20 Nothing

Posted on by Thor

Last Minute Panic Productions from Winter Springs, Florida presented 20 Nothing, a Fringe play that satirized and celebrated the general population of today’s 20-somethings, The show highlighted this generation’s downfalls, celebrations, struggles, and adventures with comedy and honesty. It aimed to point out the outrageous and inspire, not only in 20-somethings, but also the generations that have come before and came after. That said, the shows themes went right over my head. Perhaps I’m getting too old. I talked to a 30 something on the green lawn of fabulousness however and she felt the same way about the production, that it missed the mark.

There were moments of hilarity like the couple who texted each other constantly yet were impatient and out of touch with each other, not typing what they really thought. Or the Woody Allenish scene in which yoga practitioner’s inner thoughts were broadcast to hilarious effect. More serious scenes seemed out of place like a late night discussion about death followed by a round of beers. On a whole the production left me cold and often confused without any characters that I could identify with. The scenes were disjointed, forwarding no particular plot or developing the characters. Perhaps the company’s name, Last Minute Panic Productions hints at why this was. Or perhaps the disjointed alienating quality of the production was the point. But I think any good production should offer the life raft of some reaffirmation that the struggles we all go through are in some way heroic and add depth to our experiences as we make our way through life. The show left me thinking 20 somethings are soft with no meaningful direction in life, or perhaps I’m just an old codger.

Dish Mobbed

Posted on by Thor

Restarants.com brought a “Dish Mobbed” Event and Dine Local Movement to Orlando Area. On February 20th, I went to Casey’s Sports Bar and Grill, (1335 Tuskawilla Rd. Winter Springs, FL), where the “dish mob” event was being held. The Orlando Dish Mobs event was part of a nationwide movement organized by Restaurant.com and local community members and organizations to inspire residents to dine out and boost business at local, independently-owned restaurants.

A small group of female bloggers was seated at a table with several dishes from the restaurant. A news anchor, Mike Holfeld, from Channel 6 News was interviewing participants. He conducted several interviews with representatives from Restaurant.com as well as bloggers. I didn’t see the news that night to see the news story. The only item I tried was a coconut crusted shrimp. It was decent but it wouldn’t inspire me to make the drive out to Tuskawilla a second time.

 Each year, Restaurant.com helps to fill nearly 5.5 million tables at independently owned restaurants nationwide. To further the company’s mission to support businesses at the local level, Restaurant.com is launching the second, Dine Local Dish Mobs campaign – an effort to further encourage diners to dine local at independently owned restaurants in their communities from February 20th through March 1st.

After the TV news crew left, the restaurant started filling up for the noon rush. Buzzing on several cup of Coke, I finished the drawing and made my way back home. Rather than a “Mob” this felt like a small coffee clutch, but I like the “Eat Local” mission statement. Ironically this family owned restaurant was right next to a McDonald’s.

Albannach

Posted on by Thor

I heard a commotion at the other end of the grounds and I headed that way. I grabbed a vanilla ice cream cone since there was no line. The gas powered churn sputtered and the belts shook on the machine making ice cream the old fashioned way. I cut through crowds at the craft vending tents and I finally stood at the top of a large bowl shaped hill. Hundreds and hundreds of people lounged on the hill, some in camping chairs and others seated in the grass. The Music tent was set up at the base of the hill and as Albannach played, children danced.

I stood eating my cone and scanned for a spot I could sketch from. I walked behind the tent where little boys were playing with their dull toy arrows. A woman in a Scottish dress walked back, her breasts hoisted high with a corset. I found a spot right next to the speakers where I leaned back and sketched. Albannach’s music is energetic and sparking full of life. My lines danced quickly full of the music’s energy and drive. Drum sticks twirled and moved with such speed that they were just a blur. There was something primal and raw about the performance. People on the hillside started to dance. Children spun in front of the stage until they became dizzy and fell. A drummer shouted out, “I’m thirsty!” When a woman walked down the hill with a cold pint of beer, the audience applauded.

I was buzzing when the performance was over. I knew that experience could not be topped so I decided to hike back to my truck to get home. I bumped into Sarah Purcer who is now engaged to Marco Bojorquez III. Her step daughter who is maybe 10 years old shook my hand. It was obvious they were having a great family day out. Time to get home.

Her Majesty’s (Scottish) Forces

Posted on by Thor

I went to the Scottish Highland Games up in Winter Springs. Terry didn’t want to go, so this was a solo mission. The games were more crowded than ever this year. Police waved my truck along until I was just about in the next town over. I parked behind a MacDonald’s and hiked the half mile or so to the entrance. A blood donation truck was offering a pint of beer for a pint of blood.

The air was filled with the sound of bag pipes. I ran into Chad Bruce and Dana VanZandt who were perched on a hill top overlooking a medieval Scottish encampment. Chad was smoking a pipe which he said, indicated that they were upwind of the cow dung and downwind from the smell of the food vendors. He blew a puff of smoke that drifted behind them. I walked to the food vendors since I was starving, but the lines were too long.

Rather than watch the caber toss or sheep throw, I immediately went to the tent village full of family clans. There was no Thor Clan. I’m pretty sure there was some Scottish blood on my mother’s side of the family. Even if there wasn’t, I figured I’m Scottish enough for the day. What caught my eye was the World War II weapons on display with His Majesty’s (Scottish) Forces in Florida. The sergeant standing in front of the table became curious about my sketch and he informed me that he was an artist himself. It was a difficult spot to sketch since people kept stopping right in front of me to have long chats. The Reenacting Unit was representing the 51st (Highland) Division and the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Regiment.