Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, I Feel My Temperature Rising...

As forecast for the past few days, Southern California has turned into an oven. Trains late, due to speed reduction from the high heat. Thunderheads off in the distance, from the higher then normal humidity. Homes without power.
So since I will be outdoors for the next three days, I checked the weather in beautiful Fontana, home of the California Speedway. At around 2PM today it was 104 degrees (according to the Weather Channel, it feels like 105). I am so looking forward to this weekend...not!
So we continue to pack and get ready, but I am real worried for the kids and for ourselves and actually, for the drivers and spectators. Watch the race on Sunday and send us good wishes...I am positive we are going to need it.

There will be no posts for the next 3 days. To those in the U.S., have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.

A quick personal note:
Happy Birthday Gina from Holland!

Godspeed, Mr. Trolley

I attended college in Central New York State. I was a broadcasting major and I remember as if it was yesterday, the day I arrived on a Greyhound Bus and walked into a classroom for the orientation of the broadcasting students. At the front of the room was Doc O'Donnell and the first words out of his mouth to all these fresh faces was "There are no jobs in Broadcasting". He basically was telling us that we were wasting our time, pursuing broadcasting as a major. I, being the stubborn Italian that I am, was just more determined that I would somehow make it happen for me. I stuck it out and thrived in the environment that Doc had built for his students. He was department chair and by saying what he did, he hoped to weed out the lazy, non motivated students, leaving our scarce resources for the students who were determined to make it. I sometimes wonder if his saying that right off the bat, is what opened that door to my future and I have never forgotten him. He was one of the team that taught us the ropes, TV, Radio, Sales, Programming, Jock, Journalist, Director, Engineer. We learned it ALL and that helped us all find our nitch in the "New" career that was broadcasting.

One of the things he did in TV's infancy was play a character in a kid's program airing on the local TV channel.

He was "Mr. Trolley" on a show called "The Magic Toyshop" He wore a trolley on his head. The pictures I have seen of him are truly funny now days, but generations of children grew up with him and remember him fondly. I get the feeling that it had a lot of a Mr. Rogers feel to the show.
The fact that he had worked live television, gave him an edge that so many of the wanna be teachers just don't have.
Once you have walked the walk, you can impart wisdom and that he did that, in spades.

After graduating, I saw Doc at several reunions through the years. I remember after getting my job and going to a reunion in the mid 80's, I threw the line about no jobs in broadcasting, back in his face. He looked at me proudly and smiled a Cheshire cat smile. That's when I really knew he used it as a motivator. I also saw him at my 20th reunion, when we all came back to give Al Roker the Distinguished Alumni award. He was, even in retirement, still the same Doc that I always knew and admired.
He was scheduled to attend the Communications Reunion in October and I was just lamenting with another former student, that I would love to go to get another chance to see Doc. Unfortunately, that won't happen. Doctor Lewis B. O'Donnell died 2 days ago. He will be sorely missed by hundreds of us broadcasting alumni who are out there, working in the industry he swore we would never work in. We honor you every day, by our competence, dedication to our careers and lives. Godspeed.

NASCAR or "How Do We Pitch That Tent Again?"

As I mentioned before, I will be working NASCAR this weekend. I have a choice, sleep with several hundred people under one of those huge white outdoor tents, or pitch my own. A no brainer of an answer, I am bringing my own tent. So tonight Hubby and I took it out for the first time in several years and tried to pitch it, to see if anything was broken or missing. On paper this sounded like a good idea and we deliberately waited until the over 100 degree weather started to calm down a bit before attempting this. So after dinner, we start looking for the tent (a test of knowledge all by itself). Where did we put the darn thing? We finally find it and bring it out back to pitch. Well, putting it nicely, chaos ensued. He was the least knowledgeable of us and fought me all the way, I knew more about this tent, but he remembered more of the do's and don'ts of tent pitching. That's why we make a good team, we swear at each other (a little), but between the two of us, we get it done. So it looks like it's all there and we took it down and packed it back up. So now I am totally exhausted and just can't wait to have to pitch it myself on Friday. Bet the dirt will be as hard as a rock, too. Hopefully the kids will be around to give me a hand.

