Cruising 101 - My guide on how to get the most out of your cruise

          After recently booking my 5th cruise in 4 years, I feel it necessary to look back on my previous experience with planning a cruise and share what knowledge I have gained to remind myself and help others to get the most out of their cruise experience. Sometimes cruises aren't for everyone, but sometimes people just aren't doing it right. If you do not have a relaxing, fun and INEXPENSIVE vacation, chances are you are doing something wrong.

• Why Take a Cruise?

Why take a cruise when you could just go to Florida or whatever beach is closest to you? Why not fly to a resort and stay 4 or 5 nights? These are all good questions and are most likely the alternative for those who choose not to cruise.

Advantages to taking a Cruise instead of renting a condo or staying at a resort

• COST - I love all vacations and I consider them all fun in their own ways, but the cost difference savings associated with cruises are too much to ignore. If you are booking your cruise correctly and follow my tips for saving money then you should spend HALF OR LESS on a 5 day cruise vacation than you would during a comparable time at a condo or resort. To me that is a big deal. That means you can do more things with the cost savings or you could even go on another vacation. When me and my wife went on a cruise it cost us $600 for 5 nights including all of our meals paid for. After excursions and other recreational spending we probably didn't spend over $1,200.  I spent that much in Daytona, Florida and my condo was FREE.

• DO MORE/ SEE MORE -  While cruises are a bit touristy and have a general pre-determined itinerary they still give you more options of things to do and see than most resorts or beaches. There is no other way to visit a few countries and see more than on a cruise. Even though it's only a 8-10 hour crash course of a particular destination, id still rather spend 8-10 hours in several locations than being in one place where the scenery doesn't change. Most resorts are so isolated that you are not even within walking distance of anything that's not owned by the resort. Some people enjoy this relaxing isolation, but I have never had a problem relaxing on the liddo deck in the  middle of the ocean.

• GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN -  As soon as you step on the cruise your vacation has begun. Live music and entertainment, hot tubs, water slides, casinos and incredible sunsets will most likely not accompany you on your road trip or flight to your condo or resort.

• HURRICANE? - If a hurricane or tropical storm hits one of your destinations on a cruise often times the captain will take you to another port. If the same happens at your resort, you are stuck with a rained out vacation. A very possible scenario on any beach.

• DO YOUR OWN THING - I have been to the beach with groups of people and it never fails whether its family or friends there is always the dilemma of where are we going to eat and who wants to do what. In my experience most of the time a large group will spend more time trying to decide on what they want to do than they will on actually doing something. The beach is pretty much mutual agreement to everyone , but other than that everyone has their own agenda and in most cases it will take the full group agreeing to do something for an excursion to take place. On a cruise everyone can pretty much do their own thing and their options are laid out in front of them on a convenient guide delivered to their room every morning. If you want to relax or go play in the casino you can do it without reaching a consensus from whatever group you are with.

Don't get me wrong beach vacations are great and I still take them from time to time when the opportunity is right, but there is not enough that you can do on a beach that you cant experience on a cruise that justifies paying double the price and doing less. I see great pictures from resort vacations of beautiful scenery and people laying around on the beach, that's just not exciting enough to me to justify paying double.

• CRUISING FAQ

• WHEN SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE?

The best time to cruise is outside of the peak vacation months and during hurricane season . Prices are much cheaper during this time. You can find them for less than $300 a person! If you Book it for a typical summer month it could cost double. Be sure and book several months in advance, 6 months if possible. The tropical locations are close enough to the equator that they will be close to the same temperature as they are during the summer months. Ask yourself would you rather leave
hot, sweaty, humid conditions to go lay on the beach somewhere or would you rather leave cold, wet and windy to go somewhere warm? You may have to bring a light jacket for that first night on the cruise, but waking up the next morning to realize summer has came over night is pretty awesome.

• HOW SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE?

Not through a travel agent. A travel agent is for people who do not know how to use the internet. You will not find a better price by adding a middle man, Book through the cruise line. I prefer carnival because I have had good experiences with them and they are generally less expensive and have younger people aboard.

• SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE OUT OF GALVESTON OR NEW ORLEANS?

Would you rather spend your day before or morning of your cruise at a city that is a cultural hub with the greatest food known to man or a city known for the worst beaches on planet earth. This is a no brainer. The Cajun crowd is also a lot more fun, they know how to party. When I went on a cruise out of Galveston I had to teach people in the casino how to play black jack because they had never been to a casino. FYI - New Orleans cruise tickets are also usually at least $100 cheaper.

