Hi My Name is Kenny....

... and I'm a internet-holic... and a social media junkie

I don't know how or when it started but I can't be away from some sort of computer/internet for more then a few hours. I realized this last year when I went on a road trip to the pacific northwest. I went entire days without internet and when I made hotel reservations I made sure they had internet so I could re-connect when we stopped to rest. 

So much of my life is lived on the interwebs, I tweet, facebook, twitpic, instagram, flickr, formspring and blog about my daily life. When something happens to me my first thought isn't to call a friend or family member it's to log on to my blog and blog about it. My blog is connected to my facebook and twitter so all it takes is for me to blog once and it's goes to all three locations.

I'm not sure why I even do it as I don't think my life is any more exciting then your average Joe but folks seem  to enjoy following the ups and downs of my geeky life. I do find that it's a great way to keep friends and family up to date on the happens in my life. Sometime it's tough to keep everyone abreast of whats going on, on a daily bases. It's also kind of cathartic for me, it's like having diary that I share with the world.

The other thing is I'm a podcaster, social media is a huge part of my life for advertising, promoting and communicating with the listeners of the podcasts. I have blogs and show notes for episodes. I interact with listeners, run contests and share experiences all through social media.

It's crazy to think that there are a few thousand people out there in this world who know who I am just by my voice. I've had several people come up to me and ask if I'm Kenny from the Knights of the Guild podcast... it's fun yet very strange.

I'm not sure how much my life would change without the internet and social media. I can't say it would be boring or uninteresting, but I can say I wouldn't have met half of my friends from all over the world. I wouldn't have joined The Guild which really broaden my exposure to the "web-a-sphere".

Could I give up the internet and social media.. no and even if I could.. I won't. It's become such a huge part of my daily life, and I truly love.

Dad Update 4

So my Dad went in for surgery this morning (finally). They removed one of the tumors (said to be the size of a peach) and they will do a biopsy on that. They were unable to put in the catheter as they said it was too dangerous. So instead they put in a central line into his arm that will be good for six months.

Just got off the phone with my Mom and she said they are releasing him in a few hours. No one has mentioned when he's to come back or what the next step is.. I guess he will make another appointment with his main cancer doctor and will get the results of the biopsy. I hope they do that sooner then later.

My Dad also called about his bone marrow tests and they said they only have results for one of the tests but not the other. And my Dad being my Dad didn't bother to ask for the result that they do have or when they might have the other results... so we wait!!

It's very frustrating being two hours away and not being able to go there myself and demand some answers. I feel like everyone is taking their sweet time with this and there is such a lack of communication.

So as of this moment I have no idea what's happening next or what the extent of his cancer is. And once again we have to wait and see. :(

MASH Madness

Got home from work, watched some TV and had a wonderful dinner Harry had made. Around 10pm I jumped on the computer to start editing my next MASH podcast. I knew this one was going to be a bit tougher then the previous ones because Meds (one of my co-hosts) lost his audio and my other co-host Al's audio stopped recording halfway through the podcast. Luckily he realized after a few minutes and started recording again. As for Meds audio, he sent me the lines he had to say during the show, ie guest stars and such but there was no interaction. And  I remembered that I had some back up audio.

How I edit this podcast is that all three hosts record their own audio on their own computer and then send me the files. And I cut them all together and blend everything to sound like we are in the same room. But we interact over Skype and I am able to record that audio just in case. It's not the best audio and there are multiple drop outs and such but it's something. So I have to use that audio for Meds portion of the show.

Because the skype audio is all three of us talking it's taking me a lot longer to edit the podcast. In the end it will sound great with Meds audio being just a bit off.. but thank goodness for my back up audio or this would be an even harder podcast to edit.

I was exhausted around 11:30pm and decided to call it a night. I'm at minute 17 of a 30 minute show... so a little over halfway. I hope to finish the first pass tomorrow night and then I have to add audio clips from the show and do my final polish pass and it will be done. I hope to have it completely done by this weekend as it comes out on June 1st.

Dad Update 3

Just when I thought we were making progress... my Dad is still in the hospital, they were suppose to do the surgery (put in a catheter, and take a biopsy of one of the tumors) but it has been delayed because the tumors are so large that they are interfering with his throat and they are afraid of doing more damage so they have had various doctors come into his room all day to try and figure out a solution.

Well I just got off the phone with my him and it looks like the surgery is once again scheduled for 8am tomorrow. They aren't going to put a catheter in because it's suppose to go on the right side but the tumor are too large and there isn't enough room for the catheter. So they will try and do Chemo first and shirk the tumors and then try and get a catheter in at a later date.

So that is where we stand, tomorrow they will do the surgery/biopsy (hopefully), and we are also suppose to find out if the cancer has spread to his bone marrow. Please continue to keep sending happy thoughts and good vibe our way.. I'll keep you all posted.

Thanks for your continued support... hugs

Podcast Fun

Podcasting may be work, but it's fun work and it's a great way to distract me from the "real" world. Tonight I wanted to get at least one of my podcasts done before the weekend. I choose to work on Knights of the Guild episode 31 because it's the second half of a joint podcast between Knights of the Guild and Tech Barbarians. It was pretty much a straight forward edit. I just removed the dead air or stuff that was just chatter between us. I started around 10pm (I worked on the bulk of it during my lunch the past few days) so all I had to do was assemble everything and do my final polish pass. I got done around 11:30pm and did my show notes and uploaded the file to podbean. Now we wait for May 29th when it will be released.

Next I have to edit my next episode of MASH 4077. This one is going to be tricky because one of the host (Meds) had some technical difficulties and lost his recording for this episode. Luckily I record the entire show with Pamela so I still have his audio mixed with all of our audio and it doesn't sound the best but it's something to work with. I hope to get his done by the weekend.. well I have to get it done by the weekend as it's due to be released on June 1st.

Dad Update 2

Okay on my way home from work I got a call from my Mom and she informed me that my Dad got a bed in a the hospital and my brother is taking him there now. They plan to do the surgery tomorrow AM. I'm happy they are moving quickly, I know my mom and I talked about going down there and lighting some fire under the doctors asses. So they will be putting in the catheter port to administer the chemo and also do a biopsy of the masses. Dad said they actually might try and remove the masses as well, but I'm not sure about that.

