I have officially fallen victim to the latest Sixthman epidemic…headphone-itis.  Until we move into our new office, we’re all crammed into every bit of open space, and it’s not unusual to see three or four desks in each office.  With that comes more noise and opportunity for distraction, so most of us have started wearing headphones as an attempt to drown out the background noise and try to stay on task.

The other day, I put together my “Working, Working” playlist that I listen to on a loop almost all day.  I started the list with all of my favorite songs, but found myself skipping to the slowest, more introspective, meaningful songs.  So then I made a list of slower, more personally significant songs, and became instantly more efficient.  It was great!  Now my social life at Sixthman has diminished, since we’re all in headphones, but I get more work done!  I’m sure Andy would be pleased to hear this new breakthrough.

Here’s a little sample of what’s on my list.  If anyone has idea of new songs to add, please let me know!

Brandi Carlile – Happy, Have You Ever, Fall Apart Again
Emerson Hart – Flyin’
Feist – 1234, We’re All in the Dance
Gabe Dixon Band – All Will Be Well
John Mayer – The Heart of Life, Free Fallin’, Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Jump, Little Children – Mexico, Requiem
Matt Wertz – 5:19, Honest Man
The Weepies – Hideaway, All That I Want, Gotta Have You

What do you listen to at work?

-Lauren

Seems like just about everyone is looking for the best way to stretch a dollar these days. Saving money up for a big event, like a cruise with your favorite band? Skip the movies next weekend—Those dogs in Beverly Hills Chihuahua? NOT actual talking dogs. See? You’re not missing anything—let your friends entertain you instead. Now is as good a time as ever to share my secrets for cheap (actually, free) and easy entertainment!

Quiz Your Friends: Is there someone in your life about whom you  know everything there is to know? Maybe you know everything from their biggest fear in life to what sort of liquor is guaranteed to make them hurl  or maybe you know what wourd they would most like to see abolished from the English language? My good friend Jeph started this years ago. Jeph started with a twenty-five question quiz and then asked each question with the same rapid fire intenstiy to everyone regardless if had known them two years, two weeks, or his entire life. After each contestant has a shot, scores are announced and judgements are passed.

The basic rules:

1) All questions must be multiple choice, with four possible answers for each question. Any other way sucks, and who wants to suck?

2) The only exception to the first rule is in the case of extra credit. Extra credit questions may be written in the form of the author’s choosing.

3) Each question is worth one point, with extra credit questions being worth up to five points.

4) All quizzes must be read aloud, and work well when given in groups.

5) Questions usually are of a personal nature, but don’t limit yourself (Who shot Andrew Jackson?)

6) The most important rule of all: ALL OF THESE RULES ARE MADE UP AND MOSTLY NONSENSE. If you are the sort of person who likes rules, then by all means follow them. What sort of person are you?

JOY’S QUICK SAMPLE QUIZ (for answers check the comments)

The pet store is giving away the free mammal of your choice with every bag of kitty litter. Which of the following would I choose?

a. Kampuchean Monkey

b. Star-nosed mole

c. Otter

d. Nothing. I don’t have a cat. Why would I buy kitty litter?

Finish the following sentence: “It’s not a party if___________.”

a. you’re still wearing your socks

b. no one’s dancing

c. there’s no peanut butter

d. the paint is still wet and the goat’s not wearing his costume

Which of the following does not play a key part in one of my recurring nightmares?

a. Gorillas with ray guns

b. Guerillas with dart guns

c. Flying monkeys throwing stillettos

d. A tiny monkey  disguised as a horse, which I ride

What do I tell people was the first CD I ever bought?

a. Huey Lewis and the News, Room for Squares

b. The Clash, London Calling

c. The Misfits, Legacy of Brutality

d. The Ramones, Rock ‘n Roll High School

What was actually the first CD I ever bought?

a. MC Hammer, Can’t Touch This

b. New Kids on the Block, Hangin’ Tough

c. Amy Grant, Heart in Motion

d. Boys  II Men

Good Idea, Bad Idea: To be played on a train, in a plane, in a box, or with a fox. Good Idea, Bad Idea can be played anywhere! Only need two people. Player one gives an example of a good idea. Good Idea—Go to the bank wearing your new straw hat to deposit some money. Player two must then respond with a similar idea, but worse. Bad Idea—Go to the bank wearing your new ski mask to deposit some bullets. Of course, some may find that one man’s good ideas are another man’s bad ideas (all ideas by women are good). This only add to the fun and the moral confusion. Whoever tires of the game first loses. Whoever never tires of the game is probably a loser.

