Temporarily Stranded – Florida to Seattle – [02/04 – 02/05/2019]

Posted on February 5, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

There is something about airports. They’re supposed to represent adventure, and travel and all sorts of good things – and they do, they do. Definitely. Going to an airport *does* mean you’re either going somewhere (likely cool) or coming home from somewhere (definitely cool).

But airports honestly, frighten me. Not the aggravation and the stress that just naturally goes with flying, but they genuinely unnerve and exhaust me. There are too many people, too many voices, its’ all too loud. On multiple levels, but in some ways just the physical level. There is not a signal place in an airport that’s quiet. And just when you think you might have found somewhere, tucked off to the side where no one else is, someone immediately comes and camps out right next to you – and you once again find yourself with no space, no privacy, and loud.

It feels as though the noise presses in on me. The pressure of all those people around me with nowhere to escape to is suffocating.

This trip has not been as bad as the “MMM” (Marvelous Middle-Eastern Mis-Adventure) of a few years back (nothing will ever be that bad) but it definitely is not ranking in my top ten. So far tonight?

Well honestly, at first it seemed everything was going well. I got to the airport in plenty of time to get my bags into baggage storage, get my errands run and get back in time for lunch. And then things started going sideways. Seattle got a big fall of snow this afternoon, which backlogged the flights, and of course my flight home? Was routed through Seattle (one of the only times in my career that I’ve gotten a direct flight to SEA and then on to YYJ, that never happens), so a flight that was supposed to leave just after 6 and put me at home just after midnight? Was delayed until nearly 10pm. So right off the bat, it’s impossible to get home tonight. There is no way. The last flight from SEA to YYJ leaves at 11:55pm, always has. Everyone who lives on the island knows that.

This led to me having a ridiculous amount of back and forth with the emergency travel line, who are usually amazing but I think this particular person must have been new; who insisted that they could not book me a hotel until I landed in Seattle. Never mind that everyone knew I wasn’t going on from Seattle tonight, never mind that I knew that the best thing you can do in these circumstances is to book right away because guess what? There’s a ton of people who are missing flights and if you don’t do it fast? There will be no hotels.

So I manage to get a hold of the right person who instantly books a hotel for me, and I get the confirmation in my email and that’s all good…

The flight that landed at 1:30am? Got through baggage claim at 3:05am. My body is currently still on east coast time, and in either time zone? I have now been awake for 24 hours excluding the three hours I managed to sleep on the plane…I’ve gone from temperatures in the 70s to freezing cold and snow on the ground in a 6 hour time span…

And when I call the hotel that I have a confirmation for?

They can’t find my reservation…

They will not even send me a shuttle without that reservation.

And sure enough, if that reservation is not miraculously found? The hotel hasn’t got anymore rooms.

So I’m on the phone to emergency travel again, they are calling other people who are calling the hotel to try and fix this…

In the meantime I am still sitting at the airport…at least wearing the jacket I dug out of my check-luggage….at 3:30 in the morning…

Some contracts? Just have to get in that laaast turn of the gears…

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Pack Up Your Troubles – Falmouth, Jamaica – [02/01/2019]

Posted on February 1, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

It’s that time again.

This time, I am so glad that I started to pack early. Because this is going to be one of the only contracts where I’m actually going to have to ship ahead. I’m hoping that doesn’t give me too much trouble at customs since I will have to check an extra box on the form.

But there simply isn’t enough space in my suitcase for Amras’ and my Playstation. It’s too heavy and too big this time around. So, to Office Depot I will go just before my flight, to have it boxed up and shipped out ahead of me. Thankfully used electronics don’t require a great deal of insurance. With any luck the shipping costs are going to be less than the cost of the overage bags would have been! And hey, right now every little bit counts.

To be honest, I am definitely counting days. Heck, I’m counting hours! This contract has been…definitely challenging at points. That said, it’s had it’s highlights too: swimming with sea turtles, snorkeling over a shipwreck, shopping for wedding rings (yeah we did that…although I still haven’t found one), and actually making it to the top of an ancient Mayan pyramid.

Yup, it’s definitely had its high points.

But I most definitely am looking forward to being home. After all, there is a rather big adventure around my next corner…and that adventure is still taking up a rather large portion of my planning brain.

