After a brief hiatus and several very important missions (which may or may not have involved a horde of drooling zombies, duct tape and a kangaroo) our weekly field reports which we lovingly call Commander Mondays have returned. Because we believe it is important to know exactly who will be leading you forward after the dead have begun to walk the Earth, The Zombie Survival Crew will be bringing you weekly updates with vital information regarding your commanders. This information is equally important to members and prospective members, because… well… because Our Fearless Leader SAID so, and she’s never wrong.
So, without further ado… Orange Brigade, meet Second Lieutenant J. LaRose!
While many of you are no doubt aware of his rather messy demise in Saw III (disembowelment does have its drawbacks), rest assured that the LT is in fine shape and more than ready to take on the ever-growing threat to the human race. You don’t even have to take my word for it, just a glimpse into J’s varied talents and wide range of experience is enough to convince anyone. He can glare a hole in a brick wall in one moment and charm even the hardest of hearts with a winning smile in the next. Coming from a solid background of horror movies, television and short films, J is more than adequately equipped to face the horror in the days that lay ahead. It doesn’t even have to be mentioned that J LaRose is related to a certain Special Forces Commander, but we mentioned it anyway. J. hails from Chicago, making his first appearances on various television series, including Mortal Kombat: Conquest, In Search of, and short films Butterfly Dreams and The Crown of Rust. In 2006 he made his big screen debut as the unfortunately disemboweled Troy in Saw III (spoiler alert), and from there moved on to Repo! The Genetic Opera and the horror films The Tenant, Insidious and The Tortured. J has also been involved in many projects coming up in the near future. Most recently, J LaRose appeared in The Devil’s Carnival,Insidious: Chapter 2, and the short film Amazing Grace, which will be screening at the Sunscreen Film Festival on 5/02/2014. You can view Amazing Grace online here: http://vimeo.com/89128574
J LaRose is currently operating from an undisclosed location, and we are eagerly waiting to hear more from him soon. We’re very sure he won’t end up like poor Troy again, at least not any time soon.
If you’re just joining us for our Commander Monday series, please be sure to check out our previous field reports!
We put the vert in covert… or maybe not. Any time the Zombie Survival Crew hits a new city, we tend to draw attention.
Hard to hide when arriving alongside Special Forces commander Michael Rooker, Blue Brigade commander Norman Reedus, plus first lieutenants David Della Rocco and Sean Patrick Flannery. And of course ZSC CIC and Red Brigade commander Juliette Terzieff, with yours truly scrambling to keep up.
Hey, your Orange Brigade commander is no slouch, but Juliette moves quickly. Blink and you miss her darting through a crowd of thousands. Which happened. Several times. Like a flesh and bone version of “Doctor Who” baddies, the Weeping Angels. Sacramento had no clue what hit them when Wizard World Comic Con rolled into town.
Once the shock passed, the locals and those who traveled from out of town to attend the event embraced the insanity and ran with it. The show opened Friday evening to a huge crowd, with many, many more folks to visit over the weekend. We saw tons of creative costumes, homemade fan shirts, and beautiful artwork. The massive crowds inside and out of the convention center attracted a herd of zombies—well over a hundred in the pack—leading Wizard World to call in the God of Thunder himself, Chris Hemsworth, who helped in the good fight to save mankind.
Everyone’s efforts were repaid with smiles, kind words, hugs, and a lot of good local food to fuel us throughout the long weekend. We take pride in personally ensuring the safety of the folks in California’s capitol city.
Just another stop in the ZSC’s bid to prepare and protect the world from the undead hordes!
Stand aside, Yellow Brigade! Second Lieutenant Addy Miller is stepping up to the spotlight! This vibrant and fearless young miss has both the brains and the courage to both lead and inspire us all when the inevitable finally begins. While many of us will always remember her as the pajama-clad undead waif in the opening sequences of The Walking Dead pilot episode Days Gone Bye, Addy is no stranger to the industry. At the age of twelve, she is the youngest member of Zombie Survival Crew Command, and it goes without saying that this bright young shining star will only shine brighter as the days grow darker.
