StarCraft II

Posted on by Thor

Red Bull sponsored an event called “Training Grounds II” at Full Sail Live (3300 University Blvd

Winter Park, FL) on June 26th. The huge venue was full of an audience of several hundred people. On the large screen, the video game, StarCraft II was being projected. The two opponents were in a clear sound proof booth facing one another and furiously tapping computer buttons and scrolling with their mice. Two announcers sat behind microphones giving a blow by blow description of what was happening on the big screen. The problem was that nothing they said made any sense. I had stepped into an alien world.

At the side of the venue there was a round table station set up with six computers. This was the place where contestants who were not playing could warm up and train for their battle on the big screen. Ear pieces plugged the players into the game’s audio soundtrack isolating them from the audiences shouts and clapping. As I sketched, the announcers broadcast what was happening…

“What is this going to turn into?”

“The Cyber Core is a tell for TLO.”

“He’s putting up a gateway.”

“He has two queens now and a third on the way!”

“TLO spots the probe!”

“A lot of Circs rely on the queens.”

“The Nexus are going to clean this up now.”

“Succeed is going to try and drone up again.”

“TLO is droning very hard!”

“Unless it is a micro hatch, it isn’t needed.”

“He needs to warp in some centuries.”

“Nexus is going to be hyper fire! Good game!”

The audience clapped wildly. The lengthy match was over. My general impression was that some sort of outpost civilization was constructed by glowing crab like things. There was always an aerial gods eye view of the field of battle. Perhaps there were lasers? I was too far removed from the action to be able to make sense of anything. The audience however gasped and reacted to every skirmish. It was sort of like watching two armies of ants building two mounds then fighting to slow down the opponents progress. I was confused. Perhaps this is the future of entertainment, with virtual battles played out for an audience.

Differing Views

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On June 22nd, I went to the opening reception for “Differing Views” at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (946 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). This was a  group art show featuring:
Parker Sketch, Jon Glassman Gardner,
Patty Sheehan  and
Karen Cate.

When I arrived, a little early, John Glassman Gardner was still hanging pieces. He had these wonderful one inch square  pieces of glass with vibrant patterns that looked like aerial views of river valley topography. He told me that the pattern had been discovered by accident when 2 pieces of glass had been pushed together with a small drop of paint between them. Like a microscope slide, the paint spread. When pealed apart, this organic pattern would appear. John then glues magnets on the back. He was placing dozens of them on a metal support column. He gave me one of these pieces and it is proudly displayed in my home. It isn’t signed unfortunately so someday I hope to catch him to sign it.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan had a show the previous week at the Peacock Room. She had sold 75% of all the pieces there. She therefor had to do more than a dozen paintings in a weeks time to have something for this show. All her paintings were of black cats with wide eyes and a Cheshire grin. She called them “Bad Kittys” and they sell like hot cakes. She gave me a button with one of these kitty’s on it and a pink equal sign. Of course this was “Equality Kitty”.

Parker’s Sketch’s work is ubiquitous to the Orlando art scene. His pieces use pop commercial imagery portrayed with bold brush work and a liberal display of spattering. The boldest piece was of a faded American flag. He was voted the Best Arts Advocate in this years Orlando Weekly. Karen Cate only had a few pieces in the show.  I had never seen her work before.

The Maitland Food Truck Cafe

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On June 10th, The Mother Band performed at Lake Lily as part of the Maitland Food Truck Cafe event. The band was just starting to set up when I arrived. My focus shifted to the long line of food trucks, so I sat down and started to sketch. A TV news crew was there interviewing food truck chefs. That made me suspect that I was on the cusp of a breaking story.  Perhaps a food truck was a front for a huge drug trafficking ring. A gun fight could break out, forcing me to sketch from behind the cover of a tree. Perhaps it is mob week on TV and I’m imagining things.

 I’ve seen the retro styled Yum Yum truck before at other Food Truck events. The Tree House Truck was new to me. A mom and her daughter ordered a meal and sat at a picnic table to eat. A Korean girl looked over my shoulder inspecting at every line as I put it on the page. The sky was getting grey with storm clouds and thunder rumbled across the lake. It began to rain with a trickle of large wet drops to start. I was under the cover of a tree and the leaves offered shelter for my sketch at first. Then the deluge started and I quickly packed away the sketch and ran for my car. By default, the sketch was done. As I drove home, I realized I was hungry. Why on earth didn’t I order some food. I’d make a terrible “Foodie” since my focus on sketching distracts me from tasting. I also forgot to listen in to how the band sounded in the distance. Strike two for my in depth reporting.

Mark your Calendars! The Maitland Food Truck Cafe is tonight, Wednesday August 21st and August 28th starting at 6pm on the shore of Lake Lily. The event is closed for the month of September and will reopen on the first Wednesday of every month starting in October.

Coupled: The Game Show & Game Night

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On June 15th, Terry and I went to The Abbey, (100 South Eola Drive, Orlando, Florida 32801) to see Coupled: The Game Show & Game Night. This event was founded by Kristen Walmsley-Manieri who runs the “Great Dates” blog with the help of Curtis Earth Entertainment.

Coupled began with a hilarious interpretation of the classic he said, she said Newlywed Game, the event invited six couples to compete on stage for prizes as they demonstrate how well they REALLY know each other. Curtis will be mixed in trivia throughout so audience members had a chance to win some fabulous prizes too. Terry seemed to know the answer to every trivia question, but she was never picked.

Contestants were chosen at random just before the game started. One question for the guys was, “What celebrity would your partner give you a pass to spent one evening with?” One contestant’s answer was, “I’m not stupid enough to answer that question.” The couples did seem to know each other rather well. From dream jobs to imagined luxuries they got answers spot on. In one round, couples stood back to back holding red and green paddles. A true or false question was asked and a red paddle raised meant false and green was true.

Immediately following the ninety-minute show, classic board games (Sorry, Connect Four, etc.) were set up at tables throughout this posh venue so you and your sweetie can continue the fun well into the night. In addition, there were open games of Twister, Musical Chairs, and Dance Freeze on the dance floor. Terry and I went across the street for Mexican food at Mucho’s Mexican Bar (101 East Eola Drive Orlando FL). Several contestants were at the next table.

Mark Your Calendar! Coupled: The Game Show & Game Night is returning to The Abbey on Saturday September 14th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $10. Expect lots of prizes, drink specials and more fun than you could ever imagine having on date night.

Kerouac House Reading, Brooks Teevan

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On Saturday June 27th, Terry and I went to a reading by Brooks Teevan at the Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, FL 32804). The Kerouac House was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places and a small brass plaque next to the front door proudly displays this humble building’s new status. Brooks Teevan came to the Kerouac House for the Summer of 2013. Her work has appeared in The Little Patuxent Review. It has also won Northwestern University’s TriQuarterly Fiction Prize and the University of Chicago’s Writer’s Studio Student Prize. Brooks hails from San Francisco and more recently Chicago.

Brooks story was fun and quirky with some unexpected turns. One character wore a nautically themed dress which is ironically what Brooks wore for her reading. One of the guests at a dinner party turned out to be an alien, literally. Hmmm, that might be a spoiler alert. Back up a sentence and strike that from the record. Geoff Benge sat like “The Thinker” in the audience, leaning forward to soak in every word.

After the reading, there was wine and conversation. Steve McCall told me about an open forum called “Sundowning” he started for people who care for Alzheimer patients. Apparently a person with Alzheimers can function normally during the day, but at night, they get aggressive and are prone to wander. The term refers to a psychological state of
confusion and restlessness that begins at dusk and during evening hours
while the sun is setting. I thought “Sundowners” would be a good title of a horror film in which aging baby boomers would wander the city streets in the evenings causing havoc and mayhem. Granted it is tasteless but it could make for an amazing apocalyptic film. Wait, wouldn’t you know, I’m too late. A film titled, “Sundowning” has been made already. Just my luck.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday August 24, 2013

8am-10pm Secret Lake RunYak Free to watch $30 to Compete.  200 N. Triplet Lake Drive Casselberry 2.3K run and a 3K paddle. $50 gift card to male and female winners. runyak.com

8pm-10pm 9th Annual Red Chair Affair. $22. VIP $225 individual. Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre 401 West Livingston Street, Orlando, Florida. A kick off of Central Florida’s arts and cultural season. Don’t miss an exceptional evening with dynamic performing groups and local visual artists. Performances by: Brass Band of Central Florida, Central Florida Community Arts, Enzian Theater, Florida Opera Theatre, Garden Theatre, ME Dance, Inc., NuLook School of Performing Arts, Orlando Aerial Arts, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Gay Chorus, Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF.

9pm -11pm I Believe In You: Performance, Art, and Dance Party. $2. A one night only performance driven event with a committed group of experimental artists who love what they do and love you too. Featuring performances by: Jessica Earley, Jack Fields, Ashley Inguanta, Melanie Lister, Stephanie Lister, Hannah Miller, Jorgen Nicholas Trygved. Visual art by Winter Calkins.

Sunday August 25, 2013

7am – 9pm Mudd Volleyball Challenge. Fundraiser for March of Dimes. Free to watch, $550 per team to compete. Lee Vista Center 7600 TG Lee Blvd. Orlando FL. marchofdimes.com/florida

10am – 11am. Super Joy Riders. Free. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en masse around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love.

9pm – 11pm Dead Parrot Comedy Show. Free. Peacock Room 1321 N Mills Avenue Orlando Fl. thepeacockroom.com

Key of E Load In

Posted on by Thor

 On August 20th, I went to The Venue to see the Key of E load in for their one week run. I got there about the same time as Helen, the tech for the show. As I sketched the empty stage, Andy Matchett pulled up to the theater with a truck full of set pieces, wood, monster parts and fabric. The garage door was opened on house right and several guys in the truck helped unload. One of them was wearing a boy scout uniform and I wondered if he would earn an apocalyptic merit badge. Soon the stage was cluttered.

Since there needed to be room for the band, a platform was constructed house right that essentially extended the stage. The first order of business was to hang huge black curtains on both sides of the stage to create very small wings where actors could not be seen when off stage. The tiny wall at the back of the stage was at a quirky angle because it sloped along with a wheel chair ramp that had to be installed to comply with city codes.

A large back lit screen had to be put on top off the wall, so a plank and two by fours were needed to level off the TV platform. Chaz Krivan and Evan Miga tackled the task. Chaz actually had an iPhone app that acted as a level. All the actors gradually trickled in and Brittany Wine, the stage manager, got them busy running lines and going over dance moves. Her task was to keep everyone on task so they could do a run through of the show at 8:30pm. Corey Volence was worried that some scenes would need to be re-blocked since there was no actual backstage where actors could go when not on the stage. There are close to a dozen actors if you count the band and special effects crew. Andy decided to run one exit scene where all the actors needed to get off stage. There was a major bottle neck as actors tried to get down the wheel chair ramp. They realized that at times some actors would literally need to exit the theater. It will all work out in the end. Christie Miga asked Andy how he would rate his anxiety level. He said it had leveled off at a solid 7.

Brittany Wine was pleased that she finally appeared in one of my sketches. She asked why I put her in a garbage can. The garbage can must be a stage prop and it was just chance that she stood behind it. As I finished my sketch, the cast was ready to do a run through of the show. As I left, I heard Andy begin to sing “I Just Can’t Wait for the Game to End!” The Key of E Kickstarter fundraising drive was a success so the full cast soundtrack is available!

Get your tickets for the return of the show at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM

Saturday: 8/24 8 PM

Monday: 8/26 8 PM

Thursday: 8/29 8 PM

Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.

Fill the Grill Challenge Round 2

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Cheftestants Nicole Aidelbaum of WHERE Orlando and Christine Pittman of Cook the Story faced off for the second round of the Fill the Grill Challenge at Whole Foods on August 15th. The judges table was arranged much closer to the contestants, probably to avoid shoppers from walking through the competition on their way to the sandwich deli. The judges were, Chef Lenny, Brandon Moss and Chef Bruno, the winner of last year’s challenge. Dishes were judged based on flavor, originality and plating.

Nicole grew up in the kitchen helping her mom who was from Puerto Rico. She learned her mom’s recipes then went to work at a restaurant for ten years. She met a “foodie” (now her husband) who encouraged her to be more adventurous about food. Christine grew up in Canada where her parents owned a restaurant. She now is a freelance food writer, photographer and home cook. She did a run through the night before the competition to see how long it took her to prepare her dish.

Several audience members had made a sign that said, “Our Editor Sizzles! Go Nicole!” The cheftestants were given $20, and they had had 20 minutes to shop for their ingredients. Nicole was actually under budget and she went to get one more item. They were given a few minutes to prepare their work stations and then they had just 20 minutes to grill a delicious meal.

Nicole had this to say, “The dish I prepared was scallops marinated in
Chardonnay, garlic and olive oil then grilled. It was served with a
salad of grilled corn (on the cob then cut off), grilled red pepper,
grilled onion, avocado, cilantro, lime and a dash of Cumin. The last
addition was a grilled piece of baguette (multi grain baguette, sliced)
drizzled with olive oil. I would’ve added a bit more salt to the salad
to bring out the flavor of the avocado. I went sparingly and it cost me
but you never know with salt.”

Christine, “Made a skewer if grilled olives and lemons to
start. The main course was a burger made of beef and chorizo sausage
topped with roasted red peppers and onions. On the side was a salad of
lightly grilled zucchini with a tomato and grilled lemon dressing and
manchego cheese.”

The last few minutes were a hectic flurry of activity arranging the food on plates, and then everyone watched as the judges tasted the dishes. They took notes and cleansed their palettes with water between dishes.  There was a long tense wait as all the results were tallied. The winner was… Christine Pittman.

Mark Your Calendar! Christine Pittman will face off against last weeks winner, Kendra Lott for the Fill the Grill Championship on Thursday August 22nd at 6:30pm at Whole Foods (8003 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando FL).

Hope

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In June, Brendan O’Connor, sent me a Facebook message, “Thomas I’ll be headed out to the Hope Community Center in Apopka (1016 N Park Ave Apopka, FL) on Thursday around 11:30 to work on the mosaic-mural for the afternoon. You’re more than welcome to join!”

Brendan is a project manager for Art Reach Orlando whose mission is to support art projects that foster creativity and hope, develop
self-esteem, and offer children a platform to reflect, re-vision, and
rejoice. By fostering creativity they are encouraging and empowering
children to imagine the positive changes they wish to see in
their own lives, their communities, and the world.

The Hope Community Center is a service and learning community dedicated to the
empowerment of the Central Florida’s immigrant and working poor
communities through Education, Advocacy and Spiritual Growth. Janis Neunez is the artist who designed the mosaic mural that will surround the back entryway to the center. The
story of the area’s migrant workers will be told through through the
placement of tiles and objects donated by migrant worker families and through interactive computer chips
placed in the mosaic. By activating the chips with your smart phone, you can see
images and hear the stories of the men, women, and children who made the
Tree of Life mosaic at the center and make up the real life mosaic of
our Central Florida community.

Brendan had to work from the top of the ladder using acid to clean an area. I was nervous that someone might open the door fast and send him tumbling. A dear friend Melissa Kasper recently fell off a ladder breaking her nose, so the possibility was fresh on my mind.  I’m glad to report that no artists were hurt during the creation of this sketch.

Key of E Rehearsal

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The cast of Key of E was still hard at work recording the sound track in the secret lab. With just two mics, they often had to share a mic and then step aside so another actor could step close. Amanda Warren offered to take off her high heels so she and Marisa Ashley could be about the same height. Corey Volence and Joel Warren shared the other mic with Andy Matchett and Chaz Krivan stepping in as needed. Toward the end of the recording session, the band, comprised of Minks members Abraham Couch, Brandon Kalber and Randy Coole, began to load in all their equipment. A symbol clashed to the floor. Andy turned and said, “Real nice guys”.

Once recording was done for the night, the cast got ready for a full run through of the show. Amanda and Chaz went through some dance moves together. She improvised a new move and they agreed that it worked great. Corey’s character, Ethan dreams of the end of the world so he can start his life over as a macho Mad Max road warrior or gun slinging survivalist. His girlfriend played by Marisa has to drag his sorry ass home from the bar. On the drive home, the world meets it’s watery demise.

The show is funny, heart felt and full of surprises. It was awesome to see it being rehearsed again. The harmonies are richer than ever polishing the gem. The rock music is solid and original. Andy who wrote all the music starts the show off, singing, “I just can’t wait for the world to end!” The mic is then handed off to Corey who takes over the lead roll. Andy only steps in once and a while after that as the all knowing narrator and a scientist.

After the run through, the cast got ready to make a a video promotional for the Key of E Soundtrack Kickstarter campaign. Corey acted as the narrator and the cast quickly threw together fun scenes that jokingly stressed the dire seriousness of the fundraising effort. As of this writing, $946 was raised of the $3000 goal. You could be the person to push campaign past the $1000 mark. Order the Key of E Soundtrack today! The album is done, waiting to be cut onto vinyl and magically digitized onto CD.

As I was sketching, I suddenly found myself smack dab in the middle of the promotional shoot with a camera pointed at me. I went for a subtle under played performance, channeling Al Pacino in that Italian restaurant scene in “The Godfather.” NOT! No, I went for flummoxed because I was flummoxed. I will certainly not be getting an Oscar for that cameo. It was fun to play along with such an amazing cast for a moment.

After you order the soundtrack off Kickstarter, then get your tickets for the return of the show at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). So, Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM
Saturday: 8/24 8 PM
Monday: 8/26 8 PM
Thursday: 8/29 8 PM
Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.