Let The Games Continue

In working with the Ooh La Las on their Varietease show last year, we discovered that we enjoyed playing games with the audience. When we took the show to Gen Con 2016 the games, of course, were the most energetic part of the entire show. This year we decided to write the show to be a game as well. We sat down with someone from the Columbus Museum of Art to get some tips since they have done live game shows before. Then I sat down to write.

So far I've written The Trulie Awesome GAME! Show and Trulie and The Scone Throwers. I had to look up scone throwers to make sure it wasn't a term for something else. It does sound like an insult. It's a play on stone throwers but really it's about throwing scones at targets. When I worked in a coffee shop the scones would get so stale (right before we threw them) out that you could play hockey with them.

We are also moving forward with my Cosplay Yourself concept. It's about taking the best aspect of yourself. Something you really like, and turning it into a super power. I'm going to have people make costume pieces out of paper and then once they are done, they can fight a monster against a green screen. Totalie is going to edit their videos to look fun and then we will send it to the attendees. They don't have to fight the monsters but it's a fun addition. If they just want to make the costumes that's great too!

I submitted these events to Gen Con and I hope they get accepted. If not, I will try focusing on making it work here in Columbus. I am trying to get a test date for May at Wild Goose Creative so people can play the game and give us feed back.

Right now it's just a waiting game. But at least it's still a game.

Pull it Back

I was doing a triple turn into a layout and I pulled my back. Just kidding. I bent over to pick something up and I pulled my back. That was Saturday and I am still in pain so I know it is serious.

Saturday Electro Cult Circus had a gig at Rumba Cafe. I've been there but never on the stage. There's a cool backstage area with a couch and everything. I love when there are green rooms. We played with Morning Theft and Qiet. Both amazing bands with totally different sounds. We were different from both of those bands too, so the evening was really fun to experience.

Except I  was in a ton of pain and having to stand almost the entire time. In high heeled boots. See,
I was trying to get a lot of things moved in the studio so we can have a filming space, but I pulled my back as soon as I got there so, after trying to work through the pain, I gave up.

It was just too painful to go on. I think this applies to a lot of things in my life.

I managed to get all of my costumes for the month finished but I can barely walk today and I am hoping this stops by Friday so I can dance.

Clearly It Runs In The Family

I always tell my sister as long as we are still cracking jokes, we know we are okay. This song she wrote is perfect:

D is for Ditty

Laughter is the best medicine. 

Don't take yourself too seriously. 

"Life is a joke and the joke is one me" - Our dad.

Xanax and Scrambled Eggs

Breakfast of champions.

My mind is a bit scrambled right now, but I'm fighting my way through because I can't lose momentum on the things I want to work on. First project is an updated look for Totalie and Trulie. I wanted to thrift for the costumes, he wanted them custom made. So we are getting them custom made, which is really great.

We picked through 1940's style patterns on Simplicity. I was happy to see they has a website since I haven't enjoyed going to Joann Fabrics for some time now. The men's selection of patterns was sad. Why can't men's clothing be as varied as women's? So sad. But I found the pants and blouse I was looking for, for me and a double breasted vest for Totalie so we are in business. We feel the 1940's look is more mature and in keeping with our comedy style.

I was able to get the patterns picked out, but working on my numbers for the shows on January 20th, 27th and 28th has been challenging. My mind wont focus and none of the music is solidifying any ideas. That happens when my brain is like this. It's like trying to hold onto one of these:

keeps slipping out of my hands

I still get frustrated with myself when that happens, but I am trying to just let it be. There's nothing I can do to make it stop. It just eventually stops. (then comes back)

Sometimes when I am really down like this, dreaming helps. I think about all the things that I really wish could happen for me. This time around, some friends posted they had a space available for rent and I contacted them about it, only to realize how much I don't have my act together. Instead of letting it stop me, I should get it together-business numbers-projected income-this and that. I really need to crack down on the actual business side of this. The creative side is just so much more interesting though. :) Nothing seems to want to work right now so I have to sit and let it all break. 

Talking Underwater.

I've been teaching myself how to use a spindle wheel to turn tissue paper into paper yarn. YouTube tutorials are very helpful. One of the things I have trouble with is patience and I've looked into several ways to cut corners to try and speed up the projects I want to make, but the truth is, some things just take time and I have to be okay with that.

When I am inspired all I want is to see the end project. The ideas are like rushing water and I am afraid they will all get away from me. Even if I write them all down, projects are either inspired or they aren't, and if I go back to an idea, sometimes the inspiration to complete it, is just gone. That's one reason it's so frustrating when "real life" gets in the way.

The more it gets in the way, the more fatalistic I get about everything. The days I can wake up and indulge the muses chattering in my brain are the best days. The rest of the week can be very frustrating and feeds into my downward spiral. Everything starts to seem hopeless. I am not able to enjoy anything because it's all rushed and crammed into whenever I can get to it.

There are many days I wish I had learned to be more selfish so I didn't end up sacrificing the majority of my time on this planet to things that drag me down into the hopeless abyss. Right now I'm about 20,000 leagues under depression. Maybe there's an undiscovered cave full of oxygen down here, like in the book cause I really down feel like swimming back up to the surface right now.