Saturday, January 26, 2013

Screener, Avid Issues & Friends

Today started with podcasting.. I have a ton of podcasts that I need to get edited and out. I have fallen a bit behind due to this new job and just trying to rearrange my free time. So I was up early 7am. I swore I wasn't going to watch any TV or jump on LOTRO until I got some of these podcasts done. I have to finish a MASH 4077 podcast, Confessions of a Fanboy podcast, Alien Nation podcast, My Gimpy Life podcast and a Knights of the Guild podcast.

I started with my MASH 4077 podcast as that podcast has been released on time since we started almost two years ago. My others can vary though I do try and release on a regular schedule. As I am an avid podcast listener as well and enjoy when my podcasts come out on a regular bases.

I worked on MASH for about two hours and then had to get dressed and head over to UPS to pick up a package that I had to sign for so it couldn't be left at my house. The closest distribution to my place is in Sylmar, which is about 40 miles south. So I made the trek down there. I didn't have a clue what was sent to me. When I got there an editor friend of mine was there as well and said "Oh you're here for the Life of Pi screener as well" And sure enough I opened the package and there it was. I've never gotten a screener so late in the award season. I mean the PGA Awards (which I vote for) were going to happen the next day and I had already voted a month prior. Now I'm not complaining about getting the screener as this was one of those movies that I was hoping to see. It's just unfortunate that it came so late.

Before I left for UPS I started to upload the MASH episode that I needed for the podcast I was working on. It can take a few hours to upload so I figured by the time I was home the upload should be done. Well when I got home I noticed a error on my screen. The upload didn't work and I had to start over again. Now when I upload I can't do anything else on the computer so I started the upload again and had a few hours to kill while it uploaded. Though I swore I wouldn't watch TV there really wasn't anything else I could do so I popped on the TV and watched some recorded shows off my DVR.

Two hours later the upload finishes and guess what.. my Avid crashes and I lose everything.. again. I normally upload video and audio of the episodes though I only use the audio.. I like having a visual reference. Well screw that I stripped away the video and started to upload only the audio. Now this only takes about 15 minutes which is much better then 2 hours.

I continue my work on the MASH podcast.. it's now 3pm and I have dinner plans at 5 which means I have to leave my house at 4. For the next hour my avid gave me nothing but problems. It was a very slow process and by the time 4 came around I was about 2/3'ds of the way done. So much for flying through these podcasts.

I went over to my friends John and Moises house for dinner. Joining them were the usual bunch. Tom and Ervin, Bruce, Martin and of course me. They've had this dinner party for years. I don't get to see these guys as much as I use to and I miss that. I don't know why we don't hang out more but I need to make a bigger effort in seeing these guys more. It was a great night of friends, laughs and great food. I hope to see these guys again soon.

I got home a little after 10pm and was determined to get at least one podcast edited today. So I spent the next 2 hours finishing up my MASH 4077 podcast.

Though I had big plans today for podcasting.. with all the techy issues I only mange to get one done. Oh well I guess it's better then nothing.

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Next Day

Well it's the next day after my fun meeting yesterday and I'm doing better. The person whom blindsided me yesterday was not in the office so it was a nice quiet day here at work. Everything went smooth and I told myself whatever happens.. happens.

When I got home I jumped on LOTRO with my buddy Chris and played the rest of the night. It truly is a great stress reliever and since I'm going to be busy all weekend I won't have a chance to jump on. It's just what I needed.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Work Woes

Well everything was going great at work when suddenly WHAM!!!! I was blindsided. I won't go into details here but needless to say my future here on this show is in the balance. I'm gonna to do this job as best as I possibly can.  I'm not a quitter, I've only ever quit one job in my entire career. And honestly I don't care if I am let go from this gig.

