it's all about the music (and not losing your laminex)

Last Wednesday, I simultaneously ran out of cash and internet credit and had to wait for today (pay day) to buy more.

.I spent eight days without ANY internet access. That’s the most time I’ve gone without using internet in the last 12 years. It was slightly less terrifying than I thought, however, because I am so completely busy all the time that I haven’t had time to miss it (although it is pretty much my only connection to the outside world).

This week has been really interesting because Mark’s parents are on board. They are very nice (and very british) and we have had a lot of fun showing them the ports. It also means that Mark has been off every port this week, so we get to hang out together on three different ports this week – just like the good old days (3 weeks ago) when we were in port manning partners.

I think I am going to ask (in a few weeks) if we can go back to being In Port Manning partners again – it was such a shame we got swapped when Mark and I are besties.

This week was also cool because I have done A LOT of hosting. Trivias, Pool games, Paper flower making and (most excitingly) my own game show (that I came up with) called “it’s all about the music”.

My game show is pretty much a music trivia but a bit more exciting in that people bring down their answers aftery every question and we make them yell out answers & read out stupid answers etc. My game show has 3 sections – one where I play a song and they have to name the artist and the title, one where I flash a picture of a musician on the screen and people write down their names and one where my assistant gargles a song and they have to guess what it is – I had 25 teams this week! Next week I’m gonna play ukulele as well!

CD (that’s Tim, the Cruise director – he gets called “CD” – all cruise directors do) watched this week and said he was impressed – which is cool.

I have decided I really really want a promotion - Barbara is a great roommate but I want my own room. I am doing as much work as the ACDs (some of them anyway) so I’m really going to push for a promotion this cruise by doing as much as I can and not holding back. I’m really good at this job and really motivated to do well. Today I’m getting together some crosswords to do up a “crosswords @ sea” for the library. I’m also going to pick CD’s brain to help improve my gameshow.

I was really scared the other day because I almost committed the ultimate sin on a cruise ship- I lost my laminex (or thought I did). The laminex is the photo ID you must carry with you when you get off the ship and put in the IPM board when you are on IPM. It is basically a sacred piece of plastic. If you lose it, it is a BIG DEAL- obviously creating a security risk for the whole ship (what if someone picks it up and uses it to gain unauthorised access to the ship?).

Anyway, I was rushing to get my production notes printed for my gameshow & gather all the equipment I needed for my slideshow, and I don’t know, I must have been emptying out my bag in the office. My laminex was on the desk and I SOMEHOW seem to have piled 3 decks of cards (prizes) on top of it. I must have decided I didn’t need the cards and pushed them against the wall in the corner of the desk, with my laminex underneath.

The next day, I realised it was gone. I looked for it for six hours, experienced the seven stages of grieving and finally came to accept that I was going to get a written warning (pretty much the worst thing you can get- stays on your record for 3 contracts- and if you get 3 you are OUT).

I bumped into the music manager in the corridor and mentioned my problem.
“Terry, I’ve lost my laminex”
terry- “umm, no you haven’t – you stashed it in the office”
me- (in disbelief)”I searched there for 2 hours today – it’s not there”
terry- “well it’s there, I knocked over some cards and saw it underneath – I thought you were hiding it there for some reason”.

!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOSH! THE RELIEF! AMAZING! I would not have found it until someone cleaned up the office (which is pretty clean so probably an even that is quite far off).
WHAT A NARROW ESCAPE. Want a promotion, not a disembark!