March 06 – March 12 (2023) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

Last week I posted a music clip from the Laurel & Hardy film “Jitterbugs.” I didn’t know the name of the song they performed toward the beginning of the film, but my keen-eyed pal and webmaster Scott Sebring discovered that it’s called “That’s a Plenty.” And this shot of Stan Laurel playing his instruments in their “two-man band” always makes me laugh. Good lord, I love those guys!

Quite a while ago, back when there were record stores, I bought a CD by Sophie Ellis-Bextor that I fully enjoy still to this day. They were playing it in the store as I shopped, and I even stopped what I was doing to inquire about the artist. Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a British artist with a fantastic voice and a wonderful vibe. When “If You Go” came up on my tablet as I drove around in the Gray Ghost, I realized just how good a song this is. Enjoy.

Monday the 6th – CAT-STIPIATED! – As soon as the local vet opened at 7:30am I was there with Spook in his bag. He hadn’t been acting normally over the past day and he was very lethargic. I was worried. Part of it may be sadness over Roxy, but I think it was more than that and I needed to have him looked at professionally. Though he was NOT happy about it at all, I had to leave him in the vet’s hands for the day so they could do some tests. Since I was up early with nothing to do, I took the Gray Ghost over to the car wash to give him his first bath. Baby’s first bath was kind of exciting. With all of the rain we’ve had lately it was very spotted and dirty! I went back home and picked up my tax documents so I could take them to my accountant. I stopped by his office, dropped them off, and then headed to my mailbox to drop off some stuff to be shredded. In order to make room for this year’s tax documents, I dug out my tax stuff from 2013 to have it all destroyed. I hit the dry cleaners to drop off a comforter, and then went over to Hobby Lobby to do some shopping for my Super Grover replica Muppet. But they had virtually nothing I needed. They didn’t have the eye pieces I needed, the fabric dye I needed, or the paint I needed. The only thing I happened to find is some yellow/gold cord I could use for the cape. Nothing else! I went across the street to Foam Mart and bought some more ¼” thick foam rubber in case I make a mistake with the supply I have. Since it was getting close to lunch time I hit the Burger King drive-thru for some early lunch. I stopped by my bank to get some operating capital, and then headed home. The doctor called to let me know that the X-rays showed that Spook was very constipated! That would certainly explain why he was not acting himself, and moving so slowly. She said older cats have that issue quite frequently. I walked over to the hardware store and got some supplies that I needed for Super Grover. One of the great things I found were tiny little screw posts that I’ll be using for his arm rods. Since these rods need to be removable from the wrist, I’ll embed one of them in the hands, and the other side on the end of the arm rod. That way they can be screwed in and out as needed. I walked back home and waited for the call to go get Spook. I was getting tired. It was turning into a long day! The vet’s office called and said Spooky was ready to go home, so I hopped in the newly cleaned Gray Ghost and headed over. While I waited for him to get cleaned up and brought out, I decided I would step on the big scale they had in the lobby to see what my weight was. I had been watching my diet the past few months, and doing a lot of exercising and walking. I stepped on and watched the digits move to 195, then 199, then 197, then back to 199. It had been my goal to get to 200 for a while, and I couldn’t believe I made it! I WAS UNDER 200 POUNDS! WOO HOO! I took a picture of the digits to send to my doctor! I couldn’t believe it! Amazing! Since the doctor said that Spook’s bottom would be a little “drippy” for a while (as she had to give him several “backside irrigations”) I decided to make up an area for him just outside the Chaney bathroom where he could stay until he was better. He’d be close to his litter box, I put his food and water down on the floor, and a LOT of potty pads! The vet said she had to give him quite a bit of tranquilizer to make him cooperative during his stay, so Spook literally just laid there on his blanket all evening. I gated the area off so he couldn’t get out, and I put a heater on the other side of the gate so he’d be warm. I decided to grab a nap too. When I got up later I did my auditions. Spook was coming out of his tranquilizer and was NOT happy to be sequestered away. But his backside was very dirty and I wasn’t going to let him roam around freely getting the place all poopy. I did give him a warm, soapy bath in the kitchen sink, and it looked like his poor backside was swollen and sore. Poor Spook. I dried him off and put him back in his area so he could sleep some more. He still hasn’t eaten or drank anything in over 24 hours. I’m a bit worried. I finished up writing Wally’s Week.

