Birthdayville, Population 2

So I’ve been 27 for almost 11 hours now. I have no opinion of it yet. But I’ve gotten off to a good start. Dinner last night was great, as was our karaoke party. Thanks to Nick, we figured out how to use the machine and we rocked out until well after 2am. Highlights: Katy and I channeling Salt n Peppa, Shawn as The Boss, Nick jumping into every Billy Joel song, Katrina doing complete justice to Janis Joplin, James and I dueting Incubus, and Peter pretty much singing everything. It was a great time. Kind of nice to have pre-partied and still have this birthday left. I have nothing today until our shows at 7:30, so it’ll be a lot of recovery and gym time. What a nice gift.

And btdubs, pictures will be posted on Sunday…

On the Eve of My 27th Year

Twenty seven years ago today my mother prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for herself, my dad and my 7 year-old sister. Shortly after that dinner, I made my way into the world, cementing my unnatural connection to pumpkin and green bean casserole. Roughly ten months prior, my sister had made a request of my parents: please give her a baby sister. A trip to Vegas and 9 months later, there I was. Well, it wasn’t an easy night for my mom. Heavy with turkey and 7 pounds 5 ounces of me, she struggled through hours of labor where, as an indication of my future inclinations, I refused to enter the birth canal. If I had access to my prenatal thoughts, I imagine I would find fear of going towards the light. After all, I was very warm, comfortable and in the middle of a Thanksgiving meal. Nonetheless, my time had come, and if I was not agreeable the doctors would have no choice but to take me by force. My mom wasn’t having it, and once again foreshadowing the future she pushed as hard as she possibly could to get me where I was supposed to be. A little while later out I came, greeted by jokes that I must’ve belonged to the “milk man” because my mop of black hair and dark eyes didn’t match either of my parents’ coloring. My dad is a good natured guy, otherwise some doctors and nurses might have been knocked out. Meanwhile, I’m told, my grandma Randell stood in the hallway holding her purse and awaiting news of her new granddaughter. I know that my dad’s brothers at some point might have barged into the labor room…or maybe that part of the story belongs to my sister’s birth. I’m not sure. I was there, but I was very distracted and did not have the benefit of language to match the images. I also know that two names were up for grabs for me…Meredith and Natalie. Ultimately my sister vetoed Meredith, as did my mother for fear that people would call me Mary. So the French word for Christmas, or “birth” won out so close to the holidays.

Little did I know that meanwhile to the east in NYC another girl would be born 364 days later named Meredith…and her name would’ve very nearly been Natalie or Nadine. And on an equally cosmic note, I would be baptized on the same day in January 1981 when another girl name Teri Lea was born who 14 years down the road would become my Confirmation sponsor.

But I digress.

Have I mentioned too that James in my cast has the same birthday as me? Just three years later. Sweet Baby James. It’s our big day. It’s actually kind of nice to be sharing a day and a party with someone. It’s a lot of pressure on your own.

Wait, did I say party?? Boy did I! My surreal life is delivering a surreal birthday party, courtesy of my Second City cast and the NCL production cast. They’re my boat family and I couldn’t be happier to be celebrating my birthday with them. James and I chose Cagney’s Steakhouse as our birthday dinner venue. We’re both meat people. Then we will retire to a karaoke room (yes, a karaoke room) for birthday craziness. Many nights on this boat are a party. That makes it that much more of a challenge for this night to be special.

Things I miss on my birthday being away from home:
Erin
Meredith
Holiday Club
CIN threads
Cupcakes from (guess where) Cupcakes
SAMA’s conference room birthday party
A musical phone call from my parents
Spending my birthday eve at CSz rehearsal
Girls’ dinner with Megan and Meredith
Chicago in general

Things I’m excited about here:
Cagney’s filet
Seeing James turn 24 and remembering that year fondly
Decorations compliments of Katy
Peter’s comic art
Tabetha’s dancing (watch those shoulders!)
Shawn’s bits (or are they?)
Not having to wake up for work tomorrow

All in all, it’s a good day.

Happy Birthday, Meredith!!

Big Easy Take 2

So here we are in New Orleans for the 2nd week. This week was quiet. We spent a crazy day in Honduras submersed in the culture. Or at least the culture of the port. It's quite the tale, that I will have to relay in the future.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on land! It was hard to go without the parade and the traditional dinner, but we were fortunate enough to be included in the dinner of the NCL produciton company cast. These guys have quickly become our good friends and it was awesome of them to have us.

