March 24 – March 30 (2014) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

I’m really enjoying watching the short-lived 70’s series “Search” on DVD. I started looking around for a decent replica of the “scanner ring” worn in the show, but couldn’t find any makers any longer. But this is a great shot of how it looks in the show. Cool prop!

One of my favorite new artists (only new because I’ve only recently discovered them) is Washed Out. Otherwise known as Ernest Greene, Washed Out creates such an amazing vibe with his music that really reaches me. I first heard his song “Feel It All Around” used as bumper music on a radio talk show. I contacted the show’s producer and they steered me in the direction of their website, which had a full rundown of all the bumper music used. From there I went to iTunes to find the song. But I also found many of his other songs that I loved just as much. Recently I checked iTunes to see if Washed Out had anything new, and sure enough he did! I ended up buying another four or five songs! His music genre is something called Chillwave. (I’m learning new stuff all the time!) The song I haven’t been able to get out of my mind all week is “All I Know.” Not only is the melody and structure of the song wonderful, but have a look at these lyrics too. I think we’ve all been through this at some point…

“ALL I KNOW”

I can see your face on the wall
I hear your voice and I call
I feel the weight of it all
Can’t brace myself for the fall

In the silence I hear your fading call
In your eyes I see and feel it all
In my mind I try to let go
It’s so hard cause you’re all I know

You act like there’s nothing wrong
You laugh when I call on the phone
Say it’s time that I try to move on
That the life that we had is now gone

In the silence I hear your fading call
In your eyes I see and feel it all
In my mind I try to let go
It’s so hard cause you’re all I know

Monday the 24th – CARPET CRAZY! – When I got up at noon I walked Roxy and my friend Edi’s dog Bunny, who was staying with us for a few days. Shaun the Carpet Guy came over at 1 to patch a section of carpet on my second level that had worn down to the mesh. (Lots of foot traffic on that area!) When Electric Bob laid down hard wood laminate in my office area the previous Saturday, he pulled up a big piece of carpet that will be used as donor carpet for the patch. Shaun did a very nice job on the patch, and he also took care of a few other little carpet-related items around Planet Wallywood that I’ve been meaning to get fixed for quite some time. The Ford guy called and said my Mustang was done with the service. He said my ’03 Mustang is in impeccable shape. I asked about having it repainted, since 10 years of L.A. driving has left its mark on my paint in several areas. He said it wouldn’t need a total repaint, just a few areas. Then a good buff and polish. Great news! Besides, he said with older black cars, it’s good to keep as much of the original paint as possible. I did some more work on my voice-over demos. My agents locked down the order of my Commercial Announce Demo, Commercial Character Demo, and my Best of “The Tonight Show” Demo. Once the order and content were locked, then I sent them over to my pal Scott Sebring to mix and sweeten them. I walked the doggies again, then went to get my car with my assistant Sara. We grabbed some dinner at Denny’s on the way home. And once I got home I grabbed a quick nap. When I woke up I did auditions and put the office back together. It was looking great! Moving the office over so the wood flooring could be installed forced me to get rid of a lot of junk that had been cluttering my computer table. I still have some stuff to put back, but a lot of the stuff is going into storage. I made some chili and a sandwich and watched “Search” with Roxy, Bunny and Spook in the bedroom. I got to sleep around 8am Tuesday morning!

Tuesday the 25th – TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS! – I walked Bunny and Roxy when we got up at noon. Then my A/V guy Mark Ackerman came by to swap out some units in my upstairs and downstairs Entertainment Center. Sara came by to pick up some mail and get supplies. Edi made it back in town, so she, Sara and I met at Studio Café to grab dinner. When we finished eating, I headed home to meet up with Sean the computer guy to find out why my computer was having certain issues. I got a quick nap, then got up for auditions. It was lightly raining outside, and it gave the sidewalks a nice glaze. I was able to keep Bunny a few more days, so I took the doggies out for a walk, then everyone got fed. I came inside to work on the database and update it with the latest video and audio acquisitions to my collection. Then I called it a day and hit the hay.

Wednesday the 26th – WASHED OUT! – I had planned on going to the outdoor range with Edi and my shooting friend Caya, but the rain overnight would have most likely made the outdoor range a muddy, mucky mess. So we opted to go to the indoor range in Burbank instead. Edi and I met Caya for lunch at Coral Café, and we ran into Jerrry Maren, one of the few surviving castmembers from “The Wizard of Oz!” He played one of the Lollipop Guild guys, and in fact, HE was the one who gave Judy Garland the lollipop! I’m happy to report that he seemed to be in VERY good health! We went over to the gun store to look at a suitable pistol for Edi. She’s looking to purchase one in the near future. She liked the Smith & Wesson Model 686. So when we got to Firing Line in Burbank she rented one. Her very FIRST shot was RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES of the target silhouette! Clearly, this is the gun for her! When the zombie apocalypse hits, I want her on MY side! When I got home I saw that Roxy had peed on the plastic in the living room. She has been having potty issues lately, which are due to defiance and not a physical issue. She was messing with me. Her trainer Carol suggested I keep her in the pen in the garage every time I’m away, but that seems harsh. Carol is coming over tomorrow to work with Roxy and put her back in line. I guess I’m not militant enough with her. Edi and I drove over to Brittney’s to take her to dinner, then I came home to record a bunch of auditions. After that I turned in because I was totally exhausted. Long day!

