I'm going home tomorrow!! Yay! I finally found a flight that wasn't going to cost me $600, and I get to stay and hang out with my family longer than I expected!
At this time of year, L.A. is pretty much a ghost town as far as filming is concerned and won't pick up again til February, so I am so stoked to go home for almost 3 weeks! I found $99 one way plane tickets from Southwest, so I only spent a mere $238 on airfare! Woohoo!
My flight leaves tomorrow morning at 10:45 am and I won't be back on the West coast til 6th January.
My life rocks.
16 December 2008
04 December 2008
Life goes on...
Gaah!
That's my word for so many things nowadays!
I feel like I've been doing a lot of nothing; sitting around, sleeping in... but then I look back and realize I've been moderately, if not quite, busy.
Friday after Thanksgiving I went to an Improv show with my friend Tim, who I met on set a few weeks ago, and we had a blast watching the actors. I got called up on stage to participate in one of their games. I sat facing the audience and there were 3 "bachelors" behind me and I had to ask them questions and pick one to go out with. It was pretty funny, and my "date" ended up being a warrior or something. Good times.
I'm actually auditioning for the improv troupe in Saturday. If they like me, I'll get to take classes at the school and eventually (hopefully) be in the show. There are three levels of improv, so hopefully I'll work my way in and up!
Monday I had a fitting for the TV show Cold Case up in Burbank. I was fitted to play a 1967 housewife, and they gave me a cute green dress and horrible shoes to wear. I don't know what the women ate back then, but their feet were ridiculously narrow! Either that, or mine are flippers. Either way, my feet were fully broken by the end of shooting that day!
Tuesday, I had a job interview for a party staffing company doing catering work and waiting, etc. This is the company that does the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Emmy Awards and every other major event in L.A. They also do a lot of private parties and smaller venues. I made it through the first interview and got called back for a final interview Wednesday night. I told the Asst. Stafing Director that I was booked to film on Cold Case and I didnt know where or when I was filming, but I would do my best to make it to the final interview at 6pm.
Well, we wrapped Cold Case a few minutes before 5, and by the time I was back to may car it was a little after 5:30.... and I had to be in Hollywood at 6... and I was in South Pasadena... Yikes. I called in and said I was on my way and prayed for the best!
With traffic being what it is at 5:30 in L.A., I made it to the office about 6:20, flew up the elevator and sneaked into the room just as a video being played for the prospective employees highlighted the importance of being on time (oops) and dressed properly (double oops. I was only wearing half of my uniform). To be clear, I has special dispensation from the Asst. Staffing Dir to be late and not in uniform. So there. Still, I felt mildly out of joint being late and underdressed. Not to mention the fact that I forgot I was still wearing blue eyeshadow from that afternoon's shoot. Nice.
All that aside, I realized the "final interview" was actually a welcome meeting for new employees. Thank goodness, otherwise I'm sure I would have been kicked to the curb!
Luckily, we broke for a few minutes which allowed me to change and have my picture taken for the database. I registered on the website this morning to schedule my availability, and I'm already booked on an event for next week! It's a Warner Brothers charity gala called the "Remmy Awards". Not sure what it's all about, but it sounds fancy and fun. We'll see!
Keep your fingers crossed for this next one! I am on a secondary list to work at the Sundance Film Resort in Utah for two weeks in January. It's a "counselor" position involving the independant film makers. Basically (I think) I'd have to cart them around to events and make sure they have their water and tea and green M&M's or something. I really have no idea. But it pays a ridiculous amount of money, including room and board and a stipend... Say a prayer someone backs out or gets a better offer!
I also have an offer to be a part time nanny (one or 2 days a week) for friends of a guy I met on set. They're writers/producers who just adopted a little boy and want someone to hang out with him a couple hours a week when their schedules overlap. Hopefully that will work out! I'm going to meet them and the little boy first to see if we're a good fit and then go from there!
Other than that, I'm lame; sitting around the house, doing nothing! I'm still working for Marilynn (when I'm home!).
That's my word for so many things nowadays!
I feel like I've been doing a lot of nothing; sitting around, sleeping in... but then I look back and realize I've been moderately, if not quite, busy.
Friday after Thanksgiving I went to an Improv show with my friend Tim, who I met on set a few weeks ago, and we had a blast watching the actors. I got called up on stage to participate in one of their games. I sat facing the audience and there were 3 "bachelors" behind me and I had to ask them questions and pick one to go out with. It was pretty funny, and my "date" ended up being a warrior or something. Good times.
I'm actually auditioning for the improv troupe in Saturday. If they like me, I'll get to take classes at the school and eventually (hopefully) be in the show. There are three levels of improv, so hopefully I'll work my way in and up!
Monday I had a fitting for the TV show Cold Case up in Burbank. I was fitted to play a 1967 housewife, and they gave me a cute green dress and horrible shoes to wear. I don't know what the women ate back then, but their feet were ridiculously narrow! Either that, or mine are flippers. Either way, my feet were fully broken by the end of shooting that day!
Tuesday, I had a job interview for a party staffing company doing catering work and waiting, etc. This is the company that does the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Emmy Awards and every other major event in L.A. They also do a lot of private parties and smaller venues. I made it through the first interview and got called back for a final interview Wednesday night. I told the Asst. Stafing Director that I was booked to film on Cold Case and I didnt know where or when I was filming, but I would do my best to make it to the final interview at 6pm.
Well, we wrapped Cold Case a few minutes before 5, and by the time I was back to may car it was a little after 5:30.... and I had to be in Hollywood at 6... and I was in South Pasadena... Yikes. I called in and said I was on my way and prayed for the best!
With traffic being what it is at 5:30 in L.A., I made it to the office about 6:20, flew up the elevator and sneaked into the room just as a video being played for the prospective employees highlighted the importance of being on time (oops) and dressed properly (double oops. I was only wearing half of my uniform). To be clear, I has special dispensation from the Asst. Staffing Dir to be late and not in uniform. So there. Still, I felt mildly out of joint being late and underdressed. Not to mention the fact that I forgot I was still wearing blue eyeshadow from that afternoon's shoot. Nice.
All that aside, I realized the "final interview" was actually a welcome meeting for new employees. Thank goodness, otherwise I'm sure I would have been kicked to the curb!
Luckily, we broke for a few minutes which allowed me to change and have my picture taken for the database. I registered on the website this morning to schedule my availability, and I'm already booked on an event for next week! It's a Warner Brothers charity gala called the "Remmy Awards". Not sure what it's all about, but it sounds fancy and fun. We'll see!
Keep your fingers crossed for this next one! I am on a secondary list to work at the Sundance Film Resort in Utah for two weeks in January. It's a "counselor" position involving the independant film makers. Basically (I think) I'd have to cart them around to events and make sure they have their water and tea and green M&M's or something. I really have no idea. But it pays a ridiculous amount of money, including room and board and a stipend... Say a prayer someone backs out or gets a better offer!
I also have an offer to be a part time nanny (one or 2 days a week) for friends of a guy I met on set. They're writers/producers who just adopted a little boy and want someone to hang out with him a couple hours a week when their schedules overlap. Hopefully that will work out! I'm going to meet them and the little boy first to see if we're a good fit and then go from there!
Other than that, I'm lame; sitting around the house, doing nothing! I'm still working for Marilynn (when I'm home!).
28 November 2008
Wait... it's over?
I think I'll be full for the next 2 days...
I thought I was doing really good yesterday, only putting a little on my plate, not having seconds, only a tiny sliver of dessert... Fail. I was so full I thought I would burst.
I love Thanksgiving!!
I also love shooting on movies! Monday and Tuesday were looong days, but a lot of fun. Monday, my call time was at 6am (bleh). I went and got my hair teased to the heavens and some lovely orangey-pink lipstick and I was on my way to set. The really cool thing was that all of the wardrobe was vintage and authentic 1962 clothing.
For the most part, it was just like filming on a TV show, except the hours were much longer. We were on set around 9:30 am and, though we had two 10 minute breaks, we didn't break for lunch until 4:30... sheesh.
Tuesday was more of the same, call time being at 8am and lunch again at 4:30. The good thing about working that long is all the bonus pay and overtime that will be on my paycheck!
While I was filming on Tuesday, I got a call for a fitting to be a 1950's housewife on the show Cold Case. If all goes well at the fitting, I'll be filming on Wednesday. As for the weekend, pretty much all the offices are closed and there isn't a whole lot of filming going on.
So, this weekend will be a nice, relaxing one... yay!
I thought I was doing really good yesterday, only putting a little on my plate, not having seconds, only a tiny sliver of dessert... Fail. I was so full I thought I would burst.
I love Thanksgiving!!
I also love shooting on movies! Monday and Tuesday were looong days, but a lot of fun. Monday, my call time was at 6am (bleh). I went and got my hair teased to the heavens and some lovely orangey-pink lipstick and I was on my way to set. The really cool thing was that all of the wardrobe was vintage and authentic 1962 clothing.
For the most part, it was just like filming on a TV show, except the hours were much longer. We were on set around 9:30 am and, though we had two 10 minute breaks, we didn't break for lunch until 4:30... sheesh.
Tuesday was more of the same, call time being at 8am and lunch again at 4:30. The good thing about working that long is all the bonus pay and overtime that will be on my paycheck!
While I was filming on Tuesday, I got a call for a fitting to be a 1950's housewife on the show Cold Case. If all goes well at the fitting, I'll be filming on Wednesday. As for the weekend, pretty much all the offices are closed and there isn't a whole lot of filming going on.
So, this weekend will be a nice, relaxing one... yay!
23 November 2008
Episodes
This is what I know for now about the episodes I've filmed on...
Private Practice: The working title for the episode was "Acceptance". From what I can tell of the new titles, I think it will be the episode called "Know when to fold" which airs Dec 10th, but don't quote me on it!
Grey's Anatomy: I have no idea what the working title or the actual title was/is for the episode I'll be in. I do know it's the episode that Derek's mother comes to visit, so I'll keep an eye out for spoilers and hopefully have more info before the air date.
Lie to Me: That is not the actual name of the show, only the working title. They haven't released the title yet, so it might change. I'll listen for that and update. I know I filmed on the pilot, so once the show's name is released, that episode won't be hard to find!
Medium: I know I filmed on episode 9 or 10. They were doing a whole linking flashback thing between the episodes... But, Medium hasn't even started yet, so keep that on the back burner.
Will update as soon as I know anything!!
Private Practice: The working title for the episode was "Acceptance". From what I can tell of the new titles, I think it will be the episode called "Know when to fold" which airs Dec 10th, but don't quote me on it!
Grey's Anatomy: I have no idea what the working title or the actual title was/is for the episode I'll be in. I do know it's the episode that Derek's mother comes to visit, so I'll keep an eye out for spoilers and hopefully have more info before the air date.
Lie to Me: That is not the actual name of the show, only the working title. They haven't released the title yet, so it might change. I'll listen for that and update. I know I filmed on the pilot, so once the show's name is released, that episode won't be hard to find!
Medium: I know I filmed on episode 9 or 10. They were doing a whole linking flashback thing between the episodes... But, Medium hasn't even started yet, so keep that on the back burner.
Will update as soon as I know anything!!
Workin' it
Yesterday afternoon I got the call... this morning I got all the info... I got cast in A Single Man! Woohoo! I'm background in a college scene in the 1960's, like I said... and that's pretty much all I know!
I do know that I have to put my hair in rollers every morning before coming to set, so that's going to be HILARIOUS driving down the freeway at 5am! The only bad this is that we're filming at the Rose Bowl, which is in Pasadena... roughly an hour and a half away from me. Boooo! BUT the good news is that I'm going to bunk with Allison and Diane for the days that I"ll be filming because they live right next to Pasadena, in Monrovia. Sweet! So I won't have to get up at 3am and be out of the house by 4am *phew*
So, it's off to Target for hot rollers and pantyhose, then on to Monrovia!!
I do know that I have to put my hair in rollers every morning before coming to set, so that's going to be HILARIOUS driving down the freeway at 5am! The only bad this is that we're filming at the Rose Bowl, which is in Pasadena... roughly an hour and a half away from me. Boooo! BUT the good news is that I'm going to bunk with Allison and Diane for the days that I"ll be filming because they live right next to Pasadena, in Monrovia. Sweet! So I won't have to get up at 3am and be out of the house by 4am *phew*
So, it's off to Target for hot rollers and pantyhose, then on to Monrovia!!
19 November 2008
Here is a link to my Picasa web album with some of the headshots from yesterday. I'd love feedback if you have a moment!!
Thanks!
http://picasaweb.google.com/pwrovryou/Headshots17Nov?authkey=KJZlSjw6_f4#5270498170742687634
Thanks!
http://picasaweb.google.com/pwrovryou/Headshots17Nov?authkey=KJZlSjw6_f4#5270498170742687634
Belly up and settle in... This is going to be a long one...
What a week!
Of course, I could hardly sleep the night before, but Wednesday morning came, and I was up at 5:45am to get ready to head to set. Because traffic is so erratic here, I left an hour and a half early just in case anything happened on the roads. I have learned, however, to avoid the highway (especially the 405) at all costs most hours of the day. Trip and Marilynn told me a super secret back way to get to Raleigh Studios where PP films, so I was all set. I got to the studio a half an hour or so early and waited to be checked in by Ben, one of the AD's (I think). There is such a complex hierarchy on set that I don't know if I'll ever have it figured out!
Well, we went to wardrobe and got "wardrobed up" as they call it and then proceeded to sit around for 2 hours. Luckily, I brought a book! I chatted to a bit with a girl named Renee and another girl named LaShaun. Then, they got called to set, so it was just my book and me.
After another hour or so, the rest of the extras were called to set. I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but I knew that as long as I could follow instructions, I'd be ok!
The secene was in the ER, and all I was told was "start here and by the time so and so crosses here, be in this spot."
Ok...
So the first couple times around were just rehearsal, so I walked (with purpose) around the set, trying to look important (too bad I was wearing pink capris, a pink polo and a purple smock. Hard to look important...). After the first 2 actual takes, I realised that I wasn't doing the exact same actions... uh oh. The number one key to being background is consistancy! DUH! Luckily, I hadn't changed my path (how and where I walked), I only added a stop at the desk in the middle of the room to pick up a file (very official, I know. I'm that good.) By the 4th take or so, I was zooming around the set, had my timing down pat and everything was going smoothly. Then, the 1st AD called for the shot to be "tighter". Now, in my theater trained brain, tighter means to pick up your cues, get the dead air out of the scene, etc. So what did I do? Walked faster, of course. After 2 takes of that, I realised I was the only one walking faster, and a take later still, I realised that tighter simply means they are zooming the camera in on the scene. Oops.
That lesson learned, we were sent to lunch.
After lunch, it was more of the same in a different scene. Except I knew not to walk faster, add actions or walk too loudly when the camera is rolling. Sheesh.
After the extras were wrapped, I called in and submitted myself for Grey's Anatomy, which filmed Wednesday. Within 10 minutes, I got a call back and was booked on Grey's! The only down part to being booked on these 2 shows is that I can't be back on the show for 30 days. They have to cycle out the faces, you know.