• SHOULD I BOOK A 5 DAY OR A 7 DAY?

I personally prefer a 5 day. To me 7 days is a little bit too much, and those extra 2 days end up costing, but the 5 day cruise itineraries are very limited and once you have done them all you really have no choice but to do the 7 days if you want to see more locations.

• EXCURSIONS OR NOT?

The answer to this question is yes and no. It really just depends on what port you are at. Some people like to go to every tourist trap and some people like to do their own thing. I fall somewhere in between. If I am somewhere like Cozumel I really want to do something water related because of the great snorkeling and clear water. Your not really going to get a good dose of Mexican culture in Cozumel because it is so Americanized, you might as well do an excursion. The opposite is true for Progresso. unless you are going to Chichen Itza, there is really no need to do an excursion, its still very Mexican and you can have a cultural experience riding around on a moped or walking the streets.

• SHOULD I CHOOSE EARLY DINING, LATE DINING, OR OPEN SEATING?

NEVER choose early dining. On days where the ship stops you will only have an hour or 45 minutes between the time you get back on the boat to when you have to get ready for dinner. You might also miss the sunset. As soon as your dining is over on the late dining, things are just starting to pick up...the casino, clubs, and karaoke bars will be rocking. Open seating is not a bad choic
e, but I like sitting with the same people every night. You will build a relationship with those people over the week.

• HOW DO I KEEP FROM GETTING SEA SICK AND RUINING MY TRIP?

Motion sickness is probably the most common cause for people not having fun on their cruise. There is however a method to preventing this unfortunate event from happening. To not get sick, you must get your "sea legs." The best way to do that is to take some Dramamine about 30 minutes before the ship takes off and then go to the top of the ship and just hang out and walk around outside on the liddo deck for the first couple of hours. Do not focus your eyes on anything close to you and keep your focus on the horizon. There is some pretty cool scenery cruising down the Mississippi River. People that spend the first couple of hours in their rooms or exploring the inside of the ship are usually the ones at high risk to get sick. If there is a night where the waves are bad, just have a couple of alcoholic beverages (even if you aren't a drinker) and it will help loosen you up and your body will flow better with the waves.

• TIPS & ADVICE

• Bring (sneak) your own alcoholic beverages - a clear beverage of choice is best hidden in  a scope bottle with green food coloring. Darker whiskey and liquor can be hidden in Listerine bottles. Alcohol cost on the ship is outrageous, Save where you can. Also take advantage of the cruise line allowing a bottler of wine per person.

• Go to the dinners - Going to dinner every night is optional, some people choose to just do the buffet. They are not that formal except for the captains dinner. The buffet's will be there in the morning and lunch.

• Don't eat dinner with the people you came with - Let the cruise line randomly assign you to a table. It's always interesting to see who they will group you with, and you still have good odds of being with the same people you signed up with if you are similar in age and marital status. Meeting new people is part of the experience.

• Avoid long lines at the excursion desk - If you book your excursion on the ship the best time to avoid lines is immediately after the safety drill on the first day.

• Don't miss the sunsets - The best photo opps of the cruise are not the cheesy back drops in the ship foyer, its the sunsets. They are amazing and look totally different everyday.

• Don't get to the cruise terminal too early - On embarkation day there is no advantage to getting to the cruise terminal early. You will just have to wait in line.

• Carry off your luggage when the cruise is over - If you are physically able, carry your luggage off yourself, it could save you hours when it comes to getting off the ship and back on the road towards home.

• Participate in on board activities - Try not to be too anti-social, some of the activities may be cheesy, but you will be glad you participated in the end.

• Bring lots of friends - The more the merrier. The more friends you have on your cruise the more fun you are likely to have; and its not like you are staying in the same room together. You will have plenty of time apart.

• Pay your gratuity up front -  When you book a cruise you will get the option to pay gratuity up front. There is no need in worrying about getting good service on a cruise. The service is top notch so you might as well pay it up front and get that expense out of the way.

• Pre-pay your ship card with cash - All purchases on a cruise are made with a ship card. this card can either be backed up by cash or a credit/debit card. If you really want to keep a handle on your spending give yourself a budget and use cash. If you run out you can always use your card to put more funds on.

