Freefall On A Windy Morning

I started this post in October...I swear...and now suddenly it's November!

In some ways, I can't believe this last month is almost over. It's gone went by incredibly fast, but I shouldn't be surprised as it's been was one busy month. It started, literally on the 1st, with my free birthday excursion to Disneyland. What a fantastic way to kick off October! Among the many fun and exciting things we did, there were also taxes to finish and work presentations to prep, but those things are behind us now.
I could probably dedicate a stand-alone post to many of our activities, but no. Perhaps I'll expound on one or two in the near future, but not now.

Music. We got to hear some pretty cool live music. Fountains of Wayne and Aimee Mann at the Wiltern. I love, love, love those boys and my only complaint is that they were not the headliner and had a shorter set. I'm not sure any of my three readers are fans, but if you are check out this video of a 70's medley version of "Radiation Vibe" they've been doing on the road. Aimee was also wonderful and performed a nearly all-request show that last two and a half hours! Highlight: She sang my favorite 'Til Tuesday song "Coming Up Close." I cried.

The Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and my favorite conductor, John Mauceri, premiered the fantastic Disney Symphonic Legacy at downtown's Walt Disney Concert Hall for We got "cheap" seats behind the orchestra, but that was fine because we could watch the maestro at work and he was the main reason we went.

We enjoyed more music at W00tstock at Largo from the dynamic duo Paul and Storm, Hard and Phirm, Felicia Day and others. The night included a very amusing slideshow of 100 Things Mythbusters' Adam Savage would like to do/have. Sheer nerd brilliance and entertainment. I laughed a lot.

Other good October times included one of Johannes Grenzfurthner's outstanding lectures, a rant about failing, at Machine Project, a quick couple of hours at The Brewery's ArtWalk, finally posting my Comic-Con photos from July, a one-year old's birthday party, a couple of plays including Nevermore and Steve Allen's Meeting of Minds, a picnic in a lovely canyon park with lots of friends and dogs (and a few strangers), and an outdoor Laurel and Hardy movie at Heritage Square Museum. Our 3-D Club participated in Pasadena's ArtNight and hosted an evening of Halloween themed 3-D short films at the Downtown Independent. We went to the same venue the following night for Kogi BBQ and NoiseFeratu, which thanks to E, was also shown in 3-D. Tired yet? I am.

I was quite excited to finally make it to a live taping of The Big Bang Theory! It was a lot of fun to see the cast in action and yes, as they've said in panels I've attended, Jim Parsons definitely flubs the most lines! Katee Sackhoff was a special guest, but unfortunately, her scene was done the day before and we only saw it on playback. I have a one word mini-spoiler: bathtub. It was a really funny episode and I can't wait to see the final version.

Now is it any wonder why I never got around to coming up with a Halloween costume or make plans to celebrate? I often have at least 3 costumes for various happenings and places to go. I was kind of bummed, but realized Thursday and Friday downtown were geared toward the holiday, even if we didn't wear costumes. I did wear my Hamtaro hat, which I've never worn outside of Comic-Con, to work yesterday. In the spirit of doing something festive, we did ride the Ghost Train that was running at Live Steamers in Griffith Park. It was kind of like a Disneyland laugh-in-the-dark ride, but four times as long and a quarter of the wait! It was a nice way to cap off a hectic, but really fun month!

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over, wise or naked in Secret Oktober...

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries...

If you know me in real life, as they say, or if you've been a regular reader here, you know I love attending the William S. Paley Television Festival (PaleyFest) every Spring. This year is no exception. We've been to 5 out of the 6 nights we have tickets for so far. While they've each been great in their own way, I think the The Big Bang Theory was the funniest ever.

I only recently started watching the show and fell in love with it. Nanette tried to tell me I'd like it when the first season started. I know better now, but sort of thought she was just recommending because Barenaked Ladies sing the theme song. Okay, so that was pretty stupid and I should have just tried it out. I'll skip the boring details, but we've now become fans (who are still catching up on Season 1). How could I not love a show about four geeky scientists? E won two extra tickets, so Nanette even got to join us!

Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons

I was so excited when The Big Bang Theory appeared in the PaleyFest '09 lineup. The event started with an unaired episode screening. The one we watched involved a trip to Las Vegas and was quite hilarious.

Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar

All of the main cast members, as well as creators/executive producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady were present. Some highlights include:

• Jim Parsons (Sheldon) recounted how when he got something labelled "A Script by Chuck Lorre" duing pilot season, he actually thought it was from Chuck Woolery. He sounded sincere, but even if it's not true, the story had me crying from laughing so hard.
  

• The absurd tale of Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Simon Helberg (Howard) deciding to rent a boat for the group when they were all in San Diego last summer for Comic-Con. Apparently, Kaley Cuoco (Penny) is a "very bad" boat driver. Let's just say it would make for a good episode sometime!

Kaley Cuoco

• The processes of Simon getting in and out of the skintight pants they put his character in every week.

• An audience member asked Jim Parsons to recite the rules for "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock," which he was uanble to do. That might have also been my question if I'd bothered to stand up, as that is one of my favorite bits ever. Enjoy:
  

The Week (So Far)

• Cosette had one vet appointment and ended up getting scheduled for surgery the very next day! It's always stressful, but especially for a geriatric dog. She will go for a bandage change this weekend and endure the hilarious cone for about ten more days.

• We saw Death Cab For Cutie in concert for the first time at the newish Nokia Theatre. The venue is pretty cool, even if the sound was a bit wonky. The band was fantastic, but I was somewhat put off by their open expression of distaste for L.A. Especially when the crowd was giving them an amazing reception. Seattle folks must be jealous of our sunshine, as many seem to hate this city.
  

• I've been under the weather myself and slept Wednesday away.
  

• The Los Angeles Film Festival continues. One of the highlights this week was a screening of three episodes of Spaced followed by a Q&A with director Edgar Wright, moderated by Matt Stone, of South Park fame. It was a tremendously good time.
  

Edgar and Me

• I've been working on the Craft Hamster 2.0 and may be at a point where I can post a photo or two soon.

Dear Battlestar Galactica,

Welcome back! I've missed you, but it was worth the wait. True to form, you ended the "to be continued" episode on a cliffhanger. While I look forward to finding out the answers to many of your questions, I want to savor this, your last, season. So, take your time and do it right, please. Apparently, that's the plan as we're only getting half of the episodes to start with no confirmed time frame for the second part. Just don't keep us hanging for too long.

Thanks much and good hunting! I think it's gonna be a good ride.

Cheers,
Jodi

Like A Tiger Defying The Laws Of Gravity

• Ready for Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica? Even if you answered yes, you may want to review the series so far in this brilliant 8-minute recap, What The Frack Is Going On?
  *Um, yeah, there are spoilers if you aren't up to speed.*
  

• There is a fantastic documentary that can be viewed on YouTube for those interested. The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off is the story of Jonny Kennedy and his acceptance of and preparation for his impending death. If you can handle someone who is somewhat disfigured, you might just learn something from Jonny. (The film is in 5 parts, each about 10 minutes long). I know this won't be every one's cup of tea and won't be offended if you don't watch.
  

• For some lighter fare, you might want to check out these hilarious Lost recaps. The one for "Eggtown" particularly cracked me up.

• I'm nicking this from a certain Ambitious Hamster, who previously posted this link to a video of a very persistent (and perhaps not too bright?) hamster. Hilarious and best use of the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now"* since the pub scene in Shaun of the Dead.

• Another video link idea I stole from another blogger is this one, that Beaucoup Kevin posted a while back, in which a 3-year old explains Star Wars. Fracking brilliant!

*The song also features prominently in the Jonny Kennedy film. I didn't know that when I was putting this somewhat random list together.

...But I Have My Reasons Why

This year's PaleyFest, something I look forward to every Spring, moved venues. Here's why holding it in the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Hollywood is so much better than the previous Directors' Guild location:

• More seats, which means more people can get tickets. The event has become so popular that it's become really difficult to get in.
  

• Parking is SO much better. Sometimes in the past, we could park at the DGA, but other times we had to park down at 8000 Sunset. (I found free street parking tonight anyway).

• Concessions!!! The DGA theater doesn't allow any food or drinks. Being at at movie theater, that happens to have really great popcorn, makes it possible to enjoy a snack or some caffeine.

