Yeah, I’m That Nerdy

Make no mistake, nerdiness this deep doesn’t happen overnight. I was nerdy from the cradle. This will never change.

If you’re part of the late night crew on Facebook you might already know this story. I have an old laptop. It is for playing… for hacking. It is where code is written and experiments are performed. Instead of Windows this computer runs Linux.

Linux is an operating system, Think language, like English or Italian. Ideas are expressed in similar fashion in all languages though the words are pronounced differently. Same with operating systems.

I’ve loaded different flavors of Linux dozens of times on old hardware. Because the underlying code used in Linux is Open Source people can freely modify it and redistribute it at will. Anyone is allowed to make a Linux distribution!

The install never goes 100%. Last night was no exception.

I was attempting to install Mint which is based on Ubuntu which is based on Debian. Don’t ask me to explain the last sentence.

The Mint install was flawed. It couldn’t activate the wireless (802.11g) function on this laptop. Royal pain.

Meanwhile, while trying to get everything straightened out I realized how little I liked Mint’s look.

Ciao Mint.

I downloaded a Xubuntu distribution, burned a CD and installed it.

Perfect!

Xubuntu is “Ubuntu light.” It uses a different graphical system meant for less powerful machines. It loaded the first time. I’m using it to compose this entry.

On my right is a new wireless router. It is 802.11n capable. Newer pieces of hardware also use that protocol.

I found it at Newegg for $19.99 including shipping. Tough to resist.

Before I install it I will “flash” it with new firmware, Open Source router code called DD-WRT. DD-WRT is often discussed and referenced on the Geek boards.

What does it do better than the stock firmware? No clue. Will learn.

Make no mistake, nerdiness this deep doesn’t happen overnight. I was nerdy from the cradle. This will never change.

Malibu Colony Panorama

They are squeezed in cheek-to-jowl so close you can paint your neighbor’s kitchen from your own! They are as valuable as gold. The list of owners is star studded.

Just north of Cross Creek State Park in California lies the Malibu Colony. It’s a string of homes right on the Pacific Ocean. They are squeezed in cheek-to-jowl so close you can paint your neighbor’s kitchen from your own! They are as valuable as gold. The list of owners is star studded.

On the afternoon I visited two of the first four homes had been gutted to the studs. Rebuilding a home is the norm not the exception here.

If money were no object I’d love to live here on this beautiful stretch of beach.

(Click the photo to get a larger view)

Flying Home: This Is Your Passenger Speaking

Every time we visit California it becomes more difficult to go home. We really like it here a lot in spite of the horrific traffic problems. Alas, the lifestyle we find appealing here is way out of our price range and only affordable in short chunks on vacation.

We passed through 10,000 feet. Out came the laptop. This blog post is being written from the sky. Southwest Flight 1727 is enroute from Chicago Midway to Bradley International. The ride is bumpy as we ascend. The flight attendants are snugly buckled in. Captain’s orders.

There was a tornado watch in effect at Bradley as we took off. It will have expired before wheels down. No mention made.

I’m on my way back to Connecticut after a week under the palm trees and sunshine of California. I came with Helaine, but she’s staying an extra few days to take care of loose ends.

Wearing a light loosely fitting long sleeve shirt was a mistake. It was enough to get me frisked.

“Go ahead, do what you need to do,” I said, cutting off the TSA agent as he began to explain what he wanted. I just wanted to get it over with.

Memo to TSA: Are you really worried about a middle aged terrorist on the return leg of a round trip ticket which has a plane change? I suspect most terrorists are on non-stops.

My flight is leaving from Southwest’s Gate 2 at LAX. This box of a room is by itself and removed from the general flow of traffic. It is the gate time forgot. There is no decoration nor any hint of warmth. It harkens back to the PEOPLExpress days.

A woman waited to board with two little dogs in a single underseat carrier. They barked incessantly in the waiting room. On the plane too!

