These are tough times for everyone. It always feels like your own problems are greater than everyone else’s, but believe me, everyone is feeling the pinch. People are losing their jobs left and right. Pay cuts are being handed out like candy. I even accepted a back massage from a wino. (I’ll take a discount where I can get it.) The Amish are considering opening a red light district, but it’s really hard to do that with no electricity. Up is down, black is white, reality has become slightly Mad Max-ish..

These are the times when we prove who we are. Personally, I’m a fighter, and I’m an artist. It’s so easy to forget that when every aspect of existence seems to be systematically failing. So much of everyone’s life these days is simply about survival- putting the next meal on the table, finding another job, trying to keep your home.

I pose one more challenge to you: create something beautiful. When you think your life can’t really get any worse, stop worrying about survival, and start concentrating on creation. I challenge myself every day to create something beautiful. To make someone laugh so hard they pee a little bit. To find that glimmer of absurdity in the mundane. To tell the universe: “F-YOU! Just try and keep me down!”

There was a period in my life when I lived below the poverty line, working at a fetish club, as well as at two other jobs. It was the happiest time of my life, simply because I was a part of something bigger than me, and it was beautiful. I was able to perform on a regular basis, whether it was dancing, acting, or writing. It didn’t matter that I had no car, and would have to sometimes ride my bike miles in the rain to get to rehearsal, and I was living on pb&j.

My tribe and me were in it together, and we took care of each other. I have wonderful memories of “Lights Out” parties that we would throw when the lights got cut off. We couldn’t afford to go to movies or concerts, so our extra-talented friends would perform fire poi for us. We would have art parties, where the only cover charge was a short performance, a poem, or a painting- just an affirmation of our vitality.

I’m so privileged to be a part of the upcoming cruises. As the world comes crashing around me, there is something shiny that keeps catching my eye. It’s the idea that in mere days, I am going to get up at the crack of dawn, board a plane, fly to Miami, and start working on something that makes literally THOUSANDS of people happier than they have ever been. I know there are people who have had to sacrifice a lot to be able to join us this year. Going into this event, I remember that fact, and it inspires me to be a better person, to work harder, and to go ahead and make that really dirty/ inappropriate/ off color joke that makes everyone secretly giggle. Or just plain laugh out loud, hysterically.

Consider yourself warned: I’m using the recession as an excuse to uncensor myself.

So, how are you making the world a better place?

-Barb

Tis the season and the time is once again upon us where we get to start fresh, wipe the slate clean, forget that we never kept any of last year’s new year’s promises, and trick ourselves into believing that this will be the year when we will go to the gym every single day and keep track of every dime in our pockets. Alas, I have decided this year to go a little easier on myself and save myself from the inevitability of failed attempts toward impossible goals. Hopefully these 11 resolutions are ones that I have some chance of sticking to:

1. This year I resolve to never, ever run out of gas (again). Even when the gas light is on and I think I can eek out just 1 or 2 more miles. Never again. From now on, ‘E’ means ‘Exit now for a gas station!”

2. To exercise more. Last year I exercised 7 times. I kept track. This year I am shooting for double digits.

3. To stop drinking beer. From now on, I will only drink vodka.  Or at least until the wedding.

4. Speaking of weddings, this year I vow not to change the date, and the location, and the guest list, and everything (again).

5. To talk on the phone more. Seriously, I am so bad at keeping in touch. Which reminds me…

6. To join facebook, since I appear to be the last living soul without a facebook account.

7. To never, ever call Target under any circumstances. In the time it takes to be transferred, put on hold, transferred, put on hold, transferred (you get the idea), you can actually get in your car, drive to the store, find what you are looking for, and  have time to stop and fill up your tank. And that’s 2 resolutions at once!

8. To help out more around the house. Or at least until I can afford a Roomba.

9. Which reminds me, I need to get out of debt. Therefore, I resolve to play the lottery more often.

10. To learn to use the stove, and the oven for that matter. I have mastered the microwave. Time to move on to bigger and better appliances.

11. To stop using the *#%$ word every other *#%$ing word. However, WTF still acceptable.

So there you have it. Come Thursday I will be a new and improved human being. Until then, you can find me lying in my messy house, drinking a beer, and eating some *#%$ing microwave popcorn.

What are your resolutions for the new year?

