BAG RAIDERS

Just kind of hung out during the day waiting for Jansen to pick me up so we could go to Derby Days at USC. I didn't know what the heck it was, but it turned out to be the charity arm of Sigma Chi. It was pretty much a fraternity event with all kinds of USC students, not that there's a wide variety of them.

Jansen and I were the only ones smart enough to bring umbrellas and we were easily the oldest too. Christian came through and Tien almost made it in, but she bailed out because it was raining too hard. Sri and his friends rolled through later and we were able to watch Bag Raiders and Theophilus London. It would have been a much cooler event if the damn rain didn't screw everything up.

Afterward, we chilled at Reubin and Ranjith's place. We played some COD, Reubin talked about failing out of med school but succeeding in law school. It's so interesting talking to him about law as he has insights only lawyers can talk about.

We didn't stay long and actually got home around 2AM which was great for an old guy like me.

(written 4/1/12)

MARATHON NAP

After waking up and eating some eggs for breakfast, I watched a little tv and then ate lunch. Then I took a nap. When I woke up, I had a terrible headache, either from too much sleep or bad posture during sleep. I discovered it was bad posture after finding the muscle that was giving me a hard time. It's always on the right side and it seems like it had to do with my head position when I'm sleeping on my right.

Anyway, I also felt like maybe I didn't eat enough for lunch. So I snacked on some veggies. They didn't satisfy me and I also still had pain. So I did a little snort and then had an early dinner. When I got on the couch, I felt really sleepy and then discovered I'd slept for a few hours. It was about 10PM by the time I woke up!

So I just watched some more tv and moms came home finally from the Indian casino. One of these days, she's gonna win, I can feel it. But today, another day, another loss.

RELAXIN' AND COOKIN'

Beejay was supposed to come over, but he didn't, as usual. So I ate lunch and then relaxed and played some COD as usual. Then I started planning for dinner. There were some things I bought a few weeks ago that I hadn't used so I figured I'd best use them before they went bad.

I made some tofu with a Japanese sauce. It's a simple recipe that is very Japanese in the sense that it's got a delicate taste to it. But the tofu I'd bought at the Korean store sucked and did not have the texture I like from silken tofu. Instead, the texture was more like firm rather than soft.

I also sauteed some asparagus so tonight ended up being a meatless dinner. I probably should have saved it for tomorrow since Catholics don't eat meat on Fridays.

The rest of the day was spent burning some dvds for Juliette's mom. She's obsessed with The Artist and loves The Iron Lady. She can watch those movies (and has) over and over again. It seems weird to me, but hey, I'm not judging. After dinner I dropped the movies off at Zita's and watched Idol with them.

I went home after and just played some online poker.

PAIR OF KINGS #6

For some reason, I looked at the clock and thought I was ok, but in fact, I was running a little late. I usually try to leave 1.5 hours to get to my calls, but I only left about an hour and 10 minutes to get to Sunset Gower. I parked on Gower this time which is a lot closer to Stage 1 than the other side of the studios. I got there with 20 minutes to spare, so starting at 7AM meant less traffic today.

It was a very small call in the morning. There were only four background construction workers and we got to actually do a little acting today. We were supposed to respond to Ryan who plays an evil prince by laughing at him when he hits his nose on a board. Then we walk off. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see our work.

But it was fun hanging out with the two black guys both named Michael and a Korean dude who had ten years of theater experience in Korea named Kwan. After our work, I spent most of the time before lunch just napping. I caught a cold in Vegas and just felt tired even though I got some sleep last night.

After our giant burger and fries from Baby's Badass Burgers, we waited to get wrapped, but waited and waited. Finally, after about half an hour, Kathy the 2nd AD got approval from the director to sign us out.

I still got caught in a little traffic on the way home. Anytime you leave after 2:30PM, you always hit some kind of traffic which kind of sucks. But at least I got home early enough to relax before dinner and play some COD.

After dinner, I had a conversation with BeeJay about stuff. We always end up arguing but I think it's kind of fun since I feel like we are reaching some kind of understanding. Well, probably not and he probably gets more frustrated, but hey, what can I do? Maybe it's because I care too much or maybe I like to argue to make someone agree with me. Is that so wrong?

GOOD LUCK CHARLIE

I'd never heard of this show and it turns out it's a Disney show that kids seem to love. Mostly tweens though. Charlotte's and Beejay's kids both know and watch the show.

The cast was very friendly and they were really funny too. I thought the black girl on the show was the same one from Glee, but it wasn't. She just looked like her because she was pretty big and her face kind of looked the same. But I figured there's no way she would be working on that and this show at the same time.

