ANOTHER NOTHING DAY

The only thing I did today was call a guy up to ask him to work on the busted sprinkler pipe in the front yard.  He didn't get back to me until later in the evening and said he'd come over tomorrow morning.  That was pretty much it.  I did the usual Internet surfing, playing Call of Duty, watching tv and looking at eBay for a mahjong set.

I realize that when I'm not working, I have a ton of time on my hands.  It's strange.  When I'm working, I always think about everything I could do, but when I'm not, I just think about not wanting to do those things.

(written 12/2/11)

RUNNING SORE

I finally called up a painting company and the guy Michael actually remembered his bid.  We talked a little about the price and I like the guy.  Hopefully I can get him to give me a little more of a discount even though he is by far the lowest priced of all the bids.

Then I did my run and I was sore.  That long run Sunday got me super sore, but it felt good getting the kinks out and I didn't really feel any pain in my feet.  Thank goodness.  I guess the pain only comes from long runs.

I also realized the half marathon is not this Sunday, but the following.  That's good because it means I can get to Zita's earlier and be in a better mood.  I know I'm going to feel exhausted after the half marathon.

I did a lot of looking on eBay for a mah jong set with not much luck.  I also called Texas Instruments to see if I could return the calculators.  They actually charge for returns.  $50 each!  But that ain't bad because that's half price and it's a brand new (refurbished) calculator.  I think I might do it since I can probably re-sell these puppies for close to what I bought them for.  I figure it's an ok deal if I can get my money back.

After dinner I helped Jared with his personal essays.  It was frustrating because I always want the best, but we got it done and we both seemed relatively satisfied with the final product.  He applied to four UCs and he didn't even have to pay for them!  That was awesome and sometimes it's good to admit you're poor and in need of financial help.

STUPID WEBCAM

I tried to shoot a video with my nieces when they were here the other day, but for some reason, the webcam would not shoot anything.  It shoots a blank video with audio, but that's it.  Looking up the issue on the Logitech site, I noticed someone with the same issue that did a clean install.  So that's what I did and after spending hours on it, it didn't do shit.

Before this, I did a little work with Jared on his essays for the UC.  His writing is kind of weak, but what do you expect from someone who doesn't really try very hard.  I got mad at him for not trying, but then realized all I was doing was wasting time.  I tend to do that a lot.  I'll get angry at someone and then at the end of it all, we accomplished very little.  But at least we got through one of the prompts and only have one left.

During the afternoon, I spent some time calling to see how much new doors would cost at the Pomona duplex. They cost about $450-$700 depending on what needs to be done exactly.  That's probably a little too rich for this time since we're going to do some painting anyway.  So I guess that will be first on the list instead.

Other than that, I rested most of the day since I'm feeling very sore from the long run I had yesterday.

PAINFUL RUN

It was warm outside when I began my long 10 mile run.  I felt confident, but when I started looking at the hills that I was running down, I knew I'd have to take them going the other way on the run back.  As I got going, I was already sweating and my mouth started to get very dry.

The last time I ran long, it was cold and I didn't feel thirsty at all.  This time was different.  The sun was shining and it was hitting me pretty good the entire time.  I tried to run in the shade, but there were hills that made me tired and made me sweat.  It didn't really matter that I was in the shade.

I finally got to the halfway point and walked to the school that had a park next to it.  I was already very thirsty and I felt tired too.  I decided to just walk back down to where I stopped and started to run again.  But again, I was very thirsty and felt tired.  So I stopped by Walnut High School for another drink.  I felt like drinking a lot of water but I knew that it would only hurt me more on the way back.  I was running weakly and nearly hurt myself when I tripped over a half-inch rise on the concrete.  Luckily, I fell slowly and it wasn't bad at all.  Only the palms of my hands got scuffed but it was hardly anything.

As I reached the Valley/Grand corner, I stopped again at CVS looking for a drinking fountain.  There wasn't one.  So I decided to just jog to DB Golf Course since I knew there was one there.  My feet were aching and every step was painful.  I drank a lot of water and decided to just walk the rest of the way back.  It was painful and my feet were killing me.

When I got home, I iced them and that seemed to help a lot.  I limped around all night and just rested, trying to rehydrate as much as possible.  I'm a little worried about next Sunday, but I'm pretty sure I can make it through.

