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Hi! I'm Zorikh. I started this site on 9/21/98. This page begun 4/26/03.
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4/24/03: Day 5, still not king.
O.K., here's the story: Q104, 104.3FM, the "classic rock" radio station here in New York, was running a contest. Folks would call in and sing over the telephone on the Radio Chick's morning show, and the DJ's would vote on whic person they felt deserved a free trip to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. This went on for four days, and the finalists would come into the station to compete live on the air.
On the first day I called in and sang "I Saw Her Standing There" with a little harmonica accompaniment. I was kept on the line, but someone else who sang "Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding as done by the Black Crowes wound up winning the day.
The second day I called in and did a verse and chorus of a song I wrote called "Johnny B. Goode of the Lower East Side" with guitar and harmonica. They again kept me on the line and I came in a very close second to a woman named Laura who sang a Janis Joplin song. They mentioned, a a deciding factor, that my "one man band" act could probably make enough money playing on the sidewalk to pay for the Rock & Roll Fantasy They did, however, play my song the next day as a lead in to the competition.
The third day I called in and, remembering that the Radio Chick had said that she wanted to hear an Aerosmith song, I was ready to sing "Big Ten Inch" (which was originally done by Bull Moose Jackson in 1947 or something. There's a record company by that name, too). I go through, but the intern on the phone said I couldn't do that song. This shocked me because it was Aerosmith, and it had been played on the station before. I called back and offered to do "I'm a Believer," written by Niel Diamond and performed by the Monkees and Smashmouth, but that was also rejected.
The fourth and final day, I got up before 6 AM< so I would be able to get in ton the competition. I got throuigh and said I'd sing "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis. After a brief wait on hold, I was told the Radio Chick did not want to hear that. I quickly turned the radio back on and heard the other two DJ's saying they did want to hear it, but Chick said "I'm feelin' large and in charge!" I got through again and said "long Tall Sally," but that was summarily rejected by the intern.
By now I was getting pretty upset, because they were accepting folks who were picking difficult songs to do well a capella ("Devil Went Down to Georgia," "Back in Black") or were just being done by bad singers. I din't get through again, but I was not finished yet...
On the day of the final competition I got up early. I put a picture of Radio Chick into my guitar case with a sign that said "Hey Radio chick, send me to Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp!" My intention was for the DJ's to see me singing on the street outside the studio and then to convince them to let me into the competition. Unfortunately, I got to the building the radio station was in 15 minutes after the morning show had begun. I waited around for 15 minutes, noticing how empty New York City streets are in the midtown business district at that hour. Then inspiration hit!
I called up the station and said to the intern who answered the phone "Hey, I'm here for the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp competition." We confirmed that I was at the right address and they sent down an intern to let me in. While the security guy was futilly trying to find my name in the system, two other competitors showed up. The security guy just wrote out a pass for me by hand and I went right up.
We waited in the kitchen at the radio station and filled out releases. Ultimately, Chuck, the producer, came in andsaw me, saw my guitar, looked at me again and said "Rick, right, you're not actually supposed to be here..." I jumped up and explained to him how I believed that I had the pipes, the charisma, and the cojones to win the competition. He replied that he couldn't put me in because it wouldn't be fair to the other folks. I mentioned how I was a semi-finalist two days in a row and how they had played my song on the third day. He said "Yeah, but we played it to make fun of you." I said "Yeah, but you played it," and continued with how the fact that I bluffed my way in proved that I have what it takes. He continued with how it wouldn't be fair to the foplks who actuallywon the right to be there and the celebrity guest judges were all told what to expect...
So I stopped him right there and said "tell you what, there's stil two people who are not here yet. If they show up, I'll shake your hand and walk out of here. If not, can I stand in for them?" Chuck said "Let me think about it" and retreated back to the studio.
I must say that he was very cool about the whole thing to me. He didn't call security and get me thrown out or anything like that, and I wonder, if someone hadn't shown up, if he wouldn't have let me perform. In any event, the other two people did show up. The competitors acknowleged that I "got a huge pair of brass ones" for bluffing my way in like I did. Chuck came back in a couple more times to tell the competitors the rules and to tell one of them that he couldn't use his last name because it was the same as Chuck's. It wasn't until the very last second, as the competitors were getting up to go into the broadcast studio that Chuck finally said to me "sorry, but..." We shook hands like gentlemen and I thanked him for the opportunity. He said that somebody would get fired over this, but then he said no, he was joking.
