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Monday the 4th \u2013 PATIO PUPPET! \u2013<\/span> Grant Baciocco is one of the brilliant improv\/puppeteers who performs regularly in the Henson Company\u2019s \u201cPuppet Up!\u201d show, and he\u2019s been a buddy of mine for a long time. He\u2019s also a fellow Dr. Demento fan and content creator. He recently performed for two weekends in the latest mounting of \u201cPuppet Up!\u201d at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Though I couldn\u2019t make any of the performances, I asked him for a favor. Since discovering that my 7 year old granddaughter Natalie is very interested in puppets, I asked him to grab one of the little yellow girl puppets for me at their souvenir stand. The boy and girl puppets they sell at the show (who are patterned after two of the characters featured in the hilarious \u201camateur\u201d puppeteer segment in the show) are just the right size for young hands. I had assembled a nice package to send to the grandkids, and was waiting for delivery of the little yellow girl puppet from Grant before I could ship it. Today was the day that Grant had time to meet for lunch at Paty\u2019s and hand off the puppet. We had a fun lunch, as always, but he refused to take money for the puppet. Though I insisted, he said that the company didn\u2019t charge him for it at all. He explained why. After a volunteer amateur puppeteer is chosen from the audience, and has participated in the show (oftentimes to hilarious results!), they are given a souvenir puppet that resembles the character that they just performed. If it\u2019s a male volunteer, they give him the green guy puppet. And if it\u2019s a female they give her the yellow girl puppet. Grant explained that the company has to buy these puppets in pairs from the manufacturer. But the emcee of the show, Patrick Bristow, chooses a male volunteer more often than not for the segment of the show. This is due to two reasons. One, the volunteer chosen has to be tall enough to interact with the other \u2018pro\u2019 puppeteers onstage. Most women usually aren\u2019t tall enough. Secondly, men wear flat shoes more often than not, while women usually wear heels \u2013 particularly since they\u2019re dressed for a night out. He said that heels onstage are fairly dangerous given the plentiful amount of cords and cables that are present on the stage. So the company has a plentitude of little yellow girl puppets left over, since the little green guy puppets are given away at a higher ratio. The company told Grant they\u2019d be happy for him to take a little yellow girl puppet, as they had plenty! Fantastic! Natalie will be so impressed! After lunch I headed to the local UPS store to ship the box to the kids. For each kid (and my daughter Lacey too) I included a souvenir hot dog puppet that I acquired over the many performances I\u2019ve attended of \u201cPuppet Up!\u201d As a bonus, these puppets are all signed by Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson and one of the heads of Henson Studios. I knew that Lacey would love it because she\u2019s a \u201cLabyrinth\u201d fan, and Brian puppeteered and voiced Hoggle in the film. My grandson Devin, who loves to do character voices, got a copy of my buddy James Alburger\u2019s book \u201cThe Art of Voice Acting.\u201d And my grandson Elliot got a \u201cOne Piece\u201d t-shirt I bought at Hot Topic on the Universal Studios Citywalk. I included a hard drive for Lacey, loaded up with all of the relevant family videos and photos that I\u2019ve had in my archives for decades. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll enjoy sharing these with her family, as many of them include videos of relations who have long since passed. My only warning to her was, \u201cHave lots of Kleenex ready!\u201d Since it was another glorious day out, driving the Mustang around with the top down was big fun! I headed to the bank to make some deposits, stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items, and then headed home to record some auditions. Later I took my late-night WOG (walk\/jog) through the neighborhood, and spent some subsequent time in the anti-gravity chair behind my garage relaxing, looking at the sky, and enjoying an iced tea. But I was struggling again with the bright, blinding light that\u2019s pointed at our complex from the studio across the way. I\u2019m hoping they can do something about that right away. Up until last week, we had a fairly healthy group of trees that blocked all of that lighting from my purview. But since the trees were removed last week to prep for the refurbishment of our driveway, there\u2019s nothing left to block the blinding, garish lights \u2013 except the giant foam board-mounted poster that I keep in my garage. I came back inside to write Wally\u2019s Week and then hit the hay.