BRAINPAN LEAKAGE

Okay, so this blog isn’t going to be about Firefly or Serenity, but I am a fan and I love that line…Plus, Wacky Fun was definitely had…

Yesterday (Sat. 1/27/07) I drove out to Columbia, Missouri. For those of you not familiar with this Midwestern parcel of dirt, Columbia is right around the middle of the “show me” state. It is a college town, built up around the University of Missouri, Columbia. (One of the finest Journalism schools in the country, among other subjects)…Anyhow, it is also home to a thriving pagan community and an annual wintertime gathering known as “Magickal Hibernation” sponsored, put together, organized, and otherwise presented by Ozark Avalon. This was my third year as a guest speaker at this event, and as always it was a great time. While the gathering isn’t huge by any means, there is a respectable attendance. They set up at a local hotel where a ballroom is set aside for vendors and conference rooms are set aside for workshops and a hospitality suite. Registration is positioned in the lobby, and everyone from the con staff right down to the attendees are wonderful, friendly, and a joy to hang out with.

This year, Author Ellen Dugan, Artist Mickie Mueller, and Author Mike Nichols were headlining the event as well, so we all presented workshops on everything ranging from Wicca’s Wonder Years (a witchcraft and pop culture seminar by Mike) to Spells for Love (Ellen), as well as  Magical Body Art (Mickie) to Magick in the Trenches: No Fluff, No Sparkle, Just Results (yours truly)… But, enough about them…this is all about me! (Just kidding…sort of…It IS all about ME, but believe me, the above listed are all good friends, colleagues, and wonderful folks; each of them. And, I love them all dearly.)

But, back to me …

I presented two workshops, the above listed as well as the Unconscious Magick workshop which has now been made available on Youtube (watch it via the link above). Both were well attended, but the Magick in the Trenches seminar definitely ended up being a full house. I wasn’t sure what to expect because this particular workshop is somewhat controversial, and when Dorothy Morrison and I have done it in tandem we have actually upset a few individuals with our view on “no fluff, no sparkle”…However, I was met with a wonderfully open minded and curious crowd. We discussed various aspects of magick, and I even enlightened the group on a few things. (Something tells me a few folks are probably going to be visiting cemeteries and asking ancestors to borrow a bit of dirt in the near future…If you don’t know what I mean by that you need to see the workshop!)

So, anyway, in addition to getting to hang out with great folks, wear my voice out trying to talk over a band that was playing next to the workshop area, and getting my picture taken with THE Smokin’ Hottie Babe of the Pagan Art World (Mickie), I also had another bizarre and wonderful experience…What was that you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

Two long time fans, one of whom I had met at a past booksigning, and another with whom I had only corresponded via email, were in attendance. Now, these two folks are insane, I have to tell you. But, they are insane in a good way (read: same kind of general insanity from which I also suffer…) They had warned me that they would be there and that they had a surprise in store. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of these two, as I had yet to discover just exactly how wacky they really are. Fortunately for me, the surprise didn’t involve the plot of Stephen King’s Misery.

However, these two wingnuts DID come dressed as stalkers…How did they do that, you ask? Well, just check out the picture below….

Left to right: Johnny “Force Majeure”, me, and Tasialue

So, as you can see, not only did these two nutcases come dressed as stalkers, but they also presented me with my own sweatshirt which readily identified me as the object of their stalking…

Like I said… Wacky Fun!

Now, I have to get back to writing, so till the next time!

MR

Yeah, I want a Tour Bus. I’ve been inside a couple, not to mention the ones I’ve seen on TV, and they are way cool. While I’m not about to be all about living out of a bus per se, it seems like it would be a lot nicer way to travel. I do a lot of airplane, but I also do a hefty share of my touring in a car (rental), or my truck. (Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a bitchin’ truck…2004 GMC Sierra 1500, extended cab, short bed, with all the bells and whistles…But, hey, if I had a bus and someone else was driving I could get up and walk around.)

Some of you may remember the “Humor in Uniform” section of Reader’s Digest…(it may still exist…I haven’t had my hands on a Readers’ Digest in a while)…Either way there was a particular joke that has always stuck with me. It was an anecdote where a fighter pilot was talking to the captain of a refueling plane via radio while in flight. He was bragging about how he could do all these maneuvers and such since his smaller, faster jet was more nimble than the lumbering refueling behemoth. The captain replied that he could do something the fighter couldn’t, so just watch. After several minutes of simply flying along the captain came back on the radio and said something like, “How was that.” The fighter pilot replied, “What do you mean? I didn’t see you do anything.” The captain of the refueling plane came back with, “Well, I just got up and stretched my legs. Walked around for a bit. Got a cup of coffee, and had a chat with my navigator.”

I’m sure that loses something in the translation, especially since I am drawing it from memory, but it has always struck me as not only funny, but kind of cool. I would love to be able to get up, stretch my legs, yadda yadda, while traveling, all without losing any time. I think that would be a pretty neat way to get from point A to point B.

But then, I suppose it doesn’t take much to amuse me.

Of course, these days, with gas prices the way they are, I guess having a tour bus is better left to the “Want/Dream” realm…

Anyhow…raining here. Cold. Supposed to snow tomorrow. Not much, but enough to stick to the grass. That’ll be great. I love snow, so it’s really my kind of weather. Right now I really should be writing. I have a ton of stuff to get done and probably shouldn’t be running off at the mouth here about nonsenical things…

Sooooo, that’s it for now!

MR