Saturday, March 2, 2013

Just Another Geeky Saturday

Woke up around 7am and got straight to work on clearing out my guest room. I don't think I blogged about this  but my friends Anthony and Michele need a place to live temporarily (a few months) and they asked if they could rent out my guest room. Of course I love helping out friends when I can and the extra $ will come in handy as well as the extra help around the house to get it ready to be sold. So they were moving in later tonight and I wanted to get the room ready for them. I had to clean out the closest and the TV cabinet. It only took about an hour to box up all that extra stuff and take it to the garage. I realized that I'm going to have to do some major thinning out of my stuff before I move. That's going to be an adventure in it's self.

Anyways after cleaning the guest room I moved on to working on my Alien Nation podcast. The program I used to rip episodes is not working for some reason so I have to find an alternate program. Took me a few tries but I think I found one that will work for me. I ripped the next two episodes and imported them into the Avid (this took about an hour and a half).

While the importing was happening I made some breakfast and watched the season finale of Star Wars The Clone Wars, This is the fifth season finale and there has been so much hype about the fate of Ahsoka and weather she would die at the end. As all Star Wars fans know Ahsoka does not appear in Episode 3 and since The Clone Wars takes place between Episodes 2 & 3 something has to happen to her. I've been a HUGE Ahsoka fan since she first appeared in the Clone Wars movie and was really worried how they were going to end her story. ::SPOILERS:: I was actually very happy with how they did it. I mean I'm not happy that she's gone.. but the final four part series was really well done and for her to be kicked out of the Jedi order and then asked back only to decline the offer was fantastic. The actors and animators did an amazing job at conveying the struggle within Ahsoka upon leaving the order and the pain Anikin was feeling, as though he had let her down. I was in tears by the end and speaking of the end the final scene of the episode was just AMAZING!!! ::END SPOILERS::

I don't know if Star Wars The Clone Wars is coming back for a sixth season. I know they have episodes in the can and have been working on them for over a year but with the recent purchase of Lucasfilm by Disney everything seems to be up in the air. We do know that it won't be returning to the Cartoon Network schedule, but will one of the Disney channels pick it up... I sure hope so. I loved getting new Star Wars every week, but if this is the end.. it was a FANTASTIC five year run and I loved every minute of Star Wars The Clone Wars.

After Clone Wars I jumped on to Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) and played for an hour before heading out to the bank to deposit some checks and El Pollo Loco to get some lunch.

When I got back I was still in a LOTR mood (I know when am I not) So I decided to pop on The Hobbit. This is only my second time watching this screener and my fifth time seeing the movie. I have been jonesing for some Hobbit for a month so I finally decided that I would take a few hours and watch, thought I had tons of podcasting stuff to do.

The Hobbit ended and I jumped back on LOTRO for an hour before Anthony and Michele (my new roomies) arrived. We sat around and chatted for about and hour and a half before they called it a night and I, of course, jumped back on to LOTRO and played for another hour. Finally went to bed close to midnight.

Friday, March 1, 2013

The Downside to Social Media

I love social media, it's helped me find new friends and old friends who I've lost contact with. It's allowed me to promote my podcasts, blog about my life and keep up on friends and family that I can't see everyday. But there is a downside to social media. It's seeing when friends tweet or post on facebook about a get together, or going out to dinner or an event that they attended together and you were not invited.

It's hard to not be jealous and then you start to question why they didn't invite you.  It can mess with your head if you allow it. I admit that I'm bummed when things like this happen but I can also understand as I post a lot of things on twitter, facebook & blogspot about hanging with friends and I'm sure the friends that are not hanging with us are feeling the same thing. I guess there really is no easy answer to this.  No one wants to feel left out, but sometimes it's bound to happen even if it's unintentional.

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 49

Listen on itunes http://tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes or Stitcher Radio http://ow.ly/hEZUg. You can listen and get a direct download from our main website... http://MASH4077Podcast.com/

Show Notes

Kenny Mittleider from Knights of the Guild, Alien Nation: The Newcomers Podcast & Confessions of a Fanboy Podcast, Simon Meddings from Waffle On Podcast, & Al Kessel from Tales from the Mouse House, Fast Forward & Just Because Podcast discuss one of the most successful and longest running television series in history.. M*A*S*H

Today we cover Season 3, Episode #1 - The General Flipped at Dawn

49th Episode Overall
Directed by Larry Gelbart
Written by Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum
Production code B308
Original air date September 10, 1974

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

Plot Summary: An inspection by the strict Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele puts the 4077th on edge. The final straw comes when he orders the unit to move the camp closer to the front to be more economical and to show that a M*A*S*H unit should be mobile. On an inspection tour of the new site with Blake and Burns, Steele orders Blake to follow general military protocol in saluting him, contradicting the specific protocol not to do so when in sight of the enemy. They are promptly shot at by snipers. Steele gives Blake and Burns a choice between fighting or having lunch (Blake and Burns choose lunch). When Hawkeye sends a chopper off with a patient instead of letting the general use it to scout the new site, Steele calls for a court martial for Pierce and Blake. When Steele asks the African-American chopper pilot for a musical number and then demonstrates by dancing around singing Mississippi Mud, the Army hurriedly closes the court-martial, and Steele is sent back to the United States, where he is promoted to Lieutenant General and placed in charge of Northeast Asia.

