Some more vacation nonsense

My friend Craig Moore is a guitar player. A true shredder and Eddie VH disciple.

My friend Brent Hopper is a hair metal fan. A true student of the genre.

I'm a fan of hair metal and of Craig's guitar playing. Inevitably, when the 3 of us get together, nonsense and nostalgia for a simpler, happier time in rock music occurs. This time I have video evidence. You may not understand it, but, I think you'll appreciate it. Enjoy!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60443309/Voltron%20Jam%20Session.mov

Chapter 3

So...that happened.

Another vacation has come to a close. I know, I know…it seems to most people that I live on vacation working as a cruise ship musician, but, I assure you it's not exactly like it seems. Don't get me wrong - it's a great job. However, even ship life has more structure than my most recent vacation. I've spent the last 10 weeks on a soul cleansing, diet wrecking, life enriching vacation experience. Without a doubt I've endured some of the best escapades of my life over the past 2 and a half months. To try and list them all would take WAY too long. I actually have a list, but, it's just not really practical. What I can tell you are some stats:

Over the last 2.5 months I've…

• spent many hours with my main man, Ted Oberlander
• spent a lot of quality time with my Mom, Joan Williams
• traveled over 6,000 miles (only 1,900 of that was on a trip to NYC/NewJersey/Boston…and I didn't count train ride from NYC to Boston and back), most of which in my car
• played lots of golf
• eaten lots of terrific meals
• tasted some refreshing micro (and…lets face it…plenty of macro) brews
• played some music (jazz in New York City, rock in Wayland, Michigan, salsa in Glen Arbor, MI and Indianapolis, IN)
• heard some music
• wrote some music
• taken the Graduate Record Exam
• gone to 4 baseball games (2 at Comerica Park in Detroit and 2 at Victory Field in Indianapolis)
• experienced my 20 year (!!!) high school reunion

And…that's just a partial list. The severely 'abridged' recap of my Vacay 2013. 

During my time on land I spent a significant amount of time at my Mom's place in Traverse City, Michigan and at the home of Craig and Adrienne Moore in Noblesville, Indiana. In fact, the Moore's became my unofficial hosts for this vacation, especially after a family emergency developed late that delayed my return to the ship. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generous hospitality everyone! Looking forward to repaying the favor someday!

The most important part of this time was, once again, the people in my life. I tried to keep track of how many people that I met up with over this vacation and I stopped counting at 50. At the risk of sounding selfish/self-centered - I have a spectacularly large group of distinct, unique, and incredibly loving friends and family. I'm unbelievably appreciative of all of you. You continue to astonish me. Opening your homes and allowing me to crash on your couches, floors, and guest rooms. Affording me the luxury of constant WiFi, food, and cable TV. For doing what's necessary to maintain a friendship over extended time apart and massive distances. At the end of my last contract on Adventure I realized that I had recovered some of my ability and trust to be available for friendships and relationships. Vacay 2013 only served to reinforce that ability in me.

I'm looking forward to getting back on Adventure for a number of reasons. Our itinerary is phenomenal. I'll be spending time in Paris, Cannes, Pisa, Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Malaga, Gibraltar, Iceland, Norway, and England until Thanksgiving. Then we cross back to San Juan, Puerto Rico for our Caribbean run of some of the most beautiful beaches and island destinations in the world. I'll be onboard Adventure of the Seas until February 16, 2014 and am anticipating an awesome time. Most of the musicians in the orchestra onboard will be the same as before, so it will be great fun to play with them again. Also, I'll be joined midway through the contract by a trumpet player with whom I've worked before on another ship. Should be a sensational time.

This contract will be a little different for me, though. I've been living in the "now" for almost 2 years. Doing what I want, when I want. Working on healing and taking great care not to "should" on myself. Not making plans of any kind and just enjoying life and experiences as they come. While I will continue to embrace life in the "this is what I'm doing right now" mode, I feel like I have recovered the potential to make some plans. I have some goals for myself over the next 7 months that are healthy and worthwhile. I'm going to work hard to achieve them. When I do, I plan to enjoy some rewards at the end that I've already set up for myself. I'm not pressuring myself to accomplish these goals in any way. I've learned that one thing is true about plans: they change. However, it will be nice to have a little more direction in my life. It's been a while. 

