Sunday night – temporary summer

OK… now the secrets out so we can come clean. I’m in California this weekend to hang out with my friends from the Colony. The premier of the show is this Tuesday and we’re all nervous and excited. We all wanted to get together for the launch of the show.

Diane and I showed up here yesterday and our good freind Scott came and picked us up from LAX. We got to spend a day and a half with him and mary.. which was a great bonus for the trip  

Scott went with us to friend Gadget’s 50th birthday party last night. Gadget and his wife Scarlett live in a cool old warehouse (another warehouse ?!?) in LA. THey have a great group of freinds, artists, tecnical folks, burning man freaks.. all sorts.. WMany of our colony freinds were there.. and they did not knwo that we were plannign on being in LA. It was a winderful suprise !.. Here’s rogan and Gadget the birthday boy !

Scott enjoyed meeting these othe rfreinds of ours, too.

The theme was ‘down and out’ .. so we all came in down and out clothing. I simulated my clothes from the colony (all tan with a filthy apron).. Amy came as a 20’s girl..

Vlad and Edite were looking regal..

Joey and Alison looked sharp as mobsters.

Around 11, Scarlett lit 50 candels for Gadget..

The cake was a beautiful fire hazard.. we toasted gadget and he blew out the cake by rapidly spinning it around his body.. very nice.

the he and scarlett made a few funny statements.. then we jumped back in to the party

A few of us were leaning agains t a wall when we realized it wasn’t a wall at all. it was one of the props that Gadget had built as part of his show ‘make it big’.. we were leaning against the worlds largest toaster. This thing really worked.. it perfectly toasted a single 200 pound piece of bread !

We left gadgets about 1.. which was a few hours before it supposedly got crazy 

We went back to Scott and Marys and got a great night sleep. We woke this mornign .. took a longish run.. then came back and played with Scott and Mary’s cute dog Rilo.

Eventually we got it together and headed down to Venice beach.. What a trip.. the place was mobbed and hot.. but excellent for peolpe watching.. It was even just fun watching Mary and Scott !

around 4L30 we headed about a mile further down the beach to meet up with another friend, Laura who was playing volleyball.. We didn’t really want to play.. so we just walked on the beach.. here Diane and Mary pulled ahead for me to discuss the plot in the latest Harry Potter movie. I didn’t want to hear it since I’ve neither read the book nor seen the movie.

Around 6:30 it was time to head to Vlad’s. We transferred our bags to Mikael’s car.. then he took us on the scenic, less trafficked back-roads of LA to get to Vlad’s. It was fun riding with a native.. we even got some authentic road-rage !

We got to Vlads about 7:30.. It was very much as I imagined it.. it was full of all the things that vla d loves.: warm people, good food and hunting trophies : !

By abotu 10 all of the colony folks were there except morgan and leilani.. We missed them.. It was great to catch p with all the others !.. Here I am with Alison ..

.. and Amy…

And Johny wacko-jacko V.

.. and mike monkey man R.

and our wodnerful host, Vlad. it was great seeing Vlad surrounded with his family.. whcih he clearly loves.. and all of his fun stuff !.

Here ‘s Joey and Allison..

And George !

I can’t tell you all how nice it was to be back with the Colony crew. We all got so close in the making of the show.. they’re all such good friends to me now.. That friendship will get us through whatever comes next for the show.. (I hope !)

OK.. I’m falling asleep as I type.. Time to get soem sleep… night everyone.. nite Sam !
-me

Thrusday night – finally summer

It finally felt like summer for me today.. not sure why.. It was a  rainy day.. like so many others this summer.. but it was warmer and brighter I guess.. I worked at home  on the phone all day.. Not much time to stop and think.. still .. the day had a nice dreamy quality to it.

I knowcked off baout 6:30 ..we grilled and ate outside for the first time this summer. barbequed grilled homemade sietan (wheat gluten) . potatoes and homegrown snap peas.. yum !

The best part was desert !.. We walked over to our rasberry patch and stuffed ourselves with fresh red berries all plump from the rain..

Living here is pretty good…
Right folks ? right Sam ?
-me

The Colony – A Daring, New, Survival Experiment Begins 07.21.09 10EP *

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZFAHRkcI5c

Just saw this new commercial for the show

I like it !

Good day today..   Diane took both dogs to get hair cuts.. here’s a before..


… and an ‘after’ Satori looks like she’s half as big !

Work was fun today.. Had some out of town friends in which always makes things fun. I got home on the early side in time to see Avery and Morgan who’d come by for Yoga. Avery is just back from 4 weeks in Ghana.. she said it was awesome.

TOnight we had a great Burnign man meeting at David D’s house inBristol.. THere’s actually metal biegin cut. I cna actually see this thing coming togetther !.. Here are the large planetary gears that will make the carosel.

We also played wiht the scal e model to work out soem mechanical ideas.

Our secret weapon in building this thing is David’s water jet machine. it’s an amazing piece of technilogy.. it uses extrememly high pressure water (10,000 PSI.. squirted through a diamond nozzle) and fine garnet grit to cut through anything.. stell, grnaite, glass, foam, cloth, wood

Seriously.. anything !

David showed us some amazing things he’d made including his business cards that double as bottle openers..

and these cute tiny bicycles, 1/2 inch tall, that he cut out of stainless stell sheet.

I feel good about our progress.. we need to keep the momentum going..

Right now, my momentum is slowing.. gotta sleep. More tomorrow !
Nite all.. nite Sam !
-me