-Nora

This is my last blog of the year and I am bucking the system by starting my first “Blog Series” before the year is over instead of waiting til 2009.  I am an extrovert 325 days of the year but from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, I am able to slow my world down, digest the past and visualize a path for the next 12-18 months.

While attending a seminar a couple months ago, Cameron Herold, shared his experience with a process called a “Painted Picture.”

This was exactly what I believed I thrived at doing and here was this man telling me how it actually is a critical ingredient to his success.  All the guilt I have felt for feeling that all I can contribute is idea’s began to drain from my body.  And then a new set of guilt came over me for lacking the confidence and waiting this long to realize it was something we needed.

So I sat down during this reflection time and let it flow.  I chose April 1, 2011 as the day that I was envisioning in the future.  That way if we miss it, we can say it was a joke.  Just kidding.

Sixthman is lucky to have some talented people who can “reverse engineer” this vision and bring it to life.

I am sharing with the entire staff but here is the first sentence….

April 1st, 2011

Sixthman has changed the expectations people have for vacation by connecting tribes of like-minded individuals with their passions and affinities……

Here is a link to 1-800 Got Junk’s Painted Picture.

Tune in next week as I will share the rest.

Andy

I love my family. I am so fortunate that I am able to look forward to catching up with them at this time of year, instead of trying come up with crafty ways to get out of it. I especially like Christmas, since my sister and brother-in-law always make the trip the East coast to celebrate (they live in California). Mom and little sister round out the group, and we’re all very, very close. My immediate family has been through a lot together, as all families have, and we have the luxury of being completely comfortable and candid with one another. Or is it? 

Being able to be totally honest with one another – including poking fun at each of our shortcomings – seems nice. If anyone knows me for one minute, they know there’s not much I like better than a little sarcastic humor. And by a little, I mean a lot. But recently I realized that maybe it is not so nice for those who are on the receiving end of the fun-poking most of the time. One of my sisters confessed to me that her New Year’s resolution is to try to be less uptight. I was curious about her statement, so I asked “what made you decide on this?” Her answer was somewhat heartbreaking. She said, “I know you guys (the family) don’t like it (since we are relentless in making fun of her about it), so I’m going to try and change.” She had always laughed along when we cracked jokes about her over-planning, constant check-ins, and backseat driving. And the truth is, it’s what is endearing about her. It brings great balance into our otherwise way-too-laid back family. But we had all become so used to taking our jabs at her about it that we didn’t realize it was hurting her feelings all along.  

I guess the bottom line is, once you get so close to someone, you think you automatically know, or can sense, how they are feeling, but I’m realizing that is not the case at all. I’m going to try to remember to take a step back every now and again to make sure I’m not overlooking something as important as this. Its funny, it’s something I say and do in my work all the time, as I am sure most of us do. “I’m too close to it!” Sound familiar? Who knew it applied to personal relationships, too. (Not me, obviously.)

Sixthman becomes our replacement “family” about this time of year, since we spend more time together in a few short months than most families do in a lifetime. I hope I remember the valuable lesson I learned this holiday, and make it a point to apply it to my Sixthman family as well.

’twas the night before Christmas, when all through Sixthman… not a keyboard was typing… no phones were ringing.  No internet was connected and wireless cards were tucked away… It was almost as if we’d taken the time to enjoy the holiday…

The holidays have always managed to sneak up on us at Sixthman and fall smack in the middle of the most “all hands on deck” time of the cruise cycle.  Final sign offs on event merchandise, last minute schedule adjustments, emails to guests with booking numbers and boarding information, bands sending us their new drummers info (three days prior to sailing – make sure you catch their set), it’s all coming together at once and in a BIG way.  A sense of real ownership and pride in the events starts to ensue as all of the details are fine tuned. And then as the last passenger boards on the first day of the cruise, it’s of the same feeling as putting the star on the top of the tree after you’ve stategically strung all of the lights and hung every ornament precisely on the branches.  You can step back for a minute, look at what you’ve created and admire all of it’s beauty.  Sure there may have been a few missing branches in the back that needed some extra strands of tinsel (missing bands), maybe the tree leans a bit to the left (need to book the rest of those port side cabins) and you had to stick an extra lego under there, but it’s standing and with some minor tweaks and adjustments,  it’s balanced (stacked line up and sold out!), chock full of individual ornamentation, each with it’s own memorable story. Once that last passenger boards, the star is on the tree and it’s time to plug in the lights and see what we’ve created.

