All new old Theater Room!

Oh. That story? The one you ALL read? (Re: The live-action recitive of the first 10 minutes of the movie "Ghostbusters" for my captive elementary school audience a few weeks ago?)

Garnered me this.

Apparently, the G-ma was very appreciative of my efforts.

(Pats self on back)

Now if I can appreciate someone into a new garage, I'll consider myself a theatrical unqualified success.

party times deux...

Here...are some pics. (Of the 'Bean's daughters marriage party and of FeeJ's b'day jamboree!)


#1- Towards the end of night two (Out of order'd!!!) After gale force winds forced us to knock down the backyard tents and embed them into the ground. Otherwise, they may have ended up in Oz.

#2- There's a story behind that one. Let's just say that I hit a wall mid-way through the birthday festivities mid-grillin' and said "Moda...if I don't lay down right now I won't come back"

#3- Grillin', whilst the Bean supervises

#4- Griller's SMASH! (shortly before having to abandon the grill in order to video tape the toast/polka)

Weirdo

So last weekend I hosted the two back to back parteh's (The 'Bean's Daughter Wedding Jamboree and FeeJ's Nordeast Birfday Bonanza) They were both pretty fun (In spite of burning my frickin' finger on the grill during the former, and a hurricane nearly sailing away the party tents at the latter) The Bean had warned me that there would be a couple of wee pampies coming over (code for: Hide the p0rno and the action figures in the tv room) and to be ready.

We as soon as I was introduced to the brother and sister pair, I knew I was in trouble. The brother was mega-ADHD. Mega. And I was "Batman" to him. All. Night. Long. ("Batman, Batman...we, uh, gotta stop Jokuh!" and "Batman, Batman...can I see your TV Room?" I'm blaming him for tugging on my arm causing me to drop the burger on the grill and giving me a blister.) His sister was the shy one. Hardly a word spoken. So after asking him to chill while I served food and played host, I promised I'd show him some cool stuff upstairs in the TV- IF he behaved.

So after everything had wound down and folks were leaving, Young man did not forget my promise (After having reminded me no less than 23 times) so he and his gramma and his sister walked with me to the promised land: The fabled TV room.

Now I'm pretty proud of myself. I was able to gussy it up so that it looked a little more TV roomish (Cleaning out the closet. Hanging Framed musical/movie soundtrack lp's all over the wall instead of 2 lonely ones off kilter. Making an accomplishment wall) As the three of them stood there looking at pictures, and after I showed young man and sister a Spider Man mask, Darth Vader's helmet, and a lightsaber...His sister points at the center album and says- "What's that?"
"What's what?"
(Gramma chimes in authoritatively) "You can read those words, sweetheart"
"Ghost. Busters. What's that?"
(Moi) "Only the single greatest movie that has ever been made...ever"
"Why?"
"Why? (Scoffs indignantly) Well it's cool from the first, like, 2 seconds! I mean..."

It's here where I proceed to play out the first 5-10 minutes of the movie (Basically a paraphrased recitive of the library scene- Complete with taking books off my shelf and spookily moving them behind my head to simulate paranormal activity. I'm a cave man)

It was kinda cool though, actually. The kid, for once, didn't utter a peep. And they both had the google-eyed look of two kids hearing a ghost story at camp. Gramma was amused, although I'm pretty sure she was just relieved that I didn't have p0rn lying around, and it was an actual Spider Man mask vs. say a "Gimp" zipper mask.

Finally, Sister sez: "Is it scary?"
"Kinda. But it's funny too. Really funny. And if you can laugh at what's scaring you-"
(Kid finally regains his ADHD Interuptus composure) "It ain't SCARY any more!!!"

"That's right"

Then I showed them both how to properly hold a lightsaber so that they didn't hit the ceiling fan when they swung it over their heads. Gramma gave the "Time to go" signal and they were marched back downstairs. Before showing them the door, she turned around and said "Thank You."

Cool.

And I crap you negative, I was so frickin' tired by the end of the night. Oof. Da.

Crime against active cultures

I'm always able to find my yogurt in the fridge here at work, in spite of around 6 other yogurts that are the same brand/container. Why?

Because all those other sucka's bring in the worst flavors in creation. Yo-play market research team has me questioning why they'd even invent those flavors in the first place. In short, the following flavors should be banned:

Key Lime, Peach, Lemon, Apricot, Cheesecake, Raspberry, Chocolate Cake, and Mocha.


