Stirred, not Shaken

Sometimes They Let Me Get in Front of the Camera

2010-08-27T02:01:09Z

For those who don't do the Facebook...

Here are a couple of scenes I'm in, from ALTITUDE FALLING. Released last month on DVD, it's set in the year 2029; I play an overworked government agent. For the full story, feel free to check out the whole film.

Update...

2010-08-26T01:02:40Z

For any who still read this here LJ.

In the process of getting a divorce. It's been amicable for the most part, but I'd be lying if I said there haven't been any significant bumps in the road. Moving into my own apartment in about a month. Grateful beyond words for the love and support of friends...

I'm still doing voice work, but keeping the boat afloat with a day job at a large State agency. (The one that gives you money if you suddenly get canned.)

I've been assimilated into the collective known as Facebook. (They've added my biological and cultural distinctiveness to their own...) If you're there and haven't connected with me yet, feel free to do just that.

I do miss LJ sometimes; I think I was a far better writer when I spent more time here. Alas.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry: R.I.P.

2008-12-19T03:20:25Z

Majel Barrett Roddenberry
1932 - 2008

From roddenberry.com:

Majel Barrett Roddenberry passed away this morning, December 18, 2008, at 12:27 AM in her Bel Air home. She died peacefully, in her sleep, and was surrounded by family and loved ones.

"My mother truly acknowledged and appreciated the fact that Star Trek fans played a vital role in keeping the Roddenberry dream alive for the past 42 years. It was her love for the fans, and their love in return, that kept her going for so long after my father passed away." - Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr.

Given her visibility as Nurse Chapel (on the original Star Trek series) and Lwaxana Troi (Star Trek: The Next Generation) It's likely that most people --- even those in Hollywood and the VO industry --- didn't necessarily consider Majel to be a voice actor. However, for decades, she also provided the voice for one of the most iconic characters in film and TV history: the starship Enterprise itself. For that reason, her contribution not only to the Trek franchise but to the whole of the entertainment world should be held in high esteem.

FNL pics, 10-30-08

2008-10-31T16:59:36Z

Mark your calendars.

Thirsty? Sucks to be you, then. Bwaaa ha ha ha ha.

You can tell that funds for the Dillon Independent School District go to football, and not the facilities.

Writer's Block: Tina Fey

2008-10-30T18:57:32Z

"Striking resemblance"?

As entertained as I've been by Fey's take on Caribou Barbie --- "Fancy pageant walkin' " is the funniest three-word phrase I've heard all year --- it's time for a little perspective. Pundits and others have practically professed to seeing double, but Tina Fey's facial features are nothing like the Governor's. Eyes, jawline, nose, lips --- all distinct from those of the target. Fey's impression is 10% about Palin's appearance, and 90% about her mannerisms, voice, and attitude.

Oh, and to answer the question: No. Fey's already buried the impression, demonstrating a clear knowledge of the law of diminishing returns.

Pics

2008-10-26T05:22:06Z

We've secretly replaced Mika's soda with her sister Sasha. Let's see if she notices.

Momma-cat lives downstairs. Meet her new litter.

FNL cheerleaders admire their handiwork.

At first the sky was like "Imma rain all over you fools", but then it punked out like a little beeyotch.

None of the women in my house appreciate football.

Finally arrived last week, after months of delay.

Unskew the Skew.

2008-10-23T15:08:16Z

(hat-tip to mediavixen )

PBS has an online poll posted asking if Sarah Palin is qualified. Apparently Republican Palin fans knew about this in advance and are flooding the voting with YES votes.

The poll will be reported on PBS and picked up by mainstream media. It can influence undecided voters in swing states.

Please do two things -- takes 20 seconds.

1) Click on link and vote yourself.
Here's the link:
http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

2) Then send this to every single Obama-Biden voter you know, and urge them to vote and pass it on.

New Babies.

2008-07-30T05:13:27Z

We has them.

Meet Sasha and Mika.