With some notable exceptions (though not notable in this space) this trip was a terrific time. We did nearly everything we wanted to do and spent lots of time with Stef including her third annual 21st birthday! I got to see most, though sadly not all, of my friends.

Every time we visit California it becomes more difficult to go home. We really like it here a lot in spite of the horrific traffic problems. Alas, the lifestyle we find appealing here is way out of our price range and only affordable in short chunks on vacation.

I didn’t watch a lot of local TV, but enough to disapprove of a few local weather people. One former stud now looks like he could play the title role in The Wizard of Oz! Age is cruel.

I am a real fan of Steve Edwards who plays the “dad” on Good Day LA. He’s been there a long time and is exceptionally good at being the traffic cop that show needs. I’m curious how GDLA does in the ratings?

The radio was on a lot this trip. One midday jock first heard by me over 40 years ago sounded like he was going through the motions. That’s a shame. Charlie Tuna on KRTH this morning sounded tracked and not live. That’s a shame too though not unexpected on a Saturday.

Though Helaine bought our GPS from home we never used it. I’ve become hooked on the Gokivo app for the iPhone. Not only does it give tutrn-by-turn directions it also warns of traffic and will route you around it (where possible)! It usually had a little trouble when first enabled, but quickly picked the right route as soon as we were rolling.

I used the 30 day free trial. Sorry Gokivo. I won’t be subscribing (there is a monthly fee). Back in the Northeast I don’t usually need directions. I’d buy your service a month at a time if that’s available for my next vacation.

My suction mount on the windshield to keep the iPhone in view worked well. On the plane it allowed me to easily watch movies without having to hold the phone. Where electricity was available the iPhone was always plugged in. I had charger plugs for regular AC and the cigarette lighter in the car. IPhones gulp battery power at a ferocious rate.

There were a few unusual events during the trip. At Denver Internatonal while waiting to change planes a woman walked up to Helaine who was sitting next to me and asked her if I was me. I was six inches away! Do I seem that unapproachable? Did she think I couldn’t hear?

Don’t get me wrong, she was sweet and I was flattered–but why not just ask me?

Yesterday, while walking back from the men’s room at Las Brisas a restaurant employee stopped me and asked, “Are you Geoff?” When I said yes he told me to follow him. Something didn’t seem right so I lightly protested, but he insisted.

Finally, as we approached a strange table he pointed to a woman confidently. It wasn’t my table nor my wife. Wrong Geoff! That has never happened to me before.

Earlier in the week while Ross Ching and I sat outside chatting by the fire pit at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Westwood a man around my age sitting nearby pulled out a joint and lit it up. Then he looked at Ross, frowned, muttered something about moving away and retreated to get stoned in the parking lot.

You don’t see that a lot in Connecticut. On the other hand we don’t have medical marijuana dispencaries or a proposition decriminalizing marijuana on the ballot as they do in California. Golden State or Toasted State? A California cousin makes a very good argument the proposition, if passed, won’t bring anywhere near the tax revenue anticipated. He makes some very good points.

I’ll double check my photos and post anything interesting I left out over the next few days. Heaven knows there were too many clicks from “Clicky.” The folder with the pictures from the trip is over 18Gb!

Another half hour and we’ll be on the ground at BDL.

Laguna Beach In The Gloom

Long before LC, Heidi and Spencer Helaine and I fell in love with Laguna Beach. Depending on traffic it’s anywhere from an hour to a week’s drive down the coast.

Long before LC, Heidi and Spencer Helaine and I fell in love with Laguna Beach. Depending on traffic it’s anywhere from an hour to a week’s drive down the coast. Before reality TV set in Laguna Beach had been known for its artist’s colony and yearly Pageant of the Masters.

Ninety minutes of “living pictures” – incredibly faithful art re-creations of classical and contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces.

Laguna’s crescent shaped beach is across the street from downtown. The beach is flanked by volleyball and basketball courts. It’s very family friendly.

