{"id":5096,"date":"2018-06-25T14:25:09","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T21:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/wallysweek\/?p=5096"},"modified":"2019-04-26T19:24:12","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T19:24:12","slug":"june-25-july-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/june-25-july-8\/","title":{"rendered":"June 25 – July 8 (2018)"},"content":{"rendered":"

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n

This shot of a kid and a pug has always made me laugh!<\/p>\n

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 On the final day of my recent vacation in South Dakota “Like a Rock”<\/span> by Bob Seger came on local radio. I never cared much for the song other than it reminding me of the truck commercial. But for the first time I really focused on the lyrics. It seems so poignant and meaningful at that particular moment;it stayed in my brain for days after. It’s a truly great song, and I relate to its message.<\/p>\n

Sorry I haven’t been able to update Wally’s Week in a while, but after reading these entries you’ll see why it made more sense to do it in a two week block instead. That being said…ENJOY!<\/em><\/p>\n

Monday the 25th \u2013 COMIC CON COLLUSION! \u2013<\/span> The first thing I did when I woke up was to take Roxy over to the groomer for a much-needed bath. Then I headed over to Fed Ex to ship some clothes and articles to Sioux Falls so they would meet me at my hotel upon my arrival there Friday night. Since I still had the SUV from my Palm Springs trip it made it a lot easier than doing it with my Mustang. Then I headed over to the cleaners to pick up my comforter, stopped by the post office to mail off some eBay stuff, stopped by my mailbox to get some packages, and then I gassed up the SUV in preparation of returning it to Enterprise. I stopped home for a bit to create some more Kermit the Frog tumblers to give as gifts. I bought the green tumblers on Amazon, but I add a small vinyl Kermit collar to them to add a subtle identity. I took the SUV back, walked over to Rusty\u2019s to pick up Roxy, and then went home to do some more work. I had a dinner meeting with my pals Mark and Boz so we could plot our strategy for a few panels at Comic Con we\u2019re doing. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF ALL THREE PANELS!<\/a> After dinner I came home to nap for a bit, and then I got up to do a bunch of auditions in my home studio. I typed out Wally\u2019s Week, walked and fed Roxy, made a Tombstone pizza, and eventually got to bed around 6am.<\/p>\n

Tuesday the 26th \u2013 BUREAUCRACY BULLSPIT! \u2013<\/span> After only a few hours of sleep I got a call from the City of L.A.\u2019s IVR system (interactive voice response) to let me know what time the inspector would be coming by to inspect the work done on my water heater. Since I\u2019m the voice of the American Airlines IVR system I\u2019m somewhat familiar with how these work. But in typical idiotic City of L.A. fashion, the IVR froze just before it told me the time. I needed to know because I wanted to set my alarm to be up in time to meet with him. So I immediately called 311 and got an operator on the line. While I was speaking with her the IVR system tried to call me back. What a system! He\u2019d be at my house between 1 and 3, so I had a chance to grab a few more hours of sleep. When I had my water heater installed two years ago by Mike Diamond Plumbing, they botched the job and it wasn\u2019t up to code. (NEVER use Mike Diamond Plumbing! They don\u2019t finish their work!) So now a few years later, an inspector had to come by to put the permit to bed, as it had expired recently. I got up at 1 and did a few auditions while I waited for the inspector. He finally arrived at 2:30 and checked everything out. There were about three \u201ccorrections\u201d that needed to be done in order for it to be up to code. NEVER USE MIKE DIAMOND PLUMBING! So now I have to go through the whole thing again while I wait for the plumbers to come fix their shoddy workmanship. I got cleaned up and headed to Regenix for a follow up appointment. The analysis of my follicles was A-OK! I drove back home and chatted with Brian my computer guy. It appears that my computer is out of storage space in the back-up section. So he\u2019s going to make plans to fly in from Denver and install some new drives that have more space. Boy, it fills up fast! I did a little work at home and then met Gary Barlough for dinner at Jerry\u2019s Famous Deli. He has a new animation project he\u2019s working on and we talked about the possibility of me doing a few voices for the initial test run. Lots of fun! My pal Emily followed me over to the Ford dealer so I could drop off my Mustang for Early Bird service on Wednesday morning. I just need the standard maintenance done, but there are a few other things I\u2019d like to have them look at while it\u2019s in. Then Emily drove me back home and I grabbed a nap. Then I got up to do some writing. I attempted to free up some space on my hard drives but it didn\u2019t work out so well. I spent the rest of the night paying bills, reconciling receipts, going through my bank statements, prepping a bank deposit and doing bookkeeping. I made some spaghetti and watched a few more episodes of \u201cF Troop\u201d before bed.<\/p>\n

