My Christmas Present

The husband bought me a beautiful journal last night for Christmas. I'm not really into writing a journal, as I have a perfectionist streak that doesn't like my handwriting, but it's something I need to start doing as part of my new "lifestyle change" - aka diet.

I've determined to lose the weight I've gained this past year and writing down what I eat and how I feel about all of it is supposed to help. I used to try and use notepads and the like, but I thought I'd do better if I had a nice journal. So that's what the husband got me.

Now I have to do my part and lose 32.4 pounds. I'm aiming for June 1st.

Yeah Sped and Dan!

Sped and Dan,

Thanks for picking up the gold Mickey Mouse ears for Erdedo, having them "emblazoned", and shipping them to her in time for Christmas. You guys rock!

Katchow

Is This A New Trend?

The husband and I decided to go to Universal Citywalk for dinner last night. On the tram ride up the hill (we had taken the subway) I noticed the Saddleback steak house. I've never been there, but I'm always up for a good steak, so I asked if we could try it out. We made our way to the host stand and were told it was a 15 minute wait. No problem there. The host grabbed a pager and as I reached out to take it, she informed me there was a $20 deposit! Now, I kind of fell into a stupor and didn't really hear what she said next, but the husband told me later that she went on to say the deposit had to go on a credit card. So, not only did they want me to put up $20 for a pager they felt was necessary, but I had to give up my plastic for it. I said no way and we turned around and went to our first restaurant choice. Is this a new trend? Are other restaurants asking patrons to fork over dough for a pager? And what if I was paying in cash? Would I be turned away? I know these places have to deal with the foreign tourists, some of whom may not be up on the pager customs of American eating establishments. But I'm not going to give my business to any place that asks me to become financially responsible for something I didn't request. If the pagers keep getting lost/stolen, find another system.

And we had a very nice dinner at Karl Strauss, no deposit necessary.

Editors

The schmorons in editorial once again attempted to fax their timecards to my voicemail. At least this time I didn't get a snippy note saying my fax machine doesn't work...

Back to Work

We're on hiatus this week, but I still have to work to make sure everyone gets paid for last week. Sometimes it really sucks to do payroll. Everybody else has the week off and can travel or just relax. I have to schlepp into the office all week. I'm particularly bummed because all of my family made it to my folks house for Christmas and I miss seeing them.

I did find a nice surprise on my desk when I came in - one of the producers got everybody a gift card to Virgin Megastore for Christmas. I'm not sure if it's the entire crew or just the production office, but it's pretty cool of him either way. Too bad the nearest store's been shut down ever since the roof collapsed during a rain storm. I'll have to go over the hill to redeem this and the parking there sucks.

I had some bad tuna or something on Friday and spent all of Saturday either in bed or on the couch, when I wasn't trying to get whatever it was out of my system. Not a great way to spend Christmas Eve - the husband took good care of me though.

We watched the Doctor Who Christmas Invasion last night. It took a while to download it off the internet, but the husband was determined to get it as soon as it showed up online. I thought it was pretty good, but I don't usually like scenes where people play at being in terrible pain - looks so fake to me. But I think David Tennant is going to turn out to be another good doctor. I just wish Rose would dump Mickey or vice versa - someone needs to buy a clue there. It's too bad Captain Jack won't be in the second season - yummy!

I really should get back to work. I'm really close to being done and I just want to get out of here asap. I figure I'll have to come in all 5 days this week, but I'm going to try and be Johnny-half-day as much as possible.

I gave my blog address to a woman I work with. She said she enjoyed it, which is good. Now I have to decide if I'm going to censor myself or not. I don't want to, but she shares an awfully big office... we'll see what happens. I do have to tell a story about her; she works as a Producer's assistant (not the same one with the gift cards) and is often around the set and the stars. One day, Dillon asked her what she did, then asked her where she lived (since he's from NY, I guess it's an issue for him). She answered that she lives in Hollywood, then excused herself. She said it was flattering, but what a cheesy line! Anyway, she drew his name for Secret Santa and gave him an autographed headshot of herself. BRILLIANT! It's so typical for actors to give crews autographed photos as gifts, so combined with his lame attempt to pick her up, this was the perfect turnaround. You Go T!

Rock Star Sighting

While on set today, bringing joy and cheer in the form of white-jacketed paychecks, I got to breathe the same air as a rock star. I was in Hudson's trailer, paying her hair and make-up people, when she entered followed by her husband. Not that either of them acknowledged me, as he was telling her something about "needing to come up with a business plan," but there he was and I had to squeeze past him to get out the door. Once again, a famous person turns out not to be all that tall. Taller than me, though, so I'd say about 5'8". Super skinny, too, with big hair.

It's always interesting to see famous people doing normal things. A husband talking to his wife about finances - could've been anybody.

TV Commercial

They were shooting a Bud Light beer commercial outside our offices yesterday. We noticed a crane being set up in the morning and watched from our third floor windows as they set up a traffic signal and made the parking lot look like a busy downtown street corner. There were about a dozen extras all dressed in business attire and one man who looked like he should have been a basketball player- very tall and solid. He was dressed in an orange/gold shirt and khakis. The premise seemed to be that drinking Bud Light would make a person light. They bball player stepped up to his mark and fake hit the crosswalk button. As he looked around, he noticed the beer floating next to his head. When he grabbed it, they cranked him and the beer up into the air with the crane. It was awesome! He made it almost up to the third floor where we were cheering and applauding. It took forever to get the shot off and we all really needed to get back to work, but we just had to see that guy yanked 30 feet up. They did it several more times, but I only saw the first one.

It was kind of fun to watch the crew scurry around. We were mocking them and playing like MST3000. The beer handler was our favorite. He was the guy who's job it was to mist the beer bottle just so - had to make it look cool and refreshing, I guess. Every time somebody touched the bottle, he'd come along and wipe it down, then mist it again. What a job.

Star Sighting

While driving to set for lunch today, we saw Ben Stiller in his car. Nancy thought he looked a bit on the smaller side. I don't find that odd in the slightest - I think most actors are shorter than they seem on the big screen. He was driving an older convertable Mercedes, black.

My dad is coming out to visit for a couple of days at the beginning of January. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit nervous. My dad is a great guy, but growing up I was afraid of him. He was one of those "wait 'til your father gets home" kind of dads. He once told one of my brothers, if not all them at some point, that if they made my mother cry, that'd be it for them. And he spanked. Not without merit, but he spanked.

We never seemed to have much in common, me being a girl and all. He never really participated in my band/orchestra concerts or Girl Scout activities. The only time I think I really impressed him was when I had received a scholarship thru the theater program at the university and at the reception, the construction guys told him how good they thought I was. They told my dad I was the only student to get a regular credit in the program for the current play because of my good work. I think that made him stop a moment and realize I wasn't a girly-girl. How could I be? Growing up at the tail end of 6 boys is bound to have an effect.

So he's coming to visit and I want to show him around town - he's never been to LA. There's the walk of fame, the observatory, Mulholland Drive, the tar pits, etc. But I wonder if I'm trying to plan so much so I don't have to worry about what we'll talk about...

I guess we'll see what happens. I do know I'm going to take him to set on the final Thursday and show him around. I don't know yet if I'll take him in while they're shooting, as he's practically deaf and may not realize he needs to be silent at times. I hate getting busted for that kind of stuff. It doesn't happen often and it's not usually my fault (anymore), but it's embarrasing to have them yell at you in front of the entire crew. But I will show him around Universal - hopefully I'll be able to borrow a golf cart instead of having to take my car or the tram.

1/2 Price Sale!

The husband and I went to see Good Night and Good Luck this weekend. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I ended up really enjoying it. The cast is fantastic and it's amazing to me that the subject matter is true history - that I could go and pull up the footage and transcripts for myself. It seems like that kind of stuff couldn't happen today, but I don't think we're all that far off. I know I should be more political, but I have no hope with the current administration. I did mangae to hurt my back while watching it. I tend to slouch in my seat and this time it caught up with me.

Anyway, we were running errands afterwards - had to stop by my salon and pay D as they only take cash and I went in expecting to get just a trim but walked out with color after she showed me my roots - and the husband wanted to go across the street to the cancer shop and see if they had any good books for sale. It was their winter clearance and everything was half off. I couldn't believe when I saw Dept 56 Dicken's Village buildings in the window! We love those - we've been collecting them for a few years now. We ended up buying almost everything they had - 5 new buildings! Now our collection is too big for our display space, even though the husband did a great job displaying what he could on the dining room table. We're going to have to invest in a piece of plywood or something.

Some on-set news - I was handing out checks on Thursday and Dillon passed by and brushed shoulders with me. I wondered if I was supposed to be thrilled, since there was plenty of room to pass without making contact - I don't know why he was so close. Maybe he thought he was doing me a favor. I guess he did, since I can blog about it.

Also, Wilson's naked butt is not his own - there was a butt double used in this movie. Sorry ladies.

Friends Shouldn't Make Friends Cry

On the way home from work last Thursday, I decided to call Sped. I had gotten a really random text message meant for Isaac ("Isaac thanks 4 caring but I'm done and that means 4 U 2 leave my family alone. I don't need or want U 2 go over to my grandma's and cause more drama. U started it and now I'm finished and I've moved on. Oh yeah U got Up bear back and U proved that U can B more of an asshole") and it spooked me. I replied that they had the wrong number ("wrong # ass") and about 2 minutes later, my phone rang. It was a private number and I chose not to answer it - I figured once they heard my message, they'd realize I wasn't Isaac and they'd need to resend their message. Now I wish I had answered, because I don't understand what they meant by the "bear back' comment (unless they meant "bare back" - I know what that means). I also want to text the number and ask if Isaac showed up at Grandma's or not.

Anyway, that's not what this is about.

I had known Sped wasn't feeling well, but I didn't realize until Thursday how sick she was. She's missed a lot of work and hasn't actually been to the office since November 8th. She was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr and was going in on Friday to be tested for MS. You could have knocked me over with a feather. He mom had even come into town to keep her company. Now, I know Sped loves her mother, but they don't always get along. When I heard she was in town I knew how serious it was.