Screen Captures or Fuzzy is Better Then Nothing

Since I began hanging out at Max Martini/Unit boards, Screen Captures have become part of my life. I was unaware that people could grab an image from a video and capture it. They come out a bit fuzzy, but have an interest all their own, due to the fact that they are from a program or video. Since the new season of The Unit begins in under 30 days and we are not sure we have a screen capture person on board this year, several of us are trying to get up to speed. So these past 2 days, I have been getting instruction on how to make this happen on my computer, from another member of the board. It is a labor intensive process, but it can be done. It took me about half an hour to walk myself through the entire process, but I was ultimately successful in getting a screen capture and uploading it into this blog. I am proud of myself, but can't see me doing it on a weekly basis. I stand in awe of people who have huge amounts of time to dedicate to this art, but I am definitely am not one of those people. Cool new skill to add to my bag of tricks though.

**Photo is from "Games of Chance" which starred the LA Subway system front and center. Actors are Dennis Haysbert and Max Martini.

Hurricane Dean or Who Made Southern California So Humid?

Hurricane Dean attacked Mexico earlier in the week and came northward to our area of the United States. It changed our our normal HOT DRY weather into a Hot and Humid day. Yesterday we even had a tiny bit of drizzle. Today was fly day and I checked outside before we left and things were looking OK, though thundershowers were a possibility. When we got to the airport, the teacher was going through drills for if they lost electric power, how do you land or if you lost flaps, what do you do. I was sitting on the couch listening to him wondering what was going on, but I didn't interrupt the lesson. So off they go and I get to work. Somewhere along the way I hear them getting clearance and I find out they had been doing Touch and Goes again. As a matter of fact, practicing landing without electric, practicing landing without flaps, practice how to land with a very short approach, etc. Putting into practice the very things I had heard the teacher talking about. As they flew their Touch and Goes, the weather was getting just a bit more cloudy and you could see off to the south there were dark clouds. I was glad they stayed in the area and it was interesting how the teacher used the unusual weather to teach how to get the plane down in emergency conditions. They both mentioned the fact that the air was much more turbulent then they normally experience. Again due to the unstable air from the Hurricane remnants. I was glad when they came back.
This was lesson 11.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

I have a wedding to go to, that is going to take place at the Zoo. I had originally figured I would just wear a dress that I already owned and that was that. Well, a few days after we accepted the invitation to go to the wedding, I saw this very cool tiger stripe fabric at Walmart. 1 dollar a yard, so I got 4 yards and figured if I couldn't make a dress out of it, I was just out the 4 dollars. So last weekend I started, using another dress I own, as a sort of outline. I cut it and sewed it up and it looked...pretty decent. I was shocked! So this weekend I have added the sleeves onto it and hope to hem the bottom, hem the sleeves and get the neck right. I am sure I will not be nominated for the Happy Homemaker Sewing Award, but I think it will be OK for an outdoor wedding that is not being considered a formal affair. Men don't have to wear a jacket, just a dress shirt and slacks. Tiger stripes on a dress should fit right in with the zoo residents and make a good conversation starter, if nothing else.

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*Photo is of the dress in process. Sleeves, Neck and hem still to be done.

Redbelt Videos, or Who is That Man in the Blue Gi?

One of my very first posts over here was about my being an extra in Redbelt (the Movie). 2 months have passed and it almost feels like a dream to me. The fighters, the Kodo Drummers, David Mamet Directing the whole thing...
Well yesterday someone who hangs out at a fan run Max Martini website posted a few videos with interviews of David Mamet talking about Mixed Martial Arts fighting and Redbelt (the movie they were shooting) in particular. Fighting practice is going on in the background and one of the actors is indeed, Max Martini! What a treat to see. Especially since the big fight scene we were a part of did not deal with him. In most of the shots, is seems as if he has his hands tied in front and he is being attacked and must defend himself as best he can. It's an interesting thing to watch and it makes me even more impatient to see the final finished movie. It has a projected release date of sometime in 2008.

Here are the videos. Click the links to watch them.

Fox Interview

NBC Interview

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The picture is a posed shot of part of the scene that I was an extra in. It's taken at Cal State Long Beach's Pyramid.

Well, Hey, It's Time We Moved in Togther...

