June 2008

Happy June Journal!

Ronn & Jef cut up at the radio promo

Welcome to Minnesnowta: land of the freeze and home of the brrr...but not today. Today is a gorgeous 70-something degrees here in the Midwest, and I for one am lovin' it.

Georgia closed out just in time, as the temperature was on the rise and the humidity was becoming...sticky. While in the Atlanta area, we Tortugas did do one festival-related promo, but only because one of us (me, this time) set it up. We spent a fun-filled hour with our friends at Tech Talk on WREK 91.1. It's a Georgia Tech radio station, and they were a hoot to play around with.

White Trash Party

This year, I stayed with Brian (husband) & Ande (wife) Wolf. They are very nice people and kind enough to open their home to me. They are renowned for their infamous annual White Trash Party. They throw this shindig every year for their rennie friends, and it's an all-day affair involving many a sight to go along with the redneck theme.

This year they brought in a boat on a trailer for lounging, croquet for the day and glow-quet for the night, and even filled up the back of a pickup with water as a wading pool. Yee-holymolyIcan'tbelievetheydonethat-haw!

Jef & Sharon showed up for the beginning of the day, and Daniel (Fabricio Tortuga) - who happened to be staying there as well - enjoyed all the redneck festivities.

 

Sharon scores in croquet as Daniel contemplates his outfit

Avast, Rednecks! Here there be Party Pirates

Jef relaxes in the Land-locked Lounge

It wasn't too long after that day that we were pullin' up stakes once more and heading out for parts other. Ronn & Heather went to the one-weekend Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, while Jef & Sharon trotted on ahead of them to set up their craft jobs at theColorado Renaissance Faire in Larkspur, Colorado. Meanwhile, yours truly alighted in Roseville, Minnesota to spend a week with my good friends from the Kinsey clan before dropping down to where I usually stay, with the Dehkes family in Savage.

Rosie Brunches

One of the traditions that I usually miss out on are Sunday brunches. As I am not working my regular weekend job, I am now available for these. Sarina's mom, Rosie, put on a Sunday brunch the first weekend I was in town, and it was fan-damn-tastic! I'm telling you, that woman can cook up a storm. It also allowed me the opportunity to play catch-up with some of my Twin Cities friends.

 

Minnesota Sunday Brunch at Rosie's

Rosie at Minnesota Sunday Brunch

I haven't been doing too much else social since I've been here. I'm too busy "empire building" and working on all my various projects - Tortuga and otherwise. I don't mind, though. It keeps me off the streets at night. Actually, WOW does that.  [With the FSM as my witness, I swear it took me a while to figure out what WOW was - my first thought was this and my second thought was this, until I forgot what a frickin' geek you are... - AB]  So, my empire building keeps me off the streets during the day.

48 HOUR FILM PROJECT

Me with the Director, Actress, and Producer of High School Drifter

Me with fellow cast & crew at the Awards Ceremony

One of the things I have been busy with is trying to break into the Twin Cities acting scene. Even before I left Georgia, I was on the Internet, checking out websites and trying to find something I could use to get my feet wet.

And, find something I did. The 48 Hour Film Project is a nationwide annual event involving various production companies, and some regular folk, from around the country. There were 89 production companies competing in the Midwest division alone. Each contestant company has only 48 hours to write, shoot, and produce a seven-minute DVD piece. To keep anyone from starting early, all the contestants pick a genre out of the hat and they have to put a specific character, a prop, and line of dialogue somewhere in the film. This year's specifics being Perkinson (Mr. or Mrs.), a fish, and "You look very familiar."

I went to a casting call at the office of Soft Drink Productions - I was even the first one in there. I thought I gave a great interview, but a crappy cold read. Shows what I know. They hired me, and as one of the leads. We picked westerns for our genre, and High School Drifter - with me playing the grizzled janitor, Mr. Perkinson - was born.

I had a very cool time filming it that Saturday, though by feet hurt from being in those damned cowboy boots all day. It was fun to watch at the screening, too. We even won the audience choice award for those films viewed at that particular showing. The big prize was revealed at the "Best of Minneapolis" Cine-O-Matic Closing Gala and Awards Ceremony. As an added bonus, the producer of High School Drifter, Jason Almendinger, called to let me know I'd been nominated for Best Actor. Who knew? Though I didn't win, I am both surprised and elated by the official nod. Not too shabby for my first time out of the gate, eh?

 

Director & crew go over a shot

The perky Mr. Perkinson

In the Evil Guidance Councelor's office

MUHTI Workshop

Hangin' with Colin from England

The Midwest Universal Healing Tao Institute (MUHTI) held their first Summer Solstice Meditation Workshop this past weekend. I got my first opportunity to teach since becoming a certified instructor at Tao Garden in Chiang Maithis past January. There were quite a few attendees, as well as teachers, and it was great spending time with people I haven't seen since Thailand.

We taught most of the basic meditations: Inner Smile & Six Healing Sounds, Iron Shirt, Healing Love, even a little Tao Yin, and Tai Chi. Everyone came away from the experience with a smile on their face and a few more self-helping tools for their energetic tool belt.

 

Tai Chi

Look, Ma - I'm a teacher!

Iron Shirt

Ciao-Ciao

That's all for the month of June. Be sure to make the most of your Summer 2008, wherever you are. Adios, Tortugaholics!