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One Door Closing, Another Opens
Battle to End in Time For Tea!
Escorted by Atlantean
Winds to 'The Phoenix City'
A Delightful Dilemma Solving Two
Problems
Finishing a Memorial Staria Photo Story
Starting the New Year 2006
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One Door Closing, Another Opens
January 31, 2006
This has been a true catch-up month. I've decided it's
time to return to a more bucolic existence and my area has just become too
crowded. When I first moved here back in 1990, it was a quiet little
forgotten town with three drugstores, a feed store and just a few other
merchants. If you needed a cow-holder, you but had to stroll into the
Southern States Coop and there it would be. Could even find
some Bag
Balm, too, for next to nothing -- before it became a
beauty aid, where they made the canister much smaller and the
price much higher! It's the high lanolin content that makes it so
great for everyone's skin -- you don't have to be a cow!! Yea!! But, did
they have to raise the price?! grrr.
Well, once they hooked up the final link of I-40 to
Wilmington, NC from
Bakersfield, California, I knew change was on the way. This place
has gone crazy with development and I need stretching room. So, I'm
ready for a place where I can get some actual pottery done, with my own kiln
and maybe teach a few lessons to locals.
Once the major Wal-Mart mall got started, (not to mention
the other eighteen gazillion malls) and the five Nail shops had regular
clientele -- well, that, alone, tells you just how far off track this little
place has gone. If this keeps up, we could easily become yuppies!
Getting everything together for taxes has also been fun, as
I'm sure it is for everyone else, so I have stayed busy. There's
something new just over the horizon, too. Will tell you, later.
January 17, 2006
Battle to End in Time For Tea!
When I awoke, I found a card in the room that listed the
offerings of the super 8, one of which was breakfast. With less than 30
minutes to spare, I went to the coffee shop. Imagine my surprise to discover
that I was the only person from the 21st-century in the room.
To my right and at the coffee machine stood two members of His Majesty's
64th Regiment of Foot, Josh Houff and James Anderson. At table, next to
them, was Michael Zatarga of His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot and his
wife and child, Michaela McNamara and Michaela Zatarga, both camp followers.
Ms. McNamara gave me new insight on the term "camp follower," explaining
that camp followers included anyone not a soldier, from the winning wives to
the many repairmen needed to support any march.
There was a limit to the number of wives and children that could be brought
along with the soldiers. With this particular Regiment, they were allowed
only six wives and their children, and, before leaving England, the women
had to draw lots. As someone attached to a soldier, the wife would be paid
at the one half of their husband's allotment and each child would receive
one quarter. Should her husband the fatally wounded, a woman and her
children would no longer receive government support. It was not uncommon for
a soldier to be killed and have his widow marry another soldier within a day
or so to continue receiving support.
To my left, enjoying the last crumbs from toast and doughnuts, sat Rich
Garritson, Ralph Collier, and David Lightowler of
Nathaniel Greene's Rifle Company of the
1st Virginia Regiment. It was January 15th and
just two days before the 225th Anniversary of the
Battle of Cowpens. Well, color me stupid! I had
walked smack dab into the middle of reenactors of one of the most incisive
battles of the American Revolution!
It was at the Cowpens, on January 17, 1781, that an army composed of
Continentals and backwoods militia, led by Daniel Morgan, were able to
achieve a brilliant victory over
Sir Banastre Tarleton's British regulars just
north of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Gaffney is one big Historic
District after another. Actually, it can boast of three nationally certified
historic districts. By gum, they have so much reverence for historical
buildings, events, and artifacts, that, if you're not careful, they'll
bronze, placque, and dedicate your poop, if you have the right lineage! I am
definitely going to plan a return trip to check out the whole place within
the next few months.
Now, I understood why my journalistic guardian angel
insisted that I charge my batteries, last night. After asking permission, I
interviewed all, snapped photos, and got stories from all angles, including
camp followers. The reenactment was to take place at two o'clock at the
Cowpens Battlefield, a much more civilized time than the actual event,
actually, and would be finished in time for tea.
I had been wondering just how I was going to meet my
deadline for a magazine article and this little exercise helped me come to
understand the meaning behind, "it's an ill wind that blows no good, at
all." I was able to come away with enough information for several articles.
