089 Imminent Departure

Countdown is almost up. One more day and that's it. We're gone.

Here is one of the latest picks from the facade.

It's looking better but I am still freaking out about possible mistakes and "not-so-good-looking" areas. We'll see, I may get to go back soon and see it again when it's done.


Here is a funny little meeting between Steven Merchand, Ricky Gervais and Johnny Depp. Mildly funny and yet, I enjoyed it.

See you soon in LA.

088 Consciousness

Went to the south of France this weekend. And saw this really cute pig who was using the goat for warmth and reassurance.

Poor kid. He really looked scared.

HypnoDubiousness

I just don't know anymore. I want to believe that the hypno guy is helping but I am starting to think that we are just playing games and indulging each other. Great conversation and very, very fun intellectual games of cat and mouse. Talk of philosophy and religion, life and even some very informative discussion about the neurological map of our "consciousness."

The game is definitely on. I am trying to read into everything he does. Where is the lie? Where is the strategy? Is everything he says true or just a way to manipulate me?
It's driving me nuts and he knows it.
The hypnosis in itself is not always apparent and I am sure that I don't recognize all the moments he is actually trying to influence me. It's pretty sick because it means that the guy is a "master" manipulator. I wonder if all the people who get into that kind of profession spend their time playing with their patients minds ... That is such a dangerous and terrifying thing to even think about.

In the meantime I keep going hoping that each time will be better and more entertaining than the last. Although at this point we should just become friends and hang out, that's going to be much cheaper for me even if I pick up the tab every time.
Sad really.

2 ...

... more days until I go back to LA. That feels good. Really good. I get to leave this very, very heavy and annoying working environment.

Thank you ...
Sam, Jack, Daniel and Tiel'c for being there with me, every day.
I owe you one.

087 Move on kid

 
Opening News ... Apollo14

Kind of interesting. The astronaut Edgar Mitchell who was on Apollo14 mission just go in trouble when NASA discovered he came back with a camera that was supposed to stay there. That's such bullshit. We've littered the moon and mars already, let's not add to it. And now, we get to rediscover a piece of history. The guy is old, leave him alone.


So long Memphis Beat

I knew this was going to happen ... I am talking about the cancellation. Even I didn't like the second season of this show and I was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. But if they can't even be bother to continue with the side story or even give their characters some depth, then it's not worth it. I am not saying that there should be high drama all around, but two guys going around and investigating without some underlying story just gets pretty boring after a while. They had such a good opportunity to do more, especially when they all knew that the second season was such a close call.
What are we supposed to do now? Watch Rizzoli and Isle? Franklin and Bash? SHOOT ME NOW.

Get out of here ... Really?  Terra Nova

I've watched 3 episodes so far and I can't express how... disappointed I was. This was such a good opportunity to do something unique and entertaining, all this money, production power [They even got Brannon Braga], studio backing [100% I hear]. And yet, they're giving us story lines that are so predictable, it's not even worth waiting till the end, we already know what's going to happen. The characters are also soooooooo freaking boring and predictable. I just don't get it. It looks like they're trying to please everyone from pre teens to seniors and all in between by giving us such cliche, I mean, is there an inside joke I don't get?
At some point, you just have to make some decision otherwise everything gets completely washed down to nothing and people are going to walk away ...

Welcome back ... Walking Dead Season 2

Feels good to watch some quality "something" from time to time. Hopefully all the behind the scene disputes are resolved and we can go back to watching the show.


Book End News
Here is one of the latest images of the facade. It looks good from here. Still making me nervous but I promise, I will get over it at some point. And I will write a blog about it for sure.

086 Global Mind Control

Here we go. I am now here [again] in the french metro underground cave-like endless tunnels.

Air French
I have been traveling so much lately that I must be on some kind of "Special" list with Air France. On the last few flights I've gotten a personalized greeting from the crew thanking me for being such a great customer.
"You're welcome."
 I am also a Platinum Member ....... That's a really big deal.

Bad Analogies
Whitney from The Hills was on my plane this week. It was funny. For sure, people don't need to wear Prada and Louis Vuitton in order to ooooze superiority and a sense of entitlement but somehow she manages.
The cameras were not following her and she was not traveling in first class. But the attitude ...
I thought it was funny so for me, no problem. No one acted like they knew who she was and no one approached her to ask either.
The thing that really cracked me up though was that she was wearing what I would call the"Sinbad" pants [very 80s if you know what I mean.]