Of course, then everyone would be eating Vanilla, Very Cherry, Mixed Berry, Blueberry (and sometimes if I miss-grab: Strawberry. Which is still pretty bland) and I would probably wind up eating some other poor bastards yogurt by mistake. Major cafeteria foul, that. Like the time someone bogarted my diet Coke. Which has now prompted me to open the bottle and take a swig before storing it in the fridge.



And this wins the award for the lamest blog, ever.

RIP Stan Winston

Well that sucks. I didn't even know he was sick. A guy whose award winning make-up and practical effects artistry was part and parcel to some of the coolest films of my childhood (Terminator, Monster Squad...heck even more recently with Iron Man just to name a few)

It's pretty knee-jerk for me to say I wanted to start acting because of Star Wars. (When it was actually my mom encouraging me to try out for the 9th grade play and there were some really really cute girls auditioning) We role played like a lot of kids, but the thing we really liked to do was get into the characters. Dressing up of course was the easy part. But as I got older, my taste kinda shifted into scary monsters.

Mom did make-up/props for the Park and Rec as well as some local community theatre productions. Sometimes it was a clown face-painting class. Other times it was during "theme" days during the summer programs. I'll never forget (and still probably have) the dog-eared copy of Dick Smith's (Make-Up designer for "The Exorcist" and "Altered States") "Do-it-Yourself" Monster Make-up. It talked about grease paint, and crepe hair. It had the pictures that started with normal looking kids and after slicking back one's hair and painting a black upside down triangle at your forehead scalp line, putting on lipstick and a little fake blood made you a vampire.

In my early teens, I was experimenting with facial hair and gel masks. I was reading about Universal Monster films, Hammer Horror, watching Freddy's/Jason's/Leatherfaces in their original stories tear up the screen. I read Fangoria. I learned about Lon Chaney Srs "low-tech" approach to special effects. I learned about Jack Pierce- the original Make Up celebrity- responsible for Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster and Chaney Jrs Wolf-Man.

I tried to emulate their work. I futzed with spirit gum and crepe hair with less than spectacular results. I used a brown paper bag and paint to try and make Frankenstein's flat top work. I fashioned a gaping head-wound from a styrofoam plate and crepe hair. Fake skin. Pointed tooth caps. I started learning about the contemporary FX teams. Rick Baker (the First person to win an Academy Award for Special Effects for "American Werewolf in London") Tom Savini, and of course:

Stan Winston

Here was a guy who loved Harryhausen (As is evident in the final scene in Terminator when they're getting chased by the stop-motion Termy through the factory) A guy who eschewed CGI when CGI was getting popular. A guy who wins multiple Academy Awards for making the big named hubba-bubba's look cool.

No. I think I wanted to be an actor because it gave me a chance to work with make up and effects. I thought it'd be cool to be the guy sitting in the chair while a plaster mold was made of my face so that they could make appliances that fit my face specifically. To sit down in a chair while those special FX were applied and my eyes are closed, only to open them and find someone completely different staring back. I had the utmost respect for those folks. And we've just lost one of the great ones.

Have I drank some poison of which I did not know?

Sick. Tummy Sick.


I'm not ruling out poisoning. But with my recent spate of health maladies I'm gonna sniff everything I put in my mouth.

This sucks. And I have a considerable amount of stuff to do.


F#ck. I hate throwing up.

I would also like to add that a healthy continuence of nibbles in the form of gourmet waffles, asparagus, cheese, and crackers (And beer) assisted in the aforementioned venture.

Thank you dear.

Done and Done

PORCH'DDD

This project has been a thorn in my side since I moved in. It started with someone's general hatred of the carpet, followed by tearing it up, followed by multi-tasking (Homeowner mistake number 1- Don't work on multiple things at once. I think I ponied this job up with cutting and laying the brickwork patio out back) followed by stripping the gawdawful wood, followed by dismantling the existing Pergo on a dance floor, followed by discovering it only covered 1/4th of the floor...followed by 2 years of sitting on it.

Then Daddyo and RSVP came over last fall where we made the discovery that "Hey...they discontinued this brand of Pergo!") And we waited through the winter. And now that the 'Bean's daughter is getting hitched party is at mi casa, I needed to pretty her up. So I hauled a new darker pergo in to help mask the eventual dusting. Turns out, new pergo has the foam backing already attached so we had to take up the existing foam I layed down last fall.

6 hours, three sweaty P men, and a whole boat load of cursing later- Done'd.

Sooooo...if anyone has a line on some nice wicker furniture, and a matching area carpet/runner that would "really tie the room together"...find me.


ps: I also repaired and painted the picnic table out back. It's a nice, rich colonial red. But I've been fighting my wabi sabi hankering to splatter different paints on it ala' Jackson Pollack.