September 28 – October 4 (2015)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

While Googling around looking for Halloween costume ideas, I stumbled across this meme. Classic!

While flipping through the channels just before I went to sleep, I saw a new commercial with an amazing song by Willie Nelson. I’ve always liked Willie’s stuff, but this put him in the stratosphere as far as I was concerned. This video (as well as the commercial) is very dog-centric, so I hope you enjoy “I’ve Loved You All Over The World.” I’ve been singing it to Roxy ever since I saw it on TV!

Monday the 28th – CELEBRI-MONDAY! – Wow! What a busy way to start the week! Mid-afternoon I walked Roxy after we woke up, and then walked my neighbor’s dog Abby the Greyhound. I love Abby. She’s great. I e-mailed my effects guy Jim Ojala about the progress of the Michael Myers “Halloween” mask we’re doing (refer to previous Wally’s Week for details; the full account of the process will be up in time for Halloween!), and then got some mail ready to go to the Post Office. I drove down to Paty’s to meet my assistant Sara for lunch after I mailed my letters. While at the Post Office I recognized Dorian Harewood standing in line. I introduced myself and reminded him that we were both in the cartoon “Astro Boy” together, though we had never physically worked together. Since it was ADR on a previously animated Japanese cartoon, all the actors do their sessions alone so they can just focus on their lines. What a nice guy! After lunch I stopped by the cleaners to drop a comforter to be cleaned, and Erik Estrada was in there getting fitted for something. He’s a really nice guy too and seems to really enjoy life. It was a gorgeous day so I was enjoying driving around drinking in the sights. I went to the hardware store to make a magnetic/hinged doorstop for my bedroom door. It will magnetically attach to the cabinet right by my bedroom door. When I need to prop my door open the hinge will allow it to drop down to a 90 degree angle and block the door open about 5 inches. It’s just enough for my cat Spook to push open if he wants to come in and visit. If my windows are open sometimes a draft of air comes in and creates pressure that will slam my bedroom door shut. But this new door stop should prevent that from happening. It’s funny. Whenever I used to want to make stuff like this I would always call my pal Terry and he’d whip up something amazing. But since he passed away in August I guess I’ll have to start doing things for myself. When I got home I got the drill and some screws, and attached it to the side of the cabinet. I’ll cover it with some black vinyl so it looks cool and we should be good. I sat at the computer and edited some music. I checked on the Palm Springs weather forecast for next week and it looks to be perfect; 95 for a high and 66 for a low. However, I’ve gotten suckered in by cushy extended forecasts before. And I’ve had to cancel my plans last-minute when late-summer heat waves roll in (like a few weeks ago!) So I’m waiting a bit before making the decision whether to go or not. I grabbed a quick nap, and then got up for my auditions. Once I recorded them and e-mailed them to my agent I fed and walked Roxy, and then made some food. I hit the hay to watch another episode of “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.” before I went to sleep.

Tuesday the 29th – WESTSIDE WONDERMENT! – Shortly after I woke up at 11 I got an e-mail from the people at “Ellen” asking if I could cut an audition for a bit they were doing. I laid that down and then sent it their way. I grabbed a shower and then met up with my friend Sandy. She’s an aspiring Voice Actress who will be shadowing me on a few gigs to learn the ropes. We drove down to Marina Del Rey to go to a place called Global Eagle so I could record some in-flight stuff for American Airlines. When we finished up I drove over to Campo’s to get some lunch. It’s my favorite Mexican place, but since they’re only on the westside of L.A. I don’t get to eat there often. We stopped by It’s a Wrap to check on the Halloween costumes, but I didn’t see anything that interested me. I drove home and grabbed a nap. When I got up I had some new ideas for moving around a few of my displays. A few things would have to go, in order to make room for some new things. I worked around the house, drew up plans, did some measuring and made notes. Then I did my nightly auditions. I fed and walked Roxy on our late night stroll through the neighborhood, and then I came inside to make a Tombstone pizza and watch another episode of “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.” – a show I’m rather enjoying.