A few hundred yards up the beach, atop a cliff overlooking the water, is Las Brisas. We went there first for lunch and to take advantage of their (not free) parking.

Helaine, Stef and her friend Jenna set out to walk the little shops of downtown while I went searching for photos. It would have been nicer bathed in sun, but this is the California period of “June Gloom,” low hanging clouds courtesy of a moist layer a thousand or so feet off the ground. Often we could look inland and see the sun was shining–just not at the beach!

As with much of Southern California this is a VERY dog friendly community which explains Shamus (restaurant) and Sonny (pickup truck).

Stef’s Birthday

“Twenty one is a cute age,” says Stef. She was 21 when she was 19. She was 21 at 21. She is 21 today. It makes life simpler and cuter.

Yesterday was Stef’s birthday. That’s the reason for our trip and the focus of yesterday’s event including our drive to Malibu. She was 23. However, if you ask she will tell you she’s 21.

“Twenty one is a cute age,” says Stef. She was 21 when she was 19. She was 21 at 21. She is 21 today. It makes life simpler and cuter.

I’m less hip and happening than I’d like, but I do know (at least here in SoCal) birthday cake is out. Birthday cupcakes are in!

Helaine ordered Stef’s before leaving Connecticut. We got them from two separate cupcakeries: Sprinkles in Beverly Hills and Unicorn Magic Bakery (actually in a private home) on the far opposite side of town! The cupcakes from both places were very good but the icing was amazing. I think there are a few left.

Dinner last night was at “The Ivy” on North Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles. We’ve been going there for around ten years since my former agent suggested it.

We’ve seen it get hot, become a celebrity and hangout and then mature. Stef, who knows this stuff, says it’s not the celebrity magnet it once was. Our biggest get was Marcus Schenkenberg (there with a willowy blond woman)… which is not really a get&#185.

The Ivy was only half full last night, probably because the Lakers NBA playoff game conflicted.

We sat outside surrounded by ivy covered walls and an ivy covered trellis. Propane heaters were scattered about eliminating any sign of nighttime chill.

As opposed to most trendy chi chi restaurants The Ivy has large portions. I had the lasagna which was very good and preceded by the best, hottest sourdough roll I’ve ever eaten. The five of us shared a single symbolic piece of cake. Coffee is served in a cup the size of a small hot tub!

Before dinner everyone at the table ordered drinks. The waiter looked at Stef and asked if she was 21? “It’s her 23rd birthday today,” someone said. In Los Angeles that was proof enough.

Normally I’d sprinkle some Ivy photos here. In deference to the restaurant’s aura and so not to embarrass my child Clicky stayed in the hotel room. Maybe I should have brought a courtroom sketch artist?

&#185 – Celeb tally for this trip: none for me. Stef and Helaine bowled next to Ray Romano and saw Brian Grazer at Cross Creek yesterday afternoon. They say he looked like a man wanting to be noticed.

Shooting The Surfers in Malibu

I crossed the PCH and set up shop on the beach at Cross Creek State Park. A few dozen surfers were catching the waves.

Today is Stef’s birthday! Let the celebration begin. We started by heading to Malibu for lunch at Neptune’s Net (actually just north of the line in Ventura County). Then we headed south to Cross Creek for Stef/Helaine/Jenna shopping and Geoff shooting!

I crossed the PCH and set up shop on the beach at Cross Creek State Park. A few dozen surfers were catching the waves.

I was surprised by their ages. I think of surfers as teens and twenty somethings. These were mainly grown-ups, guys in their 30s, 40s and even 50s!

Here are some of my better shots.

What Is Wrong With This Photo?

The clouds were beautifully red in the fading SoCal sun. Maybe it’s pollution at work or the dust from a distant volcano? I choose to bury my head in the sand and just accept it as is.

Helaine and I took a little walk after dinner. The temperature was around 70&#176. Humidity was a no show. We went to Fry’s which is down the block from our hotel. Helaine is to Fry’s as Geoff is to the mall.

