Well, here I am again. I�m sitting in my trailer just north of Charlotte North Carolina. That�s right � I have a trailer. I much prefer to live out of a house or rent an apartment, but here at the Carolina Renaissance Festival things are different. For one thing, it�s just so beautiful in the fall. The leaves have begun to change � late this year due to the unseasonably hot weather � so it�s a wonderful time of year to be here. Then there�s the fact that I really enjoy my �neighborhood�. Both Jose Granados (and his family) and Doug Kondiolka (??) of Don Juan & Miguel live here, along with Michael Shaffer of the Marquiche fame. Ronn is next to me, and others close by. We even have a �coffee clutch� that happens every morning over at Michael�s. I have been steering away from caffeine lately, but I now make a decaffeinated exception every morning at Michael�s.
We travel a lot.
FYI: �We travel a lot� was the beginning of another paragraph that I began months ago. I wrote those last two paragraphs back in November sometime. It is now February � the day after Valentine�s Day. (How was yours? I worked mine, so mine was good.) Happy belated Valentine�s Day, BTW.
It�s a different time of year and a different locale. We�ve gone from the cool Tampa Bay weather of Florida to the cold desert weather of Arizona. It is Sunday at roughly six in the morning, and I have the first of a three-day weekend (President�s Day on Monday) under my belt with two more days left to go (just in case you couldn�t do the math).
Along with the New Year came a short list of �firsts� that I wanted to share with you. And here they are:
Firsts for 2004
First city:�Charlotte, North Carolina
First workout:�quads, back, abs, & treadmill (1 mile +) � Bally�s
First drink:�diet cola, fountain
First eat:�roasted lemon pepper chicken, and peas
First CD:�Full Octane � The Cult
First DVD bought:�Daredevil - $9.99 (pre-viewed) from Blockbuster
First TV:�Wild On E � Beaches
First Movie:�either The Last Samurai or LOTR: ROTK � not sure
First phone conversation:�Jef Hall
First strip club:�the Platinum Club in Club 2000, Charlotte, N. C.
First live Happy New Year:�E. J. Beam
First job on computer: this one
First email sent:�to Ronn Bauman
First email received:�from Allison Williams
First concert:�none yet, but it�s lookin� like Bare Naked Ladies
First kiss, romantic:�a gentleman doesn�t tell, and yes it was a girl
First coupling: �still waiting�� see First kiss, romantic for rule
First Renaissance festival:�the Arizona Renaissance Festival
Well, there you have it. I hope you�re happy with my list � rather short, but still somewhat amusing. For now, let�s chat a little more about where I�m at and what�s going on.
We Tortugas have been really busy working our butts off on everything Tortugapalooza. However, that�s not to say that we haven�t been having any fun. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga. All work and no play make Johnny a dull Tortuga�.
See what I mean.
Arizona is a great time of year for us. Jef doesn�t understand why Ronn and I are so excited about being here, but that�s okay. He�ll get it eventually. We are sitting smack-dab in the middle of the Superstition Mountains, with its jagged rock fingers jutting out of the desert floor like some stone giant surfacing from beneath the brown, sandy sea. Magnificent. The air is crisp and clean, and the �big sky� towers over us in a panoramic view of beautiful.
The people here are nothing but welcoming, and they are a very diverse group made from an assortment of Southwestern cultures coming from as far south as the countries of South America to as far-out of this world as the freaky types from streets of L. A. And, let�s not forget the snowbirds who have migrated here from the Midwest. Yes, the Grey-haired Minnea-yorkers have flown in, and you can see them strutting about and fluffing their ostentatious plumage everywhere. However, if you are concerned that they are the only �game� in town, fret not! For they have brought their granddaughters with them.
Well, that�s it for this journal entry, kiddies. I hope that you are enjoying your bi-weekly (okay, not so much lately) sojourn in the chaotic kingdom that is the landscape of my mind. Remember to keep your visas current and your passports well hidden from the native inhabitants.
That is, if you want to get out of here alive.
