day 47 – sydney, australia, second day

morton bay fig tree "good bush tucker" (= yummy) says aussie musician

aussie schoolchildren on a field trip - they all wear uni's here!

well, it’s monday, so i want to go pick up some college catalogs and info for nino… i can think of worse places for a young man to want to go to college than a place like this… i s’pose if he goes here we could perch on one of the ships that hangs down here between new zealand and australia… not too shabby… and if he ends up on the east or west coast, or europe, we could do the same there… it’s a comforting thought to know I’ll be able to be nearby without being oppressive and be able to go out for dinner or just hang out sometimes during the year… that would hopefully help him (let’s be real… help mama!) when he goes out into the world! 

took a cab to the university of new south wales, college of fine arts… they are currently undergoing some renovations, so i was able to ak a couple of students (cute australian girls, nino!) how to find the student center and they took me there… got nino some info on how to apply, etc.  even if it ends up being a little much to consider for undergrad education, they do have a masters program as well… i don’t want him to not dream, and dream big, we just need to make sure we can get organized in terms of making a super cool portfolio for applying for scholarships, etc… i also found out foreign students can get a part time work visa for up to 20 hours a week, which would prob’ly be a necessary reality with the prices of things over here!  it's worse than anchorage... unlike the states, however, i saw 'help wanted' signs in several restaurants and store windows… after the world voyage, my late spring and summer is going to be solely devoted to being a support person for him in the process of getting ready as we travel to look at a few schools and spend the time each week organizing materials and applying for the various piles of money that are out there for young artists.  note to nino:  make sure you are looking for the places you want to go so that when i get back you can give me a list of your top 5, bean!

captain bligh... suffered 4 mutinies, was governor
of new south wales for 4 years

sky was crying cause it didn't want us to leave either

after the college visit, i cabbed back to the waterfront area and was going to meet up with a couple of guests, paul and brenda, who graciously invited me to join them for lunch at 11 (my all aboard time is 1:00 cause we have to sail at 2…. not enough time!!!)  most places we looked at didn’t open ‘til noon, so we went to a bakery café for ham and cheese croissants and really good coffee…yum!  a nice visit with them ( i know them from the 2009 grand voyage we did), and i still had time to hit the drugstore for a couple of items i needed…  holy crap, things here are expensive!  some very normal shampoo and deodorant was like 16 dollars (australian)…

got back to the ship, and wanted to take some sail away pictures… they had an australian brass band on the lido with drinks and hors d’ouevres, and i popped down to the promenade deck where it wasn’t too crowded to take some pics… there was an escort of a fire boat doing the water cannon thing, and a replica of the dutch sailing ship that brought the first european explorers to australia from holland… i love the way they say they ‘discovered’ australia, when, in fact, there were already a lot of people here, mate!  i think everyone feels we left too soon and wanted more than a day and a half in fabulous sydney… when i was here in 2009, we spent 3 days, and that didn’t feel like enough either!  next two days will be at sea on our way to cairns (they’ve been having typhoons, so, it should be exciting!) for another overnight… we will spend a little time in the barrier reef, so i hope the pictures will be nice…

fire boat with water cannons

another stunning view of the opera house and cityscape

replica of dutch sailing ship that first came to australia from europe

i got to play the vip party for all suite holders, captain and officers and our ceo and his wife who are with us through cairns… got to be introduced, shake hands, anyway and say hello!  i’ll be damned if a guest right next to us didn’t start telling him about the port songs… cool!  nice commercial!  the beverage manager let my bartender save me a glass of dom perignon, so I took a picture of it since i doubt i’ll be buying any myself… (it was nice, but i’ve had cheaper that i liked better!)