• Keep your spending in check - An inexpensive vacation can get expensive really quick if you spend without paying attention. The front desk of the cruise will give you your balance of your ship card anytime you ask. Always be aware, overspending on a cruise is very easy and the cruise lines designed it that way for a reason.

The Bucket List

The Bucket List

Recently me and Tonya experienced the greatest adventure and vacation of our lives; a three day 100 mile rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The idea for this journey had been boiling in my brain for a few years even amidst other great vacations that came to fruition in the meantime. I had the brochure and promo DVD mailed to me almost 3 years ago. It really takes a lot of planning to bring these "Bucket List" ideas from fantasy to reality. In this blog I will take the first step in bringing these ideas to life by identifying the places that we desire to travel to the most.

      When I think about "Bucket List" vacations and adventures it takes me back to a lecture I heard earlier this year at the Arkansas Governor's Conference on Tourism by celebrity turned travel writer Andrew Mccarthy. He said that he searches for the "Ah-Hah" moment in his travel. Its that feeling of amazement when we experience something for the first time. A child can have these moments on a daily basis. The first time they experience the beach, feeding a duck at a local park, seeing a snake or catching their first fish. As we grow older these "Ah-Hah" moments come fewer and farther between. The best way to recapture that feeling of amazement is to leave our comfort zones and routines and explore the beautiful world that God has made for us.

Macchu Picchu - Peru

I think there are certain elements that differentiate a "bucket list" adventure and a typical vacation. I wouldn't consider a cruise, a week on the beach, a all inclusive resort or somewhere you live a few hours away from as a "Bucket list" vacation. A "Bucket List" vacation is so grand that you are likely only to be able to experience it once. A bucket list trip is also usually more expensive than a typical vacation, but is also far more rewarding and memorable. 

Everyone has different agendas when it comes to their personal bucket list. Some people desire to experience different cultures, while others like to visit great historic landmarks. For me, those trips are on the bottom of my list. My list is more focused on a combination of adventure, wild life, and natural beauty. While seeing the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and the Eifel Tower would be really cool, they are a very low priority for me. I don't want to just see something, I want to experience it. This is why we didn't go to the rim of the Grand Canyon and look at it with millions of other people, we became a part of the canyon by living in it for three days.

#10. Cataract Canyon - Canyon Lands, Utah

Estimated cost for 2 people - $3,500

We experienced the biggest white water of our lives on our Grand Canyon trip, but now I want bigger and wilder. A few hundred miles up the Colorado from where we rafted is some of the largest rapids in the US during the spring. This is an adventure that starts in Moab, Utah where we will also be able to visit Arches National Park and Canyon Lands National Park. I would have never heard of this trip had it not been for our Grand Canyon expedition which is a great example of the knowledge you learn by going on one of these great trips.

#9. Costa Rica

Estimated cost for 2 people $5,000

Every time I ask Tonya what she wants to add to our bucket list she says Costa Rica. I'm not really sure why, but it has Volcanoes, water falls, and wild life, so count me in. I haven't done much research of Costa Rica but the pictures remind me of a Central American Hawaii. From my limited research Costa Rica is home to an active volcano and lots of sloth creatures.

 #8. Bora Bora - French Polynesia

estimated Cost for 2 people $5-7,000

Bora Bora is the only relaxing vacation to make it on the bucket list. This trip might not quench my thirst for adventure, but when it comes to scenic paradise this location seems to stand out when compared to the thousands of other clear water beach getaways. Staying in one of the huts over the water would be a must. I think if we stayed here for a week we would probably never have a desire to stay at any of the other typical honey moon resorts. I've been to Atlantis in the Bahamas and I think this would be much better. Not to say that we couldn't find adventure here. I think renting boats to explore the lagoons and biking on the island would be fun.

#7 Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah

Estimated Trip cost for 2 people $2-$3,000

"The Narrows" 14 mile hike

"Angel's Landing"

Conveniently located 2 hours from Las Vegas it is safe to say that Zion National Park may be one of the least talked about national parks in the United States. Most people that I have mentioned it to have never even heard of it. I found out about it from a guy that sat beside me on a plane ride back from Vegas to Shreveport. He told me that he had just hiked "Angel's Landing" I had no idea what he was talking about, but it peaked my interest. I kind of wish he would not have mentioned it because now I am destined to climb the dangerous 1,488 foot rock formation. This is a bucket list item that needs to happen relatively soon. You never know what kind of physical condition you will be in 10 years down the road. If we are not brave enough to climb up Angel's Landing, there are miles of other amazing trails in Zion that blow my mind just from looking at the pictures, including "The Narrows" which is ranked #5 in America's top 100 adventures by National Geographic. I have read a few publications that even rank Zion ahead of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon! I really hope to spend a few days in Zion sometime in the near future. Zion is also a couple of hours away from exceptional road trips like "Bryce Canyon National Park" "Red Rock" and "Valley of Fire State Park"