Respite
I am definitely going to count the days until I get to go back home and out of that a...hole's reach. That would be so fantastic. So on I've included a couple of counters on the side here [to the right]
and then, below is the paper counter I will carry with me until the end of December.
Here is my secret day counter -



















SciFi Bubble

Stargate DVDs running in the background all day long, that's my outlet for now. Except that with 12 hour days adding up to almost 200hrs of work until I come back to LA ... I just don't have enough CDs with me here to fill all that time up.
What am I going to do?

Mind Control

I got hypnotized yesterday. I gave the guy a specific list of things. I told him he needed to do "the thing that doesn't work" and basically perform a miracle. Here is the list:

1. Please remove the anger and the hate [especially the hate.]
2. Please remove the anxiety caused by 1.
4. Please give me some sleep caused by 1 and 2 and jetlag.
5. Please, oh please, give me this super power: An invisible shield that repels and destroy everything around me.

So, that's the big list.

It was interesting because for the second time, I felt some weirdness going on. My body felt heavy and there was a faint buzzing in my ears. Other weirdness:
I felt completely in control and awake. There was absolutely NO WAY I was not aware. So then I asked him what he was doing and how did he or anyone for that matter know exactly if this thing works or not. He explained to me that there are a variety of "levels" of hypnosis and that it could happen on a very deep level as well as in a completely subtle way. So, I decided to look into it on my own and here is what I discovered: there is a wide range of hypnosis going from awakened
suggestive conversation to deep, sleep transe-like state.The guy might use hypnotic suggestions during a conversation ... A certain voice tone and cadence for example. He can also make comments and observations which lead me [the patient] towards something specific.

There is a subtlety here that permeates the conversation and ultimately affects/creates a certain relationship. It's very interesting. For those who speak French, here is the website for the hypno guy -http://www.orgadia.com/. He bases is work on the Erikson's method [The guy was an American, which in itself is also a very interesting story.]

I can only imagine the kind of manipulation potential there could be if I could only learn how to do this. 
Cancel the invisible shield power. The super power I really want is the mind control one. Yes, that would be better. World domination super secret plan. Beautiful.

085 Zen it out

TV  -  Person of Interest

Oh yes, that one is definitely something to watch out for. I don’t know how that’s going to evolve but I have faith that this show can go far. Here are my two favorite things in the show:
-- The body language of Finch [Michael Emerson]. I mean, that small touch of him being physically handicapped in such a subtle and yet creepy way, is such a great move. It makes him even more mysterious and interesting.
-- The quick and violent ways Reese [James Caviezel] uses to kill, hit, injure and batter all sorts of villains. There is something pretty raw about that.

TV  -  Fringe

This show is really good. It just keep changing and evolving in a way that is unsettling and yet I want to see more. So refreshing to get some kind of intelligent plot with complex characters. I also enjoy the real use of the SciFi aspects of the stories. I mean all that crap about parallel worlds is just so great. Oh, and those bald guys who are supposed to observe and not interfere in the timeline. How cool is that?

And then, last week's episode with the serial killer who discovers his other self in the other world. One is a professor studying serial killers and the other one is a serial killer. Nice touch Olivia2 ... It’s not everyday that one show manages to explore so many different aspects of what makes a show really SciFi. And then with the color schemes on the credit sequence and then those people who are not really who we think they are. I just like it.

TV  -  Joe Flanigan

On a side note, once again, we saw a Stargate “star” appearing as a secondary character again. In this case it was Joe Flanigan on Fringe [Airing September 23, 2011]. That is really so sad. And it must be so hard to have been such a big name in one show [in this case Stargate: Atlantis] and now have to revert back to a much, much smaller role. He also made appearances in Warehouse 13 [much bigger but still small part] and also had his own SYFY original movie [we saw him in quantity but not in quality]. I have to say that in Fringe, he dies so quickly and has only a few lines, I don’t even know how that could have happened. I mean for such a small role [again, he dies very, very quickly] there’s not much money involved. Is he struggling that bad?
Mentally I don’t know if I could handle that. It must be really hard to know that you were on the top for 5 years and now, with so many years left, you got to find your way again. Here are some typical examples:

Cast of Star Trek Enterprise: Of all of these guys, some appeared in Stargate:SG1, Law and Order, Pilots for shows that never took off, original SyFy movies, CSI, … But other than Scott Bakula, I can’t say that anyone has matched the level of stardom achieved on Enterprise. Maybe Dr Phlox but he's such a discreet actor that people don't always realize that he's on the screen.

















