Friday, June 02, 2006

Arrghh

It is now ..as I said..insane. I have gained yet another evening of work. It is non-ending and with a busy summer like this, of course, I start it out getting slightly ill. Allergies. Doesn't help that I am yet again allergic to my cat. The same cat that tends to sleep on my face. This is not good. It's killing me and today I step on a plane. Arrgghh. So my head will explode I am sure..
Then I go listen to trashcans banging. lol... but ..when it all ends. A trip from my sponsor below...and to see my family. Hitting nearly all corners of the US.




On the road ! Orlando is the number one tourist destination in the world. Most of them stay in one of 100,000 hotel rooms and visit 7 major theme parks. The current population of Orlando is approximately 185,000 and the Metro-Orlando population is over 1,500,000. Orlando continues to be one of the fastest growing communities in Florida as well as the United States. Orlando is a great environment to enjoy your leasure time and raise a family. Central Florida offers a wide range of life styles for all ages. You can enjoy homes in the neighborhoods of Thorton Park, Lake Eola Heights, Lake Lawsona, Lake Cherokee, and Lake Copeland. Downtown is trendy with diversity of restaurants, retailers, discos, and bars all within walking distance. With close access to beautiful Lake Eola, you can enjoy festivals, outdoor concerts, or a gondola ride on the Lake. But why visit when you can live there ? Buyers Broker of Florida only and always represents the best interest of the homebuyer, never the seller. As full time Buyer Agents they understand contracts, house values, options, negotiations, 1031's, creative thinking, and will do their absolute best to negotiate the most favorable terms only for you the buyer. If you need a friendly partner who knows what they are doing, that you can trust all the time try Orlando Vacation Home Rental

Saturday, May 27, 2006

How cool is this....

Okay, so as predicted work has become insane, and it my not go as well as hoped.
The schedules should mesh, but the prep time isnt doing as well. The shows are great, but rehearsal isnt or rather wasn't planned. Overlapping schedules arent working in my favor and I hope it doesnt blow the whole deal..time will tell. I am however planning a great vacation at the end of summer in the lovely state of Maine. I just want to lay back a bit and unwind, cause right now, I'm getting pretty wound. Trying to remember to occassionally zen out and relax, but , it doesnt always work out...the trick ..actually the important thing to remember is, you have to.
So..I will. Or perhaps explode. ;-)

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Insanity.....

So, here is where it stands. Insanity. Pure and simple. I am in Pasadena, Texas. I am beating on trashcans with two guys, one is new to the group, one, not having worked with us for years. And, I am planning a trip to New York whil I am here to put the show in up there. I am in the midst of rehearsals for a show I have done before at Disney and awaiting news of what will happen to me in the show at Universal. I am also hosting a show two days a week on Citiwalk, and acquired a new job of columnist at a local paper. Not to mention running a weekly podcast for which I star in, write for and produce, I also gather the music for it. excuse me, my head just exploded. Att least I have some money...arrgghh

Thursday, May 11, 2006

And let the rain begin..cause it's already pouring !

Summer insanity begins. Ready ? Five days a week at lovely Disneyland, living in the enchanted forest with six other little men... On Friday and Saturday.. my days "off" ..I will be at Universal Studios talking about movies during the day...then at night, emceeing on citwalk ...My drum shows continue to tour, and a summer show at a NY theme park...How cool is that.. ? But the coolest news... Im officially... OFFICIALLY a journalist ! Tolucan Times has hired me as a photographer, with my own column...and... a man on the street column as well...
I am seriously stoked. Three months of total insanity !! YIPPEEEEE!!!

and now this.. :



I was thinking of sending roses to my mom. Mainly because when I ask she will always say, send roses . So I will, but mom, did ya know you can cook with flowers !
Sue Lawrence from Scotsman.com reminds us that for hundreds of years, petals and whole flowers have been used in the kitchen. The Romans added lavender to honey and used marigolds for their colour and flavour. I've seen recipes contain nasturtiums, borage and lavender. But before you just start cooking away, please, make sure that the flowers are unsprayed, then carefully expel any wildlife by giving them a good shake or a wipe with kitchen paper Probably the most versatile edible flower is the nasturtium. Shred its young leaves into salads or add them to sandwiches with cream cheese. Snip off the whole flowers from the stems and add them to vegetables, fish or pasta. Their pungent, peppery taste is also the perfect match for mild-tasting ingredients such as avocados. Scotherbs (www.scotherbs.co.uk) sells edible flowers as well as fresh pestos and salsas

