Happy Friday

What happened to Filter Fun Time at Cactus? How about after reports are done but before we top yesterday events. Be sure to disconnect the cameras for today.

Day Three.

A dearth of postings yesterday due to the fact that we were having way too much fun. Things got a little out of control, actually, but all is good—we were able to extinguish the small fire in the garage warehouse and talked the police out of pressing charges (good job, Ewan!).

It's quite possible, however, that the UPS guy will be having nightmares for years to come. Some people just aren't ready to party Filter-style.

So, apologies for not blogging much but after spending an afternoon doing lines on the boss's desk, installing spy cams in the girls' bathroom and mopping up pigeon blood we just didn't feel like sitting down and writing it up.

Synchronicity

What's going on here? One of the above is today's forecast for Los Angeles, CA. The other? Austin, TX. Near-identical, down to the AM fog, sunny afternoon and wind speed. Weird.

Taco Flavored Kisses

Today has been full of dispatches from Texas which has been keeping me extremely busy and rather flustered. So flustered, in fact, that as soon as I returned from Baja Fresh with a delicious quesadilla complete with guacamole, sour cream and chips for lunch, I promptly dropped the entire plateful on the floor behind my desk. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo before cleaning it up, but it looked a lot like this:

Day Two.

After yesterday's rather macabre first post, I thought I'd start today with something a little more upbeat. Like a kitty.

But wouldn't "Homeless Guy Eats Pigeon" be the most popular YouTube video ever? Better that Bumfights?

I'm A Loner Dottie, A Rebel

Guess who the Left Behind crew are going to be rubbing shoulders with at Wizard World this weekend?



Pee Wee Herman

He'll be there on Saturday, when most of us won't. Oh well.

Shake, Shake, Shake

Moods were lightened considerably today when a wholly necessary meeting between the online department and editorial took place at Astro Burger. Cooling milkshakes were enjoyed by all as a welcome break from the office and the heat. It’s not margaritas and BBQ, but it’s a start. Tomorrow’s Left At Filter posts may be brought to you by the good people at Cactus Tacos.

Mmm... Pi.

Hey, it's Pi Day.
To celebrate, these math geeks are "dropping" an animated pi from an animated crane. Or something lke that. The "official" Pi Day site doesn't seem to be too excited about it.

Moustache March is SO much cooler.

Half-Way Through Day 1

After watching Jesus Camp one too many times, I can't help but say JC is clearly in the Filter House. The day is half over. We have yet to turn the AC on. There's a dead something that appears to be a pigeon in the parking lot. But Hey, the live feeds of sxsw start tomorrow so it's like we're practically there? Please send care packages to us. We like bagels, cookies, red vines, beer and scotch.

Day One.

Dead bird found behind the dumpster here at the Filter World HQ. It looks as if it's been filleted; the edible parts removed, wings and feet left intact. Guess one of the local homeless may have had a little feast.

Oddly enough, there were no stray feathers around the carcass and it looked like it had been purposefully pushed through the bars or our fence. So, on the other hand, may be a message from the mob.

Left Again.

My whole issue with going to SXSW has been this: since moving to CA, I just haven't wanted to pay to go. I'm a cheap bastard, and memories of driving down from Fort Worth, getting a comp media badge, and shacking with pals are still strong in my mind. Yesterday I learned that I could, indeed, go to SXSW on someone else's dime. At 6:30 this morning, I was looking for round trip flights. My dreams were squashed when I discovered I couldn't get a flight 8 days in advance for less than around $700—almost my entire budget for the trip.

So it looks like I'm left behind again.

We have a new crew in the pits with us this year, so I'm actually looking forward to filling the office with more of the fun, games and indulgences from last year. We've got a much larger group preparing to go geek at WizardWorld. And we may actually hold the First Annual FU SXSW Office Olympics. More to come.

The Return

I fully expected to come to work today and feel like the only kid in school who did not go on a class trip to Europe. I figured the returning workmates would relate story after insipid story about how great band X was and how cute so and so was and how such and such was so drunk Saturday night that s/he hooked up with a UT coed before leaving a streak of vomit up and down a hotel corridor.

But I underestimated the graciousness of my coworkers who have actually been fairly low-key about the whole thing all day.
Which makes me wonder if I missed something so big they were all sworn to secrecy.

Nevertheless, they were all quite complimentary about this blog and our attempts to rally the troops who occupied the Hollywood HQ in their absence.

Thanks, guys!

Mark your calenders...

Today on my drive in to work I heard something I could not wait to share with the rest of you guys....

Darryl & John will be making an appearance at UCLA on June 21st!!

Undoubtedly this will be a show that should not be missed.

www.hallandoates.com

Yeah, I Geeked Out.

How To Rule the World

A recent email sent to those Left Behind from He Who Was Left in Charge of Those Left Behind reminded us to properly clean and store dishes and utensils which are all too frequently abandoned in the office sink. Unclean items can attract insect visitors and though we may enjoy the rustic nostalgia induced by a chirping cricket every now and then, we certainly wouldn't want roaches tromping all over our kitchen.

One industrious bug torturer, however, has graduated from frying ants with a magnifying glass and developed a means of controlling roaches' movements using a simple back-of-the-roach-mounted aparatus and a micronputer. He says that, if made light enough, the whole thing could be operated by remote control instead of (as it is now) pre-programmed movements.

So, Left at Filterites, rebel and leave your dirty Tupperware, coffee mugs and peanut-butter-encrusted spoons in the sink. How else can I lure and capture an army of cockroaches who will do my bidding, enabling me to RULE THE WORLD? Fear not, I will be a benign and sympathetic global monarch and will forgive any unhygenic kitchen practices which assisted me in my ascent. In fact, I will go so far as to grant you positions in my cabinet and offer you enormous amounts of real estate. Who wants Australia?

Lighten up, it's just fashion!

When the going gets tough, the tough turn to santino rice.

Dogs & Mailmen

If his current rate of growth continues unabated, within 1 year Sart's Ridgeback Cash will be able to use the Capitol tower as a chew toy. A good-looking and generally well-behaved dog, Cash nevertheless is now big enough to frighten the pants off those who don't know he's just a friendly, slightly slobbery, gigantic pup who just needs some attention.

Cash, a frequent and welcome visitor to the Filter office, nuzzled up to the mailman, who was eager to get in out of the cold and rain but not so eager to make a new canine friend. Though the mailman seemed to have that inherent postal worker fear of dogs, Cash failed to scare him into putting down the damn toilet seat.
Sic 'em, Cash!

Capitol Records Tower may turn into Condos

Once again, another money making venture at the expense of a landmark. So sad. Nothing is sacred.

LOS ANGELES - Rumors that the Capitol Records tower, which looks like a stack of records and is one of the world's most recognizable buildings, could be sold to a developer who might convert it into condos has sparked concern among city leaders and preservationists.

They say the building where Capitol Records helped produce and distribute music for Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and many other musicians, is too much of an icon to be turned into housing.
Preservationists said they like the idea that music continues to be made inside the 13-story office tower and that it should not become just a landmark of the past.

"If they leave, it'll take something away from Hollywood," said Erin Bennett, a hostess at Hollywood and Vine, a restaurant named after the famed intersection close to the building. "It'll be an old building that used to be something."