Wednesday the 27th \u2013 WORN OUT, WEAK & WOBBLY! \u2013<\/span> I slept most of the day, but I did get up mid-afternoon and called Ford to get an update on my Mustang. They said the rear shocks were leaking and needed replacement, but they wouldn\u2019t have the parts in until next week. Other than that, things were all good. So after working all afternoon around the house my friend Emily drove me back to Ford so I could pick up my black beauty. Then Emily and I went over to Denny\u2019s to grab some dinner. I stopped on the way home and got some groceries. But I was feeling listless, energy-less, tired. I wasn\u2019t exactly sure why. I came home and unloaded the groceries and then napped for a bit. I got up later and did a bunch of auditions, and then started packing stuff for my Sioux Falls trip. I went to bed early so I could be up for a session on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

Thursday the 28th \u2013 PRE-FLIGHT PREP! \u2013<\/span> The voice-over session I had was at 11 at Voice Trax West, and it only took about an hour. When I finished I got some combo fried rice at Chin Chin next door to the studio. Then I went over to the bank and deposited some money into my accounts. I took my Mustang to the car wash and ate my fried rice while they cleaned her up. But they were really busy and short-handed, so by the time they got to my car the water had already dried and left water spots. So they washed it again. I picked up a package at my mailbox and then headed home. I did a few auditions, and then my pal Scott Sebring stopped over to pick up a few things. Then I hopped in my freshly-washed Mustang and headed over to my oral surgeon\u2019s office for a follow-up appointment. He said everything was healing very well and he cleared me to fly the next day. For some odd reason my Mustang \u201cforced\u201d me into the Wienerschnitzel parking lot and I was \u201cforced\u201d into buying a delicious banana split. But I resisted. BOY did I resist. But I just wasn\u2019t powerful enough I guess. I got home and relaxed a bit, and then walked over to Floyd\u2019s Barbershop to get a touch-up on my color. When I got home my friend Brittney Powell came over to get updated on the pointers for housesitting Planet Wallywood, as she will be my caretaker while I\u2019m in South Dakota. We went to Jerry\u2019s Famous Deli to get some late dinner, and then I came back home to get a few hours of sleep before my early Friday morning flight.<\/p>\n

