Blahg.

Well here I am again, writing another blog entry. ...

Well here I am again, writing another blog entry. It's like a black hole! I write and write and put in pictures and stories and still the people clamor for more. Any by people I mean a few family members and friends. But as they say, if you can reach just ONE person, and that person tells two people, and they tell two people...then six people know about whatever it is they are talking about. So, six new people should now know about my travel blog, or a good quality shampoo. The choice, as always is yours. Only YOU can help prevent forest fires. So, I'm not sure where I've left off story-wise, and I'm writing this from deep inside the set of a [SHIP NAME DELETED] in stage 2. This is a big bad spaceship used by the bad guys in our show. Basically imagine Darth Vader's ship, and it's something like that. Speaking of Darth, do you think he drove that thing himself sometimes? I mean, you have to get bored flying across interstellar distances. Maybe Darth would take the wheel for a spin around certain planets and such. Just for fun. We may never know. So, we begin with the important news first, and that's me. I know, I'm in Sydney, Australia, another country, a giant island continent, millions of beaches, trillions of fish, amazing life forms, etc. HOWEVER, the important news is that I got a haircut. Why is this news? I'm not exactly sure. Although I did get it cut much shorter than I normally do, and I was had PRODUCT put into my hair. Now, I don't think I can ever get used to calling hair goop "product", but lo and behold, it is in my hair. This is the haircut, only 15 minutes old. Still in it's infancy. It has been mildy "producted", but still yearns to be wild and free. This picture is "Productus Maximus" and my hair has just gone insane. My hair may or may not look like this the next time you see me, so you have been warned. And now, on to the other news. What have I been doing since my last entry....let me see. I know I've been working 14 to 15 hour days every weekday, which means my social life during the week consists of reruns of bad American tv (Paradise Hotel! Survivor! The Bachelor! Extreme Makeover!) or hurried dinners and drinks. Chew! Gulp! Sleep! Zzzzz. We did have a weekend off recently for Australia Day. Australia Day celebrates the day Australia became a nation. As a lot of you know, Australia started as a penal colony. The English loaded a bunch of ships up (the First Fleet) with convicts, soldiers, and sailors and sent them to Australia. Now, I really have trouble understanding this one. Australia is an incredibly gorgeous paradise. England is...well, England. England has balmy, muggy weather, a lot of rain, bad food, and let's face it folks, bad teeth. Australia has thousands of beaches, lush forests, mountains, incredible food (I know, I know, there weren't any restaurants here when the first English settlers came over, but humor me), sun most of the year, great views, and for the most part, straight teeth! I imagine that England came up with the idea to send the convicts away to Australia and it went something, a little like this: "So guv'nor, what are we doing to do with all of these convicts that keep piling up, hey?" "Hmm my good man, that is quite a puzzler...let us come up with a good plan to send them far away to a desolate place so that they might learn the error of their ways and reflect upon their crimes." "Capital idea, sire! Might I suggest the large island of Australia? It is so far away from our beloved England, and will no doubt ingrain fear, remorse, and rehabilitation into the hearts of these convicts." "And thus, it shall be done." And....SCENE. Don't worry, I'm not quitting my day job to become a writer. So yes, Australia Day, everyone gets the Monday off, and it's a big party weekend! Because as you know, nothing really says "Australia Day" like drinking a ton. Or St. Partricks Day...or Mardi Gras....or Cinco de Mayo...or....well you get it. So to that end, Kirsty and I went away to Jervis Bay, a lovely location about 2.5 hours away and down on the South Coast of Australia. We had booked a bed and breakfast called "Penny's on the Beach", and we drove down the Friday night of the holiday. You know you're really in the country when you see a sign that says "Caution, Kangaroos next 26km". Thankfully, we didn't hit any. We got to the B&B around 9:30pm, and checked into our room. The place was awesome! Right on the beach, and our room had a private verandah that overlooked the beach. There are only three bedrooms, so it doesn't get crowded, and the other people there were all very nice. Each morning Penny would cook us a big breakfast and bring it up to our room so we could eat while overlooking the water. On Saturday we went to Cabbage Tree Beach, a short drive away, and we would have the entire beach to ourselves! It was like owning the beach. In fact, I would often pretend it was my beach, and have fun shooing away the imaginary people in my head. The water was so clear and amazingly flat, like glass. We swam a ton the first day, and just spent the day lounging on the beach. Life could be worse. The next day it decided to rain on us, BOO RAIN! We went out in it anyways, and hiked through a national park. Surprisingly, even though it rained on us the whole time, we had a blast. We spent the day exploring all the little coves around the area, which was on one of the peninsulas that form the entrance to Jervis Bay. Here Kirsty searches ardently for shells. She ended up finding 20 or so amazing ones that she plans to make into some sort of artsy thing. Here I am snorkeling in the rain. The fish didn't seem to notice it was raining, and they would come right up to you and check you out. Here I am pondering the deep, dark, mysterious questions of the universe. Did I leave the iron on? Found a great snorkeling spot and I cleverly took a picture of it to remember it for when we come back. Never mind that ever spot looked almost exactly like this. Funky little coves, great snorkeling area, look out for the crabs! Here's a little video of the spot where the best snorkeling was, it's 6.6 mb or so, so wait for the download! And don't sue me if it doesn't work. The next day, the sun was out again, we swam, layed out, and swam, in that order. Then we played Scrabble on the beach, which I've never done, but it was fun. Check out our four-letter words, we are geniuses. On our last day I took a picture of this odd Christmas House. According to our B&B owners, this lady started putting up this enormous Christmas window each year, and it grew and grew. Every year it gets bigger, and people send her things from all over the world. She must have one patient (or insane) husband. And look! Pelicans! All in all, Jervis Bay was definitely a blast. I have to go back, if not just for the snorkeling. The seafood was amazing and fresh, the people were very friendly, and plus, my own beach! Stay off the sand, please. After that, it's been back to work, back to long hours, back to...*thud*. Sorry, dozed off there for a second. Other than working, I've been seeing a few movies, reading books, going out to dinner, sightseeing, spending time at the beach (I'm actually turning brown!), and spending time with Kirsty, although not in that order! My friend Anthony Simcoe who plays D'Argo in our film has a band called "Signal Room". This past Saturday I went and saw them at a local pub, and they rocked! Anthony plays rhythm guitar and sings lead vocals, and Wayne Pygram who plays Scorpius in our film plays drums. A wild evening was had by all. My mom is coming out to visit next Thursday and staying for a week, which will be a lot of fun. I do have to work part of the time while she's here, but I will be off on the weekend and will take her all over and do all the touristy stuff with her. I'll have some pix for that for next time. Last I heard, I will be here through mid to late May for work, and I may take a week or two of vacation time after that to just enjoy myself before leaving. I'm moving to a new apartment on Bondi Beach fairly soon, so I'll post pictures of that after I move. No complaints here! Everything is going very well, and it's been hot, hot, hot lately. Have a great Valentine's Day weekend, everyone! Over and out.

