Flight out of Pittsburgh

Posted on by Thor

Flying out of Pittsburgh there was a layover in Detroit. I knew I was heading home when I saw Mickey Mouse on someone’s luggage. One other person was masked in the waiting area. He was Japanese where there is no stigma against masking. I charged my iPhone so I would have juice to order a Lyft once I landed.

The flight to Orlando was the most crowded flight I took. I was glad that I was in an exit row and because of that I had plenty of leg room to stretch out and relax. My hope was to hunker down and sleep. I tried to sleep but really didn’t succeed. Two rows behind me, several people were coughing up their lungs. The risk of exposure rises on longer flights.

After getting back to the studio, the next morning my throat was scratchy and I started coughing. Of course my first thought was COVID, so I tested myself. Thankfully the pink Binax test came back negative. What I assumed was a cold however, knocked me on my butt for several days. I am still snuggled up on the couch under a blanket. I was experiencing shivers. I haven’t been sick for over 4 years. I forgot what it was like to be out of commission.

The days after the flight out of Pittsburgh, I felt like crap. I used an at home test kit and it came up negative, so I chalked it up to a bad cold. However after several days of hard work outside, with a friend. I returned to the studio and decided to test one more time just to be sure. That test came up positive for COVID-19. It was a strong solid red line. I was infected on Delta Flight 1652 flying back into Orlando fro Detroit. I  have to wonder how many others are spreading the virus around Orlando after that flight.

In the time I thought I had a cold, I managed to infect a friend which I feel horrible about. I now know I need to up my masking game when I travel by plane. The problem is that I have facial hair which breaks the seal of the mask. There are also small travel sized HEPA filters which I could pack in my travel bag and run during the flight. Though I take basic precautions, I now know they are not enough. When battling something as small an airborne virus, more precautions are needed. I need to buy new N-95 masks and I will have to shave my beard any time I travel. I may even decide to get goggles when I board a plane. More likely I will stop promoting my animated short film COVID Dystopia in person. Packing into a sardine can in the sky isn’t smart.

Since I am so sick, I decided to not go to FusionFest to sketch.  I still feel it is important to keep others safe, so I am social isolating at my  friend’s house. I was helping this friend with a huge outdoor sculpture, Since the first test came back negative, I continued to help. My friend however caught what I have, which is, as it turns out, COVID-19. I want to keep others safe but with my first infection I managed to fail horribly. I am social isolating in my studio now and will test myself again in 5 days.

So, is is safe to fly during an ongoing pandemic? F*ck NO. I managed to evade COVID for 5 years and now I have to up my game to evade it for the next 5 years.

We might be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us.

Pittsburgh Shorts Script Competition

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After watching the first block of films there was a script reading competition in the building right next to the Harris Theater. The woman handling tickets and concessions was the only other person wearing a KN-95 mask. I gave her one of my COVID themed buttons figuring she might wear it someday as people become aware of the lasting damage being done by the virus. Probably thanks to her there was a small HEPA air filter in the lobby area outside the theater.

Actors were still rehearsing the scripts as the audience gathered in the lobby. There were groups of 4 or 5 actors to read each of the scripts. The part of the narrator often involved the most reading.

The script which won the competition had a champion boxing coach and a young woman. She was reluctant to hit the boxing bag hard but which his encouragement she bean weaving and hitting harder. The emotional core of this short was that she had an untold back story. That back story must have involved physical abuse because she started hitting the bag with every ounce of energy she had. Someone from her past deserved a beating.

The guy seated in front of me in the blue hoodie shot video footage of the reading of his girlfriend’s script reading. After the script readings everyone returned to the Harris Theater for the awards ceremony.

Honda Dealership

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Everything is automated these days. My little Toyota Prius gives me a warning sign then it is time to take the car to the dealership. The Prius sits in the garage most of the time and I just take her out for a spin once a week for groceries. The dealership is always a fun sketch opportunity. Everyone is always on their digital devices, myself included.