My call for Grey's on Thursday was 2:30 pm, so I was able to get some stuff done around the house and do some work for Marilynn. When I got there and checked in with the 2nd 2nd Asst. Director (I think!) I went to wardrobe and got my scrubs for the day (sooo comfy!) and then we were sent to lunch from 3 - 4! Whaaat?
We all sat around and weren't called to set until 7:30pm. Getting paid for sitting around is cool, but not when you sit around for 5 hours! Luckily, thanks to Marilynn's sage advice, I brought a camp chair with me, so I was at least comfortable while sitting around doing nothing. Renee was on set again, so we chatted more, but she ended up leaving early for another event.
When we finally got on set, Tyne Daly was there at a guest star (she's playing Derek's mother in the episode). I only really knew her as Mama Rose from the first broadway revival of Gypsy, but she's so much more than that, I was informed by one of the "talkers" on set. No, a talker is not a paid position in the filming process. Usually it's a fellow extra who can't, won't, doesn't EVER shut up between takes. If I didn't think I'd get in trouble, I would have run away screaming.
So, aside from the fact that it took 3 hours to film 4 minues of the particular scene we were working on,(I was in a couple different parts of the scene, so hopefully I won't be edited out entirely!) it was very similar to working on PP. Except, I actually watch Grey's... every week. It was a tiny bit surreal to be working in such close proximity to the actors I've been watching on TV for a year, but cool. The only time on set I thought my heart would fall out of my butt was when Denny Ducette (played by Jeffrey Dean Thomas) walked on set. If you don't watch Grey's, Denny was a patient in season 3. He and Izzy were engaged, but he died. It was completely heartbreaking, and she still loves him, and his ghost has been showing up the last couple episodes... weird. Other than that, pretty much the entire cast was on set and I never felt a twinge of "fan-itis". Of course, I've never been an autograph hound (who cares?) or a crazed fan of anyone. Of course, had it been Bernadette Peters on set, I probably would not have been able to breathe for the 3 hours we filmed.
We were supposed to be done filming by 9pm, so I booked myself on a show called "Lie to Me", which was filming its pilot on Friday. The call was for 5am, but I figured I'd be home and in bed by 10:30, right? Wrong. We weren't wrapped until 11:30 from Grey's, which meant I wasn't home and in bed until 1am. Not to mention, I'd agreed to bring a bike to set (I borrowed Marilynn's, and had to borrow Trip's Land Rover to put it in.). Luckily, by the time I got home, the call time had changed from 5am to 6:30am, which meant I didn't have to get up at 3:30 anymore!
In the morning, I hauled the bike out of the garage, pumped up the tires, wrestled it into the Land Rover, played musical cars to get out of the driveway, and headed down to Cal State Long Beach for filming. Let me tell you, 6am in CA is COLD. Luckily, the show takes place in DC in Autumn, so we had to wear pants, sweaters, scarves and coats. That was all fun and games until about 10:30am when it was 80 degrees. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if I was just cruising around the set on my bike (the breeze was heaven) but they 2nd AD had me at the top of a grassy hill, racing down it at the top of the scene. Again, not so bad (nice breeze going down) except for the part where production would call for the scene to be reset, and I had to take the bike back up the hill, but walking it up wasn't fast enough so I had to rocket propel myself back up the hill on the bike in a suede coat and wool scarf in southern California in 80 degree weather no less than 11 times.
...or maybe I just complain too much.
Either way, after that scene most of the extras (myself included) sat around for 4 hours before being wrapped right after lunch. Good times.
I spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing before peeling my contacts off of my eyes and going to bed about the same time as many toddlers.
Saturday morning I woke up, called the casting agencies and submitted myself for a rush call (a last minute replacement if someone goes home or doesn't show up to set) for the show "Medium". 15 or so minutes later, I got a call asking if I could go to set ASAP. So, I finished my Cheerios, gathered my business attire and headed to West Hollywood.
That was a nice easy day because all I had to do was ride a escalator in one shot, stand on a landing and talk to another extra for another shot, and cross a courtyard to sit at a table in the last shot. I ran into (not literally) a guy that I worked with on Grey's named Jerome, so we chatted and exchanged tips on casting agencies, headshots and biz stuff.
All in all, I got to set at 11, was wrapped at 3:30 and got paid for 8 hours of work. Wicked.
Monday, I had a fitting for a extra role in a feature film called "A Single Man". If they like me, I'll be hired for a 3 day call next week. Sweet! The hair girl loved my hair and the costumer seemed to have fun dressing me up to look like a 1960's preppy collegiate. Hopefully I'll get a call in the next few days if they want to hire me! Cross your fingers!
Yesterday, I finally had my headshots with Steven. They came out really well, and we are planning another shoot in a different location with different looks and hair. We also want to do a shoot on a trampoline, but the trouble is finding someone with a huge trampoline...
Some people have wondered, but so far my tattoo's have not been an issue. My turtle has been covered by shoes and if I don't have long sleeves on, I just put a flesh covered band-aid on my wrist. Only a fellow extra noticed the band-aid and asked about it. Tattoos are such a norm that it's really no big deal to have one or 7 of them. I did notice when I was on the Grey's set, that a couple of the actors have large, noticeable tattoos on their arms, which I'm guessing they CG out of the shot (if they're not wearing a lab coat). So, I'm not worried about Harvey holding me back from being an A-lister!
Of course, I could hardly sleep the night before, but Wednesday morning came, and I was up at 5:45am to get ready to head to set. Because traffic is so erratic here, I left an hour and a half early just in case anything happened on the roads. I have learned, however, to avoid the highway (especially the 405) at all costs most hours of the day. Trip and Marilynn told me a super secret back way to get to Raleigh Studios where PP films, so I was all set. I got to the studio a half an hour or so early and waited to be checked in by Ben, one of the AD's (I think). There is such a complex hierarchy on set that I don't know if I'll ever have it figured out!
Well, we went to wardrobe and got "wardrobed up" as they call it and then proceeded to sit around for 2 hours. Luckily, I brought a book! I chatted to a bit with a girl named Renee and another girl named LaShaun. Then, they got called to set, so it was just my book and me.
After another hour or so, the rest of the extras were called to set. I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but I knew that as long as I could follow instructions, I'd be ok!
The secene was in the ER, and all I was told was "start here and by the time so and so crosses here, be in this spot."
Ok...
So the first couple times around were just rehearsal, so I walked (with purpose) around the set, trying to look important (too bad I was wearing pink capris, a pink polo and a purple smock. Hard to look important...). After the first 2 actual takes, I realised that I wasn't doing the exact same actions... uh oh. The number one key to being background is consistancy! DUH! Luckily, I hadn't changed my path (how and where I walked), I only added a stop at the desk in the middle of the room to pick up a file (very official, I know. I'm that good.) By the 4th take or so, I was zooming around the set, had my timing down pat and everything was going smoothly. Then, the 1st AD called for the shot to be "tighter". Now, in my theater trained brain, tighter means to pick up your cues, get the dead air out of the scene, etc. So what did I do? Walked faster, of course. After 2 takes of that, I realised I was the only one walking faster, and a take later still, I realised that tighter simply means they are zooming the camera in on the scene. Oops.
That lesson learned, we were sent to lunch.
After lunch, it was more of the same in a different scene. Except I knew not to walk faster, add actions or walk too loudly when the camera is rolling. Sheesh.
After the extras were wrapped, I called in and submitted myself for Grey's Anatomy, which filmed Wednesday. Within 10 minutes, I got a call back and was booked on Grey's! The only down part to being booked on these 2 shows is that I can't be back on the show for 30 days. They have to cycle out the faces, you know.
My call for Grey's on Thursday was 2:30 pm, so I was able to get some stuff done around the house and do some work for Marilynn. When I got there and checked in with the 2nd 2nd Asst. Director (I think!) I went to wardrobe and got my scrubs for the day (sooo comfy!) and then we were sent to lunch from 3 - 4! Whaaat?
We all sat around and weren't called to set until 7:30pm. Getting paid for sitting around is cool, but not when you sit around for 5 hours! Luckily, thanks to Marilynn's sage advice, I brought a camp chair with me, so I was at least comfortable while sitting around doing nothing. Renee was on set again, so we chatted more, but she ended up leaving early for another event.
When we finally got on set, Tyne Daly was there at a guest star (she's playing Derek's mother in the episode). I only really knew her as Mama Rose from the first broadway revival of Gypsy, but she's so much more than that, I was informed by one of the "talkers" on set. No, a talker is not a paid position in the filming process. Usually it's a fellow extra who can't, won't, doesn't EVER shut up between takes. If I didn't think I'd get in trouble, I would have run away screaming.
So, aside from the fact that it took 3 hours to film 4 minues of the particular scene we were working on,(I was in a couple different parts of the scene, so hopefully I won't be edited out entirely!) it was very similar to working on PP. Except, I actually watch Grey's... every week. It was a tiny bit surreal to be working in such close proximity to the actors I've been watching on TV for a year, but cool. The only time on set I thought my heart would fall out of my butt was when Denny Ducette (played by Jeffrey Dean Thomas) walked on set. If you don't watch Grey's, Denny was a patient in season 3. He and Izzy were engaged, but he died. It was completely heartbreaking, and she still loves him, and his ghost has been showing up the last couple episodes... weird. Other than that, pretty much the entire cast was on set and I never felt a twinge of "fan-itis". Of course, I've never been an autograph hound (who cares?) or a crazed fan of anyone. Of course, had it been Bernadette Peters on set, I probably would not have been able to breathe for the 3 hours we filmed.
We were supposed to be done filming by 9pm, so I booked myself on a show called "Lie to Me", which was filming its pilot on Friday. The call was for 5am, but I figured I'd be home and in bed by 10:30, right? Wrong. We weren't wrapped until 11:30 from Grey's, which meant I wasn't home and in bed until 1am. Not to mention, I'd agreed to bring a bike to set (I borrowed Marilynn's, and had to borrow Trip's Land Rover to put it in.). Luckily, by the time I got home, the call time had changed from 5am to 6:30am, which meant I didn't have to get up at 3:30 anymore!
In the morning, I hauled the bike out of the garage, pumped up the tires, wrestled it into the Land Rover, played musical cars to get out of the driveway, and headed down to Cal State Long Beach for filming. Let me tell you, 6am in CA is COLD. Luckily, the show takes place in DC in Autumn, so we had to wear pants, sweaters, scarves and coats. That was all fun and games until about 10:30am when it was 80 degrees. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if I was just cruising around the set on my bike (the breeze was heaven) but they 2nd AD had me at the top of a grassy hill, racing down it at the top of the scene. Again, not so bad (nice breeze going down) except for the part where production would call for the scene to be reset, and I had to take the bike back up the hill, but walking it up wasn't fast enough so I had to rocket propel myself back up the hill on the bike in a suede coat and wool scarf in southern California in 80 degree weather no less than 11 times.
...or maybe I just complain too much.
Either way, after that scene most of the extras (myself included) sat around for 4 hours before being wrapped right after lunch. Good times.
I spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing before peeling my contacts off of my eyes and going to bed about the same time as many toddlers.
Saturday morning I woke up, called the casting agencies and submitted myself for a rush call (a last minute replacement if someone goes home or doesn't show up to set) for the show "Medium". 15 or so minutes later, I got a call asking if I could go to set ASAP. So, I finished my Cheerios, gathered my business attire and headed to West Hollywood.
That was a nice easy day because all I had to do was ride a escalator in one shot, stand on a landing and talk to another extra for another shot, and cross a courtyard to sit at a table in the last shot. I ran into (not literally) a guy that I worked with on Grey's named Jerome, so we chatted and exchanged tips on casting agencies, headshots and biz stuff.
All in all, I got to set at 11, was wrapped at 3:30 and got paid for 8 hours of work. Wicked.
Monday, I had a fitting for a extra role in a feature film called "A Single Man". If they like me, I'll be hired for a 3 day call next week. Sweet! The hair girl loved my hair and the costumer seemed to have fun dressing me up to look like a 1960's preppy collegiate. Hopefully I'll get a call in the next few days if they want to hire me! Cross your fingers!
Yesterday, I finally had my headshots with Steven. They came out really well, and we are planning another shoot in a different location with different looks and hair. We also want to do a shoot on a trampoline, but the trouble is finding someone with a huge trampoline...
Some people have wondered, but so far my tattoo's have not been an issue. My turtle has been covered by shoes and if I don't have long sleeves on, I just put a flesh covered band-aid on my wrist. Only a fellow extra noticed the band-aid and asked about it. Tattoos are such a norm that it's really no big deal to have one or 7 of them. I did notice when I was on the Grey's set, that a couple of the actors have large, noticeable tattoos on their arms, which I'm guessing they CG out of the shot (if they're not wearing a lab coat). So, I'm not worried about Harvey holding me back from being an A-lister!
11 November 2008
Off to a good start!
Well, I made all of the appropriate calls to the casting agencies today... to no avail! There were a couple roles I could have put in for, but nothing that I was exactly right for. For example, I was a little too old for one role, not blonde for another one. It's a bummer when you fit most of the criteria, except for one detail. Sure, I could have submitted myself for consideration, but I decided not to. So many people submit themselves for roles that they are "mostly" right for and the casting directors get really upset because it wastes their time too look at people who don't fit exactly what they're looking to cast. Understandable.
Turns out it's a good thing I didn't submit for anything because about an hour ago, I got a call from Jeff Olan Casting wanting to know if I'm available to film on the set of Private Practice tomorrow!
Heck yeah, I am! I was supposed to have my headshots done, but I called Steven and he said we could do it Saturday, and besides, he scratched his eye today and is feeling pretty miserable. Poor guy.
So, all I know right now is that I'm going to be in two scenes as a candy striper. I think I'll be wearing scrubs, but I'm not sure. The casting lady gave me a number to call after 8pm to get the rest of the details. Hopefully at least one of the scenes I'm in will make the final production cut!
All in all, I'm embarrassingly excited!
Wouldn't you be? ;oP
Turns out it's a good thing I didn't submit for anything because about an hour ago, I got a call from Jeff Olan Casting wanting to know if I'm available to film on the set of Private Practice tomorrow!
Heck yeah, I am! I was supposed to have my headshots done, but I called Steven and he said we could do it Saturday, and besides, he scratched his eye today and is feeling pretty miserable. Poor guy.
So, all I know right now is that I'm going to be in two scenes as a candy striper. I think I'll be wearing scrubs, but I'm not sure. The casting lady gave me a number to call after 8pm to get the rest of the details. Hopefully at least one of the scenes I'm in will make the final production cut!
All in all, I'm embarrassingly excited!
Wouldn't you be? ;oP
Starting the slow climb
Yesterday was a long, yet productive day. I got up fairly early and got ready to head out to submit myself to casting agencies.
For those who don't know (I only just learned this myself) casting agencies book background actors ("extras") for TV shows, movies and commercials. This is not the same as having an agent, however. Basically the way it works is, I call the hotline and if there are any jobs that match my character description (18-28 caucasian female, etc) then I call the number provided and submit myself for the casting. A casting director then reviews my file, along with every other submission and chooses from that list who he/she wants to cast for the show. These are not speaking roles or anything. These are the random people you see milling about, taking up space in the backgroung of scenes. Nonetheless, they are paid roles, so that's a good thing!