Same goes for the guys on Stargate: Atlantis. Amanda Tapping got out of it in very good shape, but then again, no one ever doubted it. Also, we could argue that Jason Momoa has managed to get a top billing in a multi-million dollar production. However, if we had to gauge our “stardom grade” on the subsequent success of said production [Conan], maybe it wasn’t so great … I don’t know, I haven’t seen it.

TV  -  Haven

It feels good to find a show that is easy to watch, keeps me interested and is just a good show. Really! I know that there are not many people watching and that every season they are struggling to get renewed. It’s stressful. I just hope that they continue so that we can get to the resolution of that really complicated and mysterious story arc.
I wonder if Stephen King actually watches that show?

TV  -  Terra Nova

Of course, the moment any network comes out with something described as SciFi, we must absolutely check it out. And because it’s not everyday that we get to experience something new in that genre, we are already ready and willing to accept this new show in our lives.
Terra Nova looks and sounds like one of those gigantic production with a lot of effects and yet quite traditional in plot, stories and characters. Call me crazy but I much rather watch [significantly lower budget] shows like Eureka, Haven, Firefly and Fringe. I will however give it a serious try. 4 to 5 shows should suffice to supply me with the appropriate material to make my own judgment. So far, great first impression. But then again, discovering a new world, is always going to be exciting. The trick for them is going to be to retain the masses, keep us watching.

Follow up commentary on POST 084
Things have been going great since I got back to Los Angeles. There’s nothing here but happy and beautiful people. And I can’t help but get swept in the groove. In a few hours I get back on the plane that is going to take me back to Paris. The anxiety is increasing ten fold as I get closer to the departure time. I thought everything would be ok, I could handle it. However, a video conference meeting this morning quickly crushed my optimistic mood as I found myself getting angrier and angrier. I have 3 months left of this sentence and I have yet to figure out how to get to the end. There are no easy answers although I was hoping there was one all the same.
I’ve asked around and other than drugs and alcohol there didn’t seem to be a lot of options left.

I guess tonight I am just going to have to bury my sorrows at the LAX premium Air France lounge and then choke on my tears while eating caviar and watching movies in the business class section of the Airbus 777...

Alright everybody, let's all ZEN IT OUT with this very beautiful image of the exact galactic center [Provided by Drew Medlin]
                                                                 
                  

084 Hell in K-Topia and Morlock Invasion

Working stiff:
Things are worst now than they were last week. I don't know if this is the place to post this kind of "life" comment, but I guess the title of this blog DOES include the word "ramblings" AND it is my blog after all.
It's such a shame too. All I want from this job is for "it" not to annihilate my life. Talking to the Hypnoguy this week, I find out that he's never heard of a case this bad in all his years in the biz. And he should know because he's often hired by companies that need help with communication and general relationships between bosses and lowly employees like us.
I find that in the US we are much more willing to accept certain sets of working conditions that would be unthinkable in France. We keep saying that the US is a developed country but I know that the quality of life is certainly much lower there than in the EU.
Sartres always said that we are born without the choice of not choosing. And it is with anguish that we navigate through this life that requires us to makes constant choices.
So it only makes sense that I feel extremely anxious right now. Choices, Choices, Choices .... What to do?

What mean thing would i love to do right now:
Tell the asshole that I got him in my sight.

What I am going to end up doing:
Finding a way to get over it and cut down on the attitude [I have an attitude right now]. Keep going for the next 3 months and reevaluate then ...

Where am I going tomorrow?
Here:

Going back to LA for 4 days. Time to find out what I do for the next few months. It's going to be tough but I need to leave and I am sooooooooo freaking glad I actually scheduled a trip back once a month until the end of the year. That was the smartest thing I could have done, because now, I can count the days [as I usually do anyway] in smaller increments.