The sales team has started using these checkups as a way to push for new car sales. I was called over to a sales agents desk and he let me know that my old Prius with its low mileage would catch a heft price. He of course wanted to sell me a new car but I have never had a problem with my Prius other than a couple of flat tires.

This was a pretty uneventful visit. On the visit before I had to change out all the tires, which was very expensive. This time it was just an oil change and a few mark ups they threw in. They were probably not needed, but Indulged them. I know they installed a new air filter in the cabin. I know that because they didn’t lock it in place right and it fell out onto the floor mat. My Prius is pampered.

Pittsburgh City Rat

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I took a morning to explore Pittsburgh with my sketchbook. From the hotel I headed south where there is a park with a large fountain. I didn’t make it as far as the fountain. I decided the large Christmas tree display deserved a sketch. There was a large subway station to my right where several people sat outside to discuss religion. I was seated on a granite ledge that was perhaps 3 feet above the sidewalk.

Thankfully my trench coat blocked much of the cold from the granite seat. There was an evergreen bush planted in the center of the triangular shapes seating area. I noticed one of those black box rat baiting stations at the base of the bush. As I sketched I noticed some motion near the baiting station.

As I was sketching a rather large rat marched right up to me and he tried to leap up onto the granite ledge. I bet he had made that jump thousands of times before but this time he fell short with his front claws scratching the smooth surface. He tried a second and third time. It occurred to me that he might be trying to get another free poison meal from the baiting box. I felt bad for him and considered helping him make the final inch. I thought better of it, and scared him away instead by stomping my foot. As he scurried slowly away weaving a bit side to side, I noticed that his butt was bleeding. He was not going to survive another day. The poison was eating his insides.

Merry Christmas, not a creature was stirring.

Pittsburgh Shorts Q&A

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When I got to Pittsburgh I checked into the hotel and then got several sliced of pizza since I hadn’t eaten all morning. Then I slipped into the Harris Theater to pick up my lanyard. When I asked around one of the organizers asked, “Are you Thomas Thorspecken?” How on earth did she know that? This felt like my 30 seconds of fame. She explained however that I was the last filmmaker to pick up my lanyard. With shorts you can always slip into the theater since a new film will start up shortly. One film I really loved was Planet Walker. The film is about John Frances who began walking everywhere after an oil spill in San Francisco harbor. As an added sign of protest against the fossil fuel industry, he stopped speaking. If he had to communicate he used sign language.

At first John hiked around California but he eventually began waking east following the green areas on his map. He then decided to get a masters degree even though he didn’t speak. After the Exon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, He decided to get his doctorate by writing his thesis on how to prevent oil spills.

Paul Sloop helped curate the slate of short films. After each screening block, he would get on stage with the filmmakers in attendance and ask them a few questions. AS an animator it is amazing to me that many of these short only had a 3 day shooting schedule. For my film with it’s limited animation style, I had a year of animation to accomplish. I could still be animating if I made every character move in every scene. At some point I had to decided enough was enough.

I met the middle filmmaker in this sketch in the elevator on the way up to my room at the end of the day. I gave her my minute long elevator pitch about my film. I don’t know what is next for my film. I have about 6 submissions lined up for acceptance or rejection. I am convinced that COVID Dystopia is the most rejected film in America. No one wants to be reminded about a countries failed response to an ongoing pandemic.

Delta Layover

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COVID Dystopia was an official selection at the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival. Festival sponsors helped with the hotel and plane flights. I decided to go for the last day of the festival to attend the awards ceremony. You never know.

There were no direct Delta flights to Pittsburgh. To fly out I had to fly to Atlanta first and catch a connecting flight to Pittsburgh. Getting up at 4am wasn’t good enough. When I got to the gate, I discovered I was the last person to board along with a couple in front of me. As I was getting my ticket scanned I heard my name echo out all through the airport. My seat was crammed between two other people, but knowing I was the last person to board, I went past that row and found my own row since the plane wasn’t very crowded.

