Welcome to my first journal of 2013
Today is “Superb Owl†Sunday the 3rd day of February. I think there is a football game being played to pad out the commercials I will gleefully watch in a couple of hours. I am wearing my white trash, all-season uniform of shorts, tank-top and I’m barefooted. I really pity you fans in the artic wasteland who cannot dress this way today. I’m eight days late with this journal but I’m still the only Tortuga who isn’t missing months of entries. I had fully intended to write another “All Zombie†entry this month; not only have I been collecting oodles of interesting, and weird web pages, articles and photos but quite frankly with having the time off, I didn’t expect to have that much to report. Really, all that usually happens this time of the year is a little construction work and my annual ridiculous attempt to prove that I really HAVE gone through puberty by growing a beard. However -I completely forgot to consider my wife’s birthday gift trip!
My yearly futile beard-and-mustache experiment
Birthday time for my beautiful wife
Heather often gets short-changed on her birthday. Not by me mind you – I always try to make a big deal out of it, but the date, January Second, is one most people devote to New Year’s recovery. Mind you; she doesn’t get it as bad as Riki, who not only has his birthday (December 21st) eclipsed by Christmas each year but this time had to share it with the Mayan Apocalypse. Personal anecdotal evidence and many studies have shown that it is better to give experiences, rather than things as gifts. They’re remembered longer, appreciated more and really… a lot more fun. Heather and I are both HUGE fans of Cirque Du Soleil. We’ve seen just about every show whether it is a touring spectacular or fixed location wonder. Heather, however has one, glaring omission from the shows she has attended. She’s never seen “Oâ€! Obviously, and with the babysitting assistance of the ever-wonderful Dakota; I took my baby on a romantic getaway to VEGAS for a GREAT birthday gift! (And thanks, thanks, thanks Dakitty!)
What happens in Vegas, happens in Paris?
I let Heather pick the hotel we stayed at. She chose “Parisâ€, a Bally’s-owned joint on the strip and within walking distance of all of the places we wanted to visit this trip. It’s funny; I only had two things on my agenda before we got to Sin City. I wanted to See “O†and I wanted to go to “Goretorium †Eli Roth’s year-round Haunted house. As it turns out; I only got one of those accomplished and I couldn’t be happier. You know, I’m a workaholic. Today is Soup or Bowl Sunday and I’m still working away on contracts, this journal and spreadsheets galore. But on vacation Heather and I both are able to unplug, unwind, and gloriously do nothing. It was our first overnight venture without our daughter – but we knew she’d be in great hands with Dakota back at home. Again Thanks Dakota. For the three short days we were there all we did was relax, enjoy the excitements offered by “Paris†and make sweet, sweet, boom-boom every chance we got. It was wonderful.
And we ate. Boy did we eat. Amazing Thai food, Paris’ expansive and decadent Buffet, room service, pastries… wow. We even sent a photo of the pastry display to Dakota and received an emphatic “Oh My GOD!†text as a reply.
We did brave the chill to see the sights a little.
I had to go and at least LOOK at “The Cosmopolitan†Hotel and Casino – as they used the song with my namesake as one of their engaging and amusing commercials. It was cold, cold, fricking cold outside. We walked a little, ate a bunch (mmmmm cupcakes) took two different tram lines and apparently visited ancient Egypt and an ice-locked medieval castle! We saw comic book gods and celebrated Chinese New year amongst gorgeous flowers. We window shopped and admired funny advertising posters. We even journeyed back to ancient Rome to gaze upon the glories of the Caesers. But seriously folks. With all of the relaxing and boom-booming, and eating and porn watching we did, we never did make it to Goretorium. We also discovered a new show called “Absinthe†which we’ll HAVE to go back and see – if for no other reason than research. Yeah, research. I think we’re planning a faster, cheaper, supplementary trip to Vegas before we leave Arizona this year. I’ll try to have more to write about then.
Let me stop and acknowledge this right now: I am a lucky, lucky man
I don’t really believe in “luckâ€. I don’t believe in blessings. But I also cannot believe all of the amazing, wonderful things that have come my way in this amazing life I have. I make no secret of the fact that I have done nothing in my life to warrant a woman like Heather. I also realized this trip that this is the second time that I have been able to take in the most magical spectacle Cirque Du Soleil has ever produced, seated in incredible seats, expensive seats, and not paid a dime for it. Let me first thank my beautiful, funny, smart, sexy wife for marrying me and for coming with me… to celebrate her birthday <grin>. Let me also thank our great, great friends (and fan club members!) Anesa and Joe Vecciarelli. The Vecciarellis are old friends of the family. We’ve written about them, and thanked them before. They have literally opened doors at Disney and Universal and Cirque many times in the past. They were instrumental in our daughter’s first Disney trip, not only in discounts and free stuff but with something far more important: Their time. Anesa and Joe, I don’t know if you read these Journal entries or not but let me publicly thank you once again for making my life, and the life of my family a whole bunch more special.