We were cast as restaurant patrons inside the new, weather-themed restaurant that the dad puts their life savings in. These guys are funny and their comedic talents are pretty impressive. I wonder if it shows through on tape? The director was really into it and the production was very professional.

I met a girl Matty who declined a scholarship to Berkeley for English Lit just because she didn't like it and wanted to pursue acting. I was shocked, but also impressed that she would give it up to try to make it down here. I wish I had a chance to talk to her more, but what's the point as she was probably only 22.

We had a full 8.5 hours and were fed a courtesy meal that consisted of a giant cold-cut sandwich. It was ok, but nothing like catered meals on other productions.

After, I got a chance to hang with Janet at her place and play with the kitties. I think we are both argumentative and when someone says that about me, I don't get what they mean, but when I'm with her, I get it. It's not a good thing and I have to learn to temper that.

Then I hung out with Ash for a little while before heading home.

(written 3/26/12)

MIKE AND MOLLY

I was surprised to get booked on this show. It's been on for awhile and I finally got on it as a bar patron. It was a simple deal. Sit on a chair and pretend to talk to the girl opposite me. It was the same girl who I'd worked with on Touch. Turns out she got blacklisted from that show because the PA was pissed that she called him on his cell to try to fix a misunderstanding. Yipes. I didn't realize blacklisting happened, but I believe it since I was blacklisted from Jeff Olan.

Live audience shows are cool because the days are relatively short and you usually get fed before the performance. That's what happened today. We were on the Warner Bros lot so I got to eat in their commissary again. I just love being able to eat anything you want inside since it's normally pretty expensive.

I also got to visit the museum since we had some down town before the show taped. When we got down to business, the audience was psyched, our scene was shot quickly and we were out of there. Still, it was a full eight hour day.

(written 3/26/12)

ST. PATTY'S DAY 2012

Andy had out stuff ready and Jansen couldn't wait to get it, so he drove us to the Beverly Center for the pick-up. I couldn't find the stuff, and it turned out it was in the back seat arm rest. I've never picked it up before there.

So when we got back, JD also swung through for a pick-up. We got some boba and he was off.

That didn't give me much time to get ready, but I was in no hurry since Ashley and Janet weren't going to be at Medusa very early. I figured I'd get there early to see what was up, and it turned out there was nobody there. But I got a green beer and a necklace and hung out and chilled with some dudes over there.

When Ashley finally got there, she was with her dating guy Jules along with two other guys who were childhood friends. They were cool about partying, but Jules and Janet are buzzkills about it so we had to be all sneaky. That is lame and I'm a little bit over the fact that I have to be so sensitive to them.

We decided to head downtown since the two dudes lived over there. It was way cooler than Medusa and their place was right across from the bar we went to. We didn't stay long though since Janet wanted to bail. I should have made her drive, but then again, what were we going to do that late in the evening when all the bars were closed anyway?

(written 3/18/12)

JARED GETS INTO A FIGHT

Yesterday, Jared got into a brawl. He had to go to the hospital so they could set his shoulder back in since it was dislocated. What a dummy. He fought because of a bitch and now his golf season is over. Why do people make these kinds of decisions? Even after I warned him not to fight, he makes up his mind to do it. What did he gain? What did he have to prove? I'm not sure I'll ever understand it, but people will do what they will do.

I went over to Zita's for dinner and saw Jared. He didn't look too bad but his face was a little swollen and he had a sling on his arm. We rolled over to Industry so he could get his recommendation. It was easy peasy and then we went back to Zita's for dinner.

Aunt Pat fried some fish and chips and I came in very talkative due to some medication Jared and I shared in the car. We stopped by CVS on the way back to buy some things. One thing I bought were some fake tears to help with my eye. Yes, it's still red. My latest theory is that I play too much COD and that keeps my eyes open and to dry and doesn't allow it to heal.

Jared crashed, and Bill, Zita, Pat and I talked and talked and I just love them so much.

(written 3/18/12)

PAIR OF KINGS #5

I don't really like working on this show, but as actors say, work is work. The rate is so low, but hey, is it really work?

My check-in was 6AM so I left at 5AM since I knew there wouldn't be any traffic. I realized that I'm parking on the opposite side of stage 1. I need to park on Gower and not on Gordon.

But it was a pretty fun day since we got to run around and act like fools when the clown on the show becomes king of his fake kingdom. What was also fun was watching the puppeteers work on a fake gopher that wrecks havoc. It's amazing how real they make it look.

I got wrapped around 5PM so there was some overtime and I also found out that a meal penalty on this contract means $25. It's not like there is one every 30 minutes. That's pretty cool because that's a pretty big penalty. Still, it makes the rate closer to an exhibit A or SAG contract, but still less.

