There are a million things to be said about these times, some personal, some political. I'm going to focus on the personal.
We've each of dealt with the situation in our own way. I'm vaccinated -- I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two days before they pulled it off the market for a week, due to issues with people getting blood clots. (Fun, fun, fun!) Nevertheless, of the five of us living in the house, I'm the one who, for various reasons (some health-related, some not) has chosen to maintain the most isolation from the outside world. This has been relatively easy to do -- I was 95% working from home before the pandemic.
I've joked that the pandemic has brought me just within reach of my lifelong dream of becoming a housebound agoraphobe. Like most jokes, there's a lot of truth living in the heart of this one. I'm someone who has always found the world to be something of an unpleasant and dangerous place, and these days, it feels more dangerous than ever.
It's not that I never go out. I run out to do my necessary errands (banking, doctor's appointments, the pharmacy, and all that) at least a couple of times a week. And because the family has had some car issues, I often find myself driving my daughter to and from work, etc.
But even when I go out, the vast majority of things I do can be and are accomplished from the comfort of my car. I pretty much never go into large crowds anymore, and I'm just fine with that. I've eaten out on rare occasions, and while I've enjoyed them, I'm fine that it's a once-in-awhile thing. Some of this is out of health concerns -- having been hospitalized for 5 days with pneumonia earlier this year, I'm certainly in no rush to catch COVID. I sort of enjoy breathing. If I'm honest, though, a lot of my hermit-like existence has been by preference. The pandemic has simply provided a rationale for it.
But even a curmudgeon such as myself needs to find strategies and pastimes to deal with being home so much of the time. And God knows regular TV has been little to no help. I find most TV and most movies pretty much unwatchable these days. It seems that rather than simply entertaining, Hollywood has now mostly taken to preaching, loudly and in the most obnoxious ways. And if I enjoyed being preached at, the churches might have seen a whole lot more of me over the years.
So what have I been amusing myself with these last 18 months? Mostly, just a few tried and true staples.
One of these has been All Elite Wrestling (AEW). I've always been an on-again/off-again wrestling fan over the years. I've tried to explain to Denise that wrestling is like soap opera for guys -- there are heroes and villains, storylines, heartbreak, betrayals, etc. And since AEW rose up to challenge Vince McMahon and the WWE's supremacy two years ago, I've mostly been on board. I watch the Wednesday night AEW Dynamite show religiously. (At least I'm religious about something!). And my daughter and I have made a tradition of watching the AEW pay per view shows every couple of months. And AEW has a number of other ongoing shows, podcasts, etc. to keep me amused.
Another staple has naturally been music. As you guys have probably deduced from this music blog, music has always been a huge part of my life. I obviously haven't been going out to live shows, although Denise started finding '80s cover bands by the end of last summer, and she's been going to shows and concerts ever since.
But I've made do with a mix of new and old recorded music, the occasional live concert broadcast on YouTube or Facebook, and a variety of recorded concerts on YouTube.
And as a matter of fact, YouTube has become a major part of my leisure watching. I watch videos on a variety of topics - travel, politics and culture, pro wrestling, horror films, etc.
At some point early last year, prior to the pandemic, there was an episode of AEW Dynamite that took place on a cruise ship, which I loved. And although I haven't been on a cruise since 2017, one way I coped during these COVID days was to live vicariously through a number of YouTube cruise vloggers.
And this finally brings me up to what I wanted to write about today -- the 2022 80's Cruise out of Port Canaveral, Florida next March.
As some of you might know, Denise and my son were on the 80's Cruise in March of 2020 when the world came to a stop. Denise was originally supposed to go with a friend -- I chose to pass, for work and other reasons. And when her friend cancelled due to health concerns (as the whole COVID thing was just starting to ramp up), my son stepped in, mostly to look out for his Mom.
So the two of them were at sea the day Governor Cuomo closed down Broadway. Obviously, it was a nervous time for the rest of us here at home, hoping they'd get back without issue. (She likes to scare me, my Denise. She was in a hospital in Manhattan when the attack occurred on 9/11/2001. There's a reason my hair is gray.) Luckily, they made it without a hitch, and neither had caught COVID.
Denise was already registered for the 80's Cruise scheduled for March of 2021, but the company wisely cancelled it early on and moved everyone's registration to the 2022 cruise. And since I figured for sure the whole COVID thing would be over by March of 2022 (eat your heart out, Nostradamus!), I told her I'd go with her this time.
So now here we are, 6 months ahead of sail time, and while things are better, the picture for March is still far from clear -- will the pandemic rear up again this winter? Will things be way better by then? Not even The Shadow knows.
Now if that ship sails come March, one thing I know for sure -- Denise will be on it if she has to swim there.
