Star Wars in Concert

I had missed this last time it was in the Los Angeles area so when I heard a few months ago that it was coming back to Los Angeles for two days only I jumped at the opportunity to see it. I was attending the event with my friend Sean. I left my brother's house around 5:30pm expecting to get to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles around 6:30pm, which I did.. but I wasn't expecting the chaos surrounding the place. I was first going to try and find parking on the street and just walk but thought better of it so instead I parked across the street from the Bowl and paid $21. It was also stacked parking which means you can't leave once you're in as they just pack the cars in. Of course I'm in the very back of the parking lot and figured it would take me hours to get out.

I followed the crowds to the entrance, having never been. I got to the entrance around 7pm. The event started at 7:30pm so I opted to grab a hot dog and some water. That took about 20 minutes in line to accomplish that. I headed over to will call to leave Sean's ticket as he was filming all day and expect to be a bit late. After leaving his ticket I made the trek up to my seat. I manage to sit down and settle in around 7:22pm.

I was very happy with my seat selection. I didn't need to be near the stage as you're really listening to the music and watching the huge screen. I choose seats about 2/3's up but directly in the middle.  I was bummed that I didn't get there earlier and go through the museum with Star Wars memorabilia, costumes and such. I knew that they opened 2 hours before the concert started but really miss judged as how crazy they place would be. Also they said no cameras or video devices but there security was nothing and I could have easily brought my camera or flip cam.. so I was stuck with the camera on my iPhone.

Anyways the program finally got started around 8pm and Sean showed up about 20 minutes in. The event itself was FANTASTIC!! Anthony Daniels who plays C3PO hosted the event and was so charming and charismatic.. he was the prefect host. They started with the beginning of the story and the orchestra would play famous Star Wars music to accompany the movie clips. Each clip segment was title.. Here's a list of the titles and who the main focus was in the clips.

Of course they started off with "Star Wars Main Title", then "Dark Forces Conspire" ("Duel of the Fates"), which was pretty epic!!! "A Hero Rises" (Anakin) was a very cool segment. They showed clips from the first three movies. Next was "Droids!" (C-3PO, R2-D2, and other droids), R2D2 is my favorite Star Wars character so I really enjoyed this segment. "A Race with Destiny" (Pod Race Flag Parade) was next and then "A Fateful Love" ("Padma and Anakin"). "A Hero Falls" (turning to the Dark Side) and this is when the crowds started to go crazy "An Empire is Forged" (Darth Vader). We then had a 20 minutes Intermission and the second half of the concert started. This of course was my favorite part because it was pretty much all from the first trilogy. It started with "A Narrow Escape" (Han Solo), then "A Defender Emerges" (Princess Leia). There was some video issues here and the video started about a minute into the piece. Next was "An Unlikely Alliance" (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cantina Theme), this was a fun piece, though my only complaint is they used the scene where Greedo shots first and Han does that stupid jump move. After that came "A Jedi is Trained" (Yoda & Luke) and  "A Strike for Freedom". Another segment that I really liked was "A Bond Unbroken" (Luke & Leia). Then then did "Sanctuary Moon" (Endor and Ewoks) and "A Life Redeemed" (Vader) and finally "A New Day Dawns" (Throne Room and End Titles).

It was an incredible night and event. Oh and I totally forgot to mention after intermission many of the original segments included awesome laser shows that were timed with the music and/or scenes... it was truly amazing.

photo courtesy of @amy_geek

And if the night couldn't get any better. After everyone said goodbye and some folks were standing to leave, Anthony Daniels came back out to announce a special guest who wanted to come out and say hi.. and then went on to say.. Please welcome JOHN WILLIAMS!!!! The crowd went CRAZY!!!! Everyone was on their feet screaming and cheering. Mr. Williams looked surprised and very appreciative of all the noise. He then went on to conduct the orchestra for a special encore of

"The Imperial March". I had tears in my eyes listening to this magical piece being conducted by the man or created it so many years ago. Sean and I couldn't stop smiling at each other.

The night was already fantastic but this made it incredible and a night that I will never forget. On our way out I stopped by one of dealer booths and purchased a cool T-shirt and Program of the event. They were expensive but I couldn't pass it up. This is an event that I want to remember and cherish.

After the event I was on a high and didn't care that it took me almost an hour to walk from my seat to my car and then another half hour to get out of the parking lot and to the freeway. Nothing was going to spoil this evening.