In Atalanta I had to make my way to anther terminal for the connecting flight. It was a long walk. When I got to gate B33, Kevin the boarding agent was letting several people into the boardwalk. I sat down for a moment to hear what zone was being boarded. I was in zone 8, maybe I would have time to go to the bathroom before getting on board. The next time I looked up, Kevin was gone. I walked over and discovered the door to board the plane had been closed.

I rushed to another boarding area to ask what I should do. I was told I would have to walk to boarding zone B17 to get my ticket adjusted. When I was walking back, I saw Kevin had returned to his desk. Another woman had the same problem as me. As I waited, I saw my plane backing out of the terminal. Had I not sat down and relaxed for a second, I might have been on that flight. Kevin told me I could use my ticket to board another flight to Pittsburgh in another hour. No harm done, I just needed to be in Pittsburgh by 7pm for the awards ceremony.

Another flight had t board before the plane to Pittsburgh could roll in. That flight was experiencing delays. I asked Kevin how the delays might affect my plane to Pittsburgh, His abrupt response was, “I have no idea.” I don’t think Kevin likes his job. After I went back to sit down Kevin announced that my flight to Pittsburgh would leave from another gate.

I ultimately made it to my destination, but felt that the ticketing agents have no clue or don’t care what is going on. They are just going through the motions.

Red String at Fringe Art Space

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Red String was a new musical written by presented at Fringe Art Space. This is a charming Romance where two 20 something woman travel Europe in the hope of finding love. Nessa has been having dreams about a man who could have been “the one'” When she discovers he is in Europe, she decides to follow in the hope of accidentally bumping into him. Her best friend Sami enjoyed the ride until the dreams became a bit to much of an obsession. Sami broke off to travel on her own while her friend pursued her fever dream.

Sami decided to wash away her problems at a bar and struck up a friendly conversation with the bartender. There was a natural chemistry between the two of them. Meanwhile Nessa did indeed meet the man she had come to find in Berlin. Unfortunately he had married a beautiful German woman, who decided to take Nessa in. In a late night conversation Nessa discovered that the chemistry was indeed still there.

The lyrics to the show kept the themes of love and friendship moving right along. There were always three doors on stage with red strings wrapped like spider webs across each portal. I took these doors to represent the past present and future. Nessa had woven such a tight web around one hope and dream and in so doing left part of herself behind.

The friendship between Sami and the bartender blossomed int a fast romance. Sami and Nessa’s friendship grew even stronger after the trails of travel. This show has so much potential. The musical orchestrations could still use refining but the story had heart. Writer Amanda Scheirer of Without Feat Theater, is bringing some amazing original productions to Orlando.

COVID Dystopia: Enough is Enough

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Tomorrow I am flying to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival. I will spend a day watching short films and then attend the awards ceremony in the evening. I know that I will be the only one masked on a plane full of mouth breathing zombies. Even a mild case of COVID, fuses and destroys brain neurons. No wonder zombies eat brains in movies, they are trying to get back what they have lost due to COVID.

The height of the 9th wave of COVID infections was in August of this year and Florida is now in the trough with cases just beginning to rise again. New Mexico is the one state that is on fire right now. Though I keep track of the rising and falling cases, I just keep the same simple precautions, I mask indoors. Masking isn’t perfect. I can’t be 100 percent sure the seal on my KN-95 mask is tight. Masking and HEPA filtration has kept me COVID free so far, even when the virus attacked a former roommate and her niece.

Repeat COVID infections destroy the immune system similar to the how HIV attacks the immune system. It is a vascular disease effecting every organ in the body. Once infected, people become vulnerable to every known pathogen. When out in public sketching there is always someone coughing up a lung.

