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!

Travel Travel Travel, Part The First

We flew outta Burbank this morning at 8:30, after a lovely Lyft ride with our driver, Aspet. The hop over to Oakland was just short enough to disallow any kind of napping. The layover was just long enough to make hopping off the plane for a short stroll through the airport a necessity.

Here's the thing: the temperature in Burbank, upon leaving, was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 70º - 75º. In Oakland an hour or so later, it was 55º. I SHIT YOU NOT. We lost 20º in an hour! The reason it's hard for me to fathom this is two-fold.

1. The other day, in an hour driving towards the set I was on, my external temperature went up 10º.
2. My BIL, Bill, had informed us we'd be arriving in Boise to #HotAsHell temperatures, much like those we'd be leaving in Burbank.

55º is fucking COLD, y'all.

So we were happy to continue on to Boise. Our second leg of the trip was full; we had someone aboard with a peanut allergy, so no peanuts served. Since I hadn't napped on the first short leg, I opted for coffee on the second leg. We arrived in Boise at Gate B-17, which gave me a good earworm to take me to the welcome party. (Almost no one I encounter anymore is even remotely familiar with the tune; those who did recognize it when I was singing it "remembered" it being sung originally by a man, like BJ Thomas, maybe?)

Bill brought the two older nephews who knew and remembered me and were my primary reason for this visit; we stood in the terminal and #HUGGEDhuggedHUGGED. SIL Kelli was at home with the youngest nephew who'd met Uncle Stephen but hadn't yet met me. I rode in the Suicide Seat for the drive to lunch and "home", between the nephews, in the back seat. We had a good time, catching up and stuff.

When we got to the house, the boys and I came inside; Stephen and Bill went to visit with their mom, who doesn't do well with too many people. Kelli was putting youngest son down for a nap, so I basically explained the entire film industry to the older two. #AspiringAuteurs #InquiringMindsWantToKnow #IfOnlyTheyWereOldEnoughToReadMyBlog! #ArchivePerusalAnyone?

Kelli came downstairs, and about the time that the menfolk returned, youngest child was awaking. So we discussed "activity" options, and all of us came to the conclusion that investigating the new local ice cream shop was the best option... and because my entire life mantra is "if dessert is worth eating, it's worth eating first", we did exactly that... making ME a #Hero, and leaving us not particularly hungry for "dinner", even after a nice little walk nearish to the zoo, and next to the river-on-which-we-will-likely-be-floating in the next day or so.

So we came back to the house after a not-so-quick stop at Whole Paycheck, and Bill made popcorn, and anyone who was hungry for more than popcorn fended for him/herself. There's been so much visiting and catching up going on, I'm cool with "activities", but I'm also cool with "jus' chillin' with the fam"...

The youngest took a little while to warm up to me, the only stranger in the house. He just now came looking for me and Stephen to say good night to, and although he's not quite ready for hugs and kisses, my logic that "good night needs at least a high-five" seemed reasonable to him.

So. Day One. Successful in-law visit Day One. G'nite high fives for everyone!

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? ;)

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?

Roles I played "today"

Wednesday was Day Four of our shoot, and while getting my 10,000 steps, I also got to:

• drive an actor to a place (Teamster's Union, please?)
• get a piece of artwork re-framed (Locations, I think)
• assist in the placement of specialty contacts AND the removal of blood (SFX makeup)
• hang/remove some duvetyne (Key Grip)
• pick up another camera lens and then assist the DP in its use, just barely (1st/2nd AC)
• make coffee / replenish snacks / dispose of trash/recyclables (Craft Services)
• keep the shoot moving / sign in/out SAG actors (2nd AD, Baby!)