only glass of dp this kid will prob'ly get on this trip

my theme tonight was “television theme songs and commercial jingles,” and it was packed!  i couldn’t believe it, i thought for sure it would be dead… who knew?  the favorites were ‘cheers,’ ‘bonanza’ (there are words, but they are dumb and were never used, so we just sang, ‘bum bada bum bada bum bada bum bop ba baaaaaaa!’  i always do ‘all in the family’ with archie and edith voices…  i even attempted ‘star trek,’ and prob’ly wold have cleared the room if i did the complete theme… that one is a little much, but funny!  anyway, we said good bye to some cool folks in sydney, a few really great regulars, but we welcomed on some fun folks, too – i had a bunch of them in last night, and it’s like a shot in the arm to get some lively aussies in the house!  i was even asked for some rolling stones last night, so things should be re-invigorated now!  amazed to have a dozen folks still left at 11:15, saw the trio had gone, the strings had gone, so i was the only lounge on deck that had any people left, and i was glad the big cheese and his wife walked by just then… they smiled and waved… nice!

instead of writing my port song about all the cool stuff i did in sydney, i wrote about how i felt as we left…

port song for sydney, australia

(to the tune of “one for my baby, and oe more for the road”)

it’s quarter to three, we just left sydney harbor, and i’m a little misty

with a retro dutch ship escort, water cannons bursting and the ship’s horn blasts forth

like a big didgeridoo, maybe it knows i’m blue, so in this song, i’ll unload

let’s make it one for old sydney, and one more for the road

those island ports tho lush and green, were like an appetizer for this hip down under scene

not that they were so bad, but cutting in and out so fast from this city of oz leaves me sad

well i know there’s still a lot, of travels we’ve got to look forward to go

so let’s have a toast to old sydney, and another for the road

well i know you know it, money’s easy in sydney to blow it,

and i’ve let a little get away

my luggage ain’t so roomy, so go ahead and sue me,

if i end up needing an extra bag

yeah, that’s how it goes, so we only got a day and a half… why, well who knows?

later this year, i’ll go on that fall grand voyage that again travels here

and this torch that i found, might someday be drowned if my son for his masters here goes

so knock yourself out in college, nino, and make an awesome postgraduate portfolio!

and let’s make it one for old sydney, and another for the road

that long, but way way way too short time in sydney road

day 46 – sydney, australia, first day

sunrise behind opera house as we park

sunrise reflected off buildings by harbor bridge as we park

hooray for finally arriving in sydney!  there is not a harbor prettier to sail into that i have seen yet… wow!  day one was amazing… i got up early enough to take some sunrise pictures as we arrived.  we parked directly across from the iconic sydney opera house close to the harbor bridge – incredible that we get to stay right in the heart of it, in the middle of a post card… i went to do a little free internet, took my laptop stuff back to drop it off (it was already quite warm!) and headed out to enjoy the day in sydney…  i began by walking around circular quay, where we are parked, to the opera house side where i had iced coffee and juice at the oyster house… 

view from opera house side of quay

breakfast!

nice to browse in the shops and see the opera house up close… it was already in the 80’s, and i debated for a moment to sneak into the air conditioned theater for a flick, but to watch an american film when i am in a great city like this seemed like a shame, so i braved the heat and continued to the sunday market…on the weekends they have a street market in a neighborhood called ‘the rocks’ which is full of all sorts of australian arts, crafts, clothes, street food of many ethnicities and other great shops and galleries all around… hard to beat for a sunday afternoon stroll!  the stalls are covered, and a light breeze actually did come through… crazy that when we were in peru we couldn’t find a peruvian flute guy to save our lives, but sure enough, there was one in the rocks… you see them all over american markets, and places like this, but not in the peruvian ones we went to… i found that amusing. 

saucy birds abound in the market and parks

glass blower at work

what outback dogs are wearing this season

i had noticed a sign at the museum of modern art (which is undergoing addition and renovation) that they were having an aboriginal exposition on one floor and an annie liebowitz showing on another… got my ticket and went through a mercifully rapid line (a bit warm for this northwest girl!) and enjoyed both shows immensely.  after the museum, it was on to more market shops and back to the ship to get some rest before playing tonight.

