Slick Roads

It's raining here in LA, which means the "storm watch" is on. It's sad the way a little rain is such a big story, but with run-off and erosion problems from the fires, slides can happen pretty quickly.

Anyway, I saw an accident on the way to work this morning. A small teal Ford something slid into the back of a Range Rover at a red light. There was a loud squeal followed by the equally loud thunking of metal into metal. I don't think the RR guy would have known he'd been hit at all if it wasn't for the noise...

The little teal car was kind of bad - the hood was crinkled up and the left wheel well was bent. The driver couldn't even get the door open at first. But nobody seemed to be hurt and I hope it all gets worked out ok.

They're having a little casting session this morning and the office is full of hopefuls - men in suits and women in short skirts and high boots/heels. They're set up in the kitchen right across the hall from me and it's kind of fun to watch. I could never be an actor - I have enough problems with body image without losing jobs because of how I look.

Darby One-Fang One-Eye

Darby's had a weeping/winky eye all weekend and the husband took her to see Dr Liz today. I asked him to call me if it was something serious because I worry about my kitties. He told me it was going to be nothing and I shouldn't expect to hear from him.

So when he phone rings and it's him, I'm convinced it's bad news.

"We have to get her an eye patch because she's losing vision in that eye" he says.

I start to wig out.

"It's just a scatch, she's got some drops, $75 please" he says.

I'm confused.

Turns out it's nothing but a scratch, just like we thought and he figured he'd make me panic.

Ha ha

It wouldn't be so bad except the last time something like this happened, I really did break her fang off.

1 Gallon

I donated blood yesterday and it was my 8th pint for SoCal Red Cross. I got a nifty little 1 Gallon Donor pin to commemorate it. As I figure it, I can donate 8 times a year and be a gallon donor every year until I die. I'm pretty sure that's a noble goal, just not sure how feasible it is. But since I'm O- I'll go for it. Too bad I'm going out of town for so long. Maybe I can schedule my visits home to coincide when I can donate again.

And I know I've donated more than a gallon, since I first started in high school, but I guess they only count what they get here. Too bad. I'd probably be at 2 or 3 gallons by now.

Reading List

If anyone knows how to alter the sidebar to add a reading list, please let me know. I've looked in the help guide and quickly flash back to college computer classes - which I failed miserably. It's all code and gobbledy-gook that I can't quite figure out.

Sofie the Fashionista

It's cold here in SoCal. Now, I know it's not as cold as in some parts of the country, like in East Tennessee where my parents hit 18, but when you're used to high 70's most of the year, then anything below 60 is cold.

Anyway, I take Sofie for her first walk around 5am every morning and when it got cold, I started putting a shirt on her. She doesn't like to wear her shirts and tends to chew them up, but I figured if I needed 2 jackets and gloves, she could probably use a little t-shirt. I always take it off when we get back in the house so she can't eat it.

Yesterday, I didn't take her shirt off until we had gotten back to the bedroom and I left it in the bathroom for some reason. This morning, I didn't want to go back for it so I grabbed the harness and called her over. Usually, I say "paws" and she stands up on her back legs and I take her front paws and slide the harness on. Today she just sat and looked at me. I couldn't get her to come near me, much less offer up her paws. What did it take to get Sofie out of the house this morning? A shirt - she didn't budge until I got one out for her. As soon as I came back with it, she walked to me and put one paw in the air. So it seems the shirts are a hit, but only when it's cold and dark outside.

It's Over W/ Spidey

Got a call from Spidey 3 - they still need someone to work 2 days a week for them (starting in 3 weeks). Too bad it won't be me. Not that I'm broken up about it - I need a full-time job, thank you very much.

I Won The Lottery!

It's only $100, but I did win. The guy I'm working with now has a home in Arizona and he went there over the long weekend. He offered to by lottery tix for anybody who wanted one and I had him get me 5. Turns out I matched 3 numbers and the powerball, so that's $100. Whoo Hoo! I know exactly what I'm going to do with the money, too...

Drowning

Growing up, my family had an above ground pool. It was about 4' deep in the "shallow" end and about 6' deep in the "deep" end. I can remember a time when I didn't know how to swim and I would amuse myself by walking the perimeter of the pool, up on the 4" wide railing. When I was about 6, I was walking around while my brothers and their friends played in the water. I got to the point where the pump hose came up over the rail and as I stepped to go over it, I slipped and fell in.