Friday the 29th \u2013 FRIDAY FLYIN\u2019 FIRST CLASS! –<\/span> It was up at 7:30am and out the door by 8:15am! I got to the airport at 8:30 and checked in for my American Airlines flight to Sioux Falls, South Dakota via Phoenix. I was joking around with the folks at the check-in desk and told them I was the voice they heard on the American Airlines phone system. Then I gave them a sample. They immediately dialed it up on the speakerphone and we all had a good laugh. One gal said, \u201cI\u2019ve gotten SO mad at you sometimes!\u201d I told her I hear that a lot. Great folks! This was the first time I\u2019ve ever flown First Class at my own expense, but it just worked out to where going First was the logical thing to do in this instance. It was a quick one-hour flight to Phoenix, and the departure gate for my Sioux Falls flight was ONE GATE AWAY from my arrival gate. Talk about easy squeezy! But my hotel in Sioux Falls called me while I was on the ground and said there was a problem with my hotel reservation. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but my luck with hotels these past few months has not been great. When I made the reservation I accidentally got on one of those intermediary website and unknowingly made the reservation through them instead of the hotel itself. BIG MISTAKE! The those guys are clever, as they make their webpages look EXACTLY like the real deal. So I ended up paying for a King suite entirely in advance. The hotel in Sioux Falls explained that the occupants of my King suite decided to extend their stay, so I would have to be \u201cdowngraded\u201d to a regular King room. But since the cost difference between the suite and the standard room was considerably, they weren\u2019t sure how to handle it since I had paid all in advance. They asked if I wanted points and I said I didn\u2019t have a membership program with them. They asked if I wanted breakfast and I said I wasn\u2019t a breakfast guy. But I told them we\u2019d work it all one once I got there, and they had about three hours (while I was in the air) to figure something out. Next time I\u2019m going to make DOUBLY SURE than I\u2019m not on one of those scammy intermediary sites when I book a room! I napped most of the way to Sioux Falls, but my iPod\u2019s battery gave out after only a few hours. And it had a full charge. I guess since my iPod is so old the battery isn\u2019t very good at holding a charge any longer. So I\u2019ve got to find one of those guys on-line who replace the battery for you. I had it done once before with another iPod and it worked out really great! So I read a few comics until we reached Sioux Falls. On the flight from Phoenix to Sioux Falls, there was an elderly man in the row in front of me. Through conversations with his middle-aged son (who was sitting across the aisle from him) I found out that his dad had flown all sorts of military aircraft when he was in the service. The elderly man was asking a lot of questions about the aircraft and the flight attendants were more than happy to answer them. But it eventually became clear that the elderly man probably had the early stages of Alzheimer’s, as he kept repeating himself a lot and asking the same questions over and over. My grandpa died of Alzheimer’s and it’s a horrible disease. Though he had a wonderful sense of humor about everything, he did seem to get a bit confused about using the bathroom, the seat belt, etc. But the flight attendant on duty was very doting and assisted him in all facets of the flight. Though I’ve always been proud to be associated with American, I was prouder than ever at that moment. The flight was bang-on time and arrived at 4:45pm sharp. I went down and got my baggage and my rental car. The gal behind the desk at Enterprise, whose name was Mary, said my name and said, \u201cYou used to be quite the celebrity back in the day.\u201d Apparently she remembered my name from my work as a radio DJ back in the 80\u2019s. WOW! Good memory! I walked out of the building to find my car and it felt like I had been hit with a giant hot, wet sponge! The humidity and heat were gross! While I was no stranger to heat, through my many trips to Palm Springs, I had forgotten just how awful the humidity element in South Dakota can be! I got in my car and started up the A\/C immediately. I got to my hotel and checked in. They presented me with $150 worth of gift cards for the mix-up. I appreciated that gesture. I think the King room will suffice just fine. Though I didn\u2019t do the math, I think the total amount of the gift cards negated the difference in price I pre-paid for the suite. I wasn\u2019t going to complain about it if it was a few dollars off. I was there to have a good time! I met my folks at a restaurant they like called the Fry\u2019n Pan and we had some food. The last thing I had eaten was breakfast at the airport in L.A. before my flight took off. I slept through the meal on the plane so I was extra hungry! But after our dinner I snuck by the B&G Milky Way and got a few sloppy joes (LOVE THOSE THINGS!) and a shake. I got to my room and unpacked, got settled, and later on I ordered a Boss\u2019 Pizza. I LOVE THOSE THINGS TOO! Then I hit the hay for a busy Saturday!<\/p>\n

Saturday the 30th \u2013 ONE WEDDING AND A FUNERAL! \u2013<\/span> Though the main reason for my trip to South Dakota was to attend my niece Sara\u2019s wedding, it so happened that it was the same day of a funeral. My good pal and old radio buddy Scott (next year we\u2019ll have known each other 40 years!) lost his mother-in-law recently to cancer. Her funeral was at 1pm. Since I was in town it was only right that I attend, and I was happy to do so. The humidity wasn\u2019t as bad as the day before, and it had actually started to sprinkle a little bit. After the funeral I met an old childhood pal for lunch at the Fry\u2019n Pan. Charlie Hausman lived three doors down from me when I was a kid living in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He was back in town helping his parents with some tasks, so we found time to meet. We had a fun conversation, but when I looked at the clock I realized I was running a bit behind for the wedding. It was set for 4:30 and it was about 20 miles out of town! I didn\u2019t have time to go back to my room and change into my other outfit, so I high-tailed it over to the church in Baltic wearing what I had on from the funeral. The wedding was delightful and it was great seeing my relatives. After the wedding I drove back to my room in Sioux Falls and changed clothes. Then I stopped at B&G Milky Way and had a few delicious sloppy joes. I got out to the reception and spent the evening conversing with various family members. After the games, speeches and festivities, they had karaoke. My uncle Bill was the first one up and he sang \u201cMargaritaville\u201d marvelously! In fact, I\u2019m going to start calling him \u201cMargaritaBILL!\u201d By midnight it was time to head out, but a downpour had started. Here I was in the middle of nowhere, in unfamiliar territory, dark gravel roads, and rain hitting my rental car like I was in a car wash! But I managed to safely find my way to a local club where my pal Brian was working as a DJ. But he was too busy to chat (being Saturday night) so I didn\u2019t stay long. I got to my room, ordered up a Boss\u2019 Pizza, and relaxed after a long day!<\/p>\n

