Normally I wouldn't comment about anything outside of Model Rocketry on the blog but this was pretty ridiculous!
Yesterday (Tuesday, February 26) I was to meet the Holland America Ryndam in Curacao.
My flight from Miami arrived at 4:00 p.m. I went through Immigration and got my luggage - two large instrument cases and my two suitcases of clothes and "stuff". I was tired and hot.
I got the first taxi to the ship, about 20 minutes away.
It was 5:00 when I got to the ship.
First stop, the front desk to check in.
A guest saw my cases with my name on the side. He said: "We're looking forward to the show tonight!"
My response: "Well, I'm probably on later this week." He then said: "No, according to the schedule, you are on tonight!"
Slight panic mode -
The event manager met me and said the band is in the showroom waiting to start rehearsal! The first show was in less than 1 1/2 hours at 6:30 !!!
I dropped my music scores with the band and went back downstairs to get the rest of my luggage. I wanted to hang up my tuxedo for an hour to let some wrinkles out.
The event manager stopped me again to let me know there was a life boat drill in the bridge. What? Not now! I've got rehearsal and a full show in a little more than an hour!
The life boat "drill" took an extra ten minutes as an officer showed me how to put on a life vest. (Like I haven't been through it 100 times before!)
I ran downstairs to the showroom an did a quick rehearsal with the band. Luckily a few of them knew my act.
Upstairs for the quickest shower of my life and into the tux.
No time for dinner. Back downstairs at 6:25 for a quick tuning of the banjo.
The show started at 6:30.
Sorry, show business is far from glamorous.
Sometimes they don't pay me for doing a show - they pay me for showing up!
Seems pretty normal to me.
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