 

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Goodbye Until Tomorrow – Fort Lauderdale, USA – [01/25/2019]

Posted on January 25, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

And goodbye until tomorrow
Goodbye until the next time you call
And I will be waiting
I will be waiting
Goodbye until tomorrow
Goodbye ‘til I recall how to breathe
And I have been waiting
I have been waiting for you

Goodbyes are terrible…and I am terrible at them.

You would think after all this time on ships, all this time in a life that constantly cycles me in and out of other peoples lives, that I would be better with the concept of letting those people go for a while. But I’m not. I hate it. I always hate it.

And when I have to say goodbye to Amras? Even just for a little while? That one hurts. That has always hurt. Now more than ever; the next time I see him won’t be until the lead up to the wedding – and until then? We’ll be doing all the millions of little things that need doing (seating charts, RSVPs etc) long distance, something we’ve gotten remarkably good at!

There is a tremendous rip that’s caused when Amras and I separate. We may occasionally drive each other a little bit nuts (name me a couple that doesn’t), but that man and I have been through hell and high water and back again together, and we’re used to having each other around…and when we don’t? It feels…horrible. Leaves a big nasty tear and it always take a while to heal.

But at least it’s one of the last times. When we see each other again in May? We’ll be going to get our marriage license (yup, got to leave that till that last month! They don’t let you get it very far in advance!)

Now if I can just remind my heart of all that lovely logical thinking for the next little while.

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Toes in the Water – Bridgetown, Bahamas – [01/19/2019]

Posted on January 19, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

Berwyn wreck

Every contract I try and cross something off my list of ‘cool things I have done’. Sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

I’ve been on a few ships that have called in Barbados, but in all those times I’ve never managed to get out to the Boatyard resteraunt & Beach Bar. Apparently, years ago it was pretty wild but now it’s just…cool. I mean, it’s a resteraunt on the beach, with drinks, food and umbrellas all included in the entrance fee, with floating trampolines! And a rope swing! Big giant rope swing…wheeee!

I didn’t get a chance to go on the rope swing (boo).

But there was something else avialable that I didn’t even think of: snorkeling tours.

For $5 extra we could go and see turtles! Unfortunately, once we got there, there were a few too many of us (okay a lot too many of us) and the turtles – being smart creatures – glided on their merry way. I did however get to see one, just before we pulled away from the snorkeling site, and Amras managed to get a picture of one for me. So I can check “see giant sea turtles” off my bucket list.

And the second stop on the snorkeling list? The remains of the military French tug boat Berwyn. I actually swam over a shipwreck. Some of you will know how big a deal this is for me; shipwrecks have made me uneasy since long before I worked on a ship. At first it was…more than a little unsettling. There was a moment when I very nearly turned back; at the very least I popped my head above the surface and took a few deep breaths before readjusting my snorkel mask and looking down. My stomach stayed in knots for the first few minutes, and for a little while I could only take quick glances out of the corner of my eye. You see, the wreck kind of comes out of nowhere, despite the water being completely clear, it just kind of comes up on you all at once. I wasn’t completely ready for that. Definitely threw me off balance for a little bit. Once I got past the initial shock, it was fascinating to look at.

The Berwyn was apparently scuttled by her own crew near the end of WWI because they didn’t want to leave the island. Apparently they “sank the ship, and went back to the island for more rum!”. She sits upright and intact in 21 feet of water, and is , at her highest point, only 11 feet below the surface. The water is so clear that it looks as though you could reach out and brush the eroding iron with a fingertip. But they were very careful to tell us not to dive down too close, as apparently it’s easy to find your way into the ship, but not easy to find your way out. Not wanting to find myself swimming permanently with the tropical fish, I stayed on the surface.

It’s so interesting to be able to look down and see so much life coming from the seeds of destruction. The ship still looks like a ship, but it’s now coated in layers of coral and home to hundreds of darting shining fish that seem to all think as one as they dash about below you. I could have quite contentedly floated there for ages. It’s hard to really describe what it felt like, and while I have an underwater camera, the pictures don’t do it justice.

I didn’t want to leave.

Salt water fixes absolutely everything. I am convinced of this more every time. I came away from today feeling…better. Better all over. More grounded, more clean, more balanced, just…better.

Life is good today…

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Mind Your Head! – St Maartin – [01/17/2019]

Posted on January 18, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

So, last cruise…well actually, I don’t want to talk about last cruise – except to say this: “it’s over” and “yay”.

Moving on.