• The Arclight is much closer to my home and work making it much more convenient for me. And really, it's all about me.
  

These are the panels we are attending at this year's festival:

• Pushing Daisies-well, I just got home from this one and it was great. Looking very forward to the new season this coming fall. They even threw out some t-shirts to the hardcore fans that rushed the stage after the panel. I've only done that once*.

• The Comedy World of Judd Apatow and Friends

• Chuck
  

• The X-Files

Paley Fest events I've been to in the past: (I really wish I'd known about it sooner).

2002

• Undeclared
• St. Elsewhere
• Six Feet Under
• Alias

2003

• Creating Comedy (Judd Apatow)
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
• Columbo
• Monk
• 24*-This is the one time I lined up super-duper early to get a close seat and I rushed the stage to meet Kiefer. You can read more about it here.
  

2004

• An Evening with William Shatner
• Arrested Development
• A Salute To Sherwood Schwartz
• Carnivàle

2005

• In Living Color
• An Evening with Michael Palin
• Lost

2006

• Entourage
• Battlestar Galactica
• Medium (I don't watch this show and fell asleep during the panel).
• My Name Is Earl
• How I Met Your Mother

2007 (This was the year of major ticketing snafus. We almost saw nothing!)

• The Office
• Heroes
• The Simpsons

This year, the Paley Center will post video highlights from all of the nights. They announced that there will be live streaming of a couple of events, including the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion, which sold out very quickly. E really wanted to go to that one, but we were shut out. Maybe we'll watch it online. I'm not a Buffy fan, but may want to hear Whedon. (So much for having any geek cred. I just feel I should be honest).

Broken

When we bought our house eleven years ago, we splurged on a big screen TV. E had always promised himself that if he ever owned a home, it would have a nice big television. It's a somewhat bulky rear projection set that we knew would not last forever. It up and died last week. I'd proclaimed many times that I could never have a smaller screen.

While we have settled on and even purchased a new bigass TV*, we have to figure out what to do with the old one. If it can be repaired, we may do that and donate it to a non-profit film organization. Or we may just sell off some of the parts. Anyway, the garage seemed like a nice holding spot in the meantime, but oh yeah, the garage door broke recently too. What seemed like a simple DIY repair is not and will involve hiring someone.

At least my broken dog, Cosette, is healing nicely. Her leg wound is healing, although she did start licking it again in spite of bitter spray. I've had to do some home bandaging. She continues on antibiotics for a bladder infection, but is perky and feeling well.

*Same size screen (56 inches), as our den is fairly small and anything bigger would just be obnoxious.

Time, Time, Time, See What's Become Of Me

It's a good feeling to get an email from a friend that says, "What's up with you? Haven't heard from you in a while, hope you're not working too hard." Especially when that "a while" is truthfully only a couple of days. Life seems to be in high gear right now, partially due to the holidays as that has added a few items to the social calendar.

I have piles of laundry, both clean and dirty, a sink full of dishes, and way too much other clutter to list. I haven't updated my blogs, read yours or hers or his, or taken many photos lately. Twitter informed me that I haven't updated in over 24 hours and I didn't watch 30 Rock yet. I have some things I really need to get out into the mail also.

It's not that I'm just napping and eating bon bons. I've only done some of that in past few days. This week I did see American Werewolf in London in a theater, hosted by Edgar Wright and with a John Landis Q&A. I also saw Ben Lee in concert and went to a Scrubs panel at the Paley Center for Media. I also took Little Guy to the vet and bathed Rusty for some volunteer work we are doing today and tomorrow. Oh, and I worked 40 hours.

I guess my point is that I look around the pig sty where I reside and glance down my To Do list and feel lazy and unaccomplished. I sure that I'm not alone in feeling this, especially at this time of year when time demands and pressures seem to multiply. I could probably go on about this, but Rusty and I have a very important date.

Happiness Is...

...being able to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales at the gym while enduring the elliptical machine. It helped with torture of it all. A little.