IT WAS TRULY MAGICAL!!!!!

Kenobi's 2nd Birthday Party

So my little guy is now two years old and let me tell ya they don't exaggerate when the call them the terrible twos. But he got better as the party went on. They went with the baseball ballpark theme/ various sports theme. As always it was great to see the family. I got to hang out with my Dad for a bit which is great. The chemo is working and started to shrink the tumors and the left side of his face is started to go back to normal.. so those results put my Dad in a really good mood.. which is nice to see. Got to spend a good few hours talking to my aunt Joyce who I miss very much. We caught up on each other lives. Some of Mike's friends are really great.. some.. not so much. Got to visit with Lora's family which is always nice. And got to see Cindy and her youngest daughter who I remember when they brought her home from the hospital... she new just graduated High School.. man I feel old... but all in all it was a pretty good visit.

Dating Again

You know I haven't really thought about dating since Harry and I broke up back in January as we still live together (until August) but I guess I'm going to have to start doing that again. It been over eight years since I've dated and so many things have changed.. including myself.

I saw myself in the mirror this morning and it just hit me.. I'm a short balding middle aged fat man. Last time I dated I was still short, but less bald and 30 pounds lighter and very much hated dating. I didn't like all the BS that went along with it. I guess one good thing now is I'm much wiser, I know what I'm looking for and won't put up with any BS. If I see "red flags" I know it's best not to ignore them. I have a better understanding of who I am now and I've learned to accept and love the way I look for good or bad. I know I'm a nice guy, maybe too nice on the verge of being naive... but that's just me. I have a good heart and I'm a hopeless romantic.

Folks have asked me are you going to play the field or settle back down and I don't really know. I've never been one to play the field but I don't want to get into a serious relationship unless I know it will be for the rest of my life. So I guess all I can say is will see. It's scary dating again after all these years but I think now that I'm older and wiser I'll have a better experience at it.. and who knows maybe I'll find Mr. Right this time.

Quidditch Practice

Well it's been a few weeks since I've been to Quidditch practice so I was very excited to be attending a practice tonight. Practice was at 7pm at Pan Pacific Park. I normally get out of work at 7 but left a little early at 6:30pm. Even though it's only 8 miles it's all surface streets in the middle of rush hour traffic, so I arrived at the park around 7:30pm.. yep.. an hour to go 8 miles.. gotta love Los Angeles.

Got to the park and after walking around for a few minute I saw the familiar hoops and made my way over to them. Luckily they just started so I didn't miss much. We actually had 8 people show up today which is the most we've ever had. We also had two bystanders who were just walking in the part stop and watch and then actually join us for two games.. it was pretty awesome.

We played around eight games total, most of the time it was 3 on 3 while two people rested, until the last two games when we had 4 on 4, which was fantastic.

I got poked by a broom handle right in the gut, I took a dive trying to make a goal and while hitting my face on the ground I realizing that it was concrete. I ran full force into a team mate as I was unable to move around her, that lead to my left side of my face tingling as if I got smacked hard. After a few games I somehow twisted my ankle and was in so much pain that it made me nauseous and I thought I was going to throw up.

But even with all that it was SO MUCH FUN!!! Just being there with these people who are all HUGE Harry Potter fans made all the pain worth it. Unbeknown to me my teammates gave me a nick name "Cannonball" because when I have the Quaffle I'll run like a bullet to the hoops to score. So that made my night.

I'm extremely out of shape and can only last a few minutes at a time but I'm hoping in time my stamina and athleticism will improve. I'm the oldest person on the team but that won't stop me from having a great time.

GO HOLLYWOOD HARPIES!!!!

New MASH T-shirts

Today when I got home from work I had a delivery.. I've been excitedly waiting for this package as it contained our new MASH 4077 Podcast T-shirts that I plan on giving away as prize gifts and to help promote the podcast.

I only ordered a small amount to start out with, besides the fact that I used money out of my own pocket to pay for these, I wasn't sure how they would turn out.... but I think they turned out GREAT!!

Dad Update 6

Just got off the phone with my Dad.. he had his first chemo today. I guess he's been taking several chemo pills the past few days, and though they made him sick the first few days he is feeling better today and it's starting to take down the swelling in his face. Today he went in to the hospital and they gave him another chemo pill and 3 different chemo liquid solutions. He said he was in there for about three hours while they pumped the chemo in. He seemed in good spirits. He goes back to the hospital Thursday and Friday for hydration, one of the side effect of the chemo. Then next week they will decide if they will do radiation as well as chemo to get rid of these tumors faster.

