071 A whole new world ... again

Flew back to LA on May 10th. It was beautiful, fantastic and absolutely divine.

Tuesday
Got a cold on the plane.
Discovered that my apartment was A-ok except the hard drive for the remote viewing was fried. Bought a new hard drive and set things up with the TV. Hopefully if everything goes according to plan, I can watch TV from Paris again. Got to get re-acquainted with the stupid neighbor who got lazy about taking the trash downstairs and decided to leave it in front of her door for the entire week I was there. Every time I walk to my apartment, I get the smell. Lovely, reminds me of certain areas of Paris.

Wednesday
Went to Santa Monica for the facial, Got a great one. I went there primarly to get my glasses fixed and that's when I noticed that I had forgotten the glasses at home. So, since I had to come back anyway, I decided to set up another appointment (a massage this time) so as not to waste time coming back just for the glasses. Life is hard sometimes.

Thursday
Went to work, got really busy the whole day, ate a burrito, loved it, took a picture of it and sent it to Paris.
Came home to find that my bathroom stunk of cigarette smoke. The fucking neighboor [the trash one] started smoking in the bathroom again and the smoke/smell goes through the medicine cabinet and invades my space. So, I was forced to tape up all the small openings inside of the cabinet. The smell is going away.

Friday
Got a massage, fixed the glasses, did some shopping - loved every minute of it. My phone died so I ran to the store to get a new one. Blackberry Torch. Like it a lot.

Saturday
Realized that my time here was coming to an end, I did not cry about it but I felt very very sad. Watched some SGU to make some space on the DVR, put this image as screen on my new phone.

Sunday
Left for Paris at the end of the day. During the flight, as I was trying to sleep, a woman came over where I was sitting and punched the guy right by me telling him what a motherfucker he was and then she left. Later on she came back again, hit him again and told him that he was an asshole and she would kill him. I have no idea what the hell was going on there. The first time I didn't even realize what was happening and then second time I was as dumbfounded as the first.
I did decide that if she showed up again I would definitely go Krav Maga on her ass. Lucky for her she didn't show up again and thus survived the trip.

Monday
Landed in Paris, moved in the apartment right in the middle of a bunch of noodle restaurants. I think I am going to eat alright during this trip.

Countdown Restart
I've brought all the clocks back to 000. We have a total of 32 days to go. Let's get this shit going.

070 Countdown

... On my way out of the office. This last day was the longest but I made it through. Tomorrow morning I am jumping on a train to the south of France for the weekend. Back in Paris Monday night and then Tuesday morning or as I like to refer to it as "D"day. I fly out of HERE. Feels good to be free.

069 Countdown

2 days of work left

068 Survival

Food
This weekend I discovered, french bread with vinaigrette. Delicious. So I went a little bit overboard with my new discovery by eating a whole baguette.
I am also on day 14 of my sushi marathon. Yes, each day a little bit for lunch or dinner [or both.] Delicious.

The GD deadline
The deadline may have moved, but it's not the only annoying development. Even though I have a ticket back to LA on June 16th, I have been told that I may be here for as late as July 22nd. That's the most fucking annoying latest development. And really, if I wasn't making extra money on this shit, I wouldn't do it, FOR SURE.

TV
Can't wait to get back and fix my TV, I am tired of watching French crap. It's the worst kind of TV lineup I've seen in a long time. And the fact that they dub everything makes it even harder to stand. I've said it before, it's like they have 5 guys doing the voices. Kojak has the exact same voice as Columbo and Baracuda (A-Team for the clueless). Yeah, note the references here ... Because those shows are very much part of the line up. Not to mention Murder She Wrote, Magnum PI and Familly Matters. Jesus help me.

Countdown watch
There are now 3 days of work left. Each about 12 to 15 hour long, which means that I will be here for another 45 hours. I had planned a little get away after the deadline. The deadline is of course in June now, but there's no way in hell I am giving up on the get away. Friday  night, I am out of here and on my way out of town for 3 days. Coming back on Monday, getting on the plane on Tuesday morning and if everything goes according to plan, I should be in LA by the afternoon.  And then I have 5 days to get my act together before I am back in this ass backward town, the big P.

 

What am I missing?

067 Slippiiiiiiiiing

Yes,
What we feared but totally anticipated [in an extremely sarcastic kind of way] has happened. The deadline on which I am basing quite a convoluted countdown system has slipped. It has now gone from Friday May 6th all the way to Friday June 17th [we think ... and hope].

Whaaaat the fuck is going on here? We really don't get a break, EVER. I do get to go back to LA for a quick 5 days (yeah! in a pathetic way). It's going to be a 60hr marathon during which I am going to have to run around like a mad ass just to get things done and resolved in time for the trip back to Paris.

Smok-ish Meat
We've had a very interesting and again TOTALLY not surprising development in our smell experience at the office. Since Monday, between 10am and 4PM the office gets very smoky from the restaurant kitchens downstairs. I guess it's not venting right. The smell is difficult to describe. It's like old fast food burgers with a hint of stale garlic. The smoke is thicker in the hallway and we have to wade through it all day long. The smells clings to hour clothes and our hair ... we bathe in meat!!!! what the helllllllllll is going on here?

Countdown
I have to count the weekend in my latest countdown, because we work 7 days a week. We are officially under 10 for the remaining days "of work" in Paris. I am extremely excited even though I know that there's still a lot of crap I have to put up with until I get there. Still, I am happy.

066 Miscellaneous Happenings

When I came home (late at night) on Tuesday, the street was filled with Pompiers. They had a ladder up to the 6th floor [top] of a building right across the street from where I stay. Big fire. They threw a bunch of stuff from the apartment on the sidewalk below and finally extinguished the fire. Things are so dense here that
I can imagine that this fire could have been bad. Think London 1666.

The burned - disgusting - stinky stuff they threw on the sidewalk is still there. Shocker!

Sick of this
Got really sick last night and slept 2 hours. I couldn't stay home and sleep because in this town, there's always some construction going on. It' everywhere. So I went to work, got off at 10PM, went home and lost consciousness until the next morning. It felt good.