This brings up how I have been feeling the past three or so years. I'm tired of working in the entertainment industry. There is to much stress and BS and the older I get the more it gets on my nerves. I would get out of it in a heartbeat but it's all I know. I've been in the industry for 18 years and it's taken it's toll. There isn't another job I could jump right into and still make the same amount of money. Lucky for me money isn't everything. I just need a job that will cover my bills. I think once I sell the house and not have a huge mortgage to think about I'll reassess my life and see what I want to be doing for the next 40 years of my life.

Life is funny.. it takes so many twists and turns..

My Lord of the Rings Online MMO Characters

So since I upgraded my LOTRO membership to VIP for the year I get an additional four characters for a total of five. So earlier this week I took the time to create three more characters. I now have four, one for each race.

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My primary character is my Hobbit. Happiest when enjoying a simple life with six square meals a day, hobbits are solid and dependable when called to action.

His name is Drialdo: his nationality is Harfoot, The Harfoots are the most prodigious hole-dwellers and were the first to cross west into Eriador. They generally tend to be browner of skin than the other kindreds, as well as smaller and shorter.

He is a Guardian:  Guardians wear heavy armour and have many defensive skills that allow them to survive battles against the most fearsome foes. Guardians also have skills that draw foes' attention away from their allies and to themselves. In fellowships, a Guardian forces enemies to attack himself, so his more fragile allies will not be harmed by the foes.

The Guardians are the stout protectors of the weak and defenders of those in need, loyal companions to the end. True Guardians stand to the forefront of battle, shielding their allies from enemy assaults.

This class was inspired by the hobbit Samwise Gamgee, whose loyalty to Frodo Baggins knew no bounds.

His skill sets are those of an Explorer, which means he is a Tailor, Prospector and Forester

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My second character I made was my Elf: Long ago, the Elves welcomed the younger races of Middle-earth and allied with them when the need was great, but centuries of war, betrayal, and hardship have made them fiercely protective of their seclusion.

His name is Gillthilion, his nationality is Lórien, You come from Lothlórien, the fabled golden woods whose Elves dwell high in the mallorn-trees and are ruled by Celeborn, wisest of the Eldar of Middle-earth, and the Lady Galadriel.

He is a Lore-Master: Lore-masters are the masters of crowd-control, skills that trap foes and keep them from fighting. They may call on animal companions to fight by their side and even call on elemental forces to damage their foes. In fellowships, a Lore-master concentrates on supporting his allies, primarily by hindering the foe's ability to deal damage.

Lore-masters are seekers of knowledge and the guardians of wisdom. Through study of bygone Ages, they learn ancient secrets that allow them to hinder foes, as well as protect against the dark powers of the Enemy. They have many skills that invoke the natural world of Middle-earth, but it is draining on the will, thus costing them Morale to fuel some of these powerful skills.

This class was inspired by Elrond Halfelven, Elf-lord and Master of Rivendell.

His skill sets are those of a Historian, which means he is a Scholar, Farmer and Weaponsmith

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Third Character I made was my Dwarf: Dwellers of stone and miners of metal, the dwarves are a doughty folk, resistant to the corruption of the Enemy -- but not to greed.

His name is Arikk, his nationality is The Lonely Mountains, You hail from Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug the Golden made his lair until Thorin Oakenshield reclaimed it for his people. There does Dáin Ironfoot now rule as King under the Mountain.

He is a Champion: Champions wade into battle swinging their weapons in all directions, dealing significant damage to many foes at once. With each strike their Fervour grows, allowing them to use even more potent skills. Special stances may be used to greatly increase damage dealt at the cost of defence or enhance defence at the cost of damage. In fellowships, a Champion concentrates on engaging as many foes as possible. Unrelenting in battle, Champions are the consummate warriors.

A Champion cares not for his own well-being, but relies on his strength and prowess to slay the Enemy before they can bring more destruction to Middle-earth.

This class is inspired by Gimli son of Glóin, whose skill in arms matched the bow-skills of Legolas.

His skill sets are those of a Armourer, which means he is a Prospector, Metalsmith and Tailor

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Fourth Character I made was my Man (well Woman): Not as long-lived as Elves, sturdy as dwarves, or resilient as hobbits, Men are renowned for their courage and resourcefulness.

