TC Media Studio closing

[Greg]

Jupiter is bright in the morning sky. Seems to be chasing Scorpio towards the horizon.

[Drunk Monk]

Been saving files. It's a tedious rote process, but it's also a major reflection. Each article triggers memories. I've still got a lot to go - maybe only a fifth of the way through. I've got time, so I'm only doing chunks until I get restless about it all.

[Drunk Monk]

Office visit went okay I guess. I’m pretty much out. The only thing I left was the decapitated head. You know the one. Dan brought it along for my 21st when he joined DOOM. I’ve kept it in a bag under my desk. It’s there now. I’ll retrieve it eventually but I want someone to find it first. 

It’s such a nostalgia trip to dismantle my space. 20 years. Last year, I just moved it all but didn’t process it. Now I’m throwing a lot of it away.

[Drunk Monk]

I have downloaded all of my web articles, nearly 400 of them, not counting my pen name articles (but I don't know if I want those...I hid my name for a reason).

All that's left is my cover stories...over 90 of them, which is notable because we only did 169 issues, so over half of the cover stories were mine.

I'm going in again tomorrow but only for a short visit. I'm borrowing some weapons for my webinar this weekend.

[Drunk Monk]

Remember when I started this thread? It was because the next door neighbor wanted to rent the space formerly known as the TC Media HQ. Those renters were a huge company next door, a snack concession machine company. They came in and completely remodeled our old space. I haven't been in there to look but others have. It's got hundreds of employees. They invited us over for their office party last year, which was full on in their parking lot. Must've been 500+ people there, families, friends, etc. 

No one is using concession machines during the pandemic. That company is collapsing. 

And TC just lost them as a tenant.

[Greg]

Oy, vey.

[Drunk Monk]

I borrowed an armful of swords for my webinar this weekend. It occurred to me that I've often had occasion to transport a large quantity of cold arms from place to place over the last 30+ years - for AFS, for WLE, and for TC. It's such a frequent task that I seldom think much about how odd it might appear. 

The last time I thought about it was a few years ago. I carried an armload of 3-section staffs (marginally illegal under CA nunchuk laws) across Chinatown to deliver to an anniversary banquet. I was in formal Chinese hatchet tong man attire, replete with assassin shades, and the flood of tourists parted before me like the red sea. 

But today gave me pause. It made me wonder when I might be carrying armloads of swords again. 

I was having a sad that only Maestro Yeti might understand. 

Alas...Ronin life...

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

The Wu Lin. Mostly a young man’s game. Nice that there is a place for old men, though.

[Drunk Monk]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not leaving the wulin. Wulin for life. I'm still way in the game that way. In fact, I'm working on growing my eyebrows out when my hair turns white.



I'm just sad to not be running weapons anymore. I can't begin to count the amount of times I've been tasked to do that. I don't see that again in my immediate future. But who knows? I'll probably be borrowing a few more from TC for the remaining two webinars. But then that might be it for a while...

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Well, now, there’s your tattoo. Wu Lin For Life.

Weapons traffik — er, legal transport, will happen more often than you think, but not always the way you think it will. Convenient that you live near an ocean...

[Drunk Monk]

Well, now, there’s your tattoo. Wu Lin For Life.

Should I get it across my knuckles?

Or maybe like 4 prison tears...one for every year she's away...

Tramp stamp?

I'm been thinking about teaching Kung Fu again formally... to start my own classes. I need to discuss it with Ted. If I do start teaching again, I'd like to use his school and as my senior brother, proper wulin etiquette demands I get his blessing before opening my door. He's dealing with reopening so now is not the time, plus until my schedule settles into some sort of rhythm, I can't commit to the obligation although Wednesday night might be the gap in the current schedule. We'll see. Until the pandemic subsides, it's impossible to say where this might go.

[Drunk Monk]

Today is the last day of TC's grace period. It was a generous severance given the situation. Starting next week, I'll be retained as an independent contractor there to continue curating KungFuMagazine.com. I lose my medical, but I'm told there's a certain grace period where we can pay out of pocket at the rate I had with TC. 

I imagine I'll stop by the office now and again, just to check in face-to-face because TC as a whole are terrible at email correspondence. I believe my old space is dismantled by now, re-orged as the DVD storage room and office for our lone surviving TC Media crewperson Kevin (Gigi is still with the crew and has been helping the company survive out of her own pocket). 

There's still a chance that we may finish that final issue. It's a solid one, and it was so close to completion. There's also still a chance that TCEC might happen again but much must stabilize in the world for either to happen. There's also a chance that TC might fold. The snack machine company that was TC's tenant - the one that booted us out of our original office space last year (launching this thread) - is so close to folding. I don't know how many that company employed - hundreds or how many are still on staff, but I do know that they once had 250 trucks and are now down to less than 10. 

Publishing KFTC was a dream job for me. I never could've imagined that's how I would make my living for so long. Such an honor and a blessing. It was a great run.

[Greg]

Having another sad.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

COBRA benefits for health care can go for 16 to 24 months. I just lost the West Berkeley Fencing Club pricing.

[Drunk Monk]

Jr Claw just sent us an email saying we're covered until the end of the month (next week) then Kaiser should be contacting us.