Sunday, August 31, 2008

I love Ricky Gervais. I thought Extras was brilliant (at least the first season) and I'm also a fan of the original Office, the brain child of Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant. I think it's a shame that, to date, I believe his biggest U.S. role has been a bit part in Night at the Museum. Lately, I've been seeing movie posters around town with his face on them and finally looked it up on the internet. The movie is called Ghost Town, and stars Gervais with Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. The tag line is: "He sees dead people...and is annoyed by them." Just my sort of character! The film comes out in September and the trailer looks reasonably funny so I'm looking forward to it.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

I blogged quite a few months ago about reconnecting with some old friends from my radio days. The one I've kept most in touch with is Randy, who continues to work as an on-air radio personality in Washington State. He's recently been living in Centralia and working in radio sales, but has recently been dragged back to an on-air position in Shelton, about 45 minutes up the Olympic Peninsula from Olympia, WA. I'm glad to hear he's back on the air, because that's truly where he should be - he's got a great on (and off) air personality and is very natural and comfortable in that environment.

Recently, Randy has become interested in the world of blogging (maybe from reading this yawner of a blog). He's recently started his own blog and you can check it out here. It's an interesting view into his life and his work and I think it will continue to get more interesting as he continues to write. Good luck with your blog, Roadz!

Friday, August 29, 2008

As if I haven't been hurting myself enough lately, I've decided to try a new sport. A friend of someone I play soccer with is trying to organize Australia Rules Football for women here in the Southland. A bit surprisingly, Aussie rules football for men is already reasonably organized in the states and there are about 40 teams across the U.S. that play in competitive leagues, not counting recreational leagues. Even so, at the U.S. Nationals last year (yes, U.S. Nationals for Australian Football), though there were three divisions of about 30 men's teams, only 4 women's teams competed. So my friend's friend is trying to introduce women to the sport through soccer, since punting the ball is an important part of the game. We met up last night with a couple of people to learn the basics of ball handling. The ball is moved up the field through punting the ball from player to player, or passing it with a sort of vollyball like punch with the hand. I had a lot of fun and am interested to see if she's able to get enough people together in town to organize some pickups. Here's a promotional video for Aussie Footy - I'm going to assume that since women's recreational hockey in no way, shape or form resembles NHL hockey, that women's Aussie rules football will hardly resemble the play you see in this video. Take notice of how a player can crawl up the back or shoulder or an opposing player to gain height to catch the ball.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wally has been pretty patient with Gracie who is sort of messing with the usual peacefulness of his life. She always wants to kiss him and bite at his face, he has to wait for her to finish eating before we can all go outside, and the only time he really gets alone is if I leave and she's in her crate. He's also had to learn how to share the bed with her in the evening when I'm reading (before she goes into her crate). All in all, Wally is a very patient boy. However, today Gracie discovered something. She decided she likes to sleep in Wally's chair.

Here's a picture of the chair before Gracie:


And after Gracie:


I wonder how long Wally will stand for it.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Welcome to Wally Wednesday everyone! Here's the little guy, all tired out by his new sister. You can see in his eyes how sleepy he is. Gracie got a lot more forward with Wally today and spent most of her free time trying to lick Wally's face and chew on his cheeks. I know it sounds weird, but it's a puppy/dominance thing...Wally did it when he was little, too. Which means Wally spent most of his time trying to keep his ass between himself and his little sister. Halfway through the day, his face was wet with slobber and he finally growled at her when she started barking because he was too annoyed to play with her any longer. One great thing about Wally is his patience and tolerance of other dogs, especially pupppies. But a dog can only put up with so much, you know what I'm saying?

I'd also like to say that Gracie is quite possibly the gassiest dog I have ever met. I'm praying it's just the change in dog food and not a permanent state. I didn't notice it yesterday until after I fed her. I took her into the office today to meet people and a couple of friends and I took her to lunch at an outdoor patio. On the way back, she let one loose in the car, and I thought my friend, Sasha, was going to actually puke. Fingers crossed that the gassiness will go away!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Dog collar & leash - $34
Case of dog food - $13
Dog toys - $25
Adoption fee - $110

Getting a little sister for Wally - PRICELESS

Here are some photos from Day 1.


