(I put the audio player first this time so you can stop the music if you really need to instead of hunting all over the page for it, but I hope you'll let it play)
Besides doing what I love (putting on shows) and traveling to cool places to do it, the thing I love most about my work is the opportunity to learn new things from interesting people. This time I went up the California coast to the Monterey Peninsula to do a conference for the Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health (APPPAH).
They are a group of midwives from several different countries advocating a return to natural childbirth and breast feeding. Although they discussed much more, that is mostly what I was able to understand after getting through all the medical, psychological, and scientific mumbo-jumbo.
It was quite an eye-opener to learn that Cesarian sections and inducing labor are the rule rather than the exception nowadays. And even more disturbing is the uphill battle they are fighting to do things the way the human race has done them since the beginning of time. Please visit their site and see how you can help.
The drive up and back also took me through some of the prettiest parts of the state, where I saw the biggest vulture in my life. It had a wingspan of at least 6-7 feet and I found out later it was a Condor. Even more amazing is that there are only about 300 left, so that was quite a treat to see it in the wild.
We stayed and worked all week at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, just up the road from the famous Pebble Beach golf resort. "Asilomar" is Spanish for refuge by the sea and it certainly fits the bill. It was a former YWCA retreat that is now a state park located on 170 acres of woods right on the coastline.
It was not unusual to see several deer cavorting in the early morning hours as we ran from room to room setting up gear. I even had a small knee-high fawn run right up to me and sniff my knee. As tempting as it was, I knew better not to pet it because of possible lyme disease. Plus, its Mom was watching me the whole time with a look like it was ready to charge me at any moment. I wish I got a picture, but my hands were full carrying a camera at the time (ironical).
Not only is Asilomar a state park, it is also the training center for all of California's park rangers and lifeguards. Seeing several dozen of each walking the grounds, we had to ask why one park needed so many. Only later did we come across their training center and state park museum. Probably the most amusing event was at meal times when a dinner bell was rung to call everyone to eat. It felt like a zombie movie with people from every corner of the park all walking toward the same direction.
And this gig also gave me another opportunity to work with a major celebrity. That is if you consider Raffi to be a major celebrity. All of the midwives, pediatricians, obstetricians and new parents in attendance certainly did, so that's good enough for me. In fact, I got "promoted" from my usual camera operator position to lighting director and stage manager, which meant I had 3 minutes to figure out the facility's lighting system and carry water for the folks onstage. Good times.
Besides doing what I love (putting on shows) and traveling to cool places to do it, the thing I love most about my work is the opportunity to learn new things from interesting people. This time I went up the California coast to the Monterey Peninsula to do a conference for the Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health (APPPAH).
They are a group of midwives from several different countries advocating a return to natural childbirth and breast feeding. Although they discussed much more, that is mostly what I was able to understand after getting through all the medical, psychological, and scientific mumbo-jumbo.
It was quite an eye-opener to learn that Cesarian sections and inducing labor are the rule rather than the exception nowadays. And even more disturbing is the uphill battle they are fighting to do things the way the human race has done them since the beginning of time. Please visit their site and see how you can help.
The drive up and back also took me through some of the prettiest parts of the state, where I saw the biggest vulture in my life. It had a wingspan of at least 6-7 feet and I found out later it was a Condor. Even more amazing is that there are only about 300 left, so that was quite a treat to see it in the wild.
We stayed and worked all week at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, just up the road from the famous Pebble Beach golf resort. "Asilomar" is Spanish for refuge by the sea and it certainly fits the bill. It was a former YWCA retreat that is now a state park located on 170 acres of woods right on the coastline.
It was not unusual to see several deer cavorting in the early morning hours as we ran from room to room setting up gear. I even had a small knee-high fawn run right up to me and sniff my knee. As tempting as it was, I knew better not to pet it because of possible lyme disease. Plus, its Mom was watching me the whole time with a look like it was ready to charge me at any moment. I wish I got a picture, but my hands were full carrying a camera at the time (ironical).
Not only is Asilomar a state park, it is also the training center for all of California's park rangers and lifeguards. Seeing several dozen of each walking the grounds, we had to ask why one park needed so many. Only later did we come across their training center and state park museum. Probably the most amusing event was at meal times when a dinner bell was rung to call everyone to eat. It felt like a zombie movie with people from every corner of the park all walking toward the same direction.And this gig also gave me another opportunity to work with a major celebrity. That is if you consider Raffi to be a major celebrity. All of the midwives, pediatricians, obstetricians and new parents in attendance certainly did, so that's good enough for me. In fact, I got "promoted" from my usual camera operator position to lighting director and stage manager, which meant I had 3 minutes to figure out the facility's lighting system and carry water for the folks onstage. Good times.
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