Sunday the 1st \u2013 INCREDIBLES, EDIBLES & AUNT FLO! \u2013<\/span> My dad\u2019s only remaining aunt will soon be 96, so my folks and I drove over to Parkston, South Dakota to visit her. She always asks about me, and I remember that anytime I was in a play, she would always make a point of driving a couple hundred miles to come see me perform. I always appreciated that. It was great fun catching up with her, and the weather on the drive over was delightful! The rain really helped clear the humidity out of the air! Late afternoon we drove back to Sioux Falls, and we all met at the local movie theater to see \u201cIncredibles 2.\u201d I hadn\u2019t told my folks that my name is in the credits (I voice a news reporter) so it was going to be a surprise. But my family had already kind of figured it out before-hand\u2026so no surprise. But still it was a thrill to see my name roll up on the credits with most of my family there. After the movie I met up with my friend Scott and his wife Patti for dinner, then I headed back to my room to pack up for a quick road trip the next day to Rochester, Minnesota!<\/p>\n

Monday the 2nd \u2013 ARMAGEDDON GAS! \u2013<\/span> All ready for the road trip with my old pal Scott, I sprang awake at 10 and got ready. Even though I\u2019d be spending the night in Rochester, Minnesota, I kept the hotel room in Sioux Falls so I could have a place to keep all my stuff while I was away. I just needed enough supplies for one night, so taking my entire suitcase didn\u2019t make much sense. I picked up Scott around 11:30 (after getting lost in some Sioux Falls construction madness on the streets) and we headed down Interstate 90 into Minnesota. As I mentioned before, in 2018 I\u2019ll have known my pal Scott for 40 years. We love the same music and find the same things funny. And after being friends for so long we have so many \u201cinside jokes\u201d that to others, it may sound like we\u2019re speaking a different language. So needless to say the 238 miles to Rochester just flew by! Rockin\u2019 the tunes, chatting about life, talking about the old days \u2013 it really passes the time. But about 20 miles outside of Rochester we had to make a bathroom stop. We stopped at a gas station called Geo Plaza on I-90 at the Dexter, Minnesota off-ramp. But when we went inside we couldn\u2019t believe our eyes. The convenience store looked like it had been picked clean by a hurried crowd of post-apocalyptic shoppers. While some racks were fully stocked with items, there were miles and miles of empty shelves. It just didn\u2019t make sense to us. And oddly enough, right by the check-out counter there was a small table with some items on it, placed just in the right spot to be annoying. In fact, I almost tripped over it when I went to the counter to pay for my items. We laughed about that a lot. There apparently wasn\u2019t enough room on the EMPTY SHELVES to put these few items, so they had to place it right in the way of the paying customer. Bizarre! We laughed about the oddity of it all the rest of the way to Rochester, and vowed to get some video on the way back to Sioux Falls. Nobody would ever believe us otherwise! Absolutely absurd! After a lightning fast four hours on the road (it went by SO fast!) I got checked into my room at the hotel at 3:30. Then we found Bob\u2019s place. We went inside and chatted with Bob and his wife Jeanette for a bit, and then we headed into Rochester to get some late lunch. After our meal we headed over to the neighborhood Imax theater and saw \u201cJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.\u201d I had seen it before in Palm Springs at a regular theater, but watching it in Imax was especially impressive. There are a few shots in that movie that are so beautifully composed I actually want to have framed screenshots made! While I\u2019ve known Scott for about 40 years, I\u2019ve known Bob for almost 50! Bob and I first met in little league baseball in Aberdeen, South Dakota. We were the only two guys wearing Baltimore Orioles baseball caps. Why? Because the Aberdeen Pheasants baseball team was a minor league team for the Orioles, so we got to see quite a few guys play before the went on to the major league. This was during the one year in my life that I was actually interested at all in sports. But what a year it was! All that being said, Bob and I are also quite alike in many ways. And I found out just how similar we are when I observed his nightly routine. He has a beautiful elevated deck behind his house that overlooks nature. There\u2019s a stream down aways from his house that plays host to lots of \u201cun-L.A.\u201d types of creatures; namely fireflies and frogs. The frogs croak beautifully all night, and the fireflies dance around like erratic Christmas lights. As the sun slips down behind the horizon a nightly cacophony of stars paint the sky. He enjoys sitting there and relaxing, while listening to a playlist of songs specifically chosen just for that experience. All the while enjoying his beverage of choice; a special concoction he learned to make while in college (if ya know what I\u2019m sayin!) I totally got where he was coming from with this, as it\u2019s VERY similar to my nightly routine when I visit Palm Springs. I have my Palm Springs playlist that I enjoy while gazing at the sky all night\u2026doing absolutely nothing. I have my ice cold Cokes in a glass bottle that I imbibe during this experience. But instead of hearing frogs and seeing fireflies, I see and hear creatures of the desert; nightingales and owls. It was extremely relaxing, but despite being July, still quite cold and windy. In fact, he had quite a problem keeping the tiki torches lit to keep the mosquitoes away. But still it was enjoyable, just lying back and seeing more and more stars reveal themselves as the sky got darker. I really wanted him and his wife to come visit me in Palm Springs sometime so we could replicate the experience together in the desert. But while I\u2019ve lived in L.A. for 31 years, Bob hasn\u2019t come to visit once. Hopefully that will change soon. But the relaxation was making me sleepy. And unlike Palm Springs, where I can simply fall asleep in my chair if I so desire, I still had to get back to my room to turn in. So I excused myself at midnight and drove the short distance to my hotel. When I returned to the hotel I was hungry again. I bought a cup of instant mac \u2018n\u2019 cheese at the hotel lobby store and then returned to my room to microwave it. Then I hit the hay.<\/p>\n