Beginning her career as a child model at the age of four, Addy first appeared on the big screen in 2008, starring as the younger Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) in the award-winning film, The Secret Life of Bees. She went on to make guest appearances in the television series Tainted Love, and it cannot be mere coincidence that she also had a small role in Blood Done Sign My Name with Special Forces Commander Michael Rooker. In 2010, working closely with director Frank Darabont and makeup guru Greg Nicotero, her brief appearance in The Walking Dead earned her a permanent place in the memories of zombie and horror fans everywhere. From there she continued on with appearances in the television film The Shunning and the series It’s Supernatural. Her preference for roles that challenge her to draw upon the darker and more difficult human emotions set her apart from other child actors, and she holds herself to her own high standards at all times.
Addy has very quickly become a regular in the comic-con and horror show circuits. When her busy and demanding schedule allows, she can be found touring and meeting fans from all over the world. This straight-A home-schooled student has been active in raising awareness for autism through public events, charity auctions and much more. Addy also has an interest in the goings-on behind the camera, and it wouldn’t surprise any of us a bit if she were to try her hand at directing, writing or producing somewhere down the road.
Coming soon:
Addy has been working hard and has several upcoming roles in both film and television. She has recently worked on several films including Plan 9 and Nowhere. She has also appeared in the short films Burying the Truth and Red Rose. Currently in production are Sick People, Dark Places and the Kickstarter-funded horror filmThe Devil’s Tree.
Keep watching! This young star can only soar higher and shine brighter.
If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!
Watch out world! Light Blue Brigade’s Second Lieutenant Adrian Kali Turner is stepping up to the plate. This young actor, writer, singer, competitive dancer, youth speaker, humanitarian and ambitious entrepreneur may be young, but that shouldn’t give you any reason to believe he is to be underestimated.
Born in Takoma Park, Maryland in 1997, Adrian took the lead in a pre-school play and joined the Norbeck Community Church Choir at the age of four. While his peers and classmates were busy fingerpainting, worrying about nap time, and playing tag on the playground, Kali was already well situated on the path to success, and preparing for the day when he would be called to duty.
One of the youngest members to take on the daunting responsibility of Zombie Survival Crew leadership, Adrian is no stranger to hard work. He has appeared in numerous television roles including iCarly, Yo Gabba Gabba, Chuck, Lincoln Heights, Flash Forward, and Disney’s 3 Minute Game Show. Adrian earned awards for Monologue and Commercial competitions at the Actors, Models and Talent Competition in Orlando, Florida in 2006. He delivered solid performances in the films My Name is Khan,Cowboys & Aliens and the 2011 summer comedy Bad Teacher.
In a critically acclaimed and heartbreaking episode that aired during Season 3 of AMC’s The Walking Dead, we learned of Dwayne Jones’ tragic demise through a retelling by his father Morgan, played by Lennie James. In spite of this sad turn of events, Adrian has continued to move onward and upward.
Adrian is a member of the teen singing group, Boyz Crew, and had the opportunity to perform at President Obama’s Inauguration Neighborhood Ball. He has appeared on the talk show circuit with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, and Larry King Live and performed performing alongside Will.i.am, Donna Summer and Jamie Foxx. Adrian has put his musical talents to work to promote humanity and peace, writing and performing a rap single for the Peace in Our Hearts CD. Adrian also indulges in his greatest love, writing, whenever he can. He has penned countless poems, short stories and rap songs, and is a regular writer with the OMG-TV Live teen sketch comedy group. Adrian also wrote and produced the short film My Bad, and is the Chief Operating Officer at Epic Apps Forever, creator of iPhone and iPad apps.
Adrian’s current humanitarian missions involve raising awareness about child slavery. His work has included public speaking and coaching opportunities for young artists and their families, as well as work with the US Forestry Campaign. There seems to be no stopping this young force of nature, and nothing that he cannot do. We at the ZSC are convinced beyond a doubt that this world is a little bit brighter because of him, and we are counting on him to shine that light on us all in the days to come.
Coming soon:
Adrian recently appeared as Julius Love in an episode of Arrested Development. He has also been seen in the films Camp Fred, Standing Up and Teachers alongside Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Esai Morales. Keep an eye out for Behind Locked Doors (formerly The Jack Story), directed by Charles S. Dutton and co-starring Richard Tyson.