I vividly remember how it felt to hang there in the water, not even trying to swim. My arms were limp but over my head and my hair was swaying with the movement of the water. I saw my brothers' friends bodies and legs, and remembr picking out Brad C - I had a crush on him. It never occurred to me that I was drowning or that I might die.

The next thing I know, I'm flying over the railing and landing in my dad's arms. Someone had spotted me and thrown me out - never did find out who... Anyway, about a week later, my dad drained the pool and we all got in to scrub it clean. Then, as they refilled it with water from the garden hose, I stayed in and learned to swim. I didn't really have any lessons, it was just a matter of letting the rising water teach me what to do. And yes, someone was keeping an eye on me.

After that, I swam like a fish. My dad taught me how to dive (by holding my feet down and tipping me over into the water) and we worked our way up to diving off a high dive that was 5 or 6' above the water. Into a 6" deep pool. I'm not saying we were smart, but it was fun. We would dive almost straight down, then skim along the bottom of the pool to the far side where we would practically bang into the wall as the made our way to the surface. It's amazing we didn't break our necks.

Dog Park

Took Sofie to the dog park today, actually we've taken her all 3 days this holiday weekend. It's a good way to wear her out... There was an Irish Setter there that the husband said looked like his old dog Sandy - really pretty.

Sofie can be a bit of a bully when it comes to dogs smaller than herself. We have to make sure whoever she's playing with is holding their own. A lot of owners don't do that - there was a puppy yesterday that must have weighed 40 lbs who wouldn't leave Sofie alone. He kept chasing her and she couldn't even stop to get a drink of water. I had to keep picking her up so she could catch her breath. I know dogs play rough and it can look worse than it is, but when one dog is playing and the other dog is running and/or hiding behind mom and dad, that's too much.

Mostly Sofie just likes to run. I'm going to have to see if I can get some video of her running in circles and post it.

Santa Fe, NM

Even though I was 30 minutes late for my interview yesterday (due to a mix-up with the city the office was in), they offered me the job. I'm going to be the payroll accountant for Used Guys starring Jim Carrey and Ben Stiller.

I'm pretty excited about it - it'll be the biggest thing I've done. It's a 90 day shoot, which is about 30 days longer that PDII - and that was over by 9 days. The only real concern I have is I have to be in Santa Fe by March 20th and I won't be back in L.A. until the end of July. The first 35 days of shooting and all of the prep are there. I'm going to miss my husband and my dog (the cats are coming with me). Don't know yet what to do about Hamilton...

This will probably be the only location show I do and I may regret taking it, but I have to find out for sure. I've met a lot of people in the industry who have done location shows and they've traveled the world, from Morocco to Dubai, Toronto to Prague. I have to make sure I don't ever resent not having the opportunity to do the same. I know Santa Fe isn't that big a deal, it's not some exotic foreign country. But it's different enough from what I'm used to yet close enough to come home on the weekends or for the husband to drive to on his own for an extended stay.

And this is going to ruin Comic-Con. We just don't think it'll work out for me to try and be gone for 4 days without any replacements available. The husband may go on his own for a day, but we'll see.

There's a lot to do before we go. It's weird to think that 4 weeks from right now we'll be in the car driving to NM. Should be fun, especially if we take Hamilton, too.

Guilty Pleasure

As much as I hate to be predictable, I like candles. My husband doesn't understand my fondness for candles and thinks it's a gender thing. He once went to an office party where so many candles were exchanged they were banned from the gift list in the future.

Anyway, I'm always looking for good ones or cheap ones or pretty ones. When I find something special, I take it to work and show it off. I also burn my candles - I have yet to find one so spectacular than I just couldn't burn it. Candles have to smell good while being burned. I've had plenty that smelled great in the container but you couldn't smell a thing when lit. And I've had candles that turned rank when lit, that made people come to my office door and ask me to blow it out (usually long after I've already done so, but the odor remains...)

Erdedo gave me a couple of candles for my birthday and they are just about the best I've had so far. She used them when she was selling her house and apparently people commented on how good her house smelled. I totally believe it. They are the sugar shaker candles from the Swan Creek Candle Co (in almond biscotti and cinammon spice). I took the almond to work and every day someone comments on how nice my office smells. I've checked out their website and they aren't that expensive, but there are so many flavors to choose from I'm going to have a tough time. Thanks E!
www.swancreekcandle.com

Job Interview

I got an email from the woman I did the Flightplan reshoots with - she had given my name to a friend of hers. So now I have an interview tomorrow morning for Used Guys, a futuristic comedy that's supposed to star Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey. Sounds pretty good, except for the fact it starts shooting in Sante Fe, NM for the first 35 days (it's a 90 day shoot, which would be my longest). I've talked to the husband about it and he seems okay with it, but I'm worried he's not really and just doesn't want to rain on my parade. I know I turned down the Disney film in Sante Fe, but this one has a much better cast. That's really the whole point of it - if I'm going to go on location, it has to be for something worthwhile. Of course, this could all be for nothing. I haven't been offered the job.