This cruise has started out much better. The guests are – so far at least – fairly laid back, with a good sense of humor, and although we had two sea days at the beginning, we are now in port days until the next turn around on the 25th. That makes life a lot less challenging for me. I still run classes on port days, but not nearly as many and they’re usually not as heavily attended. So a lot of port days means there’s time for me to chill and continue recovering from the hullabaloo that was the holidays (yup, trust me, it’s necessary :P)

We’re in St Maartin today, which is one of those ports that doesn’t have a lot to say about itself, except for one thing – it’s airport.

What’s so special about an airport you say?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

The St Maartin airport has a beach at the end of the runway. A public beach. Logically it’s called “airport beach” and every day, hundreds of people go there to watch the planes come in. Because it looks like they’re going ot land on your head. Nope, not kidding. Not even a little bit. They come in so low that it looks as if you could reach up and brush your fingertips across the bottom of an incoming airbus.

SO COOL!!!

Also very loud, although my ears didn’t pop like Amras’ did.

It was a bit of a whirlwind trip to get out there in time to actually see a plane come in (I mean after all, they’re not coming in an entertainment-based schedule) , but when we got back we were left with enough time to wander around town for a bit; where I managed to snag myself another Hard Rock Café martini glass (they are getting exceptionally hard to find), and a tiny pair of souvenir dutch shoes that I was somewhat pressured into buying by a very persuasive saleslady.

And most unexpectedly we stumbled on a movie museum! A really cool little place put together and maintained by one of the original puppet builders of the very first yoda. Tiny little place, but packed to the rafters with relaly cool stuff, including face casts of a large number of actors. I don’t think I could ever sit through having a face cast done – I remember having a half one done to create a mask in art class once, and it a very uncanny and unnerving experience. They also had dozens of original framed script pages for sale which I would gladly have bought – if only I had a major Star Wars fan in my life.

Sometimes, the quieter days are the good ones.

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Run Over by a Reindeer – Fort Lauderdale – [01/04/2019]

Posted on January 4, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

And just like that, poof…it’s done.

As of last night you would never know that there had been an ounce of Christmas on this ship. Not a twig, not a wreath in sight, and the giant gingerbread village in the atrium is gone as if it never existed – leaving only the faintest trace of lingering scent in the air.

It comes so fast, hits so hard, and then is gone so suddenly.

Leaving a fair few of us feeling as though we’ve been run over by a certain sleigh pulled by 8 heavy-footed reindeer.

But it did all come out well in the end! And the guests were very happy, and went home with smiles on their faces. At least those that I was able to speak to.

And for me now? The holiday is over; literally. During the holiday cruises I was allowed to pull my class schedule back to about half level, because the numbers over those two cruises are very very low (seriously, the max number of people I got in a sea day class this past cruise? Was 13). As of today? That schedule goes back up to my normal number of sessions, so my little unexpected mini-vacation is finished. But it was nice while it lasted!

It’s a little surreal really, watching the ship bustle around, making sure that not a single little piece of tinsel is showing anywhere (although my cabin still has Christmas decorations up…ha!)

Not to mention it’s a crazy busy day. About half the entertainment department debarked this morning, so we get a new cast, new musicians, even new managers. Craziness.

So, ready or not…here we go again…

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Start The New Year Right – San Juan, Puerto Rico – [12/31/2018-01/01/2019]

Posted on January 1, 2019 by GypsyShaughnessy

It’s rare for a band spouse (or in this case a spouse to be) gets to actually spend New Year’s Eve with his or her partner. New Year’s Eve is a working night you see; for almost all musos everywhere. Us wives, girlfriends, partners, significant others? We get the lead up to the gig, we get the afterwards (exhausted at 2am) but midnight? We don’t get midnight. Midnight is for the paying ticket-holders. And that is said without an ounce of malice. I’m a band kid, always have been, I was 22 before I realized there was even a possibility that NYE wasn’t a working night. That I actually could go out. That’s just life. And I usually consider it an honour to be the one that my friends and loved ones who are working that night know they can come home to without stress.

But this year? This year was different.

This season they had the jazz trio play the New Year’s Eve party, which meant Amras actually had the night off.

I cannot really express how incredibly unusual this was!

After all the drama that has happened this cruise, it was a wonderful chance to be able to ring in the future with the person who is such a massive part of my future. Surrounded by actual friends, who are able to laugh at the insanity that has been the last few weeks. And bless them, one of them brought two bottles of decent champagne.

