• My dog needs a haircut (and so do I)
• I have two weddings to go to in the next 2 weeks (blah)
• My girlfriend’s dad wants us to come and visit him in Cincinnati, but that’s such a far drive for just a weekend. (ugh, do I really have to?)
• My house is a mess (It’s really just my room, but if I say “the house” then I feel like my roommates are responsible too)
• Should I sell my car?
• I wish I read more ( Usually I read books when someone suggests one to me.  Sooo?)
• I need to visit my Nana.
• I forgot my friend’s B-day (oops!)
• There is never time for me to play outside anymore! (especially when I have to go to weddings. Agggghhhhhhh!)
• I want to get better at budgeting my money. (Quicken is fun and the charts make me happy, but it still doesn’t work.  Suggestions?)
• Rent it due
• I can’t believe it’s already June.  Holy cow!
• I want to go on a cruise! (Oh wait, that’s part of my job!  Sweeeeeeeeet!)
• Fasting sucks; I’m so hungry! (tomorrow’s my last day.  Hibatchi anyone?)
• I LOVE music
• I’m going to Cambodia in July  (Oh, that reminds me.  I have to get about 10 different shots)
• Every time my roommate’s dog gets out of the fence, it comes back pregnant. (It’s happened 2 times now.  C’mon, really?)  
• I want to be Wolverine for Halloween. (Seriously, I would look good)
• I feel blessed to have this job.

See, anyone can blog.  What’s on your mind?

-Mike

As I sit here today, looking at my to-do list filled with design projects that require more creative thinking than usual, I am freaking out. Although my whole life has been surrounded by and basically built around creativity, it NEVER gets easier for me. It takes work, and lots of it. I know I am not alone, since there are about 5,000 websites with tips on the proverbial creative rut. There are some people that are blessed with a never-ending flow of creative ideas (I think they work at a place called Matchstic), and I sort of want to kill those people.

I was in a position much like today’s while on the first Cayamo cruise. Searching for inspiration in the music and fresh air, I ventured outside to the Lido Deck. I met two ladies who may as well been angels. We dove in to surprisingly intense conversation, about life, music, and then – creativity. They suggested a must-read on the topic, and I was SO very excited to get back on dry land and dive into the thing. So excited, in fact, that I promptly forgot the title and author of the book, and have been fruitlessly searching for it ever since. I am doing some serious hoping that this blog may pass in front of the right eyes, and could point me in the right direction of this book.

Until then, I will share with you a few things I do when stuck in a creative rut:

• I clean. I feel like if the clutter is out of my space, it will be out of my head. Sometimes this just makes me a more creative cleaner and I think about ways to decorate instead of how to market cruises.
• I go outside. Breathing in fresh air somehow takes pressure off in an instant. Plus, it reminds me that once I am done with the task(s) at hand, there is a reward waiting.
• Speaking of rewards – I often try a reward system. Its actually pretty brutal. For example: A shower is a reward. I wake up, and will not let myself shower until I get XYZ done. PS – My boyfriend once asked if I loved showers more than I loved him. I had to think about it.
• I make lists. Seems very left brain, but once things are on lists, they are out of my brain, freeing it up to be creative. Hopefully.
• I browse through finished work, whether it be my own, or someone else’s. It makes me realize that it CAN actually be done.
• I consult this list: http://www.kerismith.com/funstuff/100ideas.htm and consider doing all of them, and usually pick #70.

Whew! Writing helps, too. Back to work!

-Ashley

During the “Ask Sixthman” panel on Ships and Dip this past year each of us were asked to name our personal dream cruise. We spend most of the year planning cruises based on what we think our guests will want so to have a moment to get personal and name the cruise we would want to see happen for purely selfish reasons was kind of fun. April, Andy, and Ashley’s choices were a little more realistic (Sarah McLachlan, Jackson Brown, and Ben Harper). Barb’s was a little more, well Barb (Slayer and Metallica). And me? Well my “dream cruise” was met with groans from the audience: a public radio cruise hosted by Ira Glass. I am a public radio junkie. I listen to Morning Edition every morning while I get ready for work, All Things Considered on my drive home, Fresh Air on my way to practice in the evening and frantically try to find the nearest radio every Sunday evening so that I may listen to This American Life.

