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FEB 13, 2015       Morning Point of Franklin (Senior  Living Community)

 

 

 

FEB14, 2015          Bistro 226  (Fine Dining Restaurant/Bar  in Bargersville IN)  7pm-9pm

 

 

 

FEB 17, 2015         Christina Place (Senior Living Community, Franklin, IN )

 

 

 

FEB 21, 2015         Teddy's Burger Joint (Indianapolis, IN)  6pm till 9 pm

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Signing Off

Signing Off

As the OPP saga raged onward, Brent and I attempted to dodge the duties to the best of our abilities. We would set our alarm for the scheduled time that we’d be working in the Ocean View Cafe only to clock into the system. Then we’d go back to sleep. Then we’d set the alarm to wake up just to clock out of the system. This basically worked for a long time. Our bandmaster may have known, but nothing came of it. During the sanitation barrier, we just did what we had to do, and then ducked out as soon as we could. Many of these duties included moving garbage to the incinerator room and transporting linen. At any rate, none of us should have been doing this work. We were hired as entertainers not house-keeping stuarts. This crap we accepted as a necessary means to our adventures in the ports. After the crossing, the OPP magically disappeared. It’s very peculiar that it happened just as we entered United States waters. It ought to be mentioned that the company kept us in OPP level two even though there were next to no sick people onboard the ship until we reached Vancouver. Two of the doctors told me without hesitation that the sick passengers had simply eaten food in Asian ports that caused them to have diarrhea and vomiting.

Then, just when the Ocean View food duties disappeared, we noticed a new duty on our schedule. It consisted of wheel chair assistance where we would be pushing handicapped people up and down the gangway at the wonderful hour of 6:00 am. As you might guess, all three of us scheduled did not show up for it. Brent, Keith, and I when asked by the bandmaster simply lied and said, “We slept through our alarm clocks.” Lying has become the common language here on the Celebrity Millennium. When asked a question, I never know whether the “correct” answer corresponds with a lie or a fact. I guess the lies have become the facts out here.

Then the bandmaster explained our options. We could either do the wheel chair work, refuse and get a warning(three means termination), make up an excuse as to why we missed(lie), or resign. Brent and I both decided to resign. We’ve had enough bullshit here. The bandmaster also explained that he’s been told not to tell new musicians about any of the extra duties expected of them until they board the vessel. Is this unethical or what? Brent and I just laughed and hurried ourselves to the human resource office for a resignation form.

By resigning, the entire entertainment team, the crew, and even many of the officers perceived us as heroes. We have been termed the “Cruise Ship Cowboys” because we fear nothing, do what we believe we ought to do, and are willing to stand up to the corrupt policies of the powers to be. I wrote a six page document describing all the events that took place over the past six months that need to be addressed. This I completed and sent to Human Resources who will be sent it as a confidential file to Miami shoreside. (A couple months after getting home, I heard the news that the musician specialist from Celebrity who works in the Miami office got fired. All the agents representing all musicians have to work through this man to get musicians signed onto the ship. He had been deliberately not telling agents about these duties at 6 am in order to keep the information disclosed until musicians showed up to the ship and realized the reality of the gig.)

Two days later, in Skagway Alaska, Brent and I signed off the ship. As security checked our bags for items, one of them asked me, “What’s this?” Once again, not knowing what the correct answer within the context might need to be, I responded, “Juice.” He opened the water bottle filled with vodka and said, “This isn’t juice.” I thought, “No shit Sherlock. I can’t even get resign from this floating terd without feeling compelled to make up an appeasing story.”

We located a hostel in town. The owner named Gary knows Bobby Reynolds, an old musician buddy of mine from Norwegian Cruise Line. Bobby currently plays piano at the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, Alaska. I had just spoken to Bobby three days before arriving at this hostel.

On the first night, we did what we as crew members have always dreamt of doing; we watched the ship sail away. As the ship crew removed the gangway, we walked up to the security and showed them our I.D cards. They let us into the port area as if we would be boarding the ship. We just stood there and watched. Then a lady in a car drove up and told us that we’d have to be escorted out. We showed her our valid crew info, and told her that we decided not to go back to the ship...., and she replied in her phone, “Uh, actually, by some rare series of events, they ARE legitimately allowed to be here.” Then she proceeded to tell us how happy she was to see crew members with the strength to walk away from this. As the ship began to sail, she spoke to someone on the Millennium, “Thanks, see you next week.” Then she cursed the company. We all laughed. She offered to let us stay in her house free of charge. We thanked her but really just wanted to get some good pictures of the ship leaving us forever.

Over the next couple days, we went hiking up the mountain. I’ve always wanted to reach upper duey lake but never could because of the time restraint of having to be back on the ship. Now I could make it. The hike took us seven hours. On the top of the mountain stands two cabins. One of them can be rented for a fee, but the other is “first come first serve.” We hung out there for about an hour before making our descent. After having a nice meal at the Skagway Brewing Company, we concluded our day.

Then we set out to see the Canadian Yukon. After renting a car, we drove to the Canadian border. The customs officers checked every minute thing in our luggage looking for drugs and guns. Finding nothing, we ventured onward. After arriving at Whitehorse, we checked into our hotel. The town did not appeal to our expectation of a western vibe. I went to a recommended bookstore and bought some Jack London Books. Apparently, he visited Whitehorse and Dawson city in attempt to gain inspiration for his literary works.

We decided to go check our Miles Canyon just out of town. The view of this magical place cannot be described in mere words. We located a place up on the top and far into the wilderness. There we smoked cuban cigars, drank liquor, and read some Jack London short stories while solving the world’s problems in the process.

The next day, we drove all the way the Dawson City. Here, I found the western romantic experience which I’ve always dreamt of seeing. The town physically resembles an old mining town. Saloons, hotels, and shops line both sides of the streets. We took the advice of others by seeking out the old Dredge. A dredge characterizes a large floating machine, manned by a small crew, that could mine a whole “dump truck’s “ worth of dirt in a mere minute. This machine put the individual gold miner out of business around the end of the 19th century. The dredge would literally mine the same amount of dirt in one minute that the individual miner could mine in about three days of work.

We then drove to the famous “Dome.” Created by plate tectonics and natural phenomena, it sports the highest elevation in the immediate region. It’s been used as a gathering place for church’s, parties, speeches, and solstice viewing.

The rest of the evening encompassed eating dinner at a local restaurant and going to hear music in the famous hotel tavern. We enjoyed our stay in the famous gold mining town of Dawson City.

We eventually made our way back to Seattle via ferry boat and plane. Subsequently, we rented a car and drove all over highway 101 in effort to explore the region of Oregon . We visited the famous “Avenue of the Giants,” the home of the humongous secoya trees in California. Then, we made our way back to seattle, where we flew home.

Being home has been fast paced. I had a gig within six days of my return as well as doing my regular guitar lesson teaching. I’ve been playing at a Mexican restaurant in Franklin, Indiana called Mi Pueblo. My buddy Matt and I seem to be getting a bit of a following there doing a mixture of originals and classic standards.


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