#6 Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming

 

Estimated cost for 2 people - 3-$4,000

No scenic/wild life trip list would be complete without Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was the first ever National Park created by the US government. I am scared to death of bears, but that strange fear spikes my curiosity. Yellowstone is jam packed with a plethora of geysers, waterfalls and miles of hiking trips that lead to astounding landscapes with abundant wild life. Getting to Yellowstone wont be cheap or convenient, but its a place I must go. This trip seems more geared towards naturists than adventurers so there is no hurry to get there. Its probably the type of vacation that can be enjoyed at any phase of life and that is another thing that makes it such a special place.

#5 Grand Canyon 7 Day Rafting

Estimated cost for 2 people - $7,500     (Havasu Canyon)

Red Wall Cavern

Three days and 100 miles down the Grand Canyon was just an appetizer for the big seven day journey that is offered by Western River Expeditions. The 7 day trip ends where our trip began so we can go on this adventure and see 7 days and 187 miles of the canyon that we have yet to experience including "Vasey’s Paradise", "Redwall Cavern", and "Havasu Canyon". The white water of the upper 200 miles is also more fierce. The three day trip was a great trial run, but the seven day seems to beat it in every single way (except that it is not accessible from Vegas)  Before our three day trip was even over Tonya and I vowed to return. This will be tough to make happen, but hopefully we will be fortunate enough to do it. With double the amazement comes double the price and no more convenience of being picked up in Las Vegas. we will have to make it to Arizona on our own. Either way, we have unfinished business with the Grand Canyon and we plan to conquer it.

4. Glacier National Park - Montana

Estimated cost for 2 people 3-$4,000

  
Glacier National Park is about half the size of Yellowstone, but many believe it is even more awesome. The park is still over 1 million square acres and sightings of grizzly bears are not only common but are expected. The park is a hikers paradise that leads many travelers to lakes filled with chunks of ice. Some people believe that the ice will be gone by the year 2020 due to rising temperatures. This park is often compared to Yellowstone and is located only about 5 hours away.

# 3 New Zealand

estimated cost for 2 people 8-$10,000

Who wouldn't want to go to middle earth? If you could pick up Glacier National Park and move it to a beach, then you would have New Zealand. The scenery would be astounding. This would probably be our most likely bucket list vacation to miss out on considering the cost of literally flying all the way across the world. Still never hurts to put it on the list even if it is more of a fantasy than a goal.

#2 Alaska

Estimated cost for 2 people 6-$8,000

Alaska has to be the Mecca of outdoor adventure. The entire state could be a national park. Just about every conversation I have had with hardcore travelers always ends with "but Alaska, you have got to go to Alaska" There is not many other places that you can go where you can hike a glacier, see a whale from a kayak and watch grizzly bears fish. With Alaska being so massive, I think the most economical way to actually experience it would be through a cruise line. To get the full experience you would need to book the high dollar excursions when you stop. An Alaskan cruise will not be like your typical Caribbean cruise and the steep price of activities will reflect that. Some excursions cost $500 a person or more!  Also take into consideration that you have to fly to Seattle, Washington just to get on the cruise, which is not a cheap flight. Alaska is sure to be packed with several "ah-ha" moment, but they will cost a lot of money to acquire.

#1 The Galapagos

There is no other place in the world that is comparable to the

Galapagos. If Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks are the most scenic trips, Galapagos is the greatest for wildlife. Galapagos is the only place in the world where the largest land animals are 500 pound turtles and the lizards cliff dive 50 feet into the water to catch their food. It is an astonishing place of natural phenomenon and I have never had a conversation with anyone that has actually been; which adds to the appeal. I don't imagine there will be crowds of tourists. This trip will also be pricey because it requires two different plane tickets. A flight to Ecuador and a flight to the island. Whatever the cost this is #1 our bucket list of travel and we must accomplish it someday.