So there you have it. Day five: not king.
4/7/03: A busy, packed weekend with MRFL. I went out Friday night for a long-overdue visit to My girlfriend in Reading, Pa. On Saturday morning we had a big breakfast at The Ranch House. The breakfast was topped off by a banana split. Then we headed over to FFirst Energy field to catch the "Turn Ahead the Clock" Saturday opening game of the Reading Phillies. They were giving out free "Futuristic" R-Phils caps. They were shiny silver and a little silly. There was also a gathering of mascots, many, many mascots, from the team, from high schools, colleges, and local businesses. I tried ny throwing arm, and tipped the radar gun at 45 MPH.
After the game, Wayne Miller, mid reader and escape artist, escaped from a straight jacket while hung from his ankles off a fire engine ladder in under 2 minutes. The evening was capped off with a spectacular fireworks display to music from Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers. As people wound their way out of the ballpark, I had to admit that the silver caps made it look like the march of the androids or something.
That evening we went to the famous Peanut Bar in Reading. The place was not very crowded, and the drinks were a little small, but the peanuts were free (though served in small bowls). WE met a friend, Steve, a weponsmith and voracious researcher of history and esoterica. We chatted about everything from UFO's ot swordfightikng to Edgasr Cayce to Atlantis.
The next day we went to Villanova University where we saw a production of the musical "City of Angels." It was a fantastic show! The story involved a writer of detective fiction teying to stay true to his creative vision after being hired to write an adaptation for a noir-style film, nparalelled with the story he was writing as it was being written and altered by the producer-director. The set was very creatively done, involving different levels of platforms shaped like film reels and a winding ramp of movie film.
A trafic jam on the highway led to me missing the bus so I didn't get home until this morning. I hit the subway in the evening with my guitar. I didn't make much moiney, but when some Christian missionaries from the Word of Life OAE of Schroon Lake, NY started doing "surveys" with passengers and handing out their "If Not Today, When?" tract, I found it a wonderful opportunity to break into "Are You Drinking With Me Jesus" and the multi-god version of "Old TIme Religion".
Just another day...
3/19/03: So I've been modeling at SVA and singing on the subway for my dough. I'm trying to get into the Blue Jacket show, but it's not looking good, they say they are having a lot of returning cast members. I have been updating the movielist, and some people have ordered things from it.
We had our Celtic Silliness on the Ides of March event last Saturday. It went over very well. Folks were invited to come as their favorite deities, and we held a godly warlord tourney. In the final round, Thor's pantheon triumphed over Nemesis. I, as marshal of the day, played Mars, Roman god of war, of course.
2/3/03 (I think) Interesting, fun, and eventful weekend with MRFL.
We started out with dinner at an Italian restaurant on 9th ave (I forgot the name). We sat down at a table for four, but then someone came in who was a friend of the two women at the table for two next to us. So we split our table so he could sit with them. Then the next day was the Big Apple Comic Con. I was with the Comic Book Artist's Guild. I brought my TV/VCR unit and showed my Pennsic Video and a couple of promotional videos for CAG. They had a "Gong Show" at the con. The judges included Peter Mayhew, Karen Lynn gorney, Elaine Bass, and some other folks. I played my harmonica and had the crowd so much on my side that one fellow blocked the gong before it could be rung.
Then we went to the sneak preview of "Shanghai Knights." Unfortunately, we missed the first half of the movie! Here's what happened: We went to the Sony Lincoln Square multiplex, bought out tickets and went upstairs to the theaters. The ticket taker said "To the right," so we went to the theater to the right. 40 minutes after the movie was supposed to start, "The Hours" began. I left the theater and found the right screen, then walked back in to "The Hours" and told Carolyn that we were in the wrong movie. By the time we got to the movie we wanted to see, there were no seats together, so we stood in the back of the theater. The movie was very funny, but I sure wish we'd seen it all. We did get passes for a future date, though.
Then, when looking for a place to have dinner, we came accross Sesso, a place where we had eaten dinner years before. We were the only people in the restaurant, so we got great service. One thing I noticed, though: on Friday, they offered the cheese first, then the pepper. At Sesso, the waiter offered pepper first, then cheese. I aked him how he decided whether to pffer cheese or pepper first, and he admitted that the just said whichever came first into his hand, and that he didn't really know if there was a protocal. He left muttering "Cheese or pepper, cheese or perre..." I think he had a hard time sleeing that night.
