So much going on with me these days, I Can't Even

First of all, when did "I Can't Even" get added to our normal, everyday verbiage? Was it when the Dumpster Fire was elected? Maybe. I think that's when I started using it.

Whatever. Lemme explain my title.

I've been a background actor for many years now. You know this. I've paid a monthly fee for a service that manages my calendar and helps me book work via their connections with casting. In December, the service I was using dropped the ball Big Time and caused me to be suspended for a month from the one casting company that has 80% of the jobs, so I fired them and re-upped with a service I'd used many years ago.

Since our return from North Carolina in July of 2014, the service that dropped the ball found work for me a total of 4 days in 2014, 28 days in 2015 (counting multiple "recalls" on shows like the muppets), 30 days in 2016 (again, many of these were "recalls", which means the service just managed my schedule once I was booked on the first day), and 36 days in 2017. That's fewer than one booking a week, for three-and-a-half years. And I was paying them to get me booked. Only once in that 3.5 years did I get a commercial, which pays a higher rate than television/film.

In 2014, I got to be the Script Supervisor for "Fragile Storm". That was an amazing film, and quite possibly the highlight of that year for me. In 2015, I reception'ed at Arthur Murray and guided tours at Warner Bros. - Warner Bros. was the highlight of 2015 (but also the muppets, because #DuhItsTheMuppets). 2016 was more Warner Bros. until that temp assignment ended #SadFace, and then a little more Scripty work, like on the "Magic FunHouse" set. At the time, I guess Magic FunHouse qualified as my highlight, but when I didn't book the second season, my ego took a hit. I just Did Not work enough in 2017, so I volunteered as an AD on a two-week shoot, and got my part-time retail gig at the pet supply store. I booked a recall gig as a hipster tech employee on a fun show, which would have been the highlight of 2017 if it hadn't been the show that my service fucked my life over with.

*** switched gears by re-hiring the older service. So far, in 2018, my new service has placed me on set 20 days. Three of those days, I've been a stand-in (which is a higher base than background). Two of those days have been on commercials. I'm on hold for some work on Tuesday. I'm averaging better than one day per week, and often those days are longer than 8 hours, and there are "bumps" involved, like wardrobe allowances, working in smoke, mileage reimbursements or meal penalties. Through my own connections, I booked a week as a Craft Services person and two days as an AD. I'm no longer working off-set, except for the monthly bookkeeping gig I do. I haven't hit my normal SAD or any other Depression. Stephen has noticed that my outlook is better since returning to the better service. #Grateful #WorkIsGoodForMyMentalHealth

I feel good. I'm volunteering a lot at the SAG-AFTRA offices, for screenings and such. I'm attending screenings off-site (last night, Netflix hosted a screening/q&a/reception for Stranger Things 2. It was awesome). I'm attending membership meetings and health fairs. I'm making use of the services my union and the Foundation have to offer. I'm trying to hit 5000 steps a day, most days, and on some days, I hit 10k without even trying. The furbabies are being super-affectionate of late, and my breathing is mostly in check. And I feel good!

Now I just need to get PAID. ... and return to a more-regular blogging schedule, of course. #IDoThisForYou #ButAlsoForMe

What have you been up to? What would you like to see here? Do I need to return to reviewing stuff? I've SEEN soooooo many shows & films since my last review.

Part the Second

We went to bed in the 11-ish hour last night, expecting to still get something like 7 - 7.5 hours of sleep, and also expecting the house to be noisy, pretty early, because we're sleeping on the "living" level of the house, so, ya know, kitchen stuff and boys. As it happened, I didn't drag my full bladder to the bathroom until EIGHT a.m. in the dang morning! 8.5 - 9 hours of sleep! #WhatTheWhat?

So... after all the coffee and smoothies had been made, poured, and consumed, SIL Kelli decided we needed to hit the park. Between the moments of deciding to leave and actually leaving, I got cold in this house, so I sat my butt out on the back deck, in the lovely sunshine. Then we went to the park, with snacks for the boys, and two blankets for the ground, and camp chairs for up to five people.

At some point in the day in the park, Kelli was urged to go visit Whole Paycheck again for some important things that had been missed earlier, so I went with her, and we left all the testosterone at the park! #EstrogenPower #YeahBaby So we had not a Costco #WalkingSamplingLunch, but it was a #WalkingSamplingLunch, nonetheless.

