Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Awesome Dragon is Awesome

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Hike to Nazi Mountain Hideout in LA

Update December 8, 2013: Did some more research on the abandoned nazi compound in Los Angeles and took another trip there.

Hiked to the old nazi hideout in the mountains of LA with some friends. In Rustic Canyon, it has also been known as Murphy Ranch, named for a possibly fictitious widow who first bought it.

In the 1930s a couple built the mountain compound from which they planned to emerge after Europe fell to the nazis and seize control of the US (which they imagined would have fallen into chaos). After Pearl Harbor the FBI is said to have hauled away the nazi sympathizers, and after later briefly being an artists colony, it has been abandoned.

The $4 million spent to build it in the 1930s may be equal to more than $60 million in 2011 money. Good setting for a movie and there's more exploration to do. Some pictures are below.

view of the Pacific from the trail (click to enlarge):
Ocean view

panorama of stable on the first floor of the barn (click to enlarge):

panorama of loft on the second floor of the barn (click to enlarge):
panorama of barn second floor

panorama outside of generator building (click to enlarge):
panorama outside the generator building

panorama of inside of generator building, dark (click to enlarge):
panorama of inside of nazi hideout generator building

panorama of inside of generator building, light (click to enlarge):
panorama of interior of nazi hideout generator building

panorama on the roof of the generator building (click to enlarge):
nazi generator building roof panorama

the gate of the compound (click to enlarge):
gate of compound

view toward the Pacific from near the gate (click to enlarge):
view from near the Gate toward the Pacific Ocean

view of the ocean again from the trail (click to enlarge):
Pacific ocean view from Sullivan Fire Road

Friday, May 27, 2011

Racecar Driving Physics

What it takes to race cars.

Hold On

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth. 
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself. 
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here. 
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go. 
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.

-Pueblo Blessing

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Ad: Working Problems

Sponsored post:
Maybe it was a dangling participle in the employee manual, or a split infinitive on a break room bulletin board, but you may need Workers Compensation Lawyer Torrance if the grammar or usage at work is gumming you up. But seriously, sometimes bad things happen at work, and there is no reason for the employee to be left holding the bag alone. We can work for decades, trying to provide for ourselves, and our families, and sometimes the plans for the future fall though. There isn't always anything that can be done to prevent that. However, if like me you're looking forward to using your social security to buy a single movie ticket in your golden years, and if someone or something threatens that, and you happen to living in Long Beach, maybe you can contact a Social Security Attorney Long Beach and overlook the missing preposition in their ad that I'm writing right now.

Netflix is Bigger than BitTorrent

Netflix has overtaken BitTorrent when traffic is averaged over 24 hours...the data show that people are increasingly more interested in streaming legitimate paid content than pirating it if the price is right and the delivery is convenient

(from PCWorld). May mean legitimate video streaming is using more bandwidth than not-always-legitimate-streaming. When iTunes was launched years ago it may similarly have begun to catch up to illegal music downloading's use of resources.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Now

Missing Unicorn

I have not heard from my unicorn, Sam, in a few days. If you see him, please let me know he's ok. Thank you for your help in finding him (click to enlarge picture).

missing unicorn poster

Please download the printable PDF of this poster and post it in your area. Thank you.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Ocean and Land

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Ad: Bloody Basin

Sponsored post:
Arizona, purple mountains majesty, deserts, cacti and some nice people. Actually, as an adult most of the time I've spent in Arizona was at the airport. But somewhere in that state there is a street called "Bloody Basin" which is probably great around Halloween, but may have gotten its name from something that would require a Criminal Defense Attorney Scottsdale, assuming it is somewhere near Scottsdale. I'm not sure, and not curious enough to look it up. Could be the name was chosen as a kind of caution, a warning to keep ne'er-do-wells away, and may be very peaceful. Or it was named before Arizona was a state, and maybe there was no law enforcement. Or it was Halloween and the name stuck. If you crash your car on "Bloody Basin" and hire a DUI Attorney Scottsdale (again assuming the road is near Scottsdale, and discounting the awkward grammar), I wonder if they'd use "your honor, my client was distracted by the awesome name of the street on the street sign" as a defense. I imagine that while the judge may be amused, it likely wouldn't be a great tactic.
Mathers Law Offices, LLC, 7150 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, (480) 789-0118

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

LAX

The Encounter restaurant and bar at Los Angeles International Airport.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Million Dollar Theatre Actor

Actor statue on the outside of the Million Dollar Theatre in LA
Actor statue detail on the outside of the Million Dollar Theatre

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Yummy

Chocolate fondue strawberry and marshmallows.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sunset at Red Rock Canyon

Friday, May 6, 2011

Alligator

Real, or was it memorex.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Art - no parking sign for movie location

movie location temporary no parking sign from the City of Chicago
Finally hung this no parking sign up. It's from a set I worked on, one of my first lead roles.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Different Likes

Image of a Facebook newsfeed item saying someone 'likes Heal, Relax, Revitalize and Joint Special Operations Command.'
Contrasting taste (Joint Special Operations Command oversees military operations, like the locating of Osama bin Laden).