All the news that's fit to print...when there is n...

All the news that's fit to print...when there is news, that is. DATELINE: Wednesday, January 14th, and you are there! LOCATION: Sydney, Australia. Specifically, St. Paul's College at the University of Sydney. Classroom 12. THE TIME: Now. Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a good one. It's still somewhat hard to believe that it's the year 2004. Where is my hovercar and my robotic assistant? Dang science fiction writers have ruined it for everyone! I thought we'd be living underwater, or on the Moon by now. I guess I'll have to settle for an apartment with a washing machine. The folks in the 1800's would think it was pretty impressive. Heck I think they'd be impressed by the flush toilet and the light switches. I haven't updated this thing in such a long time, that I'm wondering where to begin. Christmas and New Years was spent traveling all around, spending time on the beach (I'm browner than an Aborigine now), and just doing touristy stuff. However, the big news is that I met a girl! Yes, a local Australian girl...or a "shelia" as they call them here. Her name is Kirsty, and she's really great. I know, I know, I have to leave eventually, but we'll see where things go! We've been spending a lot of time together, and we haven't gotten sick of each other yet. I suppose it says more that she hasn't gotten sick of me yet! Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm a tourist here, and that this isn't my new home. I may not sound Australian, but at least now I'm using all the right words. Here are some new words for you: esky = ice chest doona = blanket, comforter squizz = to have a look at "Let me have a squizz at that paper." the shits = mad at someone or something. "Boy, Julie really gave me the shits last night." Which would mean something totally altogether to us. brollies = umbrellas It's a weird country, I tell ya. I spent Christmas Day on the beach at Bondi, which was quite weird since I'm used to it being (fairly) cold! The beach was packed at 9am when I got there, and when I left around 1pm you had to step over people to leave, it was insane! There were people from all over the world there, it was a lot of fun. And Beach Santa made a brief appearance. Around one o'clock I left the beach and went to the house of one of our make-up people. Her name is Nugget (yes, her real name) and she cooked a huge spread! I was so full of food that I felt like that Violet Beauregard girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While trying to stay out of a food induced coma, I noticed a MASSIVE spider on their wall. I thought it was fake, but it was very real. These spiders are called huntsmen, and are pretty common through Australia. They aren't venomous, but they are HUGE! I thought I would find Frodo tied up in a web underneath this sucker: Not long after Christmas, I went out to Camden, which is in the country here, to a old ranch/farm. Kirsty's friend Georgina and her husband Adrian live in a house ranch house that was built in the 1800s. We spent a couple of days out there with a lot of their friends, eating and swimming, it was beautiful and a lot of fun. Here is the gang at dinner our last night. Adrian is the big bald guy at the other end of the table. This guy is massive! He could probably eat me for breakfast. This I know for a fact since I witnessed him eat the most of a not-so-small pig. On New Year's Eve we went to Observatory Hill with a picnic, and ended up having a perfect spot to view the fireworks. People start finding spots at 6am in the morning that day, so I think we're lucky that we managed to find such a good spot at 8pm! The picnic was delicious and the fireworks were the most amazing that I've seen. Here's the crowd mid-day at the Opera House: This is the spot we watched the fireworks from. They shoot them off over the bridge, and they have a cascade of sparks shooting down underneath the bridge like a waterfall: Zoomed in a bit on the bridge from our spot: Now, here's a link to the grand finale of the fireworks that I shot from my camera. It's big! About 14.8 megabytes, so ye have been warned. Fireworks! After a bit more traveling, lots of beaching, and several meals, it was back to work day on the 5th. While waiting on Brian that morning at 5am I saw a weird little mystery animal lurking around the bushes. Apparently it turns out it was a possum! Now, the possums in Australia are very cute (they don't seem to have squirrels here), not like our rat-like possums back home. The red eyes are from my camera, but this little sucker was cute. He would come right up to my hand. Thankfully he didn't jump onto my neck and start biting me, a la Will Ferrell and the