Whoo-hoo!

Heading back to Thailand this friday night! The project I'm really needed for doesn't start for a week and a half, so I've got my chance for a quick sneak back to Chiang Mai. Just bought my ticket and gotta go pick it up at lunch. Gonna get to see my wife & boy! Then back and hunker down for about 6-7 weeks to hunker down on this next deadline.

Happy Mardi Gras by the way!

Boy Genius

And I'm sure he looks nothing like this now. This photo's over three weeks old! Can you believe that!? Anyhow, he's now eating food. Not solid food, but something that didn't come from a bottle at least. Gerber that is. The stuff that diapers are made of. Apparently he's going thru them like there's no tomorrow, the Gerber food, come to think of it, the diapers too! Good thing he doesn't smoke, cause he's up to 3 packs a day!

He'd been toying with it before I left, but over the last few days he's perfected his roll technique and can now shift from belly to back and vice-versa. He still hasn't quite got down to sucking his thumb, but he's getting close. He's gone from putting his whole hand in his mouth to just two fingers. He's also digging on the rattle blanket with the teething edge I got him. Maybe he'll just keep away from that whole thumb sucking thing altogether.

Method Fest

A couple days ago, I got an email from Colin. Our film made it into the Method Fest film festival. The best thing about this festival is that it's not too far from here so I can actually make it, although I'm sure I'll have second thoughts about it once I'm sitting in traffic.

So unless Colin decides to make a director's cut... wait this is the director's cut!? This is it then, I can just start working on the box art and the marketing campaign. Colin's also started drafting a sequel based on a conversation we had in Laos over the holidays. Something to do with a bunch of guys that go to Thailand to film a movie that takes place in Cambodia...

Calgon, Take Me Away

This is crazy. Another photo from weeks ago. I'm sure he probably looks nothing like this anymore, but I bet he still makes the same face when he hears he camera focusing.

Sow's finally started to get a little overwhelmed. She had a bad headache and a screaming baby at the same time. Thankfully her mom just happened to coming to town so she got a helping hand. I think her brother Duk's going to be visiting next week or the week after. I'll have to keep my eye out for something for him. I'm sure he'd be happy with a new set of guitar strings and a stack of baht coins for playing video games.

More From Chinese New Year

Here's another one of Ray I liked from Chinese New Year. We tried to find him an outfit to match the day, but the best we could do was a Gong Xi Fa Cai Winnie the Pooh t-shirt. Anyhow, he loved it.

DHL

My package arrived in Chiang Mai today. I sent it DHL. It cost about $30 bucks. It gets there and they charged Sow another $10 in tax!? W.T.F.!? C.O.D.? D.H.L. @#$%! What's the point of paying that much in shipping if they're going to hassle her on the other end? I never had this trouble mailing things FedEx or UPS. So much for all those free trade talks between the U.S. and Thailand. Guess we're just S.O.L...

On the other hand they loved the stuff I sent. Ray's just enamored by the plush musical glowworm thing with light-up wings that I sent him. When I was talking with So I could hear Ray in the background making lots of noises. Then I heard music coming from the toy and Ray went quiet and absorbed himself in it. I couldn't help myself. I had to run out and look for more stuff today. I found another cool outfit and a nice teething ring for him. It reminds me of looking forward to getting packages from my dad during the summers I spent at my grandparents house. I know he's not aware that these things are coming from me, but I know he misses me.

World Of Warcraft

Wow, I seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. For the last couple of days at least that is. It all started innocently enough. A bunch of friends at work have grouped together to play World Of Warcraft thursday nights. They've been on the warpath to recruit new players. They beat a path straight to my cube. "You gotta go now and get it! The servers keep filling up and they close them to new players. We already had to switch everyone once before!? Go and buy it tonight!"



So I went out monday night before meeting up with the guys for Studio City style Thai food. I tried Best Buy & Target. No go. I was already thinking it was a bad idea to start a new game. I should be here doing nothing more than going to work & pining away for my wife and boy. Not finding the game was a sign. I was sure of it, uh, but not Sean Schur of it to be precise. Apparently Sean hates children, or maybe just my child. When I told him I couldn't find it and I probably shouldn't be playing anyway, he ran straight out and found a copy for me. Valentine's day just made a good excuse for it I guess.

Again with the urgency on joining their server that night. I got home and figured I'd do it all before going to bed. Five install CD's, a year and a half of download patches, one character setup, and 4 1/2 hours later I was ready, but much too tired to play.