For a while now I’ve been wanting to write a blog inspired by another public radio show that is no longer on the air but still lives on in the form of an addictive website. The original This I Believe began in the 1950’s and was hosted by Edward R. Murrow and consisted of radio essays written by everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to Helen Keller to Pearl Buck. New life was breathed into the show in 2004 and while high profile people such as John Updike and Isabelle Allende post, the essays I’m most interested in are written by everyday people, stay at home moms, teachers, school children.

Although the show is now off the air if you go to www.thisibelieve.org you can search for an essay written on just about any theme. On the homepage their mission statement is clear: This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives.

You can browse essays written on themes from addiction (yields 583 essays) to war (669). Curious to see how many people believe in Buffy the Vampire Slayer? You can enter a search for anything you want (6 essays mention Buffy).

In trying to come up with my own good This I Believe essay, I found myself thinking about what my friend Ira Glass said during his own radio show where the theme was “This I Used to Believe,” he found it easier to come up with things he doesn’t believe than in things he does. In five minutes I could give you a list of 100 things I don’t believe. In this cynical era I decided that before I can write an entire essay on what I believe I need to figure what I do believe in and why first. As a first step I have listed 15 things that I believe in. What do you believe?

I believe that a good meal cooked by someone you love is better than any fancy restaurant.

I believe in popping bubble wrap every time it’s there.

I believe in never going to bed angry.

I believe that dogs give the best unconditional love.

I believe asking for forgiveness rather than permission.

I believe in making quick decisions about the little things in life.

I believe treating others the way I want to be treated.

I believe in making loud noises.

I believe that things would be a lot better now if Martin Sheen’s character in “West Wing” was really president during the time that show was on the air.

I believe that laughter is not only the best medicine; it’s life saving surgery.

I believe that it’s okay to have a messy house as long as your sheets are clean.

I believe that there is no such thing as a necessary evil.

I believe in a good cry.

I believe that humans were made as bipeds so that we could be better dancers.

I believe that’s okay to change what you believe in.

See you on the flip side,

Joy

Steve and Lauren recall their adventures last week in Augusta with eight TRB artists for the 2nd annual Sixthman Sessions.  They then highlight a medley of the 12 songs recorded in just 48 hours by those artists.  Following the songs, they talk about the company’s mission to bring guests into the office to help provide suggestions on how to improve all experiences before, during, and after Sixthman events.

Sixthman Podcast #20 - Sixthman Sessions [ 15:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I am on a quest.  A quest to be in a perpetual good mood and cut out the BS.  When the highlight of your day is making your baby laugh, you realize that there really isn’t any need to focus on the things that might bring you down.  You start making some changes in your life that will make it easier for you to keep your kid happy, and really just set a better example.  This is not to say that I don’t read the news or know what current events are affecting our society, but having Rachel around makes me want to do whatever I can to make a positive difference in myself for her.

Now you may ask, “Well Jill Mac, what kind of things are you doing?”  Well my friends, I don’t mind telling you a few.

GoodSearch – This is a search engine powered by Yahoo that donates money to the charity or school of your choice every time you search.  I do all of my internet research (which is ALOT) from this site.  I am searching for Genesis Shelter in Atlanta which helps homeless families with babies get back on their feet. I also take them any diapers, wipes, toys or clothes that Rachel grows out of too fast or just can’t use.  I like that they will now be used by someone who needs them much more than we do and don’t feel so bad that, as a new parent, I can’t afford to give much of my own money right now.

Worker Smarter, Not Longer – I am doing everything I can not to take my work home with me.   See, it used to be that I felt like if I wasn’t working 24/7 that I wasn’t contributing enough to Sixthman.  But I realized that it really just made me cranky cause I was always on a computer and always thinking about deadlines and spreadsheets.  So most days I just snapped at my husband, my coworkers and from time to time, our customers.  What’s the point in that?!  I promise to work my butt off when I am at work and of course, I’ll work 24/7 on board, but when I get home it’s all about Rachel and Rhett.

Operation: Loosen Up, Sister – One of my favorite turns of phrase when I want someone to get over a problem is to tell them to “put their big girl panties on.”  Problem is, I never had mine on very often.  It really didn’t take much to set me off.  If I was even five minutes late for work I would be in a  tizzy.  Time to let go a little.  Life’s too short.

