Back in Business

Got back from our long-deserved Carnival cruise to Catalina and Ensenada last night. The weather for 90% of the trip was overcast, so we had to enjoy small pleasures wherever we could get them, including copious amounts of Boat Drinks. Oh, hell yeah.

Fortunately, I did win a $1 bet with Tracie that there would be a TV in our ship's room... and thank heavens, too—by the end of the trip, we were both getting bored to tears.

I'll be tied up for the next two weeks working as a Script Supervisor on a low-budget here in Sac starring C. Thomas Howell. This is generally thrilling news for me, since The Hitcher (starring a young Jennifer Jason Leigh, I might add), was one of my all-time favorite thrillers. In fact, It's not a stretch to say that particular film was seminal in stoking my passion for filmmaking so I can't wait to pull Howell aside and embarrass him profusely about that.

I mention the film because I'm usually so exhausted during shooting that I'll probably have to take a break from blogging. Still, I did want to post a few pics of our lovely week off in Oakland for Nancy's baby shower, our jaunt in Santa Barbara, and finally our cruise hijinx.

So here goes...

NANCY'S BABY SHOWER (Oakland)

Tracie did a bang-up job gathering decorations for the party. Here, I had just heard a loud >POP!< and had started to examine the bulb glass. Tracie seems to look surprised, too, because the missing glass shards appear to have vaporized.


Voila! Nancy at her throne!


Women just glow when you hand them a baby. My wife is no exception. (Notice how Anikan Skywalker is standing on that infant's head? Weird.)


"I'm trying to think of an adjective and a verb for the Mad Lib. Damn it, Susan, I can't think of one... just please don't use your Mom voice on me, okay?"


We weren't using Whose Line Is It, Anyway? as inspiration, but it sure looks like we're playing "Laying-Standing-Leaning", doesn't it?


"Anthony cried, 'Holy Kentucky!'" This was one of the best Mad Libs ever. I'll post it if someone sends it to me...


My view of the room during the Mad Lib.


Hey, what's this helmet? Cool... I already feel like Russell Crowe...


Babies who are about to be born, we salute you!


I love you guys. I can't believe you're going to be parents!!! Can we play Hearts with five people?



SANTA BARBARA

Santa Barbara was our only day of the trip almost completely sunny. But those clouds were rolling in...


I love this pic. It says something to me about Raphael's paintings and his use of perspective.


If you haven't ridden a tandem bike with someone you love—someone whom you have free reign to yell at for screwing up, but also someone you have to completely trust with your welfare—then you don't yet know what it's like to really be in love. Neither of us crashed the bike, but for both of us A types, it was a uneasy stretch to have total faith in each other's driving. Even so, we both agree this was the highlight of our trip!


AVALON, SANTA CATALINA, CA

Another highlight: golf carting in Catalina (which is part of California??? WTF???). It's a 1 hour trip around Avalon. Crazy stupid fun. Thumbs up, Tracie!


Luv ya, babe!


I love dressing up for Cruise dining. She looks so killer in red, don't she? Damn.


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....


ENSENADA, MEXICO

For when you just can't take Spongebob anymore, go buy a piñata of his likeness. Remember, Spongebob can take a good beating—he's a sponge.


Even the local jewelry is cool.


Tracie gets freaked out by these silly Mexican wrestling masks, even the most benign ones like this Hello Kitty mask. When I ask her why, she just shivers, mentions something about the gimp from Pulp Fiction, and says she doesn't want to talk about it. Thankfully for her, I didn't feel too much of an urge to buy one.


Dat's it. All in all, the hyper-solicitation and overall pollution in Mexico left me cold. Mexico was a hard place to visit for me because I felt I was constantly being ripped off. Maybe if I had journeyed outside of the big city to meet some genuine locals, it might have been different...

Either way, I'm glad to be back and can't wait to finish off my projects! Stay tuned for pics from the feature I'll be working on...