i think it's an ibis, on museum lawn

museum of contemporary art

my theme was “cocktails for two,” which basically features any song with a drink reference in it… had more folks than i thought, but still not tons since they have the overnight here… some people will book a hotel on shore and leave the ship overnight altogether, some will go out to show, clubs or local restaurants, and only a few folks or folks who don’t like to go out at night in a strange town stay back… still a good night… on my break i went up to catch the tail end of the sunset, and you could see giant bats flying from the opera house side of the bay over our heads… so cool!

sunset over sydney... small black dots in sky are large bats

hard to see, harbor bridge at night

hard to see, opera house at night

the ceo of our company will be boarding our ship tomorrow with his wife for a four day stint… i know we will all be on our best behavior!  i'll let you know if i actually get to meet him or not... i did see the chef who is the cookbook author and head chef of the company... i gave him a shout out as he walked by the piano bar, and he was actually kind of shy... i have never met a chef who was bashful!  new experience for me!  enjoy the pics… no port song ‘til tomorrow, sports fans… ciao, J

day 45 – at sea

shades of grey on tasman sea

beautiful, grey, stormy, rough tasman sea day… i love sitting on the aft lido deck under the roofed part and enjoying the rainy morning because no one else does…   i got to write for awhile today and took a long rest in the late afternoon… i had indigestion from something at breakfast, so i didn’t eat the rest of the day and just wanted to chill in my cabin, consequently, there is not much to blog today…

my theme tonight was ‘new york state of mind’ (manhattan, penthouse serenade, brooklyn bridge, etc.).  i couldn’t believe after my night was done i was already tired and ready to crash, but i was, and i did… i knew i wanted to be up early to catch the visuals coming into sydney harbor the next morning… can't wait!!!

promenade deck is a ghost town... i love it!
no one seems to like the day if it's not sunny and warm... crazy!

i did the next segment of “piano broad,” a chronicle of our travels complete with shameless self/cd promotion… episode 1 covered the beginning through easter island, and episode 2 covers pitcairn island through tasmania…

ciao for now... -df

one more moody pic... i've got to enjoy it while it lasts!

piano broad, episode 2

(to the tune of billy joel’s “piano man”)

well it’s 8/10 o’clock on a saturday – the regular crowd shuffles in

& I plug in my mic & get a beverage, another piano bar evening begins

they said, hey girl can you play us a melody & if you’re not sure how it goes

you can add that one to your to-do list & download the lyrics i s’pose

now don at the bar is a friend of mine, he gets my ice water for free

he plays the martini shaker like percussion, & sometimes he’s louder than me!

And hermi has been your charming server, this room wouldn’t run w/o those two

w/o them we’d all go quite thirsty, so w/o them what would we all do?!

*la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaa la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaa

sing us a song, you’re the piano broad, here on the old amssterdam

well we’re all in the mood for a melody, so sing us a song won’t you ma’am

our last episode left off at easter island, and we’ve seen lots of cool stuff since then

most places so far i have been to, tho we’re about to go where i’ve never been

we’ve been to the unique pitcairn island, and met their few families here on board

papeete, bora bora, and rarotonga were so beautiful, they can’t be ignored

alofi and tonga less dramatic perhaps, but still something interesting to see

and getting to new Zealand was just what we needed after all the stray dogs and palm trees

Auckland was such a scenic city, i didn’t see tauranga, it’s true,

but in napier and Wellington and Christchurch there were more than enough things to do

sadly i also missed Dunedin, but i loved stewart island and the fjords

and how could anyone in Tasmania ever have a chance to be bored

*la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaa la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaa

sing us a song, you’re the piano broad, here on the old amssterdam

well we’re all in the mood for a melody, so sing us a song won’t you ma’am

i am enjoying getting to know you all, and you’ve all been as nice as you please

and i can’t wait til my husband bob gets here… so you can all buy my cd’s

and he’ll also be bringing my recording gear, so we can do live versions of the port songs

they’ll be available for you all to download, after we’re done and have gone

if you’d like to be on my mailing list, leave an email or your business card

or you can just friend me on facebook, ask your grandkids to help, it’s not hard!

