Panmankey

The biggest reason I haven't been writing is that well I haven't been writing anything.  Three days after Starwood this year I had knee surgery, which knocked me out from August until nearly the end of September.  There were a few weeks of nothing but sitting on my couch watching Fuse (and listening to things like Lady Gaga, I need help!) and being high on vicodin.  About a day and a half after my initial surgery the "pain blocker" they had injected into the nerves of my right leg wore off and I woke up in more pain than I've ever been in in my life.  It was a pretty horrible few days after that.  Surgery made sitting down and writing near impossible as I couldn't bend my leg to sit at my desk.

The suddenness of Starwood to surgery is the big reason I haven't updated the blog in forever.  I just didn't have time before surgery to write about summer festivals, and by the time I felt like writing again it was October.  D'oh!  My bad.  For those of you wondering about my Sirius Rising/Starwood Experiences, I don't know what to say.  The weather was horrible this year and the vibe never felt quite right.  That's not to say there weren't highlights.  There was the "Party Like a Rockstar" Party on Tuesday night at Starwood.  That kicked my ass in the best way possible!  Lots of loud rock and roll (and a little old school hip hop), pretty girls, good beverages . . . other than the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, that was my favorite night of the summer.  

I did a few workshops at Starwood, but attendance was pretty low.  Starwood is starting to become one of those festivals where people only show up when I'm talking about rock and roll.  Long time readers know that I love the "Led Zeppelin and the Occult" type workshops, but they also know that they take MONTHS to put together with all the research, picture hunting, and song splicing.  I love Starwood, I love Brushwood (the campground that sponsors Sirius Rising and hosts Starwood), but it kind of an off year.  Still had a lot of fun though, just not as much as I usually do.  Seven nights of rain will do that, especially coupled a recession and down attendance.

One of the highlights of the fall was getting to go to Sacramento CA to speak at their "Pagan Pride Day."  Very cool to be asked, especially since they picked up the airfare.  I felt like a real professional that weekend!  Lots of fun, and it was just so flattering to be asked.  I don't think I was at my best since I could barely walk, but I gave it my best shot.

Again I'm on the "Guests of Honor" list for Convocation in Detroit this February.  I have a few new workshops that I'll be doing this winter, one on what we actually know about Druids, and a second one focusing on the Green Man/Herne/Cernunnous.  I'll also have a book full of festival stuff available at Con and at Pantheacon, where I should be speaking (though I'm not a guest of honor).  As much as I love Pantheacon, and I do love it!, I'm barely a blip on their radar and sometimes I feel like "little blonde haired boy in the big city" when I go there.  It's all so overwhelming, definitely in a good way, but overwhelming.  

I did a few cool things away from Pagandom.  Saw AC/DC in August (crutching into the show was an adventure) and was blown away.  One of the best shows I've ever seen in my life.  I couldn't believe how cool it was.  A few weeks later I saw (Dio) Black Sabbath (aka Heaven and Hell) from the third row, where I made eye contact with Ronnie James Dio, I swear it's true!  One of the security guys even had pity on me and gave me a guitar pick.  (I was still on crutches, and it took about 20 minutes just to get to my seats from the entrance to the pavilion.)  

On a sad note, my cat Princess passed in late June.  She was nearly 20 years old, so it's not like her death was untimely, but it was still hard, and I still find myself missing her a lot.  On the plus side we had almost 14 great years together, and got to watch the Steelers win two Super Bowls together, not to mention the Penguins win a Stanley Cup and the Celtics an NBA title.  (Not that she cared, but I can pretend she did!)  

As I get back into the writing and finish up the "Panmankey" book in the next couple of weeks I'll probably start posting again.

Bright Blessings!

-jason

PS-And for saying I'm funnier than Michelle Ballenger, thank you!  I swear I'm going to write a Vampire Workshop just to get butts in the seats.