Keto and The Movies

I've been *trying* to "do" Keto, which means I'm nearly eliminating carbs from my diet whilst also eating A Lot more fat, and a reasonable amount of protein.

In order to *try* to "do" Keto, I've been reading every nutrition label, for fat/protein/carb grams, not necessarily ingredients lists... oh, who am I kidding? I have been reading ingredients lists forever. That ain't stoppin'. I've also been watching a ton of YouTube videos. My favorite Keto channels are Keto Connect and Dr. Ken Berry. There are a few others, but those would be one-offs, for me, at least.

The more videos I watch, the easier I find the Keto lifestyle to adopt. Some of the Keto Connect videos are "shopping at ______" (places like Costco and Trader Joe's, and others where you might shop), as well as reviews of pre-made Keto products (which don't matter to me at all) and recipes for fat bombs. MMMMMM, #FatBombs.

So I've been shopping. I recently discovered the Costco Business Center, as you know, and I was able to make a trek there yesterday for EVERYTHING I needed, without facing a #WalkingSamplingLunch at either the Costco Warehouse or Trader Joe's. Aaaaand I arrived home with my groceries just as Stephen was arriving home from work, which meant #BONUS, I wouldn't have to carry his ten pounds of carrots or the ten pounds of ground beef upstairs, alone. (I bought more than that, but those were the two "heavy" items).

Once everything was in the apartment, I set to combining the ten pounds of ground beef with the four pounds of ground pork, so I'd have plenty of high fat ground meat... balls. Lemme tell you, combining two high-fat meats that are also very cold from the refrigerator is #NotFun. There were multiple times when I had to use my fingers as spatulas to scrape the fat off my hands. YUCK! I don't mind eating that fat. At all. But having it coat my hands and fingers like gloves was just #Gross.

In the end, because it was so gross, and not easy work, and I'd been standing relatively still for so long in the kitchen (which gave me a back twinge), I only made 32 slightly-under-4-ounce meatballs. The other half of the ground meat got moved into freezer bags and are now living in the chest freezer.

My work, complete (well, almost)

Still 2#s of pork!

Thassalotta meatballs! 

Still 5#s of boooof!

Yes, I used all of these bowls for mixing and shaping

🎶Clean up, clean up,
everybody clean up!🎶

Then I took a little break, rewatched some of the #FatBombs videos, and set to making too many of those. I had already made chocolate-peanut-butter bombs, and I wanted some savory bombs, but also maybe cheesecake?

So I made four "everything bagel on a pepperoni slice" stars, seventeen "pizza" balls, and then enough peanut-butter-cheesecake bombs to mold in my silicone tray plus a few extra balls coated in almond flour (the "crust"). I dig them all. And I've now watched enough videos and tried enough variations that I ought to be able to create my own, original bombs. #GoodTimes!

Savory

Sweeeeet! (But not tooo)

*****

Today, Stephen and I went to see Shazam! (It's great - really fun - our favorite in the recent DCEU, or possibly sharing that spot with Wonder Woman)... and I dunno how you feel about seeing films in a theater without eating popcorn, but I was torn. Popcorn, no matter how much #RealButter you have them douse it in, is really not Keto.

But last week, we went to see Dumbo, which is really very good and hit us in all of the feels, including being too scary for young kids, probably. We recommend 8 as the minimum age. But also, we went ahead and got the full large combo, as we've always done, which comes with one free refill of corn and each of the beverages. We never get the beverage refills, but we always get the corn refill. And we'd discovered (when we saw Captain Marvel) that you can get your refill immediately, before you even get your seat. So Stephen had his large popcorn without butter, and I had mine with lots. Aaaaand a large root beer.

Possibly because of changing my diet to "only eating when hungry/eating until full/intermittent fasting" (without even taking fat:protein:carb macros into account), last weekend's large corn and soda affected me physically. Badly. I felt bloated for hours. I may have been constipated. I'm pretty sure I was sluggish. It wasn't pretty, and I didn't like it. Loved the movie; hated my physical person.

So today, before we even left the apartment, I made sure to eat a coupla #FatBombs, finish my tea, and brush my teeth. Then, when we got to the concession stand, enough time had passed for me to feel satiated. I asked if they had unsweetened soda. The dude wasn't sure that I was asking for soda water, but when he confirmed that they did, in fact, have that, he offered me the complimentary cup. Perfect. SMALL, but enough. So Stephen got a medium combo for himself, and we went in and enjoyed the hell outta the movie. Shazam! (in case you forgot)

I never once felt like stealing a kernel! And when the movie was over, I'd sipped more of my soda water than I ever really drink of my root beer, so I needed to empty my bladder before walking home. By the time we arrived here, I was ready to eat again, so YAY! Coupla slices of bacon, a crumbled meatball, some garlic spread, some ricotta, a little yellow squash and baby bell pepper, a lot of fresh spinach and basil, a handfull of black olives, some turmeric and paprika. Amazing.

I ate half of what I prepared. This is for the next time I'm hungry, I 'spose

I feel good, and I'm learning. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Have YOU tried a new-for-you lifestyle change that you struggled with for awhile but eventually got the hang of? /struggled with long enough to give up? /are struggling with NOW? Hit me up in the comments below! Let's chat about it!

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.

Work Work Work (YAY!!!!!!!!!)

All righty, kiddos. I've been bizzy. Even when I haven't been bizzy, I've still felt pretty productive. So let's see. What's been up with me?

At the top of the month (just, ya know, by date, not necessarily ranked "the top"), I walked over to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a screening, Q&A, and reception for a Netflix show you should definitely binge-watch, "American Vandal". It's a high school drama mockumentary, and it's pretty damn funny. It takes itself pretty seriously, which may very well contribute to the funny. Also, the Q&A was moderated by Marcia Clark. Yes, THAT Marcia Clark. And the reception was pretty spectacular. Open bar, amazing salads and hot entrees, and plenty of phallic desserts. If you watch the show, you'll "get" why the desserts were specifically selected. I mingled/networked there, and met a producer/actor chick from New York who was here for meetings but also had screenings and other things in place. Kewl.

Then I worked my last weekend at the pet supply store. My presence there was making my boss' professional life difficult, in that there were rumors of favoritism being shown to me (never happened, but my "real" career is sufficient excuse to leave retail, so it was bittersweet but necessary for me to go).

Then I worked in the VO Lab and ran into producer/actor chick from New York in a VO workout group. Crazy, huh? Then I didn't see her again but know she was present the next night at a screening downtown for a film you should definitely see, called "The Death of Stalin". There was no Q&A that night, but there was supposedly a reception, so I took the subway downtown, rather than driving and having to look for parking or whatever. I saw Jason Isaacs (yes, that Jason Isaacs) in the lobby of that gorgeous theater both before and after the screening. The premiere had a live orchestra playing the score throughout, so there were definitely bits that I missed. I never did find any actual reception (beyond the numerous cash bars), and since my +1 was at work, I felt too out of my element to attempt to mingle/network, so I made my way back to the subway to go home. A little adventuring, downtown on a weeknight! The movie was good, though. Very funny, considering the title.

