1.31.2003

Starbucks Everywhere
Wow.. somebody loves coffee more than I.
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I'm experimenting with a new photo site...
Click here to check Photographica.
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1.30.2003

tax return.
Well, I got my tax return sent off. Hopefully, the woman on the tax hotline gave me the right instructions. It's hard to know. And, if I'm called on anything... I have no way to track down the person who led me astray. Taxes suck.

springer show.
I just found out that my brother's wife is getting remarried. (i didn't even know their divorce was final.) she's marrying a guy who has another kid. (that will make 4 for them, combined) my brother is even more pissed at the ex than he was before. it was kind of a quick engagement. one good thing, I guess, is that they'll be living closer to my parents. so, i'll have easier access to my nieces and nephews. I won't have to drive out to the sticks anymore. but then there's a new awkward twist to this where i'll now have to deal with the new husband.


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1.29.2003

No War Sign Project
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tax time.
the deadline for filing my business tax return is drawing near. I'm a world-class procrastinator. Hopefully, I'll get it finished in time though.

yard work.
I was working in the yard yesterday, pulling weeds and stuff. And, I heard something rustling in the bushes about 4 feet away from me. I just assumed it was the stupid cat next door that always shits in my yard. But, it wasn't. I looked up and saw a huge-ass raccoon strolling along the back fence. Scared the shit out of me. I backed up a litte because I couldn't tell where he was heading. He ducked behind a tree, but I could still see and hear him moving around. So, I kept backing up. He's a big mother: must be 40 pounds. Biggest raccoon I've ever seen. (where's he eating such huge meals??) As I'm backing away, he climbs (slowly) up the tree. I guess my weed digging had disturbed his nap. And, he decided to get the hell out of there. I had seen him in the neighborhood before. But, never in my yard. I thought he stayed across the street. Let's hope we don't run into each other again.

state of the union.
It sucks. we know this. did anybody watch the "President" last night? I've heard his song and dance already. So, I had no interest in listening to him talk about how great things are; and give a pep rally for going to war. Nobody wants that anyway. And, I can't stand to hear him talk.. and stumble over words. It's embarassing.

upcoming show.
there will be another Re:start show at the Northwest work/lofts in March. I'll probably submit several things for that. the show will be on the 1st thursday and friday of the month.
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1.28.2003

The State of the Union Address Drinking Game
funny. I'd love to play. The only drawback is that I'd have to watch the State of Union Address.
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"President" Bush is on tv tonight. I'm sure he'll be giving his 'let's go to war, rah-rah' speech. So, here's what else is on. Plenty of better things to choose from:

Cops, Frasier, King of the Hill, Bob Villa, Roswell, SNL, E! True Hollywood story, ... the list goes on.

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1.27.2003

post office rant re-visited.
To recap a rant from earlier... the people at the post office have this idiotic rule that they won't take a credit card that's not signed ON BACK. I never sign mine (and you shouldn't either) because it makes it easier for someone to steal your card and then forge your signature. I have a citibank card.. which has my photo AND my signature ON THE FRONT. But, the post office WON'T accept the card. (side note: some post offices in Atlanta tell you about this rule, then accept your card anyway. [[side side note: if it's a debit card, you still have to know the PIN. So, that's safer than a fukkn signature.]] Seattle post office employees won't take cards that are unsigned on the back.)

So, I took my checkbook to the post office today since I knew they wouldn't take my (perfectly safe) photo credit card. I wrote a check for $30. And, they guy just stuck it in the register drawer without even blinking. He didn't ask for an i.d. He did nothing to verify that I'm the owner of the checking account. At the end of the transaction, I asked him "Don't you want to check my I.D.?" But, he waved me off and said "no, that's okay."

WTF!?!?!?!??!

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Super Sunday
I went over to John's place for a superbowl party yesterday. I threw 2 bucks into the pool we had going. But, I didn't win anything. A couple of people had a few too many hits off of the Bud Ice keg and were found wandering around outside after the game. (sounds like college, right?)