So a little good news.. they seem to finally be taking this seriously and hopefully start the chemo and fight this cancer.

Thank you all for your kind words, love and support.. you all mean the world to me.

Dad Update

Hey Everyone,

Just got off the phone with my Dad. He was suppose to go in and have one of the lumps biopsy but when he got there two of the three doctors said the lump was too big and too close to his throat for them to do a biopsy. If his throat would to have closed they are not equipped to resuscitate him. So they have to this in a hospital so once again it has been delayed. They are planning on doing it tomorrow or the next day. This cancer is so aggressive that I'm afraid the more we wait.. even just a few days the more chances that it's not going to be treatable.

I talked to my Mom today and she had me in tears as my Dad is putting up a good front saying that he is fine and feels okay... but he told her a few days ago that he is scared, that he was hoping to be around for his second grandchild's birth. He is also not feeling so hot.. he says he's fine but you can tell from just being around him. He's not in great shape, and the longer we wait to do anything the less chance I feel he has to surviving this.

But we will find out on Wednesday if it's spread to his bone marrow. Until then I can just hold my breath and hope for the best.

Visiting My Dad

Today I went to visit my Dad. It's been about three weeks or so since I saw him last and this is the first time I'm seeing him since we found out he had cancer. Harry joined me as it was even longer since he visited the family. We picked up some Chinese food from our favorite place in town and then took it over to his place.

When I saw him he pretty much looked the same, kind of like a bull frog from the infection in his neck. But then he pulled down his shirt and you can see the tumors, my heart dropped. They weren't there three weeks ago and now there are three and they are huge, partially sticking out of his chest. He says he is feeling okay but he looks like he is getting sick.

We hung out for a few hours and took him to the store to get some groceries. He is going in for his biopsy tomorrow and he is hoping they are going to remove the tumors. We will find out Wednesday the status of the cancer and if it's treatable or terminal. Trying to keep a positive outlook but those tumor looked horrible and grew so fast. But will know for sure some Wednesday.. please keep happy thoughts for my dad.. Thanks.

Raptures and Birthdays

Well today there has been so much hype about the impending rapture. What is crazy is it's a very small religious group who started it but as unusual those who "yell" the loudest are heard the most so this rapture has been all over the news the past few days. According to this group the rapture was suppose to start at 6pm (timezone unknown). It would start with all the righteous being instantly taken to heaven and then the earthquakes would start and those left behind would suffer until October when the final apocalypse would happen.

Well everyone had a field day with this, so many jokes on twitter and facebook. No one was taking these people serious, well almost no one. There was a news report that someone tried to kill his pets before the rapture. He of course was one of the righteous and he didn't want his pets left on Earth to suffer so he took them to the vet and asked the vet to euthanize them. Of course the vet said no so this guy decided he would do it himself... luckily the vet called the police and they stopped the guy from doing it. But it did get me wondering how many other people did that, or killed themselves or family members.

Another thing is religious folks where calling this guy crazy and not a man of god, but in all honesty don't they believe the same thing. My understanding is that Christians believe that one day Jesus will return and rescue the righteous and the rest of us will endure the apocalypse.  So what made this guy "crazy" and not a man of god, is it because he claimed to know when???

Besides waiting for my impending doom I went to my friends Christopher's birthday party. It was great seeing him as it was a little over 2 1/2 months since our last visit. The two of us are just so busy with our work we lose track of time, which is pretty sad. Luckily our friendship can endure these long periods of not seeing each other. I hope in the future things will change.

Anyways.. it was my first weekend off in the past month and it was nice just relaxing for the day. No work, no Guild, no podcasting.

I Attend Hogwarts

While I was getting gas today an older woman approached me and asked "where is Hogwarts located?" First let me say that this isn't some random question. I have a "Hogwarts Alumni" license plate cover on my jeep. I thought she was joking but she continued, " I know I've heard of that school, I think my grand daughter wanted to go there" I politely told her it was located in Scotland. She seemed very impressed and said " Oh the campus must be beautiful" I just smiled and nodded. I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth so I continued, "Yeah it's a very old campus, looks like a castle". She said " that sounds wonderful dear" patted me on my shoulder and walked away. 

I kind of feel bad for lying to her but she seemed very happy when I told her about Hogwarts.. I can just imagine her going back to her granddaughter and saying.. " Oh I met a boy who went to Hogwarts today " Oh well it's a funny story.. and actually it happened before in a grocery parking lot where a woman came up to me and asked about Hogwarts.. but that time I said it's from the Harry Potter books.

Ups and Downs

Well yesterday wasn't such a great day for me. Nothing in particular went wrong, was just one of those kind of blah days. I was tired, depressed, stressed and just not in the best of moods. I did enjoy chatting with some guildies in our new Guildie Extra group on facebook, so many awesome people. I also got a package from Amazon with my blu-ray Firefly series ( I finally picked up since it was 70% off the retail price), Also got The Doctor Who Specials, Narina 3 on blu-ray and the latest Harry Potter on blu-ray. And I got to watch some TV with Harry.. which was nice to just kick back and relax. So they day might have started off blah.. it ended on a high note.

Today has been much better.. work is quiet, which is always nice. Got to see my best buddy Will, who drove over here to have lunch with me... haven't seen him in about 2 1/2 months. Since it was slow at work I got to hang out for a few hours and catch up... it's just what I needed... Thanks Will.

I also got some prep work done for my next Knights of the Guild podcast recording.. seems like I'm always doing something with these podcasts. Had to create a new "Page" on facebook since the old group is being shut down. 

And to make this day even better...  it's Friday.. and I will finally have an entire weekend off with no work and no Guild, it's been over a month since I've had a weekend off. Going to be busy of course this weekend with podcasts and a birthday party on Saturday and visiting Dad and family on Sunday.. but at least I'll get to catch up on some things.

Time to head home.. night everyone.

Update on my Dad

Thank you to those who contacted me via text, facebook, heytell and twitter about my Dad's prognosis since we were to get the news yesterday afternoon.