raccoon from "Elf". Since we've been back we've been shooting on location at several different places around Sydney. Today is our last day on location, we'll finish up here at Sydney University and then head back to our home studios. Last week we shot at Middle Head, a former military installation in WWII consisting of several large mounted guns that would fire at enemy ships entering the harbor. The guns are gone now, but the fortifications, tunnels, and bunkers are all still there and they look fantastic. It's a national park now, and has one of the most spectacular views opening of the harbor, and the open sea beyond. Here's the harbor view from the tip of Middle Head: These are some of the fortifications. This is a popular filming location since it looks so different: I did some exploring of the tunnels lately, and underneath one, in the near-total darkness I found this scrawled on one of the walls. Who knows what it means: Now I haven't really said what I'm working on here, since I'm not able to just yet. However, some of you may guess from some of the next few pictures in this post. Just keep it on the down low! And look, it's a rare picture of me, in my own journal. I'm with Martin Baker, one of the producers who has been with our company since The Muppet Show. Now, looking at this picture, you can see how smart you become over the years. He has sunglasses, I don't. And now, I'm blind. Over the weekend I managed to pack in tons of sleep, more beach time, a bit of shopping, a couple of meals, and time with friends. We went for Yum Cha in Chinatown on Sunday morning. Yum Cha is a bit like dim sum, but you have it at breakfast/brunch and they bring tons of food on little trays by your table, and you pick out what you want. It was so freaking good. My best friend out here, a guy named Tam, invited us to come and we met up with his crew. In this picture, Tam (on the left) is scrutinized by his brother Reese. Perhaps he didn't like what he was eating, which turned out to be prawn balls: Tam is a great guy. He's the storyboard artist on our film, and he also sings and plays keyboards in a band he formed called Tracky Dax (track daks are sweatsuit pants in Oz...so there you go, more new words). This week we've been out at Clarke's Pointe, an old military dock in Woolwich, which is located in western Sydney. It was decommissioned by the Army in 1997, and is now part of the Harbor Trust, a group that preserves historical locations around the city. Wednesday we were out at Sydney University which is just truly spectacular. We filmed inside a small common room, which is supposed to look like the office of a famous physicist. Here is a picture of the desk, as well as the chalkboard. We brought all of these set dressings in and set them up. Sometimes the art department works little jokes in, as you can see in the close ups of the chalkboard: The University was built in the early 1800s, if I'm remembering this right. Now don't get me wrong, I love the University of Texas, but this place just felt so...English, and it was very inspiring. I wanted to be back in school, hurrying across campus to get to another class. I half expected to run into Harry Potter and his gang, coming back from Hagrid's Hut: This was on one of the staircases at the University...what the heck is it?? I also went for a walk during a break and found a cool little coffeehouse called "Badde Manors". Here's the sign for the bathroom: The hours are still very long. I get up at 4:30am, pick up my boss (the director) at 5:15am (he's about a block from me) and then we usually get back around 8 or 8:30pm, which equals one dang long day. One advantage is that I never have a problem getting to sleep! The disadvantage is that there isn't nearly enough of it to go around. On the weekends I usually pack in as much touristy stuff, beach time, and sleeping that I can. This weekend I'm going to go see a theatrical version of "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" here, which is supposed to have amazing puppetry in it. I'll also have to stop by this store that I've become addicted to. They sell the most amazing bags and cases. And they have a great website as well. Crumpler! Check it out. There's a bbq this weekend, and breakfast with one of the actors (the guy in the brolly shot). I've also found a terrific beach about 15 minutes from my apartment, so I'll spend some time there checking my eyelids for pinholes, and listening intently to the sounds of the sea to see if I can decipher what the waves have been trying to say all these years. Hope everyone has had a great start to this year, and I wish you a fantastic 2004!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Down Under (tm). I can't qui...