Then I was on set with my friend Jim Beaver (yes, that Jim Beaver), and that was both a nice little catch-up with a friend I hadn't seen in person in ages (he thought I was still in NC) AND a lovely day of WORK! Then I had a phone call with the unemployment office that was scarifying in its timing (I just QUIT working the retail gig, remember?). And then I did some tax-time bookkeeping for the lady I do that for.

On Monday of this week, I worked on the Warner Bros. lot again. So of course, I gave a walking lot tour to another bg artist, because I could. Then today, I did an improvisation workshop at the SAG-AFTRA offices (because I could). And tomorrow, I'm back on the set of a popular, long-running medical drama (recall, baby! BooYah!)!

Stephen's gotten himself another promotion, and we've seen his first paycheck at his new pay grade. We are not hurting, kids. I'm getting our debts paid down or off, and it feels like we live in Fat City. #Blessed. Oh, and when I was working that Craft Services week, my producer had to move my car one day, and in so doing, he scratched/scraped/dented the right rear quarter panel and bumper... so my TARDIS is currently in the shop, getting smaller-on-the-outside fixed up, and I'm driving a brand-spanking-new white Honda Civic. I don't hate it, but I certainly don't love it. It's too big. But I should get my TARDIS back by Monday at the latest, if it's not ready by Saturday, which is what the dude is shooting for.

I've been bizzy! Whatchoo been up to?

Binge-Fests

Okay, it's been a little while since I've written any reviews for you kids, and I've come to realize that I/we've been binge-watching quite a bit of television lately, and y'all deserve to know both WHAT we're watching, and WHY.

So in no particular order (maybe), here goes:

Supergirl/Flash/Arrow: these are three CW (Warner Bros.) shows that co-exist in a few DC superhero universes.

• Supergirl's universe is pretty self-contained; she (Kara Zor-El) followed her infant cousin (Kal-El) to Earth moments after he escaped Krypton, but as his pod broke through the Phantom Zone (releasing Zod and his associates), her pod got knocked off course, long enough for him to grow up on Earth and "rescue" her. So she grows up separately, and sort of "follows" in his footsteps, becoming a reporter at CatCo Worldwide Media in National City while Clark is over at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Her adopted sister works for a secret government agency (DEO) that monitors alien life on Earth. We watch Supergirl for the "superhero" aspects, the "comic book" aspects, and probably also because I used to be a tour guide at Warner Bros. and was able to walk my guests through the DEO and CatCo sets, before the show moved to Vancouver to film alongside the other two^. We continued watching because the show is well-written, well-run, and it really strikes a lovely feminist chord without being too "in your face" about it. Also, Calista Flockhart!
• Flash exists in a multiverse. Barry Allen is a "victim" of a huge explosion, causing him to be the "Fastest Man Alive". Other "victims" of the incident gain specific special "skills", like the ability to disorient you, or freeze you in your tracks, or meld into any reflective surface. All "victims" of the incident are called "meta-humans". Barry is a CSI with the Central City Police Department, and he also works with a group of humans and meta-humans to track the activities (usually criminal/villainous) of other meta-humans that appear on the public radar (usually because of a crime). We watch Flash because it's a comic book show. We continue to watch because Barry has a fairly bad habit of running so fast he alters his current timeline, trying to right wrongs or whatever, and the characters he interacts with have to either suffer the consequences or help him "un-right" the "wrongs" so he can "re-re-right" them. And he gets the help he needs by reaching out to different Earths and locating doppelgangers to bring back to Earth Prime. It gets confusing and convoluted, and we can't not watch them resolve that stuff. Plus the supporting characters are pretty damn cool.
• Arrow is actually more of a Batman knockoff. Oliver Queen is a spoiled little rich boy who ends up castaway/stranded on a remote tropical island. His heroism doesn't really start until he gets back to Starling City, on a mission to right his father's wrongs. He's definitely only a great archer because of his time away, but he's still very flawed when he first returns. He doesn't really know how to channel his vigilantism for good. He gains a "team", of course, so we get to fall in love with people who will challenge him to stay on a "straight and narrow" path. Most of the criminals in Star City, as it comes to be known, are not "superpowered", but they do have access to cool tech. Oliver has access, too. And his team ends up including at least one "enhanced" crimefighter at a time. We started watching because Barry and Oliver live in the same universe, in the same way that Supergirl and Superman live in different cities but the same universe. When I first revamped my wardrobe, it was Moira Queen (Oliver's mom) that I attempted to emulate. We keep watching because there are often crossover episodes between Arrow and Flash, but also sometimes crossing over into Supergirl's world. We're "hooked", as it were. Also, John Barrowman. ;)

We have, at this point, finished ALL of the current Supergirl/Flash/Arrow timelines. We needed something else to binge!

• GLOW: this show is So. Much. Fun. It's created by women, about women, mostly directed by women, and the stories are not "chick flick" -ish. It tells the story, primarily through the POV of one woman in particular, of the creation of the 1980's television show "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling". There are very 1980's visual cues; I thought I caught a couple of anachronisms, but Stephen rebutted my concerns, and the show is too good overall to let the little things I thought were bothersome be bothersome. We started watching; Netflix just kept advancing to the next episode; after two or three "Are you still watching?" pauses, we discovered we'd watched the entire first season in one "sitting" (Friday). It's that good. You should definitely watch it. No, I don't care if you don't care about wrestling (neither do I) or female empowerment (well, I do care about that). If you don't care about either of those things, then you'll probably enjoy the costumes, makeup, and big hair. I mean, c'mon - hot girls in leotards and legwarmers? What's not to like? Watch it.
• Spies of Warsaw: this show is heavy. Much heavier than the CW shows. Waaaaaaay heavier than GLOW. But it was episodic, and we'd had it in the queue for awhile, because David Tennant. I mean, wouldn't you, for that reason? C'mon. We made it through. It's set in Poland (obviously), among other places, just before WWII. It's a BBC show, so most, if not all, of the cast are Brits. There are a lot of familiar faces. The Nazis all sound German, whether speaking German or English (yes, most of the dialogue is in English, probably just as a convenience for us, the audience). The Poles all sound Polish. Most of the French we encounter sound French. Except for David Tennant. He's a French Lieutenant Colonel SPY who speaks all of the appropriate languages (as far as we know), but he sounds like... the 10th Doctor. Well, maybe not quite the 10th Doctor, but ... close. It's a bit disappointing, because the rest of the performances (including his) are fine. Perfectly believable. But c'mon! Sound French! So... it's a well-written, well-produced, well-performed heavy reenactment of that period of time in that part of Europe. But you do have to suspend your disbelief that DT is French. There are only four episodes, so we knocked this one out in two days.
• ... and then we needed something new to watch, so I opted for something a bit "lighter": iZombie. Y'all, this show is intelligent and fun, and utilizes comic book segues, even though it's not related to any comics (to my knowledge, at least). And it's about the undead, of course. So it's not quite as "gross" as Santa Clarita Diet, and it doesn't have Drew Barrymore, but still. It's good, and we'll continue bingeing this one, probably.

