Saturday, May 31, 2008
I feel wounded. I think I was attacked by a Ninja carrying booze
Last night I attended
NinjaPenguin 2.0 - A Birthday celebration for
Rhines,
Pinguino, and Dave. I feel very hungover.
The night started at The Good
Nite in North Hollywood. When I got there Chris N. had the projector inside hosting his text messaging board where you can
sms a word to a number and it would search through
Flickr and grab images with the corresponding tags. It was pretty cool. I sent the word '
moloch' but it didn't turn up anything. I guess there were not images tagged Moloch. FYI: Moloch is the hacker group I founded with some friends back in the day.
Outside the bar Chris was setting up another projector to run a program that he had that made drip art paintings on the wall by sketching with a green laser. It was really
facinating. It had to be taken down sooner than later because
electricty was an issue but I did get some videos I will put somewhere later.
It was cool catching up with the people who attended.
Pinguino was bouncing all around. Her sister was fun to talk with and a great listener. I hung around mostly with Chris D.,
Siviak and Tacitus. There was cupcakes and lots of booze. Keith M. and a
sloo of others kept the music running all night. We partied until they shouted for us to leave.
Pinguino, Dave, Tacitus and others headed to
Pinguinos house. It was nice to have sober drivers to her place so no one killed anyone on the roads. I unrolled my sleeping bag and crashed out on the floor.
When morning came,
Pinguino made breakfast for her sister, Dave, me and herself. She made me a Pokemon fruit salad, a fruit waffle with scrambled eggs with bacon. Wow, talk about hospitality. I had a great time.
Siviak came over just as I was finishing my eggs. The five of us sat around and shared stories and chatted up a storm.
About 2pm,
Siviak gave me a ride up to
retrieve my car. I was feeling the pain of my hangover. I had to speed over to my
improv workshop but I found parking close by.
Improv was fun but hard due to my exhaustion. I don't feel I gave it my all today but I did have some fun scenes. I did enjoy a group game we did which was about unionizing horses. After I left I ended up stopping at the Jack In The Box and grabbed some
fod and
ended up taking a nap on my couch.
I also had a moment of stupidity today. I was talking about my trip to New York last week. I said that I was supposed to be in New York from August 13
th through through the 18
th. I scheduled my trip for the wrong days in August. I cancelled my ticket on American Airlines and I didn't get my miles back. I sent an email to AA asking about the miles and we will see if that gets rectified. I should be in New York from August 6
th through the 11
th if all goes well.
Right now I am watching Sliders season one pilot on my
Roku Netflix box. I haven't seen this show since it was on the air. I needed something light hearted and sitcom like. I think I am going to watch No End In Sight after it providing I am ready for a depressing documentary.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Ok, no more LOST for a while
For some reason the LOST season finale was not exciting. I won't lay out a ton of spoilers here but the there was so much stupidity in the show that it was pretty anti-climatic. The island moving was comical if anything. There has been so much foreshadowing that it seems that we knew the ending way before hand and the little surprises along the way aren't holding water. I am not too excited about episodes to come next year. Magic has disappeared.
I mentioned the other day that Dethklok was in town and friends of mine were seeing them. Well I guess more than my friends are seeing them because the show is sold out. Unbelievable that there are so many Metalocalypse fans that would purchase $25 tickets to see the band behind the cartoon.
There was a post on a blog saying ASUS has essentially paused the recently launched Eee PC 900 in anticipation for the launch of the Eee PC 901. How true this is, I don't know. The 901 is $100 more than the 900 and they haven't proven how it stacks up. At $650, your laptop options are better. There are many more laptops available for $650, a bunch are better also.
Tonight I am going to Pinguino's birthday party at The Good Night Bar. It says Ninja attire is recommended but I don't have it generally available. I will play that by ear.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Fat guy...
We have one more day, then the last weekend of May commences. I am writing in my bed right now so my mind is so on the weekend and I feel I want to relax. I have a feeling that there will be minimal relaxation though.
I miss New York so much right now. It seems they are having good weather and I am mission so many events. I am kind of excited to move back. I think it's a little early though, I haven't even visted in six months. I don't miss sweating or walkups but I do miss the food, culture and nightlife. I am missing out for the event Revngence at the Upright Citizens Brigade. It's a UCBW PPV event and I used to have so much fun shooting the video for it. I watch the old videos I shot sometimes, they are listed at
http://youtube.com/tommeepickles1.
Speaking of online videos, the online cult classic turned Cartoon Network series "Fat Guy Stuck In The Internet" is coming back to TV in June. I wondered just a few weeks ago, when or if this series was coming back to the boob tube. Today I was notified on Facebook that one of the interns on the show discovered air times for the show. The show will return to Cartoon Networks Adult Swim Sunday nights, 12:15, starting June 16.
Tomorrow night I have been invited to NINJAPENGUIN 2.0 which is a party for the birthdays of Dave Mertl, Pinguino, and DJ Rhines. It is supposed to be held at The Good Nite Bar in North Hollywood, I have not heard of it. It also said Eastern Attire Recommended, I have no idea what that means. I will wear something with buttons. I should throw a change of clothes in my car just incase I end up sleeping somewhere there isn't a shower or Old Navy.
Tonight I will veg a little. I have a couple of meetings tomorrow morning. I also want to reserve my energy for tomorrow night. There is a new Last Comic Standing, I like to watch to see if I see anyone I know. There are a couple of last season's The Office tonight including the Chairmodel and Night Out. LOST proves to be confusing on air as well as off air. There is a new episode tonight it looks like but it's titled the same as the last episode. Either way, I hope one of the Tivos get it because I would hate to miss a show.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Well we are halfway through
Today felt long. It was productive but it felt long. Probably because the office is still light on people and nothing interesting happened in a while. I did receive my Netflix player yesterday and I do have to say that it is pretty cool. I watched a couple of movies on it as well as some episodes of the Office. I just hope Netflix gets the content out quickly.