Here's a great dish ! NASTURTIUM AND AVOCADO TAGLIATELLE . Serves four 350g dried tagliatelle olive oil 2 ripe avocados, peeled and stoned juice of 1 large lime 2 tbsp crème fraîche 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 20 nasturtium flowers Cook the tagliatelle and drain thoroughly. Pour in a good drizzle of olive oil, add some salt and pepper and toss through. While the pasta is cooking, chop the avocados and place in a food processor with the lime juice, crème fraîche and cayenne pepper. Blend well, then season to taste. While the pasta is still piping hot, toss the avocado mixture with the pasta. Add most of the flowers, reserving the best for a garnish, and toss the pasta again, until thoroughly mixed. Serve at once, sprinkling with the remaining nasturtiums. CARROT CAKE WITH THYME FLOWERS This is my adaptation of the famous carrot cake at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel. For the cake 4 large free-range eggs 400g golden caster sugar 175ml sunflower oil 250g self-raising flour, sifted 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 450g grated carrots (peeled weight) 90g chopped walnuts For the frosting 200g light cream cheese 50g butter, softened 3 tsp orange flower water 100g golden caster sugar handful of thyme flowers Whip the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy, then slowly add the oil (on low speed if using a mixer). Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of salt and the cinnamon, then fold in the carrot and nuts. Once combined, tip the mixture into a deep 24cm springform cake tin (buttered) and bake in a preheated oven (180¼C/350¼F/gas 4) for an hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes or so. Place the cake on a wire rack and release the sides of the tin. Leave it to cool completely before placing on a serving plate. Beat the cream cheese and butter together and then beat in the flower water and sugar. Once the mixture is smooth, spread it over the cake and decorate with thyme flowers.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Feeling claustrophobic....

So much happening, in a very small amount of time, and yet...still dealing with so little cash.
My drum team Repercussion... at trashcandrummers.com and trashcandrummers.blogspot.com are getting ready for our trip to Texas. So many of my drummers are busy this time of year, it got down to the wire...so I am sure that's gonna cost a pretty penny on air fair. I am meeting with a publisher next Wednesday, so I am putting my photo portfolio together, and that's interesting in and of itself. I have a drum show that is going to New York for the summer and, that plan is very odd, but I've decided to relax until the client makes his move, but we are almost suited up for that. I go into rehearsals for my summer gig in less than a week, and, just picked up another gig on my days off for the summer...so how is it I am broke ? lol... rains it pours... etc etc...

So... all my gear in my van and ready to go. Check this out :

I found a new van and truck accessories website. BuyAutoTruckAccessories.com. They sell Truck Racks . It's incredibly quick and easy. And if you know my life you know I have a lot of stuff I carry in my van. These guys are my new source for all of my needs. They've got SUV, van and truck accessories.Just give them your vehicle year, make and model and they do the rest! . They offer only the best quality products. They also offer great tips and safety suggestions throughout the site. They’ve truly assembled a site full of high-quality, professional-grade truck accessories from proven and reputable manufacturers and even have links to product specifications and installation instructions.

Which also reminds me : Those things that were originally used by the forestry and farming industries to mark trees and cattle are called Paintball Guns
. The early ones had poor range and mediocre accuracy and some had to be modified to prevent injury to humans. But they have evolved.Today they have greater speed, accuracy, and air efficiency and are lighter and smaller. Which of course led to tournament paintball, where having a gun that is easily maneuvered is very important. Which is how I found Zephyrpaintball.com . They've got low prices, great customer service and fast shipping and paintball guns from all the top manufacturers. and match competitors prices on all in stock.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Someone really needs to make some changes. On top of the usual gigs that I pull down, I occasionally become a substitute teacher. Yes. I teach children. Now, just in case certain people stumble across this site, I can't be too specific, but, holy cow, children in the district in which I sub are getting away with murder. Possibly literally. Disrespectful, loud, obnoxious. Now, I'm not talking your typical evil child stuff... cause Lord knows I gave my subs a hard time, but, I have literally had my life threatened. One girl today came back in the room after school and made movements that appeared to be an attempt to physically threaten me. She was in sixth grade ! And, she brought a friend. This is not the first time I have been approached in such a manner. I even had a KID tell me that the school was "ghetto." He explained that if they didn't like teachers or subs, they would "key" the cars, follow the teachers home, hurt them, kidnap them etc. The administration is even aware of the problem. You can watch the security patrol the halls and nail kids. I can't even go into how obvious it is that the have dealt with these kids before....

