July 8 – July 14 (2013) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

This is what a gunshot looks like under water. Cool!

gunshot

Ever since Crowded House came on the music scene in 1986 with “Don’t Dream It’s Over” I’ve been a fan of their music and style. In 1991 they released an album called “Woodface,” and when I worked at 94.7 The Wave, we actually played a few tracks from it. But this particular song has been on my mind the past week. It’s called “Weather With You” and I absolutely love the lyrics.

Monday the 8th – A DUCK DAY AFTERNOON! – I got up around 11 to let Electric Bob and his minion Ernie in to work on the bathroom, and they informed me that I had a mother duck and ducklings in my garage. Apparently when they opened the garage door she went inside looking for shade and shelter. At first I thought it might be the duck that visits my pool every February, so I ran down to see. There she was, right by my feet, unsure of what to do. She was with her 9 babies, and I was worried they’d get trampled underfoot with all the activity going on in my garage. So I grabbed my camera and followed them outside into the hot day. I coudn’t tell if it was the same hen that visits me each year in February, but I made my duck noise and she didn’t respond in the usual way. (When I make a quacking sound to the duck couple who make the annual trek to my pool, they perk up their necks and start approaching me, since they know it’s time for a snack.) I also fed them some peanuts and she didn’t seem interested. (The hen who normally visits me LOVES peanuts!) They settled in an area by one of the units in my complex that offered lots of shade and shelter. I didn’t know what to do or whom to call to try and get them replaced in their nest. Apparently my neighbor Byron had seen them wandering around on the upper deck of the L.A. wash and herded them on to the property so they wouldn’t get eated by an overzealous dog. The upper deck of the wash often has unleashed dogs trotting along with their owners, but sometimes the owners don’t keep a very sharp eye on their canine charges. It was my though that their nest must be on the lower deck of the wash, down by the water. And somehow they walked up to the second level and couldn’t find their way back down. I brought out a pie pan filled with cool water and some bread. She didn’t seem interested in the bread, though she ate a little of it. I walked away, but came back 15 minutes later. When I did all 9 babies were in the water splashing around and having a grand ol’ time. They all got a drink and seemed happy. When the babies finished their bath they settled down by mom and picked at the surrounding foliage to see if there was anything good to eat. I went back inside and heard a horrible sound. The guy with the leaf blower! OH NO! I went out to check on the ducks and only saw the pan of water full of dirt and leaves. He had been there. The ducks though, were nowhere to be seen. I spoke to the leaf blower guy and he said he came upon them completely by surprise. In fact, he was probably more surprised than the ducks were! He said all 10 ducks hightailed it up the steps to the next level. I ran up and found them huddled behind a hedge. I had to get to work, so I called my friend Byron from the complex who initially found them. I told him I suspected their nest was down below by the water, so he brought over a pet carrier to try and crate them up for relocation. But when we went back to the area where they had last been seen…nothing! They had moved on. He continued to look while I went to work. I got lunch at Weinerschnitzel and headed to work, and while we taped “The Tonight Show” I worked on finishing up Wally’s Week from last week, which entailed the adventures during my recent South Dakota getaway. During the taping Byron called and said he found the ducks, lured them into the carrier with some bread and water, and relocated them to the lower level of the wash. I hope they’ll be alright. But I’m sure they’re closer to their nest than before! On the way home I picked up some mail at my mailbox, which included the Fed Ex’d box I sent from the hotel in Sioux Falls. I got home and continued working on Wally’s Week, which was starting to feel like a novel. I took a relaxing dip in the pool and Jacuzzi, and then came back in to finish it up. My assistant Sara met me for a late dinner at Jerry’s Famous Deli. A whole week in South Dakota and I only had ONE salad! Baaaad Wally! So I really needed one of Jerry’s salads. I came home to do more work, and then I hit the hay!

Tuesday the 9th – WAXING NOSTALGIC! – I got up again to let Electric Bob and his minion Ernie finish my master bathroom. No ducks in my garage today. I worked around the house while they worked upstairs. I’ll be glad when it’s all finished, because anytime you do any sort of remodeling like this, there’s dust and debris everywhere. I recorded a bit for “TTS” and e-mailed it in. I got ready for work and Sara came by to stay with the guys while I dashed off. Then she’ll lock up behind them when they leave. We taped the show, and I headed home to feed Spooky and walk Roxy. I cleaned up and got ready for an event at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Hollywood. My pal Brian invited me to a gameshow event at the museum that started at 6:30. I picked up Sara and we drove into Hollywood. That’s always an interesting proposition. Traffic was good until we got around the Hollywood Bowl, and it all clogged up. There was some sort of symphony concert going on, so once we darted around the traffic, we were good. We parked at Hollywood and Highland and went upstairs to walk to the museum. But the “Pacific Rim” premiere prevented us from getting across the courtyard to where we needed to go. I’m not sure why they allow the movie premiers to just clog foot traffic like that, but we had to run all the way around and come in from the west side. It was hot and were getting sweaty. By the time we got in we got a drink and relaxed for awhile. The gameshow was hosted by the legendary Bob Eubanks. Which meant my friend Fred Westbrook was there, who manages Bob and several other gameshow legends. It was a great evening! Lots of fun! Plus we got to speed through the wax museum when we were finished. But by the end of the evening I was starving, so Sara and I drove over to Wendy’s to get some drive-thru food for the drive home. I got home, did some auditions and e-mailed them to my agents, and then did some bookkeeping for my corporation Planet Wallywood, Inc. Since I had missed my normal “Saturday Night Saint” episode from last Saturday night, I made up for it by watching one before bed.

