Am I stressed out? I dunno...

but for the past few weeks (maybe only ten days, but who can tell?), my right eyelid has been spasming. It's not significant enough to impair my vision, but at times, it feels like it'll spasm for a solid ten minutes before it finally subsides for awhile.

I googled it and got alcohol, caffeine, fatigue, and stress as possible culprits for this benign annoyance.

So I gave up wine for exactly one week. No change.

I already have given up coffee except when I'm at Trader Joe's (and that's a teeny tiny cup), instead consuming one to two cups of

"Earl Grey, Hot"

 per day (in my travel mug, to be consumed prior to and during my first tour, typically). I'll drink a little on my way in to work and then refill the hot water right before my tour heads out, so it's actually more like 1.5 cups of hot tea. I use one new teabag of Earl Grey and one new bag of mint (herbal and completely devoid of caffeine) per day. I don't think this is sufficient caffeine to be causing my eyelid to twitch.

I'm pretty sure I get plenty of sleep. Today, I stayed in bed for half a day. Sure, I was awake and playing on my phone, but had sleep overtaken me due to fatigue, I was already in position. I don't think I'm fatigued.

So that leaves stress. Yes, yesterday was the anniversary of Mommy's death. Yes, I love my job at Warner Bros. Yes, I think I do a good job (in fact, I received a glowing review here). No, I do not consider myself a "permanent" employee there (or anywhere - I think I've grown out of seeking "permanence" in employment). Yes, things seem to be picking up in the industry lately and I may fear I may be missing certain opportunities. Yes, this may be stressing me, as much as I allow myself to be "stressed" by life circumstances.

But what can be done about it? I dunno.

How Does One Dress for This Weather?

Got up super-early so I could get to the set of The Muppets by my 7 a.m. call time, and even though I knew what I'd be wearing today (I play a server in Rowlf's Tavern, when they use me), I happened to look at the weather on my phone just to see what the temp was in that hour.

*****

Think about that statement, kids. Ten years ago, no one would ever have made that statement: "I looked at my phone to check the weather". Right? Technology = Weird.

*****

Ennyhoo, I'm glad I knew how to dress today, because if I'd gotten up with no plans for the day, or with slightly later plans that involved an early drive, How The Heck Would I Have Dressed?

*****

Just in case anyone's concerned that I've "disclosed" something I'm not supposed to, my first episode as a server in the bar has already aired, so you've probably already seen me (I know I did), and you probably already know that Rowlf has a bar and I serve there. No NDA breakage. Thanks for your concern. :)

Glasses vs. Contacts

I've been wearing corrective lenses for distance ever since I was licensed to drive, thirty-*cough* years ago. I wore glasses for a year or two in high school, and at some point in college, I discovered disposable contacts. Wore those for a very long time. And you can take that statement any way you like, and you'd probably have an accurate assessment of how I wore contacts.

Discovered the possibility of natural vision correction once I was living in and working in and loving Los Angeles (Hollyweird or La-La-Land). Took the contacts off and started wearing glasses again. Worked on correcting my vision. Made some headway; felt really good about my vision overall, and ordered new glasses online through Stephanie's referral. Ordered new glasses for Stephen, too, after we got his eyes examined and discovered for the first time in his life that he NEEDED glasses for distance.

FIFTH FOURTH PHOTO:These are one of the first two pair I got through Stephanie's referral.
Yes, I can see you, but only because I'm looking at you from UNDER the frames.

Detoured our lives to North Carolina and quit making progress in the vision correction arena. Continued to wear only glasses, not contacts. Made it back to Cali and got a job that offered vision insurance. Used the insurance to get a contact lens exam and a supply of contacts. Never picked up the contacts, because they messed up the Rx for awhile, and whenever I would wear the trial pair, my eyes would hurt or itch or get all dried out or something. Kept wearing glasses.

FOURTH THIRD PIC: the newest pair, with the stronger
distance Rx and transition to shade. A nice perk, and if only they fit 
better (and I could still look at close stuff from beneath the frames),
I might love 'em more. They certainly are "cute".

Got a new pair of glasses via Holly's referral. Didn't love 'em, but couldn't return them. Have found days to make do with them. Main reason for not loving the new glasses is that they don't sit properly on my nose, and I can't read or do other "close work" from beneath the frames, so I find myself constantly pulling them lower on my nose so I can do the close work ABOVE the frames, or propping them on top of my head for long periods of time rather than just removing them from my face.

PHOTO THE FIRST:I can't see you.
I'm wearing my contacts, and you're too close.

... cut to yesterday, when I was on the set of a show set in the future. Couldn't wear any of my glasses; couldn't see without 'em. Took the trial pair of contacts with me <just in case> and discovered that was a good call. Forgot to take a pair of drugstore "readers" with me, so even though the contacts went on easily and were never irritating, I couldn't see anything or anyone within two feet of my face. Couldn't focus, I should say. I could see things and people that close, but everything was out of focus.

SECOND SNAP: I could see you if I were looking
THROUGH these lenses, but then you'd just see the glare
of the camera flash. No bueno. Also no bueno is the fact that
I look like an Old. Lady. with these damn things on!