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Down Under (tm). I can't quite understand why Australia persists with the image of the Santa Claus in full red suit, beard, etc. Down here he should be wearing board shorts and a tanktop, with rein-dolphins or something. It's 85 freaking degrees outside, I think Santa would have a heatstroke in this sort of weather. Needless to say those poor reindeer and elves. It would be a Christmas disaster. Also, this post will not include any photos, as sadly my digital camera was stolen. A replacement one arrived today, but I'm in an internet cafe and can't cable into their computer to transfer the pictures over. Speaking of internet cafe...it's hot outside, and I'm in a swimsuit and t-shirt in a little internet cafe on Bondi Beach posting this. Outside, people are surfing, swimming, frolicking on the beach, etc...and it's two days from Christmas! It sort of blows my mind. I finally completed all of my shopping and all that jazz yesterday morning. Then I got locked out of my apartment. I had the key, but it refused to work in the lock no matter what I did. Locksmith came, took him two minutes to get in, and I had Christmas presents awaiting me! From Kramer (yo girl, here's a shoutout) and from my Auny and cousins, and from Gigi at work. Wunderbar! Having dinner with a friend tonight, seafood. They have these bizarre mutated lobster/crab things here called Balmain Bugs, and they are so good that you'll fight tooth and nail to get the last bite whenever you encounter some on a plate. Plus the oysters here are just...incredible. The other night I had oysters kilpatrick...something I'd never had before. My taste buds are still thanking me and cursing me at the same time. I'll miss spending my holidays with family and friends this year, but I'm looking forward to my Sydney Adventures (also tm). I'll be out in the Blue Mountains, and driving up and down the coast. If you want to find me, look at a satellite photo of Australia and track down the sunburned dot. That'll be me. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Okay, I'm updating. I know, it's been forever. A...