I drove to work the other day and picked some old music from my collection. I don't know if I had ever listened to this one CD before, I think it might have been a purchase from work. Anyway, if I did listen to it, once or twice, it was years ago. So I slip the CD in and Carly Simon begins with the song "That's The Way I Always Heard It Should Be". This IMMEDIATELY brings me back something like 37years, to the summer I worked as a counselor at Girl Scout Camp. Amazing how it was the feelings I had hearing that song, more then where I was that came to me first. The location I spent that summer in, came a bit later. The song deals with a young adult debating if she should marry the guy she is dating. She looks at her parents sad life, her friends from college and their troubles and then finally with a resigned sigh of despair and hopelessness, decides that they should indeed get married. Being 15 when I heard this song and coming from what I considered a loving environment, this song just screamed of a major waste of a life. I am so glad that I never listened to it's message and in time, found a love and life of my own. Obviously, challenges along the way, but a life worth living and a definite feeling that yes, if I had to do it all over again, I would, with this man at my side.

I wonder what Carly Simon thinks of this song, all these years later...

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

Last week I heard that the Australian/New Zealand leg of the Steely Dan tour was getting their own Steely Dan Tee Shirt made by Denise of Hinktown. I have another of her shirt designs, from the Chumash show earlier this year, so I sent out a frantic email on Friday asking to be put on the list. Alan from Australia and I had met at the same Chumash show so he gets me on the order list, just under the wire. Great, I think! Well, then starts the how do I pay this man problem. I was going to send him some US money, but hey, that's not exactly fair to him. He needs Australian money. Well, Paypal wouldn't make it happen for me, a new subscriber and I really didn't want to drive all the way over to LAX for a currency exchange. So I put Burbank (thinking that maybe that airport had currency exchange) into Google and amazingly, I found that there was a currency exchange in the Glendale Galeria! Who knew? This one really dealt with exchange of all currencies. The other ones I had called, that are located around my immediate LA neighborhood, all said they dealt with wire transfers only. So I went on my lunch hour and had, for a few short minutes, some genuine Australian $20 bills in my hands. They are made of polymer plastic and each one has a window in it! Very cool. I hear one of the dollars has the face of person who wrote Waltzing Matilda on it. I thought that would have been nice to see. So my Australian Dollars are now winging their way, happily, to their home in the land down under...

Working for a Living - The Lone Protester

For the past month, there has been a man protesting outside my place of business. He says he has no problem with my company, just with the producer of a show that we will be airing in the future. I am used to people who protest and make sure the media is there in full force and then as soon as the cameras stop rolling they go off on their way, never to be heard from again. Maybe 2 hours of picketing, tops. This man seems different. I have not seen any camera crew come to photograph him. I have not seen anyone interview him, (minus a few of our staff, who have approached him to ask why he stands there day after day). He is very dedicated to letting the people who drive by our station, know that he has an issue with something. I almost feel sorry for him, since this is the height of summer heat and our front gate gets the late afternoon sun. I don't know what he wants, but I hope he is getting something from all the time and effort he has invested in this protest.

NASCAR - Or Life in the Oval

My son's JROTC unit works the NASCAR race at the California Speedway twice a year. I used to watch racing back in the '70 and decided to volunteer my time, back in February, to support the cadets. We were there to bring them food and any supplies they needed, during the race and to cook dinner and help with the tear down, after the race. I had never done this before and when we arrived we were told to call and that someone would pick us up. What I didn't know is that we were herded into the back of the person's pick up truck and driven to the center of the oval, whizzing down under the track at one point and speeding along at over 50 miles per hour. From the back of the pick up truck it was thrilling to see so much of what viewers see on TV. The water tower in the middle of the track oval, the cars, the video boards, the crowds in the grandstand. It was unforgettable and very cool. When the cars were at full speed, the noise was incredible, a real E ticket attraction. What I found out though was that most of the race they were on yellow or red flags, so very little racing was being done. Since the new school year began today, we begin to organize our attendance at this month's race. It is scheduled during the Labor Day weekend and with a little luck, I might end up spending the entire weekend there this time. That would be cool, though from the stories I heard last time, drunks are a real issue, especially in the tent where the cadets sleep. Who knew? I may end up on guard duty...won't that be fun.

More to come.

A New School Year or Yikes! When Do I Sleep?

Yes, It has arrived, the beginning of the new school year. Back pack, check, clothes, check, books, check, classes, check, JROTC, check, drive club, check. Yes, this year I have 3 to bring. Mine, the one down the block, who walks up to our house every morning (thank you so much for doing that) and now my son's other friend joins the other two in a first period class, so I offered to give him a ride, too. He is the one who has a hard time getting up on time and then bicycles to school hopefully in time for second period, but these first period kids spend 80 percent of the school year arriving in the dark and I don't want the boy bicycling in the dark. So this is day one of the new pick up schedule. I do believe I will now be getting up even earlier. Sigh...