What have YOU been watching?

Crying Jags

Wow. It's been six days since my last post. Where the hell have I been?

Crying, that's where.

So, yeah, apparently, I'm in a bit of a Depression. It's unlike my normal ones, in that I'm not feeling "nothing" or "dead inside"... I actually have noticed a moment or two of joy, where television or a movie will make me smile or laugh, and I've also been crying... well, maybe a lot... um, yeah, that sounds at least a little like Depression.

So what has set me off, you ask? Oh, you name it. Stupid little shit. Or clever little shit. Adverts. Twitter threads about Mister Rogers. YouTube videos. Television. Movies. Life.

Yeah, I've been having crying jags. I guess I'm Depressed.

Yes, of course, I would love to be working, and I wonder whythehell I'm not working. Yes, of course, I feel like I'm doing allthethings to get me back on set, and yet, somehow, I'm not back on set. So that contributes.

But I'm also trying to stay on top of Daddy's health and well-being, and being in California versus Florida means he'll tell me that his outing to the golf course resulted in him finishing four holes before exhaustion (YAY! Almost half of the nine they'd paid for!), and finding out later from his bffs that their squatter reported two holes as the "success" mark... meaning, if I were still in Florida, I'd have known the actual truth on-the-day and not worried over what is likely an exaggeration. I can't really call him out for exaggerating, and maybe the truth is that he was tired after two holes but did, in fact, press on for four? He is a Tough Guy, after all. But is that why he expresses a different truth from what others express? Are both "angles" true? Does it matter?

I dunno. It makes/helps me cry, though.

Last night, Stephen and I didn't know what to watch together, so I looked at our wall-o-blu-rays. I was looking at films that were turned sideways, rather than just filed in their appropriate spaces, because "sideways" is our cue that we haven't yet watched that specific disk, to know whether it's even a "good" copy or has any special features on it.

We landed on

License to Wed, which may or may not be one of Robin Williams' last films. I was a tour guide for Warner Bros. through a Christmas season, and as an employee, I was given access to the video vault on a specific day. This was one of the freebies I was allowed to walk away with. It's probably not a movie you've seen or even heard of, but it stars, among others, Robin Williams, John Krasinski, and Mandy Moore. It's essentially pre-marital counseling BootCamp for this couple, and RW is the generic, non-denominational priest/reverend who wears a Catholic collar but is clearly not Catholic.

So, a romp. I don't agree with most of "Reverend Frank"'s tactics, but that didn't keep me from laughing. Or crying. Yup. I shed enough tears last night that I couldn't breathe at bedtime because of clogged sinuses. FUN!

And today, Daddy indicated that he's fininshed Season 7(02) of Doctor Who, so I sent him an urgent email to make sure that he watches The Day of The Doctor and The Time of The Doctor before he continues on to Season 8 (*** let me just say here that Amazon Prime does NOT  make it easy for you to binge-watch a show like Doctor Who in order, as the Day is called Season 50, episode 8, and Time is called... Christmas Specials Season 2, episode 2... and you Do Not Need To Watch ANY of the rest of Season 50 or Christmas Specials Season 2 to keep up!) #WTFAmazonPrime? Seriously! Why you gotta make it so hard to binge-watch In Order?

Ennyhoo, yeah, I watched both of those episodes, so I can start Season 8. And yeah, I cried during each of them, at various "appropriate" moments.

Now, I don't mind crying. I really don't. Growing up, #InnerHippie was the emotional child. Somewhere along the lines, I gained some empathy, and now I'll cry at the drop of a ... bowtie. And I'm okay with all of that, as long as it doesn't clog up my sinuses and prevent me from sleeping, because That Was A Bitch.

What about you? Do televised/filmed/nonsense things get you crying? Ever? I mean, we went to see GotGV.2 and we both cried (probably me more than he, but still)... Do YOU express emotions for anyone else to witness, or are you pretty much bottling up that shit? Because that's probably not healthy, either. Just' sayin'.

fifteen days and seven hours, give or take three months :/

Back in October of last year, when we moved outta our Burbank apartment, into our NoHo (North Hollywood) apartment, I started having some major breathing issues. I'd never been asthmatic or diagnosed with bronchitis, but I do know that I'm allergic to something other than Sulfa. I take a daily OTC loratadine (generic Claritin) because I know for a fact that I'm

this much

allergic to pet dander, and there's no way in H-E-double toothpicks I'm givin' up my feline furbabies! But the breathing in October got to the point where I'd have days where I felt like I could only inflate my lungs 50% of their normal capacity. I was getting winded really easily, and when I would stop whatever I was doing to take a breath, that breath would be on the "wheezing" side. Not comfortable, and certainly not comforting for those around me. Just about every person I encountered on a bad day was afraid they'd have to do something to help me not die.

So, since I still had Kaiser coverage through Warner Bros., I called to make an appointment. That was a Thursday, and the earliest they could get me in was Monday, but they gave me the option to call first thing Friday to see if there had been any cancellations. That is what I did.

That Thursday was a 50% day. Friday was, miraculously, a 90-95% day. Of course. Like when you've been listening to your car make a bunch of funny noises, but by the time you get it to the mechanic, it purrs like a kitten. That was me, but I wasn't gonna ditch my chance to be seen before I dropped dead, maybe, over the weekend, waiting for the Monday appointment. I wasn't diagnosed with asthma or bronchitis or anything, but I was prescribed a rescue inhaler to cope with the shortness of breath and wheezing. And the doc indicated that if my condition got "worse" in the next week to month, I should follow-up with him. Okey-dokey!

The rescue inhaler did exactly what it was meant to do: it rescued me on winded days, and on other days, it just patiently waited to rescue me, just in case. My condition did not worsen, so I did not follow-up with the doc.

And then, in November, my health insurance "ran out". I immediately filed through the Covered California website, but apparently I did it wrong, because I never really heard from the state saying "pick a plan" or from Social Services saying "here's your free Medi-Cal coverage, because you're clearly eligible for it".

So from time-to-time, particularly before the ACA renewal deadline hit (January 31st, right?), I would re-visit the CC website. According to them, I should pick a plan, but also, I might be eligible for Medi-Cal, so what was the Department of Social Services telling me?