Monday, August 25, 2008

I've been working on a side project that shoots on a specific type of tape. Because of this, I can't use my regular DV camera to digitize the footage into my computer. I needed to get a specific brand of camera and I thought I could save some money by buying a used one on eBay. I was able to get one inexpensively, but started to have problems with the seller not shipping the item. He "had a family emergency" which delayed shipping it, then he supposedly shipped it but it came back to him inexplicably, then he promised to ship it Priority Mail and it still wasn't here a week later. I was starting to worry I'd have to file a complaint with eBay or PayPal to get a resolution. The camera finally showed up on Friday (not shipped Priority Mail, by the way).

I opened up the box and began to examine the camera. Other than being obviously used, it seemed ok. I wanted to check the playback of the camera and opened the cassette door to put a new tape in only to discover there was already a tape still in the camera. I thought, geez...this guy has been a total pain in the ass and now I'm going to have to go through the trouble of sending his tape back to him. Then I hit PLAY on the tape...and saw the person I assumed to be the seller, drunk, with two drunk, chubby female friends who were flashing the camera at his direction and playing with each others nipples. Yeah, classy. I'm trying to figure out exactly how to fill out his eBay Feedback.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

I don't know what's wrong with me lately but I keep forgetting to post. It must be because I don't always do it at the same time anymore. I thought I had written last night, but apparently not. After I got home from the Photoshop class, I pretty much just vegged in front of the TV and watched Mad Men. I guess I was put in a daze by Don Draper that made me forget about anything else important.

The instructor of my class was a guy named Max Grundy who is also a local artist. He does some really cool graphic type art inspired by the old propaganda material of the 20th century. If you want to see some of it, you can check it out here.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Since some of the work I do now includes needing to know how to use Photoshop, and I totally suck at Photoshop, I decided I should take a refresher course. The classes are stupidly expensive. Luckily, the Editor's Guild has a program where they will reimburse you 2/3rds the cost of the class. Moviola, where I'm taking the class, reimburses the other 1/3. So while it's the full amount out of my pocket initially, I'll get reimbursed the full amount.

The class has been fun and quite educational. I'm already looking forward to spare time when I can play with some photographs of my own - I'm sure there will be doctored pictures of the dogs showing up soon. For any of you who have ever taken a work related class, you know there's always that one person who just doesn't get it, and constantly asks questions while you're itching to move on to the next project. That person sits next to me. Yay, me! Guess who has been answering a lot of questions...

I think I've decided on Gracie for my little girl pup. That is, unless I get her, and she doesn't seem to like it. A friend called yesterday and wondered if I was going to have to pick a name that started with S, M, T or F so I could dedicate another day of my blog to the newest member of the family. I thought I could perhaps do Thank Grace it's Friday's? Well, I'm off - need to go find a girly collar and food bowl. I already miss her and I don't even have her yet. I can't wait to pick her up next week!

Friday, August 22, 2008

I'd like to introduce the newest member of my family to you! The yellow lab I was on the wait list for got claimed by her owners (good for her), so I was looking for another dog today when I came across this one on the web site. She's a labrador mix, possibly part boxer or something like that. She's 10 months to a year old, quite red, about 50 lbs, and sooooo sweet! When they brought her out to meet me, she immediately gave me a little kiss, then rubbed up to be cuddled. When I brought Wally in to be socialized with her, they sniffed each other then promptly ignored each other. Perfect for my condo! I'm now her official owner. She still has to be spayed and I have to get a crate and such for her over the weekend, but she should (theoretically) be ready to be picked up on Tuesday. I can't wait! I don't have a name for her yet. I'm thinking maybe Grace, but is that weird? That was my grandmother's name. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Wally and I almost had an addition to our family today. I was looking at the Pasadena Humane Society's page and came across this dog, listed as a labrador mix. A little over a year old. I went down and looked at him and, by himself, he was super sweet. In fact, he reminded me a lot of Wally. He's bigger than he looks in the photograph - probably 65 pounds, but taller and leaner than Wally. His face is definitely lab, but I'm guessing mixed with some sort of shepherd or maybe border collie. I went to fill out the adoption paperwork and met with the counselor who informed me that the dog is, in fact, very sweet...but very hyper and aggressive with other dogs. I asked if he was angry aggressive, or playful aggressive, since he IS just a big puppy at a year old. She said very playful, but also very vocal. I didn't think it would work out, but I brought Wally down and introduced them. The other dog immediately began jumping at him and barking constantly. Wally had no interest in sniffing. In fact, he was looking at me like, "What in the hell are you thinking?!" Sadly, I knew it wasn't meant to be. Maybe if I had a big house with a big yard for them to run around in and time to train the dog, but I don't have either. Apparently a couple of people have been interested in the same dog, but all had dogs already and encountered the same problem. He's been there for over a month. I hope he finds the person he needs - probably a young guy who can handle and train him, and who doesn't already have an animal. It was sad to say good bye to him.