When we'd killed plenty of time, the navigator took us around both of our asses to get back to BIL (Bill)'s elbow in the park, because frankly, there were road closures and detours the navigator was unaware of, so we essentially got lost. Da Boyz was gettin' hangry... talkin' about takin' an Uber home (even though WE had the carseat in our vehicle for the youngest, so no, not really).

Got back to the park; everyone munched on the newly-brought munchies, and we chilled out until it got too hot to do so. Came back to the house; Kelli cooked up a fab dinner after many peoples napped; we walked around a local trail after dinner.

The boys are all in bed; the adults are hangin' out in the living room; we had time to watch & discuss Fragile Storm; we're off to bed at a reasonableish hour again tonight. Tomorrow's a new day, kids!

I AM a Money Magnet!

ThankYouThankYouThankYou!

I've been blessed to book three days of work this week! #ThreeGoodThings:

1. Tuesday night, I worked on a popular (?) television show, booked as a rush call replacement for someone who called out. All I can really say is, 8 hours of pay for 5 hours of work, excellent treatment by a great crew and cast, fun shoot that I was able to WALK to (Yes, I got my steps in that day)! #Fun
2. Yesterday, I worked on the US unit of a feature film that had completed its filming in Ireland. It was waaaaaaaay far away, and the producers/ADs/PAs really didn't seem to know the normal workflow processes for wrangling background, so there were some miscommunications. Nothing major, though, and even though I sustained an injury, there was a set medic hired, who treated me immediately with ice, ibuprofen, and respect. We did the appropriate paperwork to add to the production report, and in spite of it all, I was able to work through the eight hours and got recalled for today! #Fat$
3. Today, I get to return to the same disorganized set, but since my character is "matching" yesterday's work, I don't have to lug any excess stuff (clothing, props, distractions). We're shooting in a remote facility that has no wi-fi, so my downtime will be spent chilling with the others who've been recalled, free of electronics. I've got some penpals who deserve a letter; maybe I'll take some of that with me. #Fulfilling

And Then TOMORROW, Stephen and I are travelling to Boise, Idaho, to hang with his brother, SIL, and the nephews. There will likely be one visit to his mom; that will be sad for whomever does that (she's not got Alzheimer's, but she really doesn't seem to remember anyone anymore).

It's only a four-day trip, so it'll be very different from my three weeks with Daddy. I intend to blog it anyway. I've missed you kids. Have you missed me? ;)

Final Florida Post (this trip, at least)

We've been rising earlier, these last few days. Today was no exception; I expect tomorrow will match, as well.

Had breakfast, had coffee, checked internets, and then I had to remind Daddy to watch a little Bob Mann (because he was raring to head out the door before 10!)... so we watched a little Bob Mann, and then we headed to the driving range. Took maybe half of the balls we'd scored yesterday, got to the area from which to hit (they'd lowered us to the third tier, which meant "climbing" two hills when finished), and found a handful of balls left behind again. I lined up 16 balls with no expectations; just lined 'em up. Daddy stretched, set his grip, and went to work. With one or two "sit" breaks, he hit all 16 balls with the iron, 11 of which were "happy"! Switched clubs to the driver; did a couple of seated stretches with it, and hit five HAPPY balls off the tee. So 16/21 balls hit were happy, after a day with no activity at all, and two tiers down from where he'd hit 20/23 two days prior. #NotBadAtAll

As we were leaving the range, he said "pool"... but then he also said "now I have a headache". But he didn't have a backache, and he hadn't used the heating pad before we went, and he'd had to walk a greater distance, and he wasn't particularly winded (except a little from the two "hills"). So we went home and he took some ibuprofen and sat down for a moment. If he went online at all, it wasn't for very long. He went into his bedroom, and when he came back out, he was dressed for the pool! Before 11 a.m.! So, I went upstairs to change, and we headed right back out.