I installed Fedora 9 on my Eee PC last night. It works ok. I do like that it was able to get sound working as well as the webcam and 1024x600 graphics. It does not work terribly well with the webcam, it very slow and it doesn't look like the microphone is working yet. The wireless didn't work right away but I did find instructions to blacklist the default module and upgrade the kernel then install madwifi modules. The whole install is ok so far, its crashed once, and it runs a little slow.
I got a call from Jimmy today and it was a nice surprise. I told him I spent 72 hours indoors, he said he did also. I pitched an idea of a video and he laughed so I think I am on target.
I am happy that I go back to improv Saturday, it seems I have been away more than two weeks. We have been doing some fun stuff to fuel us to out next show. I will list details here when they become more certain. If we do the ninja improv, it will be a must see.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Sex noises from next door bother me when I am single
Last night my neighbor (female or male, I don't know), had loud sex noises coming through my wall. It drove me crazy. I couldn't get away from it by raising the volume of TV or playing on the computer. Another thing that piled on the annoyance was there was nothing on the tube. I ended up routing my computer to my TV in my bedroom and watched some Netflix content.
I watched a film from the romantic comedy section that I haven't heard of. The film was Film Geek. I wouldn't call it a romantic comedy but it wasn't sketch or slapstick. It was an ok experience. There were some funny moments. The thing that holds the movie together, I think, is the consistancy of the character Scotty. The thing I didn't see as good with the movie was that he got the girl because he becomes famous. A little disjointed from movie endings. The movie is also set in Portland which is not one of my favorite places to see a movie shot. One reason because it never looks happening on film, it isn't as bright and there seems to be a lack of people. Second reason is that it has the same street names as Brooklyn, like Lombard, Clinton and Belmont.
I see my Roku Netflix player came to my house but I am at the office so I haven't played with it yet. I think I am also going to get a pillow desk from Barnes and Noble. Working in my bed on my laptop gets hot. It has made the Windows blue screen once or twice. I hope I don't end up looking like an old lady in my bed. I promise I will give up the knitting.
Tomorrow is
Kristie Macris' birthday. I haven't seen Kristie since she and I visted Vegas together years ago. I believe I still had red hair. I know it was a while because I had a very old camera apparently. I had a Vivicam 3750. I can't even remember taking pictures with this camera.
Kristie moved to Santa Monica just as I was leaving Santa Monica. Now I am back. I know where she is but she hasn't responded to my email. I don't feel it's right popping over without announcement. Thats how people get shot. I think I will just wait and instead I will just wish her a happy birthday.
Tonight if I don't end up going to T.N.T., I think tonights TV will be tuned to trash. I see that tonights menu (no pun), has Moment of Truth and Hell's Kitchen. Hell's Kitchen is ok and is on my Tivo. Moment of Truth is trash but the end sometimes has good questions and reactions.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Good but a little late for a docudrama about a recount
I am in a mood because of how much drama I have been watching on TV. The last two days have been filled with Law and Order Marathons and the docudrama movie Recount. Law and Order doesn't get me down too much but Recount did. It just rehashed the fiasco that Florida voting equipment started and the election of George W. Bush. It's nice to do a docudrama on historical events but some events are not as fun to revisit. Stories about 9/11 aren't great but stories about a vote gone wrong and the president is still in office is depressing.
I did not do anything this weekend except slack and watch movies. I didn't even leave the house. Don't get me wrong, I got some stuff done, but it was full of slack. I got the laundry done in anticipation of having a Vegas weekend but the cost of hotels was too expensive. Not to mention I probably wouldn't have had a good time at the tables with so many people in town. I plan on a Vegas trip around the July 4th weekend.
Tomorrow I should get my Roku Netflix box. I saw a
video review of it on PC Magazine's website. They gave a so-so review but I can't argue with the $99 pricetag, especially since I watch a bunch of the Netflix on-demand content. Tomorrow night there is T.N.T. at the Sierra Stage. I am not sure I am going to go yet but at 8:00pm is Melda Cowko and Intruders On Campus. At 9:00P The Universe and Puppet Party. At 10:00PM Smackball and Crud.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
A Three P Adventure
Ok, I am trying to make my Sunday sound a little more exciting than it is. The three P explanation is that I have been watching the Project Runway Marathon on Bravo. I ordered a P'Zone today. I have never ordered one and I do have to say, it's no replacement for NYC calzones, but it was pretty tasty. Lastly I have been on the Poker Train. I have been playing so much online poker that I think I have been making myself sick. I won a couple of tournaments to get me to the next level. One I play tonight at 6PM and the other I play tomorrow evening.
I didn't head into Vegas last night due to laziness and I didn't want to waste comps just for a Sunday. It sucks because it would have been nice to hang with Evil Matt and I haven't seen that celebrity couple, Bink and Jamiegrrrl, in a while. I think I will just wait for 4th of July and plan th trip better. I don't want to burn through some money right now.
I saw Black Snake Moan yesterday and the only thing that kept me going was Christina Ricci. She wasn't that hot but she definitely played a good dirty slut woman. I see that Harry Potter Order Of The Phoenix is on tonight, I will probably watch it or at least Tivo it.
Happy Birthday to Bradlee, and Trieka. I am sorry I didn't get to celebrate with either of you.
