No Tricks, Just Treats

Saturday October 31st, 2010 - Somewhere At Sea

   Life just keeps getting better. This was by far the best week I’ve had at sea to date, and I hope it’s not the last. Everything fell into place in every way, and all I had to do was show up and ride the wave. It was almost too easy. Shows went smoothly, people were friendly, food was delicious and there were no weather problems or any other glitches to deal with.

   And as an added treat, I was able to watch every play of my beloved Green Bay Packers shutting out the New York Jets 9-0. I was pleasantly surprised to see the game pop up as I flipped through the limited amount of channels we get hoping to hit on anything besides a Paraguayan soccer match or ship instructional video. Sure enough, there was the game!

   Then, I received the unexpected super special added attraction double dip bonus delight as I got to watch the Minnesota Vikings lose and Brett Favre get himself a jaw breaker for Halloween and get toted off the field in a golf cart. I had to pinch myself, but it was real.

   Life does indeed go in streaks and when it’s good it’s great. When it’s bad, it’s absolute hell on Earth. I wish there could be a little moderation, but that never seems to be part of the equation. It’s all or nothing, but this week has been leaning toward the all. I‘ll take it.

   To make it all even better, I spent most of yesterday and today working on my plans for 2011. I am putting together a master list of projects I want to get accomplished and how I intend to get them done. I came up with a running order of importance and I don’t believe I’ve ever had this much of a solid written out plan in place this early in my entire life.

   I think it’s very important to have goals written down and printed out so they can be put in front of me to remind me to not drift off and wander like I’m prone to do. I will be in a big state of flux for a while as I’m between places to live, and everything will be either in storage or not in front of me so I’ll make up a three ring binder and keep it all together.

   I was also proud of myself for putting together a calculated plan of attack both onstage and off for comedy in the new year. I really need to tweak a lot of things, and like a home owner has maintenance to keep an eye on, so do I. The better maintained the house is, the longer it lasts. I know it’s time for me to update and upgrade, and I’m going to do it right.

   The football pleasures were an added bonus, but totally unnecessary to count this week as a major success. I didn’t feel like I had my ass handed to me by the audiences like I did other weeks. Louis Ramey was very fun to work with, and I felt his humor did not get the full appreciation it deserved from some of the audiences. His act is both smart and funny.

   He did fine, as did I, but we’re both used to coming up through the comedy clubs of the ’80s and this is just a different situation. People came up to us both after the shows to ask for pictures, and both of us got told we were funny. But, I really enjoyed his act and know how long he’s been doing it and how hard he’s worked and I think he should have been a lot more appreciated. I guess it isn’t just me after all. Still, this week was very enjoyable.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary