Waiting for Zombies at Stardust

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Terry told me about Zombietoberfest in the Audubon Garden District. I was working at Full Sail that Saturday so I drove to Stardust Video and Coffee straight from work. I arrived early. The sun was still in the sky. I spotted a female zombie in the beauty parlor next to Stardust but as I ordered a pumpkin beer, there were no zombies in sight. I sat in a small booth next to the bar. A child’s portrait grinned at me from behind. A few people sat stating at their laptops. Perhaps they were laptop zombies roaming the earth staring at screen after screen.

I watched the bar maid as she coached a new recruit. Then she sat at the bar and did paperwork in her blood red dress. I sketched her quickly. I savored my pumpkin beer which was stronger than I remembered. Terry was going to meet me here but she was running errands. When the bar maid got off the bar stool, a female zombie took her place. From behind she looked perfectly normal in her black dress suit. Her face however was bruised and bloodied. She ordered a red drink, perhaps brain juice.

Two college girls were having a lively conversation. When they left, a group of women zombies took their place. One woman had blood flowing from her mouth and staining her white shirt. When my sketch was finished, hoards of zombies began to crowd in. I met Terry in the parking lot and we decided to get some Italian food across the street…

Masters of Mixology

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Terry told me about a bartender’s competition happening at Crave (4158 Conroy Road, next to Mall at Millenia). We agreed to meet there after work. I arrived first and found a spot next to the DJ where I overlooked the competition staging area. I started blocking in my sketch before the competition got started. Terry arrived and let me know that drinks were free for the first hour. Since I didn’t have any place to put a drink down, I decided to go dry. Terry asked why I wasn’t holding a drink and I explained, “It’s a waste of a perfectly good hand.” She let me sip a light blue concoction she was holding and it tasted like coconut. Yum… No, keep sketching.

Two beautiful women walked the room dressed as, perhaps wedding cakes or blue fairy princesses. They had glittering tiaras on their heads and carried platters with samples and a liquor bottle. The blonde woman gushed over my drawing when she saw it. My eyes darted about. I was too flustered to ask her what she was selling. Some journalist I turned out to be.

Ralph, the general manager at Crave, officiated the event. Colleen Burns from Yelp was one of the judges. I had seen her the day before at a Yelp Culture Club kickoff event the night before. The other judges were Sven and Olie. I envied their job of tasting unique drinks all night. The six bartenders were competing for a trip to Crave in Miami. The contestants were, Jake Berenson, Rob DeGiouine, Michelle Mariani, Aaron Christianson, Sarah Kaylor and Ashley Morin. In the first round the bartender working closest to me lined the martini glasses with streaks of chocolate. He was the first bartender to finish. The judges conferred and the contestants stood at their stations waiting for the results. The tension could be felt over the loud din of all the people shouting over the music at the bar. Jake was the top contender with 158 points. The top three bartenders moved on to the next round.

Terry had already left as soon as the free drinks stopped, which was before the first round of judging. When I finished the sketch, I realized I hadn’t been great company for Terry. I opted not to do a second sketch. As I walked out, I asked Colleen to let me know who the winner was the following day. “The winner was Jake Bereson from Ember! He beat out Michelle Mariani by 1 point.”, she wrote. I want to find out how to become a judge for drink tasting. I have some refined taste buds that are highly under utilized. As I walked alone through the rain to my truck, I realized I was thirsty.

The Abbey

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Yelp was promoting its new “Culture Club” campaign with a kick off party at the Abbey. When I entered the venue, I saw Kelly DeWayne Richards sitting at the bar so I went over to say hello. He was dressed all in black with a red tie and stylish fedora. I know Kelly from his Sunday morning cabaret performances at the Parliament House. This is the one place where I occasionally get up to sing. It turns out Kelly is now performing at “Musical Mondays” which start at 7pm each week at the Abbey. He was told about the gig just two days before his first performance and had just nine people the first night. I want to get out to the next “Musical Monday” and I know the place will be packed.

The Yelp event featured several performances. Altar Boyz sang flamboyant religious themed songs. They had plenty of pep, but left me cold. The Orlando Ballet performed a piece from the upcoming “Vampire’s Ball.” Robert Hill, the artistic director, explained that in horror films there is always a young innocent couple who is unaware of any danger since they are so in love. The young dancers performed a sensual dance that expressed their longing. It was the undeniable highlight of the evening.

Then Kelly’s baby grand piano was wheeled on the stage. He explained to the audience that he was there to set the mood, so people continued to mingle as he played. He began with “The Piano Man” by Billy Joel. The lights in the room were constantly on the move, switching from reds to blues. I considered going to sketch at the Comedy Improv Festival after I finished up at the Abbey but Terry fired off a text asking when I would be coming home. I decided to call it a night. I typed Hh (heading home) into my cell. She wasn’t there.

Yelp Culture Club Kick Off Party

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Yelp had a kick off party for it’s new “Culture Club” at The Abbey (100 South Eola Avenue). Yelp is an Internet service where people write reviews about restaurants. It allows you to see what your friends think about the restaurant you are considering. Through the month of October, Yelp is offering discounted tickets to museums and theaters around town. Venues include, the Morse Museum, Albin Polasek Museum, History Center, Maitland Art Center, La Nouba, Orlando Ballet, the Social, Beacham, Mad Cow Theater, the Abbey and Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Go to www.yelp.com/events for discounted tickets. They will showcase the best of the arts, entertainment, theater, live music, and basically, all sorts of cultural enrichment in the City Beautiful. Some of the special events are completely free so it pays to check back as offers arrive.

I arrived early and sketched as someone changed the movie marquee sign over the entrance. There was a suction cup at the end of a long pole and he used it to remove plastic letters and then put up the Yelp signage. All the wrought iron made the Abbey feel a bit church like. I found it odd that there was a parking garage right above the Abbey. Two female Abbey employees talked to the signage man as he worked. People walked past with their dogs. Two men valet parked cars as they arrived. As I walked into the Abbey, one of the valets asked to see my sketch.

One and Only Dream Scene

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The final scene that needed to be shot for Britt Daley’s “One and Only” music video was the dream sequence. Everyone was dressed in 1980’s fashion. This scene lap dissolved from the scene of Britt spinning on the audition stage with Andy Matchett. Britt and Andy are spinning in the dimly lit theater surrounded by characters frozen still. When they walk up to the bar, Kyle Raker and Jessica Mariko snapped to life. Kyle served martinis and Jessica began a sensual dance.

Center stage, Will “MainSwitch” Campbell and Darci Riccardi begin a break dance when approached. Britt and Andy laughed and danced as the dream snapped to life. Finally they approached Nicholas Corcoran, and skating Katie Peters who performed a blend between a “Saturday Night Fever” dance and a roller girl dance routine. They were a smooth and well oiled dancing machine. I was amazed at how this scene was rehearsed, then performed in a matter of hours.

The scene was shot multiple times. One master shot followed Britt and Andy the whole time, then cut away shots and close ups were done. Scott Wilkins, the director, explained that the scene would be cut together with multiple shots sliding into place much like the complex montage scenes from the 1966 film “Grand Prix.”

Afflatus Handmade Art Bazaar

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Afflatus is a Latin term that translates as “divine inspiration.” Most people assumed it had to do with flatulence. The event was at Redlight Redlight. Admission was $5 and I was given a swag bag full of buttons, coupons, several cookies and a ticket for a spiked cider. I wandered booth to booth to scope out the art offerings. I was fascinated by moss terrariums that were in glass jars, coffee pots and even a butter dish. There was jewelry and handmade quirky stuffed creatures. I saw Maisy and Ron Marrs and decided I had to sketch her colorful table full of art. When I asked Maisy if she minded me sketching, she said, “Of course not. You better get me now since we are getting divorced, and I’m heading to California.” I was surprised at how friendly and amicable they were with each other. I always assumed divorces were contentious and bitter, but they proved me wrong. I didn’t know what to say when they gave me the news. I finally shouted, “Congratulations!” and we all laughed. Their court date is October 17th and I offered to sketch the proceeding. Everyone uses a wedding photographer but they don’t document the divorce. I figure art should fill that gap.

Maisy and Ron sat at opposite ends of the table. As I was sketching some woman seated behind me started chatting at me. Why do people feel the need to interupt me when I’m drawing? She told me all about an art class she took for $25 where you bought your own bottle of wine and painted. She had to pull out her iPhone to show me the paintings she had done in her inebriated state. I did take note of the art class since it might make a good blog post at some point. I was thankful when her boyfriend returned to distract her. I got back to work.

Maisy’s art is quirky and fun. Children would always stop at her table, they were her best costumers. Her art was selling well and she had more hidden under the table to restock. Ron gave me a post card sized painting. The description on the back said it all… “Pointing at a heart shaped cloud while sitting with a green bug + having a rainbow land on my head. (A flower watches happily.)” I’m disappointed that Orlando is loosing another artist. This seems to be part of a mass exodus.

Big Hair and Eyeliner

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The “One and Only” music video was being shot in the Orlando Repertory Theater. I did a sketch in the dressing room as the actresses and dancers got ready for the 80’s styled sequence. Megan Hinkle seemed to be a hair and makeup specialist. She helped Jessika Meriko with her eyeliner. Jessica had large curlers in her hair and she quickly changed into a firehouse red dress for the shoot. Britt Daley was busy teasing Darci Ricciardi’s hair. When Megan offered to help, Britt quickly acknowledged that she could probably do a better job. The room was a constant flurry of activity. I had to sketch extra fast. The male actors had dressed quickly in the same dressing room. They waited outside when they were done. Everyone looked primped and proper for the final scene.

Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

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Author Deborah Reed used to live in Orlando back in the 1980’s. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest and her book “Carry Yourself Back to Me” had just been published. She read a chapter of the book at Urban ReThink. The main character in the book is Annie Walsh, a singer and songwriter , who has sequestered herself away in a small rural Orlando home after her husband, 0wen, left her for another woman. Owen was her muse, and since he left she was unable to sing anymore. A cricket was chirping a lovely serenade under her porch and her brother, Calder, explained that only one male cricket sang at a time. The lady crickets are mesmerized by the song. The silent male crickets sneak up on the females who are lost in lust for the singer, and snatch them away. The sad part is that the singer is short lived. He dies off long before the silent types who steal the women.

The book offered a nostalgic look at rural Central Florida. When asked where the book took place, Deborah said she was describing Clermont, out by Howell Branch Road. Of course the tangelo groves she described have been replaced with strip malls and housing developments. Deborah is a big fan of the rhythmic sentence. She would go through her copy adding comas and taking them out until the sentence had just the right cadence. She isn’t a songwriter herself but she does identify with Annie, the main character.

The drama escalated when Calder is accused of murder. He fell in love with a married Scandinavian woman and her husband was murdered. The number of affairs and family secrets was astonishing. I had to pick up a copy of the book and yesterday I read it cover to cover. I’m not that voracious of a reader, but I couldn’t put it down. The sweet smell of citrus, the springs and an unexpected winter frost all bring Central Florida vividly alive. All of the characters made mistakes and had to live with the consequences. News of the murder brings Annie’s husband, Owen back to her. But she may have been waiting for the wrong man.

Star struck, I asked Deborah to sign my sketch.

Eden Bar's New Menu

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The Eden Bar outside the Enzian Theater hosted a media event to introduce new lunch menu items. I arrived right after work and started sketching before the bar got too crowded. Christie West the bar manager gathered all the staff together to discuss the game plan for the evening. When she spoke with me later in the evening, she explained that all the bartenders had gone out and shopped for unique ingredients. They then set up a drink lab where each bartender created their own signature drink. The first drink that came out was a Vodka Lemonade Lime drink in a martini glass. The drink had to be sipped using the dainty straw to avoid sipping the herbs. I made that mistake only once. When my watercolor brush ran out of water, I refilled it with this light vodka drink. The drink was delicious as well. The next drink sample was a black currant gin, also quite refreshing.

Finally some food samples arrived. The first was an Ahi tuna with mango, avocado, fresh red onion and sun dried tomato, lightly tossed with chili oil. This was a radical change from the usual menu where I might expect pizza. This was fine dining cuisine presented beautifully. Executive Chef Ed Hollingsworth is responsible for the new splash of color and tastes. A Mediterranean dish had babaganoush, hummus, sun dried tomatoes and eggplant which was a bit to salty for my taste. The dishes just kept coming, there was a Mac and Cheese Teriyaki and a stuffed mushroom that was amazing!

My favorite drink served was simply called Sugar and Spice. It tasted like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all served in a cup. I told the server how much I liked it and it turned out she was the creator. I will certainly be returning to enjoy all the Halloween themed movies in October and to continue sampling this amazing new menu.

Kelly Fitzpatrick who blogs about Central Florida night life was at the next table laughing vivaciously and enjoying herself. I was shocked to find out that days later she had passed away in her sleep. She was just 36 years old. Life is short people, make every moment count.

Fill the Grill Championship Cookoff

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I rushed to Whole Foods Market after work to witness the Championship Cook off. Steve Saelg, the master chef from The Crooked Spoon Food Truck, was up against Alec Cheak, the master chef from Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. The chefs were each given $20 to spend then 20 minutes to shop and 20 minutes to prepare a delicious grilled summer meal. The stakes were high, a bronze chef’s trophy sat on the counter top waiting to be claimed. The announcer followed the chefs around the store. At the checkout counter, chef Steve realized he had gone a little over budget. He had to surrender his arugula. Then he hit the $20 mark right on the nose. Chef Alec was also over budget by ¢94. He was going to surrender his nuts, but instead returned a peach.

The chefs then raced to prepare their meals. Sharp knives sliced and diced. Steve was making a deconstructed Italian sausage. He cut up a red pepper. A bagette was toasted as he prepared a tomato sauce with pepper romano and rosemary. Chef Alec was grilling pork chops. He combined fresh lemon juice and olive oil to create a Spring mix. Apples and peaches were grilled. He whisked a balsamic reduction. Roasted red peppers were mixed in with an apricot coulis. Brie cheese was served as a side.

The judges were, Patricia Letakis of Florida Travel and Life, Kendra Lott of Edible Orlando and Bernie Tostanowski the Whole Foods prepared Foods Team Leader. Steve’s Italian Sausage was served first. He instructed the judges to assemble the ingredients into a sandwich. Patricia stacked a Dagwood sized sandwich and chomped in. Bernie held back preferring to use his fork. Chef Alec’s pork chops were savored by the judges. The brie cheese was a bold choice but it was complimented by the grilled fruit.

Chef Steve’s waited with his wife and daughter for the verdict. I figured he might get bonus points for being a family man. In the end, Chef Alec Cheak was declared the winner. The Fill the Grill trophy has a new home at Fleming’s Steak House. I desperately wanted a pork chop, instead I went home to leftovers.