Category: jococruisecrazy

JoCoCruiseCrazy Log: Our Cruise Pretending Cuba Doesn’t Exist (Epilogue and Thanks)

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You know it’s done from the weight of the wallet now in your back pocket.  The jingle of keys you didn’t have to carry the past 6 days.  You stand slightly swaying, to the bemusement of those around you, but the ground is steady and firm and you are not drunk. All the friends old and new are with you, bleary eyed from the final night’s celebration.  At once sad and happy, shuffling lines are formed and last hugs are shared. Maybe happy isn’t quite the right word, because the sadness is pretty strong.  Perhaps “satisfied and thankful” strikes a more accurate note.  All I know after JoCoCruiseCrazy is this, the ramp down off the ship seems so much shorter than the ramp up to the ship a week ago.

I’m not a cruise person, at least I never imagined myself to be one. I’ve avoided Rochelle’s many requests for a cruise in the Caribbean for several reasons.  So I thought I would finish off this series with a quick recap of a pasty pudgy geek’s impression of boat life and what the individual details were that I was so against/worried about.

First of all I knew from many friends one thing: Do not skimp.  If you can spend money, do it. You will not regret it.  Take the amount of money you would feel comfortable spending on a crazy vacation and double it, just to be safe. The reason being is that once the ship departs, you’re on the ship. If you run out of money three days in, well that means meals and sodas are free, as is the view, but uh…not much else is.

All told, for airfare from Seattle to Florida round trip, one night hotel room before heading back, JoCoCruiseCrazy entertainment fee, the state room on the ship, excursions, and on the boat expenses, the cost per head came out to around $2700 or roughly $5400 for the both of us.  But in that we got 6 days at sea on an amazing boat in a large balcony room, tons of fruity rum drinks, nights at the best concerts we would want to go to (it being JoCoCruiseCrazy and all), swimming with dolphins and riding horses in the sea, awesome food, and trips to the spa and whatnot.

We did it up right.

I was worried about several things.  

The Sick that is the Sea.  Of sickness.  Also Nausea.  You get what I mean.

First off I was worried about sea sickness.  I’ve been on boats all my life, from lake/ski/cabin cruiser boats of my childhood on Texas lakes, to ferries and catamarans in the PacNW.  I’ve only ever been seasick one time.  And that was on a trip on a high speed catamaran out to see whales in Boston.  27 knots in choppy seas, and me stupidly downing three beers and a hot dog before we left. As anyone will tell you, once you are seasick once, you forever live in fear of being seasick again.  It’s been 9 years since that event and still I was petrified of being at sea for that long. We stocked up on Dramamine and acupuncture wrist bands, neither one of which we really wanted to use.  So we boarded the boat using the wrist bands since they weren’t reliant on pills. We took them off the night of the first day.

Yes, we could feel the boat moving.  Yes, it took getting used to.  Yes, occasionally during the week we felt the gentle roll of the boat unexpectedly. But I can honestly say even when I had enjoyed quite a bit to drink, even at the boat’s rolliest, I had no issues with sea sickness. In fact, for several days after the cruise, while I didn’t get land sickness, I had trouble falling asleep, so accustomed had I become to the gentle lulling to sleep of the side to side motion.  Rochelle and I never took any Dramamine nor used the wrist bands again the entire trip.  In fairness, the weather was smooth, and the roll of the ship never really did anything other than make you go “whoa!” once or twice during the trip.  But I was amazed at how at home and comforted I felt.

 

THE SUN.  IT BURNS. WE MUST COLLAPSE THE SUN.

 

My second fear was that I would broil like a lobster, screaming and whistling in the bright sunlight soup while some chef said just over me “Don’t worry, he can’t really feel anything.” Being 38, living in Seattle, and being just fine with my sun exposure per year (meaning zero) here I was about to go into the broiler pan of some tropical area where there’s sun and also hot and sun.

I packed diligently, several tubes of SPF 70.  Hats.  Breathable shirts.  I was all ready for my childhood expectations of 100 degree Texas summer days. By the end of the trip I sat on the deck, smoking a cigar, hatless and sunblockless in the partly sunny 80 degree weather wanting to go back in time and punch pudgy pale white me right in the cancer fear. Yes there was sun, yes sometimes I got hot, yes I had to be a little bit careful.  But in the end, I just wish I had relaxed a lot more. There’s a couple of moments in the harsh light of our star that I wish I had been less fearful: Riding a horse in the cold salt ocean, holding a dolphin’s fins as he swam me back to the edge, feeling the bright light wash over me as I sipped a cold Red Stripe and watched Rochelle run fast figure eights in the bay of Ocho Rios.

