RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Yup. I got that feeling…
This song offers some good advice on how to live, especially as we head into the refreshing renewal of a new year. Check out “How You Live” by Point of Grace, and see if you think it’s advice worth taking.
Tuesday the 26th – PHOTO ALBUM PHOLLIES! – Since not much will be going on this week, I plan on sleeping a lot, and sleeping very, very late. Since I’ve been having voice problems from some recent acid reflux issues, it’s good to just rest and shut the hell up anyway. Later in the day I did some work around the house, and looked through some more negatives to take into Harry’s Camera on Wednesday. Based on where I’m currently at in my photo album process, I’m starting to realize that I have a lot of the prints from this batch of negatives already in my possession. It was great looking at the early “life in L.A.” negatives – because I didn’t have a lot of the prints that went along with those negatives. But at the point I’m at currently getting prints and scans of these negatives would be unnecessary and redundant. First off, I already have usable prints for the new photo albums. Secondly, back in 2017 I had Sara scan every print that I had in my archives. So I already have scans of these images anyway. I’m sure I’ll find a few sets of negatives down the road that don’t have companion prints, but for now I think I’m doing pretty well. Most of the negatives I’m looking at currently all have the associated prints which are already posted in my old photo albums. Speaking of the old photo albums, the “gumminess” on the photo pages has waned and has gotten very dry over the past 35+ years. So it’s good that I’m redoing them on fresh, new pages – and throwing all the old pages out. Later I wrote Wally’s Week, took my nightly WOG (walk/jog), spent some time in the anti-grav outside just looking at the sky, enjoying an iced tea and thinking about life, and then came back inside to make a salad and watch another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”
Wednesday the 27th – WOG IN THE FOG! – The first stop of the day was to Harry’s Camera to drop off some more negatives to be scanned and printed. I’m realizing that there are several sets of South Dakota negatives I’d like to get scanned and reprinted. The original prints I had made from those negatives back in the 80’s were done on inferior paper and don’t look very good. But there are about four or five sets of negatives from very pivotal moments in my life that I would like to have scanned for posterity, and reprinted on the new digital system. I’m looking forward to how they will come out! But with a few exceptions here and there, I’m expecting that these will be the last batch I’ll take into Harry’s for a while. I went to Paty’s to eat a nice lunch on the patio, mailed off some checks for bills, hit Baskin-Robbins for some ice cream, and then went to CVS to get some supplies, and the grocery store to get some groceries. When I got home I unloaded the groceries, worked around the house, and did some more photo album work later. The first album is really coming along nicely! When I went outside to take my nightly WOG it was very, VERY foggy out! Whenever I’m walking or jogging in the fog I can’t help but hum Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.” It just seems to fit the moment. It was a great WOG, and spending time in the anti-grav chair afterwards was also pleasant. I got back inside and did some more photo album work, and I’m almost done with the first book! I made a salad and watched another “Boris Karloff Thriller” episode. These shows are really great, and the sets and costumes are really amazing for a TV show.
Thursday the 28th – CHRISTMAS COMA CONTINUES! – Since I was up so late working on the photo album I slept most of the day. Later I went out to get some food, and I did my usual nightly WOG and anti-grav time much later in the day. There was a great big ring around the moon, and sitting there in the anti-grav chair looking at it was amazing. It was back inside to do more work on the photo album, and then I made some spaghetti and watched another “Boris Karloff Thriller” episode.
Friday the 29th – PLEASED AS PUNCH! – The previous night was a long one, once again spent working on the photo album. So I slept very, very late. Later I took my WOG, and while I was out in the anti-grav chair enjoying the late-night it began to sprinkle. It felt good for a while, and then it got heavier. So I came inside. After a long, laborious week I’m pleased to announce that I finished the first photo album! It’s pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I just need to print a few more photos to fill in some gaps, but most all of the photos are in place with the appropriate companion narratives. It’s been fun going through all these old photos and remembering the old adventures. I’m very proud of it. Soon, I’ll begin work on the second photo album.
