$19 burgers are worth it for the fast WiFi

Alright, we're in the middle of Cruise #3, en route to Sydney, leaving New Zealand behind for good before we start heading north into SE Asia and beyooooond!

 

 Shows are going fine, we're settling into the routines of life on the ship pretty well, but it's always a new adventure every day. So, basically, it's standard shiplife. :) I have had many an adventure since my last post, not the least of which was checking  a biggie off my Bucket List: SKYDIVING!

Hi/Sorry, mom!

A bunch of us rabble crew members spent the afternoon in Tauranga, NZ voluntarily being flown up to 10,000 ft and jumping out of plane. I know what a cloud tastes like now!!! ...is a sentence I never thought I'd say.

It was a really incredible eperience, and to be honest, it wasn't nearly as frightening as I thought it was going to be. Don't get it twisted, I was scared. More so on the flight up, as my tandem partener's altimeter kept going up and up. the scariest part was just after when this photo was taken, as I was leaning out over the nothingness while Sam unlatched us from the safety line on the plane. Once we started to free fall (30 full seconds!), I honestly didn't get the sensation you associate with falling. In fact, i felt like I was the only solid, still thing in the world, and that everything else was moving around me. I saw our shadow on the top of a cloud, surrounded by a rainbow halo, and we dropped through a cloud before he pulled the parachute and we drifted peacefully down to earth, with just the slightest little bump on landing. Floating above Tauranga like a goddess was the most wonderful feeling, like being on those swings at carnivals with your feet dangling in the air. It was really incredible! 

I'll post the video one of these days, but in the meantime, if you've flirted with the idea of doing it, DO IT! You'll thank yourself for it, no doubt.

I was also lucky to share this eperience with my new special guy, who jumped right after I did.

Oh yeah, that's another pretty big adventure I've been having on the ship.

and by "big", I mean "he's a 6'2" Danish viking"

That is Andreas, our lighting tech for the shows. We've been together for a few weeks now, and it has been just lovely. It's nice to be able to share these eperiences with someone special like that...kind of the icing on the great big cake that is cruising through Australia and New Zealand. I'm blushing a bit typing this, so I'll leave it at that, but I thought I'd share a bit of my happiness here. This was all pretty unexpected, but I'm a very happy girl. I had quite a spectacular Valentine's Day, that's for sure!

I've been getting a bit better at hosting tables for dinner, which is one of our duties as cast members. The nervousness I felt before was stemming more from my theory that most people don't want to start up conversations with total strangers, but the guests here have been really lovely, and conversations have come easily. Also, I get to borrow stunning jewelry worth more than my life from the shops on board, to help them sell the pieces. So far, I've worn these:

Life. She is le hard.

I'm sorry this is going to be a bit of a shorter post, but I'm getting antsy in this bar and mama's got errands to run!

Hope you're all doing well, and lots of "aroha" as the Maori say--to you and yours!

5 shows, 16 days, and 3 time zones later...

...we are DONE with our installation!!

What. A. Whirlwind.

...sometimes in a very literal sense.

We have had some incredibly smooth days of sailing, we've had insanely rough seas (during which I discovered that my cabin is directly above the anchors. That was a loooooooooong night), we've had a few blissful hours on honest-to-god dry land, but most importantly, we've had a very warm reception from crew and guests alike.

We had a bit of an Entertainment Department shindig after our final show performance last night, and we were lauded not only for our strong shows, but also for adapting so well to ship life and for remaning a good team through it all. The newbies (Heather, Meredith, and Anthony) were especially mentioned for getting into the swing of things as well as they have. I know we'll all really feel settled and calmer as these cruises go on, but I remember what my first few weeks on board my first ship were like, and I can definitely say that this install has been a CAKEWAKE in comparison, and we are all very fortunate for that.

My life on this Seabourn ship is a bit different from life on Holland America Line, mostly in the sense that we as cast member are epected to really be visible and chatty with the guests. The guests love that type of one-to-one interaction, especially since these cruises are so long (16 days for this last one!), but it also definitely gets reflected in the responses we get at the shows. We received our first standing ovation last night after Rock at the Opera, and I'm willing to bet it's partly because we finally got to get around the ship in the last few days and really meet some of the guests and boogie down with them in the club, etc.

Also, partly because we were AWESOME.

I'm just sayin'.