Her name is Kiwyn, her nationality is Rohan, You are one of the Horse-lords of the Riddermark, the realm granted to Eorl the Young by Cirion, Steward of Gondor, currently ruled by Théoden, son of Thengel.

She is a Captain: Captains are armoured melee fighters and masters of buffing; skills that enhance allies. They may summon a Herald companion to fight by their side, ensuring they always have an ally to buff. They can also Mark foes, giving benefits to all who attack them. In fellowships, a Captain supports his allies with healing and buffs, while still dealing respectable damage.

The Captains of Middle-earth hold the future in their hands. By their own strength of arms and the inspiration they instill in others, they must lead the Free Peoples to victory.

This class is inspired by Eärnur, last King of Gondor, who was revered both as a captain skilled in arms and as a lore-master.

Her skill sets are those of an Armsmen, which means she is a Weaponsmith, Prospector and Woodworker.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Wondercon & Podcasting

Last night while talking to my buddy Will I found out that he got his professional passes for Wondercon. He also sent in verification last year and didn't have to show it again. So this morning I emailed them asking why I had to prove I was a professional last and and then again this year as it's suppose to last for 3 years.  And this was the response I got: "Kenny,  It appears that my predecessor approved your application and sent you the email, but failed to change your actual Member Class. I have rectified this error and you should be able to register for WonderCon (and Comic-Con) as normal.  If you have any further issues, let me know."

So guess what I did.. I registered for Wondercon and got two guest pass for my friends Chris and Jes. I still don't know if I'm going all three days (Friday - Sunday) as I don't know if I can get Friday off but I'm defiantly going for the weekend. Chris is also still up in the air, since he had to fly in from Montana but hopefully will know more about his situation soon. Really the only reason I go to Wondercon is to cosplay.. it's kind of an addiction. Will have to see if I can tweak my Hobbit outfit a bit so it's not the same as last year.

After work I went over to Teal's place to record a quick podcast for My Gimpy Life podcast #10. It's going to be my final podcast for this series, at least for the time being. It was a quick 20 minutes and I was on my way home.. will have it edited up and posted at the beginning of February.

Was going to spend the rest of the day just chilling and catching up on some TV (I haven't done that in a long while) but of course for the last hour or so I jumped on LOTRO to mine and gather goodies.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Work, Lunch, Work, Dinner

Well the work day started off a bit rocky when I somehow got on the wrong freeway when coming to work. I normally take the 14 to the 5 to the 170 and then get off at Victory and take the streets to the office. Well I took the 14 to the 5 and then got on the 405 (in my defense that was the way I went to work my past two previous jobs) what is scary is that I was on that freeway all the way to the Victory exit when I realized that this didn't look right, this doesn't look like the exit I normally get off. All of a sudden I realized I was all the way across town on the wrong freeway. You would think the bad traffic would have been a dead giveaway that I was on the 405 but I figured oh well it's the day after a holiday and traffic is really bad. Anyways I got off the 405 and drove an extra 20 minutes on the streets to get back to the point where I normally get off the 170. Lucky for me my job start time is very flexible and I was only a half hour later then I normally would have been.

For lunch I was in for a treat. My friend Steve (from Canada) was having lunch with the lovely Teal Sherer and America Young. He was kind enough to ask if I wanted to join them. They were meeting up at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Citywalk and I just happen to work right at the bottom of one of the streets that goes up to Citywalk.  It was great seeing Steve again as well as Teal and America who I don't think I had seen in a few months. We talked, shared stories and laughed alot. It was a very nice lunch and something I hope Steve remembers for a long time.