Wednesday the 30th – AUCTION ACTION! – By the time I got up at 1:30 in the afternoon Profiles in History had left a few messages on my phone to test it before the auction later in the day. I was on the phone auction list to bid on a few items later in the day. Because of work responsibilities I wasn’t able to attend the auction in person. I got ready to do a 3 hours session for Project X; a new Voice Over project very similar to the US Airways job I’ve been doing. I can’t tell you anything about it yet, but we’ll be working on it at least until June of next year. The final product will be out in a year or so. It’s a pretty amazing project! When Project X finished around 6, I stopped by my mailbox to pick up my mail. While I was loading stuff into the car Profiles in History called. It was time to bid. The first item that I was only casually interested in went way over the price I had in mind. So I let it go. But the one I REALLY wanted was yet to come. I won’t tell you want it was, but it would have been a nice addition to my “TV DETECTIVES” collection. It would have fit right in with my Jack Lord suit, my Hutch jacket, and my Mannix sport coat. I felt the estimated price in the catalog was much too low. Like it was missing a zero. I had in mind how much I was going to bid, but once they called and the auction started I went a lot higher than I had originally intended. But I still got outbid! I figured it was OK, as the final hammer price was way above what it should have been. And sure enough, it was about 10 times what the estimated price in the catalog was! Indeed, it was missing a zero! The original estimate was $300-$600, but the final hammer price was $6000…way overpriced for what it was. Oh well…c’est la’vie! Somebody wanted it much worse than I did. I drove by McDonald’s to get some dinner and then headed home. I took a dip in the Jacuzzi, unpacked all my packages, and grabbed a quick nap. When I got up I did my usual audition thing, made dinner and got ready for bed. I spoke too soon about “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.” I’m afraid. The episode I watched tonight was really, REALLY stupid.

Thursday the 1st – DAZED, DISORIENTED, DIZZY, DEJA VU – It’s hard to believe it’s already October! Soon my parents will be visiting, and it’ll be Halloween. Then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then New Year’s! WOW! I checked the Palm Springs weather and sure enough, the extended forecast was looking much hotter than it was before. I’m not sure if I’m going to get to go after all. I checked some of my e-mails and then headed off to Project X. But there was a scheduling snafu and I was there a full hour before I was needed! My agent got some bad information and the contact at the studio came up to me to apologize personally. Since I had some time to kill I went to Taco Bell to get lunch. I went back to Bang Zoom studios and did the session from 4 until 7pm. When I got home I met up with my pal Sandy for a while to chat and catch up, and then my effects guy Jim Ojala dropped by with the Michael Myers “Halloween” mask sculpt to get approval before we made the mold. I did my auditions and then fed my pets around 2am. But as I was doing that, I heard something on the radio that sounded very familiar; like I had heard it before. I got that weird feeling of déjà vu, but it didn’t pass quickly like déjà vu normally does. It lingered. And it only went downhill from there. While the pets ate, I sat down at the computer and it was like I was in a hazy daze. It was difficult for me to remember anything. I was in a foggy, dreamlike state – feeling very disoriented. I took Roxy outside for a walk figuring I needed some fresh air. When I came back inside I wasn’t much better. I knew I wasn’t having a stroke because I stuck my tongue out and said the alphabet backwards, or whatever you’re supposed to do when you have a stroke. I laid down on the couch and slept for about an hour. When I woke up at 4am I realized the problem. I hadn’t eaten anything in about 13 hours! The last thing I had to eat was at Taco Bell at 3pm! Was it low blood sugar that was causing me to feel so disoriented? I wasn’t up for making a large meal and watching TV, so I had a bowl of cereal and felt better. But it was definitely weird. I showered and hit the hay. Often times I forget to eat, but I’m going to have to be a little more diligent about it in the future I guess.

Friday the 2nd – FRIGHTFULLY FULL FRIDAY! – When I woke up at 11:30 I was feeling much better. I was fully convinced that my problem was because of lack of food. I walked Roxy, did some work on-line, and then headed to my seamstress’ studio around 12:30. She’s going to do a few alterations on some costumes and do a few odds and ends for me. She has an unfinished Tony Clifton jacket laying around and I’m hoping she can get it done soon so I can put it on eBay for some Tony Clifton impersonator to buy for Halloween. It was good to see her and play with her amazing dog Jack. But I was having so much fun I lost track of time. I had to be at Bang Zoom studios for Project X at 2! After a quick stop at Burger King for lunch (don’t want to run into the same problem I had last night) I made my way to Burbank. Luckily I was only 5 minutes late to Project X, even though I don’t like to be late at all, as a rule. But Friday afternoon traffic in Los Angeles is always a challenge. We worked until 4:05 (exactly two hours) and then I headed off to the cleaners to pick up the comforter I had dropped off on Monday. I had fully intended to drop by a shoe store and have a pair of boots shined, but the dry cleaners I go to has a shoe shine guy that sits outside and works. Perfect! So while Howard shined my boots I chatted with him about his line of work. It was a gorgeous day and I was really missing driving my Gran Torino around. I’ve just got to get a new battery installed so I can drive her around again. I headed back home to feed the pets, got a quick nap (really intense week!) and then got up to meet some guys from South Dakota at Jerry’s Famous Deli. They were in town on vacation and it was fun talking about Sioux Falls stuff for a few hours over soup and sandwiches. I got home just in time to take a dip in the Jacuzzi and reflect about how happy I was that it was finally the weekend! I had a lot of fun stuff planned and I was looking forward to it. I napped on the couch until 2am (I was REALLY beat!) and then got up to feed the pets and take Roxy on our late night stroll around the neighborhood. Then I made some beef stew and watched another episode of “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.”