So, now that all our shows have been put on their feet, our production manager Judy will leave us tomorrow in Sydney (OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO BE IN SYDNEY TOMORROW) and we will split our time between performing and socializing with every new batch of guests on board. I'm really looking forward to this adventure, but I have to admit that this social epectation is a little daunting for me—I've always had a hard time with breaking the ice with strangers and trying to walk that fine line between being pushy and being friendly. Tomorrow night will be my first eperience hosting a table of guests in the dining room, but luckily, I'm co-hosting with Anthony, who is MUCH more at ease about this than I am. I know this will get easier as time goes on, but I would honestly rather do an hour of stand-up comedy than embarrass myself at a table full of classy strangers.

Okay, that's dramamtic.

Maybe only a HALF hour of stand-up.

We've been meeting some really great fellow crew members since we got on, and we've been getting a really good vibe from the crew in general. I don't sense a lot of drama or discontent (yet), so that' heartening. It will be nice to not have rehearsals every day now, and we'll get to spend more time really integrating ourselves into the ship's family.

It hasn't been all work work work, though...I did actually get the chance to get off for a few hours in Oban and in Melbourne, so I can now officially say that I have been in Australia! So far, I don't have much to report, but that could partly be because I'm so just overwhelmed to think that this is not a dream, and that I am actually in the Southern Hemisphere. And thank goodness, too...my tan faded something fierce whiel I was in England, and I am indesperate need of my crispy bown summer coat before “autumn” sets in down here. Of course, I'll be in Thailand and India by the time that actually happens, and I don't think that autumn there is quite what it is in, say, New York City, but all the same... the sun down here is certainly stronger than in the Northern Hemisphere, so I've had to bump up my sunscreen SPF, but it is SO worth it to be able to feel the sun on my back in the middle of JANUARY. Still so so bizarre.

That's really all for now, but I promise that future blog posts will be far less technical and far more full of adventures and shenanigans—I'm actually considering taking a crew tour to visit the set for Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings movies in Tauranga. Should be fun!

Here's our upcoming itinerary, through February 11. Cool!!

Hope you're all well!!

Cabin 1503

I. AM. HERE!

proof!

I am sitting on my bed, in my little cabin on the 5^th deck, port side of the beautiful Seabourn Odyssey, with the early New Zealand sunshine filtering through my porthole, and simply feeling blessed. People in my profession have a tendency to overuse or misuse that word, but I truly cannot think of any other adjective to describe the sense of fullness and relief I have been waking up with for the past two days.

Or maybe it's the jet lag.

We are in the midst of the installation of our five shows, and I am feeling very confident about this cast and our amazing crew. We are in the very capable and seasoned hands of Judy “Judes” Cheesman, who is essentially ou production manager for this process. She has been installing shows for BK for many moons, and she knows these shows, this ship, and this crew like the back of her hand. For the past two days, we've been teching through our first show, BRAVO (which we perform TONIGHT!!), and it has been a shockingly smooth process. Judes is efficient, professional, calm, and just everything you could possibly want in someone who is handling all the logistics of our existence on this ship. We had our first dress run of BRAVO last night, and we received high praise from both Judes and Jeff, our audio master/lead tech. And more importantly, we were done at 5pm!! After my experiences with Holland America ships, the concept of not having to do midnight rehearsals is just baffling.

After tech yesterday, I went out on Deck 11 aft, which is the reserved crew area, to do a bit of sunbathing. I only made it for a few minutes because the wind got a bit chill, but it was worth it to feel the warm sun on my back after being inside almost all day and—more severely—in the English winter, where daylight was a thing that happened to other people. I'm still feeling a little dream-like, what with the summer heat and the sunshine til late evening...I'm convinced I'm going to wake up some morning and discover that I'm actually still in Northampton, or New York, or Upland! But then the G-force of the ship rocking on the ocean waves reminds me that, no, this is real, and I am indeed in the Southern Hemisphere. On purpose, even! That same G-force put me to sleep at around 7 last night, and I didn't wake up til about 6:30 this morning. This whole crossing the International Date Line and being 13 hours ahead of GMT is a liiiiiiiiiiiiiittle disorienting!

Pictured: my internal clock[s]

Speaking of waking up, here's a pic of my cabin!

Though she be but little, she is fierce!

I'll upload the rest when I'm not on lackluster satellite internet in the middle of the ocean, I promise.