As part of our collective efforts to prepare for the z-poc ZSC command is continuing its mission to bring you a series of recipes to keep the body strong and the spirit lifted during dark times.
The last time Blue Brigade was in the frying pan to provide a recipe, they went with one of Commander Reedus’ personal favorite dishes, macaroni and cheese. This time Blue Brigade is going true ‘squirrel-slinging redneck style’ –and if anyone can come up with a nifty little tune to accompany this there could be a prize involved.
All jokes aside this is a handy, easy recipe for a hearty meal on the go that can be tailored to reflect individual tastes and the environment you’re in when the time comes to make this stew.
Ingredients:
1 squirrel, butchered, skinned and cut up
flour salt and pepper, to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
7 cups water 1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup corn
3 potatoes, cubed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 medium onions, sliced
2 cups canned tomatoes with juice (or a bushel of fresh tomatoes, cut up)
Directions:
1 – Roll the squirrel pieces in flour, salt, and pepper.
2 – Brown in butter. Remove from pot.
3 – Add water to pot and bring to a boil.
4 – Add squirrel and all other ingredients (with the exception of the tomatoes) to the boiling water, cover, and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
4 – Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer another hour.
Logistical expert, webmistress, guru of all things technical and little flashy pointing thingies on the ZSC website, The Oracle sees all, hears all and knows all. Once an innocent writer of young adult novels, L.K. Gardner-Griffie’s role in the upcoming apocalypse is perhaps the most crucial of all. Without her wisdom, infinite knowledge and uncanny ability to translate the often-garbled incoming transmissions from other commanders, we would surely be lost in a maze of utter confusion and mayhem. While only those higher up the chain of command and several very privileged others have actually seen the Oracle with their own eyes, many of us have caught glimpses of her in various social networking locations, and some have even received the occasional top secret memo that changes the course of one’s destiny.
L.K. Gardner-Griffie is the author of the award-winning Misfit McCabe series. An avid blogger and mom to several four-leggedchildren, she hails from the West coast although she is often infected with wanderlust. In another lifetime L.K. may have found herself belting out country music tunes for a living. L.K. is a woman of many passions and talents, and when the two are put together to take a stand against abuse, bullying, censorship and other issues that affect us all in some way or another, the possibilities are endless. She speaks up, shouts out and challenges us all to think before we act, and do what’s right no matter what the circumstances.
L.K. was recently interviewed by Christine Fonesca, and previously chatted with Lorna Suzuki at All Kinds of Writing. She has also been included as one of the featured authors on Publish or Bust. Purple brigade, salute your commander, and take heed of the shining example she sets for us all.
www.griffieworld.com
If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!
A while back we covered the basics of building a campfire to keep yourself warm if you should find yourself forced to find sanctuary in the woods during the Zombiepocalypse. A campfire is good for more than just warmth. You’ll need it to purify water, cook food, and help clean your laundry and dishes. Heck, it’ll even make for a handy weapon if your camp is ever invaded. Basically, fire is your new buddy the second you find yourself able to set up camp. But make sure the zombies are all dead before you start building your campfire.
Building a fire for the purpose of cooking takes a few extra steps from what we covered in our Fire Safety basics.
Make sure all wood and kindling is dry. Wet wood burns poorly, doesn’t create ideal coals for cooking, and emits unhealthy amounts of smoke.
Build a U-shaped rock border around the fire pit area. The rocks will help hold up the grill, if you have one. The open end of the pit will allow you to spread out the coals to control cooking temperatures.
Fill the entire fire pit with a layer of crumpled paper (or any other starter). Lay kindling over the starter in rows, and another layer of kindling on top of that in rows going the other direction. Do not build a tee pee type fire. You’re creating a bed of coals to cook on. Tee pee fires don’t burn uniformly and won’t create the proper coals.
Light the starter.
As the kindling catches and begins to burn, add 2-3 medium sized pieces of food of uniform shape.
Allow the fire to burn down to coals—approximately 1 hour.
Rearrange the coals with a shovel, creating a ramp with the thickest layer of coals in the back, the thinnest in the front of the pit. You’ve just created a High-Medium-Low setting for your fire pit. High in the back, Low in the front.
Place your grill using the rocks to hold it off the coals.