In other news, I've started looking for a new trainer and the first one I contacted is a schmoron. Man, she just can't buy a clue. I made it really clear that I have to work out from 6-7 in the morning and she told me she just got a client for that time, then asked when I wanted to meet. I wrote back that I had to have that timeslot because of work, so she needed to make sure she'd be able to fit me in, then I suggested Monday night to meet. She wrote to ask what day I want to train, and I wrote that she needed to tell me her new client's schedule so I could try and work in. Turns out only Saturday is available. Then she asked me what day for the consult. I once again said Monday and she said that wouldn't work for her (she'd known since my 2nd email that I wanted to meet Monday and acted like it was a surprise). By now, I'm pretty much over her and told her my schedule was jammed up and I'd have to get back to her. She then wrote to tell me she had a training session on Wednesday at 8:30am and she'd come early for me - at 8am. I wrote one last email where I said that I had told her I had to leave by 7 to get to work on time, so 8 wasn't going to cut it. I know I'm not relating it very well - I should have saved the emails. But come on, how clueless was this woman? I spelled it all out for her several times and only one thing at a time seemed to sink in, then the second bit pushed out the first one. It was so frustrating. And I still don't have a trainer.

But I have been going to the gym!

The Truth!

Today is the first time I have ever heard a movie exec say an actor is bad. I can't really go into it anymore than that, but it is someone on my new show and it's not Jackson.

At the moment, I'm sitting in my temp office waiting to move over to the other lot. Too bad. I have a desk that looks out onto the Hollywood Hills. Not that I can see much more than a bunch of homes that'll come tumbling down the hillside in the next big quake, but the sky is blue and the trees are swaying in the breeze. If I'm not careful, though, it makes it seems as if I'm the one swaying. Hope the other office has a window...

Smoky Mountains

This is a photo I took in 2004 of the Smokies in Tennessee up near Cumberland Gap. It needs a bit of cropping, but I think it's quite pretty.

Bad Kitty

I just busted Baxter trying to eat Hamilton. I put the bowl on the lowboy right next to the front door because I thought it was too dark in the bedroom for the fish - he seemed to be sleeping all the time. I'm just a few feet away in the breakfast nook/wife-home-office catching up on blogs when I hear a noise I think is Sofie eating something. When I get up to look, Baxter jumps down from the lowboy and scurries off. I look at Hamilton's bowl and the water is sloshing around. It took me a minute to spot him in the bowl, he was hiding out at the bottom poor thing. Now that I think about it, I did wonder why the mail and stuff up there kept ending up on the floor all weekend. Baxter's been at it for a while with no success. Says a lot about his hunting prowess.

Of course, the husband almost did in the fish yesterday. We came back from walking the dog and he dropped the leash on the lowboy, not noticing the hook had dropped into the bowl. I'm sure Hamilton thought it was some sort of death coming to get him. He was hiding out under his red plant when I noticed it. Good thing I'm going back to work tomorrow. I don't know how much longer Hamilton can take this kind of abuse.

The Biggest Loser

I got up this morning with the intention of going to the casting call for The Biggest Loser. I had watched the show on Wednesday and had convinced myself that it was the perfect and only thing for me. I wanted the isolation and forced workouts in order to lose the 40 lbs I gained last year.

Casting started at 10am, but I was going to be there at 8. Well, by the time I got myself ready and got gas in the Vespa, it was 9 before I drove up to NBC studio. The line of people was down the block and around the corner. I drove down the street, looking at all the fat people standing there and just kept going. I couldn't make myself join that line and say to the world that I was too lazy or weak to do for myself what the tv show would do, or that I had already done once. Plus, it's not the real world and no matter what happens there, you still have to go back to your life and deal with all of that. I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain anything - I have to do this the right way and go step by step, knowing in the end that it was all me.