Tuesday the 7th – BACK TO THE CLEANERS, I GUESS! – Spook drank a little, but he’s still not eating. I can tell his butt is still sore and he seems to have been a bit traumatized by the experience of the past 24 hours. Luckily he’s still sleeping quite a bit. I did a few last-minute auditions. It looked like his backside was a bit cleaner, so I let him out of his pen for a while. He went upstairs and slept on my bed. The vet called and said she had an appetite stimulant she’d like him to have since he wasn’t eating. It was a gorgeous day, so I walked all the way over to the bank to make some deposits. It was great to see (and feel) the sun again! I stopped at VanEaton Gallery for a bit to do some looking around. Then I met my pal Edi for lunch at Panera. It was great to be able to have lunch outdoors again! We both had to get some grocery items so we walked to the market to get some supplies. On the way home I stopped in at the vet’s office to pick up his medication. I was so happy about the results I had on the scale Monday afternoon, I just had to hop on it again! But when I did, the scale went to 215, 209, and settled back in 213. 213?! The gal behind the desk said the technician had come in the morning to recalibrate the scale! I WASN’T UNDER 200 POUNDS AFTER ALL! RATS! However, given the fact that I could legitimately deduct 4-5 pounds from the weight reading for clothing, that meant I was really about 208. The last time I was at my doctor’s office I was 211, so technically I DID lose about 3 pounds. So at least I hadn’t gained! I got home and tried to give Spook his medicine, but it involved having to put a dropper in his mouth and he was NOT having it! So much for the appetite stimulant. To make matters worse, I discovered that while he slept on my bed his drippy backside left a mess on my comforter. Well, back to the cleaners I guess. I guess he needs to be isolated in his pen a while longer. Now that he’s come out of the effects of the tranquilizer, he was NOT happy to be penned up! He was protesting VERY loudly! So I took him out, gave him another warm, sudsy bath in the kitchen sink, and dried him off. I made up a nice bed for him in front of the fireplace; which is one of his favorite places. I did my nightly auditions and napped on the couch, so I could be close to him in case something happened. I got up later and did some work around the house, and Spook was still sleeping. I brought him some fresh tuna and some water and tried to get him to take it. But he acted like he didn’t know what it was. I wonder if he’s had some sort of stroke or something, as he was acting oddly. So I brought him upstairs to the kitchen to see if he wanted to drink out of the faucet (one of his favorite things to do) but he jumped down and went right back down to his chair in front of the fireplace. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he’s clearly not doing well.

Wednesday the 8th – POINTERS FROM A PAL AT PATY’S! – Since I no longer have a dog, I now have more freedom to travel. So I’ve been accepting some of the invitations to come to various conventions around the country. But before I set off on a “U.S. tour” I decided to call a good pal for some advice. Colleen O’Shaughnessey and I have performed together on many animated shows, and last year I saw from her Twitter posts that she was almost constantly on the road doing conventions. Since I figured she had a pretty good handle on it, I needed to tap her brain for ideas. She was nice enough to meet me for lunch to give me pointers for being “on the road.” After lunch I stopped at my mailbox to get my packages, and then headed home. There was a lot of nice afternoon left, so I walked over to Michael’s to see if I could acquire the items I wasn’t able to find at Hobby Lobby. But no luck. However I did pick up a few things. It’s odd, but I just can’t find the old fashioned rope-like “chunky yarn” any longer. They used it for the cape tie on Super Grover’s cape, but I can’t find the same stuff. Everything I’ve ordered on-line hasn’t been the right thickness. Strange. I called my friend Sara Raftery and encouraged her to come by and see Spook. Since he wasn’t doing well I was worried that I might lose him too. Sara and Spook have always gotten along very well, so I wanted to get her advice. She petted him and talked to him, and spent some time with him. It was her assessment that he was sore, tired, and pissed off. She also thought he was a little depressed about Roxy. He did come upstairs to get a drink in the kitchen, so that was a good sign. But he was still fairly lethargic, and still hadn’t eaten. After Sara left I did my nightly auditions and took a nap. Later I did some work around the house, and I started the process of cleaning out my computer. I’m going to get external drives to start migrating over a lot of stuff I no longer need in my computer.