Cheese Part II
We are trying to replace the "cheesy" refrigerator at the office.
The store is in La Defense.
Our office is in La Defense, in one of the more famous building.
Less than a mile away.
Twice they've attempted to deliver the crap.
Twice, they've failed to find the building's parking delivery area.
Whaaaaat the fuck.

Some interesting things coming out soon 

X-Men Fist Class (trailer)

Priest (trailer)

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (trailer) and looking very, very good.

The Perfect Host (trailer) with David Hyde Pierce as the creepy, bad guy ... Whaaaat?

Countdown continues
16 days of work.
Yeah, I know ... This counting of everything is getting out of control. But I like it and I have nothing else to do. And it feels so right!

065 Freshness

Today I was telling this guy that I needed a breath of fresh air, an escape from Paris and if I could only go to LA or anywhere else for a couple of days, it would make me feel so much better. The food, the friends, the beach, the sun, ...

I miss it for sure. I keep thinking that if we could only just have transporters, with portals in our offices, we could actually work anywhere and go home at night. Even if we have to pay for it, traveling thousands of miles instantly is the solution I am sure. Then, we wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of moving away from home all the time. I could just wake up in my LA bed and walk out to the office in Paris.

I want it now.

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is the 9 hours difference. It would be daytime when I want to sleep in LA. We never think of this kind of details when we have our "Sci-Tech-Futuristic-Utopia" water cooler conversations.

Not so good, but we're getting somewhere.

There is a strong CHEESE smell around the refrigerator at the office. All the americans I came here with are just crazy about the French cheese(s). It's insane, they're not scared about the smelly ones, they look for it! They love the sweat on it. You know, these little beads of sweat that appear on the surface of the cheese after it's been out too long? Yeah, that one, the one that makes you gag and roll your eyes.

23 days of work left ...

064 We almost bought the farm ... Almost

And we didn't even know it. Wednesday these two came very close to Earth. No one cared, so I didn't worry about it too much. But when you think about it ... It could all be over in a second. BUUUyah!

nasty, nasty story
I just hear that they found a morbidly obese man unconscious in his lazy-boy chair where he had been stuck in for the past 2 years. His skin was fused to the chair with urine and feces, they had to surgically remove him. The chair was filthy and smelly and there were maggots all over.

28 days
Sounds like a certain horror movie. But it's not. 28 is just the remaining days I have to spend here.

Yes, the days are numbered and I am keeping a close watch, I am definitely on top of things.

063 The Big circle

I had a meeting with some Germans this morning. One of them had a gigantic black smudge of something on his nose and the other one had huge watery stains on the front of his shirt … What the hell do you say? I spent the first ten minutes of the meeting completely distracted because I could not figure out if I should address the issue or not.  And then I was completely confused as to why as colleagues, the two German guys couldn’t talk to each other and comment on their looks. I think that only makes sense. Just the night before I had to tell another guy that he had a bunch of toothpaste all over his chin. I was so proud of myself for making a note of it (aloud). Although I think that if someone really feels the need to brush their teeth at all hours of the day AND during business hours, they should at least check things out in the mirror first. Call me crazy.

I have decided that Paris is too over-crowded. I will never know why so many people want to live here. It's not worth iiiiiiit. People are everywhere. So, whenever there is a hole in a crowd, it doesn’t mean people are just being nice by anticipating your arrival and making a cozy little buffer area so that you don’t feel uncomfortable. No, that little hole in the crowd is usually a very bad sign that something isn’t right. Like a fresh ‘shit’ of origin unknown (meaning it could be human, we don’t know). That's how we experience this town, a sweet discovery at every turn.

They were at it again today in the mall. That dance club of people who have absolutely no problem showing off their dancing skills in front of strangers. Again, just like every week, this was Country music day, with all the square dancing and all that. The French really are fans of the stuff. They may think all Americans are stupids and arrogant, but the country music is A-ok. Everyone dressed appropriately with the stetson hat, the jeans, the cowboy boots and a very eclectic assortments of "cowboy shirts". There was this one guy who seemed to be very, very enthusiastic about the whole think. Making grand gestures in sync with the music. A lot of little "gun hand signs" shooting off all over the place.

For the past 3 days, the guys currently working on the competition have been at work until 5 or 6 am. 3 fucking nights in a row. The organization is just like that piece of warm turd in the middle of that french circle, yes, exactly like that!

In the meantime, I already miss this:

and this:

and of course this:

Dying to kick someone's ass today.

062 Winniiiiing !!

Oh no he didn't ...  ... Oh yes, he did, over and over and over again.

Since I've been back in Paris (6 days and counting) time as gone by so slow I feel I have been here for months. We are almost at the end of one endless week and I am going out of my mind. However, I have found a way to keep myself entertained with ...
Charlie Sheen. Oh yes he did!
I've been listening to The Tim Conway Jr. podcast since he's been following Sheen's antics. This is the most hilarious show ever. That Sheen is a goldmine for comedy.



Best Sheen-glish catch phrase ever:

"Blowing in, spin the wheel, turn, crush it!"

Best Sheen ringtone ever:
Sheen Ringtone

Just lovin' it.

061 Flushit

Week 3/13:Paris: This country [France] is driving me nuts. I know I am getting old, because I am having a hard time dealing with "newness." Not only does it annoy me, but as a result of being frazzled all the time and feeling out of my element, so far I have dropped the following items in the toilet:
My agenda
A perfectly fine roll of toilet paper
A ziploc bag
There were all unfortunate accidents which only underline the fact that I am completely out of my element.
Next Monday I fly back to LA for a couple of weeks.

Here are some picks of the family house under construction [small village in the south of France]

Above: Back garden with swimming pool stake out.

Above: Future location of living room and fireplace

Above: Odd little window in the stone wall interiror.

Above: The owners in front of the gate.

060 Damn it all to hell

Friday:Los Angeles: Someone is finally coming out and asking the question ... Can I move to Paris for a couple of months? The answer of course had to be yes.There might have been the faint illusion of choice but in the end  I am not stupid, it's not really a choice. So,  I said yes.
Next Thursday:LAX: I am back in my usual Air France business seat. It's just great, I really like it. Unfortunately there is nothing to watch, all the movies sucked but I got some good entertainment when some guy got stuck in the bathroom.