The husband and I had plans for Friday, but I told her I could come down on Saturday if she wanted. We chatted a bit more, then hung up and I went upstairs and cried on the husband's shoulder. He told me to forget about our plans and get my butt down there first thing on Friday. I protested, since he's been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to plans lately, but he wouldn't budge. I called Sped and told her if it was ok, I'd be there on Friday. She acted pretty cool about it, saying I could drive her and her mom to the appointment since her mom can't drive a stick and the appt was kind of far. I found out from her mom later that it made her happy.

So I got up Friday and drove down there. We had a good time and it turns out that she doesn't have MS - which made her mom so happy she ate a Butterfinger. Kind of weird, but it made sense at the time. Friday night, as we were sitting around chatting, I told her she had made me cry. She apologized but I told her not to worry, someday I'd make her cry. Hopefully that won't be for a very long time.

Liar

If anybody read about my encounter with the Dumas who wanted to take his check on the plane home with him from Hawaii, I have an update. The guy still annoys me, even though he hadn't really done anything since then. Until today...

I went to set early today, since they are breaking for an hour and don't have catering. Everybody tends to bolt as soon as they call lunch and it's hard to find people. So when they finally finish, I ask Josh the PA to annouce that I'm there with paychecks and that I'm over by craft service (which means "free food"). He does and even dials thru all the radio channels to catch everybody.

So I stand at crafty for about 10 minutes, paying whoever shows up. M Douglas walked past and looked more normal today than the last time - no teeth sucking. He is pretty short, though. I'm 5'5" and he's not much taller than me if at all. But I digress.

After running out of people, but not checks, I make my way to the other side of the stage and find a few more crew. Josh the On Set Dresser is playing a video game on Dumas' computer and I chatted with him for a few minutes. That was about it - everybody else was gone and I went back to the office.

Then I get the phone call. Dumas calls and asks where his check is, stating he sat at his cart the entire lunch hour. I told him that wasn't true because I found Josh at the cart playing a computer game and Dumas wasn't there. His response was to say he just wanted to make sure he got his check and I cut him off saying that I wasn't going to mail his check, that would be stupid since I knew he was on set. Told him it would be coming down to set in a package. Then I took several hours to send it. Petty, but he brought it on himself. At least I didn't bogey it this time.

Annoying Ads

Driving in to work today, I heard an ad from a local grocery chain that just makes me nuts. In it, a woman is lamenting that she invited 20 people to a traditional holiday dinner, but doesn't know what to make. Duh. If it's a traditional dinner - the menu's pretty much set. Once you declare it traditional, at least in the US, most people assume turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, yams, pie, etc. True, if you're from another culture those items may not be what come to mind, but I'd say almost every culture has it's own idea of a traditional meal. So why is this woman such a moron? And who wrote this ad? They should be taken out, covered in turkey giblets, and left for the cats.

Greedy Bastards II

Just an update: the GB is going to get $90 in meal penalties this week. On top of the $11, 500.00 in salary and $800.00 in kit rental. Did I mention the $800.00 kit rental he gets each week? I think not...

Makes me sick.

I Passed!

I had my motorcycle course this weekend and even though I totally choked on the riding portion of the exam, I passed! Now I don't have to take the driving test at the DMV - I can just go and get my license.

This means that I'll be able to drive my Vespa to work again. A learner's permit doesn't let me ride in the dark, on the freeway, or with passengers. I don't think I'll ever risk my life on a California freeway nor am I likely to have a passenger, but since it gets dark here about 4:30 in the winter, I couldn't even take surface streets to work (I didn't think the boss would appreciate me running my scooter home at 4:00 everyday).

If I could train Sofie to sit on the seat behind me, I would so gear her up with a helmet, some doggles, and a leather jacket...

Greedy Bastards

I am so disgusted with a certain member of my crew. This man makes $11,500.00 a week. That's right, each week his check is for $11,500.00 That's not what makes him a greedy bastard, though.

The film industry unions have a rule regarding meal breaks. Basically, you have to break the crew every 6 hours for a meal. For every half hour (or part thereof) you don't break them, they get a meal penalty. The first half hour is $7.50, the second half hour is $10.00 (on top of the $7.50), the third and each succeeding half hours are $12.50 (on top of the $7.50 and the $10.00). It just keeps building - if you go over 1 hour 15 minutes, they get $30.00 ($7.50+$10.00+$12.50). It can get into some pretty big money. I once saw a BMW with a license plate that read "MPV" for "meal penalty violation." I totally believe a crew memner could bank enough in mpv's to buy a car.

Anyway, this jerk who makes $11,500.00 each and every week wants his meal penalties. Most people in his position don't even ask - it's usually a non-issue since they make so much. Man, what a greedy bastard. I've lost all respect for him.

Hamilton

Meet Hamilton. He didn't mind having his picture taken at first, then I guess he felt threatened. He started jumping at the camera then swimming to the other side of the bowl to hide. He's a pretty good looking fish, if I do say so myself.

Random

Girlfiend was looking for suggestions for a friend who got a new dog and I suggested Parker after my mom's Parker House Rolls (it was supposed to be a Thanksgiving-themed name). I'm glad she didn't end up using it. I don't know when or if we'll get another pet, but I want to use it now. Maybe we'll name the new car Parker...

I keep noticing that blogs I read all have book lists. Since I'm such a joiner, I figured I start one, too. Just got to figure out how to do that.

Back To Work

This is the part about my job that I really don't like. When everyone else had a 3 day week because of Thanksgiving, I had a 4 day week. And now everyone else gets a 4 day weekend and I'm back at work after a 3 day weekend... happens the same way at Christmas, too. Payroll always gets screwed when it comes to the holidays.

Not to mention the fact that I tried to have a nice cup of oatmeal for breakfast and managed to get the super hot stuff to go down the wrong way. So I'm coughing and coughing and I feel like my lungs are scorched.

Hamilton's still alive, but I keep forgetting to bring in my camera to take his picture.

Thanksgiving was fine, nothing special. The husband and I had the burritos and the pumpkin pie. Sadly, I realized Thursday morning that I didn't have any refried beans and we had to walk down to Jon's to get some. I hate going to a store on a holiday. I worked retail and I hated having to work those days, dealing with the idiots who would say how sad it was we had to work on a holiday. Got in trouble once for mentioning that if they hadn't come in to the store, then management wouldn't make us open. So I'm a hypocrite. But I needed the beans and in a city the size of LA, me not shopping isn't going to make a difference. The place was packed. So I got some Cool Whip, too.

Called home and found out that my great aunt Mary had died in October. She was 104 and was a twin. I don't remember when her sister Margaret died. They always told the story of how their own father couldn't tell them apart and used to call them Mary-Margaret. Didn't matter which one he was speaking to, he just said Mary-Margaret. Funny, but kind of sad, too. They were a great couple of ladies.

I'd better get to it - got a big stack waiting for me on my desk and I haven't even touched the football yet.

Burrito Day

I didn't feel like cooking a turkey today and those pre-done meals provide way too much food for 2 people, so the husband and I had burritos. And no, they weren't turkey burritos.

We also had pumpkin pie. It was all good.

Then I took a nap and he played his computer game.

Happy Holiday!

Problem Areas

When I work on Sunday to break time cards, I'm usually here alone. Therefore, I get to snoop into stuff that I normally don't get to see. This past Sunday was a good example. The paperwork comes in from set in a black pouch (referred to as "the football") and various manila envelopes. In order to do my job, I have to pick thru the football and the envelopes and find all of the time cards and the production report. Sunday there was an envelope that was not addressed to me, but since no one else was there, I opened it.

Now, all of the A list actors that I've paid have a clause in their contract that allows them to reject a certain percentage of the still photos that get taken of them on set. I had one of those approval books in my hands... Needless to say, I rifled thru it, looking to see what shots someone considered a beauty would find objectionable. Like anybody, this person had their fair share of being caught looking odd in a candid moment but what really got my attention was the note scribbled on several photos. "Retouch chin" with an arrow pointing to the offending area was on more than I would have expected. Apparently, someone is developing a slight sag in the chin, probably something you or I would never have noticed without it being pointed out. But it was there and it wasn't to be seen by the real world.

So if anybody tells you the photos aren't retouched or that these people look that way naturally, they are lying through their ignorant teeth.

Who's Not Getting Paid This Week?

Because I have less than 3 days this coming week to get paychecks ready, we sent out a memo telling the crew that anybody who didn't have their time card in my office by today would not get paid until after Thanksgiving. I just can't have the usual dawdlers showing up late Monday or even Tuesday, expecting to get paid on time. I'm really hoping everybody heeded the message, because I know there's at least one group and 2 people I haven't seen yet... I don't feel too bad about the 2 people, but it sucks for the group - the best boy turns in their timecards so it won't even be their fault if they don't get paid.

Anyway, gonna be a long day as I have to have everything done before I leave tonight. Otherwise, what's the point of the memo?

Weekends

We took Sofie to the dog park today. A woman there was selling dog clothes and we got Sofie this Chinese jacket. She's pretty damn cute in it. I'd dress her up all the time except she's got black fur and overheats easily. Maybe when it's colder I'll take her for her morning walks in one of her little t-shirts.

I'm really starting to hate the weekend. There's so much to do and never enough time to do it. The husband wants me to relax and do something for myself, but I can't when I know the stuff is just sitting there, waiting for me. It's not like the chore fairy comes by because I'm taking some "me" time. That'd be nice... anyway, what I'd really like to do is take a nap, but then I have to deal with running out of time for everything and it's not worth it. It's starting to become a problem between us because I get bitchy and dump on him. I know it's not right or fair, but I'm so frustrated I don't know what else to do.