Tuesday the 3rd \u2013 ALIENS? MISSING TIME?! \u2013<\/span> Just before noon I checked out of my room and headed over to Fat Willy\u2019s; a local eatery where I recall getting REALLY good sloppy joes when I visited Bob four years ago. Scott, Bob and Jeanette arrived and we all had lunch together before Scott and I hit the road to get back to Sioux Falls. Once again, the 238 miles to Sioux Falls passed like it was nothing. And bear in mind that the speed limit in Minnesota is 70 (in South Dakota it\u2019s 80) so we weren\u2019t even driving fast! Of course we gassed up at Armageddon Gas (and shot some video), got a few supplies and hit it. It was odd. I saw a sign that said \u201cSIOUX FALLS 238 MILES.\u201d And before I knew it I was seeing a sign that said \u201cSIOUX FALLS 12 MILES.\u201d Did aliens abduct us? Why all the missing time? I guess that\u2018s what happens when you\u2019re spending time with a good friend. As we drove down I-90 a song would randomly pop up on my iPod. I would wait a few seconds to get Scott\u2019s reaction, and if there was none I\u2019d click to the next song. But if in the first few seconds I heard him say, \u201cWOW!\u201d then I knew I had hit a good one. I told him I had a little over 2700 songs on my iPod, which translates into 7 days of continual music. He said he believes that we could probably travel across the country and never hear the same song twice. He\u2019s right. It still blows my mind to think of all that terrific entertainment crammed into something the size of a pack of playing cards. Gotta love technology! We got back to Sioux Falls around 6, and there were still several songs we had hoped to hear that never came up on the iPod! I dropped him off at home and then headed back to my Sioux Falls hotel to shower up. My sister\u2019s step-grandson was having a birthday celebration that night, so I picked up my folks and headed to their house. But the busy day (busy week!) had worn on me quite a bit, so I was very tired. I went over to Fry\u2019n Pan to have a late dinner with my pal Brian, and then went back to my room to turn in.<\/p>\n