The first four pics were taken about a month ago by their original owner. By the time we picked them up today, they'd grown a bit.

I know, it was only last January I was saying we'd never get another cat. And yes, there's no overlooking that Sasha is very nearly a clone of Mindy. Carla had come around and telling me she wanted a new bebbeh. Since today (7/29) was her birthday, I managed to talk her in to two. (They've been stuck together like glue since birth, and the owner wouldn't adopt them out separately.)

Sissy is not a happy camper, but no fur has flown as of yet.

NostraDaveUs

2008-07-18T20:38:23Z

In light of recent events, I'd say my comic strip from this past March shows some foresight.

Spread the Word

2008-07-09T19:14:44Z

(Reposted. Feel free to post in your LJ and elsewhere.)

Hi, all you animal lovers.

This is pretty simple... The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes about 20 seconds to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

P.S. You can even sign up for a daily email reminder. I did, and it makes it much easier when you see it in front of you.

Austin Aztex 1 - 0 Mississippi Brilla

2008-07-07T05:28:22Z

To take my mind off of, um, recent professional setbacks, I took in the Austin Aztex' final regular-season home game on Sunday. Though they're the under-23 team --- the full-fledged version of the Aztex begins USL First Division play in 2009 --- they looked like a squad ready to take on any bona fide pro team that comes along. They probably didn't win the possession battle, but their attacks didn't break down as much as Brilla's did, and the first-half goal was executed flawlessly. A low cross just into the six-yard box, right to an Aztex boot ready to tap it home. The win secures a Mid South Division Championship; not bad for your first year, lads.

Just a couple of notes:

Folks? If you can afford eight bucks for a ticket and three to park, you can probably afford soap and deodorant. If it's a choice, go with the Right Guard and watch MLS games on TV. Please.
As much as I like seeing a favorite team win...if I never, ever, see another soccer match --- at any level --- played on an American football gridiron, it'll be too soon.

Less-than stellar sports photography at your service:

Ensemble Work

2008-05-06T00:19:14Z

My friend DB Cooper (voice talent extraordinaire, not the infamous skyjacker) put together this little clip as a lark, with a wee bit 'o yakking from yours truly.

(Other fine voice talents featured on this clip are Maureen Egan, Philip Banks, Connie Terwiliger, Jeff McNeal, Dylan Guptill, and Mary McKitrick.)

Trek

2008-04-24T22:56:53Z

Since setting up a MySpace page a few years ago, I've pretty much made it a home for VO networking. It's worked pretty well in that regard for me, and I'd like to think that those MySpacers who've come to me for VO advice have found it worthwhile.

I can't take all of that credit, however. A few months back, a gentleman named Chris Doohan left a comment on my page: "You have a great voice. I need to break into the voice-over biz, any suggestions?"

Given that Mr. Doohan is the son of the late, great James "Scotty" Doohan of Star Trek fame, I half-jokingly advised him that he had something of advantage in breaking into show business. Chris seems to have inherited his dad's good looks and upbeat personality, along with at least a fair measure of his talent, so I figured he could certainly make quick inroads if he wished. I then gave him some general information and wished him well.

Turns out I was right. It didn't take long for Chris to get his VO career going, and a more appropriate first gig I can't imagine: he'll be voicing various characters in a new animated Star Trek series produced by NEO f/x and Farragut Films. While it's not an official Paramount production, the series promises to be true to the style of the original animated adventures, and the voice cast is highlighted by Trek alums Tim Russ (Tuvok on Voyager) and Chase Masterson (Leeta on Deep Space Nine):

So, as I said, I can't take any real credit for Chris' gig. Still, I'm glad he thought highly enough of me to ask for some tips before getting underway.

More info on Starship Farragut, The Animated Episodes here:

NEO f/x and Farragut Films Journey to the Animated Frontier

Oh hai.

2008-04-16T15:20:35Z

Oh hai.
Originally uploaded by dhouston67

Mah baskit.

Too Clever for its Own Good?