I found out that Eileen Mullane moved to Los Angeles. I don't know when but I love that past improv pals make the move to LA. I sent her a message today, I hope we hang out soon.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
How To Be Unactive 101
I haven't done anything aside from sitting indoors, online buying things and playing online poker. In between I did watch a couple of movies. I recently received Martin and Orloff along with Blackballed - The Bobby Dukes Story. I don't want to criticize the movies but one thing that was a little disappointing was the production. It felt like it was shot on small DV cameras. If I was to pick a winner of the two I would say that I liked Martin and Orloff better. It had some real great moments. I have to find that sweet potato pie place.
I booked a flight and hotel for my Summer New York City visit. I am happy that I have flight points because every personal trip I have been taking, I get free flights. Last one was from New York to Las Vegas and that was first class for free. This new trip, I couldn't get first class since I am flying on a weekday. I got business class seat for free. I don't know if they give you free booze in business class but a personal TV and electricity will do. I am also staying in Chelsea at a tiny hotel that Deanna and I used to stay at. Unfortunately Deanna can't make it down to New York when I am in town, she will be in Seattle. Regardless, I will be in New York City from August 13th til the 18th. The main purpose is to attend the 10th annual Del Close Marathon. I also hope to see some friends along with my improv pals Christina, Ellie, Brian, Eloise and Del Far Alex.
I got a text message from Jimmy today. He said his car got broken into by Catch One near Pico and Crenshaw. They where there for Das Bunker. When I used to hang out with them at Das Bunker, I used to be wary of parking my car in the area. I even asked the bouncer of the club if he could allow me to park right in front and he to watch my car, I offered him $100. He declined. Well now, I am a little more secure about my car. After all, I used to keep on the street in New York and nothing happened to it. I am glad I didn't get invited to Das Bunker last night because I am sure I would have driven and I would have had my car broken into also.
Aron is supposed to go to a party tonight, I can't say who because I don't want to ruin it. Jimmy and his girlfriend are going to another party but not one that I would have fun at otherwise I believe Jimmy would have invited me. People who I thought would have gone to Vegas have opted out. I was thinking about heading in last night but I saw the hotel rooms were very expensive. I am still thinking about heading in because after watching a couple movies and not really wanting to get drunk along in Los Angeles. I might consider calling in to see if I can get a comp and if I can, I might head in. I don't feel like watching Summer TV tonight.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Are you ready for the summer, are you ready for the good times.
Are you ready for the summer?
Are you ready for the good times?
Are you ready for the birds and bees,
the apple trees, and a whole lot of foolin around?
Are you ready for the summer?(Ready for the summer.)
Ready for the Nights?(Hot nights.)
Are you ready for the fire flies,
moon lit skies, and a whole lot of foolin around?
No more pencils.
No more books.
No more teachers dirty looks.
No more math and history.
Summer time has set us free.
Are you ready for the summer?(Ready for the summer.)
Are you ready for the good times?(Good Times.)
Are you ready for some summer fun in the sun,
cause the summer is ready for you.
No more pencils.
No more books.
No more teachers dirty looks.
No more math and history.
Summer time has set us free.
Are you ready for the summer?(Ready for the summer.)
Are you ready for the good times?(Good Times.)
Are you ready for some summer fun in the sun,
cause the summer is ready for you.This weekend is like the kick off for Summer. No new shows except American Gladiators and Last Comic Standing. The nights are still growing longer. The weather is getting hotter. The tourists are driving me nuts.
I am on the edge about leaving town this weekend. Aron messaged me asking me if we were going to script write this weekend. I was thinking about it but I also had the thought of Vegas on my mind. Philip dropped out of the Vegas plans and then I asked Monte, he said no also. I asked Arom what he was doing this weekend and he said there was a party planned. I didn't get an invite to the party so I might be heading to Vegas after all.
I don't plan on leaving for Vegas tonight. Maybe late late evening to get there for breakfast. I have laundry to do tonight and my Roku Netflix Movie Player should be arriviing tonight. I want to check it out before I go.
I still haven't gotten my EeePc 900 working perfectly. Today I inserted my EVDO modem and it wouldn't install. I am thinking it's because I used a nLite copy of Windows and it was missing something. I am installing a full version of Windows right now to see if that is the issue.
Tonight might be a boring night but I am a little tired. Last night Sqweak, Mags and I ended up going to dinner at P.F. Changs and then we went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It stunk. *spoiler alert* Uh, it was too jokey. They started out in Area 51 and it had to end with aliens in a spaceship. Think of Xfiles mixed with The Mummy, but not in a good way.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Why does it feel like a Friday?
I am so ready for the weekend. I think it is because I haven't done anything this week worth blogging about. I do have one complaint to revisit this morning. What is the fucking deal with gas prices. My usualy gas station had now gone up from $4.05 to $4.09 to $4.15 in the last three weeks. This is now getting crazy enough that I think we should be getting a 'cost of living raise'.
I am thinking about going into Vegas this weekend. I am supposed to be heading in with Phillip M., a friend of mine from when we worked at Google. I haven't heard from him in the last couple of days but that doesn't mean I won't go. I still have to look for a room for the weekend. I don't know if it's going to be packed.
I shouldn't go gambling this weekend. I have been buying toys for myself and I haven't gotten to play with them as much as I would. I bought that new Asus Eee PC and I have only really used it at work. I did get it dual booting with Windows XP and Eeedora but the sound isn't working under Eeedora. I do not want to try to run ndis and emulate the windows driver. I am going to try to install Fedora 9 and see if I can make any movement with that.
I also bought the new Roku Netflix box. It's a box I have been waiting for since CES. It's a device you hook into your entertainment console and ethernet. You can watch the Netflix movies online from the computer but now I can watch the online movies on my TV. For only $99, it seems like a cool toy.
