The Touring Dead

As many of you know, we usually try to take short sidetrips on our way back from Florida; one year it was Asheville, NC to see Biltmore House, one year it was Memphis, one year it was Raleigh to visit our friend Sheria. Many of you also know that this year’s sidetrip was Senoia, GA.

Why would we want to visit a small town south of Atlanta? Because they’ve filmed a lot of “The Walking Dead” there, that’s why! Senoia is the town that served as the fictional Woodbury. We stayed in Newnan, and there were a couple of places there that were also used in filming. There were other small towns in the area with buildings and places used in locations.

During the 20 or so miles from Newnan to Senoia, we listened to the Walking Dead soundtrack CD, and it was actually a pretty cool accompaniment to the drive. It was easy to imagine the two-lane road littered with abandoned vehicles, or to picture zombies wandering through the trees and fields. I’ve got a good imagination that way, and that’s part of the fun. Ken put up with me, even when I waved my hands in the air and said, “YAY!” when we saw the “Senoia City Limits” sign. Fangirl was geeking out with no apologies!

As we pulled up into downtown and onto Main Street—which was the Main Street of the town of Woodbury in the show—I was all “Agghhh!” and “Ohmahgah!” and “We’re in Woodbury, honey!” We spent a little time checking out the storefronts and just wandering down Main Street. We stopped in the Georgia Mercantile Co., and checked out what they had to offer. This was serendipitous, because they had a tour going on in about an hour and a half, and Sunday is the only day they do it! We debated whether we wanted to spend the money on this little bus tour or buy a map of locations and try to find them ourselves. We decided to take the tour (AND we bought the map) because they might have access to places we couldn’t get into, as well as maybe some “insider” information. That is exactly how it turned out, so I’m glad we decided to go for it!

We had a little time to kill before the tour, so we checked out Maguire’s Pub right around the corner. Great beer selection, and we enjoyed the place so much we had lunch there the following day. Good food and good beverages...a nice place to hang out!

Anyway, the tour was well worth it. A couple of the places we got to see are private property, but they got us in there. The main guide, Dan, has been a zombie extra in all three seasons, seventeen times in all. He hasn’t been called yet for Season 4, but hopes he will be. He had lots of interesting information for us, although certainly no spoilers for S4. One of the things he said was that they have increasingly locked down security and potential sources of leaks. The extras used to be able to bring cell phones in, but they have to relinquish them before they get to the set now; they used to be told where the filming was happening and be able to drive themselves there, but now they get an email the night before and meet at a place where they are bused in. All very hush-hush as they try to keep any leaks from happening. Any extra who leaks information and is found out is permanently blacklisted from the show (and probably doesn’t do themselves any favors for any other gigs they might try to get).

As for zombie extras, they’re all required to be quite small. Dan himself was unusually tall for a zombie extra, he said, but he’s also skinny as a rail. I wondered why, and he said, “Because we’re supposed to look dead and emaciated.” Makes sense! But if you want to be a zombie extra, you have a better chance if you’re small and skinny.

I’m including a few pictures in this entry, but if you want to see all of them, you can check out my Facebook album of Walking Dead Locations. I made it public, so even if we aren’t friends on Facebook, you will be able to see it. Probably one of the coolest locations was the factory (still in operation) that contains the courtyard that served as Woodbury’s “zombie arena.” That was just such an awful scenario, and made even worse when Daryl and Merle were supposed to fight to the death there.

When we were there, I was talking to Dan, and although I can’t recall exactly what my question was, it turned into a little talk about how they film things. I said that I’m almost always able to suspend disbelief, so I still enjoy entertainment. He said that that’s one bad thing about working in it and seeing how it’s filmed: it almost spoils it for you when watching it. To the group, he talked about how so much of it has to do with angles and camera shots, making things look bigger than they really are. When they were clearing the prison, they used the same couple of short hallways and just filmed it from different angles, so it looked like they were rushing through this large maze of prison hallways, but it was just a couple of corners shot from different directions! He said that Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl Grimes, is going through puberty right now, so he’s getting to be a big kid. They keep making Rick’s sheriff hat bigger and bigger, so it still looks small on Carl. (For some reason, that one just made me chuckle.)