So, here I go again. But, a major step in the Walkabout wouldn't be complete without some iMovie magic. Follow the link below to a 7 minute video of some of the highlights from my vacation. It's not really possible to capture all the good times that I had in a short video, but, I think this does a pretty good job. Thanks for reading - stay in touch!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60443309/Vacay%202013.m4v

A Remembrance: Monday, July 22, 2013

Lyman O'Dell Williams, PhD died this morning at approximately 8:00 am.

I believe I first met Lyman Williams when I was a very young boy. He was a museum instructor at Interlochen Arts Camp and almost assuredly taught me to tie knots, build campfires, and make sassafras tea during my formative summers in Northern Michigan. The details of that time are shrouded in the dimness of my early childhood memories, but, those that do appear when I look back on those times are very pleasant.

Lyman re-entered my life when I was in high school. My parents had divorced a few years before (vague, I know, but most of my memories of being a teenager are light pencil sketches as a matter of self preservation) and I was living in Ludington, Michigan. My Mom had met Lyman and was ready to re-marry and enter a new phase in her life. Walking into the Pizza Hut on Ludington Avenue that afternoon to the introduction of her new companion, I didn't know what to think. To be fair, I didn't have much on my mind in those adolescent years other than myself (some would say not much has changed), so it was going to be tough to win me over. Lyman did instantly though, responding to my self-serving and grasping quip, "You know your name is a soda flavor?" He just looked at me with the kindest pair of eyes I'd ever seen and softly smiled. This, I do remember.

Even though he was my step-father, I never lived with him as a child. Even though it would not be entirely accurate to describe his relationship to me as a father figure, it's also completely wide of the mark to say that I learned nothing from him. In fact, I learned a great deal from Lyman and will miss him dearly.

I will miss his intelligence. A former college professor, he was always exceedingly patient and ready to impart some of his long gathered geological knowledge upon any who would listen. He also read the newspaper every day. An actual paper newspaper. A trait deserving of respect, to be sure.

I will remember his love of pancakes. Lord Williams (an affectionate nickname) loved his pancakes and would eat them at any time for any meal. I concur and can totally relate!

I will miss his companionship with my Mom. They found each other at the right time and he helped them both navigate through some tricky life territory.

I will miss his bagpiping. Even though he was not a trained musician, Lyman was a bagpiper. I can remember him practicing at the house when I came home for visits as well as his many performances with the Grand Traverse Pipe and Drums.

I will miss his character. Lyman is one of the most beautiful people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I know people misuse the following italicized word all the time, but, I literally never heard him speak harshly to or about anyone. Ever. His sweet disposition, gentle temperament, and honest presence are incredibly valuable traits and ones that I truly admire. Without a doubt, one of the most considerate and genuine people I have ever met. As the colloquialism goes, Lyman was "good people."

Lyman is a role model not only for me, but, for others as well. He lived a long, healthy, and active life. His death was peaceful and he was comfortable during the last part of the process. During his last days he was surrounded by many family and friends who came to pay their respects. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity of knowing Lyman. You will be missed, sir. I love you.

Lyman at his retirement party from Interlochen.

An American Trombonist In London

I spent two nights in England between signing off the ship and flying home to The States. After an overnight in Southampton (sign off port), I took the train to London to hang out for the day. Spent the day with Henry Saxby (a musician who had signed off with me on May 5), his girlfriend, and a couple of his friends who live in London. Henry used to have a steady gig at at piano bar in London and his friends still run the place. It was fun talking to them and learning a little bit about running a music venue from the inside. Nice people and we had a great afternoon at a pub called The Blue Anchor right on the Thames River. 