As we walked out the door I looked up, pointed and shot.

The clouds were beautifully red in the fading SoCal sun. Maybe it’s pollution at work or the dust from a distant volcano? I choose to bury my head in the sand and just accept it as is.

What is wrong with this photo? Nothing.

The Guy From 2nd Grade: Lunch On The Fox Lot

He took me to lunch in the executive dining room on the Fox lot in Century City. Fox is nowhere near Hollywood, but this movie and TV factory is what people think about when they think Hollywood.

I had lunch with a friend from grade school today. He is Preston Beckman and he is in charge of scheduling at Fox. The job really goes beyond a simple description, but that’s a good start.

Preston and I first met in 1957 back at PS 163Q. He was smart and intense back then. No change there. He was tall and thin.

He and I are in the same business but in a very tenuous way. His is the side of the business people are really interested in. He’s involved with American Idol, Glee, 24 and every other show on Fox. He’s got the good gossip–none of which I’ll reveal here.

Preston deals in a business of high stakes and short careers. Luckily (or maybe skillfully) he and I can both laugh at the number of bosses we’ve worked for over the years.

He took me to lunch in the executive dining room on the Fox lot in Century City. Fox is nowhere near Hollywood, but this movie and TV factory is what people think about when they think Hollywood.

I’m not sure how much is done on the lot’s massive sound stages anymore. It’s often cheaper to shoot elsewhere. Still as I walked out from the garage there was an urban neighborhood with streets and stores. It was unused today.

I wish I could explain it, but there’s enough energy you can feel it as you walk through this place. Creative people, or at least people who think they’re creative, walk the paths talking up ideas and plotting minor coups.

The stories behind TV can be as interesting as those on it.

Los Angeles Nighttime Drive Time Lapse

Earlier I wrote about technical expertise and planning in time lapse. Not this. This is just a gimmick.

After writing about Ross Ching maybe this isn’t what I should post. It’s a time lapse movie of my drive from Westwood to Woodland Hills recorded by my iPhone in a window mount. I used the ReelMemories app to click the shutter.

Earlier I wrote about technical expertise and planning in time lapse. Not this. This is just a gimmick.

Ross Ching

Ross and I have known each other via the Internet for a few years. Until this evening we’d never met.

While Stef and Helaine were bowling tonight (Ray Romano. Next lane. “Oddly attractive in designer jeans,” reports Stef) I was driving to Westwood to meet Ross Ching. I am a fan.

Ross and I have known each other via the Internet for a few years. Until this evening we’d never met.

I marvel at his meticulous work in time lapse. His videos have been seen millions of times online. He is the master of this genre and smart enough to see he has to keep ahead of the pack.

Smart is the part of Ross that’s most impressive. He has a better ‘big picture’ view of life than I had… than I think most 24 year olds have.

He started as a teenager making skateboarding videos with his friends. They were slick for high school level production. People were impressed. He kept moving.

Ross began shooting time lapse using a DSLR, a still camera, with an intervalometer to control the shutter. He shot the low hanging fruit–clouds, stars, the graceful motion of water. With his series of Eclectic videos and the help of Twitter and Digg he became well known. Again he kept moving.

A film school graduate from San Diego State and Ross works for a production house here in Los Angeles. He shoots music videos and commercials. He keeps adding to his technique.

While we sat drinking coffee I watched his video for Kina Grannis’ “Valentine.” Then I watched again. The second time through was spent hitting pause and quizzing him on the shoot and how he achieved what was on the screen. Though post-production is sometimes looked upon as a magic bullet this shoot’s success was cemented in pre-production and detailed planning.

I suspect Ross is organized in ‘real life,’ maybe obsessively so. He’s definitely organized as a director. I wonder if he understands how valuable that is?

I gave him some advice: Don’t worry about money. If you’re good the money will find you. Enjoy what you’re doing. That’s much more important. Successful people are nearly always doing what they enjoy.