That's it for now! Think some good thoughts for us at whatever 10:00pm Auckland time is for you, and lots of love to you all!

Four Jolly Ex-Pats, Three Days of Rain, Two Holidays, and a Partridge in a Pear Treeeeeeeee.....

Christmas and Boxing Day have come and gone, and now that the dust has settled, I can say that despite the obvious bummer that I am 5,000 miles away from my family, our little foursome of ex-patriots did pretty darn well for ourselves.

Chris, Annabel, and Meredith have family in England, so they left us on Christmas Eve after a blissfully shortened rehearsal day (out at 1pm!). We missed having them here, but we still had a nice Christmas.

We woke up late (!) on Christmas morning, then mosied on down to the kitchen for some freshly brewed coffee and Bailey's--both of which were luxuries. I finally broke down and just ordered a 10-cup coffee maker from Amazon because I just could NOT deal any longer with the terrible instant coffee here, nor with the substitution of tea. The American in me dies hard! While we caffeinated ourselves, I made Scotch eggs, Anthony and Heather made blueberry pancakes, and Dima cheered us on from the table. We settled upstairs with our breakfast and some Christmas tunes, then opened up the small gifties we'd gotten for each other. I continuted the Linberg tradition of putting lottery tickets in the stockings, and two of my castmates won £2 each!

After some family Skype time, we reunited in the early evening for an etravaganza of appetizers...crudites, roulades, homemade spanakopita, a bounty of cheese, and many a bottle of wine. We finished off the night with mince pies and chocolate yule log, tea, and Love Actually on DVD. It was a wonderfully relaing day all around, and we were grateful for it.

We were also grateful for the novelty of waking up late TWO days in a row! We spent the afternoon lazing about and doing a bit of post-Christmas shopping, then we got all dolled up to have a feast at the home our boss, Belinda King herself! She had invited us over about a week ago, and we were all a bit nervous about the whole situation, but it turned out be a delightful evening.

Plus, we clean up pretty good.

...some old habits die hard. You can put lipstick on a pig...

BK cooked us a full-on spread, with turkey, gravy, roasted veggies, stuffing, mince pies, cakes, cheeses, wine, champagne, the whole nine yards. Her home was lovely, her children were wonderful company, and it was just such a kind gesture to essentially adopt the four of us for the night. We came home with full bellies and happy hearts.

We had our final vocal rehearsal today with our MD (Musical Director) Andy, and we were all sad to leave the building with him for the last time. He has been an absolute treasure ever since Day One, and we have been trying to devise wily plans to get him a paid visit out to the Odyssey. Unfortunately, the only way that would happen is if our vocals became horrendously awful all of a sudden, and I think the repercussions for that might not include a trip for our beloved Andy...

From here on out, we are very lucky to have work weeks that are broken up into no more than three consecutive days, due to New Year's Day and our usual Sundays off. It's mental to think that we will be flying out in just 11 short days!!! We still have a couple of numbers to learn, but for the most part our days will consist of cleaning and tweaking our shows until they sparkle and shine, ready to put in front of our audiences on the Odyssey. It's also crazy to think we'll be in the dead of summer in 11 days as well...so long, winter coat, helloooooooo sorely-missed tan!!!

Toodles for now!

When the Moon is in the Seventh House

WOW, ok...so it's been over two weeks since my last post. Sorry 'bout that..

But it has been NUTS here. And I'm not just referring to the pistachios this cast seems to eat by the barrel (no but seriously, we eat pistachios like it's our job). I'm talking 6-day marathons of information being funneled into our brains and bodies, both of which seem to have dipped from 100% functionality to about 60%, three dress runs, costume fittings, re-blocks, company meetings, ship talks....I just CAN'T EVEN.

cue dramatic placement of the back of the hand to forehead, aaaaaaaand collapse.

It's really been a whirlwind, and I'm pretty sure I've eaten more chocolate in the last two weeks than I have in the last two years, but I feel like we've been in survival mode since my last post. Today marks the LAST day of the 6-day work weeks, which we are all grateful for. From here on out, our weeks are broken up by our traditional Sundays off, as well as Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. Now, I am aware 6 days is the norm, and I've done them in the past, but I don't know...maybe it's the amount of material, maybe it's the cold, maybe it's being in a foreign country, or maybe it's the fruitless hunt for decent coffee that has made this particular rehearsal process a doozie. We're doing some great work, and it's always eciting to see a show really come together, and I am SO utterly grateful for the cast I have, but--to use a Britishism--I will be WELL PLEASED to pop onto the Odyssey in the middle of a Southern Hemisphere summer and just get these shows up and running.