The terrific weather continued into an absolutely GORGEOUS day on May 7. Some of my friends from the ship came to London for the morning. We met up with a local friend, Jamie, and he showed us all around London. So many highlights, so many hotspots. It was a spectacular morning. Exemplary weather. Flawless company. We saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, ate English breakfast, saw Buckingham Palace, checked out Trafalgar Square, toured the West End, visited Picadilly Square, shopped for outrageous souvenirs, visited the saxophone store to beat all saxophone stores, and even had time for a proper English ale in a pub. I just wish this could've lasted longer.

The pictures below tell some of the tale. Some great shots here. The weather…the locations…all amazing. To be fair, however, I'd voluntarily go to an economics lecture if it meant I could spend time with these folks. We all exchanged hugs in the underground train before parting for the last time. Walking off that carriage without them was extraordinarily difficult for me. These are great fuckin' people. Some of them I'll see again very soon. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I see the others. I'm really going to miss them.

A bridge on the Thames near The Blue Anchor.

Fish and chips. Had to do it!

View of the Thames from The Blue Anchor.

The London Eye.

L to R: Marissa, Sam, me, Beau, Suzie, Shannon, Dustin

"Hey kids! Big Ben. Parliament!"

St. Margaret's Church in Westminster's Abbey.

Buckingham Palace.

Awkward single photos.

Me and Shannon.

The gang.

The girls.

A guard.

Flower garden near Buckingham Palace.

Trafalgar Square monument.

Deep down, you can tell the Shannon is a Detroit Lions fan.

Trafalgar Square.

West End. I want to come back for a show (or two).

Beau and Dustin derpin' out in the sax store.

Yes. That's Dustin playing a contrabass saxophone.

And yes. He played "Careless Whisper." #derp

A Detroit Lion in London.

Good friends in the pub.

Still have public telephone booths in London.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Well, it's over. My second contract as a cruise ship musician, that is. I'll be heading back to Adventure of the Seas in July for another contract, but, for now I'm at the beginning of a long and well deserved vacation. 

Ending a contract is always bittersweet. I've written about the temporary nature of being a crew member before, but, it's important enough to mention again. Especially in this current instance, the awkward feelings of goodbyes are different and palpable in a different way than the last time. My Majesty contract (March - September 2012) was amazing for me. I had an unbelievable time onboard. Loved playing music for a living. Really lucked out with a couple of terrific roommates, saw some beautiful places, and made some great friends along the way. The Adventure contract (October 13, 2012 - May 5, 2013) was the same in many ways, but, felt different to me…probably because I've made a lot of progress as a person since March 2012. Majesty was mostly about getting out of town. Away from painful experiences and people who had done hurtful things to me. I still have the scars from those events, but, those wounds have mended more now. I know this because on the Adventure contract, I was able to become more invested in relationships with other people this time around. By the end of my time on Adventure, I was able to understand that my abilities for personal interaction and trusting others were really starting to get back to a more normal level.

This is made even more noticeable by the fact that it was an intensely tough goodbye this time on my sign off. Not that it hasn't been before or that I don't miss my friends from Majesty, but, this ship was different…and I'm pretty sure that difference was me. For one thing, the cast (singers and dancers) signed on about 1 week after I did in Spain. We work together daily and I developed very close friendships with many of them over the past 6 months. I wasn't part of a cast changeover this time midway thru my contract, so, I've been around the same group of people for the entire length this time. 

The other thing is that given the passage of time, I'm now able to take part in friendships in a more intimate way because I'm getting closer to righting the ship of my life and personality, so to speak. As my good friend Jamie Newnham says, "You're available for more of that now." Well said, that man!

In any case, I'm off the ship now and spending a few days in London doing some sightseeing before I head back to the States. Again, as much as I'm looking forward to my vacation it was very difficult to leave the Adventure. Nothing lasts forever and even if I was still onboard AD people would be signing off and new people signing on…the continuing fluctuation of personnel would roll on. Things would change with or without me anyway. What I can say is that I'm happy to have had the opportunity to share experiences with all my friends onboard. I'm thrilled to have met all of you and hope that we get the chance to see each other again sometime soon. 

