Blame Game

Joe Berry, The Man, The Myth, The Myth-Man

Man, I got caught by one of my own tricks. That Alton Chewning is the real deal. Now I know how it feels when one of you lovely people is kind enough to comment or send an email. You get signed up or volunteered!

My assignment was to tell a story about my time as the Cruise Chair. Make it humorous? I’m guessing he wants me to spell correctly and use good grammar? Yeah, that’s a good one for sure. My previous attempts at humor were in the form of trip reports. I thought I would start it out by blaming those responsible. Name-dropping baby! Let’s drop those names!

Blame Game

For some reason, many folks conspired to give you the pleasure/pain of my 2018-2021 Cruise Chairman Reign.

Let’s start with the blame.

Joan Monig, Yep, JM started the ball rolling by calling me out at a WOR Club meeting. She planted the seed. Let’s blame JM her fair share.

Richard Ruhlen. Why in the world did I answer the phone? I probably thought it was Sarah, who we all love and cherish. Yep, RR gets blamed for dialing my number. I do believe I said “Not at this time” more than once. I also mentioned my immaturity, juvenile sense of humor, inexperience, and once more my immaturity. Let’s blame RR for his fair share.

Liz Berry. Yep, bless her heart, my GF at the time. I blame LB for supporting me and saying something like “all you do is paddle, paddle, and paddle. All you talk about is paddling, paddling, and paddling, why not? Let’s blame LB for her fair share.

Joanie Lambert and Will Seeley. Yep, JL and WS are players in the blame. Strolling into the store one fine afternoon and I was congratulated on being the new Cruise Chairman. I’d say my initial response, but Kent French has me on a no-cussing program.

Doesn’t matter if you created the problem or just shared it, JL and WS deserve their share of the blame.

Tom Womble. Yep, long before TW became Mr. WOR he participated, willing, unwilling, knowing, coerced, not coerced whatever. He took on the WOR program and I was to take on the Cruise Chairman program. Without TW there would be no JB. Let’s blame TW for his fair share.

Tom Berry. Yep, my father. He was a previous Cruise Chairman and the idea of following him appealed to me. You folks could blame him for many things JMB-related, but let’s just settle for his holding the office many years before me. Let’s blame Tom Berry for his fair share.

Now you know to never answer an email or compliment a friend, don’t attend a Club meeting, again, don’t answer the phone, ever, don’t get married, don’t shop local, don’t offer assistance or volunteer to take a program, and don’t have children.

If you are still reading despite my poor sense of humor, I will share why you should be an Officer of this Club.

I learned so very much from so many people that impacted my life in so many ways. I will be grateful forever for the advice, praise, rebukes, admonishments, successes, and failures that helped me grow as a human being. If you are perfect then perhaps an Officer’s job is not for you, but if you are willing to learn, stand your ground when necessary and make an impact then maybe it is. As my tag phrase from the MMRT states, “If a knucklehead C-boater like me can make a difference, imagine what you can do!”

JMB