Of the five-and-a-half shows our cast will perform, we have learned all the music, have learned the choreography for four, and have performed two in their entirety and in full costumes/makeup/hair for Belinda. The big news from that side is that Belinda is happy with our cast as a whole, and I cannot express to you how much of a relief it was to hear her give us the thumbs up. Not to say that we have rested on our laurels or felt like we don't still have a lot of work ahead of us, but to get the Stamp of Approval right off the bat was a huge accomplishment, and not one she gives out lightly. I am so proud to be a part of this group of uber-talented and all-around lovely folks, and I cannot wait to start our globe-trotting adventures in just a few short weeks (two-and-a-half, not that I'm counting.)

Apparently just writing about all this is starting to tire me out, so I'll try to wrap this up...

Outside of work (surprisingly, we don't just collapse in a useless heap EVERY time we come home), some of us took a daytrip into London last Sunday for Heather's 26th birthday. We had a wonderful day ambling around the city. It was especially lovely to see Anthony getting to see some of the big landmarks for the very first time--I will never forget the look on his face when we turned the corner from Whitehall Street and he saw Big Ben for the first time. There are few things more heartwarming than seeing someone you care about get excited about something you love.

We topped off our day with high tea at the Metropolitan hotel, and we ate outrageously delicious food and drank delicious cocktails and tea and just generally felt fabulous for a couple of hours.

also, this happened.

So that's about it for now, I'll try not to go two weeks without updating next time!!

Also, Dima is cooking us a Ukranian feast tonight, and I cannot WAIT to get a slice of "Fish in a Fur Coat". I have NO CLUE what it is, but I bet it's enormous and very very tasty and has something to do with fish.
#multicultural

Toodles!!!

3 Libras, 2 Geminis, an Saggitarius and a Virgo walk into a bar...

Sooooo....it's been about a week since my last post, hasn't it? Time is flying...

I feel a lot has happened since last week and yet very little has happened at the same time. It's hard to describe, I guess. Maybe it's just in contrast to the feeling of waking up in a new country every day, so the day-to-day travails here in Northampton seem to be unworthy of mention. And then I look back and think, no...we've put almost two whole shows up in a week, as well as vocally learned four.

My work ethic is impeccable, though it does require a lot of chocolate breaks.

 That's quite a lot of progress in not a whole lot of time. According to our music director and choreographer, we seem to be ahead of schedule and picking things up really quickly. They seem quite  pleased with us as a cast as well, which I think will serve us well when Belinda comes back to the studio.

Which is Monday.

Commence mild panic attacks...

But on many happier notes:

We had Thanksgiving!!
It was a total success, and everyone came away with full bellies and happy hearts. Especially for us four Americans, I think it was a nice way to make what could have been a homesick and lonely experience into a very positive and festive one. And personally, I'm such a sucker for introducing outsiders to things I love, so it was such a treat to see Dima and Chris so happy with everything that came out of that night. Perhaps we have a couple of converts..? :)

It was back to work as usual on Black Friday--which is apparently a thing in England as well! I was so supriursed to see signs touting their BF sales, and I couldn't help but wonder why on earth they would mark the same day as Americans for the beginning of Christmas shopping?/ England is full of mysetries.

On Saturday night, right after rehearsal, I successfully navigated the British Rail system and made it to the Young Vic theater in London's West End to see the my marvelous friend Kyle star in The Scottsboro Boys. The production was incredible, very moving, and a total workout for the entire cast! I don't envy the people in the front row/splash zone, let's just say. I had fabulous seats (thanks, Kyle!), and got to share many a congratulatory beverage with him afterwards...not only because of the success of Scottsboro (sold out through the rest of the run!), but because Kyle will be making his BROADWAY DEBUT as Enjolras in the revival of Les Miz coming back to Broadway this season. I know what I'M going to be spending some of my hard-earned cruise ship money on when I get back to NY!

Cuz nothin' says "welcome home!" quite like seeing your friends slung dead over a barricade.