Now, you have to remember that even though it is Florida, and the forecast was calling for sunny and 97º, and the "current" temp at the time was at least 87º, the sun is not yet high in the sky before noon, so when we reached the pool, we discovered to our dismay that the water was pretty damn cold. But we're a coupla tough guys, right? We braved it! We got in that sucker and swam around for something like half an hour, and Daddy did say, at one point, that the water still felt good on his muscles. He indicated when he was done, so I got out for a last round of sunning. After :30 of tanning my belly and back, I was thinking I might go for Round Two, but that water was still too cold. #NopesieNopesterNopes

So I walked home. Got some steps in, but probably not nearly enough to meet a challenge, not that I had bothered to accept one for today. Won't be accepting one for tomorrow, either. Too bad, non-Fitbit thingy! Once inside, I verified that Daddy had put a little alcohol in his ears to remove any water. Also, he reminded me that we needed to check the water levels in the batteries of his golf cart, so we topped 'em all off, and then went for a short joyride (okay, yes, to Publix) before plugging the darn thing in to charge those freshly-filled batteries.

I had Second Breakfast when I got in, even though it was officially lunchtime. I dunno why, but stove-fried hashbrown patties with melted cheddar were #DaBomb today. Once we were officially "in" from all our "outings" (we'd been very active very early, for us), Daddy fired up the binge machine. A Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler were quite a lot of plot for one sitting, so after that, we each did some internetting, and before long, it was time to eat one last "good" meal. So I nuked our individual Marie Callendar's frozen dinners, and Daddy tuned in to YouTube, where we watched back-to-back standup clips from this one humourist who goes on speaking tours rather than "working" nightclubs. Her bits were very clean, and very funny. We finished our dinners, and I served up our key lime pie. #NoNapForDaddyToday

And then it was suddenly after 7 p.m., and we had briefly discussed "how" to binge Doctor Who with the whole country between us. I'm just going to have to call him daily, around 3 p.m. or later, to see what he's done activity-wise in the morning, and how many/which episodes he'd be watching later, so I could make a plan to watch those same episodes, so we could talk about them at the next check-in. Okay, well, we didn't actually discuss all that... but that's going to have to become a rough outline of the "plan" to continue bingeing. We watched Night Terrors, and then Daddy took his meds and went to bed. Good episode to go to bed with! #NotSoMuch

And that's pretty much it. I've mapped my route back to the airport, so I have a rough idea of what time to leave here. We'll be able, barring any unforeseen nastiness, to have one more morning together on the driving range. I still have to pack my bags and bathe and prep either lunch or my travel food (depending on if we eat it at lunchtime), TONIGHT. In the morning, I'll empty the dishwasher, eat breakfast, and set my jeans and long sleeves to jump into last thing. It's all worked out, and even though I have so much to go home to (Stephen, furbabies, industry, et al), I am melancholy tonight. This has been a very worthwhile trip, and like David Tennant at the end of his season of "specials", I'm not ready to change it.

I think Daddy got a little melancholy tonight, too. This is hard, y'all.

Oh, in case you haven't yet had a chance, please visit the Fragile Storm website and view everything that you can, FOR FREE, and then share the website in your own social media and other circles. This is the beautiful film I was honored to work on, and we need it to go viral. It's won awards in about a bazillion festivals, and it's important. Thanks.

Stayed in bed this morning because...

I'd gotten plenty of sound sleep, but the thunderstorms rolled in, and even though I didn't get a light show, I did get to hear the heavy rain and thunder... so I stayed in bed having a mental war with my bladder, which did eventually win, but not until I heard Daddy puttering around downstairs. That's late enough! Get up and pee, for gooness sakes! #GoonessIsARealWordIJustMadeUp

We started our morning in sleepwear... which progressed to starting our mid-day in sleepwear... which progressed to starting our evening in sleepwear. At some point after just snacking through our morning, there was a question of "real food". I remembered we still had ingrediments for wraps, so that's what I fed us. And then Daddy eventually changed into "outside" clothes, because he was ready to hit a few balls in the backyard. So I raced upstairs to put on real clothes, too, so I could join him outside.

He wasn't particularly happy with his shots, and frankly, for having been landscaped for the past two days, the grass was pretty damn thick. Musta been all that overnight rain.

We came back in, and after resting his back for a mo', I suggested we get ourselves a bit of dessert from Publix. Daddy had mentioned yesterday that they carry cannoli in their bakery, and I reminded him that they also carry key lime pie. So that'll be a "yes" on dessert!

We'd already watched a lot of Doctor Who (from S4 E14 through the DT Specials {which were not so easy to find in Amazon} and into S5 E1), so Daddy was ready to watch something else (and I blamed our sedentary day for his not-great club-swinging). So, since I was still "outside" dressed, I decided to meet my step challenge while Daddy watched "something else". I'd only be gone about a half-hour, and his "night-night meds" alarm would be going off shortly after my return, so we'd have our dessert then, and he could take his meds.