Afterwards I went back to the craziness that is my job. I had made plans to have dinner with my buddy Will tonight. He texted me if we were still on and I said of course. He mentioned that he got a new car... a Honda CR-Z, that's the car that I want to get... and in fact he didn't know about the car until we went car shopping a few weeks back and I introduced it to him.... I was so jealous. Anyways he asked if I mind if Jes and Dallas could join us for dinner. Of course I love our one on one time but I also enjoy hanging with even more friends so I said I didn't mind. We agreed to go to... yep you guessed it.. Universal Citywalk. They actually came to my job and we all walked up to Citywalk together.

Jes had never been there so we walked from end to end. And since it was Jes' first time there we asked if she would pick a place to eat and she chose Tony Roma's. I've never been to a Tony Roma's as I'm not a huge rib lover. But I got some very tasty shrimp and rice. By the end of the meal I was very happy that she chose this place. It was a great evening of food, friends and plenty of laughs.

Said goodbye to Jes and Dallas and I drove Will back to his place where we took his new car out for a spin... it was a nice way to end the evening.

Days like today remind me that though times can be crazy (at work) the in between times (hanging with friends) are what we live for.

Monday, January 21, 2013

So I Start My Third Week

Well today starts my third week at Hud:sun Media.  It MLK day which of course we don't have off but coming to work was a breeze as most of the other people out there did have it off so there was hardly any traffic. I wish everyday was a holiday.

President Obama was sworn in today for his second tern as President of the United States of America. I didn't watch it but got tweets all morning quoting his speech. The big thing for me, being a gay man, is his inclusion of equality for all people including gay people. This is the first time that a sitting president mention us gays in an inaugural speech.. it's pretty awesome.

It was another crazy day here at work, which I'm sure if just the beginning of my crazy days here at this new job.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

My Friend From The North

Today I got to hang out with my buddy Steve, he is down from Canada visiting. Steven and I are online friends. We've been chatting via Twitter and Facebook for a few years and only have talk on skype a few times. He's a big fan of The Guild and then become a loyal fan of my Guild podcast Knights of the Guild. We've been friends every since so when he told me he was coming down to visit I was very excited to finally met him in person so I set aside an entire day to hang out with him.

He was staying down in Long Beach with his family so I got up early and made my way down there. It's about an hour and a half drive. Once there I picked him up and we drove over to the Long Beach convention center, I wanted to show him where we shot The Guild season five. We then headed to LA. I was taking him to Whimsic Alley, it's one of the coolest Harry Potter stores around. It's been a few months since I had gone last and they changed things around. I love that this place is always changing and getting bigger. Steve didn't purchase anything but I manage to buy some Butter Beer (Butterscotch Beer). Not sure what it will taste like but I'm looking forward to it.. I mean if it's anywhere close to what I had in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter then I'm going back to buy a few cases.

After Whimsic Alley we drove down to Beverly Hills and then down Rodeo Drive. We wound up going to Islands on Pico as Steve wanted a good burger and I think Islands has one of the best.

Our next stop was Hollywood and Highland, hand and foot prints and the stars on the walk of fame. It was fun walking around there. Again it's been a while since I've been there and they have really changed things around.

We then went to my place as I wanted to show Steve where I podcast and had a few gifts for him. We ended our adventure with a half hour hike at Vasquez Rocks. I mean if you're a geek and don't make a stop at Vasquez then you're not really a true geek :)

I then drove him back to Long Beach and we had dinner at Outback Steakhouse (one of his favorite US restaurants) before we said our goodbyes and I headed home.


It was alot of driving, over 300 miles, but it was great to finally meet and hang out with my friend from the north.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Gaming, Podcasting and Helping a Friend

So I got up this morning and was on a high from yesterday's game play that I immediately jumped on LOTRO with Chris to play some more. I had planned to only play for a few hours as I had several podcasts that needed to be edited. So I told Chris I was only going to play until noon, well noon came and I told him.. let's play another hour and then another hour and so on. Well needless to say I didn't edit any of my podcasts and finally pulled myself away around 5pm as I needed to go to my friends Jes and Dallas' new place to help them move in.