Whiners

I forgot to mention yesterday the whiner cry-baby I had to deal with on the phone. Because of the nature of the film industry, a lot of the crew members only work for a few days on a particular show. Since checks come out a week later on Thursday a lot of them get put in the mail. And quite a few of them go missing. This happened to a man I'll call "Ron" who was in our set decorating department.

"Ron" wasn't with us anymore when his check was cut (11/3) and it was returned to me with the instructions to mail it. I did. I mailed a lot of checks that week (I keep a list). On 11/8, the Set Dec Coord called and said he hadn't received it yet. I asked her to check with him if I should put a stop payment on it, with the caveat that it took a minimum of 72 hours to reissue a check (it's the bank's rule, nothing anybody can do to get around it). His response was to give it one more day, just in case... So the following day he called back - hadn't gotten it yet - so I called the payroll company and stopped it. That was 11/9.

Yesterday he calls all huffy and says he has to have that check TODAY. I told him I hadn't gotten anything from the payroll company, but I would call them and let him know if they had an eta. Well, they didn't. They were still waiting on the bank's ok. I called him back and we went round and round about the bank and the 72 hours and he tried to lay into me about the check being 3 weeks late already and that's where I shut him down. I didn't call him a liar, but I said "No, that check was cut on time and put in the mail. It's nobody's fault that it got lost in the mail, but it certainly wasn't late." He wasn't particularly pleasant to me and when he asked for my paymaster's name at the payroll company, I told him I would not give it to him if he was going to call and yell at her or in any other way be abusive. She's good at her job and doesn't deserve that treatment. I think calling him on his attitude calmed him down because he actually said he would not be abusive. I gave him the info and after he hung up, I called her myself to warn her. I still don't know how that turned out... we'll see.

This is why a lot of people don't like payroll. People love you on payday and think you're trying to ruin their lives if something goes wrong. I have had people yell at me on the phone and accuse me of ruining their Christmas/holidays/etc, as well as causing someone to lose their home/car/etc - all because of a check that got lost in the mail. Whatever. I always want to say "don't live paycheck to paycheck and you won't have these problems" but that probably wouldn't go over so well.

Waste Of Time

I hate it when I spend the time to do something per someone's request, only to have it be for nothing. It's so frustrating. I always send my timecards to the payroll company in alpha order. My boss asked me to put the timecards back into code order so she could input them into her report. It's not that big a deal, just time-consuming. I had them split and sorted and back on her desk last night. She did nothing with them all day today, saying by the time she could get to them she just couldn't deal with it all. So she gave them back to me and I have to spend more time putting them into alpha order so I can check my edits. It's true that I would've had to go through the process whether she looked at them or not, but she didn't do her part. That's what rubs me the wrong way.

Whatever.

I sometimes use a bean-filled bag as a bed-warmer and the other day I left it under the covers. Destructo ate through the sheet to get to it, filling the bedding with beans. And she's eating the new couch. At least this one has a slipcover that hides the damage.

We clipped her nails last night and at some point in time, she's become afraid of the procedure. The husband had to wrap her in a blanket and hold her down while I did the trimming. She cried and whimpered and struggled so much she wore herself out and started panting. And Baxter, Mr. Empathy, had to join in the cries. He's such a softy - he can't stand to see one of his sibs in distress.

I Married a Good Guy

The husband and I went over to Glendale to browse the used book stores. There are 3 of them on Brand, as well as a Salvation Army store and a comic book shop. Anyway, we were in the last bookstore of the evening and I had picked up a copy of Vigil and sat down with it, to wait while the husband finished looking around (I had given blood in the morning and felt a bit out of it). A family came in, mom, dad, daughter. I heard them ask for the new Harry Potter and a bit more of the chit-chat, including the mom commenting on it being 20% off. Then I tuned them out while I read my book.

When the husband came to get me, he asked if it was ok if he bought HP for the girl, as he had heard the parents say they weren't prepared to pay "that much" for it. Apparently, the girl was pretty upset, even offering up her piggy bank to defray the cost. So of course I said yes, it was a good thing and he should absolutely buy her the book. So we did. He had intended to just leave it for her at the counter, but she wandered up to where we were and he tried to give it to her in person. I think it must have scared her, to have a stranger try to give her a book that her parent's had already said she couldn't have. She started to cry and said she couldn't take it and that she'd have to ask. We ended up leaving it for her.

The husband spent a lot of time wondering if he'd done the right thing. I kept telling him he had - he'd done something that most people think about doing but never follow through on. I know if I had been paying attention to what was going on, I would have wanted to buy her the book. He was afraid the parents wouldn't take it, but I'm sure they did - they just seemed like the type (especially since I learned that after refusing HP for their daughter, they were picking out books for themselves at the back of the store). I hope she's enjoying it.

So I married a good guy, didn't I?

Yeah! The Weekend

I am so glad another week is over. I'm finally starting to do more than "keep up" at work and it's starting to be fun again.

Nancy and I went to set yesterday, which was on the lot because of the rain. We wandered around, handing out checks, and took the opportunity to see what the "interior house" set looked like. Not bad, but it's kind of hard to tell when it's full of equipment and stuff. There was also a freaky blond chick sitting in one of the rooms, all alone in the dark. Creeped us out so we left. Went down to the craft service truck and raided it for treats. Mark had wanted some Pirates Booty, but they were all out.

We did see Dillon while we were out there. His costume was pretty interesting, considering it was a t-shirt, boxers, and a robe... and we wondered if the blond chick was Hudson, but figured she had a super nice trailer to sit in, why would she sit on the floor on an empty set?

Anyway, I've been reading girl-fiend's blog and she wrote about weird baby names. I made a comment about some of the weird names I've been seeing on my payroll. I usually get some odd stuff, but this time I'm making a list. We actually have an extra whose name seems to be Angelic Ho. Really. And we have Roger Wilko, DeDe Troit, and Chantal Boom'La. Not making these up.

Star Sighting

The husabnd and I went to the Four 'n' 20 for lunch today. Scott Bakula was approaching the door from the other direction. He got there first but was a gentleman and held it open for me. He looks pretty good in person - I've had a crush on him since his "Quantum Leap" days. So there you have it. You can go to a diner in the valley and see famous people.

On Set

Went to set yesterday to pay everybody, but nothing interesting happened. I got there during lunch and left right when they were going back to work. Boring.

Nancy told me that when Douglas passed her in the parking lot on our first visit to set, he was sucking his teeth (well, making a noise like he was sucking his teeth). Good to know he's human.

I was reading girlfiend's blog the other day and she linked to a blog called "Overheard in Philly". It was pretty funny and I was thinking someone should start one for LA. It might be interesting, but a lot of the time people are talking smoke about "deals" and other industry crap, so it may turn into one big lie.

Did I mention that I thought I saw Pam Anderson outside a Coffee Bean in Toluca Lake? The husband and I were going to get haircuts and there "she" was. I have to admit I tried to confirm her identity by looking at her chest, but the way she was sitting made it hard to tell. We turned around so the husband could see, but he said it wasn't her. Either way, she looked a lot like Pam without all the glamour.

We've got Harry Dean Stanton on our show - I haven't seen his deal to see who he's playing. But I love that guy!

Not A Very Good Wife

I just wanted to tell the husband that I do care about what's going on with your work. I don't mean to seem so selfish. I know my job isn't important enough to not be there when you need me. I just don't know what to say or do to make it better. I love you.

Time To Go Home

I'm not done of course, but it's time to go home - got a good chunk done but there's not enough hours in the day. We had over 65 new hires this week. I'm glad the biz is staying in LA, but do we really need to hire everybody? Aren't there any other shows these people could work on?

At least I got to meet one of the directors. He stuck his head in the door to make sure I knew there was someone else in the office, which was nice of him. It could have been embarrassing cause sometime's I go to get a drink from the kitchen and break out into song and/or dance with my Ipod shuffle. Anyway, after telling me he was going to be back in his office, he introduced himself. I told him my name and said I was doing the payroll. Didn't have any noticeable affect on him - a lot of people get really friendly when I tell them I pay them. It's a bit annoying because I know it's not real.

Home now - dinner and bed.

If It's Sunday, I Must Be @ Work

I got up this morning extra early by totally ignoring day light savings. I showered, walked the dog, and drove to work. I always work Sunday thru Thursday when we're shooting. I need that day when no one is around to break timecards and cuss out loud at the stupidity of the crew.

I got to work and cleaned Hamilton's bowl - which I meant to do on Thursday but since I was working until 2 am, that didn't happen. Anyway, I got his bowl cleaned then dumped the dead flowers in the trash and washed out the vase. Started sorting thru the inbox and got so discouraged by what I saw I still haven't started working. Blech. And that's only the stuff that came out the inbox for the rest of accounting. My stuff is filling up 3 inboxes and it makes my stomach hurt to look at them.

So I checked my email and tried to respond to someone about Granny's property in Lenoir City. It's her house and nobody's lived there or taken care of it in years. We tried to deal with it, but there are a lot of claimants and it was a huge hassle so we let it drop. We just want the city to come in and take it for back taxes or something. It's not like it's worth a lot of money or anything, especially when you consider everybody who'll crawl out of the woodwork for a share. I gave up on that email and forwarded it to the husband. He'll have to answer at least a couple of the questions or they'll contact Granny and when she hears they're going to take her house, she'll flip out. The woman is 97 years old and the nursing home just switched her into another room because she kept giving her roommate's husband a hard time when he came to visit. She's a tough cookie.

So then I read Sped's blog - her "a" key isn't working - and asked her if she's ever going to read Sandman. I noticed it's not on her list anymore, but maybe that means she read it already... I doubt it. I know she's had that for at least a year but it keeps getting superceded by Star Wars novels.

Anyway, I've wasted enough time. I've got to start picking thru these piles of paperwork. Let the cussing begin!

What We Saw On Set

Nancy and I went to set on Thursday; me to hand out paychecks, she to hand out petty cash and per diem. It was a long drive down to Irvine and we kept asking each other if they didn't have office buildings in LA or one of the valleys (they were shooting the dad's office - he's a developer). One of the producer's assistants told us they were going for the whole "Orange County" look, kind of a wide-open desert thing. The building was nice, had a pond and a Buddha and was very clean lines. But come on, did we really have to drive all the way to Irvine for it? Anyway...