So, I left the house a little before 10 yesterday morning and made my way up to Burbank to the first agency on my list, "Central Casting". They are one of, if not the biggest casting agencies in L.A., so naturally everybody and their third cousin registers with them. They are only open for registration for one hour Mon, Wed and Fri for the non union actors, like myself. Well, after driving around looking for parking for half an hour (not kidding), I got in line with the 200 other people waiting to register. Like a smartie, I had my paperwork filled out beforehand, so I didn't have to wait in an additional line. It took about an hour and 40 min to get thru the line, in which time I chatted with the people around me, gleaned some good info from them, and exchanged email addresses with a lawyer-turned-part-time-soon-to-be-full-time-actor, Michael.
After my paperwork was reviewed and stamped, I was sent over to have my picture taken for the casting database. They do accept headshots, but apparently casting directors prefer to see on-the-spot digital pictures (and sometimes even polariods. ew.). Again, like a smartie (and with good advice from Marilynn) I wore a cute lacy tanktop and also brought a business-like jacket and my glasses with me so I could have 2 pictures taken, offering 2 different "looks".
After Central, I headed to Jeff Olan Casting in Sherman Oaks. Thinking I would be there for another hour or more, if it was anything like Central, I put 4 quarters in the meter (which is an hour's worth of time). Wouldn't you know, I was in and out of there in 13 minutes!!! Paperwork, picture and out the door! What a waste of $.75!
Grumbling about the injustice of it all, I got in my car and headed to West Hollywood (on Sunset Blvd, even!) to the third and final casting agency of the day; Prime Casting. Again, I spent less than 20 minutes registering and being photographed, but this time I was lucky enough to find parking in an Office Depot parking lot less than a block away.
So, one step closer and $95 poorer on my path to fame, I felt quite satisfied with my accomplishments thus far in the day, and I headed down to Culver City to meet Josh's dad, Mike for lunch. He flies for SkyWest, had a wicked long layover in L.A., so we met and had lunch at Islands Restaurant, chatted for a bit and then he headed off for the airport, and I headed home.
For dinner, I met up with my friend, Steven, at the P.F. Chang's at the Third Streer Promenade in Santa Monica. Steven is a good friend of mine from VA and an amazing photographer. He'll be doing my headshots tomorrow, so we discussed looks and hair, etc for the shoot. The best part was the free dinner we got because Steven works at PF's and his manager comp'd our whole meal! Sweet!
For those who don't know (I only just learned this myself) casting agencies book background actors ("extras") for TV shows, movies and commercials. This is not the same as having an agent, however. Basically the way it works is, I call the hotline and if there are any jobs that match my character description (18-28 caucasian female, etc) then I call the number provided and submit myself for the casting. A casting director then reviews my file, along with every other submission and chooses from that list who he/she wants to cast for the show. These are not speaking roles or anything. These are the random people you see milling about, taking up space in the backgroung of scenes. Nonetheless, they are paid roles, so that's a good thing!
So, I left the house a little before 10 yesterday morning and made my way up to Burbank to the first agency on my list, "Central Casting". They are one of, if not the biggest casting agencies in L.A., so naturally everybody and their third cousin registers with them. They are only open for registration for one hour Mon, Wed and Fri for the non union actors, like myself. Well, after driving around looking for parking for half an hour (not kidding), I got in line with the 200 other people waiting to register. Like a smartie, I had my paperwork filled out beforehand, so I didn't have to wait in an additional line. It took about an hour and 40 min to get thru the line, in which time I chatted with the people around me, gleaned some good info from them, and exchanged email addresses with a lawyer-turned-part-time-soon-to-be-full-time-actor, Michael.
After my paperwork was reviewed and stamped, I was sent over to have my picture taken for the casting database. They do accept headshots, but apparently casting directors prefer to see on-the-spot digital pictures (and sometimes even polariods. ew.). Again, like a smartie (and with good advice from Marilynn) I wore a cute lacy tanktop and also brought a business-like jacket and my glasses with me so I could have 2 pictures taken, offering 2 different "looks".
After Central, I headed to Jeff Olan Casting in Sherman Oaks. Thinking I would be there for another hour or more, if it was anything like Central, I put 4 quarters in the meter (which is an hour's worth of time). Wouldn't you know, I was in and out of there in 13 minutes!!! Paperwork, picture and out the door! What a waste of $.75!
Grumbling about the injustice of it all, I got in my car and headed to West Hollywood (on Sunset Blvd, even!) to the third and final casting agency of the day; Prime Casting. Again, I spent less than 20 minutes registering and being photographed, but this time I was lucky enough to find parking in an Office Depot parking lot less than a block away.
So, one step closer and $95 poorer on my path to fame, I felt quite satisfied with my accomplishments thus far in the day, and I headed down to Culver City to meet Josh's dad, Mike for lunch. He flies for SkyWest, had a wicked long layover in L.A., so we met and had lunch at Islands Restaurant, chatted for a bit and then he headed off for the airport, and I headed home.
For dinner, I met up with my friend, Steven, at the P.F. Chang's at the Third Streer Promenade in Santa Monica. Steven is a good friend of mine from VA and an amazing photographer. He'll be doing my headshots tomorrow, so we discussed looks and hair, etc for the shoot. The best part was the free dinner we got because Steven works at PF's and his manager comp'd our whole meal! Sweet!
06 November 2008
Halloween pictures!
The 20 Minute Geisha...
Amelia Earhart...
and a Genie...
Amelia Earhart...
and a Genie...
I know that sounds like the beginning of a joke, but sadly, it isn't.
These are the fantasmic costumes of myself, Allison and Diane at Diane's parents Halloween dinner.
These are the fantasmic costumes of myself, Allison and Diane at Diane's parents Halloween dinner.
01 November 2008
It begins...
I can't say that it's really sunk in yet that I live here.
I live in LA.
Weird. I feel like I worked forever to get here and when the time finally came, it was over so fast. The trip flew by (partly thanks to the 80 mph speed limit on I-10 in Texas and New Mexico!); most of my things are unpacked and put away; I know how to get around to the basic places I need (the beach, grocery store, airport, beach, etc...). It's all so in my face but still so surreal.
On Monday, I'll start work as my cousin Marilynn's assistant. I'll also call my friend Steven to arrange my headshots, register my name on every casting and background site, check out commercial acting and improv classes, search for an agent and an acting coach... Thus begins the long, arduous process of becoming an A-lister.
I met a woman at one of 2 Halloween parties I went to yesterday (more later) and she asked me what I moved to L.A. for, and before I thought about my reply, an answer flew out of my mouth that surprised us both. Normally, when people ask me why I decided to move to L.A., or what I'll be doing here, I have a long, drawn-out answer about acting, etc. This time my answer was simply, "To become famous".
Easy, right?
We'll see!
Yesterday, Marilynn and I spent most of the day running errands while she showed me all the hot spots in town (namely Michaels, Costco and Home Depot). In the afternoon, we headed to a pumpkin carving party with some friends of hers in a ridiculously swanky house. I snacked and chatted a bit there before heading over to Allison and Diane's house to get ready to go to another party (see? I'm already living the life!).
Allison made me into what we like to call "the 20 minute Geisha" (pictures to follow) and we headed to Diane's parent's house for a scrumptious Halloween dinner. I got to meet all if Diane's family and walk the craziest decorated street I've ever seen! Allison dressed as Amelia Earhart and Diane was a genie (complete with an authentic turban that Allison tied on Diane's head after watching a how-to video on youtube).
After dinner, and before we all slipped into a food coma, Allison, Diane and I headed back to their house to watch "Nightmare Before Christmas" until we all passed out.
I love Halloween.
I live in LA.
Weird. I feel like I worked forever to get here and when the time finally came, it was over so fast. The trip flew by (partly thanks to the 80 mph speed limit on I-10 in Texas and New Mexico!); most of my things are unpacked and put away; I know how to get around to the basic places I need (the beach, grocery store, airport, beach, etc...). It's all so in my face but still so surreal.
On Monday, I'll start work as my cousin Marilynn's assistant. I'll also call my friend Steven to arrange my headshots, register my name on every casting and background site, check out commercial acting and improv classes, search for an agent and an acting coach... Thus begins the long, arduous process of becoming an A-lister.
I met a woman at one of 2 Halloween parties I went to yesterday (more later) and she asked me what I moved to L.A. for, and before I thought about my reply, an answer flew out of my mouth that surprised us both. Normally, when people ask me why I decided to move to L.A., or what I'll be doing here, I have a long, drawn-out answer about acting, etc. This time my answer was simply, "To become famous".
Easy, right?
We'll see!
Yesterday, Marilynn and I spent most of the day running errands while she showed me all the hot spots in town (namely Michaels, Costco and Home Depot). In the afternoon, we headed to a pumpkin carving party with some friends of hers in a ridiculously swanky house. I snacked and chatted a bit there before heading over to Allison and Diane's house to get ready to go to another party (see? I'm already living the life!).
Allison made me into what we like to call "the 20 minute Geisha" (pictures to follow) and we headed to Diane's parent's house for a scrumptious Halloween dinner. I got to meet all if Diane's family and walk the craziest decorated street I've ever seen! Allison dressed as Amelia Earhart and Diane was a genie (complete with an authentic turban that Allison tied on Diane's head after watching a how-to video on youtube).
After dinner, and before we all slipped into a food coma, Allison, Diane and I headed back to their house to watch "Nightmare Before Christmas" until we all passed out.
I love Halloween.
26 October 2008
So close...!
We made it to Phoenix late Saturday night after an eventful day of driving... driving... driving... and more driving... whoopee. I have come to the conclusion that Texas is a whirling vortex of never ending highway and sand. At least the drive across interstate 10 has high desert and greenery to look at. Driving across interstate 40 is like purgatory; nothing but flat sand and wind from Dallas ever westward. Ugh.
I will say the cool thing about driving through Texas was when we got to El Paso and saw the Rio Grande from the highway, which is something I'd never seen before. We also saw the ridiculously huge Mexican flag flying over Juarez... woah. Quite proud, aren't they? We stopped for lunch/ dinner at a place in El Paso called Bonny's Cafe on Tyler's reccommendation, that had the biggest burritos you've never seen in your life! How does one person eat an 17 inch burrito?! We split one... delicious.
So, after crossing in and out of 3 time zones, 2 states and 4 tanks of gas, we made the trip in about 16 hours (including food and gas stops) from Austin to Phoenix... not too shabby.
This afternoon, Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane threw a wonderful BBQ at their house. Pretty much everyone made it out for the festivities, and we had a great time talking, eating and carrying on.
Tomorrow, we're going to hang with Grandad and Grandma Barb and then trot over to Grandma's before coming back to Uncle Bill's for Monday Madness!! (it's pizza night :o) )
We'll head out of here Tuesday morning, making one last stop before L.A. to see Josh's grandparents in Villa Park, CA.
From there it's second star to the right and straight on til morning! (well, straight on to LA, really...)
We made it to Phoenix late Saturday night after an eventful day of driving... driving... driving... and more driving... whoopee. I have come to the conclusion that Texas is a whirling vortex of never ending highway and sand. At least the drive across interstate 10 has high desert and greenery to look at. Driving across interstate 40 is like purgatory; nothing but flat sand and wind from Dallas ever westward. Ugh.
I will say the cool thing about driving through Texas was when we got to El Paso and saw the Rio Grande from the highway, which is something I'd never seen before. We also saw the ridiculously huge Mexican flag flying over Juarez... woah. Quite proud, aren't they? We stopped for lunch/ dinner at a place in El Paso called Bonny's Cafe on Tyler's reccommendation, that had the biggest burritos you've never seen in your life! How does one person eat an 17 inch burrito?! We split one... delicious.
So, after crossing in and out of 3 time zones, 2 states and 4 tanks of gas, we made the trip in about 16 hours (including food and gas stops) from Austin to Phoenix... not too shabby.
This afternoon, Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane threw a wonderful BBQ at their house. Pretty much everyone made it out for the festivities, and we had a great time talking, eating and carrying on.
Tomorrow, we're going to hang with Grandad and Grandma Barb and then trot over to Grandma's before coming back to Uncle Bill's for Monday Madness!! (it's pizza night :o) )
We'll head out of here Tuesday morning, making one last stop before L.A. to see Josh's grandparents in Villa Park, CA.
From there it's second star to the right and straight on til morning! (well, straight on to LA, really...)
24 October 2008
Rockin it in Austin!
Austin. Is. Weird.
Example? Sure thing.
Currently, there is a woman sitting behind me. Backwards baseball cap. Overalls. Work boots. Biker hoodie. Shaved head...? At least, little to no hair. VERY tan. Spitting tobacco juice into a styrofoam coffee cup.
For those who know me, you'll understand the sound I'm making when I say "bleugh"!
Not to mention the fact that, when you get on the freeway, the entrance is actually a service road paralleling the freeway at the same speed and when you exit the freeway onto said service road, you have the choice of continuing on the service road or getting back onto the freeway using what I like to call the "second chance entrance". Say you got off on the wrong exit. In real life, you would continue on to the next exit, get off, make a u-turn and carry on, right? In Texas, they are kind enough to give you a second chance to get back on the freeway about 100 yards from where you may or may not have accidentally exited. Or, I suppose, if you just felt like taking a slight detour off the freeway and then right back on, it's a handy road.
WHAT?!
Hilarious.
Amid the craziness, Austin seems like a fun-ish little town. Last night, we went to a dueling piano bar downtown. The guys playing were hilarious and ridiculously talented. They sang everything from The Eagles to Kid Rock and Elton John... wicked. After that, we walked around a little bit downtown and had a slice of pizza at a local "New York style" pizzeria, where the slices are as big as your face and taste out of this world delicious.
Tonight, we're going to see Nicole perform as Ulla in "The Producers" at a local community theater. After that, we're off to a costume party where I will be making an appearance as a ladybug!!!! Sweet!
Nicole and JoNathan are going to be Bonnie and Clyde and Josh is undecided... Sheesh.
Tomorrow morning we'll hit the road again on our way to Phoenix for a few days to hang with the family there before continuing on to L.A.!
Example? Sure thing.
Currently, there is a woman sitting behind me. Backwards baseball cap. Overalls. Work boots. Biker hoodie. Shaved head...? At least, little to no hair. VERY tan. Spitting tobacco juice into a styrofoam coffee cup.
For those who know me, you'll understand the sound I'm making when I say "bleugh"!
Not to mention the fact that, when you get on the freeway, the entrance is actually a service road paralleling the freeway at the same speed and when you exit the freeway onto said service road, you have the choice of continuing on the service road or getting back onto the freeway using what I like to call the "second chance entrance". Say you got off on the wrong exit. In real life, you would continue on to the next exit, get off, make a u-turn and carry on, right? In Texas, they are kind enough to give you a second chance to get back on the freeway about 100 yards from where you may or may not have accidentally exited. Or, I suppose, if you just felt like taking a slight detour off the freeway and then right back on, it's a handy road.