A dancer onboard and one of my good friends, Kieran, said something to me the other night that I won't ever forget. It was wise, cryptic, gloomy, and gratifying all at the same time. He said, "This group of people here. This will never happen again. We'll never all be together again at the same time." How true. Made me recognize how special it was to be a part of it while I had the chance. He's right, we probably won't all be together all at the same time again. Ever. Individually, I know I'll see some of these people again. But, the circumstance of all of us together in the same place at the same time is most likely over.

I'm not very good at saying goodbye. It's certainly not my favorite thing to do. Just like at the end of last contract, I offer a peek into my life for the last 6 months. Just paste the link below into your favorite browser and the video slideshow should start playing automatically. It's a big file (over 20 minutes long), so, probably best to be viewed on a high speed connection.

Until next time, everybody. Stay in touch and safe travels. I miss you all already!

Walkabout: Chapter Two

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60443309/Walkabout%20Chapter%20Two.m4v

The Gas Station in the Atlantic

To make use of an overly used cliché bloggers line…"It's been a long time since I've posted."  This is true. However, I haven't felt the need until now. We finished up the Caribbean season and are in the middle of a crossing to the other side of the Atlantic. I guess there's some stuff to write about there, but, basically it's the same trip that I made in November of 2012…just in the opposite direction. There's more to be posted about the last month and a half of my contract regarding people, places, and more people, I guess. I'm going to wait until I arrive in England to start those posts, though. What's important now in my mind is our stop at The Azores after 5 straight sea days.

The Azores are Portugese islands that are located about 2/3rds of the way across the Atlantic from North America to Europe. Formed by volcanos, these islands are famous for seafood, sugar beets, and a pair of inland lakes surrounded by legend. The lakes were actually formed in mountain craters created by collapsed volcanos and are now filled with fresh collected rain water. The twin lakes, located directly adjacent to one another, are colored differently and are located at the bottom of a beautiful valley. Since it was our (and likely mine) only stop during our Atlantic crossing, a group of friends and I decided to take a guided tour of the island and the famous lakes.

After an amazing morning and early afternoon walking tour and meal, we boarded the tour bus and took off for the afternoon. The tour was perfect for me. A modern bus with air conditioning and comfortable seats. A short tour with a focused goal: to see the lakes and get back to the ship on time for sail away. The tour was awesome. I saw some incredible views and got another chance to hang with some amazing people, some of whom I won't see again for a long time. More on that later and the transformation of this contract and it's effect on the Walkabout and my personal journey. For now, enjoy some terrific views that I had the opportunity to capture with my camera and iPad. You know…sometimes it's true…I have the greatest job in the world.

View from the first photo stop on the tour

Group shot

The girls: Marissa, Suzie, and Shannon

The Hook 'Em Horns

Twin lakes. Legend says that they were formed from

the tears of a priest and princess crying while 

saying goodbye.

Dude Pic. Sam, me, Beau, and Dustin.

Group pic in front of the lakes. What a great day!

Literally chilling out

My good friend and production singer, Jamie, had a birthday yesterday. To celebrate this most joyous of occasions, another crew excursion was organized. This time, we were in St. Thomas and decided to hit one of the top tourist attractions there called Magic Ice.

Magic Ice is referred to as an "ice bar" sometimes. A building with very cold temperatures, ice sculptures, ice slide, and a bar made of ice serving drinks in glasses made of ice. Definitely a different slant for someone living in the Caribbean.

I haven't been cold in over a year, so, this was a really fun excursion for me. I spent the first 5 minutes or so of the time in the bar with my coat off. I got totally cooled down and it felt great. Almost as great as heading back outside into the warm sun of St. Thomas and warming back up again. 

Happy Birthday, Jamie. Here's to many more!

Me and Jamie.

The bus ride over. Obligatory pic.

Jamie's ready to enjoy his day!

Apparently there's a lot of "fingers in the air" pictures here.

Partial group photo.

Rockin' ice sculpture.

Creepy ice sculpture.

Sam and Kieran.

Kristian and John.

Me with ice Santa.

Polar bear.

Kristy and Kieran.

Me and Henry.

More birthday pics.