Thursday the 27th – WHAT AN HONOR! – At 8:30 I took Roxy out for a bit, then we went back inside to sleep until noon. It felt really good to get a long, period of sleep. When I signed on my e-mail I read a letter from my high school’s Alumni Association informing me that I was being inducted into the Aberdeen Central High School Hall of Fame on October 11, 2014! How cool is that? “The Tonight Show” ends and Jay gets inducted into the TV Hall Of Fame, and I get inducted into my high school’s Hall of Fame! Though I’m sure Jay felt highly honored by his induction, this news made me feel just as proud! I walked Roxy and Bunny, then Carol came over to work with Roxy. She laid down the law! Roxy became a different dog. She gave me some tips about what to do and how to effect the changes I wanted in Roxy’s behavior. Roxy’s very dominant and Carol says this is a power struggle, in a sense. She said Roxy loves me, but doesn’t respect me. So that’s gotta change! My A/V guy Mark came over with his friend Bruce and installed HDMI cables in my upstairs Entertainment Center. They pulled out all of the component video cables, so my picture should improve immensely! At the end of the day I had gotten a bad sinus headache, so I laid down for a rest. It’s fairly common this time of year. I was scheduled to do a “Naruto” session, but I wasn’t feeling up to it, so I called to see if we could reschedule. When I got up from my nap I did auditions, paid bills, scanned checks for a deposit and did some bookwork. Then I fed Roxy, Bunny and Spook. Carol said Roxy needs to lose some weight, so I’m cutting her dinner down a bit. We took our late night stroll through the neighborhood, then I made some Buffalo Mac and got ready to watch another “Search” episode. I got to sleep around 7:30am Friday morning. Sometimes it’s tough being a nocturnal!

Friday the 28th – MONSTERPALOOZA! – When I got up at noon I walked Roxy, then recorded a last-minute audition. I answered some e-mails, then my agent called about a last-minute session at Voice Trax West at 4. I did some work around the house then headed over to the studio to record the voice tracks for the videogame trailer. On my way I stopped at Studiopolis to pick up a check, picked up some vitamins at my local supplement store, went to the bank to deposit some checks, then hit Voice Trax West and did the session. I got back home just in time to meet up with my friend Amanda who had come to town to go to Monsterpalooza with me. Monsterpalooza is a monster/horror/sci-fi focused convention done annually in the spring. In the fall (around Halloween) they do SON of Monsterpalooza, a smaller yet just as entertaining convention. At the convention we saw my old pal Dan Roebuck, and lots of other friends. It was a great time and the crowd was manageable. We stopped by Little Toni’s on the way home to grab some pizza, then headed home. I wanted to hit the hay so I got lots of sleep to fight the crowds at Saturday’s Monsterpalooza!

Saturday the 29th – PEPSI ONE…MORE TIME?! – Amanda and I got to Monsterpalooza around 1pm and it was packed. Too packed, in fact. It wasn’t even really fun. I saw my pal Pete Tassler there, and we hung out for a bit. But I was looking forward to going home and escaping the mob. I think the producers of this show need to find a bigger venue! I did manage to see my pal Ron Chaney and his lovely family. We chatted for a bit, then I said my last goodbyes to other friends and split around 3. It gave me the chance to get some groceries on the way home. I got most of the items on my list, but in the soda section I couldn’t find Pepsi One. There wasn’t even a section for it. Had they stopped carrying it? OH NO! Typical. Everything I like gets discontinued sooner or later. I called Edi and asked her to pick up a few 12 packs on her way to movie night. I got home, unloaded the groceries, cleaned up, fed the pets, dumped the trash, and actually got a two hour nap before movie night started. Pete and a few of his friends came by to watch the 1974 film “Doc Savage.” Lots of fun! But when Edi arrived she said she had stopped at three stores and none of them had Pepsi One! We immediately went on-line and saw that Consumer Reports had issued a story in early January that Pepsi One had more carcinogens in it than any other comparable soda. But then the FDA issued a report that said it wasn’t true. Because Pepsi One is sweetened with Splenda, the competing Aspartame people have been known to plant reports indicating the danger of drinks that may be cutting into their marketshare. This looked like one of those times. I don’t drink a lot of Pepsi One, only a few a week, but I really like it at certain times. I hardly ever drink anything with Aspartame in it any longer. It was giving me leg cramps and other problems. When I found out Aspartame is a neuro-toxin, I cut the cord almost completely. When my movie night guests left I headed to my local grocery store and VOILA! I found 6 12 packs in stock! I bought them all. The manager I spoke with said it sells very well at his store and they have no plans to stop carrying it. Like Diet Rite, I hope I don’t have to start buying it on-line and having it shipped in. That gets expensive! The shipping alone costs more than the actual soda! I came home to do some work around the house, and take Roxy on our late night stroll. We stopped for a little while to listen to a bird singing in the tree overhead. It sure is haunting to hear a bird singing its little heart out in the still of the night. I love it! I came back inside to do a little more work, then prepared for my usual “Saturday Night Saint and Salad Night”…with an awesome salad and an episode of “The Saint” on DVD!

Sunday the 30th – JUST ANOTHER SLEEPY SUNDAY! – It was about 8:30am when I finally got settled and got to sleep, so needless to say I slept all day. I did get up around 1 to walk Roxy, but then collapsed back in bed until it was time to get up for evening church. Roxy and I walked over and had a lovely time at the service. There were a few other doggies there for her to see. I had wanted to get the Torino out and drive to Barone’s, but Sara was out of town visiting friends, and Edi had just picked up her daughter at the airport and they were tired. So I decided to hang around the house, do some work and nap in the Puppet Room. Sunday really IS my day of rest! When I got up I tackled a ton of auditions and sent them to my agents. I fed Roxy and Spook, walked Roxy, then headed to bed for an early voice-over session Monday morning. I made a Tombstone pizza and watched an episode of “Search” before bed. Next week I’m going to tackle my Narration and Promo demos!
And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Amanda meets Twisted Sister’s Dee Snyder at Monsterpalooza!