Thursday the 9th – DENTAL PROCEDURE! FINALLY! – After two months of delay because of my hypertension diagnosis, today was FINALLY the day I would get my dental procedure completed. I had a note from my doctor completely clearing me for the procedure. Since I’ve been on medication the past few months, and have been eating better and have been exercising, he gave me a note to give to my dentist stating that the issue was under control. I took my blood pressure at 3 that morning and it was BELOW what my doctor’s target is. So I was doing well! There will be NO excuses not to get it completed this time! It was a gorgeous day, so I enjoyed a lunch on the patio at Paty’s. I went to the dentist very excited to finally have my onlays completed. But when the nurse took my blood pressure there was more drama. It was a little higher than she had hoped. OF COURSE MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS A LITTLE HIGH…I’M AT THE DENTIST! So even though I had a note from my doctor completely clearing me for the procedure, she had to consult with the doctor. So she took my blood pressure again, and (no surprise) it was even more elevated. Of course it was elevated…she was stressing me out! The readings went higher and higher, and finally the doctor came in to take my reading the old fashioned way…by hand. He said the readings had improved and I told him I didn’t think the little wrist unit his nurse uses was very accurate. In fact, my pharmacist told me the wrist units are NOT accurate. So after a lot of unnecessary drama, we went ahead with the procedure. If this is going to be an issue going forward, I’ve decided to find a new dentist. I’ve talked to many people who said their dentist has NEVER taken their blood pressure. And some friends of mine have had a considerable amount of dental work. So time to go shopping for a new dentist I guess, since I don’t want to have to go through this every time I need some work done. Good grief! When the procedure was done I stopped at Foster Freeze to get a delicious banana split. I deserved it! I drove to Staples to buy two hard drives, but they didn’t have what I needed. Back to Amazon, I guess. I haven’t had very much luck recently finding what I need at brick and mortar stores. I’ve bought a TON of stuff on-line. It’s a shame. When I got back home I was elated to see that Spook had peed in his litter box! GREAT! Maybe he’s starting to return to normal again. I grabbed a nap, and when I got up I worked around the house. Even though the past few days were gorgeous, we’re expecting rain again. I made a salad and watched a two-part “Incredible Hulk” episode. Though this series hasn’t really tweaked me so far, this two-parter was actually pretty darn good!

Friday the 10th – RETURN TO NORMAL???!!! – Last night, as I was making my salad and dicing a chicken breast, a piece dropped on the floor. In the old days I’d throw it to Roxy and she’d gobble it up. But I placed it on top of Spook’s kibble bowl…just in case. When I woke up I was shocked to see that the piece of chicken was GONE! Spook ate it! He was eating again! Slow but steady, I guess. I got him to drink a little water and eat some tuna. It was raining all day, so I stayed inside and made some calls and fielded some texts. I also spent some time prepping for my signing on Saturday at TFCon in Burbank.

Saturday the 11th – TFCON 2023! – As a “soft start” to my upcoming “U.S. tour” of convention appearances, I agreed to sign for 3 hours at the local TFCON in Burbank. It’s a huge convention that celebrates the Transformers franchise, and I was invited to appear because I had done a show back in 2001 called “Transformers: Robots in Disguise.” I was hesitant to do it, as I was convinced the show didn’t have a following. When the show was released back in 2001 it got no love from the hardcore Transformers fans. The show was produced in Japan and was a fun, goofy anime series with a lot of over-the-top characters. I guess the hardcore fans didn’t appreciate that our show was a bit wacky and designed more for kids. I used to watch it on Fox Kids and enjoyed it quite a bit. Since I was never a Transformers fan, our show didn’t “offend” me as it did the hardcore fans. Plus, the show spawned some pretty cool toys that were fun to collect. Skeptical that I’d have many people at my table, I got up early, showered and headed over to the Burbank Marriott. I met my assistant Mario and he showed me where my table was. The show opened, and I was shocked! Many great people came up and said how much they enjoyed “R.I.D.,” which I had always considered to be the “red-headed stepchild” of the Transformers universe. At first I was in disbelief. But then they all mentioned that they were 5 when the show was on, and it served as their gateway to the Transformers franchise. Then it made total sense to me! 20 years had passed since we did the show, and a lot of the kids who watched it back then were now in their mid-20’s! I got it! They grew up on it, and it was nice to see “R.I.D.” finally getting some (much delayed) love! I signed for three hours, broke for lunch, and then did an hour-long panel with fellow Voice Actors Bob Joles and Wayne Lewis. We three played the “Autobot Brothers;” X-Brawn, Prowl and Sideburn respectively. It was a great panel with a lot of laughs! I’m glad I did the show, and it was nice to realize that our old series was getting some respect. I hit the cleaners on the way home to pick up my comforters. I went to my mailbox and picked up a package. It was a sweater I bought on a website called Fun.com, and it’s a dead-on replica of the shirt Ernie wears on “Sesame Street.” That red and blue striped pattern is very recognizable, and would be fun to wear from time to time. Plus, I wanted to scan the sweater’s pattern and have some custom Vans shoes made. I sat down at the computer, did the scan, built the photo file, and ordered the Vans. I think they’ll look pretty sweet. My pal Officer Mark suggested I also get a set of shoes with the pattern from Bert’s shirt. That way I could wear Ernie on the right foot, and Bert on the left. I like that idea, so I’m going to wait to see how the Ernie shoes turn out first. I walked to my stylist’s to get a touch-up on my color. It was a very fun day, but I was ready to relax! I walked back home and, before the sun went down, primed and painted the plastic eyepieces for my Super Grover Muppet replica. I grabbed a short nap on the couch, while Spook napped in his favorite chair by the fire. He’s getting much more active now, so I think he’s definitely on the mend. But he still hasn’t pooped. Waiting for a tiny cat turd to show up in the litter box is a feeling of anticipation that can only be fully understood by a cat owner with a sick feline. When I got up later I did my auditions, and worked around the house. A few weeks ago, when I dyed some foam rubber scarlet for Super Grover’s lower lip, I didn’t end up liking the shade that it produced. So I ordered some cherry red dye on-line that will give me the tint I need for his lower lip. But I had been thinking about how the scarlet shade WOULD look good as Oscar’s tongue. It was a very muted shade of red, and I had never really liked the brighter shade of red that I ended up using for his tongue. So after I dyed some foam red for Grover’s lip, I sat down and started sculpting a new tongue for Oscar out of some ½” thick foam rubber. I snipped away and snipped away, carefully sculpting a tongue from the pattern I had made several years ago. When I was satisfied with the result, I put a little bit of the scarlet dye in some hot water and put the tongue in. What came out was a “dark pink” tongue that was absolutely beautiful. It looked more “grouchier” than the bright red tongue. But the process of removing the old tongue and putting the new one in would not be easy! I’m not sure at this point if I want to take the risk of doing the tongue transfer, as a lot can go wrong if it doesn’t go perfectly. Perhaps it might be better off left as is. Since the new tongue is slightly smaller than the one currently on the puppet, the new tongue would need to be stretched slightly and glued down in order to hide the footprint of the glue from the first tongue. I’m going to think on this a bit more before I do it, and probably consult with Alex In Wonderland about it as well. Then I spent an hour in the completely idiotic exercise of changing the clocks in the house to “spring ahead” for Daylight Saving Time. What a completely antiquated and useless scam Daylight Saving Time is. I can’t believe we’re still doing it. And I really can’t believe somebody hasn’t put a stop to this completely useless bullcrap. (Ask me how I REALLY feel!) Furthermore, it seems like we just set the clocks back a few months ago! I really REALLY hate doing this. It’s an exercise in stupidity and futility. I made a nice salad and watched an episode of “The Saint” before bed, as it’s Saturday Night Super Saint Salad night!