Traveling to promote COVID Dystopia is probably the most dangerous thing I do each month, but it is my way to convince people that was and is dangerous. Politicians always downplay the effects of the virus because claiming victory is the only way to get elected. In Trumps first term over 200,000 Americans died from COVID. Over 700,000 Americans died under Biden’s time in office. It is hard to pick a side when both parties promote mass infection as a way out of an ongoing pandemic.

COVID Dystopia: An Earthquake Took Out Canada

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This scene had depth maps, a camera move and the animation consists of waving the flag.

I was starting to feel like we were free from these crazy times, but Donald J. Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on November 5, 2024. I honestly can not believe that Americans would elect a convicted criminal to become president. I am stunned and in mourning.

The first thing I did this morning after seeing the news was start looking for countries that are great places for expatriates to live. Spain has the highest number of Americans who have moved there. I was thinking of moving to New York State to set up a studio but New York would be target number one for the presidents “enemy of the people” campaign. New Zealand and Australia handled themselves well at the start of the pandemic.Australia would be as far as I could get from America.

H5N1, or Bird Flu, has killed millions of wild birds, and caused sporadic outbreaks among poultry and an ongoing multi-state outbreak among cows in the United States. While there has been no known person-to-person transmission of the virus, there have been 39 reported human cases in the U.S. in 2024. If H5N1 starts to spread from human to human, we will have the worst leader imaginable at the helm, downplaying the exponential spread. COVID had a mortality rate of about 1.4% which resulted in well over a million deaths in America. H5N1 has had a mortality rate of about 50% among mammals infected. I woke up dreading the next 4 years of life on Earth.

COVID Dystopia is available to be seen at the Virtual Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival happening now through November 24, 2024. COVID Dystopia can be seen in the Eventive – Chiller Theater Block 2 – Shorts online. It can be seen anywhere in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. After you start watching the films, you have 48 hours to complete watching them. Tickets are $18.

Fable

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Urban Sketchers Orlando hosted a morning coffee and draw event. Since my mornings are the best time for me to get out of the studio and draw, I decided to head on over.

The meet up was at Fable Coffee and Pastries (11909 East Colonial Drive Orlando Florida.) This was right on the doorstep of the UCF School of Visual Arts Campus which I had been to several weeks before to sketch the Mid-Term reviews fr the graduate program. It is funny how unrelated events often pull me to the same areas of town.

A note by the entrance pointed out that the establishment was protected by a dragon. I of course searched for the dragon when inside. I ordered an iced coffee. Since I don’t know a Latte from a Mocha Chino, I ordered the American Iced Coffee Brew. There were about 3 or 4 Urban Sketchers lined up on a long brown leather couch. Across from them, no one was seated. Since I prefer to have people in my sketches, I sat across from them. I learned that one artist is experimenting with painterly iPad paintings and I certainly would be interested in learning more. But this sketch outing wasn’t for learning the inner working of another artists trade. We were all there to sketch.

I liked that the Wi-Fi password, along with the warning on the staff door, was “You shall not pass!” Listening in to artist conversations, I learned that this Coffee Shop is famous for its board game collection. There is a table up at the front of the coffee house that has a glass top and roll play gaming boards can be back lit on the surface. Some day I hope to sketch that gaming table in action.

While sketching I completely forgot about my drink. As my sketch was nearing completion I got a straw, lifted my mask while holding my breath, and took several long sips. The coffee surprised me, at first I though it must be a tea but then the coffee after taste kicked in and I felt the familiar humming bird buzz. I took another long sip, but didn’t feel the need to finish. I packed up and got ready to go. The Urban Sketchers were scheduled to be there another hour, but I needed to head out.

I shared my work early and there was a mini throw down as people snapped photos.

I heard that this place gets extra crowded in the evenings when UCF students crowd in for caffeine and games. It might be worth returning if there is some sort of gaming event. The Coffee Shop opens at 8am is usually open until 8pm. For any roll ply gamers out there, I am looking for an opportunity to sketch a game in action.