A Lonely Little Meme

(Grabbed from Chasing Vincenzo)

1. …a strange combination of food you like to snack on.
   S.O.S. White gravy with tuna, on toast.
2. …something you do that other bloggers who read you might find odd if they saw you doing it.
   Watching Lifetime movies on Sunday.
3. …when you were 7, what you wanted to be when you grew up - that you never told anyone about.
   A movie star.
4. …the thing you don’t tell people at work about yourself.
   Well, I work at home, so…
5. …what you like to do when no one else is going to be home for a stretch of time.
   That s-e-l-d-o-m happens, but the two times that it has happened in the past three years, I just work at my computer.
6. …the thing you believe - politically - that you don’t admit to people who think you think like they do.
   I’m moderately conservative when it comes to the death penalty.
7. …that one thing from your childhood, outside of your parents, that you try to maintain some kind of connection with, and how.
   My belief that dreams do come true and that there is magic in the world.
8. …a song or group or singer you secretly like that everyone else groans about.
   John Denver
9. …do you close the bathroom door when you’re the only one home?
   No.

And as RW said, “Grab at will.”

On Location

Well, I’ll be leaving in about four hours to go on location to shoot The Ocular Effect in Florida and I won’t be back until Monday evening.

See ya next week!

Give Her a Standing Ovation!

(…and a pitcher of Margaritas.)

Hats off to my wife, Nettl, for surviving the last two weeks. For those who don’t know, she’s been making the transition between two jobs and today is her last day at the Cat Clinic. On Monday she begins full-time at the Eye Clinic. For the past two weeks she’s been working with the cats in the morning, coming home at 1:00 to grab something to eat and change out of her surgical scrubs, only to dash out the door for her afternoons with the optically impaired. It can’t be easy clipping tomcats’ balls in the morning and fitting eyeballs for contacts, glasses and bifocals in the afternoon.

You made it, Babe. I’m so proud of you!

For a Song

“Wouldn’t you agree,

Baby, you and me

Got a groovy kind of love?”

vs

“Wouldn’t you agree,

Baby, you and I

Have groovy kind of love?”

Sometimes bad English works.

My Tired & Lazy Ass

I was up until 5:30 this morning finishing the first phase of my current web project, and until I hear from the client, I’m free to play and blog and dance the hoochy-coo, if that’s what I feel like doing. I don’t usually work on the weekend anyway.

Joel took us to see Pirates of the Caribbean last night. That was fun. The fight scenes were a little long, and we could have gotten along quite well with just one Kracken scene, but I really ended up liking Davy Jones, despite his octopus head. The best part is when…well, I don’t want to blow it for those of you who haven’t seen it.

What are my plans for this weekend… Let’s see… Not much! Heather and Nathan are coming home tomorrow (Nathan’s only spending two weeks and then he’s going back up to Wichita). I need to go get a few groceries… I guess that’s it. I have a totally free weekend. I think I’ll declare today Pajama Day.

Alton Brown Takes His Job Too Seriously

Alton Brown was in a motorcycle accident outside Las Vegas while filming his new show, Feasting on Asphalt. AB, I think you need to re-think the title of your new show (which I’m looking forward to with all excitement!). Don’t take your work so literally.

Here’s what Alton has to say about it:

“Just want to say “thanks” to those who sent cards, emails, sides of beef, etc. in the wake of my mishap in the Nevada desert. Although a broken clavicle is indeed a painful thing, at least we know for sure that Isaac Newton pretty much nailed it with that second law of his. I should heal just fine but I will have a nasty lump on my shoulder for the rest of my days. (Dang … there goes that modeling career). To those ghouls out there who inquired as to whether or not the event was captured on camera you’ll be comforted to know that the crash will be featured in episode 4 of Feasting on Asphalt. But I have to warn you: it was a low charisma event. No flames, no smoke … just a lot of dust and discomfort.” -AB

Get well soon!

No One Looks Good Yawning

My pal L’il Red, over at Lip Schtick writes:

“See if you can get through this without yawning.”

It’s a butt-buster.

When Middle Age Arrives

Okay, I’m admitting in front of the entire world that I’m fighting mid-life crisis. It took about six years to acquire and just as long to recognize. The Internet being what it is (largely populated by nosy curious people), I think I’ll use this entry to completely humiliate indulge myself and just finally talk about it...