For the majority of  the calendar year our events are our jobs for most at Sixthman.  A really amazing one with great coworkers and customers and the guarantee of there never being a boring work day. But still – 8hrs at the office and then you go home and get on with the rest of your day.  Come December the job begins to form into a lifestyle, one that we get ready to share with 2500 others at a time on 5 cruises over 3 months.  But before we do that we have to literally pry the Blackberry’s and Macs out of each-others hands and force ourselves to step out of the cruise lifestyle and remember that as much as we love our excel sheets and email edits there is a holiday season that our families still expect us to be around for.  We’ve been made to promise at Sixthman that no matter how deeply we love plugging in that tree onboard and getting the ship moving, we be sure to take the time to put the star on our own tree at home.

So in a “long winded round about on the edge of cheesiness” way the above was just a reminder past on, to take the time to enjoy the holidays, whichever you celebrate, because the work will surely be there waiting for you when you get back.  And although your coworkers “TOTALLY” understand why that email had to be sent before you opened presents – pretty sure the rest of the family and friends just think you’ve lost it.

Whatever tree you decorate or however you spend the season, Merry Holidays to all, I hope it’s glowing and full of memories! See you on a cruise!

Melissa

p.s. – I didn’t contradict myself. I wrote this on Monday and I hope you read it on Friday

Good morning, or for some of you afternoon.  This blog is really for all the women out there, so men, I give you permission to skip over it.

I received an email from a friend of mine the other day, with our close group of girls attached, thanking us for being her ‘pigeons’ and being such a huge part of her life.   All that was under the message was a link to this YouTube video. And having never been referred to as a ‘pigeon’, I was instantly intrigued to the meaning.

This video is a letter from an author, to a group of women who undoubtedly have that kind of friendship bond we all hope to be surrounded with throughout our lives.  It touches on real moments you have probably gone through, or realistically will.  It mentions specific challenges, and achievements that we will all support each other through.  It is 5 minutes long, and it is powerful.

Before watching it, make sure you are in a place where people won’t look at you funny when you tear up, or more likely, when you cry. 

And after watching it, I encourage all of you who are blessed with this type of women bond, to forward this onto those that you treasure, that you trust, that you will be close with way beyond life on this Earth.

So… before saying anymore, here it is. To all the strong and real women out there, enjoy. To my pigeons, I am so lucky to have you. If you don’t see the video in your browser, click here to view it.

Ape

I am a huge fan of creating moments when I can even if it means looking like an idiot.

A few months ago I invited my dad to join me for a golf trip to Ireland that I had won at a travel industry conference.  On the third evening, we returned from a pub to the Adare Manor.  As we stumbled to our room in the old castle, we heard people singing on the other side of an old wooden door along the corridor.  There was only one choice to make at that point, and it was to go in for a scotch.  There were forty or fifty travelers swaying to some classic Irish anthems inside so we took a seat and joined them.  After a few songs, the singer asked the audience if anyone wanted to sing a song.  I couldn’t resist the opportunity to shout, “My dad and I would like to play.”  My dad and I play guitar when we are together and always start with Jimmy Buffet’s “Pirate Looks at Forty.”  My dad looked at me like I was crazy and reminded me that these guys were really good and we would not compare to them.  I looked at him and said, “It is our charm that they will remember, not our voices.”

There we stood in front of all these strangers hoping we wouldn’t waste their time or kill their buzz.  I told the story of how we won this trip and that we like to play guitar when we get together but consider ourselves amateurs at best.  We then proceeded to play and by the end of the song, the audience was singing with us and they erupted as I hugged my dad as we finished.

When we sat down, the gentlemen next to us introduced himself and shared his story about losing his father recently and how touched he was to see a father and son sharing an adventure together.  He invited us to be his guest at Ballybunion Golf Club the following day for a round of golf.

Ballybunion is one of the most beautiful golf courses course in the world and has a 2-year waiting list.  It was an amazing day for my dad and I and definitely the high point of the trip.  My dad almost got a hole in one on the 8th hole.  Just to think that it wouldn’t have ever happened if we weren’t willing to take advantage of the opportunity to create a moment that we will always remember.

Anyone else addicted to creating moments?