JUST CHILLAXIN'

After lunch, I just watched tv.  When it got close to being dark, I did a short jog, very easy.  Took a shower and did some laundry.  Ate dinner then played COD World at War and a little Black Ops.  Watched more tv, then decided to go to bed early to try to wake up and do a long morning run.

THE DAY AFTER TURKEY DAY

K. Paul and fams left, but not before Kylie, Karina, Lia and I got our mahjong on.  It was fun as hell and I'm so happy they have learned how to play.  For some reason, the damn game is addicting even when we don't gamble.  I want to learn how to score now though, so we'll see how that goes.


Then moms, Marissa (who was dropped off) and I took the girls home since they spent the night just to hang out with Lia.  They are so sweet and I have to remember that sometimes.  I did a little jog around the block, then came back to K. Noel's house.


There, I spent some time with Amanda and her PS3 upstairs.  I couldn't get it to connect to the internet, but then realized it probably didn't have bluetooth.  I also did a little cable remote programming so you could turn the tv off with it.


Then moms, Marissa and I went to Tilly's to pick Jared up and check out his store.  It's cool to see Jared grow up to be a man and get his first job.  Now he'll realize how much a sucky job sucks.  It's his first job though so at least he'll get a chance to see what retail is like and to see how he will fit into the world we live in.


Moms and I left before dinner and got back to a quiet home.  I watched Cal play football on tv and beat ASU and noticed that the Memorial stadium is complete and it's going to seriously kick ass.  The school should make more money and we'll have a better football team.  At least I hope we do.


During the game, Janet and I got a chance to catch up on the phone.  It's nice being friends with her but I'm not sure where our friendship will lead.  It's fun hanging out once and awhile, but I'm not sure if there's much point to it if she or I are looking for more than friendship.  However, she did go through Landmark Education and it totally changed her perspective on life.  I'm proud of her realizations and hope it will continue.  I told her that if next year, at this time, she's still doing her thing, then it's a true success that Time has judged.


(written 11/26/11)

SHOPPING FOR THANKSGIVING

It's nice to know stores are open just before Thanksgiving.  You can do last minute shopping without much worry.

The first stop was the Korean market, Super H.  I spent most of the time here.  I bought some oxtail, some shrimp and lots of jelly fruit cups for the kids.  I bought some fruits and I bought a few vegetables for the kare kare I planned to make.  I also got some green tea and melons.


The next stop was Albertsons for some potatoes and other things I can't quite remember.

I was supposed to stop by the Chinese restaurant Jade House but I totally forgot.  I was going to order a fried turkey there for Thanksgiving but figured I could just go there tomorrow.

I spent a few hours making the kare kare.  When everyone got home from the children's museum, I had it ready for them.  They really seemed to enjoy it.  It was good timing too because Tam and Jansen and Eleanor and Beejay along with their kids came through.

Tam left a little early, and then it was time to play some poker.  The first game we played was some no-limit cash with $.10-$.20 blinds.  K. Noel and Jared went heads-up in the first tourney but K. Noel prevailed.  Then the last tourney we played had me and K. Noel heads-up but I ended up winning.

All-in-all, it was a great day because I realized how much fun it is spending time with the fams.  We don't get together very often, but when we do, it's good times.

(written 11/26/11)

GOLF AT HIDDEN VALLEY

K. Paul and I left to pick-up Jared at his moms.  Then we ate at McD's real quick so we could get to Hidden Valley in time.  We got there about 20 minutes early.  The nice thing was that we got hooked up with the price. Jared paid $1, then we got charged $15 and $35, for a total of $51!  What a deal!  Only $25 per person basically.

Then we played golf and I did really well on the front 9.  I think I started to think too much and then started choking and before I knew it, I had an 8 on one hole.  Still, I finished with an 83 and that's pretty good though I felt like I should have broken 80 at the rate I was going.

When we got back, El and BJ had brought their kids over so we could all hang out.  Just like Karina says, it's so nice to hang out with the family.

(written 11/24/11)

KIDS GO TO LEGOLAND

Everyone left for LegoLand today while I just pretty much chilled at home.  When they got back, they all played Just Dance 3 again and built up a nice sweat.

(written 11/24/11)

K. PAUL AND FAMS ARRIVE

I woke up pretty late just because I couldn't get myself up.  I felt too groggy from last night.  Instead, I drove over to Lorbeer around 10:30AM and just did as many laps as I could before it started to rain.  I actually timed it perfectly, because it started to rain around 11:45AM.  I got in five miles, but if I had left around 9AM to run those ten miles, I would have gotten back at just about the right time before the rain started to fall.  Oh well.  At least I got some miles in.

