Get Your Words Out

It was a big day today and it started off badly. I was awoken at dawn with a charley horse in my good leg, not thrilling on a day when I'll be walking and standing all day.

And then somehow what should be an hour and 10 minute trip took 2 hours (I had to make 2 stops but how that took an hour I have no idea) So I missed the opportunity to walk around the author's market before I went to listen to Craig Johnson (the author of the mystery series that became the Longmire series).

He was fantastic. He is incredibly funny and I could have listened to him talk for an additional hour. He is also the sweetest guy. He was talking about inspirations for characters and one is an enrolled Crow man, Dan Pretty On Top. Now there's a name. By the time I got there most of the books had been gone (so seriously wtf happened with that hour) and I did pick up one I hadn't read (should have gotten 2. I never expected people to drag in 12 books each for signing) I had wanted one for mom but alas nothing was in print big enough for her to see. All I wanted was for Mr. Johnson to let me take a pic of him signing. He insisted I get in there with him. Like I said, super sweet.

(and now all I'm thinking of is Lou Diamon Phillips as Henry Standing Bear).



This festival isn't over until 5 but sure enough just like last year, people were already packing up at 10 to 4. Fine that's one way to buy less. I saw two authors I bought from last year (but didn't like either of their books). Way too many were book genres I don't read (and even when I do pick up romantasy, enemies to lovers and forbidden love are not my thing). I did find one crazy sounding urban fantasy The Veracin Blade (has phoenixes, dragons, and an otter shifter alchemist) and judging by the inscription a squirrel bookstore.

I go to the museum/cultural center to be sure I know where to park. And since it's so late the lot is empty but I feel confident it's the right place. But UGH it's paybyphone.com. I hate this so much. I tried to get into it, fairly sure I used this in Kansas City but it won't let me in. I give up.

I headed to try to get to Lowe's to get that toilet snake...only to a) find out you can't go 64 E from downtown today and it looks like it might be a more of a sudden closure judging by how many people were confused and the workers flagging us away and b) my GPS is confused when in WV. Now it's 10 to 5 and I wanted very much to eat at Fazio's They are old school Italian and I really liked it last time. This time I got eggplant/mushroom/mostaccioli and a moment of regret because I didn't think to ask for the specials nor did my server think to tell me and I overheard the next table with butternut squash ravioli. Alas. Otherwise she was a great server and my dinner was great.

I also used that time to get into that stupid parking app and after changing my password it let me in. I get back to the cultural center and it's way too early to go in (by a half hour) so I sit and read my book. Get out and pay by phone says it can't find this. I ask someone else walking by and they said they thought it was free tonight. Good enough for me.


They were selling halloween themed painted ballet shoes and old costumes. I liked the pink one (I KNOW! Pink!) with a skeletal foot and the ballerina next to me is encouraging me to buy it (I didn't) and I said that is cute but I used to work on the Cleveland Ballet since my podiatry school was practically next door, and that is not what a ballerina foot looks like. She nods sagely. No it does not. No hallux valgus.

It was open seating so yay for being there early. I brought my mothman with me

I have seen several of the better ballet troupes in this country over the years. The Charleston one isn't quite at that level but they did very good. It opens with three short pieces, poltergeist with about a dozen ballerinas who looked a bit more like corpse brides than ghosts but that's okay. Then there was a duet entitled Chicos on Stage (movement 4) and they were excellent.

And then came Camille Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre. It was over a dozen dancers in a graveyard with black light activated skeletons on the front and nothing on the back so it looked like the skeletons were flicking in and out of existence. It was very effective. In fact this was my favorite piece of the night.

Last but surely not least was the Legend of Mothman's world premiere. The music was from a local composer and I liked it. What I liked particularly was they kept it in the 1960s mostly. They had a large screen at the back of the stage and projected things on it to set the stage. First up were known artwork depicting the legend of Cornstalk and his (and his sister's) curse on Point Pleasant with his sister being one of the lead dancers (who became a fortune teller in 1960) We got woodland scenes with red eyes and flights of moths.

But most delightful were the 3 Men in Black, they stole the show really.

I loved that the party scene was with a large cast and everyone in 1960s dress and the music reflected the mod era as did the dancing. Our four Mothman witnesses are there and the fortune teller of course predicts the haunting red eyes. Upset, they go to the TNT plant to neck (this part did happen) to make out. This is where they dance about in terror over the Mothman until everyone faints, leaving the prima to dance alone...ish.

I went back and forth mentally about whether the Mothman on the screen that she dances with was 100 computer generated or was it a dancer/stop motion cgi situation (I like this option better than AI). He was fun bearing some bird features (Mothman was first described as the bird man) and then wings ala the statue in town.

It really was fun. I enjoyed it, glad I went. I try to go home and...turns out 64W is also closed. OMG. And all my GPS wants to do is circle back to that closed ramp. I have some familiarity with the area and set the gps to go back to the convention center. I know the way home from there. Almost got hit by a police car ripping up the on ramp the wrong way. Made it home in the hour and 10 minutes it should have taken.