WHAT?!
Hilarious.
Amid the craziness, Austin seems like a fun-ish little town. Last night, we went to a dueling piano bar downtown. The guys playing were hilarious and ridiculously talented. They sang everything from The Eagles to Kid Rock and Elton John... wicked. After that, we walked around a little bit downtown and had a slice of pizza at a local "New York style" pizzeria, where the slices are as big as your face and taste out of this world delicious.
Tonight, we're going to see Nicole perform as Ulla in "The Producers" at a local community theater. After that, we're off to a costume party where I will be making an appearance as a ladybug!!!! Sweet!
Nicole and JoNathan are going to be Bonnie and Clyde and Josh is undecided... Sheesh.
Tomorrow morning we'll hit the road again on our way to Phoenix for a few days to hang with the family there before continuing on to L.A.!
21 October 2008
On the road again!
Greetings from Memphis!!
Josh and I left this morning at 6:13 am from New Bern, NC headed due west for destinations unknown!
Ok, that's not true... we headed west with 14 hours of driving ahead of us, towards Memphis.
We stopped for lunch in Knocksville, TN where we ate oddly amazing Mexican food.
We blew through Nashville, seeing the sights from the highway. (I know, lame)
At 7pm local time (central time) we coasted into town on fumes and thankfully found a nearby Exxon station. After fueling up (ps, I'm getting a whopping 37 miles to the gallon!! WOOT!!!) we made a beeline for the famous downtown Beale St. We strolled along for a little bit, enjoying the many live bands and crazy homeless people before settling on dinner at BB King's Blues Club. There was a live 7 piece band there and we ate the most delicious BBQ on earth. I had ribs and Josh indulged in pulled pork.
All in all, it was a long but fantastical day!!
Tomorrow we make our was south and west to the lovely city of Austin, TX to see Nicole and Jonathan!
Josh and I left this morning at 6:13 am from New Bern, NC headed due west for destinations unknown!
Ok, that's not true... we headed west with 14 hours of driving ahead of us, towards Memphis.
We stopped for lunch in Knocksville, TN where we ate oddly amazing Mexican food.
We blew through Nashville, seeing the sights from the highway. (I know, lame)
At 7pm local time (central time) we coasted into town on fumes and thankfully found a nearby Exxon station. After fueling up (ps, I'm getting a whopping 37 miles to the gallon!! WOOT!!!) we made a beeline for the famous downtown Beale St. We strolled along for a little bit, enjoying the many live bands and crazy homeless people before settling on dinner at BB King's Blues Club. There was a live 7 piece band there and we ate the most delicious BBQ on earth. I had ribs and Josh indulged in pulled pork.
All in all, it was a long but fantastical day!!
Tomorrow we make our was south and west to the lovely city of Austin, TX to see Nicole and Jonathan!
19 September 2008
Heaving a sigh
Things are going along pretty swimmingly here in NB. Daily life continues as usual; Abby is a hilarious darling girl and I will miss her a ton.
I've managed to go through my wardrobe, weeding out all the stuff I've been hoping to fit into, or haven't worn at all. I'm planning a tag sale for the first weekend of October which will hopefully help me get rid of a lot of my "out" box. Maybe I'll get some good gas money out of the whole thing!
I can feel tension and emotions on a slow boil, making their way to the surface of my psyche... Maybe it's the packing, unpacking and decision making regarding the material parts of my life. Maybe it's the packing, unpacking and decision making regarding the less tangible parts of my life. Maybe it's the music I've been listening to, the shows I've been watching, the dreams I've been having... Maybe it's all of the above... Maybe it's none of the above...
I recently had a lengthy conversation with a former boyfriend of mine, which was both cathartic and cleansing. We cleared the air about a lot of issues pertaining to our relationship, and have begun to reconstruct a friendship, which I (so far) am thankful for. I'm not sure why he is back in my life, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually. For now, it is good to catch up.
I'm telling you, if you want a good emotional upheaval, listen (really listen) to a musical called "Songs For A New World" by Jason Robert Brown.
It'll getcha.
I've managed to go through my wardrobe, weeding out all the stuff I've been hoping to fit into, or haven't worn at all. I'm planning a tag sale for the first weekend of October which will hopefully help me get rid of a lot of my "out" box. Maybe I'll get some good gas money out of the whole thing!
I can feel tension and emotions on a slow boil, making their way to the surface of my psyche... Maybe it's the packing, unpacking and decision making regarding the material parts of my life. Maybe it's the packing, unpacking and decision making regarding the less tangible parts of my life. Maybe it's the music I've been listening to, the shows I've been watching, the dreams I've been having... Maybe it's all of the above... Maybe it's none of the above...
I recently had a lengthy conversation with a former boyfriend of mine, which was both cathartic and cleansing. We cleared the air about a lot of issues pertaining to our relationship, and have begun to reconstruct a friendship, which I (so far) am thankful for. I'm not sure why he is back in my life, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually. For now, it is good to catch up.
I'm telling you, if you want a good emotional upheaval, listen (really listen) to a musical called "Songs For A New World" by Jason Robert Brown.
It'll getcha.
30 August 2008
The way life is...
Suffice to say, life is pretty good right now.
Stressful, but good.
My job as a nanny is working out wonderfully. Abby is a really chill little girl who asks for a nap and smiles more often than not. One of her favorite things is "puppy kisses". If you've ever been subject to a sniffing interrogation from a dog, you know what I'm talking about. They get their snout right in and around your ear and proceed to check you out with three or 4 quick, short breaths through their nose, followed by one emphatic one. She goes crazy laughing when I do it to her.
The sorting through my life's materialistic goods is also going quite well. I've set aside many boxes laden with stuff to either be donated or sold at my impending tag sale. More boxes have been stuffed and taped and labeled in anticipation of being shipped to my future (temporary) abode with Trip and Marilynn. Still more boxes have yet to be scrutinized... All in good time, I say. Although, I can't help but feel that time is running out and will soon abandon me altogether.
I've recently been in contact with my former boss, Mike, who owns the seafood restaurant in downtown New Bern where I worked after being laid off and before I moved to VA last year. He has graciously offered my job back to me and we're working on arranging my availability with the restaurant schedule. I think it will work out. Even if I only work a few nights a week and a weekend day or two, the extra money is most welcome.
On a simpler note, I'm reading a wonderful book. For those who have read (or seen ) Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", I'm reading an unofficial sequel by Linda Berdoll called "Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife". It is well written, exciting, juicy and funny. Unfortunately, I'm almost done reading it... Luckily, however, I have the next sequel sitting on my bedside table, just waiting to be devoured.
Dad's younger brother, Matt, is in town with his 2 kids, David and Julia, for the weekend. We spent most of the late afternoon and early evening at the beach today. Tomorrow there will be a moderately huge gathering of family and friends for a BBQ and subsequent bonfire.
Good times :o)
Stressful, but good.
My job as a nanny is working out wonderfully. Abby is a really chill little girl who asks for a nap and smiles more often than not. One of her favorite things is "puppy kisses". If you've ever been subject to a sniffing interrogation from a dog, you know what I'm talking about. They get their snout right in and around your ear and proceed to check you out with three or 4 quick, short breaths through their nose, followed by one emphatic one. She goes crazy laughing when I do it to her.
The sorting through my life's materialistic goods is also going quite well. I've set aside many boxes laden with stuff to either be donated or sold at my impending tag sale. More boxes have been stuffed and taped and labeled in anticipation of being shipped to my future (temporary) abode with Trip and Marilynn. Still more boxes have yet to be scrutinized... All in good time, I say. Although, I can't help but feel that time is running out and will soon abandon me altogether.
I've recently been in contact with my former boss, Mike, who owns the seafood restaurant in downtown New Bern where I worked after being laid off and before I moved to VA last year. He has graciously offered my job back to me and we're working on arranging my availability with the restaurant schedule. I think it will work out. Even if I only work a few nights a week and a weekend day or two, the extra money is most welcome.
On a simpler note, I'm reading a wonderful book. For those who have read (or seen ) Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", I'm reading an unofficial sequel by Linda Berdoll called "Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife". It is well written, exciting, juicy and funny. Unfortunately, I'm almost done reading it... Luckily, however, I have the next sequel sitting on my bedside table, just waiting to be devoured.
Dad's younger brother, Matt, is in town with his 2 kids, David and Julia, for the weekend. We spent most of the late afternoon and early evening at the beach today. Tomorrow there will be a moderately huge gathering of family and friends for a BBQ and subsequent bonfire.
Good times :o)
22 August 2008
Life is Good
Went to a local baseball game with the parental units and some friends tonight. It was nice to get out and cheer and heckle and eat stadium food and drink beer (they had Amber Boch on tap. Woot!)
So, I don't know if the official statement has been released to the masses yet, but I've been talking about it for a while.
So, the official statement is this: In October, I'm moving to LA! I've set many goals for myself since graduating from high school, accomplished them all and even done a few unexpected things. So, it is now time to strive for that goal which burns the brightest in my heart.
I'm saving my nanny money, and I'm going to see a man about a job tomorrow, hoping for some decent weekend hours. I'm going through all the material goods in my life trying to discern which warrant a spot in the "keep" pile. Let me tell you, preparing for a move across the country without the luxury of using someone else's bank account is a daunting challenge! But, I'm totally jazzed and can't wait to get my talented rear end (along with the rest of me) out there!
Now, for those who know me the best (or even a little) you may be wondering "why LA? Why not the great white way??"
Well, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I'm not cut out to be a huge musical Broadway talent. At least, not yet. I don't have the dance skills or the pipes to make it. I'm going to focus my energies on my one true talent; acting. Be it comedic, melodramatic or anything in between, acting is what I know I can do. Now, I know that there's more to Bway than just musicals, but when was the last time you went to NYC and said, "No, I don't feel like seeing *insert favorite musical here* ... let's go see Hedda Gabbler instead!"
...yeah, I didn't think so.
So, that's where I'm at right now. I'm doing my homework on agents and auditions and moving costs and everything I can think of.
Bring it on.
So, I don't know if the official statement has been released to the masses yet, but I've been talking about it for a while.
So, the official statement is this: In October, I'm moving to LA! I've set many goals for myself since graduating from high school, accomplished them all and even done a few unexpected things. So, it is now time to strive for that goal which burns the brightest in my heart.
I'm saving my nanny money, and I'm going to see a man about a job tomorrow, hoping for some decent weekend hours. I'm going through all the material goods in my life trying to discern which warrant a spot in the "keep" pile. Let me tell you, preparing for a move across the country without the luxury of using someone else's bank account is a daunting challenge! But, I'm totally jazzed and can't wait to get my talented rear end (along with the rest of me) out there!
Now, for those who know me the best (or even a little) you may be wondering "why LA? Why not the great white way??"
Well, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I'm not cut out to be a huge musical Broadway talent. At least, not yet. I don't have the dance skills or the pipes to make it. I'm going to focus my energies on my one true talent; acting. Be it comedic, melodramatic or anything in between, acting is what I know I can do. Now, I know that there's more to Bway than just musicals, but when was the last time you went to NYC and said, "No, I don't feel like seeing *insert favorite musical here* ... let's go see Hedda Gabbler instead!"
...yeah, I didn't think so.
So, that's where I'm at right now. I'm doing my homework on agents and auditions and moving costs and everything I can think of.
Bring it on.
15 August 2008
Grab a drink and a comfy chair...
...because this is gonna be a long one.
Let the beating commence.
It's been over a month since I blogged.
I have no excuses.
My "B", friends. My "B"
Instead of trying to fill in all the exciting details, I thought I would do a rundown and highlight the events of the past month that have kept me from this oh so precious website, and kept you, dear readers, from reading about my (mis)adventures.
I left off in Massachusetts with the family reunion...
The cousins ganged up and designed what we lovingly dubbed the "Polympics" for the 7 siblings and their spouses. Games were geared towards Polish life, athleticism, knowledge and hilarity.
Naturally, we began with an opening ceremony, complete with a flaming torch. Since none of knew the Polish anthem, we cousins sang the only song we all know in Polish.
Happy Birthday.
That's right. May you live 100 years, and all that jazz. We belted it out as Trip (being the tallest) ran the torch in one hand, beer in the other hand and opened the games in a blaze that ran up his arm before lighting the crepe paper torch pit. Awesome.
Games were as follows:
Polish Easter Egg Hunt. Couples were challenged to find the hidden bottles and cans in the front yard.
Apple eating contest. Couples stood facing each other arm length apart. Bite and pass until the entire apple is consumed.
American/Polish trivia. 7 questions from each country.
Sewing Challenge. Draw out patterns of items that can be fashioned from an 8x8 piece of fabric.
Map drawing. the team with the most detailed map of Poland wins.
It was hilarious and exciting and a ton of fun. Everyone had a great time and Zbig and Susan took home the Gold!
After we left Massachusetts a couple days later, the boys and I spent 3 days camping at Kings Dominion.
The next weekend was Alex's 19th birthday, and we spent the weekend again at KD camping.
The next week, my friend Josh came to visit for a few days.
The next week, I started my new job as a nanny for 22 month old Abigail (Abby).
The next week (last week) I went to a wedding for Orlando friends, Amanda and Chris in Philly.
This week, Josh (who went with me to the wedding) came back to NB to hang out for a few days.
He went home yesterday and I spent today cleaning, doing laundry and organizing my room, which is a colossal pit of despair.
In case you're keeping up, you may be wondering why Curren didn't go with me to the wedding. Well, we broke up. It was a very adult conversation (one which I initiated) with no name calling or hair pulling.
Tomorrow, we are all packing up and heading to VA for a surprise birthday party for Wendy's 50th. I'll take a few hours off of family festivities to go to my friend Christin's baby shower tomorrow afternoon, but other than that it'll be all family all the time.
So, that is my last month in a nutshell.
If you want more detail, email me :o)
Let the beating commence.
It's been over a month since I blogged.
I have no excuses.
My "B", friends. My "B"
Instead of trying to fill in all the exciting details, I thought I would do a rundown and highlight the events of the past month that have kept me from this oh so precious website, and kept you, dear readers, from reading about my (mis)adventures.
I left off in Massachusetts with the family reunion...
The cousins ganged up and designed what we lovingly dubbed the "Polympics" for the 7 siblings and their spouses. Games were geared towards Polish life, athleticism, knowledge and hilarity.
Naturally, we began with an opening ceremony, complete with a flaming torch. Since none of knew the Polish anthem, we cousins sang the only song we all know in Polish.
Happy Birthday.
That's right. May you live 100 years, and all that jazz. We belted it out as Trip (being the tallest) ran the torch in one hand, beer in the other hand and opened the games in a blaze that ran up his arm before lighting the crepe paper torch pit. Awesome.
Games were as follows:
Polish Easter Egg Hunt. Couples were challenged to find the hidden bottles and cans in the front yard.
Apple eating contest. Couples stood facing each other arm length apart. Bite and pass until the entire apple is consumed.
American/Polish trivia. 7 questions from each country.
Sewing Challenge. Draw out patterns of items that can be fashioned from an 8x8 piece of fabric.