And there was craziness, and there were eyes rolled, and sure, the countdown for midnight might have actually been a minute late…and I totally got injured by a balloon…but really? In the end, none of it matters, what matters are the people around you. And the smiles on everyone’s faces. And the fact that the real party always starts after the guests go home, because that’s the one night of the year that anyone can do anything they want (within reason).

And for me? It was all about the moment when I looked up at Amras on the dance floor and said

Next time we get to dance like this…I’m pretty sure we’ll be married

And it hit me like a punch to the gut, and I didn’t know whether or not to laugh or cry or both. Every New Year is a new beginning, every day is a new beginning. But this year? This year my life branches away from my current path in the biggest way I’ve ever experienced. And that’s big, and it’s exciting and yes it’s bloody terrifying…

But I will say one thing…

It’s started off well.

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Hey, Write Your Own Story – 12/31/2018

Posted on December 31, 2018 by GypsyShaughnessy

Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly’ so
~ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

So here we go again…time does indeed fly when you’re having fun.

Tomorrow morning is the start of a 365 page book…make your story a good one.

But at the same time, make it whatever you want! It is your story.

If there is anything that 2018 has taught me, it’s that life…is wonderfully brilliantly unpredictable. The choices you make can lead you to amazing places, they can lead you to success, they can lead you to failure, but they are, in the end your choices and no one else’s. Yours is an adventure that no one else can own, and no one else can predict or dictate. You can bring others with you, you can join hands on the journey, but the adventure is still yours.

Yes, this year has had it’s downsides, moments that feel like the year is kicking me in the ribs, but honestly show me a year that hasn’t had those moments. But it has had a vast majority of dizzying upsides. It has shown me that family can fight through the strongest of adversity, and that love can win a great many more battles than people give it credit for. It has taught me the pain and the joy of letting go, and the peaceful relaxation of acceptance. It has made me grow up, while at the same time reminding me the incredible value of remembering how to stay a child and heart. It’s reminded me of the value of standing up for yourself while maintaining the kindness to understand others.

It has reminded me that no matter how old you get, you will never stop being protective of those you love, and that sometimes you will have to let those very people go to make their own mistakes and their own decisions…and know that they will come back to you if they’re meant to. Or perhaps they will surprise you and never leave in the first place.

So, whatever is waiting for me around the next corner – and I know there are some very big changes ahead, probably some of the biggest I have ever faced…I am excited for them; because I am ready for the next chapter in my story…

And to live…to live is an awfully big adventure.

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Spongey – San Juan, Puerto Rico – [12/31/2018]

Posted on December 31, 2018 by GypsyShaughnessy

Have you ever wondered? Well I have, about how when I say, say red; for example there’s no way of knowing if “red” means the same thing in your head as red means in my head when someone says “red”

~ Matilda, the Musical “Quiet”

Explaining to people that there is a difference between being “empathetic” (which can be kind of paralleled to “sympathetic”) or “showing empathy” and being an empath…is sometimes a bit like trying to explain colour to someone who is colour-blind.

How do you explain something that is so intrinsic to yourself and yet nearly impossible to understand, let alone to prove?

Being an empath is kind of like being an…emotional sponge. Put me around an outpouring of happiness – I will feel happy! Put me around a huge overpouring of high level emotion in general and I will kind of go a bit numb. But, put me around a bunch of negativity? I become the worst negative Nellie you’ll ever meet. And I hate getting like that. There are a lot of times when I honestly don’t know if what I’m feeling is mine…or someone else’s. It also has a tendency to make me…approachable? Because I – to a certain extent – feel what other people are feeling – it means that people come to me to tell me what they are feeling; and I have difficulty remembering that it is not my job to fix them. I can listen, but I cannot fix.

And unfortunately, the ship is perhaps not the easiest place to be an emotional sponge. There has been a lot of drama here; none of which has directly to do with me. But the thing is all of it has to do with everyone around me; and negativity tends to be catching. The sensation of pressure can be catching. It spirals in on itself; and it feeds on itself, and before you know it you kind of find yourself teetering on the edge of a very strange and sometimes frightening precipice. You want people to help you, but you also want more than anything for just people to leave you alone – for the overwhelming pressure in your head from all the outside emotion to just stop.

I know, that sounds kind of bizarre, perhaps even insane. As I said, it’s kind of like trying to explain red to someone who has never seen red before. A concept that goes even beyond abstract; right into the completely unexplained.