We got to base camp and dropped off some stuff for Michael F. - one of the producers (who we found by spotting his shoes walking past a trailer). When we were done with him, we went from trailer to trailer, handing out stuff as we found people - most people are actually "on set", but it's a good place to start. We even met Douglas' people (hair, makeup and wardrobe) who are just about the nicest I have ever met. You'd think the crew attached to stars would be uppity snots, but these three are fabulous.

After we finished up there, we had the producer asst w/ the "Orange County" line show us where the set was. They had just finished shooting and were moving to a different spot. I tried to point Wilson out to Nancy, but she missed him in the group of people milling about. Turns out he was done for the day so she'll have to wait for next time.

We wandered around some more, handing stuff out and chatting with various crew members - nothing makes people chattier than getting a paycheck. When we finished on set, we went back to base camp. I was giving BR some paychecks to distribute to people who I couldn't find when Dillon walked by on his way to set. I made a comment to Nancy to make sure she recognized him (she did). Then I headed off to the special fx truck. As I turned to go, I saw that Douglas was walking to set as well. He walked right between Nancy and I as I was responding to her question about whether I'd be ok to drive back - I'd hurt my neck earlier in the week and couldn't turn my head to the right anymore. I said as long as I didn't have to check my blind spot, we'd be fine. As I was saying it, I wondered if he was curious about what we were talking about. I mean, it's human nature to listen in on conversations, especially if the two conversants are on either side of you...

I have to say that when Nancy and I joined back up, we spent a good 15 minutes discussing Douglas and how he looked. She thinks he has a peanut head (broad forehead, narrow at the eyes, strong jaw). I thought if he was a woman they would be calling him a lollipop. I've never seen a man that petite with that big a head. It was weird, especially since I'd never gotten that impression about him onscreen or in pictures. But he's less than 6' tall, really thin, with a small build. I think I could have taken him, except he's older than I am and probably knows a few tricks. But it was a shock and Nancy agreed.

Actually, the strangest thing about these movie stars is how easy it is to not recognize them. They just don't look the same in person as they do on film. I don't know if tv stars are the same, haven't worked with enough of them yet.

S#!T List

That dumbass video assist guy... What an effing moron. So I get back on Monday after taking the red-eye out of Hawaii. I've had about 2 hours of "sleep" on the plane and I go right into work. I get his check recut and I have the clerk call him to make sure he's at home before we send someone out there. Guess what he says... good thing we called because he has his check and he's about to go to the bank and deposit it! And then he says we can just send it to the set on Tuesday. Aaarrrggghhh!!! On Friday night, that bastard gave me all that bullshit about the mail taking at least 6 days and how Tuesday wasn't good enough (he actually said he wanted to take his check home with him on the plane, as if they would enjoy the ride together or something). And I have a copy of the note we sent on Friday night, apologizing once again for making the mistake and asking him to let us know if the check was there when he got home. Can you imagine the ordeal it would have been if he had taken that mailed check and put it in the bank, only to have it get kicked back with fees attached? I'm telling you, he is so on my list. He's so on my list that anybody else has been pushed off. When I got this week's checks ready, I actually bogeyed his check. I know it's totally gross, but won't stop it from being cashed and I felt better.

Mistake

I made a mistake cutting checks this week. I accidentally cut a check in California that the crew member asked for in Hawaii. Boy, you'd think I'd killed his dog. He claimed if he made a mistake like that, he'd get fired. I wanted to reply that it was one check out of 300 and it's not like he could take it to the bank anyway. It'll probably be waiting for him at his home when he gets back. But no, I have to reissue the check and deliver it to his home on Monday (the company is off that day). All this because he and the executive producer went to the same college (or so I heard). I guess the exec prod felt it was his duty to dress me down for my failure, saying it was unacceptable and shouldn't have happened. I totally agree with him but mistakes happen. I wasn't trying to put blame anywhere else - I told everybody I had screwed up. But on the grand scale of things, it's not the end of the movie if the video assist guy gets his check a few days later...

News From Hawaii

The golf balls that Wilson hits into the ocean are plastic. They float around until the scene is done, then a prop guy goes out with a pool skimmer and brings them back onto the beach.

Laulau is pretty good, but when digging into a taro-leaf wrapped piece of chicken, it's a bit of a shock to hit bone. And if that really was taro leaf, it tastes like spinach.

Poi is supposed to be used as a condiment, according to one of the office PAs. It's still gross. I'm sure it's very nourishing if you're in a canoe traveling long distances from island to island, but with McDonald's down the street, it's just unnecessary and a weird shade of purple/gray.

The rice/coconut dessert stuff is better than it looks, but as it looks like a cube of fat, I really can't bring myself to eat it. It's jiggly but still has a visible texture.

If you couldn't tell, we had authentic Hawaiian for lunch. No wonder these people like Spam.

We're going to set tonight to hand out money. I'm hoping to meet Douglas and maybe even get my pic taken with him. I'm wearing my "bossy beyond belief" shirt so I can live up to that and make it happen.

What To Think

A crew member, this time a guy, came in today and was talking about Douglas. He thinks the man looks perfectly normal, no work done. And this guy is in a position to get up close and personal to the stars. The woman yesterday doesn't get as close. But maybe as a man he just doesn't notice that sort of thing. I guess it'll have to wait until I see him for myself, if I get the chance.

I'm getting ready to get out of here for the night. I'm beat. Because the LA office is 3 hours ahead, we get to work at 7:30am and already feel behind. I was going to start next week's stuff, but I just can't face it. I need a break. I think I'm going to do a little shopping tonight and take it easy. Of course, I'm writing this as it's 7:45pm and I think I'm taking off early. Maybe I'll just go up to my room and crawl into bed. Sleep is good, too.

I miss the husband. And my dog. And my kitties. And Hamilton. I hear he's doing much better than he was and he seems to like the new plants I got for him before I left. I'm planning on accusing the guy taking care of him of killing him and getting a replacement, just for the fun of it. It'll be just like Diff'rent Strokes with Abraham.

The Red-Eye

I'm now thinking it might be best to try and take the red-eye on Sunday night. Payroll's been a bitch and I just think it'd be easier to stay on track here and get it all done rather than do a little bit then pack it up and fly home and try and finish it there. Ugh. I'm just waiting for my boss to approve the plan.

I found out today that Douglas is not a tall man. I'm not sure how tall he is, but less than 6 feet. He's also had some work done that is really good, unless you take the time to compare his hands and his legs to his face. They just don't go together. But he is supposed to be really nice and took the time to compliment people on their work. It may not seem like much but when a huge star is not a prick, it's noticed.

Time to go turn in my receipts for some cheezy free gift. The omnipresent gift store here gives you something free depending on how much you spend with them in 2 weeks. Donna gave me some of her receipts and my 2 weeks is up, so I'm going to go in tonight. It's not much, a mug or a calendar or some such, but we've spent the money, we want the free stuff!

My braids finally stopped hurting so much. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep them in, but I really want the husband to see them. We'll see.

Speaking of the husband, we had some good news about a project of his today. I won't go into it here, as I don't want to jinx it, but stuff is happening, just like I said it would.

Shoes

Not much going on today. In fact, the highlight was seeing one of the pairs of shoes Douglas is going to be wearing in the movie - tan suede Ferragamo's to be exact. Costumes had forgotten them at the hotel and a PA was taking them out to set. He came by to pick up some other stuff and I really wanted to see them, but only to find out how big Douglas' feet are. I think they were a size 10, so that's respectable. But they looked expensive and each one was in it's own cloth bag inside the box. Fancy shoes. We dared the PA to show up wearing them and although he found the idea funny, we knew he wouldn't have for a million dollars.

My boss went home tonight on the red-eye. She misses her son and couldn't wait until tomorrow. I don't blame her in the least. I want to go home, too, but there's no point going until Sunday. It'll be easier to do the payroll here on Saturday than to fly home and be exhausted and try to do it there. I'm hoping to have it ready to go so I'll be able to leave early on Monday. We'll see. Most of the time it's not me that makes it run late. It's getting all the problems resolved and having it all approved.

I wish I had some gossip to share, but nothing much going on yet. I did hear at the kick-off party that one of our stars is a prick, but I may have mentioned that already. Oh yeah, I found out that our publicist is Hudson's aunt - sister to G. I can't say I would've picked up on the resemblance without having known beforehand, but it's there. Small world.

Braids

Just got back from having dinner with my boss - we went to the Thai place the husband and I went to for our anniversary. I got the Panang curry with shrimp and scallops and she got the Thai garlic chicken. Luckily, we're both splitters. I love going to dinner with a splitter. You get to try 2 dishes instead of just one. Both were good, but mine was better.

After eating, we walked down to Xtreme Hair and asked the woman if my hair was too short for braiding. She said no and 30 minutes later, I walked out with cornrows. I'm not sure yet if I like them or not - it's not awful, but it is quite a change. Donna said they looked good and I don't think she'd lie to me - she seems too frank for that. I didn't spend a lot and at least I can say I tried it. I'm glad we went, since the woman at the other place said my hair was too short - I think she just wasn't that good. Never go to a white woman for cornrows.

Donna went over to Macy's while I was in the chair and bought a nice bathing suit - brown with blue trim. She's coming back here in January so it'll be put to good use.

I really should get back to work. I know I'm going to get a lot of stuff dumped on me in the morning and I really want a clean desk before I leave for the night. Back to work.

Diamond Head

I got up this morning and walked over to Diamond Head. The crater itself isn't that far from the hotel, but the road up to the national monument and trailhead is on the far side. I wondered if I would be able to make it up to the top after walking all that way, but I did just fine.

It's a pretty steep climb and the two sets of stairs are killer. Plus I was surrounded by a lot of people who weren't in as good a shape as I am and they were going so slow I had to keep passing them so I wouldn't lose my momentum. Where the trail was too narrow, I had to take tiny steps to keep from catching people's heels.