No Yes and No: The only game listed so far that I’ve tried as a drinking game. In the case that you blew all of your beer money on pencils and paper while playing “Quiz Your Friends,” adult refreshments are not required. Turn to the person next to you and ask them a yes or no question. The object is to never answer yes or no and to respond only with a yes or no question. Surprisingly much more difficult than it sounds. Example:

Player 1: “Is the sky blue?”

Player 2: “Is the sky blue on a cloudy day?”

Player 1:  “Are the clouds cumulus clouds?”

Player 2: “Have you ever taken a science class?”

Player 1: “Was your science teacher Dr. Davis?”

My example is pretty boring. But, the first person accidentally answer yes, no, or respond with anything other than a yes or no question must take a drink, and then you start over again. As you can imagine, the longer you play and the more you lose, the more interesting the conversations get. You may not want to try this one in public, unless like me you are used to people overhearing your conversations believing you to be certifiably nuts.

Enjoy playing my awesome games Sixthman blog readers!  But please, use the above information responsibly. Or not all. Or while stuck on a bus to Kalamazoo. Or on the way to a cruise (that you helped pay for with the extra entertainment money you saved all year long using my cheap and easy games)!

xoxo,

Joy

Andy used to pose a question to us at every staff meeting, a question for everyone to answer in hopes the different answers would bring about unity. The questions ranged from what we wanted for Christmas to our best musical experience. He once asked what our ideal weekend would be, and I want to change my answer, because it happened this past weekend.

It started out on Friday night, with a slumber party. No, I don’t have kids, but I do act like one. My roller derby team decided to have an end of the season slumber party to celebrate our awesome year. How does a slumber party full of grown women differ from a regular teen slumber party? Well, there are still games, crafts, karaoke and junk food, but there is WAY more whiskey than when I was a teenager. This whiskey results in some pretty amazing moments- I watched as a teammate sang Phil Collins’s “Against All Odds” with a screamo metal voice. Check out the lyrics to that song – it adds a little something when they are screamed in your face. I was the old lady of the bunch, heading to bed first around 3:30- I wasn’t really that tired, I just wanted to claim the only real bed in the house. I’m too old to be sleeping on the floor.

On Saturday, I went to the best wedding ever. I’ve never understood wedding culture- the thousands of dollars spent on this one event that lasts about 20 minutes (unless you’re Catholic), the Bridezillas, the ugly bridesmaid’s dresses, the $4000 cakes. My friends Jill and Brad tied the knot in a friend’s backyard, and had a pot luck picnic reception. The bride wore a white sundress and Chuck Taylors, and the groom wore his good, black overalls. Jill’s roller derby team was the color guard, and the ceremony was beautifully realistic and hilarious, to say the least. The officiant was a roller girl, and asked, “If anyone has any reason why this jam should be called off, speak now or forever hold your peace.” The picnic was amazing- since they didn’t have to spend an arm and a leg on catering, they were able to invite pretty much all of their friends. And the fried chicken, banana pudding and beer made it even better.

Later that night, I headed to one of my favorite bars to see one of my new favorite bands- Bang Camaro at the EARL! If you like guitar driven, hard rock choirs, I highly recommend this band. And I do mean choir! There were eight singers, pared down from 16 the last time you heard about them. Check them out on Simple Man this year- you won’t be disappointed. I rocked out so hard, my neck still hurts. My only complaint was about some girls who were acting like princesses in front of us. Seriously, who comes to a rock show to stand in the front row, talk to their friends and text their homies all night? That just doesn’t seem right to me. May and I almost fought them.

Anyway, after that long Saturday night, I slept until 1 PM on Sunday, watched movies on the couch with my cats all day, and then went to improv class. Ahhh… the perfect end to the perfect weekend.

What’s your best weekend ever?

This is a blog about cats. But, before all you dog people out there just skip to the next blog, let me warn you that this is also  a plea for help from anyone who has ever had pets or had experiences with pets. Before I delve in the current dilemma, a little background: Izzy (full name: Isalbella blue) is the first pet I have ever had that was just mine, other than a slew of fish I could never seem to keep alive longer than a couple of weeks. She is a siamese-mix who I picked up as a seven week old kitten from a farm in Colorado when I was in graduate school. For the first year of Izzy’s life, it was just the two of us in my little condo in Boulder. Because I did almost of my school work at home, she and I were together all of the time. She was my baby and I adored her. She kept me company when I was lonely for my boyfriend who lived 2 thousand miles away, and I taught her to play fetch. She was the happiest and sweetest kitten in the whole world. When graduate school was over, I packed up all of my stuff,  my brand new master’s degree, and drove 24 hours straight with Izzy by my side all the way to Georgia to finally be together again with my boyfriend. Though it was no longer just the two of us, Izzy quickly adapted to her new life in Georgia. Benj and I doted on her like she was our darling, and she was happy to have a house triple the size of our previous abode to run around in. She was still a happy little kitty. Before we knew it, however, Benj and I were a working couple who’s lives were becoming busier by the day, and we were spending more and more time away from home.