Week 1/13:Paris: Cold as hell [and rainy]. The first person we talk to [a cab driver] turns out to be the rudest person I've met in a long time. The stereotype that all French cabbers are assholes still stands.

The apartment: I could barely get up the stairs. It's on the fourth floor and by the time I got to the top, I almost died, I tried to rationalize it by telling myself that it's the trip [I didn't sleep in the plane], but inside, I know I am just not at my peak or any other kind of peak [shapewise]. I got to get back to the gym.
The apartment is alright. It's clean and modern, just very small. They advertize 36m2 [118ft2], but this place has about 6m2 of corridors which defeats the purpose. Call me crazy ,but I just don't consider a corridor to be a "living space."

The office: Our office is in the CNIT at La Defense, however, appearances are one thing our office is not. We have to ring the buzzer twice [in two different locations] before getting to the office. As usual, here, even if we order the access cards, we'd be lucky if we get anything in the next year, so in the meantime, we ring the fucking buzzer. The hallway leading to the office smells like old greased hamburgers that makes me gag every time. Fucking French, still can't cook a good hamburger, or fries, or pizza or sub ... [The list goes on].

Tried to go back to the gym we used to be able to sign up for. it was a nice 100euro a month gym, quiet and definitely classy. When I walked over, the whole exterior is plastered with fluorescent sign advertizing 19euro a month membership, it's dirty and loud. The receptionist is on the phone for 10 minutes before he acknowledges my presence, just to tell me that they won't sign anybody up for less than 12 months. What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I am so annoyed with this stupid country.

Week 2/13:Paris: I want to come back to LA.

059 Full On

2011.01.26 [10AM] What the hell? Again. I am going to be in Paris  for 3 months. That's what they're telling me. Of course they are giving me a choice, but in reality, it's not really a choice. I am the only one [currently employed] who can do it so it makes complete sense.Give me until tomorrow and I will get used to the idea. Oh yeah, I said yes, I will go.

2011.01.27 [1PM] OOOH no they didn't ... I just heard that they may not need me. Well, it's more complicated than that. I found out that the guy who was asking for me to come back to Paris, feels he's invested the last few months in another guy [makes me feel like shit] and he wants that guy now. Boo-hoo!

No one who can tell me what the hell is going on exactly. I can't get organized, I can't plan anything, I can't find an apartment ... fucking zero, nothing. Now the "fun-tastic" game is going to be betting on how much notice I get. 1 week, 2 days, 48 hours, or am I going at all?

Just when I had made peace with it.

 

Movin' on

Also learned that the KRAV MAGA level 2 test is sometime in March [2011]. I wasn't going to do it, but now, I really am getting very, very excited about it. I want to take it and I need to pass it. The test lasts for about 4 hours and is going to be full of the usual goodies, all involving some kind of lethal move. I can't wait even though I am not sure how I am going to pull it off. 1 hour is usually all I can do. 4 hours will be tougher.

Today in class I was partnered with a girl I think is completely insane, but instead of the usual "annoyance" I feel when I see her, I actually had a good time. She just goes for it and I have found that the more aggressive someone is, the more forceful I become when hitting back, at the end of the class, we were going at it, full ON. No one got hurt.

Tomorrow I will talk to John Whitman, the sexy instructor/owner/krav champion/author guy and I am going to ask him what the hell is wrong with me. I am still having a super hard time with anything that involves stamina [and that's everything in the class].

B-Hatch

there is this B at the gym who is taking a lot of the same classes I am [not that there is a huge choice, this is a small gym that only offers classes CROSS FIT, KRAV MAGA and BOXING]. She is the most annoying thing I've ever encountered. She keeps making comments during the whole time and interrupting the instructors with stupid, long and drawn out questions. There is no end to it. She keeps repeating that she's not doing this to be a better fighter but simply for aerobics purposes ... Then, what the hell are you doing here Bitch? This isn't a Jane Fonda workout, this is serious business and that incessant yapping is driving everyone up the wall. Once, while she was distracted because she was commenting on shit again, the instructor told us that the next drill would not involve the usual bag and while pointing to the girl he said: "We will use this bag instead." - Hilarious!

On another day, I overheard John [see sexy instructor description above] in the locker room and he was talking about her and how stupid and annoying she is. I love this stuff and I am waiting until the day someone shuts her up again like he did a couple of time during class.

My new TV

... Still lovin' it ...

My favorite Instructor
Another picture of John in action this time, just for fun. 

058 H.A.P.P.Y.N.E.W.Y.E.A.R 2011

Last week's workout from hell ... We had been been working hard for 45 minutes, I could see the light at then end of the tunnel, when Megan [the instructor] whipped out a board with HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 written on it, I have to say, my heart dropped. I knew, nothing good ever comes out of stuff like this.
Of course, I was right. Here is the thing, each of those stupid letter is a drill. Example:
push up, wall ball [with 12lbs medicine ball], plank with 10lb dumbell lift, lunges, bag punches, squats, ... ... ... whatever. The real evil comes in when we find out the real meaning of 2011. I never saw it coming, although I should have known, it was so obvious. So ... do each drill 20 time and when you get to the last letter, start over but this time each drill is done 11 times. Piece of  cake.
Have a Happy New Year 2011.