Next time I will leave behind a lot of safety clothes and just go with sunblock.

 

Sand.

 

Ok let’s just get this out of the way, FUCK SAND.  Fuck it right in the ear. I hate sand.  When I was four sand killed my best friend.  When I was eight, sand killed twelve more of them. Sand is my natural predator. My fear was that I would end up with sand all over me and everywhere.  I had bought sandals…SANDALS people.  This is like me saying I bought SHOULDER PADS and SHIN GUARDS for….sporty….purposes.  In fact I got screwed by sand on my first day by wearing my sandals and not taking them off on the beach, thereby shredding the skin on my feet.  But my key fear was that with all the sandy ports of call I would end up being the king of sand and singing like Sting about being so.  The reality was that after having my skin abraded by our initial port of call (turning the top of my feet a splotched red and white) as long as I remembered to take any shoes off when encountering sand everything was…well ok.  I felt embarrassed throughout the week that my initial mistake carried with me so long, but the damage was cosmetic and a little aloe worked it all out. And although sand, as I said, CAN SUCK IT, it wasn’t really a big deal beyond that.

 

Cruise life was incredible.  I love my friends, and I love everyone who was on board the boat.  But if they weren’t there, I can say we still would have had a great time. The experience for a non cruise person who is a hard core geek was life changing and incredible.  I would say to you reading this if it sounds like it’s outside your comfort zone, DO IT.  Especially do it if you can be with other people in the same mental place.  You will have support, you will have love, you will have that thing that makes us geeks: Awareness to expand our experiences.

 

THANKS

 

Jonathan Coulton: My thanks are in the inscription of your copy of my book.  In summary, thank you so much for the opportunity. 

 

Paul and Storm and families: You guys already know my thanks.  However being with your families was an amazing adventure and Rochelle and I are so thankful for being a part of it.

 

Paul F. Tompkins: HAHAHAHAH   AHAHAHAHAHAHA.  AHAHAHAHAH I GOT TO BE ON A BOAT AND YOU HAD TO GO WORK AHAHAHAHAHAHA. [Editor’s note to self, tone this down a bit and remember this dude is really funnier than you could hope to be]

 

Wil Wheaton and Family: Anne, I’m pretty sure you and Rochelle have some type of amazing snorkel adventure in your future, be sure to hit her up for it. Ryan and Nolan: Start giving Wil crap anytime he gets pissy with you by saying “Wil, I don’t know if you know, but we have now established ourselves as being really pretty good guys.” Wil, smoking cigars in view of Cuba over scotch was, in it’s own funny silly way, epic. Your writings inspired me to take the chance.

Mike Phirman: Seriously?  Dude just re-read the past six entries.  I made a mythos for you.  sheesh.  <g>  We still love listening to your tracks and just imagining your performing them.

 

Liz: Don’t tell Rochelle you are my secret love.  I SAID DON’T TELL ROCHELLE.

Molly Lewis and Chris: You guys make me smile no matter where we run into each other. If there’s any place I can be, any song I can sing, any uke I can carry to help you guys out I am there.

 

John Roderick: I am blessed in every way that you are local to me.  I was floored not only by you and getting to know you, but The Long Winters Music has really impacted me.

 

John Hodgman: If comedy can be said to be relentless, yours is the best kind.  As Leslie Neilson once was paraphrased, “I don’t get it, I say serious things in serious ways and people laugh” you have brought a level which makes someone actually laugh out loud when you say something like “I played scrabble as a child against William F. Buckley. I found his entries latitudinarian, and built off that for a triple word score.”

Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy: There’s not much I can say here.  From my appreciation of “The clock on the wall says ‘That’s all’ for the stridex medicated band hour” and you both recognizing that, to my also saying “It’s like getting hit over the head with a surfboard of flavor!” and you both recognizing that, you guys rock my world with Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater goodness and just being anywhere on an anything with you was a highlight of my life, not even taking into account your wonderful families and kids.

 

Lastly, to a person that I discovered via a w00tstock video months ago and got to play craps with, perform with, and in general stand next to his awesomeness.  Peter Sagal. Your delivery is perfect, your wit sublime.  Thank you so much for letting me watch you work.  Awesome stuff all around.