So what I was hoping wouldn't happened finally did. I knew if i started an MMO that I would become addicted and though I can control the urge to play most of the time (like not staying up all night playing and being tired at work the next day) This was the first time that I allowed my love of the MMO to get in the way of my podcasting life. I know it's going to happen from time to time but I really need to make sure it doesn't become the majority.

After saying goodbye to Chris and LOTRO I headed to North Hollywood where my friend Jes had already arrived from San Fransisco area and folks were already unloading the truck. Friends Aaron, Rupert, Nicki, Anne, Robert and Brett were there, also Jes' friend Rachel and of course Jes and Dallas. I quickly parked and jumped in.  The truck was unloaded in about an hour. The tough part was that they lived at the very back of the apartment complex and on the third floor which meant we had to climb two set's of stairs to get there. It was a lot of work carrying the heavier stuff like the couches up there but for the most part it went fairly smoothly. Afterwards Rupert, Nicki, Anne and Aaron went to the Hammer Improv show, Rachel stayed with the apartment and Jes, Robert, Brett and I drove the Uhaul over to Dallas' old place to pick up some of his things. The big item is the refrigerator and the fact that they don't have a dolly for it. So we moved what little Dallas had and then saved the fridge for the end. With four guys it actually wasn't that bad. It also had wheels so for the majority of the time to get it to the truck was rolled it. Getting on the truck wasn't so bad as well as getting off the truck. The fun part was taking it up the two flights of stairs. But honestly in the end it sounded alot harder then it actually was. As I  mentioned with Robert, Dallas, Brett and I it wasn't so bad carrying it up the stairs. But with that said I was so happy when we were completely done and could just chill. Oh I forgot to mention during the moving a little friend came out to watch. -->

Afterwards Jen showed up (yeah good timing). She, Brett, Robert and I went out to the store to get some beer and pick up some Carl's Jr. We were all so hungry and the food was so yummy. Well not for Brett who was kind of sick :(. We hung out at their new place to about 11:30 before calling it a night and heading home.

You know you have a great group of friends when six or seven of them come out to help you move on a Saturday evening. It was alot of fun and I'm so happy that Jes is now down here in the LA with us.

Friday, January 18, 2013

IMDB, Wondercon and LOTRO

Today I got my professional invite for Wondercon this year. Since I proved I was a professional last year and then again this year for SDCC (which are ran by the same people) I figured I was good to go. But when I checked I had to verify once again that I'm a professional. So I went to my IMDB page to print it out and realized that it hasn't been updated and there there are still some missing shows/episodes that I worked on for various things. Gonna have to do a major update on it soon. 

So I filled out my application, scanned the IMDB pages and PGA card and emailed them to the Con to be approved once again. I hope this is the last time (at least for 3 years) that I have to do this.

It was another busy week at work so when I got home I jumped on LOTRO and played for a bit to unwind. I started putting stuff that I have found, made and mined up on the auction block and I've been making some nice gold from it. It's become kind of an obsession of mine. I'll spend an hour or two just roaming around finding things, mining gold, tin, copper, iron and silver.  But today I was playing with my buddy Chris (as usual) and he roped us into joining a temporary fellowship to do an instance (a raid) that needed five or more people. This would be the first time that I'd be working with a group for a common goal. I have to say it was one of the best experiences I'd had playing this game. I can understand why folks love raiding. My little Hobbit is the muscle and would run in before everyone else and draw all the fire/attacks, then the fellowship would swoop in and pick them off. We played for about four hours, the time just flew by and before I knew it was past midnight. Luckily it was a Friday and I didn't have to be up for work in the morning.

It was a perfect way to end my crazy week. I can't wait until Chris and I can build our own Fellowship and do some instances with them.

Struggling with my Weight

So if you are a regular reader of my blog you know I have been struggling with my weight the past... well my entire life. I've never been a thin person. I'm short 5'3" and have a stocky built. Most of high school I kept my weight in check at around 145/150. In collage it went up to 165/175 and then in my 30's to 40's and after I meet Harry it ballooned to a whopping 219 (which is the heaviest I have ever been).