Well there was a miscommunication between my Dad and I and the appointment he had yesterday was for the nose,throat, ear doctor, which of course they cancelled because they know now it's cancer. My Dad will be seeing his primary cancer doctor on Wednesday May 25th and then we should get the results of his biopsy and bone marrow tests. We will know if the cancer is isolated and treatable or if it has spread and is terminal.

So one more week of waiting and hoping for the best. I'll keep you all posted.

My New MASH Podcast Logo

I commissioned a friend and very talented artist Jeff Carlisle to do a "logo" for my MASH podcast and this is what he came up with. What do you think? You can see more of Jeff's stuff  HERE

The Guild Season 5 - Day Fourteen

FINAL DAY of principal photography for The Guild season five. It was a long.. long... long day. I actually had to go to work today after getting home around 2am the previous night from The Guild set. So I was already tired, Call time for today was at 2:30pm and I left work around 4pm and got to set at 5pm. As always I can't say much about what was shot but as I've said in my past blogs it was pretty EPIC. I got some really great interviews from cast, crew and extras. We were there until 4am but it was a great night.

We've had over a few hundred extras for this season and I've gotten to know a handful of them. It's funny how you just click with people. I mean all Guildies are great but some you just click with more than others.. over this shoot I have met several folks that I know will continue to be friends via twitter or facebook and several that will actually hang out with in real life.

Our first big shoot  day I got to meet Gabriel, Jessica, Ron, Rupert, Jes, and my buddy Luis. The next big shoot I got to know Chris, Holly, Olivia and my buddy Adam. And now for this latest shoot I got to know my buddy Chris better (who I think did the most extraing for season 5, beside myself :) I mean he played several people within the same scene ), also Anne who extra'd quite a bit and makes the best cookies in the world (peppermint chocolate for the win). But I also got to know Jen and Kim. This was Jen's first time extraing but Kim had been at the Westin a week prior as an extra ( and got to be an extra in one of the coolest and funniest scenes for season 5). Also there is Anthony (the master of disguises, I think he had four or five different costumes that he wore throughout the shoot), , who I first met at the Westin, he joined us again this weekend.. and last but far from least my buddy Aaron from Season Four who drove out from Arizona to join us this weekend.

I've now done this for four seasons (first 2 seasons, I did the behind the scenes and the last two seasons as a podcaster) and I have loved every minute of it. Of course you have your ups and downs but there have been far more ups then downs the past four seasons. I'm also proud to say that both Sean Becker (director) and I have been around the longest (4 seasons) of all crew members (besides Kim Evey of course). I also hold the number one spot of being an Extra in the most episodes of the Guild, started as a bum in season two and never looked back.

I'm a very lucky guy, I'm so thankful for the day I joined the crew of The Guild. Because of the Guild it's opened up my world to so many opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I have fans (listeners), which I didn't think I would ever say in my life but more importantly I have thousands of Guildie friends who share a love and passion of this little webseries from the brilliant mind of Felicia Day. Thanks Felicia for making all this possible.

The Guild Season Five - Day Thirteen

Today's shot was a bit different as call time was at 2:30pm and they planned to shot until 2:30am. Got to watch some pretty epic moments during today's shoot. One of the highlights of this season was meeting some really great extra/guildies that I now call my friends.... Chris, Anne, Holly and Oliva, as well as seeing some familiar faces from previous seasons Aaron and Rebbecca. That's one great thing about The Guild is it's community, we are all fans of the show and that gives us a common link. So when you meet these people for the first time it's like meeting old friends. Of course we're all now facebook and twitter friends and I hope once the shoot is over will remain friends for many years to come.

I got some great extra, crew and one of the coolest interviews I have done to date. Unfortunately I have work at 7am tomorrow so I finally had to call it a night around 1am and head home.

Tomorrow is the last day of principal photography... though I have to work, luckily for me they are again doing the 2:30pm call time and I plan on leaving work a bit early so I hope to get there around 5pm and shouldn't miss much of the shooting.. since it's the last day I have lots of interviews I need to squeeze in. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow.. but it will be so worth it.

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 8

Download from itunes http://tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes or listen/direct download http://bit.ly/eXCRxT

Kenny Mittleider from Knights of the Guild Podcast, Simon Meddings from Waffle On Podcast, Al Kessel from Tales from the Mouse House Podcast and special guest host Harry Dauz discuss one of the most successful and longest running television series in history.. M*A*S*H

Today we cover Episode #8 - Cowboy

Directed by Don Weis
Written by Bob Klane
Production code J309
Original air date November 12th, 1972

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

Plot Summary: "The Cowboy," a chopper pilot whose nickname stems from his gun holster belt and cowboy hat, arrives at the 4077th with a shoulder wound. He is anxiously awaiting a letter from his wife, who he fears is leaving him for another man ("She's probably off with some rodeo rider; she's a sucker for a 10-gallon hat!"). The Cowboy wants to be sent home before his marriage completely falls apart, but Henry refuses, stating that The Cowboy's wound is not serious enough to merit a stateside ticket.

Bad luck then follows Henry wherever he goes: he gets shot at while golfing, his tent gets flattened by a driverless jeep, and the latrine is blown up with him inside it. Deciding to leave camp for a while, he is nearly killed when his desk chair explodes. The Cowboy offers to fly Henry to Seoul, then tries to push him out of the chopper in midair. At the same time, Hawkeye and Trapper realize that these "accidents" have been The Cowboy's attempts to get revenge against Henry for not sending him home.

Radar brings the letter from The Cowboy's wife, and Hawkeye and Trapper inform him over the radio that it has finally arrived. The letter is postmarked Reno, Nevada, which sends the two doctors into a panic, given Reno's reputation (at the time) for quick and painless divorce proceedings. The letter also begins "Dear John," the clichéd opening of a letter to a man whose heart is about to be broken. It turns out, however, that The Cowboy's real name is John Hodges and that he does live in Reno. In the letter, his wife assures him that he is loved. He brings Henry safely back to camp and receives a month's stateside leave.