Wednesday the 4th \u2013 THIS MAN\u2019S HOME REALLY IS HIS CASTLE! \u2013<\/span> Several years ago I had been made aware of a guy in Sioux Falls who had a castle built just outside of town. A literal castle! Come to find out he\u2019s a doctor who loves comic books, fantasy and sci-fi, and he built a house to replicate Dr. Doom\u2019s fortress. After several missed attempts to meet during past visits due to scheduling issues, this was the year I would finally meet the amazing Dr. Lou George. In fact, he and his wife Gina invited me to a 4th of July barbecue! It took a while to find, but at 1:30 I arrived right on time. People weren\u2019t kidding. His house really IS a castle! As I pulled up in the turnaround in front of his house, there was medieval music playing. It was fantastic. The door opened and there was Dr. George ready to greet me with a handshake and a hug. I knew right then I was going to totally dig this guy. He introduced me to his wife and daughter, his mom and her boyfriend. I was elated to finally witness this palatial estate first-hand, and he was elated that the Riddler and Ant Man was in his house! He gave me the tour of his collection and it was stunning. Understandably he prefers to keep his environment private and not post a lot of photos or video of it. I totally respect that. But I don\u2019t impress easily and I can say honestly, I was WAY beyond impressed with how everything was presented! He had me sign a Riddler figure and a Riddler cane. We all chatted over lunch about entertainment, world affairs, everything! It was quite the afternoon. One I won\u2019t forget. He said I\u2019m welcome any time and the next time I\u2019m in Sioux Falls I\u2019m definitely going to carve out more time to get to know him and his family better. It\u2019s SO great to make new friends! I dashed off to my hotel to meet my friend Andrea and her family. We were going to buy fireworks and head out to my sister Bonnie\u2019s house to blow a few off for the 4th of July holiday. But when we started to set them up after our dinner, it began to sprinkle, and then rain. But I had traveled 2,000 miles to see fireworks so I was not going to be swayed but a little moisture. Actually, the rain kept things fairly cool and pleasant. And best of all, the mosquitoes were at a minimum (even though I still got bit a few times!) It was a fun evening of fireworks, fun, family and festivities. But I had to head back to my room and pack up for my trip back to L.A. Oh yeah, and one final Boss\u2019 pizza!<\/p>\n

Thursday the 5th \u2013 I PACKED MY BAGS LAST NIGHT PRE-FLIGHT! \u2013<\/span> No alarm was needed, as I sprang awake naturally at 11. I threw my stuff together, packed up my car, checked out of my room and was out by noon. It was a fun trip, but I was ready to get back to L.A. and start prepping for the San Diego Comic Con. I met Scott and my folks for lunch around 12:30, and then headed to Fed Ex to ship my box of dirty clothes home. The less I have to carry with me on the flight the better. My old pal Jon Michaels from KELO radio asked if I would be a guest on his weekly talk show called \u201cForum.\u201d When I was a DJ there back in the 80\u2019s I have fond memories of actually running his show on the air. So now getting to be a guest on his show was going to be terrific! We had a lot of fun talking about new projects, and stories about the old days. When it\u2019s posted on-line I\u2019ll definitely post a link. But then I grabbed one final sloppy joe from B&G Milky Way and headed to the airport to return my rental car. I checked in for my flight to Phoenix and got on board. I turned on my iPod and it was like it was possessed. The first random song that came up was John Denver\u2019s \u201cBack Home Again.\u201d Weird. The second song was an obscure tune from Liz Damon Express called \u201cBut For Love.\u201d The song\u2019s lyrics are about a guy who would love to leave and travel the world, but he doesn\u2019t because of love. And the third song that came up randomly REALLY blew me away! \u201cBy the Time I Get To Phoenix\u201d by Glen Campbell popped up. NO WAY! Though my iPod was fully charged before I left, it again crapped out after only an hour into the flight. Rats. I got to charge it up a bit at the airport in Phoenix, but again it died after only a few minutes into my flight back to L.A. I got home around 10, but the radio was saying the Los Angeles forecast for Friday was projected to be 118 degrees! WHAT? Did my plane actually land in Palm Springs by mistake? But once I thought about it, it figured. We got our \u201cJune Gloom\u201d early this year. The cloud cover that dominates the month of June every year started in late April and carried on through May. I said back then that summer was probably going to be early. So now we\u2019re getting our August weather in July. But at least it wasn\u2019t humid! It was great to be back home, and it was really great to see the pets. I napped for a bit, and then got up to unpack. What a great trip!<\/p>\n