 

And I think that’s it.  Wait.  Something is digging into my pocket….ow, something sharp…

 

OMG its my JoCoCruiseCrazy pencil, sharpened by David Rees.

 

Now that guy.  He has a future.

SeaMonkeys: What can I say.  You came to see me as part of a larger troupe of folks.  Everyone one of you was amazing and fun and I still cannot believe you were there.  I cannot wait for our next encounter,  because it will start with "I was a sea monkey" and that means I will give you a hug.*

*Note: Hug may come with purell.

  

 

JoCoCruiseCrazy Log: Our Cruise Pretending Cuba Doesn’t Exist (Epilogue and Thanks)

0

You know it’s done from the weight of the wallet now in your back pocket.  The jingle of keys you didn’t have to carry the past 6 days.  You stand slightly swaying, to the bemusement of those around you, but the ground is steady and firm and you are not drunk. All the friends old and new are with you, bleary eyed from the final night’s celebration.  At once sad and happy, shuffling lines are formed and last hugs are shared. Maybe happy isn’t quite the right word, because the sadness is pretty strong.  Perhaps “satisfied and thankful” strikes a more accurate note.  All I know after JoCoCruiseCrazy is this, the ramp down off the ship seems so much shorter than the ramp up to the ship a week ago.

I’m not a cruise person, at least I never imagined myself to be one. I’ve avoided Rochelle’s many requests for a cruise in the Caribbean for several reasons.  So I thought I would finish off this series with a quick recap of a pasty pudgy geek’s impression of boat life and what the individual details were that I was so against/worried about.

First of all I knew from many friends one thing: Do not skimp.  If you can spend money, do it. You will not regret it.  Take the amount of money you would feel comfortable spending on a crazy vacation and double it, just to be safe. The reason being is that once the ship departs, you’re on the ship. If you run out of money three days in, well that means meals and sodas are free, as is the view, but uh…not much else is.

All told, for airfare from Seattle to Florida round trip, one night hotel room before heading back, JoCoCruiseCrazy entertainment fee, the state room on the ship, excursions, and on the boat expenses, the cost per head came out to around $2700 or roughly $5400 for the both of us.  But in that we got 6 days at sea on an amazing boat in a large balcony room, tons of fruity rum drinks, nights at the best concerts we would want to go to (it being JoCoCruiseCrazy and all), swimming with dolphins and riding horses in the sea, awesome food, and trips to the spa and whatnot.

We did it up right.

I was worried about several things.  

The Sick that is the Sea.  Of sickness.  Also Nausea.  You get what I mean.

First off I was worried about sea sickness.  I’ve been on boats all my life, from lake/ski/cabin cruiser boats of my childhood on Texas lakes, to ferries and catamarans in the PacNW.  I’ve only ever been seasick one time.  And that was on a trip on a high speed catamaran out to see whales in Boston.  27 knots in choppy seas, and me stupidly downing three beers and a hot dog before we left. As anyone will tell you, once you are seasick once, you forever live in fear of being seasick again.  It’s been 9 years since that event and still I was petrified of being at sea for that long. We stocked up on Dramamine and acupuncture wrist bands, neither one of which we really wanted to use.  So we boarded the boat using the wrist bands since they weren’t reliant on pills. We took them off the night of the first day.

Yes, we could feel the boat moving.  Yes, it took getting used to.  Yes, occasionally during the week we felt the gentle roll of the boat unexpectedly. But I can honestly say even when I had enjoyed quite a bit to drink, even at the boat’s rolliest, I had no issues with sea sickness. In fact, for several days after the cruise, while I didn’t get land sickness, I had trouble falling asleep, so accustomed had I become to the gentle lulling to sleep of the side to side motion.  Rochelle and I never took any Dramamine nor used the wrist bands again the entire trip.  In fairness, the weather was smooth, and the roll of the ship never really did anything other than make you go “whoa!” once or twice during the trip.  But I was amazed at how at home and comforted I felt.

 

THE SUN.  IT BURNS. WE MUST COLLAPSE THE SUN.

 

My second fear was that I would broil like a lobster, screaming and whistling in the bright sunlight soup while some chef said just over me “Don’t worry, he can’t really feel anything.” Being 38, living in Seattle, and being just fine with my sun exposure per year (meaning zero) here I was about to go into the broiler pan of some tropical area where there’s sun and also hot and sun.