Hypnoguy:
I am going to issue a challenge to that guy. I will ask him to do his thing and hypnotize me so that I can get over the hate and the sarcasm and the attitude and the homicidal tendencies and become one of those "Zen Master." Is that possible? I hope so.

Morlocks:

 

First Glance at the "Plot"
I am putting it in quotation mark as an indication of sarcasm on my part when describing what can barely pass as story.
Dr. Radner [David Hewlett] is the author of a time travel book that is, unbeknownst to his readers, based on a military experiment he participated in in which his co-workers actually perfected the science of time travel (Radner walked away from the project after an accident claimed several lives). Radner’s boss [Robert Picardo] needs his help now to go back to the future [Ha!] and retrieve a certain device that was left there by the other team [This device is currently causing rifts is space/time that open and let the Morlocks creature back to the present] -- The Morlocks are humanoid creatures that inhabit the earth in the future. Radner [and crew] must travel back to the future [Yes, that's right! the future] in order to get the device and [even though that was not part of the mission] find the origin of the Morlocks and [again, not part of the mission] prevent them from invading the earth.

Fan?
Yes, I have been following David Hewlett from far away and for many, many years. I've worked on some of his interviews [never met or talked to him directly myself] So, in 2010 when he talked about filming the SyFy special called Morlocks, my ears immediately perked up. I finally saw it last night [accessing my TV from Paris via the computer].
The first thing that people have to realize is that SyFy Original Movies [along with their original series I might add] have been getting worst and worst as the years go by. Maybe they're not even trying anymore, after all, they have the wrestling thing that seems to be working well enough.
Anyway, what I am trying to say is that if anyone wants to go ahead and watch a SYFY original movies, one has to be prepared and know that a certain amount of sarcasm and humor is needed in order to find some enjoyment.

Sarcasm and Humor in place ...
... I began to watch the movie. It was interesting because for the first few minutes, we got to have some truly good DH and he's always funny and endearing in a very nerdy sense. He handle himself alone onscreen without a problem. He is a strong actor although I think that people will always see a little bit of McKay [His character in Stargate Atlantis] in everything that he does.
The pleasant walk through memory lane lasted about 10 minutes after which things started to go down ... fast. Instead of continuing with this very sweet and interesting Nerd Action Hero-centric tale which if I think about it, is actually a potentially interesting twist in the story. Things deteriorated into the completely predictable story that can be describe as such: Monster-Running-People-Shooting-Killing-world saving ... At least I think it did, because I lost interest about halfway through and began to play Majong on my Kindle [I did not win]. So I am not sure about the particulars of the plot after than, but I am pretty sure that it went on as predicted.

Effects ...
It's always hard to critic visual effects in a SciFi, low budget movie. Money is always an issue and in the case of this particular genre of movie, they are critical to the viewing experience. There was so much of it too, that every time something seemed distorted, blurred or muppet-like it was obvious and could not be missed. I don't know, I tend to be lenient on that side when I understand the difficulties. The plot and dialogs were more of an issue for me than the effectiveness of the animations. Once again, this is probably not the best type of venue where we can be choosy.


I hope DH will get to do better things soon. I will keep my eyes open for that ...

082 The Sky is falling

This week is turning out to be one of those ... how should I put this ... A cluster fuck maybe?
The stress is mounting and we've all learned quite a few very precious lessons:
a.  Cowards exist everywhere, some may lurk around you.
b.  Life sucks for the little people (and then some.)
c.  Speaking your mind is not always the wisest thing. Sometime it pays to hate in silence.
d.  I am annoyed and realizing I can't do anything about it.
e.  I hate silently (see point c.).

Walking around town this weekend I found this:
A homeless guy feeding the pigeons very successfully. There must have been thousands of them, hanging around. The smell was horrible, the noise disturbing and the image ... Priceless.

Pompidou and some more birds

What do I like in Paris right now?
a. The freshness in the air above ground (underground is still too hot and smelly)
b. The Frenchies walking and talking around me. It's poetic.
c. I love the fact that while in Paris, life is suspended ... There are no bills, no appointments, no chores, no paperwork.
d. The train tickets available to me to go anywhere I want (usually the South).
e. That really weird relationship I developed with the Hypnoguy whom I want to hate so much but still can't stop thinking about.
f. All the good foods and the lists on the back of the package that are always full of ingredients I can recognize.