A few other tidbits he had for us:

• Zombie teeth look black and gross due to a mixture of chocolate syrup and mouthwash. You swirl that stuff around in your mouth and spit...instant zombie teeth!
  
• The longest day he’s had, no matter what show or movie he was working in, was on “The Walking Dead.” I believe he said it was during the filming of when Hershel’s farm gets overrun and the barn burns down. The temperature was down in the 20s, and he said he worked over 20 hours that day. They were all freezing, and the zombie extras were huddling together for warmth between takes, zipped up in Snuggies. There’s a mental image for you!
  
• Speaking of Hershel’s farm, it is a private residence near Atlanta, and fans are constantly trying to jump the fence and get pictures of it. Don’t do that, people. Not only is it rude and creepy, they are prosecuting people to the fullest extent of the law. You will be thrown in jail and prosecuted (same goes for trying to crash the studio set). The owners of the farm are extremely religious and had two rules for the cast and crew there: No cussing, and No zombies can touch the house. If you watch that episode again, you’ll see that the zombies never get into the house, although they apparently overran the house in the graphic novel. It was such a hard and fast rule that the owners’ daughter, who played a zombie, had to get out of makeup and get cleaned up before entering the house at the end of filming.
  
• He talked about Merle a bit, and we all kind of mourned Merle. It was a sad ending for him, and somewhat noble. He tried to do the right thing. Dan said that other than Dale, all of the characters who die seem to do something out of character before their demise. I’ll have to ponder that a bit as we watch it again, but that was certainly true with Merle. Milton went against the Governor, and Andrea was trying to bring the Prison Gang and the Woodbury Gang together...something to think about.
  
• Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) and David Morrissey (the Governor) stay in character throughout the entire day of filming. They are both British, and once they get into the Southern accent, they don’t want to get out of it. Although many of the cast has input into their characters and somewhat into the storyline, Andrew Lincoln does a lot to direct some of the action...like where the zombies should approach, how they should die, and so forth.
  
• The initial cast signed up for five years. Obviously, not all of them have made it that far, and I suspect there may be a couple of hard deaths in Season 4. One of the first rules of horror films is “anyone can die at anytime,” and “The Walking Dead” has held true to that rule. No one is safe.
  
• Even more ominously, during a “death discussion” about the survivors, Dan said, “Oh, they all die. Robert Kirkman [the creator of the comic book] has said exactly that. They all die.”
  

So there you have it. They’re going to make you love these great characters (even the bad guys are fascinating) and then they’re going to kill them all. Even Daryl Dixon isn’t safe in the Zombie Apocalypse.

I enjoyed this experience completely, and would recommend it to any fan of the show, if you get the opportunity. I can honestly say that I have never been into a show as much as this one...and this is coming from a “Star Trek” fan!

A surprisingly good girl

That's me these past few days…a good girl and always a night owl! A lot of times when Ken goes on a trip, I somehow manage to stay up until the wee hours, often going to bed at 4 or 5 AM. Since I try to get up by 10 AM, that means I don't get a lot of sleep on those nights.

I did have one night like that—I think it was Saturday night—but otherwise, I've been getting to bed at a decent time, at least for me. The evenings have cooled off a bit, enough so that Sheeba came in and curled up with me last night, and slept pressed up against my back the entire night.

To be honest, I think tonight will be another late night. I'll be watching "Under the Dome" at 10 PM, and I already have a bit of a hankering for some Rock Band after that. We'll see. I've watched very little TV while he's been gone...not even any Norman Reedus movies or "The Walking Dead"! But there is a big AMC Dead-A-Thon coming up over the long weekend, Thursday through Sunday; there will be previews of Season 4 and interviews with the cast and crew. Oh boy! I recently watched S1 and S2 again, so I'm not so worried about revisiting those at the moment, but I'm planning on watching all of Season 3 again on Saturday. The DVD doesn't come out until late August, so I really want to watch this marathon showing of the entire season.

I spent some time reading on the deck today (although it was mostly overcast, I still managed to catch a few rays), ran some errands, did some (minimal) housework, and treated myself to a deli sandwich for a dinner because I just did not feel like doing any cooking tonight. It's waiting for me in the fridge, and I'll probably have that when I sit down to watch "Under the Dome." I look forward to seeing the citizens of Chester's Mill freak out when they start figuring out that they're in some deep shit. We started off with a bang with the Split Cow and the Exploding Pacemaker...let's see what they've got for us this week!