The view from the top was beautiful. A 360 degree panorama of ocean, mountains, city, and sky. I'm so glad I went. The husband called while I was up there, which was perfect timing. It was nice to hear his voice and share what I could with him.

I walked back to Waikiki and checked out an art show, then went and took a shower. I just finished my laundry and plan to get some lunch. I didn't realize it was so late and I'm starving. Don't know what I'm going to do tonight - my big plans are pretty much over with Diamond Head.

I should mention that we ate at Alan Wong's last night. It's supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Hawaii and I'd have to say it was pretty damn good. I got to taste a bit of everybody else's fish and everything was good. It was nice to get out to a fancier place for a change, but it's not something I would want to do too often.

That's it - off to lunch before my head falls off.

Day 1 of 53

We started shooting today and I went to set to deliver paychecks. Location was on the other side of the island, on a ranch that' been used for Lost, Godzilla, Krippendorf's Tribe, you name it. It's beautiful, a lush green valley between very impressive mountains with a view down onto the ocean (if you overlook the cows...)

Anyway, the map was bad and we went about 20 miles out of our way and took way too long to get there. And contrary to popular belief, being on a movie set is BORING. I was done fairly quickly with my stuff and waited for K to finish handing out per diem. The last person left was Dillon and K was going to let me do it. Not that I was thrilled, since I don't find him particulary attractive, but I knew it would make Nancy jealous. It took forever. They kep reshooting the same scene over and over and I wasn't allowed to bother him until they were done. So we stood there for at least half an hour. When they finally broke, it turned out that he didn't want to take his money - he wanted it when he got back to the hotel. Figures. At least I was wearing shorts and got some sun.

Have to tell you about the blessing ceremony. Last night we had a kick-off party and traditional Hawaiian blessing. Some woman/priestess came and said a prayer. Then she had the cast, the directors, and the producers stick their right hands in a bowl of water and she said another prayer. Then she flipped water off of some huge leaves onto the crowd and blessed each of the main people individually. I was looking forward to it, but it turned out to be very excluding. We left early.

Aloha

I'm blogging today from my office on the island of Oahu. It's on the second floor of the Marriott Waikiki and has a view of the lobby, which is open to the outside and filled with greenery. It's a nice view, better than the one in my office in LA (no windows at all).

The plane ride was uneventful but it was dark and raining when we got in - kind of a bummer that. Have to say our first impressions were not that great. Honolulu looked like Ft. Lauderdale and Waikiki looked like Pigeon Forge. The hotel is nice, but our first room overlooked the parking garage and had only a queen bed. I had asked when we checked in for the "P" tower (names are way too long to type) that Kirby recommended, but was told they didn't have anything. When I saw the small bed in the "K" tower, I called and asked to be switched to any room w/ a king size. Surprise! They had a king size in the "P" tower available! It's a nicer room with a better view, if you go out on the balcony. The view straight out is buildings, but from the balcony you can see down the street to the beach.

Anyway, tropical depression Kenneth was moving across the islands and the weather report called for rain on Friday and Saturday, so I went into the office Friday and got a bunch of stuff done. Afterward, we drove around the east side of Oahu and saw the sights. It got dark, but we finally made it to a section of coast that looked like what we thought Hawaii would look like. Desolate and lush, with the ocean beating against the rocky shore. Can't wait to get back out there.

In movie news, we got Douglas. He's making a fairly modest salary for a mega-star, but his living allowance would make you choke. Let's just say that what he's going to make in one week would buy most cars. And this is on top of his salary. It's like making $50 a day for your job, but getting $35 to use as you see fit (these numbers in no way reflect his actual payments - I don't wanna lose my job).

Anyway, gotta get to work. The LA timecards are here and I want to get as much done while the husband is still asleep. We want to drive around some more, hit some book shops, maybe see Pearl Harbor today. Depends on the weather...

Don't Meet People in Bars

I heard the story today of how our construction foreman (Bob) in Hawaii wanted to hire a certain medic (Joe). Bob received a phone call from another medic's father (Dave) stating if Bob hired Joe, then all of the equipment and crew would not show up for work. Sure enough, the next day came and all of the stuff was gone and nobody showed up.

Bob got another call from Dave stating Bob should meet Dave at a bar. Bob shows up and there are half a dozen huge Samoans waiting for him. Bob buys everybody a beer and Dave tells him he needs to hire this other medic (who's sitting off to the side and isn't even Dave's son; turns out the son just doesn't like Joe). If Bob does as "asked", all of the equipment and crew would be back to work. Bob agrees, the Samoans leave (without drinking the beers) and the next day everybody and everything is back on track.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? If anybody wonders where organized crime went, try the movies.

Can Molly Have 2 Moms?

They're having a hard time finding someone big shot enough to play Mr. Thompson. So far Bridges, Douglas, and Baldwin have all passed on the part. I'm not sure why; it seems like easy money and the role is juicy - a backstabbing dad out to break up his daughter's marriage. Who wouldn't want that on their resume? Douglas is the hot choice, so they've decided to go back to him with even more money. Cause that what a mega-rich mega-star who doesn't want to be in the movie needs: more money. And the supervisor in Hawaii is worried the accounting office is going to spend too much on long distance...

Maybe they should have it be Ms. Thompson instead and get Goldie to do it. That would be funny.

Guilty: Part 2

This is Darby, our #3 cat. We got her from the pound in North Hollywood. She was about 2 years old at the time. The pound sent her to a crappy vet to be spayed and she got an infection. She was so sick after we picked her up, the one time she got out of the cat bed was to piddle in the corner, after which she promptly fell over. We had to take her to our regular vet and they kept her over the weekend and fixed her right up. But she was so mean when we brought her back home we almost took her back to the pound. She hissed and clawed and bit - she had no idea what "play" meant. We gave her 4 weeks to adjust and she finally came around. Not that she still isn't the meanest little kitty. She's just not always mean. You can't tell from this pic, but she has spots - we think she's a specially bred cat who either got out or wasn't perfect. In our world, Darby is Russian and has dreams of organizing the other animals into a communist utopia. Either that or putting them up against the wall. Could go either way. She seems to like the dog, but only because the dog is big and strong and stupid, which may be useful in the new regime.

Guilty: Part 1

The husband made me feel guilty last night for only posting a photo of Quincy, who's the #2 cat. He says I must like Quincy best since I haven't posted #1 and #3. This will fix that.
This is Baxter - he's the #1 cat. He's about 7 years old and a scaredy. He used to have little-bitty-kitty-head, because his body was so out of proportion to his head, but he's grown into a handsome boy. We were told he was a tortoise shell due to his markings, but others have said he's not. Whatever. I think he's a cutie pie. He used to be addicted to Nutrical, but that stopped when he got his pouch. We call it the "Pouch of Power." In our world, Baxter is a Bubba from Georgia who likes Nascar and wants to be a vampire slayer because of the cool dusters, like on tv.

No Bombs Here

There's no way a terrorist is going to get a bomb onto the Universal Lot unless they can hack into the parking pass computer. Those guards at the gates are strict. Even a misspelled name can keep you out.

The 1st assistant accoutant on this show is a guy, which isn't all that weird but he is younger than me. That is something to get used to...Anyway, his girlfriend is supposed to go to Hawaii with him this weekend for the start of his work over there. Well, her parents live in Houston and are having to evacuate because of Rita. She called him yesterday, crying, and was telling him all about it and how maybe she should fly down there instead of to Hawaii. Like a guy, he started in on 'what was she going to do down there?' and 'they'd just have one more person to worry about', etc. totally ignoring the fact she's CRYING and upset and just wants him to say it'll be ok. Boys.

I drove into work the other day behind a car that was crooked. I'm not sure how it could happen, but the rear end was a good 6 inches to the right of the front end. I could see the whole side of the car while I was directly behind it. What kind of bump or hole do you have to hit to make that happen? It was a total crap car but still, it's a good ton of metal that's driving down the street sideways.

Nancy got a slice of chocolate cream pie today from Marie Callender's. Not one of my favorite restaurants, btw - seems like an old person's place. She didn't think it tasted quite right, so she asked be to try it. The chocolate cream part was ok, not great, but the crust tasted like Crisco shortening. It was like eating crispy shortening. Blech. I thought she was going to heave when I told her that - it kind of made me queasy to think about it too. Anyway, she tossed the rest of the pie. I think 4 n 20 is the best for pies, hands down.

Rain in LA

It's raining today with thunder and lightning. I love a good storm. Usually a drizzle is enough for them to break out the doppler radar here and declare the "storm-tracker" is online. I guess if the land slid out from underneath you you'd be extreme about a bit of water, too. Whatever. I miss real thunderstorms. And seasons. And snow.

I didn't fell well yesterday and I don't feel that well today. The husband was good to me last night and went out and got orange juice. It helped at the time. And I felt ok when I woke up this morning, but when I started moving around I realized it wasn't over yet. I hope it doesn't last too long - going to Hawaii next week.

When I came into my office yesterday, I was convinced Hamilton was dead. He was sitting on the bottom, staring right at me and nothing was moving. I made Nancy come down and check and by the time she got here he was moving around. She said he was probably asleep. I think he's fucking with my head.

Not much going on at work right now. I promise to spread the gossip as soon as we have any.

Updates

This is Quincy, cat #2. My big task for this weekend is to get my photos off the laptop and into the desk top, and then into some format to share with everybody. I worked on this last weekend, but something glitched and all of the separate files ended up in one big file. Too much work involved in sorting them out, so I'm just going to burn each file by itself and transfer them one at a time. I do have some transferred, which is where Quincy comes in. Isn't he handsome? He has the longest whiskers I've ever seen.

The show is still going to Hawaii, but the schedule keeps changing. Looks like we'll have 8 days of shooting there instead of just 5 and there will be weekend work. Blech. At least we don't have to change the husband's ticket anymore. We're still leaving on the 29th and I know we'll have 2 days to play, but I'm hoping for 3. We'll see what happens.