So I went to my Weight Watchers meeting instead. I weighed in, but asked the woman not to tell me what the scale said. I think I need to not focus on the numbers for a while (the husband already hid or threw out our scale at home). And I'm meeting with a trainer next week sometime. So I'm back in the saddle again. I've got to stop giving food a moral value and just think of it in terms of points. I can eat whatever I want if I stay within my points - there's no such thing as cheating anymore. Don't wish me luck, wish me good health.

Back to Work

I got the job on Snakes and I start on Monday. It'll go thru either the 17th or 24th of March, so I'm covered for a bit. Of course, I haven't gotten much of my list done... guess I'll have to spread it out over the weekends and get a little done at a time. Right now, I'm going to go see what kind of painting supplies I've got and see if I can finish the kitchen.

How Cool Is It?

I had my interview today for Snakes On A Plane. The accountant and the 1st both seemed really nice and I think I'll get the job as long as it actually gets a green light (is that one word or two?). I should know tomorrow, then start on Monday or Tuesday. Luckily they're going to shoot at The Lot (where I did the Flight Plan reshoots) instead of LA Center Studios. A much better drive for me.

Apparently, the snakes in the movie, both the real and the animatronic, don't look scary enough, so they're going to do some visual effects shots. Should make it fairly straightforward. But I know that'll never happen. It's always a ridiculous thing in the end.

And as for the title, I heard that during shooting it caused some trouble getting locations due to the very real possibility of having snakes show up. To make matters easier, they came up with a fake name - Pacific Air 121. Sam Jackson is reported to have said that they had better go back to Snakes, because it was just too cool. I have to agreee. It sounds hokey at first, but it grows on you.

Spidey 3 Not For Me

The commute to Sony totally sucked - took me an hour and 15 minutes. I've had worse commutes, but I haven't had to leave the valley for work since 2001 and I'm so not used to it. It's hard enough being at work 10-12 hours a day, but to be in my car for 2 more hours is too much.

Anyway, the interview went well, but I found out when I got there that the job description had changed. It turned out they only wanted someone for 1 or 2 days a week - they didn't think they had enough work for 4 people. I agreed, seeing as how they already had 2 payroll accountants and a payroll clerk. Turns out the 2nd payroll person had decided not to leave after all. She's a TV person and had wanted out, but then changed her mind. So I drove down there for nothing except the opportunity to meet new contacts. I really did like AR, but I told her I needed something full time. Not to say I wouldn't be interested in picking up a day a week to make some extra money and see what a big show is like... We'll see what happens.

Drove over to Pasadena for lunch with Nancy. She invited me out for my birthday. I got a tour of her new house, which is nice and with all the improvements they've made and plan to make, will be beautiful. We went to Dave & Buster's for lunch. The husband and I have a soft spot for D&B's going back to Atlanta and I was glad to hear there was one in Arcadia. We hated driving all the way out to Ontario for our fix.

Anyway, while we were at lunch I got a call for some reshoots on "Snakes on a Plane." The UPM from Dupree recommended me, which is nice since I wasn't sure he liked me. Although, I do remember telling him how much I hated doing reshoots, so maybe he doesn't like me that much... I emailed my resume and we'll see what happens with that. Nancy thinks I should take that one, since it would look cool on my resume, even though she said it sounds like a porno. Samuel L. Jackson stars - that is cool.

Went back to Nancy's and chatted for a bit. Her puppy girls are so sweet (Cocoa and Bailey, lab mixes and sisters). If we had a yard, I would so want a 2nd dog. But no more pets. Have to wait for the cats to kick off before we get anymore pets.

Job Interview

I have an interview today for Spider-Man 3. A couple of people have already given me recommendations, but we'll see what happens. I still have to hear the details of the job before I'm even sure I'll want it. I'd really like to get on something this big, just to see what's it's like. But I'm not going to take on something that'll just make me miserable. And I have to find out if there's any location work...JT mentioned New York and/or Cleveland. Don't know what's up with Cleveland, but that's movie making for you.

TGIH (Thank Goodness I'm Home)

I couldn't get my last blog to post when I wrote it, so I just put it thru now. Sorry about any confusion.

We got home about 3pm yesterday and went over to pick up Sofie. She wasn't as excited as we thought she would be. Actually, she seems to have picked up a little bit of something. She was really tired and her nose was warm and dry. I don't think she ate that much while we were gone - she seems to have dropped 3 or 4 pounds, but I don't know for sure. We're going to have to fatten her up a bit.