The Magic Castle

As I have mentioned before, one of my son's best friends enjoys doing magic. For his 16th birthday, I went to my friend from college and asked her if she could set up a visit to The Magic Castle. She contacted her friend Magic Bob and we were in.
The Magic Castle has been around since the 60's and you must be brought in by a member of the Academy of Magical Arts. The general public is not allowed in. The only shows that underage children are allowed to attend are the ones during Sunday Brunch, so that's what we made plans to get together for. Bob told us that we would want to see some of the magic going on, so we came in time to see a show before our brunch time and we then went to another show immediately following. The first one we went to was the PARLOUR OF PRESTIDIGITATION. It was a small room with slight of hand stuff going on. My guys, who work that kind of magic, were still impressed with the magician. We then went to brunch and the food was excellent and all you can eat. I am not a fan of "All you can eat Vegas Style brunches", but this was not like that at all. Definitely bring an appetite with you. They make sure you get out in time for the next show and so we went to a bigger stage area with a more stage show performance that just happened to have magic as a part of if. It was good, with lots of audience interaction going on. Then Bob took us around the castle and showed us some of the secrets it has, ghosts and such. he also took us to a quiet area to do close up magic with us. We spent an hour showing and telling and just having a good time. My son's friend even got to do a few tricks for Bob. It was pretty intense.

Then it was time to go and as we left we got to watch the magic fountain out front of the castle. It's pretty unique. If you know anyone who does magic or know anyone who knows a magician, it is a cool place to go. Night performances are adult only and I am sure they are great. Check out a one of a kind experience. You won't regret it.

Plumbing and the Kitchen Floor

Here I sit while the plumber clears out my drain. It seems to happen every two years or so and many times hubby has had the pleasure of dealing with it. This time due to the fact that we are having a new kitchen floor installed next week, I figure I would get the pros here to deal with it. They don't take days and no swearing is involved. :-)
We have the original flooring and linoleum just doesn't last 22 years. It has gouges, hills and stuff, stains from boot polish (note to self, don't EVER let the kids shine their boots in the house after I go to bed again) and it is coming up at the seam between sheets. So last weekend I dragged hubby to Lowes because we had $100 in coupons at that store. It seemed like a good idea and we chose a lovely new linoleum floor called Tumblestone Copper Brown. It will be darker then what we currently have and I hope that it hides stains and dirt a bit better then the old one does. The installer is also coming today (lucky me, 2 people checking out my kitchen in one day) to measure for the amount of linoleum the job will need. I believe it will be a single sheet, which means no seams this time around, which makes me happy. The first place it was compromised was the seam by the dining room and of course, the ants found that immediately. ACK!
The only thing that is a problem is that we will have to pull the old floor out before the new install. Oh joy, oh joy.
We also will have to take the molding off the cabinets and walls, which shouldn't be as bad a job as pulling the old flooring up will be. Hubby is hoping and praying that the installer, cheap people that they were, only glued the edges of the floor. We will soon find out, I guess.

Send good thoughts our way.
I appreciate it.

What Do You Have IN There?

I commute to work and since I do, I carry everything I need in my trusty backpack. Most people ask me what the heck to I have in there, cause it weighs a TON. Well, I come from the generation of Angelino's who lived through the Northridge Earthquake. This means I have all sorts of stuff that you wouldn't normally have. Like a space blanket...just in case I can't get home and have to sleep somewhere. Band-Aids, a toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, sewing kits and a flashlight. I always carry an umbrella and a boonie cap, in case of freak rain storms, a plastic bag for the pack (for the same reason). My purse is in there, natch. MP3 player, cell phone, keys, a book, a Sudoku book, my Palm and portable keyboard, gum, two water bottles, train schedules, my lunch, work from work (don't ask) and lots of other stuff, too numerous to name. I like to think that I have most normal stuff covered. The train is late and I have stuff to do, always! I carry a jacket with me, cause most days the train is really cold. I just try to be prepared for almost anything. It's a good way to be...anyone need a travel pillow?

**For any who looked a the picture and wonder what the heck I have hanging from the zippers and stuff. I made a dragonfly out of purple and clear beads several years ago. I have a keychain from San Francisco (where my heart is) that has a lucky penny in it. I have a $1,000 Canadian bill keychain, in honor of my Canadian friend from Montreal. I also have an Indian sun hanging from the hook on the front of the bag. It is my latest acquision and very beautiful, in shades of brown.**