I took Sofie to the groomers today. She jumped up onto my lap last night and I realized she stank. The husband, not known for his sense of smell, also told her she stank. So after an hour at the dog park running around in the mud and getting slobbered on by other dogs, off she went. I almost had them paint her nails, but I've been told that's not acceptable. She looks and smells much better, but we still have to file her nails - they're a bit ragged and scratchy.

I had to talk to the star's agent's assistant yesterday - Jordan. He seemed like a nice enough guy but I get annoyed with these assistants who take their jobs way too seriously. He wanted to "start a dialogue" about the client's payment. Whatever. It's not like I'm going to treat him differently now. The guy will get paid like everybody else - after he turns in all of his paperwork and signs his contract. Now, if he sent gifts, I may be persuaded...

The husband picked out a couple of good books for me today. I usually let him pick them out, since I'm so easily led astray but cover art. So far, there's only been one book that I can remember not liking enough to not finish. With a track record like that, I let him continue. We got one about Jim Henson and another about Vlad the Impaler and the Dracula legend (yes, it's fiction). I'm not sure which I'm going to read first.

Hamilton On The Bottom

I think I put too much dechlorinater in Hamilton's bowl yesterday. He's spent most of today sitting at the bottom, looking a little peaked. Whenever I drop food in, he struggles up to the top, then drops back down again. I changed the water as soon as I found out what the problem may be, but I hope it's not too late. We'll see if he's floating belly-up tomorrow.

Production has finally started paying for lunch. About time. I know it's a perk they don't get in the real world, but we're used to it here and we like it. Just call me Cracker.

Big Deal?

Now that we've pushed a week, I've been checking airfares and they've almost doubled. I cna't decide if it's a big deal or not. I mean, we're still flying 2-for-1 and we're still getting a free hotel room and per diem. So what if our cost has doubled. It's still a pretty good bargain.

Blog Spam

It's so hard to tell if someone has sent a real comment or just spam. I was excited yesterday to see that I had 3 comments, only to realize that 1 of them was just spam. Then I went home and the husband told me the other 2 were spam as well. I'm still not sure what to think. My ego wants to believe they are for real.

So far, the only people I know of who've written that absoluetly weren't spammers are Sped and the nice woman from Kansas. Which is fine. At least they seem to like what I'm talking about or have a question. Yes, I'd like to know more people are reading (haven't you read my bio?) besides my sister SID and the husband. But if that's the sum of my audience, so be it. I just don't want anybody's time wasted with spam.

Speaking of which, we're thinking of supplementing our income by taking Spam and peanut butter to Hawaii and selling it. We've heard the former is hugely popular and the latter is very expensive...

And Sofie ate 3 books yesterday. I took pictures of the one the husband didn't clean up. Just have to get the photos posted and we'll log Destructo's reign of terror.

Do Push!

Ignore what I said before. We are going to push. Not that it's that big a deal, more just a hassle to reschedule everything. And the change fee for the ticket.

But now we're going to be there for our 7th anniversary. And the hotel is the Marriott Waikiki Beach. Very nice, but I'd bet my paycheck that we'll be in the "city view" rooms (which still run $209 per night!). I think I'll book myself a spa treat since I'm not paying for the room.

I forgot to mention why we are pushing for a week... the actors finally got to town and did a read-thru (which is where everybody sits around a big table and literally reads through the script - I've never been to one but they always get the good craft service). Anyway, all 3 of the "stars" wanted to put their 2 cents in. Two of them are going to be "handled", but the third is also a producer so they've got to take his "questions" a little more seriously. I'm not really surprised by this, considering the version of the script I read. I just don't understand how a studio greenlights a project when the script isn't ready - this little push is going to cost us around a quarter of a million dollars.

Definition: craft service started out as a job title for the person/crew who provided cold drinks and minor snacks and picked up the trash. It's evolved to mean pretty much any food on a set that isn't provided by the caterers.

Daily Show

I keep meaning to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but it's on at the same time as Law & Order: SVU - to which I am sadly addicted. Well, that's going to change. My boss saw last night's show and another blog I read linked to it - both raved about it. I watched a couple of clips and they were totally right. There's no way I can miss out on the opportunity to keep informed of the day's events in such a hilarious way.

It helps that I can't stand W. I think he's like anyone else who's gotten promoted above their capabilities. You know how that goes... someone is really kick ass at their job and the honchos promote them. But they can't do better than they were doing and they fall flat on their faces. W at least has powerful friends to keep him from falling too far. Too bad for us. I can only hope the Democrats can find someone people are willing to get behind to beat whoever the Republicans throw out there. As much as I'd love to see a woman President, I don't think Hilary is a good choice. Too divisive.

I made Nancy a Loaded Goat Blueberry Cheesecake for her birthday. Once again my baking skills have proved exemplary. Yes, it really is called Loaded Goat. The recipe if out of the Aunt Bea cookbook of Andy griffith fame. The name refers to a goat in an episode that ate some dynamite. I have no idea what happened to the goat in the episode, but the cheesecake is damn fine. We decided not to share it with the rest of the office, but most of us are taking a piece home for our significant others. I even brought Lock n Lock for the husband's piece.

The Governator has a bill before him that would legalize same-sex marriage in California. I hope he signs it. There are couples out there who have been together for decades who aren't allowed in an emergency room with an injured partner because they're not a member of the family. How stupid is that? You'd think with all the tragedy in the world, with Iraq and Rwanda and New Orleans, that if 2 people can come together and be happy, it could only be a good thing. Sign it, Arnold.

Don't Push!

Although it's not been officially announced, it looks like we are not going to push a week. Apparently we can't afford to. Fine by me. I've got a ticket reserved for the husband, as well as car service to and from the airport. Hate to rearrange everything.

Only a little more than 2 weeks 'til Aloha!

We still don't know where we're shooting, though. There's talk of going to Turtle Bay, which is where Lost shoots. That'd be fine - I know people on that show that I haven't seen in years. They'll figure it out eventually.

Your movie ticket dollars at work, folks.

Still Lost

Even though the husband and I managed to unpack most of the stuff over the weekend, I still haven't found my shuffle. And I can't find my chinese take-out bag, either. I can't help but wonder if they are together and if someone took them. Man, that sucks. I have to pick through the cars one more time, but I'm afraid they're just gone. Sorry husband.

Got to Make a Change

I'm thinking about rejoining Weight Watchers or going to Overeaters Anonymous. I've got to do something to lose the 25 pounds I've gained since I got back from London. I'm exercising but my eating has been terrible and something's got to change. Working in this business can wreck anyone's resolve. There's non-stop food everywhere you turn. Maybe OA will help me get what I need.

I also need to stop watching/reading atuff about New Orleans. I'm just dumbstruck by what's going on down there and I really can't handle it anymore. It's like a car wreck and I'm a looky-loo. Why have these people reverted to roaming the streets in gangs? What good is that doing anybody? It makes me believe the worst about people, that when push comes to shove, more people are bad than good. Or maybe it's just a better news story to report the bad...

New Orleans

I'm at a loss over what's going on in New Orleans. It's just a horrible situation and I'm glad I didn't end up on the Costner/Kutcher show that was prepping down there.

What I can't help thinking, though, is when are the other countries of the world going to start pledging support and cash to help us out? If we had waited this long to fork over dough to someplace that suffered such a tragedy, our flags would be burned in protest. But we're at the top of the heap and nobody thinks we need the help, I guess.

I just heard they're predicting 100,000 dead.

Husband, I'm going to need a hug when I get home.

One Week Later

Just found out there's a good chance my show may push 1 week. What that means is the script isn't ready and they need more time. Not usually a problem but we have a plane ticket and car service booked. Hopefully they'll find out soon. That's what I get for trying to be prepared.

I have a friend who was working on a show in New Orleans. The studio chartered a jet and evacuated everybody. Don't know how much notice they had, but Kirby has a friend on a show down there who got 1 hour's notice. They had to leave all of their personal stuff behind. At least they're still alive.

Confetti Angel Food Cake

My oldest brother sent me 2 boxes of Betty Crocker's confetti angel food cake. I was so excited. This is something that we had when I was a little girl and I haven't seen one in a long time - they only seem to sell them in the northeast. It's really not anything special, but it means a lot. I used to help my mom make them, stirring the little confetti pieces into the batter. And she always turn the bundt pan upside down onto a Sprite bottle. I wish I had a bundt pan like hers. It had flat sides and a flat top. Mine's more typical with its curves.

I used one box yesterday and shared a piece with the husband. He thought it was okay, but seemed to understand it transcended mere taste. I'm not sure when I'm going to make the other one. It depends on how many more boxes my brother's going to send me!

Something Fishy

I've been hesitating to write about this because I think it'll make me sound like a loon, but I've decided the hell with it.

Everybody in accounting got betta fish last week. Mine is named Hamilton and he's very pretty, all sorts of colors from red to purple to blue to green. Anyway, Hamilton sits on a table in front of my desk where I can see him and he can see me.

We haven't been too busy lately, being 6 weeks out from shooting, so I've been spending a lot of time playing Freecell and Bejeweled and other video games. They can get kind of mesmerizing. Well, a couple of times while I've been playing and been zoned out, I've had the sensation that I was underwater. I could feel the pressure of the water and everything looked slightly wavy, but I could breathe just fine. It was weird, but I felt as if I had connected on some level to Hamilton and was experiencing the world the way he experiences it.

I know it sounds crazy, but it's what I felt and I can't dismiss it.

No Puppy For Sped

I got the message from Sped that she and her hubby couldn't take a dog right now. I totally understand how that goes.

If you want, I'll bring Sofie down to visit!

Cursed Show

I found out this morning that the tv show I was working on has had some really bad problems. The worst one involved a driver who was killed when another driver backed a truck over him. Just a terrible accident.