we have quite the lovely piano bar community, with regulars here most every night

and i’m verklemt to be saying goodbye to some, to go on without you doesn’t seem right

but we’ll all be thinking about you here, as we continue to make our way

and if it could happen, i’d stash you all in my cabin, and we’d all go sailing away

*la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaa la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaa

sing us a song, you’re the piano broad, here on the old amssterdam

well we’re all in the mood for a melody, so sing us a song won’t you ma’am

day 44 – port arthur, tasmania, australia

if you click and look at it larger, you can see prison in center

today was another in-port manning day, so i didn’t go ashore in port arthur… i did look up and read about it’s history, tho, and it’s fascinating, if dark… it was a penal colony for england’s and ireland’s worst offenders, and they ran a youth prison, too… their experimentation over the years with psychological rather than only physical punishment also facilitated the construction of an insane asylum… it’s considered one of the most haunted places in australia.

island of the dead

yesterday i managed to avoid any big encounter session dynamics among the lovelorn, and that was a good thing… i got my writing and set prep done in time to even enjoy a nap, which has been many days coming!  a cool and cloudy day, and a bit breezy... lovely!

my set tonight was “if i could talk to the animals” (“tie me kangaroo down, sport” “stray cat strut,” etc.), since australia is noted for it’s critters (especially the ones that can kill you!)… after two early port days, and with immigration yesterday, people were a bit glassy eyed, but there… i don’t grill them for requests on these nights, you can look out and just tell when folks are a little fried, so i drive the bus when that is the case… we also did a few moon songs for the full moon and some rain songs in honor of the weather… my late night friends were in, and we caught them up on a few port songs they missed (when bob comes out, he’ll help me record all the port songs and put them on a download service so people can get them online)…

i was so excited to hear from nino that he was picked to join the school news paper staff for his senior year next year!  he is busy, humbly minimizing this a bit, but i am psyched that he put himself out there, made it through the application process and was chosen to join; i am glad he wanted to go out for it.  when i was in high school, the newspaper was one of the only things i excelled at, and i relished writing controversial editorials about the administration, our student council and other stuff… it was one of the only satisfying experiences i really remember having academically in high school… there was a true sense of ownership and acheivement  among the writers and contributors, and we did it all ourselves with minimal faculty supervision or input… it truly felt like ours, and the excitement on paper day was big… i still have all my issues in a box somewhere, and remember how victorious i felt when one of my editorials about our rotten principal preceded her sudden retirement, and, i had hoped, been part of what caused some people to look closely at a few of the questionable things going on… whether it really had been an instrumental influence or not, the thought that we could make a difference in our community empowered us at a time in our lives when you feel, as a teenager, somewhat without a voice in the world… as a staff artist and contributor, i know that nino’s intelligence, quirky (sometimes darkly amusing) sensibilities and unique worldview will both amuse and provoke the readership at his school, and i couldn’t be more proud!  way to go, bean!!!

port song for port arthur, tasmania, australia

(to the tune of johnny cash’s “folsom prison blues”)

i hear the tenders comin it’s early mornin time

and i live down on by the gangway where they all go stand in line

i’m stuck on in port manning but i still wrote this song

and those tenders keep on going to port arthur all day long

back when to old tasmania the criminals were sent

because on makin mischief they were so hell bent

it was a prison island with shark infested bays

tho some tried to escape there most spent their dying days

they say port arthur’s haunted by convicts of the past

some slaved and some were tortured until they breathed their last

they built an insane asylum conveniently next door

any ships who stopped by had to check in their sails and oars

so they could stop the prisoners from fleeing from this place

they used some vicious half starved dogs who’d tear off their face

but once upon a time a man named martin cash did flee

two others also busted out too and beat the odds and broke free

there was once a desperate convict, george billy hunt, his name

who because of his bizarre escape attempt earned himself some fame

and 150 lashes cause he dressed up as a kangaroo (it's true!)