Okay, I'm updating. I know, it's been forever. And a day. Look! Apes now rule the earth! The statue of liberty is buried under sand on the beach! Sorry. I lost myself there for a second. So, Sydney is still here, and I'm still livin' in it. Last weekend was very busy, although on paper it looks like I stood in a corner all weekend and drooled (it's fun). Friday night I went to Darling Harbor and then inside the harbor itself to a place called Cockle Bay Wharf. I met a friend for drinks at the Pontoon (a bar), and then we ate at some place I can't remember the name of. I should have brought my camera, because it was gorgeous. All of the lights along the harbor are on, and it is very pretty at night. The Sydney Aquarium is there as well, and it's massive. I need to go there soon, I love aquariums. Although when I was four I accidentally broke one...so I love and fear them simultaneously. I don't like the tap on the glass for obvious reasons. I don't know how I broke an aquarium at age 4, but perhaps I was like Clark Kent at that age. These days, it takes an effort to wake up in the morning. Whee! Saturday I slept in, thank you very much. Then I remembered I was having an apartment-warming party that night, so I panicked (a tad) and went shopping to get things for the evening. Including a metric ton of alcohol. These Australians can drink, and I mean, drink. I bought 12 bottles of wine, and two cases of beer - Victoria Bitter and Twohey's New. Yum. People came over at about 8:45pm, and it was at that point that I realized the video phone that connects to the camera at the front door is not only fun, it also freaks people out. Muhahah. Now I can turn it on and yell things at random people who pass by. "Hey! You with the hat! Check your nose!" We drank six bottles of the wine (all the white, go figure), some girls from the office brought a ton of munchies (thank god because I had none), danced to music, watched Eddie Izzard's "Circle", and thought about what things we could drop from the balcony onto people. THEN, two of the girls from the office had the bright idea (around 1am) to go to a cocktail bar nearby. Oy vey. Well, needless to say...we went. Big drinks, incredible views (again, no camera) and then somehow I got home. I haven't felt a spinning bed since my college days probably. Collapsed in bed with my shoes on and slept. Here are some photos documenting the strange behaviour that overtakes Australians when they begin drinking. it begins... It continues...(at this stage they were doing a Riverdance type thing) It heads into the kitchen. It was unstoppable. General party atmosphere stuff. I know, it looks like a REALLY crazy party. And we were up WAY past 10pm! I stopped the group before we tore the tags off of mattresses. You have to draw the line somewhere. There are some other pictures, but I think I took them under the influence. They are fuzzier than Pat the Bunny. Sunday - Holy Hangover, Batman! My head was not enjoying the fact that my body was awake, no sir. These are the moments where to say "Ohhhh, I'm never drinking again." Then cut to...you drinking again. Anyhow, I went down to the sauna and sweated out the alcohol. Then I went to Paddy's markets, a big indoor collection of a lot of funky little stalls that sell everything you can imagine. Went to a really nice bookstore where I didn't buy anything, because I'm so backed up with things right now that I need to read. Bought some bag gloves at the sporting goods store, we have a nice punching bag at the apartments. Met with the boss, had a bit of lunch at a strange place in Chinatown called "Eating World". Weird name, great food (honey prawns). Was going to turn in early that night after the gym, but a friend called me and we ended up meeting at a pub for drinks and then dinner. Finally hit the bed around midnight, with what felt like a busy weekend behind me. This week is our last week before we start shooting, so we've been very busy. We've had location scouts, script meetings, camera and makeup tests, and costume fittings. It's all happening. And SUMMER HAS ARRIVED! No more rainy weather, thankfully. It's gorgeous and 79 degrees outside right now. Bring on the beach!

Titanica, revisited...and moving day all over agai...