Cooking Tips:
Foil is Awesome –
Hearty vegetables like corn, potatoes, carrots, turnips; can be washed, wrapped in foil, and set directly onto the coals to cook. Flip them occasionally with tongs to get uniform cooking.
All-in-one meals are a breeze with foil. Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Keep meats a little larger to ensure they have the same cooking time. Wrap everything securely in foil with spices, olive oil, and a little water, wine or lemon juice. Set the foil package on the coals and let it cook. No clean up after. Eat it straight from the foil after it’s cooled.
Non-poisonous leaves can be used instead of foil. Make sure you research plants in your area before being forced to live outdoors because of zombie attack, this way you are well aware of indigenous plants your family can eat and use for survival.
Anything can be a Cooking Pan –
A lot of foods will be canned toward the end. Canned foods are shelf stable, durable, and last a long time. However, they’re not good eats cold. Pop the lid on the can, remove the label, and set the can at the open end of the fire pit. Drag a few coals around to surround the bottom for even heating. Stir every couple minutes. When the food is heated, pull the can using tongs or a pot holder. Super easy. If you wash the can, it can be reused to purify drinking water for your morning coffee.
Even a paper cup can be used to boil water. This takes a little practice, but since paper has a higher ignition temperature than water’s boiling point, in theory you can use a plain Dixie cup to purify water. Set the full cup near the open end of the coals, but not touching. It’ll take a little while, but if your coals are hot, the water will boil.
Hard squashes, such as butternut squash, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, etc. don’t need a pan to cook them. They don’t even need foil. Set the squash on the low end of the coals and roll it occasionally for uniform cooking. Once the flesh is tender (when stabbed with a knife, there’s no resistance), pull it from the heat. Pumpkin in particular is great roasted over a fire. Break it into chunks and cover with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Eat everything down to the pumpkin skin—the skin will be charred from the fire, but the inside is delicious.
Cruddy Cookware is Okay –
Cooking on fire is hard on pots and pans. When packing cooking gear, Do Not use nonstick pans. Open fire burns too hot and will scorch the nonstick coating, releasing potentially harmful chemicals. Go for cast iron or cheap pans without nonstick coating. A good Dutch oven with the lid will let you not only make delicious stews, but bake cakes and other goodies as well right over your campfire.
Blue Brigade, meet your commander Norman Reedus! This multi-talented actor, filmmaker, photographer, writer and artist has played an Irish vigilante, a sociopathic murderer, street gang leader, a conspirator, the unfortunate snack of cannibalistic humanoids on a deep-space vessel, and – of course- a beloved redneck zombie killer and survivalist.
Norman started making ripples in the film industry in 1997, appearing very briefly in the film Mimic and then taking the starring role in the coming of age tale Floating. Three years later, The Boondock Saints delivered a pair of Irish vigilante twin brothers for our consideration, and the general consensus was clear. Norman’s work as an artist, photographer and filmmaker shows yet another branch of talent for a man who has been described as one of the hardest-working actors in the business.
Norman now has three seasons under his belt as a fan favorite with AMC’s wildly successful zombie apocalypse survival drama The Walking Dead, and even after bidding a very tearful farewell to his onscreen brother, he is still working his crossbow-firing fingers to the bone. Norman is currently filming the fourth season, set to air sometime in October 2013 (We’re still waiting on an exact date, so just clear your Sunday schedule for all of October for now). Norman recently attended the premiere of Sunlight, Jr at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the much-anticipated film Hello Herman is scheduled for release next month.
Between filming, interviews, podcasts, magazine photo shoots, and the never-ending parade of convention appearances all over the world, Norman still can be counted upon to reach out to his fiercely devoted fans through social networking outlets whenever he can, even when we are sure he should be getting a little shut-eye. For his tireless and exhaustive efforts to spread the word, keep hope alive and fearlessly face the shambling hordes time and time again, the Zombie Survival Crew salutes Blue Brigade Commander Norman Reedus.
If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!
As part of our collective efforts to prepare for the z-poc, ZSC command has undertaken a mission to bring you a series of recipes to keep the body strong and the spirit lifted during dark times. Now, don’t go thinking you’ll be cooking these up in the early days of the infection. You’ll be too busy slaying walkers on the move for this kind of fare. But once the initial dust settles and you’re in the fight for the long haul, you’re going to want something other than the beef jerky, energy bars and chocolate you’ve got stashed in your Go Bag.