Now I am home about to start a week of serious job hunting. The art school modeling is not going to pay my bills and the summer stock season doesn't begin for a few months yet.
1/13/02 Just got back from the SCA event known as East Kingdom 12th Night with MRFL. Some interesting things happened there: The Corybants performed a bit of street theater in which I played "The Great Ervaldini" and did some silly "prestidiginitation," conned a simpleton out of his hat, performed the conjuring scene from Macbeth, traded the hat to Mephistopheles to become Master of the Universe, then had to argue with the simpleton because he had my Shakesp[eare book and I needed to re-conjure Mephistopheles because I did not become master of the universe because it was not my hat. In the end an angel came down and sorted it all out.
On a more serious note, in court King Andreas said that he might very well be called away to go to another part of the world soon (In real life he is a Marine). He stated that he would always carry the people of the SCA in his heart, and that we were all his friends, "whether you like it or not." Then later in the day it was announced that he had been called, and would be leaving home on Tuesday. I know he is not the only SCAdian who will be going off to "Southwest Asia" soon (if not already gone). I hope that all of them come home safely.
1/04/02 Happy New Year! So here's the scoop: I am now officially unemployed. The job a Fahnestock did not quite work out as we had hoped, and I am now free of employment.
It was rather interesting, working there at times. I learned a bit about the indusrty and a lot more about myself and what I value in a job, career, and life. Right now, I think I'm at the point where I'm saying to myself "When I'm 37, what will I wish I had done when I was 34?"
So I've been building this webstite a bit. Youj can now see a page of the evolution of my SCA presona and armor. I have also made links to Amazon.com so that you can purchase many of the videos on my list of SCAdian interest movies. I have added to the catalogue of Watch This Space products.
Also I've been songing on the subway. Since I tought myself how to play a few chords on guitar, I've built up a bit of a repetoire of songs. I mostly sing at Union Square and 6th ave L platforms, and 14th st on the 7th ave. line, accompanying myself on guitar and harmonica. I also sell the Watch This Space Comics and Stories at the same time. I've had a few interesting experiences. I've run into a lot of people I've not seen in a while. Most interestingly, just yesterday, a fellow came up and thanked me for the comics lesson I gave at a conventioin last year, and gave me $40! Well, that's inspired me to update the Creating Comics Tutorial that I have written.
But now money is getting tight, and I'm going to have to re-enter the work force soon. Wish me luck!
12/25/02: Merry Christmas everybody! It's been a helluva year. I'd tell you all about it now, but I gotta take off so I can sing in the subway for a bit before helping mom prpare for the party.
Have a cool yule!
11/30/02: Sorry it's been so long since the last entry. William Shakespeare's Haunted House has come and gone and was a terriffic success. We got more audience per show than we had ever at the ship. Though ticket sales were supposed to be limited to 70 per show, on some shows we ad over 80 people! I that little Chashama location on west 42nd St, that made it pretty cramped. The worst show was the birthday party show on Halloween afternoon. The late-night Halloween show was one of the best. Director Mark Greenfield said that he had thought that this would be his inal year doing the show, but after this run he said he wished it could go on and couldn't wait till next year.
Thing are coming to a head at work. I haven't produced enough leads or accounts in the past 6 months for Fahnestock to continue to pay me. My sponsoring broker is trying hard to figure out how to keep me, but without being paid, I don't know how I can stay. I'm looking at other options, both in and out of the industry, and New York. To see my current abridged "real job" resume, go to my HotJobs resume.
10/01/02Last weekend MQo'L&B and I went down to the Coronation of King Andreas and Queen Isabella the Second in the Barony of Bakhail. I was serving in Isabella's retinue, so I had a brand new outftic made by Lady Patricia of the Tangled Wilds, also known as ("Pat the Bunny Lady"). The response to the outfit was almost as great as the response to my shave and haircut. I performed with the Corybants a piece from the Decameron before court and did my Mark Antony bit from William Shakespeare's Haunted House at the feast.