See you ...

082 Interlude

Un Monstre a Paris (Here)

081 Across the Big Pond

Here we are again, it's time ... Leaving this:

For this:

080 It is what it is ...

Who comes up with this shit. Someone told me that yesterday. "Oh you know, it is what it is."
That is the most pretentious expression I've ever heard. It's somehow finding a way to state the obvious while inserting some heavy loaded sarcasm and condescension. There is absolutely no excuse to use this expression, especially on someone you know. The same goes for:
FYI [said, not written]
You know what I mean?

Ctrl+Alt+C
I am so pissed off. The aliens in the Darkest Hour are looking and acting exactly like the ones I came up with in the screenplay. I can't even believe it. I guess it means that I had a good idea, but it also means that I have to change my aliens.
This movie looks alright although it seems that the new thing for alien movies is a complete Earth invasion. This time they're after electricity [it's only fair, the last few times it was water, natural resources, meat ...] Even SciFi is starting to get somewhat boring. There is no innovation, no risk taking, nothing. It's all going to shit.

The Darkest Hour (here)

Coriolanus (here)

The Immortals (here)

One a side note
Going to Paris again next week and this time until December. It's a freaking long ass time, but at least this round they actually asked us to go for that long. So we have the illusion of being in control of our lives, even if we are just fooling ourselves. I am coming back 3 times but for for short weekends.
it's pretty pathetic but that's all I can do to ...[dramatic pause] ... survive. They say they've increased the staff so that we don't have to work like slaves for 4 months. But looking at how much crap we have to do by then, I really don't see how we'll be able to work less than 70hrs a week. I am skeptical already.
There is no management, no organization, no plan ... Just throw some shit [us] on the wall and hope enough of it will stick. That's my personal take on in.
I am not bitter. [rolling of the eyes]

079 Death and Debacle

What I learned this week ...
It's official, I was wasting away in Paris. The blood test apparently proves it. It's full blown anemia ... And my doc says, he can't believe I am still standing up and talking to him ... Are we a little bit dramatic?
I am just happy I was able to finally get answers. I was starting to think I was a crazy hypochondriac.

What I didn't want this week ...
Someone hit my car trying to pass a Big Blue Bus. Changing lane without looking. Now my car is all messed up on the side. I am dealing with it, but not happy about it.
The insurance of the other guy is paying for everything so at least that's going right.

What they dared ... In our faces ...
They canceled Eureka. I know no one is watching [except me and a few thousand other people] but that SyFy shit channel is starting to piss me off. Why should we keep watching anything if they're going to cancel every ass show before it is time? I ask you damn it!
I've actually entertained the idea of canceling my cable subscription when I got back to Paris. I know it's a pretty sick idea [especially knowing me] but there it is, I thought about it.

Where was I yesterday ...
After the car debacle, I promptly got on a plane and flew to Dallas.
Of course, right beside me was this dude who apparently never learned about this really good product called Deodorant. Every time he moved I was gagging. I spent the flight hoping he would fall asleep [or die] whichever came first.
Dallas is a freaking furnace. The heat is insanity from morning to night. But that's only outside. The moment I walked inside any building, I was immediately frozen and thus had to walk around everywhere with my sweater just so that I could put it on and remove it according to where I was.
The construction site for the museum is fantastic. The pictures don't do it justice, it's much better "Live."

Flat facade of the main box.

Formwork for the curved precast facades.

Some guy working on the formwork [unecessary photo label]


It was so hot out there that at the end of the construction site visit I was completely drenched in sweat. My shirt was so wet I had to change my clothes afterwards.
On the way back, the plane was late, they dropped us off on the tarmac and we had to get on buses to go back to the airport exit. What a convoluted cluster fuck.

What I want ...
A better life.

078 Progress Construction Site

Dallas Precast Concrete Facade - Under Construction and designed by yours truly.

The craziest pieces are not up yet, just the main cube, but if everything goes according to plan, we should have some good stuff going up soon.
Nothing fancy.