The Devil's In The Details

I really enjoy the show Reaper. Sure, it's silly and often predictable, but whatever. I like it, shut up. Ray Wise great as Satan. I'm also quite fond of the lead, Bret Harrison. I got a kick out of him back when he was on Grounded For Life. Now he's all grown up and quite funny.

The show kind of makes me home sick in a way. Yes, because I'm a spawn of the Devil. No, seriously, Bret Harrison looks a lot like my youngest brother. Or vice versa. I don't have a good current photo, but here's a not-so-good one from a couple of years ago.

Hopefully, the similarities end there and K isn't having to spend his free time capturing souls who have escaped from Hell.

*Update: Swiped a more recent photo of my brother from MySpace:

What Now?

Reading: Roasting In Hell's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay. It was a blast to see him in person this past week. It was a little disappointing to not have him yell at me. I'd probably cry though, so it's for the best.

Listening: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon. This is a great album and I can't stop listening to it. We saw them live a couple of weeks ago and they were fantastic. I was really happy they had a horn section on stage.

Watching: Pushing Daisies, one of the newer shows I like and will miss when all of the current episodes have aired. It's wonderfully quirky.

Selling: Hamster balls and Hamster Haiku with the Tired Girl Collective at the Handmade for the Holidays Craft Fair.

Dreading: Work tomorrow. Ugh. I'd rather be at the craft fair (see above).

Dreaming Of: Sleep. I will be fulfilling this very, very soon.

The Strike Affects All Of Us

I am in support of the Writer's Guild and what they are trying to accomplish. No, I'm not a writer or even in The Industry. But, as the WGA strikes, we are all affected, in some way or another. I have some very good friends who are actors, another who is an Emmy winning editor of a very popular television show, and one who works post-production on a drama. They are feeling the pain of their livelihoods being completely shutdown.

But, let's talk about ME and how this whole thing impacts my life, or specifically how it had a direct effect on things this very night. About a month ago, I got word from fellow SoCal Duranie (shut up!) that we could get free tickets to an outdoor mini-concert Duran Duran was to do in Hollywood. I secured my two tickets and found a friend who was excited to go along. This free event was in conjunction with the band's appearance on a late night talk show and they were going to perform five or six songs on the stage behind the building on Hollywood Boulevard.

Of course, due to the strike, the program is in reruns and so...no free Duran Duran show. So, as you can clearly see, we can all potentially suffer and should get involved to get this industry moving again.

Granted, I haven't even bought the new Duran Duran album and probably didn't deserve a free show after all. Part of the reason is that I didn't really like the first song I heard. I blame Justin Timberlake.

Hypocrisy

I often make the blanket statement, "I HATE reality shows!" and act as if I never watch any of them. Okay, okay, it's simply not true and the ones I choose are not any "better" than the ones you watch. I know that.

The one that currently fascinated me is How Clean Is Your House? on BBC America. They find some filthy dwellings and actually take samples of dirt for analysis for various germs. They find things like salmonella, e.coli, listeria, and other gross bacteria. I've gagged more than once.

I think one of the reasons I like it is that it makes me feel better. My house is not pristine, but it's not that bad. I'm sure Kim and Aggie might disagree.

Dammit!

Happy Jack Bauer Appreciation Day!

I didn't even know and have said the 'D' word many times today already!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

I've been intending to do some sort of week-in-review post for oh, a week or so now. It's been a busy one and an overall good one. I'll just touch on some of the highlights, thus far.

Last Saturday, after our lovely walk among the coyotes, we decided to take in dinner and a movie. E still had a couple of tokens for the Holly Trolley, which is to help people bar-hop and avoid the parking hassles in Hollywood on Thursday through Saturday nights.

• The Good: We parked at Hollywood & Highland and sat at the counter at California Pizza Kitchen. We were served and ate in near record time. Also, we really enjoyed Hot Fuzz. In spite of nearly being late, I was able to get some popcorn too.
  

• The Bad: After dinner we missed the Holly Trolley. So, we walked quite quickly to try to catch it at the next stop. We ended up walking to the Arclight, which isn't that big of a deal, but we had full bellies and had already gone on a good walk. As we were cutting it close on time, we had to walk really fast. I hate getting sweaty when I'm not intending to, so I was kind of annoyed. After the movie, we had trouble catching the trolley to go back, as it did not follow the route that is listed online. We walked back about halfway and caught it, but they would not take the tokens. The Holly Trolley sucks.