Mom .. Dad... teach your kids respect. It's not too late. Before the get hurt or due time... seriously, do SOMETHING. And, please tell them to leave the IPods and PSP's at home... yeah.. it's a little bit of a distraction.

And now this... I can tell the bad kids by using Fish finders and they should all buy me mothers day gifts because as a teacher, I'm quite a mother. But don't ask me ask an Orlando Realtor

Friday, March 31, 2006

Another day off.

The trouble with me taking a day off, is that it means, in about a week, almost exactly, I come up short in cash. My new fill job is driving me nuts as , well, it pays once a month. As a freelancer, I am usually paid almost immediately. I have signed a contract that pretty much excludes me from pursuing a lot of work right now, so that is maddening. On the plus side, I have signed a contract. When it rains it pours. My art is getting more interesting, as at least during my days off I am able to explore more opportunities with that. SO, that in itself is amusing. And, I continue to make money where I can. Trashcandrummers.com has been updated. Youregettingsleepy.com has not...so much.
But in typical april fools day fashion, I am considering wedding reception ideas . But, seriously don't forget Mom... send some Mothers Day Flowers
And so it goes.

-Mad

Friday, March 17, 2006

Another one.....

For those of you that know me, know that I love watching professional wrestling. I have a friend whose brother is a ref for them, I work at Universal where Ivory hails from and, I had the opportunity to meet several of them throughout my life. So, I am always kind of thrilled in a sort of childlike way..... when... I get to meet them and WORK with them. This Wednesday, was just such a day. Chris " The Masterpiece" Masters, and, Cover of Playboy this month, Candice Michelle. It was awesome. Though I have yet to receive any proof of me WITH them from my many photographer friends... I have pics I took of them myself. Both of them totally fun to work with, and apparently I came within inches of being placedin the Masterlock.... which no doubt ..would have killed me....

Tune into Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC... check your local listings for times....and watch these two superstars doing what they do best.


And now it's time for me to visit my Orlando Vacation Rental see ya there.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Another day....

What an amazingly interesting day. I have mentioned craigslist on this site before. I love it. I use it all the time. This morning I saw I had the opportunity to have dinner with a group of singles. So, I took the chance. Unfortunately, work went long and I still had the near midnight play to go too... so I tried to cancel out... and couldn't. Or, was strongly advised not to.. so I didn't.
So I had four shows in the morning... four long shows for very good audiences. Hoped in my car and floored it to Pasadena. I went to the singles get together. The Raymond Restaurant. Good food. Great atmosphere...and three single women... and ..supposedly three single men. ...Supposedly... I showed up on time. About ten minutes later..guy two appears... and... three lovely women. A great time. ( the women were there even before me... )
Dinner was rushed... but I had a great time... and ..who knows...
then I hoped back into my car off to the play...

its now 130 am... so I am not making much sense... maybe I'll edit this later...
back to work tomorrow...
sigh...
In the meantime.. check out ny lawyers about any new york personal injury

Friday, March 10, 2006

Oh yeah...then there is this....

Well, this posting is a little out of order, but, another blind date last night.
And here is the rub.. ( I'll avoid the obvious joke here )
She was an attractive girl. A smart girl. Able to handle conversation and humor. She was fun to be with and I am assuming she felt she had a good time with me. The problem ? Nothing. Nothing. No feeling. No zing. No over powering attraction. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes you sit there and say...no way. This was not one of those times. It was just nothing. So, back to match.com. And, I am starting to realize it is the same people. The same women have been there for a very long time. Any suggestions ? I am open to them. I am also open to blind dates if you are, or know someone. ;-)

I'll even date malpractice lawyers or even a bextra lawyer .
I'd even date a group of new york lawyers that deal with medical malpractice

Interesting morning...

I wish I could post a picture but alas, there were no cameras allowed in the annual stock holders meeting of the Disney Company. Yup, that's where I was at eight o'clock A.M., this morning. Yikes. Sitting next to one of the most insane women I have seen in public in quite sometime. And she had the odor of Beemans gum around her. Ya know ? That candy smell that smells a bit like wax lips. Very odd. But no where near as odd as her need to comment on EVERYTHING being said and shown. I made the mistake of clapping when Narnia flashed on screen. And the mention of Narnia two. She then assumed I had something "to do " with the film. In order to end the conversation I lied. I said I was involved in publicity. She let that go. Not unlike saying you sell life insurance. To tell her I applauded because I liked the movie and C.S. Lewis and his turn to Christianity, would have opened up a can of conversation I had no desire to deal with.
But, needless to say, the corporate steamroller that is known as Disney is revving up the engines and it looks like a good year for stock holders. You're either a part of the roller or a part of the road. And, now I am exhausted. I had little sleep last night. Early morning. Late night coming...and trying to decide if I want to be part of the Pasadena festivities known as Art Night. I'll do a part of it... but I've got a late play tonight to get thru....