After my run, I put some cleaner in my tank and filled up the tank.  Hopefully that will help clean out the junk in my engine that might cause me to fail my smog test.  We'll see.

Then I picked up food at In-N-Out for K. Noel and fams who drove out to wait for K. Paul and fams.  I spent some time playing poker, but then we decided to go to Redbox to rent a game.  We got a dancing game that we really got into.  The girls were so into it, they didn't even say hello when K. Paul and fams finally arrived.

Jared and I made some cheese toast.  His was super salty, but the crunch was delicious since he toasted both sides of the bread.  I like that idea and will probably do the same thing next time.  Although we used French bread, I think it would be better to use Italian since it cuts much better and would probably have a nicer texture.


Then we all played the dancing game and got into a super sweat.  I couldn't take much more of it, so I went upstairs to play some poker again.  Jared and Marissa also went up to get out of the heat of things and then K. Paul came later to discuss Jared's future and the potential for investing in the market.


We got into another winless argument and I'm disappointed at myself.  I know it's fruitless to argue about such things, but I get into this state where I feel like I have to argue until the other person is convinced.  In my mind, it's about trying to get them to understand and agree, but deep down inside, I realize it's just insecurity.  Why do I need to convince someone of my argument?  My logical mind tells me I need to do it because if they understood the logic of the argument, they would not be able to argue otherwise.  But the realistic side of me realizes it's pointless because the other person probably feels the same way.  It's only later that I realize it's too damn late and then I get more frustrated that I even started down that path.


Kimi came later to pick Jared up and then I played a little LA Noir while the girls went to bed.

(written 11/21/11)

CLEAN UP BEFORE PAUL COMES IN

We spent the day cleaning the house before Paul's arrival.  I'd already cleaned the hardwood floors and polished them, so I spent much of my time vacuuming the carpets.  Jared and I also spent a bunch of time cleaning the chairs that are part of the dining room set.  They were filthy, so we finally cleaned them and they look great.

I was surprised to see that I didn't have a run scheduled for the day.  It was a rest day for some reason, probably due to the long run that's scheduled for tomorrow.  10 miles!  Eeps!  But I still felt like I did a little bit of cardio because I always sweat a little when I vacuum.

I just chilled while Jared left to go hang out with Marissa.  So when he got back, he was kind of stressing over college and his future.  The poor kid, I don't know what to tell him but just go with the flow and experience what life has to offer you.  He's worried about disappointing people and I can only tell him to just try and live his life.  We kicked back a bit and he crashed immediately, while I worried (and watched Don Glover do stand-up on Comedy Central) about waking up early enough to run my ten miles tomorrow.

(written 11/21/11)

BODY OF PROOF #5

My call time was pushed back to 2:30PM, so I actually had an opportunity to do a short run before leaving.  I did a very light jog with Jared since he spent the night last night after watching the Twilight series with his girlfriend Marissa.  Then we ate lunch and I left him with his grandmother who returned from bingo.


I got to Disney with plenty of time to spare and saw Tim, another extra I've seen forever, parked in the car next to me.  I don't think he remembers me, but I saw him tokin' it up before leaving.  I guess he has every right to do what he wants.


We checked-in and then went to wardrobe.  The guy didn't like my tie, so I had to change it with the other one I brought.  He liked my shirt though and it's probably because it's the one I ripped off from Dexter's wardrobe department.


The day was pretty simple with a lot of crosses and only two scenes.  We were actually broken for lunch right when we got to set, so I just took a nap.  I probably should have eaten though because I actually got hungry when we started to work.  There was no food at crafty really, just a bunch of junk food.  So I ate it and hoped it would curb my hunger and of course, it didn't.


After a few hours of work, they finally brought some real food out which consisted of pasta.  So I got to eat that before we wrapped.  It felt like a pretty long day, but really, it was less than eight hours.  I got home pretty late and just hung out with Jared since he decided to spend the night again.


(written 11/21/11)

FLOOR CLEANING

After lunch, I took a short nap.  It was lovely.  I woke up around 2:30P and got up to start working on the hardwood floor.  It has been so dirty, I hated walking around in my bare feet.  So I swept it up, vacuumed the corners and ends, cleaned them and then put a polish on them.  They feel good now.

