Well, dear readers, we had us a li’l ol’ earthquake here in California yesterday. I was sitting at this very computer when I felt it begin. The minute it started, I did my usual earthquake routine – I said, quite forcefully and loudly, “Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!” About ten seconds later the earthquake obeyed. It shook up the house, but nothing fell and even the paintings didn’t go too crooked. I’m told there were several aftershocks, but I didn’t feel them. As always, the news media got most of the facts wrong, and reported whatever they felt like and kept trying to make it seem a lot worse than it was. One reporter actually said, “Things are a mess from Tijuana to Las Vegas.” I hope they can her. Things were, in fact, not only not a mess, but surprisingly calm from almost everyone EXCEPT the news media. The worst reports I heard were two broken water pipes at two different locations – both quickly dealt with. They kept reporting that in the Inland Empire (I’m never quite certain what the HELL they mean by that) that some phone service was out and cell phone service, as well. Only, I don’t think any phone service or cell phone service was “out” – what it was was eight million people all trying to call each other at the same time. These news people had great fun interviewing teenagers, who made such pronouncements as, “This was the worst earthquake I’ve been through – it scared me.” Let’s face it, it’s the ONLY earthquake they’ve been through, as they would have been far too young to remember the 1994 earthquake, which happened in January. And faster than you can say guacamole, they were talking to scientists about “the big one” and when was it coming, and did this portend worse things to come. They were told no, but that didn’t stop them from the doom and gloom scenarios. They kept at it all day long and, I’m quite sure, well into the evening. So, while to them it was EARTHQUAKE: 2008! to the rest of us it more like okay we had a little earthquake. It was a 5.4 (not the 5.8 they reported erroneously) and I’m glad it was more a hiccup than a big thumping crazy earthquake. After it was over, I went out jogging and did not feel the earth move under my feet. I had a nice two-mile jog, after which I did some work on the computer, and made a couple of telephonic calls. I then had some lunch, did some more work and a few errands, and then I went to the mail place, where I picked up one hardcover and one softcover of a new book entitled Murder At The Grove by my very own self. It’s always a great moment of excitement handling the first printed copies of one’s own book, and I must say it looks quite lovely and I’m very pleased with the whole package. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a couple of episodes of Cannon. I must say, I’m not really enjoying it. I didn’t watch it when it originally aired – the writing is weak and a lot of the directors aren’t very interesting. It does have the usual array of early 70s guest stars, which is always fun. Cannon, according to the box, prowls the mean streets of Los Angeles, but the fact is that there are very few recognizable locations shots (certainly none in the first five episodes). But, in the final episode of disc two I struck pay dirt. There’s a motor court motel where one of the bad guys is holed up with a bad stomach wound. The first few times we see it, there are no establishing shots, just the interior of the room, which is obviously a set. But then towards the end of the show, Cannon follows a doctor there. First the doctor drives up – I knew instantly that I knew the street. Then, Cannon drives up and there was no question it was Ventura Blvd. I wasn’t quite sure where on Ventura Blvd. but I was pretty certain I recognized the buildings across from the motel. And then in the distance I saw the address numbers on the motel – 11939 and that told me exactly what I needed to know and I looked at the shot again and I knew just where it was. And where it was is about two minutes from my home environment, and right around the corner from CBS Radford, where the show was shot. The motor court motel isn’t there anymore. No, that little quarter of a block now houses a little strip mall that has three restaurants in it – including the one I’ve been eating at regularly the past couple of weeks, La La’s. And the view of the buildings across the street reveals that each and every building that was there in 1971 is there now, they’re just different things. And, if you look towards the end of that block, you can clearly see the corner where now stands the building where Varese Sarabande is located and where I worked for seven years. Back then it was just a one-story single business building. I just love seeing stuff like that, and after the show was finished, I drove over there and checked it all out from the same angle as the show – all basically the same, including the apartment buildings behind the store buildings. Interestingly, just a few short months before this particular show would have been shot, the Valley had had one of the worst earthquakes in the city’s history.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst hoping that I don’t feel the earth move under my feet.
Today, I really have no clew as to what the HELL is going on. I’m waiting to hear from some people. But, I’m now preparing for the upcoming staged reading of Druxy’s musical, planning on how I’m going to move people around and to keep it all interesting. We lost one of our ensemble girls, so I’m trying to replace her, and I have two choices for the last ensemble guy – one I’m supposed to meet this week, and the other would be really interesting – he has a conflict he’s trying to work out.
I do have some errands, including one annoying one, that I must do today, and I have to begin writing the notes for the new Kritzerland release, which I’d really like to have out in the next month or so. I can only say that the booklet will be a lot of fun.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, prepare for a staged reading, finalize the last two ensemble members and get them their musical material, do one annoying errand, and a couple of other non-annoying errands, jog, and find something fun and not too caloric to eat. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like, and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, and really, let’s not feel the earth move under our feet.