There is really no cool TV this week. No new episodes of anything. Not even LOST is on this week with any new content. It's time to grab that laptop and sit down with Hulu or head to Vegas. I hate hangovers with reruns of Everyone Loves Raymond. Decisions.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
I did get that hangover that I hoped for
I didn't think I would have a active weekend but it did prove to be active.
Friday night I didn't end up doing anything. I stayed home and watched TV while playing with my new
Eee PC. I spent the time trying to get Windows
XP installed on the Linux edition of the
Eee PC. It proved to be a little difficult.
The first attempt was when I tried installing Windows
XP from a
USB connected
SATA DVD drive. It was getting a blue screen when it got to Loading Windows in the setup process. I then tried installing Windows
XP from a
USB thumbdrive. It had the same problem. I threw my hands up in the air and decided to try one last time with a
NLite version of Windows
XP from the DVD drive and then from the
thumbdrive. I got the same results. I installed Vista on the computer with no problems and then I was tired so I put both my laptops in my bag along with the DVD drive and went to bed.
Saturday I woke up and played a little online poker. I didn't do well at all, I have lost my edge since leaving NYC. I don't know why.
I had my
improv class at 3:00 pm and it was enjoyable. One thing that we started working on was musical
improv. It was fun to watch but I didn't get on stage to try it. We did work on organic object work to prepare us for our ninja
improv. I am pretty psyched to do the ninja. I did get to see one of Billy's Ninja shows back in NYC about eight months ago. I have some pictures of his last Ninja class
here.
After class I decided to drive up to Pasadena to see some friends at
LayerOne. I didn't expect to go to any talks but I knew a bunch of my friends would be there and some of them I only see at
Defcon. I am not going to be at
Defcon this year so I figured I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see some friends.
I got to the convention early evening and I saw
Noid and Zero divide at the badge table along with
Queeg,
MMCA and
Skroo. Everyone was surprised at how much I have changed in appearance. I paid for a badge because I wanted to support my friends and the convention. It didn't appear I had to but I didn't question my motives anyway. I got some drinks and ended up seeing a bunch of other people. I saw
Pinguino Chris N., and Chris D. later in the evening. I even bumped into
Jackalope but I didn't see her long, I don't know if she was just busy or avoiding me. I saw a lot of other people that I enjoyed seeing and I probably didn't list some of here because of memory lapse or ADD. I did see Marc my forensic friend and
CHS as well as Evil. Sorry to those I didn't list.
The night consisted of drinking and socializing. Evil and the gang had some planned entertainment of an act called
Freakshow Deluxe. The show was interesting and included a woman using a
grider on her
chest plate, the host getting hit with darts and Kitty taking a 32" balloon and taking most of it down her
thoat. After the show there was more drinking.
Queeg and Flea were running around with a mobile sound and
lighing unit. The party raged on till about 1:30 am. Then the hotel security came to tell us to shut everything down telling us it was illegal for us to have alcohol this late at night. Which is wrong, it is illegal to sell alcohol after 2:00 am and it wasn't even after 2 yet.
We headed up to one of the hotel rooms with everything and the party continued up there with minimal alcohol. I got a key to stay with Petty Larceny and others so I didn't have to drive home. I decided that it was probably best I didn't have anymore to drink because I knew the hangover would be deadly anyway. I went out to the balcony to have a smoke and chat with people. All of a sudden Flea and
Siviak were getting close to fighting. Flea pushed
Siviak amongst a bunch of other people. The fight finally went out of the room and into a stairwell. I thought this was an opportune time to leave and I left. I slept on the floor of the room I was in about 3:00 am.
I woke up about 9, I didn't sleep well because the room was freezing. I did
achieve a hangover and I
wasn't happy about it. I ended up talking to a couple people in the morning. I tried to play with my Vista install from the previous day and it was slow. I tried installing
XP again but same results I had the other day. I decided it was time to leave and I needed some more sleep. I drove home and took a nap.
When I got up I gave another attempt at installing
XP on my
Eee PC. I stumbled
upon a trick. I installed via the DVD while having a
thumbdrive plugged in. It worked. It runs pretty good too. I checked out
YouTube and
Hulu, both sites worked fine. The next thing to try is to install
eeedora and dual boot the laptop.
This week is going to be a bunch of work but the weekend should be sweet. It is Memorial Day weekend coming up and I am thinking Vegas.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Blog train stalled...
I am sorry. I have not blogged the past couple days. There was really nothing to report. I stayed home yesterday waiting for my new Eee PC to arrive. Sure enough, I was there all afternoon waiting. I was ready to go downstairs to leave an authorization with the security guard but as I headed to the elevator, the UPS guys came out.
I unboxed the new EeePC 900 and it looks awesome. I plugged it in and let it charge. I did fuck with it, I decided to do my damage today.
I booted it and played with the Xandros operating system for a while and the I decided to see if I could take my backup from my Eee PC 701 to my new one. It didn't work. I tried running Eeedora from a thumbdrive and it had issues with that also. Finally I decided to burn eeedora to a CD and try that. I got it to work after the second try.
I installed Eeedora and played with a couple things but when I loaded YouTube, I saw that the sound doesn't work. It is a different alsa module needed I guess. I am going to load up Xandros and play with that for a while. I tried installing Windows but I am blaming the USB SATA drive I have hooked up.
Its Friday and I have no plans. I expected to go out but I didn't think of anything and work has been taking up a bunch of time. I might go to Soundtrack tonight, just because Billy sent out an invite through Facebook.
I wish I didn't run through all the recorded TV from last night. The Office finale was good. New HR woman and Michael had some good flirting going on. Fuck Andy for screwing up Jim's proposal.