2008-04-10T23:52:11Z

I came across these creative business cards recently:

Personally, I love it and wish I'd thought of it. On the proverbial other hand, I can see one of these cards being mistaken for a comb. (If you're a VO artist who moonlights as a stylist, then you're in luck.)

Friday Five (One Day Early)

2008-04-10T15:27:04Z

In Most Species, Faithfulness is a Fantasy

Woman Sues RIAA For Racketeering, Spying

Your Very Own Ceiling Cat

Woody Unbalance!

Weirdest Coffee Tables Ever

Cap Metro i-Ride Update

2008-04-07T23:27:47Z

Remember my post on Carla's Cap Metro i-Ride story? There's now only a short two weeks before the contest wraps, and some additional comments on her story page could help seal the deal. It looks like there's a video entry that's going to win the grand prize hands down, but she can still win her share of the booty with a little help...

Love on Lamar

I actually used to be pretty good at this.

2008-04-03T00:09:29Z

Feels good to dust off the guitar again, even if I'm still a little rusty...

Hope (mp3)

Make Them Stop.

2008-03-21T01:16:02Z

Larry "The Sledge" Rosen just won't die.

WOBH: PSA

2008-03-19T20:42:31Z

Bitstrips

2008-03-18T17:32:01Z

New online comic-strip creation tool. Taking it for a test drive. (Starring Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.)

Happy Green Beer and Pretending You're Irish Day.

2008-03-17T15:41:39Z

Put me in, skipper! I'm ready to smack it.

(The ball, that is. Ready to smack the ball.)

Audacious.

2008-02-09T03:51:53Z

I had intended to post, at some point soon, a number of reasons why I simply can't support Clinton in this presidential race; I may yet do so still. Happily, though, the inimitable cmpriest has given me permission to repost part of her visit to an Obama rally in Seattle today; kudos to Cherie for letting me start out on a more positive note.

An excerpt of her impressions:

He blew the arena away with his presence, his passion, and credibility. This is no naive n00b with an industrial set of rose-tinted glasses. This is not merely the Miley Cyrus of politics. This is a capable, competent leader who’s acutely aware that he’s standing at the foot of a very steep climb. This is a brilliant, intensely charismatic man — a natural-born orator and an intellectual; he is an idealist with a plan. When I arrived at this event, I was already convinced that he’d be my ballot all-star — and by the time I left, I was prepared to throw myself in front of a train for him.

I've been politically active to one degree or another since I reached voting age (which was back in the Age of Neon, Synthesizers and Shoulder Pads, thank you); Obama is the first candidate to whom I've ever donated as much as a red cent. That's right, I ponied up some dough. Not much, but it was legal tender all the same.

If you can inspire my jaded ass to open up my thin wallet, you must be on to something.

I have my niece to thank, in part; she was one of the chief organizers of his Kansas rally (pre-Super Tuesday), and her mom got to introduce him. (Not to be too get-offa-my-lawn, but part of me was just glad to see a twentysomething not campaigning for Ron Paul just for the unspoken promise of legal pot.)

Part of the reason I'm in Obama's camp has to do with a fundamental principle I touched on in my Ron Paul post; it's not enough to say that you're finally getting rid of W, and that anybody --- even the thoroughly-corrupt Hillary or the faux-moderate McCain --- would be a welcome relief. In other words: why merely choose a better option when the best option is right in front of you?

I'll save the rest for later, if I'm still compelled to talk about HRC. For now, I'll just enjoy this rare feeling of optimism.

Many Thanks to All of You...

2008-01-23T06:48:51Z

...for your kind thoughts. The 24 hours since she passed on have been significantly harder than I expected. There are those who simply don't understand how an animal can be so much more than just a "pet". This small creature has left a large hole, and I appreciate your helping to fill it.

I wrote the story with no edits, save the odd typo, almost immediately after returning home without her.