Yesterday he sounded horrible and sick.. today he sounded much better and happy with the results of the chemo so far. Will find out in a few weeks if the chemo is actually shrinking the tumors or not. Here's hoping for the best.

MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 9

Download from itunes http://t.co/N69yPdi or listen/direct download http://t.co/G4g8Mcn

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 hosts Harry Dauz & Joyce Kessel discuss one of the most successful and longest running television series in history.. M*A*S*H

Today we cover Episode #9 - Henry, Please Come Home

Directed by William Wiard
Written by Laurence Marks
Production code J302
Original air date November 19, 1972

Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s

Plot Summary: The 4077th is commended for achieving a 90% success rate. General Hammond reassigns Henry to an outpost in Tokyo leaving the second in-command, Major Frank Burns, in charge of camp. Right away Frank goes gung-ho, making everybody follow his rules, and he even takes away the captain’s still. Hawkeye, Trapper, Spearchucker and Radar plot together on how to bring back Henry and get rid of Frank. But will Henry leave his cushy new job with cushy new geishas?

Hope you enjoy it,

Kenny, Meds, Al, Harry & Joyce

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

12 Hour Work Day

I was off for Memorial Day Monday so Tuesday was the start of my work week. I had to get up at 5:30am this morning because I had to be at work by 8am which means I had to leave my house by 6am. So it wasn't the best way to start my week. We are finally "onlining" our first episode of Chelsea Settles (the new MTV show I'm working on). And I had to get the media/hard drive to the facility by 8:30am. 

So I dropped off the media and waited to hear back. Just for those who don't know what onlining is, here's a very brief description; "offline" are when editors take the footage (at a low resolution) and cut the show together. Once that's done it goes to another place and is called "online".. meaning they uprez all the footage and do all the final color correction and blurs and finish the show so it's ready to air.

So our 1st episode went to online and about mid day I heard nothing but good news. Everything looked great, there were no major video or audio issues and the show was on it's way to being finished. And just so you know that rarely happens so I was feeling great. I worked about 12 hours but didn't mind because it was all good.. wish I had more work days like this one.

On my way home I talked with my Dad and he has been having a few rough days. He's diabetic and since the cancer is making him not want to eat it's throwing off his blood sugar so he's been trying to find a balance with everything. Luckily my brother and sister-in-law are there to help him out. He goes in for his first Chemo treatment tomorrow... I hope all goes well.

Star Trek Marathon

Came across this video on a forum that I regular and I thought it was well done and lots of fun. I don't agree with their assessment of some of the Star Trek Movies but everyone has their opinion.

Here are my ratings as I remember the movies.. it's been a while since I have scene some of the original ones.. so rating may change if I watch them again... but for here here's how I number them.

Star Trek 1 (Motion Picture) - 5
Star Trek 2 (Wraith of Khan) - 8
Star Trek 3 (Search for Spock) - 6
Star Trek 4 (Voyage Home) - 9
Star Trek 5 (The Final Frontier) - 5
Star Trek 6 (Undiscovered Country) - 8
Star Trek 7 (Generations) - 7
Star Trek 8 (First Contact) - 10
Star Trek 9 (Insurrection) - 7
Star Trek 10 (Nemesis) - 7
Star Trek 11 (Star Trek) - 8

My Sunday!!

So day two of my three day weekend was busy.. The day started with Harry and I doing our never ending yard work. Feels like we take down a ton of weeds and two weeks later they are back again and have doubled. This is the worst part of living in this house.

After yard work we had some lunch and watched the last 6 episodes of Cougar Town. We have so much TV saved up in our DVR it's nice that we are finally able to watch some of it.

Worked on building the show notes and such for the next MASH 4077 Podcast.. so that's ready to be released on June 1st.

It was great just hanging out and doing nothing for a few hours.. it seems like I have fewer and fewer days were I can just do nothing.

In the evening I headed out to meet up with my friend Adam who is moving down from the Bay Area. I meet Adam a few months back through my friend Ray and we hit it off. We also worked together on season six of The Guild.  Adam is a graphic designer and has done some well know work among the Firefly and BSG fans. And is currently working on some other big projects with other geeky folks. Anyways he quit his job and is moving down here to start his graphic design career full time. He had a small get together to celebrate his unemployment and the start of his new adventure. Got to see some mutual friends as well as meet some folks who I only know from Twitter.. which is always fun. It was a really fun night.