Us Amerkins Ain't Stoopid

Did you know that:

~  58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
~  42% of college graduates never read another book.
~  80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
~  70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

I’m astonished. No wonder grammar and spelling are so pathetic on the internet.

And Now, To Bed

Well, now that I’m pretty much over the exhaustion of last weekend’s location shoot, my poor Nettl is exhausted from her new job. The minute she walked in the door tonight, I saw that she was about to drop, so we went out to dinner, where I forced her (yeah, right) to have a Margarita. When we came home, I got back to work on my new web project (which is for an art site) and Nettl took a long nap. Tomorrow, I intend to spend the afternoon working, and then we’re going to watch The Libertine, starring Johnny Depp. You know how we love our period films on the weekend, and this one looks a bit…racy…

Big old sloppy thanks to Deni for keeping a good eye on my blog while I was gone, and for sweeping that cockroach out the door. Thanks, friend!

And now, to bed.

Terminal Philosophy

People complain a lot about airports, but I actually like them–as long as I’m not running to meet a connecting flight or going through security. Airports are a microcosm of human society. If you take the time to sit and watch things going on around you, there’s a lot that you can learn about people and life.

Airport bars and restaurants almost always carry the theme of the city in which the airport is located. LAX (Los Angeles) has a nice little bar with a black and white movie theme, where you can sit beneath photos of Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart. Tampa has the Jose Cuervo Tequileria that serves Dos Equis on tap and some really good soft tacos, and Vienna’s Schwechat airport has Cafe Wien, a great place for that last really good cup of coffee before you leave. I’ve flown first class a couple of times and was granted access into the VIP lounge, but while the special treatment was nice, I missed the colorful parade of folks going by.

Layovers don’t usually bother me, as long as there’s one of these cafes or bars to sit in. I like people-watching and I doubt there’s a better place for it than in an airport. Every person has a story, someplace that they’re going, someplace that they’ve been. Family reunions, business meetings, vacations, funerals, honeymoons, you name it; every human possibility is alive in every commercial airport in the world.

Airports also create a kind of sensory overload, and there’s something I like in the way the wheels of my carry-on sound on different airport floors. Marble and granite floors create a smooth, cool sound while tile floors create a click-clack sound, and the moving sidewalks make an interesting whirl-whir sound.

If you take the time to talk to the person sitting next to you (considering that they’re not stinky or scary, that is), you can find out about places you’ve never been. Unfortunately, more and more people are walking around with iPods and handless cell phones strapped to their heads, missing opportunities to relate with fellow humans and looking like so many Borg.

One of the people I had the pleasure of meeting and working with over the weekend told me that she thought of airports as “Love Places” because they’re so full of emotions, usually happy. I liked that. So next time you have some time to kill at the airport, close your laptop, turn off your cell phone, take the Ipod out of your ears, order a beer and look around you. There’s a lot to see.

Haven't Done One of These in a While

Found these at Byzantium’s Shores.

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?I don’t ride roller coasters. I hate them. Well, except for Space Mountain at Disneyland, but that's largely in the dark, so I don't have to close my eyes.

3. When’s the last time you’ve been sledding?When I was a kid in California, we used to sled down the hills on large pieces of cardboard in the summer, when the grass was dead and yellow. Great fun!

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?With Nettl.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?Not only do I believe in them, but I’ve lived with two or three, and have had many experiences with ghosts.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
To a dangerous and frightening degree.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Of course he did.

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?Neither! They’re both a little on the grotesque side in my opinion.

9. Do you stay friends with your exes?I have with many, but we eventually drift apart, amicably.

10. Do you know how to play poker?Yes, but I suck.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?You’re asking ME this question?

12. What’s your favorite commercial?The American Cheese cow commercials. They always bust me up.

13. What are you allergic to?Oklahoma. Really! I never had allergies until I moved here.

14. If you’re driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?
Sometimes, but I’m always paranoid about it.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
I have many. It's hard not revealing them sometimes, but I put them in my "To the Grave" file and resist the temptation.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?L.A. Dodgers.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?Once, and I was really good. Never fell down even once.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?Every night, in alarming detail.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?This past weekend.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?Only 5???

