All Aboard!

24 hours left and I leave my cares behind me and it couldn't come soon enough. Verizon is installing fiber optic cable in my neighborhood and ripping up everybody's lawn and landscaping. My pond-shaped island of pear and tulips trees, nine bark and burning bushes along with one newly planted hibiscus is in grave jeopardy. I mistakenly planted them in the line of what the town calls "Eminent Domain Territory" so roping myself around the small saplings surely won't stop the bulldozers. Sun, shade, wind, these are factors I considered before planting but forgetting the all important Eminent Domain. So, with time ticking, I'm frantic about rerouting my Garden of Eden to a safer location. The thing is I can't get too upset with Verizon - our deregulation-driven Government, lo and behold, actually decided that competition is a good thing for consumers. Three cheers for common sense. Verizon will finally offer cable and broadband as a much cheaper alternative to TimeWarner's RoadRunner monopoly.

The M/V Explorer
Crashing my head against the bunk bed, stubbing my toe in the shower stall, and tripping on a growing pile of sweaty laundry - yes, my cramped quarters are home to me already. Luckily I spend very little time here. The MV Explorer is a floating education vessel built a couple years ago by a German based ship yard. She's strong, well equipped and the second fastest ever built. She has all the amenities and technologies college kids would need, including a large quantity of STD protection when you first enter. I started my documentary focusing on the Captain and his crew. Polishing brass, hand scrubbing pool bottoms, vacuuming 7 decks of wall-to-wall carpet, this crew takes immeasurable pride in their duties. In the galley, food prep is an under-appreciated exercise in restaurant management. Hundreds of pounds of potatoes peeled, chickens cleaned and full salad buffets prepared. The cuisine may be prepared cafeteria style but the taste is comparable to fine dining at its best. During rush hour it 4 minutes to walk from the helm to the aft and that's sticking to one floor. Nextels are useless so Ali, the Crews Head Carpenter from Guiana, fixes me up with a cork board for messages. It can take days to finally track down a shipmate but unlike dry land, its reassuring to know they aren't going very far is you give up looking. Tomorrow the metamorphosis begins. As we hit the high seas with 750 "young adults" (The Executive Dean promptly corrected me when I used "kids") turns my floating bliss into a scrambled, chaotic, party zone. This should be interesting.

Nassau's Niceties
Let my travels commence. First stop - a walking tour of the island followed by a much needed dip in the Caribbean Ocean. My camera befriends several little Nassau natives jumping off a pier at the beach. Back flips, front dives, cartwheels off the pier, even triple Lindys, these kids are as adept at water sports as we are at basketball. The temps here are a scorching 98 degrees. Two coats of SPF 30 and I'm still as red as the lobster the fishing crew are catching off the side of the ship. The island is a dichotomy of riches and extreme poverty. Toward the north end is the famed casino and hotel resort Atlantis. Sheer splendor, out of control opulence and creature comforts appealing to the wealthiest of customers. On the south side exists the real world. Decrepit buildings, dirty streets, poverty and stray dogs pillaging garbage cans. I wonder up to an old fort on the highest point on the island. For a couple bucks, a toothless homeless man in his seventies wants to play historian and describe the area to me. A shipmate encountered him the day before and recounted how the poor soul fell asleep mid sentence during his speech. Minutes later the narcoleptic returned with "...oh, and gratuities are greatly appreciated mon." I drop him a coin but pass on the tales. Maybe its a pick-up-line of sorts but several Bahamians slow down to complement me on my smile. Indeed, I'm happy here but it's because of the people's wide eyed grins that welcome me here - despite the imbalance in our lifestyles.