Then they were doing some explosions at a hotel. Turns out the hotel hadn't been cleared of civilians and when the stuff went off, it was bigger than expected. Nobody was seriously injured, but there were some cases of smoke inhalation and they're still getting bills for damages to the hotel itself.

I am so glad I got off that mess.

Dirty Secret

You'd be surprised at how many actors in Hollywood have herpes. I'm not talking about the sexually-transmitted kind. I'm talking about the cold-sore kind. Nobody in the real world ever seems to think about the consequence of all those kissing scenes, but that virus spreads.

How do I know this? I work in the accounting office and I've seen the bills come through for the medication. Yes, the actors submit their prescription receipts to be reimbursed when they're on a show. And yes, they get paid. Because if someone has a breakout, you either spend a lot of time trying to hide it or you lose shooting days. Both of those cost money. It's easier to pay for the meds and hope for the best.

Think about that the next time the people on screen are making out. They really are kissing everybody that other person has ever kissed, be it for work or for pleasure.

Sped, Your Dog Is Looking For You!

My boss forwarded me an email from a friend of hers who rescued a dog out of traffic about 2 months ago. Twenty minutes after the friend got the dog home, it gave birth to 8 puppies. They are a mix of golden lab and a kind of Austrailian dog that I've seen before, but don't know the name...
Anyway, they are 7 weeks old now and the landlord has given them until Friday to find homes. Don't know what will happen if they don't but I just love this little girl. Her name is Wiley Rose and I think Sped should adopt her! What do you think, Sped? Wanna be a puppy mommy?

Tix

Just booked the husband's ticket for the trip to Hawaii. It's weird only booking one knowing we will both be going... I made sure to give a copy of his reservation to the APOC so she could book me on the same flight through the studio. He's only going to be there for a week but I'm getting to stay for 17 days! I love my job! I'm hoping we get the chance to go to a luau or see a volcano - something exciting. Actually, considering the trip is only costing us the price of his ticket, a rental car, the dog's boarding, and whatever we pay the cat-sitter we don't really have to do all that much to make it worthwhile. But that doens't mean I want to sit in the hotel every night!

Dogs That Hump

I took Sofie to the dog park last night. She looked so bored I just couldn't stand it anymore. Sad to say, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped...

There were a lot of dogs there, at least 50. As soon as we got in the gate, Sofie was accosted by a Boston terrier and a brown scruffy mutt. Both of the made it their mission to hump her. I pulled them off and finally managed to pick her up, both of the boys jumping on me to try and get to her. I would walk away, then put her down and they would show up and start all over.

The owner of the scruffy finally showed up as I was once again pulling him off Sofie and actually asked me if she was going into heat. I just stood there looking at him until I managed to say she was fixed. He decided the boys were trying to "assert their dominance." Whatever. It's not like Sofie isn't the most passive, pathetic dog out there. She tends to just lay down and show her belly first thing.

So I pick her up and walk her to the other end of the park, where things go much better for a while. Then the scruffy finds us again and as I'm pulling him off of Sofie, I hear the owner yelling at me from across the park "let me do that, please let me do that." He's still saying it as he finally makes it to where we are. My comment is to say "Yeah, I couldn't wait that long." He grabs his dog by the cheeks and starts yelling at him to stop it. The dog actually yelps during this.

So, Sofie and I head off to another spot where she starts playing with scruffy's sister. At least, I think it's playing. They're running and jumping and all the other sorts of stuff dogs do. Now, I know that dogs play rougher than people do and that what we may think of as abusive is nothing to them. But when my dog jumps into my arms to get away from another dog, that's not playing.

If you take your dog to the park, keep an eye on it. If someone else's dog has to suffer while you make your way over, then maybe you should monitor more closely and gossip less.

If I see those 2 dogs again, I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep Sofie happy. Damn the owner.

Purpose

I started this blog as a way to remember my trip to London, then as a way to disseminate the "truth" about stuff that happens during the making of a movie. Now I'm thinking I should dedicate it to the destructiveness of my dog. The husband called to tell me that by 1pm (PST) she had eaten 3 dollar bills, a dvd, and a pair of panties. I guess we'll be puppy-proofing the house this weekend...

Lost the Shuffle

I've lost my Ipod shuffle. I had been using it at work but brought it home every night. Now I can't find it anywhere. The husband said he'd have a look for it, but I'm afraid it's gone. Just my luck...

Hawaii

So this show I'm working on is going to be shooting in Hawaii for a week and I get to go! It's so cool, I've never been there before and this way, I get to go for free. The show is paying to fly me over there, put me up in a hotel, pay me per diem, and pay my regular salary. The husband is going to come for at least the first weekend and we'll play tourist for a couple of days. Sometimes I really love my job!

It's Sofie!

I finally figured out how to post photos!

This is Sofie at 3 months - it's the snap of her the animal rescue used. Who could resist this face?

Say Hello To Hamilton

Yesterday, my boss and I went to the pet store and bought bettas. I'd been thinking about getting one for the office for a while and when I got here, Kirby had one. Although by the time I saw it on my first day, it was floating tail up. I had to ask if it was a real fish, just to make sure it had died... it had. The thing didn't even last a week. Anyway, he wanted another one and Donna and I decided we wanted one, too. So off we went. We picked out a dark red one for Kirby to replace the dead one (kind of like Arnold and Abraham), Donna got one that's kind of an orange-red, and mine is mostly blue with red and purple in the fins. He's also got a touch of green in the right light - almost iridescent. We also picked up these really cute betta tanks and some fake plants. Kirby's is named Juan Dos (the dead one was Juan), Donna calls her Karby, which is what her 2 year old son calls Kirby, and mine is Hamilton. I have no idea where the name came from, it just popped into my head. I couldn't think of any reason not to name him Hamilton, so there he is. I hope he lasts longer than a week.

Sofie ate through another harness last night. She's a menace, but so cute. I showed her picture to one of the APOC's here and she wants me to smuggle her onto the lot. Maybe, but's it kind of a hassle.

When One Phone Just Won't Do...

I took the husband to T-Mobile and got him a new phone on Friday. I felt like a moron telling the guy my dog ate the phone. Imagine how stupid I felt yesterday when I had to go back and tell the guy the same thing about my own phone. Yes, the dog ate my phone as well. It was working after she got her sharp little teeth on it, but I think she punctured the battery and it eventually died Saturday night. Now the husband and I have matching phones again. And a lot of phone chargers.

Family Photo

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last Thanksgiving and the whole family was there. Unfortunately, we managed to NOT get a family portrait taken.

I wrote to the siblings a couple of months ago and suggested we try to meet up at Christmas and have one taken as a surprise. Didn't hear much back from people. I tried again this week, since I'm working now and can't make it home until New Year's. One brother said he couldn't make it then (because he had a job, too), so I wrote back that if one person wasn't going to be there, then that was that. It wasn't going to happen. Then another brother wrote and asks if we're cancelling Christmas! Sometimes they aren't the brightest. The first brother then writes to suggest that we all send him a photo of ourselves and he'll photoshop us into one picture. Moron. I didn't even respond to that one.

Destructo Strikes Again!

The dog ate the husband's cell phone yesterday. I should start posting pics of the damage she causes.

The Million $ Notepad

I was telling my new boss (DGH) about this yesterday and realized it would be a good story to post.

I was working on a show for the mouse a couple of years ago and the star of the movie didn't like the script. She requested a rewrite from a specific writer, a woman who has a lot of clout but only 1 really good credit to her name (in my opinion). The woman was paid a million dollars for this rewrite, far more than the original writer had been paid. She delivered her draft on a Friday. By Monday, another writer had been hired and the copies of the script were recycled into notepads for the production and accounting offices. Yes, it was that bad.

And the star? She ended up dropping out of the project to do something else.

Now you have some idea why ticket prices keep going up.

Day 2

So far, and it's only the 2nd day, I like this new job. The people seem friendly and professional, but still able to have a good time. I got stuck in an inside office with the future clerk. No windows and the possibility of a psycho, but I've got plenty of wall space to make it homey. I managed to mess up my phone while rearranging my desk, but it seems to still be working.

We're not on the Universal lot, but we're right outside the gate and we have a golf cart to take us up to the commisary or for coffee. I've been here before, so I'm not that excited about the studio store. They don't have very good deals on DVD's, but I think the music may be better priced. There's always the Panasonic store... I may check their prices on a couple of things.

Sofie has earned her super-villain name of "Destructo." I'm amazed at the number of things she has managed to destroy with her sharp little teeth. Last night she pulled a couple of candles out of a basket and ripped the packaging to shreds. I was sure the candles would be gnawed, but she seemed to prefer the tissue paper and plastic bag. Weird dog.

Big Bear

The husband and I took Sofie up to Big Bear on Thursday. It turned out to be a great trip, although it started out badly. The Jeep sprang a leak (radiator) and started overheating pretty badly. We had to backtrack down to a gas station and buy some coolant. Everything eventually went back to normal and we made it up the mountain. It was cool and rainy up there, but that was a nice change of pace from home. Sofie seemed to enjoy it, but it could just be she was glad to get out of the car. That was the longest car ride she'd ever taken and while she did really well, she wasn't thrilled.

We took her down to the lake to see if she liked the water. She was hesitant at first, not sure what to do. But I walked out with her and she got used to it pretty quick. She even laid down in the water! Then she noticed the ducks and seemed to think barking at them would make them come closer. I think she would have tried to swim out to them if I had let her. But not gonna happen. We took her back to the cabin and tried to dry her off, but she still smells a bit like the lake.

The trip home wasn't a lot of fun. We kept stopping to put coolant in the car and since we didn't want to make it worse, we barely ran the A/C even though it was 100 degrees in the Inland Empire. Sofie was sleepy and panty almost the whole way. We took the Jeep over to the shop, but we haven't heard what the problem is or how much it'll cost to fix. Maybe we'll end up getting the new car sooner rather than later...

KB from my new show called on Friday to tell me where the office was and how to get on the lot. He seems like a nice guy - we'll see. I hope he's not one of those people who think payroll answers to the first. I hate that. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He did ask for a recommendation for a 2nd and I gave him Nancy's info. I hope it works out - it'd be great to work with her again.