Map drawing. the team with the most detailed map of Poland wins.
It was hilarious and exciting and a ton of fun. Everyone had a great time and Zbig and Susan took home the Gold!
After we left Massachusetts a couple days later, the boys and I spent 3 days camping at Kings Dominion.
The next weekend was Alex's 19th birthday, and we spent the weekend again at KD camping.
The next week, my friend Josh came to visit for a few days.
The next week, I started my new job as a nanny for 22 month old Abigail (Abby).
The next week (last week) I went to a wedding for Orlando friends, Amanda and Chris in Philly.
This week, Josh (who went with me to the wedding) came back to NB to hang out for a few days.
He went home yesterday and I spent today cleaning, doing laundry and organizing my room, which is a colossal pit of despair.
In case you're keeping up, you may be wondering why Curren didn't go with me to the wedding. Well, we broke up. It was a very adult conversation (one which I initiated) with no name calling or hair pulling.
Tomorrow, we are all packing up and heading to VA for a surprise birthday party for Wendy's 50th. I'll take a few hours off of family festivities to go to my friend Christin's baby shower tomorrow afternoon, but other than that it'll be all family all the time.
So, that is my last month in a nutshell.
If you want more detail, email me :o)
03 July 2008
Um, this was never posted... I'm an idiot :o)
After a rousing good time in Maine, we headed out Wednesday morning for Massachusetts.
Here we go!!!
I'm in Massachusetts for the coolest of reasons. 50 years ago, this November 21st, Amelia and Walter Lewantowicz landed in America. They brought with them 5 children, and one soon-to-be baby, who was born two months later, in January. My mother's 2 brothers and 3 of her 4 sisters came over on that crossing from Poland to the USA. The soon to be baby was my mother.
Once in this country, my Dziadek (Walter) soon set up shop as a tailor in Springfield, and my Babci cared for the children, including my infant mother. Babci did go to work, but not (I think) until after the youngest, Ewa was born.
So we are here celebrating the struggles and joys of that voyage that brought this family to America. Wicked.
Yesterday we drove from MD to Belchertown, MA to Danusia and Larry's house for dinner and mild festivities. Jonathan and Michel arrived shortly after us and we had dinner and whatnot. My family and I headed to South Hampton, MA to Zbig & Susan's where we will be staying for the weekend along with Halina and Romek.
Stay tuned for more fun and excitement!
Here we go!!!
I'm in Massachusetts for the coolest of reasons. 50 years ago, this November 21st, Amelia and Walter Lewantowicz landed in America. They brought with them 5 children, and one soon-to-be baby, who was born two months later, in January. My mother's 2 brothers and 3 of her 4 sisters came over on that crossing from Poland to the USA. The soon to be baby was my mother.
Once in this country, my Dziadek (Walter) soon set up shop as a tailor in Springfield, and my Babci cared for the children, including my infant mother. Babci did go to work, but not (I think) until after the youngest, Ewa was born.
So we are here celebrating the struggles and joys of that voyage that brought this family to America. Wicked.
Yesterday we drove from MD to Belchertown, MA to Danusia and Larry's house for dinner and mild festivities. Jonathan and Michel arrived shortly after us and we had dinner and whatnot. My family and I headed to South Hampton, MA to Zbig & Susan's where we will be staying for the weekend along with Halina and Romek.
Stay tuned for more fun and excitement!
02 July 2008
The Mixed-up Files of Ms. Michelle A. LeRoy
Just a couple pictures off of my cell phone from the last few days...
More to follow!! (from an actual camera)
My new (large!) friend, MJ!!
...He bit back!!!
More to follow!! (from an actual camera)
Freezing on the only sandy beach in Acadia National Forest
...and I still managed to get a sunburn. *talent*
...and I still managed to get a sunburn. *talent*
My new (large!) friend, MJ!!
Mom, dad and I enjoying a "beah"
The view from Cadillac Mountain
Lobster dinner!
When I bit him...
...He bit back!!!
Alex surveying the land from atop Cadillac Mountain.
01 July 2008
When in Maine... Eat lots of lobster!
Do you ever have those days that feel like two days in one? That was today.
We started off with breakfast in the cottage and then headed out to Acadia Island and Cadillac Mountain for some exploring. We drove up to the summit of the mountain first for a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and coastal areas. Through the remnants of morning fog, the scattered islands were mostly visible from the top of the mountain.
We sat atop the peak for a few minutes to watch three hawks circling in search of prey. Watched as they soared upwards with the thermals, steadily rising without a single beat of their wings to aid in the climb. Watched as they floated away to an unseen part of the mountain.
We trooped back to the van and drove steadily downward for a few minutes, stopping several times at lookout points to enjoy the scenery.
The next few hours were spent in and out of the van, walking along trails, taking in the gorgeous Maine coast and getting sunburned. oops.
Aside from the sunburn, everyone had a great time watching the waves crash into Thunder Hole, searching the shoreline for a alleged shipwrecked schooner on the islands only beach. We looked down the sheer facing of a several hundred foot drop at the Precipice, ate a picnic lunch on a moderately flat rock over looking the ocean, saw the southern tip of Nova Scotia through the lingering mist, explored along a stream feeding into the largest freshwater lake in the state (the drinking source of nearby Otter Bay) and moseyed through a wild garden containing most of the vegetation on the island in a single area.
Thoroughly pooped out, we went back the the cottage for a shower and a rest before going to dinner at The Log Cabin. The boys both gave up and had burgers, mom had mussels, dad had *amazing* sea scallops and I? Well, I had a lobster, of course :o)
After dinner, the boys and dad played a round of mini golf and we all had ice cream in downtown Bah Hahbah.
Thus ends another day surrounded by the the rugged beauty of Maine.
We started off with breakfast in the cottage and then headed out to Acadia Island and Cadillac Mountain for some exploring. We drove up to the summit of the mountain first for a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and coastal areas. Through the remnants of morning fog, the scattered islands were mostly visible from the top of the mountain.
We sat atop the peak for a few minutes to watch three hawks circling in search of prey. Watched as they soared upwards with the thermals, steadily rising without a single beat of their wings to aid in the climb. Watched as they floated away to an unseen part of the mountain.
We trooped back to the van and drove steadily downward for a few minutes, stopping several times at lookout points to enjoy the scenery.
The next few hours were spent in and out of the van, walking along trails, taking in the gorgeous Maine coast and getting sunburned. oops.
Aside from the sunburn, everyone had a great time watching the waves crash into Thunder Hole, searching the shoreline for a alleged shipwrecked schooner on the islands only beach. We looked down the sheer facing of a several hundred foot drop at the Precipice, ate a picnic lunch on a moderately flat rock over looking the ocean, saw the southern tip of Nova Scotia through the lingering mist, explored along a stream feeding into the largest freshwater lake in the state (the drinking source of nearby Otter Bay) and moseyed through a wild garden containing most of the vegetation on the island in a single area.
Thoroughly pooped out, we went back the the cottage for a shower and a rest before going to dinner at The Log Cabin. The boys both gave up and had burgers, mom had mussels, dad had *amazing* sea scallops and I? Well, I had a lobster, of course :o)
After dinner, the boys and dad played a round of mini golf and we all had ice cream in downtown Bah Hahbah.
Thus ends another day surrounded by the the rugged beauty of Maine.
Sea this lobster? Mine!
Fog! There's fog everywhere! It's as bad a San Fransisco!
Seriously, the fog here is like its own tourist attraction. Or detraction... Ok, it's not THAT bad, really. When it gets warm enough, the fog burns off and reveals the gorgeous Maine coastline. Much of this state reminds me of the coast of Ireland, with craggy facings, FOG and green, green vegetation. Granted, the vegetation is very different, but still green. We even found the Griswold Family Christmas Tree during our adventures!
We got up early (well, mom did) and after breakfast and went into downtown Bar Harbor (excuse me, Bah Hahbah) to explore the shops and docks. It's a typical New England downtown with cute little wooden buildings, people with dogs everywhere and a mist lingering just offshore.
After exploring the downtown, complete with watching a guy chuck a bunch of dead, stinky baitfish into the bay, we set out in search of a lunch place. We decided on a restaurant called The Blue Claw. Chris and I decided to try the lobster roll and clam chowder lunch special. The chowder was rockin'... the lobster roll was ok. We determined that it was stuffed full of once frozen lobster (sac religious!). I didn't mind it, but Chris wasn't so much a fan so he and dad switched lunches. Dad ordered the fried haddock sandwich, but he happily munched on the lobster roll. Mom got fried whole belly clams and Alex got a cheeseburger.
After lunch, we headed to a local Oceanarium for a tour of their lobster hatchery, touch tank and a talk on lobster fishing. It was a really good time; we saw stage 4 lobster hatchlings that looked like little Supermen flying around the tanks trying to eat each other. We also saw a HUGE mama lobster with a ton of eggs on her tail and a blue lobster.
Pooped, we headed back to the cottage to watch Shrek the Third before heading out to dinner. We decided on a place that steamed their lobsters outside in huge pots on oak fires. Mom, dad and I each got a whole lobster to tangle with, while Chris got chicken fingers and Alex got FRIED WHOLE BELLY CLAMS!!! Yay! I was so proud of him for ordering them! Both of the boyzos like fried clam strips, but I thought whole bellies might be a little daunting for Alex. He did venture to try mom's whole bellies at lunch, which led him to order his own for dinner. After we were throughly stuffed (mom), happy (dad) and dripping in butter (me), we washed up and went back to the cottage to collapse.
Tomorrow is another day (for seafood!!) :o)
Seriously, the fog here is like its own tourist attraction. Or detraction... Ok, it's not THAT bad, really. When it gets warm enough, the fog burns off and reveals the gorgeous Maine coastline. Much of this state reminds me of the coast of Ireland, with craggy facings, FOG and green, green vegetation. Granted, the vegetation is very different, but still green. We even found the Griswold Family Christmas Tree during our adventures!
We got up early (well, mom did) and after breakfast and went into downtown Bar Harbor (excuse me, Bah Hahbah) to explore the shops and docks. It's a typical New England downtown with cute little wooden buildings, people with dogs everywhere and a mist lingering just offshore.
After exploring the downtown, complete with watching a guy chuck a bunch of dead, stinky baitfish into the bay, we set out in search of a lunch place. We decided on a restaurant called The Blue Claw. Chris and I decided to try the lobster roll and clam chowder lunch special. The chowder was rockin'... the lobster roll was ok. We determined that it was stuffed full of once frozen lobster (sac religious!). I didn't mind it, but Chris wasn't so much a fan so he and dad switched lunches. Dad ordered the fried haddock sandwich, but he happily munched on the lobster roll. Mom got fried whole belly clams and Alex got a cheeseburger.
After lunch, we headed to a local Oceanarium for a tour of their lobster hatchery, touch tank and a talk on lobster fishing. It was a really good time; we saw stage 4 lobster hatchlings that looked like little Supermen flying around the tanks trying to eat each other. We also saw a HUGE mama lobster with a ton of eggs on her tail and a blue lobster.
Pooped, we headed back to the cottage to watch Shrek the Third before heading out to dinner. We decided on a place that steamed their lobsters outside in huge pots on oak fires. Mom, dad and I each got a whole lobster to tangle with, while Chris got chicken fingers and Alex got FRIED WHOLE BELLY CLAMS!!! Yay! I was so proud of him for ordering them! Both of the boyzos like fried clam strips, but I thought whole bellies might be a little daunting for Alex. He did venture to try mom's whole bellies at lunch, which led him to order his own for dinner. After we were throughly stuffed (mom), happy (dad) and dripping in butter (me), we washed up and went back to the cottage to collapse.
Tomorrow is another day (for seafood!!) :o)
29 June 2008
The Maine Event
Where to begin?
Saturday mom, dad, Alex, Chris and I spent pretty much all day in the car, driving from VA up to CT. We stopped in Branford for dinner at a great pizza place called Mario's. Mom and I split a white pizza with tomatoes, basil and garlic. Alex and Chris each got a steak and cheese sub and Dad got a meat lover pizza. We shared all around and everything was ridiculously good. We took the left overs and got back in the car to find a hotel. For reasons unknown to anyone on the eastern seaboard, all the hotels were booked up from CT to Massachusetts. We ended up driving all the way into Boston for a place to stay. We landed a sweet suite at a Double Tree for the night and snacked on the fresh cookies from the lobby.
This morning, we got up and headed into Boston to see the USS Constitution and a couple other battleships. After an hour or so, we hit the road and headed up to New Hampshire for lunch at a great little water side restaurant called The Blue Claw. Mom got the fried shrimp, Alex got chicken fingers, Chris got a clam strip sandwich, Dad got long neck steamed clams and I had Prince Edward Island steamed mussels. The seafood was out of this world good. I don't think I've ever had such tasty mussels in my life. The rest of the food was nothing to sneeze at, either. Mom and I each had a Seadog Blueberry Wheat Ale and dad sipped on a Landshark Lager.
Sadly, we finally ate all of the food so we had to leave...
We drove the rest of the way to Maine and checked into our little cottage in Bar Harbor where will be for the next few days.
Adventures to follow...
Saturday mom, dad, Alex, Chris and I spent pretty much all day in the car, driving from VA up to CT. We stopped in Branford for dinner at a great pizza place called Mario's. Mom and I split a white pizza with tomatoes, basil and garlic. Alex and Chris each got a steak and cheese sub and Dad got a meat lover pizza. We shared all around and everything was ridiculously good. We took the left overs and got back in the car to find a hotel. For reasons unknown to anyone on the eastern seaboard, all the hotels were booked up from CT to Massachusetts. We ended up driving all the way into Boston for a place to stay. We landed a sweet suite at a Double Tree for the night and snacked on the fresh cookies from the lobby.
This morning, we got up and headed into Boston to see the USS Constitution and a couple other battleships. After an hour or so, we hit the road and headed up to New Hampshire for lunch at a great little water side restaurant called The Blue Claw. Mom got the fried shrimp, Alex got chicken fingers, Chris got a clam strip sandwich, Dad got long neck steamed clams and I had Prince Edward Island steamed mussels. The seafood was out of this world good. I don't think I've ever had such tasty mussels in my life. The rest of the food was nothing to sneeze at, either. Mom and I each had a Seadog Blueberry Wheat Ale and dad sipped on a Landshark Lager.
Sadly, we finally ate all of the food so we had to leave...
We drove the rest of the way to Maine and checked into our little cottage in Bar Harbor where will be for the next few days.
Adventures to follow...
So long, Farewell...
So, friday was a pretty big day.
It was my last day at work, which was sad. My boss, Dee, bought lunch for everyone and also bought me an M&M ice cream cake (in my favorite color of yellow) for lunch. We hired a new girl, Renee to take my place, so I spent most of the day training her as much as I could before I bailed.
Dee let me leave a little early to make an appointment I had at 5 to get my second tattoo. This time I chose to get "Amelia" in script on the inside of my left wrist. For those who don't know, Amelia is my Babci (mom's mom) who passed away in '03. Her story is one of determination and inspiration and I feel honored to have known her.