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January 15, 2006
Escorted by Atlantean Winds to 'The Phoenix
City'
I decided to leave in the wee hours of the morning on
Saturday, timed to arrive with at least an hour of settling in time before
my scheduled callback. I was also giving myself plenty of time to let the
major storms that were in my area dissipate before starting the drive. At
3:30 AM, the sky was clear and the majority of my driving was done in very
clear weather, giving me a chance to catch up on some CDs I had been saving
for just such a trip and go over my lines. My agent reminded me that there
was to be no paraphrasing, and I would do my best to keep it straight.
The term 'clear weather' probably suggests something a little less harrowing
than I might have meant to convey. Truth is, the drive to
Atlanta, Georgia, was the most harrowing
trip I had undertaken in some time. Although I was fortunate enough to miss
the brutal thunderstorms, I couldn't avoid the follow-up 60 to 75 mile an
hour winds that stayed with me throughout the trip. It never let up, even
when I came face-to-face with more than 100
lanes of traffic on my side, alone, as I arrived just outside of
Atlanta! Okay. A hundred lanes may be an exaggeration, but
that's what it seemed like because everyone else knew where they were going,
and I was rediscovering a town I hadn't lived in since the 60s.
Obviously, some things had changed. Map Quest did a great job in setting
down my route and that made me very comfortable, in spite of the terror that
engulfed me as I felt my way, at 65mph, under these new circumstances.
And, where on earth was my guidepost? the great big
beautiful golden dome of the Capitol Building? How did people find the
heart of the city? Maybe I should have given myself more than just an
hour and a half to locate the Studio. . . Not to worry!
Directions were very clear and I was parked within fifteen minutes of my
initial moment of shock. Good. I would need the next half hour to stop
my knees from knocking! Used the time to call my friend and let her
know what was going on. I also told her that newlyweds need their own
time, together, and I knew Saturday was usually theirs, so I would take my
free time to re-acquaint myself with Atlanta and maybe catch a movie, and
then call them later to settle on a meeting place. Of course, they
were thrilled to have the time for themselves, and suggested we plan on
meeting for dinner before going back to their place. That done, I was
ready, ". . .for my close-up, Max!"
First run-through went fine and the director seemed to like
me, asking me to do the lines in a few different emotional tones.
Thank you, Mr. Director, at least the trip was a little longer than a
five-minute turn-around! It felt good. I did my best. Now,
it's wait and see.
Everything had changed so much, since I lived in Atlanta,
that I had to call my friend, again, to get directions to the new downtown
Atlantic Station, with underground parking, and
everything but liveried attendants at every corner. After crossing the
viaduct to enter the mall, you literally entered a "village" bigger than my
home town! Parking was easy and relocation numbers very clear.
You paid at vending machines, rather than drive past an attended kiosk on
leaving. But, you did have to surrender your 'paid' card to raise the
gate. They had only recently begun charging for parking and everyone
was given the first two hours free. Many stores had token machines that gave
incremental hourly credits to add onto your parking card, as well. I
went to the movies and ended up paying zero for parking.
My friends and I met for dinner at Baronda's Italian Cuisine
at the corner of 3rd and Peachtree Street (of course!). The food was
exquisite. Crab-Stuffed Salmon with Lobster Sauce is so good and so
rich!
Here's a recipe, if you'd like to try it for
yourself. I would have tried the wines, as well, but knew I'd be
driving and didn't want to take any chances. Feeling fully alert and rested,
I saw no reason to stay overnight and decided to head back home, giving the
newlyweds some much-deserved privacy. Apparently, this had been a month of
visitors for them. I assumed that the winds would no longer be a
problem; but, as luck would have it, no sooner had I left Atlanta, then I
realized the tall city buildings had simply acted as a buffer against the
same strong winds I had faced on the way down.
Anyone who has driven in a high wind knows what I'm talking about -- you
know, the occasional sensation that you are not in control of your own
vehicle. For those of you who have also had to handle the tiller of a
sailboat in rough seas, the feeling is the same and that there is no letup.
After little more than three hours of driving, I admitted defeat and began
looking for a place to stay. I was still in South Carolina and found an exit
shortly after making up my mind to stop. My choice of motel was simple, a
Super-8, almost adjacent to the return ramp to I-95 and across the street
from a great big shopping center and three bars (for restless nights, I'm
sure!). I gratefully checked in, enjoyed a nice hot bath, charged the
batteries for my digital camera and voice recorder, and trundled off to bed.
Oh, the town was
Gaffney, South Carolina.
[top]
January 12, 2006
A Delightful Dilemma Solving Two Problems
Omigod! Received a call from the studio that I'm wanted at a
director's callback for Deja Vu! In Atlanta! This weekend! So, got on the
phone and started trying to locate a place to stay! There was no room
at the inns, and I had already made about twelve calls. Something big
was happening (other than my potential arrival, of course) and nothing near
the
Professional Actors Studio would be available
until the following Monday. What to do; what to do. Ah ha,
Eureka! A thought emerges. . .I could kill two birds with one stone. .
.
Sooooo, I called my friend, the young bride, who just
happened to live in Atlanta, and described the situation, asking if she knew
of any places that I might have overlooked. Before I could finish, she
said she wanted me to crash at their place, but would first check with hubby
to make sure they had no other plans. A considerate bride, already! Then, we
both remembered that I could use that opportunity to personally pick up her
photos, as well. It was all so very serendipitous!
That little problem solved, I used the afternoon to do some
errands and deliver the Memorial Staria
Melody and felt very good with her
response. She also gave me permission to use it onsite, here, as well, as a
sample of this form of Staria Melody VCD.
[top]
January 10, 2006
Finishing a Memorial Staria Photo Story
Finally, I've finished the Memorial Staria and gift cards.
One of my new toys is a printer that will actually print directly onto the
disk. I love technology! (Unless, of course, it gives me a hard time
and then, I hate it!) It's an
Epson Stylus Photo R220, and works great! I made a bunch of
practice CD Discs to see what I could do with it, and I'm on a roll.
My whole packaging is really coming together. Will be delivering the
product this week.
Decided to give my other client, the bride in my online
sample, a call to see if her wedding photos were ready and arrange a way to
get everything to me. After the wedding, they had moved into their
home and, I know, are in the middle of just trying to settle in. But,
she was delighted with the call and said everything was actually with her in
her new home and it would take her a few days to get them in the mail.
Just tickling, I reminded her. I don't like to pressure people but I
also don't like to forget them and then find it incredibly inconvenient to
sandwich them in with other jobs.
More importantly, I don't want my clients to feel as thought
I don't care about how long the process takes. In this instance, there
are more than two hundred pictures to go through and select for the final
Personal Passages Photo Story, so it is taking a little longer than five
weeks. Of course, it's a gift from another friend, so there's no need
to push because of someone wanting to play it during the reception!
Once I have all her pictures and have completed the package, I'm going to
recreate my mini-sample so you folks can see some of her wedding pictures,
as well.
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January 9, 2006
Starting the New Year
I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday and was able to not
only renew acquaintances forgot but forge new, as well. January is
starting to look like a very interesting month. While usually quiet,
so far as movie auditions is concerned, have already had to go to
Wilmington, twice, for a possible role in a movie now titled
Deja Vu. Leading
actors are
James Caviezel and
Denzel Washington -- two of my favorites.
Denzel is just too cool. The film is supposed to be
done in New Orleans, which ought to prove interesting. I image
anywhere there is screening to be done will be fixed up rather nicely. I
never really expect to get cast and am always surprised when it happens, so
we'll see where this audition takes me. The role is not very big, but
is with the principals and that looks very good on a resume! I did my
best and the rest is up to the powers that be in filmdom.
Still have to get a Staria Melody finished and this is my
first time actually doing a Memorial. I'm beginning to feel I really
know the woman, having such close contact with the family pictures.
It's a beautiful family and their loss is great. One of the things
I've discovered is that I can actually recover photos and clean out all
kinds of debris before putting them in the Personal Passages Photo Story.
Have also learned the intricacies of my scanner, as well. You CAN
teach an old dog new tricks!
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