A bunch of idiots in Oakland couldn't handle the loss last night. So, they went out and flipped cars and set fires. Nice.

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1.25.2003

"That's a cut."
Well, I finished my final night of shooting (on "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer") last night. Or, I should say.. this morning. I got there at 11 a.m. on Friday. And, I didn't head home till 4 a.m. Saturday morning! It's amazing that we all made it that far.

We filmed lots of scenes yesterday. As opposed to the last time we worked, I think I'm actually on camera in a few of these new scenes. One of them was a party scene, filmed in the Grand Ballroom of "Rose Red". Along with a small orchestra and about 50 party guests, we (the butlers and maids) worked the room handing out drinks and hors d'ouvres.

Despite all the warnings from the casting office, many of my fellow extras kept bugging the lead actors and actresses. It was kind of embarassing. Some of the actors were really nice though. They would approach us and strike up a conversation while we were waiting to get started.

While we waited to film our scenes, they setup a table of muffins, pretzels, and coffee for us. We watched music videos and the Discovery channel in a little house, connected to Thornewood Castle. After our first scene, they took us back to "base camp" so we could change into new costumes for the ballroom/party scene. Actually, the butlers only had to put on their gloves. But, the maids had to change into new uniforms. There were about 50 or 60 other people waiting in extras holding when we returned - all decked out in vintage clothing. They lined us up and put plastic lobster bibs on us before we headed down to craft service for dinner; a pretty funny site. Dinner wasn't that great. But, at least it was vegetarian. (lasagna)

They finally loaded us all up and took us back to the castle for the party scene. But, it was another several hours before we actually got to shoot anything. While hanging out in the waiting area, we got to listen to the orchestra warm-up. (even though they weren't actually performing that night.) And one of the extras (who is a trained opera singer) gave an inpromptu performance for us.

I put some pictures on my web site. Check us out.

The "Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" will air on ABC some time in May. I heard that they're re-airing the 1st movie (Rose Red) soon. But, I don't know when. I wasn't able to find it on tvguide.com

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1.23.2003

serpicolugnut :: blog
My friend Ted's blog. He's a major Mac guru, great musician, and a pretty decent guy for a right-wing-whacko.
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1.22.2003

Seattle rules.
I just saved $397 on the purchase of a popular software package. A friend of mine, who works for this software company (which shall remain nameless), bought the suite for me at the company store. 50 bucks. How great is that?! 50 BUCKS!

I love Seattle.


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1.21.2003

random stuff:

I saw a way-cute chick at the cafe this morning. I know my excuse. But, I wonder what she was doing killing time and reading a book at a cafe at 10am on a Tuesday morning? Maybe she's on the dole too. Or maybe she's independently wealthy? My potential sugar-mama!

Speaking of which, there are always really attractive tellers at my bank. But, when even the slightest thought of asking them out pops into my head, I have to remind myself that these are the same women who deposit my unemployment check each week. Doh! I'm sure that's really sexy to them.

I'm working on the movie again this Friday. It will be the last time they use me, most likely. But, the scene should be more fun because we'll be inside! It's a party scene of some kind, I think. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer airs in May on ABC. Get the TiVo ready.

Tonight is the Spanish meetup. There are 8 people confirmed. Not sure if I'll go. They have not said how to find the "host." And, I think most of the people are native Spanish speakers. I'll be pretty lost.

On Sunday night, I hung out with a bunch of friends, including 3 chain-smoking French chicks. I smelled like a goddamn ashtray for about 48 hours after that. I couldn't wash the funk out of my body. And the stench still lingers on my coat. Luckily, I sat at the opposite end of the table from the frenchies. So, it could have been worse.

that is all.
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1.19.2003


If you're a Seattle area photographer,.. or you're interested in photography,.. come to the meetup!
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1.18.2003

Art by Phil Scroggs
I updated my site with some new paintings today. More are in the works!
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Last night, I watched this cool show on the Discovery Channel about the Nashville morgue. One of the bodies had $13 in his wallet. A very unlucky sum. I immediately checked the contents of my wallet. I still had the $20 bill that I got from the ATM. So, I'm making it a habit now: never keep $13. If you have exactly 13, give one away.. or get some more!