Less TV, More Music – You know what I found out on maternity leave?  TV sucks.  When oh when will reality TV go away? Who are these Kardashian people and who’s bright idea was it to give them a television show?  I prefer my Ipod.  (Unless it’s LOST.  That doesn’t count!)

Stop Worrying About What’s Cool – When my band was touring pretty frequently we constantly worried about being “cool enough.”  Wearing the right styles, listening to the right music.  I have now realized that I’m a nerd and I’m pretty cheesy.  But I am also one of the more loyal friends you will ever find, a pretty good mom and wife (I think) and – even though I sometimes like to act like I’m not – I am a big softy.  If that’s not cool enough for somebody, I can live without their love.

So as I go through this search for all good things, I’d love a little advice.  Anything else you guys would recommend trying?  Aybody else managed to but out the BS?

I am an average sports fan and by no means do I share the same passion for New England as my associates Carla and Steve.  However, I find it fascinating that a guy who was drafted 199th in the 2000 NFL draft, is now regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.  Tom Brady is the Quarterback for the New England Patriots.

My theory?

He was probably the 199th draft pick because he wasn’t the fastest, tallest or strongest.  Apparently, they weren’t measuring a critical intangible called “leadership”.  As a quarterback, he has discovered the power of teamwork and if you ever watch him play, you will see what I mean.

Instead of finding a wide receiver or running back and making the game about one star player, Tom Brady deliberately gets the ball into as many of the players hands as he can in the first quarter.  He throws each receiver a pass and makes sure each running back gets the ball a couple times.  Anyone who has played sports knows that you are much better player once you have caught a pass, gotten a hit or scored a point.

Same thing applies at work or at home.  When we feel like we have played a tangible role in the successful outcome, we are more engaged and better contributors.

Teams can win games with a star player just as small companies can achieve some success with a key person.  Neither can be “Champions” until it leverages a team culture.  Tom Brady knows this and he has 3 Super Bowl Championships to show for it.

Seen any good examples of this kind of leadership in your world at home or work?

As many of you know, we invited eight Rock Boat artists to join us in Augusta a few days ago for two and a half days of songwriting.  Last year’s inaugural session turned out to be an monumental success, exceeding every one of our expectations, so you can understand our hesitation to do such an event again: how does one improve upon near-perfection?  However, as I sit here listening to the TWELVE songs that these artists recorded in just under 48 hours, I can say with complete confidence that lightning can indeed strike twice if you can get the right people in the right place.

Drew from Sister Hazel, Scott from Dexter Freebish, Josh from Oval Opus, Scott from Wideawake, Brian from Pat McGee Band, Boots from Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Tyrone Wells, and Evan McHugh joined us at the Bluffs Plantation from Sunday night until Monday morning.  Admittedly, we were slightly concerned because these artists didn’t know each other very well prior to coming to Augusta; comparatively, last year’s event was pretty much a reunion of old friends.

I don’t know why we get ourselves so worked up over these things, because this ‘concern’ turned out to actually fuel the fires of creation, allowing these artists to truly blossom and craft more than a few masterpieces.  Beginning with Evan and Drew’s song “Out of My Hands,” a heart-wrenching ballad that could easily be heard on the radio tomorrow, continuing all the way through to Evan, Scott L., and Scott R.’s arena-ready rock anthem, “Nothing About You Now” (finished at 3:30AM on the last night), this group truly created something special: twelve songs, each with unique stories, fantastic riffs, and soaring harmonies.

I have never felt more musically inspired or intimidated in my life.  To watch these guys split up into groups and within three hours have three songs written and recorded absolutely blows my mind.  Then, as soon as one song was done, they’d switch groups and do it all over again!  As a joke, Kappy, Mike and myself thought it would be funny to write a song and record it ourselves.  After four hours, all we had was a poem about dogs and an island and a guitar riff that sounded WAY too much like “Wagon Wheel.”   It turns out that other than a passion for songwriting, you also need guitar skills and talent.  Oh well, maybe one day our song, “Just send me my dogs” will get sold to Kenny Chesney/Jimmy Buffett and we can all retire to the Caribbean.