We have no plans to bring in another pet anytime soon, possibly not at all. I know full well that the joy she brought has a far greater shelf life than will our sadness, but right now it simply does hurt too much. Doing my best to take to heart another friend's words:

"She said hello. She stayed and had a good time. When the time was right she said goodbye. Life doesn't get any better than that.

If it hurts it means you're capable of love .... Knowing that is all you need to know."

A Story

2008-01-22T07:18:49Z

She'd been weaned too early from her mother. The people found themselves going to sleep and waking in the middle of the night to find a kitten's scratchy tongue nursing their necks and earlobes.

Realizing this was bothering her new people, she found a substitute in the crook of her front left leg. "Nursing" that spot would be her security blanket for the rest of her life.

After she was a little older, she'd roam around the courtyard lawn of the apartment, just outside the door. Chowing down on grass blades and chasing butterflies, the latter pursuit unsuccessful --- so far as the people knew. When she was done, the people didn't have to call her inside. The whomp on the outside door frame meant she had leapt there, a good five feet of a jump, and was hanging on waiting to be brought inside. This became so common that they only checked on her if they didn't hear the whomp after a while.

Time brought a change of apartments and a second cat (Maggie), neither of which she was pleased with. She made sure her air of disdain was registered, but she was never petty about it. (Almost never. Once in a while, she'd walk by a resting Maggie, stop, growl lightly, and give her a quick flurry of unclawed single-paw bops to the head...then mosey off as if she'd said her piece, thank you. Maggie, for her part, remained apathetically still.)

Her people yelled at her when she found she couldn't stop doing her business on a particular patch of carpet, but even as they kvetched, they acknowledged that it had only happened in the first place to let that stray outside know just who the hell lived here.

Yet a third feline interloper arrived some time later. A huffy attitude again was the princess' response, but no violence ensued. She continued to take solace, at every opportunity, in blissfully suckling her arm while lounging on her people. Store-bought planters of grass had replaced her courtyard, as the new home was surrounded by a concrete jungle unfit for the dainty. She'd become a homebody, and seemed content in that role. She thanked the people for these comforts by speaking to them in their language. Not the actual words, of course, as they were unimportant. Tone of voice, rhythm and melody were at the heart of how the people really spoke to one another, and she knew she had these things in spades.

Days and years passed, and the people imposed yet another change of venue on her. Not, however, before they'd allowed a dog --- a dog, for God's sake --- into the home. She gave this dimwitted beast a wide berth during her stay, a blessedly brief one. Maggie had not made the new trip, having shuffled off her coil; in adjusting to another move, at her advancing age, the princess barely seemed to notice her younger sister's absence. Here, at least, she had a patio high above the ground to enjoy. The people shared the patio with her as often as possible, and had the good sense to ooh and ahh at her beauty as she rolled around on the cool surface. For some reason, they were just as amused when she'd inadvertently leave her tongue sticking out from her lips after a big yawn. She'd reward them with love and attention. They're good to me, they deserve it, she'd decide.

One chilly day, all the doors to the house were open. A scent came from outside --- outside! --- and beckoned. She followed it, down the steps and out into the concrete jungle. By the time the scent's source had escaped, she realized she was not where she should be. She searched for home's scent, the smell of her people, but it was nowhere near. She walked, then ran, hoping her nose would catch some hint of home. Tired and frightened, she rested by a large concrete pillar. The swift, terrible roar of the speeding machines surrounded her. Finally, one of the people stepped out of a machine --- not her people, her nose knew --- and picked her up. She could tell he meant no harm, and she had little fight left in her even if he had.

She mewed when her familiar people somehow came to pick her up from the strange ones, so bewildered she'd forgotten how to speak their language. Days passed as she settled back into her comforts, and picked up the human tongue again quickly; but even as she spoke sweetly to them, she knew her adventure had taken more out of her than she could ever have back. Her body began to fail her, slowly but surely. The language won't tell them the truth, she thought. My time is coming soon, and I need you to help me get there.

She thanked them one last time, in their language, for a good life. They spoke back to her, voices fading, as she left.

Mindy

1997 - 2008