Here I Go Again...

Hey there, hi there, ho there (what chu call me?)!  Rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals have been in full effect onboard the ms Nieuw Amsterdam since my embarkation on July 6th.  We are just now in the process of putting up our final show, "Garage Band," which we will open tomorrow, the 26th.  It has been a lengthy installation process, but it has been relatively stress-free.  (I throw my hands up in the air, shake them wildly and shout, "Hallelujah!)

We have been given opportunities to get off in a few of the ports that we've visited thus far, including:  Venice, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Istanbul, and Mykonos (Greece).  It has been wonderful to return to these places and to rediscover them with new friends.  It's funny because I still remember all my previous visits to these ports and the people that I shared those times with as clear as yesterday.  Life is truly amazing in that respect.  In a nutshell, I feel incredibly blessed.

As with my previous travels, I will do my best to keep this here blog updated to the best of my ability.  It may become a series of longer entries in which I touch on a variety of subjects, including ports, fun stories, and general "how-am-I's."  I do hope that your schedules permit such lengthy yarns.

Overall, I am in good spirits and in good health.  The installation process has, as I said, been long and oftentimes tiring, but the light is quickly approaching the end of the tunnel.  Focusing solely on the shows and my new responsibilities as the Company Manager for the cast has left me little time to think much of anything else, so now that it's winding down, I find my head to be quite full; like too many goldfish attempting to swim freely in a mason jar.  So please allow me a few weeks to sort through them and I will provide a more in-depth account of my what has been on my heart and in my mind.

The ups and downs of life do not magically stop upon boarding a ship, but I am fortunate to have a comrade floating with me on the high seas that has become my one-stop shop for all things pertaining to the human condition.  The rewards and benisons of this friendship are innumerable and its therapeutic properties invaluable.

Please feel free to write me and provide me with updates on your own lives as often as you wish.  You can provide links to your blogs in the comments below, or send me an e-mail at:  j_kuba@yahoo.com .

But for now, until then, be blessed, beauties!

- Joey -

Apparently It's a Thoughtful Sunday

Apparently, I have a lot to say today.  While these thoughts are present, I'm just going to run with them.


Ways to Win My Heart

- Listen.  I have come to realize how few people there are who actually care about what others have to say.  I don’t open up too easily, so if I feel like you care about what I have to say and give me time to form my unorganized thoughts, you're in.

- Make me laugh, but also be able to make yourself laugh.

- Physical affection.  I love simple displays of love; holding hands, holding the small of my back, gentle touches to the face, loving gazes.

- Don’t put me on a pedestal.  Joke with me, make fun of me; remember I love to laugh and that includes laughing at myself.  I don’t like the feeling of trying to live up to other peoples’ expectations of myself.  I want to feel comfortable around you.

- Teach me something new.  Make me think in a new way.

- Be patient.  There is no need to get angry over unnecessary things.

-  Have goals in life.  Dream for the impossible.

I guess overall I like to be with people who are up for anything and like trying new things such as long walks (yep, I said it), cooking, random question games, working out, traveling to cities, hiking, visiting art museums, people watching, etc.

Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'

I would like to express my gratitude for the extreme blessing of sharing Pinkberry with a great friend while listening to hits of the 1940's on a cool summer evening.

Life is pretty fantastic right now.  What could make it even better?  How about the fact that I'll be flying to Barcelona on Wednesday.  (*le sigh*)

I pray that you are all blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

Make it a good one, beauties.

-Joey

Short and Sweet

Short and Sweet

I have made it to Los Angeles and rehearsal is underway!  Things are going very well thus far.  I, along with the other three men of “Cantare”, have finished our music rehearsals and moved onto learning our choreography and blocking.  The show “Cantare” is essentially a men’s quartet modeled after “Il Divo.”  Yes, complete with Italian vocals.  Prego!  It is such an honor to make beautiful music with such talented and generous men.  I am feeling blessed, y’all!

Sidenote:  I learned some very interesting trivia from one of our vocal directors that I would like to share with you.  The lyrics for “Unchained Melody” where taken from a letter that was found in the pocket of a fallen soldier in WWII.  It was addressed to his girlfriend back in the states and he was urging her to wait for him.  I thought that was beautiful, tragic, and share-worthy.

It is just the four of us for the next couple of days.  The four female dancers and leading lady of our cast arrive next, followed by the two male dancers and female singer/dancer.  I am greatly looking forward to meeting everyone and having our entire family here!

That is all I have to report for now.  I hope that you are feeling blessed and supported in whatever you may be going through.  I am sending lots of love to each and every one of you.  I realize that there may only be two of you reading this, so consider yourselves incredibly loved.

Until next time,

Joey

Gettin' out of town

Does anyone actually look at this blog?  Does anyone read the posts?  Hmm.

In other news, I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow morning, bright and EARLY.  Who doesn't enjoy a 6am flight?  I am eternally grateful that I was not flown out of Newark or JFK.  I should get over it as I am sure that I will survive, and in the empowering words of Kelly Clarkson (or whomever said it before her):  "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  Meh.

I will do my best to keep you (if there is a "you") updated as rehearsal progresses over the next seven weeks.  Until we meet again, take care and be kind to yourselves.

Blessings.

The Invitation

I want to experience all the things that are stated in this piece... One day I will.

“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.”
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Shakespeare I Am Not

In digging through the huge piles of letters, pictures, and notebooks that I hoarded during my childhood, I stumbled upon some poetry that I had written.  These range from 1994-1999 when I was 10-15.  I have no recollection of the inspiration for any of them.
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"Dinner"

a hot mist floats around the serving table
my heart lies open.  dig in.
take a shot, rip it out if you're able.
i've nothing left to lose.  let it begin.

fear bites at my ankles.
i've run as far as i can.
have i lost the thing that is me
do i try.  am i a man.

'i love you' said enough.
live it up.  take a ride.
you tell me it's tough
but there's nowhere to hide.


"A Grand Affair"

softly you speak
a gentle wind fills the space
too many have gone before
never to speak again.

once so tall, now something small
A Grand Affair, now not one will care.
you built it so strong, now it's all gone.


"Bring Me In"

she entered the room and i heard it sing.
a hole in this life now filled?
drink it up.  down now.
spit it out.  she's still there.

i pushed.  i tried.
i fell.  i lied.

searching for grace.
falling on my face.

hold me up, hold me close.
Bring Me In.

let it begin.