My new gigantic rectangle
My TV broke last week. Damn it. I contemplated [very very briefly] not getting another one, and just watch tv on my computer ... That thought lasted about a minute. I an just not strong enough. So after the gym I took a little trip to the store. When I got there, I saw all the beautiful TVs and after 2 hours I was walking out a proud new owner. I could have sworn that my old TV was a 46". I was sooooo very wrong about that. Anyway, I ordered a new TV choosing a 50" thinking that 4 extra inches should look just about right.
When I returned home, I took out a tape measure, just to check that my TV was indeed 46". Well, it wasn't. My old TV is 34". So, I freaked out, thinking that I had just purchased a gigantic screen, 16" bigger than the one I have. When the new TV was delivered a week later, I could not believe it. There is a gigantic black rectangle in my living room now, you can't miss it. My apartment is way too small for this. It's taking over everything, there is no balance. I am not really complaining, because the TV watching experience is amazing. I've just watched all the Star Trek movies [I had not seen the original before, so that was perfect.] That was a beautiful experience. And then I saw the season finale of Hoarders where this guy had 2,000 rats in his house and I could barely watch it, the image is so big, it was disgusting.
Anyway, this thing really, really works well, it's just too big for the living room ... Conclusion; I'll just have to move to a bigger place.

That's a super power
Today in Krav Maga we were learning how to do the "front kick" thing, which is a defense move [rare in this form of fighting] and we were training with a partner who was holding a shield bag. All we had to do was kick it over and over again. I kicked so hard, I don't think she was expecting it and she fell back on her ass. It's pretty rare that this happens and there were some cheers. I was embarrassed but not as embarrassed and the girl holding the bag. So I suspect I'll get over it quickly.

Freakishly cold
I'm getting sick. I can feel it coming. I am always cold at the office [temperatures vary between 50 and 65 degrees] it's just so crazy cold over there and we have to sit in it for hours and hours, it's hell. For the last few months, I have been wearing my thick NorthFace down jacket. But since I've been feeling sick I am now wearing the following layers:
- Thermal shirt
- Long sleeve shirt
- Hoodie
- NorthFace white down jacket without sleeves
- NorthFace black down jacket with sleeves
- UGS shoes
- And my new million dollar bag.
And I'm still cold. Damn it.

Visuals
TRON redux: I may have given the impression that it wasn't good. But it WAS. I think that nerds like us will always have a fascination for the kind of special and visual effects such a movie can offer. It got crucified in the media, but really, when you think about it, the story in AVATAR is as bland and secondary as in TRON. It's all about the context, the new world it has put together. Just for that TRON is "super" worth it.

SGU: I can't talk about it, I am so upset. Brad Wright says he's trying to get a movie out of it and get the stories told. I hope he can do it. I also found out a few weeks ago that SGA movie that was in pre-production is now indefinitely delayed. We all know what that means.

057 Teenager-ish

JEEEZ ...

ALIEN

Wouldn't it be great if the next Alien prequel happened for real? Wouldn't it even be more awesome if the rumors of Ridley Scott re-teaming with H.R. Giger were totally true?





TRON
Disney spent 170 million to produce TRON was it worth it? Was it not completely expected that the plot would be thin and lackluster? Did we not expect the PG rating to water everything down?
Didn't we all cry when we discovered that what was advertized did not realize? And all that anticipation was for [almost] nothing? I am too young to speak of nostalgia when I discuss TRON, but I feel it anyway.

WALKING DEAD [AMC]
OMG, I finally did it, I watched the last two episodes of Walking Dead (AMC). I loved it, I did. I am not sure if that's because I was waiting to watch it for so long. This series just works. I don't know how and I don't particulary care, but I keep wishing this thing was a movie so that we could find out what happens next without waiting months and months and months for it.



 THE CLOSER
Was it not hearbreaking when you heard that The Closer was in its final season? It's such a good series, not many people care, but enough do. "Bye Bye now ..."







 AX MEN

 Ax Men is back and it's goooood, Ooo so good. I just saw the season premiere and it was hilarious. You should have seen the manly men logging crew's face when the boss introduced the newbie ... It's a girl.
OH MY GOD. Some of the guys were so surprised, they mouths hung open, they just couldn't believe it, a chick, in the woods! Ah! and she's good too. And then, just so you know, The crazy father and son team is back together. The father
managed to get his son back on board and now they are logging in the river again, together. Of course, none of that could have gone on without the delicious moments [I was personally expecting] when the trailer with the boat was not hooked properly and so it came off the back of the truck as they were driving. Both trailer and truck were in pretty bad shape. The back of the truck was all smashed up and the trailer arm was bent. I mean, just ridiculous.There was some blood spilled when they tried to separated the two [after scraping the road over several feet, the front of the trailer got stuck under the truck.] I mean, you can't write that stuff,
it's impossible. These two are the best. And then there's the crazy guy out in the swamp, who's also looking for logs in waters infested with crocodiles and snakes. He just jumps in it with "short' shorts and barefoot. He also carries a gun that he keeps shooting things with all over the place, crazy dude. On this episode he put together a "homemade" explosive that he just dumped overboard to try to free the log from the bottom of the swamp. There were some tense moments there. Lovin' it.

Eye of the Tiger
Just went to the boxing class again today. this is the first time I go on a monday and I got to meet the tall, cute Italian: Marco. What the fuuuuuck ...? . First of all, I was under the impression that John, the owner of the gym, who teaches the wednesday class and yes, he is the one I have a small teenagerish crush on.
This is him:

[Not bad]. Anyway, I was really under the impression that this guys was the hardest and toughest of them all and that the wednesday class was the only class I should really worry about. And in fact, it is the one I get anxiety over. And then when it's over, I need a few hours to recover from the shock and then a couple of days to recover from the pain.
Marco on the other hand,  is one of those guys that teach Old school. He's got the timer in his hand and we basically do drills for one hour. he's just insane. And stuff, I would really never think about. Stuff that's just too cruel and too convoluted to even imagine. And then, to top it all, he also clocks the down times, the water time, ... It just never ends. Well, it did end an hour later and as usual i ran back to the office craving a coke. And every time, it is usually the best Coke I've ever had in my life.

I am looking for the day I get this rock hard body, similar to this picture here. And then [totally by accident] get into a good street fight to test my skills.

056 Apple-licious

Back in New York again (second time this month). Always for work. One week at a time.