<\/p>\nTuesday the 5th \u2013 TWEAKED TEETH AND TIDY TREE! \u2013<\/span> About a month ago I had my semi-annual dentist appointment scheduled for my usual check-up and cleaning. But it fell right during the week that I had to rush to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to visit my mom in hospice and say goodbye to her. Today was the rescheduled appointment, and after a quick cleaning I was on my way to Paty\u2019s again for lunch with my pal Kelly Delcambre, who created my new Roger M00re\/James Bond figure. I wanted him to stop by my house to give 007 a few tweaks to make sure he was posed in the manner in which he was created. After a fun lunch on the patio we headed to Planet Wallywood and Kelly gave him a few tweaks to get him looking sharp again. While he was there he made a few suggestions for improving the look of my Michael Myers figure in the Chaney Room. And whattaya know?! He looked a lot better! My gardener came by to look over the tree and plants by my front steps. The tree had grown very tall and needed a trim. The whole area needed a freshening up, in fact. Nicco handled it marvelously and it now looks orderly and gorgeous. I recorded a few auditions, and then relaxed for the rest of the day. Later I did my nightly WOG, and then cooled down again in my anti-grav chair. Though it was another warm, pleasant summer night \u2013 once again the light intrusion from the studio was prohibitive to fully enjoying the evening and relaxing. However, the manager of our complex assured me that the studio has been made aware of the intrusion issue and will hopefully fix it soon. After enjoying an iced tea I came back inside to do some work, and reconcile my corporate bank account.<\/p>\nWednesday the 6th \u2013 HALF OVER ALREADY?! \u2013<\/span> Hard to believe it\u2019s already Wednesday, and the week is half done. I made a bunch of phone calls, including one to my dad. He had been in the hospital for a while with a lot of issues. It was discovered that he had caught a Norovirus, in addition to having a UTI, along with severe dehydration. I feel the stress of my mother\u2019s passing, and all of the resulting responsibilities thereafter, had lowered my 90 year old dad\u2019s immune system considerably. But he sounded much better and my family and I think he\u2019ll be OK going forward. He\u2019s always been solid as a rock, and he managed to beat this latest setback marvelously. During the recent Voices Against Cancer event in Sioux Falls I got back in touch with my old pal, and fellow Voice Actor Kerrigan Mahan. Today we chatted on the phone for almost 3 hours! He doesn\u2019t live in my area, but at some point in the future I may drive to a city that\u2019s halfway between us so we can enjoy dinner. Later my pal Amanda happened to be in town, so we decided to meet at Bob\u2019s Big Boy for dinner. She loves Bob\u2019s because of their crushed ice! But unlike everyone else in the restaurant, we decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the warm, pleasant summer evening! It was fantastic! Later I recorded my nightly auditions, took my usual WOG, and spent some time outside in the anti-grav chair. When I got back inside I made a salad and watched the final episode of \u201cThe Incredible Hulk\u201d from the fifth and final season. Though I was glad to have finished the entire series, it was admittedly a little difficult to get through from time to time. As expected, the show had become very formulaic and predictable. I\u2019m glad I finished it all the way through, but this is NOT one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Next my viewing habits will turn to Netflix, as I want to get through all of the English dubs of the second season of \u201cErsan Kuneri\u201d (the Turkish sitcom I dubbed last year), as well as the second season of \u201cTiger and Bunny\u201d (the anime cartoon I dubbed several years ago). I\u2019m looking forward to those with great anticipation!<\/p>\nThursday the 7th \u2013 NEW SYSTEM\u2026INCOMING! \u2013<\/span> The majority of the day was spent doing random stuff around the house. I spoke with my computer guy Brian about preparations for my new computer system, which has been in the works for several months now. I realize that the new system will come with several adjustments to unfamiliar programs and software, and I have to be prepared for that. Right now we\u2019re discussing the best way for my pal Thor, who\u2019s building the system, to do all of the data transfer from my current system. We discussed options that would provide for minimal inconvenience and downtime. I continued to work around the house, and record my daily auditions.<\/p>\nFriday the 8th \u2013 PEACEFUL PARADISE! \u2013<\/span> I received word from my daughter Lacey that she and the kids received the package I sent. I got some great photos from them with all of their spoils! Now I\u2019m anxious to hear how Lacey and her family like the photos and videos, once they get a chance to look them over. I hit the cleaners to pick up a comforter I had cleaned, and then my pal Chris Malmin met me for lunch on the patio at Paty\u2019s. I stopped by my box to pick up some packages, which included a DVD set of a late-70\u2019s show I had never heard of called \u201cFantastic Journey.\u201d My pal Kelly told me about it earlier in the week, and I ordered it on amazon. The show looks like it has a great cast, and a ton of wonderful guest stars \u2013 so I\u2019m thinking that I may like it quite a bit! Kelly highly recommends it! When I got back home I did some work around the house and relaxed. Later I took my nightly WOG, and when I got outside I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes! Was I dreaming?! The garish, intrusive lighting from the studio across the way had been totally extinguished! WOW! Everything looked nice and sedate! After my WOG I enjoyed a peaceful, relaxing time in the anti-grav chair looking at the bright full moon and the shooting stars! It was wonderful! I shot a video to have our manager send to the studio thanking them profusely for dousing the search light. I came inside to do some more work, and then head to bed.