Recently I concluded that the best way to combat the guilt I was feeling about leaving Izzy home alone all the time was to get another companion for her. After we returned from yet another out of town trip, we decided it was time to visit the Atlanta Humane Society. This is where we met Chloe (aka: Little-one, or Chloe-belle). We intended to come home with another siamese-mix, but Chloe was just the sweetest little thing that we had ever seen and seemed to be begging us to bring her home. It was love at first sight. I couldn’t wait for Izzy to meet her new sister. Unfortunately, Izzy did not share in our enthusiasm when we opened the box and let little Chloe crawl out. In fact, Izzy was so upset that instead of hissing at the new cat, she turned to hiss at us! She had never hissed at me in her life.  She began to growl in anger like a lion, a sound that I had never heard rumble out of my sweet little kitten. I was in such shock at Izzy’s reaction that I immediately did what any rational thinking person would do: I packed the new kitten back up in her box, marched her out to the car, and almost drove back to the very same Humane Society where, 20 minutes earlier, I had just filled out mountains of paperwork assuring them that I was a sane and good pet owner. Luckily, I was talked into going back in the house and giving it another shot before returning the crying kitten. In tears, I went straight to the internet in order to determine just what went wrong. Immediately, I found loads of articles identifying the exact steps to take when introducing a new cat to the current cat:

Step One: Keep the two cats seperate from eachother for at least 10 days.

Oops.

Step Two: Allow the cats to get used to eachother’s scents before initiating any physical contact.

Oops again.

And so on went the instructions for introducing a new cat so as not to threaten and alienate the first cat, and pave the way for a smooth transition.  Two months have passed since that initial introduction, and things haven’t really gotten all that better. Once in while I will catch the two of them playing together, but more often than not, Izzy tries to literaly kill Chloe, and she is still a very angry kitty. I am sad that she feels this way and I am sad that she is angry with me and continues to hiss and growl at anyone who comes her way, however; in the meantime, we have managed to fall in love with Chloe so returning her is no longer an option.

So here comes my plea for help! Anyone who has had experience with this sort of thing, please give me some advice! The internet has only been as helpful as alerting me to all of the mistakes I have made, but not as to how to undo the damage. I need to know that Izzy will someday be the sweet little darling she once was before we ruined her life by bringing baby home, and that one day they will learn to get along and Chole will be the companion for Izzy that we intended her to be. Please help!

Recently I learned a very valuable lesson in leadership that I would like to share.  The culture at Sixthman is very team oriented and I am a huge proponent of exploiting the rewards that great teamwork yields.  We have an Operations Department, a Marketing Department, a Call Center Department, an IT Department and a Finance Department.  Additionally, each cruise has a team assigned to it made up of one person from each department who meet weekly to lead their cruise to success.  They develop ideas and strategy, take those back to their departments for feedback, and then make decisions at a subsequent meeting.  Its our first year doing this and people really seem to like it for many reasons.  It promotes the notion that each cruise has its own personality, people are in the loop, and everyone is gaining perspective of the overall company. However, we made the common mistake of not providing enough direction (See Marine or Astronaut Blog) and discovered a few months ago that by defining some boundaries, the teams could be more productive.

So now to my point.  There were several responsibilities that fell solely into the lap of one person with a particular expertise while the rest of the company was able to share responsibilities and collaborate within their departments and on their teams.  Our friend Peter has been tasked with developing and maintaining our entire booking engine and the IT backbone, Carla was asked to lead our box office and to execute the seating for all the cruises, Lauren was asked to lead special projects, and Melissa was asked to manage the relationships with the artists performing on each of the cruises and to motivate them to spread the word.

A few months ago, we hired a young man named Michael to work with Peter on development and IT services, and recruited Jana internally to work with Carla on the box office.  Since then, I have seen a new excitement in both of them and have attributed it to “being rescued from the island”.  Peter and Carla have always shouldered the load without fan fare and made huge contributions to Sixthman, but I feel like they are going to surprise themselves with a healthy stride and energy from being able to collaborate daily with another talented person.