And so it goes.

But as always remember if you try to steal gold bullion with Paintball Guns , you would be better off if you Buy Gold Bullion which you could afford if you are an accutane lawyer. or a bextra lawyers It makes more sense if you follow the links.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Ahh the excitement builds...

There is excitement brewing. The signing of a good summer contract and the hope of additional work at the same time is making me somewhat happy as the money will help. Right now a sort of financial drought... primarily due to the extortion I undergo as a member of the world's worst union on the planet... AGVA... seriously, a ridiculous reason to pay an absolutely pointless union...and I am being forced to have to be a member...
Anyone care to explain that ? And... if youre not a member of AGVA, it will be pointless...as pointless as the union itself. Some unions, I suppose have a reason... this one doesnt.
and so it goes,...
But hopefully after my windfall of cash this summer...truly hoping that happens...I will once again revive my practice as a hypnotherapist. All I need is to print up a few business cards and find Office Room Reception Chairs I'll let ya know as it happens.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Sub teaching.

I can't even begin to tell you how exciting my life has been lately. Non-stop. I wrapped a film this weekend. Did some pick up shots the other night, and now I've signed a few contracts for some upcoming gigs.
My union... or as I refer to them, the extortion group known as AGVA is of course completely pointless. Rats that they are , are asking for dues yet again and making sure I have a work stoppage until it is paid. If you would like to argue the fine points of union work, feel free, but until you know agva, please don't attempt trying to sing the praises of union work to me. I won't stand for it. Currently I am reading a lovely book the Linda Ellerbee and ..its autographed with a personal note to me... ahhh my high school crush is actually currently at a one degree seperation. Go figure. And so it goes....

hey, ya know I actually make money with this blog, I really do... and if you are curious about how you can make money blogging you should follow the link. It's pretty cool.

Oh yeah, and in regards to the title... subteaching. Another joyous way to make cash. It's like sticking a sharp stick in your eye, without all the props. But hey, if there is no other money coming in on a day, why not? And, so far, no casualties. Which is a good thing.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Another posting


So it begins again. A contract to perform at Disney again.... a bit down the road. But, a gig. It's been slow going lately, but a lot of possibilities.
I just wrapped a movie for Project 168.. a great short entitled The Promotion...
a fun role.. a great shoot... and so it goes....
speaking of which... a special shout out to Linda Ellerbee and a thank you for the book.
Awesome...

and... Im posting the picture because it is the greatest game on earth...
took me 32 years to finally get it... but I did...

Friday, February 17, 2006

Self Destructive.

Okay, so twice within the last month or so, I have caused the downfall of potential relationships. And, I am a slow learner. However, this time, I think it will stick.
Here is the basic information. I am attracted to an unusual kind of woman. I can't even put my finger on what it is that attracts me to them... actually technically speaking I probably shouldn't put any part of me against what attracts me to them. But, in all seriousness, I don't know for sure what it is that draws me. But, I do know it is rare to find. Here is what I look for : Shorter than me. That's a given. They have to be under five foot six. Secondly, I am very drawn to red-heads, but the last two have been blondes. I love intelligence, and a sense of humor. Both of which the ex-wife seemed to lack oddly enough. But, there is something. That undefineable "X" factor.
Well, I don't date often, but the last two women, both had the "x" factor and I was almost immediately attracted to them.

The problem is, when I am attracted, I know that the " breed " is rare, and I get carried away quickly.

