The end is the beginning: Winter (2013) is coming

2012. Well damn. This is traditionally the time to reflect on the year that was, and make plans / resolutions / angry faces at the one that's about to barrel drunkenly through your door.

All I'll say about 2012, though, for the sake of brevity (you have better things to do, right? like make those snacks for the party tomorrow night) is that it was a big one for me - full of invaluable learning experiences, frustrating setbacks, and incredible transitions.

I've just started my ridiculously cool new job as the editor of Our Lives magazine, for instance, and my thumbprint will be fully on the March/April issue (god willing and the creek don't rise).

That combines with another major change, in that my longtime collaborator/partner-in-crime Jesse Russell, one of the founders of Dane101.com and an all-around stand-up gent, is heading off to the West Coast for greener pastures come February.

Fire Ball V, then, will likely be the last big event I help produce for some time, as well as Jesse's going away party. There are still some really sweet VIP hotel/ticket package deals available for sale, by the way, and regular ol' tickets, too. It's going to be a ridiculously fun weekend and you should come for one night at least, if not both. Seriously, I mean it. You'll be so sad if you miss it. So sad.

I'm not giving up on entertainment entirely, of course: I'll be throwing a monthly queer dance party starting January 19 at the Inferno, called REAL QUEER (natch). This is a project I've been mulling for several years and I am ridiculously excited to see it finally come to fruition (ehehe, "fruit"). You don't have to be queer to come check it out, but it helps.

And then there's roller derby. The new/old love of my life. I hope to be doing a lot of that in the coming year. Strange to be starting a brand new sport at 31, but goddamn is it fun.

So I hope the year has been, overall, good to you - and if it hasn't, fuck it - 2013 is still entirely unwritten. Shoulders back, chin up, and make it happen.

Ode to the Fire Ball

Over the weekend, I helped throw the second annual Fire Ball at the High Noon Saloon - and was exceedingly pleased to have it be a smashing success. We nearly packed the place with fabulously dressed people, enjoyed excellent performances from several talented folks, and then had ourselves a killer dance party courtesy of DJ Chen-Cheng (currently fighting for the position of My Favorite DJ in Madison).

I was also psyched because I got to perform an act with my very own sister. And thanks to my good friend and near-constant filmmaker Rob Matsushita, the performance was recorded for posterity:

The whole thing was great fun--exhausting, of course, but great fun nonetheless--and I'm confident that we'll be able to keep throwing this event every year for a while yet. Madison seems to enjoy it, and I know I do, too.

Now mostly recovered from my big weekend, I've been slowly getting into the groove of being self-employed. Next week, you can expect regular Lost Albatross updates to begin in earnest, including what I hope will be a helpful series of tips and tricks for other people looking to do freelance work, as well as more personal, (hopefully) humorous stories about every day life outside of the cubical.

(Many, many more photos from the Fire Ball are available at Dane101.com)

Fire Ball success!

Another day, another fabulous party! Actually, I'm not sure I could do this sort of thing full-time. With all of the organization, PR, and general stress work that goes into putting on a successful show, I think twice a year is plenty for me. But it is a great feeling when one of these things goes so well, and it always makes me intensely happy to both help provide a venue for talented performers, and entertainment for my fellow Madisonians. And we managed to raise some money for local theatre, which is also fabulous. So really, I can't (and have no desire to) complain. Maybe I do have a future in this somewhere....

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Fire Ball, and especially large doses of gratitude to the performers (Nick Nice, Foxy Veronica's Peach Pies, Graydancer, Madtown Hellcats Burlesque, and Ashar Dance Company), the High Noon Saloon, and my fellow organizer, Jesse Russell.

If you missed it and are curious to get a small taste of the fabulous mayhem (or were there and want to relive some of it), please check out some of the photos taken and articles written about the affair:

• Phil Ejercito for dane101.com
• Craig Cady for The Daily Page
• Fire Ball Flickr pool

And you can be sure we'll be doing another Fire Ball next January! Now, some time to reorganize my thoughts and energies, and then back to your regularly scheduled blogging. Oh and, I hear there was some sort of big sporting event over the weekend. Anyone know what happened? ;)

Win tickets to the Fire Ball!

Being one of the key organizers for this Saturday's big masquerade party, the Fire Ball at the High Noon Saloon, you may notice some blog slacking on my part this week. Things are pretty busy around the farm as we work hard to put everything in place to make sure the event is as fabulous as it can be.

I'll be doing my best to keep up the content here, but in the meantime, I wanted to take the opportunity to give away two pairs of tickets to the Fire Ball. To win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post that says "I would love a pair of tickets to the Fire Ball!" (making sure to either leave your full name, or some way for me to contact you to get your full name, so I can put you and a +1 on the guest list). The first two people to respond will score free entrance for them and a friend/date to the winter's hottest event! (must be 21+ to play)

Then just scrape together your finest duds, maybe a mask, and get your butt over to the High Noon this Saturday at 9:00p.m. Read more about the Fire Ball here.

Even if you don't win tickets, please come check it out anyway. It's just $7, and a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit two of Madison's best local theatre companies (Mercury Players and Stage Q).

See you there!