When the cruise company offered refunds last month, we had a conversation about it. I pointed out some of the negatives of cruising, including increased testing and masking requirements (these had eased off a bit on cruise ships earlier this year, but thanks to the Delta variant, they're now stricter than ever); our own health risks, according to the CDC; the risks of sailing to countries that are now on the CDC warning lists; the risks of flying, crammed into a plane the way these bastard airlines like to cram you in there (and to be honest, I'm a lot less concerned about the health risks of being on a cruise ship, with all that open space, than I am of flying all squashed up in a plane). I thought for sure my calm logic would sway her. She responded by booking our flights a few days later. So much for refunds.
The truth is, I have an out, if I really want it. While I'd never send Denise on this trip alone in these times, if I really wanted him to, my son indicated he'd step in in a minute. (And why not? Free cruise!). And even though she has a job to contend with, I think my daughter would even be willing to step in and pinch hit for me. (She even likes 80s music, which my son could care less about.) So if I really want it, I have an out.
But here's the thing. Do I really want it?
When we first booked the cruise, it was so far away that I was totally psyched about it. Then, as the months wore on and this stupid disease refused to go away, I started having doubts. These increased over the last few months, as cruise regulations got more strict. When cruising first started up again, vaccinated people were supposed to be getting a pass -- no masks, no testing, etc. if you were vaccinated. (And while it was far from my only consideration, I'd be lying if I said that taking this cruise wasn't one of the several factors that made me decide to take the vax in the first place.)
Anyway, I came to a realization this week -- one of the reasons I'm on the fence about things is that even in non-COVID times, I have a slightly mixed feeling about cruising. This is why I didn't go last year, and why I haven't cruised since 2017. The truth is this -- I LOVE everything about cruising, and I HATE everything you have to do before you get on the ship. Masks and tests and booster shots are just the most recent additions to this. But I HATE flying and the airlines (and most cruises leave out of Florida); I hate the anxiety of getting on a flight on time, getting to the ship on time, wondering do we have all the documentation we need, etc.; and I HATE the whole process of getting onto a cruise ship, going from line to line, dealing with nasty cruise terminal employees (who are NOT employed by the cruise line, but by the port, fyi), etc. Beam me from my living room to deck of the cruise ship and I'm there in a second. Make me go through all that rigamarole, and suddenly I'm a lot less sure.
But with all of those things I hate, this week I started remembering the things I LOVE, including:
1. The cruise itself -- the worst cruise I ever went on was still great. I love it all -- the rocking of the ocean, the entertainment, the food, the chance to see some places I've never seen before (although last time, I was perfectly happy never leaving the ship) -- it's all great! If I had the money to retire on a cruise ship, I'd seriously consider it. And;
2. In this case, the music. I have no idea what the final lineup will look like. On the last 80's cruise, they lost several acts that were afraid to sail, due to the COVID, including the headliners, The B-52s. And this cruise has already lost one its best acts, The Alarm. So I don't know who else might cancel, assuming the cruise even takes place (which I think it will, but I'm not sure.)
But right now, the lineup includes The Human League (this year's headliners), plus Flock of Seagulls (yeah, I know these days it's just Mike with some other randos, but I don't care -- I fricking LOVE Flock of Seagulls!), Belinda Carlise (and The Go-Go's were always another one of my favorite 80s bands), and Berlin. (Just try to tell me "The Metro" wasn't one of the great songs of the 80's and I'll laugh right in your face.)
Other bands I enjoy that are currently booked on the cruise include Modern English, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Gene Loves Jezebel (who was one of the substitutes for The Alarm) and John Parr. ("I can feel St. Elmo's fire/Burnin' in me!")
And bands that I'm less into personally, but that are certainly beloved by many, include ABC (Denise is one of the many, and they do put on a great show), 38 Special, Morris Day & The Time, The Dire Straits Legacy (but sans Mark Knopfler), Dramarama, The Sugarhill Gang (shoot me now), and Johnny Hates Jazz (me too, Johnny). There will also be a number of respected 80's tribute and cover bands on board. And Larry the Duck will be there! As well as Lori Majewski, who I also like.
So what do I do? Do I focus on the health risks and all of the pain in the ass things I hate dealing with, or do I focus on the cruise itself (on the beautiful Mariner of the Seas), the music and the fun time with Denise. (Vs. the need not to ruin Denise's good time with my grumpiness, which is always something I have to try to hold in check.)
Hell, even I don't know. It will be as much of a surprise to me as it will to you.
And if you bastards are checking out the date and hoping to come and rob my house, think again suckers! My son (who's built like a lumberjack), my daughter and my daughter's Taekwondo-practicing boyfriend will still be home, so come get some! (Or is it Muay Thai that he practices? I always forget, but whatever, I wouldn't mess with him. Even though he won't take my advice and use a can opener to win his matches like the great wrestling villains of my youth.) So yeah! How about that?
Anyway, the plan is that this cruise will be my big return to writing about live music. (And the crowd rejoiced. Yay.) But we'll have to see how it works out. I'll let you know as we get closer to the date, faithful readers. Until then, stay safe out there.