The problem in both situations is too quick to kiss. Or, perhaps even kissing to passionately way too soon. Usually mid-kiss I realize I've done it. Well, okay, the first of these two women, I wasn't given such self awareness noting. Because, it was a mutual kiss. However, the latter of the two blondes caused every alarm in my head to go off. But...and this is a big but... ( which she didn't have ) She initiated the kiss. Yes, she leaned in. But, I got carried away. Yet again. I even knew it after the fact. Granted, not during, but after the fact I realized I had done it again. But, here is the problem. I got too concerned. RATS. I knew she was an unusual type. I was attracted to her and I got carried away, and when I tried to correct the situation, she shut down. Or so I thought. Note: Don't make repeated attempts to contact someone and assume they are ignoring you. It could be they are too busy to get back to you and each email, phone call, or text comes across as pure panic. Which, granted it was, but it was also a mere reaction to... the email I recieved from her the following morning. Yes, she didn't respond to the late night call, but I did get an email in the morning basically saying, we didn't have mutual senses in regards to affection. Which basically meant to me, I kissed to quickly. ( Or perhaps badly, I havent ruled that out. ) But either way, she essentially ended a potential relationship via email, and I went a little nutz. Okay, maybe a little more than " a little". But, in my defense, I hate it when I get dumped via email with an excuse that is incorrect. She assumed I enjoyed always making out in a parking lot, and that couldn't be further from the truth. But, she sent an email saying she didn't really see a need to see me again, and I over-reacted. A little. Well, in my opinion. Then, voila. I looked like a complete ass. Hard to recover from that. BUT, this time taught me. Yes, this time. Next time, if I find one with the "X" factor again. I will keep my mouth shut in many, many ways. It's time to learn the game of hard to get. I hate games, but I have become painfully aware of the fact that, the game is expected. And, in the same way the ex left me 20 grand in debt, sometimes ya just have to learn and move on. Sad but true. And Michelle and Liz, if you read this, I's still sorry and ... well... thanks for the lesson. Sorry for the faux pas. Oh well....


MadH

New things underway...

Pretty exciting things underway. Universal is in the middle of evaluations for it's performers. A group of suits telling us how we do. Mine was pretty painless, but I thought the same thing last time and suddenly became essentially unemployed, so we shall see... but I am feeling pretty positive. Disney has contacted me again about being a dwarf in their summer remount of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. My schedule is pretty insane this summer so I don't know if they will be able to make the schedule work, but I certainly hope so.
And, my drum team RePercussion at trashcandrummers.com is taking off... new shows new money, new drummers, same bat channel, same bat time.



Thursday, January 26, 2006

Trying to get a real gig....

Okay, so today, Im sitting at home, trying to get stuff underway. 14 days on the road right at the beginning of the year was nice, but I feel like I am two months behind. Im in rehearsal for a play...I've taped a commercial and had half a dozen auditions. Theme park shows are picking back up. Photography is picking up and the drum show as well. Only insects specialize and right now, I kind of wish I was one. Too many irons in the fire and all of them are too warm to pull a few out. But, who knows which one will get the hottest. I'm having a blast, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to really settle into one. One big one. One seriously assume huge one. Then everything else would fall into place. The one man show. The books. The pictures.
Until then. Just keep doing what I do I guess.

Been on the road..

I'm finally back. Dealing with jet lag. Odd hours. Lots of catching up to do.
I was performing with RePercussion. And now we are setting up our new website.
Trashcandrummers.com. Things are really happening with a very simple show.
We also have a competitor that has basically stolen our show. Well, bits and pieces anyway. They are also approaching all of our past performance spaces and under bidding us and trying to get all of our shows. It's kind of amusing actually. Competition is good, so that is fine, and this guy and band is really amusing. He is trying to take good clients away from us... and they are telling me all about it. Im running into drummers he has used and they are telling me about him and the show. It would be nice if he could find his own niche and maybe someday he will, but until then... I just keep playing and hearing about the "other guy" and... " who is he...?"
Someday he may replace us... but until then... maybe he can check out our new site and find out the gigs he can try to get next year. Until then, if you want to see our band... go to the site mentioned above...if you want to see his band... ask yourself why ... lol

and now for a brief mention from the sponsors of the Beach Report...

Since it's right around the corner, here is where to go to get
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Sunday, January 01, 2006

A Great YEAR UNDERWAY !!!!



From our view....



HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

What an awesome start to a great new year. Citiwalk had Laura ( I won't disclose her last name in case she would rather not be associated with me.. ;-) ) and I host the countdown and the crowd was amazing. The feeling was amazing and I hope people enjoyed the show.
As I sit here and type at this very moment the rain is falling and the crowds are gathering a few hundred feet from my door to see the Rose Parade. Odd to see it on the second, and so moist... but it's a parade!!



A great sponsor once told me :
You can wear gold jewelry , or watch silver prices
and see what happens, but be careful, because there is nothing worse than a
New York personal injury or a junkyard dog.