Titanica, revisited...and moving day all over again. Last week was a busy one, again, deja vu. Pretty much normal pre-production stuff. We visited the Creature Shop here in Sydney that are doing all of our characters and animatronics. They have a great place over there, although you are never quite sure what's going to come to life and scare the poop out of you. Most of the builds for our show are under way. Everything looks great, most things have been in storage for over a year, so we're doing a lot of new and improved construction. The world's largest cruise ship (at least, I heard it described that way...all I can say is that it's really big and wouldn't fit in my bathtub) pulled into Sydney Harbor last week. I just can't put into words how big this thing was. Sydney Harbor isn't that big, and this thing looking like a shark in a goldfish bowl. It dwarfed the Opera House. Tons of people turned out to see this thing, and it was like a big party. The boat holds 3700 passengers, has 7 pools, and you it takes a short jet flight of about 20 minutes to get from one end of the boat to the other. Practically. Here are some pictures of it, for your viewing pleasure. I couldn't quite work the sense of scale into it. This is just the back of the boat. The part that goes across the very top at the back is apparently a disco. I had no idea they still called them discoes. C'mon cruise ship folks, get with it. There is a big waterfront cafe, a few stories high, next to the harbor. The ship was pulled in right next to it, and they were having some sort of a big drinking party. Although here in Australia they call that "Tuesday Night." The big side of the boat. I'd like to see Russell Crowe try and Master & Commander THIS. HA! Here's the bridge of the boat. If you squint you can just make out Captain Kirk telling Scotty that he needs more power. These were the only things holding the ship in place. If I had only had a pocketknife...or some fingernail clippers. Muhahahahaha. This is just the LIFEBOAT, people. This thing is nicer than most yachts I've been on. Caviar and pate' are probably standard items in the first aid kit. Here's the Sydney Opera House in the background. See how this boat could crush it? Also, off to the right of the boat in the water is the Queen Mary II. See how BIG this thing is? Alright, enough shots of the boat already. I walked around Sydney Harbor and took a few more pictures. Here is a decent shot of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You can actually go on climbs of this thing. On the upper left hand side of the bridge you can see some tiny ants climbing down. These are, in reality, people. Here's a view of the prime real estate across the harbor. During major holidays this waterway is PACKED with boats and it's a big giant party. The nautical theme is carried all through the harbor area. This is a row of shops and restaurants that face the water. Just as the sun was setting I took this picture of the Opera House that I really like. It's a really beautiful building, and very much a part of Sydney. Onwards to Saturday morning. Friday night my boss took me out for a beer. Then two beers. Then a shot of tequila. Then somehow I got home to the hotel and slept for about six weeks. When I woke up, my mouth felt like I'd been eating cotton shirts all night. Plus I probably smelled really great. Staggered around the apartment for awhile, packed my bags (read: crammed things into bags), and took a long bath. Then it was time to check out of the Medina on Crown (*sniff*, farewell, it was a nice little hotel), and move into my new apartment. Holy guacamole. This place is super-fancy-ultra-modern-gee-whiz-gadgety-high-tech-steel-and-glass-mega-pad. I feel like a swingin' playboy, living the high life. Without the high life, of course. I'm the first person to EVER live in this apartment, and everything was brand new from the toilet, to the dishwasher, to the plates and glasses. In fact, most stuff was still wrapped in plastic and styrofoam. When I walked in, I felt a bit like this guy: So I finally closed my jaw, cleaned up the drool, and unpacked my things. Then I whipped out the camera, because I've never lived in a place this swanky before. Here's a view of the living room looking towards the kitchen. The living room opens right up into the kitchen. Which will be marvelous when I host my own cooking show. "In the Kitchen with Kevin". Here's a view in the living room looking towards the bedroom. There's a huge sliding wall thing that separates the living room/kitchen from the bedroom/bathroom. It also conceals the Batcave, and Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. This is standing in the entryway looking out towards the balcony. 11th floor (it goes up to 23, and I'm quite thankful I'm not up there). Here's my ultra-mod kitchen. One of those wooden cabinets also hides my dishwasher, and the oven is still full of foam and plastic, so I need to remind myself not to cook anything in it until I unwrap it, unless I want the taste and texture of melted plastic on my pizza. My only major gripe is that this ultra-funky modern shower tends to turn the bathroom floor into a lake every time I take a shower. I've called management, hopefully they won't tell me it's a "feature". Here's my bedroom, complete with glowing green alien nightstands. The view from the bed. Notice there are no blinds or curtains. Which means when I walk out of the shower, it's "Hello Sydney!" every morning. You can't beat the view from the balcony. I can see the Opera House and Circular Quay from this side. Darling Harbor from this side... And a big old church and a lot of trees straight down. So that's it! I'm there for 5 months. I actually really like it, except for Lake Travis in my bathroom. I'm having my office over on Saturday for a little cocktail party, and I'm hoping they bring housewarming presents. Like a full set of patio furniture and a satellite tv connection. But that be hoping a bit much. I'll take more pictures of the gym and pool area and post them later. Saturday afternoon I went on a long walk to Pyrmont and the Fish Market. The weather was gorgeous and sunny. On the way I saw something you don't see everyday: Yes ladies and gentlemen, that's a fried bat. Apparently it's not that uncommon here. The bat flies along, hits two wires at once, bridging the gap, and then ZAP. I bet that smelled terrific. This view is a bit more pleasant, it's Darling Harbor, where the fish market is. I got so tired up at the market (loads and loads of fish) that I forgot to take pictures. I tried some new food, the best being barbecued baby octopus. It looks like something you'd never want to put in your mouth, unless you have a deathwish, but it's incredibly delicious. I'll have to eat that again. The rest of the weekend was spent working out, sleeping, watching odd Australian television, and...sleeping. This bring this update to a close. It has been brought to you by the number 5, and the letter H. Join us next time for an exciting installment of "What Trouble Have I Gotten Into."

Update numero dos. I have been busy, so this is a...