Hope you enjoy it,
Kenny, Meds, Al & Harry

Find Us on the Web:
Main website - http://MASH4077Podcast.com
Twitter - @MASH4077Podcast
Facebook Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/MASH4077Podcast
MASH 4077 Podcast Blog - http://www.MASH4077Podcast.blogspot.com
Email Us - MASH4077Podcast@Gmail.com

Knights of the Guild Ep 30

Download from itunes - http://bit.ly/KotGCast, or Listen / Direct Download http://bit.ly/2CrYxk

Show Notes:
MEET
Today's episode is a very special joint podcast with Knights of the Guild Podcast and Tech Barbarians Podcast .

We had a little welcome party at Teal's (Venom) place.

This is part one of a two parter (ep 31). This part includes interviews with Chris and Mark, Teal Sherer (Venom) and Sean Becker (Director).

You can also watch the video over on our Ustream channel.. you can find the link below.

Thank you again for all your support, we do this podcast because we are fans and more importantly for the fans.

Kenny & Jenni

Other Important Links

• Knights of the Guild Feeds/Downloads http://knightsoftheguild.com
• Knights of the Guild Daily Blog http://knightsoftheguildpodcast.blogspot.com/
• Knights of the Guild UStream Channel http://www.ustream.tv/channel/knights-of-the-guild (Password for UStream is KOTG)

Knights of the Guild Podcast has a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

© Geekyfanboy Productions

The Guild Season 5 - Day Twelve

Another EPIC day on set of The Guild season Five. These are the last few days of principal photography. We were out in Van Nuys today so the commute from my place wasn't that bad. It was a long shoot day, lots of extras and activities but all in all another fun day. I got some great interviews for the companioncast. I'm really excited for this seasons companioncasts. I think they are going to be pretty special.. chuck full of awesome bits from actors, extras, and crew. Gonna take some major editing but the end product and the fans reactions make it all worth it.

Another great thing about today's shoot is I got to play host to a VIP Guildie. Lydia (@tibits) from German was in town and hung out on set watching them film. It was fun sharing the experience of being on set with a fellow guildie. We had a great time.

Felicia posted a BTS video, which is pretty hilarious.

Thor

Tonight I went to the Arclight theater in Sherman Oaks with my friends Teal and Ali to watch Thor.

Now I know nothing about the Thor comic, it never really interested me but the previews looked pretty good and I'm a sucker for comic book movies.

I really enjoyed this movie, from the special effects to the story to the acting. This movie introduces you to Thor's world and his history nicely. It doesn't go into great detail but gives you enough background for you to understand why things are happening. It's also a very good set up movie for the Avengers movie coming out next summer. Not to say that this movie isn't great as a stand alone but when it ends it leaves you wanting more, which is always good.

The acting was really good, there is always fine line between realistic and cheesy when it comes to comic book movies and they did a great job at being both.

The special effects were fantastic but it's what I've come to expect from these big budget comic book movies.

I felt this was similar to Ironman, I had no interest in that character or his story but after the first movie it really draws you in and makes you care about these people and that world. Thor is the same, I can't wait to back into this world and visit these people again.

I plan to see this again with Harry in the next few weeks as he wants to see it and I'd love to see it again.

Dinner & A Movie

Tonight after work I got to hang out with one of the sweetest people I know, my friend Teal and her boyfriend Ali. Teal and I hit off on the set of Season 3 of The Guild and have been friends since. We try and have dinner and hang out every so often as both of our lives are so super busy so tonight was the night. Our original plan was to hang out at her place, order pizza and watch a DVD. But that morning she called and asked if I wanted to see a movie and have dinner out and it sounded great. I haven't been to the movies in six months so I was up for it. She wanted to see Thor which was great as I too wanted to see this movie.

So we opted to go to the Arclight in Sherman Oaks and have dinner beforehand at The Cheesecake Factory which is just below the theater.  The restaurant was packed but luckily I had gotten there 15 minutes early and put our name down, there was a 45 minute wait. Teal and Ali showed up a little pass 8 and we waited for our table. We caught up on each other lives and enjoyed each other's company. The movie wasn't until 9:55pm and we had assigned seating so we have plenty of time to just relax and chat.

Around 9:30ish we headed up to the theater and found our way into the theater and watched Thor (review will be in another blog).  It was a great night, sharing it with great friends, good food and a good movie. Could ask for a better dinner and movie night. Thanks guys for hanging with me.. it's just what I needed after a pretty horrible few days.

Quidditch Practice

Tonight after work I went out to Burbank for our 2nd Qudditch practice. I was still a little sore from the previous practice but I know it will get better the more I do this. Tonight we had six people again, not the biggest turn out but enough for us to do some warm ups and a 3 on 3 mini game.. which is a ton of fun. Our next practice it on Sunday in Hollywood but I don't think I'll be able to make it as I'll be on set of The Guild.

One thing I did find out about myself this practice is that I thought I'd be too old and overweight to be a chaser and settled that I'd be best for a beater but I'm not actually that bad as a chaser and if I can build up my endurance I think I might try out for that position.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

I just want to Thank all of you who have called, hey telled, posted on facebook or tweeted to me your love and support for me and my family. I am such a lucky guy for having such wonderful friends, both online and in real life. I know if I ever need a shoulder to lean or cry on several of you would be there for me in a heart beat. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's tough at times. I did cry on my commute home but then realized that we don't know the full details yet and it doesn't do me any good to get upset at something that may or may not happen. So I'll stay positive and wait for the news on Tuesday. Thanks again everyone for being so supportive.

The Worse News

NOTE!!! Blogger removed my previous blogs about this so I am trying to remember what I typed last time. They say they are going to re post the them but have yet to do so and I want to make sure this is in my blog since it's huge news in my life.

Today my dad went in to see his "main" doctor who asked if the doctor that he had sent him too last week did a biopsy and my dad said no. That all he did was check out his neck and set up an appointment with a nose/throat/ear doctor. Well this "main" doctor was very upset (as am I as it looks as though if we would have caught this a few weeks ago we could have started therapy and increase the odds of surviving). He said the only reason he sent him to his doctor was to get a biopsy. This main doctor said from here on out he'd be handling my dad's case personally.