During this time, I also roasted a bird.  I found out that the lemon pepper seasoning I put on it is what causes it to scorch.  If I do this again, I think I will need to put the seasoning on the bird about half-way through the cooking process.  I started it at 450 then moved it down to 425.  That seemed ok.  But when I took a look at it about 30 minutes in, there were already some scorched parts, especially on the breast.

Although the thermometer didn't read 190 when I stuck it in, the bird was cooked when I sliced it apart.  I suspect that maybe using a pan instead of a roasting pan that elevates the bird, cooks it hotter and that's probably why the first time I did this, the temperature reached 190.

LAZY DAY

I probably have had many lazy days.  My lack of motivation to do anything troubles me at times, but I don't really do anything about it.  I have no self-motivation because I get bored of doing anything that lacks meaning. Unfortunately, I tend to be motivated by money and I really hate that feeling.  But that's the way it is.  I'm also motivated when I know others can get angry at me, but other than that, I no longer have the motivation I used to feel when doing something.  I wonder if age has something to do with that?

These days, when I'm not working, I usually just sit around and wait until I know I have to run before it gets too dark.  That's what happened today.  I thought about doing some things like contacting some painters (for the Pomona duplex) or even some carpet installers, but instead, I took a nap.  I woke up around 4:30P and decided it was time to run.

I ran over to the post office to drop off my EDD form.  I'm basically making enough money right now not to qualify, but I bet next week I'll probably qualify for a check from them since I probably won't be working.  Most productions shut down in the next few weeks for the season hiatus, but sometimes I'll get lucky and get a gig or two.  I'll probably get more from EDD than working, but I want to build-up my quarterly totals to see if I can get close to qualifying for more money from EDD and for insurance for AFTRA or SAG.  There's also the SAG pension that maybe I could qualify for, but it seems so impossible and far away.

When I got home, I changed the bulb on the outside of the side of the house.  I'm glad it can take fluorescent bulbs, unlike the ceiling fans.  So I put a sunlight bulb out there which is similar to a shop light.  See, there are different shades of light when it comes to light.  The other kind is a warmer tone which is good for indoor lighting.

Then I played poker and got a lame bad beat on Bodog.  I guess I should be okay with this since over the long run, these bad beats are a good sign that you are getting your money in with the best hand.  But it still stings when I lose because it feels so unfair.  At least it's just for a few dollars.  Can you imagine getting a bad beat at the WSOP?

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER #5

My call time was originally 10:30AM but it got pushed back to 11AM, so I had a little more time to get ready in the morning.  But since I decided to get my 20 minute jog out of the way, I came back and had to shower pretty quickly just to try to leave by 9:30AM.

It turns out I didn't need to hurry since there was little traffic and I got to the WB with 30 minutes to spare.  It's always better to be early than late, so I got a chance to take my time walking to Stage 19.

Marcia didn't check us in.  Instead, it was the British woman who I've worked with on Disney shows before.  Marcia was the on-set PA or 2nd 2nd DA.  She didn't recognize me until I told her my name was Giovanni and she gave me a hug and told others it was an inside joke.

The scene was simple.  It was the usual coffee scene, but it was short and my move was just to walk out of the shop with a backpack and computer.

We were broken and I hung around Central Perk until it was time for lunch.  I had lunch at the commissary with Jasmine and we chatted about life as an extra.

Then it was time to work and luckily, our scene shot first.  After our scene, we were wrapped.  I walked Jasmine to the parking lot and I should have asked her for her number so we could at least chat about working in the business.  She's a veteran and knows more than me, so the next time I see her, I'm going to reach out to her.

On the way home, there was a motorcycle accident on the 210.  So we got stuck waiting and finally, after about 30 minutes, some of us decided to just exit the freeway since there was an exit right in front of us.  From there, we were able to go around the accident and jam out of there.

I stopped by Macy's in Arcadia for their sale.  It was a good sale with at least 50% off everything, but everything started very high so everything was still expensive.  I just don't make enough to be buying $30 shirts and that's a little embarrassing so what are you gonna do?

NO WORK NO MOTIVATION

I had a tough time getting up this morning.  I don't know if I was tired from the run yesterday, or tired from being woken up in my semi-sleep.  I got on the computer in the morning until lunch.