On our way out, they were bringing in a yellow lab female. We're first on the list if no one claims her. But if you know anyone with a big yard and no other dogs who wants a sweet big puppy, let me know.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Happy Wally Wednesday everyone! My neighbor is away today, so I'm also babysitting Wally's BFF Stryder. I can tell you it's a little hard to edit with a smooshed face dog breathing loudly just a few feet away. Here are some photos:

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Wow, did I wake up sore this morning. Between the stiffness in my right thigh from the old injury, the new stiffness in my left knee from that nasty abrasion, and the giant bruise on my ass from falling on it during hockey over the weekend, it was a long, sore walk down the stairway. I made a mental note that if I do happen to find a new house to buy, it had better be single storied.

I watched Lions for Lambs this evening, Robert Redford's film about the war in Iraq. I like Redford but I have to say this film just sort of laid there for me. Tom Cruise didn't have to stretch himself far to play self-serving, arrogant Senator Jasper Irving. The character sounded just like Cruise, but rambled on and on about the war rather than Scientology. It wasn't a horrible movie, but I think I'll continue my Tom Cruise boycott, which only got a momentary stay because of Redford.

Monday, August 18, 2008

In seven years of hockey, barring any catastrophes (and there haven't been any major ones), I have a pretty basic three steps that I accomplish on game night:

1. Play hockey
2. Eat pancakes
3. Go home

After only a few games of soccer with a leg injury that seems to recur every time I step onto the pitch, these are the steps I go through on game night for that sport:

1. Play soccer
2. Limp gingerly off the field to my car
3. Go home
4. Clean and bandage cuts from falling on the turf
5. Ice leg in front of the TV for 30 minutes
6. Take a hot bath and be reminded that I am no longer a teenager.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

I haven't written much about my co-ed league hockey team much this summer (or men's league - I've only seen one other female in our division). After winning 3 championships in 4 seasons, we finally moved up a division like we wanted. The division has been much more competitive, but we managed to do fairly well. Most divisions top out around 8 or 9 teams, but due to teams moving around, our division has grown to 13 teams. At the beginning of the summer, we thought it might be nice if we finished in the top 8 so that we could advance to the post season. We finished first, losing only 2 of 16 games. We had our first playoff game tonight and won 8-5. We have another playoff game on Wednesday, and if we win, we advance to the championship game again. Wish us luck!
I realized when I woke up this morning that I forgot to blog yesterday. Oops. That hasn't happened in a long time. I went to see Dark Knight with some friends last night and by the time I got home, it was late and I was tired and I totally spaced on it. Dark Knight was great. My friends and I were probably the last three people in the area who hadn't seen it yet. I thought the theater wouldn't be that crowded because of that but it was quite full. The film was long but kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Going into the film, I'd heard all this buzz about how fantastic Heath Ledger was and I chalked it up to the fact that he had died and everyone wanting to make a big deal out of his last performance. He actually amazed me though - he was fantastic in his role as the Joker, and it's a shame we won't get to see him mature into the actor he eventually could have been.

Friday, August 15, 2008

In an effort to get back in shape, I bought a cheap weight bench to lift free weights on at home. I already had some weights, so it cost me hardly any money at all. I've always played lower body sports so I have tiny, useless dinosaur arms. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Wait - you play hockey. Don't you need upper body strength for those slap shots?" I answer that with, "Yes, but you have clearly never seen MY slap shot."

During lunch today, I did a round of arm and chest exercises using 10lbs free weights. I now have jelly arms. That's right - from 10 lbs. Sigh.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Since I haven't seen a movie for several months, I decided I'd relax this afternoon by going to the theater. I was excited to see Hancock still playing nearby, since I've wanted to see it but thought it had already left the theaters. When the trailers started, I was the only person in the movie theater. Perfect! Just as the movie was about to begin, a group of 6 friends came in and, despite the fact that the entire theater was completely empty, they decided to all sit right behind me. Originally, they were all going to sit in front of me. I think my glare scared them off. But what the hell is wrong with people that they had to sit two feet away from me in an empty theater? It was easy enough to move, but...jeez. I was in a completely empty theater once before when two people came in and sat right in front of my friend and I. My friend, a ballsy guy from New York, said loudly to them, "Are you fucking kidding me?" which caused them to scurry far, far away. When it comes to seeing a movie in the theater, I wish I was that confrontational, but I'm far more likely to just sit there, fuming, staring daggers at someone who continues to talk while the movie plays.

