RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

I love Tombstone pizza, but would it really have killed them to put one more pepperoni on in the middle? Good grief!

While I was on the plane returning from Houston last week, the song “Guilty” by Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand came on my iPod and it sounded SO good! What a great tune! I’ve been humming it all week…or at least trying to given my tired vocal cords!

 

Tuesday the 26th – EXHAUSTED–TEXAS-STYLE! – It was quite a weekend in Houston at the Nostalgia Con. I met some fantastic people and had a ton of fun. But now I’m big-time exhausted. I rested all day hoping to give my tired vocal cords the much-needed rest they deserved. By the evening it had mostly come back, but not 100%. I did some grocery shopping, mailed some bills, and hit Jack In The Box for some dinner to go. Then I croaked my way through my auditions, took my nightly WOG (walk/jog) and spent some time outside enjoying the summer night in my anti-gravity chair. As much fun as it is to travel, I love being home.

Wednesday the 27th – MONSTERY GOODNESS! – Once again I relaxed most of the day to rest my weary pipes. Later I met my pal Chris Malmin at Paty’s and we had a fun dinner and chat on the patio. As we were leaving we saw two guys sitting at a table with a ton of autographed items. They were wheeling and dealing. I started up a conversation with them and they were quite fun and knowledgeable. I invited them over to tour Planet Wallywood someday to see part of my own autograph collection. Chris had bought two boxes of Count Chocula cereal for me, which I will no doubt devour very quickly! The boxes this year feature Jim Henson-created puppet versions of Franke-berry, Count Chocula and Boo Berry. The videos they made with them are fun, but I wish that they would have gotten a little closer to the original voices. They seem too “off” to me. But maybe they wanted to modernize them a bit from the old TV commercials. But the puppets they created are gorgeous! I got back home and recorded some auditions, relaxed for a bit, and then took off for my nightly WOG. Once again I was out enjoying the wonderful late-night weather in my anti-grav chair, and then I came back inside and did some video editing.

Thursday the 28th – GLAD THIS PART IS BACK! – At the start of the day I prepped my home studio for a video game session later in the afternoon. Though I had to postpone a session that was scheduled for last Tuesday to next week, because of a tired voice, my voice had returned enough to do today’s session. Plus, the sections of my vocal cords that are required for this particular character were mostly repaired and good to go. The session was about two hours and it was a lot of fun. Though the publicity for this game has been officially released (and I’m in the trailer) I’ll wait until the game is released before I talk more about it. It’s wacky fun! Later my pal Amanda met me at Bob’s Big Boy for dinner, as she was in my part of town. Dinner on the patio has always been my favorite, and tonight’s meal outdoors was exceptional! I’m really going to miss summer. I got home and recorded my auditions, relaxed for a bit, and then took my WOG later. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous night in the anti-gravity chair! It was warm, peaceful and relaxing! I wish this kind of solace and tranquility for everyone!

Friday the 29th – ANOTHER ERSAN ADVENTURE! – Seemingly, our hot summer weather has chosen to make its appearance later in the season. It was a hot one! The maids came over to clean, and I spent the rest of the day inside doing some random work around the house. After relaxing for a bit I got my exercise clothes on and took my nightly WOG. The great part about the hot daytime weather is that the nighttime weather is sublime! I spent some more post-WOG time in the anti-gravity chair enjoying the night. I made a salad and watched season 2/episode 4 of “Ersan Kuneri” on Netflix. I had both my cell phone and my computer shut down, and there were no audio drop outs! I guess that may have solved the problem I was having with streaming of late.

Saturday the 30th – A TASTY THREE-DAY WEEKEND! – Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of (late) summer continued! I spent most of the day inside, but as the afternoon crept into evening I met a lady named Ruby at Paty’s for dinner. She works for a production company doing documentaries and commercials, so we chatted about the business and projects she has coming up. Ya never know – she may need an experienced Voice Over guy someday! As we were wrapping up dinner, I got a text from my pal Joe Pendleton stating that he and his family would be at Little Toni’s restaurant just before 10pm. I told him I would meet them over there. They were in town to pick up their granddaughter from college, who was bored and alone on the three-day weekend. Though I had already eaten, it was fun sitting with them and chatting, as I hadn’t seen them in a very long time. Joe is going to help me construct a few things for Planet Wallywood, including a new black-out curtain system for my living room. I’ve never liked the vertical blinds that came with the house, and after 25 years it’s finally time to ditch them! I came home to relax for a bit, and then I took my nightly WOG. To say the weather was perfect would be an understatement! I took my place in my anti-grav chair under a clear, starry (for L.A., anyway) sky and enjoyed a nice cigar. I tried to relax, but I could hear our guard talking loudly on his phone several yards away. So I went inside to do some video editing, make my traditional Saturday Night Super Salad, and watch another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”

Sunday the 31st – PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SAY THIS! – Just before I hit the hay for my usual “comatose Sunday,” I called my daughter Lacey in Sioux Falls to see how things were going. Though we had been communicating regularly through Instagram and email, I missed hearing her voice. It was fun talking to her and finding out what the grandkids were up to. Though I haven’t been able to say it over the past 25 years, it was nice being able to say simply, “I called my daughter today.” I lounged around the house all day, slept, and enjoyed being in air conditioned comfort. I really only use the A/C in the daytime, as I like the night air to come into the house after the sun goes down. So between the hours of 10pm and 6am I have the A/C off, and just have a fan in the window. As great as A/C is, I do get tired of it after a while. I took my nightly WOG, and once again, enjoyed another nice cigar in the anti-gravity chair under a clear sky. Since it was Labor Day weekend, and the unofficial end of the summer season, I traditionally commemorate it with grilled hot dogs. I also do this at the unofficial beginning of summer (Memorial Day), and the 4th of July. They were delicious! I watched “Ersan Kuneri” season 2/episode 5, and though my cell phone and computer were off, I only had a few audio drop outs. Bizarre. It’s funny. I dubbed the English voice of the lead character Ersan, and though I know it’s me…I get into the show and I actually forget it’s me after a while. Every once in a while the way I say something reminds me it’s me, but then I go back to enjoying the show as a piece of entertainment. I’m rather proud of the job we all did on the English dub for this show.

Monday the 1st – LABOR DAY 2025! – As expected, I lounged around all day and relaxed. The voice is finally coming back to full power. But my cat Spook hasn’t been feeling well the past few days. He vomited a little bit, and has only eaten a little bit of his food. He’s drinking water alright, but his appetite isn’t great and he’s been sleeping a lot. But when he’s up he’s fairly active. I did some video editing, did a little work around the house, and recorded a few auditions. I did my WOG and subsequent time in the anti-grav chair relaxing and meditating under a mostly clear sky. But when a police helicopter started hovering overhead in a nearby neighborhood, I decided it was too noisy outside and I came back inside to type Wally’s Week, make some spaghetti, and prep for seeing “Jaws” in IMAX on Tuesday with my pal Chris Malmin. It’s the 50th anniversary of this film! I’m SO excited!

And how was YOUR week?!!