Pretty uneventful day, and if I could have done all I managed to do from the bed, I mighta.

Momma said there'd be days like this. There'd be days like this, my Momma said. When was the last time you had a day like this?

Ten Years Ago

Mommy left my brother's house in the wee hours of the morning, and her good-bye to him was "It's going to be a beautiful day; just look at the sky."

And as she drove down his driveway, he was the last member of our family to see her alive.

*****

It's been ten years. Ten years ago this evening, Daddy was calling my brother to see what time she'd left, because she wasn't home yet. Ten years ago tomorrow, we learned of her untimely car accident. Ten years ago tomorrow, we started our grieving process. We booked travel to Florida for a body-less funeral. We ate ice cream or mashed potatoes or whatever would comfort us while we waited for our flights. We wrapped things up at work, if there was work to wrap up. We cried. A lot.

Over the course of the last ten years, we booked travel to Florida for holidays and birthdays and whatever days. We ate ice cream or mashed potatoes or whatever we felt like eating. We worked, if there was work to be done. We attended weddings or we got married. We had babies. We went to more funerals. We cried. A lot. We laughed a lot, too.

*****

Four Years Ago

Stephen learned that his Dad had been stricken with four aggressive cancers. I finished a summer-long Scripty gig, and then it seemed that everything in my industry was done with me. I had unemployment benefits that were less and less each year, and with Stephen's level of job satisfaction also declining, we made a joint decision to move to North Carolina, close to his Dad, so we could nurse the man back to full health, Stephen could learn a new industry (handiwork) from him, and I could see what the film industry looked like in a right-to-work state.

Four years ago tomorrow, Stephen and I left North Hollywood in my Honda Civic, with two kitties on leashes, and everything we owned either packed in a shipping container, making its way across the country on a truck or train, or packed in the Civic with us, or given away to friends or left on the curb of North Hollywood. We were moving "forever". We weren't rushed. We planned to leave four years ago tomorrow rather than four years ago today, because I wasn't going to be driving on the Sadiversary of Mommy's traffic death. 

It took us six days to drive across the country with the cats. After one night in a "pet-friendly" hotel that cost us more financially and emotionally and in terms of time (trying to get both cats out of the crawl space UNDER the head of the bed), we opted to leave the furbabies in the car each night, taking turns to visit them in the wee small hours to make sure they were okay. They were more than okay; they were fabulous. They had food & water which they barely consumed; they had a litter box which they barely used; they had the run of the car AT NIGHT when they were wired. Had any stranger tried to fuck with the car, he'da gotten his ass kicked by our little fireballs.

Roughly halfway through the trip, we drove up to the Grand Canyon. No, it wasn't technically "on our way", but when your country has something that spectacular just a touch "out of the way" and you've never seen it (Stephen hadn't), then you stop. I spent some time with the babies while Stephen talked to his Dad on the phone. That was the last time they heard each other's voices.

Four years ago, five days hence, Stephen's Dad lost his battle with chemotherapy. No, the cancer didn't kill him, although #CancerSucks. #ChemoSucks too. It was the chemo that killed him. Four years ago, five days hence, I did all the driving. We arrived at my brother's house that evening. His wife was prepared for our arrival, and for our emotional state, and she had cooked a lovely meal for us. We were both pretty much wiped out that day. So we ate comfort food, and we cried a lot.

Four years ago, six days hence, we arrived at Stephen's stepmom's house. PEOPLE arrived at her house. FAMILY arrived at her house. Her Friends arrived at her house. We ate comfort food. We helped make arrangements. We ate comfort food. We got the keys to our new apartment and settled the furbabies in, without us or any of our stuff (we had all of their toys, of course). We ate comfort food, and we cried a lot. We laughed a little, but mostly, we went numb.

Over the course of the last four years, we booked travel to Florida for holidays and birthdays and whatever days. We ate ice cream or mashed potatoes or whatever we felt like eating. We worked, if there was work to be done. We attended weddings or we got married. We had babies. We went to more funerals. We cried. A lot. We laughed a lot, too.

