SO here I am typing in the nude again...
This time it is 3 days after deadline; Friday night of the final weekend of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Our time here as rocketed by... with training our new team member, trips to the OB/GYN, business meetings, rehearsals, writing sessions (for two or three new projects) and all the other crap going on, the fair was over before we got settled in.
After the first and rather damp weekend Minnesota has turned out to be exactly what we wanted it to be... some of the wildest fans, craziest times, and richest hats...
I just realized that I'm never gonna be able to get thru this with the approach I've been using. Hell, it is 10:26 pm, already and I HAVE to get to bed. I just read over the last month's journal... so I just need to get to it.
We were asked by the management here to do an early morning promo at the Minnesota state fair... so off we trekked, way too early, along with our various wives to the great American adventure.
We Tortugas have been doing radio and television promos for YEARS, and most of the time, they go off like clockwork, like a well-oiled machine... this time however our machine was apparently a few quarts low.
The whole thing was awkward, silly, we dropped lines, we flubbed cues, and the microphones even malfunctioned... ah well... It wasn't REALLY the promo we were here for... but the food.
The animal displays and the Midway really hold no charm for me after the first time but I DID have to pose my lovely wife in front of this sign, for sheer comic value!
I also got to dabble in State Politics... and meet one of my heroes to boot. One of the biggest reasons I got XM radio was for Air America, and THE big star of Air America is (or rather WAS) the Comedic Rabble-rouser who is now running for Senator of Minnesota, Al Franken! I've watched this man for decades, and I finally got to talk with him (and his wife) and he even posed for this photo.  Now I would be remiss, and Heather would bust me anyway if I didn't point out the following two things about this photo. First, I am terribly, and consistently awkward with celebrities... I have written before about the debacle when I met Sandra Bullock... this wasn't quite so bad as that... but I did trip over my tongue, and say a few silly things, but (and here is the second part) the politician never noticed because Al Franken is a dirty old man! When I handed my camera to Heather for the photo; my hero practically tripped over himself staring at her - so thanks (?) Heather!
The sign says it all |
Vote, damnit! |
Heather's personal Heaven |
A few days later the Twins took another trip ... and you'll never believe where this time. I took a trip a few years ago with my niece... and was so tickled by the whole thing that last year, I made Riki promise he'd go with me this year. By convincing Jef we'd rehearse in the car on the way (though really it was mostly devoted to Jef organizing his wife's surprise party) I convinced Jef to attend as well... Heather had to come!
Where did we go? No other than Minnesota's own SPAM MUSEUM! Don't laugh! I'm a big fan of this remarkably kitschy product... and the museum is wonderful.
The museum is kitschy, silly, hyperbolic, and charmingly American. I totally recommend it!  They even have a section devoted to the classic Monty Python SPAM bit!
Click for Video |
Spam afterwards |
However the highlight of the day for us; (though not the other folks in the theater) was during the movie an historical spam documentary called "I love SPAM!" At one point the film was covering the SPAMMOBILE... which got us excited, because we were once filmed in front of the SPAMMOBILE in Charlotte NC... sure enough that's where the documentary went. Our excitement mounted as places and folk we recognized were shown. Louie of London Broil was depicted juggling... then TaDaaaa! For the briefest moment  [Around the one minute, six seconds timestamp - AB] the Tortuga Twins appear, here, in the freakin' SPAM MUSEUM!!!
We were very loud and gleeful when we made our brief appearance... so loud in fact that we scared some normal folks right out of the room!
The only disappointment for the day was that we timed it wrong; we'd just missed the busy season... (stop sniggering; it does have a busy season!) so we missed the FREE SPAM SAMPLES (damnit!).
SO we HAD to go to a nearby restaurant, (all of the nearby restaurants serve SPAM) and have ourselves some of the tasty treat! Pie, spam, spam, spam and more spam... and beer.
There was a long trip home, and again very little writing and rehearsal... but we DO have a new show coming... imagine what happens if the Tortugas cover the Helen of Troy tale! Eventually we'll finish it... with all of our free time!
HEAVENS!!!! It is NOW October 4th...
Heather and I had a long and uneventful trip from Minnesota to Charlotte. We left at 7:00 pm Monday night, and arrived here Wednesday at 4pm. It is now 5:00pm on Thursday and I just got naked again to finish the journal - but I'm late, really late. I called Andy up and explained to him that I was gonna be late.
I want to tell you something interesting... You know how actors always wish, "break a leg" instead of "good luck"? I always wish my friends and coworkers "Uneventful Trip."
Back to the journal: Also in September was Sharon Hall's surprise birthday party... Jef decided it was high time to make sure his wifey got spoiled, instead of getting cheated out of her birthday by our travel schedule... so the easiest way to surprise her was to move her party to his birthday!
It worked like a charm!
Man, we were busy this year in Minnesota... We had originally planned to I don't even know where the time went. Traditionally by the sixth weekend of any show, I am utterly ready to go. But as the final weekend of Moneysota came and went... I felt we'd hardly even started. The Tortugas had even planned to do a photo shoot with the Amazing Ann Brown but in the end had to postpone that trip until next year... But Heather and I had to go anyway. When we pack, the cats figure it out... Berlin thought that perhaps if she sat in our suitcase we might not leave...
And of course - we posed for photos.
Ann Brown does such AMAZING work... and I almost feel like I'm wasting her time when I pose... Heather is so much better at it than I am. But Ann is patient and gracious... and does what she can with what I give her to work with...
A significant portion of the photo-shoot day was devoted to drinking, and surfing the internet... while the ladies did hair and make-up... I actually goofed around a little more in this photo shoot... Ann has more fun and creativity with women than with men... So I just dressed and posed with more girlishness than most guys... For me, a piece of cake.
The one thing that was at the top of the agenda however; Ann had heard about Heather's winter festival hat, and my own, and insisted that we pose for her wearing them... Again, Heather looked pretty damned good - and I did okay too I suppose. Thanks, Ann Brown.
In the midst of the photo shoot |
My wife is FINE |
Click for Video |
TSOH gets revenge |
We decided NOT to do another Palooza... we really needed a rest, but foolishly helped convince our good friends Ten Seconds Of Harmony that not only should they make their DVD release party more of a show, but that we would be HAPPY to emcee and provide lots of running gags for them... as well as appearing in their underwear.
So, Friday was devoted to the show we like to call TortugaPalooza 3! (A running gag for the evening.)
Backstage during the event was hectic, wild, crazy... and since I started drinking at 2pm, by Showtime, and during the evening... I was just a wee bit hammered... I barely remember key parts of the night.
Of course since we made the very reluctant TSOH dress-up in French maid costumes and lingerie, they had to get their revenge on us as well... Boy Howdy! These were uncomfortable undies, especially when worn backwards as Jef modeled for this photo.
Okay, 13 photos, 10 days late, two different renaissance festivals... gah!
In the next journal: our Minnesota Meet and Greet, hanging in NC, Louisiana construction... and Ronn having a n