I checked in with Ash and Janet to see if they were around, but they were still at work or too tired, so I just cruised home. I got to talk to Brian and Charlo that helped make the drive feel tolerable and that was pretty much my day.

(written 3/17/12)

SEEMS LIKE A WASTE TO NAP

I woke up feeling really tired. I need a new bed. So after what seemed like a not so restful night, I went downstairs to eat lunch. Then I went into my afternoon coma. I slept for a good three hours. I knew I'd be screwed later in the evening when it was time to really go to sleep.

But I was able to go to Albertsons and do some shopping so I could try out a Rick Bayless recipe I'd seen. It was a mango avocado salad I'd seen on his show. It was a real pain in the ass to hull the pumpkin seeds just to get half a cup. It took nearly an hour.

Then, when I put everything in the blender, it didn't blend very smoothly. It blended everything into a sort of pulp that scattered. Maybe the olive oil was too thick, maybe I'd put too many seeds in, but in the end, it wasn't dressing. So I just hand whisked more oil into the thick mess and it turned out a little better.

It turns out that the dressing was ok and probably a little pointless. What mattered were the rest of the ingredients in the salad that made it work. The butterleaf, the bacon, the avocado and mango combined to make a nice treat. I totally forgot the cheese but it was fine without it.

(written 3/15/12)

COOKED SINIGANG

I didn't do much today. I couldn't sleep last night for some reason. Maybe it was the daylight savings time? I think it's just that I haven't exercised. When you're not tired, you don't feel like sleeping.

So I tried to sleep and couldn't last night, so I just went downstairs and stayed up. Till 6AM! Then I finally fell asleep. Maybe it had to do with my sleeping pattern on Saturday night/Sunday morning? I don't know.

I had breakfast and it felt weird cuz I hadn't slept. I think it helped me sleep though. When I awoke, it was already noon. So I had lunch and then played some COD. Then I went shopping and luckily, I got a free knife from Twin Towers Trading. They were offering this knife set with all these extras for just $38 (normally $51). It was a great deal, but I've got enough knives and I don't really like the way those knives cut. Then again, it would have been a great gift to give people who don't have any knives. Oh well.

I made sinigang and had that for dinner. Then I played some online poker.

(written 3/12/12)

OUT FOR INDREE'S BIRTHDAY

Man was I tired from last night. I didn't feel great all day. Either I drank too much, or I didn't get enough sleep or both. Nevertheless, it was tough to get up and go with Jansen to Indree's birthday party in Koreatown. We did the karaoke thing and thank goodness Jansen drove.

It was a link fest with only two single chicks and four total chicks, but about 12 guys there. There was no room to pick-up the chicks so instead, we all drank and sang. It was pretty fun actually.

Then we went home really late and I stayed-up much longer than I wanted because it was hard to fall asleep.

(written 3/12/12)

ERIN GETS WASTED

Man, not working sure gets you bored. So it was off to Kimi's to hang with her crew. However, it was just she and Erin tonight, and later Marguerite. After a few drinks at Kim's, we headed over to 26 degrees. I wondered why that place, and it turned out that Erin's crush was there. How did she know? He checked-in on Facebook!

So we went and hung around there for a bit. Marguerite came later, having been dropped off by her husband. She's pretty shy and kind of nerdy, but cool. I get her drift just because I'm a bit of a nerd myself. We all started drinking and Marguerite actually had to do some forced throwing up to feel better. Meanwhile, Kim and I were cool with the antidote that helped us through the night.

But Erin, being the wild woman that she secretly is (and having drank an entire bottle of wine before we even left), got enough courage juice in her to talk to her guy. But the warning came early when we heard a glass shatter and of course, it was she.

By the end of the night, she was wasted. It was not pretty. She was able to get in the car, but after that, it was tough getting home. We had to stop pretty often and she was just dry heaving from time to time. We got Marguerite home, but then we had to get Erin home. She was toasted. Kimi's mini van's side was pretty gnarly, but all in all, it was a decent night.

(written 3/12/12)

RINGER #5

A pushed back call time to 3:30PM meant I could chill a little before leaving. I was hoping to wake up early and do some P90x, but that did not happen. For some reason, I am having trouble waking up early when I don't have to.

I ate lunch then watched some tv before I took off for Culver Studios. I got there half an hour early and did some shopping at Trader Joe's for some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before walking to check-in. I had some slacks on with a dress shirt, but they wanted me in scrubs so scrubs was it.