Sunday morning I had the pleasure of gallivanting around London with Peter and Sue White, whom I've known since I was a wee lass. They are two of the kindest, funniest, sweetest people around, and I'm so fortunate that we were in town at the same time. I got a great walking tour of London, had delicious cheeses, drank a tot or two of tasty wine, and just generally had a grand ol' time. It was a little bizarre to be touring London again after having not been there for 11 years. Very little came back to my memory, much to my displeasure. BUT, it meant I got to experience everything almost as if it were the first time, so it was still completely magical.

I mean....c'mon. Trafalgar Square at sunset. MAGICAL.

So after that fabulous weekend, it was back to Northampton and learning and dancing and singing and laughing and drinking far too much tea and just getting back down to the grind. It's been so nice to have the full company together, and I am a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit infatuated with our dancers. They are so graceful and gorgeous, and I have been entranced to the point of distraction more than a few times during run-throughs.

wheeeeeeeeeee!

Ugh. Stunners.

 So that's pretty much it from the homefront. We finish staging our second show tomorrow, have Saturday to drill it in, and then have a glorious day off on Sunday. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time to update then.

Lots of love to you all!

And Dima makes Seven

Our little family is complete!

Anabel met us at the studio in the afternoon, and Dima's visas from the Ukraine arrived and he flew in this afternoon. Having them at last in the house was like suddenly finding those last two little missing pieces of a puzzle turn up under the couch when you're vacuuming.

You can totally tell that piece is a dancer...it has a killer point. :-D

Hmm.

Maybe I should have re-thought that analogy.

Whatever. YAY, OUR DANCERS ARE HERE!!

So, since they were supposed to have started last week while all us singers were learning music, they have quite a lot to catch up on starting tomorrow. Which actually works out well for the rest of us, since we had our first day of choreography today and it would behoove us to have a day to let it really get into our bones. This is pretty much the first time I've been in a cast that is primarily populated with singers, so a lot of the jazzysnazzy staging falls on our shoulders. I've always prided myself on being a pretty good mover for a singer, but it actually is a bit exciting/daunting to know that we're going to be basically carrying the shows. So far the choreo hasn't been overly complicated or taxing, but there is a decent amount to learn and not get confused with other bits of other songs and oh also sing flawless 5-part harmony and/or belt my face off. It is a challenge I very very willingly accept. As usual, my cast is staying on top of everything like a bunch of champions, and we surprised our choreographer by how much we managed to learn and at least semi-gracefully bumble through today. It gives me high hopes (DANGER! DANGER!) to think that once Belinda King herself returns to the UK and actually gets a chance to see us perform, that she'll be--as the Brits say--"well pleased."

Lord, that reminds me...I'm so tickled to be hearing all this new British vocabulary. Some I knew already (lorry=truck), some make me stop to think for a second (half seven=7:30, not 6:30), and some make no damn sense at all (pudding=dessert, custard=pudding, creme gelatine=custard or something, and I can't find sugar-free Jell-o mix anywhere! this is wrong. wrong wrong wrong.). On the other hand, I did discover today that the Brits say "sh*t hot", whereas we say "hot sh*t", and frankly, that just amused everyone. We're building bridges here, people. #diplomacy

Oh, and I have SO been loving the picture the Euros have of us Americans. So far we as individuals seem to be well-received, but it does dampen the spirit a bit to see "People of Walmart" become the standard by which all Americans are measured.

I mean, these are some majestic creatures.

Though maybe this does us a service...the standard is set SO low that we can very easily impress the rest of the populace, simply by showering and having the ability to string full sentences together. Go us.

In an effort to ingratiate American culture to our own possibly disenchanted Euros, we are doing Thankgiving tomorrow!! I joke..we collaborated as a cast and put together a pretty traditional menu: turkey "joints" (sort of a de-boned half bird? kinda?), gravy (homemade and jarred), cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet/regular potatoes, brussels sprouts, biscuits, and a pear/rum-soaked sultana cobbler. And wine. Much wine. Anabel, though a Brit, actually lived in Florida for a few years, so she's excited to get a proper Thanksgiving again, but Chris and Dima (as far as I know) have NEVER had one, and it's always a thrill to get to introduce the greatest of all American holidays to newbies.

You were a close second, National Talk Like a Pirate Day.

I'll definitely be missing my family tomorrow, as I'm sure all the ex-pats will, but to have a lovely meal with lovely people will be a decent substitute. Also, COBBLER.

That's all for now, gotta go review choreo for one show and music for two others.

I love being busy...especially this kind of busy. It's bliss.