If you haven't been playing along at home, OR you got sidetracked from playing along at home (you know, when "life" got in the way), OR you'd just like to read the back-story in the order it was written, I suggest clicking HERE, then HERE, and finally HERE before you continue reading THIS POST.
... aaaaaand, we're back.
So I married my college sweetheart in 2009, and since there was NO ROOM in my 1-bedroom apartment to add him and his stuff, and his roommate wasn't moving out (and was allergic to cats), we found ourselves a nice 2-bedroom place in North Hollywood. My niece commented on the new address being so similar to the address of the place I'd shared with a roommate in previous years; it made me think I'd ALWAYS come back to Morrison Street, Apartment 202!
That was not to be, however. The cats got used to the new guy, and while Cocoa became more and more of a "Momma's Girl," Smokey decided that Stephen was to be HIS guy. Stephen would work his day job at the restaurant and write with his partner on the weekends, and I would be gone up to sixteen hours at a stretch when I booked any background work.
But with splitting my time between the two unions (remember how I told you I had joined AFTRA?), I was no longer eligible for health insurance. And Stephen's job was a part-time gig, so we ended up going to free clinics if we needed anything. Thankfully, we mostly didn't need anything.
And then the background work got "slower," and my unemployment benefits decreased, gradually, over time. A good friend hooked me up with a friend of hers to get me trained in Script Supervision, and I started working behind the camera. Now I have the skills to be anywhere on set, just about. The only job I know I will never succeed in is Craft Services. I have the mindset and talents to manage time, money, people, or things, but I cannot manage other people's food. Don't ask me to. We'll both be really sorry if it comes to that.
I booked a fifteen week webseries (we shot for 15 weeks; they aired 22 episodes) and we were "set" for awhile. It was still considered a "low-budget" gig; I wasn't in the Scripty local of IATSE yet, but that gig brought me this close to eligible. When it was over, I went back to whatever my unemployment claim was at the time (not much) and background work and personal assisting, but it started getting really tight.
And then we learned about Stephen's dad's health. We had two options: put Stephen on a plane to NC and have him take a leave from his job, so he could do what he could to nurse his dad back to health, OR pack everything up and move.
You know what we chose, right? You're caught up now? I started blogging in December of last year, and I'm fairly certain I told you enough of the backstory to get you to that point of our lives.
We arrived in North Carolina the day after Stephen's dad died from chemotherapy. The night we arrived, I received a phone call asking about my availability to Script Supervise a gig. That gig would have made up the difference in my eligibility to join IATSE, had I still been in Los Angeles. But EVERYTHING happens for a REASON, including our move to North Carolina.
... aaaaaand, we're back.
So I married my college sweetheart in 2009, and since there was NO ROOM in my 1-bedroom apartment to add him and his stuff, and his roommate wasn't moving out (and was allergic to cats), we found ourselves a nice 2-bedroom place in North Hollywood. My niece commented on the new address being so similar to the address of the place I'd shared with a roommate in previous years; it made me think I'd ALWAYS come back to Morrison Street, Apartment 202!
That was not to be, however. The cats got used to the new guy, and while Cocoa became more and more of a "Momma's Girl," Smokey decided that Stephen was to be HIS guy. Stephen would work his day job at the restaurant and write with his partner on the weekends, and I would be gone up to sixteen hours at a stretch when I booked any background work.
But with splitting my time between the two unions (remember how I told you I had joined AFTRA?), I was no longer eligible for health insurance. And Stephen's job was a part-time gig, so we ended up going to free clinics if we needed anything. Thankfully, we mostly didn't need anything.
And then the background work got "slower," and my unemployment benefits decreased, gradually, over time. A good friend hooked me up with a friend of hers to get me trained in Script Supervision, and I started working behind the camera. Now I have the skills to be anywhere on set, just about. The only job I know I will never succeed in is Craft Services. I have the mindset and talents to manage time, money, people, or things, but I cannot manage other people's food. Don't ask me to. We'll both be really sorry if it comes to that.
I booked a fifteen week webseries (we shot for 15 weeks; they aired 22 episodes) and we were "set" for awhile. It was still considered a "low-budget" gig; I wasn't in the Scripty local of IATSE yet, but that gig brought me this close to eligible. When it was over, I went back to whatever my unemployment claim was at the time (not much) and background work and personal assisting, but it started getting really tight.
And then we learned about Stephen's dad's health. We had two options: put Stephen on a plane to NC and have him take a leave from his job, so he could do what he could to nurse his dad back to health, OR pack everything up and move.
You know what we chose, right? You're caught up now? I started blogging in December of last year, and I'm fairly certain I told you enough of the backstory to get you to that point of our lives.
We arrived in North Carolina the day after Stephen's dad died from chemotherapy. The night we arrived, I received a phone call asking about my availability to Script Supervise a gig. That gig would have made up the difference in my eligibility to join IATSE, had I still been in Los Angeles. But EVERYTHING happens for a REASON, including our move to North Carolina.
... Once in a Lifetime
Oh, please, please, please tell the story of DH and the Peeps (from the one time you DID work craft services). I love that story. And where's our name-dropping story teller these days? Y'all must be super busy, huh?
ReplyDeleteNo one is nearly busy enough. The Fabulous Ms. F had us over TO dinner on the one night she was above the weather. I'll get more visit time (and a new name-drop story) when she's feeling better.
DeleteNot sure if I wish to tell the story of DH (thank you for "coding" it) here... don't want bridges somehow burnt FOR me, ya know? But again, thanks for letting other readers know that I'm not lying about being a terrible Crafty! :)