Mazatlan as soon as it was possible to do so. Did not get much sleep last night, so hoping to get all of my internet chores finished as soon as possible. I walked to the tourist plaza and today was able to steal wifi from a nearby music school instead of going to a café, I was sitting outside on a bench with my laptop. I don’t care how stupid it looked. Maybe I’ll be mistaken for a student.
(two hours later)
Welp. A bird pooped on me and all my stuff. But hey, I got my flights booked to visit my sister when she has her baby, and my parents when I get back from the ship!
So...several people have messaged me or approached me this week, concerned that I'm spending so much of my shore time walking miles to reach internet and basically only spending time on the computer. Some people seem to think that I should use the ship's wifi, or buy a phone simcard, or use the time to sightsee and experience Mexico.
I appreciate the concern, but I think that it would help if I explained some of the reasons behind my behavior. Here we go!
Back to Mazatlan. I walked a few blocks and found a café called Dolce Mami. The owner speaks a bit of English and the whole vibe was a lot friendlier than the last Mazatlan café I’d tried, so this may be my new go-to place if they’ll let me camp for a bit.
(two hours later)
Ok, they did let me camp for a bit, and they have wonderful coffee and cookies :) I'll be back!
I returned to the ship, got cleaned up, and had a dance band set in Club Fusion...not our usual performance space, but it was a pretty nice change. We had a small crowd but a lot of them did get up and dance! Awesome and lovely!
Tomorrow is Vallarta, and once again I'll be hunting for internet. So there. :P
12/12
Vallarta. Internet.
It was SUPER humid! But the mall was nice as always, and I got to apply for quite a few jobs and really finish my Christmas shopping. I was very grateful to be able to take care of all that now, because on Saturday I want to spend time with my sister Kayle again! Back on the ship, I got caught up with Stacey and dumped a bunch of lime juice and baking soda down our shower drain…it’s been clogged for a few days and no one has come to fix it, so I’m taking matters into my own hands in the safest way possible. In about 30 minutes the drain was clear and I was ready for some dinner!
After dinner I worked on converting a video I’d taken of a jazz set the previous evening, and spent a few hours relaxing before Disco Deck Party.
Now begins the two sea days to get back up to San Pedro. If I’m reading the ocean forecasts correctly, we’re unfortunately in for a rough ride.
12/13
Yeah, it’s a little bit rough today. Not as bad as it could be, though.
It’s a pretty chill day. Everyone is making plans for Christmas, getting gifts home and seeing family via video chat and such. I tried to buy a few last-minute presents using the unreliable wifi, but gave up after a while. We had a Voice rehearsal in the afternoon, and it went well although poor Jane (MD, piano) has bronchitis :( I want to tell her “Take it easy” but I don’t think her job allows for that.
After rehearsal I transferred some Christmas carols onto my tablet for later practice, then got a shower and had a relaxing afternoon. The evening shows with Paul Baker went well, though the second one was tough because it was late and we were a bit tired. Great crowd though!
Tomorrow, more of the same!
12/14
The seas are rough once again!
I decided to sleep in for once because I’ve been pretty cranky lately and figured maybe more sleep would help. After breakfast at the guest buffet I practiced in the stairwell before our dance set in the piazza. The set went well and we had a few dancer, always nice :)
I spent my afternoon mostly chilling in various parts of midship to avoid feeling any motion sickness. I took my meds and everything, but sometimes it can sneak up on you. We had rehearsal and then performance of The Voice. And at night we had a rehearsal with the Mariachi band up in Adagio lounge. We’re supposed to do a set together, but somehow it keeps falling through.
This week Molly’s (drummer) parents were here, and they came to see many of our shows and sets. Tonight was their last night on the ship, so they came around to each of us and gave us bottles of wine and a big hug. Such awesome human beings. Thank you!!
12/15
Today we were in San Pedro. I had some trouble getting off the ship, nothing that I can talk about here though, sorry. When I was finally able to go ashore my sister met me at Hojas Tea House, and from there we went out for dim sum!
As soon as we sat down we were converged on by a swarm of servers wanting to know what we wanted. Luckily Kayle and Skylar have been here before, and they handled most of the ordering. We got mostly dumplings of various types, some in paper-thin wrappings and some in fluffy cloud-like steamed buns. One was even wrapped in a sort of “nest”, I have no idea what it was but it was crispy and light and delicious. Everything was amazing!
After that we walked off our meal by hitting Tokyo Market and Daiso. Mostly we just looked, but I did find a few more stocking stuffers for the ladies!
Just a few hours later they had to drive me back to the port. I was sad to only get a few hours with them today, but it’s certainly better than nothing and I was very grateful for the time we had. Thanks Kayle and Skylar…see you again soon!
Back on the ship, I assembled my gift bags and hid them in the closet. Christmas is coming!
Then we had the passenger drill and several rehearsals for Christmas stuff and Mariachi stuff. Then there was a dance set in the piazza. Our boss-boss, Doug, is on the ship this week to work on some technical issues. He offered to take us out to dinner!
