Turtle Hill Events

I had hired someone the last couple of years to post regularly to THE's social media accounts, but life circumstances meant she couldn't continue, so I've taken it back in house. For the last couple of months, I've been posting a carefully curated post or two every day, if I can manage it, sometimes using a scheduler (HootSuite), sometimes just grabbing someone on my FB app on my phone and tossing it over there. 

It's been really fun pondering what people might like to read, and sometimes I'm rewarded with likes and even comments. I kind of love that. It reminded me that I should add links to those accounts to this website, and I'll get that done when I'm done posting this blog. If you're curious about what I like to read online, you can get some idea by watching those accounts. My online reading has expanded because of this change, too, as I've added blogs and various sites to my regular online destinations in an effort to find fodder for the social media mill. 

I'm still looking for more places to add to my repertoire, so if you have a favorite blog or ezine or whatever that has frequent posts, feel free to comment with it here or on social media where I'll see it. I'm happy for any help in this. It's often a struggle to find things that are appropriate. 

​Thanks!

There's this concept of moving karma I got from somewhere. Basically, it's in your best interests as a person who is likely to move a number of times in your life to help others move. That way, when it's your turn to move, you should have all the help you could possibly want, right? But what if that doesn't happen? What if you're that person who helps everyone else move but when it's your turn everyone else is too busy to help you? That's just not right!

This kind of harkens back to Magic 8-ball. It's the same kind of modern-day magic that can be harnessed like people of old might have done. I think maybe if you don't help someone who helped you move to move, then you might be in for the modern equivalent of the malocchio. Essentially, you'll be doomed to deal with bad luck in some way. Your pipes will burst at a bad time or your next house sale will fall through or whatever. Or maybe no one will be available when you go to move again.

I'm not saying that's what happens. I'm just saying that's what I'm kind of afraid will happen to me. So I always try to help people move if I can, and I'll change my plans if necessary to accommodate the people who helped me move in the past to help them move. Those are double karma points. That's not just paying it forward, that's paying it back! And I'm all about earning those karma points. 

A couple of people have asked for clarification about the other company I'm a partner in, Coil Registration Services, LLC, and this one, Turtle Hill Events, LLC. THE is entirely and solely owned by me. It runs events. That's all it does. Just runs events. At the time of this writing, it runs THE Beltane, THE Crossroads, THE Dungeons + Geekdoms NE and THE Dungeons + Geekdoms NJ. It also owns the brands The Geeky Kink Event and GKENE. 

Coil is owned by me and my partner, Jason. Coil provides registration services to events. That's all it does. Just provides registration services. At the time of this writing, it has contracts to provide those services to THE's events, so THE is a client of Coil's. 

I hope this helps clear up any misunderstandings. 

 I like to joke around that I'm collecting chapter titles for my memoirs, but no, really, I actually am doing that. This is one of the chapters I've been planning for a while now. 

There used to be this fun event that I produced called Rope Camp. It was held at that campground in Northern MD. Yeah, you know the one. Among the presenters at said camp was a well-known and very sadistic fellow from the Pacific Northwest. Yeah, that one. I had this hare-brained idea to have some of the presenters do a kind of cabaret or open-mic night thing. I carefully picked through them all for the ones I thought would be entertaining, and this guy was on the list. When I went to talk with him about his needs for his part of the event, he told me he was happy to perform, but he had some specific needs.

I said, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Two watermelons and a tarp."

Silence. I was running through all the possibilities for what he was asking and comparing them to my liability insurance exceptions in my head.

Finally, I replied, "I don't really want to know, do I?"

"Yeah, you kind of do, but you can wait to see it along with everyone else." Did I mention he's a sadist? Because that's probably the most sadistic thing anyone can say to an event producer. 

"Okay, then. I'll arrange it." I called my assistant on the radio and gave her the shopping list.

Silence. 

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

A couple of hours passes. Eventually, a call from my assistant comes across the radio: "I've put the watermelons in the fridge and have the tarp."

Fast forward to that evening. We're in the Playspace (what we call our BDSM dungeon at the events). Everyone is gathered and Pac NW Sadist is the opening act of the evening. He's suspending two women from long lines he's rigged to the I-beam way up at the top of the Playspace on  long lines. And there's a third line he hasn't rigged anyone to, yet. The tarp is on the floor underneath, and I'm starting to get a feeling I know what he has planned. The sadistic part of me is now grinning like a fool.

He finishes rigging the women and goes to the fridge, pulling out one of the watermelons. "Oh, good, it's ice cold!" he proclaims.

He brings it to the third line and ties it at the same height as the women. Soliciting an assistant, they both pull the women away from the watermelon dangling in the center and let them go on a count of three. They rush towards the watermelon and it bursts into frigid, juicy pulp all over the tarp.

Screaming ensues from the women. "It's FREEZING!"

Much applause and laughter as Pac NW Sadist explains he's always loved those click clack things called Newton's Cradle. And then, of course, since it's for SCIENCE, he needs to do it again to see if the result is repeatable!