CEILINGS, NEW YORK & PORNO...OH MY!!

OK, so where do we start? We've been running 'round like madmen since we returned from New York last Tuesday. Leaving town is a double-dip pain in the you-know-what!! You gotta' work your butt off to get stuff done so you can leave and then when you return, you play catch-up. What a vicious cycle.

Here's Gina moving so fast that she's a blur. No we are not "Alex Ross" but their exhibit space was directly behind us. That image you see above his sign is the chin of what is a 20' high picture of the Green Goblin face. If you don't know who the Green Goblin is, ask Gina. Yes, I've taught her well!!

The NY show was bigger and better than the prior year. We brought no one with us to help so it was just Gina and I workin' the booth. We were so busy on Saturday that after getting there at 8:30 am, we both left the booth only once during the day to tinkle. Though she complained a little (ok, so she threatened to walk-out and expressed a desire to hurt me "real bad" numerous times during the day), she was quite a trooper. We were innundated throughout the day with people throwing money at us. We did out best to take their money, give them shirts and smile!!

We had a great day and even a better evening. We had a nice dinner with Christine and Mike Mignola. Mike is the creator, writer and artist for HELLBOY. I've known Mike since the '90's when Graphitti Designs produced Hellboy action figures and T-shirts waay before he went Hollywood. Gina met them a few years back when they moved to nearby Manhatten Beach. We've been talking about getting together for quite some time now. Rather than making it easy and having dinner in California, it just fell into place and we had our social moment...in New York!! We ate at Shula's (yes, the coach for what use to be the Miami Dolphin's) Steak House in NYC. A wonderful evening to a very long day.

Oops, once again, I got off point. Though you have no reason to give a diddy-squat about our daily minutia, it's our blog and we can talk about whatever we so choose...so there!!

Here a few quick pics to bring everyone up to speed on the construction. As you can see they hammered-in them joices and we now have a floor...or ceiling, or whatever you want to call it!! The rooms and the entire house are beginning to take shape. Can't wait 'til they begin framing the second story.

This and the picture below, show the same basic area. I added the red dot in the background to provide a frame of reference. This area will be our master bedroom and bath someday? Can you believe it?















Yes, we now have walls and we have a celing/floor over our heads. Lots of trees died for this house. I guess this is really going to screw up our "carbon footprint". To balance the damage we've done to the eco-system, here's a couple of cool, artsy-fartsy pics. Yeah, we realize we're screwing up the the balance of nature but we're doing our best to look good while doing so!!

Here's another one of those high-tech diorama parting-shots of the construction. This is looking east from the side of the house the driveway will be on.

Gina Flew back to Florida on Tuesday (April 29th?...it's all a blur), to be with her Aunt Lou. She is Gina's father sister and is in failing health. In our travels, I have been fortunate to have met her and her husband Jim, a couple of times over the years. She's a tiny woman who packs one hell of a wallop. She's a "Gozzi" in every sense of the name. As fiesty, spirited and kind woman as you'd ever want to meet. Give them hell Lou!!

One last parting note...after returning from New York, I received an IM (Instant Message), from Kevin Smith. We've been associates and friends for more than ten years now. He asked if I wanted to come by and see a rough cut of his new flick ZACK & MIRA SHOOT A PORNO (http://www.zackandmiri.com). Gina and I were scheduled to go to do this on Tuesday. With Gina's flying to Florida, I proceeded solo.The film stars Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks and is incredibly funny and clever. It's about a guy and girl living together (but not dating), producing a porno flick to make money so they can pay their bills. It's 100% Kevin Smith. A very sweet story is hidden under a thin veneer of what some may consider (though not I), crudeness and vulgarity. With that being said, I loved the film and continue to be amazed at Kevin's creativity. Regardless of what comes out of his mouth (or scripts), nothing he does is in any way "mean-spirited". This along with the great ensemble cast, create a very funny, spirited and clever movie. Kevin is extremely talented and continues to evolve!! At this time, the film is scheduled for a Oct. 31st release...we'll keep you posted.

Who needs Siskel and Ebert, or Roper...or whoever, who've got Gina and Bob!! You've got comic conventions, movie reviews and even a little home construction this time around. Something for everyone. Coming next will be the framing of the second floor. 'Til then, leave the aisle seat open and the toilet seat up...or whatever they say!!

THE REQUEST LINES ARE NOW OPEN

Shortly after I wiped the sleep from my eyes this morning, the silence of the morning was broken by a phone call...from Gina. She flew east on Thursday for CT, MA and RI to spend some time with her family. Her niece (my niece-in-law?) Theresa who plays softball for Temple University, had a weekend of tournament play that happened to coincided with Gina's travel plans. With other family members also going to the games, Gina's weekend itinerary was set.

...but I digress. Gina called to not only tell me to make sure I take a new batch of pictures while visiting San Clemente as planned this morning, but to also make sure that I quickly post them upon my return to our home/the office. Any attempt to inform Gina that "I'll do my best" and will try to "squeeze it into my busy schedule today", fell on deaf ears when she told me that her parents (Sally and Louie), were anxiously looking forwards to seeing a new batch of pics today. Patience is not something the Gozzi gene-pool is known for. Not wanting to disappoint nor further ruin a day scheduled with hours of sitting in the cold, damp bleachers, I jostled my schedule around to "accomodate" as best possible. Though my intentions were good, when checking out progress on the house today, I found no new visual changes had been made since the prior batch of pics.