*****

Now

We're back in North Hollywood, California. When we returned from our failed "North Carolina Forever" experiment, I got to work as a Script Supervisor for a phenomenal short film called Fragile Storm. It made its way through the film festival circuit, and it's being released online for all the world to see on November 6th. It is absolutely scary and lovely and heartwrenching, and I'm so #Blessed and #Grateful to have been able to participate in its creation. Whatever it takes for you to see it, please take those steps.

Stephen found employment at a Pet Feed and Supply house with a bit of Hollywood history. During his employment there, he has learned more than you could ever hope to know about dogs, cats, hamsters, and probably birds. He loves sharing that knowledge with his customers, and he's very good at his job. He was even recently promoted, and it would appear that the company is grooming him for a steady climb up that particular "corporate" ladder. So he takes good care of our babies, and everybody else's, too.

My employment has been pretty steady, and my unemployment benefits "bank" is back in a reasonable range as well. My last Scripty gig was another one for the record books, and in just a few days, there will be a Big Announcement regarding that show and plans for the future. I'm pretty happy with all of that.

We have a pretty sweet apartment, and the furbabies seem to like it. They do seem to fight a bit more than they used to, over the catnip toys more often than not, and they've both shown us a concerning (for us) wound here or there. Nothing SuperPetMan Stephen can't resolve.

But also lately, Stephen's Mom has been exhibiting signs of dementia. We can't move across the country again, so he and his brother made arrangements to move her to Idaho, where the brother lives with his wife and sons. Her condition improved in her assisted-living facility so close to her grandbabies. Everything was peaches and cream.

Except that she's gotten worse. She's gotten belligerent with the staff. She's gotten paranoid. She's lonely and afraid, and so she stays in her room all day, not socializing with people who want to be her friend. And she forgets things, and people, and events (like whether or not she has eaten lunch). So she has to be "upgraded" to a memory care facility. We don't know what that really means, in either the short or the long term.

Over the course of the next however-many years, we will book travel to Idaho for holidays or birthdays or whatever days. We'll eat ice cream or mashed potatoes or whatever we feel like eating. We'll work, if there's work to be done. We'll attend weddings. We'll go to more funerals. We'll cry. A lot. But we'll laugh a lot, too.

The Year in Review

I better hurry up and get this posted, before it's 2016!

Without reviewing my entire sidebar, because, yeah, I can get distracted by it, I'll tell you what I remember I did this year.

Blogged. Not nearly enough. Read other blogs, and commented where appropriate. Wrote some short fiction. Not nearly enough.

Worked as an admin at a dance studio, and danced a little. Not nearly enough.

Swam in a heated pool for the bulk of the summer, and then the management ceased to heat the pool, so Swimming = Not. Nearly. Enough.

Worked as a background actor, here and there. Not nearly enough.

Encouraged Stephen to expand his kitchen repertoire and then harassed him about the cleanliness of the kitchen. Ate a lot of really good food, lovingly prepared and beautifully arranged. Complimented the chef Not Nearly Enough.

Script Supervised an amazing short film in 2014, and this year, got to attend some premieres. Script Supervised a single day of shooting for a youtube series, in which we shot 26 5/8 pages in that single day. Both of these Scripty gigs were amazing accomplishments, for very different reasons, but I Scripty'd Not. Nearly. Enough. this year.

Hung out with friends. Not nearly enough.

Got hired on at Warner Bros. as a tour guide and had good days and bad days, and This Week seems to have turned things around from, say, that last post where I thought I was losing it. Don't think I can make a "not nearly enough" statement about the Bros. There's definitely a good balance between the Bros. and the rest of the things I do.

Consumed my ever-expanding weight in wine and chocolate. Worked out to keep that weight under control not nearly enough.

Missed Mommy. Missed Daddy and my siblings. Missed the nieces and nephews (and great-nieces). Skyped and emailed and phoned. Said "I love you". Cried a lot; laughed a lot. Coughed a lot.

Not that I ever make "resolutions", but I think if our return from North Carolina was supposed to make 2015 the year of "saying yes", then I have just decided, for myself, at least, that 2016 shall be the year of "enough". Obviously, in the best way possible. I managed to strike a good balance between the Bros. and all the other fun since May, so that's the only one that reached "enough", and in a good way. For 2016, I shall attempt to strike good balances between each of the other fun stuff AND all the other fun, so that everything can be "enough".