<\/p>\nSaturday the 9th \u2013 HOLDING COMEDY HISTORY! \u2013<\/span> About a month ago I told my pal Tyler St. Mark (he sold me the original screen-used \u201cSons of the Desert\u201d fez about a year and a half ago) that I would be interested in acquiring a Stan Laurel lamp he had in his collection. Through his friendship with Stan\u2019s daughter Lois, he had acquired several amazing items \u2013 including a vintage chalk ware lamp that was in near-perfect condition! In addition to its amazing condition, the lamp had been signed by Lois herself! Tyler was in town doing some business, so he made time to stop by and drop off the lamp. But he also brought along another treat\u2026one of Stan\u2019s original derbies that Lois had gifted him with! I was holding in my gloved hands comedy history! As soon as I saw it I recognized it to be in the style of Stan\u2019s typical derbies; flat, narrow brim, with a tall crown. Tyler said Stan always liked his derbies to be a bit smaller than his head so they would sit higher on his head for comedic value. Though it was very fragile, it was fun to hold daintily in my hands. WOW! I never thought I\u2019d ever see one of these babies in person. The 14 year old inside me was SCREAMING! After that I sped off to Bob\u2019s Big Boy to meet up with my pal Drew Massey, who was back for a few weeks from the Coldplay tour. He and his girlfriend Nicolette perform the puppets in the segment of the concert that features The Weirdos, a puppet band led by Angel Moon (performed by Nicolette). He said they go out next week for a 12 show run in the U.K., and then they\u2019re taking a year off. I asked him if it would be possible to shoot a quick video of Nicolette with the puppet that I could send to my granddaughter Natalie. He said they\u2019d love to! Ironically, their first show in the U.K. is in my son-in-law\u2019s hometown of Hull! What are the chances?! After lunch I rushed to the hardware store before they closed to pick up a few items I\u2019d need to secure the area where my vintage Stan Laurel lamp will live on my desk. I needed to acquire a few \u201cL\u201d brackets that I could fasten to the edge of my desk that would prevent the lamp from sliding off the edges of my desktop and crashing to the floor. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some items I needed for my Saturday Night Super Salad, and I also stopped by the cigar store to pick up a few cigars. When I got home I got busy attaching the \u201cL\u201d brackets to my desk. I dug out a few paint brushes and ran a bowl full of water. I took the lamp (which had been in storage for decades) and put it on my kitchen table. Gently and methodically, I brushed the water off the surface of the lamp to clean off the dust and dirt. It cleaned up pretty well. Then I set up the lamp at the appropriate place on my desk, popped in the 7 watt LED bulb and WOW \u2013 this baby is terrific! Then I turned my attention to replacing the bracket that holds my Batshield in place in my Batcave section. The old plastic bracket had become brittle and cracked, so I drilled in a new bracket so the Batshield would stay in place while it\u2019s on display. Later I recorded the auditions that were due on Monday, and took my nightly WOG. While in the anti-grav chair I saw a bunch of meteors; a few of them were quite stunning! I made my Saturday Night Super Salad and watched another episode of \u201cBoris Karloff\u2019s Thriller.\u201d While it was great seeing guest stars Jack Weston (in a really bad bald cap), Kevin Hagen (many years prior to his tenure in \u201cLand of the Giants,\u201d) and future Bond Girl Luciana Paluzzi \u2013 the episode was confusing. It took place in vintage France, and between all of the Frenchisms I didn\u2019t understand, and the thick French accents, it was very hard to follow.<\/p>\nSunday the 10th \u2013 RACCOON SURPRISE! \u2013<\/span> The usual \u201ccomatose Sunday\u201d that I enjoy was no different from any other \u201ccomatose Sunday\u201d \u2013 very peaceful and relaxing. Later I took my nightly WOG and enjoyed some subsequent time out back in the anti-grav chair. In fact, it was so peaceful and enjoyable that I literally started falling asleep in my chair. I remember hearing what seemed like the sound of a leaf hitting the pavement. It was a common sound I\u2019d hear while out enjoying some relaxation time \u2013 that is up until about a week ago. I abruptly stirred awake realizing that it would be impossible, considering that all the trees had been removed from the area recently. So what DID make that sound?! I looked to my left and saw two curious and VERY large raccoons looking at me. They were probably wondering if I was real, and if I was \u2013 what the heck was I doing outside at 3 in the morning in their territory. Startled, I sat up quickly in my chair \u2013 which caused them to scurry away hastily. One of the great parts of being a night person, and spending peaceful time outside, is encountering all of the nocturnal wildlife in the area. Then I got to thinking about something, and it all became perfectly clear. My neighbors have a motion sensor on their Ring doorbell camera that speaks when motion is detected. It says, \u201cHi. You\u2019re currently being recorded.\u201d Over the past few weeks, I had been hearing that voice greeting being triggered, when I knew full well that nobody was out there walking around at that time of the night. Now I think I may know who (or what) has been triggering their motion sensor at odd hours. These two late-night scavengers were now the most likely suspects. It all made perfect sense, considering they are both big enough to trigger such a mechanism. I came back inside to make some food and plan for the new week. Monday my pal Robert Luna would be coming over with some friends to load out my Mike and Sulley Monsters, Inc. figures, so I needed to do some prep!<\/p>\nAnd how was YOUR week?!?!<\/p>\n
PIX FROM THE WEEK<\/p>\n
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