Time is money. So even though this gig doesn't pay what it could, perhaps, the amount of free time we have here more than makes up for it.

Musicians lead a privileged life on the ship. Today is typical. We work two one-hour shows tonight, one at 9:00 and the other at 10:45. I got up at 8:00 this morning, so I have 13 hours to kill before duty calls. Lunch and dinner take up only a small fraction of the time available to me. I thought about doing laundry, but I really don't need to yet.

I'm sure glad I had music “to fall back on”. In high school (grade twelve to be precise) I was called in one day near the end of the year to see the vice principle for a little talk. My grades were dismal, and I was going to fail if I didn't go to summer school (which I did).

Mr Bell was very stern – some would say harsh. He told me I had to decide between music and school. One of them had to go. He told me music might be fun, but it's a terrible career choice – in fact, it's not a valid career at all. There's no security whatsoever, and if I choose to go that route, I'd better be prepared for a life of utter destitution. At least I should get a degree to have something to fall back on.

He didn't want to see me back in his school in the fall unless I gave up music, at least for my last year in high-school. I could do that, couldn't I?

Well, I did go back in the fall, and I didn't give up music, but I dropped out before the end of my final year – grade 13 in those days. I was pretty tired most days at school as I was working a fair bit by that time. Working at night, mostly, and loving it...

The idea of having something to fall back on was not just my vice-principle's advice – I heard it from guidance councillors and other adults as well. This was the conventional wisdom.

My life as a full-time musician began in 1969, the “summer of love”, and continued until around 1990 when my software program, Hitman, was published. It had been a great career for those twenty or so years, but I got drawn into the world of business as a high-tech audio hardware/software specialist.

I can't say this was a bad move, really, although it was extremely stressful compared with what I was used to. At least it allowed me to make a reasonable income at a time when computer-generated music was displacing studio musicians right and left (many of them went into teaching, or playing long-running shows like The Lion King). Most of my musician friends are still shaking from the high-tech revolution in the music business. But it was, after all, exciting. Oh those heady '90s!

It didn't go well in the long run, though. I was not suited to the cold, harsh realities of business. I constantly deferred to my partners who then made terrible business decisions on my behalf. But worst of all, I stupidly committed personal funds in a vain hope to keep the company afloat. My one huge regret.

The company failed, and my partners left me to fend for myself. And after the company failed, my health failed. Then Eva's health. Such is life.

Is it not ironic, then, that when I really needed something to fall back on, needed it badly, I had music. And a nice feathered bed it is to fall back on, too! You just can't know how choices you make will pan out in the long run. It's best to go with what you feel.

So here I am on a ship, having to relocate myself from place to place throughout the day in an attempt to camouflage the time off I have from other crewmembers. I can't say I feel terribly guilty about it.

Just grateful.