I hope your day was a pleasant one!

Your Girl Friday

Welcome, Friday!

Even though I don’t work anymore, there’s still something special about Friday and the weekend. It just brings the promise of FUN™! And happy Skull Friday, by the way (note the headband)!

However, any fun I have this weekend is going to be on my own. Ken is off to Omaha for a Monday meeting with some potential clients, and he went out early to spend a little time with our good friend Mark. Ken has been instructed to give Mark a big hug from me, and he promised to deliver! We’ve been friends with Mark for a long time (we met through blogging), and I know Ken is looking forward to seeing him. Have fun, you guys!

I’ll miss having my hubby here, but you guys know I can always manage to find things to keep myself occupied. Yes...be afraid...be very afraid. Haha! Nah, I just plan on hanging out, I’ll probably watch some Walking Dead, I’ll listen to lots of music, do some reading (still working on From Here To Eternity), and just kind of putter. To remind me of my hubby, I think I’ll drink those last two Pre-Flight Pilsners that he ordered for me a while back. Some women like flowers; some like jewelry; my husband gets me premium beers. He gets me! He totally gets me!

Speaking of beer, after a quick beer run this morning (I ran into our UPS driver, Mike, delivering packages at the store, and it was fun to see him somewhere other than our front deck!), I came back, did a quick workout, and got to spend some time in the sun. It wasn’t quite as hot today as it was earlier in the week, so it was good to get out there a little more. Possible rain tomorrow, so I’m glad I got some good deck time in.

The fan I’m holding up there came from my super cool Aunt June. We were all in Kentucky last Labor Day for a family outing, and it was beastly hot and humid. She’d gotten fans for all of us, and let me tell you, it was a lifesaver! I would never have thought of getting a fan, but I was happy to have it, and I still use it on occasion. In fact, I might take it to Florida with me. If I run into Norman Reedus in Georgia on the way back, I will definitely need it. I’ll be fanning myself so hard, I’ll probably take flight! Ha!

Speaking of “The Walking Dead” (I’m all about the segue today), I had another tweet from the Governor, guys. [click to embiggenate] Yes. David Morrissey, the actor who plays the Governor, posted that he had just finished The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Speaking of presents from Ken (YES! The segue trifecta!), he bought that book for me several years ago for Christmas, and I loved it. In fact, I was so fascinated by it that I bought several MORE books about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the Columbian Exposition, in which Chicago became the “White City,” and in which the book’s story takes place. I tweeted back to David and recommended a couple of other of Larson’s books, including Thunderstruck and In the Garden of Beasts, and wrote that I think Larson is a great writer.

He tweeted back and wondered what the latter was about. I wrote back that it was about the U.S. Ambassador in Germany in the lead-up to WWII, the rise of the Nazis, and that it was FANTASTIC. I really hope he reads it, because I actually enjoyed it more than The Devil in the White City, and I didn’t think that was possible! It is a chilling book, chronicling the slow restriction of freedoms and the clampdown of the Nazis. I would recommend it to anyone, and I would love it if David Morrissey picked it up on my recommendation! I hope he enjoys it.

You know, he really is...charming. Great taste in books and music, great actor, seems like a really nice guy, and he’s really tall, and...[shaking my head] NO! Beth! Remember Andrea! And Milton! And all those Woodburians on the road! You can’t fool me, you charmer! Ha!

Although I’m still totally in Green Day mode, one of my favorite driving songs is this one, by The Rapture. Speaking of charm (Another segue! I’m on fi-yah!), “I'm fired up... the engine is running/All my charm and all my cunning girl...I wanna brake it with you.” In my-my-my-my Mustang Ford!

TURN IT UP!

Well, that went better than expected!

Yesterday, we started hearing about some really bad weather coming our way. After an overcast morning, the sun came out in the afternoon, and I was even able to get out onto the deck and catch some rays—although it was really hot and humid, so after an hour, I was a hot, sweaty mess!

