Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Stuck Between Storms

Wednesday December 15th, 2010 - Roatan, Honduras

   Change of travel plans. No use complaining, I’ll just have to roll with it. I was supposed to fly home from Belize today, but with all the rough weather this week everything is on a different schedule. Today we stopped in Roatan, Honduras instead. It’s not easy to fly out of here, I’ve done it before. It requires a puddle jumper shuttle flight to the main airport.

   The ‘main’ airport has a total of maybe a dozen planes if they‘re lucky, and I’ll bet half of those are only there for parts. I’d rather wait the day and fly out of Belize. That isn’t an international show piece major airport either, but it’s better than Honduras. And, it keeps me out of the cold for another day. I don’t have a heavy jacket and it’s going to slap me.

   The down side is, I’m scheduled for a week at Zanies Comedy Club in Vernon Hills, IL that starts on Thursday. I had to cancel the Thursday show because the flight would cut it way to close, and having to spend an entire day with a puckered bung hole is not my style.

   SO many things could go wrong, and I’d hate to have to cancel at the last minute. I told them the situation and they’ve always been great about stuff like that, but I still hate to be cancelling shows. I like working Vernon Hills, and that’s one of the few places people do come out to see me. It’s close to both Milwaukee and Chicago and convenient for many.

   I heard late today that there’s still no guarantee we’ll make it out of Belize. The weather is still an issue apparently, and Belize is what’s called a ‘tendered port’. That means it’s a shuttle boat ride from where the ship anchors out at sea to the actual port, and apparently they don’t run when the weather is rough. I’ll have to see in the morning what transpires.

   I’m not going to worry about it, but it does concern me more than a little. Missing a gig for a whole week is not the kind of reputation I need to be building right now. I’ve always been known for being reliable, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been able to work on the road as long as I have. Bookers know I don’t drink or do drugs, and they can count on me.

   I’ve got a show booked in Dubuque, IA December 22nd, and I’m worried that will be the next nail biter situation. I fly out again at 5am on the 23rd, and there are all kinds of snares that could pop up from car trouble to bad weather. I can’t cancel now, but I’ll sure be a lot more careful of what I book around the ship gigs, if indeed I get any more. I have no idea.

   This next run is the last one I’ve got. I haven’t heard back from the booking person, but I know she’s got WAY too much going on to bother her right now. If they want me back, I’ll get an email asking for my available dates. If not, I’ll be grateful for what I did get and move on. I sure gained some experience, and it helped get my finances back above water.

   The money alone was worth it. That changes everything. Having even a little cushion is the difference between saying yes or no to some one night hell hole. I’ve got to make my run at whatever I’m going to run at, and a Wednesday night in some small town biker bar is not it. I had an extra day to get some work done, and I did. Time to freeze for a week.

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

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