Operation: Puppet started formally in 2018, an evolution of the previous Operation: P.U.G. (for the deep history, listen to Episode Zero of the Podcast), and the shop launched in February of 2019. In November of that year my wife and I took a short holiday in our beloved New Orleans and since then there hasn’t been any vacation, largely owing to this pesky global pandemic that lingers.
In November of last year, we attempted to have a long weekend in New York City but sadly our plans were waylaid by cancelled flights owning to a freakish amount of fog. This week we try again. After a couple of days of prep, I’m going to attempt an actual vacation for the first time since The Before Times.
This of course means a couple of things. There won’t be a build stream this week (normally Wednesdays 11am ET on Twitch and YouTube) and of course no build pics on social media, and any orders placed on the shops will be sent out when I get back. However, I’m still hovering around the Discord (join the Discord) and will likely post some NYC pics as the trip goes on, assuming there won’t be another freak fog. And of course there’s a sparkling new episode of Pixels and Puppets to listen to.
At some point next year there are rudimentary plans to make a puppet-based return to The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, were O:P really began. I’m hoping we can get a couple of O:P community members and myself together, but this trip isn’t that. I’ll largely be sticking to Manhattan and Harlem, visiting museums, and just basking in one of my favourite places in the world. I loathe the stress of airports and flying but it’s all worth it.
Every time I go to NYC, I come back changed. The place inspires me and sparks new ideas, just by the sheer volume of the culture it contains.
Time to recharge the batteries, and that begins now. With coffee.