Finally, I got frustrated enough to call Social Services, because I ain't got the money for a self-insured plan through the website. According to whomever I spoke with on the phone, I needed to provide income evidence AND evidence that I wasn't still covered by Kaiser Permanente (oh! THAT's why I haven't heard back - you think I'm still covered!)... so I did. I took in all the supporting docs I could, and the day I went in, the elevator was out, and there wasn't a public stairwell for the hordes and masses to use, so the whole system was backed up with people waiting for a worker to see them. The worker who came to see me was not my assigned caseworker, so she took what I'd brought, made copies, and sent me on my way with a supervisor's phone number so I could follow up. #BureaucracyAtWork

Then some more time passed, and I still hadn't heard anything, so I called the supervisor a few times, leaving messages a few times, and then finally reaching a person! He told me the name of my caseworker and transferred my call. THAT guy said I was probably definitely eligible, but could I send/fax/bring in supporting docs? Ugh.

We made an "appointment" for me to show up 2 p.m.-ish that day, and things went very well. And now I'm going to tell you why I was beginning to panic about having no coverage:

My "rescue" inhaler had made it through the winter, and now it was Spring (well, for us), and the construction on the Shitology church was reaching its end-phase, and my breathing had gone back to total shit again. As of Monday of this week, I had 2 (TWO) doses left! From whence would I be acquiring a refill? I couldn't see, or even speak with, the original KP doctor, since I was no longer a KP member, nor did I really want to pay for the inhaler, if any insurance would cover it.

So on the 14th of this month (fifteen days ago, around 2 p.m.-ish), I was officially "granted" Medi-Cal coverage, and I was given numerous phone numbers to call to be able to use it to get that inhaler refilled, because even though Medi-Cal is state-sponsored "insurance", it still has to be attached to a "real" insurance plan. And since I had had a Kaiser Permanente doctor before, I have been trying to attach my Medi-Cal plan to KP. So I can see the same doc! And he can prescribe a refill! And I won't die from trying to take a full breath! #WooHoo!

Sooooooo Many Phone Calls have I made in the past two weeks. Interesting mail have I received, from both Social Services and Covered California (the latter is still saying that I should sign up for a plan, but I won't get the tax break, because I don't make enough money, but while we're on that subject, I make too much money for Medi-Cal, so ... I should sign up for a plan. All the while, the former is saying that I've been covered by Medi-Cal since November. What?)

On Monday, when I had two doses left in the old thing, I walked to the local CVS Minute Clinic, which I had been told by a CVS pharmacist would be able to "diagnose" and prescribe for me the same dealio I already had, and Medi-Cal would cover it (in case I couldn't get back to KP in time). It was a 10,000 step walk, but I didn't get winded (thankfully). But the nurse running the clinic couldn't take my Medi-Cal. She told me to Google free/low-cost clinics and call them to see if they do, or to do the same with Urgent Care facilities, as most (but not all) of those will be able to do what the first pharmacist had told me the Minute Clinic could.

But also on Monday, I received my Anthem/Blue Cross card in the mail. That is what the M-C plan is attached to until April 1st, when I'll be officially enrolled in Kaiser. Big deal. I'm not interested in seeing a rando doc I've been assigned to, this close to getting my Kaiser coverage back. So Monday afternoon, I took a new tack. I called the KP pharmacy phone number on the old Rx, told them what my issue was, and while I was talking to them, they sent an internal memo to the doc I'm not allowed to see or talk to, asking him to authorize a refill. If I had known to take that route as soon as I had my Medi-Cal letter, I'd have called them while I was also calling all the other numbers trying to switch plans.

*****See, Medi-Cal has to be "attached" to an insurance plan. In order to "attach" it to Kaiser, you have to have been a member already within the past six months. I was, so no big, right? Wrong. You still have to request "permission to enroll" and you have to get approved, and unless you stress that it's incredibly fucking urgent like I was, it could take up to a month to even happen, and then up to another half-month to your "effective" date. Meanwhile, you die of shortness of breath.*****

Ennyhoo. The KP pharmacy requested a refill from the original doc. He had up to 48 hours to approve it, but did so as of mid-day yesterday. Then I was instructed to have my local CVS pharmacy call to get the Rx transferred out, so M-C would pay for it. By the time my local CVS pharmacy got it done, it was today. Like, mid-day. When I called to see if I could pick it up, they asked me about insurance, and then they said that only Rite-Aid takes the M-C plan I'm currently covered by, but the Rite-Aid pharmacist would have to call the CVS pharmacist so they could transfer the Rx again.

So I found the closest (walking distance) Rite-Aid pharmacy and requested that they make it happen. They assured me, since they close at 9, that it would be done today. I called a few times, because by 6 p.m., I still hadn't heard that it was filled, and I knew I'd be walking, and I really didn't wanna walk both directions after dark. Their pharmacist had been trying, ever since my first request. CVS was holding my damn refill too damn busy to take care of business that they'd lost anyway. So I decided to walk to Rite-Aid, knowing I'd probably have to wait, but being there in person, I couldn't get ignored. (Not that Rite-Aid had been ignoring me, but what did I know?)...

Arrived at Rite-Aid ~7:30 tonight, and once it was my turn (there was a line), the pharmacist immediately tried calling them again, after telling me that the person at CVS had "lost the fax" and then gone to lunch. Whatever. I was sent to wait, so I checked my blood pressure. "At Risk" - wow. That has NEVER happened! I was called back to the counter so the pharmacist could tell me she'd been on hold for an hour, and what did I want to do? I recognized the classical piano on her speakerphone, so I didn't doubt that it was CVS on the line. I decided to call them from my phone, and wouldn't you know it? As soon as someone actually answered my call, and I was telling them that my pharmacist had been on hold for an hour, HER phone picked up with a real person!

She was a delight. A saint. She said she hated the classical piano, but I think that's only because she'd not gotten to choose what she'd be hearing on her speakerphone for a full hour, and frankly, it is one song on repeat, so I completely understood. However. she really did everything she could to help me not die of breathlessness, and she even wished me a safe journey home (walking in the dark)! Now I have My Friggin' Inhaler Refilled and all is right in my world. It only took fifteen days and seven hours to do it, give or take three months.

If you ever need a prescription filled or refilled, I give two big thumbs up for Rite-Aid, or at least the specific one on the southeast corner of Victory and Tujunga. Ask for Olivia. ;)

when Breathing is a difficult thing

It's becoming a chore, kids. It's a real drag. Some days, I struggle to fill my lungs to 75% capacity. Some days, I struggle to fill them to 50%.

And on days where the act of breathing isn't the problem, then I cough my fool head off. Or I clear my throat All. Day.