The sun meant an increase in the coming storm’s severity, though. As it moved in, I turned over to the local weather, and when they said there was rotation in the area, that’s when I decided to pack up and head downstairs. After reading about how awful the Oklahoma tornados were, I’m not fooling around. Ain’t nobody got time for that! I had already gotten the kitty carrier out and ready, so I pulled Sheeba out from under the bed (that’s where he goes to hide from thunder) and got him in his carrier, got my computer and phones, an extra beer, and dished up the eggplant parmigiana. I got settled in the Retro Lounge and I was ridin’ the storm out in style!

There was lightning, thunder, and rain (and it’s still going on), but the worst of the storm seemed to pass to the south of Nutwood. There were reports of high winds and tennis ball-sized hail; my niece lost power at her house; a brick building next to my friend Cassie’s grandmother’s house was hit by lightning and partially collapsed, but her grandmother and her house were okay! This storm had the potential to be a derecho, which is essentially an inland hurricane, with straight-line winds 70+ mph. We had one pass through here a couple of years ago, and although we had no major damage at Nutwood, there was plenty of damage in our area.

Ken was supposed to get back from California tonight, but due to the severe weather in the Chicago area, his flight from Houston to Chicago was canceled fairly early. So he’s hanging out in the Houston airport Marriott watching the Stanley Cup finals, and I’m watching them at Nutwood! Sheeba and I came through the storm just fine, although he’s a little wigged out and is currently hiding under the bed. We were riders on the storm. I hope it will pass through soon, and I’ll be sure to call my Mom tomorrow and make sure all is well, because it was worse in her area.

I made you the Daryl Dixon meme about the derecho because I also made a word. I told you about that yesterday, and I checked a moment ago, and it is published! I made Norman a word. Normans love words. haha

Have you reedused anyone lately? Have YOU been reedused?

A word is born

This is total silliness, but it made my day. (Click picture to embiggenate.)

Earlier this morning, I figured something out on Facebook. It was a problem that my friend Cary posted about yesterday, and I’d been having the same problem. I accidentally discovered a solution, and posted on his wall that I’d figured this out. He commented something about how it worked for him, it was rock solid, and he could “lick my sweet face.” I cracked up and said I was happy to be able to help.

Face licking made me think of Norman Reedus, the actor who plays Daryl on “The Walking Dead.” For whatever reason, that seems to be one of his things...there are many photos out there of him licking people’s faces. It’s funny and...well, it’s kind of hot. (But then I’m a major fangirl...your mileage may vary.)

So I thought, “Hey! That should be a word!” I posted my new word, “reedus,” a verb, and my friend Ryan said, “You should send it to Urban Dictionary.” I did, they approved it, and soon my new word is going to appear on Urban Dictionary! I’ve already had a couple of Norman fans like my tweet about it, so I’m hoping it will catch on, and maybe even catch his eye!

You know, I’m just having too much fun. As David Letterman once said, “More fun than human beings should be allowed to have.” Wheeee!

Boondockery

I have no idea how I missed out on these movies all these years, because after watching “Boondock Saints” and the sequel “Boondock Saints: All Saints Day,” they are instant favorites of mine.

I guess it’s just one of those things that flew under my radar until I became a big fan of “The Walking Dead” and one of its stars, Norman Reedus. I had always heard good things about the Boondock movies, so I picked up the movies recently.

Holy shit. What a blast. I wouldn’t say that these are deep movies, for the most part, but they are fun and violent and badass. The interaction between the twin McManus brothers is fantastic and had us both cracking up several times. It’s meant to be over-the-top, and a lot of the violence is played for laughs. (For those who want to say “violence is never funny,” calm down. REAL LIFE violence is never funny. Movie violence sometimes is.)

Some friends said that the sequel wasn’t quite as good as the original, and I would probably agree with that, but I still loved it. There was one scene that made me laugh so hard I said, “Let’s play that again!” and we did. (That one wasn’t a violent scene...it was a drunken, funny one.)

They reminded me a lot of Tarantino movies in their combination of violence and humor and excess. I suppose some might call them “derivative” of Tarantino, and to those people I’d say, “Get off the cross, Mary, we need the wood!” It’s a fun ride. Just enjoy it and quit thinking so hard. Or as I said recently about something else, “Just shut up and dance.” Sometimes I don’t want to be wooed...I want you to show me a nasty good time. Both Boondock movies do that, and some serious eye candy with Norman and Sean Patrick Flanery doesn’t hurt, either! But I loved these for many other reasons than the eye candy, and I will watch these multiple times.