I decided to eat the spaghetti since there was some bread that was over a day old.  I hate eating old bread.  I'm not talking sliced bread, but the bread you buy at the supermarket.  Once it goes over a day, it gets pretty hard.  But the cool thing was trying out the Sizzler cheese bread.  I took some spread and mixed in some Parmesan cheese.  Then I spread it and cooked it on a non-stick pan.  It turned out great.  The color was good, but the thing I felt like I was missing was the crunch on the top layer.  Maybe I need to use a little less spread next time and more Parmesan.

Since I had the Modern Warfare 3 disc, I played some levels on it.  It's fun and challenging, but the love I have for it is pretty much gone.  I remember how excited I was when I first played it and how much fun it was.  Now, it's just more of the same.  I tend to feel that way with most things.

I fixed the bathroom temperature knob.  I'm not sure why I had such a problem with it last night.  It was pretty easy this time.  But that knob should not come off like that and I suspect that either it was installed incorrectly or that the thread has worn out and that's why the knob is slipping off its base.  Or maybe it wore out because it was installed incorrectly.  That guy who put it in also didn't do a great job with the shower doors, so who knows.

After dinner I returned the disc and just chilled since I have to work tomorrow.

SHORTER LONG RUN

I was kind of dreading having to run my long run, but it was nice to see that my training program had me running just six miles today.  I guess it's a little bit of a rest from the nine miles last week.  Anyway, it was a pretty easy run with no pains or anything like that.

When I got back, I had dinner and then felt pretty sleepy.  After showering and after all that food, I was feeling quite tired and started to fall asleep.  But then moms came down to say something was wrong with the shower handle.  It had come off before, but I got it back on.  For some reason, I couldn't get it back on and I just quit and said I'd do it tomorrow.

I was ready for bed, but the frustration of that dumb shower handle took it's toll and getting back to sleep took a little longer than I thought.

(written 11/14/11)

PACQUIAO VS MARQUEZ III

Jared woke me up in the morning.  Apparently, he got to visit Marissa last night and spent the night here after partying with her.  After lunch, he went to AQMD with me to drop off a busted printer.  They had a free e-waste collection so it was nice to be able to dump it so close to home.

They didn't take the batteries I had though, so we went to Ace to drop those off.  Then we went back home and then Kimi and Marissa's mom came by to pick him up.

After they left I think I took a nap.  A long one I think.  Either it was today or yesterday, I can't quite remember (since I'm not writing this today).  Anyway, Jansen and I decided to watch the fight at Buffalo Wild Wings.

We thought about ordering it, but it's always cooler to watch a fight with other people.  There was a pretty good undercard, but Tim Bradley's fight was boring.  I don't see him fighting Pacquiao in the future.  He'd just get killed.

At Buffalo Wild Wings, they also showed the first championship UFC fight.  The fight didn't last long though because the champ got knocked out in the first round with a right just above his right ear.

Then it was fight time finally.  And as much as everyone was hoping for an exciting fight, it wasn't.  It was technical, and both fighters seemed to understand how to fight each other.  It also made Pacman look beatable, so maybe this is the fight that finally gets Mayweather to get in the ring with him.  I also wondered if Pacman did it intentionally to get the Mayweather fight.  But I think that because Marquez is a counter-puncher, it was tough for Pacman to hit him without getting hit back.

Jansen tried to get permission to go to King King, but he couldn't so we just went back to his house and kicked it.

(written 11/14/11)

VETERAN'S DAY 2011

I pretty much relaxed today.  Moms didn't have bingo but she went and realized that because of the holiday, there was no bingo.  Instead, T. Tess from Chicago called to talk to her and I had a short chat with her.  I always never know what to talk about with her since we're really not that close.

I was bored in the evening so I asked Jansen if we could hang out.  When I got to his place, he was trying to get his network server working.  He had to dump everything out of the server and upgrade the software since that's what you needed to do when upgrading to Lion, Apple's newest OS.

So we just watched tv, kicked it and chilled.  I drank wine and he drank booze and we played a lot of Zynga poker all night.

(written 11/14/11)

PRIME SUSPECT

My calltime was 10:30AM but I left an hour earlier just to try to sign-up with Healthy Way LA.  I got a lady this time, and after seeing everything I brought, she wondered why I was asked to return.  She said I could have been admitted based on my tax forms from last year.  I always hate it when workers don't seem to get enough training, but in this case, I didn't know who was following protocol.

I was worried about being late for work and I think the social worker noticed.  "Are you always this serious?" the worker asked.  I just said I was nervous about being late and she understood.  She wrapped things up pretty quickly and off I went.