It's been little over a month since my dad has had this infection in his neck area and a few weeks since the lumps started appearing, there are now three. The main doctor took one look and said that this some sort of lymphoma cancer and it's very aggressive. So they decided to immediately to take a bone marrow sample to see if it has spread and that from visual observation that the cancer is in stage 2. But will find out this coming Tuesday what stage it is and how they will start treating it.


Best case scenario is it's stage 2 and it's only in the isolated lymph node and they can be removed and chemotherapy will eradicate the rest of the cancer cells.


Worst case scenario is that it's stage 3 or 4 and that it's spread to his bone marrow or other organs and there isn't anything they can do.


Of course we are hoping for best case scenario which isn't 100% guarantee survival. Dad had Hodgkin's about 18 years ago, fought it and won and he will fight again.


I'm trying to stay positive as we don't know how bad things are yet. Come Tuesday will know and I'll do what I have to do.


I'll keep everyone posted here on my blog, twitter and facebook.

New Business Cards

Got my new Business Cards in the mail tonight. Because I love podcasting and honestly most people I meet know me from one of my podcasts I went with a podcast theme. I crammed every bit of information about me online on this one little card.. but I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think??

The Guild Season 5 - Day Ten

Took a half day at work today so I could hang out on set for day ten of the fourteen day shoot for The Guild. As always I can't talk about what is happening on set but man some big things happened. I also go to be an extra once again and I've lost count how many times I have been an extra this season,(will see how many of those shots make it into the episodes).  I got some great interviews and over all it was a fun albeit a short shot day for me.

Uncle Kenny #2

Though my brother called me a few weeks ago to tell me that Lora, his wife was pregnant with baby number two, I didn't want to get my hopes up because the home test is known for not being reliable so I was waiting for their first doctor visit and I just heard and saw the sonogram and yep.. she's preggers again. Doctor said the baby looks great and it's has a strong heart. So Kenobi is going to get a little sister or brother. I know my mom is hoping for a little girl but I'll be happy with either as long as she/he is healthy. She's seven weeks along and due on Dec. 24th.. gonna have a great Christmas this year.

I do know Michale has been suggesting they name the baby if it's a girl Sky Walker.  Love the name Sky but not Walker and I don't think my Sister-in-Law will go for it again.. I mean she agreed to name their child Kenobi.

I'm sure they have other names picked out just in case. I'll keep everyone up to date on the progress.

I LOVE BEING AN UNCLE!!!!

Our 1st Quidditch Practice

After being on set for The Guild all day I was extremely tired but man I have been so looking forward to tonight... Tonight was our very first Quidditch practice for the new LA community Quidditch team The Hollywood Harpies.  Since it was mother's day we didn't have a big turn out, only six showed up but man did we have a great time. We practice throwing and catching one handed to a partner, we played a little dodgeball one handed, and dodgeball on brooms. We practice throwing balls into hoops and blocking balls (keeping).

I had the time of my life, I was in my element. I've have been wanting to play Quidditch since I found out that they played Muggle Quidditch. I played a bit aggressive, but when watching the Western Cup this sport is full contact. But everyone seemed to like how I was playing.

I think I'm the oldest one in the group and man am I so out of shape. I could last about five minutes before needing a break. I know it will get easier and easier as I continue to work out. I think this is going to be great for helping me lose weight. We practiced for about an hour and half and afterwards, though exhausted and sore, I was on a high... I think this is just want I needed to release some of this stress. Can't wait for our next practice. If anyone in the LA area wants to join me please let me know... it's tons of fun.

The Guild Season 5 - Day Eight

Another EPIC day on set for The Guild Season Eight. Once again we were in Pasadena and once again we had a few "special" guest stars and once again they tweeted about being on set so not many secrets left. I got to be an extra once again for some scenes and one particular extra job was AWESOME. The scene starts with "someone" talking to me then shaking my hand before I cross camera.

I'm not going to confirm any of the guest stars.. as those who tweeted may have been visiting set, which some did and some were actually in the show.  But I got some GREAT interviews with cast and "special" cast members... oh man I did an interview with someone that I greatly admire and it was such a great interview. I also did an interview with one of the geekiest girls I have ever met and it was fantastic. These season five companioncasts are going to be EPIC as well.

EDIT!!! Here's a video just posted from Day 8 shoot.

The Guild Season 5 - Day Seven

Today was a big day on set of the Guild. We were out in Pasadena and we had some very special guest stars which normally I couldn't talk about but many of them actually tweeted about being on set. So not so many secrets left. But it was a ton of fun. I got to meet some really great Guildes. I think we had over 40 extras. Got some good interviews with cast, guest cast and extras. I was fortunate enough to be an extra in several scenes. The picture to the right is one Brent Spiner posted on his tweeter account. I figured since it's out there I may as well use it in my blog. I'm huge Star Trek fan as many of you know but never really got to meet Brent, which bummed me out. But I did get to met and chat with other celebs. And fun day tomorrow.

Mini Nervous Breakdown

Well today didn't start off so well. If you are a regular reader of my blog I have been under a bit of stress as of late. I mean there always seems to be stress in my life but most of the time it's the good kind, The Guild, podcasting, social media stuff but my current job has started to pick up some steam and things are getting really stressful and on top of all the "fun" stress I have this job stress and the stress of not knowing if my Dad's cancer has returned (find out next week). So today some very little issue happened at work and I almost lost it.

My head started to hurt and I felt a tightness in my chest, I honestly thought I was having a heart attack. Two co-workers were standing in my office and I asked them to both leave and shut the door as I needed a minute to myself. I guess they didn't think that was a good idea as they both just stood there looking at me asking if I was alright. Seems I turned white as a ghost and my breathing was becoming shallow. The next few minutes are kind of a blur. I remember telling myself to calm down, to just breath and I guess it worked as a few minutes passed, color came back to my face and I was able to breath normally. I had a horrible headache but the chest pains were gone and I was feeling better.

I've had anxiety attacks in the past but this felt like nothing else I have ever experienced. I'm one who never yells, scream or get upset. I tend to push down those emotions and I'm guessing that that isn't good. I can only hold down so much before the pressure explodes. I'm guessing that's why a little thing like today, can set me off. I really need to work on releasing some of this stress and tension a little bit at a time so this doesn't happen again and I have a full mental nervous breakdown.