Unlike Harvey, this one didn't hurt at all. There was a little pinch at the beginning, but the rest was barely noticeable. It took Sean about 2 minutes to finish the whole thing, and I was on my way!
That night at Wendy's house, Emily and I planned a costume party, for which the theme was "Enchanted". So, people could come as a prince, princess, villain or villainess. I decided to be an "awkward, adolescent teenage princess". I went to Goodwill and found a horrid ballet outfit, and orange and pink sports bra, gold rimmed glasses and scrunchies *shudder* I also decided to wear my retainer all throughout the party (I apologize to the people I had to give directions to), black tights woth flowers on them and my blue and orange sneakers.
I was a hot mess. Only I was decidedly NOT hot!
It was such a blast, though. We had all kinds of costumes; a ballerina princess, a pregnant princess, a retro princess, a modern Cinderella, winter Belle, a geisha princess and a mermaid princess. We also had a warrior villain, an evil car mechanic (who charges way too much for terrible service) and a french scuba diver... prince...???? They were the only boys who dressed up, so I didn't complain (much).
We played music and games and even had a costume contest. I went to the $1 store and got some fun summer toys as prizes. The categories were funniest, scariest, most creative, prettiest princess, most lame and best villain. I ended up winning funniest and most creative, but I didn't think it was fair that I won prizes (that I bought) at my own party, so I gave them to the runners-up for each category.
After that we played a game called "murder in the dark". Basically, we draw cards to see who will be the "murderer" and turn out all the lights so we can run around and kill each other. It's weird but fun.
About 2:30 most everyone went home, and the girls who were left crashed in the basement.
An excellent going away party.
The family came to pick me up at about 11:30 to go on VACATION!!!!
More about the vacay later.
Top view!
Cat fight!!
It was my last day at work, which was sad. My boss, Dee, bought lunch for everyone and also bought me an M&M ice cream cake (in my favorite color of yellow) for lunch. We hired a new girl, Renee to take my place, so I spent most of the day training her as much as I could before I bailed.
Dee let me leave a little early to make an appointment I had at 5 to get my second tattoo. This time I chose to get "Amelia" in script on the inside of my left wrist. For those who don't know, Amelia is my Babci (mom's mom) who passed away in '03. Her story is one of determination and inspiration and I feel honored to have known her.
Unlike Harvey, this one didn't hurt at all. There was a little pinch at the beginning, but the rest was barely noticeable. It took Sean about 2 minutes to finish the whole thing, and I was on my way!
That night at Wendy's house, Emily and I planned a costume party, for which the theme was "Enchanted". So, people could come as a prince, princess, villain or villainess. I decided to be an "awkward, adolescent teenage princess". I went to Goodwill and found a horrid ballet outfit, and orange and pink sports bra, gold rimmed glasses and scrunchies *shudder* I also decided to wear my retainer all throughout the party (I apologize to the people I had to give directions to), black tights woth flowers on them and my blue and orange sneakers.
I was a hot mess. Only I was decidedly NOT hot!
It was such a blast, though. We had all kinds of costumes; a ballerina princess, a pregnant princess, a retro princess, a modern Cinderella, winter Belle, a geisha princess and a mermaid princess. We also had a warrior villain, an evil car mechanic (who charges way too much for terrible service) and a french scuba diver... prince...???? They were the only boys who dressed up, so I didn't complain (much).
We played music and games and even had a costume contest. I went to the $1 store and got some fun summer toys as prizes. The categories were funniest, scariest, most creative, prettiest princess, most lame and best villain. I ended up winning funniest and most creative, but I didn't think it was fair that I won prizes (that I bought) at my own party, so I gave them to the runners-up for each category.
After that we played a game called "murder in the dark". Basically, we draw cards to see who will be the "murderer" and turn out all the lights so we can run around and kill each other. It's weird but fun.
About 2:30 most everyone went home, and the girls who were left crashed in the basement.
An excellent going away party.
The family came to pick me up at about 11:30 to go on VACATION!!!!
More about the vacay later.
Awkward adolescent teenage princess!
Modern Cinderella, Mermaid Princess, Geisha Princess, Spring Princess, Me
Retro Princess
Retro Princess
Top view!
Cat fight!!
25 June 2008
Last night the girls (Irish and her sister Irene) and I went out to The Melting Pot for Ladies Night. Every last Tuesday of the month, MP has a special menu and pricing for LN, so we went as a last hurrah before I move back to NC.
Our dinner started off with a spinach, artichoke, fontina and butterkase cheese fondue made with white wine and fresh garlic. By far the best cheese fondue I've tried there of the 3 or so times I've been there. I was a little leery of it tasting too much like spinach artichoke dip at TGI Friday's, but boy was I ever wrong! I think it is my new favorite, actually :o)
The girls had a tropical salad for the next course, and I went with the spinach and mushroom salad (in keeping with the dark green veggie motif).
Our main course consisted of a mojo cooking broth, which was comprised of Caribbean seasoned bullion with fresh garlic, lime and orange squeezed into it. Gaah. Amazing. We each got a plate of raw jumbo prawns, teryaki marinated sirloin, vanilla rum chicken and butternut squash ravioli to plop in the brew, along with mushroom caps, yellow squash, broccoli and new potatoes.
Then, there's the sauces. Oy. There is curry mustard sauce, sweet and sour plum sauce, teryaki sauce, cocktail sauce, mango salsa puree, gorgonzola cream sauce and (the best sauce ever) green goddess sauce which is made from cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, dill and garlic (I think). Anyway, it was amazing.
For dessert we decided on a dark chocolate fondue with crunchy peanut butter mixed in. Yummmm. They gave us strawberries, banana slices, cheesecake, pound cake, rice krispy treats and brownies to dip into in.
Heavennnnn!
Our dinner started off with a spinach, artichoke, fontina and butterkase cheese fondue made with white wine and fresh garlic. By far the best cheese fondue I've tried there of the 3 or so times I've been there. I was a little leery of it tasting too much like spinach artichoke dip at TGI Friday's, but boy was I ever wrong! I think it is my new favorite, actually :o)
The girls had a tropical salad for the next course, and I went with the spinach and mushroom salad (in keeping with the dark green veggie motif).
Our main course consisted of a mojo cooking broth, which was comprised of Caribbean seasoned bullion with fresh garlic, lime and orange squeezed into it. Gaah. Amazing. We each got a plate of raw jumbo prawns, teryaki marinated sirloin, vanilla rum chicken and butternut squash ravioli to plop in the brew, along with mushroom caps, yellow squash, broccoli and new potatoes.
Then, there's the sauces. Oy. There is curry mustard sauce, sweet and sour plum sauce, teryaki sauce, cocktail sauce, mango salsa puree, gorgonzola cream sauce and (the best sauce ever) green goddess sauce which is made from cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, dill and garlic (I think). Anyway, it was amazing.
For dessert we decided on a dark chocolate fondue with crunchy peanut butter mixed in. Yummmm. They gave us strawberries, banana slices, cheesecake, pound cake, rice krispy treats and brownies to dip into in.
Heavennnnn!
24 June 2008
So, with my highly professional job, I underwent a 90 day probationary period (which ended earlier this month) so I am no entitled to my ONE paid personal day of the YEAR. Seriously? I feel like that is incredibly lame. Am I crazy? Shouldn't we have at least 12 PPD in a year? I mean, at least one a month. Sheesh.
Well, seeing as how I put in my notice on the 9th to quit my job on the 27th, I figured I should take my ONE precious PPD. Too bad I only have less than a week left of work, lol! Well, Curren decided to ask his mom if I could take Monday (yesterday) off so we could go to Richmond. She said yes, and we were off!
We did all kinds of fun stuff around town, without having an actual schedule. We saw a Shakespearean parody. It's called "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". I'd seen it a few years back when I was in London, but I remembered loving it, so we saw it. It was just as hilarious as I remember. Basically the show consists of 3 men performing ALL of the bard's plays in a single setting. If you ever get the chance to see it, I strongly advise you to do so.
We also went to the Civil War Museum, the VA War Memorial and walked the canal since the boats don't operate Monday thru Thursday. Lame.
We shared some light meals at a few restaurants bc we couldn't decide where to eat. We had black bean soup at a place called The Strawberry Cafe; a veal sandwich and chilled tomato soup at a French place called Can Can; banana coconut ice cream (me) and blackberry sorbet (him, but I stole some) at Crossroads Ice Cream and Coffee; loaded potato soup and fish &chips at an Irish pub called Sine (shine-uh).
Another good weekend :o)
Well, seeing as how I put in my notice on the 9th to quit my job on the 27th, I figured I should take my ONE precious PPD. Too bad I only have less than a week left of work, lol! Well, Curren decided to ask his mom if I could take Monday (yesterday) off so we could go to Richmond. She said yes, and we were off!
We did all kinds of fun stuff around town, without having an actual schedule. We saw a Shakespearean parody. It's called "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". I'd seen it a few years back when I was in London, but I remembered loving it, so we saw it. It was just as hilarious as I remember. Basically the show consists of 3 men performing ALL of the bard's plays in a single setting. If you ever get the chance to see it, I strongly advise you to do so.
We also went to the Civil War Museum, the VA War Memorial and walked the canal since the boats don't operate Monday thru Thursday. Lame.
We shared some light meals at a few restaurants bc we couldn't decide where to eat. We had black bean soup at a place called The Strawberry Cafe; a veal sandwich and chilled tomato soup at a French place called Can Can; banana coconut ice cream (me) and blackberry sorbet (him, but I stole some) at Crossroads Ice Cream and Coffee; loaded potato soup and fish &chips at an Irish pub called Sine (shine-uh).
Another good weekend :o)
17 June 2008
Pomp and Circumstantial Evidence
This color is a lie. I'm not even wearing shoes (re: prior blog circa a couple months ago). They are sitting under my desk :o)
I can't believe my little (albeit nearly a foot taller than me) brother graduated from High School weekend before last. I mean, I was there and all. I have the pictures in front of me... but it's so surreal. I guess I figured we'd never really grow up and have to be adults.
I looked at my brother many times last weekend in awe. He is such an incredible guy with the most beautiful soul I have ever known a person to have.
The first thing he wanted to do with his graduation money was take this sister out to lunch. He is the first to offer a seat, a dollar or a helping hand (except when dad needs yard work done).
Sitting in the blazing Carolina sun, I was more proud of him than ever.
It was a nice weekend, overall. Lisa flew in from Germany, Grandma flew out from Phoenix, Uncle Chip came out from Charlotte and all of our friends and neighbors came out for the big celebration.
Father's day was another success. Lisa had to leave early in the am for Germany, so we did an impromptu FD gift giving of JAG Season 6. Naturally all the men wanted to watch it right away. Chris even tried to pull out the popcorn buckets.
The next morning we feasted on eggs, sausage and other breakfast goodies. We watched a couple JAG episodes, dad opened his other gifts and we just laid back and relaxed for a bit. Mom and I went blueberry picking for a while and went on the lake, but other than that it was a day of relaxation and JAG.
A very good weekend indeed.
11 June 2008
Catching up!!
Gaaah!! I'm so behind on my blog! No excuses! ... except for being buried in paperwork all last week at work (not that I blog at work, of course. Like right now.)
Aaaanyway. I had my first Lia Sophia party! It was a couple weeks ago on Thursday at my friend Teresa's house. It was my first time speaking about the company and product in front of a group of ladies, and I think it went rather well. 6 ladies showed up (off of a list of 57 invites!!) and most everyone bought something. We had a good time, and I managed to answer all but one of the questions they asked me!
This past Saturday, Curren and I spent the day at King's Dominion. It was screaming hot, so we made tracks for the water park and, once we dried off, rode some of the rides in the regular park. I whooped his butt at the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion laser ride (1500 to 1170). Smarties that we are, we brought sandwich makings and ate on a grassy median in the parking lot next to my car. Classy.
Sunday, I ran errands (several of which failed) and then took a break by the pool.
I have another show next Wednesday, so wish me luck! As for this weekend, I'm heading home to NC for Alex's High School Graduation!! I can't believe that kid is an adult already. Seems like just yesterday we were half naked playing the mud in the backyard, much to dad's dismay (sorry about that, dad!).
So many memories... so many more to make!
Aaaanyway. I had my first Lia Sophia party! It was a couple weeks ago on Thursday at my friend Teresa's house. It was my first time speaking about the company and product in front of a group of ladies, and I think it went rather well. 6 ladies showed up (off of a list of 57 invites!!) and most everyone bought something. We had a good time, and I managed to answer all but one of the questions they asked me!
This past Saturday, Curren and I spent the day at King's Dominion. It was screaming hot, so we made tracks for the water park and, once we dried off, rode some of the rides in the regular park. I whooped his butt at the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion laser ride (1500 to 1170). Smarties that we are, we brought sandwich makings and ate on a grassy median in the parking lot next to my car. Classy.
Sunday, I ran errands (several of which failed) and then took a break by the pool.
I have another show next Wednesday, so wish me luck! As for this weekend, I'm heading home to NC for Alex's High School Graduation!! I can't believe that kid is an adult already. Seems like just yesterday we were half naked playing the mud in the backyard, much to dad's dismay (sorry about that, dad!).
So many memories... so many more to make!
03 June 2008
The narrow path...
The weekend before was a very good one. Holy Moly. A while back, my cousin Matt asked me to be his Confirmation sponsor. Happily, I agreed!
The cool thing is, his mom is my CS, my mom is Matt's Godmother, and my Babci (mom's mom) is Matt's mom (Susan)'s Godmother. Oh, the tangled webs we weave...
I flew into Orlando Saturday morning, and started the weekend off right by leaving my cell phone in the ladies restroom at the airport. Ugh. By the time Susie picked me up, she'd received a call on her phone from the person who found mine saying that it would be at lost and found. I ran back (trotted, really) into the airport and hurried to L&F, where I was told by a rude, one-dimensional woman that my phone was not there and maybe I should check the airlines L&F. I did so, and they sent me back to the other L&F.. ugh. So with high hopes and prayers of the return of my phone, Susie and I left the airport and headed home.
After a quick snack of the most amazing pizza ever (tomato, basil and farmers cheese(?)) we set out to run some errands before the big day. We drove past the Grand Opening of what we hoped would be a clothing store, naturally, and decided to go in, especially when we saw a sign promising free ice cream! We casually strolled up to the doors and stopped dead in our tracks at the same time, when we realised it was a home appliance store!! Not to be swayed from reaching our goal of free ice cream, we walked in, pretending to be interested in red washing machines and granite topped stove units... and then walked straight back out again over to the ice cream van. Susie opted for an ice cream sandwich and I chose the firecracker (a red, white and blue ice pop). Free makes everything taste better.
Munching happily on our goodies, we finished our errands with plenty of time to get a pedicure. Susie was kind enough to treat me to mine and we chatted in our bubble foot baths and massaging chairs. Life doesn't get much better than that!