Good movie, by the way. If you haven't seen it yet, put it in your Netflix queue.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Welcome to Wally Wednesday - late, but still the same day. Here he is on my first day back at home when he realized I wasn't going to leave for work.


After having two completely inactive weeks due to an injured leg, I've hit the ground running. Literally. I grew so tired of not being able to do anything that all I wanted to do is run, and since my leg has healed (for the most part), I've been running 5k every day that I'm not doing something else (playing hockey or soccer). I'm also trying to eat healthier to lose the 7 lbs I gained in 8 weeks of working in the office, where I found myself eating out every day as an escape from the craziness of the office.

As I'm trying to lower my caloric intake, especially from carbs, a friend e-mailed me this article about Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps'...wait for it...12,000 calorie a day diet. Here is a sample of his daily diet, where he doesn't choose from among these foods...he eats ALL of them:

Breakfast:
Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

Who wouldn't want Phelps' body - man or woman? Apparently, his body burns energy at an incredibly high rate due to his rigorous workout regimen. Still, that amount of food sort of makes me want to puke.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Today was my first day working back at home and I thoroughly enjoyed it, from sleeping in to the absent commute to having Wally at my feet all day. He was so happy, in fact, that he spent much of the afternoon rolling around in happy ecstasy on the floor of my office. At one point during the day, my neighbor had to meet with someone in her home and asked me to watch bulldog Stryder, so Wally got to hang with his friend as usual. After an hour, I had to completely mop my floor because of all the excess drinking water and drool that had accumulated. Good times!

Monday, August 11, 2008

My soccer team won our 2nd game of the season tonight, 1-0. I went out and played without taping my leg, since it seemed to be better. As it turns out, I should have taped it. I'm ok, but I pulled it again. I've made a mental note to continue to tape it for the forseeable future. The interesting thing about women's soccer in this town is that you'll see a chubby hispanic woman out there and think she's out of shape...only to get totally schooled by her, because she's been playing all her life with her older brothers. I was running with the ball and body checked my way past two opposing players, only to get mauled by what appeared to be a 60-year-old hispanic woman who proceeded to knock me down and take the ball away. My new lesson for the day - turf burns hurt.

I'd also like to mention that I ended my day by doing the dance of joy when I found out that I don't have to go back into the office tomorrow. The last episode of SS (season 1) is officially locked and on it's way to mix. Tomorrow, Wally and I will be sleeping in, followed by a bagel at Noah's, then some leisurely editing on HH for the day. Sometimes it's the simpler things in life that can make you happy.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

I'm sitting here watching my neighbor wash his outside windows and hoping he doesn't fall and break his neck. I must admit, it has never occurred to me to wash my windows. In the 6 years I've lived here, I've never done it. Now, I'm wondering if everyone else is looking down their nose at me - "Tsk! That's the neighbor with the filthy windows!" I figure as long as I can see through them, they're fine. They're relatively clean anyway. Besides, there's no way I'm getting up on a ladder like that.

One of the things my realtor said to me when I told him I was thinking of selling my place and buying a house was that I should look around and see if there are even houses I'd want to buy in my price range if everything fell into place. I've looked around on the internet and thought I'd seen things buyable in that range, but it's hard to know for sure until you've actually gone to look at them. I searched for open houses in my parameters today and found three. The first one was only $349k. I immediately saw where I would have to put the other $100k - it needed to be completely gutted. The second one was in a nice area and absolutely beautiful at $459K. Unfortunately, it was only a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom, and while it had amazing outdoor living space, it had zero yard and no garage. The third place was in a so-so neighborhood. It had been completely remodeled and was a 3 bed/1 bath for $473k. It was actually really nice inside and the only drawback was the tiny closets and the single bathroom. However, it had a great yard, and if the circumstances were right, I'd actually consider putting an offer on it...if it weren't almost $50k out of my price range. So, the verdict is still out on whether this is the right time for me to buy or not. I guess I'll keep looking to see what else is out there.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Last night was my first time back on the ice since I decided to give my injured leg a rest. I think it had been two weeks since I had played hockey. I felt really slow and fatigued. I didn't expect much from myself. And then I realized that the other team had a really awful goalie and I began to throw the puck at the net as often as I could. I came away with 3 goals and 2 assists. Of 6 teams, I think we're in 5th place, so we may make it into the post season or we may not.