LAX
Tried to go to a bathroom in LAX. There was some kind of bad lingering smell I could not get over. I don't know how people get so comfortable in there to do the "whole" business. I mean, if it's not an emergency, Just don't do it! Anyway, I get into the stall and I just freeze ... I can't move, I am standing there, with my eyes closed and then I start dry heaving. Here is a cool definition of Dry Heave:
Dry heaves occur after nausea and vomiting. It refer to repetitive involuntary throwing up that is not accompanied by vomit. Nausea stimulates the region of the brain that controls vomiting. Even after the vomiting has halted, the brain's vomit center may be active. This leads to continuation of abdominal musculature contractions without expelling gastric contents, causing dry heaves. Prolonged dry heaves are serious and require immediate medical attention as they may be indicative of intracranial pressure.

I have to say, that this rarely happens to me. and so I was finding it hilarious and disgusting at the same time. There I was, dry heaving and laughing at the same time (mouth closed the whole time). In the end, I had to walk out of there quickly before things got even more insane. Later on, in the plane, I swear I could still smell "it." I know it wasn't real, but I just couldn't help it.

Commute-ations
Lucky me, I get to walk about 12 blocks to go from the apartment to the office (all in Manhattan), and right in the middle of the action. The streets here are always crowded. Yesterday morning, this guy stops right in the middle of pedestrian traffic, whips "it" out and starts to pee right there, on the sidewalk. He doesn't even bother to move to the side (as any normal human being would). And no one seems to care. What the hell?

The Heat is On Baby!
The building I stay in, has this stupid heating system. Basically, there is one big central heater that heats all the apartments (20 at least). The only problem (and it's a major one), is that I have no control over it. There is no thermostat in the apartment. So, it's 33deg in NY and inside the stupid apartment, it's about 95deg

There is no way I can sleep like this. I just lay there on the bed, no covers, just sweating. So, on night 2, I get the brilliant idea to turn the AC on. Why not? It's a genius idea. It will counteract the heat and I will be able to sleep.

I turn on the stupid AC which is a basic box in the window. The damn thing is soooooo freaking loud that I can't sleep will all that rattling and grumbling. What the hell is going on here? So now I have a choice: heat and quiet or somewhat cooler but noisy... In both cases I can't sleep anyway. Damnit.


Horizontal Rain
This morning, the walk to the office was just annoying. Today it is raining. I quickly discovered that the streets of Manhattan are like big canyons and when it rains, The water gets funneled through and so as a pedestrian, I am assaulted with windy-rain coming from all directions. Horizontal is the hadest one to avoid, it's crazy.

Ass Kicking shieeet
We are now on day 3 and I am getting more and more exhausted, (since I can't sleep at night) and I don't know how long I am going to make it. This is so stupid, I only have to survive until Friday when I leave. Although I want to go boxing on Saturday morning and for that I have to be ready, cool and collected. My best performance is usually barely enough to make it through. I can't afford to be weak and tired.

I got to kick some ass when I get back in LA and cool down a little bit.

ironic.

055 My GDamn Neighbor and Other Things

GodDamnit, my neighbor is at it again. I hate her so much it's difficult to put into words. I just despise everything she is and the fact that she is invading my space with her filth and her smells and her noises.
I have taken some kind of pleasure in tormenting her in the past, although I am not sure she has even been aware of the extend of it. But sometime I can't help it, I have to take action. I used to be able to time a toilet flush here and there while she's in the shower. This would invariably turn her shower super hot. I can't do that anymore because the owner fixed the plumbing. It was good while it lasted I guess. This morning I took a picture of her already rotting pumpkin [It's not even Halloween yet]. The thing is leaking juices right beside an already beer stained deck. Just delightful. The smell is starting to expand and will get to my door soon, I just know it.

 Caprica
I just had to mention this story because I've had to follow it closely. Unfortunately or Finally, Caprica was canceled this week …. Whoever was foolish enough to really get into it, just found out that the rest of the episodes of this season will not air, at least not for a long while and that we will probably never really know where this thing was going. The story line of this series was sooooo slow, so convoluted and so muddy I can’t even imagine anyone really being able to get into it. I tried really hard, I believed in giving it a real shot at convincing me that things would make sense at some point, so I kept watching. I usually tape several episodes (about 4 or 5) and play them in a row, that's the only way I can stand to watch this series. There is so little happening from episodes to episode that by watching a few together, I feel that at least something is happening and the best part is the fast forwarding. On an average 43 minutes episode, I can usually watch it in 30 minutes without loosing any of the main story line. It's pretty amazing. In general, that’s a rather strong indication that a lot of this drivel can be skipped over without losing one ounce of the main story points. And I have to say that watching the previews for season two it seemed like the writers and producers got the message from last year and decided tobring the Cylons back and speed things up a little bit … Unfortunately it hasn't happened so far and most of us probably will never know for sure.

True fans of BG [which I am not] will be able to get their fix in a few months when the next movie comes out on SyFy.

The Bag Class
I addition to Krav Maga, I am now also totally into the boxing class called "The bag class." And once again, I am systematically getting my ass kicked pretty thoroughly each time I dare take the class. This is happening on such an intense level, one I have never seen or experienced in my life. Love the hurt and suffering.


Beach snapshot ...

054 Krav Maga Part II

I though I would never make it. Halfway through the warm up I am thinking [very loudly]
"What the hell did I get myself into ...?"
20 minutes into it I really start to worry. I am out of breath the whole time and each move requires such power and energy, I can't even imagine sustaining such level of power for much longer.
40 minutes into it, I am drenched in sweat and each little 30 second break is just enough for me to wonder if I should just excuse myself and leave for a while. Problem is, I pretty much had a partner and I couldn't just leave like that ... So I stayed hoping that I could make it until the end.
...Which I did. And I also signed up for additional torture. It actually made sense to me, right after the class. A workout like that, can't be found everywhere, I might as well enjoy it as long as it remains intense. This morning, I had changed my mind [a little bit]. My body hurts in many, many, many places, I feel like shit but in a good way.
Last night I kept dreaming about fighting, it was violent. This "sport" requires more than just power. There is a certain rawness about it. It's like survival. Not the white guy going into the desert and eating berries for a week. I am talking about real survival, raw and scary. That animal side, the uncultured, primal being.
It's good.
Tomorrow I am doing the bag class. Just boxing ... for an hour ... intense. I saw part of that class and I got a little scared. Hopefully it's not as intense and insane as Krav Maga. We'll see ... in Part III.

