RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Remember last week when I told you about my new little pal Torin in South Dakota? He’s the 4 year old grandson of the guy my sister Peggy will be marrying in September. Anyway, you may remember the part where Torin fell down on the 4th of July and scraped his knee while lighting fireworks. I asked him if he was hurt and he said, “Yeah, but I saved my money maker.” I thought that was SO funny, I’m still laughing about it today. Well, unfortunately, this past week my sister Peggy texted me this picture. This time Torin wasn’t able to save his money-maker. But what little boy’s life would be complete without an occasional scraped nose? Feel better soon, Torin!
I’ve always really enjoyed Sheryl Crow’s music. In fact, someday I want to have her baby. This song came up on my iPad recently and I love it. It’s one of the final songs ever performed on the Jay Leno “Tonight Show.” The live version she did was fabulous, but here’s the studio version of “Calling Me When I’m Lonely.” LOVE IT!
Monday the 7th – SHACKLED TO THE COMPUTER!? – My body clock still wasn’t functioning as normal. Probably because within the past few weeks I’ve been on Pacific Time, Eastern Time, Central Time, then back to Pacific Time again. I instinctively woke up at 5am (probably because my body THOUGHT it was still 7am Central), and I saw a very funny thing. Both Roxy and Spooky were on my bed. They took turns cuddling next to me. Roxy does it because she enjoys it, and Spook does it when I forget to leave his morning snack in his dish. Roxy moved down to the end of the bed, and Spook moved up next to me. But Roxy got jealous and started moving back up to me at the top of the bed. Spook heard her move and got that look on his face as if to say, “Should I scram, or wait it out?” Roxy moved right up and it looked as if Roxy was going to lay her head on Spook’s back. Spook looked back at her like, “Whattaya doin’?” It was really funny, even at 5 in the morning. Being the smaller of the two Spook skedaddled outta there! I got to sleep for a few more hours then got up to start the day. At 9:30 I was due at Voice Trax West to do some more work for US Airways/American Airlines. We had to do a bunch of city names, and some of them were darn hard to say. But we made it through. We finished at 11:30am, and then I went downstairs to visit the neighborhood hot dog vendor for a dog. I slammed it down and went back upstairs to VTW to record a spot for Dropcam as a Sarcastic Dog. Funny spot. After about 5 takes the producers got the take they liked and we wrapped the session. I drove to my local printer’s to drop off some forms for “bat ears” (the ear forms you see on the 1966 Batman cowl) to have them copied and laminated. The lamination keeps them firm and somewhat waterproof. Then I needed to head home to meet up with my assistant Sara so she could do some more ebay stuff. My pal Scott Sebring stopped by to chat and catch up, since I hadn’t seen him in a couple weeks. Then I started the arduous task of writing Wally’s Week. Why arduous? Because I had two weeks’ worth of writing to catch up on, and it was an ACTION-PACKED two weeks! I finished week 1, then laid down on the couch to grab a quick nap. I got up a few hours later and did some auditions and finished Wally’s Week. I spent a total of FOUR HOURS writing the two weeks’ worth of activities for Wally’s Week. But it was worth it.