Lost was ok, I did like that it brought back the numbers thing with Hurley. The did explain what was on the arm of the mercenary. They didn't move the island but they will probably get to it next week. They also pointed out the islands they were rescued from and came from but I wonder how they got there and why Hurley stated in the flashbacks with Jack, that he was sorry he went with Locke. There didn't seem to be any animosity when they were on the plane.
Tomorrow I have improv and I am happy about that. I tried messaging Jimmy about the Gameshow Show going on tomorrow at midnight but I had not heard back from him yet. Sunday I hope to nurse a small hangover, that will mean I had a good time.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Darn you new technology. I need my fix.
The latest thing to come to my attention has been the Asus Eee Pc 900. I have had my eye on it for about a month and I knew it was to be released to the US yesterday. I already have the 701 and I love it. I am even using it right now as I blog. Sunday, I saw that Amazon was taking pre-orders for the Asus Eee PC 900 and I decided to buy it.
Monday I expected to see an email that it was on the way. It's Tuesday and I still have not gotten word when I would receive one. I saw today that if you ordered one today, the wait is 1-2 months. My co-worker Michael ordered one off of http://dynamism.com/ and it looks like he could get his before I get mine. He said if that happens, he will sell me his and he will buy mine when I get mine. It's just a pain to be in this waiting mode.
Ever since this week started, I have had no energy. I slept pretty much last night. I saw the premier of the second season of American Gladiators was on but I couldn't even make it past the Rocket Ball match. The show is pure crap. I watched bunch of reruns of Law and Order: Special Victims and Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
Tonight the TV will be tuned to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It is the finale. Other than that TNT is on tonight at the Sierra Stage. Set to perform are: BABY COVE, "24" PROV, IMAGINARY FRIENDS, CABBAGES & KINGS, MUNCHHAUSEN and MONEY ROCKET. Everyone is invited to Jam at 11pm.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
I feel beaten like a prisoner of war
I love a party. Friday night I was told about Pinguino's Birthday party. I texted her to say that I had other plans but I would see what I could do. I made plans with Jimmy and Kristie to catch Match Game at the UCB Theater. We all got to the theater about 9pm and decided to fetch some beer. When we got back to the theater a healthy line had formed. After waiting about an hour, we got in.
The show was awesome but there was no Andy Richter or Scott Aukerman. I said my goodbyes to Jimmy and Kristie then texted everyone at Pinguinos party to see where it had traveled to. I met them at Ye Coaches and Horses on Sunset. I got to see Siviak, Pinguino, Keith, Tacitus and Kalahar. It was fun drinking with everyone. Keith then said we should all head to his house for an after party. I was supposed to catch a ride with Siviak but as I was tryingto move my car to better parking for the evening. I love Siviak and ended up having to drive myself to Keith's house. It was foolish of me. I was over the alcohol limit and he lived right off Hollywood and Highland.
Parking in Hollywood after 2:00 am isn't as easy as I thought it would be. The Hollywood and Highland parking lot closes at 2. I finally found parking but off of Las Palmas. It felt far. I was just happy that I was finally off the road. Cops where everywhere and I don't need another DUI.
The after party was so-so. We ran out of beer. We then didn't have any mixers except Sweet and Sour. We weren't allowed to smoke and then had to go down 11 floors for a cigarette. We didn't have any music except for people playing the piano. Finally around 6:00 am, Keith kicked us out of his place. I was disappointed because he told me I could stay but he was kicking out people who needed a place also. I decided to catch a ride with Tacitus and let Siviak and his date crash at my place.
Thank the lord that I had my alarm set. I woke up just after noon. I heard Siviak in the bathroom and I waited for him to get out so I could shower. He looked like he was in pain. I got ready and we flagged a cab from my place to Hollywood and Highland. When the ride was through we had to pay the ridiculous sum of $70.
I walked down Hollywood towards La Palmas to get my car and I bumped into Superman. I recognized him from the documentary "Confessions of a Superhero". I told him I enjoyed the documentary as we walked together to the crosswalk. I told him "be safe". I have a feeling he didnt need my advice. He is Supoerman. I was tired and had to get to improv but I arrived at Las Palms and my car. I paid the low price of $8. I was just happy to have my car back.
I got to my improv workshop with 15 minutes to spare. When the class started I noticed I didn't know anyone. Even though this was a totally new group of people and I was in sheering
pain, I had fun. One of the exercises we ended up doing was an Action Movie Harold. Half of the group got to do a Radio Harold but the class ran long and we had to leave.
I went home for a disco nap and then had to get up an hour later to pick up Jimmy and Kristie to go see Match Game again. This time the panel had Matt Besser, Rachel Harris, Scott Aukerman, Danielle Koenig, Paul F. Tompkins and Zack Galifiknakis. It was a great show. I saw Monica working the show but she didn't recognize me or she ignored me. I dropped Jimmy and Kristie at their home and I got in about 1:00 am.
Today is Mother's Day. I emailed my mother. I don't know what she is up to but at least I passed along some sentiments. Bonus on USA, the Indiana Jones movies are playing.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Hey it's the weekend. Lets see some comedy.
It is Friday and I am so happy that the weekend is here. I am meeting up with Jimmy and his girlfriend later to go watch Match Game at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Tonight's cast should include Zach Galifianakis, Andy Richter, Paul Scheer, Paul F. Tompkins, Rachael Harris, Matt Besser and more. I am sitting here at work because gas is so expensive its just better that I don't waste it back and forth to my house.
It's not so bad. I am watching LOST right now. Actually the first season of LOST. I was testing out a couple of websites and I thought to check out BC. They state they have HD quality streaming of their shows online. I have to tell you, it's pretty awesome. The only issues that I have been seeing is; the commercials you have to click through, no sitting far away from the computer and you also have to install their software for it to work. Either way, it is cool to get back to season one of LOST without digging up the DVDs.