We went to the ship’s steakhouse and it was AMAZING. Filet mignon, asparagus, red-skinned mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms…everything was fantastic. We enjoyed red and white wines, and a variety of exotic salts with our steaks. My favorite was the applewood salt, it tasted just like a campfire smells and somehow triggered nostalgia for me. Weird and tasty haha.
We thanked Doug profusely, and he thanked us for being such a great band. I’m very thankful to have a boss who’s so generous and thoughtful toward the people he’s hired. And I’m glad we’ve done a good job in his eyes.
After a long exciting day it was time for bed. Tomorrow, sea day to Cabo.
Today was pretty straightforward. Breakfast. Practice. Lunch. Gym. Rehearsal. Shows.
There’s really not a whole lot to report. Just an average sea day.
Tomorrow in Cabo I have IPM duty. The horns are rehearsing with the Mariachis in the afternoon and possibly playing a set with them in the crew bar late (LATE) that night. Before that, though, we’ll have Dwight’s Motown show, which is always fun.
Well, since today was boring…
Some passengers decorate their cabins for Christmas, or for special occasions. Here are some of the decorations that I’ve seen this week!
12/10
The weather today is making me sad that I’ve got IPM. Absolutely perfect…not too hot, not too cold, sunny and gorgeous.
It felt good to just sit on deck and read a book. The Grand Princess was docked next to us.
We were supposed to have Mariachi rehearsal today, but Nia wasn’t feeling well so we cancelled. Honestly I was kind of glad. I was the one who pushed so hard to do Mariachi stuff in the first place, but it just keeps getting pushed back, and no one seems to be considering it as an actual part of our work but more as a side project.
Today after practicing I tried to finish my Christmas shopping! Shopping is a bit difficult on my phone. I did what I could, then went inside to put some Christmas specials on a flash drive to share. You know, that Rudolph Claymation special, and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown! Always good to pass these around at this time of year!
So it ended up being a slow, beautiful day. I had some nice meals in the mess, I skipped the gym because over the next two days I’ll be doing a lot of walking to reach internet (assuming I can go ashore). In the evening we had the shows with Dwight, they were well attended. Molly’s (drums) parents are here to visit for the holidays! We got to meet them after our last show. Really lovely people.
Almost as lovely as the sunset that night. Wow!
Later on several of us did end up going to the crew bar to hear the Mariachis play. I brought all of my equipment because I wasn’t sure if the horns were going to play or not…some of us seemed to want to use this opportunity to rehearse. We didn’t play, so I ended up standing against a wall with my music tablet trying to take notes whenever they played a song we shared. It was kind of awkward, but sometimes I guess that’s “part of the gig”. The band sounded awesome though, and they had a huge crowd dancing and enjoying their playing!
Tomorrow I only have a dance set at night. I’m getting peer-pressured into playing the late night jazz set, but one thing to know about me is that peer pressure has the exact opposite effect that you’re looking for. If I’m asked sincerely to come along, I will probably cave and do it. But if I get bombarded with “C’MOOOOOON DOO IIIIIIT” and a lot of egging on, it’s a definite no. I don’t like being bullied.
Anyway, sorry, got off subject there.
12/11
I got off the ship in Mazatlan as soon as it was possible to do so. Did not get much sleep last night, so hoping to get all of my internet chores finished as soon as possible. I walked to the tourist plaza and today was able to steal wifi from a nearby music school instead of going to a café, I was sitting outside on a bench with my laptop. I don’t care how stupid it looked. Maybe I’ll be mistaken for a student.
(two hours later)
Welp. A bird pooped on me and all my stuff. But hey, I got my flights booked to visit my sister when she has her baby, and my parents when I get back from the ship!
So...several people have messaged me or approached me this week, concerned that I'm spending so much of my shore time walking miles to reach internet and basically only spending time on the computer. Some people seem to think that I should use the ship's wifi, or buy a phone simcard, or use the time to sightsee and experience Mexico.
I appreciate the concern, but I think that it would help if I explained some of the reasons behind my behavior. Here we go!
- In six weeks, I am back at home with no job. I have been applying for work whenever I can, and STILL am not getting any responses or interest. If you have ideas I'd love to hear them :) but in the meantime I WILL continue applying for jobs, because I NEED a job. Wouldn't you do the same if you were in my position?
- In four months, if I still don’t have a job, I’ll have some tough decisions to make. I am planning for that eventuality, and that planning requires a lot of internet time. I can't go into details but let's just say I'm working toward something that might improve my job situation for the future, and it requires some time spent online now.
- I don't feel that it would be responsible of me to go on expensive shore excursions, tours, or trips, or spend hours lying on a beach, when I'm about to be jobless again. I came here to work and save money, and to learn and grow as a musician, NOT to have a vacation. Working on a cruise ship IS work! It's the guests who are on vacation, not me :)
- Ship internet is not only very expensive, it is also very unreliable and my laptop blows through those megabytes in no time at all. I've had to limit my ship internet time to my phone only, because it uses far less data. When we are at sea (three days out of every week), the internet works less than 50% of the time and is only strong enough to push a text or two through. I usually can't even send or check email at sea! And I certainly can't fill out a full job application on a signal that's not even strong enough to send a text! In addition, finding signal can be a problem. Sometimes I have to stand in a stairwell to get signal. I also am not allowed to use my phone or other devices in front of guests, which greatly limits where and when I can access the internet onboard.