Tuesday the 8th – THIRUVANANTHAPURAM?!!? – Luckily I was up early; at 8:45. When I checked my cell phone I saw that my neighbor had texted me telling me that she had forgotten to turn her A/C on for her dog before she left the house. Since it was going to be a warm day I was glad I was able to do that. I keep a key to her house for “doggie emergencies,” when she can’t find somebody to walk her or, when she forgets to turn the A/C on. I turned on the A/C for Abby the greyhound, switched the TV to Turner Classic Movies (Abby’s favorite), locked up and headed home to shower. I had to finish out the voice tracks for the cities for US Airways/American Airlines. Again, some of the city names were downright stumping. We had a linguist on the phone with us during the session helping us with the pronunciations. The winner of the toughest name was a city in India called Thiruvananthapuram. Are you kidding me with this?! I saved the script with that name on it so I can show it to people when they ask me what the toughest thing I’ve ever had to say was. By the way, it’s pronounced tair-uh-vuh-nan-tah-POOR-um. Sheesh. Can’t they just call it Smithville and be done with it? I thought it was a joke. But there really IS a city with that name. I finished the session and headed to my printer’s, but the job wasn’t quite done yet. I headed over to Prints Charm’n, a photo printer, to pick up more photo inserts for the drink tumblers in my 2014 Voice-Over Promo Kits. I had already sent out the first 100, and I ran out a few weeks ago. So I ordered another 100 of everything. I got some vitamins at the store next door to Prints Charm’n, and then I headed to Office Depot to pick up more office supplies. As I’m busy printing labels, etc. for my Promo Kits, I found myself running out of everything from ink to the labels themselves. Time to restock. Remember, you’ve got to spend money to make money! I drove over to Subway to pick up a footlong tuna on white, and then over to the car wash. My Mustang was filthy sitting out in the parking lot at LAX while I was gone. I would eat my sandwich, and watch my car being washed on a nice, summery afternoon. I headed back home to enjoy the rest of the day in air-conditioned comfort. I made some phone calls and did some more writing. I took inventory on the components that I include in my Promo Kits, and I now had everything except the little light-up pens and the flash drives containing all my demos and headshots. I got the order of magnets and drink tumblers while I was away in South Dakota, and I just picked up the tumbler inserts and the postcards. I decided to spend some “creative time.” With all of the 1966 Batman product coming out, I try to pick up most everything. I even picked up the Mattel Ken Doll 1966 Batman. But the doll looks ridiculous so I took the costume off it and discarded it. Instead I ordered a vintage 1966 Captain Action figure on ebay, and put the costume on that. It worked out pretty well, except the gloves and boots wouldn’t fit the new figure. Luckily I had some old pointy Captain Action boots laying around that I could use, and using my limited prowess with a needle and thread, I constructed my OWN pair of gloves for the figure. I was pretty darned happy with how it was turning out. I stitched up the gauntlets (complete with bat fins) and said, “Hey! Pretty good for a straight guy!” I chuckled and finished up. My effects guy Jim Ojala came over with the Tin Man of Oz bust he had been working on. He had to replace the eyes in it because the first set he received from the manufacturer was too “glossy.” They reflected so much light it made it look like the Tin Man had cataracts. So after a bit of surgery, Jim replaced them with a more appropriate set of eyes. They looked fabulous! When Jim left he took the Scarecrow of Oz bust with him to do some repainting. He needed to color-match the burlap skirt around his neck to the collor of his face. If anybody could do it, it’s Jim! I napped on the couch from 8 until midnight! Then I got up to do laundry, wash dishes, and work around the house. I’m still playing catch-up from my trip. Just before bed I watched another episode of “Wonder Woman” from the third season boxed set.
Wednesday the 9th – LAME LAME! – Though I was up an at ‘em at high noon to meet my pal Sergio, I got a text from Sergio saying he’d be about an hour and a half late. So I spent some time working around the house, answering e-mails, and prepping some mail for Sara to take to the post office. Scott Sebring came by so we could go to lunch and we got a chance to catch up some more. Sergio arrived so as he started working on doing hairwork on the Lion of Oz bust, I grabbed a quick shower. Sara, Scott and I went to Coral Café to grab lunch. When we finished I headed over to JoAnn Fabrics to pick up some fabric, and I hit Kit Kraft to get some paint for my Captain Action “Ken” Batman figure. I needed a metallic dark blue paint to match the fabric on the costume. I found just the thing! When I got home Sergio was just finishing up. He built up the Lion of Oz bust with foam rubber. Then he covered the foam with a tan canvas fabric. He needed to do this because it’s difficult to stitch into foam rubber once he starts attaching the hair pieces. Then over the canvas he put a layer of “under fur,” a beige short-pile fur that will act as the Lion’s undercoat. Once this is finished, he can stitch in the pieces of hair (like a weave) and start blending it all together so it will look like the Lion’s mane and hair. Amazing! Though the Tin Man of Oz is relatively complete, I still needed to line his funnel hat with material so the metal wouldn’t scuff the latex rubber of the head. I bought some fabric at JoAnn’s that was silvery, but it didn’t look right once I put it against the funnel’s interior. I sat down and constructed a pattern for the inside of the funnel out of cardboard, similar to the way I