The next night I got in there, and I gotta say, it's pretty freaking cool. It's like so many games and ideas rolled into one ever expanding online game. It's based out of the old Dungeons & Dragons stuff, but a huge leap forward. Rather than some geeky kid with a 20-sided die for you to roll and slowly plod a long verbally, this is run by a bunch of Techno-geeks who survived the Dot-Com bust and use state of the art equipment that run 2048 128-sided dice at a time.

Speaking of Geeks, have you taken the Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test? I've been asked that about 500 times this week!

Needless to say, I'm trying desperately to get it out of my system. I'm trying so hard I spend all day and all night to get it out of my system. I actually wrote a blog post last night, but I typed it in a chat window in the game. That game's so cool you could almost do it there and have it show up as a real post. I'm just waiting for them to start selling property there so I can build our summer home.

Special Delivery

I've been home for over a week now. Each night Sow and I talk on the phone, we haven't quite got around to getting the video iChat hooked up. (I'm slacking. I know.) I'm missing Ray a lot. So last night Sow put the phone next to him while he was talking up a storm. Or at least practicing with sounds. Then she put the phone to his ear and I made a bunch of noises like I did when I was there. He went quiet, and his eyes went wide, then he started looking around. He eventually started talking back, making similar whirs, clicks, and raspberries. But when I started talking to him, saying things like, "Who's a silly billy? How you get so silly!?", he started to cry. Then I'd make the noises like before and he'd smile again.

I sent out a care package for him yesterday. About $50 worth of clothing blankets and toys that cost about $30 to ship. Boy's baby clothes in Chiang Mai are some pretty slim pickin's, and then we only want the ones that button up the front. Anyhow, my first day back I ran out to Target, went a little crazy, and bought Ray a bunch of things. I'm going to try and send care packages as frequently as possible. I've also got a bunch of stuff for Sow I'd forgotten about, so it won't be long before the second one goes out. Hopefully by number 3 or 4 I can hand deliver it.

What?

Happy Valentine's Ray!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Today was a little tough for me. If there's a day that's really going to strike home how long this whole thing is going to feel, it's the day where everyone gets to bring their Valentine to work. And their kids to boot. I wish I'd known about it in advance, maybe I could have talked Jeffrey into sending his personal jet to pick up Sow & Ray and fly them here. You know, just for lunch, or maybe the whole day. There's a lot to see right now. Lots of work being done, and the ducks have returned to the studio. I've only spotted 3 so far, two males and one female, all mallards. I'm sure there are more down near the wash. They return every year and lay their eggs in the oversized flower pots and in the bushes.

Last year it seemed to take forever. They'd returned right around the time I found out that Sow was pregnant. I remember watching them in the pond when I confided in my friend Gina that I was going to be a daddy. It's wild to think that was a year ago, but fitting to see them rekindle their romance on Valentine's Day.

Today would also be my Grandmother's birthday and my grandparent's wedding anniversary. They've both passed away in the last few years. I wish they could have been around to meet Ray & Sow. I know they'd have loved them both.

I believe this photo is from right after they'd been married.

The Works

So first day back wasn't much. I got there early to find the network was down. Well, maybe not the network, but something that was keeping everyone from logging in. The AT guys suggested to go take a half hour and enjoy the free breakfast downstairs.

After that the morning mainly consisted of catching up with people, talking about Ray & Sow, and taking a look at some of the work that's been done while I've been away. There's some pretty nice work considering the skeleton crew that's been left on the show over the last 6 months.

This evening I met up with the gang and we all went and had, yep, Thai food. Can't quite get it out of my system. Then came home and talked to Sow. Heard Ray mumble some things, then listen to my voice for a few seconds. I need to get that iChat AV going so he can see me. Doesn't seem like I did that much today, but I'm exhausted. Nighty-night!

The Grind

Tomorrow I go back to work. I'd come back to LA thinking it would be for just two weeks and ended up getting roped into working on an upcoming trailer for Flushed Away, the film I'd been working on before the Penguin's short I worked on before I left for Thailand. Someone just forwarded a short article to me about the film. There's a sneak peek trailer link there from the official Flushed Away site as well.

TwitchFilm - Flushed Away Sneak Peak

It's a fairly large trailer, so you can select a smaller version at the main site if you don't have the best connection.

Official Flushed Away Site

It'll be great to see everyone. I got to see a few people last wednesday when I dropped by, had lunch, and caught up on what was going on. But there were a lot of people I missed too. 10 weeks is going to feel like a long time before being able to see Sow & Ray again. It's going to seem like forever. 10 weeks to complete a trailer is going to feel like it goes too fast, so I hope the two events balance each other out a bit and feel like about 2 and a half weeks.

