Shipboard relationships are funny things. There’s always one group of people you end up getting close to, one group of people you end up spending almost all your time with. You would think that that would be your actual team, and sometimes it is, but often times your social circle has nothing whatsoever to do with the people you actually work with.
For me, the last two ships, that social circle has consisted of the cast. The contract before that, it was the tech team. This contract though, it’s been the musicians. Most likely this is because I’ve grown up around musicians (I mean, I came home from the hospital to a 16 piece band rehearsing in my living room) and – with the exception of fellow actors – I’m probably more comfortable around them than any other group of people. I understand them, and I can almost speak their language. I can at least comprehend their language.
I also know how annoying they can be, and sometimes I forget to take as good as I give. Out of practice I suspect.
I was born an only child. I always wanted a sister, I was lucky, over the course of my life I’ve found two. I never ever wanted a brother, yet for the duration of this contract I seem to have acquired not one, but two.
Sitting around the late-night dinner table last night (I’m going to gain 10lbs from this contract just from eating too many carbs at night, I swear), I mentioned that I was thinking of bringing my regular swing dance partner on board for an evening. This prompted the following:
Do we still have that chart of In The Mood?
I didn’t even look up from my pizza, and the response was out of my mouth before the band leader could answer.
You can’t do In The Mood without a twelve-piece, or at least a ten.
And I can feel said band leader looking at me from across the table. I finally look up from my pizza and shrug.
What can I say, I’m a traditionalist.
At this point I realize I’m in trouble, because I’m bookended. Band leader’s on one end of the table, and the pianist is at the other, drummer’s sitting across from me, and they’re all looking at me. Eventually Amras just rolls his eyes and says in his most sarcastic voice,
Well, I guess we won’t pull out that chart then, since our Librarian seems to know better than us
Hey! You remember that your ‘Librarian’ comes from a musician family and actually has some grounds to know what she’s talking about! Don’t you ever call me ‘just’ a librarian.
Spar. Spar. Parry. Parry.
And eventually I snap.
Geeze! Shut up both of you! I swear, you’re like the two brothers I NEVER WANTED!!
So just in case you were wondering when I talk about being a shipboard family, I mean the aggravating parts of family too. We bicker like family.
It’s strange, two of our party band members have debarked as of Saturday, and while the replacements are excellent, I don’t feel as at ease with them yet. As I said last night, I know who my people are, and while my closest friend on the ship just insists that I have to just continue being myself and I’ll eventually feel at ease with the full band again – it still feels strange to have two people that aren’t the pair I’m used to up on that stage.
And when they played Lean On Me last night, it gave me the tiniest little wrench, because for the last month and a half that song has been a trio (our old sax player sang, so she always took a verse), and it felt weird to be minus that voice.
At any rate yes…we are family. Completely an totally dysfunctional, but family none-the-less.
(And since both of you read this, I still argue that I was right – I’ll admit that it is playable with a smaller number of musicians, but it doesn’t sound as good without a brass section. So there)
Agree with the ten piece!! I’ll stand with your dad on that one…
Sarah
That’s my girl! We miss you!!!