And guess what, guys? A quick search turned up news that a THIRD MOVIE might be in the works, and it might have something to do with the Boston Marathon bombing. Murphy and Connor take on terrorists? THIS MUST HAPPEN! As late as 2012, it looked like it wasn’t happening, or at least Norman and Sean (yes, I’m on a first name basis with them!) wouldn’t be a part of it...but more recent news says that it might be in the works. *GASP* That would definitely be a theater movie for me...no way I’d wait for the DVD to come out! It would sure be a good time to do it. “The Walking Dead” is super popular right now, and Daryl is absolutely a fan favorite...it sure seems like a good idea for Norman to capitalize on that.

But only if they don’t kill off Daryl so Norman can do the movie! Don’t do it, AMC! If he needs to be away for an extended time for movie shooting, have him get separated from the group or something and come back later, but pleeeeeze don’t kill him!

Wow, two MAJOR thumbs up for these movies. Like I said, instant favorites for me, ones that I’ll go back and watch many times. As I mentioned on Facebook, I almost feel cheated that I missed out on these for so many years. I could have been enjoying them all this time! AGH! I also said that they made me want to blast some Dropkick Murphys and bust some heads! (Hmm...are the Dropkick Murphys named after Murphy McManus? I will check into that. No, they were not. They formed three years before the first movie was released. So was Murphy McManus named for the Dropkick Murphys? Enquiring minds want to know!)

Here is the trailer for the first movie. Badass!

Daryl Dixon: To arms! To arms!

It’s still too soon for me to write about what happened in Boston yesterday. I just...I can’t even...no words. I didn’t turn on the news today until this evening, and I’ve avoided most online articles about it. I’m trying hard to not let the rage and despair overwhelm me (Remember me writing about my intense emotions lately? Right.), and I know when I need to step back. A little time will restore my words, and I’ll write about it.

But not now. Instead, I’m just going to go total fangirl on you and write about something fun. Not the Stones this time, believe it or not!

Most people know that I’m a huge fan of “The Walking Dead.” I was hooked from the very first episode. Let me channel my Inner Stefon and say, “This show has everything. Zombies, katanas, crossbows, eyepatches, and a human plumb-bob.”

“What’s a human plumb-bob?”

“It’s that thing where a zombie dangles from a rope down a well and then gets torn in half and....”

Okay, you get the idea. I love the show. I get a little discussion thread going on Facebook every week after the show, and call it my Dead Thread. (I’m sure others have used the term, too. I don’t claim that it is original to me, although I had never seen it before.) We talk about what happened, what might happen, and what we hope will happen. It’s fun. I had never read the comics, so I have no expectations of what will be or what should be; it is impossible for me to be disappointed because the show did something different from the graphic novels.

One of the things that I love about the show is the way the characters evolve and change in response to “this sorrowful life.” Nothing is as it was; rules have changed or disappeared completely. It is not so much living as it is surviving, and sometimes, there are pretty dark decisions that have to be made. When the show started, I really dug the character of Shane. He obviously loved some people, but he took a real dark turn there—it happens in this world—and I was saddened by his necessary demise. It didn’t have to be that way, Shane, but you made your choice. This world does bad things to some people.

A more redemptive storyline has been that of Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus. It just astounds me to see the way his character is evolving, and to learn more about him. Daryl is probably the breakout character on the show, with a legion of fans vowing to riot in the streets if they kill him off. We understand that no one is safe, but NOT DARYL. Do you hear me, WD writers? NOT DARYL. Anyway, it’s a fascinating character study: abused as a child, looking up to his older brother Merle but kind of despising him at the same time, a true loner yet still wanting and needing to be part of the group, loyal to a fault. Daryl never gave up on searching for Sophia...maybe because he identified with the lost child and always hoped that someone would save him when he was a child? I don’t know, but he has proven to be a complex and fascinating character, and Norman plays him perfectly.