Funny thing happenned a while back: MRFL and I were in the Upper East Side, having been to the Cloisters Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a nice Italian restaurant, and were looking for some live music. We stopped outside a bar named "Flannigan's," where two guys with guitars and a drum machine were playing, thir backs to the window. Two frat boys at the bar saw me (in my black cowboy hat and raincoat) and asked if I was thair drummer. The singers started playing "Losing My Religeon" and I started pantomiming drums. The frat boys laughed heartilly. Then at the end of the verse I did that drum riff ending in a cymbal crash. The boys just died over that. Then we split.
For those of you with callendars, that happened on the same weekend as the New York Anime Festival. I didn't go to it.
9/14/02: Normally I don't go for the typical computer dork/geek, internet commu8nity, spend-my-life-on-the-web kind uf stuff, but I stumbled on to the "Geek Quiz" from Thudfactor and here's the result:
"You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.
Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.
You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!
Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!
You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.
Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com
So I'm a good mediator and translator, huh? Sometimes it feels more like I don't fit in either place.
Among the things I've done lately, I went to this year's edition of the Canton of Northpass' annual John Barleycorn event. I won the written portion of Sir Edward's Unbelted Challenge, and came in second overall.
Rehearsals have begun for this year's edition of "William Shakespeare's Haunted House." The show will be done indoors at 111 W. 42nd st. this year.
MRFL and I went to a double feature of "A Hard Day's Night" and "gimme Shelter." Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. It was basically about the happiest and saddest moments in popular rock 'n' roll 1960's history. We were going to go to Coney Island, but it rained, so we went to the Cloisters in Ft. Tryon Park instead.
I put up a page of logos of sprts teams called "Knights" with links to more info about them.
We finally got the permits to have our fighter practices in Union Square!
8/20/02: I'm back from Pennsic War XXXI! It was fantastic this year, and very worth the trip. I got some work done on the Pennsic XX video (a documentary of the 20th Pennsic war, the largest SCA event ever at the time). I fought in all the battles but the field, which was the first that I had ever marshalled. I also attended Princess Isabella of the East in court and on her processions throught the evenings.
Before I went to Pennsic I went to the Bethlehem MusicFest where MRFL and I saw Brother, The Red Elvises, and other musical acts. I had to leave on Sunday before the grand finale, however, Sleepy LaBeef. Did any of you loyal readers happen to be there> I've only seen Sleepy in bars way too small for him where they turned off the mikes before he was through singing. I can't imagine what it would have been like in front of a festival crowd of 700 music fans in an open tent!
8/5/02: Another busy, tiring, yet fun weekend with MRFL. This time we went to the Souther Region War Practice near Jim Thorpe, where I got to fight in meles in preparation for Pennsic. My lady and I also got to march in procession with Princess Isabella and stand behind her in court for the first time.
7/17/02: Incredible musical weekend. Firs, on Friday night, I saw the Hangdogs at the Rodeo Bar. Then, on Saturday, my friend Fred and I saw Link Wray at the Village Underground. Finally, on Tuesday, I saw Dave Alvin at the Bowery Ballroom! I even got a new Dave Alvin t-shirt, but now I can't find it!
7/8/02: In a nutshell: This last weekend included a 4th of July fireworks viewing on my roof, Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium, and the Celtic Fling at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fairegrounds.
The previous weekend I was at the Madison Square Garden comic/fantasy/sci-fi convention, promoting and selling my Watch This Space Comics and Stories, Ironfowl Cartoon Books and Pages, and the Duckball Home Viedeo Pennsic XX Video Documentary.
The weekend before that I marched in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade with the Faux Real Theater Company to help promote their new summer show, "The Tinderbox." I also rode the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. I tried to go to the SCA fighter practice in Kissena Park, but the subways conspired against me.
6/10/02: Whew! The excitement never stops, sports fans! This weekend past I went out to Pennsylvania where my Qo'L&B and I first went to the Microfest beer festival at Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, then to a classic car gathering by a diner in Reading, then to Karaoke Night at Chef Alan's American Bistro, all on Saturday. Then on Sunday we went to the Mid Atlantic Air Museum's World War II Weekend.