• The Ugly: Drunk people in Hollywood on a Saturday night are awful. Especially the ones that scream right in your ear as you are innocently descending to the depths of the parking garage.
  

Having gone to a late movie on Saturday night, we overslept on Sunday.

• The Good: We ended up having an early dinner at Birds and catching the free Asssscat show at the UCB Theater. Mo Collins was the guest monologist and she was pretty funny. She's also really, really skinny. I wanted to buy her a sandwich.
  

• The Bad: We missed out on the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Maybe next year. I say that every year. I've never been to it.
  

• The Ugly: We did go to the once-a-month L.A. Comic Con, which is pretty lame. The ugliest part of this is that I'm only now finding out that an artist I really like (David Petersen) had been there.

I'll group various things from last week here:

• The Good: Awesome episode of Heroes this past Monday! I'm sort of bummed that the season is winding down.
  
  On Tuesday, I saw Tim Finn play at Largo. I'd never seen him perform and it was a treat. He was mesmerizing and I could have listened to him for hours. It never hurts to see someone good in such an intimate setting where they are only 20 feet away.
  
  Thursday night was opening night of the Silver Lake Film Festival. I chatted with some nice guys about The Office while waiting for the theater to open and I met a really cute dog.
  
  We got to see Circle Jerks perform for free.They sounded great.
  
  On Friday night, we saw a block of short films that, in general, did not suck. That was followed by some pumpkin pie.
  
  I had a bit of a day of beauty on Saturday, starting with getting my hair trimmed, getting my annual pedicure, and updating my highlights. I also managed to stop in a couple of comic shops for Free Comic Book Day and picked up several issues. We saw a great documentary called King of Kong. It's an excellent companion piece to a film we saw at Sundance called Chasing Ghosts, which features many of the same people.

• The Bad: Overall, the film festival organization has left much to be desired. The opening night screening started really late. On top of that, I didn't even enjoy the film Fay Grim. There was a lot of confusion, delays, and general clusterfuckery the following night for the shorts program as well. I'm glad my pass is free.
  

• The Ugly: Shopping for a baby shower gift at Babies 'R Us. Now I know why people hate that place. I felt so tired Thursday night that I left the Circle Jerks show after a few songs. My house remains a disaster. Little Guy is limping again. My feet before the pedicure.
  

Today, I'm helping some friends with their table at the Santa Fe Art Colony Open Studios, possibly having coffee with a friend (too overextended), and volunteering at the Kids In The Hall show at the Steve Allen Theater. I'm confident that those will all be good things.

Must Not See TV

Well, it's that time of year again. National TV-Turnoff Week. Yeah, I don't think so. Come on, Heroes, which I worked hard to catch up on, is back tonight* and there's a new episode of The Office this week, complete with one of the best Jim pranks ever. It's all about moderation anyway. Watch a little tv, read a little, exercise a little. It's all good, right?

I will participate in one respect by not watching the relatively new comedy Notes From The Underbelly. I was recently working with NINE (now seven, thanks to two healthy baby girls being born) pregnant women! I really don't need to experience any more of that kind of humor at home.

*Not to mention that I'll also watch 24, The Riches, and Drive tonight. Okay, so maybe I'm going a bit overboard and not doing this in moderation!

Dwight: I am not a hero. I am a mere defender of the office. You know who's a real hero? Hiro, from Heroes. That's a hero. Also Bono.

I loved Dwight's quote at the end of this week's new episode of The Office. I actually didn't fully catch it at the viewing party I attended with Jenn at Nanette's place, probably because we were laughing so hard. When I got home, I watched it again with E, after the new This American Life.

Since I failed to watch Heroes from the beginning, I've been playing catch-up with four or five episodes to go before the rest of the season airs. I've seen the chapter that ran just before the break, with a lot of character explanation from E. Yeah, I do things backwards much of the time.

There are a lot of interesting characters on Heroes, but I'm not sure I have a favorite yet. For now, I just say it's Mr. Muggles. I guess time will tell if he actually has any sort of power, which would be really freakin' cool! Apparently, there are some theories out there, but I'll just wait and see.