[See Part I for the begining of the Krav story.]

053 Krav Maga

Last Monday:
98degrees in the office, we are all dying of heat exhaustion. what the hell?
This Monday:
Soooo cold in the office, I am wearing a hoodie, a rain jacket, a jean jacket a large scarf and I am still freezing.
Tomorrow:
Going to my first KRAV MAGA class. Saw the gym today and everybody's got muscle-y bodies, tanned and sculpted to perfection. They're all totally into it. I don't know if I can get as dedicated as they are. Can I even muster the minimum amount of "passion" so I don't look like a fool?
I am even worried about being able to survive the warm up! It would look so bad if I couln't even get through the first part of the workout ... We'll see.

I just can't wait until the day I get to train with the "fake" guns, break my opponent's face and then rip off his throat. [Yes, that's what they do in there!]

we'll see ...

052 Dreamin'

Yeah, deadline over. Whatever.
Once again, there was so much stuff to do that I lost track of life. We were so busy,
We can’t even believe September is almost over. It doesn’t help that LA and especially those of us who live at the coast, never really had a summer. Today I am actually [once again] wearing a downed jacket and a sweater AND I still wish I had brought my boots. That’s how bad it is right now.

Bullet points …
Was in Dallas for a couple of day last week. We saw our design and it’s pretty good.

Was in Tucson for a couple of day last week, it was hot as hell.

Went to USC for a day last week, was fun and entertaining, although I was pretty much working the whole time.

Working on a Colin Cunnigham [SG1: Major Davis] interview. I don’t know what happened to Jewel Staite.

Of interest … ARK
A web movie made of 9 short clip (varying from 3 to 9 minutes each). This is season one. Basically a woman falls asleep on her couch and wakes up in a ship, in space.
The woman is played by Renee something aka Gabrielle from Zena warrior princess. She hasn’t changed that much I guess.

The whole thing got ruined for me when I found out that the company that made this one basically went under not long after shooting and so, you know that there is just a very small chance that there will be another season. So, do I spend time and energy getting involved in this, get to know the characters and follow the story up to the “cliffhanger” point? Should I even bother when I know that I probably will never find out how it ends … I am just annoyed with it.

Got Back to LA this week …
just in time to find out that 3 more people have suddenly disappeared. This batch was not as much as a surprise as the last one, but still … Looks like if you don’t play 110% your ass is on the line.

051 Caved In

My office is moving ... inland ... in a temporary warehouse ... no windows ...
We can't make the address public so no one will ever know where we are for the next few months. The temporary space is a real "cave" worst than the old one. There are no windows so we'll never really know if it's day or night and it sure won't be as fun as Las Vegas. The shop is in the same space as all the desk, which means that we'll hear all the machines running all day long, freaking loud. And then there is the nauseous smell from all the chemicals we use for the models. [healthy living I say!]
We are moving away from the ocean. Of course, we still don't plan on having any kind of AC or heater or anything to regulate the temperature so I predict we'll be dying of heatstroke in the next couple of months and then we'll switch to wearing gloves in the winter. We have gone through that before, I remember it clearly.

Last weekend I actually had some time to go outside and "chill." Which I did. I ended up with a sunburn on my left foot, one on the right wrist, one on the left wrist, one on the nose, one on the forehead, one on the neck. When I work so much, I never leave the old "cave" and so I pay for it later ... Yeah.

I am bored. I think that sums up the state of life right now. I think that's what caused me to stop talking about the usual stories that come out of my everyday observation. The old lady with a dead dog on her shoulders, the dude who gets dumped by his girlfriend in the middle of the street. The car right in front of me that contains at least two idiots who have no idea of the size of their vehicle and thus scratch a couple of parked cars, side mirrors flying all over the place.
I guess I could talk about coming home and trying to open the apartment door with my car alarm or showing up at work on sunday when I thought it was monday ...
Anyway, I am hoping I will be able to recount those funny, funny, moments as soon as I get my groove back on.

The Scifi stuff, you know, watching it or reading it or writing it, is by far the most exciting thing in the world to me right now. Forget the insanely complex facade designs, forget about the crazy "space pods" [with cool lights inside]... No, forget about all of that. Boooooring.

I was asked to comment further on a couple of SyFy shows that I mentioned before and so here is the latest thought on what I've seen lately.

Haven
Ok, it's a cute and very SyFy type show, no question about it. BUT and it's a big one, I have to say that I have noticed a slightly disturbing trend in the few episodes we have seen so far and I would be remiss if I didn't point it out right now.
Pilot: Welcome to Haven -
A woman is affecting the weather when she is upset. Cure: Calm her down and isolate her.
Butterfly -
A young kid is traumatized by the loss of his parents and fears loosing those he loves. He unwitignly harms other people who may be threatening him in any way. Cure: Calm this one down too and go away, far away.
Harmony -
Some guy is distressed over his wife's illness and when he plays music she gets better. The problem is that regular people start getting sick [crazy is probably more accurate]. Cure: Put him on a boat with sick wife and other sick people and send them far, far away.
Consumed -
A guy gets angry easily and then we discover that if he happens to eat while angry, the same food consumed by others goes bad instantly [pretty nice special effects and animation in this episode] Cure: Calm him down and stop him from eating food while in a foul mood.
Ball and Chains -
A woman wants a baby so bad she inadvertently releases another one of her persona [apparently that condition is a family thing] who has sex with men [easy] who die of old age the next day as she gives birth to a child [24hr gestation]. Cure: Calm her down and chain her to the lighthouse, away, far away from people [men in particular]

Call me crazy, but it seems that all the scripts written for this series are very, very similar. I know everything as a "formula", but this one is sooooo obvious you'd think there was only one writer with limited imagination on staff. Too bad.