Today is Pinguino's birthday. She sent me a message to come meet up with her and friends tonight but I had already made plans for UCB. I think I will try to hook up with them later if I do not have too much to drink. I worry about driving while intoxicated.
I think the new Eee PC comes out on Monday. I tried calling PC Mall but no one is picking up the phone there. I don't know who is going to have this thing and how much trouble I am going have to go through to get it. Either way I am pretty excited to get it even though I am not using this laptop to it's potential.
I got a call from Aron today. I wasn't expecting to hear from him but I did send him info on the Jingles program that I wanted to audition for. We talked about filming a couple shorts but it probably won't happen this weekend because he is doing a lot of girlfriend/Mom stuff this weekend. I hope that we hookup soon, who knows how long this YouTube thing will last.
Speaking of video, last nights TV was interesting. 30 Rock didn't impress me too much. It had Mathew Brodrick but it felt so much like his character on Strangers With Candy. It wasn't side-splitting humor. The Office was pretty funny as it pretty much hits the mark every week. LOST left me confused. There is only a few episodes left and I am still confused. I do have to say I didn't get confused when I saw Cloverfield. We will see where it goes then. The last thing I saw was Jack's Father is with Clair in Jacob's Cabin. The baby is with Sawyer and Jacob has said in hearsay, Move the island. C'Mon JJ, numbers? monster? DARMA? Too many questions.
Tomorrow I start a new improv workshop. Redbelt is playing this weekend near my house as well as Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. I am thinking about seeing Young@Heart. I wonder if any of my improv pals want to take in a movie.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Check out that doo
Yes I did get a haircut. I took a self portrait of myself and I thought "Man this hair is getting long". Since I work not too far from Melrose I decided to drive up to Floyd's and get a trim. I didn't even get time to sit down and write some scripts. As soon as I sat down, they were ready for me. I don't remember the man who cut my hair but I think I will go back to him. He had great skills and even shook my hand before I sat down. The cherry on the top was when he, without asking me, took some hot shaving cream and used a straight razor for the back of my neck. In the end, I like the cut. It's what I needed.
I went home and didn't get anything done. I picked up some food from P.F. Changs and then crashed out on my couch. I don't even know what I was watching when I fell asleep. I failed to notice that Real World was on last night. I did record it on one of my Tivos but I have not watched it yet. Last week, the kids in the Real World house went to iO West and met Charna. I wonder when/if the kids did a final show from iO.
Tonight TV should be entertaining. It is the season finale of 30 Rock. The main cliff hangers are supposed to be Jack leaving for DC and will Liz get back with her lawyer boyfriend. There is also an episode of The Office and an episode of LOST.
The final thing that I have been debating about is what am I going to buy for a new toy. It was Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360 last week. I decided against both of them. I have been waiting for the new Eee PC to come out in the US. Its supposed to hit US shelves this month. I also saw the HP Mini-note as well and it looks neet. Some critics are saying the C7 processor in the Mini-note can't compete with the processor in the Eee PC. I probably will buy the Eee PC 900 even though I have two Eee PC 701's.
Tomorrow night I am supposed to hang out with Jimmy and we are going to see Match Game at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. It is sold out for tomorrow night and it's easy to see why. The cast includes Andy Richter, Zack Galifianakis, Paul F. Tompkins, Paul Scheer, Rachael Harris, Matt Besser, Paul Gilmartin, Dannah Feinglass, Pat Francis, Danielle Koenig and Scott Aukerman.
Next weekend is Layer One (
http://layerone.info/). I was asked if I am going but I do have my improv workshop from 3pm - 6pm. I guess I could always show up for a party that Saturday night but I don't know if it will happen since the conference is up in Pasadena. A little trip for a party. I guess I will burn that bridge later.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
TV Sucks tonight and it sounds like it gets worse
It's not that I don't have a life. It's just that some of my life revolves around the TV. I have been going out every night since Friday and now I would like to take a short breather. I looked to see what was going to be on the tube and there is nothing. I could get stuck watching Deal Or No Deal, CSI, American Idol or Top Model. Since I saw Top Model was on, it made me think, whats the status with Project Runway. I found this news:
Lifetime snatched Project Runway from NBC/Bravo with a $150 million deal for the rights of the very successful fashion design reality series. While everyone assumed that the whole production is moving to Lifetime, NBC signed on Project Runway producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz to an exclusive contract for NBC Universal.
The producers from Magical Elves shall be developing scripted and unscripted shows exclusively for NBCU, which means that Lifestyle will have to put together their own team to handle Project Runway, once it begins with its new network later this year. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn are reported to stay on the show, but Nina Garcia and Michael Kors have not renewed any contracts as of the moment, despite reports that they are indeed moving to Lifetime.The Kids In The Hall are doing a Myspace Secret Standup show at the Steve Allen Theater here in Los Angeles. The show is free and it's to support The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Wierd how a free show is benefiting a charity. Maybe they will ask for donations at the show. It's not too much of a secret since I saw a banner advertisement on Myspace without even logging in. The only prerequisite to get into the show is to have a printout of your Myspace profile.
Last night I went to the Sierra Stage to catch some comedy at T.N.T.. It was a fun night. The evening began with Obama supporter Harrison warming up the stage. He announced the first team to take the stage "KICK ASS DRAGONS". Kick Ass Dragons had two aquaintences of mine on the three person team, Rob and Zack. I don't remember exactly what the suggestion was but they performed some scenes about a three way relationship, bartending school, Aruba and a mixer party. Fun stuff to see.