Microfest had dozens of microbreweries serving free samples of their brews and a large Geman-style buffet. It was held at the Stoudt's Brewery, which is attached to the Black Angus restaurant. The main entertainment was the Daisy Jug Band, a fun-spirited bunch that played a mix of country, rock, and good-time party music. I almost won the kazoo contest. I made final 3 for a kazoo-off, and I really did slay the crowd with my distinctive kazoo styling. Unfortunatly, however, the other competitors were both female, and one of them had a sort of shimmy move. Besides which, she had tits. So for the rest of the day, folks came up to me and said "you were robbed! You had the talent, all she had was tits!" I guess in a crowd of mostly young men drinking beer, tits will win out over talent every time (now I'd love to see who finds this page by search-engining "kazoo tits")! I did get to keep the kazoo, though, and I have found more uses for it (more on that later. in the meantime, why not read up on kazoo history and Kazoo Q&A and visit the Kazoo Museum?)
Later on we went to a modest classic car gathering by a genuinely 50-'s style small roadside diner and ice cream stand. The local oldies radio station had a DJ spinning lots of great 50's and early 60's records, and even a couple of more recent things indistinguishable from the older stuff.
After this we went to have a little dinner and enjoy the karaoke at Chef Alan's. We entered with a bit of trepadation after having endured karaoke at the Coliseum a few months earlier. This time, however, there was a good ammount of talent, and few enough people that everybody got to sing several times. By the time my turn got up, I had a brainstorm. I had written a song a while back, an adaptation of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," about a harmonica player. I simply adjusted it to a kazoo player and it was a big hit. In fact, I think I had the crowd by the cojones!
6/3/02: A busy weekend with MRFL: We went to the P.S. 87 street fair. Then we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw the Egyptian galleries, the Arms and Armor hall, the 19th Century European paintings and sculpture, and the Renaissance Tapestries exhibit. After than we had some dinner at Pizzeria Uno and went down to the Knitting Factory where we saw Dick Dale!
In the ranks of labor-intensive arts and crafts, tapestry weaving has got to be in the top five. Not only are these things huge, but every color has to be hand woven on a loom, with no margin for error. The subjects ranged from tales of antiquity to the bible to propaganda. They were all packed with so much detail you could just sit there and look at them for hours.
Dick Dale's show, though shorter than the one he did at the late Wetlands last year, was even better. At the point where the crowd was shouting for their favorites, he said "do you know what you all sound like? Mmmwaaaw mmwaaaw!" He then proceeded to do a medley of the songs requested, including "Pepermint Man." He also switched from his guitar to playing drums to playing trumpet. He also did a short acoustic set. He was promoting his new album SpacialDisorientation. I wonder if he has ever worked with Link Wray? He did cover a couple of his tunes. Without these two pioneering gutarists, we wouldn't have any music genre that included the words "heavy," "thrash," or "speed."
The following day we went to the famous Ziegfeld theater(Hah! I bet you thought it was spelled "Zigfield!") and saw the new Star Wars movie, "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones." (can you believe the social impact of people who camped out to see it on openning day?). After that we took a brief walk through Central Park (which is run by the Central Park Conservancy) and saw the world-famous carousel.
On the way back out of the park, we passed through Columbus Circle (seen in 1998 and 1999), where a brand new building is being built to replace the old New York Colluseum. It's sort of the definition of "there goes the neighborhood." Not that that the old block was much to speak of. The shows and conventions that used to take place there are all at the Javits Center now, the other building that dominates the circle has been called one of the "Ugliest Buildings in the World," (but there's a movement to save it and turn it into an art museum!) and the homeless people who made the block a bazaar are always the sort of thing that gets "moved along" when someone wants to make some money. However, there used to be several inexpensive business in the area; a drugstore, a hot dog/pizza joint, a tavern, and Colluseum Books (here's a Village Voice Article about the bookshop's closing. Here's an German article). Also, the sheer size of this new project reminds me of the old Columbus Center project, designed by Moshe Safdie (which Emery Roth & Sons worked on for a while), which was halted by protests, including a demonstration in Central Park where hundreds of people opened black umbrellas to simulate the shadow of the building.
5/15/02: Hot (news) flash! I passed 3 tests in the past few days! First, I passed the Society of American Fight Directors' Skills Profficiency Tests for sword & shield, and rapier & dagger, then just a couple of hours ago I passed the Series 66 exam for securities brokers and investment advisors in New York State!
For the rapier & dagger test I did a scene from "Zachariah," The only electric rock musical western. I played Job Cain and used my guitar for the scene instead of drums. It went over very well, especially the audience was not quite sure what to make of a scene of western characters having a swordfight and one of the playing guitar as the other one dies. For the sword & shield we adapted a scene from Frank Miller's "Martha Washington Goes to War." The scene was of a socio-political debate between two people fighting. I played the Eco-Socialist and my partner played the Social Darwinist. The instructor Michael Chin tried real hard not to show how hard he was laughing when he saw me in my Grateful Dead tie-die t-shirt and rope sandals.
