Be My Valentine

Every cruise there is a Not-So-Newlywed show which consists of married couples getting up on stage and answering questions about each other.  For this cruise, and ironically because it was only a few days before Valentine’s Day, only two couples volunteered to play.  Therefore, by default, Jason and I played as well.  I will preface this next part by saying that we were not expecting to play.  We won of course, even though technically we were ineligible to win.  The points we won were split between the two other couples. 

First the boys were asked to leave the room and the wives answered questions about their husbands.  I did very well and got them all right, hooray me!  Then the wives were asked to leave the room while their husbands answered questions.  Jason got them all right as well, much to my chagrin, as one of the questions was “What color underwear is your wife wearing right now?”  Any guesses as to what the answer was and why I can no longer pass any guest without them making comments about my panties?  Superman.  That’s right, they were red and blue superman underwear with the slogan “This looks like a job for superman” on the back.  My knickers were the hit of the show.

I mention this story because a few days later for Valentine’s Day I decided to do something very romantic for my husband, something he has always wanted to do…skydiving.  Yes I took him skydiving and since my superman underwear were residing in the laundry, naturally I wore my batman underwear.  He loved it…the skydiving, not the underwear, although he thinks the underwear are cute. 

I will never skydive again.  Not ever!  It was so unbelievably scary.  I planned it as a surprise for Jason.  Julian and Matt, the two other male singers on our ship went with us.  I do have to thanks Julian for setting everything up, as I almost hyperventilated every time I even thought about it.  We skydived in Melbourne, Australia over the beach and it was absolutely beautiful.  I had plenty of time to enjoy the view while plummeting towards the earth.  

We jumped from 14,000 feet in a tiny bright green eight-seated plane.  We jumped in tandem with people who have done it before.  The only reason I actually jumped after having watching everyone before me as they were ripped out of the plane and tossed to the wind is that the man who I was strapped to in tandem was much stronger than I was.  When my questing hands and feet found no hold, I didn’t have a choice but to succumb to one of the craziest things I’ve ever done in life.  Now I’ve checked it off my list, even though it was never on my list to begin with, and I won’t go back.  I got the video and as soon as my computer stops thwarting my uploading efforts I will be posting it for all of you to enjoy.  Yes those are my screams that you can hear over the wind and the superimposed rock music …

After the adrenaline rush of the day, we retired to the Grand Hyatt in a King’s Suite which was Jason’s gift to me.  I seriously got the best end of the gift giving that day.  There were a dozen roses, a huge tub with jets and room service awaiting me in our gigantic suite with its beautiful view.  Now that’s a good life!

The two pictures:  The first picture is the very first moment after I was pushed out of the plane.  I wanted to include it because it shows exactly how far away the ground is and how terrified (if horrible) I look.  Yes that is the ground over my left shoulder because we started out plunging head first towards the earth.  The second picture is when my parachute finally opened.  This picture hopefully captures how relieved I am, and also that I’m now willing to take in the view.  Ha!

Love from New Zealand

Sometimes I forget that it is okay to give everything to your art.  Why do I need reminders?  I have no reason to reserve energy as if I’ll need it for some greater future project.  There is no excuse for sheltering the pieces of myself that are vulnerable.  Those are the only pieces worth showing.  If I am unwilling to share completely, what am I sharing for?

A guest entertainer pianist played on board tonight.  She was absolutely stunning and excellent at piano.  If only I had practiced more…  Although, then I would have had to have done all of that practicing…

We are still in New Zealand at the moment, which is a hiker’s paradise as there are no poisonous animals or plants here.  There are lots and lots of trees of all different sorts and too many new plants for me to remember the names of.  I ran through some tall grasses the other day like I would if I were a little girl.  It was an experience I recommend to everyone.

I had to ask someone today what month is was.  That’s how much time has blurred together for me.  The sea has expressed more than its share of rockiness lately.  Last night we did our Motown show.  It was an awkward array of bodies falling into one another to the sound of Motown.  We finally got to the number where I get to sit on a stool (Tracks of my tears), and  I was very relieved to be off of my feet as they weren’t behaving well and kept threatening to pitch me onto my face.  Unfortunately, the sea sent up a giant wave and it wasn’t my feet that betrayed me, but the stool.  I “gracefully” (as described by guests witnessing my near death experience) got back up, caught the stool and resumed singing the rest of the song.  Luckily, most everyone was seasick so only about thirty guests saw my shame.

It’s been very rainy lately, but I’ve been shopping and bought some amazing dresses.  I never do that.  It’s been different, but nice.  I have been trying to decide what exactly to do for Valentine’s Day because we have an overnight in Melbourne, but we also have a deck show that night at 9PM.  I’m not sure anyone will be there and frankly I’d much rather go out for dinner than do British Invasion to an empty deck.  Hopefully it will all work out.  When we go back to Australia we will be sailing up the west coast this time.  Have you seen all the horrible floods they’ve been having?  Yes, I have been watching world news.  I know, I’m just as surprised as you are.

Someday soon, I will start writing these when I am fully awake and they will make more sense and be less stream of consciousness…but today is not that day.  I miss everyone so much!  Especially my parents whom I have been hoping to run into on facebook…hint hint.  Perhaps one day we will skype together?

 The picture above is from Auckland.  It is Jason being a painting on the waterfront.