Jen's travel adventures

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Sooo... I finally updated this site, in anticipation of a trip I'll be taking next month. It's no longer NCIS-centric (I'll admit, while I'm still a major fan, the obsession has waned a tiny bit), but more focused on my travels in general. Hopefully it'll be a fun way for my friends and family who always want to be in the know to keep up with me, as well as a cool way to document my trips. Still a little technogeek, I know, but that's just me.

Just for fun, here's a picture from Halloween '07 at work, wearing my improved Abby costume (and MUCH improved hair... so much for wigs!). Abby was a hit... everyone at work knew exactly who I was supposed to be.

Also, in the spirit of Abbiness, here is Abby, my car, which was purchased in October '07. Since I had friends calling the car both the mini hearse, and the goth wagon, when someone told me that it needed a name, Abby just seemed to fit. The picture was taken before I even drove it off the lot, hence the ever-convenient lockbox.

Stay tuned for a new adventure coming in January!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

And so it goes.

Well, its over. For me, anyway, since I'm not staying to watch episodes with Harriet tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight was fun... some really cool items got auctioned off to benefit charity... including props and costume items from the show (A copy of Deep Six, A Caf-Pow and a Frank N Baby with a red splat on its forehead a la Red Cell, a personalized director's chair, a set visit... etc...).

Deep Six package

Caf Pow/Frank N Baby package

Liza Lapira made an appearance... she is an absolute sweetheart! Liza, Jen-with-one-n is absolutely thrilled to have met you, and I thank you for joining us.

I also got to meet Charles Floyd Johnson, who was very gracious to, and appreciative of, all of us there.

And last, but certainly not least, though she couldn't make it we got to talk to Pauley Perrette via speakerphone... and a couple of the more Scuito-centric attendees got to speak with her one on one.... The one question everyone had? What was the birthday gift that she got from Gibbs?? She says... its the gold at the end of the Gibbs rainbow!

All in all, its been a very fun weekend. I'm already hatching plans for next year!

Set visit.

Today's set visit was, without a doubt, the highlight of my trip so far! It was really quite thrilling to be able to wander through and see where the magic happens. I so wish we could have taken pictures, but understandably that wasn't allowed, so I'll try to list the places we saw from memory... (as close to in order as possible)

Abby's lab

Interrogation/Observation rooms

Gibbs' basement

The parking lot... where the Chargers, Medical Examiner Van, and Mobile Crime Scene unit were parked.

Wardrobe... Abby's bowling outfit and Marilyn costume were on display... and not surprisingly, her "closet space" is by FAR the largest...

A ship set that was recently used

The Director's office & reception area

Several swing sets, some that had been recently filmed in and others that will be used for filming in the near future.

The set building area and property storage.

The cast trailers... including Mark Harmon's Airstream! (Just from the outside, of course)

The back lot

MTAC

Autopsy

The squad room

and last, but not least...

We ate lunch in the evidence garage!

After a lovely lunch, Executive Producer Charles Floyd Johnson and Producer Avery Drewe welcomed us, & played some DVD's for us... one of the DVD's was of several cast members saying hello, another was several scenes from the first several episodes of season 5 (Yes, I know spoilers.... no, I'm not gunna tell!), a gag reel, and then we were allowed to see the first act of the season premiere!! What a tease!

After the dvd's were played, we got to speak to several crew members about what their jobs entail, and see several very cool props. Then, we all headed to the back lot to have a group photo taken, received gift bags from the production (including a NCIS Season 4 baseball cap, a Season 5 Cast & Crew placard, and a very nice 2008 NCIS pocket calender.

Then, back on the buses to head to the hotel. Now its time to get a little nap in before we gather again at 630. Looking forward to Liza Lapira's appearance, & whatever other surprises lie in store for us!

Friday evening

Last night was fun, kind of laid back... There were booths for each of the main characters, giving away goodies and selling tickets for various character-specific raffles. I bought a few tickets for the Abby and McGee raffles, and got a bunch from Operation Gratitude for their raffle, for donating several used cell phones. I do have a few pictures that I will post later today.

We got word of confirmation that executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson and actress Liza Lapira (Agent Lee) will be joining us tonight... other appearances may occur, but they will be a surprise if so.

Right now, I'm off to go get ready for today's big activity... the set visit!!! Whee!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Guest starring...

This afternoon, we got to have a Q & A session with some real NCIS agents, which was very interesting. Unfortunately, because of the nature of their work and security precautions, they asked that no photos be taken.

Our other guest this afternoon was Craig Harvey, of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office (as he puts it, "Coroner to the Stars!", and a Technical Advisor for NCIS, who talked to us about the nature of his work as a coroner as well as some of the ways he assists the production. He also brought liver probes for us to look at!