RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

Boy what I wouldn’t give for a fresh bag of these old snack treats from the 70’s! YUM!

 I referenced this scene in the movie “Edward Scissorhands” in relation to my “kids book for adults” project I’ve been working on. I always love this scene and particularly the music. It’s one of the great cinematic moments. It’s called “Ice Dance.”

 

Monday the 3rd – A REPEAT FOR PETE?! – Because I had issues with my air conditioner on Sunday I was keeping a very careful eye on it. I decided to wait until the problem repeats before I bother my AC guy Pete with it. If you remember from last week’s Wally’s Week, I was awakened on Sunday afternoon with my air conditioner only expelling a “whisper” of cool air from my vents. But so far so good, so I won’t bother him again until the problem repeats. My “brand” agent had given me an assignment for a big webcall with a literary agent later in the week, so I spent most of the day writing. Though I keep calling it my “kids book” project, it’s not really a book for kids, but rather a “kid’s book for adults” – especially those who are nostalgically inclined – and who have a love for the famous monsters of old. Much in the same way “The Pee-wee Herman Show” was a kid’s show for adults, that pretty much sums up my project. If parents want to share it with their kids that would be great; and certainly that was the idea behind the whole project in the first place. I can’t wait to be able to share more info about it with you, but there are a lot of bridges to cross before that becomes possible. Later my friend Brittney Powell came over and we drove over to Bob’s Big Boy for dinner after doing some work. Though we could have sat at an outdoor table, we chose to stay in the car and enjoy carhop service as we listened to 70’s oldies on 1260 AM KSRF. Later I recorded a bunch of Voice Over auditions in my home studio. I also recorded several takes of a narration for a new charity I’m involved with called “Feed My Sheep,” which will end up helping to feed families in need all over the country through various church organizations. I typed out Wally’s Week, walked Roxy, and enjoyed seeing that she has her monstrous appetite back! I went out to enjoy some time on the Tranquility Annex in my hammock, and watched a beautiful “Blue Morning” dawn. The translucent blue sky consisting of an overcast of ‘marine layer’ always gives me peace and relaxation.

Tuesday the 4th – HOUSEBOUND! – The day consisted of staying on the phone all day making business calls. First, my business partner Joe Garner (a world-class bestselling author) and I chatted at length about many things, including my “kids book for adults” project. The document my “brand” agent is asking for is going to get a professional ‘brush up’ by Joe before I submit it. Then my agent Brittney shot me a call to inquire about the possibility of a new session coming up, and asked if I would be comfortable going to a studio to record it, as opposed to my home studio. I can’t WAIT to get to actual studios to record again! Between those two lengthy conversations it ended up taking up most of the afternoon. I did some more writing for my deadline, ordered a Domino’s pizza to munch on while I polished up the document, recorded a TON of auditions, worked around the house cleaning up and doing laundry. Later I made some lasagna and watched an episode of “The Mod Squad.” I only have about 6 episodes left in the third season DVD set, then I’m moving on to watch “The Time Tunnel” on Blu Ray!

Wednesday the 5th – LUNCH NOT LAUNCHED! – Though I had lunch plans with a friend I knew from church, she had to admit at the last minute that she just wasn’t ready to venture out into the world quite yet. With the whole virus thing going on, everybody has to come back out into civilization in their own time, I guess. So I let myself sleep late. When I got up I made some phone calls, did some auditions, and then decided I was going to patronize one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants – Jerry’s Famous Deli. I was craving some of their chicken noodle soup and my special macaroni and cheese (with broccoli and bacon bits!). But when I arrived I checked in and told them I’d be at one of the tables in their parking lot. I waited 15 minutes and nobody came out to wait on me. I went back in to ask if I could move tables to the front, so I could keep an eye on my car. They said it would be OK. I waited there about 10 minutes and nobody came to wait on me. So I hopped in my car and drove to get some gas, and then Jack In The Box for some drive-thru food. I tried to give Jerry’s my money, but I guess they weren’t in the mood to take it. Later I did my nightly auditions, put my laundry away and worked around the house. I drove over to Denny’s to get some food to go and saw some delightful snail snuggling on the Denny’s outside wall. I came back and enjoyed a nice, cool and quiet “Blue Morning,” and went inside to get ready for bed to watch “Mod Squad” and eat my dinner.