and the guards they nearly shot him to supplement their meager food

one place that’s super haunted, The Island of the Dead

was the destination for all who died in unmarked graves it’s said

over 1600 bodies, recorded there to stay

only 180 are marked of staff and soldiers there laid

The prison closed in 1877, but guided tours they’ll give

and you can check your family history to find your convict relatives

or hear some good ghost stories, or visit the café

at the port arthur prison colony on this lovely gloomy day

day 43 – hobart, tasmania, australia

sky drama, hobart

today was a general customs and immigration inspection where australian officials boarded the vessel to match each person face to face with their passport and do random questions here and there… the guests were first to go, as many had tours booked on shore, and the crew goes next with no crew member released until all have been cleared.  i imagine this may be to avoid interdepartmental squabbles about why did that dept. get off first, etc., and that we are all, so to speak, in the same boat.  we were all cleared by about 11:30, and i was to meet my friend, erin (another aloha camp counselor), at noon at a hotel on the wharf. 

lots of beautiful boats

we met up and went immediately to coffee at a really nice place where her brother is a barista – they knew that being a barista myself, and being from seattle, i enjoyed an arty cup of coffee, and i appreciated that!  it was a place called villino espresso (they even roast their own beans there), and caleb (erin’s brother) made us both a doppio ristretto flat white (translation: doppio = double shot of espresso, ristretto = 1^st several seconds of the shot only, like 8, flat white = steamed milk with minimal foam).  he put a lovely fern design in the foam and it was delicious! 

my tassie friend, erin

mmmmmmmm!

we caught up on each other’s lives a bit since we have not hung out in a few years… after going to a drugstore to get a few items, we went to the old waterfront where there are cafés, shops, galleries… had lunch at a place called retro café which took awhile but was pretty good… on the way back, we hit the fresh produce market and i got a few apples to bring back to the ship… the ones that are on the ship we call ‘crapples’ because they are not usually very nice, tho i admit i am spoiled living in the apple capital of the country… the green ones here aren’t bad, but today i got some lovely australian galas, and they are awesome!  i also got some leatherwood honey (a tasmanian delicacy) for nino, and a small bottle of tasmania’s single malt scotch from the lark distillery for bob… i resisted the urge to buy any little souvenir crap, tho it was tempting (particularly the tasmanian devil zipper pull, but i restrained myself seeing as how I am not 5)…

old still on display at lark distillery

said goodbye to erin and wished her well on her trip (leaving tonight!) for vermont, our old camp and a new gig at the year round hulbert outdoor center there… good luck, mate!  came back to the ship, wrote my song, ended up in some personal convo with troubled pal, so no nap (grrr!!!), and had an aussie theme night (acdc in a lounge style, little river band, slim dusty, peter allen, waltzing mathilda, etc.).  since it was a late night port (here to midnight), with the good restaurants on the waterfront and the fact they had some tasmanian bagpipers on as a cultural attraction on our mainstage for two shows, my lounge attendance was a little leaner than on a regular night… still had a decent group and it only went til about 11:30… 

chef george geary, teddy bear mentor

stopped by the ob (officer’s bar) to get a cold diet coke on the way home and chatted there for a few minutes with chef george… a very encouraging fellow as far as my writing and stuff… said goodnight, and after i got to my room had some pals show up with continuing drama, gave them the boundary that i don’t want to give out any advice or join in the drama and that they will have to work on their own issues by learning to communicate… it is far easier for me to try and remain drama free, especially where work is concerned… i like my job too well, and sleep is awfully nice, too!  tomorrow, i will try and sleep in a little and play catch up… maybe it’s the full moon that has everybody in some sort of twist… i had my dramatic day a few days back and have moved on, and now am just trying to keep from being sucked into anyone else’s… crazy times!  other than that, australia is beautiful, cool and cloudy today, which i love but seems to throw everyone else into a dark mood… i am grateful i have a head neck and shoulder massage scheduled tomorrow… cheap therapy on a port day, (crew in port discount!) since i have in-port manning tomorrow and my shock absorbers, i mean shoulders, need a squish after 6 weeks of banging away on the piano 7 nights a week… hope you all are well!   xoxo