Update numero dos. I have been busy, so this is a bit tardy. I'm a bit late waking up today (Sunday for me) because I was out late last night watching the World Rugby Cup final game. Australia lost to England unfortunately, and boy those Brits at our pub sure were annoying. I'm deaf in my right ear! Can you sue a country? I'll look into that. I was at the pub with a girl from the office, and one of her girlfriends, so we went out for pizza afterwards (after wandering around in the rain for an hour looking for her car) and stayed up late talking about the differences between Americans and Australians. Speaking of differences, I know they say America is the fattest nation on the planet, but you really see how TRUE it is when you go visit another country. Everyone here is so health conscious, people are working out left and right, and they eat a lot healthier than we do. No giant all-you-can-cram-down-your-throat buffets or anything. Anyhow, last weekend I went to the beaches here, and they are gorgeous. Saturday I went to Watson's Bay, and did a long hike around the point there. There is a lovely beach called Camp Cove that I spent some time at. This is the view from the top of Watson's Bay. An old cannon still sits on top which used to protect the entrance to Sydney Harbor. This is the only channel that feeds into the harbor, and the water is very deep. This is a view near Circular Quay, a central travel point where trains, buses, and ferries all leave for destinations around the city. Last Thursday and Friday I took a ferry to work. It's about a 30 minute ride, and sure beats driving. Here is a view from the same spot, but looking across the water. This is the world-famous Sydney Opera House. They had the finale of Australian Idol (yech) here on Wednesday, and thank god it's over because it's all everyone could talk about for the last two weeks. Well, some people. Saturday night I met my boss and we went to Forrester's Pub, a local place near my hotel, to watch the Rugby semi-finals. That was a good game, Australia beat New Zealand, which they weren't expected to do, and everyone was in a very celebratory mood. This isn't a shot of the pub we were at, but it's typical of the area. There are a lot of tiny hotels, with 6-7 rooms on top, and a huge pub underneath. I live near the Clock Hotel, the Dolphin Hotel, and the Strand Hotel, all of which are known pretty much only as pubs. The Australian beer is very good. The joke here is - "Foster's...Australian for Tourist". They don't drink Foster's down here. The good local beers are Twohey's New, Carlton, and Victoria Bitter. All good stuff. Sunday morning I got up early and drove to Sydney's most famous beach, Bondi (pronounced Bond-eye). This is a mile-long stretch of beach, along some very expensive real estate. Not many people were out, as it was pretty windy, and their summer hasn't really started, it's just coming into it. They were having an exhibit "Sculpture by the Sea" which I walked along, there were some really cool pieces there. The exhibit ran from Bondi to Tamarama beach, which is about a 15-20 minute walk along the coast. After a late lunch of fish and chips on the beach I came back home and then the rain started pouring down. It has rained off and on all week, as November is usually their rainy season, and they've needed it because they've been having a drought. BIG booming thunder and lightning, which we never has in LA, so it was nice to experience. These are two shots from Bondi. The water is a deep blue color, and you can see right through it. This is Tamarama beach, which the locals call "Glamarama" because it attracts snooty model types. It's a nice little beach. Most of the eastern beaches, like these two, are actually large coves. Work has been going great. We are working 12-14 hour days, but everything is coming together, and we'll begin shooting in about 3 more weeks. They are moving me to a larger apartment this week, I took a tour of it on Saturday and it's amazing, I'll have to take some pictures. I'm off to the City Centre to pick up some stuff for work. More later.

It's 6:30pm Wednesday. Where did my Tuesday go? ...

It's 6:30pm Wednesday. Where did my Tuesday go? I made it! Even with all my bitching about how first class/business class passengers get everything handed to them on silver platters, I have to admit that I enjoyed the heck out of it. The food was really good, the flight attendants were there anytime you so much as sneezed, and I had an entire inflight entertainment system. Granted, it was filled with lackluster movies like "Tomb Raider 2" and "Le Divorce", but it was still fun to play with. I tried watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on my laptop, but I was too tired after all that. I ended up doing a bit of reading, and listening to audiobooks on my iPod (I decided to treat myself after getting this job, and good grief those things are so much fun. I should have bought one awhile ago). Here's a view from my seat to the right, this is what I saw for a little more than 14 hours. Look! It's breakfast! On my monitor is the flight path from Los Angeles. It was so addictive to watch a little graphic of my plane inching it's way across the map. Sort of like watching the weather channel. I feel 65 now. This is a shot of the controls JUST TO WORK THE FREAKING SEAT. It was like trying to parallel park the Space Shuttle. These are the clouds over the east coast of Australia. Can't you tell? This is my little hotel in an area called Surry Hills. It's pretty cool, with pubs and shops all over the place. The unit is like a little apartment. I have a kitchen, a living room, a pretty big bedroom, a balcony, and a bathroom. Oh, and a washer and dryer, so I can wash my undies.