Thursday the 6th – PEACOCK CRACK! – With a busy day ahead, I got up early and started the day. I stopped by my mailbox to get my packages, went to my chiropractor Dr. C. to get an adjustment, stopped by Chik Fil A to get some lunch to go, and headed to the car wash to get my VERY dirty Mustang washed. Nobody else was there except for one other guy who, though he was sitting a good distance away from me outside, just randomly sneezed into the open air. Really? After all we’ve been through. Idiots like him are probably the reason my church friend is still nervous about getting out into the world. I literally couldn’t believe what I just saw. He didn’t even TRY to cover it up! Sheesh! After the car was washed I headed to the grocery store to get some supplies and then went home. I opened up my packages which included a lovely stained-glass peacock piece from Graceland. It’s a miniature version of the peacock array Elvis had made in stained-glass for the living room at Graceland. I had the perfect spot for it over my Elvis robot. But when I inspected it I noticed that it was coming out of the frame on the back. The glue they used hadn’t taken hold, and I wasn’t going to hang it before it was secured firmly in place. I hit it with some of my magic Barge Glue, and let it sit face down in my Chaney Room until it cured over a 24 hour period. The place it will eventually live is high up in the living room over an open window, and once it goes up, it doesn’t come back down again. So I wanted to make sure it was completely ready-to-hang before I mounted it. I did my nightly auditions, and then performed a song that I’ll be using for a video I’m making soon with my Robin the Frog Muppet replica. I prepped my area for the big webcall on Friday morning with my “brand” agent, and the literary agent she wanted me to meet.

Friday the 7th – 30 TO TWO! – Thinking I had everything all figured out, I got up a half hour before our scheduled webcall. I figured I would have time to walk Roxy, give her and Spook a treat, and then shower up and be ready for the meeting. But when I checked my e-mail I had a frantic e-mail from my “brand” agent asking me to revise my book proposal and add the illustrations at the last minute. EEK! I could do it fairly easily, though it wasn’t going to look too fancy. The webcall was supposed to last a half hour, but two hours later we were all still on the call, laughing, yucking it up, talking about ideas and concepts. I think it’s safe to say the literary agent LOVED the concept and the commercial marketability of the property! I left the meeting feeling VERY good! During the last half hour of the meeting my maids arrived and started cleaning the upstairs of Planet Wallywood. It was fairly chaotic, but such is life in the modern world. I like having pitch meetings via webcam in Planet Wallywood, because from the vantage point at my computer, the people at the meeting get a good look at my main showcase and all the collectibles in my second level area. It’s always CERTAIN to get lots of great comments, and it’s a conversation piece! After the maids finished I drove Roxy to the groomer for a much-needed bath. I got my mail at my box, got a salad on the patio of Paty’s, and enjoyed all the great comments about my new mask. I had the lower half of my smiling face from one of my recent headshots printed on a mask by Amazon and then Redbubble. So when I wear it people have to look twice as it looks very strange. But it never fails to get a double-take, a smile, or better yet…all-out hysterical laughter. I’m glad to see people smiling and laughing in this day and age. It was totally worth the purchase. On the way home I stopped at the corner liquor store. No, not for that. But they have the best apples in town. I’m not sure who their supplier is, but they’re always big, red, juicy and delicious. Also, they’ve started carrying my favorite Wet Ones antibacterial wipes again, so every time they get a shipment in, I clean them out! I got back home and relaxed for a bit, and then walked over to the groomer’s to pick up my freshly cleaned dog. Though I know she doesn’t like going, I can tell that she feels much better after she comes out. She has a spring in her step! Later, I decided it was time to hang the Graceland peacock piece over my high window. But several things had to be done in sequence to make that possible. First, I needed to move the Elvis robot off to the side so he’s out of the way. Then I needed to move my Oscar the Grouch replica Muppet, his trash can and support box out of the way too. Then I took three posters off the wall so they wouldn’t possibly get damaged as I climbed up and down the tall ladder all night. My Lon Chaney life-size vampire, which has been hanging high from my ceiling for 20 years, needed to be removed. In addition to him needing a good cleaning (to rid himself of 20 years’ worth of dust and cobwebs) I also needed to move him left about one foot to clear the way for the peacock piece. Up the ladder I went to unhook him. Then down the ladder I went with him to take him to the kitchen to prep for his cleaning. Then back up the ladder I went to remove the hook and move it left 12 inches. Perfect! Then I had to do quite a bit of measuring to make sure the peacock piece would hang over my high window in exactly the right position. Since the piece is smaller than the window, I wanted it to hang equidistantly in the center of the window for esthetic reasons. That would take a LOT of math; which isn’t necessarily my strong suit. But as my late contractor Terry always used to tell me, “Measure twice, cut once.” The formula wasn’t working out and I was racking my brain to try and figure out why. Then I realized it was my crappy math. But once I got it figured out (it was down to figuring 1/32’s of an inch!) I drilled the holes for the eye hooks and it was all good! FOUR hours later it was hung, I put the freshly-cleaned Lon Chaney vampire back on the hook, I put the posters back, and replaced the Elvis robot and Oscar. Whew! It looked terrific! I couldn’t wait for the morning light to come through the window so I could see how the stained-glass looked! I got some hammock time in on the Tranquility Annex and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I made some hot dogs on the grill and went inside to get cleaned up and watch “The Mod Squad.” It was a VERY productive night…AND WEEK!

