Saturday, May 7, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Adventures on the High Seas-Days 7, 8, & 9
Here are the last few days from our adventure at sea last December.
Day 7 - We spent the day in FL today. Most of my days spent in FL are used to catch up on email, phone calls, etc. Today was no different. We found a cool little Starbucks and I took care of some emails and made a few business calls. Afterwards, we had lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant and headed back to the ship early to prepare for that night’s show.
One of the fun parts of working on a ship is getting to know the crew/staff. Kristin and I found ourselves hanging out at the onboard piano bar/pub several nights after our shows and we befriended the bartender Dedi. Dedi is a huge fan of magic and we enjoyed hanging out with him.
Day 8 – Today we were back in Freeport for our final day in the Bahamas. Kristin and I decided to head into town and do a little souvenir/Christmas (remember this was back in December) shopping. I met a cool lady in the straw market who wove a bag that I bought for my sister. We finished our time off at the Our Lucaya Resort beach working on our tans.
We had a great final show tonight and got everything packed up and ready for an early disembarkation.
Day 9 – So we got off the ship nice and early, made it through customs and waited for our show props to arrive. We waited, we waited some more, and then we waited awhile longer. After waiting for an hour and a half, I finally discovered that our props had been delivered about an hour and a half earlier but were just sitting in the customs area waiting to be claimed. I must give a really nice lady customs officer some serious thanks for locating my equipment and then helping me get everything through the system so I could pack it up in the cargo van. After Kristin and I finally got everything loaded, it was pretty uneventful. We drove fourteen and a half hours back home to Nashville from FL. The next day I returned the cargo van to the rental company.
That pretty much wraps up my very first cruising adventure. I’ve found that every time I perform in a new setting there is a new set of challenges to overcome. That’s one of the major challenges of being an entertainer. At first, it was totally stressful and overwhelming, but I’ve come to enjoy it. In fact, I would say that I’ve learned quite a bit about dealing with the challenges of life from the challenges that I face as an entertainer. I hope that you too are able to embrace all the challenges that life throws at you and come out as a conqueror with some fantastic adventure to share.
If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning.
Day 7 - We spent the day in FL today. Most of my days spent in FL are used to catch up on email, phone calls, etc. Today was no different. We found a cool little Starbucks and I took care of some emails and made a few business calls. Afterwards, we had lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant and headed back to the ship early to prepare for that night’s show.
One of the fun parts of working on a ship is getting to know the crew/staff. Kristin and I found ourselves hanging out at the onboard piano bar/pub several nights after our shows and we befriended the bartender Dedi. Dedi is a huge fan of magic and we enjoyed hanging out with him.
Hanging onboard with Dedi, the bartender.
Day 8 – Today we were back in Freeport for our final day in the Bahamas. Kristin and I decided to head into town and do a little souvenir/Christmas (remember this was back in December) shopping. I met a cool lady in the straw market who wove a bag that I bought for my sister. We finished our time off at the Our Lucaya Resort beach working on our tans.
We had a great final show tonight and got everything packed up and ready for an early disembarkation.
Bahamian strawmarket shop owner who wove a cool little bag for my sister.
Day 9 – So we got off the ship nice and early, made it through customs and waited for our show props to arrive. We waited, we waited some more, and then we waited awhile longer. After waiting for an hour and a half, I finally discovered that our props had been delivered about an hour and a half earlier but were just sitting in the customs area waiting to be claimed. I must give a really nice lady customs officer some serious thanks for locating my equipment and then helping me get everything through the system so I could pack it up in the cargo van. After Kristin and I finally got everything loaded, it was pretty uneventful. We drove fourteen and a half hours back home to Nashville from FL. The next day I returned the cargo van to the rental company.
That pretty much wraps up my very first cruising adventure. I’ve found that every time I perform in a new setting there is a new set of challenges to overcome. That’s one of the major challenges of being an entertainer. At first, it was totally stressful and overwhelming, but I’ve come to enjoy it. In fact, I would say that I’ve learned quite a bit about dealing with the challenges of life from the challenges that I face as an entertainer. I hope that you too are able to embrace all the challenges that life throws at you and come out as a conqueror with some fantastic adventure to share.
Photo from the Our Lucaya Resort-Freeport, Bahamas
If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Adventures on the High Seas, Day #6
Kristin and I finally made it into Freeport! The first time we were here, not only was the weather totally sucky, but I also had the show on my mind and just didn’t feel like being distracted. The second time we were supposed to be here, the ship got stuck out at sea! I guess the third time really is a charm!
So, Kristin and I got off the ship today and took a bus into Freeport. The bus driver was quite the showman. He told us stories, history of the area and plenty of jokes. I think he figured out that providing entertainment on a twenty-five minute bus ride will get you a lot more tips than doing nothing at all. No doubt!