Hope you enjoy it, Kenny

Thursday, February 28, 2013

SDCC Hotel, Willow and Hobbites

Woke up to an email that informed me that I did not get any of my hotel choices and that I have been "waitlisted" for hotels at San Diego Comic Con. I quickly got online to see if any of my friends got in and the few I talked to the news was grim. I quickly started to panic and jump online to search for hotels around the area.. I just wanted to book something just in case. I did find a 2 star hotel just under a mile away from the convention center. It was going to cost just over $2050 for the four nights, but splitting that four ways made it roughly $515 per person and I didn't think that was bad so I booked it.

As soon as I did that my buddy Robert facebooked that he got into the Westin. That's only 9 blocks from the convention center and at the amazingly low price of $251 a night. I quickly contacted him and asked if my brother, Chris and I could be the other three of the quartet. He added out names to the rooms and quickly booked it. We are still waiting on confirmation but it looks like I got me a pretty nice and close hotel room for SDCC at a very affordable price. I'm keeping the hotel I booked earlier just to be safe. Once we get the confirmation I'll offer it to some friends to see if they want it before I cancel it.

Warwick Davis tweeted that they were screening Willow on the big screen down in Santa Monica on Saturday to celebrate it's 25th anniversary and bluray release. The writer is going to be there to talk about the making of the movie. I really wanted to go to this so I tweeted and facebooked to see if anyone wanted to join me.. so far no takers. I have to decide if I can't find anyone to go with me will I go alone.. I do love Willow and would love to see it on the big screen again.

Hobbit news.. the 3rd movie There and Back Again which was slated to come out the summer of 2014 has been pushed to December just like parts 1 and 2. I think this makes since as The Lord of the Rings came out December 2001, December 2002 and December 2003. So now The Hobbit will be coming out in December 2012, December 2013 and December 2014. I can't wait for part two of this EPIC trilogy.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Work & Podcasts

Got to work and got a call from the EP of the show to inform that how disappointed she was in me by not sticking around work last night (which I did, but she claims I did not). I mentioned that I was up until 4:30am to get the output done but that didn't seem to register with her. Was a crappy way to start my day.

I was happy with it was time to leave work. I was exhausted as I only slept about 3 1/2 hours yesterday so I was looking forward to getting home and doing nothing. But once I was home I realized that I have a MASH podcast that is due to be released in a few days since it's Feb and only 28 days this month. I finished half of it but then ran into some issues with the audio from the version of the show I found online (I mentioned this in a previous blog post about the laugh tracks). I haven't had time so really do anything so I just went with the audio that I had, laugh tracks and all. About midnight I finished and it turned out pretty good. I mean I hate the laugh tracks as I find it distracting but at least this will be the only episode with that kind of audio. I was just glad to be done so I could go to bed and get some much needed rest.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Hotels & Long Nights

This morning at 9am a group of us got online to register for our hotel rooms at San Diego Comic Con. SDCC gets blocks of rooms for a special low price as the hotels around the convention center normally raise their prices to three times the amount they would normally get. This was my first year trying to get one. The process went smoothly and in about seven minutes my application was sent. Now we wait to hear if we get any of our choices.

Today was a another busy and frustration day at work. We had a meeting in the morning and the EP wanted to talk about the email that I had sent out last night. Now she isn't calling me out by name but everyone in the office knows who she is talking about. She complains about post and how it's run and lack of communication, blah blah blah. It was so obvious that several of the story producers and editors came up to me afterwards and said, "Oh we think you're doing a fantastic job", and "I couldn't imagine all the stuff you have to deal with". What the EP said was hurtful but I've come to expect that from her. I was told that she always has a "whipping" person that gets blamed for everything and it looks like I'm going to be that person on this show. It was great to hear that everyone else thinks I'm doing a great job and they are very impressed with what I have done with what I was given.

We were outputting our show today so I stuck around work until 9am, before I left I made sure everyone was good and didn't need anything from me. I headed home and waited for the email to let me know that the show was ready and that I could send out the link and all. Well I get a text at 11pm saying that they just got the show and that it's in the process of outputting. That normally takes about an hour or so. Finally around 1am I call and asked what's going on and find out that they are having issues with the output and that they are working on a solution. I tell them I need to get some sleep and to call me when it's done.