Friday the 6th \u2013 FIERY FRIDAY! \u2013<\/span> I got up at noon to be ready to let my maids in when they arrived to clean. It was really hot out, but since it was nice and cool inside I was doing alright. I did a few auditions before the maids arrived, and took Roxy out for a bathroom break. 118 in the shade and she wants to lie in the grass and sunbathe! With all that hair I would think that she\u2019d melt! But she really loves the sun! After a while though she got up and came inside for a cold drink. After the maids left I didn\u2019t feel like doing much but napping, so I did. Then I hit my mailbox to get some packages, and I picked up my \u201cadopted grandma\u201d Shirley and took her to dinner at Jerry\u2019s Famous Deli. With all the traveling I had been doing I hadn\u2019t seen her in a few weeks. It was good to catch up on the news. While at Jerry\u2019s, I ran into a group of young ladies who looked like they had just come from the Anime Xpo convention. Sure enough they had, so I introduced myself. They all knew of \u201cBleach\u201d and \u201cTiger and Bunny,\u201d so I had a fun time telling stories. It was fun talking to them and sharing convention tales. I went back home and did a little work, but I was still a bit sleepy. So I napped for a bit, and then got up to do some things that were best done in the middle of the night. I hadn\u2019t had my Torino out in a few weeks, so at 3am I walked to my auxiliary garage and started her up. Since it was on \u201cE\u201d I hurried to an all-night gas station and filled her up. Then I went to get some groceries (it saved me having to go out into the hot afternoon on Saturday) and then stopped by Denny\u2019s to get some food to go. I got home, worked around the house, and finished the second season of \u201cF Troop\u201d on DVD. (Did I mention it\u2019s good to be home?)<\/p>\n

Saturday the 7th \u2013 SLEEPY SATURDAY\u2026! \u2013<\/span> The majority of my Saturday was spent in bed\u2026my OWN bed. And it sure was nice! After enduring several hotel beds over the past few weeks, I loved cocooning in my own surroundings. But later I got up to meet with my pals Mark and Boz so we could do some planning for our upcoming San Diego Comic Con panels. We worked for a bit and then headed to Barone\u2019s for dinner. After dinner Mark, his girlfriend Connie and I headed to the local theater to watch \u201cAnt Man and Wasp.\u201d It was a dynamite follow-up to the first movie which came out about three years ago. And since I have played that character before in an animated series I have a special affectation for him. I remember the day I saw the first one. On the day I found out my friend Terry had passed away back in 2015, I went to a matinee alone so I could check my brain. While I love what they\u2019re doing with the Ant Man franchise, I will always equate that memory to these movies. When the movie got out around 12:30am I drove home with the top down. It was absolutely gorgeous out. I napped for a short while, and then got up to feed and walk Roxy. I did a little work, and then the couch was calling my name again. So I laid down on the couch and crashed out from 6am to 10am! The traveling was catching up to me at last!<\/p>\n

Sunday the 8th \u2013 \u2026AND SLEEPY SUNDAY! \u2013<\/span> After I awoke from my \u201cnap\u201d on the couch, I did a little work, gave the pets a treat, showered, and then went to bed at noon. It was all topsy turvy. I didn\u2019t wake up until later in the afternoon, and when I did I was craving steak. So I rang up my \u201cadopted grandma\u201d Shirley and took her to dinner at the Smokehouse! After a sumptuous dinner we got ice cream at Wienerschnitzel. The drive home at night was great! After the temp backs off to a warm summer evening, it\u2019s really quite enjoyable; almost Palm Springs-ish in a way! I got back home, grabbed a short nap and then got up to do some work. I started typing out Wally\u2019s Week (two weeks\u2019 worth!), did my auditions, did some more plotting for our Comic Con panels, and made my Saturday Night Super Salad a day late. I enjoyed it while watching a second season \u201cSNL\u201d episode with Paul Simon and George Harrison. It was amazing!<\/p>\n

And how were YOUR weeks???!!!<\/p>\n

PIX FROM THE WEEK<\/p>\n

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Be on the lookout for a familiar name at the end of “The Incredibles 2!”<\/p><\/div>\n

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Someday I’d like to high five Chris Pratt in person. But until then this will have to do.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Though it looks rather odd, these are shots of the monitor at Regenix. It’s my scalp close-up and a hair bulb that you see during the micro-analysis. Both shots convey a totally healthy scalp, thankfully.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

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I found my street in Mitchell, South Dakota!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Relaxing on my pal Bob’s deck in Rochester, Minnesota!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rochester really is a pretty town!<\/p><\/div>\n

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My pal Dr. Lou George’s stately manor!<\/p><\/div>\n

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The doc and I pose among his amazing collection. But this only PART of it!<\/p><\/div>\n

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A gorgeous 4th of July sunset in Tea, South Dakota!<\/p><\/div>\n

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The newlyweds Sara and John walk through a cascade of bubbles. They don’t throw rice any more, do they?<\/p><\/div>\n

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Here’s the picturesque surroundings of the little church in Baltic, SD.<\/p><\/div>\n

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My uncle “MargaritaBILL” opens up the karaoke portion of the evening!<\/p><\/div>\n