The past few years I have really tried to lose weight. I started working out and tried my best to eat better. But it's extremely hard after 40 years of doing something the same way. I love working out, I love the feeling it gives me knowing that I'm doing something good for my body. So when I start a new workout, it's great for about 3 months, then I'll get sick and not do it for a week or two and when I'm better I just can't find the motivation to start back up. Then six or seven months down the road I'll do it again and once again it's great until I'm sick and stop again. This goes on and on...

When I do workout I do manage to lose weight. For the past two years I have struggled to get below 200. Last year my goal was to drop from 217 to under 200 and I did it. For one entire day I was 199. But since then I have gone back and forth. It's not as bad as 219 but I fluctuate between 201 and 208. I just can't get below the 200 mark. I'm currently 206 and I hate it. I know as I get older this extra weight is not good for my body. I'm in my 40's and that starting to get in the range of heart attacks and strokes due to being overweight. I'm on cholesterol and high blood pressure medicine, both of which I could probably stop taking it if I lost the weigh, my weight keeps me from getting a good night sleep.

I know all this but still I can't seem to make it work... why is it so hard, is it going to take me having a heart attack or stroke to make me take this seriously? I hope not. I have no excuse. I have a $1000 gym set up in my garage, all I have to do is get my butt out there three to four times a week. And I know working out won't solve everything if I can't eat better. I'm addicted to fast food, I have been my entire life. I like very few vegetables but I am trying to eat more. I need to start off small and cut back on fast food and hopefully with in time I can limit it to once or twice a week. I'll never be skinny. I'll never been what the medical institute sees as my ideal weight, between 107 to 135. I've never been that skinny even as a kid. I'll be happy with 150 but will settle with 160. That means I have to lose over 40 pounds... I just don't know where to start.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Work, Celebrity & Buffy... oh my

Well the past few days at work have been pretty much the same. I get up at 6:30am, leave for work at 8am, get to work around 9am, take my lunch at 1pm, get off at 7pm and I'm home by 8pm. The work is crazy busy, frustrating at times, but also lots of fun. I enjoy the people I work with, the show I'm working on is a reality show but it's one of those ones with heart. Lot's of tears will be shed watching it. I love the location of the post facility, it's in the valley which makes it closer to where I live, less traffic, which is always good. It's close to several friends houses so we can hang more often. And there are several good places to eat near by for lunch.

Speaking of lunch today while walking back I saw this tall guy coming out of this building and as I passed by I noticed it was Ron Peralman. I'm a huge fan, been one since he played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast TV series from the 80's. But my favorite role he has done in recent years was playing Hellboy in the Hellboy movies. Anyways he was walking over to get his car from the valet. If he wasn't talking to the valet person I probably would have said hello, but instead we made eye contact, I smiled, he smiled and gave me a nod. It was pretty cool.

After work today I drove to the Santa Monica area to spend some time with my buddy Robert. We were continuing our dinners and Buffy viewing. Took about an hour to get to his place, which I expected, but traffic wasn't bad it's just driving across the entire city.

For our Buffy Rewatch/1st Time we finished off Season Three with Choices, The Prom and Graduation Day parts 1 & 2. As always it was a fun evening of Buffy, pizza and good company. Not sure we will be able to do this ever week but I'm hoping we can continue at least once every two weeks. Next up we move on to Season 4.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

To Share.. or Not To Share

I've been debating how personal I should be on this blog lately. I mean if it was a anonymous blog then I would have no problem spilling out all my inner thoughts. But because I do acknowledge and promote this blog I tend to hold back on the personal stuff. I mean the title of my blog is "My Life As A Geek" and I do try and post mainly geeky things but occasionally I'll post some personal things like being alone, work or being gay and it's nice to be able to share those kinds of things every once in a while. It's kind of therapeutic to be able to vent to my faceless followers (not that I have many). Plus those things are part of my geeky life. But the real question is, what is too personal and how much of my personal life do I really want out there. I mean I'm already a pretty open person when it comes to the internet, I've been blogging full time for over seven years. But I do hold back on certain topics.. maybe I should reconsider.

