January 5 – January 12 (2015)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

What a great photo this is! Curiosity isn’t JUST for housecats apparently!

As I’ve been checking out the new Minneapolis station Go 96.3 on-line (I’m their new station voice) I’m hearing some great old stuff thrown in with the new Modern Rock format. When I heard Cake with “Never There,” I was singing it the rest of the day! To listen on-line to Go 96.3 out of Minneapolis, MN go to https://go963mn.com/

Monday the 5th – “WATER” PAIN IN THE NECK! – Even though I was warned via e-mail the day before that our water would be shut off all day for a major plumbing repair in the neighborhood, it’s always a shock when you wake up and there’s no running water. I just don’t know how they did it in the old days before indoor plumbing. So, I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere. After all, without my first-of-the-day shower I’m absolutely no good to anyone. I stayed home and listened to more Go 96.3 on-line. They launched earlier that day and I was curious what kind of station they’d be. When doing their voice tracks for the station’s launch the week before I got somewhat of an idea, but hearing the flow of music really helped me get a grip on what they were all about. Nice station! I e-mailed all my Minneapolis friends and urged them to tune in. I made a few phone calls and also had my electrician ‘Electric Bob’ over for a quick repair job. When he had done some rewiring a few days before he hadn’t hooked everything back up quite the same way, so my entertainment center wasn’t getting power. I grabbed a dip in the Jacuzzi, worked on-line, and did some auditions. It was a nice, relaxing day at home…being a slave to plumbing. But the water came back on just after 6pm so I grabbed an evening shower and headed to Taco Bell to get some food. I got back home and grabbed a nap on the couch. When I got up later in the evening I had a bunch more auditions to do. The entertainment industry was officially back in the swing of things. I fed and walked Roxy, and then I made some Buffalo Mac and watched another “Magnum, p.i.” episode from the season six DVD boxed set.

Tuesday the 6th – SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE ARE SIGNS! – I enjoyed lunch with my old pal Kevin from “The Tonight Show.” We were talking about all sorts of exciting things going on in the new year. It must’ve been the day for actors to meet at Jerry’s Famous Deli. In the booth next to us was John Ratzenberger, a famous soap actress we couldn’t name, Lacey Chabert and others who looked really familiar but we couldn’t identify. After lunch I swung by the hardware store to get a long bolt for my Pinocchio display. I needed his left arm to extend out a lot more than it was. I figured attaching a long bolt to one of the wood rods overhead that support his controller would be the way to go. That way I could wind the string around the length of the bolt and run the string down through the center of the head of the bolt. I stopped by my printer’s to see how he was doing on matching the color of my Planet Wallywood signs. I have about 30 signs around my house which describe details about the display they accompany. But as I’ve added new thing over time, my printer has changed out his color copier to a newer model. And finding that perfect shade of blue for the signs (my signs have white writing on a nice blue background for easy reading) has been difficult. So now I have several signs in mismatched shades of blue. I want to get them all consistent, but it’s proving difficult. I went to my vet’s to get some food for Spook…and THERE IT WAS! A beautiful blue sign with white writing just like I was looking for! I got the name of their sign printer and I’m going to make a point to go see them soon and place an order. I stopped by Rusty’s Discount Pets to get some more food for Roxy, and then I headed over to get my Mustang washed. With the spurts of rain we got the week before my car was looking awful. I stopped by my box to get my mail, and then headed back home to do some work. I put the new bolt in Pinocchio’s display and it worked perfectly! It raised his hand outward, but I still needed to figure out a way to get his arm to further out. Some more thought would need to be put into it. I went to my woefully cluttered garage and started breaking down boxes for recycling. I took a dip in the Jacuzzi and grabbed a nap on the couch. I got up for my auditions and when I finished them I pulled up Go 96.3 again to give it another listen. It’s a great mix of music, and occasionally they’ll play something from the 90’s that I absolutely adore! I did some more work around the house, and then finished the day by making a Tombstone pizza and watching another “Magnun, p.i.” episode. Though some of the first episodes of season six weren’t very good, the past few have been great! There was one about a treasure hunt that was fun, and one called “Blood and Honor” was particularly good.

Wednesday the 7th – THE 6 DEGREES OF DS! – The day started with me sitting in my studio recording more voicers for Go 96.3 in Minneapolis. I did a quick audition for my promo agent and headed outside to enjoy the absolutely beautiful day! I walked Roxy over to Studio Café to meet up with one of the puppeteers I had met from The Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. His name is Jephtha Storm and he wanted to ask questions about getting into voice-over. He told me his dad is an actor and I asked his name. Come to find out he’s the son of “Dark Shadows” actor James Storm! What a small world! We had a great conversation and I hope I answered all his questions. After lunch, I walked Roxy to Rusty’s for a much-needed bath. I quickly walked back home after dropping her off and hopped in the Gran Torino. You may remember me telling you that I scraped the right rear fender pulling out of my parking spot over the holiday week. So it was time to take her over to Bodie’s to get some body and paint work done. It still gives me a sick feeling in my stomach when I see it, but Bodie said it will be alright. My assistant Sara, who is doing some work for Bodie, gave me a ride back home. I did some work on the computer, listened to more Go 96.3, and recorded some more voice tracks for them and sent them over. I walked to Rusty’s just after sundown and picked up Roxy. I got back home and took a dip in the Jacuzzi. I came inside to do some work around the house and I hit on the solution to extending Pinocchio’s arm. His elbow joints have a little slot in the forearm where the joint in the upper arm sits when the arm is retracted. So I wadded up a little piece of plain brown paper and stuck it in the forearm slot. This prevented the joint in the upper arm from settling into the groove, and now I have permanent arm extension! Sometimes a low tech approach is best. Especially when dealing with something as organic and simple as a marionette. I got my evening nap on the couch, and then got up for some auditions. I made some stew and watched another “Magnum, p.i.” before bed.