Image courtesy of Dreamworks Animation ©2006

Baby Bling

Nothing like some cartoon dinosaurs to offset a phat cap and a little gold bling. Ray's even got that whole raver pacifier thing going on.

Me & Ray

Me & Ray at breakfast for one of the last times before having to come back to LA.

It looks like I'm going to have to stick around in LA for a lot longer than I'd expected. And I'd been worried about how to come up with 2 weeks worth of Ray pictures to tide you all over with. I did happen to find a bunch of cool baby stuff at Target for Ray the other day though, he should be getting a nice little care package soon. Boy's baby stuff is really hard to find in Thailand for some reason. He's going to love the cute little pink jumper I got for him.

I miss you son!

Jet Lag...

Need I say more?

Reality Shock

A friend of mine once returned from abroad and proceeded to haggle with the taxi driver for a better fare. The taxi driver said he was going to use the meter, but my friend just knew he was getting screwed. He continued to argue with the driver, but to no avail. Things really are outrageously expensive in America, and LA is expensive for America. A taxi in Bangkok would tell you it's 400 baht to the airport ($10), expecting to be haggled dow to 200 baht. A metered taxi from the airport would cost about 130 baht.

I'm standing in front of LAX myself now. Pushing around a trolley loaded with bags. I've received numerous comments n the body I could fit in one particular bag. I've got a half hour till my ride gets here, and I realize how dry my throat is from the long flight. I think of my friend and his taxi, and a smile comes across my face.

I wheel my cart back inside in pursuit of a beverage. Diet Coke. Gatorade. Snapple. Hoe does colored corn syrup go for $2.99 a bottle? Dasani water (bottle by Coca-Cola) - $2.69. I search around some more and find a news stand. Water, only $1.99 a bottle! I consider haggling with the girl behind the register as she eyes me with disinterest. She looks humorless, so I just go ahead and pay. So the guy who tries to get a better price is considered crazy, but gouging travelers at the airport is A.O.K. is just good business I guess. Don't people go to jail during earthquakes and other natural disasters for raising prices to ridiculous amounts?

I go back outside. Everywhere I look I see babies. Black babies. White babies. Hispanic babies. Asian babies. You name a baby, and they're represented there. They all remind me of Ray as they gum their mom's shoulders and stare back at me. Ray was in such a good mood all day before I left. I still have his smile burned into my head. Had it thru the entire flight. I can almost hear his giggle.

Instead I hear something in thai. Three people standing next to me at the curb. They must have been on my flight. I listen, and there's something so comforting about hearing them talk. I only understand a few words peppered here and there, but it's soothing to let it bounce around in my head. A moment later a van pulls up, and a girl gets out and gives the woman a big hug. It makes me think of all those separated people reuniting at the airport like in Love Actually.

I'm really tired now. Where's my ride...?

The Gauntlet

I've just arrived to the Thai Airways Royal Silk Class lounge in the Bangkok airport. Actually one of the many Royal Silk Class lounges in the Bangkok airport. It's been a while since I've been thru here and they've redone the place very nicely. I'm so hungry, I'm scarfing down those little sandwiches and chicken pastries they keep warm under the lights.

It almost makes up for the 5 hours I've spent just getting here. So far I've taken one commuter flight from Chiang Mai, had my bags x-ray'd 5 times and opened and thuroughly rifled thru only the one time. I saw them pulling on rubber gloves, so I was actually pretty relieved when it was just the bag they wanted to rifle thru.

I think things have finally gotten out of hand with the US. It used to be an icon of what everyone in the world wanted. Upon returning they used to stamp your passport, Welcome Back! Now they just give you the finger and tell you to bend over, and not particularly in that order.



Thank god I upgraded my ticket and get to kick back in one of these new sweet seats. They almost recline all the way back and have build in video screens with on-demand movies and video games. This is the first time I've flown back to the states in the evening. It'll be nice to be able to sleep thru the night if I want, the red, red, red eye flight. It leaves at 8:40pm and arrives in LA 8:10pm the same day. That's 30 minutes before it leaves! I'm sure they'll make up for it in immigration, baggage claim and customs times.

Luckily, Jerry's picking me up so we can stop off for good old fashioned chocolate shakes on the way home. And hey, thanks Bill for dropping me off on the original ride out.

Evil Genius!

I made some big promises in yesterday's post. Unfortunately I'm busy backing things up from my laptop. Mostly the 15+ gigs of photos I've taken since I got here almost 6 months ago.

Here's one for you to ponder over. Ray looking deviously intelligent. Daddy's little Evil Genius! It's a good thing he's so darn smart since I may need him to write the blog while I'm away.