The meter I parked at was already flashing.  I put enough money in for 48 minutes, but I went over that apparently.  Thank goodness the meter maid wasn't around.  I would have hated to get a ticket.

I drove as fast as I could to crew parking and nearly parked in the wrong place because there were some signs for another production on the next block.  But I got there a few minutes late and it was all good because people were still in line with the costume department.  I got a jacket to be a CSI tech and then had breakfast.

We were shuttled to Fremont Place, a neighborhood in the middle of Wilshire that I had no idea was even there.  All the homes were mansions and very well maintained.  It looked like old money, but when we got inside the home where we were shooting, it was a Korean family that owned it.  It didn't seem like old money to me, but like we said, whether it's old money or new money, it's still money.

I kind of regretted not bringing my own chair because there was ample opportunity to take a nap.  I noticed that during one hour shows, the shots take a little longer and the day seems to go longer too.  I guess they just need more time to set-up the shots.  I only worked one scene where I do a quick cross out of the bathroom where the dead body is.

Then it was lunch time and it got dark so we couldn't really see the food we were eating.  That's when I realized how important it is to see your food.  There's definitely something to be said for a visually appetizing plate of food.  Still, I kind of pigged out because there was fried chicken on the menu.

After wrapping, I drove out to the Landmark theaters at the Westside Pavillion.  I was there to watch We Need to Talk About Kevin, but it turns out I went to the wrong theater.  That movie was being shown at the Writer's Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.  So instead, I watched Midnight in Paris, a Woody Allen movie.  It was a typical Woody Allen movie, but during the Q&A with Allen's sister (the producer) and Corey Stoll, they mentioned it was one of the highest grossing Allen films in quite some time.

I bailed in the middle of the Q&A because I'm so cheap, I didn't want to spend $5 on parking.

HEALTH CARE AND ROASTIN'

I had a brunch then headed out to the LAC-USC medical center.  I thought it'd be near USC, but it's actually just off the 710 freeway near the 10.  There was no parking at the lot near the clinics building, so I had to go across the street.  Then I went up to the 6th floor.  The interesting thing was that I had to go through a metal detector I guess because it's probably ghetto.  The people walking through the building looked like the working class and very different from going to a private hospital like Kaiser.

Healthy Way LA is on the 6th floor and that is also where social welfare is.  I felt like a poor mother fucker.  But I'm not too proud to beg, so there I was.  Unfortunately, the workers were on lunch so I had to wait about 40 minutes.  Why they took lunch at 2PM is a wonder to me.  I guess they assume that people come in during the noon lunch break so theirs has to be different.

When I finally got to see a social worker, he told me I couldn't use my tax return from last year.  He noticed I was an actor and he said that since my pay was varied, he couldn't use it.  Instead, he required pay stubs which of course, I didn't have.  So I slunk off thinking that it wasn't really anyone's fault but at the same time, I wish they said to bring both tax returns and tax stubs on their brochure.

There was traffic on the way back, but just in certain spots.  I got home around 3:30PM and started working on the pork roast.  I started it at 325 covered with foil and then about an hour later, I increased the temperature to 350, put some carrots and onions in and took the foil off.  Then I went for a jog.

I tried running a little faster than the normal gait I have.  The great thing about the speed is that you get to the finish line a little faster.  The bad thing is that if you have to run 40 minutes, you have to run further.  But I felt very strong and not tired at all.  I imagine that my blood is exchanging oxygen at a very high level by now so I must be high on the Vo2max test.

The roast came out great, but I think it probably could have used a little more salt.  I'm surprised how much roasts can take salt, but I like to err on the side of less salt versus more salt since you can always add more salt, but you can never take it away.

The weird thing that happened today was about a watermelon I bought at SuperH.  I stuck it in the fridge yesterday and opened it after dinner.  Water spilled out of it and there were hollow parts inside it.  Apparently, it's called hollow heart and it means it's too ripe or that the farmer injected too much crap while growing it.

So I went back to SuperH and they allowed me to get a new one.  But when I cut into it, it too was bad!  That's two in a row!   What sucked was that I had picked one out already, but saw a different one that I thought would be better.  Oh well, it means no watermelon today but it's also frustrating because I have to return the damn thing again.

PARENTHOOD #2

It wasn't hard getting up at 4:30AM this morning.  The goal was to leave by 5:00AM to get to my 6:15AM call-time at Universal Studios with time to spare.  But there was a tiny bit of traffic and there was a pile-up at the Gate 3 entrance so I ended up running a little late.