People always look at me strange when I use the word "Bucket List." Some people think that exotic travel is for older retired people who have already raised all of their kids; but nobody is guaranteed to to get to enjoy their golden years. We aren't even guaranteed tomorrow. Vacation is supposed to be about breaking your routine; don't make your vacations a routine too. Make a list, write down the things you want to do even if its way out of your budget and do some minimal research.You never know, in 20 years you may have only accomplished half of your list it or less, but its better than going to the same beach or cruise 15 years in a row and by then you may be too old, tired or sick to do anything else. The time is now, life is fleeting.

One Year of Flight - an Unexpected Journey

One Year of Flight - An Unexpected Journey

      It was almost exactly a year ago that I began filling social media newsfeeds with pictures and video from a new perspective. I was literally above everyone else delivering aerial videos and photos in ways that had never been done before. I had become Texarkana's first dronetographer. If you would have told me 14 months ago that I would soon be known as "The guy with the drone" I would probably find that hard to believe. This what not something I had worked or planned to do, it was something that just kind of happened over night. This blog post is a picturesque tour of my first year's adventure with a flying camera. From Historic Downtown Texarkana to the Beaches of Florida and the amazing falls at Niagara I think I have made the most out of my first year with an eye in the sky.


How it started

Now that I am a member of an online drone/quad copter forum its pretty simple to understand where most of the people to this new hobby came from. It is a merging of  R/C hobbyists and photographers and videographers. I have never owned a remote control device, but videography is my profession and hobby. I stumbled upon the DJI Phantom by doing a google search for "GoPro accessories." I had been toying with the idea of buying a GoPro, but I was having a hard time convincing myself that I needed a sports camera. I never snowboard, surfed, or participated in any of the extreme sports that are shown in the GoPro commercials, but when my search led me to the DJI Phantom quadcopter It peaked my curiosity. When I first seen it, I laughed. I thought it was an overpriced cheap joke. When I checked the product out on youtube my judgement was quickly reversed. This was a ground breaking product. I studied for days and spent many sleepless nights thinking about the possibilities of exploration that this product could produce. I am a very conservative person when it comes to purchasing "stuff," but this was more than just an object of entertainment it was an educational tool that could inspire creativity. I was sold and the $1200 price tag was a mere formality in my quest. I purchased the newest version of the GoPro a few weeks before I got the quad copter and it blew me a way. The quality was equal to my $3,000 3 CCD camera that I used for just about everything. The drones would have not been as impressive without the GoPro being able to produce such great quality in a small camera.

The Early Flights

I was not going to lose my wings by getting too close to the sun like Icarus, I spent my first few months of flying very conservatively. Even though the Phantom was remarkably user friendly and easy to fly I dreaded the idea of crashing my $1200 investment before I could get my moneys worth and discover its full potential. I stuck mostly to open areas and fields and stayed a good distance away from public and water. Even though battery time was advertised to last about 14 minutes I would usually never stay in the air longer than 4 minutes out of fear and paranoia that something could go wrong. It was still a nerve racking adrenaline rush every time I took flight. I flew almost every day and any day without a flight almost felt like a failure. I would find my self looking at the wind speed on my weather app more than I would the temperature like most people. My first public flights would take place in city parks, but they would always bring curious on lookers that would ask me the typical questions while I was trying to concentrate. Carrying around the bulky quadcopter with remote and batteries was quite a hassle but thankfully my wife got me a case for my birthday to help me easily transport.


A Tool at Work

Almost immediately after building my flight confidence it became very evident early in my drone ownership that this was going to be a great tool in my job portion of promoting Texarkana, Arkansas. Whether it was capturing aerial views of some of our historical buildings downtown or getting a birds eye view of construction sites or city events it became obvious that this was going to take my work to another level. Work had suddenly become a lot more fun. I was even able to sell some of my footage to a local news station. Who wouldnt like to get paid to fly a remote control camera?




















Notable Flights that benefited me at work:

• Aerial RailFest footage
• Aerial Sparks in the Park photos
• Promo video for New Haven Golf Course
• Water Park Construction videos
• Aerial Post Office photos
• Razorback stadium photo used to promote Live United Bowl
• Race for the Cure aerial photos
• Run the Line video
• Numerous city park photos
• Main Street Paint What Matters Video

 Favorite Moments

       My favorite moment was undoubtedly when me and my bride to be went for a morning flight over Niagara Falls on the morning of our wedding. We had both been sick with a stomach virus and this was the first morning that we had felt good. Flying over the majestic American Falls in front of hundreds of spectating tourists gave me that same thrill I got in my early
flights when I was nervous of crashing. It was a beautiful morning that I spent with the woman I love most doing what I love to do. It felt like the beginning of a new life and it surely was. I did not get to spend nearly enough time flying over the falls as I wanted to due to sickness and a full schedule of activities, but I'm thankful that I was able to get a few photos. I remember one group of guys asking me about my drone and then being shocked to hear my southern accent. Many people up north hold strong stereotypes about people from the south. They were pretty shocked to see someone from Arkansas with cutting edge technology that was gaining so much attention from onlookers.