Getting a New Car

Dodge Caliber

Okay so I'm sooo over having a jeep and it's time for me to get a new car. And when I say new I want a brand new car, which, in my 40 years have never had. So I rented a Dodge Caliber a few years back and really liked it. I like the look and the feel. It got some good gas mileage and had some pick up for being a 4 cylinder. So that's been on the top of my list for a while now but then a few days ago I saw this very funky but cool looking car, a Nissan Juke. I never heard of them so I immediately looked it up on my iphone. I don't know how they ride or anything but I really like the look of them. I do know that both cars are comparable when it comes to gas mileage, Caliber gets 26/31 MPG and Juke gets 27/32 MPG. As for price Caliber costs just a bit less, between $17,000 - $19,000

Nissan Juke

and Juke costs between $18,000 to $23,000.

Of course I'm going to do more research and maybe test drive both of them. I've never owned a Dodge or a Nissan so I don't know how good those brands are. If anyone out there has either of these cars let me know what you think. I don't know when I'll be buying my new car but it will be soon and I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.

Unexpected Day Off

Okay so it wasn't really a day off but I did not plan to stay home from work today but if you read my previous blog you know that my Jeep took a turn for the worse last night. So this morning I called the repair station where it was dropped off last night. They said they were checking it out and would give me a call and give me the details. I was hoping to have it back by the after noon but around 10am they called and informed me that yes indeed my radiator needed to be replaced, and that it would cost me around $500. And like most repair shops they went into other items that they found wrong with the vehicle and for the most part I declined the work but know I'll have to get it done in the near future. But I did get my oiled changed and replaced the brake pads and rotors for both front tires.

So I was told it should be ready in a few hours... well a few hours passed and I heard nothing so finally at 3pm I called and asked if my jeep was ready and was informed that they finished the work and took it for a test drive and one of the front rotors locked up and was defective so they had to run out and get another one and would call me when it was ready. Finally at 5:45pm I called them as I knew they closed at 6 and they informed me that my jeep was ready. Luckily this place is open 24 hours, well the repair place isn't but since it's part of a gas station the cashier is always open. So I opted not to head down in the middle of traffic and wait until later in the evening when traffic wouldn't be as bad. So around 8:30pm Harry drove me over to West LA and I picked up my Jeep and finally got home around 10:30pm

This is the time that I wish I knew someone mechanically inclined. Parts for this job was about $415 and labor was even more $462 for a grand total of $877. Luckily I have the money to pay for this.. but man that's a lot of money for a car that I hope to not have in the near future... but I need a car and this is what I have at the moment.

While working from home I did get some yard work done, but it was way to hot to get any good amount done. I also worked on the next episode of MASH 4077 Podcast but again didn't get much done.

PS.. it's my Brother's Birthday today... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!!!!

Bad Night

So coming off of a pretty stressful day at work I started my trek home. About thirty minutes into the drive and right before I got on the freeway I stopped at a red light and noticed a little white smoke coming from under the hood of my jeep. I looked at my temperature gauge and it was a little past the center but nothing horrible so I drove for another minute when smoke started bellowing out and I knew that something was really wrong so I manage to pull over and into a residential area. As I opened the hood of my jeep, steam came shooting out, about 2 feet high, from a three inch crack right on top of my radiator.

I called AAA, they sent a tow truck and took me to a local gas station / repair shop but of course they are closed by this time but they had an overnight drop off window. So I called Harry to come pick me up and 3 1/2 hours later I finally get home. So now I have to call this place tomorrow morning and find out how much it's going to cost me to get my radiator fixed/replaced. Guess I shouldn't be surprised this is how my night would end...  as it was a pretty crappy day all around.

An Unexpected Gift

Tonight when I got home I saw that I had received a rather large box. Now I was aware that my buddy Bryan had sent me something as he previously asked if he could get a list of things I have related to Harry Potter. Of course there is no way I could make a list like that as there is just to much stuff. And then he asked if I had gotten any Harry Potter stuff from the Nobel Collection. I told him only the two items that he got me for Christmas last year. So I put two and two together and figured it was something from the Noble Collection but that didn't prepare me for the AWESOMENESS that was the gift. I opened the package and my jaw dropped. I pulled out this beautifully crafted and very heavy statue (for a better word) of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was expecting something Harry Potter but nothing like this. It's proudly sitting on my couch table in the living room surrounded by my Harry Potter mini busts and it looks great.

Thanks Bryan for being such a great friend and for sending this to me just because... it's a very special gift and one that I will always treasure.

Update on my Geeky Life

Where to start.. we are only two days into May but this looks to be one of the most hectic and busiest months of the year. Work (MTV) is ramping up, we will have our very first episode of Chelsea Settles go into online and 2 more episodes will follow quickly after. My job is pretty crazy to begin with but when shows go into online it quadruples in stress and busyness. The next three months is going to be very hellish!!!

Also The Guild is going to start shooting its second half if Season Five, this weekend, which I hope to be on set for as much as I can. Luckily I don't have to edited the companioncasts until summer time but I still have two fairly successful podcasts; Knights of the Guild and MASH 4077 Podcast that both have episodes due to be released on May 15th & May 29th/June 1st, and I haven't even started to edit those.

I have put my third podcast, Epic Geek Out, my Internet Radio Station and Podcast Hub Project on hold.. at least until I can focus on them better.

People think I'm crazy because I joined a Los Angeles community Quidditch team. I know I'm extremely busy but I have three reasons for joining. 1, I joined because I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. 2, I joined because I think it will be super fun to actually play Quidditch and 3, I joined because I hope to get a good workout and in turn lose some weight.

I've been working out in the yard, we have to clear brush before May 1st (yeah it's pass due).  Harry been doing a lot of weed pulling and I have been using the mega weed whacker to take down the large areas of brush. Not sure when I'll be able to get back to this but it needs to be done before the fire marshal fines us.