missing gimli... 'tucker' means food in australian

thought it was art, is actually functionally art-y bike rack

port song for hobart, tasmania, australia

(to the tune of “land down under” by men at work)

traveling in a real nice cruise ship,

we docked in hobart, tassie on our world trip

met erin, a camp counselor, i knew from vermont,

she picked me up in a car from her mom,

and she said

welcome to tassie my camp sister,

my brother here’s a barista

i know on the ship good coffee you’ve missed yeah,

let’s drop by, you know you can’t resist it

so we went and met her brother caleb,

we told him to make us his favorite

he made doppio ristretto flat whites,

with fern designs on top, i told him they were just right,

and he said

that’s cause we roast our own beans here,

where have you had coffee since you’ve been here?

i said starbucks and esquires have served me,

he directed me to the coffee mecca in sydney

it’s at the corner or york and king,

if excellent coffee is your thing

i asked him to write it down for me,

i thanked him and we went off down the street

and i said,

i have to go to the drugstore,

i’m out of shampoo and must buy more

and some antibacterial handsoap,

so i don’t catch cold or get a sore throat

we went to some shops and for lunch,

caught up on each other’s situations

bought some nice apples down at the fruit store,

resisted crappy souvenirs ‘cause i don’t need more

but i got some leatherwood honey,

and single malt scotch for lots of money

but my son and hubby deserve it,

at twice the price, it still would’ve been worth it

so sad to say goodbye… but

erin leaves on a plane for vermont tonight

she’ll spend many months there stateside

while i’m on ships playing music worldwide

and i say

so glad that i got down under,

before she headed back to vermont’s wonders

someday i know i’ll go back there,

between the ships, we’ll sit round the campfire

day 42 – at sea

one more hour back in time last night… while i do like the illusion that i will get more sleep, i just keep waking up earlier, creating, in fact, a longer day the next day, so now i am re-assessing whether i really like this hour back thing after all… either way it seems to mess with you, so you just keep going!  today i had a couple of monkeys fly out of my ass because i was told ‘yes’ to ideas i had for some activities, where i am usually prepared to hear a ‘no’.  that was so refreshing!  i think it is a matter of my being more of a known quantity at this point instead of the new kid, so i am glad about that.  i realized i will have two years on my birthday with this company and it has gone very quickly… hopefully it will continue to go well as bob and i would like a semi-long term relationship with this outfit for the next several years as we put some of our musical ideas out and hopefully get a gig or grand voyage as a duo one of these days… i’d like to get my son through school and then myself while doing this gig…

spinning the topic wheel, i am finding myself in the weird position of being everyone’s auntie out here… maybe it’s because i’m older than many of the crew in my department, or because i could, at this point in my life, by daytime talkshow standards anyway, qualify as a ‘relationship expert…’  i am finding, though, people are frequently coming to sort out their stuff with me… while i am complimented that they have this sort of faith in my insight or life experience on these matters, i have learned the hard way that even giving friendly advice or heads up warning to your pals can backfire on you and turn you into a villain even if you have the best of intentions… it happened recently and has distanced me from a good friend... it brings to mind the old standard line of ann landers or dear abby, i forget which, but it was “mind your own business!” as i recall… i won’t elaborate, lest the parties involved are reading my blog, but i am now trying to find graceful ways to turn down people who are asking my advice on their personal business… my latest tactic is to tell them to listen to their little voice, because it always tells you the truth even when you don’t like it… i am also beginning to tell them not to take advice from anyone, including me, that it is an ‘inside job,’ (meaning: no easy answers, and you gotta sort this shit out for yourself).  this is such a small world out here, and it is unique in that your work mates are also your 24-hour neighbors, and everybody hears everything eventually… we all live in a tin can together, so there aren’t a lot of secrets, not much privacy, and life and work do overlap, so you have to mindful of your conduct and what you say and do… i have to say, i am so grateful for the fact that bob and i met and had a solid thing well before our ship lives began… it seems a bit of a soap opera among the younger set at times… i am always feeling lucky that we have such a good thing and that we are not embroiled in all the personal drama and gossip that can occur!  (soooooo grateful for you, bobby!  every day!) i frequently refer to myself, happily, as 'the boring old married lady' to the younger ones... and i can't think of anything i would rather be!