Has "enough" ever been a goal worthy of setting for you? How did you manage to get "enough"? And oh, Happy New Year. See you in 2016!

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?

Photo Phr(aye!)day

Cocoa, dancing in her sleep again, and waking to the picture-taking but not changing her pose.  Silly girl.

Fragile Storm scout - Day One of my involvement

Lance and Mackenzie working stuff out in rehearsals

Fragile Storm BTS selfie goofin' (Carly - me - Lance)

Fragile Storm BTS (Tina - Lance - Jody, with Dawn - Lauren in BG)

What the camera sees at the opening of a very cool shot -
yes, I moved slightly in taking the pic, but those
pill bottles are indeed OUT of focus!

What a World, What a Life, What a Weekend, What a FILM!

Hot Diggety.  Drivin' 70 miles or so round-trip is so much better when you can carpool.  Luckily, the crew of this film have WANTED to do that and have BEEN ABLE to, so that's what we did.  It's hard to do on most projects simply because call times ("report to work" for those of you outside of the industry) and wrap times ("go home") are so difficult to align with those folks who live near enough to you to make it work.  But on this gig, we only had the stages for twelve specific hours each day, so pretty much everyone's call time was 7 a.m. and everyone's wrap time was 7 p.m.  So we carpooled, and if someone had to wait, then so be it.

Yesterday we covered a "fight scene" and made it work.  It was Day One, so we didn't have a "groove" established yet, and at the end of the day, I personally was just a tad worried we wouldn't complete everything today.  But all of the actors were fabulous people.  The crew did what they could to find the "groove", and we managed to complete just shy of half the script.  And a beautiful just shy of half it was.

Today was an early start, and before lunchtime, we had covered a lot of the script, particularly the really emotional stuff.  I was weeping buckets - before lunch - and trying desperately to keep my shit together so I could keep up with my job while the writer held my hand.  I ain't proud - I'll take a hand-holding or a hug or whatever if it's offered.  But man-oh-man was that some beautiful shit.  Gorgeous.  Moving.  I can't wait to see this completed film!

As each actor finished up their emotional scenes, I'd offer hugs and let them know how they'd moved me.  I'm an actor, too, so I understand how it feels to wonder whether anyone thinks you've done a good job.  Each one appreciated what I had to say to them, and they were able to laugh at with me when I told them I'd cried.  I even let the others who'd witnessed my tearfest make fun of me tell the tale of the wondrousness we'd all been privy to.

The crew was also really great, even with only having two days to find a groove.  But really, I want to thank the entire producing team and my friend, the director, Dawn.  I've never been treated with such respect as I was by THIS producing team.  Really special "shout-outs" to Kelly and Mike, who went above and beyond to make sure that anything that anyone needed was provided, post-haste.  We didn't have enough Production Assistants to grab silly little whatevers (because honestly, are there ever enough PAs?), and most of the time, when you're working and feel a need for a "silly little something" you just try to get it for yourself.  But when things are moving quickly because you have a limited amount of time to spend, sometimes you just have to ask someone else.  Mike and Kelly were incredibly proactive in making sure you didn't ever really have to ask. I love those guys, and I hope to work with them again very soon.

Beautiful man; Gorgeous woman; Incredible young lady!

It's been a full week, heading into a full weekend

I've been busy with the crowdfunding campaign for the short film we're shooting this weekend, starring Lance Henriksen, Jody Jaress, and Mackenzie Mason.  The campaign link can be accessed HERE.  I'm looking forward to the shoot, because it means I get to focus on PEOPLE and ACTIONS, rather than pages on a computer screen.

No doubt, you've missed seeing me here.  And in the real world, if you get to see me in the real world.  And on Facebook, if you know me there.  I'm sure you've missed me, because even Facebook missed me!  They sent me a link with all the notifications (somehow, only 17?) of stuff that's been happening.  I caught myself up on the notifications, but haven't been able to spend any of my own real time there.  'Sokay - I'll catch up on Monday, after I've caught up on my sleep.  Unless, Monday is when I start "phase Two" of the crowdfunding campaign!  Erp!

Please don't think I've forgotten about you.  Please visit the campaign if you're so inclined.  Donate some money, if you feel like it.  SHARE in your own social media world the campaign link.  This is an important film, and we'd like to make it well.  We'd like to get it finished in time for festivals and whatnot, and maybe somehow get it distributed to a screen near YOU.  We are already proud of it; if you decide to help us in any way (donating or sharing the link), then you can be proud of it, too.