Harry is still making plans to move back to Austria, he's goal is to fly back sometime in August. Once he has left the house I will reassess my life. Don't know if I want to start date again, or take some time to be by myself and enjoy the single life. Don't really have any plans just will see where life takes me.

Luckily the TV season is coming to an end and I'll be able to catch up on all the missed TV that sitting in my DVR and I'm still hoping to squeeze in seeing friends and family here and there.

I'm planning a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in September. I thinking of going September 12th to the 16th. Been wanting to go since it opened and my current job will end towards the end of August and I have nothing booked for that.

I'm also in the very early stages of planning a trip to Europe next year. I have lots of  "online" friends who have offered places to stay all throughout Europe so I'm hoping to take a month and travel around Europe and visit friends and cool places.

And of course everything will depend on my Dad's cancer status. He sees the Doctor on Thursday where they will do tests and then he should get the results on May 10th. We should know if the cancer has returned and what his options will be. All we can do is hope for the best and that it's nothing serious and can be fixed with meds, but I have been trying to prepare myself for the worse. Not sure if my Dad has another fight in him if the cancer has returned. Think happy thoughts!!!

Not to end this blog on a sad note..  life is good, love doing the podcasts, I have wonderful real life and online friends, my job is stressful and there is a very long commute but it pays wells and I like the people I work with. And I'm just happy to have a job. I'm 40 and starting a new chapter in my life. Can't wait to see what the future holds.

My Top 5 "Gay" Themed Movies

A friend of mine asked me what some of my favorite "gay" themed movies might be. First of all I don't think of movies as being "gay" or "straight", but with that said there are movies who's main characters are gay and the stories revolve around a gay lifestyle... so I figured I'd blog and let everyone know my top 5 favorites.

Alot of "gay" themed movies are dramatic and depressing as they deal with coming out, or HIV/AIDS or bigotry and normally end on a somber note. I'm not saying that I don't like these types of movies but there is a time and place for movies like that. I look for funny, romantic comedies, which are hard to come by... at least the good ones.

So here is my list of favorite "gay" themed movies.

#5 - Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss - Billy, a struggling young gay photographer (who likes Polaroids), tired of being the "other man", falls in love with Gabriel, a waiter and aspiring musician who is probably straight but possibly gay or at least curious. Billy tries to get Gabriel to model for his latest project, a series of remakes of famous Hollywood screen kisses, featuring male couples, while also trying to win his affections.

This was a cute and fun movie staring Sean Hayes (before he was Jack on Will and Grace). The story is simple and the acting is good. It's light hearted with it's moment of drama and unlike most movies there is a happy ending.

#4 - Broken Hearts Club - A group of gay friends in West Hollywood lean on each other to work their way through gay life, not always with success. They gather around Jack's Broken Hearts restaurant and lounge, Jack acting as their father figure and the coach and head cheerleader behind the inept Broken Hearts softball team.

This was my very first "gay" themed movie that I had seen and I wasn't even out of the closet yet. So this movie hold a special place in my heart. It's a slice of life kind of story. It's the kind of life I always wanted with a group of friends that I have always wanted. It's funny, sad, mellow dramatic and all around great movie.

#3 - Touch of Pink - Alim is an Indo-Canadian man currently living in London, England, the move in order to get away from what he feels is his repressive life in Toronto under the watchful and critical eye of his widowed mother, Nuru. For Nuru, the perfect public Muslim persona is the most important thing in life. Back in London, Alim is free to live openly a gay man, of which his mother is not aware. He is in a loving relationship with his live-in British boyfriend, Giles. To navigate through his complicated life, Alim uses the spirit of Cary Grant as his confidante and advisor. Feeling like her life is missing a daughter-in-law, Nuru decides to reconnect with Alim in London. Not yet ready to tell his mother of either Giles or his homosexual orientation, Alim, with Giles' support, hides any aspect of this fact for Nuru's visit. But as Giles is tested one turn after another during Nuru's visit, both Alim and Nuru begin to understand what is truly important in their lives leading to true happiness.

LOVE this movie, it's tough not having it as #1 or #2. This is a very sweet and funny movie. I love the two main characters relationship, I like how they portray the struggle of coming out to family and of course I'm a sucker for a happy ending and this one has one of the best and funniest.

#2 - Guys and Balls (Manner wie wir) - This movie is in German with English subtitles. Ecki lives with his parents who own a bakery in Boldrup, a (fictitious) small German town near Dortmund. Football (Soccor), the German national pastime, is particularly popular in this heavily industrialized region and Ecki has been an avid and successful player since his childhood days. In a decisive game, he fails to keep a ball and is then evicted from the team, with his mistake being used to cover the real reason—the revelation that he is gay that comes about when he is observed by some of his teammates kissing another man on the mouth. Ecki is defiant and immediately sets out to form his own team and beat his ex-teammates at their game.

I've seen a lot of foreign "gay" themed movies and most are extremely depressing but when I heard about this one I actually seeked it out and found out it was playing at a local theater in Hollywood. I figured Harry would get a kick out of it since it's in his native language and there was just something so charming about the main character. I walked out of that theater with a huge smile on my face. I loved every minute of this movie. It's funny, sad, romantic, heart wrenching, heart warming and just so darn cute. This movie is so well done that you honestly don't need to read the sub-titles and still understand what is going on. The main character Ecki played by Maximilian Brückner is so charismatic and charming you can't get enough of him.

#1 - Big Eden - Big Eden is a tiny fictional town in northwestern Montana. Timber and Cowboy country. This is the story of Henry Hart, a successful New York Artist, who returns to the town of his childhood to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Back in Big Eden, Henry must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend from high School, as well as the object of his unrequited love. All these years Henry has been pining for a dream image of Dean from back then. This is also the story of Pike Dexter, the shy, unassuming Native American owner of the town's general store, who is as surprised as anyone to find himself falling in love with Henry. The people of Big Eden conspire and attempt to bring Henry and Pike together.

This is one of my all time favorite, not only "gay" themed but of all romantic dramady. This movie is just a great movie plain and simple, who's main character just happens to be gay. Maybe I love this movie because I would love to live in this beautiful, well adjusted, open minded town. Were love is love that's all that matters. The acting is superb, the story is great, there are sad moments, but always laugh out loud moments. We've all had unrequited love so you can easily identify with the main character. You experience the joy, the heard break and finally love that each character has for each other. This is truly and incredible movie.