Thankfully, there was a van waiting to drive us to Stage 44 from the parking structure.  Apparently, there was a 200 person call for a funeral scene for Desperate Housewives, thus the pile-up.  It was freezing outside and after checking-in with wardrobe, we were able to eat some breakfast inside.

Then we were shuttled to the main square which is where Back To The Future was filmed.  That's where the cafe is located on the show.  I was told to walk around the block while the scene was shot inside the cafe.  They just like a lot of movement in the background even though you can't really see any detail from inside the cafe.

The next scene was working inside an office of a candidate for Berkeley City Council.  They wanted a West Wing style busy-ness so we were doing a lot of crosses and things of that nature.  These guys shoot pretty fast so by the time lunch rolled around, we were wrapped.

I got to eat lunch with two attractive ladies.  From afar, they didn't look that interesting, but as they spoke and as I looked at them, they got more and more attractive.  Weird how things work that way at times.

We were shuttled back to the parking lot where I put all my stuff away.  Then I decided to see if there was a way to sneak inside the Universal Studios theme park.  I walked and walked, probably for close to an hour to see if there were any holes I could get through.  There were a few that I noticed, but I just didn't have the courage to go for it.  I was worried I'd get caught because there just weren't enough people around the holes to make a go with it.

So I went back, kind of bummed out that I couldn't get in.  My feet were pretty sore so I actually didn't mind getting back in the car.  There was no traffic getting back home but boy was I sleepy.  I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep last night since I went to bed at 1AM.  When I got in the garage, I decided to take a nap and wait for moms to get home.

I woke up when I heard the van pull in and welcomed moms back home from her trip.  She brought two beautiful genie lamps back, one of them was ornately decorated while the other one was a more classic design.  Then I took a very nice nap.

We had dinner, looked at some the pictures she took and then I battled the damn ants again.  They were finally gone from the cupboard where the food is stored and now were attacking the same pot they attacked the first time where all the pots are stored.  It turns out OrangeGuard isn't good at preventing ants from coming in.  So I sprayed behind the fridge with some Ortho which is great because it doesn't seem to have an odor the way Raid does.

Then it was just tv watching time.  I finished-up the WSOP to where there are only three players, some Walking Dead and Community.

WHITNEY

I was kind of psyched to work on Whitney because I always like working on new shows.  I drove to CBS Radford and made my way to the stage.  For some reason, there were quite a bit of folks.  The scene had friends and relatives of the newly engaged couple.  One guy was Alec Baldwin's assistant on 30 Rock, Maulik Pancholy so there were than a few Indians doing background.

We shot the scene in what was supposed to be a bar.  The extras I worked with were pretty nice so it made the day move faster than normal.  We all wondered if it would be a walkaway lunch or if we could finish our scenes before the break.

Unfortunately, we indeed broke for lunch, so I visited the commissary to see if they would have the tamales I fell in love with some time ago.  They didn't so I ordered the chicken tenders and fries instead.  They were horrible.  By the time I sat down, the chicken was already cold.  And they were dry.  I felt ripped off, but at least I didn't go hungry.

We wrapped up the scene after lunch and that was that.

(written 11/14/11)

LONG RUN TO CAL POLY

I decided to skip some weeks in the marathon training program and go up in distance today.  I ran to Cal Poly Pomona basically and I was surprised how good I felt running up the hills.  The timing was perfect because it was after a rain and just before another round of rain.  Even going up Steep Canyon wasn't really hard even though it was the 9th mile.  I didn't run all the way though.  There were a few times I stopped at the stop light and I noticed that a little break made a world of a difference with my knees.

The damn ants were back today so I purchased OrangeGuard and some Ortho for use on the outside.  OrangeGuard kicked ass, totally killing the ants on contact.  It didn't have a terrible smell that gives me a headache and is pretty natural, using citrus peel to kill the bastards.

I stayed up trying to find out where the ants were coming from, but my call-time for Whitney tomorrow isn't until 9AM anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard lacking a few hours of sleep.

(written 11/8/11)

SUIT PICK-UP AND COOKIN' FOOD

I went to Brea to pick-up the suit I purchased.  It's the only navy blue suit I have in my arsenal.  It cost me $65 but I had the waist taken out and the length hemmed on the pants, so it was another $15 or so.  Still, it's not a bad suit, but it is a little old fashioned and not one of the slim fitting suits that are in right now.

