Abandon ship!
OK, so I've been on board the Mouse's ship for a week-and-a-half now. So far... well... let's just say I FREAKIN' HATE IT! Yeah, that ought to about cover it.
For those who think I'm out having high adventure, and exploring the Caribbean... um, no.... at least not so far. I have yet to touch foot in the Bahamas, even though we've been there four times already. I'm always working. I work A TON----7 days a week, very long days. My best port trips thus far have been my two rushed trips to the Port Canaveral Walmart. Yeah... livin' the dream!
Several key parts of my job were misrepresented to me by the recruiter. I don't remember anything having been mentioned about me mopping a stage at 6AM, or about moving large/heavy sets twice a day, or about me climbing 100 foot ladders up the side of the outside main steam funnel so that I can rig stunts (am I a Rigger?!?) in the dark. Um... I thought I was the Head Audio Engineer?? Oh yeah, I guess I do that too... on the world's most complicated mixing console...on which there has been very little time to learn. At least there is Crew Bar, right? Um, yeah, there is, but one of the turbines that propels the ship is broken, and it is right under the Crew Bar. This means that all night the floor sounds/feels like it's being hit by a very large sledge hammer.... Over and over and over. It would almost drive me mad, but I'm usually just so happy to be done with work for the day that I just push it out of my mind. It's easy to push things out of your mind when you haven't had more than 4-5 hours sleep per night for the past 10 days.
OK, so I know the first few weeks of any new job are always the worst. I also know it takes a few weeks to adjust to ship life. But remember, I've been on this ride a few times before, so I do have a basis for comparison. The Mouse works you HARD. On the positive side, I do have a core group of friends here that I made during training on land. Unfortunately, none of them work in my department. I see them for little windows of time here-and-there. What else is good? Mmmmm... the shows I'm mixing are high quality.... though very much themed by The Mouse. There is wireless internet in the sound booth (for a per-minute fee), so that's good. I really can't think of any other positives at the moment.
I knew going in that I didn't want to do another ship, but I chose to do it anyways, so I guess I can only blame myself for being in this situation. I just didn't see any other way to break out of the rut I was stuck in. Maybe I was overzealous in wanting to change my life quickly? I don't know. I think about leaving all the time, and yet I'm still here. I think the problem is I don't know where I'd go or what I'd do if I left. I also know I would run out of money in a week or three.
I'm still alive, and I'm still trying. What more can any of us do really? I wake up in the early morning, and I push myself through each day---hour by hour---- through sheer force of will. Can I do it for another 6-and-a-half weeks? Probably. Will it get any better? Possibly. I hold out hope that things might turn around here. Yes, I do have hope. Jaded as I am, I always maintain some glimmer of hope.
For those who think I'm out having high adventure, and exploring the Caribbean... um, no.... at least not so far. I have yet to touch foot in the Bahamas, even though we've been there four times already. I'm always working. I work A TON----7 days a week, very long days. My best port trips thus far have been my two rushed trips to the Port Canaveral Walmart. Yeah... livin' the dream!
Several key parts of my job were misrepresented to me by the recruiter. I don't remember anything having been mentioned about me mopping a stage at 6AM, or about moving large/heavy sets twice a day, or about me climbing 100 foot ladders up the side of the outside main steam funnel so that I can rig stunts (am I a Rigger?!?) in the dark. Um... I thought I was the Head Audio Engineer?? Oh yeah, I guess I do that too... on the world's most complicated mixing console...on which there has been very little time to learn. At least there is Crew Bar, right? Um, yeah, there is, but one of the turbines that propels the ship is broken, and it is right under the Crew Bar. This means that all night the floor sounds/feels like it's being hit by a very large sledge hammer.... Over and over and over. It would almost drive me mad, but I'm usually just so happy to be done with work for the day that I just push it out of my mind. It's easy to push things out of your mind when you haven't had more than 4-5 hours sleep per night for the past 10 days.
OK, so I know the first few weeks of any new job are always the worst. I also know it takes a few weeks to adjust to ship life. But remember, I've been on this ride a few times before, so I do have a basis for comparison. The Mouse works you HARD. On the positive side, I do have a core group of friends here that I made during training on land. Unfortunately, none of them work in my department. I see them for little windows of time here-and-there. What else is good? Mmmmm... the shows I'm mixing are high quality.... though very much themed by The Mouse. There is wireless internet in the sound booth (for a per-minute fee), so that's good. I really can't think of any other positives at the moment.
I knew going in that I didn't want to do another ship, but I chose to do it anyways, so I guess I can only blame myself for being in this situation. I just didn't see any other way to break out of the rut I was stuck in. Maybe I was overzealous in wanting to change my life quickly? I don't know. I think about leaving all the time, and yet I'm still here. I think the problem is I don't know where I'd go or what I'd do if I left. I also know I would run out of money in a week or three.
I'm still alive, and I'm still trying. What more can any of us do really? I wake up in the early morning, and I push myself through each day---hour by hour---- through sheer force of will. Can I do it for another 6-and-a-half weeks? Probably. Will it get any better? Possibly. I hold out hope that things might turn around here. Yes, I do have hope. Jaded as I am, I always maintain some glimmer of hope.
posted by Todd at 9:31 AM
1 Comments:
hey there. sorry to hear that the ship isn't as hot as expected or planned, but kudos on the glimpses of optimism. i hope that things improve.
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