Sunday the 12th – WHAT A WEEK!! – Luckily, Spook was showing signs of doing a little better. He wasn’t quite as “catatonic” as he had been, and he had “catapulted” somewhat back to normalcy, avoiding a total “catastrophe.” (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) He’s coming out of his shell and eating and drinking more. I honestly believe that Roxy’s death, along with the day-long visit to the vet, had traumatized him somewhat. And since he’s an old man now, he didn’t bounce back as quickly as he should have. After the sun set I took a brisk walk to the post office to mail some bills. It was a nice cool, humid night. Breathing the air was like having a nice cool mister on in my bedroom! And as I roamed around I detected the distinct smell of spring. It’s close, I can sense it. I drove to Taco Bell to get some dinner to go, and came home to do some work around the house. I grabbed a short nap, and then got up to work around the house some more. The coming week should be fun, with lots of meals with friends planned, as well as a few Voice Over sessions on the horizon!

And how was YOUR week?! (Me-OWWW!)

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Spook was NOT very happy to be held captive!

Here’s a conceptual shot of my “Ernie” custom Vans shoe design.

Baby’s first bath! The Gray Ghost gets a thorough cleaning. His first ever!

That damn, lying scale! How dare it?!

This is Grover’s nose, as constructed by Alex in Wonderland. Several seamstresses have tried to nail it, but Alex is the one who has the magic touch. I call them her “Miracle Noses.”

Here’s the new Oscar tongue, with a more muted color, laid on top of the brighter red tongue. I’ve got to figure out how to make that switch, but it’ll be tricky!

Rarely do I find a vintage collectible that looks so breathtakingly stunning as this Popeye bendy I found on eBay. I used to buy these like crazy when I was a kid. One would break, and I’d buy another one. Currently, I have one that’s loose (out of the package) and another one that’s still in the package, but this one looked so clean, bright and vibrant (just like it looked on the shelf when it was originally sold in the 70’s) that I just had to have it. As I said, breathtaking!

I put a little box together that contains Roxy’s paw print in plaster, along with a trimming of her fur. I’m still waiting to receive her ashes, which should be coming in a few days. God I miss that dog.

This past week my friend Angi sent me her photos from our recent visit to the Henson Studios for the “Puppet Up!” show. Here she is with one of the original Skekses from “The Dark Crystal.”