That night, we got moderately dolled up (Susie and I managed nearly matching outfits, mostly by accident) and walked (well, Susie and I walked the lazy men drove) to an authentic German restaurant in downtown Sanford. Being on the A-list, thanks to Susie and Peters connections, we landed a great table right by the band. Billy and Peggy (Susie's brother and sister in law) joined us for an oom-pah-pahing good time. I ate real weiner schnitzel for the first time ever, and I'm addicted! They had this amazing sauerkraut made with white wine, apples and bacon... yikes. So ridiculously yummy. I also had home made egg noodles with emmenthaler cheese... fat fat fat. Not to mention I drank a liter of beer (literally) as did Susie and Pete. I couldn't resist the REAL German beer on tap. Yum Yum Yum.
The band was wonderful and hilarious. Dressed in those German shorts with the suspenders, they drank and sang and riled up the crowd to everyone's delight.
Again, Susie and I opted to walk home. All in all, it was a very good day.
Except for the part where I lost my phone...
Sunday, we woke up and got ready for the Confirmation gig being held at noon.
It was a lovely mass with the Bishop and several priests of the church in attendance. All in all, about 50 kids were Confirmed that afternoon.
After the mass, 37 of us headed back to the Owens residence for a catered French meal (by a French chef!) of coq a vin, pasta with veggies and cream sauce, salad and cake upon cake!! Matt shared his party with a friend called Erin, the daughter of Susie's good friend Karen. We mingled and ate and chatted until the wee hours (read: 8pm). After which, Susie and I collapsed onto the couch to watch Ratatouille. We both only lasted about 20 min before falling asleep.
Good day.
Monday, Susie, Matt and I went to Sea World!! I *heart* SW!! We walked around all day and rode a bunch of good rides, watched the Clyde and Seymore Pirate show. We had lunch at a healthy little joint called Mama Loos Kitchen... or Mama Boos kitchen... or maybe just Mama's Kitchen.. anyway, it was great. Very green and healthy :o)
We left early and headed to the airport, retrieved my phone from an actual human being and made tracks for my gate... Only to remember that I forgot to reactivate my phone, after shutting off service to it for the weekend... Nuts.
So, I ran to a pay phone, called mom and asked her to pretty please turn my phone back on, since every time I tried to call a 1800 number, the phone spit the quarters back out at me. Thanks.
In my frenzy, I left my bags with an honest looking gentleman (who, thankfully, did not steal my stuff and sell it to gypsies) whose name I later learned was Brandon. He was in FL to see the shuttle launch, as his wife works as a PR person for NASA. Very cool. We chatted, and I discovered he is a movie critic. Cool again. He gave me his card with promised of contacts!! (are you reading this, BF? Now it's in ink. Kinda.)
All in all, it was a very good trip!!
I miss FL! :o(
The cool thing is, his mom is my CS, my mom is Matt's Godmother, and my Babci (mom's mom) is Matt's mom (Susan)'s Godmother. Oh, the tangled webs we weave...
I flew into Orlando Saturday morning, and started the weekend off right by leaving my cell phone in the ladies restroom at the airport. Ugh. By the time Susie picked me up, she'd received a call on her phone from the person who found mine saying that it would be at lost and found. I ran back (trotted, really) into the airport and hurried to L&F, where I was told by a rude, one-dimensional woman that my phone was not there and maybe I should check the airlines L&F. I did so, and they sent me back to the other L&F.. ugh. So with high hopes and prayers of the return of my phone, Susie and I left the airport and headed home.
After a quick snack of the most amazing pizza ever (tomato, basil and farmers cheese(?)) we set out to run some errands before the big day. We drove past the Grand Opening of what we hoped would be a clothing store, naturally, and decided to go in, especially when we saw a sign promising free ice cream! We casually strolled up to the doors and stopped dead in our tracks at the same time, when we realised it was a home appliance store!! Not to be swayed from reaching our goal of free ice cream, we walked in, pretending to be interested in red washing machines and granite topped stove units... and then walked straight back out again over to the ice cream van. Susie opted for an ice cream sandwich and I chose the firecracker (a red, white and blue ice pop). Free makes everything taste better.
Munching happily on our goodies, we finished our errands with plenty of time to get a pedicure. Susie was kind enough to treat me to mine and we chatted in our bubble foot baths and massaging chairs. Life doesn't get much better than that!
That night, we got moderately dolled up (Susie and I managed nearly matching outfits, mostly by accident) and walked (well, Susie and I walked the lazy men drove) to an authentic German restaurant in downtown Sanford. Being on the A-list, thanks to Susie and Peters connections, we landed a great table right by the band. Billy and Peggy (Susie's brother and sister in law) joined us for an oom-pah-pahing good time. I ate real weiner schnitzel for the first time ever, and I'm addicted! They had this amazing sauerkraut made with white wine, apples and bacon... yikes. So ridiculously yummy. I also had home made egg noodles with emmenthaler cheese... fat fat fat. Not to mention I drank a liter of beer (literally) as did Susie and Pete. I couldn't resist the REAL German beer on tap. Yum Yum Yum.
The band was wonderful and hilarious. Dressed in those German shorts with the suspenders, they drank and sang and riled up the crowd to everyone's delight.
Again, Susie and I opted to walk home. All in all, it was a very good day.
Except for the part where I lost my phone...
Sunday, we woke up and got ready for the Confirmation gig being held at noon.
It was a lovely mass with the Bishop and several priests of the church in attendance. All in all, about 50 kids were Confirmed that afternoon.
After the mass, 37 of us headed back to the Owens residence for a catered French meal (by a French chef!) of coq a vin, pasta with veggies and cream sauce, salad and cake upon cake!! Matt shared his party with a friend called Erin, the daughter of Susie's good friend Karen. We mingled and ate and chatted until the wee hours (read: 8pm). After which, Susie and I collapsed onto the couch to watch Ratatouille. We both only lasted about 20 min before falling asleep.
Good day.
Monday, Susie, Matt and I went to Sea World!! I *heart* SW!! We walked around all day and rode a bunch of good rides, watched the Clyde and Seymore Pirate show. We had lunch at a healthy little joint called Mama Loos Kitchen... or Mama Boos kitchen... or maybe just Mama's Kitchen.. anyway, it was great. Very green and healthy :o)
We left early and headed to the airport, retrieved my phone from an actual human being and made tracks for my gate... Only to remember that I forgot to reactivate my phone, after shutting off service to it for the weekend... Nuts.
So, I ran to a pay phone, called mom and asked her to pretty please turn my phone back on, since every time I tried to call a 1800 number, the phone spit the quarters back out at me. Thanks.
In my frenzy, I left my bags with an honest looking gentleman (who, thankfully, did not steal my stuff and sell it to gypsies) whose name I later learned was Brandon. He was in FL to see the shuttle launch, as his wife works as a PR person for NASA. Very cool. We chatted, and I discovered he is a movie critic. Cool again. He gave me his card with promised of contacts!! (are you reading this, BF? Now it's in ink. Kinda.)
All in all, it was a very good trip!!
I miss FL! :o(
Getting my ears lowered...
So, I'm the lamest of the lame, but I haven't had a chance to do this post justice (read: pictures) so I put it off until I had the pictures!
I chopped all of my hair off! I'm not quite Sinead O'Conner, but it's the shortest I've ever had it! I got it done last tuesday, and I've loved it so far.
It's a ton of fun and I think it's way cute, even though it's a lot shorter than I originally wanted. I went to my normal hair lady to get it cut, since she's been doing my hair for almost a year now, it seemed like a no brainer, right? Hah. I described to her my vision and she agreed that it would look nice with my face shape, etc, and her excitement washed away all of my doubts and fears.
We chatted over the sound of snipping, and when all was set and blow-dried, I looked in the mirror and... wanted to cry.
I was a mushroom.
So, I carefully explained that this was not exactly the cut I was looking for, and could she add more layers or something? So she thinned the front ends a bit, and I was a skinnier mushroom. So, gulping, I said thank you and left. I went back to my office and moped to the girls about my hair, so Irish sent me to her stylist that night...
Curren and I drove to Potomac Mills Mall, and I showed up at Bubbles Salon (not a comforting name, no matter how much I enjoyed them as a child) at 6:45 to speak with Katherine about the dismal state of my hair. I'd been brave enough to cut off 8 inches that morning, I told her, but I didn't know how much braver I could be. She assured me it would be great, so I went for it.
About an hour later, I sat beaming in her chair, no longer a mushroom, but a sleek bobbbed woman. With a very cold neck.
Who knew there were breezes in the mall?
I chopped all of my hair off! I'm not quite Sinead O'Conner, but it's the shortest I've ever had it! I got it done last tuesday, and I've loved it so far.
It's a ton of fun and I think it's way cute, even though it's a lot shorter than I originally wanted. I went to my normal hair lady to get it cut, since she's been doing my hair for almost a year now, it seemed like a no brainer, right? Hah. I described to her my vision and she agreed that it would look nice with my face shape, etc, and her excitement washed away all of my doubts and fears.
We chatted over the sound of snipping, and when all was set and blow-dried, I looked in the mirror and... wanted to cry.
I was a mushroom.
So, I carefully explained that this was not exactly the cut I was looking for, and could she add more layers or something? So she thinned the front ends a bit, and I was a skinnier mushroom. So, gulping, I said thank you and left. I went back to my office and moped to the girls about my hair, so Irish sent me to her stylist that night...
Curren and I drove to Potomac Mills Mall, and I showed up at Bubbles Salon (not a comforting name, no matter how much I enjoyed them as a child) at 6:45 to speak with Katherine about the dismal state of my hair. I'd been brave enough to cut off 8 inches that morning, I told her, but I didn't know how much braver I could be. She assured me it would be great, so I went for it.
About an hour later, I sat beaming in her chair, no longer a mushroom, but a sleek bobbbed woman. With a very cold neck.
Who knew there were breezes in the mall?
28 May 2008
It's all good
This weekend was indeed a lovely one. I went camping and played in the King's Dominion theme park all weekend. Alex and Chris came up for a visit Friday night, and left Sun night.
It was quite a herd with Curren's parents, Curren, Me, Alex and Chris, Curren's brother Jason, his wife Sandy, their kids Colby, Dylan, Eva, Sandy's sister Wendy and her friend Wayne... *phew* How did we all ever fit in one car?!
Friday night, C and I met mom and dad in Emporia, VA for dinner and the boy swap. We took them back the campground after fighting for fries at Shoney's.
Saturday, C took the boys to an event called Sapphire Joust so they could get a feel for the medieval fighting world. They had a pretty good time, but weren't able to put any armor on and beat each other like they were hoping. Meanwhile, I went with the fam to KD for the day. I made golabek for dinner that night, and they were pretty decent. Not as good an mom and Babci, but passable :o)
Sunday, we all loaded up and trooped over to KD for the day, which was a blast. We did nearly all of the rides, including Alex, who rode a record 7 rollercoasters! For those who don't know, Alex is not the biggest fan of coasters, but he was a complete star and rode them without much complaint! Mom and dad drove up to Williamsburg and hung out there for the day, before heading up to the campsite to pick up the boys.
Monday we packed up in the morning and parked the RV's and cars in the lot and played in KD for a few hours before heading home to collapse early into bed.
All in all, it was a good weekend. Good food, good company, good fun, amazing weather... I miss it already!
It was quite a herd with Curren's parents, Curren, Me, Alex and Chris, Curren's brother Jason, his wife Sandy, their kids Colby, Dylan, Eva, Sandy's sister Wendy and her friend Wayne... *phew* How did we all ever fit in one car?!
Friday night, C and I met mom and dad in Emporia, VA for dinner and the boy swap. We took them back the campground after fighting for fries at Shoney's.
Saturday, C took the boys to an event called Sapphire Joust so they could get a feel for the medieval fighting world. They had a pretty good time, but weren't able to put any armor on and beat each other like they were hoping. Meanwhile, I went with the fam to KD for the day. I made golabek for dinner that night, and they were pretty decent. Not as good an mom and Babci, but passable :o)
Sunday, we all loaded up and trooped over to KD for the day, which was a blast. We did nearly all of the rides, including Alex, who rode a record 7 rollercoasters! For those who don't know, Alex is not the biggest fan of coasters, but he was a complete star and rode them without much complaint! Mom and dad drove up to Williamsburg and hung out there for the day, before heading up to the campsite to pick up the boys.
Monday we packed up in the morning and parked the RV's and cars in the lot and played in KD for a few hours before heading home to collapse early into bed.
All in all, it was a good weekend. Good food, good company, good fun, amazing weather... I miss it already!
12 May 2008
Mother Nature... what a jerk.
So, remember that part of my life when I was saying, "Oh, I can't wait to leave Riverside! I'm so excited to be done with that place!!"...?
Yeah... I worked there three nights last week, lol! Thursday I went in as a tech backstage for one of the guys who was on a trip... Friday, I worked the Micheal Hoover concert (he's an Elvis impersonator. Hilarious)... Saturday I ran lights for the show... Not only that, but the Saturday girl called in (at 3:45pm on friday) to say she had a family emergency (her third one in the 6 weeks she's been working here) so I went into work at the apt complex for a few hours Saturday...
The good thing is that all three nights I had waiting shifts, so I made some good money this weekend. Too bad I spent it all on shoes.
Kidding! Really, I put it in my savings like a good girl.
So much for my "free" weekends!
The weather has been horrible here the past few days, too. I don't know if you've been watching the news, but we had a few tornado touchdowns last Wednesday night. One of them hit the house of a good friend of mine. Luckily, she and her 2 brothers were on a road trip at the time. Her parents, who were home, hunkered down in the basement during the storm. The tornado took out two walls of their second story, where all the bedrooms are (were). Most of the family's clothes were sucked out into the storm, but luckily, the kids took their favorite clothes on the trip and insurance will cover everything.
Unfortunately, the house can't be saved. They have to move out. The roof shifted during the storm, which shifted the load bearing walls throughout the house and they are now forced to move.
We've gotten like 8 inches of rain since Wednesday, and it's still coming down... yikes. Lucky me, I still had to go to work today. Bummer.
Oh well, the day is almost over!!
Yay!!
Yeah... I worked there three nights last week, lol! Thursday I went in as a tech backstage for one of the guys who was on a trip... Friday, I worked the Micheal Hoover concert (he's an Elvis impersonator. Hilarious)... Saturday I ran lights for the show... Not only that, but the Saturday girl called in (at 3:45pm on friday) to say she had a family emergency (her third one in the 6 weeks she's been working here) so I went into work at the apt complex for a few hours Saturday...
The good thing is that all three nights I had waiting shifts, so I made some good money this weekend. Too bad I spent it all on shoes.
Kidding! Really, I put it in my savings like a good girl.
So much for my "free" weekends!
The weather has been horrible here the past few days, too. I don't know if you've been watching the news, but we had a few tornado touchdowns last Wednesday night. One of them hit the house of a good friend of mine. Luckily, she and her 2 brothers were on a road trip at the time. Her parents, who were home, hunkered down in the basement during the storm. The tornado took out two walls of their second story, where all the bedrooms are (were). Most of the family's clothes were sucked out into the storm, but luckily, the kids took their favorite clothes on the trip and insurance will cover everything.
Unfortunately, the house can't be saved. They have to move out. The roof shifted during the storm, which shifted the load bearing walls throughout the house and they are now forced to move.
