Wednesday, December 15, 2010

more on the holidays...




So, as is tradition for me to do on the ships, every home port, I hold a wine and cheese get together for the cast in my cabin. Last year, it looked like St. Nick vomited in my cabin, what with all the decorations everywhere. This year, since I will be having company for the cruise, I needed to consolidate the decorations in a way that would make more room in my cabin. I decided to go with a minimalist style tree... and I made a little sitting room in my cabin for those of us who are extremely homesick and miss sitting around the fire roasting chestnuts. (Like I ever did THAT!)

Anyhow, here are the pics... on a side note, one of my guests, who was an officer, asked me to help him decorate the bridge for Christmas. So I did. But I don't have any pics of the bridge decorations, sorry. Here are the ones of my Christmas Cabin.

The chimney now has garland and other decorations hanging from it, so it's not as bleak as the picture makes it look. Many thanks to Paul for making me do tons of set painting in my teaching days...

Christmas


Is coming. The goose is getting fat. I miss milky way dark bars.

Here is my Christmas picture for all to enjoy. It sums up the entire beauty of Christmas in New Zealand, as well as the fact that it is a Christmas tree. I love and miss you all!

Christchurch, NZ





Busy cruise! So far we have already been at red level (norovirus), as well as the unfortunate fact that for some reason my hand has gotten infected, and the infection is spreading up my arm. Very unpleasant and uncomfortable. I have been performing the shows with a stent in my arm, which makes fast costume changes very interesting. I'm hopefully getting better, though. Getting the infection lanced today at 4.

Don't you hate it when you would swear that there is a restaurant somewhere in the town you are in, and you can't find it anywhere? There is a Chinese place somewhere (thought it was here) that has the best dumplings... I, of course, get the whole gang ready for them, and now I can't find it. Hate that. All these ports seem to be starting to blend together.

Been doing more tours. Did a luge tour the other day, which was amazing... tons of fun. Then I went on a bus tour to the top of this mountain where I saw sheep and thought of my sister. Had one of the best cups of tea I have ever had, overlooking the cliffs of Wellington. Awesome. Enjoy the pics...

Mom, I think there might be a door or two in here for you!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

more pretty pics





So... let me tell you, those Aussies are an interesting lot of people. Not big on the whole queue thing. If there's a line, they sure ain't gonna stand and wait in it. Unfortunately the words "excuse me" are not in the Aussie vocabulary, which makes for an interesting get bumped and it's my fault automatically-type of situation. Met some really nice people, though. This next cruise we are headed back to New Zealand. I'm still searching for the old one, but I will let you know if I find it.

Rainy Melbourne





In Melbourne today. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning... it is SO true. The sunrise was a blood-red. Shoulda known. But, i did pack my umbrella, so i was covered, no pun intended. Here are some pics from the last leg of our transit around the continent of Australia. I saw wild kangaroos, tasted some amazing honey, went on a bunch of incredible tours, and some not so much. The holidays are coming quickly, and I am nowhere ready. Paul comes in a couple weeks, and that should be tons of fun. It will be nice to catch up and maybe get some work done on a future project or two... hint hint hint...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

but wait... more pics!



Love ya, mom! You were asking for an update... here you go.

and still more pics...





So the monkey pics are from Bali, where I went to the Monkey temple... I went camel riding in Broome, Horseback riding in Vanuatu. Having lots of fun, trying to save money, which is why i have to do the free internet in port, and not on board, cause I have no available cash. Christmas is coming, and we are performing a fundraiser that I put together called Dancing with the Cast... tomorrow night. Tonight is the dress rehearsal. We'll see how it goes.

Crossed the oldest bridge in Australia...twice. Once to get over, and once to get back.

More pics from tours and the like...





Better late than never!




Hey all, sorry about the long wait but here you are, finally! I am sitting with the gang at Little Creatures brewery and restaurant in Fremantle, WA. Had an amazing day at Rottnest Island, which is more or less the Fire Island of Western Australia. Gorgeous beaches, no cars only bikes. Saw tons of Quakka's... I think that's how you spell it. Little marsupials that hop around blindly because their eyesight is so bad. Enjoy the pics, I will try to post more later.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Randomness




and some new random photos from the latest ports of call.

the mannequins are from Hobart, the flowers are from Yorkey's Knob (the Cannonball tree), and the camels are courtesy of Airlie Beach.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The photos for Photofest 2010




Good news! All three of my photos were chosen to be exhibited! I will know if there are any awards on November 18th. Wish me luck! These are the three photos submitted. Enjoy!

They will be on exhibit at the Tallahassee Airport, so as you are passing through that thriving metropolis, say hi to my photos!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Burnie, Baby, Burnie

So... not much to say from the Burnie side of life. Got up early to go ashore, and lo and behold, there is no Burnie out the window. The currents and winds were too strong that we had to skip the port. And I had planned to go to the Penguin rehab center! Bummer.

So on to Hobart. We get in tomorrow around 6am, and all I have planned is to go eat some good Chinese dumplings, get a pin and a patch, and wander the streets taking some more photos. Anything to save some money. Taking pics is free.

Speaking of pictures, thanks for all the input about the photo contest I am entering. It looks as if I am going to be entering three photos, and I will post them as soon as I decide which one to toss out. I have four that I am favouring right now, and I can't decide on just three. Tough choices. There is one that is an amazing photo, but not quite in focus, so that may be the one that gets put off. The upside of the photo is that the out of focus-ness is what gives the photo the impressionistic quality that I like.

In other news, shows are going well. We did our second night of Shimmy tonight, and it went well. I have been singing on a very sore throat, so only having one show tonight was truly a blessing. Strange thing, this sore throat... it is scratchy, has been for a little over a week now, and doesn't seem to be going away. No fever, no other symptoms, just soreness. Hopefully it will go away, but I only have one day off before the next show from hell: Save The Last Dance. Very high, and lots of singing.

Missed Mom's birthday, but called and left her a message on Dad's voice mail. Hope she got it. Don't know. They didn't email me to tell me. But that's okay, I have yet to send off the first postcard.

Still working on setting up some audition workshops through an agency in Sydney, and of course, I misplaced the email address, so poop on me.

Overnight in Hobart. Then back to Sydney. The Tasman sea is supposed be very unfriendly these days, so we'll see how things go.

Oh! Forgot to mention Noro virus! We've been on red level for about five days now, meaning no crew can go into public areas unless it is work related. That means dinner in the crew mess (yuck). Long story short, I have been eating lots of frosted flakes.

I will try and post some pics from Hobart tomorrow evening, as I need to get another internet card. More later! Love ya! -JMB

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Latest Pics...





From Albany, Adelaide, and Melbourne