What's in your wallet?
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1.17.2003

Site plug.
Ok. I'm trying to get more people to visit my site and check out my work. If you're reading this, I want you to a) visit phillustrations.com and then b) tell 10 friends to do the same! Then they'll tell 10 friends. And so on. And so on. And so on...
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1.16.2003



Celebrity Mole


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Confession Time
I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I lied. It wasn't a blatant lie. Just a lie of omission. I was at the grocery store. The cashier was ringing up my order. And, she missed something. I bought 2 avocados, but she only keyed in 1. And, I saw it. I watched her hit "1" instead of "2", and I didn't say anything. I stood there and thought about what I should do. I even tried to imagine.. maybe she really knew what she was doing. Maybe they were on sale, and I didn't know it. Maybe 1 fell out of the bag, and I'm only going to end up with 1? Nope. Both were there. And, they weren't on sale. It's a $1.79 mistake. I stole $1.79 from Fred Meyer. Ok, so it's the cashier's fault. But, I should have let her know. Normally, I'm the kind of person who would immediately say something about this. But, lately... with my whole broke-ass situation, I've become somebody who just sits back and shuts up when somebody makes a financial mistake in my favor. I need every penny I can get. And, avacados are fucking expensive.

Not to mention tasty.

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1.14.2003

I went to the Bookcrossing meetup tonight. It was great; good turnout; lots of books to share. I've been to several of these meetups, and this was the best one. Best turnout; most productive; and it was well organized.

It's also a great place to promote my website. I gave out bookmarks with my URL on them. Hopefully, it will generate some traffic.
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1.13.2003

I got some pictures from our film shoot today. Here's the group of us (minus me) standing in front of Rose Red. First photo.
Here's a shot from our 2nd scene. We were in our nightclothes. And, have to run out in the rain and discover a dead body. 2nd photo.

I hope to get some more pictures the next time I'm there. I'd like one of me in my tux. Everybody there looked really great. A couple of the other butlers looked perfect. But, they weren't very good actors. One guy told the same story 6 times. I had to listen every time he told somebody new. Two of the maids also looked absolutely perfect/authentic. Like old school marms. Or like they just stepped out of "Remains of the Day."

Here's the site for the author of the movie: Ridley Pearson. He's keeping a diary of the film shoot. He was in the first scene with us on Thursday night. He played a butler.

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1.11.2003

I worked on the movie again last night. They needed us back to finish a scene from the previous night. A few other extras returned with me: 3 'maids' and one other 'butler.' Most of them had to run out into the 'rain' effect. But, I got to hang back under a covered area. It was a short night of work for us. But, I think we still get paid for a full day. It's only about $56. But, I get to right off the mileage for driving down to Tacoma.

I'm checking out some other acting sites to see if I can get some more extras work. It's a pretty good way to make extra cash. And, it's a fun way to learn more about the film business.

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1.10.2003

Last night, I worked on the movie set till 11:30pm. It was so freekin cold. My toes were numb for about 8 hours. It was pretty fun though. I think I was just outside of the camera's view for most of my shots. But, I guess we'll see when the final print hits the air. I played a butler. (one of 4) My work involved standing next to a Kleidsdale named "Bud." And then, of course, there was lots of waiting. I took a book to read, but couldn't really do much of that. It was too cold in the waiting area. And one of the other old butlers wanted to chat me up.

Click here to check out info and photos on the 1st film. (the one I wasn't in) ...
http://www.thornewoodcastle.com/movie.htm

They asked me to come back today to finish the rain scene. I hope that's the only one they'll need me for. I'd rather be hanging out with friends than shooting till late again.