Here are "just the facts, Ma'am":

• we moved in October
• adjacent to our new building is a church that's been under construction for something like 4 years (timeframe per our upstairs neighbor)
• I started having shortness of breath issues in November
• I had health insurance through Warner Bros. until the end of November
• I called Kaiser on a 50% day to make an appointment; I was seen the next day as a walk-in to fill a cancellation void
• my appointment was likened to taking your noisy car to the mechanic but the car purrs like a kitten - my breathing that day was probably at 90 - 95%
• the doc found nothing physically wrong with me (I'm not sick, kids) but did prescribe for me a rescue inhaler of Albuterol, with the admonition that if things got worse in the next week or so, I should follow-up with him
• my rescue inhaler started with ~200 "hits"
• I no longer have health insurance
• the construction is nearing completion
• the weather has changed to warm, sunny days (from cold and wet)
• I'm down to fewer than 20 "hits" on my rescue inhaler
• BREATHING IS A DIFFICULT THING, OF LATE

We walked over to CVS yesterday, because my non-productive cough was worrying for Stephen. The lung capacity is more of an issue in my mind, but I understand that if my coughing keeps either or both of us awake, then our sleep is interrupted, and our next day is likely to be pretty crappy all around.

So we picked up some Mucinex DM, which is both an expectorant (to make my coughing productive) and a suppressant (to quiet me enough for us both to sleep). I have taken three dosings so far, and my cough is more productive. I do not know how long I will need to continue taking Guaifenesin (the active expectorant ingredient). According to my nonFitbit-thingy, I slept pretty damn well last night, and I guess I can blame the Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant) for that one. Also, I've been feeling a bit sleepy since about 9 p.m., so I'm thinking that one of the "inactive" ingredients may also be contributing something there.

But I have been unable to reach a person at Social Services to see if I qualify for Medi-Cal or if I'm supposed to be paying out of pocket for health insurance that I cannot afford at this time, and my inhaler has fewer than 20 hits left. The CVS pharmacist told me I could get the doc I saw to refill my Rx, or I could go to a CVS insta-clinic (he called it something else) or an Urgent Care center to get a new Rx, but without insurance, how much will that cost me? I just don't even know.

And right now, Breathing is a difficult thing.

What advice would you give me, since I'm pretty sure you can't just send me a cartridge of Albuterol or any Prednisone (steroids) to help open my airways?

I'm Ba-ack! (Maybe. We'll See)

So I worked a total of three days in January, and that was GLORIOUS. I mean, I really thought it meant I'd be working my "regular" shift of at least once per week, throughout 2017, until the Scripty gig for that show I'd worked in the late summer picked up for season two (which would mean MORE than once per week). So January left me feelin' pretty good about myself and my industry.

And after I marched in the #WomensMarch, I crocheted myself a Pussy Hat.

Then I crocheted a smaller version, thinking one of the young nieces (or nephews, 'cuz I won't say no) might want one. No takers, so I unraveled the thing and made another Moebius Scarflet to match my Pussy Hat. Because, why not?

Meanwhile, I kept looking for work. I ran into one of the actors from last summer's show, and he told me that he'd been contacted about going back to work in late March. It makes sense that they'd contact the cast before crew, because you have to build your shooting schedule around their availability. He also told me that the writer/director had gotten his SAG card in the meantime, so there was a good chance the project would be a SAG Signatory. That's great news for the cast, and it's not bad news for the crew, because IATSE Signatory comes next (usually by Season 3). So I shot an email off to the director/writer, checking in, congratulating him on his Union status, and hoping to hear back regarding crew scheduling soonish. This was February, so it's not like I had any worries. Just trying to do my own "due diligence".

But I did not work a single day in the month of February, and Depression crept in. I reached out to the producers on Friday (March 2), and the email response that I received, pretty quickly, was that they were all crewed up but thanks for checking in.

WaitOneFuckingMinute.
When they (the production) made the announcement that there would, in fact, BE a second season, one particular producer seemed to go out of his way to Promise Me the gig.
ButThePeopleWhoWorkForYouHiredSomeoneElse?
What.The.Fuck.Is.Up.With.That?

Now, if you know me at all, you know that ANGER is not one of my go-to emotional states. Sure, there are things that will piss me off, but I usually get over those things and get back to Optimism or Joy or at least OKAY. But for most of Friday, I was LIVID. I couldn't see straight. My world was burning.

And then, when I finally was able to focus enough on "now what?", I got really sad/upset/crying... about the fact that I had somehow done something to lose a "promised" gig.

So Now What?

I called Warner Bros., because when my temp assignment ended last year, I was told I should reach out to HR if I wanted to come back. The job I had done for them was listed on their careers website, so I went ahead and completed a new application. But the group assessment for potential new hires had just happened on Thursday, so my odds of "perfect timing" were 50/50.

And I continued submitting for other appropriate gigs, and Wouldn'tYouKnowIt? I booked work for tomorrow. It's a semicasual background role on the last day of the season for a show I've worked very sporadically in the past. It should be a pretty laid-back day, from what the casting director has said, and it should (hopefully) reboot my psyche back into "work begets work".

Aaaaaand I made another thing. It's amazing to me that crocheting has such an impact on my mood. I started this thing on Friday, and finished it today. It's a prototype, really, because I can't figure out when or where I will actually ever have a real opportunity to wear this rather-dressy-while-still-very-casual "summer sweater", out in the real world. But I made it myself, without a pattern, tweaking as I went along, and I'm pretty happy with it, for a first attempt at brain-vomiting a wearable thing.

Whatcha think? Should I go yarn shopping and make more things? Should I come back to blogging? Would YOU (or your female SO) wear the boobalicious bulky summer sweater above? WHERE would you (or your female SO) wear it?

Hollyweird

I am frequently amazed that I made it here. I look back over high school and college, and LA was always where the truly weird people went, and mostly, if one who went was not already an up-and-coming star, they'd come back "home" with tail between legs. So many songs from my childhood indicated that no one ever truly "made it" in LA ("Car Wash" comes immediately to mind). And yet, I've chosen, twice in this adult lifetime, to live and work in this crazy place.

Things that make Holly"weird":

• The traffic sucks. You think it's bad that you have to drive half-an-hour to get to your job? Is your job fewer than five miles away from home for that :30? No? Then quit yer bitchin'. Any Los Angeleno who spends less than :30 commuting to a job or a gig feels like Today Is A Good Day.

• There's always smog. It's probably why my allergies are so fucked up, particularly of late. Still, when I take a walk and I can see the mountains clearly, we're all breathing a little better, and Today Is A Good Day.