After them came Splicer. The very large group named Splicer took control of the stage with their improv movie form. The suggestion I believe was "Pimp Queens and Dope Fiends". Things learned were the franchising of ones privates, Pimps can talk alot, and there is such thing as a $135 Million dollar bill. I also noticed that Jenny and Daniel are in this group. I asked Jenny after they were done to see how her trip to Kentucky was. She told me about her adventures and she bumped into someone who knew me during her travels. She said "Small World", I said "Popularity".
During the 9 o'clock hour we started with "The Internet". I didn't know any of the members of this three member group but I have seen them at TNT before. The group started out with the suggestion "Cat in a Bag". It wounded up being a crazy enteraining journey with restaurants serving expensive cat in the bag dishes, drug sniffing voodoo cats, and Ghostbusters 2. A fun ride.
The second group to take the stage was Sean Conroy and Dannah Feinglass. I don't seem to remember the suggestion but Sean and Dannah started as a married couple of two years. Dannah being very cheery in a Sound of Music type of happiness. Sean in a very laid back and restrained hatred of his wife. It went from than to a Mother/Daughter discussion of the chosen people and dating. The last I remember it hitting was two school kids trying to do homework/hangout on the waterbed while clumsy with firting.
At 10pm we were welcomed by Zam! I know Josh and Monica in this three person improv troupe. Someone shouted Pizza as the suggestion for them and as last week, the group I saw Josh in, they did an organic opening to their set. They have some good openings and do not get into the dreaded drummers in a circle, monkeys, zombie walk a lot of oprganic openings turn into. During their scenes we were introduced to lemer sex, 80's cars, and moon sensitive skin.
I am trying to remember the set Capricorn 5 had. I remember them ending the night and it had gay chew toys. Afterwards I ended up leaving before the Jam. I just wasn't in the mood to perform improv. I had a bad day.
Today I think the word of the day is laundry. It has been a while. I think I would like some chinese food also. This weekend I hope to hook up with Jimmy to go to UCB to catch Match Game. This month should be fun with the cast they have. I should be there both nights. I also start another workshop with Billy Merrit. I hope we get to do a ninja Harold. It should be nice to do a harold since I haven't done one in a long time. It has been all documentary and one act from here.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Are you ready for the Remix?
Tim and Eric were awesome. First DJ Douggpound came out and put us In The Mix. Nothing is funnier than knock knock jokes into a remix. It's hard to describe Douggpound you just have to see him yourself. Bob Odenkirk came out and said he was an Echo employee and Tim and Eric cancelled. We then performed a Tim and Eric chant to get them out. They came out in costumes that had huge nipples and balls that went down to the knees. The show had a bunch of season three footage which is awesome and should be out by June. During the show, they threw Pizza and Hotdogs at the crowd. They brought a girl who was celebrating her birthday up on stage and sat her down and then a live version on "I Sit On You". In all, everyone was there. In attendance: Richard Dunn gave thank you poem at the end; David Liebe Hart sang lots of songs like Solemain and Kiss Her On Her Lips; Michael Q. Schmidt got naked and Raised the Roof; James Quall told jokes and sang; Ron Austar sang Doo Doo De Doo; Palmer Scott did the Sit On You. It was great. I also got to see Bradlee, Sunshine, Jimmy, Aron and Kristie.
Tonight I am going to T.N.T. for some laughs and some beer. Its been a hell of a day and I have some thinking to do.
I do want to say congratulations to some pals of mine who made Harold Teams at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Congratulations to Josh Simpson and Kendall Mayhew who are now on Charred Cat. Also congratulations to Clay Larsen who is now on Timber? I'll Try. Catch them in the future on Monday nights at the UCB Theater.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Where's My Chippy?
Mondays usually suck but tonight me and a bunch of my crazy friends will be going to the Echo to see Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job Live tonight. I got my ticket about a month ago so it is pretty awesome we finally get to go. I know that Jimmy, Kristy, Bradley, Aron and Sunshine will be there.
I performed yesterday evening with my improv pals to an audience of five people. Pretty rough. When half of us are on stage, the other half of us will sit and watch from the audience so the audience was really 10 people. The first group was really funny and performed great. It was a lot of fun. I was in the second group and I think it could have been better. BJ definitely had a good character. I didn't define my character enough and painted myself into an improv hole. We then made a third group and did one more performance and it ended up being pretty funny. I do have to say after performing to a room of five people, when a joke fails, the silence is deafening.
After the performance I was met at Birds by Jimmy and his girlfriend Kristy. We sat for a couple of beers just talking. We decided to get some food but the food at Birds is a B-, we then decided to hit up the P. F. Changs in the Beverly Center.
When we arrived, we got a table right away. I flirted and joked with the waitress a bunch. I don't know how to ask a waitress out since it might be one of those things people hate when they are working a dinner shift. She might have a boyfriend and it might seem inappropriate for her. I chose to keep my mouth shut and smile a bunch. If I ever return, maybe it will be different but I usually prefer the P. F. Changs in Santa Monica. The food tastes fresher there.
After work I plan on going straight to the Echo because the show is sold out and it is general admission. I wish I brought my smaller camera because I would like to take pictures. I have a feeling they will be looking for camera tonight.
Tomorrow is T.N.T. at the Sierra Stage. Listed is Kick Ass Dragons and Splicer, The Internet, Conroy/Feinglass and ZAM!. At 11pm is the improv jam.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Dropping Improv Like Its Hot
I am performing later today at the Upright Citizens Brigade at 6:00 pm. Everyone is welcome and I will be hanging out at Birds after the show. I am available on my cell phone until 5:30 pm and then after 7:30 pm.