Another Busy Day In The Southland

He is the reason I had the opportunity to walk through a TV studio during an all nude show! Does that deserve thanks? These people should have remained clothed!

Another busy day in the Southland. We have only so many days in the warm California sun and so much to do. Helaine and I picked up Stef and headed south to “The OC.” We were meeting my cousins for lunch.

Cousin Melissa picked the spot which meant I was heading to a vegan restaurant for the first time in my life! The menu does list things like cheeseburgers, but without meat or cheese! Everyone working there looked gaunt.

“Is this like when grandma tried to convince me regular coffee and decaf were the same?” I asked Stef.

My burger was actually mostly shitake mushroom and it was pretty good–but it wasn’t a cow derived burger. I’m sure the burger tasted better than I allowed it to taste in my mind.

Cousin Melissa is an attorney currently running for the California Assembly. We were glad she was able to spring the time. I suspect she was glad to.

We are a small family. Cousin Michael and I have been close since birth. We don’t see him or Melissa enough.

As long as we were in Costa Mesa why not hit the mall? OK–that’s not my idea, it’s Stef’s, but I was willing to play along. I had “Clicky” with me and anything new is fodder for photography.

The mall is called “The Lab” and it is marketed as the anti mall. There’s an Urban Outfitters there. That’s not particularly anti.

What is different about The Lab versus everything we have back east is this mall is open air. There’s also some pretty interesting art on display including a fountain made of rusting barrels.

Possibly the most interesting moment of our mall adventure was when I mistakenly began to enter the Ladies Room. No harm, no foul, but I was close.

We drove back to Woodland Hills where I dropped Stef and Helaine then drove to my friend Howard’s office.

Here’s how Hollywood and the real world differ. While I waited for Howard someone at the reception desk showed me his new head shots! He’d gone from young and friendly to dark and brooding. I think the dark and brooding will work–if he has talent. This is a town of head shots!

Howard’s office is on the top floor of a midrise on Ventura Blvd. You go past the receptionist then down a hall full of busy people into an outer office and finally Howard’s corner office. The full length windows give a great view of the San Fernando Valley and even open to allow access to a small patio that hugs the outer wall.

Howard was on the phone as I walked in. He spends most of his day on the phone.

Before long Burt Dubrow joined us. Burt is a pioneer in daytime talk. He produced Sally Jessy Raphael and Jerry Springer among other shows. I’ve known Burt since he moved Sally to New Haven from St. Louis.

He is the reason I had the opportunity to walk through a TV studio during an all nude show! Does that deserve thanks? These people should have remained clothed!

I’ve got one more stop before the night is out. I’m heading to the West Side to meet and have a cup of coffee with Ross Ching. I’ve written about Ross before. He’s a young guy just getting started. I learned about him after seeing his time lapse videos. He’s a working director now. Very talented.

Scarily, tomorrow’s agenda is just as busy!

Dinner With Two Old Friends

“I got the senior citizen special at IHop,” I offered during a lull in the conversation.

“They don’t card,” replied Howard.

Really? Is this what we’ve come to?

Last night was spent with old friends. The three of us have been hanging out for over forty years. Howard Lapides, my secret friend from the Valley, and I had dinner last night at

“I got the senior citizen special at IHop,” I offered during a lull in the conversation.

“They don’t card,” replied Howard.

Really? Is this what we’ve come to?

A lot of stuff happens over forty years… like you get older. Getting older is the universal experience. We were just kids when we met. Now we have kids… and even some of them really aren’t kids anymore.

Dinner was at Oliva somewhere in the Valley. Our original plan was to go to a restaurant that turned out to be closed on Monday’s. The food was excellent, but it’s Italian. I can’t ever remember having bad Italian food. It’s genetically tasty.

The careers of both friends have changed over the last few years. Maybe shifted is a better word as they adapt to business changes and move from businesses that aren’t what they once were. Howard still manages talent, but now he’s heavily involved in creating the programs his clients work in.