I didn't get to sleep in this morning like I wanted to because I had to drive over to the marina at 10am for a much needed haircut. It was while I was having that done that my hair stylist told me that Bernie Mac had died. I couldn't believe it. I'm not really a huge fan of his - I don't dislike him, I'm just not really in his demographic - but the death of anyone who is only 50 is shocking. You wouldn't think someone could die from complications of Pneumonia in this day and age. His death is certainly a reminder to make each day worthwhile, because you never really know how long you have here.

Friday, August 08, 2008

I read on the internet today that Clay Aiken has become a father. I'm not sure I get it...I've always been reasonably sure he's gay. Maybe he just completely seems gay, but is in fact, totally straight? Hmm...

I came into work today and had a HH waiting for me to edit. No SS all day!! Sadly, this doesn't mean I can return home. We're still waiting on a last set of network notes to lock the show (which was supposed to be done last Wednesday, by the way). Since there are two other editors during the day working on the same show, I'm not sure why THEY can't do the notes and let me go home. When I first got called to come in and work on this, I was told it would only be "two or three weeks" before I'd be able to come home. It's been nearly 8 weeks. I feel like my boss is Ben and had called to convince me to "just come work on the island for a little while."

Thursday, August 07, 2008

You may have noticed while watching just about any show on HGTV that they tend to have a lot of narration or voice over in them. Since the story or the angle of the show can change based on notes from producers or networks, the voice over is always temporary, recorded by the editor, and isn't actually voiced by the host of the show until after the show is completed. It can be a little daunting when you first start doing it, hearing you own voice all the time, and turning in cuts for producers to watch with your voice in it. It's always weird when you walk past someone else's room and hear your own voice coming out.

When I was at a work party last weekend, I was introduced to someone who works on HH. They work in another building in the west valley so I never get to meet any people from the show. She said, "Oh! It's nice to put a face with a name! You're the one with the CNN voice!" It took me a second to figure out why she said CNN. When it dawned on me, I said, "You think I sound like James Earl Jones?" She said, "Oh! No...um...I just meant...you know...you have a nice news read." I answered, "Um...thank you?"

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Aah...I just had an awesome, much needed massage. My buddy is a massage therapist at a local hospital and moonlights on the side. It's cheap, it's convenient, and he does a great job. I'm not sure if it's a testament to how stressful it has been working on SS, or the crappy little desk they have me editing on, but he said my neck and shoulders are tighter than he's ever seen them.

I have a little BL story from a friend of mine who still works there in Post Production. A month or so ago, the Post department decided to have a little bake-off. People must have been bragging about the cool cakes, etc. that they bake, and it turned into a competition. Well, once the rest of the cast and crew found out, they ended up having more, with more participants, guest judges, etc. They decided after three bake-offs that should probably be enough. JS was devestated. If you know anything about him, you know he's an epicurean and he loves his food (hell...you don't have to know him...just take a look at him lately). While evacuating the building after the recent earthquake, he cornered my friend, a producer on the show and asked why there would be no more bake-offs, adding that he thought it was horrible idea. She said, "Do you realize that we are evacuating because of an earthquake and you want to talk about the bake-off?" In response to him putting her life in danger, she decided to name the next bake-off in his honor: "Sex, Pies and Cupcakes: The 1st Annual J S Bake-Off." One of the PA's mimicked the posters from the film and hung them all over the studio. JS loved them. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to get myself in a guest judge position.

For your Wally Wednesday fix, here's a slightly blurry picture of the boy in one of his favorite spots - not quite in OR out of the house.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

I've been telling my friend, Rob, for ages that I'll someday visit him in Seattle. I see him a couple of times a year, but usually when I'm home in Vancouver and he's down visiting his parents. I actually haven't been to Seattle in years and haven't visited him at his home since...er...let's see, I was married at the time, so a long freaking time ago. At any rate, I'm going to try to get up there for a weekend in the near future and am trying to arrange it so I can fly Virgin America. I wrote about Virgin America once before when the American branch of Richard Branson's company started flying, and I have yet to experience what promises to be the coolness of their planes. USB and 110v plug ins, mood lighting, WiFi access and touch screen display to order food whenever you want it. Their flights are also relatively cheap, so I just might bite the bullet and do it.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Finally - I was able to exercise this evening without hurting myself! Actually, I went for a very short run yesterday to see how my leg was doing. Although it was stiff afterward, it didn't hurt while I was running. I also tried some short sprints to see if that was ok, and it was. My new B League soccer team had our first game tonight and I was able to play. It helped that we actually had three subs this time so I didn't have to play the whole game. It was actually a lot of fun. We have a killer goalie and only lost by one goal. Much better than the last game! I even had a shot on goal (kicked it right into their defense) and headed the ball without killing myself.