made the pattern for the Tin Man’s costume. I call it the old “drape and tape” method. You just drape fabric or paper over the area you need covered, and tape it into place. Once you’ve cut enough pieces to cover the area, you remove it, cut it up the middle and lay it flat. Voila! It’s your pattern! I went downstairs into my storage and pulled a vinyl-like silver lame from a box. It looked like just the perfect thing I needed. But as I started gluing it in, the lame’s silver coating started separating from its backing. YIKES! So I yanked all the fabric out of the funnel and tossed it. What lame lame this was! Luckily I scrounged around in my storage some more and found some more appropriate silver lame fabric. I glued it in, and it worked very well. While it dried my neighbor Caroline came over with her girlfriend Alex to introduce me to Alex’s doggie (who just moved in from Arizona) named Parker. Parker is a tri-color sheltie and she’s beautiful! Roxy took to her right away! We all sat around chatting with the doggies lying all around us. It was Roxy, Parker, and Caroline’s little dog named Ridley. What fun! After they left I grabbed a quick dip in the Jacuzzi and went back inside to record my auditions for the night. I did some more writing then made some of my world infamous Buffalo Mac for dinner (Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese with diced buffalo chicken strips and celery in it…YUM!). I watched a two-part “Wonder Woman” episode that finished the series. I was done with this set at last. Unfortunately, like most TV shows, the third season was NOT the charm. It was pretty awful.
Thursday the 10th – THE 3 B’S! – It was a relatively mellow day. Sergio came over to continue working on the Lion of Oz bust, I walked Roxy, paid some bills, went through my bank statements, organized and reconciled my trip receipts, and did more bookkeeping. When Sergio left I took a quick nap on the couch, then got up to finish my work with bills, books and bank statements. I started watching “The Twilight Zone” from the third season Blu Ray set. It was generally a pretty quiet, subdued day. Just the kind I needed after a hectic couple of weeks.
Friday the 11th – MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT! – I took Roxy out for a walk when I got up at 1, and then got showered and ready to head to my seamstress Karyn’s studio. Sara came over to sit with the maids for my 2pm cleaning. I stopped by my mailbox to get the box of clothes I sent myself from South Dakota last Saturday. In it was some fabric I bought in Sioux Falls that I wanted to use for my Dorothy of Oz bust. It arrived just in time, as I was literally on my way to Karyn’s! I gave her some bat ears to sew on to the Batcaps I’m making. I also dropped off the Dorothy fabric and the fabric for my 8” Joker figure. But like an idiot I forgot to bring my new Minnesota Twins jersey. Some of the stitching on the numbers came off and I need her to re-stitch them. Karyn’s dog Jack is literally a super dog. His agility is amazing, and I love kicking the tennis ball down the length of the warehouse for him to chase. He’ll bring the ball back to me, drop it at my feet and wag his tail. I’ve just GOT to get some video of Jack the Agility Dog, as you won’t believe what this dog can do otherwise! I finished up with Karyn and drove home to relax. I fed Spook and Roxy, and then worked on the computer all evening. I napped on the couch until 11, and when I arose I decided to start stuffing inserts in to my drink tumblers. This meant I had to sit down and cut the inserts out of the paper. Instead of doing all 100, I figured I’d just start with 50. Then I had to unscrew the bottoms off the tumblers, remove the insert that was already in there, put MY insert inside, then screw the bottom back on and replace the tumbler back in the box. It was very time-consuming, but you do kind of get into the “zen” of the work. My pens had arrived a few days ago, so as I was doing this process I decided to stuff the tumblers with all of the goodies, save for the flash drives which won’t arrive until Monday. But when they DO arrive, I’ll be ready. I’ll just pop in the flash drives, seal up the boxes and they’ll be ready to mail. I was feeling pretty good about my progress. I turned on my Palm Springs playlist on my computer, and I started wishing I was in the desert enjoying the amazing full moon that was looming overhead. I wasn’t that interested in the triple digit temps they are currently experiencing, but in my mind it was perfect weather. In fact, I got SO into my Palm Springs fantasy that I decided to dig out a cigar that I had purchased there awhile back. I would walk Roxy around the neighborhood during our nightly late-night stroll and enjoy a cigar. But I don’t have a humidor and the cigar was pretty old. Even though it had been sealed it still was pretty dry and bitter. But half of the enjoyment I get from an occasional cigar (maybe 1 or 2 a year) is the aroma. It takes me back to being a kid watching the Aberdeen Pheasants play baseball. The old, fat guys would sit in the stands and smoke cigars during the game and the smoke would waft down to where I was sitting. That combined with the smell of pine tar is something I’ll never forget. When Roxy and I had finished our walk, I sat out behind my complex on the steps facing the full moon. I had my back against the wall and I just enjoyed the cigar while staring at the amazing sight…thinking about life, pondering the universe, and enjoying the cool, quiet night. Roxy made herself at home too, and she plopped down at the top of the stairs and relaxed. We were just enjoying hanging out together at 4 in the morning. It was really pleasant. I finished the cigar and went inside to chase it with a bottle of ice-cold Dog ‘N’ Suds Root Beer! Yummy! I made a Tombstone pizza for dinner and watched a few episodes of “The Twilight Zone” on Blu Ray.
