Happy where I am. No spam.

spam

I was informed in my G-mail account that "Anonymous has commented on Welcome, Ireland!"  I read the comment in my email before coming here, and LO-AND-BEHOLD, not only was the comment a really long spam "comment" but it NEVER made it to my blog!  Thank you, Blogspot, for recognizing what is spam and keeping it off the blog!

So now you know, Dear Readers.  I have been testing the spam precautions here at Ideas I'm Kickin' Around, and I have turned OFF the "Captcha Code" that proves you're not a robot, and I have NEVER TURNED ON the "moderate all comments" feature, so you may comment to your heart's content without fear that I will block you.  The other good news here is that, if you're even thinking that you might like to start blogging someday, but you don't really know where to start, and spam is an issue you're afraid you'll have to combat, I suggest you start here, at blogger.com.

As for me, I'm not a writer, and I haven't been here a year yet, to consider myself a "blogger."  I don't know how long I'll be blogging here, or what will be the impetus for me to cease-and-desist from this particular spot.  I have faith that work in the industry that I love will put larger gaps between posts.  I don't expect to run out of ideas to kick around, nor do I expect that THIS will be my ultimate income-producing machine and will eventually force me to relocate!  HA (on either count)!

For now, I'm happy to have the readership that I have.  I hope you're enjoying this particular ride as much as I am.

Welcome, Ireland!

I see that a bunch of you read me all at once.  That's cool.  Lately, I get ten hits from the Netherlands weekly, all at once.  So I welcome your six hits and hope that you'll make a habit of me!

Sláinte!

Friday Fotos

When it takes ALL DAY to make a pitcher of iced tea...

Cocoa in one of her two fave "spots"

Smokey, being all "cool"

Both furbabies just hangin' out

Last-minute Labor Day Weekend cookout/pool party

Hostess & my hubby

young dragon? or dinosaur?

all dried off from the pool

hosts pre-"go inside because it's dark out"

Meg Ryan, where ya been?

Cuisine Art

only 17000 miles on this RUINT tire - it'd cost me $25 in gas
 to get "warranty" replacement, and half-a-day in personal time!

why do they even MAKE these awful spares?

got that silly bicycle tire off for ya!

packed back into the trunk, and

 

just about ready to roll!  (just checkin' the pressure all around)

Adventures in LaLaLand

Still waiting for the costuming paycheck to arrive...

*****

It was cooler today, so when I got in the pool, I had to work extra to warm the muscles.

*****

Stephen and I did a bit of grocery shopping and then returned home by way of his job, so he could check his schedule.  Turning into the parking lot of the adjacent bank, I caught the curb and popped my right front tire.  Called for roadside assistance, because otherwise, why have it on the insurance, right? and was on hold for much too long.  By the time I decided to hang up from the on-hold music, we'd already gotten the car jacked up and the flat nearly removed.  I knew it would take no time for us to get the "bicycle" spare installed and the old one back in the trunk, so that's what we did.  When he went into the store to check his schedule, I finished the tightening of the nuts (by "standing" on the tire wrench, of course) and was asked what I was doing by a little old lady who clearly was not offering me any help - she just had to see what I was "jumping" about!  We had already been offered assistance by two other gents, but we had it handled, so we graciously declined.

We're home now (obvi!) and Stephen's preparing dinner.  My next step is to find out exactly what the "Road Hazard Warranty" I purchased with the tires covers (curbs?), and how I go about replacing a Precision Tune purchase at a non-Precision Tune store (I don't think we have them out here!).  No matter what, that bicycle spare's getting put back in the trunk TOMORROW (Photo Phriday).

Good times!

¡Bienvenidos, España!

Hablo bastante Español para ser peligrosa. No puedo communicar en Español más, aquí, ahora.  ¡Pero, bienvenidos!

'Murican Inverted Shepherdess Pie

-ish.

So easy.  One bowl, nuke the mashed potatoes (nothin' but frozen taters here).  Add some Kerrygold and frozen peas, nuke again.  Add a little more Kerrygold and top with pulled pork, nuke a bit more.  Total microwave time to properly heat all elements, less than five minutes.

So yummy.

So... "more."  Dammit, now I gotta make another bowlful, because even though a "serving" is really plenty, it just tastes like "more."

After the Money's Gone ("How Did I Get Here?" Act FOUR)

If you haven't been playing along at home, OR you got sidetracked from playing along at home (you know, when "life" got in the way), OR you'd just like to read the back-story in the order it was written, I suggest clicking HERE, then HERE, and finally HERE before you continue reading THIS POST.

... aaaaaand, we're back.

So I married my college sweetheart in 2009, and since there was NO ROOM in my 1-bedroom apartment to add him and his stuff, and his roommate wasn't moving out (and was allergic to cats), we found ourselves a nice 2-bedroom place in North Hollywood.  My niece commented on the new address being so similar to the address of the place I'd shared with a roommate in previous years; it made me think I'd ALWAYS come back to Morrison Street, Apartment 202!

That was not to be, however.  The cats got used to the new guy, and while Cocoa became more and more of a "Momma's Girl," Smokey decided that Stephen was to be HIS guy.  Stephen would work his day job at the restaurant and write with his partner on the weekends, and I would be gone up to sixteen hours at a stretch when I booked any background work.

But with splitting my time between the two unions (remember how I told you I had joined AFTRA?), I was no longer eligible for health insurance.  And Stephen's job was a part-time gig, so we ended up going to free clinics if we needed anything.  Thankfully, we mostly didn't need anything.

And then the background work got "slower," and my unemployment benefits decreased, gradually, over time.  A good friend hooked me up with a friend of hers to get me trained in Script Supervision, and I started working behind the camera.  Now I have the skills to be anywhere on set, just about.  The only job I know I will never succeed in is Craft Services.  I have the mindset and talents to manage time, money, people, or things, but I cannot manage other people's food.  Don't ask me to.  We'll both be really sorry if it comes to that.

I booked a fifteen week webseries (we shot for 15 weeks; they aired 22 episodes) and we were "set" for awhile.  It was still considered a "low-budget" gig; I wasn't in the Scripty local of IATSE yet, but that gig brought me this close to eligible.  When it was over, I went back to whatever my unemployment claim was at the time (not much) and background work and personal assisting, but it started getting really tight.

And then we learned about Stephen's dad's health.  We had two options: put Stephen on a plane to NC and have him take a leave from his job, so he could do what he could to nurse his dad back to health, OR pack everything up and move.

You know what we chose, right?  You're caught up now?  I started blogging in December of last year, and I'm fairly certain I told you enough of the backstory to get you to that point of our lives.

We arrived in North Carolina the day after Stephen's dad died from chemotherapy.  The night we arrived, I received a phone call asking about my availability to Script Supervise a gig.  That gig would have made up the difference in my eligibility to join IATSE, had I still been in Los Angeles.  But EVERYTHING happens for a REASON, including our move to North Carolina.

... Once in a Lifetime