JosephBurke.com

Starting Off on the Right Foot

// February 2nd, 2007 // Joe's Blog

Looks like 2007 is already a great year with some many good things in the works. I am really excited about the new BML Chat Room software we just installed last night. It uses more modern coding methods and Flash, which everyone seems to have installed on their computer’s browser. No more of that java.

I am most excited about the planning of this year’s 2007 Chicago fan meet. 2004 was the last fan meet I planned and that meet will go down in history as probably one of the more dominant fan meets to date for Blue Man Group. If you combine fans attending (75+ besides friends and family), fan meet dinner, morning Briar tours, blue man Q & A sessions, talking to band members, just hanging out, it was pretty awesome.

I am going to try to attempt this year’s fan meet much like I did back in 2004, with a charity giving, fan interaction, dinner, and whatever the Briar wants us to do. I am not one of those people to ask for certain privileges or impose where I am not wanted. In 2004 the Briar staff knew we had something big happening with the fan community, and we were contacted by the good people at Briar was simply told what they will be offering to fans. I am going into the 2007 fan meet with that same mentality. If they want to offer anything special, than so be it, if not and they have things to do, than so be it. We are there to have a good time with each other in the first place and not impose.

I realize its so early in the game to start planning and saying “YES” I am attending. The reason I plan so early is because so much is involved that I like to throw in for extras. Examples are the charity drive we are doing this year with the sales from the Fan Audio CD and Monster Meet apparel in the Cafepress store. In 2004 we raised $550 for charity and presented Blue Man Group on behalf of BML and the fan community a giant sized check. It was really neat and Justin (BlueBum) designed and had the check printed for in Chicago. My goal is to raise more money this year than $550.

Another goal is to meet or exceed the 75 member mark. Now I realize this far fetched, and I am shooting the moon again, but hey, we got to have goals in life, and I think with the success of the 2004 Monster Meet, and all the good happenings from that experience, the 2007 gathering will be just as good, if not better. There are so many new comers to the community since 2004′s fan meet, so this will be an excellent chance for them to get there and experience the hype and fun of a Blue Man Group fan meet.

Another thing I have to work on is planning the dinner party before the show on July 21st. It will most likely be at Giordano’s just a short walk from the Briar Street Theatre. One thing we done in 2004 was whatever we had left, we had the waiter box up the left overs and took 2/3 to Briar compliments of the fans for the band and blue men, then handed out free slices to homeless folks on the street. It was a good feeling, and something I look forward to doing again. You can never do wrong by being kind to someone.

So, in a nut’s shell, aside from plane tickets and hotel reservations, that’s this year’s fan meet. I may try to do something else for those going to be in town on that Friday before the fan meet. I have no clue yet, so we’ll see.

Aside from fan meets, chat rooms and Blue Man stuff, I also have many great things to look forward to this year in my own life. I am hopeful of some upcoming health news, and grateful that the good Lord has given me another year on this beautiful place called Earth. I am so blessed, that many times I take my blessings for grantitude, like all people, but there are those moments in life where I sit and reflect on how blessed I really am. Those are the moments that it all comes back to me, and sinks into my inner being.

I am also looking to finishing my book. With the Holidays, and so much going on the past 2 months, I have kind of taken a break from it. I have completed around 6 mini short stories and haven’t even no where near completed the task. It’s something that I am just going to have to sit down and finish and force myself to recall all these memories that are both good and bad. It’s hard writing a book about your life, because you have to experience those moments all over again. It’s painful.

I am also facing possible knee replacement surgery this year. That is certainly something I am not looking forward to, and I hope my knee can last for the fan meet in Chicago. My knee is just shot.

Anyway, enough of my thoughts, what about yours?