Saturday the 8th – ICE ICE BABY! – My chiropractor mentioned something a few days ago when I saw him, that alternating heat and cold on my lower back might relieve some of the issues I’m having with my pinched nerve, and the resulting numbness in my fingers and foot. So while I watch “Mod Squad” I have the heating pad on (that relaxes the muscles) and when I got to bed I put an ice pack on it (that reduces the inflammation). Wouldn’t it be funny if that’s all it took after all this time to get rid of this annoying problem?! After my active evening putting up the new display, I rested all day, organized and cleaned, and later I fed and took Roxy out for our late-night stroll through the neighborhood. Amazingly enough, I SAW MY BREATH! In August?! Weird! I love looking at all of the amazingly intricate and ornate spider webs that are strewn throughout the neighborhood. I spent a little hammock time on the Tranquility Annex and saw TWO shooting stars! (Later I found out that the Persieds are on display this week!) Also, there were lots of high flying planes that were traveling very fast. Like I do when I’m in Palm Springs, I like to wonder to myself where they’re headed. Obviously if they’re that high up they’re probably international or cross-country flights. It sure is relaxing out there! But since I was tired I decided not to do my usual Saturday Night Super Salad and “Space 1999” before bed, and just go turn in for the day.

Sunday the 9th – SATURDAY ON SUNDAY! – Mid-afternoon I gave a tour of Planet Wallywood to an out-of-town guest who hadn’t seen the house in quite a while. There had been lots of changes since he was last here and he was utterly amazed. It gives me great pride to be able to show the place off. Later I put the top down in the Mustang, put Roxy in the back and we drove to Barone’s to pick up a pizza. It was a lovely drive, and a beautiful night! Then I worked around the house, recorded my auditions, and made my Saturday Night Super salad (on Sunday night!) and watched a two-part “Space 1999” before bed. Unlike the earlier episodes in this season, the later ones are actually pretty good.

And how was YOUR week??!!

 

PIX FROM THE WEEK

My two new masks arrived from redbubble, and after they were cleaned I let them hang dry. These are GREAT, and slightly better than the one I got from amazon.

I spied this air freshener in a car at Paty’s…because nothing removes the stench of death from your car like the cool minty aroma of Michael Myers!

Here’s the stained-glass peacock piece from the Graceland website.

Roxy’s quite comfy in her favorite beanbag chair!

And Spook loves sleeping on my computer’s subwoofer speaker.

My friday night was VERY busy! Got to make sure everything’s equidistant and level! I got my exercise in going up and down the ladder all night!

Comes the dawn, and the peacock looks amazing in the window!

I’ve been catching Roxy and Spook napping together quite frequently. She likes to keep an eye on him, I think, as a way to watch over him. Then they both like to nap near the kitchen when it’s close to dinner time so they’re sure not to miss any feedings!

Delightful snails outside of Denny’s in the middle of the night. Even SNAILS love Denny’s food!

 

Here’s the finished Elvis display in case you’re interested.

Last “Caturday” was International Cat Day, so I figured I’d post this VERY cat-like video.

 

At first I thought Spook had died on my subwoofer, then I saw him dreaming. What do you think he was dreaming about?