I packed diligently, several tubes of SPF 70.  Hats.  Breathable shirts.  I was all ready for my childhood expectations of 100 degree Texas summer days. By the end of the trip I sat on the deck, smoking a cigar, hatless and sunblockless in the partly sunny 80 degree weather wanting to go back in time and punch pudgy pale white me right in the cancer fear. Yes there was sun, yes sometimes I got hot, yes I had to be a little bit careful.  But in the end, I just wish I had relaxed a lot more. There’s a couple of moments in the harsh light of our star that I wish I had been less fearful: Riding a horse in the cold salt ocean, holding a dolphin’s fins as he swam me back to the edge, feeling the bright light wash over me as I sipped a cold Red Stripe and watched Rochelle run fast figure eights in the bay of Ocho Rios.

Next time I will leave behind a lot of safety clothes and just go with sunblock.

 

Sand.

 

Ok let’s just get this out of the way, FUCK SAND.  Fuck it right in the ear. I hate sand.  When I was four sand killed my best friend.  When I was eight, sand killed twelve more of them. Sand is my natural predator. My fear was that I would end up with sand all over me and everywhere.  I had bought sandals…SANDALS people.  This is like me saying I bought SHOULDER PADS and SHIN GUARDS for….sporty….purposes.  In fact I got screwed by sand on my first day by wearing my sandals and not taking them off on the beach, thereby shredding the skin on my feet.  But my key fear was that with all the sandy ports of call I would end up being the king of sand and singing like Sting about being so.  The reality was that after having my skin abraded by our initial port of call (turning the top of my feet a splotched red and white) as long as I remembered to take any shoes off when encountering sand everything was…well ok.  I felt embarrassed throughout the week that my initial mistake carried with me so long, but the damage was cosmetic and a little aloe worked it all out. And although sand, as I said, CAN SUCK IT, it wasn’t really a big deal beyond that.

 

Cruise life was incredible.  I love my friends, and I love everyone who was on board the boat.  But if they weren’t there, I can say we still would have had a great time. The experience for a non cruise person who is a hard core geek was life changing and incredible.  I would say to you reading this if it sounds like it’s outside your comfort zone, DO IT.  Especially do it if you can be with other people in the same mental place.  You will have support, you will have love, you will have that thing that makes us geeks: Awareness to expand our experiences.

 

THANKS

 

Jonathan Coulton: My thanks are in the inscription of your copy of my book.  In summary, thank you so much for the opportunity. 

 

Paul and Storm and families: You guys already know my thanks.  However being with your families was an amazing adventure and Rochelle and I are so thankful for being a part of it.

 

Paul F. Tompkins: HAHAHAHAH   AHAHAHAHAHAHA.  AHAHAHAHAH I GOT TO BE ON A BOAT AND YOU HAD TO GO WORK AHAHAHAHAHAHA. [Editor’s note to self, tone this down a bit and remember this dude is really funnier than you could hope to be]

 

Wil Wheaton and Family: Anne, I’m pretty sure you and Rochelle have some type of amazing snorkel adventure in your future, be sure to hit her up for it. Ryan and Nolan: Start giving Wil crap anytime he gets pissy with you by saying “Wil, I don’t know if you know, but we have now established ourselves as being really pretty good guys.” Wil, smoking cigars in view of Cuba over scotch was, in it’s own funny silly way, epic. Your writings inspired me to take the chance.

Mike Phirman: Seriously?  Dude just re-read the past six entries.  I made a mythos for you.  sheesh.  <g>  We still love listening to your tracks and just imagining your performing them.

 

Liz: Don’t tell Rochelle you are my secret love.  I SAID DON’T TELL ROCHELLE.

Molly Lewis and Chris: You guys make me smile no matter where we run into each other. If there’s any place I can be, any song I can sing, any uke I can carry to help you guys out I am there.

 

John Roderick: I am blessed in every way that you are local to me.  I was floored not only by you and getting to know you, but The Long Winters Music has really impacted me.

 

John Hodgman: If comedy can be said to be relentless, yours is the best kind.  As Leslie Neilson once was paraphrased, “I don’t get it, I say serious things in serious ways and people laugh” you have brought a level which makes someone actually laugh out loud when you say something like “I played scrabble as a child against William F. Buckley. I found his entries latitudinarian, and built off that for a triple word score.”

Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy: There’s not much I can say here.  From my appreciation of “The clock on the wall says ‘That’s all’ for the stridex medicated band hour” and you both recognizing that, to my also saying “It’s like getting hit over the head with a surfboard of flavor!” and you both recognizing that, you guys rock my world with Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater goodness and just being anywhere on an anything with you was a highlight of my life, not even taking into account your wonderful families and kids.

 

Lastly, to a person that I discovered via a w00tstock video months ago and got to play craps with, perform with, and in general stand next to his awesomeness.  Peter Sagal. Your delivery is perfect, your wit sublime.  Thank you so much for letting me watch you work.  Awesome stuff all around.

 

And I think that’s it.  Wait.  Something is digging into my pocket….ow, something sharp…

 

OMG its my JoCoCruiseCrazy pencil, sharpened by David Rees.

 

Now that guy.  He has a future.

SeaMonkeys: What can I say.  You came to see me as part of a larger troupe of folks.  Everyone one of you was amazing and fun and I still cannot believe you were there.  I cannot wait for our next encounter,  because it will start with "I was a sea monkey" and that means I will give you a hug.*

*Note: Hug may come with purell.

  

 

JoCoCruiseCrazy Log: Our Cruise Pretending Cuba Doesn’t Exist (Part 6)

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Our last day at sea I slept in until 11. Rochelle got up early for more spa stuff but I think the week caught up with me all at once and I slept for like 11 hours. I was groggy and a tad bit hung-over when I noticed a small packet of home made hangover cure with a note from Mike Phirman to take it as soon as I woke up, he developed the recipe during a month long bender in Amsterdam.

This was a “sea” day meaning we would be cruising back to Florida all day and night before disembarking the next morning.  So I basically had no plans.  The final concert wasn’t until 4:30, followed by dinner and the goodbye party. I cleaned up and headed for the top deck to begin my day.

Rochelle had had breakfast with Wil, and told me that in the Cayman’s she had given him some money because he was going to go buy Cuban cigars to smoke and he would meet me at noon topside to smoke them.  I usually allow myself one cigar a year and had even decided since had not had one in 2010 I would go ahead and just give it up.  But a Cuban waiting for me already?  Why, it would just be rude to let that go by. After some *really* obnoxious poolside DJ games that thankfully got vetoed by the crowd, we were able to chill.

So there we sat, Cuba off the side of the ship, enjoying double scotches and fine cigars in the 80 degree sunshine. Rochelle and Wil’s family along with our friend Andrew and a couple of other people joined us and I can’t think of a more fitting and relaxing time I could have had on the last day.

The show started at 4:30, but I wanted to make sure Rochelle and I could pack throughout the day, since our departure was 9:30 the next morning and I wasn’t going to be in the mood on the last night of partying to have to worry about getting up at 6 to pack. So we came back a little earlier to begin that process.  Needless to say we didn’t really get that far. But at least we got started.  Dinner that night was with the Captain, which evidently involves a floor show. So I changed clothes to long pants and shoes and we headed to the show.

The show was an all request show from Jonathan and it was fantastic as people asked for really obscure songs he didn’t quite remember.  That said, he did an admirable job, even during The Presidents where the crowd had to supply the lyrics on the back third of the song, which ended up being fun and hysterical.  Jonathan gave himself an F on that song and I shouted out technically it was an Incomplete. There was also a fancy pants parade, which was every bit as fancy as you could imagine.

But probably the most amazing moment for me was actually a song at Jonathan’s request that John Roderick didn’t get to the previous night.  I’ll just link the video. Note the stunned silence from the crowd when the song was complete.  I was moved to tears by this performance and it stood out as a really special moment from the entire trip. As I have mentioned before if you do not have any music from The Long Winters GO GET SOME.

As a finale, all the performers joined Jonathan on the stage for a performance of the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B. I got to stand on a stage with people whose comedy and music have meant so much for me, in many cases actually going back 20 years.  And I got to sing with them.

If this is how 2011 starts, then this year really does go to 11.

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Photo credit, Adhesive Medical Strips Flickr Feed 

(Editor’s note, I originally intended this to be the last post but I will do one more tomorrow just about the cruise in general for those who have never cruised and hopefully answer some questions like could we feel the boat moving, how was the food, anything we didn’t like, stuff we liked, etc etc.)

