THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RIKI TORTUGA
Where to begin?
I'm sitting at my computer - a Toshiba laptop that I bought new only a few years ago, but now is rapidly growing out of date even with the available upgrades - in the lovely house I'm staying at in sparkling, metropolitan Niles, Ohio. That's sarcasm, in case you couldn't hear the tone. Not about the house. The house is lovely, and wonderfully eclectic with its fantasy artwork dressing the walls and furniture that is not only comfortable to sit in, but also fun to look at. But excuse me, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Niles, Ohio is located near Youngstown, Ohio, which is located near Pittsburgh - you figure out the state, I'm not about to sit here and type out Pennsylvania-damn. It's a quaint town with never much happening in it, but that is much of its attraction for me. I can come and stay here without too much thought about how I'm going to 'stay out of trouble'. No, trouble doesn't come to Niles, and if you want to find it, you have to look for it elsewhere in bigger cities-like Boardman'and Poland. Go figure.
In the room down the hall Jef Hall (D'Angelo Tortuga being his 'superhero name') is burning CD's full of music mixed together by his other alter ego - sorry, but I don't think that alter alter ego sounds right - DJ Electrik. The music ranges from techno to breakbeat to trance and the many combinations in between. He has had much success and reached another level of notoriety outside of the Tortuga Twins. We're all very proud for him, I just wish that it was more my style of music. Don't ask me what I like; you'll just be disappointed.
New day.
It amazes me how bound up we can get by our personal boundaries. Jef and I are in an argument at the moment - don't worry, nothing insurmountable - and it's about who should be doing what with what. Confused. Good, you're supposed to be. I'm writing it that way on purpose because the gist of it none of your damned business. Suffice to say that both sides can be seen and both of us are right in our own way. I should have been a politician with double-talk like that. He's over in his room working on his Tortuga crap while I am in mine working on,well, mine. Ronn is downstairs in the basement doing laundry. Later on he'll be outside pulling weeds. Don't feel too bad for him. Later on in the week Jef and I will be out in our friends, garden doing the same.
Listen, I never said that my journal was going to be interesting. It's just here. If you want to read it, read it and don't if you don't. If you want adventurous writing, read Laurell K. Hamilton or Glen Cook. Check out Steven Brust or Morgan Llewellyn. Currently I'm reading Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad's Guide to Investing. That should tell you where my head is. And don't worry about that 'all work and no play' jazz. I get plenty of play. It's my work ethic that I have trouble with.
For the past three to four weeks we (Jef and I) have been staying with friends of ours - Todd Jordan and Ruth Thompson. They are a husband and wife couple - in this day and age of shacking up I had to clarify - who have reached quite the level of fame in some of our circles. They head up Tarnished Images, a fantasy artwork company for which they are the owners and Ruth is the artist. You might see them at Renaissance festivals and medieval faires across the country as well as fantasy and gaming conventions such as Gen Con, Dragon Con, the San Diego Comic Con (also known as 'nipple-con' -don't ask), etc. They are wonderful people, and Ruth is a fabulous artist with Hot Topic and the Franklin Mint carrying versions of her work. I don't think that you could get any more eclectic than that. Ruth makes me laugh sometimes in that she is always worried that Niles is too boring for me. It is. But the secret is that being in this house makes it fun. If you have the chance to stay in a house cooped up with artist types for any length of time, I highly recommend it. How doing almost -nothing at all- became so entertaining I'�ll never figure out, but believe me when I tell you that it most definitely is. It also helps to be a little 'cooky' yourself, and besides, life's more fun that way anyway.
In three weeks we'll be in Minnesota again. 'The land of milk and money' - my quote - is full of trendy coffee shops, great restaurants, more Tortuga friendly friends than you can shake a stick at - and believe me, I've tried- not to mention (oh, what the hell, let's mention it) the best shopping mall in the world.
Okay, so I admit it. I have a shopping fetish. You can ask most of the women that I go out with; usually the 2nd or 3rd date is a 'shopping date'. Now, not a buying date, my holly-golightly-goldiggers, but a shopping date - behave yourselves. What can I say? The Mall of America in Minnesota is a temple and I go to worship at its altar. I know, it's a sickness'. I need help. I should seek therapy-. Buy me something.
Well, this concludes this the first installment of my journal. I know that it was as exhilarating for you to read as it was for me to write. Again, that's sarcasm. Maybe next time I'll be a lot more here's what's going on in my life and a lot less stream of consciousness. Then again, maybe not.
Ciao, Tortugaphiles! See you on the backburner of the Kenmore Range of life.