• It's expensive to live anywhere "close" to the film industry. You either pay for a convenient location, or you pay in your commute time/maintenance of your vehicle. But when Stephen and I moved to North Carolina for our "things", we spent more time and more money making ends meet, and we weren't doing work that would ultimately feed our souls. He was writing, sure. I loved my job at TJ's, absolutely. But we were ultimately adrift, and the day I spent eight hours in my car so that I could be on set for an eight-hour paycheck in a right-to-work state was probably the day that tipped LA back in our favor. Traffic may suck here, but if it takes me four hours each way to commute to a gig, you know that I'm going to be compensated for that, because I'm covered by a great union. I may have a right to work in "right-to-work" states, but the work doesn't compare to what I get in my union state. And "right to work" doesn't necessarily that there is any work to be done. As you already know, if I "get" to work here, then I consider it a Today Is A Good Day kinda day.

I love Hollyweird. We currently live in NORTH Hollyweird, which is not actually even Hollyweird-adjacent (it's separated by a little mountain that's commonly known as "the Hollywood Hill"), rather a ~ 9 mile commute from one H community to the other, and there are a few other communities in between, like Studio City, Universal City (yes, they call it a "city"), and Toluca Lake. Burbank's not far, either, although it's technically not "between" Hollyweird and North Hollyweird.

#TodayImGratefulFor the opportunities I've had to come out to Hollyweird. I'm grateful that it's possible to live so easily in what the outside world might consider "difficult" circumstances (listed above). I've been eligible for Public Assistance from time to time; I've had friends who've helped me in unfathomable ways, be it lending me a car while mine was totaled (ten years ago), rescuing my furbabies, instructing Stephen to find me for a college reunion 7 years ago, giving me/us furniture, loading/unloading during moves (and yeah, I've moved too much in the last 14 years), shopping with me to update my wardrobe because I suck at it, and more. I've had moral and financial support from friends/family/the government, and I'm so grateful for my network.

And speaking of networks, y'all remember that Scripty gig I was so excited about in August? That created a great network for me, and I know I'll work with everyone again and again. I mostly know that I'll work with everyone because the season that we shot is going to begin airing on December 15th, streaming on Fullscreen (I dunno if they'll release all seven episodes at once or space them out weekly - it is supposed to be a "television show"). And then we all go back to work in late winter to shoot Season Two! W00t!

Here's the trailer, but before you watch it, be aware that it is Very Adult Content, Black Humor. If you are easily offended or have small children nearby, I recommend not watching. For everyone else, ENJOY!

(I was there for at least half of what you see here, and I cannot wait to get back to creating even more chaos with these crazy people).

What else? My health and dental insurance (from Warner Bros.) run out on the 30th of this month, so I've gotten all my Depo shots and breathing/knee shit looked into, and I got a tooth extracted and the rest of 'em cleaned. I've gone online to Covered California to see what insurance plan(s) I'm now eligible for, as well as what tax assistance I may receive. My car is filthy because I refuse to wash it while we're in drought conditions. My unemployment benefit year ends this week, so I'll be opening a new claim soon. We've been taking care of Smokey's hotspot, and it's getting better. Stephen's commute to his promotion has been a little hinky of late (drama on the subway, including a homeless tweaker dude randomly PUNCHING Stephen in the face as he stepped off the train - no injuries except to his confidence that day). We seem to be experiencing autumn, of late, with windy days in slightly-cooler-than-I'm-comfy-with temperatures (low 70's?). We've had a little rain, which is definitely a #TodayImGratefulFor item. I've rebooted my walking, to some degree (three days this week of 10K+ steps, yay!). I've rebooted my sleep. I still do the #WalkingSamplingLunches at Costco, but I have to drive to Costco to do it, so I definitely make sure I have other business there, even if it's just filling my gas tank (last fillup for eighteen bux, baby! Only $2.299/gallon!).

So. Hollyweird weird enough for ya? Don't ya wanna come on out to see if YOU can "make it" here? We have a futon you can crash on, for your first week, at least. And the cats are less afraid of "strangers"; one or both of them may snuggle up with you on the futon!

A recipe I posted five years ago on the facebooks... updated?

with "saucy" topping

This recipe is cobbled together from three other recipes, as I was unable to find the exact instructions and ingredients that made sense for me.  The result is DELICIOUSNESS; your results may vary. ;)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 ½ - 2 c. graham crackers                             1/3 c. packed brown sugar          

heaping ½ t. ground cinnamon                   1/3 – ½ c. unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl or blender or food processor, combine the graham cracker (crumbs), brown sugar, and cinnamon; add melted butter and mix well.  Press into the bottom of a 10-inch (or larger) springform pan.  You may find that your pan isn’t quite “non-stick” – if that is the case, grease lightly first.  Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes; cool.

3 pkgs. (8 oz.) cream cheese or variant (I used one pkg. ea. light cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and crème freche)

scant 1 c. sugar                                  4-6 eggs or equivalent liquid egg               1 c. coconut milk

½ - 1 t. vanilla extract                      up to 2 c. flaked coconut

Beat cream cheeses until smooth; add sugar, egg, coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut IN STAGES as your blender will allow.  If you have found UNSWEETENED coconut to use, you may care to not “scant” your cup of sugar.  As I don’t shop at Whole Paycheck, my coconut is always sweetened, so I short my sugar.  Pour mixture into pie crust; bake at 350 degrees for one hour, fifteen minutes (1:15 or :75).  Cool.

10 oz. lemon curd sauce (Trader Joe's has it…mmm)                        8 oz. heavy whipping cream

Depending on whether you want your sauce to be “saucy” or “fluffy”, blend these two ingredients and pour over baked cheesecake in this order:

“Saucy”

Curd in blender, liquefying, add whipping cream, blend until BLENDED; pour over cheesecake while it’s still kinda hot (remove cake from springform pan first).  This will ooze over the edges similar to a glaze.  This is how I did it on my first try, and as I said before, the result was DELICIOUSNESS.  MMM!

“Fluffy”

Whipping cream in blender, becoming “whipped”; add curd and blend until BLENDED.  It’s possible that once you’ve made whipped cream, the curd will be too heavy to blend, so you may have to fold it in instead.  Pour over COLD cheesecake, possibly still in springform pan.  Return to refrigerator; consume the next day or later.

FF to yesterday/today:

1 wrapped pkg within a box of graham crackers produces ~2c crumbs, FYI

I was MOS (mit out sugar {of the brown variety}) when I started this recipe yesterday, so the baking was to wait until today. I wrapped early from my day on set at The Bros, so I immediately un-refrigerated all of the cold ingrediments so I can get this DELICIOUSNESS baked and recipe posted by dinner-ish? Oh, thanks for reminding me to take the pizza dough out so it can rest long enough to bake for dinner-ish. ;)

I used two 8oz blocks of regular cream cheese and one 8oz tub of mascarpone on this one. DELICIOUSNESS (pre-bake, at least). Also, we finally found Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes at Big Lots, but it's still sweet enough, if you're using 2c of it (which, of course, DUH, I did), so I still scanted my 1c sugar for the filling.

