I blame Eric Stone. But to quote Jimmy Buffet (who a buncha folks seem to like), it’s my own damn fault.
Apparently, I had fun last night. I never sleep this late on the boat. Usually the birds around 0700 get me thinking about getting up, if I’m not already.
(I’m usually not…but today’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish.)
10:56
Still lying in the short bunk. I’m not sure I’m gonna weigh myself again until it’s not friggin’ freezing.
11:15
Still lying in bunk. I can hear the wind in the rigging. Perfect day for sailing, other than the temperature. Some coffee must be had.
11:22
Shoes on and bedding put in the V berth. That’s progress.
12:16
Went over to the marina office for some coffee, and while I was there…
Woohoo!!!!! My EV RE50 has arrived! (That’s a microphone.) I actually went with the RE50N/D-L, which has a little higher level and a longer handle than the “classic”. I have big hands, and this’ll be good when I’m using a mic flag or doing interviews. (Easier to get it close to the subject.)
13:45
Ouch, my head! Need food. Had a protein drink, which helped slightly. Just damn.
16:53
Finally. O’Maddy’s. Food.
17:46
Well, bless their hearts. This place (below) can’t seem to make a go of it, despite having the absolute best view of Boca Ciega Bay from the upstairs deck.
The food in this incarnation was just terrible and good servers seemed not to stay too long. I hope somebody just bought the place that knows what they’re doing. Just damn.
18:54
(After intercepting the puzzled Amazon guy with my replacement thermostat), a shower is required. I’ve been putting it off, it’s so chilly. (The showers here at the marina are new and clean. But you still have to walk to and from the boat!)
19:57
We have heat! The new thermostat works like a champ. And all I had to do is slap the front part on. The previous back plate with the wiring stays right where it was.
21:33
Had a great Skype call with Chris G. Parkhurst, who is in Cambodia filming a documentary. (Check out his podcast and other projects at TheDocumentaryLife.com. And I can’t wait to see his documentary about the man they call “The Elvis of Cambodia”…!)
He promised me fifteen minutes, but we talked for forty-eight minutes about the How Not To Sail podcast, and many other things.
[Note: I mention the call in Episode 3, Fog…just a couple of blog posts after this one.]
I very much value Chris’ opinion about these things (and his friendship), and a number of ideas pinged into my brain just while I was talking with him.
(I should probably write these down:)
Ideas Confirmed
- The show format can be tweaked as we go along. It doesn’t have to spring forth fully formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus.
- Chris likes the more narrative format, and also the idea of using (if not even focusing on) my cruise(s) as a doughnut around the “interview” parts. Also, doing more narrative-style editing with VO, versus straight interview.
- We discussed maybe phasing out the tag line “Screwing up is part of cruising. Let me show you how!” (And eventually just leaving the title to stand alone, should it become popular.) But I mentioned that screwing up is not only a part of cruising, but a part of life…and that got an attaboy from Mr. Parkhurst. So the tagline is perhaps not a problem, even if we’re not “screwup-centric” with the program.
Completely New Ideas
- Captain Billy’s Mailbag could go at the end, almost like a blooper reel at the end of a movie (or, as I was thinking before, after a native ad in the middle…but I think I like the “at the end” idea even better)
- Just now (23:01) it popped into my head: If we’re doing a more narrative style, we could cue the “screwups” parts of interviews with a little “hup-tee-DOH” schlumpy music. A clarinet probably figures into that. ?
Other Notes
- We discussed the whole “Morning Zoo” or sports talk-type format that some shows (like The Multimedia Ninja) have…and whether my target demographic would more appreciate that. But (a), as Chris mentioned (and I wholeheartedly agree), it can be tweaked over time…and (b) well, I forget B right now, but…
- I had been thinking about doing something analogous to the ubiquitous “cruisers’ net” that pops up on VHF radios in anchorages worldwide, where cruisers check in and gam at a regular time and channel daily. This could still maybe be done in a more narrative program, if done after the midroll ad, or at the end, etc.
The day is turning out to be much more enjoyable and productive than it started out. I’m going to opt for some juice and a protein bar, and hopefully tomorrow will be off to a good start.