In lieu of a entire new batch of pics, the following pictures, though taken this morning as requested, have nothing new to show. What they do capture is the perfectly clear, 92 degree day they had today in San Clemente. I'm not certain how this weather report will be received by those who experienced the day in a cold, wet and dreary environment...but then, I'm only following orders. Don't get mad at me, I'm only reporting the facts as requested.

Good luck to Theresa and the Temple team!!


Here's the same second floor landing vantage point you saw in the prior entry...the only difference being it's 10:00 in the morning. No sun going down here!!

What you can't see on the large photo, is Catalina Island which can be seen better on the close-up pic above. The island is 26 miles off the coast from San Pedro. Not only is it nice and warm, but we also are enjoying near-perfect visibility. Look closely and you can see Flipper and Jaws tossing a ball out there!!

Since there's nothing new to see on the construction site, here's a downshot of our son Kevin and his girlfriend Christy.

That's it for now. Two entries in two days...and the pressure has been unbearable!! Since I'll be leaving on Wednesday, chances are they'll be no updates until we return. Even if we have no new construction photos to share with you at that time, we'll try to get some pictures of our show experiences in New York. Bye...for now!!

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Yup, this it it!! This is the reason Gina and I are testing our marital bliss and spending money we certainly do not have. Taken from the top of the stairs, this is the view our second story will have. If you're concerned that the mint green house in front of us will one day get ambitious and decide to take on another level, worry no longer. We shared our concerns with Gina's dad Louie who told us to let him know if they ever decide to remodel next door. Though his response seemed somewhat cryptic, he inferred that he knows people who can make certain that will never happen. All these years and I never ever suspected he was in the construction biz!! Ain't it great to have family?

We are building on one of the highest lots in the area. That mixed in with our newfound enhanced elevation, allows us a very sweet view. Even better that this will be the third floor deck that will be topping off the new house. Take what you see here and add another 10 feet or so. If that big wave ever hits (or if Korea gets frisky and decides to mount a direct frontal attack on the west coast), we'll be the first to know!!

The camera's auto contrast blew the color-values out of the right side of the composed picture above. Here' the untouched photo of the right part from the diorama above. Hopes are that we'll soon be seeing more of these incredible sunsets...on a daily basis.




...and here's they are, the stairs. Upon opening the front door, this is what you will see directly in front of you. Note Gina to the left looking for the basement door. Folks from the east just don't understand!!

You guessed it...we're building the world's largest cupholder. People will come from all over the world to see this eight wonder of the modern world. Wait 'til you see the giant drink that it'll hold!! We will not be blocking the view for the house you see in the background. The big window you see, provides light and luckily is not a view window.

This is Willy who owns the house pictured above, with his lovely wife Donna. He and Gina unofficially run the block watch and enjoy spending incessant amounts of time scowling at everyone who parks nearby...or just slowly drives-by. Willy keeps a constant eye on the project and acts as our eyes when we're not around. He asked us to digitally mask his appearance ...something about he used to jam with the Stones and he doesn't want Donna to find out?



Here's a downshot of the stairs from the second story landing. I'm trying to talk Gina into also having a fire pole installed. It would make getting downstair so much quicker!!





This is looking at the back-left corner of the house from the landing. The interior walls are beginning to show us how the rooms will eventually look. In the very corner is the office/den which will have doors to the outside and that go directly into the garage.



...as the sun sets slowly in the west, we bid you all a fond farewell. These photos were all taken on Tuesday, April 8th. Plans are to get to San Clemente tomorrow and take a new batch of pictures. If there's any major changes, you'll be the first to know!!

THE GIRDER COMETH!!

Leaving you at the edge of your seat with our last nail-biting entry, here's the lame-ass payoff you've been waiting days for...a stinking $6000 hunk of steel!!

If you look real close, you discover that this is not actually ours but was custom-made for the "Champman's". Hopefully the bill will be sent to them also!!

Not only did we get our steel, these photos taken on Wednesday April 2, are also our first sighting of actual walls. Yes, even more momentous than the loan approval or the pouring of the slab, the placement of the first walls brought tears (once again), to Gina's eyes. Actually that's not as big of a feat as one would think. I think I saw her bawling the other day while watch of all things, ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS. Go Figure!!


Here's the side wall to what will be one of the downstair's bedrooms. Either the fence on the right is listing, or our house is being built without the aid of levels.


...and this is the side wall for the den/office that will also be at the rear of the house. Note the basic framing that will house the spiral staircase. And yes, there will be a helicopter pad at the top. The commute to work will now be easier and we'll be able to subsidize the costs by also providing traffic reports!!


My guess is this is the downstairs bathroom. Either that, or we have water and sewer pipes somewhere they shouldn't be.





Inspired by the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, this wall will stand as a monument celebrating man's conquest of wood. I can hear the background music getting louder as we speak!!



Those damn San Clemente taggers. They think they're so smart they disfigure clean concrete slabs with cryptic mathematical equations. I think this one is getting mighty close to the elusive turning-water-into-gas formula. But then again, I could be wrong!!