So I go to bed around 1am and can't really sleep as I'm waiting for this call. Around 3:30am I get a call telling me that it's almost done and that they are sending me the links. I get up out of bed and head to my office where I spend the next hour checking the links and cuts making sure everything is good to go and then sending out the emails to he network. I finally got back to bed around 4:30am. That was one long day.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Work Woes Continue

Well it was your typical work Monday, busy, stressful and just crazy. The show is moving along at full speed. It was a busy day but busy is good as it makes the day just fly by.

I got home and just wanted to relax. I didn't feel like playing LOTRO or edit more podcasts (which I really should do). I just sat and watched TV and vegged.

Well at 9:30pm I got a call from work, the person on the other line was extremely upset with me. Earlier in the night I had sent out an email with my update on the status of Post. I send this email out every night. Well tonight's email I mentioned something that, to me, isn't a big deal but to the Executive Producer it was and she was not happy and in turned call this person with her grievances, in which this person called me with her grievances.

I assured this person that I didn't do this on purpose or with any malicious intend. I was being honest in the email and it never crossed my mind that it was a problem.

Needless to say it just further soured my thoughts to this job and after I got off the phone I felt sick to my stomach and went to bed. Of course I didn't see and tossed and turned all night.

Not the best way to start a work week.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

A Thankful Geek

While hiking at Vasquez Rocks today and walking back to the car, walking in front of me was Robert, Rupert and Brett, next to me was Aaron and Josh and behind me was Anthony and Michele. Robert, Rupert and Brett were joking around and laughing and that sight made my heart smile and it hit me that this band of geeks I have assembled are the outcasts, the odd balls, the lonely and we've come together to form this incredible group of friends (The Geek Mob). I have searched my entire life for a group of friends like these and it took to age 40, but I finally have them and I am so thankful.

I have to thank The Guild & Felicia Day, if there was no Guild I don't know if any of us would actually have met. But that's all it took.. because once we met, I made it my job to make sure we stayed together. In order to see these guys every month I created the Movie Marathon Weekends and they have become so epic, so amazing that folks would drive or fly for six to seven hours just to be part of them.. how cool is that.

It goes to show you that even though you are not the popular kid, or a bit odd or socially awkward that there is a group of people who will love you no matter what and accept you just the way you are.

Thank you guys for accepting me.. just the way I am.

Geek Mob Rules!!!!

Superman Movie Marathon - Sunday

Got up and made some breakfast, this time it was eggs, sausage, potatoes and toast. Ate breakfast and planned out our day. First up was Vasquez Rocks. It was cold in the 40's and the wind was blowing but it's a tradition so we bundled up and headed out. I can say that it's an experience, hiking in the cold weather getting hit by extremely cold breezes. I figured we'd hike for about 15 minutes and then be on our way but once out there folks were actually having fun. It was fun almost being blown over by gusts of winds while standing on the edge of a hilltop. In the end we actually hiked for about an hour and a half... good times were had.

Once back home we continued our Superman marathon, this time we watched something that I had not seen yet. It was the animated movie Superman and Batman: Public Enemies. It was very enjoyable. This is the first Superman cartoon I have seen since the old Justice League. I hope to see many more.

We grabbed some lunch (leftover sandwiches from yesterday) and started watching Smallville. We watched the first two episodes of Season 1. I've seen Smallville season 1 and 2 and the start on 3 but I do own seasons 1 - 9 on DVD and plan to watch the rest one day. Those who hadn't seen Smallville seemed to really enjoy it. Anthony and Michele left after Smallville leaving Rupert, Robert, Brett, Aaron and Josh

We debated on watching another of the Superman movies but instead, and keeping with the theme of superheros we watched Pixar's Incredibles.  That's one of my favorites from Pixar.  After the movie Brett, Aaron and Robert headed home. That left Josh, Rupert and I to watch the Oscars. I normally don't watch the Oscars live but since I was watching with folks we did exactly that.

I actually really enjoyed this years Oscars and host Seth MacFarlene. Maybe it was because I was watching with friends. Something I haven't done in a while. Normally I watch them as mentioned recorded and speed through the boring stuff. But it was fun watching them live and then watching twitter as it exploded every time a category was announced.

After the Oscars Josh and Rupert departed and that officially ended my Superman Movie Marathon.

I'm glad I started these marathon's back up as it was fun seeing my friends and hanging out for the weekend. Not sure when I'll have the next one and I'm not sure how big it will be. I know we have Wondercon coming up in March so I might plan another event for April.. stay tuned.

You can check out more pictures HERE