Here are some honorable mentions:  Get Real (great coming of age story) - Love, Valour, Compassion (sweet, fun but also tragic) - Latter Days (a nice coming to terms story) - Jeffery (very socially minded flick, HIV?AIDS story) - Trick (simple but very cute movie) - Longtime Companion (slice of life, balled like a baby, extremely sad and heart breaking)  - Brokeback Mountain (Heart wrenching story).

My Sunday

Wish this was a relaxing day but it seems that it's not meant to be.. at least at this moment in my life. After getting 3 hours sleep and driving Harry's family to LAX I got home and was tired but not tired enough to go back to bed. I was never one for taking naps. So instead I got on the computer and released the seventh episode of my MASH Podcast and went to the various sites to promote it. I planned to do some more yard work but it was still early around 8am so instead I plopped in front of the TV and tried to watch some of the shows that we've recorded the past 3 weeks since Harry's family was in town. Harry went back to bed and since we watch a few of these shows together I had to be selective on what I watched. So in a sense I did get a few hours of relaxation.

But it didn't last long around 11am I dragged my body out of the house and started to some yard work. About thirty minutes in my mega weed whacker ran out of gas, so I had to stop and get in my jeep and head to the closest gas station, which is about 15 minutes away. While driving there I realized that my jeep was also out of gas and I was driving on fumes. I managed to get to the gas station right before my jeep died on me. So I filled up my Jeep and my gas can and headed back.

With a full tank my weed whacker was ready to go and I continued for another hour before taking a break. Unlike yesterday, the sun was hot but there was a strong breeze that cooled you down. Today was hotter then yesterday and there was a light breeze that did nothing. So for the next four hours I would go out for about an hour and then come back in for a 15 minute break, but by 5pm I gave up as exhaustion and heat stroke got the better of me.

On a bad note.. while cutting weeds several rocks flew at my face and scratched both lens' on my new glasses. But me being me I looked on the bright side and figured if I wasn't wearing the glasses the rocks may have injured my eyes. But none the less I'll have to get the glasses fixed which in turn will cost me another few hundred dollars :(

Harry and I watched the latest Doctor Who, episode 2 Day of the Moon and really enjoyed it. Don't have a clue what's going on but I kind of like that about Who. We also watched a few hours of Extreme Makeover Home Edition while eating dinner. Around 8 I got a tweet saying that Osama Bin Laden was dead. I turned on the news and found it was true. Harry and I discussed it for a minute and then went back to our TV (I'll post a separate blog about my thoughts on this issue). One downside to the news is that the major networks broke into our local programing so we lost an episode of Extreme Makeover but what really upset us was the fact that we lost an episode of Amazing Race. But there is a happy ending for us as the news coverage ended CBS pushed Amazing Race and aired it at 9pm instead so we got to watch it in it's entirety. It's the second to last episode and it was another good one.

Amazing Race ended at 10pm, and I watched the first 15 minutes of the local news before heading to bed where, as I always do, watch an episode of The Simpsons and this time it was a new one. So in the end it was an okay day.. got some yard work done, got some TV in, released a podcast and the death of a Bin Laden.

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 7

Download from itunes http://tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes or listen/direct download http://bit.ly/eXCRxT

Today we cover Episode #7 - Bananas, Cracker and Nuts

Directed by Bruce Bilson
Written by Burt Styler
Production code J311
Original air date November 5th, 1972

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

After an unusually long stretch in the OR, Hawkeye and Trapper argue, and decide that they need some R&R. Unfortunately, Henry is leaving for a few days, leaving Frank in charge. Hawkeye decides to pretend to be insane to try to get a few days off despite Frank's prejudice. He rejects a proposition from an attractive nurse, eats a plate of ostensibly human liver in full surgical garb, and reacts violently when Frank touches the plate. Trapper tells Frank that Hawkeye is losing it, and that he (Trapper) should take him to Tokyo for R&R. Uncertain about whether they are serious or if it is an elaborate act, Margaret calls in a psychiatrist friend, Capt. Philip Sherman, to assess Hawkeye's emotional state. After Hawkeye tells Sherman that he is in love with Frank, Sherman declares him to be insane. When Henry learns of Sherman's finding, he argues that Hawkeye was merely trying to get R&R, but Sherman insists that Hawkeye needs to be committed to a hospital in Tokyo.

Hawkeye, upon hearing this, confesses he simply wanted a holiday from the war, but Sherman, who has designs on Margaret, insists that he be sent for treatment. Hawkeye concocts with Radar an elaborate plan to make it appear that Sherman is trying to molest Margaret in her sleep. Their plan succeeds, Sherman is sent from the unit, and Hawkeye is allowed to stay

Hope you enjoy it,

Kenny, Meds, Al & Harry

Find Us on the Web:
Main website - http://MASH4077Podcast.com
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MASH 4077 Podcast Blog - http://www.MASH4077Podcast.blogspot.com
Email Us - MASH4077Podcast@Gmail.com

Early Rise

Today I had to get up at 4:30am. That's super early but what makes it worse is I didn't get to bed until 12:30am and actually fell asleep around 1:30am. So on 3 hours sleep after a long day of yard work and party/podcasting I was exhausted. But we had to get Harry's family back to LAX for their 7:50am flight home to Austria. It's always surprising what you body can do. With only 3 hours of sleep I managed to get up and feel pretty okay. We had to do two vehicles so we packed up my jeep with luggage and Harry's brother-in-law Bernd joined me and everyone else went with Harry in his truck. As expected there was very little traffic at 5am heading to LAX. But because we live so far out it still took us about 1 hour 20 minutes to get there. We dropped them off, said our goodbyes and headed back home. Harry opted to take a nap but I was awake and have a hard time taking naps so I stayed awake and watched some tv. Later I'm going to head outside for more exciting yard work.

It was nice having Harry's family with us for three weeks but it's always VERY nice to have our house back to ourselves. Now to just get everything back in order.