Memphis Beat

I discovered this little gem a couple of weeks ago. Checked out all the episodes online and I really, really liked it. I hear a lot of people are snubbing it because they are looking for an authentic Memphis experience and when the found out that the show is actually shot in New Orleans, well, it cause quite a ruckus. I personally don't really understand what the difference is. I know very little about that culture and since I lived in Europe most of my life, Elvis was not really part of my experience. No one in my family has ever mentioned or played "the music of the south." I can't even talk about it in an intelligent way.

However, I like the tone and the sounds of this show. The set up is a little bit out of the ordinary and I already see how this could become a great cop drama. Hope thei get picked up for another season. There is a background story that has been lingering in the dark for a while, sneaking it's ugly head during the last episode. I saw it coming a mile away, but it was done so well, I didn't mind the fact that I had anticipated it.
Dwight Hendrix [Jason Lee] is a cop, with a heart, an ex-wife he's still in love with and he's such a mama's boy, it's totally endearing. On saturday night, at the bar around the corner he sings whatever that music is they do in Memphis and i love it.
They have the little cop guy who's been on a bunch of other shows, DJ Qualls or something. He has such a great "physique," it's just hilarious. And then there is the cop played by the guy who used to be Jerry on ER. Well, he's still hanging around a desk a lot and taking phone calls all day long, but now he's a cop, he has long braided hair [a la native American] and he gets beat up by his wife on a regular basis. The chief of police is this feisty woman who handles the whole crew with an iron first, and a great sense of style, I've seen her somewhere else, but I can't remember where and I am obviously too lazy to look it up.

Click here to visit the MB site.

Persons Unknown

What the hell is this thing? I stumbled over it completely by accident and I immediately thought I should watch at least one episode, just to see. Well, starting with episode six or whatever was a complete waste of time because I couldn't figure ANYTHING out. so I decided to go to On demand and try to pick an earlier episode. Unfortunately they didn't have the pilot so I started somewhere I don't know where and after watching 4 or 5 episodes I ended up somewhere I don't know where. Ha!
Following some internet research I basically find out that this show was filmed over a year ago and that it was shopped around for a while before NBC purchased it. Once again, sometimes I don't even know why these networks bother. For one, they don't advertise the thing. Two, they bury it outside their regular seasons so it's even harder to find. Three, they play in on Fridays, the day of the week notoriously known in primetime as the place where they stick the shows they [networks] don't know what to do with.

Now the absolutely saving grace of this show is that it's only 13 episodes, and so the persons Unknown and the mysterious plots should all be finely explained and resolved at the end of the run. which should make this sligthly less painful. Finally, we're getting somewhere.

050 War Monkeys

Loved the poster, had to put it up. This movie is in the works, we'll see if it gets done or not. I know we all identify with the War Monkey from time to time, it's ok to admit it.

WOO-OOO-WORK
We are finally done with our deadline, which lasted too long. So far, in 10 days and without a break, we've managed to accumulate more than three weeks worth of work hours.
On top of all that slaving away, people seem to quietly disappear around us. I don’t know how many of us are left but the numbers are dwindling down at an alarming rate. Question: Can things get any worst? Yes, I can imagine about a dozen scenarios where things go horribly wrong.

Exhausted, and burned out, we finally get to go home and rest.

SUMMER SYFY

With all the insanity going around, I am behind on everything "Tele-vision" related. I have managed to squeeze some viewing moments, although the way I have been watching TV lately should be qualified as "drive-by" viewing. And sometimes, it's so bad, I don't even watch the show, I just listen to it while I do other stuff. My wireless headphones work up to about 1 block away from my home, I have tested it on several occasions. I have also tested them in the shower and if I keep my head away from the water, it's all good.
Anyway, the usual SYFY round up is upon us again.
We are always keeping a close eye on all productions that are remotely SciFi related. Right now, Predator ans Inception are on the list of movies to watch in the next 24hrs.
Warehouse13 was also on the TV list and will be removed promptly. It's pretty bad, I don't know what I was thinking last summer when I watched it. I still think that they should take all the bad renderings, animations and visual effects , most look like shit. Sometimes it's so bad, it disrupts the visual flow of the story and I immediately loose interest. I did have to watch the Jewel Staite epsiode, just because I might be working on the interview later this summer. Haven is on the list but on probation. It sounds like the characters are slightly more developed than the W13 idiots and the story is also more intriguing. I really like the sheriff who can't feel any pain and constantly gets hurt [in the premiere anyway]. I wonder where the story is going, I hope they don't string us along forever without real answers.
Then Finally, I have the mention the season premiere of Eureka. I am one week behind, so I am already not completely up to date, BUT the seasons premiere was absolutely genius. Full of potential, it's going the traditional SciFi way with the obligatory solar flare [See Stargate] and the temporal disruption [See Star Trek - JJ Abram way]. The notion of solar flares causing disruptions in the time line and thus creating parallel universes has been done a million times. it's a classic. Even if that's true, I don't really care so much, still had fun watching the thing.

So far this summer -
Best New show:
The Good Guys [FOX]
Best Old timer:
The closer [TNT]
Worst New shows:
Rizzoli & Isles [TNT] and Rookie Blue [ABC]
Most Dramatic:
Deadliest Catch [DSC]
Most addictive:
Eureka [SYFY]
Guilty Pleasure:
SpongeBob SquarePants [NICK]


HORKOS
Here are some excerpts from the story I mentioned last month. It's not giving away too much, but my goal is to try to get the thing done by September.

Earth
The attack was sudden and brief. The Saturn orbital station was the first to disappear from radars. By the time the fleet realized what was happening, dozen of alien ships had appeared in the solar system.
The Mars colony was the second to go. Just as The Earth's Fleet launched its ships out in space, the alien armada had reached Earth’s orbit. The battle was over before it even started. Earth was blasted repeatedly by powerful weapons launched from the alien ships.
--
As the Earth fleet began to engage the enemy’s armada, the alien ships were already leaving Earth’s orbit, doubling back from where they had first appear inside the solar system. Near Saturn and the remnants of the orbital station, a bright scar opens up in space creating was will later be called “The Krylon Rift." The few fleet ships that were fast enough to keep up with the aliens entered the anomaly just as it was closing back up. Those ships disappeared from radar and communications seized instantly.