We've gotten like 8 inches of rain since Wednesday, and it's still coming down... yikes. Lucky me, I still had to go to work today. Bummer.
Oh well, the day is almost over!!
Yay!!
08 May 2008
I'm wireless bound!
So, it's a gloomy day at work and I decided to blog about the new love of my life...
my new Laptop!!
It pretty much rocks. It's a Sony Vaio, 14.1" screen, 3GB of memory, 250GB hard drive with a built in web cam, wireless, bluetooth, Windows Vista and an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor. It's a pretty badass machine. The lid is a dark indigo blue, and the rest of it is silver... ooooh!
I've been researching laptops for a little while now, and finally decided on a Vaio. I went to Circuit City for it bc they had the best prices.
Actually, when I went, I was looking at a different laptop with a little less memory, bigger screen and a different processor. I made sure to take Curren with me to coach me on the finer points of techno-geek stuff. After about an hour of asking questions and walking back and forth around the laptop section 87 times, I decided on the smaller Vaio with more memory and a slightly better processor.
Here it is, complete with a background of a real life Harvey!
my new Laptop!!
It pretty much rocks. It's a Sony Vaio, 14.1" screen, 3GB of memory, 250GB hard drive with a built in web cam, wireless, bluetooth, Windows Vista and an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor. It's a pretty badass machine. The lid is a dark indigo blue, and the rest of it is silver... ooooh!I've been researching laptops for a little while now, and finally decided on a Vaio. I went to Circuit City for it bc they had the best prices.
Actually, when I went, I was looking at a different laptop with a little less memory, bigger screen and a different processor. I made sure to take Curren with me to coach me on the finer points of techno-geek stuff. After about an hour of asking questions and walking back and forth around the laptop section 87 times, I decided on the smaller Vaio with more memory and a slightly better processor.
Here it is, complete with a background of a real life Harvey!
29 April 2008
Alive? Be thankful.
So, this weekend was an interesting one. It started on Thursday, really, when I found out that my good friend Matt's grandmother passed away. I wanted to go to the funeral, but it ended up not working out. I sent flowers and my deepest condolences. Last night mom told me that one of me good friends growing up lost her mother on Friday to a freak heart attack. Just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen.
Another ending... Millie closed this weekend amid tears and laughter. Sunday's closing performance was probably one of the best shows in the entire run. There's nothing quite like the nervous excitement of opening night, but closing night is a unique mixture of desperation, sadness and relief. In every show there is a love-hate relationship with one or more elements of the production. Whether it's the director, costumes, fellow actors, set, etc. there is always someone, somewhere complaining about something. On closing night, all of these griefs are cast aside to make way for last minute pictures, bonding and a last ditch effort to throw oneself into their role with such gusto that has not been present since opening night (if at all).
It seems as though we take not only our lives for granted, but many things within them as well. Even though we know everything will come to an end, we don't realize how much we take for granted. Closing night of a show is a perfect example.
The cast has rehearsed for months with plenty of time for character development and exploration and yet, some sit on their haunches and go through the motions, not planning on "acting" until opening night. The show runs for 3 months and they figure "I've got time". Inevitably, closing week comes and there is a sudden rush of desire for character development and "adding" to the show... Too little too late. The classic mourning of a show encased in "why didn't I think of this 5 months ago?" can also be applied to some lives.
We all know we're going to die but, unlike in a show, we have no idea when our final curtain will fall. Until then, don't put off the things that you really want to accomplish, don't hesitate to tell those around you that you love them and, for heaven's sake, use your good china not just on "special" occasions.
Find something special about today.
After all, what are we waiting for?
Another ending... Millie closed this weekend amid tears and laughter. Sunday's closing performance was probably one of the best shows in the entire run. There's nothing quite like the nervous excitement of opening night, but closing night is a unique mixture of desperation, sadness and relief. In every show there is a love-hate relationship with one or more elements of the production. Whether it's the director, costumes, fellow actors, set, etc. there is always someone, somewhere complaining about something. On closing night, all of these griefs are cast aside to make way for last minute pictures, bonding and a last ditch effort to throw oneself into their role with such gusto that has not been present since opening night (if at all).
It seems as though we take not only our lives for granted, but many things within them as well. Even though we know everything will come to an end, we don't realize how much we take for granted. Closing night of a show is a perfect example.
The cast has rehearsed for months with plenty of time for character development and exploration and yet, some sit on their haunches and go through the motions, not planning on "acting" until opening night. The show runs for 3 months and they figure "I've got time". Inevitably, closing week comes and there is a sudden rush of desire for character development and "adding" to the show... Too little too late. The classic mourning of a show encased in "why didn't I think of this 5 months ago?" can also be applied to some lives.
We all know we're going to die but, unlike in a show, we have no idea when our final curtain will fall. Until then, don't put off the things that you really want to accomplish, don't hesitate to tell those around you that you love them and, for heaven's sake, use your good china not just on "special" occasions.
Find something special about today.
After all, what are we waiting for?
22 April 2008
When the cat's away...
Lame. Lame Lame.
I haven't blogged in 10 days?!
I guess nothing has really been happening. Well, nothing earth shattering, anyway. This weekend, I performed in Millie again. I wasn't Mrs. Meers again, though (bummer). Saturday and Sunday I played the part of Miss Flannery. She is the exec secretary of one of the other characters. It's a relatively small part, as she only appears in 2 scenes in the entire show, but I did have a vocal solo and a tap solo.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, hey! I didn't know Michelle knew how to tap! Sweet!
In which case, I would say to you; I don't.
Seriously. I haven't tapped since I was 3 in CA... Even then, I think I just liked wearing noisy shoes and didn't really learn anything. So, I had the lucky stress of learning a tap routine, including a solo. Yay! It took me a week or so to really get it down, and although I messed a bit up on Saturday night, it went nearly flawlessly on Sunday afternoon.
This is the last week of Millie, thank goodness! I can't wait to have night free for the first time in who knows how long! I mean, up until now I've had days free, which I prefer, to be honest. But, now that I'm working days and nights... it sucks my life out.
That's my new phrase, by the way. Sucks my life out. Feel free to use it liberally.
Other than that... it's life as usual. My friend Josh might be coming to visit next week. Grease opens at Riverside next Friday. We're under a flood warning. I bought new shoes from Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line, "Bitten". I got my eyebrows waxed Saturday. I updated my resume to include Mrs Meers. I've read every current event article on both the Discovery Channel and National Geographic websites.
Oh!! That reminds me! I'm completely addicted to the dumbest, silliest, coolest game ever. It's called the McDonalds game (just google it). Basically, you're responsible for the upkeep of the Mickey D's co. You have to grow the soy, raise cattle, hire workers, feed the masses and keep the big guys happy without going bankrupt. It's hilarious.
Check it out... you know you want to :o)
I'll be playing it between phone calls and leases.
I haven't blogged in 10 days?!
I guess nothing has really been happening. Well, nothing earth shattering, anyway. This weekend, I performed in Millie again. I wasn't Mrs. Meers again, though (bummer). Saturday and Sunday I played the part of Miss Flannery. She is the exec secretary of one of the other characters. It's a relatively small part, as she only appears in 2 scenes in the entire show, but I did have a vocal solo and a tap solo.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, hey! I didn't know Michelle knew how to tap! Sweet!
In which case, I would say to you; I don't.
Seriously. I haven't tapped since I was 3 in CA... Even then, I think I just liked wearing noisy shoes and didn't really learn anything. So, I had the lucky stress of learning a tap routine, including a solo. Yay! It took me a week or so to really get it down, and although I messed a bit up on Saturday night, it went nearly flawlessly on Sunday afternoon.
This is the last week of Millie, thank goodness! I can't wait to have night free for the first time in who knows how long! I mean, up until now I've had days free, which I prefer, to be honest. But, now that I'm working days and nights... it sucks my life out.
That's my new phrase, by the way. Sucks my life out. Feel free to use it liberally.
Other than that... it's life as usual. My friend Josh might be coming to visit next week. Grease opens at Riverside next Friday. We're under a flood warning. I bought new shoes from Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line, "Bitten". I got my eyebrows waxed Saturday. I updated my resume to include Mrs Meers. I've read every current event article on both the Discovery Channel and National Geographic websites.
Oh!! That reminds me! I'm completely addicted to the dumbest, silliest, coolest game ever. It's called the McDonalds game (just google it). Basically, you're responsible for the upkeep of the Mickey D's co. You have to grow the soy, raise cattle, hire workers, feed the masses and keep the big guys happy without going bankrupt. It's hilarious.
Check it out... you know you want to :o)
I'll be playing it between phone calls and leases.
11 April 2008
Celt War pictures!
In the first link, if you go to page 9, picture #127, Curren is the guy in red on the left. Now you can pick him out in the crowd shots :o)
I'm in a couple shots here and there, but it's mostly the guys fighting.
Enjoy!
http://ursus.smugmug.com/gallery/4661123_t5LAU#275291746
http://lilkender.smugmug.com/gallery/4650926_T92in#P-1-15
I'm in a couple shots here and there, but it's mostly the guys fighting.
Enjoy!
http://ursus.smugmug.com/gallery/4661123_t5LAU#275291746
http://lilkender.smugmug.com/gallery/4650926_T92in#P-1-15
10 April 2008
Shoes...
I'm wearing real shoes today!
Yesterday I took a bunch of clothes I was getting rid of to a consignment shop called Plato's Closet. They bought a bunch of stuff from me, and I used part of that money to buy a super cute pair of patent leather gray pumps for work. They were brand new - still with the tags on and no marks on the soles! - for $6. Can't beat that price with a stick!
The other nice thing is that they're relatively low cut on the sides so they don't rub my tattoo. Yay!
That's all :o)
Yesterday I took a bunch of clothes I was getting rid of to a consignment shop called Plato's Closet. They bought a bunch of stuff from me, and I used part of that money to buy a super cute pair of patent leather gray pumps for work. They were brand new - still with the tags on and no marks on the soles! - for $6. Can't beat that price with a stick!
The other nice thing is that they're relatively low cut on the sides so they don't rub my tattoo. Yay!
That's all :o)
08 April 2008
I got inked!!
Ok, this color is a fib because I'm not wearing purple shoes today... I'm wearing the same gold sandals I've been wearing for a couple days now because...
I got my tattoo last week! I completely meant to blog about it sooner, but I was just a teensy bit preoccupied... agreed?
So, here's the way it all went down...
A month and a half ago or so, I decided to get my tattoo. I knew I wanted a turtle on my foot, but I didn't know which exact design I wanted. So, I went online and printed up a couple pictures of Green Sea Turtles (I knew I wanted that particular species, remember?) and took them to Curren's good friend Sean, the artist we picked for the job. I explained exactly what I wanted, and told him to be creative with the rest. He said he'd have a drawing in about a week.
So, a week later, we went back and I looked at what he'd drawn up, told him what I liked and didn't like and he said to give him another week on it. When we went back the next week, it was exactly what I wanted. Better still, it's a completely original design that no body in the whole world has. Yay! He'd also drawn Curren's wheel of war that he was getting on his right shoulder.
So, we made appointments for the next Tuesday... and waited...
Finally Tuesday came!
Now, I'll be honest. I had no idea how I was going to react to this whole thing. My two biggest fears were throwing up and fainting (in that order). Sean assured me that if I vomited, he had a trash can for me and if I fainted they'd catch me (Curren was there too, having just gotten his wheel of war before me).
I was slightly reassured, and approached the whole thing with a smile and a laugh... until he turned the needle on. I'll tell you, that is the worst sound I've ever heard! It's like the dentist drill x 1.000.000.000!!!
The first time the needle went in, it hurt. Duh. He started out by outlining the whole design, but by the time I got "used to" that pain, he added 2 more needles in the instrument to do the coloring in... Ow. The top of my foot was bearable but, I'll tell you, when he got down to the side of my foot near the sole it hurt like mad! Poor Curren had no blood flow in his hand by the time Sean had finished that flipper. The whole thing was over in about 35-40 min. It felt like it went a lot faster, thank goodness!
So, it's been healing for a week now, and it's run the gamut from being totally bruised and swollen (which is why I didn't do Millie Thursday... I was icing the foot) to being scabbed, and now the scab is flaking off. Yay! I've been extra nice to it, keeping a healing ointment on it, keeping it covered with plastic and elevated when I sleep. Pretty soon I'll be back to wearing normal shoes! It should be completely healed in about a week,a t which point I have to remember to always put sunscreen on it (luckily my lotion is already SPF 28) and keep it moisturized well.
If you're wondering, I'm still glad I did it :o)
Here's a picture of it Tuesday night, about 4 hours after I had it done... I'll take another picture when it's totally healed so you can see the detail!
I got my tattoo last week! I completely meant to blog about it sooner, but I was just a teensy bit preoccupied... agreed?
So, here's the way it all went down...
A month and a half ago or so, I decided to get my tattoo. I knew I wanted a turtle on my foot, but I didn't know which exact design I wanted. So, I went online and printed up a couple pictures of Green Sea Turtles (I knew I wanted that particular species, remember?) and took them to Curren's good friend Sean, the artist we picked for the job. I explained exactly what I wanted, and told him to be creative with the rest. He said he'd have a drawing in about a week.
So, a week later, we went back and I looked at what he'd drawn up, told him what I liked and didn't like and he said to give him another week on it. When we went back the next week, it was exactly what I wanted. Better still, it's a completely original design that no body in the whole world has. Yay! He'd also drawn Curren's wheel of war that he was getting on his right shoulder.
So, we made appointments for the next Tuesday... and waited...
Finally Tuesday came!
Now, I'll be honest. I had no idea how I was going to react to this whole thing. My two biggest fears were throwing up and fainting (in that order). Sean assured me that if I vomited, he had a trash can for me and if I fainted they'd catch me (Curren was there too, having just gotten his wheel of war before me).
I was slightly reassured, and approached the whole thing with a smile and a laugh... until he turned the needle on. I'll tell you, that is the worst sound I've ever heard! It's like the dentist drill x 1.000.000.000!!!
The first time the needle went in, it hurt. Duh. He started out by outlining the whole design, but by the time I got "used to" that pain, he added 2 more needles in the instrument to do the coloring in... Ow. The top of my foot was bearable but, I'll tell you, when he got down to the side of my foot near the sole it hurt like mad! Poor Curren had no blood flow in his hand by the time Sean had finished that flipper. The whole thing was over in about 35-40 min. It felt like it went a lot faster, thank goodness!
So, it's been healing for a week now, and it's run the gamut from being totally bruised and swollen (which is why I didn't do Millie Thursday... I was icing the foot) to being scabbed, and now the scab is flaking off. Yay! I've been extra nice to it, keeping a healing ointment on it, keeping it covered with plastic and elevated when I sleep. Pretty soon I'll be back to wearing normal shoes! It should be completely healed in about a week,a t which point I have to remember to always put sunscreen on it (luckily my lotion is already SPF 28) and keep it moisturized well.
If you're wondering, I'm still glad I did it :o)
Here's a picture of it Tuesday night, about 4 hours after I had it done... I'll take another picture when it's totally healed so you can see the detail!
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