Wednesday the 10th – A COOL CHANGE! – I got up at 10:30 to be at “Family Guy’s” production offices at 12:30 for a quick session. Today was a nice break from the heatwave. It was cloudy and cool and pleasant. When I got to the office I recorded my bits and chatted with a few of the production staff I hadn’t seen in awhile. I also was introduced to brilliant actor Chris Diamantopoulos from “The Three Stooges.” What a nice guy! After chatting with him a bit I realized we have a lot of mutual friends. On the way home I got a call from my agent that I had two bits for “TTS” waiting for me in my inbox. I grabbed some McDonald’s at the drive-thru and headed home. When I got home Electric Bob and Ernie were all finished up with the bathroom. I recorded the bits and sent them in. Since it was a cool day, I decided to trade up the Mustang for the Gran Torino. I headed into work and we taped the show. I got home and walked Roxy and fed Spooky. I did get a chance to grab a short nap, and then my pal Brittney Powell came by to go grab a late dinner with me at Jerry’s Famous Deli. I got back home and did an audition, some more bookkeeping, and readied some deposits for my bank. I took a nice, leisurely walk with Roxy in the middle of the night, and enjoyed the misty night as we strolled. I was too tired to watch any TV before bed so I just turned in.

Thursday the 11th – PERFECT SLEEPING WEATHER! – I had the opportunity to sleep late, but my eyes snapped open at 10am! I think my body still believes it’s on the South Dakota schedule from last week. I took Roxy out for a potty break, then promptly went back to bed until 1:30. It was great weather to sleep…cloudy, cool, misty. Roxy and I cuddled for awhile on the bed, then I had to get up to record a bit for “TTS” in my home studio. I got cleaned up and headed over to Taco Bell for some quick lunch. Then I headed into work to tape the show. Jay did a bit about a guy who created a breakfast cereal that has certain properties in it to make you amorous! The brilliant prop guys fabricated a look-alike Lucky Charms box called “GET Lucky Charms!” Since I love cereal-related stuff, and screen-used props…I immediately went to the prop department to ask if I could have it. They had two of them, so they gave me the one that wasn’t used. The screen-used one usually goes to the writer who wrote the bit. But if the writer doesn’t claim it after a few days, I’ll get the real deal. FUN! After the show I went home to clean up in anticipation of some guests who were coming by to record some voice-over stuff with me. Tom and Steve have been commissioned by the owners of the Captain Action franchise. Captain Action was one of the very first action figures for boys. And you could change him into any number of super identities…Batman, Superman, The Phantom, Lone Ranger, Captain America, Spider-Man, etc. I never actually got one as a kid in the 60’s, though I secretly wanted one. But I have several now in adulthood. I told Joe and Ed, the owners of CA Enterprises, that if they ever did a Captain Action animated bit, I would do anything to be Cap’s voice! So Tom T. the writer, and Steve the animator, came by with a presentation script. We spent about a half hour doing the session, then we spent about four hours talking about fanboy stuff! Tom and Steve are both uber nerds like me. And of course we’re sitting around in Planet Wallywood, surrounded by all of the toys and stuff that make life great, so it was very easy to settle into “nerd-talk.” When we wrapped up, I picked up Sara and we went over to Little Toni’s Italian Restaurant for a late dinner. After a delicious pizza and some spaghetti, I headed over to my bank to make a night deposit, and then I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few items. Then I got home, did an audition, and walked and fed Roxy. Just before bed I watched another episode of “Hawaii Five-O” from the Season 11 DVD set.

