FUNNIES:

The picture of Hartman really has nothing to do with this post. Due to contractual agreements with Hart, she must get a certain amount of face time per month or I get a few bites mixed in with hisses at 5am. ;)

The following stories all happened this week and all made me laugh. :)

Scenario 1: Microphone-gate

I experienced a new one last week. After so many years, when you witness something original while meeting people it is usually blog worthy! The way you mic somebody up with a lav is to say "I need you to take this mic, run it up underneath your shirt and pull it out the top.". This hides the cable underneath their shirt and looks nicer on tv.

The usual end result of this situation is the following:

1) You look back to see how they are doing and discover they did not run the wire underneath their shirt. They clipped it to their shirt with the cable hanging down the front.

2) The subject is male and jokingly insists he'd rather I run it up his shirt for him.

3) You look back to see how they are doing and discover they did it right.

Last week, we were interviewing a 65 year old woman. I tried to hand her the lav and give her instructions-- As soon as I said 'run it up underneath your shirt--- she lifts her shirt up all the way past her breasts (yes, she had a bra on) and just stood there. I repeated she just needs to run it up underneath her shirt. She just stood there with her boobs hanging out and said "Go ahead! Hahahahahhahaha!". The reporter politely laughed with her. I politely chuckled as I mic'd her. Wierd.

Afterwards, in the truck, I said to the reporter: "Well, that was a new one.". She responded with, "Ha! While you were out grabbing the lights she asked me which outfit she should wear. I told her, then she stripped right then and there and changed.".

Scenario 2: Look at me!

Another typical thing you run into a lot is the 'Look at me!' crowd while driving around in the live truck. If I hear a honk, I will usually look, mostly to make sure a crash is not imminent! Not once have I responded to a honk to find a near accident or a 'hey, your tire needs air'. No, when you turn your head to look it's usually a group of guys shouting one of the following:

1) Ahhhhhhhhhh! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Loook at me!!!!!!!!!

2) Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Put me on tv!!

3) Hey baby!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Haaaaaaaaa! Go out with me!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, this is when I hear a honk. If I hear a car next to me full of guys shouting, I ususally ignore it. Trust me, this is the better route to take! (I sure do miss driving unmarked cars!)

While driving on the 101 heading back to the station I heard a car pull up!! Loooook at meeee!!!! Ahhhhhhh! Haaaaaaa!"

I commenced Operation Ignore. However, the reporter I was with, commenced Operation What-Are-They-Shouting-About-I-Think-I'll-Look. She immediately started laughing. So I turned my head and looked. It was a guy hanging out the window with a sign that said "I Heart Dan Rather". We laughed all the way back to the station.

SCENARIO 3: BE-GAAAAUK!

Driving back from a story the other day, there was an old man crossing the street. He was extremely thin and wirey. His socks were pulled up to his knees. His shorts were too short. One of his arms was bent at the elbow,sticking out, with his fist balled up on his hip... kind of like...a wing. And it was flapping. The people who would pass by him had this 'oh my god' look on their faces. The poor old man with white hair down to his waist was talking to himself. Shouting even. We listened in as he passed. We heard:

"Be-Gaaaauk! Bock-bock-bock-bock--Be-Gaaaaauk!"

3 Years ago today! :D

Awwwwwe! So cute! We watched as he and his brothers and sisters were fed 'fish smoothies' the other day at the Marine Mamal Care Center. I still hope to see a baby Harp Seal someday. :)

First, things first--- Happy Birthday to my Uncle John! He's 66 year old today. :)

Last week we went to Yosemite to celebrate (a little early) our 3rd anniversary!

I've always wanted to goto Yosemite. It's just crazy to live out west as long as I have and not make it to the most beautiful park in the world!

Day one we decided to hike from our hotel to Mirror Lake. And we took....the road less traveled.

I could have sworn we were still on the trail!

There was a bit o water rushing through so I was hopping from rock to rock to avoid getting wet. And you all know how graceful I am! In case you don't--- I got wet. :)

We continued onward on this poorly marked trail braving slippery slopes...


Climbing treacherous mountains... ok ok... those two shots were totally posed. And so is:

this one! We are many things. Climbers of mountains...we are not!

After hiking forever to get to Mirror Lake, we are greeted by:

A sign telling us the 'trail' we were on was closed.


We did eventually make it to Mirror Lake by taking the less adventurous paved trail. And now for something completely different:

Uhm....