077 Nesting with Sartre and Co

Back in LA where I learned that the moment I left Paris, the weather turned cold, damp and rainy. I am flattered but it wasn't necessary. Merci la France!
What is the plan? Hang out, hang around, veg, watch TV go to the beach and then hang out some more. Transform some of the white pastiness on my face into a beautiful glow that will radiate for miles. Get philosophically engaged: I've rediscovered Jean Paul Sartre, so I am getting philosophical. It's taking me in a million direction. Currently, I am fascinated by this correlation: Existentialism and Humanism [I am not joking]:

I could talk about this for hours, that's how "into it" I am at the moment.

Summer SciFi 

Falling Skies - Alphas:
Two series I mention because I was looking forward to see what was going on and I find myself completely incapable of watching it. I started with the best of intentions, but for some reason, I can't muster the interest. Another sad turn of event. Maybe Terra Nova will get me interested, but I doubt it. 0 for 2 so far.

Eureka:
They managed to cast James Callis last season for christsake! That should have been the beginning of something special. Last season was fabulous especially if we take into account the budget they had and the usual time constraints.
Here is James by the way ... Another Bradley Cooper-ish type of good lookin'

This time I am bored and annoyed by some of the characters. But I guess when someone gets kidnapped, dies and comes back to life, jumps into a parallel dimension, and switches bodies ... What is left to tell? Can the stakes be even higher? Difficult to imagine. But then again, that's Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia's job, not mine.

Warehouse 13:
This is turning out to be the most annoying, stupid and not-funny-at-all series I've seen in a long time. It's been super popular and the network is absolutely enchanted with it and has ordered a bunch of new episodes and if they continue to do well, they'll get renewed for sure. But seriously, this is really getting bad. They're going overboard with the slapstick comedy routine, you can't take anything they do seriously, it's so unfortunate. I was encouraged when they brought Aaron Ashmore who seems to be a little bit more serious and substantial. But I fear that's not going to go far ... So fucking sad. I can't even post a picture of this shit on my blog, it would spoil the post.

Limitless:
I saw this movie in the plane on the way from Paris [I also watched Paul the Nick Frost and Simon Pegg film. ] I have to say, that movie is not bad at all. I would have never guessed and never seen it had it not been playing on the plane. I did develop a little crush on Bradley Cooper for most of the movie, until 10 minutes before then end when he changed his haircut. It was also when the whole movie fell apart for me. But I still give it a good grade since I did enjoy about 3/4 of it.

How can you resist this fine specimen.

Summer other than Scifi:

The Closer: 
Oh Yeah. We are all so very very sad that this is the last season. And even though it's a love it or hate it show, we can't deny it, it's some quality shit. Anyway, it's been 7 months since I've been able to watch TV on a large screen so I am enjoying the experience. I am still disturbed by Keyra Sedwick's manly hands [Just like Kim Bassinger], but if I am careful, I can usually avoid looking at them.

I took the liberty: I removed the hands, it's less disturbing that way.

Memphis Beat: 
That's a sleeper ... for sure. I was convinced it wouldn't get another season but then the executives at TNT decided to give it another chance. Maybe George Clooney managed to sway the vote somehow, I don't know. I want to love this second season so bad, and yet, I can't. Last year, they had such a great subplot going on in the background and they ended the season with some pretty serious questions. Enough to make us want to come back and find out what's going to happen. Unfortunately, we're now on episode 3 or 4 [I am not really sure] and nothing has been mentioned. it is as if that subplot [for those in the know: the iconic/idolized father of the main detective may have been a dirty cop, or at least involved on some shady deals] ... What the hell is going on? Don't they realize that just the regular cop stories are not enough? This show is in dire need of depth and layered plots and subplots. Not too complex for sure, but they have to give us something to go on ... It's a good show, but it probably only works for a very select audience, they have to step it up.

He's cute too, but he looks so thin in the episodes I can't imagine how much thinner he must look in real life.

This week I will see Captain America in theater. I am not necessarily interested, but I have selected this movie as one I have to see on the big screen. I hope I don't live to regret this decision.

In two weeks I will see Cowboys and Aliens in theater. And this one is for sure the only movie I have been waiting for 2 years already. It's been a while and I can't wait to see if it will live up to my expectations.

Alright ladies and gents ... I will try to post regularly this summer, shit is happening around here so why not share with the peeps.

076 ...