(Final Post)

JoCoCruiseCrazy Log: Our Cruise Pretending Cuba Doesn’t Exist (PART 5)

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Peter Sagal has a tell when he’s nervous.  It’s very cute and he would never admit that it exists.  But if you can spot it, it’s strangely reassuring that someone who appears so unflappable and is so practiced can harbor something so simple as nervousness.  It took me almost all week to actually decipher the tell, it was so well hidden. But after nearly that long at sea in close company I was able to spot it just before we began our show Thursday night.

“I’m starting to get nervous about my set” Peter said, and left the dressing room to go talk to Paul.

It was almost so subtle as to go completely unnoticed.  But as I sat back there about to share a set with Peter and the incredible John Roderick, I felt a little better that even the pro’s get uncontrollably nervous, even if you have to look deep to spot it.

Earlier in our stateroom I’d had a Stella and the only bit of terrible food I had the whole trip, an awful overcooked burger, and I’d rehearsed. One of the things I absolutely love about being a performer is access to sound check.  Not only do I get to see my favorite performers tweak their set for maximum awesomeness, I get to see my friends to the same thing. Our program was set to begin around 5pm because the ship would depart the Caymans at that time meaning the theater would basically shake shake shake like a booty earthquake for five minutes just before 5. I got into the theater right at 3:45 or so to find John Roderick was already beginning his check.

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Jonathan and Paul and Storm were on stage, which made me excited because I had no idea what they would do with John, I just knew that if they were joining him, the awesome was going to peg the needle. As I went backstage to get settled and figure things out stage wise I heard them singing about horses, calling the storm.  The line caught my mind on a hook. “The horses call the storm, because the air contains the charge” John’s voice was clean and full throated as the trio backed the lines in a chorus.  I paused, then continued on because I knew I would see it later.  But it stuck with me very deeply, and made me excited.

Backstage David Rees was wearing a very revealing, slightly disturbing, and very funny costume.  But I wouldn’t want to spoil it.

I could tell Peter was no longer nervous.  It was evident really only to those who performed with him. “I feel better about my set.” he said as he re-entered the backstage area.  Paul followed him, “how many Stepto’s did you get?” he asked.

Now, go figure, but apparently the ever so slightly heavyset shaved head goatee look has a relatively commonplace hit rate amongst JoCoCruiseCrazy attendees. All week Paul had been approaching them from behind, mistaking them as me, and issuing them JoCoCruiseCrazy performer orders before understanding he had the wrong person. From that, we recruited a number of Steptos for my initial bit.  I informed him we had worked out the Steptos and were just needing a blocking exercise for Sound check.  Steptos so deployed (as an aside, thanks guys, you were AMAZING) we began the show with Mr. Rees.

Did I mention how amazing Peter and David are as performers?  Without fail these two gentlemen were walking “obvious humor” desiccant. Every line was hysterically funny and as bone dry as taking a swig from a gin bottle and calling that a martini. They both killed and I decided to make a couple of alterations to my bit that were meant to be self deprecating about my humor but against the clear joy and love of the audience would have just seemed terribly maudlin. They nailed it and gave me tons of confidence.

Paul was introducing me.  The Steptos were in place. It was time to do the book of enforcement.  I’d done it many times before, and it was always a big hit.  Deep breath.  Time to go.  Don’t think, stand up there and pull the energy from the audience.  They are your friends first, and an audience second.  Do it.

I did it.

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Ok that part was over.  The part I had done before many times. Now I was going to do some new comedy and a new reading I had not done before.  So surely the transition would be a moment of pause. Dear JoCoCruiseCrazy members, I didn’t even blink in the transition.  You were so awesome, and reacted so well, that I moved from a performance that was practiced and defined to one that was all new and never performed without one single ounce of fear or worry.  You guys were so awesome and so receptive that you made anyone on that stage feel like they could take the riskiest possible choices and you would entertain the notion, and would cheer even harder if it didn’t work out, just because someone had the guts to try it. I let some doubt enter the end as I tried to obviously cover for the amazing Paul F. Tompkins, but I forgive myself that because who wouldn’t second guess themselves trying to replace someone all the performers really missed a lot and who is great.

I was in awe at John Roderick’s performance right after me. That’s really all I can say.  Here’s a small part of it. John, if you’re reading this, thank you.

The post show was great, even though we were pressed to leave because between Peter and I we ran John a little over and he didn’t get to perform the song with Jonathan and Paul and Storm I had heard before and was so intrigued by. Quickly Rochelle and I headed for the main dining room to have some drinks with our friends before our reservations at the Italian restaurant.