Thursday was Day Five, and I got to:

• ACT (hello, yes, I'm SAG-AFTRA, so duh)
• keep the shoot moving / sign in/out SAG actors (2nd AD, Baby!)
• lend my thumb ring to another actress as her wedding band (wardrobe?)
• make coffee / replenish snacks / dispose of trash/recyclables (Craft Services)
• work on bloodstain removal from carpeting (locations)
• return some window blinds for credit (Art Dept/Set Dec{orating})

• I also left a tad early from set so I could attend a Volunteer Orientation at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation... since I'm discovering that Volunteerism is an excellent way to get out of the apartment, and fight off any unemployment-induced Depression. It was a good meeting, and I'm sure they'll approve my "application" in the next few days.

Friday was Day Six, and I got to:

• make coffee / replenish snacks / dispose of trash/recyclables (Craft Services)
• keep the shoot moving / sign in/out SAG actors (2nd AD, Baby!)
• stay the fuck outta the way (locations? not really, but #WhaddyaGonnaDo?)
• wrap up early (because seriously, once the above stuff is "complete"...)

Saturday was Day Seven, and I got to:

• repeat Day Five, honestly... we were shooting in a pretty small space, and even our "skeleton" crew was too many people. So after picking up pizzas from Costco for our "lunch", I was one of three or more people to be wrapped early. A word of advice... Costco pizzas are probably well worth the cost (they're #SoooooooperCheeeeep), but it is not a good idea to have a pizza party at a reasonable dining hour on a Saturday #NinthCircleOfHell #ClusterfuckCity #GladIHadCompany #WhatANightmare #DoYouGetThePicture?

So. It's Sunday, and the film is "dark" (i.e. everyone has the day off), and when they gear back up tomorrow, it'll be an even smaller crew, because they're going on location, and what with the budget being "Ultra Low", they can only afford the absolute essentials, since they're going to have to house and feed everyone for three or four days. #HaveFunStorminTheCastle!

Which means that I get to devote the next few days to Really Finding Employment. Like, can someone please just hire me already? I know I need to go back to Central to update my registration, and since I've gotten as skinny and fit as I can on my juice cleanse, it probably means I'll also update a bunch of my photos. So if I can get good photos in my phone, I'll be able to use them to update registrations at other casting companies. Then, it'll be #PhoneCallCity for me, reaching out to the connections I have and trying to #GetWork! #GetPaid!

... honestly, now that minimum wage has gone up, I should just suck it up and get a part-time "nothing" job at a place that I can walk to... we'll see.

In case you're curious, my juice cleanse is coming to a close. Tuesday will be Day 30, but over the course of the last week or so, I've been juicing while also eating healthy solids here and there. Like, my Craft Services noshing has been pretty much only crudite, possibly dipped in hummus. So I'll continue to pay attention to what I'm eating, and try to stay on the healthy end of the spectrum, but if I really really want cheese one day, I may have it. I did not have any of the Costco pizza (which is why I said that they are "probably" well worth the cost). Not that you care if I eat well or cheat. Just thought you might be curious.

(You might think) my career is weird, but I love it

I'm on set again (not today, though. DUH). My friend Tina is #BusyBusyBusy with producing stuff (she is working TODAY while the rest of 'Murica sets off fireworks). She showed me her calendar for the last two months, and there are ZERO days off. I'm seriously impressed with her, especially since she essentially mainlines coffee, sleeps and eats very little, and has still managed to stay alive and sane while being #BusyBusyBusy like Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles.

I had contacted her about a month ago about volunteering on one or more of her projects, because I knew she was always #BusyBusyBusy. She asked me if I'd be able to volunteer my services as a Script Supervisor on a feature. Frankly, I just can't, especially for any shoot longer than a weekend. There's just too much brainpower expended, and I always want to do a good job to help the project be the best it can be, and as a Scripty, it's just too much to ask. And she gets that. But I did want to get out of the apartment and on set, to work with her again in any other capacity, to help her project reach its goals.