The guilt phase set in as I was beating myself up for not seeing this months ago and, just as it began to subside, a new wave fell on me as I realized that Melissa and Lauren are still stuck out there on their islands alone.  (Probably with only a volleyball for a friend).

Learn from my mistake here, and please tell Melissa and Lauren that help is on the way!  Good thing we have some ships at our disposal and know what a muster station is.

-Andy

Say hello to Scarfy-fish! That’s kin to the more common jellyfish, but this one does not sting, and it likes to dance in meetings. I made Scarfy-fish today, with a scarf I pilfered from Lauren to complete my “spirit outfit” I donned for our Simple Man Cruise team meeting. It went well with the Frosty* I was eating… (or drinking? what do you do with a Frosty?) 

As you can see, sometimes I suffer from a “Case of the Sillies.” This can come up at any given time, for any given period of time, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Today’s case was an extended, extra-idiotic version — one for the record books. At 30, I feel like this ailment should not be rearing its ugly head quite so often, yet I am completely powerless against it. 

If I am alone, it is the weekend, or I am working from home, the Sillies are not such a bad thing. They are not great for productivity, but I have learned how to work around it. Its when I am in the office is that I worry. I still attend and contribute to meetings, keep things rolling in the branding + design world, but is anyone taking me seriously? Doubtful. I am wondering now how much damage this does to my street cred around here. 

If I get things done, and am still making a positive impact on the company, is it OK to let the Sillies shine every once in a while? I’ve been racking my brain, trying to think of an example of a silly, successful, professional I could seek solace in…to ensure me that this occasional behavior is somewhat acceptable, but thus far Scarfy-fish and I have come up dry. 

Should I put a lid on it, get on meds, or quit over-analyzing?

-Ashley

*We discovered today that Frostys are the perfect food. Low-fat, high in fiber, and delicious. You should eat/drink one today.

So, we strolled into Lowe’s the other day to do some last minute fall plant shopping and the first thing out of Rhett’s mouth was…”You don’t want to look to the right.”

You see, my husband knows what will put me on one of my random rants and he had seen that the entire right side entrance to Lowe’s was what?  Christmas decorations!  May I remind you that it’s not even Halloween?!

In our house I have set a strict precedent that there will be no Christmas buying, decorating, or mention of it whatsoever until the day after Thanksgiving…we celebrate no holiday before it’s time.  It goes Halloween … Thanksgiving … Christmas … and ne’er the three shall meet.  I am very adamant about this.

So I started on my usual (tongue-in-cheek) sermon about the importance of giving each holiday its due course and while Rhett was laughing hysterically at me I started thinking about all the crazy little issues and traditions and traits people create for themselves.  For instance, besides my refusal to celebrate any holiday early…

1. I refuse to chew any other kind of gum except cinnamon.  And really just Dentyne Fire.  And ONLY until the flavor is gone.  And ONLY if I have no other breath freshening choice at my disposal.  Why?  Because gum is gross.  What is the deal with food you chew to a pulp and then don’t swallow?  And then people step on it or stick it on things…..Oh my god, I will go through 20 tins of mints before I will resort to gum.  And if you ever try to touch me with a chewed piece, you might pull back a nub.

2. When I sneeze it sounds like a cough….multiple, wheezing coughs.  All of my friends know to wait until the big one at the end before they say, “Was that sneezing?  Well then bless you.”  I would say it’s natural, but really I just figured out how to sneeze without spitting everywhere and the sound is part of it.  A small price to pay for not soaking your sleeve in spittle.

3. When I am on the phone with my family (and longest, closest friends) I refuse to hang up unless the last words we say are, “Love you.”… “Love you too.”  Because even if we are arguing I will convince myself that it’s very likely that they will get into an accident and what if they didn’t hear me say I love you right before they kicked the bucket?  It could happen.  I don’t care if you are only running to the neighbors.  Just say it.  I won’t let you hang up til you do.

4.    Stuffing (or dressing for my Northern friends) is only to be consumed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Period.  Any other time of year is sacrilege.  And if there are no mashed potatoes with gravy next to the stuffing, you might get an earful.

I know I’m crazy and I’m ok with it.  Because I think everyone has a few wacky little things about themselves that give them the feeling of being unique and (most of the time) endear us to the people around us.

So don’t be afraid to tell.  What little insanities make you who you are?  We at Sixthman will love you all the more for them.