I really was not expecting what happened next, and is probably in my top ten highlights in my life. We entered the dining room from the side to the performers reserved table, and I got a standing ovation from the dinner attendees.

Let me please just stop and say, I’ve done that for many people who I felt really rocked a performance and I was offering the ovation to let them know that.  And you Seamonkeys did that for me.

I had something in my eye as I waved then sat down.  I felt so appreciated and so lucky at the same time to even be in the same god damned place at people who had just a short while ago made my entire performance possible with their support and love. Thanks aren’t enough.

[Editor’s note on the above, other performers as they entered the hall usually got ovations, I was not the only one certainly, I just was not ever expecting it, nor had it ever happened to me before.]

Rochelle and I had to leave a bit early though from dinner, to reach the Italian Restaurant on the boat for our private post performance celebration.  Apparently I was so juiced up on adrenaline from the amazing reaction from the audience that it wrapped around into my being low energy. They thought I needed more sugar:

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That’s right.  Coffee, three types of gourmet tiramisu, AND A HUGE DOLLAP OF COTTON CANDY.

Just before we went back to hang out with everyone I realized, we only had one more day on this motherfucking boat.  I wanted to be sad, should have been sad, but… well, that part is for my penultimate entry.

(To be continued)

JoCoCruiseCrazy Log: Our Cruise Pretending Cuba Doesn’t Exist (Part 6)

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Our last day at sea I slept in until 11. Rochelle got up early for more spa stuff but I think the week caught up with me all at once and I slept for like 11 hours. I was groggy and a tad bit hung-over when I noticed a small packet of home made hangover cure with a note from Mike Phirman to take it as soon as I woke up, he developed the recipe during a month long bender in Amsterdam.

This was a “sea” day meaning we would be cruising back to Florida all day and night before disembarking the next morning.  So I basically had no plans.  The final concert wasn’t until 4:30, followed by dinner and the goodbye party. I cleaned up and headed for the top deck to begin my day.

Rochelle had had breakfast with Wil, and told me that in the Cayman’s she had given him some money because he was going to go buy Cuban cigars to smoke and he would meet me at noon topside to smoke them.  I usually allow myself one cigar a year and had even decided since had not had one in 2010 I would go ahead and just give it up.  But a Cuban waiting for me already?  Why, it would just be rude to let that go by. After some *really* obnoxious poolside DJ games that thankfully got vetoed by the crowd, we were able to chill.

So there we sat, Cuba off the side of the ship, enjoying double scotches and fine cigars in the 80 degree sunshine. Rochelle and Wil’s family along with our friend Andrew and a couple of other people joined us and I can’t think of a more fitting and relaxing time I could have had on the last day.

The show started at 4:30, but I wanted to make sure Rochelle and I could pack throughout the day, since our departure was 9:30 the next morning and I wasn’t going to be in the mood on the last night of partying to have to worry about getting up at 6 to pack. So we came back a little earlier to begin that process.  Needless to say we didn’t really get that far. But at least we got started.  Dinner that night was with the Captain, which evidently involves a floor show. So I changed clothes to long pants and shoes and we headed to the show.

The show was an all request show from Jonathan and it was fantastic as people asked for really obscure songs he didn’t quite remember.  That said, he did an admirable job, even during The Presidents where the crowd had to supply the lyrics on the back third of the song, which ended up being fun and hysterical.  Jonathan gave himself an F on that song and I shouted out technically it was an Incomplete. There was also a fancy pants parade, which was every bit as fancy as you could imagine.

But probably the most amazing moment for me was actually a song at Jonathan’s request that John Roderick didn’t get to the previous night.  I’ll just link the video. Note the stunned silence from the crowd when the song was complete.  I was moved to tears by this performance and it stood out as a really special moment from the entire trip. As I have mentioned before if you do not have any music from The Long Winters GO GET SOME.

As a finale, all the performers joined Jonathan on the stage for a performance of the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B. I got to stand on a stage with people whose comedy and music have meant so much for me, in many cases actually going back 20 years.  And I got to sing with them.

If this is how 2011 starts, then this year really does go to 11.

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Photo credit, Adhesive Medical Strips Flickr Feed 

(Editor’s note, I originally intended this to be the last post but I will do one more tomorrow just about the cruise in general for those who have never cruised and hopefully answer some questions like could we feel the boat moving, how was the food, anything we didn’t like, stuff we liked, etc etc.)

(Final Post)