-Andy

Everyone gets a job description.  Here are your goals, your tasks, your day to day activities.  We all know that nobody’s job description is ever all inclusive…

“Of course I will fix the copier. I have no idea what I am doing, but I will go for it!”

“Host flip cup…of course I will host flip cup!”

But just as a job description can’t tell you everything you will do, it also can’t tell you what not to care about – what to leave out.  Have you ever asked yourself that?  What can’t I care about?

Especially at work?

What can I not care about today?  Tomorrow? Over all?  As my role here at Sixthman has changed/evolved I have had to ask myself that question more and more.  What can I stop caring about?  I guess I should use the word concern more than care.  What can I not concern myself with today?  Nope.  Both sound wrong.  How do you draw the line?

“Leave the gun. Take the canolies.”

In a job that is focused on exactly that, caring, that is what I struggle with.  How can I not care?  I know that it sounds like a weird place to be, a strange question to ask oneself, but in reality how much can we really care about before it all gets diluted.

I was always told when you spread yourself thin then there is nothing extra to give…especially when you need it.  So I have made up my own job description of what I have to allow myself not to care about…believe it or not, it helps.  Here is a short excerpt:

1. I will no longer care how much coffee I drink…cause I need you sweet, sweet caffeine.

2. I will no longer care about the state of my desk.  My OCD will take a back seat to insanely busy for awhile.

3. I will no longer care if you put a new roll of toilet paper on or just leave it sitting next to the old roll.  I will mock you and call you lazy behind your back. You know who you are…

4. I will no longer care that I can’t control it all – even in my world

5. I will no longer care that my blogs get less and less funny with the more I write.

6. I will no longer care that this is my first cruise season,  I can do it.

So write your “can’t care about list”..you’d be amazed at how much you free yourself up to caring more about the things that do really matter.

-Kel

Yes, it’s true; I’m a road dog.

I absolutely LOVE being on the road. I guess it all began when I started following The Grateful Dead around when I was in college. And I quickly caught the bug. Soon it turned into tour managing for indie bands, tooling around the country in cars, vans, pulling trailers, driving all night to make flights four cities away. And I gotta tell ya, there’s just something about it. Have you ever been in Boise on a random Tuesday? Or how about witnessing a small town Halloween celebration at its finest in Lawrence, KS?

The movement and the randomness spell freedom. Free to explore new places, new people, and new identities for yourself.

Self-expression is a must and if you feel like breaking out but are too shy to put it out there at home, well then, the road is the perfect place for you! And before Vegas co-opted the phrase, I do believe it went “What happens on the road, stays on the road.” Sounds provocative, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is. The level to which you take it is entirely up to you. How you act, the stories you tell, the person you are (or pretend to be) and the people you engage are all your choice. You could do nothing. You could do it all. You could tell your friends at home—or….you couldn’t… It is the ultimate freedom. And once I experienced THAT there was no turning back.

So, thank goodness we’re gettin’ on the boats soon. Being stationary only seems to work for me for so long. Then I get the itch, the urge to mix it up on the move. Four weeks in the Caribbean? I’ll take it! You road warriors out there know what I mean, right?

–Carla

There’s only one logical thing to do when you move into a new office with concrete floors and more space than you know what to do with.

Buy Razor scooters.

Yes, we’re all grown adults (except for Junior).  Yes, Razor scooters are built for people 4 feet tall.  But that didn’t stop us each from collectively buying out Target’s scooter department.  Everyone around Sixthman HQ shares and steals scooters to make trips to the kitchen, the other end of the office, or just to burn off steam for a minute.  Andy still hasn’t stopped shouting “wheeee!” everytime he comes flying down the hallway.  We’ve only had a few minor injuries so far (note to self: you can NOT, no matter how many times you watch the YouTube video demonstration, do a tail whip.  And buy a helmet for crying out loud), so I think we’re doing okay.

And last week, Sasser and I got a Nerf Hoop for our office (newly titled the “Damage Creation and Crisis Development” Department).  Pam insisted that she walked by our office half a dozen times throughout the morning, and every time she saw us throwing the ball around.  I like to believe it wasn’t true, but…it’s probably true.

By the looks of it, you’d never know we have 5 cruises kicking off in a month.  We’re all too busy playing with toys to be bothered with “cruise” things.

-Lauren