-Jill Mac

As part of a new feature here on the Sixthman Blog, we’ll be bringing you the inside scoop from artists that you can’t find anywhere else!  This week, we have a special treat for you: an exclusive interview with Tonic, a band that has sold over 4.5 million records, six Top 10 singles in multiple formats, and an album that went platinum in nine territories.  After a five year hiatus, they’ve reunited and are set to play on the Rock Boat Niner!  We caught up with Emerson, Dan, and Jeff recently and asked them some questions they’ve heard before, some they’ve never heard before, and some they hope to never hear again.  Read on!

We are incredibly excited you guys will be back on board, and we can only imagine the guests are too!  For you guys personally, how do you think this TRB will be different from the ones you sailed on together in the past?

Emerson: Every Rock Boat has a feeling of family for us so its hard to answer that one. It will be fun to hear some new music and meet some new people.
Dan: I will be a little older, and if possible, even more pale.
Jeff: It will be more fun than the previous one and we’ll be able to see some old friends.

What are the most significant changes in your lives from where you sat five years ago, both individually and as a band?

Emerson: We are all dads now….god help us.
Dan: Where to begin..?
Jeff: Ditto…

 If you had to pick one piece of advice that has influenced you over everything else, what would it be?

Emerson:  It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission.
Dan:  Treat everyone with respect.
Jeff:  Sleep when they sleep.

Let’s change gears and delve into the songwriting process: when you write songs, do you wear pants?

Emerson: Define pants?
Dan: Often.
Jeff: Yes, but with the feet in them, (Garanimals).

Ha! those guys are hilarious.

This is just the beginning of the interview, though, we can’t give it all away!  To read the rest of it, keep an eye on your mailbox for the next Sixthman newsletter.  If you haven’t signed up to receive one yet, what are you waiting for?  Make sure you have a Sixthman username, add in your physical mailing address, and we’ll get it out to you as soon as it’s hot off the presses.  For those of you who don’t like regular mail, keep an eye on www.sixthman.net for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Live loud.

It’s been a slow progression over the past few weeks, but yesterday I finally hit the wall.  It was as though my entire Sunday was broken up by the 4 quarters of a football game… and my rival was the addiction to fantasy football. Can anyone relate?

1st quarter: I woke up early on a beautiful Sunday morning in Atlanta, went for a long run, stopped to have coffee at my new favorite local joint, and went to play with the 2-year-olds at my church.  It was my perfect start to a Sunday.

2nd quarter:  Upon leaving church, I realize ‘HOLY CRAP!’  I forgot to switch kickers on my fantasy team, and the one I had starting was on a bye week.  My attitude immediately went from relaxation and having great energy, to anger and annoyance with myself for not being a more responsible ‘coach’.  The only thing I could hope for, was the remainder of my team to step up and carry me through. Either way, I felt like crawling back under my covers and never getting up.  I could only imagine what the other ‘coaches’ were thinking of me.

Instead, I went to visit my grandmother.

3rd quarter: The entire time I spent with my ‘Grams’ at the hospital, I could not stop thinking about how bad my attitude had become.  Here I was, spending precious time with a woman I admire and adore, and my thoughts were consumed by my crucial mistake in fantasy football.  After all, I needed this win in order to stay in the running for the playoffs.  WHAT?!?!? I can not explain how angry and disappointed I became in myself for letting this imaginary team, with players I don’t really even know, bring me down.  I wanted to find the nearest punching bag.

4th quarter: I did some thinking.  On my way to visit a friend who just found out she’s pregnant, and talking with another friend who is trying with everything inside her to survive her divorce, I broke that wall down.

Fantasy football is just not that important; it will never consume my day, or directly affect my energy ever again.  It is something I will put on the bottom (or maybe lower middle) of my priority list and enjoy.  Assuming I make the playoffs or win the league, it will be only by the mercy of the fantasy football gods.  It’s just not worth putting before the real things in life.

Alas, I won the game. (at least… the one in my own head)

Anyone else ever had a similar experience? how did you pull yourself out of it?

-Ape

A few years ago, a friend of mine shared a theory that most of us are either a “Marine” or an “Astronaut” in regards to our approach to life.

If we are a Marine, then we are prone to move into action quickly and make decisions based off of a minimum amount of information.  This kind of person would be likely to “schedule a parade first and then get the permit second”.

If we are an Astronaut, then we will gather as much information as we can before committing to a decision.  Expect this personality to “measure twice and cut once”.

As it was explained to me, neither is superior and while the Marine will take many hills successfully, he will likely lose a few soldiers and a few battles.

The Astronaut will be precise in execution, however, may miss windows of opportunities due to the time it takes to prepare.

I am a Marine.  What are you?