The resort we went to was called Our Lucaya. It was stunning. The water was blue, the sand was white and as I looked around I felt like I was looking at images from postcards. Boy, let me tell you, the sun down there is intense. The actual day spent at the resort was sort of cool, but that sun is no joke. Spend more than a couple of hours out there when you aren’t used to it and you will get baked! Luckily for us, we didn’t get baked. We had a great time at the beach.
Tonight’s show went fantastically. You know, I am totally fascinated by how audiences react to certain magic pieces better than others. One of my strengths, by far (in my opinion), is performing slightly dramatic, usually a little artistic type of material. I have a routine with a rope that is about five solid minutes of magic that has been choreographed to a piece of music. When I first started performing it, I was freaked out because I wasn’t sure that audiences would be able to follow it for five minutes if I didn’t speak at all. I have found though, and my experiences on the ship back this up, that the rope routine is one of the stand-out favorites. I guess audiences really do like the slightly artistic type of magic that I personally love. That makes me very happy to know that my gut instinct is right!
Check out the photo below. It is a photo of a ghost ship that is docked at the Our Lucaya resort. Very cool!
Click here and enjoy the last few days of my little adventure. If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning.
So, Kristin and I got off the ship today and took a bus into Freeport. The bus driver was quite the showman. He told us stories, history of the area and plenty of jokes. I think he figured out that providing entertainment on a twenty-five minute bus ride will get you a lot more tips than doing nothing at all. No doubt!
The resort we went to was called Our Lucaya. It was stunning. The water was blue, the sand was white and as I looked around I felt like I was looking at images from postcards. Boy, let me tell you, the sun down there is intense. The actual day spent at the resort was sort of cool, but that sun is no joke. Spend more than a couple of hours out there when you aren’t used to it and you will get baked! Luckily for us, we didn’t get baked. We had a great time at the beach.
Tonight’s show went fantastically. You know, I am totally fascinated by how audiences react to certain magic pieces better than others. One of my strengths, by far (in my opinion), is performing slightly dramatic, usually a little artistic type of material. I have a routine with a rope that is about five solid minutes of magic that has been choreographed to a piece of music. When I first started performing it, I was freaked out because I wasn’t sure that audiences would be able to follow it for five minutes if I didn’t speak at all. I have found though, and my experiences on the ship back this up, that the rope routine is one of the stand-out favorites. I guess audiences really do like the slightly artistic type of magic that I personally love. That makes me very happy to know that my gut instinct is right!
Check out the photo below. It is a photo of a ghost ship that is docked at the Our Lucaya resort. Very cool!
Click here and enjoy the last few days of my little adventure. If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning.
Adventures on the High Seas, Day #5
Today Kristin and I found a Panera Bread in a shopping area of West Palm Beach called CityPlace. CityPlace is a really nice outdoor area that has restaurants, boutiques, department stores, movie theatres, comedy clubs, bookstores, etc. It’s a perfect place to go to hang out and grab a good cup of coffee and check email. It was an added bonus that when we sat down at Panera with our breakfast and coffee, I found out that their internet connection is free. Sweet!
I think that tonight’s show was definitely the strongest one yet. It became rather obvious to me that I had found my comfort zone. You know, sometimes it takes me a little bit of time to get comfortable in a new performing space. After performing for the audiences that are on the ship for the last few days, I had a good feel for how they would respond to the different jokes, etc. It also took me a little bit of time to get totally comfortable doing magic on a stage that was surrounded by an audience.
So, at this point in the ballgame I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. Shows are going great and I’m stress free. I haven’t yet made it off the ship and into Freeport, but that is my plan for tomorrow.
Stay tuned for my report on Day #6. We finally make it to the beach at the Our Lucaya resort!
If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning. Read about finally making it to the beach on Day #6 here.
I think that tonight’s show was definitely the strongest one yet. It became rather obvious to me that I had found my comfort zone. You know, sometimes it takes me a little bit of time to get comfortable in a new performing space. After performing for the audiences that are on the ship for the last few days, I had a good feel for how they would respond to the different jokes, etc. It also took me a little bit of time to get totally comfortable doing magic on a stage that was surrounded by an audience.
So, at this point in the ballgame I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. Shows are going great and I’m stress free. I haven’t yet made it off the ship and into Freeport, but that is my plan for tomorrow.
Stay tuned for my report on Day #6. We finally make it to the beach at the Our Lucaya resort!
If you just joined this little adventure, click here and start the journey at the beginning. Read about finally making it to the beach on Day #6 here.
Kristin poses after a show with impressionist Wes Epae.
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