What do you guys think? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this subject... thanks

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 46

Download from itunes http://tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes or listen or get a direct download 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 2, Episode #22 - George
46th Episode Overall
Directed by Gene Reynolds
Written by Regier and Markowitz
Production code K422
Original air date February 16, 1974

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

Plot Summary: A decorated soldier arrives at the 4077th as the result of a fight and confides to Hawkeye that he is homosexual. Hawkeye and Trapper try to preserve his secret and prevent him from receiving a dishonorable discharge, courtesy of Frank.

Hope you enjoy it, Kenny

Monday, January 14, 2013

Moving on Up!!

Today I start my second week on this new job. I've been working on the post production schedule all last week and guess what I'm starting my Monday with.. yep the same post schedule. One good thing that happened today... we were suppose to have eight editors but after I got done with the schedule I realized that we only really need seven so that freed up one of our edit bays to be an office and of course I snapped it up.

Up to now I've been in the "bullpen" area with the story people, who are great but it's really out in the open and there is a lot a traffic going back and forth. Also when my post coordinator starts in a few months that place will be packed. So I moved my future post coordinator and I into this new office.

I got it all set up and was in it for about four hours when the executive producer came in and said "I need an office here, find me one". Well there are no offices left, they are all edit bays as I mentioned and this one just opened up. But if the EP wants an office the EP gets an office so I offered her up my new office.. I'm waiting to hear back from her.

After work I was jonesing for some Lord of the Rings Online and hang time with my bestie Chris. Soon as I got home and fired up the machine. I quickly ate dinner and then jumped on with Chris. We quested for about two hours and had a blast. Chris had to head to work so I finished by going back to my Hobbit hole and unloading all my loot that I gathered during these quests.

Chris purchased a VIP membership to LOTRO last week. I've been debating on doing it and tonight I saw an ad saying I could get a 12 month membership for only $99.99. It's normally $14.99 a month and since I'm loving it so much and don't see myself stopping anytime soon I went ahead and purchased the membership for the entire year. With this membership comes lots of perks and I can't wait to explore all the perks in the coming weeks.

I know I joke about being addicted to this game... but I'm really not. When I play I only play for a few hours and I don't sacrifice sleep to play. I may put off podcasting or watching TV to play but that's different. Do I wish I could play more.. OH HECK YEAH!!! But I know I have limited time. I'll just enjoy the time I am able to play and when I have more time.. then I'll play more.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Podcasts and More Podcasts

Today I was hoping to be more productive then I actually was. I was recording six episodes of my MASH 4077 podcast today with my buddies/co-hosts Al and Meds. That wasn't going to happen until Noon. I had gotten up around 8am so I had a few hours to kill and my plan was to edit my next MASH podcast, which is due to be released in a few days.  Well as I said that was my plan.. instead I watched TV. Now to be fair I do have a large amount of shows recorded on my DVR so that does need to be done at some point but I was really hoping to work on my podcasts.

So noon came and for the next two hours we recorded six new episodes of MASH 4077 podcast (for Feb, March and April). We had some fun conversations I think these one will be very entertaining.  Afterwards I made some lunch and once again went back to watching TV. I chatted with friends online here and there and I really procrastinated for a few hours. I finally go started on edited the next MASH podcast and sure enough I ran into avid audio problems over and over again. So what should have taken me three hours to edit I spent seven hours editing. I did take a break at 8:30 to watch the new episode of Once Upon a Time with my bestie Chris (it's our thing).