4 Months Baby!

Today Ray turns 4 months! I have some pics and video I was going to put up, but lets face it, I'm just too damn tired to do any of it now. As part of his 4 month anniversary, we allowed him to scream as much as he liked today. Apparently, he liked it a lot. I finally rocked him to sleep a couple of hours ago. Well past his bedtime, in fact, well past the bedtime of my good friends over in the Kellener household. Anyhow, now he's sleeping like an angel, and I'm sure we'll all have a good laugh about it tomorrow.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll find some time between packing and getting ready for my tuesday flight, to post today's missing Rayluk memorabilia.

Chiang Mai Flower Festival

I bet you're wondering, "My it's been ages since there's been some festivities in Chiang Mai, whenever are they due for another celebration?" Ok, maybe just one week since Chinese New Year, but it's bee a full 5 weeks since that old regular New Years. This weekend was the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. It used to be what Chiang Mai was known for. Famous for their flowers. Now famous for being the 2nd largest city in Thailand, eco-tourism, elephant camps, Doi Suthep. The flower of the north. When the current King and Queen die, it's here that they'll be intombed.

But this weekend, it's all about flowers. Fresh flowers all over the city, a floral float parade, and a 3 day walking street full of orchids, bonsai, and even some fried morning glory. Sow and Ray, really enjoyed themselves. We picked a up a few orchids in hanging pots made from coconut husks.

Happy Birthday Sara!

Today is a good friend of mines birthday. One of those good friends who will look back on this birthday greeting fondly while she's baby-sitting a screaming Rayluk, or possibly one of our other many children. She's been good to us, so be good to her. She'll think fondly of all the things you bought for her while she's burping our kids and changing their wet diapies. Thanks Sara!

This pic is from a rafting trip from a few years ago. I stripped down iPhoto before I left for Thailand so I had to pull this out of Steve's archives. I like this one because it's the way I picture her smiling... while baby-sitting Rayluk. That and the other choices were a bundled up skiing Sara, a facial expression between moments Sara, and a very tired from a day at Disneyland Sara.

Happy Birthday Michele!

Got a slightly belated one here too. Michele's birthday was actually a few days ago. The 1st. I seem to get all my February birthdays mixed up. And for good reason too. Michele actually went to school with Sara. I discovered this one day when Sara mentioned she'd gone to school with Tori Spelling, and I realized I already had made that 6th degree of separation thru a school chum of my own... Michele.

I also have no picture of Michele with me here in Thailand. Nothing I can find online either. It's all very well, since she'd kill me if I used one of the few I have of her anyhow. Sounds like it was a good birthday either way. Mmmm... mmm... El Cholo!

Form DS 230: A New Hope

Well it's nothing set in stone. I kept telling Sow yesterday that our immigration packet 3 was coming today (meaning yesterday). I'm kinda magical that way. But alas, we received no mail... in our outside box at least. This morning I woke up to 14 new emails!

5 were junk mail...

3 were from family...

3 from friends...

...and 3 were from our immigration lawyer!

Three new forms to fill out. Forms DS 230, DS 230 II Part Duex, and Form I-864 (I think that one is the new Apple Quicktime codec). This all sounds so exciting don't it? They all looked like things we'd filled out multiple times before, so inserting the correct information and sending them back only took about 45 min! I believe this officially starts the proceedings into the home stretch, which could still take a long time, but is now imminent. So does that make Sow the "imminent immigrant"? It comes as great news as I prepare to head back to LA.

Aaron's Triumphant Return From The Sauce...

Ok, maybe not triumphant, I won't have Sow & Ray with me, but I am coming back to LA next week. Tuesday night to be precise. I leave here tuesday night, and arrive there a half hour beforehand the same evening!? Got a bunch of things to take care of, but I'll probably just catch up on Tivo. Should be around for a week or two.

You may now commence cheering...

Assorted Smiles, Giggles, and Laughs

If you ever get around to having a baby, I'm sure you'll discover this. There's good and there's bad. And when it gets bad, it gets real bad. If you're good, you can laugh it off long enough to get things better. That's assuming you're in a stellar mood all the time to begin with. And if you have a baby, that's probably not the case since you're bound to be a bit tired. Who knows what small thing it was that set him off this time? Wet diaper? Dropped his binky? Feels there's altogether something wrong in the universe? Who knows. One thing's for sure, he is going to make you feel like it's all your fault. But once that little smile creeps back in, it all just washes away...

Maybe next week, I'll do the screaming video?

Click the image for video. - *You'll need Quicktime 7 to play.