Thursday the 8th – EP IS 8-0! – Elvis Presley would have been 80 today. Hard to believe. While it’s too bad he’s gone, it would be hard to imagine an 80 year old Elvis Presley. When I woke up in the afternoon I had a ton of auditions to do. In addition to those, I had a bunch more Go 96.3 voicers to cut. I worked all afternoon in the home studio getting it all turned around to the appropriate people. I was craving Jersey Mike’s (a GREAT sandwich shop that is my new addiction!) so I got in the car and got a giant sandwich. I brought it home but only ate half of it. I saved the rest for later. I took a dip in the Jacuzzi and then grabbed a nap on the couch. I don’t know what it is, but I seem to sleep very well and deeply on the couch for a few hours each evening. I go to sleep almost immediately, and when I wake up I feel refreshed. I sleep 8 hours a day, but I do it in shifts. I’ll get 3 hours on the couch, but then when I go to bed I’ll sleep for 5 hours. It’s very difficult for me to sleep 8 hours in a row. My mind just buzzes after a while. Next week was shaping up to be quite busy, so I’m glad I’m able to enjoy some downtime this week. I did some work on my database, and then hit the hay to watch “Magnum” and finish off my giant Jersey Mike’s sandwich. By the way, did you know Elvis shares a birthday with David Bowie, Shirley Bassey, Stephen Hawking and my buddy Larry Storch? Boy, there’s definitely some magic at work on THAT date! It’s the date for amazing people to be born I guess.

Friday the 9th – I THINK I’LL….NAAAAW! – Roxy woke me up just before 1 and we cuddled on the bed for a while. She’s a real cuddle puppy! I got up to let the maids in, but they didn’t actually arrive until 2:30. I had a chat with my neighbor about my security system, as he was thinking of getting one too. By the time the maids finished it was too late for me to do anything, so I just decided to hang around the house. I checked e-mails, did some work around the house, and wound out the week in a nice relaxing style. The auditions that were due on Monday were in my inbox, so I decided to do those and get them out of the way. That way I could enjoy Sunday evening without having to worry about them. I also cut another liner or two for Go 96.3. I grabbed a Jacuzzi and took a nap on the most comfortable couch in the universe. When I got up I continued doing some work around the house, got some groceries and hit Denny’s for some food to go. I came home and enjoyed my dinner and watched “Magnum.”

Saturday the 10th – LET IT REIGN! – Around 3pm I woke up and noticed it had rained. I knew we were expecting rain later in the evening, but it came early. It was nice to see all the sidewalks and driveways covered with a glossy glaze. It was the perfect day to hop in the Mustang and drive to It’s a Wrap to go in search of warm clothes. The clothes I usually use to walk Roxy late at night were wearing very thin. I don’t even remember where I got the black polar fleece pants I wear, but they’re not doing a very good job of keeping me toasty any longer. A long time ago I got a grey polar fleece “Family Guy” jacket for Christmas from the production staff. I’ve worn it for years and when you hold it up to the light you can see through it. Time to retire it I guess. So I bought a new pair of thick sweat pants, a new grey polar fleece jacket, and a very warm stocking cap. We still have several months of chilly weather left, so I figured now is the time to upgrade my winter wardrobe. I grabbed some quick lunch, and then hit my mailbox to get my packages. I got there just as they were closing up. Talk about timing! I rushed home to open up my box of new 8” Batman ’66 action figures. It was raining outside so I put my swim trunks on and headed outside to enjoy a dip in the Jacuzzi. I love being in the hot water while the cool drops pelt my head. It’s a weird thing, but I know I’m not alone in this as occasionally I’ll see a few of my neighbors doing it too. As the sun continued to set, the rain increased. I wasn’t sure if this meant we’d have a small group for our Saturday night movie night, but we were set to watch a DVD screener of “Birdman,” so I was anxious to see it again. It’s a great film and I enjoyed it even more a second time! When everyone left my masseuse Emily stayed to give me a massage. I had a busy week coming up and I needed to go into it relaxed and ready. After she left I did some work around the house until it was time to make my traditional Saturday night salad and watch another episode of the old British action show “The Avengers” on Blu Ray. I had a blast listening to the rain outside all night, but as the sun started to come up the rain tapered off.

Sunday the 11th – A NO-SUN SUNDAY! – Roxy woke me up around 1 to go outside. I took her out and while the rain had stopped, it was still fairly overcast. But it was a beautiful day nonetheless, and everything smelled so clean and fresh after a nice shower. We went back to bed and slept until it was time to get up for evening church. As we walked I enjoyed hearing the tires of passing cars hit the puddles in the streets and make splashing sounds. The feel of the brisk evening air was invigorating and the smell of freshness was everywhere. We came home after church and relaxed with a nap on the couch. Later that night I worked around the house to prepare for a new week. I made hot dogs on the grill and watched “Magnum” before bed.

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

This is the blue sign I saw in my Veterinarian’s office. This type of sign will suit my needs perfectly! Now to go on the hunt and find out who makes them!

These are the two new figures in the 1966 Batman line of 8″ action figures…The Mad Hatter and Shame. I did a little customization by painting the Mad Hatter’s hands gray and putting a black band on his hat. On Shame I removed some ugly Velcro from his jacket and it looks much better. Pretty great figures! I wish I could have had these as a kid!