So I volunteered to participate as a PA over the weekend. This is a feature covered by an Ultra Low-Budget SAG New Media contract, which essentially means there's "enough" money to pay for daily costs, like any necessary permits, insurance, expendables, and food, but not enough to cover locations or equipment or cast or crew. We're all participating out of the joy we get from participating, and frankly, it's a good group of people. The locations have been donated, the ARRI film equipment has been donated (or is being "rented" for zero dollahs), and our time is being donated. Which means, Tina gets to work a little extra-hard to make sure that we make our scheduled shoot days without incident. She has to keep the volunteers "happy" enough that she doesn't lose her already-skeleton crew over any little stupid shit. This is only a 15 day shoot, and I haven't read the script, but being around for the shooting lets me see how weird or funny or gross or all of the above this thing will be. We're making good progress, from what I can tell, and if I'm available, there's only about a week left for me (part of the shoot will be happening outside of LA, and because of the costs involved, they'll be using "local" crew for that part). Tina's makin' it happen, Yo!

I've personally, in three days, been credited (already, on IMDb) as 2nd AD, which is definitely a promotion from PA; run errands and locked up the set (as a PA would do); assisted the 1st AD with various not-on-paper Scripty/Continuity items; acted as Key Grip in helping the Gaffer block the light from some windows; acted as an SFX makeup assistant (helping a couple of actresses put special contacts "in"); acted as Set Medic when Tina suffered a (hopefully minor) knee injury; acted as Crafty (maintaining Tina's and others' coffee/water/snackage needs); and even almost ACTED in the film! I'm SAG, it's SAG, even if it's a "deferred" payment dealio, it'll be whatever it is, if they need me to ACT in this thing.

I love my job(s). I love my life, when I'm not home and Depressed (i.e. when I'm on set). I have an early call time tomorrow, so I'll be heading off to bed shortly after I publish this post. Hopefully all the loud banging will abate soon, so I can sleep. "Gunfire or Fireworks?" One never knows, in this town, at least... although tonight, it does mostly sound like the latter.

Don't neglect to click on that link above ("money") - it's a pretty funny video that'll give you some insight into this crazy world we call Show Business. And if you feel like contributing in any way, you're certainly welcome to share it on social media, with the hashtags #PhilophobiaFilm, #ARRI, and #TunnelLightPictures. If you don't feel like contributing in any way, that's cool, too. Enjoy the short. Watch it over and over. It makes me giggle, at least!

Still Cleansing, After All These Years (well, days)

Yup, kids. It's the first of July, I only posted six times last month, and I've been juice fasting/cleansing since time began. Or, well, since THEN. And I haven't been "documenting" my progress, as it were, at least #NotSoMuch in vlog form, and really not that much in blog form. #SorryNotSorry.

What I've discovered is, #MyPersonalCleansingJourney isn't terribly interesting.

I fire up the juicer for a fruity breakfast blend. I pour said blend into a vessel or two, and then I make my Mean Green variant. That either lives in the little pitcher that came with the juicer, in the fridge, or it lives in a large "to-go" bottle. Then I clean the juicer parts, and store them in the dishwasher to drain. Wipe down the counters, and consume breakfast.

... Aaaaaaand then, I live the rest of my day, doing #FuckAll around the apartment or in the 'hood.

I've shed some pounds. I gave myself another enema this morning, because my system still seems a bit backed up, and it's been like a week, so I think I'm not in any danger of overdosing on laxatives. I shed four more pounds, just this morning, from pre- to post-enema! YOWZA!

Also, I'm On Set Again Today! My fabulous friend Tina is producing her first feature film, "Philophobia: Or the Fear of Falling in Love", and she's brought me on as an AD (2nd AD, to be exact), working with a super-fun cast and crew. So when it came time for her to collect lunch orders, I of course had to remind her multiple times that "I'm juicing, Yo!"

Which means ... I'm not really following anyone else's eat schedule, just drinking my juice as I go, watching other people eat chewables from Crafty, and still

Feelin' Good, Yo.

I know I normally don't tell you the name of the project I'm working on, but the producers have said, PLEASE post #PhilophobiaFilm. So, there it is. Knock yourselves out, if you feel inclined! I will do the same, once I have more to actually say, ya know? It's Day One. Let's see where this takes us!

What shall I tell you about in JULY?