Hello High Seas
With the most captivating sunset melting over the horizon the MV Explorer set sail for the Lesser Antilles. 750 students aboard race to the bow of the ship to worship this day; along with next 100 that follow. I feel like I'm finally free! Free of corporate America, free of materialistic America, free of reality-tv America. It's so liberating to not know what the next day will bring and still stay committed to something. My mission includes 6 hours of camera work a day followed by 2 hours of logging tape. It's backbreaking work but I'm my own boss, crafting a 2-hour documentary, with 10 countries on the itinerary. The gentle rocking of the ship puts me vast to sleep in minutes. My cabin, 3303, is at the very front of the ship, where high rocky seas slam the ship without mercy. Around midnight the slamming begins. After the fourth turbulent bounce, my fear turns to anticipation for the next. I'm liking this, I'm truly liking this. Dramamine - who needs it! Sunrise comes quickly as we scramble to catch the first sunrise of the journey. I'm part of the newly formed "Storage Possy" and elect to sleep in this first morning. The '"Storage Possy" includes 15 staff members, some old, some young, all bonding because we all quit our day jobs to be here. In the evenings, we talk shop, swap horror stories, and laugh about what fate might have in stores for us. It's Cuba! Indeed, it is Cuba in the distance. Fidel, Cigars, Communism, the Bay of Pigs - all so close enough that I could almost reach out and touch it . It used to be a regular stop for the SAS Voyage but not today, not since Bush put the kibosh to U.S. tourism in Communist countries, even for academic purposes. The ship is coasting at 21 knots, a great speed for flying a kite or waterskiing. Instead I attend Geography and Global Studies classes with 15 laptop-toting Senior Students. No, I am not exempt from exams and essays just because I'm shooting a documentary. Constant companionship is building a communal feeling between staff, faculty, crew and students. How does anybody ever go back to living alone after this?

Sunrise Folly
An early morning wake-up call jolts me out of bed at 6am to join a dedicated group of sunrise shooters (nickname still pending). We skip changing clothes, eye glasses or shoes and race to ship's port side. Violent winds, humid and sticky, tear my eyes from my face and I nearly lose my lens cap again. The wind is strong enough to stand into at a 45 degree pitch and not fall over. This makes for some crazy albeit childish stunts. Within minutes the Captain warns us to stop setting a bad example for the students...oops. 30 minutes later and my fat camera lens is still foggy. Humidity wreaks havoc with tech gear straight out of an air-conditioned cabin. But still no sun.... There's a heavy layer of clouds and mist blocking the view and by the time it appears it's well off the horizon. The Executive Dean pops his head out to see what we're up to. "Go back to bed for God Sake, there's no photo ops here." He's right. With sighs of disappointment and regret, we stumble back to bed and pray that one of the next 98 days left will spoil us with golden skies.

First Stop: Venezuela
The fire drill from 3 days ago seems like a distant memory now. We're all so busy on our floating educational vessel, a.k.a home. My doc is finally taking shape and my ship routine is in place. By 800 hours (all military time) I wake to banging doors on each side of my cabin. I take 3 steps away from the covers and I'm in the shower. I take 2 more and I'm out the door. From there, I walk the narrowest of halls, up 5 flights, and through the port door to see blue. 360 degrees of deep intoxicating beautiful blue. Bluer than the bluest sky I've ever seen in N.Y. I meditate here briefly and then pinch myself to know it's real. Some 130 miles away is Venezuela. Tomorrow we dock at her shores and travel the countryside. 750 students managed to replicate their college lifestyle in less than 3 days. Last night they partied till dawn and got caught in a brief downpour sleeping on lounge chairs. "Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Rise and Shine Everybody, it's your friendly Videographer!" The girls manage to make it to the door for an impromptu on-camera interview. But the boys....oh the boys! The boys need a lesson in modesty. Ever proud of their masculinity, it's like I'm back in the men's locker room after covering a hockey game for the news. Ok, I decide to rethink my surprise tactics and let the rest of them sleep in that morning. The ship has a wellness spa too. Body massages, haircuts, steam rooms, even mud treatments aboard. I'm hoofing 70 pounds of gear through the capital city of Caracas tomorrow so a pending massage might keep going - that - or my infamous wake-up call! To be continued... ;)

Samping Caracus
Venezuela is a land of superlatives! It boast the highest waterfalls, the most delicious cacao beans, the longest cable car ride, the best coffee, the longest tunnel in South America and the best scuba diving in the Caribbean. I just finished up on a 5-day whirlwind adventure doing most of these activities with more to come. Arriving in around 8am Saturday morning we all sat enjoying scrambled eggs and OJ on Deck 6 overlooking the Andes Mountains. The Capital megacity of Caracus was my first orientation destination. It's a city of terracotta shanties clinging to the surrounding hillsides, bumper-to-bumper congestion and the highest murder rate in South America. The UN personnel warned us the night before of pickpocketers and rough neighborhoods. I hurled my whopping 35 pound camera and tripod over my shoulder and began my exploration. Before long I was denied access to major sites like the National Pantheon, art museums, President Hugo Chavez's headquarters and poorer neighborhoods or Barrios. US and Venezuela political relations are strained right now and I experienced first hand the consequences of that tension. 24 hours later my camera is even confiscated by the government but that's another story for the next blog. The tasty cuisine and welcoming faces made me more flexible and less stressed and I was expecting difficulties anyway. After years of covering hard news it comes naturally. Arepa is cornmeal bread, Tustones is green fried plantain and Yuca is root like a potato. All are Spanish stables followed by Torta De Nata or dessert spongecake with vanilla frosting. I ate everything without hesitation followed by 4 slices of dessert. Good thing I'm burning off calories lugging gear around! Unleaded gas here is only 12 cents a liter but inflation is high and oil is a commodity that keeps those in power rich. Despite the lack of traffic lights, stop signs, speed limits and vehicle inspections, traffic runs smoothly and reliably. And here's a shocking fact: there are almost as many cars in Venezuela as there are people - 7 million and growing.

Six Feet Over

"When you are traumatized, it stays with you the rest of your life. To gloss over that would be a disservice. People don't want to look at what's painful. But it's dysfunctional to deny the impact." says Alan Ball, creator of HBO's "Six Feet Under". Last night was the show's final episode and after 5 years of dysfunction, trauma and impact, it was refreshing to see a exultant closure. The ever-conflicted Nate character was killed off 3 episodes ago but reappears to torment Brenda, instruct Claire and provide existential wisdom for David. All find their mortality as Claire envisions how the fate of her family, including her own, will unfold, all while taking route for her new job in NYC. It's odd that regardless of how much death there was in this show that I should weep only once and they were tears of joy at the very end. Though it felt rushed and artificial, Alan Ball weaves sympathy and compassion into the final 7 minute montage and it really works. So, if you like television recipes that include self-inflicted personalities, excessive melodrama and heapings of morbid scenes and transformations, you'll love when the DVD releases surface!

Stream-of-Consciousness

Robben Island where Mandela spent 27 years of his life in a tiny cell of 5 square metres. The Ganges River where millions of Hindus plunge into the polluted waters to wash away their sins. The African Serengeti where lions and tigers, oh my, roam one of the oldest ecosystems on earth . These are just some of the sights I'll capture on my 3 month voyage around the world. It's an opportunity of a lifetime but not one made easily. Goodbye to my house, company car, cell phone, medical, dental, life insurance, vacations, overtime, seniority, editing, shooting, award shows, coworkers, unions, family, friends, 401K's, retirements, pensions, stock options and my native language. Hello to health proxies, a will, beneficiaries, immunizations, visa's, passports, foreign currency, sea sickness, scorching heat and debt until I die. Sing It With Me - "It's the end of the world as I know it and I feel fine!"

Save a Horse

In keeping with the Saratoga theme, I shot a story for CBS news last week about Equine Advocates, a program to protect and rescue horses of all kinds from slaughter. The program is headquartered on over a hundred acres of farm land in Chatham, NY and funded in part by efforts of the Beach Boys. Having just experienced Brian Wilson in concert, Jungian theory would call that "synchronicity". Three barns house several abused quarter horses, mustangs, thoroughbreds, and fell ponies. Horses destined for European dinner plates and drug production now have a home to retire to. It's true, horse meat is still consumed at alarming rates despite a growing concern for the treatment of animals. Founder and fundraiser Susan Wagner raced up from NYC to talk to us on camera about her efforts. Having befriended 10 more furry creatures I'll again think twice before consuming meat.

Smile!

Who knew Brian Wilson was such a genius? Several people by the size of the audience at Saratoga's Performing Arts Concert Series Sunday night. I'm a marginal Beach Boy fan so the first set had me casually clapping to radio favorites like Good Vibrations and God Only Knows. The second set however, a collection of songs from his just released Smile Album, catapulted me from my seat in raucous applause. Smile has all the makings of an apocalyptic phenomenon and despite its post-adolescent sounds, this is a groundbreaking album 30 years overdue. It was the perfect way to wrap up a series of concerts at SPAC including Tom Petty, Black Crowes, Moody Blues and Dave Matthews.