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1.9.2003

I talked to CB a little today. She was at the counter, for once. [Woohoo!]
So, we chatted breifly. she asked for my i.d. when i paid with a credit card. then she kept repeating my name. (blown opportunity to ask for HERS!) though, I already know it. She was very clumsy; kept dropping things; so, I told her she needed more coffee. But, she had already had her triple-something or other. She says it wears off pretty quickly. Same time, next Thursday?

Today, I'm driving down to Tacoma to shoot my movie scene. I'm playing a butler in "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer." I'll be the guy in the background, who looks absolutely nothing like a butler. I have another shooting day around the 24th, I think. The movie probably won't come out till next year.

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1.8.2003

If you love coffee, Seattle is certainly the place you should live. In my neighborhood alone, there are about 10 coffee shops all within a few blocks of each other. You wouldn't think that the main street needed another cafe. But, sure enough... a new place just opened up. I'm going to go check it out this morning.

I love my job.

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1.5.2003

Check out my store. I added some new stuff! http://www.cafepress.com/bfdshirts/ - say what's really on your mind!
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Hi, Honor.


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1.3.2003

Stupid Rules
Yesterday, I tried to buy some stamps at the post office. But, the postal person wouldn't accept my credit card because it didn't "have a signature on back." Instead of signing my credit cards, I always write "CHECK I.D." so that the person will verify that the name on my credit card matches the name on my driver's license. Otherwise, somebody could steal my credit card and forge my signature! So, I put my AMEX away and handed her my VISA- which has both a photograph of me AND my signature, on the FRONT of the card. AGAIN, she gave it back and said that she couldn't take the card because there's no signature "ON THE BACK." WTF?! Have you ever heard of anything more asinine? I finally just ended up paying cash. Please write to the post office and tell them they need to change this ridiculous rule. They're only making it easier for thieves to steal credit cards; and they're making it difficult for us non-thieves to protect our credit!
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1.2.2003

GoVeg.com: Meat Free in 2-0-0-3
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sUGAr Bowl
The Georgia Bulldogs won the Sugar Bowl yesterday. I guess the year is off to a great start!

The rain is back. I had gotten used to clear, cool days in Atlanta. Now, I'm getting soaked on a regular basis. The nice thing about the rain in Seattle is that it makes you appreciate the sun that much more. When it does clear up, it will make for an even better day than if I were somewhere that it never rains.

I have a group art show in about a month. Time to get my paintings ready! I have to turn them in by Saturday. The theme is going to be "Card". I have one already that I want to use, and I have 2 other ideas for more submissions. One of them is going to be an acronym: "CARD: copious amounts of red dogs", the other is going to be on a hubcap: "CAR'd", as in- to have been struck by a car. ??
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1.1.2003

Happy New Year!
It's going to be a great year. I can feel it. As for resolutions, I haven't made any official ones. But, I have a few things I hope to accomplish this year...
I'd like to work on my house some more; perhaps finish painting the rooms which need paint.
I plan to become financially independent with my freelance work.
I plan to do a little travelling: Pawley's Island, New Jersey/New York, and Anapolis, MD.
That's about it.

They say that the way you spend new year's eve is the way you'll spend the rest of the year. If that's true, then I'm going to have a great year. I spent last night with friends. We all met at Mike's house for a little party; about 13 of us, all together.

My trip to Georgia was a lot of fun. But, it's good to be back. I got to see lots of people. (but, unfortunately- I didn't see Karole... who was in New Orleans with the family) I got to see lots of movies. And, I didn't have to spend too much time with my parents. As long as I spend time with them in small doses, then it goes fine. There was enough other stuff going on that made it fun.

Today, I'm having the traditional black-eyed peas, for lunch. This is a southern tradition, I think; and it's supposed to bring you good luck in the new year. The other thing you're supposed to eat is 'greens'. (turnip, or collard) But, I'm not a big fan of those things. I'll try some, just for the 'money luck' they're supposed to bring. Last year, Mark and Jen had me over for dinner. And, they made spinach instead of greens. A much better substitute, I think.

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