Also watched some great shows, ate more than I should have, and overall had a great time. A cruise is one of my favorite vacations, without a doubt. I’ve now done 5 of them, and I just love them. Even though two of them have been borderline suck, it still rocks.

After the cruise, we hit up Islands of Adventure. I’m pretty sure we rode just about everything there. That was great. It was also nice to see the progress on Hogwarts’ construction. It’s looking great.

After Islands of Adventure, we hit Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. That was less than great, but still fun. They closed nearly all of their rides, and relied on people enjoying the hour long wait in haunted house lines to have fun. We did get to ride the Mummy coaster. I had rode it in Hollywood, but this one is actually quite a bit different. They are both great, though.

Overall, a great trip.

Here we go:

“Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true… unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven’t seen the show yet). Why me? Because they’re struggling and can’t afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn’t mean Dollhouse definitely won’t get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we’re not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody’s closed the door. If D’House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we’ll still bring it, and I’ll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri – read. About.

What can we expect from a ‘Joss Whedon’ epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin’ and the crik don’t rise, a good one. A television director’s job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we’ve had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn’t his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I’m known for? I’d hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I’ve killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can’t we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I’m going to do my best, and more importantly, I’m going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don’t worry. I practiced with Bamber. I’m a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j. “