My secret friend is involved in producing live music acts on video which become TV shows which become DVDs. I can’t say which shows, because that would reveal who he is. Let’s just say you’ve probably tuned through or even watched one of these shows.

I’m not sure these guys understand how much I enjoy these get togethers. I look forward to seeing them every time I think of California.

Do You Know Anyone In This Photo?

While driving down the PCH on our way back from Zuma Canyon Stef yelled out, “Paparazzi!”

While driving down the PCH on our way back from Zuma Canyon Stef yelled out, “Paparazzi!”

Sure enough across the highway stood a throng of shooters. They were pointing their lenses toward our curbline and a house with a black Range Rover out front. This being the Pacific Coast Highway the other side of the house was on the beach which means it would sell for somewhere around the payroll of my TV station!

I snapped a few shots as we motored past. I don’t know anyone in the photo–and it’s possible the pap’s prey wasn’t on the street as we passed. However, if you recognize anyone will you please let me know.

Stef And I Hike Through Zuma Canyon

I read online this is a medium trail. What that means is after you finish it it’s likely the only way to communicate with you will be through a medium!

Stef discovered the trails through Zuma Canyon a few weeks ago. Now she wanted to take me.

All her friends from college are shocked to hear Stef is doing this (the hiking, not the taking me part). She was voted most likely not to have hiking blisters!

We drove to the Pacific Coast Highway then north to Zuma Beach where the trailhead is located. You turn inland and drive through a community of gated homes surrounded by high flowering hedges. Then the road turns to gravel. A few hundred feet later you’re in a parking lot.

Stef led me to believe this trail was a lot more difficult than what Helaine and I walk at Sleeping Giant. It is!

The trail is comparable in length but it’s narrower, steeper and shade free! It was hot, dry and very dusty on the trail. At spots the trail was overgrown though still visible if you looked down. At other points you’re at the edge of a serious cliff.

Groups ride the trail on horses. There are little horse gifts scattered about.

What makes the trail so rewarding are the beautiful views into wilderness of the canyon and then beyond past multi-million dollar homes to the deep blue of the Pacific.

I carried my camera and a few extra lenses in a pack. That weight made itself more-and-more known as we climbed. For a while Stef took both the camera and backpack off my hands. That was very helpful.

– Please click on the photo to the left. It’s really quite different when viewed at a larger size –

As we approached the high point a woman passed us going in the opposite direction. She was in her seventies, slender, erect and running! That’s not fair. There were only three other people we ran into as we traversed the Ocean View branch.

I read online this is a medium trail. What that means is after you finish it it’s likely the only way to communicate with you will be through a medium!

It was nice to get out and walk with my daughter. Hopefully she’ll find more trails and invite me again.

Follow-up On Esau’s

The Monterrey Scramble is scrambled eggs, Monterrey jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, artichokes, chicken and guacamole. Guacamole is to Southern California as grits are to South Carolina.

Monday morning I wrote about our planned trip to Esau’s for breakfast. We got in the car, entered Esau’s in the GPS, and watched as it spit out their sister restaurant in Carpinteria.

“Closer to where we’re going,” Helaine said and we were off.

Esau’s is the kind of place that happens. There was no master plan. It evolved. It’s how a family restaurant resembles a family.

The restaurant in Carpinteria is a few blocks from the railroad tracks, a few more from the beach and across the street from a (quiet on Memorial Day) electronics factory. We sat on lawn furniture outside at the curb.

Let’s cut to the chase. I had the Monterrey Scramble which was on the specials menu. I asked and the waitress told me this was an addition for just this weekend. It’s not a standard dish.

It also came with home fried potatoes, a small cup of salsa and rye toast.

This was killer. It was as tasty a scrambled egg dish as I’ve ever had. You could be a fan of this!

If you go to a restaurant for ambiance, and in the Santa Barbara area many people do, this is not your place. However, if you’re hungry and you can get them to make the Monterrey Scramble, run to Esau’s!