Then I went home and tried roasting a chicken.  I saw the recipe on Bourdain's special on cooking techniques.  It's actually very simple.  The hardest part is tying the chicken up with some twine, but once it's on, you just season it and stick it in the oven.

I cooked it at 425 (I think) and in an hour, it still wasn't done.  I was surprised because that's about how long it took on the show.  But I guess that's a pro oven, so maybe it cooks a little more evenly?  I gave it another 10 minutes or so and it was good to go.  The only difference is that it wasn't a nice golden color like it was on the show.  I'm not sure how to get it that color.  Maybe the heat was too low?  Maybe I need to try adding some oil?  It's going to take some experimenting.

(written 11/14/11)

GEFFEN MOCA

Jansen picked me up this morning and off we went to James' in Hollywood.  We hung out at his place for a little bit, then went to the Geffen MOCA right next to Japan Town.  It was a little hidden and you wouldn't know it was there unless you were looking for it.

Unfortunately, admission was $10.  I wish I had my student ID because it's only $5 with one.  So in we went and the space is nice and wide and very, very weird.  There were a lot of things that I couldn't really understand, but many that I could.  The great thing was that some of the pieces had audio commentary from the artists that you could hear from your phone.  One piece I looked at made me wonder what it was about, but after listening to the artist, it all made sense.  I'm a fan of contemporary art now!

This chick Lara worked there and I was able to chit chat with her about some of the pieces.  I was a little doozy from the herb so it was a little hard to concentrate, but at least I was able to talk enough to ask questions.  She was nice and had a very wide booty.

Jansen and James were trippin', but they seemed ok throughout the day.  They weren't giggling or anything like that.  More quiet and somber and contemplative.  After we left, they just wanted to chill and relax which is what we did when we got to James.

But Jansen couldn't stay long and we knew traffic was starting to pile-up, so we headed out around 3:20PM.  We got caught in traffic, but it wasn't too bad.

(written 11/9/11)

DISPUTE LETTER

I finally wrote-up the dispute letter against Dr. Batniji's office.  That office finally sent me to collections, but I still challenged them.  It's only $68 but I want them to work for it.  I don't think I should have been charged a fee for a consultation, especially since they told me my co-pay was zero!

I needed to make copies so I went to the library to drop off Drive since I was done with it.  I also made some copies of the attached letters I wanted to show as proof that I shouldn't be charged.

Then I drove out to the post office to mail the letter.  I even had it certified.  Fuck them!

(written 11/4/11)

EASY JOG

All I can really remember from this day was jogging to the post office so I could drop off my EDD form.

Later in the evening, Jansen came over to chill for a little while before going home.  This was when I found out that EDC was sold out.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to buy Stagecoach tickets to make some money.

(written 11/4/11)

CRIMINAL MINDS #2

Wow, I haven't worked on this show in like forever.  Probably at least a year or so.  I wonder why that is?

I was booked as an attendee for some kind of book signing.  It was a simple scene and I was wrapped within four hours.  We checked-in at Quixote, but were driven to the Glendale Hilton.  Easy peasy.  I was trying to talk to this one chick, but she didn't seem interested.  Totally my type.  Big butt, petite and pretty face with brunette hair.

I was kind of bummed that the shoot didn't last longer because I wanted to attend a screening of The Artist at the ArcLight at 7:30PM.  When we wrapped, it was just 1PM.  So what to do?

First thing I did was get some lunch.  I drove down to Hollywood and found a Jack In The Box and had their new Outlaw burger which is basically Carl's Jr.'s Bacon Western Cheeseburger.  It's pretty good but I regretted not bringing the coupons I had for Jack at home.

I had a few hours to spare, so I decided to make my way to the West Hollywood branch of the LA County Public Library system.  It was amazing.  They had these windows from floor to ceiling so the space seemed so open when looking down on San Vicente and Melrose.  It was definitely a nice place to hang out and very clean.  I hope DB's new library looks similar.

Then I headed to the ArcLight and got to the theater about half an hour early.  The movie was really cool.  I didn't expect it to be so cool, but I really enjoyed it and had a few tears in my eyes.  Definitely one of those very creative movies that only the French would make.  Penelope Ann Miller was there as the guest even though she had a very small role.  As she said, there's no such thing as small roles, just small actors.

Afterward, I just went home and was a little bummed that I wasn't booked for tomorrow.  Seems to be slowing down these days.

(written 11/3/11)