To celebrate all this I think I'm going to go to Raven's open-mike and play The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins by Leonard Nimoy.
Stay tuned, sports fans. Things are going to start happening now!
4/28/02: It's been real cold this past week, an annoying change from the hot summer weather we had the week before, especially since the building I love in has turned the heat off!
So I passed that Series 7 exam! I scored an 85% Surprised the heck outta me! I had not been doing quite as well as I wanted oin the practice exams, but I took the last four days and did pretty much nothing but study. To celebrate, I didn't do much, considering that this was really just a break in studying until I start up studying for the Series 66. I did go down to Raven's open mike and banged out a tune on the three chords I've learned to play over the past 6 months.
I've been taking rapier & dagger and sword & shield classes from , and I'll be taking the Society of American Fight Directors' skills proficiency test on May 11.
A word of warning: The Jekyll and Hyde Club restaurant on 6th Ave. near 57th St. in New York ain't what it used to be. Several years ago I had gone there and enjoyed the entertainment, atmosphere, and a wonderfully messy dinener of BBQ chicken & ribs. MRFL and I went there recently and found the service slow and imperfect, the menu smaller and less attreactive than it used to be, and I myself found the Mixed Grill entree disappointingly tasteless. The animatronic entertainment was still amusing, so I'd say it would be a fun place to go for drinks and appetizers, but don't go there for dinner. This is not to be confused with The Jekyll and Hyde Pub in Greenwich Village, which I have never been to.
I ran the fighting at Ostgardr's annual Celtic Sillines event in March. The theme this year was "Vlad's Celtic Market Day." Therefore, there was a three-team tourney and battle between the Turks, Hungarians, and Wallachians. The Wallachians won the tourney, and the Hungarians won the battle. The prizes were various Dracula comics (someone really should do a survey or build a web page about all of Dracula's appearences in comic books. This and this are the best I could find).
4/3/02: Yes, I know, I know...my loyal fans have been going through withdrawl from not having these updates, both of them. Well, I don't have much time, but here's some news:
I've added more photos of the World Trade Center attack and collapse to my World Trade Center Photos site. I've filed the papers to take that Series 7 exam and it should all be ready in a few weeks. I fought at the Mudthaw tourney and was at the first Union Square SCA fighter practice in Manhattan yesterday. MRFL and I have gotten together and done a few interesting things that I will talk more about when I have more time. I've finished editing and producing the Pennssic XX video, and built a catalog page of Watch This Space products from which it and other things can be ordered. I've joined the Comic Artist's Guild and should have some of my comics work coming out through them soon.
Gotta go. Will write more soon!
12/01/01: Well, my first week at my new job is over, and I've survived ok so far. I've connected a few calls, delivered a few order tickets, and done a lot of studying for that Series 7. At this rate I should be ready to take the test in a few weeks! I must say, this type of work and environment is different from most of what I've ever done in the past. And I've got to get a pair of comfortable shoes that I can wear to the office!
Last week I didn't get home before midnight a single night. On Monday I went to see the Lady Cavaliers' premier of their new short film. On Tuesday I went to see "Kiss me Kate" on Broadway with my mom. On Wednesday I posed in my armor for Jack Potter's drawing class at the School of Visual Arts. On Thursday I finished editing the bonus footage for the Pennsic XX 10th anniversary special edition. On Friday, however, I came home and fell asleep at 7.
This weekend I'm trying to get some work done that I can no longer do on weeksays. I'm also going to Cinema Clasics on 11th st. to see "Grand Illusion" and "The Wizard of Oz" soundtracked by Pink Floyd! For more info on how that works, go to the "Dark Side of Oz" site or the "Wizard of Floyd" article.
11/21/01: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I appologize for the lack of updates. Since I got laid off I found my schedule more full than it was when I was working. The two shows went VERY well. They were well attended and well recieved. Shakespeare's Haunted Ship wound up being scaled back to just one afternoon show on Sunday and three shows on Halloween night, but we did rock those shows. Several friends of mine did come, and many people told me my Richard III was really good. I hope to have some pictures soon.