The Cirque show was perfect, of course. It is undeniably my favorite. I definitely had the prettiest woman in Vegas on my arm. I couldn’t have been happier. We played a little “slots†before and after the show at the banks of machines inside both The Bellagio and Paris. I didn’t care that the machines ate my money. Trust me – I have already hit the jackpot in this life.
January in Arizona means Gun Shows!
In fact, not only did I attend two shows here in the Phoenix area, I also just happened to be in Vegas during their huge, industry-only show called “Shot Showâ€. I couldn't attend "Shot Show" of course since I'm not in the industry but I did run into a bunch of the show's attendees. This is a tough time to be a gun fan and I am conflicted, especially after the events in Sandy Hook and Aurora. Our country has a problem, several problems really, but I don’t think that there are any simple solutions to the gun violence issue. I also believe that since I am typing this month’s journal during the boring, non-commercial, football segments of the “Sup Her Bowl†that I can’t have the time or focus to get into the debate right now. I love guns and I was actually shopping for something for Heather for a Valentine’s Day gift. Just like the last time I went to the Phoenix gun show,  I wish I had a “Pro Obama†shirt to wear, though there was a bit more animosity in the room last year than there was this year. I saw fewer things that I wanted. This is more of a reflection of a refining of my taste and not any waning of my desire for weapons. I know the next two guns I’m getting: One for me, that one for Heather and then… we might be done for a while. We’ll see. I have been giving it a lot of thought since we completed the course, but haven’t sent in the paperwork for our concealed carry permits. There has never been a situation in my life that would have been made better by having a pistol in my pocket. But I love guns, I love gun shows and I even love the crazy characters and weird products you can see, and buy at these events.
In the desert I encounter a dragon…
We are in the process of selling our drum business to the wonderful duo who has been managing it for lo these past seven years or so. Heather’s clothing business isn’t here in Arizona (yet) and I don’t run roses for the Twins here. It’s disconcerting for us both to only have one “thing†going on. Well. A little more than one I guess. I also manage the Dragon Slide for Heather’s boss Jack. It’s an easy gig: I staff the thing, make sure everything and everyone operates smoothly. I collect, count and deposit the money and I’m the point of contact for any issues concerning the slide. I also, rarely have to oversee repairs. I somehow found it necessary to secure, schedule and ride a GIANT hydraulic basket lift to repair damage to our defenseless dragon. It had been ravaged by woodpeckers… Dragon-peckers… something.
On the TV it’s time for the Halftime show and that means I need to wrap up this journal for the month
I’m not sure if my next journal, due three weeks from tomorrow, will be the standard “here’s what I did this month†or my much-delayed Zombie entry. I’m working dawn-to-dusk each day here at the Arizona site doing construction with my friend Jamie. So far this year it’s been mostly stucco work and not the roofs I’m used to. That is gonna change before we’re done working here in the next two months. I spend most evenings occupied with writing and paperwork. I also spend a lot of time and energy trying to coordinate our many, many business concerns throughout the year. I am trying to set-up the mighty Blue team with a full touring schedule. I have to organize a money-making schedule for our portable maze – probably in Blackrock and Connecticut. I got the Tortuga Twins the roses gig for Atlanta. My wife and I secured the Garlands concession for that same show and her clothing line got accepted into Georgia as well. I think I’m going to be doing some roof repairs at the Kansas City Festival this summer. I’ll work during the day and join the family hanging out with our KC peeps at night. Next, after dropping our house off early in Bristol before it opens; we plan to visit my sisters in New Jersey. We’re eager for the fair to open and yet dreading going back to work. Or considering that all of the hippies have already arrived on site here in AZ we’re dread-locking going back to work. Speaking of unwanted guests: Justin and Meghan our very-much wanted neighbors had to call in help when it came time set up because they discovered, in an open pipe not three feet from where my daughter was playing the previous day, a VERY unwanted, long, rattle-tailed desert dwelling guest. Wow. The four (plus) foot long rattler was safely relocated and will hopefully have a long and healthy life far away from my eminently bite-able little girl. I’ll see you all right back here next month. For now, enjoy the wisdom of Origami Yoda.