Saturday the 12th – TOMATO TIME AGAIN! – Sara picked me up just after 1pm and we headed over to my pal Bodie’s shop to pick up my Gran Torino. It had been in the shop while I was gone getting a few minor things done on it. It was good to see Bodie again, and it was GREAT seeing my Gran Torino again. I took great pride in casually driving it around town, enjoying the breezy summer day. I stopped by Paty’s and enjoyed a salad on the patio, with the Torino parked just a few feet away. I love eating lunch, and staring at that amazing car. The weather was perfect! I headed home to do some writing, planned some details for my upcoming trip to San Diego for Comic Con, and did some more work on my Promo Kits. Caroline, Alex, Parker and Ridley came over to say hi, and as soon as I opened the door Roxy shot outside to find her new friend Parker the Sheltie. I got the house ready for movie night and the gang started arriving. We watched “A Hard Day’s Night” on Blu Ray. The print was amazing! When my guests left I did some work around the house, and made a HUGE salad in preparation for my usual Saturday Night Saint and Salad Night. The episode I watched was the second to the last one in the black & white set. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do when I’m done with the set, considering I’ve already seen all the color episodes.
Sunday the 13th – CANDY KEN! – When I got up around 2 I took Roxy out for a quick bathroom break. As Roxy laid in the sun warming her belly, I sat there on the step beside her with my head in my hand and nodded off. It was warm and summery, but not hot and unpleasant. I went back inside to snooze for a few more hours. We got up in time for evening church, and we walked over to the service. On the way, Roxy spotted a beautiful sheltie across the street. She barked incessantly, wanting to go meet him. So we walked over to meet Colby the sheltie. This doggie was like a mini-Lassie, and Roxy really enjoyed meeting him. Colby’s owner was Ken, who worked in the candy business. I told him I was most likely his best customer. His daughters were there and they were talking about heading to Comic Con in a few weeks. They all just moved to the neighborhood, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing them again! I asked Ken if he was sick of the song “The Candy Man” and he smiled and said, “Nope, not yet.” We walked over to church and enjoyed a great service. I got back home and drove the Torino over to Ernie’s Taco House to join Sara for dinner. I switched cars back to the Mustang, and then came inside to nap for a bit. I got up later to do auditions, and then fed Roxy and took her on our late-night stroll through the neighborhood. Just before I brought her back inside I noticed the pool area. It was calling to me. The night was fairly overcast, but occasionally the full moon would peek through the clouds. It was deathly quiet out, and a cool breeze would blow through every once in a while. So I put Roxy inside, then I came back out and laid back on a chaise lounge chair and just stared at the sky, playing peek-a-boo with the moon. The cool breeze, combined with the sounds of nothing but crickets, was very meditative. What a night! I stayed outside until the moon had been permanently gobbled up by a thick, gray cloud cover. I headed inside to make some pizza rolls and watch “The Twilight Zone.”
And how was YOUR week??!!