Friday night I had my audition for a spot on a Harold team at the Upright Citizens Brigade. The audition went well and was fun. I said before that a lot of my friends have a little more talent than me so I was not surprised at 2:30 pm today, I haven't gotten a callback. Oh well, there is always next year.
I went to my improv workshop the next day and it was fun and the last time I will be with some of these performers for a while. It is a shame when we start to get into a groove and then it ends. You do end up loosing some friends the in improv because the payout can feel so small at tims but then you do have to enjoy what you are doing. I did sign up for another workshop with Billy Merrit, he seemed to be the only coach teaching advanced levels. I saw today Chad Carter started another advanced scenework class but its on Thursday nights and I already signed up for Billy's workshop.
I hung out with Jimmy last night. I thought we would see if we could get some stuff done for some of the upcoming contests. We just ended up slacking for six or seven hours. I did get to play Grand Theft Auto IV. I ws debating whether or not to get a Playstation or Xbox and buying GTA IV. I think after playing it last night I don't have an immediate need for it. I didn't play any missions in the game. I did however play some deathmatches and explored the city. It is a pretty large map and being from New York, I tried finding places in Manhattan where I lived or hungout. It's not so complete as I would have hoped but it is really cool. They even have Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in the game. It is pretty neat but I ended up being more than a tourist than a hardcore gamer. You couldn't fly planes in this one either even though there is an airport. I was wondering if you could visit Atlantic City. You can fly attack choppers with .50 caliber machine guns, never saw those at JFK.
Good bye to Ant. He has been the latest kicked of of Celebra Cadabra. He needed to leave and it was a very entertaining exit. It makes me want to do magic again, but then I remember what adult magicians look like. They are Chris Angel and David Blane. I do not want my hair to grow out or live in water for a year.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Do I have a chance?
In today's world, we have a bunch of competitions; American Idol, Last Comic Standing, Celebra Cadabra... Tonight I audition for a spot on a Upright Citizens Brigade Harold Team. Do I think I have a chance? I don't know because I have seen so many friends of mine that I consider more talented than me. We will find out soon, I guess.
Last night was some good TV. I didn't get to see Hells Kitchen yet but The Office, 30 Rock and LOST we fun to watch. I do have to say LOST wasn't the best I have seen but they did jump the shark last week with the appearance of the monster. It was funny though that the military guys are still alive.
Next week is the 30 Rock finale, I don't know if The Office is ending also.
This weekend is busy. Tonight is my UCB audition. Tomorrow I have my improv workshop. Sunday I perform at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater at 6:00pm. Monday is Tim and Eric's Awesome Show Great Job at the Echo. Looks like rest is going to be scarce.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Spoof Contest
MTV Spoof Contest
Are you resourceful enough to make a hysterical movie spoof with absolutely no budget? If you are, you could find yourself standing onstage June 1 at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles, receiving a Golden Popcorn statuette for Best Movie Spoof.
Seven finalists will win a trip to attend the big show and take home a sweet little Flip Video camcorder. But only the amateur auteur whose spoof collects the most votes on mtv.com will walk away with the MTV Movie Awards Golden Popcorn trophy!
Here's how you do it. Your masterpiece must be less than three minutes in length and cannot contain any copyrighted music or video that you did not create yourself. Your spoof must be submitted via one of our partner sites -- Break, Buzznet, Daily Motion, Funny Or Die, Heavy, MySpace or Photobucket -- by May 11, 2008, 11:59 p.m. ET. Finalists will be announced on May 19 and voting will open for the public to decide who will win!
For more details, visit: www.movieheat.com/mtvcontest
Casting Notice
Casting for Jingles
IMPROVERS, ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?
CBS is looking for you…
CBS and Mark Burnett Productions have teamed up to find the greatest undiscovered marketing genius for a new show, “Jingles.” Do you think that you could use your quick mind and musical skills to wow Fortune 500 companies with your talent?
We are looking for teams of two to four people to write and perform product jingles. A team could be anything from singer-songwriters to a brother/sister team to a singing comedy duo or a barbershop quartet. We are looking for fun, high-energy performances mixed with a competitive spirit.
Contact us now for more information about how you can apply for the show!
Now is your chance to prove that you possess the competitive edge and talent to win over a live audience and industry professionals all at once!
For more information, contact
Shannon McCarty at smccarty@markburnettprod.com or call 310.903.5450.
Bye Bye Brooke
I don't even watch American Idol. I swear. I did watch a couple minutes last night though. I have to tell you, that Jason Castro freaks me out with his E.T. phone home like looks. I don't have an opinion on how he sings but his looks, get rid of the dreads. There is definitely some talent among the final five but when they kicked off Brooke, she cried like a kid with a skinned knee.
I didn't have any photographers to take my picture like I needed this week. I took it upon myself to be the subject and the photographer. Not a huge leap though, I did attend school at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. I did study fashion photography. I just didn't do it as a profession because of the low turnover rate and lack of openings. Anyway, I did shoot some OK pics and I went to print them on the fanciest of fancy photo paper. The prints went yucky because I haven't printed with my photo printer in a while so I had to get more toner and ink today.
I had to go downtown today after picking up the ink. Going downtown was a mistake. It is May Day. What is May Day? I didn't know until I looked it up today. It apparently is a bunch immigrants rallying for illegal immigrants. It caused a riot last year but this year they blocked off the entire area of downtown. I tell you Los Angeles is the only city that shuts down for movies and immigrants.
Tonight is Must See Thursday. This is due to a new The Office and new 30 Rock. There is also a new LOST on ABC and they have a lot of explaining to do. I feel I want to get my drink on after work and tomorrow I have my audition for a spot on a Harold Team at UCB.