Dwight: You Ever Watch Battlestar Galactica?No? Well, You're An Idiot

Great news!

I'm really looking forward to the finale this coming Sunday!

Break It Down Again

Having recovered from that awful illness I had last month, life is back to its good, busy self. Besides the fact that I've had a headache since last Thursday, things are okay. A few highlights from the past week or so:

• I already wrote about This American Life Live. I need to download this weekend's radio show, which will include bits of the entire six-city tour. Listen if you get a chance.
  

• There was a new member at my book club meeting and I don't think he got the idea that most of us just hadn't finished (or even read, in my case) the book we were supposed to be discussing. He kept wanting to steer the conversation back to the book, which made some of us giggle. We aren't always so lazy, I swear, but it has been known to happen.
  

• We attended the last night of the 2007 William S. Paley TV Fest, which was a panel on The Simpsons. I usually attend several of the events, but only went to three this year, which I suppose I was lucky to do. There were major ticketing issues this year and many of us loyal members got royally screwed. The MT&R did what they could to make it up to some folks, but not others. We did get comped in to The Office panel, which was lots of fun. Click here for a review of that night. We barely got into Heroes. I'm pretty sure a friend of mine didn't and ended up leaving. I haven't told her yet that there were four empty seats in my row, right in the center for entire night. Yet, E and I couldn't even sit together. Hmm. Hopefully, they will get their act together for 2008.
  

• I was pleasantly surprised to actually have a nice meal of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. I found out with a bit of short notice that we'd been invited to a birthday party that afternoon. I was under the impression it was a barbecue and was fantasizing about having a grilled hot dog or burger. So, it was a nice treat to have the other, which was delicious.
  

• We followed up the afternoon birthday party with a bowling birthday party, which turned out to be much more fun than I had anticipated. (You should have come, Ren!) It also made me realize how much I miss one of my friends who I rarely see anymore.
  

• There has also been a lot of time spent parked in front of the tv to catch up on The Office. We completed the Season 1 and 2 DVDs, including most of the special features (we skipped a few commentary tracks). We've watched the first four or five shows of the current season (gotta love the internets) and if all goes as planned, I'll be completely caught up by Tuesday April 5th. E and I are both obsessed!

• E and I ventured out with Rusty The Dog today. First, we went to the Best Friends Pet Adoption in Burbank. No, we aren't getting another pet, anytime soon, but it's fun to check out the animals and some of the vendors. The rabbits were really adorable. I swear, if I didn't have to work full time, I would have a menagerie. After the pet fair, we thought it'd be nice to go for a drive and take Rusty to the Hydrant Cafe, which we'd been to before in Venice. Well, apparently it has been a long time since we went because it turns out that it is gone. Bummer, but we decided to walk along the Venice Beach Boardwalk instead, which is always entertaining. Rusty certainly had a great day and is snoring now.

Rusty hanging out at Venice Beach.

This American Life Live

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of This American Life. The sometimes sweet, often absurd, and at times heart wrenching tales of, by, and for ordinary people move me. I can often be found laughing or crying, sometimes during the same episode, and usually in my car. I could listen to Ira Glass all day long. Something about his voice, his wit, his compassion, and that infectious giggle of his mesmerizes me.

I felt so lucky to go to the live This American Life event that was staged last night at UCLA. It was the last stop of a six city promotional tour for the upcoming companion television show. The night was amazing and magical. Watching Ira do his thing deepened my appreciation for him. He comes off as a bit nerdy and self-conscious in a down-to-earth way.

Aside from clips from the tv series, some of which will not actually air, we were treated to monologues on the theme "What I Learned From TV" by very talented and funny This American Life contributors Sarah Vowell, the adorable John Hodgman, and Dan Savage. There was also music and performance by the outstanding Ok Go (yeah, the treadmill guys!)

I'm not sure why I was in such awe, but I honestly spent most of the night close to tears. I laughed a lot, but I felt like I was part of something special that was somehow personal at the same time. This American Life is one of those things that I usually enjoy alone while in my car or my kitchen. I can't help feel like Ira Glass and his guests are talking just to me.