Cast picture!! There's nothing like closing down a night club to have Thanksgiving dinner.

Couldn't get any good shots, but this gives you the idea.

Beautiful Jackson Square in New Orleans. That's the St. Louis Cathedral in the background.

Wal-Mart. The American beacon. It was quite the sight after two weeks in the islands.

Back to the sea...more updates to come...

Reposition Ends, Routine Begins

So we left New York 6 years ago. Oh wait, two weeks? Same thing. The reposition cruise felt like a life time. In some ways it was the best times so far, and in other ways, not so much. I went on some excursions in the one-time ports, resulting in some awesomeness. Zip-lining, monkey-watching, snorkeling...those things were great. Also hit some beaches that were the most beautiful places I've seen in recent times. Since I have not been able to post photos for the past two weeks, I'll just toss some out for your enjoyment, dear reader.

Making friends with the dancers at a crew party. Dancers are attractive.
Tabetha and I couldn't more excited.

Katy and I getting ready to fly over the rain forest.

Sunset over the water.

James showing St. Thomas what's up.

Monkeys!

After our cast snorkeling excursion in Aruba, we enojoyed lunch at Mambo's.

Currently I'm sitting in front of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, full of jambalaya and beignets. Me, not the cathedral. I'm going to love seeing New Orleans each week. And the Super Wal-Mart. I'm so American.

At Sea with Katy Marquardt

Spotlight on Katy Marquardt!

Katy “Crazy 88s” Marquardt is my fellow Chicagoan on this boat. She resides in the Lincoln Park area and joins us from a previous 4 month stint on this very ship. We maintain that she loves our cast the most, and she is far too nice to argue. Things I learned about Katy while rooming with her: she enjoys ambient Law & Order, she loves reading, and she is much tidier than I will ever be. We are fortunate to have her behind the keyboard and by our side. If not for her, our shows would be eerily quiet.

Natalie: Katy, this is your second contract on the Spirit. Why another four months?
Katie: I wanted the time to practice and write. That’s a luxury I don’t have at home. There’s lots of free time here. Time for creative…
N: Exploration?
K: Sure, I’ll say that. If I think of another word, I’ll let you know.
N: You’re from Chicago.
K: Well, originally from Indiana, but yes, I came here from Chicago.
N: What do you miss the most about home?
K: My family. Just being able to share experiences with them. On a more superficial level, I miss Chicago pizza and good salsa.
N: Well that brings me to ask, what’s your favorite pizza in Chicago?
K: It’s a tie between Ranalli’s and Lou Malnati’s.
N: And the salsa?
K: I love the salsa at Tarasca’s. And Adobo Grille. They have that guacamole. I could make a meal out of just the chips and guacamole.
N: Table side! It’s awesome. We here know, and I’ll let our readers know, you’re a vegetarian. How long have you been?
K: Thirteen years or so. Since middle school.
N: Was there some event that sparked it?
K: I always had a hard time eating animals. Then I was a at a pig roast and it was really hard to see the pig. I love animals too much to eat them.
N: Has it been hard to eat vegetarian on this ship?
K: Yes, since I’m not a big fan of curry, and that’s mostly what the vegetarian food is in the dining room. But I guess if they had better food I would just eat more of it, so it balances out this way.
N: And to go back to your past…how long have you been playing piano?
K: Twenty three years.
N: Wow. That’s practically since birth.
K: Yeah. My mom’s a piano teacher, so that’s why I started so young.
N: Tough question, but what’s your absolute favorite song to play?
K: That is hard. Can I say a classical song and a pop song?
N: Please.
K: Classical - Fantasy Impromptu by Chopin. Pop - Come on Eileen.
N: Well now I have to ask, why haven’t you used Come on Eileen in our improv sets??
K: That’s not really improv.
N: But would you be open to a fully improvised musical based on your favorite songs?
K: Yes! But we’d probably have to axe the classical songs.
N: No way, we could use them.
K: We could. And Peter would be happy because I could throw in Only the Good Die Young. It’s a karaoke favorite of his.
N: And speaking of karaoke, back to the ship. What’s your favorite thing about the ship?
K: The live music.
N: Favorite band on board?
K: Next Stage. [Interviewer’s note: Next Stage is great. They do all kinds of pop and rock covers]
N: Would you ever be willing to play music exclusively on a cruise ship?
K: Yeah, if they’d pay me.
N: So what is your least favorite part of the ship?
K: The coffee cups. They don’t have proper handles.
N: You just won the award for the best interview answer ever. And now the obligatory question - who is your favorite cast member?
K: Rusty [our technical director]. Does he count?
N: Sure. And your least favorite?
K: Jerrick [our stage manager] because he’s leaving us!
N: You are undoubtedly the most positive member of our cast. What is the reason for the sunny disposition?
K: Insanity. I don’t know. I tend to be positive, give people the benefit of the doubt. I have a cynical side, but I guess it’s overshadowed by my optimism.
N: That’s unusual in improv. Will you stay in improv long term?
K: I don’t know, I’m figuring that out. I’d like to try different things, like acting, writing, working on my own projects. I feel like I fit in in improv though.
N: So what would be your dream job?
K: Nothing specific, just something creatively driven, that I’m happy doing and that pays my bills. I’m still figuring out what that would be.
N: Aren’t we all. And now about our show. What’s your favorite sketch?
K: Captain Apathy and Drive. I would say Pictionary, but I’ve seen it too many times.
N: I’ve heard that. What’s your favorite improv game?
K: To play, I’d say Sounds Like a Song or Irish Drinking Song.
N: A lot of improvisors are intimidated by musical improv. What’s your advice for them?
K: Get out of your head and look at it like any other improv scene. You can do it!
N: OK, time for lightning round questions…Chocolate or vanilla?
K: Vanilla.
N: Brown or black?
K: Black.
N: Caribbean or New England?
K: Caribbean.
N: Elton John or Billy Joel?
K: Billy Joel.
N: And finally, what’s the first thing you will do when you get home?
K: See my mom and dad. I mean hopefully…they’re picking me up from the airport.