      My second favorite flight moment was flying around at Rosemary Beach. Those few flights of the beautiful Florida beach produced my favorite photos. I have always held the position that the content of your subject matter will always out weigh the technical perfection of your photography skills or the sophistication of the tools you are using. These photos of this excellnt beach are a perfect example of why. Even though I lost my GoPro in the ocean in a non-flying related incident, It was still a great time.








 Where we go from here - The Future of Drones

I jumped into this new cutting edge technology while it was on the show room floor. During the course of the past year consumer drones and the public awareness of them are growing exponentially thanks to average people like me that are going out and flying and posting their videos and photos. Three newer versions from this same company have been released in a little over a year. The technology is moving at a blazing speed. The battle for state forced regulations is already getting started in several states and its only a matter of time before the FAA or the Federal Government impose some kind of nation wide regulations. My hope is that they do not destroy this new art form. I think its the next multi-billion dollar industry (buy some AVAV stock if you want to invest) and hopefully they can find a very reasonable and moderate way to regulate. As for myself I plan on upgrading to the Phantom 2 with H3-3D gimbal and First Person View goggles or LCD screen. Up to this point I have been pretty limited to taking mostly photographs, but with the new system I will be able to focus on doing more video. We are just scratching the surface on this new technology and one thing is for sure, the sky is no longer the limit.

BURN: The Story of a Millennial Pirate

           It was the year 2000; the beginning of a new millennium. There were no smart phones, YouTube was still 5 years from creation and digital cameras had worse picture quality than a Polaroid from 1980. It was the dark ages of the Internet revolution that had just survived the Y2K scare and it was the time when the Ethridge household would finally get it's first computer. The timing of this event could have very well been responsible for setting me on my life path.

          The Ethridge household was always last to jump on any bandwagon when it came to technological advances. This came from the attitude of my dad who would never be guilty of buying into a technology fad that would flop. We were the last to get cable TV, last to get satellite, and last to get a computer with Internet. It was more than 10 years after I graduated high school that my parents finally got a television over 32 inches! I'm not trying to say that I didn't have much growing up, because that would be a ridiculously false statement; I'm just stating that when it came to technology, we were nowhere near cutting edge. Luckily my uncle David's residence next door was the polar opposite of my house hold. He was a true tech junkie who was quite often the first to have everything. He was one of the guys who had one of the original satellites in his back yard. You remember the ones that were so big it looked like your property could be a remote location for NORAD? This access to uncle Dave's cutting edge technology helped me stay up to date and not suffer from technological retardation that my mom still struggles with to this day. She's still working on getting her a "MyFace" page, as she says.


     
      In the year 2000 my dad had finally decided that computers and the Internet were here to stay and mainstream enough for us to invest in one. As I was entering into high school I think he realized how important computers were becoming in school. By this time most people already had a computer and were transitioning their usage from countless hours of Sim City, Microsoft Paint, and Oregon Trail to the first Internet social phenomenon known as America Online. I remember it like it was yesterday, My dad saying "I'm going to get my buddy at work to build us a computer, do you want a CD burner on it?" A CD burner? I didn't know what the hell it was, but it sounded awesome, so I said "sure." Little did I know that this simple addition would change everything. Being last to get a computer meant we were going to be first to get a CD burner.