Knights of the Guild Ep 31

Listen on itunes - http://bit.ly/KotGCast, Listen or download directly 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 TWO. This part includes interviews with Chris and Mark, Sean Becker (Director), and Teddy Garces (Bruiser).

We also have a special Song written and preformed by Gabriel Hager for his I Hearth Geek's podcast

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

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

© Geekyfanboy Productions

My Saturday

The first day of my 3 day weekend started with me getting up at 7am in the morning to working on next MASH 4077 Podcast Episode 9. Which I did and around 10am was finished with.. woo hooo. Still have to create the show notes and upload the file but the editing it all done and it turned out really good, if I do say so myself :)

Around 11:30ish Harry and I headed out to visit my Dad. Traffic was horrible and it took us a little over 2 hours to get there. While we were there visiting my family, we wanted my brother to look at Harry's truck bumper as there is a dent in it and Harry wanted to see if Mike could get it out (my brother does body work). Unfortunately he can't and the bumper needs to be replaced.

We visited with my Dad, who isn't do so well. His face has swollen up on the left side and he's not eating. He says he feels fine but he's not. He spent maybe a half hour downstairs with us before going back up stairs to sleep.. which is pretty much all he does these days. We did eat lunch with him and we had to almost force him to have a few bites.

After my Dad went up to sleep I played with my Nephew for an hour or so.. he's a ball of energy and ran me ragged. I don't know how his parents keep up with him. But I loved every minute of it and wish I could see him more often.

Around 4pm he decided to head home and arrived around 5:30pm. I wasn't feeling so hot so I took it easy the rest of the night. We watched last weeks Doctor Who and really enjoyed it. Sucks that's it's a two parter and we don't get to see the second part until 2 weeks even though it aired in the UK tonight. So I could find it online but I think I'll wait until it airs next week. We also caught up on How I Met Your Mother, we had the last 5 episodes to watch. Really like that series, it's one of the most consistently funny shows on TV. Can't wait for Season Seven.

So all in all a good day, it's hard to see my Dad so sick and I know he'll get worse with the Chemo before he hopefully gets better... but I want to spend as much time with him as I can.

Dad Update 5 - Good News???

So my Dad had an appointment with his doctors next Tuesday to find out the results of his biopsy and bone marrow test. And is suppose to start Chemo in two weeks on June 9th. Of course this drove me crazy as two weeks is way to long.. it's only been a little over a month and the cancer has gone from nothing to four huge tumors.. .

Well I just got off the phone with my Dad, and we got some encouraging yet cautious news. One of his doctors called him today and asked for him to coming to their office at 3pm. My Dad went and was told that the biopsy showed that he has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and it's more aggressive then they would like (not good news). But there is some good news, we got the results of his bone marrow tests and they are negative for cancer... so it's not in his bone marrow, meaning it's not terminal. So right now it's just located in the lymph nodes in he neck and chest area. Because it's so aggressive they are starting Chemo this Wednesday.. which makes me happy.

So it's not terminal but we really can't celebrate as my Dad is in for a battle. Non-Hodgkin's is not a good cancer to get and it's even worse when it's aggressive like his. But we are hopeful.. they already removed one tumor, which the doctor said looked to be the worse and with Chemo they hope to shrink down the others.

My Dad seemed happy on the phone so that's good.. glad he's keeping a positive attitude.. that will help with the battle he's about to face.

Thanks again everyone for your continued support... hugs

Harry Potter Video - AMAZING!!!!

Born This Way!!!

A new Gallup poll came out today and a gay website did a story on it "Homosexuality: Born This Way? Only 40% of Americans Think So" You can see the original story HERE

They use the word "Only" like it's a negative thing, but I see it as a positive sign. I mean if you look at the chart below in 1978 only 13% of Americans believe you were born gay while 56% believe it was upbringing.

Now in 2011 40% believe you are born gay up 27% and 42% believe it's upbringing down by 14%. Times are changing, it may not be at lightening speed but it's moving in the right direction.

And if you look at the chart there was a pretty big gap for 15 years ('78 to '96) and then you look at the last 15 years ('96 to '11) and the gap closes and the two thoughts go back and forth... I see this as progress. 

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.