Planning on doing "fluffy" topping today, so there will be more pics again, so you can decide for yourself which version looks more appetizing for you to try. If you don't have access to a Trader Joe's for your lemon curd, um... sorry. It's just so good.

FINAL UPDATE (7:30-ish in the p.m.):
I have discovered that I am way too FOMO for "fluffy" topping. Well, I AM FOMO, but really, I'm just too impatient for "fluffy". And maybe I should have chilled the lemon curd prior to attempting to add it to my perfect whipped cream. I ended up with something between "fluffy" and "saucy". It's still gonna taste like DELICIOUSNESS, tomorrow. There WILL be "chill" time (blood) tonight! (Thank you, Inigo Montoya).
Also, no pizza for dinner tonight. Yeah, the dough had plenty of "rest" time, but the only other time I've used this oven so far yet, I baked pre-made Trader Joe's cinnamon rolls... on a pizza screen (because I hadn't yet found my baking pans)... and a lot of the goo dripped down onto the oven's bottom... and baking my cheesecake today generated what is probably a lethal cinnamon (i.e. "mustard") gas. I gotta clean the oven before I bake again (come with me), if I want to live.

Here are today's pics:

on the left is the largest mixing bowl I own; it was FULL

these bowls are from my childhood; when I use them, I remember Mommy

yes, I used All Four.
No, I coulda just used largest & smallest.
Yes, I did wash and dry them all.

Gratuitous 4-bowl shot
... for my Tweeps who asked,
because they ALSO have a set,
ALSO from their childhoods.
#BowlGeekery

Ta-Daaaaa! Ready to CHILL (not eat).
Yes, some of its edge stuck to the springform pan, which I DID "lightly grease".
Yes, I made sure the pan went into the dishwasher without food debris attached.
Shut up. This is a thing I made, so I get to eat what I clean.
(Yes, I licked all the bowls. Shut up, I said.)

60+ hour workweek and a weekend later...

I know y'all who do Not work in the entertainment industry don't understand. When you have to work more than your standard 40-hour workweek, you end up complaining about your boss being a dick or what-have-you. I've worked in other industries and rarely had an opportunity for overtime, so I guess I'm #Blessed in that regard. When I was a tour guide at Warner Bros. last summer, there were occasional 12-hour shifts or six-day weeks, but you pretty much always had to be the one volunteering for the overtime. If it was going to be available, you put your name on a list, so they'd know who to ask. And I get it; not everyone has the time available to them to put in extra hours or maybe they just don't want them.

But since I arrived in California, back in 2002, I have never held a regular, "9-5" kind of job. Okay, I take that back. Near the end of '02, I had been temping here and there (not full-time, of course), and I went to an audition to be the "face" of an alternative healthcare company. Very Hollyweird. I was the first auditioner they saw, so I helped them set up the video camera. Didn't get the part, but I was offered the "role" of Office Manager. The office was a shared space with a laser hair-removal business. My "role" would be to Reception any potential new clients, either over the phone or in person as they walked in; Sales them any of the myriad of snake-oil products we were carrying; Clinical Assistant them to make sure they got an appointment with our Doctor on staff, kept it, and did whatever follow-up he'd "prescribed" for them. This company was Incredibly Hollyweird, and my schedule was such that, even though I was supposed to take a "get away from the front desk" lunch hour, there was never anyone else around who could cover the phones or the front door, Just In Case a client appeared for us rather than hair-removal. We're talking toning creams and shit like that, each one specifically designed for a specific problem area (facial toning, boob firming, cellulite erasing, etc.), but probably all of them containing the exact same formula of ineffective goop. Ennyhoo, we had no clients, per se, so the company went under and laid me off at Christmas. That was my last "9-5" gig, and after I took my unemployment insurance benefits to bartending school, I found my way into my real industry.

I've done a lot of different gigs in the last decade-plus. Lately, the three things that have kept me financially stable have been background acting (a.k.a. "BG"), Script Supervision (a.k.a. "Scripty"), and Unemployment Insurance (a.k.a. "UI" or "every actor's real job"). Lately, I've picked up quite a few gigs that have disallowed my collection of UI, and as you know, Working Makes Me Happy. I'm currently heading into Day 6 of 18 as a Scripty on a YouTube-style webseries. The creators of this show are hoping to "sell" the completed first season (only 7 episodes, but a complete story-arc season) to one of the "big boys" and pick up multiple seasons (which will all, of course, have higher budgets so we can really do it "right"). The season of episodes we're IN is So Much Fun to work on. Yeah, it's 12-hour workdays, and last week was five of 'em, so we're all grateful for the wind-down time of weekends. But in the next two weeks, we'll only shoot 3 of the 5 workdays, giving me an opportunity to maybe pick up some BG work or just chill out.

I obviously can't tell you anything at all about the show. When they release the episodes to YouTube (or elsewhere), I'm sure they'll send us a link so that we can help with publicity. For now, know that it's gonna be fun, when you do get to watch it. and that I Feel Good about my contribution to this project. I have the skills and mindset for Script Supervision, but to give you an idea of why this is "not a job for everyone", it tends to be much more analytical than creative. On most sets, I'm relegated to taking notes and grabbing screenshots of the monitors, so I can prove that the angles match appropriately, the audience won't be confused by what they see, and if someone loosens his tie in one angle, then the damn thing is loose in the other (matching) angles! But on this show, I feel valued for contributing. I help the director, who happens to be a bit of a newbie, understand what "matching" should entail, and I offer suggestions as we go, and I always feel appreciated. I would work with any member of this cast or crew again, in a heartbeat.

In other news, Stephen's been awarded a rather large Target gift card for various "attaboy" contributions at his job, so since we recently killed our blender motor, today we did the Costco walking/sampling lunch and then spent some of that Target gift card on whatever he felt like carrying home. Got the blender, a new remote for the PS4 (so I don't have to fight with a game controller when I want to watch a movie on disc), and The Martian on Blu-Ray, among

other things.

Cocoa's got a big 'ol scab on the back of her neck, so we're keeping an eye on it. Smokey's fine. They both are pretty unhappy with my long workdays, but they'll get over 'em. We haven't found a new place to live, but I desperately want to be able to give notice here, sooner rather than later. The smokers in the building are really getting to be annoying. Burbank has very strict smoking laws, and smoking in shared/common areas of a multi-family housing building or within 20 feet of any building entrance is Against The Law. All of the friendly "please take your smoking outside" requests have become fodder for smoking-taunting. We're ready to call the law on 'em. It ain't pretty. I'd honestly rather just fucking move than deal with it anymore. I bought frozen cut okra last weekend, and this weekend, I've been adding it to my crockpot pulled-pork-and-collards. Yummm. Oh, and French Press MMMMMMocha all week, as well.

