Saturday Feb. 11th, 2012
9:20am- never underestimate the capacity to which a bruiser can get wasted on a boat. i, however, am totally sober and bright eyed as we are pulling into the port of Nassau, trying to location scout for my cover-shoot for the Nashville Scene. Yesterday’s activities included a double rainbow sighting, shooting The Dirtbombs against the Miami skyline, Fine Dining with surfers in suits (yow!), one of which would be a contestant in the Dating Game. VOCKA REDU put on a smoking hot performance at 2:30am. Went to bed at 4:30am.

9:30am- In 10 minutes the weather has gone from tropical downpour to bright beautiful sunlight! Hooray!

2:00pm- Cover shoot went smashingly. Afterwards, around 10am, the aforementioned surfers had a mimosa party by the pool, 7 bottles of bubbly gone before noon. After I’m done shooting the dance class and workout session I’ll be heading out on an excursion with Fucked Up and the Vice crew. Ready go!

6:13pm- took photos of Damian in traditional Bahamian Junkanoo costume. Incredible sunset after a long day of dramatic clouds. Now I’m at Senor Frogs observing load-in and shooting street scenes.

Monday, Feb. 13th, 2012
11:09
Debarkation went pretty smoothly this morning. Considerably exhausted. At current time I am sitting by a pool at a Miami Beach hotel editing over 3000 images. If I go backwards, I can pick out a few key moments from the Bruise Cruise:

1am- Ryan Sambol (Strange Boys) and Neil Hamburger providing lounge music for the final hoorah. Down the hall in the Library there was a drunken game of Twister which seemed extra-challenging because the boat was seriously rocking hard, lots of choppy waves in the Gulf of Mexico made a few people seasick.

10pm- Quintron’s Swamp Deck Dance Party on the Lido deck was OFF THE CHAIN. He and Kyp Malone were both nominated for Grammy Awards today. Not sure if either of them won but we were definitely celebrating on their behalf. B.A. was VJing projections too, she made the deck look real pretty.

5pm- King Khan and the Shrines are set to take over the Xanadu Lounge, there’s an hour-long open bar and hors d’oeuvres, I do a Bruise Cruise bathing suit and speedo shoot on the deck with Alec and Chrissy who both have enviable beach bodies.

12noon- I arrive to Ms. Pussycat’s puppet show and shoot her with puppets. Afterwards Kyp Malone and Mikal Cronin both played sets. Maybe the smallest room I will ever see either one of the perform in.

8am- I’m awake, me and B.A. both wake up with no clue of the time because our cabin lacks any windows. We go to the adults-only hot tub where I soak my legs, which are aching something fierce.

3am- Amazing show at Senor Frogs, but after a 20-hour day of shooting, walking and lugging a heavy gear bag, my entire body is in pain. Finally made it back to the boat from the island delusional and near-collapse. I lay by the pool looking at the stars and get a foot massage. The pool is technically closed but I abide by my own rules and go for a freezing cold nighttime dip because it’s good for my circulation. The BRUISE in Bruise Cruise is emphasized.

9:45am- the air mattress had a leak, so by the time I woke up it was completely deflated. cab to the port of miami.

NOON- architectural shots of the boat with Miami skyline. lunch with a bunch of punks by the pool.

3:33pm- my lighting equipment got moist from the rainstorm last nite, so I just disassembled the head to blow dry the components. fml. ship will be taking off shortly and all cellular communication will go dark. More from the Bahamas !

Friday Feb. 10th, 2011
4:28am- settled on an air mattress in yet another dope Miami beach pad with 5 other people. Too bad we will only be staying here for a few hours. Going to edit tonight’s images until I pass out. Tomorrow is embarkation, gotta try to find a coffee spot first thing in the AM. Cant get over how nice everyone was at The Stage, especially while dealing with the rainstorms. Damian (Fucked Up) is still the coolest dude.

12:21am- Thee Oh Sees with two drummers. Possibly too much of a good thing. Fucked Up is next. Past the break of adrenaline. Dinner was rice, beans and pork from a smoke pit, cooked with love by a bunch of old puerto ricans. <3

9:46am- Construction and a 10am cutoff for continental breakfast rouses me out of bed. My roommates (a brooklyn video producer and his girlfriend) and I get fruit, bagels and coffee. Our room is strewn with photo and video chargers. Editing.