grinner
Carbonite Member
whew.
Last saturday found me flying to Miami to catch a ride on Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage aboard the Freedom of the Seas. This party aquires the entire ship. All of it. All of his fands, reaching out to help their own. The experience was nothing less than life-changing.
The Freedom is the biggest cruise liner on the water today and my adventure began Sunday when we boarded.
My job was to capture the essence of what the cruise was all about... to raise money for scholorships and education avenues for African Americans. The hardest working man in radio created this and I am honored to say I have gained a new hero in life in Tom Joyner. Dude is a striaght up giver and a sheer delight of a person.
There were two white boys on board. I was the one with the camera. Never have I been so showered with love and genuine affection.
The next 7 days and nights would find me in the bermuda triangle, the virgin islands and the west indies. I got paid a premium wage for shooting the best of sceneries, happiest of people, and celebities from Chaca Khan to Cedric the Entertainer.
I ran solo on a waverunner on the salty seas and reached down with my toe on a uninhabitaed island in the bahamas.
I was hugged by repeated strangers and swapped stories with rock stars.
I shot and absorbed a sermon one morning that reached into my soal and woke me up to things I only suspected existed before.
Man, it was an adventure.
Our first port was Grand Turk. Quant tourest local with a friendly gimme your moola vibe. A jamacan pured a beer on my head as a result of me decining to enter a beer drinking contest. That'll freakin teach me. Nothing a dip in the pool didn't cure. The ole FX-1 went and condinsated on me later. Between sand and moisture, this was not an ideal trip for a high def camera. Other than an exterior but in-car pov shot from a drifting viper, I can think of few other ways to tear up a camera better.
Our next port was San Juan. I took a walking tour downtown and we hit the old missions and forts. Bonito was our guide and my instant friend. He told me of the building and protection of the forts, his life and his family. Tera had told me to get a picture of every friend I make so he gave a special shout out to her on camera for me. He ended the tour begging me to allow him to take me for a beer but we had to get back on the job. I liked Bonito. I felt like I knew him when we met.
Every evening went to about 4am. I had to catch every concert, every event and all the parties. It was all a never-ending "party with a purpose", as Tom puts it.
St Thomas was our next location and I was able to catch a private cab into the deeper parts of it. Got some sweet goodies for the kids and for Nan. I elected to walk all the way back to the boat, really challenging the ole schedule but it's a decision I'm glad I made. To walk places one has not been... I believe it's a big part of what we were meant to do.
The days at sea were hard. Kind of clostrophobic, knowing ya can't leave. They are alcohol-selling days and good revenues for the casinos on the ship. These days are not by accident. I played a few slots for my dad but didn't dare tear up anyone's black jack hands with my bad decision making. Dad wasn't workin through me though. Down a quick 40 bucks and I was done.
CoCo Cay was the last port and was owned and operated by Royal Carribian. This is where I snuck off on the seadoo. I yelled woohoo at 40mph 4 times not caring who was lookin or laughin. It's always fun to be a kid.
In Puerto Rico, a fella by the name of John Legend sang a new song in concert. It was "good morning." I put the camera down as he sang. I stepped into the song and saw inages of my wife. I've been humming it since. It kind of sets the slate for each day now.
From angles to rappers, I found a glow of goodness everywhere I tuned for 8 solid days. Missing my wife and kids increadibly, I was greeted with hugs and kisses at the airport that tingled my spine. I have been a grinnin glowin fool since...
well, since that sermon from Susan Taylor last Tuesday.
Now, don't think I didn't get the itch to bust a sweet Moddin' Art piece on this increadible 800 million dollar ship. Oh yeah, I toured that beast from it's night clubs to it's mall to is surf machine. I learned to surf on this ship (pictures to follow) and I am absolutely proud and giddy to bellow out that I managed to work my way right into the bridge of this mightly vessel while it was in route. If that doesn't sound like an increadible work of salesmanship, this is not at all unlike working your way into the cockpit of a 757 post 911 while it's in the air. It's just not done. The employees don't even get up there.
I was determined to get in there and I thought "hmmm, who am I working for this trip? well that would be Tom Joyner. and who owns this entire ship this week? well that would be Tom Joyner. So, when time to do his interview for the video and he asked "so where would you like to shoot me?"
I smiled aaaaaalllll big like a 10 year old boy on an old Love Boat episode and said, "the captain's chair, man."
After a quick pat down by a few people, I was up in the bridge, awed at the one-off technology before me. I interviewed the captain, got aaaaaallllllll the specs of that badboy, even sat in the big swivel chair with joy stocks and knobs and asked if a mini me was in the house. Tom was funny as heck all askin about mpg and stuff. It's gonna be a very rare piece of golden video, my friends.
I have a sunburn on a sunburn and the ground has to be moving as I can't seem to stand up straght. My camera freakin hates me and 5,000 people I met last week freakin love me.
back atcha, boat people. Freakin helluva trip.