Got to go now - Target and Ralph's are calling. I have to get cat food. I ran out putting extra food down for our Big Bear trip and they ate most of it - furry little pigs. I had to put out treats last night and that always ends badly.

Luck Dog Day Part 2!

I thought yesterday was it, but my boss hates doing payroll so much she had me come back for one more day. Not that I have anything to do, but I'm trying to keep myself busy. Mostly by sorting through the miscellaneous papers that seem to appear at the end of a show.

I also found out yesterday they allow dogs here. Most studios are very strict about letting dogs onto the lot. I guess it's a fear of lawsuits if the dog bites someone. Plus, most people don't seem to understand the concept of "curbing." Anyway, I met Lola - a big, beautiful, sweet mutt. I seriously considered bringing Sofie to work today, but I realized she's much too young and hyper. She'd go crazy. So she stayed home. I am going to take her by my old job tomorrow so she can say hi to them. Have to call first and make sure the Producer isn't in - she doesn't like dogs. But I think thats about all Sofie can handle - a quick visit.

I guess I'd better email BG and let her know I've taken that Universal show. I've been putting it off but since I start Monday, she'd better find out.

Lucky Dog Day!

I'm not as glad to be leaving this job as I was the Showtime job. Man, that one sucked. But as much as I don't like the crap I've had to deal with on this reshoot because of the fast pace, I've really enjoyed the people I've been working with. Except for the PA. Now, I'm willing to cut any newbie some slack, but how many times do I have to tell him that I'm not authorized to call in a drive-on to the Disney lot? And hasn't anybody told him that the PA gets lunch? It still cracks me up to think about him giving his pad thai order to the accountant. Oh well. He'll either make it or he won't.

The husband and I are were going to take a day and go up to Santa Barbara, but I checked my dog guide and there aren't many places that allow dogs up there. Maybe we should go to Big Bear instead. It'll be cool and green and they like dogs. We'll see, since I still have to finish the unpacking. Ugh.

I did manage to finish the new Harry Potter book. I liked the ending. If it's really true, then I say about time. Harry needs to get out there and kick some ass. He's going to have to come to terms with his dark side before he can win and he can't do that with the old man around. Yep, sounds a bit like Star Wars, doesn't it? Not the new crap or the revisions. The 1977 classic.

Gotta get back to work. Still have people to call so they can get paid. I hate being a babysitter. Nobody in the real world has someone calling them to let them know they haven't filled out all of the paperwork. But what a hassle if someone doesn't get paid. Just not worth it.

Catch Up

I finally saw Jodie Foster yesterday. The PA spotted her out in the street talking to a couple of people and we all got up to look. Our office is on the second floor so she didn't see us. It's always weird to me how we can work on these things and not see the actors until some totally random time. Anyway, she looked like a regular person. No big deal.

While I was at Comic-Con, I helped Sped out with a little project. She's friends with the woman who was in charge of the Lucasfilm booth and they needed to come up with a "professional" photographer asap. Natalie Portman had agreed to come down and have her picture taken with some fans, but they didn't have anybody lined up to take the pics. So Sped called me, knowing I'm not the kind of person to get starstruck. As it turned out, the convention sent a professional, but I still got to help with the film loading and getting people out the door. It was kind of interesting to watch people whose lives don't normally intersect with celebrities. The fans weren't told she was coming, they were just given a ticket and told to come back at a certain time. Some people looked really surprised and a few people cried. I haven't been like that in a long time and I think there are only a very few actors who could make me like that... maybe Michael Caine or Sean Connery.

SSDD

I have to add reshoots and additional photography to my list of projects to try to avoid. Too much work in such a short time...

I finally got a job. Not the George Clooney project, though. I still haven't heard back from them, but that's ok because I'll be doing a Universal show that may take me to Hawaii for 3 weeks. I got a phone call on Thursday from DG, whom I've never worked with before. While we were talking, she got a phone call from a mutual friend, Terri, who raved about me to her. When she got back on the line with me, she said if Terri recommended me, she was going to offer me the job without an interview. I took a couple of hours, then called her back and accepted. I figured if the Clooney people hadn't called, they probably didn't want me. Whatever. The new show is closer to home and will star Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, and Owen Wilson. Should be interesting. And DG has some great credits to her name. May be a good one to hook up with.

Went to the cast and crew screening of Sky High last night. It's better than I thought it was going to be, but probably won't make a lot at the box office. Maybe it'll do better on DVD. Saw a lot of people that I hadn't seen in months, which is always nice. Even saw Barbara. Told her I wasn't doing SC3 and she was so excited by that I didn't have the heart to tell her I had taken another show already. I did tell her I had interviewed, so I'll drop an email and let her know by then end of the week.

I've been having really weird dreams lately and I'm thinking of blogging them. Not sure yet, though, since I don't usually remember them for long and if I do it's because they were bad dreams.

Have I talked about Comic-Con yet? I'll have to look back and see before I write about it. Don't want to repeat myself (shut up husband).

Got to have lunch now and get back to work. I have another stack of start paperwork and timecards to process for everybody who's done wrapping.

No More Reshoots

Yes, I get to do a film with Sean Bean and Jodie Foster, but please remind me never to do reshoots again. This is way too crazy.

At least I can keep on Virginia's good side after bailing on SC3...

A Good Movie This Time?

I drove to San Diego last Wednesday for Comic-Con (more on that later). I realized that with 2pm traffic, it took me over 30 minutes to get to Downey (and that was just the freeway exit). In rush hour, it'll probably take 60-90 minutes. I was not happy.

Then Thursday morning, I got a phone call from a woman looking for a payroll accountant for a GEORGE CLOONEY movie! Woo Hoo!

I told her I didn't have anything yet (big lie), then called and bailed on the SC3 job. He wasn't happy, but I blamed it on the commute. I wasn't going to make enough money to compensate for the 2 hours added on to my normal 10-12 hour day. Besides, I never actually accepted the job. He just assumed I would take it.

Had my interview today, should know soon. Wish me luck.

How Many Clauses?

I saw the first Santa Clause movie, but not the second. Now that I'm going to work on #3, I guess I'd better Netflix it. Somebody's going to ask. But I'd have to say that if I was Tim Allen's character, I'd have looked at that contract pretty damn close after I found out there were hidden clauses in it. How many times can he be forced to do something? When will it all go straight to video? But as long as they're paying my rate...
My husband is happy to point out that my streak of working on crappy movies hasn't been broken. I have to disagree - we have different taste in movies. I liked Freaky Friday and I got a really great statue from it.

Got my hair done today - gone red again. I wish I'd been born a redhead, but no luck. Then again, they have a lot of freckles and issues with thinning. I'll just have to stick to dye. I like to get it really red, fire-engine red. My hair fades out fast, though, so it doesn't last that color for long. This time we went for a blend of the one I liked and the one I knew the husband would like. Turned out pretty well. Now if I can just get it to grow out.

I was walking Sofie yesterday and this woman on a cell phone points at me and says "mutts." I didn't quite realize what she was saying, if she was even talking to me, until I remembered I had on my Patrick McDonnell t-shirt from the comic strip. Turns out she knows him. Small world.

Going to Comic-Con this weekend in San Diego. I hope we have a good time. It can be fun, but it can also be a pain in the ass. I'm hoping to meet up with the director's assistant from Sky High, since they'll be there on Friday, but I'm sure they don't plan on staying for long. That movie looks like it's not going to break my streak, either.

That's about it. I need to go to JoAnn's and pick up a zipper for my costume. And I'll need to go to Cinema Secrets and get some spirit gum. Should have gone after getting my hair done, they're right across the street.

I'm Outta The Bath Now

I have been pretty busy these past few days. I'm still trying to get some stuff done around the condo while we have it packed up for the Pergo. I do love my Pergo, but I'm sick of the rest of it. I've put off the maid until Tuesday, so that's my deadline.

I painted the one wall in the study a really nice blue, but it came out really blotchy. I'm not sure what happened. But it's good enough because most of it will be covered by bookcases, which I finally got from Ikea today. I'm planning on putting all of the paperback books on them. All 14 boxes. Unfortunately, the cases aren't working out as I had hoped. They don't have enough shelves and the support holes aren't spaced right for paperbacks. I'm just going to have to make the best of it. Maybe I can order more shelves? Maybe I can drill extra holes? I'll figure it out. I just really want to get it done. I'm not a neat freak, but I hate living in this chaos.

I did have a job interview yesterday. It's for The Santa Clause 3. I hadn't realized the 2nd one had done that well, but who can figure out what a studio's going to do? It sounds like an ok job, not too difficult and they'll meet my rate. The biggest drawback is that it's in Downey. I'm not even sure where that is. I know it's south of downtown LA, which probably means an hour commute each way. At least. I left without an offer, but then got a phone call where the accountant said he'd talked to the studio about me and as far as he was concerned, I would be starting with him on the 25th of July. Huh. It'd be a nice long show, with 3-4 months of prep and a 60 day shoot, then 4 weeks of wrap. But the commute! I'm just not sure. You can totally believe it if somebody tells you they've turned down a job in LA solely based on where the office is located. Sometimes it's just not worth it. Then again, I've heard some stories about T.A. and I'd be interested to see if they're true! Might be good for the blog.

As for the bath, I think I've found my bootcamp. I've been twice and I am so sore. The bath helped a lot.

If We Peed Like Dogs

I've been wondering lately what it would be like if humans peed like dogs. Sofie pees for a long time, but she always has some left over to mark her territory while we're out on walks. I'm pretty sure I always empty my bladder every time, but what would it be like if I noticed someone, say at work, come out of another stall while I was washing my hands? If I didn't like that person I guess I would have to wait until she left and then go into that stall and pee into it and make it "mine." Weird.

And I was right about the guilt - didn't even come close to working. Actually I'm not sure he even knew I had been trying until he read the post.