         When we first got the computer, I completely ignored the CD burner. I felt that a failed attempt to use such alien technology could easily result in a complete destruction of our new computer that we had waited so long for. I treated it like the Ark of the Covenant and refused to lay a finger on it. I assumed it would take a computer genius to figure out how to burn Cd's.  I was just excited about having dial-up Internet. It wasn't until I visited my friend Joe Regan several months later that I would unlock the power of the CD burner. Looking back on that visit to the Regan household I was kind of like Neo visiting the Oracle. Joe was a computer genius in my eyes. Somehow I feel like he secretly helped invent the Internet. When I mentioned to him that I had a new computer with a CD burner he explained to me what Napster was and how I could download any song that I wanted. He even brought a hard drive to my house and copied all his downloaded music on to my computer. The madness was in full affect. Little did I know that what we were participating in would spread like wild fire across the country and forever change the music industry worldwide. I remember when I successfully burned my first CD, it was like I had discovered a cure for cancer. Instead of buying a $25 CD with a couple of good songs and a bunch of filler (Yes that's how much Cd's cost in the 90's) I was jamming out to a CD filled with Metallica, Rolling Stones, Queen and Guns n Roses.


        I think the first public appearance of my custom Cd's took place on long basketball road trips. Once my teammates heard of this black magic they begged me to make them a copy and some wanted their own favorite songs included. Most of them didn't understand how disk burning or downloading from Napster worked, but they didn't care. A custom burned CD was something that most people hadn't even heard of or knew existed. I remember fooling some people into believing that I actually burned the discs with a zippo lighter.  It took up to 25 minutes per song with dial-up Internet and at least 30 minutes to burn a CD. They began offering me money, $5 for a custom CD was a heck of a bargain. Five dollars for a product that only existed in their minds and I could bring it to life. Soon, the word of my new found power would spread all across the school. People would make me lists and lists of songs. They would beg me "Please make me a CD." I would open up my locker and folded up lists of songs that people had delivered would fall to the floor like an avalanche. I wasn't just a few months ahead of the game either. I was years ahead. It's easy to forget that when the digital revolution was in its infancy things progressed much slower than they do now. People forget that at this specific time period there was no Best Buy in Texarkna or an Office Depot. Sears was known as the best big store to get electronics. Sears! CD burners were still so rare that there wasn't even a store in Texarkana where you could buy blank disks for recording. The process of getting blank Cd's that I could deliver to the public was just like drug trafficking. I had to give money to my dad from my CD sales so that he could give it to the guy who built the computer to purchase them in Dallas.

          Everyone in high school is lumped together in stereotypical groups. You have your sports people, your computer people, band people, rednecks, druggies, Goths, etc. Just about everyone is known for something. I was the CD guy. I had created my own sub culture for myself.  I was a mix between Al Capone and Ferris Bueller.  I was the ultimate hookup when it came to music and there was no alternative. I was dealing to everybody; even to the faculty. I became very well educated on music due to the fact that I spent countless hours downloading it. Sometimes I would spend 20 minutes on a single song only to lose Internet connection with the song only 88%
complete (everyone remembers how flaky dial-up Internet was). It was just too bad for the person that requested that song. they would get their song cut off and they couldn't complain because if they did I wouldn't deal with them in the future. If there was a song I hated, I wouldn't include it on the CD. I was like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. "No Styx for you!" In 2001 I supplied the music for prom only to take it all away mid way through the event forcing everyone to listen to the radio. It basically ended the prom, nobody stayed much longer after that. That's what they deserve for kicking me out of prom. You don't kick Al Capone out of the prom and not expect consequences. I'll take my music to the after party.

        As the Napster phenomenon would spread across the country so would it also die. Spyware, lawsuits, viruses and Metallica would eventually end Napster's run and the war on file sharing had just begun. Other online sharing sites would pop up like Winmx, Kazaaa, and LimeWire, but the recording industry was always fighting them. Songs became harder to find and viruses became more vicious which deterred people from going through the hassle of downloading music. I think all computers sold after 2002 would come with CD burners straight out of the factory. Even though my reign as CD master would eventually end it was just the beginning of my role as a multimedia guru. People often mistake me as a person who is "good with computers" or "good at making websites" but the fact is I have almost zero knowledge in those categories. I am a content creator who uses the most recent consumer ready technology. Ever since the days of sailing the digital seas of music piracy I have tried to position myself near the cutting edge of certain technology advancements. It is a lot harder these days because of the rate of speed that things advance and you really have to pick and choose what you want to focus on. After CD burning I moved on to DVD recording and consumer video editing & authoring. Now I find myself at the front of what I believe to be the next multi-billion dollar industry, consumer drones.


        As the compact disc slowly becomes obsolete I find it very interesting to look back on its history in conjunction with file sharing sites like Napster. It revolutionized the music industry and was a real kick in the balls to corporate greed who thought they could get away with selling albums for $25. I'm glad to have been a small part of it and it played a crucial role in shaping my career path.