Back to the real talent: at the end of the last night, all eight artists (even Drew stayed awake!) sat around listening to the two days of work, each tapping their feet to the beat and offering up words of admiration and support for each other.  A few beers were had, a few hours of bags (corn-toss, cornhole, whatever you want to call it) were played, and at 3:30AM it was time for the Boots and Evan Comedy Hour!  Unfortunately, I went to bed at 3 so I missed the show, but I was later told by Kappy (who videoed the whole thing) that it was so funny he had tears streaming down his face from laughing so much.  This is just another reason why I never sleep on our cruises.  Who knows what I’m missing…

Eight strangers and a blank canvas entered the house on Sunday night.  On Wednesday morning, eight friends and twelve complete songs left.  Riding back in a van with a few of the guys listening to the demos on repeat, I couldn’t help but smile in amazement at what I had just witnessed.  I think we’re onto something here people!  We can’t wait to share these songs with you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these songs ended up on albums in the near future.

I can’t wait for the next Sixthman Sessions, and I can’t wait for The Rock Boat X – I’m interested to see how these two days of writing will impact five days of collaboration on the ship.  I already know one of these songs will certainly become the anthem of the cruise and will have everybody singing the chorus in their sleep.

-Steve

For those of you who know Jill Bessey, you know that she is the director of the call center, the supervisor I send questions to that I cannot answer, the Queen Bee of the karate chopping phone answerers, and the mother of one Minnie Bessey.  Well, maybe you didn’t know she was a mother, but it’s true.  She is the mother of one ten pound, car-ride loving, bone chewing, curly haired poodle named Minnie.  A privileged pup who gets to come to the office everyday and devour crumbs and take her fair share of kisses from the staff.  Minnie is so much a child to Bessey, that she is even having a portrait made by www.barknart.com.  In all actuality, Minnie is really the boss in that relationship, but don’t tell Bessey that.

Jill’s undying love for her spoiled (but sweet) little Minnie got me thinking about my job, my old job, and the differences therein.  So, aside from my many talents as a ninja, I am also known for the speed and precision with which I can…wait for it…groom your pet!  (Imagine loud trumpet music here.)  In my old life, I managed a grooming salon for a large company, which I will not name.  And while spending the entire day with puppies and kittens and rainbows sounds like a lot of fun, I couldn’t be happier to answer the phone and talk to the very guests that will eventually be sailing the high seas with me on one of these amazing ships.

Don’t get me wrong, my last job was a good experience, and taught me a trade that most do not have, and yes, I did get to spend time cuddling with some of the cutest animals this side of the Mississippi, but the environment in a grooming salon has proven to be much more hostile than sitting amongst the Sixthman employees and guests and discussing these vacations of a lifetime.  To give you a better idea, let’s compare:

Grooming Salon

• Hi, can you groom my dog for me today?
• Sure, it will take about three hours.
• What?  Three hours!  Can’t you do it faster?
  
• Well, in order to groom safely and make your puppy look cute, I really need to give it a few hours.
• Well, I guess that’s okay. Can you make his curly hair straight?
• Well, we can’t really use any chemicals on an animal’s hair like you can with humans, so unfortunately no.
• Sounds like you can’t do anything I want.  This job seems easy enough, I could probably do it myself, forget it.

Sixthman

• Hi, can you tell me about this Elvis cruise?
• Definitely, what would you like to know?
• Well, can you tell me what’s it’s all about?
• Sure!  It’s a great tribute with several awesome Elvis Tribute Artists, Jerry Schilling, and others that knew Elvis.  It’s a four day trip filled with fun and music with a group of people all there for the same thing
• That sounds really great.  Can we go ahead and book now?
• Sure thing.  Is there anything else I can do for you today?
• No, thanks.  We’re so excited.  Hopefully we’ll get to see you on board Lisa!
• I’ll definitely see you there!

Now, this wasn’t every single customer that walked through the door, and I had many clients that were incredibly sweet and understanding.  But in grooming, you’re much more likely to find a high maintenance, overly concerned, pet owner, than an incredibly excited, overly-worked, and ready for vacation human being.  Due to my past customer service experiences, I was concerned that I might have angry phone calls and strongly worded emails when I started working in the call center, but instead I find the lovely guests of Sixthman events are just happy to be doing something fun.