The husband and I are still tired. It sucks that it takes so long to recuperate from traveling. I crawled into bed last night to take a nap at 7pm and didn't wake up until 4:20am. I tried to take a nap this afternoon with him, but he started snoring and I didn't want to wake him up. At least I don't have to worry about going off to work tomorrow.

Have a ton of stuff I want to do while I'm off:
1) paint the study
2) paint the living room
3) finish painting the kitchen
4) finish the bookcases
5) swap out the dvd shelving
6) put in a closet organizer
7) rearrange the furniture
8) rework my desk area
9) take out the shower doors in the guest bath
10) paint the kitchen cabinets
11) paint the bedroom
12) paint the master bath
13) get a side table
14) get a mantle piece

That's all I can think of for now and I'm sure only about 1/4 of it will actually get done, especially if I only have this 1 week off...but I have to do what I can while my days are free. It's so easy though to just goof off.

Back To Atlanta

We're on our way back home. We got up this morning and went by McKay's one last time. I didn't have a credit on Mama Flora's Family so we traded it in and the husband used up everything we had left. I really do wish we could have a book store like that in L.A. Then we drove to Lenoir City and went to the cemetary to leave a lighter from Hawaii for Betty. We didn't stay long, but it was still pretty hard.

On the drive to Atlanta, I read the revisions the husband made to his old script and the first 40 or so pages of his new one. Both met with my approval and it had nothing to do with the moon pie the husband bought...

We stopped at Back Yard Burger for lunch. Love that place - totally better than In-N-Out. We took the food over to where the husband used to work - they have a lake and picnic tables. Fed the geese and the mutant duck bread and fries. Then we went around to a couple of comic shops and book stores. We were in one when the guy from the Fox pilot. He didn't say much about the project, just asked what my rate was. I told him, he told me what he had to offer and I said no. So much for the Fox pilot. Then we hooked up with some old friends for dinner at The Dwarf House, the original Chick-fil-A. I love that place, too, probably more than Back Yard Burger. The Dwarf House started in 1946 and I had always wanted to eat there. We sat under the moving artwork where the 7 dwarves go around in a circle from their house to the mine and back. It's kitschy and cute and I loved it.

Anyway, I really liked living in Atlanta, but I'm not sure I could come back here. It seems very crowded and chaotic, which seems silly to write knowing I live in Los Angeles. But that's how it feels. Maybe I'm looking for the old place from 6 years ago. Nothing stays the same though. I'm sure if we came back I'd figure out the new place and feel right at home in no time. But L.A. is my home. It's what I mean when I say I'm glad to be going home. It's where my life is, for better or for worse.

Knoxville

It's Thursday and today is our last full day in town. We've been to McKay's twice and managed to pick up as many books to take home as we brought. Which is fine since it was all in trade and we didn't spend a dime. I went out with my sister yesterday afternoon. She took off work early and we had lunch and went shoe shopping. She needed black pumps and I just like to look. I did end up getting a pair of brown loafers, though. It was nice hanging out with her. No pressure, just relaxing. We drove around and looked at the new housing going up - huge houses on big lots that cost little more than my 1400 sq ft condo. How depressing. She also took me over to the Catholic school where my dad had donated a mosaic of the saint it's named after. It's actually very nice and it's to be dedicated to my grandparents on both sides.

Today I'm having lunch with Sped's mom and Erdedo, who will probably be bringing her littlest one with her. I hope Ma doesn't mind but I wouldn't have had time to see both of them otherwise (we've been spending the evenings with my parents). I'm sure it will be fine, since Erdedo, Sped, and I all grew up together.

Part of the reason for coming home was to pack up my grandmother's china to ship back to California, but my sister said she'd take care of it. I really appreciate that because if anybody was going to do it right, it would be her. My dad told me he bought that china for his mom right after the war, right out of the factory. It's even marked "Germany US Zone" on the back. He said it was very expensive and that he'd paid a lot for it - a carton of cigarettes! Apparently, a carton of cigarettes could get you quite a lot. It's not really my style but as Sped said about her grandmother's china, that's not the point. My sister is getting my grandmother's china from mom's side of the family. It had actually passed down to my Aunt Dolores, but she was afraid her children would sell it off if she gave it to them, so she arrainged for Susan to get it. She even had my brother come over and pick it up as soon as possible - I guess to keep it safe. We figured one of the kids must have started talking about it and it worried her enough to get it moved to safety. I'm glad we have it, but how sad is the whole story?