Freedom!

The Two-Armed Bandit

First up, the cast came off on Friday. I’m icing it down a couple times a day and doing physical therapy exercises to get the swelling down and the range of motion back, but it’s off, and I’m overjoyed.

Not a lot of pictures from this last cruise. It was another 5-day run, Miami to Cozumel to Grand Cayman. This was our first non-holiday cruise, and it was an incredibly different crowd. The passengers were young, enthusiastic, and an amazing audience. All four shows killed, especially the adult show, which I think we’ve finally gotten the hang of. This one actually ran about 10 minutes long, and they would have been with us for another 30.

One of the volunteers for the first improv show is a student at American University, where I went to college. Apparently my old group, Mission Improvable (or, as it’s now known in improv circles, “Mission Improvable, no, not that one, the college improv group at American University”) is still kicking around, and the campus television station is as boring as ever. Ah, continuity.

It’s amazing how much of a wimp this gig makes you. I almost typed the sentence “This was a pretty busy week”, until I realized I was talking about working 11 hours over a five-day period. It’s like moving to LA and the weather. You could have moved from Ice Station Zebra, but, after two weeks, you’ll still find yourself going, “Sweet Christ it’s freezing. It must be like 60 degrees outside.”

When we hit Miami at the end, I hopped in a cab and headed out to the doctor. The X-Rays looked OK, so they used the highest available medical technology and took a circular saw to my arm. I understand the guy’s a doctor and all, but when you see someone attempting to take a rotating sawblade to your arm, your natural response it a healthy, Darwin-approved urge to get the hell out of there.

Fortunately, it all went well. I picked up a splint from the boat doctor, listened to his method of explaining all medical diagnoses or prescriptions using beer, and took the first normal shower I’ve had in a month. And all was right with the world.