Saturday the 3rd – SONS OF THE DESERT ARE WE! – I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time! The day started with lunch at Studio Café with my friend Caroline and her niece Emma (and Caroline’s dog Ridley and Roxy!). Emma is fascinated by Voice Acting and Voice Actors, and we always have a fun conversation about “the biz.” It was a really nice day for lunch on the patio with the dogs. When we finished I walked back home and got in my car to drive to Guns Direct in Burbank. My California-mandated 10 day waiting period was up, so I could go pick up the new Smith and Wesson model 327 MPR8 I purchased. It’s beautiful! What craftsmanship! Though I think a 10 day waiting period for somebody who already owns 27 handguns is the height of governmental stupidity, I look at it this way. It’s kind of like Christmas. My buddy in South Dakota can walk into a gun store, buy a gun, pass a background check that’s done in minutes over the internet, and walk out with his purchase. But in California they have a “cooling off” period of 10 days. This gives me something to look forward to…like Christmas! The handgun is beautiful and shoots either .357 rounds or .38 special rounds. I named it “Beef.” I got some groceries on the way home and then got ready for the Sons of the Desert meeting that night. Back in the 60’s a Laurel and Hardy appreciation society was formed by a few guys, including my good pal Chuck McCann. I used to read about it when I was a kid back in 1974. I longed to be a member of a tent someday. But there weren’t any tents in Aberdeen, South Dakota. But tonight I’d be moving my normal Planet Wallywood movie night to the Sons of the Desert meeting so we could watch Laurel and Hardy films on the big screen with other people who love them as much as we do. I paid my dues for the remainder of the year and got my very on SOTD membership card and certificate! My group of friends all had a great time and stayed until the end! The great Jim MacGeorge was there doing comedy onstage and talking about his experiences as the pre-eminent Stan Laurel impersonator. When I got back home I collapsed on the couch at 11:15 and napped until 3am. The excitement of the day wore me out! It started to rain around 3:30am which made for a gorgeous, perfect evening. I made a giant salad and sat in bed to watch “The Persuaders.” What a day!

Sunday the 4th – SUNDAY SPRINKLES – The day looked pretty nice when I got up at 4 to walk my neighbor’s dog Abby the Greyhound. But by the time Roxy and I walked to evening church at 5, it had started sprinkling again. Luckily we’re waterproof. Evening church was great and we had a wonderful time. I had seen a few old church friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Roxy and I walked home and I did some work before grabbing a short nap on the couch. When I got up it was time to do my nightly auditions. When I finished those I went through my receipts for the week and logged them into my corporate account. I did some other paperwork and then made some Buffalo Mac to enjoy while watching another episode of “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E” before bed. Tomorrow I’ll check the forecast for Palm Springs for next Wednesday through Sunday and if the weather’s nice enough, I’ll make my reservation at the Hyatt. I need some R&R and some stargazing again!

And how was YOUR week??!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Here’s the latest addition to the collection. It’s a Smith and Wesson model 327 MPR8. It shoots .357 Magnum rounds. I call him…”Beef.”

What is it about cats, that when you’re unwrapping something that came in the mail, they just HAVE to be in the middle of it?

IT’S OFFICIAL! It took me 42 years, but I’m FINALLY an official member of The Sons of The Desert; Way Out West tent!

Comedian, actor and legendary Stan Laurel impersonator Jim MacGeorge entertains the crowd with his comedy. By the way, Jim sez: If you want to defend yourself when being attacked by a group of clowns…go for the juggler!