We kicked it for a long time before we were finally sent to work. It was some kind of neo-natal ward and there sure were a lot of us walking back and forth through the fake hospital hall. Eric LaSalle was there again directing and as usual, he does three takes and that's it. Sure, he'll do the turnaround, but three and three and that's done.

We wrapped at 9:30PM and I drove home talking to Shirl all the way back. Then I got started on trying to burn Charlo her workout disc.

BIG BANG THEORY #4

It's really strange that I was talking to the dentist yesterday about this show, and now I'm booked to work on it.

Got to Warner Bros. which is my favorite studio and strolled over to Stage 25. I was a little early for the 11:30AM call time but I wasn't trippin'. It's always cool to get there early and not sweat it out.

Nikki Lorre was the 2nd today and it turns out she's the daughter of Chuck Lorre. Man, that guy is fuckin' rich as fuck. He's producing so many shows and has created so many, it's fuckin' insane. I always wonder if he gets stressed out. Nikki definitely seemed a little stressed, but she's probably totally protected even if she fucks up.

The scene had us sitting in an Italian restaurant, but I ended up walking into the scene with an actress named Sweetie. What a weird name. But she is also weird because she was actually raised in Germany. I can't remember if she was adopted or if it was her mother that was, but anyway, she seemed below working background. There's definitely some kind of stigma attached to doing extra work apparently, but whatever.

We got to eat after rehearsal at the commissary and I tried to eat more veggies and less meat. It's great, but I couldn't finish all my food because I got too much as usual.

They worked us a perfect 7.5 hours not including lunch. It was a full day which is a bummer as I discussed with a girl named Terri on the walk back to the lot. She was with Jessica's A-List and is also booked on Ringer tomorrow.

I KNEW I WAS GONNA NAP

I woke up wanting to sleep more, but I had to go to the Walnut Smiles dental office to use-up my already paid standard check-up and cleaning. I was a little wary about the reviews on Yelp, but I've had plenty of experience with dentists trying to charge me things, that I know it's simply a matter of not allowing them to do it.

I saw Dr. Guttierrez and I was pretty surprised how cool she was. She was nice, she wasn't aggressive or anything about the cleaning and she was really open to suggestions when I discussed how terrible the reviews were on Yelp. The office manager even talked to me about what they could do and they were a little frustrated that they couldn't do anything about the bad reviews. I told them it was probably one of the scams that Yelp manages to create and then I began to think about business opportunities for someone who could help owners with their marketing and advertising. I just don't know how it would be priced and that's the problem.

Then Zita and Bill came over to pick-up the dvds and the brooms I bought them from Ranch 99. We talked a little bit about their grandkids and how Bill's felt so far from them. He's just glad my nieces and nephew are there too because he feels pretty close to them.

I was going to start my P90x again, but once I got on the couch and started to think about snoozin', that's exactly what happened. I woke up and just got dinner ready. I was happy to see that I'd been booked for The Big Bang Theory. Coincidentally, Dr. Guttierrez and I talked about that show since her husband is a big geek and watches it.

I think I'm going to keep my phone next to my bed from now on since I got a call from Brandi this morning wondering if I could do a rush call at 6AM. Why the hell didn't she book me for that show earlier? But I never got the call since I was fast asleep.

DINNER AT ZITA'S

I woke up at noon and didn't feel too bad about staying up so late and partying. Maybe it's the after effects but I felt ok. After lunch, I watched some basketball and also watched stupid Cal lose to Stanford and not be tied for first place in the conference. Oh well. They'll still get invited to the dance but will probably have a worse seed.

Then I went to Zita's for dinner. Pat and her kids were there and later, Ron came with the boys and Jerry with his mother-in-law and Juliette. We had pot roast, carrots and mashed potatoes. Also, salad and for dessert, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. I also had one of Bill's drinks and man did it get me sleepy.

I kind of passed out for about 20 minutes when I got home, but then I felt ok and watched tv.

THE WHISKEY A GO GO

I'd never been to this Hollywood landmark, so I was very curious to see what it was all about. I rolled with Amanda and her friend Rowena to watch Tramps in Stereo. What was cool about the band was that they had a Depeche Mode sound with some synthesizers and that you could dance to them. The next band was a teenage one and they sounded very much like Nirvana.

We then took off to The Roosevelt for after performance drinks. Turns out most of the band and bandies were from Palmdale or Lancaster and that's why they got a room. It wouldn't make sense having to drive all the way back.

I met Jewel, one of Ashley's UCLA co-workers and her hot friends. Fuckin'-a it was cool but I wish I could have had more time with the hotties. Ash and I decided to bail after a few drinks and some hanging out by the pool's bar.

(written 3/18/12)