I guess I’ve just been feeling a little too spongey lately…

And I suppose I’m a little bit sorry that that got to be a bit difficult to understand…but it’s just kind of part of the package of being me. A little odd, a little strange, a little off kilter…a little spongey, but ultimately loveable. Weird, but loveable.

 

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It Came Just the Same – Grand Cayman – [12/25/2018]

Posted on December 25, 2018 by GypsyShaughnessy

I feel you Christmas. I know I found you. You never fade away. The joy of Christmas, stays here inside us, fills each and every heart with love.
~ Where Are You Christmas

And in the end, it all comes together. It somehow, always, all comes together.

The Christmas Eve concert – while bogged down with politics and too many exhausting hours of chaotic rehearsals – ended up being its own kind of beautiful. And, in the end, when the final notes of Silent Night soared up to the ceilings of the showroom, and I caught Amras’ eye from behind the microphone (where I had been summarily placed early on in the final rehearsal) there was a sparkle there that I knew was reflected in my own. A tired sparkle, but a sparkle none the less, and a small spark of pride – we did it, we made it. And looking out that the audience, the guests more than appreciated it.

When the concert was over we all trooped back to the green room and decompressed, and most of the entertainment department ended up sitting in a circle on the floor (“and entertainment sits on the floor, like the big kids we all know they are”) sipping watered down hot chocolate and swapping stories of christmases long past (Furbies! Canopy beds! Puppies!) as the room slowly emptied out around us. As so often seems the case with this particular ship, drama did its best to infiltrate the festivities, but we managed our way around it as we have all become so good at doing (one of the few good things about drama? You find out just who your friends are, and adversity sometimes builds the strongest unexpected bonds) – and hugs and cups of hot tea were exchanged in hallways before the doors eventually all clicked shut.

Amras and I exchanged one gift each on Christmas Eve. And I got to carry forward a tradition that has been with me since childhood (“I give you a book, you give me a tie” and the world needs a little faith), and while I didn’t call home that night, I at least got to talk to home (thank heavens for being able to send video recordings and messenger).

The next morning it was all about the kids. I was not scheduled to show up at the showroom for Christmas morning, but my Christmas present to myself had been to schedule the morning off – so I was there; singing out of tune carols (because they always pitch them too high) and waiting for the inevitable annoucement bells…

Ladies and gentlemen this is the officer of the watch…an unidentified flying object has been sighted near to the ship. At this time we do not anticipate any danger, but I will keep you informed as details arise.

Gets me every time. There are always children on the ship who are young enough that they still believe, and the team members who do show up are the ones that know how to play (seriously, you should have seen our lead female singer).

After Santa had made his way through the ship and handed out all his gifts, I muddled my way downstairs and Amras and I had our own Christmas morning. Like I’ve said before, on ships we fit our Christmas’ in between giving everyone else theirs – so there is an extra kind of magic about sitting cross legged on the bed and taking those few moments to ourselves. Laughing at each other’s wrapping techniques and wishing we had a fridge so that we could have had more egg nog.

We managed to get a strong enough single to call home; and I actually managed to keep my parents on the phone for more than five minutes which is an accomplishment in and of itself. So despite being miles away from home, I still got to spend Christmas morning with my family – which I think was highlight of the day for both sides of the phone line.

No matter how old I get, or how far away I travel, I will always always leave part of my heart at home.

We wandered briefly out into the tropical rain in port and took pictures of the giant Christmas trees and delighted in peanut butter Haagen-Daaz ice cream; before realizing that everything was rightfully closed for the holidays and it was better to just head back and get some rest, but the ice cream? The ice cream was totally worth it.

The evening brought about the formal crew Christmas dinner; the one night of the year when we are given full table service, with linens and menus and Christmas pudding that always tastes like more. There was laughter, and tears, and both myself and one of our lead cast members who is engaged to one of the other musicians were left to box up our fiancés’ suppers to eat between shows as they were (as band members always are) called away to the show before their plates arrived. Lo the duties of being a band fiancé/wife/girlfriend/whichever. There were stories shared and dresses tripped over and photos taken in front of the great glittering Christmas trees…

And for hours after the guests had turned to their beds, there was laughter and giggling squeals going up and down the hallways (“it’s called blowing off steam…and it’s important”)…

And then I read one more chapter of Harry Potter before turning out the lights…

And on the edges of the air, as my breathing slowed to sleep, I could have sworn I caught just the faintest scent of oranges…

And I said some words to close and holy darkness and then I slept.

Merry Christmas to all.

And to all a good night.

 

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