Now, in order to fill the void of daily cat purrs and puppy breath, I spend time with my own pets at home, and I also groom the pets of my friends.  So, I do spend every couple of months fluffing Minnie’s fur, or washing one of the rollergirl’s mutts, or shaving a friend’s cat.  I’ll be honest, I do it for a fee, it’s minimal, but it helps pad the wallet for those unexpected expenses.  But, it’s also fun, and it keeps me in practice, and it reminds me when it’s time to wash my own stinky litter of pets.  And, I might as well get some use out of these tools that take up space in the closet.

But what exactly am I trying to say with all this?  Good question.  I’m saying, you’re my kind of people Sixthman guests – appreciative of what you have, and excited about anything extra.  You’re just looking to meet people that have the same interests as you, people that enjoy music, people that like to relax in the sun and drink a cold one, people that take advantage of what life has to offer, people that take the tough stuff with a grain of salt.  People that live loud.

So thanks for making my life more enjoyable.  And thanks for spending time to read about Minnie, because Jill wouldn’t have it any other way.  And I’m looking forward to meeting so many of you on board.

-Lisa

If you have hung out with me at any time in the past few weeks, you know that my cats are having some problems hitting the litter box. They have only had this problem once before, and isolating them in a room with their box fixed it right up. Well, I moved into a house with a dog, and it’s chaos. I isolated them for a few weeks and once I let them out, they immediately took to peeing on the BRAND NEW CARPETING. So I decided they were going to become outside cats! I took my little buddies to the vet for rabies shots today, thinking it would be sunshine and rainbows afterwards.

Not so much.

Remember how I’ve been isolating the lil buggers? I put them in the laundry room. It’s cozy- there’s a window, plenty of room for their food, toys and a box. Thing is, one of those little bas—- sweet little angels chewed a hole in the hose to the washer, so the room flooded. We got that swabbed up, but it flooded again just before I was about to put them in for the night. So I improvised and put them in the downstairs bathroom.

This morning I went downstairs ready to corral my cats and get on the road, but the door was locked. Yes, locked. Those little thumbless mothe—— scamps locked the door. Do I know how to pick a lock? No. No I do not know how to pick a lock. So I removed the doorknob and used a variety of tools, including calling my boyfriend in tears, until finally I got the door open.

Off to the vet! It was pretty uneventful, unless you consider it costing twice as much as I had hoped and having to bring them back in two weeks. Also, I pretty much needed to stay at home for the rest of the day to acclimate them to the new litter and boxes we’ll be using. It was going to be interesting to see what happened due to the fact I couldn’t put them in the laundry room or the bathroom (couldn’t get the doorknob back on, see?) I was greeted by peeps and poops on the BRAND NEW CARPETING. Gross.

I set to work on cleaning up the laundry room. Standing water is never good. I tried to get out the wet/ dry vac, but it wouldn’t suck. Actually, it sucked, but then it spit out the water. At this point, I wasn’t wasting my time any more.

I got hungry, so I put some food on the stove. I had to use the loo, so I went to the nearest one- the downstairs bathroom. As the lock clicked shut, I remembered that the tools I needed to open it were just on the other side of the door. I was locked in the bathroom. With food on the stove. I took a quick inventory of the room. There were limited resources, including a weak wooden dowel, some bobby pins and a toilet paper holder that had not been installed. It took me about half an hour to get out of the bathroom. I had visions of the smoke alarm triggering the security system, and my roommate being told that her house was on fire. I don’t want to win the award for worst roommate ever. I owe her a pan.

Oh, and the cats still haven’t been outside yet.

Send liquor, please!

In this latest podcast, Steve and Lauren talk about the 2nd annual Sixthman Sessions currently taking place in Augusta, GA.  Following the discussion, we highlight an interview and performance with Carbon Leaf who has a new album, Nothing Rhymes With Woman, releasing today.  After the interview, Steve and Lauren answer a question from the Podcast Mailbag concerning a possible Mayercraft Carrier 3.

Sixthman Podcast #19 - Carbon Leaf [ 16:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download