tonight went well in the piano bar, although it wrapped up a little early… my theme was ‘planes, trains and automobiles,’ which featured songs with these items prominently featured (like “folsom prison blues,” “mustang sally,” “sentimental journey,” etc.  note to bob: hey, babe, when you pack to come out here, can you bring my large balsa train whistle?  thanks!).  it stayed busy through 10:30-ish and then people bailed as they have a mandatory australian immigration face to passport check beginning at 6:30 am when we arrive in hobart, tasmania… crew begins at 9:30, and none of us will get out ‘til the ship is cleared by the authorities… this should, i hope, inspire folks to be on time and follow directions so we can all get out of here for the day!

looking forward to seeing another aloha camp counselor pal, erin, tomorrow (we are everywhere!) who lives in hobart… she has visited seattle before and now i get to see her in her town.  i was here once before, but we didn’t connect then, so i am looking forward to it!  we are meeting at noon for lunch and shopping, etc... ciao for now!  xo 

day 41 – at sea

today was a pretty good day all in all… last night we moved an hour back (= more sleep) and that felt good… i had a lunch date with my writing mentor/guru/pal patricia at the pinnacle grill (the nice joint) and we talked about all kinds of stuff – it is nice to get to know someone who is in another type of creative profession… when i went to the writing group today, we are doing project proposals, and i pitched one of my ideas and it went over very well – i am not saying what it is, because i may actually follow up on pursuing it and don’t want to jinx it… another published author in our group actually ran after me down the hall and said i’m nuts if i don’t craft a proposal and pitch it somewhere, as it is “high concept” which equals very marketable in the genre i am pitching… needless to say, i was encouraged, excited, and feel it will give me a project to work on on sea days and when at home so i can get a good sideline rolling while i continue to play and travel with bob… cross your fingers, and i will keep you posted! 

since we have a couple of sea days in a row, and we now all know each other fairly well, i figured it was time to throw down the first guest open mic night.  i have been dropping commercials for it for a few days, letting them know it’s coming and encouraging them to get excited and participate… it has been my experience that the open mic is more fun for them than karaoke, it’s more like a cabaret night, and i do a work session in the day with them to get ready for it, so we can figure out what key someone is in, pick out good songs they know, some folks even want to do a hula or a reading of some sort… you never know what you’re going to get… anyway, we had the get together for interested folks at 11, and it was quite the eclectic mix!  we got a blues guitar player, an accordeonist, singers, comedy sketches, poems, a pianist/singer husband wife duo who also told a good joke… the turnout was great, we were packed even in the hall and the bar behind… another successful guest show!  i do them because i think it’s a great souvenir memory for people to go home and remember that they got to perform in the club for all their friends… i left the mic open in case any others would be inspired to come out of their shells, and we had a few… lots of fun!  my favorite, sharon, who sang at her 80^th birthday party on an alaskan cruise last summer, had actually said she didn’t want to join the show last night because the ship was rocking a bit, but i knew we wouldn’t be able to keep her off the mic!  she got up and held onto the piano and sang ‘embraceable you’ and charmed everyone… after the show, we did a bunch of singalong stuff, and i kept a fairly good crowd for the rest of the night… a feel good evening for everyone…

i’d like to encourage everyone who is a regular here in the pages of the global piano bar to please consider becoming an official follower of this blog (see ‘followers’ window at the right hand side) as this will push me up the blogspot ladder… if not, no worries… i do appreciate your feedback on facebook, as it is easiest for me to respond to your notes there… if you are not on facebook, it’s easy to do!  just go to facebook.com and follow the directions or get one of your kids or grandkids to show you how easy it is!  hope everyone is well!  missing everyone near and far, and looking forward to getting to australia soon!  ciao, diane