Thanks, Katy!

At Sea with Tabetha Wells

Dear Reader, I've been buried in sand for several days now. It was difficult to dig my way out in order to post this blog, but I've finally done it. I am unable to post pictures from the ship, but I will do so asap. In the meantime, please enjoy the most recent company spotlight.

Love,
Nat (spelled backwards is TAN!)

Spotlight on Tabetha Wells!

Tabetha is the company manager for the Second City aboard the NCL Spirit. This means she’s the liaison between the cast and the ship’s management. She’s got the power. But she’s many things…the blonde girl onstage, my lady friend in Pictionary, and my occasional cabin-mate. Luckily for me, she’s the Food Network junkie I am, so she’s the one who made the brunch at Mesa possible while we were in NYC. Runner, foodie, fiancée…how does she do it? Let’s find out…

Natalie: Tabetha, I notice your comfy blanket. Tell me about it.
Tabetha: This was an after though when I was seeking a more comfortable bed situation. If I increase my comfort with a mattress pad, how much more with a blanket.
N: Great, great. So…the bed is uncomfortable?
T: The bed as it comes is akin to a burlap sack filled with rocks and needles and ferrets.
N: Could you elaborate?
T: Dead ferrets.
N: You’ve been on the Spirit before? How does this experience compare?
T: Coming back is familiar, so it’s better in that respect. Plus my cast is awesome.
N: Good answer. You are currently away from your fiancé, Greg. Three words to describe Greg.
T: Funny, handsome, and wonderful.
N: AW! Are we dating the same guy? Stop! Greg comes on over Christmas. What’s the first thing, minding the brown bag foul, you’ll want to do with him?
T: He’s been on the ship twice, and both times Teppanyaki’s been booked, so maybe that. We’ll probably ditch his family and find a quiet place to watch the water.
N: To leave Greg for a moment…for our readers, how long have you been with the Second City?
T: Ships for the last year, before that on and off since 1997.
N: Horrible question - when did you realize you were funny?
T: That’s like asking a gay person when they knew they were gay.
N: So you’re saying…
T: I’m not gay.
N: No, but you’re saying it’s more nature than nurture. You were born funny and you had to discover it. No spark moment?
T: I didn’t realize you could make a career out of comedy. I had the record Free to be You and Me, there was a Boy Meets Girl “skit” and I knew I wanted to be funny like that.
N: So who is your favorite comedian or comedic actor?
T: My favorite comedians are Jon Stewart, Seinfeld, and Ellen DeGeneres. Tina Fey because of what she’s accomplished…and the facial scar. I love the alumni of Second City who have gone out and done something awesome.
N: Job interview question, where do you see yourself in five years?
T: Married to Greg, living with Scooter and working as a writer for a TV show, satire or sketch show.
N: Back to the ship. What is your favorite thing about ship life?
T: The sound of the ocean.
N: Least favorite thing?
T: Having to break the news that we’re not allowed in crew areas anymore. Or losing a cast member.
N: Do you foresee us losing a cast member?
T: You.
N: Why?
T: Not to scandal or issues…at some point you’ll walk away. Jump overboard.
N: Yikes! That’s a mirror I didn’t want put in front of me.
T: Or James, who may “accidentally” sleep with someone.
N: Which brings me to the obligatory question, who is your favorite cast member?
T: Me. I admire my work and have a lot of potential. My least favorite is James. He’ll accidentally have sex with someone.
N: You’re from Canada. What do you miss most?
T: Colorful money. And the healthcare.
N: If you could only live in one city the rest of your life, in theory, where would it be?
T: New York City. I’d like to be somewhere I won’t run out of stuff to do. If my French was better, I’d say Paris.
N: Lightning round! Vanilla or chocolate?
T: Chocolate
N: Black or brown?
T: Black
N: Rachel Ray or Giada?
T: Rachel Ray
N: Canada or US?
T: Canada
N: What’s the very first thing you’ll do when you get home?
T: Walk my dog in the park. It’s always the first thing I do.
And finally, Tabetha says: “I don’t like the p***y.”

At Sea with James Mastroianni!

James is the youngest member of our ensemble. His youth has betrayed us yet again! Inside bits aside, you’d never guess that James is relatively new to improv (compared to us old folks, that is). He’s a delight to play with, both onstage and off…that’s right ladies - this guy is single and ready to mingle! He’ll always remind you he’s from Pittsburgh, but is happily transplanted in L.A. where he works as a server at the famous Improv comedy club.