Australian money is very cool looking. On the right edge of all the dollar bills are little clear transparent windows. Supposed to make it very hard to counterfeit. It's rad. This is my per diem for the week. We get an American cash equivalent per week for incidentals. I have just now made beer one of my incidentals. Driving. I have a rental car, and about 250 pairs of spare underwear. Driving on the left is INSANE. Roundabouts are DEATHTRAPS. Gas is EXPENSIVE. I'm not paying for the gas, but believe me, I'd rather pay for the gas than have to deal with the roundabouts. And the pedestrians here just step off the curb, whenever they feel like it! Crosswalks are largely ignored, and I've had about 10 people already come close to kissing my passenger window as they step off before I've even gone by. Insane. Everyone here loves Vegemite. I just don't get it. Although I have found something I like. TIMTAMS! They are so freaking delicious. Little chocolate biscuit cookie things. Addictive. Especially with tea. Color me Australian, I guess. We went to the office for the afternoon to meet everyone and have some preliminary meetings with the art department, costumes, and the creature shop. Here's my little area on the second floor. Through the window you can see a huge chunk of the bay, it's really pretty.
This is my boss' office, right next to mine. For some reason they gave us both these funky metal and red futons. Not sure if they are encouraging us to sleep here or what. Thursday: This was our first full day in the office. I pulling reference shots off of some of our DVDs for the art department to use as models. We got the first night of the script today, did edits, and the writer is giving us a new draft for the weekend. The script is on red paper (makes it very hard to copy), with our names behind the dialogue, complete with code numbers. They are being extremely careful about letting this script leak out. Worked a full day today, it was cold and rainy outside. Tonight I went for a long walk, trying to stay up so I could shake off the last of the jet lag (I woke up at 5am today because of it). Walked to Oxford Street which is very hip and happening. Went to a couple of pubs and had some really good, really cheap Australian beer. One interesting thing is that the Salvation Army guy will come right up to you inside the bar, shaking this little wooden cup at you for change. Right there in the bar. That was kinda funky. Plus one of the magazines in my hotel has an advertisement in it for a constipation medicine featuring a bare-assed woman in the picture. Lovely. At least she was hot. Over and out. More on the flipside.

I had drinks at Firely last night, on the Ventura ...

I had drinks at Firely last night, on the Ventura Blvd. curve. And I came to realize that the "bar" (any bar, really...for the most part) can become a magical place at a certain point. It does involve the imbibing of alcohol, usually between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 drinks. You don't realize it when it's there, and it sneaks up on you slowly, but suddenly...bam. Everything is blurred together into a dark hush of lights, ice clinking in glasses, laughter, and snatches of coversation. You feel like everything you say is very profound, but in fact you probably sound like a drunken buffoon. Which is okay, because this is the time during which drunken buffoons become your brethren, when you stop waiting for your turn to talk, and you just listen, because everything they say is either hilariously funny, or some deep-seated truth that you've never quite been able to comprehend before. Everyone is your best friend, and you are everyone else's best friend. But then, drink number four or so arrives, and you start to feel like something isn't quite right. People begin to *pop* back into autofocus, and sometimes the result isn't pretty. The guy who goes on and on about his philosophy of world peace starts sounding like an annoying jerk, and the girl who you thought who made you laugh as though you were a drowning man coming up for air begins to make you think about fingernails screeching on blackboards. You start to get a bit uneasy about things, and your stomach lurches over and mildly complains at you. You mumble something about getting back to your apartment "before work tomorrow", and stumble homeward. Laying in bed, probably still in the evening's clothes (which I do), you question the whole evening. Then sleep comes and hits you like a velvet hammer.

Having just watched the trailer for "Masked and An...

Having just watched the trailer for "Masked and Anonymous", I have to say I'm not really sure what the phenomenon of Bob Dylan is all about. Sure, he's a "cultural icon" and a "voice of the times" and all that. But, I never really got into his music, and I feel like I'm really missing what everyone else seems to be getting. I have one Bob Dylan album, although I don't know if you can call it a Bob Dylan album. It's "Dylan and the Dead", which, if you know me, stands out as a really odd album for me to own, not being a big fan of the Dead or of Bob's. In fact, if you know me, it makes much more sense that I own the Chunky A album, "Large and In Charge", a novelty album that Arsenio Hall put out some time in the very early 90s. But, with "Masked and Anonymous", I really am missing the boat. It looks like a fairly well-done movie, and it is great to see Jeff Bridges and John Goodman back on the big screen together. The Big Lebowski is one of my all-time favorites. But Bob Dylan in this movie...am I crazy, or does he look just like Lily Tomlin with a pencil mustache? And his acting...ouch. Either my number wasn't called, or I'm just clueless. Probably the latter.

This is a test. This is only a test. Were this a...

This is a test. This is only a test. Were this an actual post, you might be subjected to actual humor, points of wisdom, slices of life (probably mine, but not guaranteed), and a fortune. But, alas, this is only a test.