With nowhere to go and no one to pursue the rest of the fleet returned to Earth.
--
Back on Earth, the situation is critical. The weapons launched from space have destroyed major cities all over the world. Cairo, Paris and New York are gone. Tidal waves have destroyed most of Japan and Thailand. The west coast of the US has completely disappeared. Mega-fires are raging and smoke clouds are covering most of the planet. The devastation is made worst by the fact that no one knows yet what happened. It will takes a week before Demarchy* is able to gain control of the situation.
--
Demarchy: [Coalition of nations that was formed after the great holy war [Harb-u-Muqadasah] of 2052. United, Earth was able to stabilize the government of various nations and create a global, stable economy. It is during the early years of the Demarchy that the first colonies on the Moon and Mars were settled. Later, a space station called “7th Ring” was built in Saturn’s orbit. Iconic symbol, the station was to be the final frontier of humanity's settlement and the location of the first interstellar spaceship factory.
--
The world is in mourning. Amid the chaos, Earth’s Demarchy coalition has reconvened in its new temporary headquarters in Vancouver - The mood is tense –
--
Luck ... One of the alien ships is recovered on the surface of the Moon where it crash landed after attacking the lunar colony.

049 Best RO ever!

This is a very, very cool video of a robot developed by Boston Dynamics for military application. This video has been around for a while, but I just couldn't help myself and include it in here ... For fun.

BigDog

Pretty impressive.

048 Fandemaniacs

I was in Dallas y'all.
Went to Dallas on business last week. In addition to the usual meetings, we had a fund raising Thursday night and a breakfast fundraising on Friday morning. 50 million dollars was the goal. Dallas was hot and humid, but people were just so very nice, as usual.
I started getting nauseous on Thursday only a few hours after getting there. I have a couple of problems with the food. Quantities and Qualities. Too much food and really heavy stuff. By Friday afternoon I was just spending my time trying not to throw up. Difficult to do in the plane, when across the aisle, one kid throws up on take off and another throws up on landing. Just beautiful. It has been said that I am so used to breathing the beachy-smogy LA air, that if I leave it for too long, I start dying little by little ... "That's just crazy talk." My theory makes way more sense: I think I might be allergic to the Lone star state.... Damn.

Back in LA, dude.
After an 11hour sleep night, I felt a little better. Went to work again in the morning and got sick again that night. Just delightful. Trying to book Palm Springs next week for some R&R. I already feel guilty about taking off when we have yet another gigantic deadline.

Fandemonium: "I like it alright!"
Since I had so much time to read [with all the plane rides and all ...] I downloaded a few books on my phone.
A few weeks ago, I discovered Fandemonium. A friend of mine had been talking to me about it, suggesting I read them "For research purposes." So, I obliged and picked up "A Matter Of honor"[Part I} which was quickly followed by "The Cost Of Honor." Great stuff. The self-imposed research became a guilty pleasure and I quickly realized that I liked it ... A lot. I am gong to have to read all the SG1 and SGA books. I did hear that some were not so good and since I started, I have noticed that it is the case, I just don't care. I am, however not such a fan of the ST:E series. The stories and the characters don't always feel right and Trip is taking over most of the stories. And where the hell is Archer? Anyway, I could talk for hours about that. Maybe I'll get into STNG, I wouldn't mind getting some fresh Picard stories.
Anyway, I am glad I started reading the books, the initial skepticism is gone, I am now a true believer. I have however also come to the conclusion that I am not necessarily interested in branching out in that realm. Too many restrictions for my taste.
The soooo so good:
It's actually pretty incredible when you think about it. Usually, when reading a book, everything is visualized entirely from the author's description of things; Context [architecture], people's physical attributes and behavior ... Everything is only as clear as you can imagine it with the help of the one who wrote it in the first place. In the case of Fandemonium, it's completely different. the stories are more vivid, the action feels more complete and there is a certain depth in everything that is happening in the story simply because the reader already has a very good idea of what things actually look and sound like. So the leap of imagination it takes to actualize the story has already partially been made by watching the shows. That's definitely the good part about reading these kinds of books. Of course it's never going to be "High Art" and the quality of the writing and the plots varies tremenduously from author to author. But as pure entertainment, just like the shows are, I think it makes sense and apparently a lot of other people think so too. Is it harder to write? Yes, I think it is.
The not so good:
The biggest problem I have with this type of "novelization" is that since we already know all the characters so well, the moment the author makes a mistake, whenever something is off, it immediately disrupts the whole flow of the story.
I think I've only experience this twice on SG - Once with Daniel and I think once with Rodney. I was so annoyed by it that it took me a while to get back in the story. the good side of this is that we finally get some insight into the mind of characters that are usually not explored as much as they could be. And because we know EVERYONE so well, it's absolutely fun to read while actually seeing it in your mind, I mean, we already know what most of it looks like.

Next time, I think I'll have to post a very raw, very short synopsis of the next story I am working on. I think it's going to be good. Although it the second installment in the series [the main characters are already developed], I think that the Intro. is setup in a way that the reader doesn't need to know who they are. But whatever.
Hopefully, I get some time this summer to finish the story. That would be quite a miracle, wouldn't it?

047 We're coding this week.

I realized this morning that it's been a while since I wrote. Not that I didn't have anything to say in the last couple of weeks [or more] but the content seemed either too strong opinion wise or just too plain/boring to be shared. Although I should feel free to share, whenever I try to put the thoughts down on paper, I just can't find the right kind of inspiration.
The other problem I encounter repeatedly is that time goes by so fast, I never really have the opportunity to look back at "Things" and digest.
So, this week I will just point out two things:
1. Trailers from
Super 8 [JJ and Spielberg]
Iron Sky 
Detective Dee [Tsu Hark]
The Adjustment Bureau 
The Killer Inside Me 
Inception
... and on and on and on.
2. A bunch of new interviews coming out around the web with cast of SGA [mostly.] Since most of them are no really working that hard right now [I say this in a positive way], they all have a lot of time for conventions, so we get the goods.
3. And finally, to end on a nerda-funky-lucious-note ...