Saturday the 30th – MR. MAGOO IS WELL HUNG! WHAT?! – My buddy Mike McGee was supposed to come by in the afternoon to help me hang the giant cartoon cutouts of Popeye and Mr. Magoo that his wife Alex at Alex In Wonderland made for me. However, he texted me that he and Alex were both down with colds and sore throats. So we postponed to another day. The cutouts are fairly heavy and can’t easily be hung on the wall, because if you don’t anchor them into a wall stud they’ll just tear right through the drywall. I went to Harry’s Camera to drop off some negatives, and then I went over to CVS with a few needed photos on a flash drive to get prints made. These photos will fill in some gaps in my first photo album. I’m realizing that I had taken a bunch of pictures on my camera, but some of the prints I have in the old photo albums were given to me by friends. So I don’t have the original negatives for those. This gave me the chance to make scans of those prints, color correct them digitally, and then reprint them for the new album. While I was out and about I decided to drive over to Barone’s to pick up a pizza to-go. I headed home to eat dinner, and then put the finishing touches on the very first photo album! It’s so much fun! I couldn’t wait to get started on the second album, so I dug right in. The beginning of the second album will feature pictures from Labor Day of 1988. Though I had been living in L.A. for over a year at that point, a bunch of friends and I decided to do a promotion at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls as a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Back in the “olden” days, it was a tradition every Labor Day to watch Jerry Lewis host a telethon on TV to raise funds for MDA. In the times before conventions had proliferated, and the word “cosplay” was just a distant glimmer in its daddy’s eye, I had a bunch of friends who had home-made superhero costumes. It all started with the creation of my own 1966 Adam West Batman costume in 1981. And then my friend Chris Malmin made a Robin costume. Then I made a Superman costume. My sister Peggy made a Wonder Woman costume, etc. etc. etc. Our idea was to have a big fundraiser at the local zoo for MDA. My folks had sent me a story from the Sioux Falls newspaper in the summer of 1988 about how the zoo had just acquired a brand new penguin exhibit. Since the 1966 Batman series was back in syndication on TV stations everywhere (in anticipation of the forthcoming Batmania resurgence of ‘89), I thought it might be fun to stage an event where Batman’s foe The Penguin would make an attempt to steal the new penguin exhibit for his own. Of course Batman and his team of heroes would have to be on duty to defend the exhibit from The Penguin and his dastardly allies The Joker and Catwoman (along with many henchmen). I contacted a bunch of my actor pals from the local community playhouse, and we started hatching the plot. Without going into too much detail, suffice to say that the day was a monumental success, with crowds of kids and parents there to watch the Dynamic Duo and company defend the new exhibit – and all for the good, charitable cause of helping raise funds for MDA. During the commercial breaks of local “Batman” airings, we had a PSA running that featured my pal Trent as The Penguin making the public threat to steal the penguins. This worked the TV-viewing audience into a lather! The title of the event was “The Zoo Coup for MDA.” I had a professional photographer working the event who shot about 8 rolls of film. Obviously not every print is going to make it into the photo album, but there are a TON of gems in the mix. Looking at those photos and remembering that amazing day would make me smile – then I’d laugh – then I’d cry – then I’d laugh again. The looks on people’s faces were priceless. Since cosplay wasn’t a thing at the time, the kids in the audience were looking at us like we were the REAL DEAL! In the morning we visited several children’s wings of the local hospitals, and then in the afternoon we visited the zoo for photos and meet-n-greets. Then the villains arrived and after they were subdued we locked them up in one of the monkey cages; which had been conveniently emptied and cleaned the day before by the zoo staff. We called it the Bat Super Villain Containment Facility – which of course, was clearly marked as such. At the time I was friends with Batman creator Bob Kane, who was kind enough to donate an original color sketch for the raffle. There are so many wonderful shots from that day that I may create a special page on my website just for that event. For a bunch of 20-something kids, we created an event which will live on in the memories of people in Sioux Falls for quite some time to come. And it occurred to me while looking at the photos, that a lot of the kids in the photos are now 40 years old!!! Since Mike wasn’t able to help me hang the cartoon cutouts earlier in the day, I figured I’d give it a go myself. However, once I found the stud in the wall where I had intended to hang Popeye, I realized that the stud is about 2.5” away from where the hanging hardware was mounted on the back of Popeye. That job will take Mike’s expertise, so I decided not to mess with it. However, the place on the wall where I had intended to hang Mr. Magoo worked out perfectly. I drilled two screws into the stud, side-by-side, about 7/8” apart, and hung Magoo perfectly. It looks SO good! As it was Saturday night, I made my usual Saturday Night Super Saint Salad and watched an episode of “The Saint.” It’s funny to see how, toward the end of the series, they were really working Roger Moore up to become James Bond someday. They put him in a lot of “Bond-like” situations, and even the music score seemed to mirror that of a typical Bond movie.
Sunday the 31st – LAST LUNCH OF 2023! – The final meal of 2023 was with two good friends, Edi and Elliot Lurie. We had a great meal at Paty’s and got caught up on all the happenings. I showed them the first, finished photo album. But since it was New Year’s Eve, Paty’s would be closing early. So we had to be quick about it. Then I came home and lounged around, worked around the house a bit, and started doing my end-of-year organizing and labeling. I was actually working on the computer when midnight came, and the only reason I knew it was the New Year is because I could hear the fireworks going off outside. Other than that, I hardly paid it any mind. Later I took my WOG, and came back inside to do some more end-of-year stuff. I made a salad and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”
Monday the 1st – HAPPY NEW YEAR! – Though I slept all day, I realized that I needed to get back into “work mode.” I started thinking about my upcoming trip to the convention in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since I’d be leaving Thursday night I had better start thinking about what I’m going to pack. I took my WOG, but since it was very chilly I passed on the time spent outside in the anti-grav chair. I spent some time putting all of my 2023 receipts and pay stubs in envelopes for storage. Then I typed out Wally’s Week. Then I made another salad and watched another episode of the great series “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”
And how was YOUR Christmas-to-New-Year’s-week?!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
I looked in on the longlegs spider that has been in my garage for several months, and I thought it was really funny that she was in front of a box that contained “spider buttons.”
Mr. Magoo looks great on the wall of the Tranquility Zone!