Being on the run from the shambling horde doesn’t leave a lot of time for cooking every day, so a good way to get that protein you’ll need is to make some jerky out of whatever large game is in your area when you can’t loot any from surrounding stores any longer. Heck, you could probably even use this for javelina (native to the Southwest and quite the nasty beast in temperament).
Most people don’t realize that Arizona and the Southwest have deer and elk, along with the mountain lions and javelina, so this very basic recipe really goes a long way. I haven’t tried this using javelina, and that’s a different type of meat, but hey, it’s worth a shot. Either way, the meat from a javelina is good to eat. Have a pig roast, if anything.
We’ll just go with the deer/elk/buffalo recipe. I’m also assuming you know how to skin these animals. If you don’t, that should be on your “Top 10 Things I Need to Know for the Zombiepocalypse” list.
First, you’ll want to trim off all visible fat from the meat because it becomes rancid. Cut the flank steak lengthwise with the grain into long thin strips no more than ¼ inch thick. Rub it aggressively with salt cover for 10 to 12 hours so it’ll absorb the salt and release some of its natural juices. At this time, you can add additional spices, fruits, liquids, etc. This is why I require spices in the Yellow Brigade Go Bag (you’ll have to be logged in to view that link).
Next, you’ll need to build a scaffold to support the meat over a slow fire beneath it; the heat and the smoke completes the process in half a day, and with an occasional sunning, the meat will keep for months.
Not too hard, right? Just get yourself somewhere safe for a couple of days so you can do this and you’ll have that protein you need for a good long while, depending on the size of the animal, of course.
Happy hunting!
I’d like to thank my ex-husband, the bow hunter from Wyoming, for helping me with this.
Our mission here at the Zombie Survival Crew is straightforward and true: Keeping you safe from the shambling horde, and taking human beings off the endangered species list one zombie at a time. As you browse through our field reports, you’ll find information that is vital to the survival of the human race as a species, entertaining, educational and downright practical. Our fearless leaders are experienced in dealings with not only zombies, but also vampires, werewolves, alien insects and monsters of the regular human variety. But few in our esteemed command crew have ventured into a less-often traveled realm of the paranormal, the world of ghosts, spirits, shadows and things that go bump in the night. This week’s report focuses on one such unique individual, Special Forces Brigade member Britt Griffith.
Born and raised in sunny Southern California, Britt was born into the world of Lights, Camera, Action. Well-acquainted with the business both behind and in front of the cameras, Britt already had all the tools he needed from a very young age. Which of course led him to stray off the path for a brief decade or so, taking a blue collar job and working hard while pursuing a lifetime hobby of paranormal investigations. In 2008 fate brought him back in front of the cameras, where he found a way to continue his most-loved hobby by joining the team on SyFy Channel’s Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International. Britt left GHI in early 2012 to pursue other interests He has appeared in several television series, including Food Network Challenge, Run This Town, Chillerama, and the films Azienda and 5 Minutes.
Britt recently appeared in the 2012 film The Black Dahlia Haunting, and is working on several other projects including one short and two full-length feature films.
When not filming, chasing ghosts or wrangling large snakes, Britt continues to travel and appear at various events, including lectures on paranormal activity and investigation. He also is a devoted supporter of the Dyslexia Foundation, and spends much of his free time tutoring and mentoring youngsters with learning disabilities.
Coming soon for Britt: keep an eye on the horizon for The Zodiac Legacy, scheduled for release in 2014!
If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!
J. hails from Chicago, making his first appearances on various television series, including Mortal Kombat: Conquest, In Search of, and short films Butterfly Dreams and The Crown of Rust. In 2006 he made his big screen debut as the unfortunately disemboweled Troy in Saw III (spoiler alert), and from there moved on to Repo! The Genetic Opera and the horror films The Tenant, Insidious and The Tortured. J has also been involved in many projects coming up in the near future. Most recently, J LaRose appeared in The Devil’s Carnival, Insidious: Chapter 2, and the short film Amazing Grace, which will be screening at the Sunscreen Film Festival on 5/02/2014. You can view Amazing Grace online here: http://vimeo.com/89128574