Last saturday found me flying to Miami to catch a ride on Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage aboard the Freedom of the Seas. This party aquires the entire ship. All of it. All of his fands, reaching out to help their own. The experience was nothing less than life-changing.
The Freedom is the biggest cruise liner on the water today and my adventure began Sunday when we boarded.
My job was to capture the essence of what the cruise was all about... to raise money for scholorships and education avenues for African Americans. The hardest working man in radio created this and I am honored to say I have gained a new hero in life in Tom Joyner. Dude is a striaght up giver and a sheer delight of a person.
There were two white boys on board. I was the one with the camera. Never have I been so showered with love and genuine affection.
The next 7 days and nights would find me in the bermuda triangle, the virgin islands and the west indies. I got paid a premium wage for shooting the best of sceneries, happiest of people, and celebities from Chaca Khan to Cedric the Entertainer.
I ran solo on a waverunner on the salty seas and reached down with my toe on a uninhabitaed island in the bahamas.
I was hugged by repeated strangers and swapped stories with rock stars.
I shot and absorbed a sermon one morning that reached into my soal and woke me up to things I only suspected existed before.
Man, it was an adventure.
Our first port was Grand Turk. Quant tourest local with a friendly gimme your moola vibe. A jamacan pured a beer on my head as a result of me decining to enter a beer drinking contest. That'll freakin teach me. Nothing a dip in the pool didn't cure. The ole FX-1 went and condinsated on me later. Between sand and moisture, this was not an ideal trip for a high def camera. Other than an exterior but in-car pov shot from a drifting viper, I can think of few other ways to tear up a camera better.
Our next port was San Juan. I took a walking tour downtown and we hit the old missions and forts. Bonito was our guide and my instant friend. He told me of the building and protection of the forts, his life and his family. Tera had told me to get a picture of every friend I make so he gave a special shout out to her on camera for me. He ended the tour begging me to allow him to take me for a beer but we had to get back on the job. I liked Bonito. I felt like I knew him when we met.
Every evening went to about 4am. I had to catch every concert, every event and all the parties. It was all a never-ending "party with a purpose", as Tom puts it.
St Thomas was our next location and I was able to catch a private cab into the deeper parts of it. Got some sweet goodies for the kids and for Nan. I elected to walk all the way back to the boat, really challenging the ole schedule but it's a decision I'm glad I made. To walk places one has not been... I believe it's a big part of what we were meant to do.
The days at sea were hard. Kind of clostrophobic, knowing ya can't leave. They are alcohol-selling days and good revenues for the casinos on the ship. These days are not by accident. I played a few slots for my dad but didn't dare tear up anyone's black jack hands with my bad decision making. Dad wasn't workin through me though. Down a quick 40 bucks and I was done.
CoCo Cay was the last port and was owned and operated by Royal Carribian. This is where I snuck off on the seadoo. I yelled woohoo at 40mph 4 times not caring who was lookin or laughin. It's always fun to be a kid.
In Puerto Rico, a fella by the name of John Legend sang a new song in concert. It was "good morning." I put the camera down as he sang. I stepped into the song and saw inages of my wife. I've been humming it since. It kind of sets the slate for each day now.
From angles to rappers, I found a glow of goodness everywhere I tuned for 8 solid days. Missing my wife and kids increadibly, I was greeted with hugs and kisses at the airport that tingled my spine. I have been a grinnin glowin fool since...
well, since that sermon from Susan Taylor last Tuesday.
Now, don't think I didn't get the itch to bust a sweet Moddin' Art piece on this increadible 800 million dollar ship. Oh yeah, I toured that beast from it's night clubs to it's mall to is surf machine. I learned to surf on this ship (pictures to follow) and I am absolutely proud and giddy to bellow out that I managed to work my way right into the bridge of this mightly vessel while it was in route. If that doesn't sound like an increadible work of salesmanship, this is not at all unlike working your way into the cockpit of a 757 post 911 while it's in the air. It's just not done. The employees don't even get up there.
I was determined to get in there and I thought "hmmm, who am I working for this trip? well that would be Tom Joyner. and who owns this entire ship this week? well that would be Tom Joyner. So, when time to do his interview for the video and he asked "so where would you like to shoot me?"
I smiled aaaaaalllll big like a 10 year old boy on an old Love Boat episode and said, "the captain's chair, man."
After a quick pat down by a few people, I was up in the bridge, awed at the one-off technology before me. I interviewed the captain, got aaaaaallllllll the specs of that badboy, even sat in the big swivel chair with joy stocks and knobs and asked if a mini me was in the house. Tom was funny as heck all askin about mpg and stuff. It's gonna be a very rare piece of golden video, my friends.
I have a sunburn on a sunburn and the ground has to be moving as I can't seem to stand up straght. My camera freakin hates me and 5,000 people I met last week freakin love me.
back atcha, boat people. Freakin helluva trip.