James and I met for a lovely dinner at the Windows dining room. I brought along a mini notebook and pen, so the following is transcribed from my notes and my memory. I’m new at this interview business.

Natalie: What made you fall in love with improv?
James: I think the challenge of it. I moved to LA to be an actor, but they offered half off classes at Second City, so I took them. One night I saw an improv show with Dave Rozowski, Scott Adset, Craig Cackowski, Kay Cannon and Mark Evan Jackson, and I thought there is no way they made that up. I wanted to be able to do that.
N: Describe LA in 3 words.
J: Overpopulated, competitive, narcissistic.
N: And now the ship in 3 words.
J: Commercial, diverse, loud.
N: What’s been your favorite experience so far on the ships?
J: The inside jokes.
N: Of course. And to avoid full disclosure, what’s a one-word hint at your favorite inside joke?
J: Brr-brr. Or tiramisu.
N: For these next two questions, please be totally honest. Who is your favorite cast member?
J: Well, right now I’d have to say Natalie, for letting me talk about myself and for buying me a glass of wine.
N: Good answer. And who is your least favorite?
J: I’d have to say Katy, for putting me in the position to make a mastectomy joke in front of her sister [when she visited the ship]. But I guess they still liked me.
N: Classy. So James, what is something that, in the 5 weeks we’ve known each other, the cast still hasn’t learned about you?
J: That’s tough, you guys know a lot. [long pause] I lived in a trailer park for a year.
N: Wow. Who are you?
J: Yep. I was born in North Carolina and lived in Moorehead City.
N: Did you just live there as a baby?
J: No, I was probably around 5 when we lived there.
N: Has that affected you in any way?
J: It affects the way I look at poor people. Like they’re animals, you know. I’m kidding, you’re not writing that, are you?
N: No.
J: I learned that it’s easy to judge people until you’re in that place.
N: This is a good segue to my next question. If you had a million dollars right this second, what would you do with it?
J: I’d give 10% to my parents, invest $500,000...
N: This is pretty specific.
J: Throw a huge party in Las Vegas, $5000 would go to the first homeless person I’d see…
N: I hope he wouldn’t make bad choices with it.
J: Hey, he’d be living. I‘ve always wanted to do that, can you imagine the look on his face? And I’d go on big vacation with my family.
N: Nice. I know that you love Bill Murray. What’s your favorite movie of his?
J: My favorite movie and favorite character are different. Favorite Bill Murray movie is Lost in Translation. But my favorite character he’s ever played is Ernie McCracken from Kingpin. He’s definitely my biggest comedic influence.
N: So I know Bill Murray’s your favorite comedian. But since I’m a lady, I have to ask, who is your favorite female comedian?
J: Hm…there are a lot that I like. I love Amy Poehler, Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Lucille Ball. It’s hard to think of leading women. Probably Catherine O’Hara.
N: And the obligatory question, what’s your favorite scene in our show?
J: My favorite to be in is Dummy, because it’s silent and I get to be playful. My favorite to watch…I like Bagpipes and Morning Person. There are a lot of blackouts in our show.
N: For the short attention spans. And speaking of, I have to ask, short form or long form?
J: Playing long form is more satisfying to me, but I understand why people love short form. It’s fast, the audience loves it. But what I love about long form is the call backs and the way it can all be brought together at the end. Of course 70% of long form sucks.
N: That’s true. Ok, we’re coming to the end of our interview, so here’s the lightening round. Wine, red or white?
J: Red.
N: Black or brown?
J: Black or brown what?
N: Just basic color scheme.
J: Brown.
N: Chocolate or vanilla?
J: Chocolate.
N: East coast or West coast?
J: Oh that’s hard. I have to say East. But I love the West coast. I guess anything but the Midwest. Except Chicago. I love Chicago.
N: Nice save. Would you ever move to Chicago?
J: Like if I got Tour Co? Yes.
N: And finally…what’s the #1 thing, minding the brown bag foul (sorry, that’s a ComedySportz bit...it means don’t say sex), that you will want to do when you get off the ship?
J: I’ll say, to stick with the themes in my life, throw a big party. I threw a big one when I left, I’ll throw a big one when I get back. James isn’t against the fun.