21. What’s the one thing on your mind now?When am I ever going to feel human again, and not be so tired that I could actually barf?

22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass Barbie is?No, but I know who Crack Whore Barbie is.

23. Do you always wear your seat belt?Yes, but I don’t like to.

24. What cell service do you use?Tracfone.

25. Do you like Sushi?I don’t like seafood, period.

26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
Not in a car.

27. What do you wear to bed?T-shirt and sweats, or jim-jams. T-shirt and chonies, if it’s hot.

28. Been caught stealing?Never. I don’t steal.

29. What shoe size do you have?6 1/2.

30. Do you truly hate anyone?No, not really. I don't think I have the capacity for hate. That's not bragging, it's just a fact.

31. Classic Rock or Rap?Classic Rock.

32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
No one. Nettl is the only person I want to sleep with.

33. Favorite Song?
Today, “I Would Walk 500 Miles” by The Proclaimers.

34. Have you ever sung in front of the mirror?When you’re in the biz, it’s a good idea so that you can learn not to make weird faces on camera or on stage.

35. What food do you find disgusting?Any kind of guts. Meat, in general, but I like it anyway.

36. Do you sing in the shower?Only after a great night...

37. Did you ever play, “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours?”Oh, hell, yeah.

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?My friends and I have a policy never to say something behind each other’s backs that we wouldn’t say, or haven’t already said to their face.

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?Of course.

40. Have you ever been punched in the face?Not physically.

Worked Hard, Played Hard, Glad to Be Home

What a whirlwind. Got in last night at 9:00 with a really rough landing due to a torrential and amazing thunder/lightening/rain storm. I’m too tired to write, so here are some pictures.

It was LOUD back here!
(Continental Express Jet, seat#19A)

L.A. traffic on Florida’s I-75, on one of our many several treks
between Tampa, Gibsonton and Venice Beach.
(That’s co-star Charles Kriels’ right shoulder in the front seat)

Venice Beach, Florida at sunset.
We shot here most of one afternoon.

Exhausted me in my hotel room watching a concert on the Arts station.
(Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida, Room #104)

Paradise Through a Pinot Haze

Didn’t get to bed until 5 in the morning last night, my alarm is set for 6:30 in the morning, and I can’t sleep. Shit! Anyroad, I’ll be home tomorrow night.

Right now I’m in a Holiday Inn in Venice, Florida. If anyone comes here and wants my room, I’m in #104, one of the few that is in the same building as the bar main building.

Tonight the cast and crew sat on the roof-top area of Sharky’s down on the beach, watching the sunset over the gulf while listening to a band play “Margaritaville” that has a synthesizer with a steel drum band voice.


“Screw Vienna!” I exclaimed. “I’m moving to the tropics!”

And you know, sitting there thinking, “I can’t believe that in 24 hours I’m going to be back in Oklahoma”, it seemed like a plan. Bars stay open until dawn here. Grocery stores sell wine and, when I asked if the beer was “three-two” at a bar today, the reply was, “What’s that?” Yep. My idea of paradise.

Well, not Florida, but on the Gulf somewhere. Or maybe I should check out Key West. Now that’s a romantic thought! The end of the road! Hemmingwayland! I could do that. But there’s always a catch. In this case, hurricanes. Aw, crap…

From my interaction with the locals here, the best way to weather out an Act of God is by staying drunk… not all that different a mindset from what I’m used to in California with the earthquakes. I think I could fit in, even if I’m not from New York.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in. I’ll be writing tomorrow night. If I’m alive that is. So far, I’ve gotten about six hours of sleep this weekend and not all at one time. I can always nap during my three-hour layover at George Bush Airport in Houston. Bush always sets me to sleeping like a baby.

You dirty mind!

P.S. I have a lot of neat stuff to tell you guys, but it’s going to have to wait.

Caption This

My Week Ahead

It might be a light week, blog-wise, for me. Besides deadlines on the web development front, I will be flying to Florida to shoot The Ocular Effect for ABC-Family over the weekend; I’ll be back on Monday night. Until then, I’ll try to post of times, but if I can’t you’ll know why.