I had never heard of Norman Reedus before this show, so I was interested to find out that he’s apparently a pretty cool person in his own right. Artist, sculptor, photographer, by all accounts a super nice guy and kind to his fans. And he has a cat...a black one! Sheeba approves! I had heard of the Boondock Saints movies but didn’t know he was in them and I’ve never seen them. I just got them and am looking forward to watching. Anyway, nice to find out that he’s a good guy in real life, and not a douche.

I read a lot of stuff about the show, including interviews with the cast. He said in one interview that the writers were planning on taking Daryl another way. They wanted him to start taking drugs after Merle was split from the group, and he said no, he didn’t want to play him that way. Daryl loved his big brother, but he didn’t want to be like him. He wanted to grow up and be the person that others could rely on. Good instincts, Norman, because it makes Daryl all the more compelling. We’re rooting for this guy to be okay, because he’s really trying to be a better person. I really just can’t say enough about how much I like this character.

He also seems to be a good sport about the numerous fan sites that have cropped up for Daryl and for himself. His arms are absolutely adored. There are a LOT of women who are crushing on him in a major way, and his Twitter feed can be hilarious, with everything from pleas for him to follow them to marriage proposals. Some take a more “subtle” route...a friend and I are still laughing about someone demanding that he fuck them in the face. I’m sure he’ll get right on that!

Yes, I’m a fangirl. I agree that he has nice arms, but what I really love is how he’s made the character into someone that is...well, I think I’d  have to say “beloved.” I don’t think I’ve ever felt so invested in a character, or so connected to a group of characters. “ER” might have been the closest one—I bawled like a baby when Anthony Edwards’ Dr. Greene died—but that doesn’t even come close to how I feel about these characters. I’ve gasped, I’ve yelled, I’ve cried, and I’ve sat there in horror with my hand over my mouth...not because of the creepy zombies, but because these characters that I’ve come to love are in danger. One of the most devastating moments of the past season for me was when Daryl found his brother...reanimated. I said, “Nooooo, oh Daryl, nooooo,” and cried like a little girl. Well-played, sir, well-played.

So...can you tell I’m going through withdrawals after the end of the season? October is a long way away.

I have been assimilated

I’ve had a Twitter account for quite a while now, but I’ve never done much with it. It got the most activity during the primaries and election, when a group of us would get on and live-tweet the debates. It was always a blast, but other than that, I didn’t post much on there. I always intended to, and I’d have a couple of days where I’d remember to post there as well as to Facebook...and then I’d ignore it again.

That all changed this past week when I decided to put up or shut up. I started posting things fairly frequently, and although I’m trying to keep my following list on the low side, I started looking for some interesting people. I already had quite a few on there, mainly political figures, journalists, and blogger friends, but I started seeking out musicians, Walking Dead people, and others.
I’m actually having a lot of fun with it, and I’m not sure why I didn’t before. I still prefer Facebook for longer, more detailed threads (like my Dead Thread I start every Sunday night after “The Walking Dead”...must ask friends if I can import those to Twitter), but Twitter is fun for quickies. 

The Rolling Stones (including Mick, Keith, and Ronnie) have a large presence on there now as they gear up for the tour. One of my favorites is, oddly enough, Donnie Wahlberg, who posts pumped-up, positive messages like telling Monday he’s going to kick its ass, or telling his followers that only WE can change things in our lives. It is strangely endearing. And I adore Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on “The Walking Dead.” He’s very appreciative of his fans, he’s also an artist and photographer, and posts random pictures like him holding an avocado pit in his mouth. It makes me grin. It’s an almost joyful goofiness that just makes me happy. Even “serious people” occasionally post just-for-fun stuff, and Curiosity Rover is absolutely adorable. (I’m not going to provide links to every single one of those...if you’re interested, just search for them, and look for the verified account.)

Maybe that’s what I’m digging about it compared to Facebook. It strikes me as a little more random and chaotic. It appeals to my inner anarchist, as well as to that Inner Lizard I wrote about the other day. I love the jumble of articles, nuggets of wisdom, fun pictures, bizarre pronouncements, and sheer what-the-fuckness. I’m not dumping you, Facebook, but I think we should date others. Twitter, call me later, baby.

If you’d like to follow me on Twitter: @Luvrte66