Gone but not Forgotten

While canoeing Schroon Lake yesterday, I came across the skeleton remains of a national treasure. Once nestled in the magnificent Adirondacks, right on the waterfront, stood the largest and grandest resorts in America, Scaroon Manor. In the spirit of environmental ecumenism, the nascent wilderness has taken over where tourism once thrived. Cement foundations, stone outcroppings and an outdoor amphitheater and proscenium stage are all that remain. Back in it's heyday, jazz, swing, and Latin performers started their careers here. Big Broadway stars like Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood filmed Marjorie Morningstar here. The foxtrot, jitterbug and adagio dancing continued until the early morning hours. It's such a shame that the tennis courts, golf courses, huge Victorian guest houses and performing venues were all dismantled after the owner died in the 1960's. Knowing the flamboyant lifestyle and political innocence of the roaring 20's, maybe its fitting that nature should consume what could never be relived in the same "scaroon manor".

Learning to Fly

"March of the Penguins", my favorite wildlife film about the mating habits of the emperor penguin, has outperformed big-name blockbusters all summer long and with good reason. One critic described it as an avian version of When Harry Met Sally, comical, endearing, and triumphant. Love between the species finds a way under the harshest conditions in the coldest place on earth, Antartica. Because they can't fly, penguins first learn to walk on top of their parents webbed feet. Adorable cinematography and brilliant direction with hundreds of lessons learned about risk-taking and survival. Could the movie have inspired my own Winged Migration? Only a week left and I too take my first graduating steps without the security of a permanent job in 12 years. It takes a penguin only a few months to battle the ferocity and heroism of nature, it appears I'm long overdue.

Your So Vain

"Your so vain, you probably think this blog is about you...your so vain". I'm not singing about Warren Beatty or James Taylor or Mick Jagger, like Carly Simon was in her 1973 hit. My cryptic "men sucks" (in my last blog) is about a guy who could care less about blogs - unless it was required reading for his Psych class. Relax everyone, I cherish you all! The song continues with "Well I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won". Great lyric. I was just there this weekend and won big at the track. Not money mind you but meeting up with an old friend who I worked with at Woodstock 1999. A genuine treasure, living in D.C. as a newlywed and loving her job as political correspondent for the gov't. Saratoga season runs for another few weeks so if you have the opportunity to bet use this surefire strategy: $4 to Win on the horse with the best odds and $5 Exacta Boxed on the next two most popular horses. Win big but keep your vanity in check boys!

Leap of Faith

In just under a year, I've managed to claw myself out of my darkest abyss (men suck), face my worst fears about my mom (cancer sucks), and learn to cohabitate with several family roommates (taxes suck). It's been a terrifying year in more ways than one - yet through it all, there's been my job; a steady and reliable one for 12 years. They've been good years too. 4 Emmies, 8 nominations, a bunch of AP awards, 2 NY State Broadcasters, and 1 Edward R.Murrow. My coworkers constant wit and spirited sarcasm carried me through the toughest of assignments. But now, it too is parting ways with me or maybe I'm parting ways with it? It's time for a Leap of Faith and where better to begin than in... Nassau, Bahamas! From there, I think I'll circle the globe making stops in Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, India, Mynamar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and Hawaii. It's true, my wanderlust got the best of me after turning 32...33...ahhh, 30-something. If I'm back before Christmas, with any luck, I'll be both blogging and vlogging in several languages.

Mes Aieux First

My short Quebec City adventure is posted and ready for preview at gonomad.com! As blogged about last month, I made so many friends in Quebec, it felt like home-away-from-home by the 3rd day. I moshed to 15 world bands, all unique in their own rite, but Mes Aieux undeniably stood out as the most energetic. I just discovered that my review of their music is the first American press coverage they've ever received. Hard to comprehend since the six have been together since 1996 churning out urban folk with a massive Canadian and European following. There's little hope of hearing cool international stuff like them on commercial radio but with satellite you'll hear them along Polyphonic Spree, Les Breastfeeders (yes, that's the name) and punk-pop band Simple Plan - oh wait, "Untitled" is already a hit in the US. In my next life I'm coming back as a musician but make that a Canadian musician -- they're way nicer, ehh.

Movie Magic

It just keeps happening. Movies in my netflix queu mirror my reality. After watching "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?", I'm covering race relations and job inequalities in Albany. After "Training Day", I'm covering a local narcotics detective gone bad. After "Sympathy for the Devil", the Rolling Stones decide to play Albany for the first time in 40 years. Next up "Born into Brothels". I predict my next news story uncovers an underage prostitution ring with some local pervert downloading filth off the internet. It's only netflix though. I tested "War of the Worlds" and "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" but nothing unfolded into reality with nearly as much verbrado. Just incase, I'm ready to battle tripods and eat Wonka Bars until I turn purple.