Thank you for missing me - see ya next week!

Crowd-FUN-ding!

I've been telling y'all about my work in entertainment; I even posted about the next film I get to Script Supervise.  In the meantime, I've been brought into the fold as an "Associate Producer" to help my friend, Dawn, meet the financial goals for this next gig.

Dawn is, in my opinion, the "Queen of Crowdfunding."  Unfortunately, she's having to split her brain energy for this film into two very separate foci, Producing (and running the indiegogo campaign) and Directing (you know, being the Director "on the day").  All of the Producers are doing what they can to ease Dawn's Producer duties so she can keep her focus on Directing.  And I've been brought in to help there, as well.

My main focus this week is to post the following message on the walls of Dawn's 5000 Facebook friends (or in private messages, if they've got "post to my wall" blocked).  It's a daunting task, and it's going to take me most of the week to get it done, primarily because Facebook doesn't have an easily-"automatic" way of doing this, because, you know, SPAM. But that's my task, and it'll be the reason you don't hear much from me on my blog or Twitter or Facebook this week.

If YOU personally have any interest in "how films get made" or you know someone who does and may have the means to contribute, then please read the heartfelt message below, and click on the link.  Visit the campaign and find a perk you like, and contribute if you can.  The big reason Dawn always uses indiegogo is because every contribution goes toward making the film a reality, whether the "goal" is met or not. And even if you can only share the message or the link to the campaign, it will help.

• Hey, @Friend! We are going to shoot Fragile Storm this coming weekend, even though we have not yet reached our first-tier indiegogo goal. We've been funding this with our own money so far, but we could really use your help. This is the most important and powerful film we have done to date. This is not an all-or-nothing campaign; every dollar donated WILL be used to bring this film to you!

• Please check out the perks we're offering, and you can even read the script if you like! If you've already donated, thank you. Sharing the link and spreading the word really helps as well. Thank you so much!

• #FragileStorm #PalmStreetFilms #LanceHenriksen #Alzheimers

• Here's the campaign link

Thank you, again, dear readers, for having an interest in my life and my work and what I've got to say about it.  This is a big campaign, and I'm happy to do my part.  Really looking forward to the fun stuff this weekend, though! ;)

Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful

Do you remember that ad campaign?  I think it was for a cosmetics company, possibly L'Oreal, but not hair coloring.  I don't remember.  It was back in the day when Mommy wouldn't let us watch TV.

But the "catch-phrase" is rolling through my psyche lately, because it directs me to this blog, where I sometimes get the impression that my readers, not working in the film industry (for the most part), might be jealous of my life.  So I'll change it to "Don't hate me 'cuz I work in entertainment!"

Here's the thing: I would love to be working, ALL. The. Time.  But the film industry doesn't let anyone work All. The. Time.  Even all the A-list folks who seem to be working All. The. Time. aren't really - they get to take vacations and stuff!  And maybe they get to pick the projects they work on.

I am really working to WORK every day, but the only real project "on my plate," as it were, is a short film that I've got the privilege to participate in at the end of the month. I've been officially "attached" as Script Supervisor for the past couple of months or so, even though I got to read the first script before we were ever even planning to leave LA for North Carolina in the first place, 2 1/2 years ago!  This is a great project and is going to have a huge impact. The primary "issue" we've been facing in recent history is the financing to cover production and post-production costs.  There's been an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign running, that we can't quite put a finger on as to why it's not gained any momentum.

So today, we've been shooting a "promotional" video to boost the campaign.  We talked about "why I'm doing this," individually, and as a group.  That video should be "up" on the website sometime tomorrow, at which point, I'll update THIS post.  If you've ever wanted to be part of the film industry, you can help us!  Visit the Fragile Storm link; watch the video there; click on one of the campaign links to see if there are any perks you'd like to get (like "Producer" credits on IMDb or an autographed photo or screenplay or whatnot); contribute any monetary amount you feel you can afford; SHARE all the links in your own social media networking!

We need your help, kids.  I need your help.  I love the work that I do; I love the industry I am blessed to work in.  Don't hate me because I get to work in film; don't hate me because I get to love my work.  If you can help me with your involvement, then you can let others "hate" you! ;)

Let's make a movie, kids! This is a film that makes a difference.