Anyway... Yosemite was soooo peaceful! We loved it!

Just have to watch out for Yogi!

The best part of my job is knowing that everyday there will be some sort of crazy adventure awaiting me. Lucky for Los Angeles this adventure was just a Napalm Bomb movie prop at Norton Sales Used Rocket and Aerospace store! If anybody out there would like to pull an Astronaut Farmer, this is your store! (I highly reccomend the Astronaut Famer movie, too! Very cool!)

It's not all props. There is genuine space stuff and junk here.

This is seriously an (extra) Apollo 13 Lunar Lander Engine.

So how did I luck out and get this assignment in the land of hoses, rockets, hoses, hoses, hoses, and--

--big red buttons begging to be pressed!

We're hear as part of Dave's million part series called "The Worst Job I Ever Loved". Hey, who wouldn't love selling spaceships for a living? But... someone has to clean this stuff up.

So yeah, pretty cool day! Where else has the 'Worst Job I Ever Loved' taken me this year?

Let's just say... this tongue belongs to someone...

Someone who not only eats a lot.... but poops....a LOT. And well...someone has to clean it up. Yeah, my days aren't always about hanging out in cool rocket ship stores.


After this particular adventure we were in need of new shoes... and according to our co-workers-- a shower.

Oh yeah, and the Santa Barbara Zoo also has hissing cockroaches. What could be more fun than trudging through poop and holding roaches? (Hey, it was actually fun! I guess I have the worst job I ever loved!)

How 'bout rummaging through a ship with homeland at the port of Los Angeles? Doesn't look so bad, right?

This is how you get around the ship. Small, rusty, greasy ladders in small, rusty, greasy spaces. With a Sony XDCam of course!

I recently joined a gym to keep myself in shape so I can do this job when I'm 60. These guys don't need a gym membership!

Time for a new pair of jeans! Oh, and we did find something unusual on the ship:

They have My Buddy on board!

More adventures to come! Tomorrow I'll be spending a couple of hours in a freezer! Hey, it beats working for a living. :)

I'm back! Well, I didn't actually go anywhere... I've been neglecting my poor blog. :) So what have I been up to besides NOT blogging? Geeky sci-fi stuff, of course!



Well, you can't say I didn't warn you! Here I am jumping through the Guardian from the original Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. My personal fave... but yeah, it's everybody's favorite!


Dave, Meredith and I paid the Star Trek exhibit in Long Beach a visit a few weeks ago. It was Angie heaven!!


Of course we had to be the outcasts among oucasts. You see, they have replicas of the original and next gen bridges. Everybody, for a price, can get their picture taken on the bridge and have characters from the series superimposed on board. We saw where the characters were going to be and posed this way for the picture:
Very Serious Official Star Trek Picture Taker: You can't pose like that.
Me: Oh don't worry, it'll be fine.
Very Serious Official Star Trek Picture Taker: I can't take this picture. You're ruining it!
Me: Don't worry, this is the way we want it to be.
Very Seriouis Official Star Trek Picture Taker: It's not going to work! The characters are going to be in front of you!
Me: It'll work. This is what we want.
Very Serious Official Star Trek Picture Taker: No, I can't take this. Your picture will be ruined!
At this point, I'd had it. All we're doing was having fun with a picture that we were paying for. I know some take Trek extremely serious, but to be so offended by this was actually funnier than the picture itself. Thanks for stealing the blog show, crazy trekker guy! ;)
Anyway, I looked this guy directly in the eyes daring him to refuse one more time. My tone went from casual, happy-go-lucky-I'll-eventually-kill-this-wierdo-with kindness-- to very serious official Star Trek fan wanting her freaking picture taken.
Me: If you do not shoot us with that camera-- we will shoot you with phasers AND photon torpedos. We have seen every episode of every Trek incarnation many, many, many, many times so do not think we do not know how to use this!
Ok, Ok, I didn't do that. That would have been cool though. What I did say was:
Me: Awesome! Let's ruin it!
Very Serious Official Star Trek Picture Taker:......fine.....it's your picture....

Here's a few more pictures from that day, then I have to goto work!









Oh one more thing, the video posted a couple of posts down was Dave taking the StarTrek-greenscreen-insert-you-into-an-episodelator a little bit less seriously than a lot of the folks attending! He strayed from a script a little bit as you can probably tell! Everybody got a kick out of it.
Outcasts among outcasts-- out :)