Friday the 12th – THE CLEAN KING! – I got a hotline call at 10:30 to go in and do two bits for “TTS” at 11:40. I had to get scootin’! Lots to do before work. I walked Roxy quickly, checked e-mail quickly, and got cleaned up to head in. The weather had turned hot again, so driving the Torino was interesting. But sometimes beauty is pain. I did the bits, and then only had a few minutes to grab lunch before I had to come back to tape the show. We tape an hour earlier than usual on Fridays anyway. I grabbed some Taco Bell (second day in a row…not my choice, but it was necessary) and headed to the local car wash to get the Torino cleaned up. It looked fabulous! I got back to NBC to tape the show, then I headed home to change. I biked over to Floyd’s Barbershop to have my stylist Andie give me a cut and color. We always talk about the most interesting things, and our conversation strayed into an area that I could never transcribe here! But it’s funny as heck! I biked back home and took a shower and relaxed. I must’ve been tired because my relaxation turned into a four hour nap! I woke up with Roxy cuddling next to me on the bed making funny noises. When I was all rested, I got up and spent the entire night cleaning my master bathroom… top to bottom! It was still full of grit and junk from the recent construction, so I took everything out and gave it a thorough cleaning! I was tearing through there like a cleaning madman! But it looked fabulous and was ready for use! I couldn’t wait to take my first shower in my new bathroom! (I’m so easily amused!) I finished work just in time for Roxy’s feeding time. After her dinner, Roxy and I went on our latenight stroll. Then I went back inside to do some more work and try out the shower. It was awesome and all of the inset shelves Electric Bob installed came in very handy for storing shampoo, soap, etc. It was great. Until I went downstairs. The shower had leaked into my kitchen below! There was water all over floor. Rats! Apparently something didn’t get tightened like it should have. At this point it was about 6:30am, and knowing that Bob’s an early riser, I called him to tell him. He said he’d come over first thing Monday morning to fix it. I made an awesome salad and watched another episode of “Hawaii Five-O.

Saturday the 13th – THE SATURDAY BETWEEN! – I slept until 2pm and it felt great. This is the Saturday between two crazy Saturdays. This past Saturday I was in South Dakota preparing for my return flight to Burbank. And next Saturday I’ll be at the San Diego Comic Con. So this was my only Saturday to lay low and get a few things done. I picked up Sara and we went over to KFC to get some food at the drive-thru. Then I went into Burbank to visit a friend from “TTS” who was having a birthday and housewarming party. While I was at the party I got a call from Edi saying she wanted to come over early for movie night. I also got a call from my friend Nancy who wanted to come over before movie night and swim. So I figured I’d better excuse myself and head home. Some of the partygoers had a great time checking out the Torino! I went to the grocery store to get some supplies for that evening’s Movie Night extravaganza. Then when I got back home Sara helped me put the groceries away and clean up for movie night. Nancy came over. Edi came over. And when they were getting into their swimwear, it looked like a great idea. So Sara and I decided to join them. The pool water was absolutely perfect! I went inside to start movie night and was surprised to see my house full of people. How did I miss them walking by the pool to go into my house? Simple. Edi, Nancy and Sara were in their swimwear, so…well. You know. We had a great movie night and when everyone left for the evening I decided to start cleaning the Puppet Room bathroom. It too needed a total cleaning, and it looks like I’ll still be using this bathroom until the leak in mine is totally fixed. I cleaned from top to bottom and it looked fabulous. I took everything out of the drawers and medicine cabinet. I threw away the stuff I no longer needed, and kept the stuff that was still relevant. I reorganized and rehung the shower caddies. Then I heated up some of my leftover Little Toni’s spaghetti and pizza and watched a two-part “Hawaii Five-O” episode starring Ross Martin (“Wild Wild West”), Yvonne Elliman, (“Jesus Christ Superstar’), James Darren (“Time Tunnel”) and my buddy Brian Tochi! It was great!

Sunday the 14th – BAPTISM BONANZA! – I got up at 2 and couldn’t sleep any more. My pal Edi and her daughter Ems were getting baptized at church that evening, so I wanted to get some things done before the ceremony. Edi called and wanted to come take a nap for a little while before church. So she napped and I finished up stuff around the house. Just before evening church I got Edi up and off to get her daughter Ems from the Equestrian Center. Meanwhile, I took Roxy and headed over to evening church. Edi and Ems met us there halfway through the service. When the 5:30 service was finished, I walked Roxy home and hopped in the Torino and headed back to the church. The church’s baptismal is in the sanctuary where they hold the 10am and the 7pm services. Pastor Louise had it all filled with water and ready to go. I came back in the church and they started the 7pm service. Our church does full immersion, and while Edi and Ems had both been baptized as babies with the “sprinkling on the head” method, they wanted to experience a full immersion baptism before they move to Oklahoma in a few weeks. Though the water was cold, the baptism went well and was very moving. After church we all drove over to the Coral Café for dinner. I came back home, grabbed a quick nap, then got up to record seven auditions! I fed and walked Roxy and headed to bed for the night.

And how was YOUR week?!!

PIX AND VIDEO FROM THE WEEK

I awoke to ducks in my garage Monday morning!