Yesterday, I drove around Mt. Washington checking out some homes I'd seen for sale on the MLS. I think I'm happy with that neighborhood. Though I wasn't able to see the inside of any of those homes, I did check out some other open houses which were nice, but about $100k out of my price range. I'm going to sit down with my realtor next week and determine if I think I'm ready to try to sell my condo and move on or not.

The last episode of SS should be locking this week, which means I get to go home next week. On the down side, the show did get picked up for 8 more episodes, and I'm told I'll have to go back in November to work on it again. They said I could always say no, but really...they're just saying that to be polite. I hope everyone is having a good week. Even though mine isn't terribly great, there is at least a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just hoping it's not a train.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

This article from the Northern Territory of Australia falls into the "What the hell were they thinking" category -

"A Territory man filmed himself speeding at 150km/h while masturbating at the wheel of his drug-laden car, a court heard.

His Holden SV6 was allegedly laden with 5kg of drugs, including two cannabis plants resting on the back seat, the court was told.

Brendon Alan Erhardt, 39, was granted bail so he could marry his girlfriend of six months before he goes to jail.

Prosecutor Sergeant Melinda Edwards said in court the father-of-three told police he "had masturbated while driving'' just before he was stopped for speeding on the 130km/h stretch of the Stuart Hwy.

"(He) also video recorded himself masturbating while travelling at a speed of 150km/h.''

Sgt Edwards said Mr Erhardt -- who was disqualified from driving -- also told officers his act was "not dangerous'' as the "only person he could hurt was himself''.

Darwin Magistrates Court heard Mr Erhardt was stopped by NT police 25km south of Daly Waters on July 16 for allegedly speeding at 147km/h on his way home from Adelaide.

Police noticed he was "visibly agitated'', and when they told him they were going to search his Holden sedan, he said "go right ahead'', Sgt Edwards said.

It is alleged that officers found 4.96kg of cannabis hidden in a blue esky in the boot, two cannabis plants on the back seat, two drug pipes and a loaded .22 rifle.

Sgt Edwards said Mr Erhardt was arrested and told officers he had "found'' the drugs at a rest stop 100km north of Coober Pedy -- and he intended to smoke all of it at his Noonamah home.

Mr Erhardt also told police he had used the rifle to shoot "kangaroos from the vehicle whilst driving north''.

The court heard the cannabis was worth $136,000 if sold by the gram in Darwin -- or double that in indigenous communities.

Mr Erhardt applied twice for bail last week so he could get married before going to jail.

Magistrate Greg Cavanagh said it was "fanciful'' Mr Erhardt had "just found'' the drugs and that it looked like a "courier'' run.

He granted Mr Erhardt $10,000 bail, and his father also posted a $8000 surety.

Mr Erhardt will face court again on September 1."

There are so many things going on in this article, it's hard to know where to begin. Although, my first instinct was to wonder if the video was up on YouTube.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Wally and I had a pretty kick back day today. I ran some errands, caught up with the DVR, then re-watched Lost In Translation on DVD. It was only the second time I've seen it, but I liked it just as much as the first time I watched it. For some reason, that film warms my heart. I tried to figure out why that is, since I can't put myself in the position of either Bill Murray's or Scarlett Johansson's characters...but I certainly relate to aspects of both of them. It certainly made me want to visit Tokyo again. I wonder if I'll ever have the opportunity for that again. One other thing I noticed in watching this movie - during an arcade scene, Japanese versions of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band type video games...all from 5 years ago.

Oh...and as for my friend I was supposed to meet with to see the X-Files tonight, here is the text message I got from her verbatim: "So Sorry. Have to cancel. Have contagious skin infection on face."

Friday, August 01, 2008

TGIF! I'd like to say I have a ton of exciting things planned, but mostly, I need to take care of things I haven't had time to take care of in the past month. I do have a work party to go to on Sunday night to kick off the debut of the show I've been working on. The party will be at the home of the owners of our production company and everyone should be good and drunk, so maybe I'll have some interesting anecdotes once the weekend is over.

What does everyone else have planned?