But when that was over I went back to editing and finally finished around 11pm. So episode 46 of MASH is prepped and ready to be released on Jan. 15th. Now time for bed!! Gotta go to work tomorrow.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Disneyland & Buffy

Today was a fun day, it started with driving over to Robert's place early and then heading to Disneyland. When we got there we thought it was going to be packed as the parking structure was packed and we had to park all the way on the top level. We figured if it was too busy we'd just go home and hang. That's a plus to having a annual pass, you don't feel like you have to stay there just to get your money's worth.

Well when we finally got to the park the crowds weren't that bad. It was around 11am and both of us were starving so of course we went to the Little Red Wagon to get a corn dog. Once we were done we got a fast pass for Star Tours and then headed to Space Mountain. We waited for about 45 minutes (which wasn't bad) before getting on the ride. We then just kind of walked around the park and talked. We sat for a bit and people watched. It was a nice relaxing day at the park. We headed over to Indiana Jones ride and it said it was about a 45 minute wait so we got in line. It look an hour or so before we got on. While in line Robert and I started texting sexual insults back and forth to each other. I surprised myself at some of the things I texted :)

We decided that to hit up one more ride before heading back to Robert's place. We had a fast pass for Star Tours so of course that's what we wanted to end with. Took us about 20 minutes to get on and guess who was the "rebel" spy... ME!!!! I was wearing my Mike Wasaski hat and I'm sure that was the clincher. It was a fun ride and a nice way to end our short 5 hours stay at Disneyland.

We headed back to Roberts to continue with our Buffy Watch/Rewatch. We watched our first episode  of the evening from S3 episode "Consequences", this is where the series really gets going with the whole Faith storyline. Afterwards we walked to Taco Bell to get some dinner and then continued our Buffy watch with "Doppelgangers",  "Enemies" and ending the night with "Earshot".

I called it a night around 9am as I had to get home and still prepare for my MASH 4077 podcast that I am recording tomorrow. Got home around 10pm and started to watch six episodes of MASH. I was exhausted so I did more fast forwarding then watching. I spend the next two hours taking notes and trying not to fall asleep.  Finally at midnight I call it quits and went to bed.

It was a fun day hanging with my BFF

Friday, January 11, 2013

First Week of Work

Today ends my first week at the new job. It's been some long hours 8 to 8 (including commute) and I'm trying to adjust to working Monday through Friday. Still having some sleeping issues and I don't have much energy once I'm home to do anything really productive.

I'm liking the people alot, some really fun co-workers. I'm still struggling with the post edit schedule which I have done four or five versions and none of them seem to work. Will pick that back up Monday and hopefully find a solution.

I also got a flu shot on my lunch break. I've been watching the news and hearing about this flu epidemic. They are saying that this strain is one of the harshest they have seen in years and it's actually killing people. I've gotten flu shots in the past but I haven't gotten one the past two years. I went to a local Walgreen's and was surprised to see that they had a wait. There were about six or seven people ahead of me. They said that the shot won't take effect for two weeks, but lucky for us here in LA the flu hasn't hit as hard as it has all over the U.S. so I am hoping I don't catch it before the shot can do it's work. Folks at my office have been and are still sick so wish me luck.

When I got home from work I jumped on LOTRO with my bud Chris and played for a few hours. It's just want I needed to decompress after a long work week. Hanging with my best bud did the trick and I ended my night on a high.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Snow

Well on my way home from work today when I got into my town of Agua Dulce I realized it was snowing. It's been cold all week but with the rain we finally got our first snow fall. Of course it didn't stick to the ground and melted as soon as it hit but it was still fun seeing the light snow fall. Hopefully will get some that sticks around for a few days.

Sleepless Nights

I've never been a good sleeper waking up here and there throughout the night but the past few nights it's been pretty bad. I have been waking up around 3am and then proceeding to wake up every half hour until finally around 6:30am I just get up and start my day. I'm sure it has to do with the new job and the stress I'm trying to not let get to me. Obviously I'm failing at that. Could explain why I am so tired by the end of the day. I'm hoping in the coming weeks my body adjusts to the new job and I go back to sleeping the majority of the night.