- Mexican simcards are unfortunately not cheap or free. If I have the choice between walking 15-20 minutes to a cafe for four hours of free wifi, or paying $50 for a simcard and $40 every time I hit my data limit, I'll take the walk and the wifi, thanks!
Back to Mazatlan. I walked a few blocks and found a café called Dolce Mami. The owner speaks a bit of English and the whole vibe was a lot friendlier than the last Mazatlan café I’d tried, so this may be my new go-to place if they’ll let me camp for a bit.
(two hours later)
Ok, they did let me camp for a bit, and they have wonderful coffee and cookies :) I'll be back!
I returned to the ship, got cleaned up, and had a dance band set in Club Fusion...not our usual performance space, but it was a pretty nice change. We had a small crowd but a lot of them did get up and dance! Awesome and lovely!
Tomorrow is Vallarta, and once again I'll be hunting for internet. So there. :P
12/12
Vallarta. Internet.
It was SUPER humid! But the mall was nice as always, and I got to apply for quite a few jobs and really finish my Christmas shopping. I was very grateful to be able to take care of all that now, because on Saturday I want to spend time with my sister Kayle again! Back on the ship, I got caught up with Stacey and dumped a bunch of lime juice and baking soda down our shower drain…it’s been clogged for a few days and no one has come to fix it, so I’m taking matters into my own hands in the safest way possible. In about 30 minutes the drain was clear and I was ready for some dinner!
After dinner I worked on converting a video I’d taken of a jazz set the previous evening, and spent a few hours relaxing before Disco Deck Party.
Now begins the two sea days to get back up to San Pedro. If I’m reading the ocean forecasts correctly, we’re unfortunately in for a rough ride.
12/13
Yeah, it’s a little bit rough today. Not as bad as it could be, though.
It’s a pretty chill day. Everyone is making plans for Christmas, getting gifts home and seeing family via video chat and such. I tried to buy a few last-minute presents using the unreliable wifi, but gave up after a while. We had a Voice rehearsal in the afternoon, and it went well although poor Jane (MD, piano) has bronchitis :( I want to tell her “Take it easy” but I don’t think her job allows for that.
After rehearsal I transferred some Christmas carols onto my tablet for later practice, then got a shower and had a relaxing afternoon. The evening shows with Paul Baker went well, though the second one was tough because it was late and we were a bit tired. Great crowd though!
Tomorrow, more of the same!
12/14
The seas are rough once again!
I decided to sleep in for once because I’ve been pretty cranky lately and figured maybe more sleep would help. After breakfast at the guest buffet I practiced in the stairwell before our dance set in the piazza. The set went well and we had a few dancer, always nice :)
I spent my afternoon mostly chilling in various parts of midship to avoid feeling any motion sickness. I took my meds and everything, but sometimes it can sneak up on you. We had rehearsal and then performance of The Voice. And at night we had a rehearsal with the Mariachi band up in Adagio lounge. We’re supposed to do a set together, but somehow it keeps falling through.
This week Molly’s (drummer) parents were here, and they came to see many of our shows and sets. Tonight was their last night on the ship, so they came around to each of us and gave us bottles of wine and a big hug. Such awesome human beings. Thank you!!
12/15
Today we were in San Pedro. I had some trouble getting off the ship, nothing that I can talk about here though, sorry. When I was finally able to go ashore my sister met me at Hojas Tea House, and from there we went out for dim sum!
As soon as we sat down we were converged on by a swarm of servers wanting to know what we wanted. Luckily Kayle and Skylar have been here before, and they handled most of the ordering. We got mostly dumplings of various types, some in paper-thin wrappings and some in fluffy cloud-like steamed buns. One was even wrapped in a sort of “nest”, I have no idea what it was but it was crispy and light and delicious. Everything was amazing!
After that we walked off our meal by hitting Tokyo Market and Daiso. Mostly we just looked, but I did find a few more stocking stuffers for the ladies!
Just a few hours later they had to drive me back to the port. I was sad to only get a few hours with them today, but it’s certainly better than nothing and I was very grateful for the time we had. Thanks Kayle and Skylar…see you again soon!
Back on the ship, I assembled my gift bags and hid them in the closet. Christmas is coming!
Then we had the passenger drill and several rehearsals for Christmas stuff and Mariachi stuff. Then there was a dance set in the piazza. Our boss-boss, Doug, is on the ship this week to work on some technical issues. He offered to take us out to dinner!
We went to the ship’s steakhouse and it was AMAZING. Filet mignon, asparagus, red-skinned mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms…everything was fantastic. We enjoyed red and white wines, and a variety of exotic salts with our steaks. My favorite was the applewood salt, it tasted just like a campfire smells and somehow triggered nostalgia for me. Weird and tasty haha.
We thanked Doug profusely, and he thanked us for being such a great band. I’m very thankful to have a boss who’s so generous and thoughtful toward the people he’s hired. And I’m glad we’ve done a good job in his eyes.
After a long exciting day it was time for bed. Tomorrow, sea day to Cabo.