Thank you James!!

My Halloween Costume

A little late, but I wanted to ease my mother's fear that I've lost the spirit. I walked around the ship like this on Halloween night...

Hooray for Maine! Bar Harbor was really beautiful. And I can prove it.

I'm usually behind the camera. Thanks, Peter, for giving me the chance to prove I'm here.

I'm in NY today for the last time. Tonight we head towards the Caribbean. Fingers crossed for no hurricanes....

Week 4

Although daily planners have become a thing of the past for me, it did not escape me that it is suddenly November. Wow. The time has flown, and at the same time it feels like I’ve been here for a year. For good reasons, though. My cast feels like family (aw!) and I’ve adjusted fairly well to life at sea.

My favorite things about the boat:
1. Sleeping. Not only the time I have to sleep, but when the water is calm, to quote my friend Sarah, it’s like a giant mother rocking me to sleep.
2. It’s like dorms all over again! Only with people I like. There’s a cute slumber party quality to knocking on my neighbors’ door and inviting them to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, because we all miss home on the holidays, even Halloween.
3. Going out isn’t really “going out.” If I want to see what’s going on around the boat, it’s never more than a 2 minute walk. No commute.
4. The crew. The room stewards, bartenders, and hosts have gotten to be very friendly faces. Arnold, Bogart and Tito are my heroes!
5. The shows. Oh yeah, we’re here for that, right? There’s no Chicago venue to play a sketch show to a house of 1000. Thanks, Stardust Showroom.

My not favorite things:
1. The internet. Pricey and slow. That’s where ports come in.
2. If there’s bad weather, the aforementioned “giant mother” gets angry and violent. I’ve so far spent one night laying awake imagining the ship capsizing. Not likely, but not pleasant either.
3. Free food is just that. Free. You can get lucky. But there are no guarantees.
4. People on vacation have a scary sense of entitlement. They get rude, to put it very lightly. I am more than happy to stick to my room some days.

So…am I happy to be here? Yes. Is it a strange existence? Yes. Will the honeymoon end within our cast and will we start to grate on each other until James pokes out Shawn’s eyes and Peter rips out Katy’s earrings and I punch Tabetha in the neck? Hm. Only time will tell…

The reposition begins on Saturday. We sail away from NYC for good and venture into the Caribbean. In honor of the two week trip, including 6 days at sea, I will post a “Spotlight on” each of my cast mates. Oh boy!