And you're caught up! Time for some tv or a movie and a glass of wine. Three days of guaranteed work for me this week, so maybe I'll check back before Sunday! Have you done anything of note in the past week?

Bedhead ... and Mailing Shit ... and other Stuff

Yeah, it's been awhile since my last post. No, I haven't been as busy with work as my last post indicated. I have done a bit on the student project; still need to complete my Crew Deal Memo and get that turned in. Yeah, she's going to pay me! Yay!

Had my friend's other gig all lined up and then received an email about another Scripty gig. Have had a phone interview re: that one, and received the scripts for the previously-shot episodes in my email, so I'll be familiar with the story. Haven't yet received the scripts I need for that one, or my Crew Deal Memo, but that shoot doesn't begin until the 25th, so I'm fairly certain at this point that it's a "Go". Meaning, unless my friend's gig gets pushed again, I won't be able to participate. I kinda hope it gets pushed, but that's a selfish hope. I should be hoping that she swings it without me (just not as easily as if with me). Nah, just do the work to beget more work. It's all good. We all want what's best, and she's got me in mind for another gig in December. I should have zero conflicts in December. Nothing is shooting in December. Productions shut down for the holidays, can you believe that? ;)

So I've been getting all my steps in (except for one day when I did some nannying) and getting plenty of sleep, and today's bedhead is courtesy of Cocoa, who joined me for some belly rubs both in the bed this morning and now:

So what else have I done this past week? Let's see, I paid some bills, as I am wont to do. I picked up some supplies at Wal-Mart (yes, kids, we have a Brand Spankin' New Super Wal-Mart in walking distance, and Boy Howdy, is it CLEAN) for a small project I'm working on to enhance my career. I'll show you the finished project, when it's finished. It's not the kinda thing you'll need a blow-by-blow for. I'm a little excited about it, but it's going to take some time, as the Brand Spankin' New Super Wal-Mart hasn't yet settled into a routine, and my supplies keep getting depleted before I can pick 'em up. And no, I can't get 'em elsewhere. I just gotta wait.

I also updated my registration at one of the numerous casting companies around town. Need to do that with more. Gotta send some emails and/or make phone calls to find out about when to do that, if "in person" updates are required. I'll be able to link my SAG-AFTRA profile in emails, so that's something, at least.

Oh, yeah! I mailed some shit this week! No, seriously, I Mailed ... SHIT. I have begun receiving "Old People" Mail, ya know, like from AARP and such. The other day, my health insurance company sent me instructions for Mailing SHIT (a stool sample for a colon cancer screening). The day I collected my sample was a weird day. Well, mostly because those of us who do not work in the medical field don't typically "collect" our shit, we just let it fall into the water and then flush it away. I had to collect it before I could flush it away. Weird. Call your insurance carrier to see if you, too, need to mail in some shit! Fun for the whole family! NOT.

This morning, I had a Warner Bros. dream. It kinda freaked me out. I would still be happy to go back to touring, if they called me in. I didn't make it into the new summer stash o' folks, but I'm still eligible for re-hire, so after my August Scripty gig, I may check back in...

I had set this aside for a bit, and now that I'm back, I really need to comb out the bedhead and dress for a walk. And print, complete, and scan/email the Crew Deal Memo for the student film. I just wanna be working, ya know? But for some of the work, there's still "preparing" to be done, and for other gigs, it's just submitsubmitsubmit... Gotta do what I gotta do, right? So I guess I'll get on that.

See y'all in a week, maybe. In the meantime, what's the weirdest thing YOU ever had to mail?

Wow. I REALLY have had nothing to say in, like, awhile. So here's an UPDATE!

Today is 4 July 2016. That means nobody in America is working (except for folks who work at hospitals, movie theaters, some grocery stores, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tours Department). That means that everyone else has made their beer-and-charcoal runs, and is now having barbeques and lighting illegal fireworks and ending up in the ER, or watching movies because they can. Or, if they're not 'Muricans, they're taking tours of Warner Bros. and wondering why there are no movie stars on the lot today. It's a National Holiday, Kids. Read this paragraph again if you're still confused. Here's a YouTube video to help you, or confuse you even more, as the case may be:

I've spent my morning on Twitter, as I do. I also trimmed Smokey's nails and gave both furbabies plenty of treats and lovin'. I'm also currently in the middle of de-crustifying the coffee pot, something that should happen monthly, but probably doesn't. Stephen has done a little writing, a little cleaning, and now he's updating his MLB team on the PS4 (I think that's what he's doing; I'm grateful he's doing it MOS). We're supposed to go hang out with our friends, the homeowner-hosts of my big blowout birthday gathering, after 3 today. We don't really know if it's a barbecue or what, or if we're supposed to bring anything, but more than likely, it'll be us rushing to catch an open grocery store before they close early, to bring whatever it is we're s'posedta. Also, Stephen had indicated yesterday that if we have time, he'd like a haircut. I've just asked him about that, and since we're both in the middle of things, we'll probably take care of that in the next half-hour. We'll see.

I got to work on set One Day in my birth month. It was a decent day; pretty lucrative, but it really just made me wonder why I'm not working more. Yesterday, my allergies flared up, only when I was inside the apartment. So the plan was to vacuum today. I'll be honest. I have a good vacuum, but I still hate running the damn thing, and since my breathing is perfectly fine today, I'm probably gonna procrastinate that task. Unless I do cut Stephen's hair and he doesn't manage to sweep it all up.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending some callback auditions for a student film that I will be Scriptying. I'm not sure yet what the shoot schedule for that is, but the director has also found a classmate who has expressed some interest in Script Supervision, so if I book any PAID work during the shoot, My Department will be covered. So that's good.

At the end of the month/beginning of August, I have a three-week film that I'll be working behind the camera on, for pay. Just not sure yet what my job will be, as my hat's in the ring for Scripty, but I may end up Key Set PA (which I'm perfectly happy accepting). We'll see.

So for the remainder of this month, I'll be getting my daily 10,000 steps in and submitting for other gigs, and hopefully booking one or two days of paid showbiz work per week. Three or more per week would be stellar. Y'all can do whatever it is that you do in the way of putting "good vibes" into the ether on my behalf for that. And on days I'm not working, you're welcome to join me in the pool. It's usually pretty clean (but for surface dust or bugs or whatnot), but it's also mostly cold all the time. Unless management pulls a "last year" and decides to heat it again, from today until Labor Day. Stoopids.

UPDATE: I know you kids are always saying "Pics or it didn't happen", so here is ONE "before":

and a handful of "after"s: