UPDATE (10.05.06)— The CUP runneth over, Back at UNCA, Bonfires for Vampires

I AM always asked, “Why do you do the things that you do...” (Organizing, publishing etc) I always say, “It’s fun, it makes me happy. But first of all, it is a personal madness...” Each time an issue of any of Loved by the Buffalo magazines come out, or each time two or three people smile, dance and laugh during/after a Bonfires concert or event happens... I feel so good. So good that I wanna do it again, again and again. Over and over again... till I drop. Then I do it again.
In the last two months, I beat my Indie printing deadlines – a week before the month’s issue. That makes me so happy... But I am always told (with loving, concerned words), “You can deliver the magazines next week, it doesn’t matter—nobody will notice.” Well, it’s not entirely about “them,” I seldom get pressures outside of my own anatomy/sanity... Instead, I pressure myself—so it’s about the joy that makes me feel good each time I create and then share them that matters to me. I create because it makes me feel good, and if that creation makes people good as well, then I guess, that’s a bonus. Would that mean that I deserve to live more days and years in my life? I deserve life...
I can’t imagine myself safely, comfortably lounging on my cool, fluffy couch—but not involved in anything outside of my four walls and 40hrs/week’s day job. I easily get bored. I gotta do something to shake things up. I can’t imagine myself meditating on top of a hill, charkas exploding, dissociated from the rest of humanity... while down there—something’s going on...
I just gotta get involved because that move, that persistence, that stubbornness– simply, makes me happy. I do it because I get a hell lot of fun just doing things.
I am rambling again, as I nurse this stuffed snout (while I watch the Yankees-Tigers matchup). Colds season...

THERE ARE many gestures and decisions that I carried out and do with Marta The Nicer, out of the love-of-it and spontaneous “kick.” People shake my and Marta The Nicer’s hand, some don’t. Some say we’re just crazy. But whenever a cool “recognition” happens, I simply savor it.
This one paragraph in an article (about Peace Jones) that came out in the Mountain Xpress two issues ago, makes me feel rewarded and “paid” --“... Peace Jones got its start in 2004 at one of the Bonfires for Peace productions in Pritchard Park. The grassroots concerts featured up-and-coming area bands, most of which were not yet playing local clubs. While most musical acts have to climb the ladder of open mikes and coffee-house shows before they earn larger, paying gigs, the Bonfire series gave new artists a stage.” (For the complete article (by MX staffwriter Alli Marshall), http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2006/0927peacejones.php)

Here is my UPDATE:

[ ] The Traveling Bonfires is sponsoring the Asheville visit of a puppetry/circus troupe from West Virginia on the weekend of Nov 12. (Details will be announced soon.) The group is referred to me by local activist and writer, Clare Hanrahan... We have booked them at UNCA (Lipinsky Hall) on Nov 12. UNCA’s Student Government Association (with Anne Walch, intermediating/coordinating with Marta The Nicer) is co-sponsoring the event. SGA’s “puppetry group” will also perform. SGA also co-sponsored The Bonfires’ “N a Sonje” (from Haiti) Asheville visit few months ago.

[ ] The Traveling Bonfires “scrimmages” with Metabolism Productions’ young/college student poets (Devin Walsh, Jaye Bartell etc) on either Nov 18 or 29, at Malaprop’s. This is a poetry reading affair... Meantime, I will be the featured poet in Rena Wright’s “Poetry Performance South’s” inaugural poetry reading/open mic at CUP/Westgate Mall on Tues, Oct 10. After my 20-minute reading, there will be an open mic. Please come out...

[ ] We have started posting our “BONFIRES FOR VAMPIRES, Year 3: Bonfires for Peace at Pritchard Park” posters all over town. (Thanks Chris Johnson for the poster work.) Ingles Merrimon donates Halloween goodies to kids; Mellow Mushroom and West End Bakery donate food to performers and their families; Malaprop’s and The Bonfires Library donate gifts or prizes to the best Halloween costumes (adult and kids categories). There are some more Bonfires/Indie advertisers and supporters who vowed to donate whatever they could on our last Pritchard Park event for 2006. I will announce and acknowledge them later...

[ ] We have officially “launched” our little 10x10 spot at the newest community convergence venue in Asheville—the Center of Unlimited Possibilities... However, CUP’s leadership hasn’t put up the walls yet (that separate booths from each other), as they promised. I am kinda saddened by this since we’ve already paid the rent and annual membership few weeks ago... We need to start the “business” by properly displaying our “crafts&things” etc—but since it’s called “unlimited possibilities,” we’ll just see what the spirit would be able to work out in a few days or week. Meantime, we’ll just treat the space, for the time being, as a “flea market” spot—and be there each time there’s a big event, and sell stuff.

Me and Marta The Nicer visited the venue a few hours ago – to drop more Indies, and Wander and Blue Sky, plus Bonfires brochures—and also to confer with Bill, the events coordinator (I think). We are not booking shows there since they’re charging $300 for use of the main stage... Meantime, we may start our “multicultural” filmshowings there (in an adjacent room) on Nov 8, 7pm. I haven’t decided yet what to show though...

[ ] You may know, already by now, that me and Marta The Nicer have extended our “yard sale madness” to the huge, sprawling Smiley’s Flea Market in Fletcher NC—every Sunday, 8am to (usually) 5pm. The space’s rent is $12/day. In case you still have “yard sale” donations to give, just ring us up... You can also sell/hang out with us there. It’s fun, it’s like I am in Mexico, Bristol TN, and China, all at the same time/same place... I also bought a replica samurai sword and a Frodo knife there, for only $3 each from a Chinese vendor. Flea markets are fun, I also saw Travis Tritt and Kenny Chesney there, no kidding! The vendor in front of us sells Confederate Army memorabilias. This is a gig that I enjoy!

[ ] My good friend Maria Lapachet (based in NY and Long Island) volunteers to secure us a grant at Flint Bank (is it Flint Bank?) where she works. But I realized that, uhh—I am confused where our 501c3 number is, what is a tax number, etc etc. Cicada Brokaw (of WNC Peace Coalition) told me that since we’re incorporated as a nonprofit in New York state in 2000, we are national... A non-profit dude in Wilmington NC (when I used to live there) assured me that our incorporation is still fine... But I wanna make sure. So anybody who may want to help me and Marta The Nicer research about this, please let us know. (Muchas gracias, Maria, for the initiative...)

THANK YOU DEPARTMENT: Rosetta Rzany for the tent, Justin Gostony for the Bonfires banner, Matt Mulder and Dale/Loretta Hoffman’s neighbors for winter logs and mulch/chips for our yards, Virato for the radio spot and the continuing cool vibe, Cheryl and Missy and Janis of Ingles Merrimon for all the kindness and support. I AM SORRY DEPARTMENT: To all Indie, Wander, Blue Sky writers for my typo goofs and copyreading booboos.

Now, I gotta go back to the Yankees-Tigers game.
Toksa Ake!
--Pasckie