Got in VERY LATE (or would you call getting to bed at 1 a.m. early?) and decided to sleep in the lenses. Got up this morning, showered, got ready for work, and decided to keep the contacts on the eyeballs. Took a pair of drugstore readers with me. Also had a pair of dollar store sunglasses with me. Had to figure out which secondary lenses to have on the nose through most of the day while driving the tour carts. Discovered that I felt closer to the ground all day while wearing the contacts. Got hit on numerous times by strange men, with the compliments all relating to my "beautiful eyes".

Was wearing readers to post this, but now that I've taken these photos, I've removed the contacts again. It's just too much. I do not want a repeat of today, at least not on the tour carts. I may be able to transition to contacts for set work, as long as I remember a pair of readers. But for guiding tours? There just aren't enough pockets, and I can't keep the fingerprints off the secondary lenses!

YES, I had to update this page, because I realized that I can't count when I can't see. :/

*****

In other news, I've been re-growing celery in a small dish in the kitchen. Stephen calls it "Groot". I told him he needs to call it "Croot" (since it's celery, and not a Guardian of the Galaxy).

Christopher Columbus made me stay home today.

Also, my bank is closed and I won't get any mail.

What an ass-hat he was!

* * * * *

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day, everyone!

So I got to be on set again yesterday

I was booked as two "different" characters, hotel guest and member of the golfing party, although I'm really not sure why they needed a golfing party for the scene. But then again, I didn't get to read the script, since I just had to look like a golfer. So whatevs.

I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning (yes, once again seeing Dawn's Tramp Stamp) so I could get to the studio in time for my 6 a.m. call time, so there was no way I was eating breakfast at home.

This was breakfast on set. Black beans and a chicken/potato mix in salsa verde. Tasty. Hearty.
NOT what I have ever had for breakfast before!

 Then we did a little work, shooting a scene or two, and then they allowed us to go back to Craft Services for a "snack". This was not meant to be LUNCH, people! We'll make you go buy your lunch somewhere else off the premises, when we break for lunch! This is to be a SNACK! (Yeah, right).

By the time I made it through the line, there was one chicken kabob left, so I took it, along with some delicious curry chicken salad, fantastic hummus, a great stuffed grape leaf, very green giant unpitted olive, and jasmine rice. YUM. I shared the kabob with another bg player, who I'd seen look over the selections available and declined to get anything.

 After our one-hour "walkaway" lunch, we came back and changed our clothes a few times so we could go show up on camera. I did not take a pic of me in my second outfit, because it's just basic stuff - camisole top and straight skirt. Although I would have liked to take home the great shoes I had to borrow from wardrobe. Strappy Calvin Klein stiletto sandal in a metallic tone; not quite silver, gold, or copper, but very cool looking, with wide straps for comfort (or at least it seemed that they were more comfortable because of the straps). No, I didn't even snap a pic of the shoes. :/

No, I am NOT a golfer, although I play one on t.v.

By the evening snack break, I was not at all hungry for anything. So when I ventured over to Crafty to see what I'd missed out on, all that was left was some not-very-creamy beef stroganoff (and I HATE mushrooms) and some veggies and tofu in some kind of tomato-based broth (and I'm AFRAID of tofu). The dish that had once held turkey lasagna looked as though it had been scraped clean with hungry fingers. That's what I would have had, had I been hungry for anything. 

Good thing I wasn't hungry.

In the end, it was a long, fairly fun day, with a little B.S. thrown in. I made it home in time to eat some of Stephen's good beef-n-veggie soup, and we watched a little telly while consuming wine-n-chocolate. Yesterday's work will bring a fat paycheck, and I have recovered from my lack of sleep by now, thankfully. Nothing booked for today, so I'm just chillin'; gonna run some errands in a bit and then prep for my early day back at Warner Bros. tomorrow!

Well, it IS October already.

... and I've had so little to say this past month.

Let's see, what have I been doing? Yeah, um...

• guiding tours at Warner Bros. (and loving it)
• doing a little bit of background acting (and, well, being happy to do it, at least, but certainly not loving it, but there is always room for "loving it" opportunities)
• hanging out with the cats and Jenn and Dave (and their great rugrat Brendan)
• trying to find time to hang out with Stephanie and Jen (succeeding by way of phone and text conversations)
• having occasionally bizarre dreams
• keeping clothing, dishes, and the apartment clean (enough)
• getting the car washed (yay!)
• attending the world premiere of the last film I worked on as a Script Supervisor (FUN!)
• catching up on all those things in the television DVR and consuming wine-n-chocolate
• teaching Stephen a little ballroom dance (yay!)
• commemorating the 6-year anniversary of my wedding to Stephen (we went to Taco Bell, because we really know how to par-tay!)

Here's what I haven't been doing:

• fighting my allergies (hallelujah)
• blogging (duh)
• selling anything on ebay (yay)
• writing the "Great American Novel" (what? did you think I was?)
• suffering from any depressive episodes (seriously, YAY)
• celebrating the arrival of pumpkin everything at the grocery store (seriously? already? why-oh-why do they think we need everything flavored with pumpkin pie spice?)
• preparing myself for the impending Sadiversary. I just don't do that in advance. Each one will arrive soon enough, and I'll cope as I'm able.

What have YOU been doing in the past month? Or NOT doing?