"You lied to me, Mike. You said there were no jobs out there!" I now know how Zonker Harris felt when he said that. After the shows ended I finished up some part time work I had going and seriously hit the job hunt. In a week I had five interviews, and all of them were interested in hiring me or taking me on. I have decided to take the offer from Prime Charter, an well-respected brokerage firm that has just been acquired by Fahnstock. I'll be a broker trainee, and in a month or two I'll take the series 7 test and get my licence. Eventually I may be on my way to making a rather comfortable living.
I'm kind of sorry I got this job so soon and I did not make more efficient use of my time. I had been sitting at work for hours before I got laid off saying to my self "Self, what would I be doing if I were not here?" While I did do some of those things, there's a lot I did not do. Oh, well. Maybe, with the income I can make as a stockbroker, I can actually do things without always having to worry aboput how I'm going to pay for it.
Oh, yeah, I'm also the new Knight Marshal for the Crown Province of Ostgardr. I ran the fighting at the Agincourt event last Saturday. Everybody had fun.
10/2/01: Well, "Gorilla Rep's "The Death of King Arthur" opened and is going well. I'm actually remembering most of my lines and cues. It was even reviewed in today's New York Times arts section, page 5E. You can view the postcard and check the location and times of performances at the Death of King Arthur info page.
9/27/01: So last thursday I went back to work, this time in the companies' New Jersey office, and I had an uneventfull day doing relatively painless, boring, but still important work. The next day the New York office at 17 State St. was up and running, so I went back there for the first time since the attack on the World Trade Center. About an hour into my day I was called in to an office and laid off. THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY BAD NEWS! I got a wonderful severance package that basically gives me the opportunity to follow some dreams I've had for the next few months! I'm actually rather excited about this!
So be sure to come on down to Gorilla Rep's "The Death of King Arthur," In which I play Sir Agravain, opening Friday in Central Park, and Faux Real's "William Shakespeare's Haunted House/Ship," in which I play Richard III, this October!
I the meantime, you can see some of the pictures I took out my window and from my roof of the burning and collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers on the Yahoo club World Trade Center Pictures."
9/12/01: I hope this mesage finds you all well and without worries for any loved ones today.
I'm fine. Monday I had decided to take Wednesday off to take care of some personal business, so I was at home and didn't have my radio or TV on. Ironically, I was reading a book on the Civil War when I head the "boom," but it could have been anything, so I thought nothing of it. I took a shower, and afterwards Carolyn called me from Pa. worried for my safety because I work in 17 State st. (that curved glass building at the southern tip of Manhattan you can see standing through the smoke). I looked out my window and there it was. I got lots of pictures of the buildings burning and collapsing. I'm worried for a friend who works for NASDAQ and and another friend who is a rookie fireman and was just stationed near the twin towers.
I just found out that my fireman friend is OK. He was at home when it hit and is on the job now.
Nothing can truly diminish the immensity of this. It's far too easy to just look at it as spectacle and statistics. I think NY can recover from this. We'll just see if the world can.
9/4/01: Very busy weekend. Auditioned for a different role in William Shakespeare's Haunted House/Ship for this year. Held another stage combat "salon series" workshop/gathering. Auditioned for Gorilla Rep's "The Death of King Arthur" and "Henry V." Saw "AI." Spent a lot of wonderful time with the one I can truly call...My Reason For Living: my girlfriend, Carolyn Leshock.
That movie "AI" affected me. I really don't care what people say about how much of it is Kubrick and how much is Spielberg. It made me think about how life ends yet time goes on, and how important it is to appreciate love in the moment you are in it.
8/27/01: A full month has passed since the last entry! That was fast!
Last weekend was the 5th Annual Summer Sling stage combat workshop. It was fun and interesting. I learned some new things, such as how to crack a whip and how to fall and roll. I even got bodyslammed! It was fun! I also picked up the SAFD's idea of a sword and shield. It's somehat different from what I'm used to fighting with in the SCA.
The week previous I spent at Pennsic. It was very interesting this year. I camped and fought with the Silver Horde. I also joined up with ICOD's Jihad for a few battles. I'll try to write up a lengthy report ablout it and post it on it's own page.
Incidentally, I recently found a bunch of old Duckball Pennsic XX documentary videotapes. I'm selling them to bankroll production of a new, special 10th anniversary edition of this video, with extra footage and added features.
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