Going Home

OK, I'm back from seeing the family over Christmas and I had a great time. I missed the husband and the animals, but it was very nice spending all my time with my family. My niece and nephews are older and a lot more fun to be around. We played in the leaves and kicked a rock around (soccer-rock) and baked coffee cakes and basically just amused ourselves.

My sister paid for my niece to get her ears pierced as a present and because she was nervous, I said I'd get my right ear pierced with a 2nd hole. I already had the 2nd one in my left ear from college but never thought about getting the right one done. It worked well because she got to see how easy it was before having to go through it. I'm a good aunt because it kind of hurts and I keep getting my hair wrapped around it (which I had to lie about when my sister-in-law asked me if I'd had any trouble because my niece didn't want to wash her hair).

Anyway, it was good to see everyone and makes me wish I'd keep in better touch, but I know I won't. It's nothing personal but you can't help but get caught up in your own life. There's a chance my older nephew and my #2 brother will visit me in Boston, but who knows what'll happen by then.

Bee-llorina

Our construction accountant's dog on Halloween.

Slow Day

Call wasn't until 10:30 this morning and we finished handing out checks around 11am. Now we're sitting at our desks with nothing to do until 6pm.

I have already called to schedule a pick-up of the old gas grill that was abandoned at our townhouse (it's next Thursday Husband). They won't take the propane tank but I'm thinking of dropping that off at Lowe's or somewhere in the middle of the night.

I also called the HOA managment company to find out who is responsible for the entry system. It's still ringing up the old disconnected number and I'd like to have people be able to call us properly when they come over.

Then I called AAA and found out I don't have coverage to have my Vespa towed to the shop so I went ahead and called the guy the shop recommended. I have to call him at 9:30 in the morning to have them come by around 10. I don't know how long it'll take to get it fixed but I hope it's fast, easy, and cheap.

I passed a furniture shop that's going out of business and I'm thinking of stopping on my way home and checking out the dining room sets. Not that I really need one, though. Actually, I need to see if CB is going to get off work early enough to go to bingo.

Bingo!

The last bingo of the year is this Thursday. I can't really tell what charity it's sponsoring but I haven't made it yet and I want to go! Husband, what do you think?

And if you don't wanna go maybe CB will go with me...

Merry Christmas!

Free Rice

You can go to www.free rice.com and play a fun vocabulary game and do some good. Each word you get right donates grains of rice to stop world hunger. The thing only started in October and they've already had over 9 billion grains donated.

From ICHC.Com

Kitty Porn!

Goin' Home Early

I have to say there are times I dearly love working Sunday through Thursday. I love having Fridays off to run errands or make appointments and I love being alone in the office on Sundays - I can blast my music and sing along. Even better, I can leave when I'm done - I don't have to kill time waiting for 6 o'clock. Like today! It's only 1:30 and I'm all done with everything in my basket that I can do w/o more information. I think I'll run by Target then take my dog to the park. Yay for me!

Oh, yeah. I took the job in Boston. I'll be doing The Surrogates with Bruce Willis next spring. I leave late January or early February and will be there until June/July.

Sped, come visit me!

Doctor Appt

I have to go to the cardiologist tomorrow and get a blood pressure monitor that I will wear for 24 hours. It's supposed to prove/disprove my high blood pressure. We'll see. I have to say I haven't had any more episodes since I've been on the medication but it's the lower dose so I can't be that bad off.

It would have to be on payday, though. I'm probably going to look like a science experiment when I'm handing out checks. I'm not looking forward to all the questions but questions are better than people just staring and trying to pretend there's nothing unusual going on.

LolNixon

Sick

Boy, you forget to take your allergy meds for a couple of days and you start hacking up a lung! I hate live Xmas trees...

12/9 Pic

Griffith

The husband suggested we go up to the observatory last night and it sounded like fun. We didn't realize the DWP Xmas light show was at the same freeway exit and it took us about 45 minutes to go about 5 miles. But once we got past that it was fine. The view of the city is amazing from up there - lights going on forever. And it seemed you could hear everything - dogs barking and distant traffic and everything.

The remodel is nice, but I'm glad they seemed to stay in the era in which the observatory was originally built. Nothing was jarring. We didn't stay to see the show - I want to do that sometime but it was cold and late.

On the way home, driving down Las Feliz, the husband saw 3 coyotes crossing a side street. I only saw one but I pointed out to him how fearless they are. It was only about 9pm and Las Feliz is a busy, well-lit street.

Speaking of coyotes, I saw one this morning but it already had something in its mouth so it wasn't all that interested in us. I don't know what it was and I don't really want to think about it. I just know the coyote ducked through the hedge into the yard across the street with it.

12/6 Pic

Happy St Nicholas Day!

I'm about to go home and veg out - today's been a long day.

The POC's dog was in the office today and he decided to come by my desk and piss on the floor. Luckily he missed my foot and the big stack of actor files. I yelled to her about it and she came and cleaned it up - hopefully it won't stink tomorrow. Then again, I'm not here tomorrow so what do I care?

I went out to set to hand out checks and managed to get shunted off the freeway because they're doing a lot of construction and I missed the fact I was in an exit only lane. I think it took me longer to get to set than it did to hand out the checks. Some days it takes forever to find everybody but this was zip in and zip out. I almost went to Target (which was right across the parking lot) but I hadn't eaten lunch yet and wanted to get back in time for the 2nd unit catering.

Then it was clean up and research. I had to wrap my head around a SAG project and check some numbers. Took longer than I anticipated because it was based on stupidity and that's not a language in which I'm fluent. I got it done, though.

Did I mention I pinched my palm in my mondo stapler yesterday? I've got a red mark and a dime-sized bruise. At least it doesn't hurt anymore and the medic gave me a whole tube of Arnica. Yay free stuff!

I also got a call from an accountant about a job but she spoke so quickly I have no idea what her name was. It's a Sony show, but that's all I know. The timing may not work out - she's going to call me back. We'll see.

I forgot today is St Nicholas Day. It's also Sofie's birthday - she's 3 (we don't actually know when her birthday is but we know it's around this time and St Nick's Day is as good as any).

Today's Pic

Rebates

Ok, so I'm a slacker at times. I got a front loading washer and dryer back in January when we moved into the townhouse and there were 2 rebates available for the washer ($150 from the power company and $35 from the gas company).

I'm just now filling them out... It's sad because I'm usually really good at getting my rebates. I guess this time they didn't factor into whether or not I bought the things so it wasn't as urgent. My real estate agent paid for most of them as a gift.

But if they both come through that's $185 for Christmas!

Gatlinburg (Pretty)

Another Gig?

I just got back from talking to the UPM - he's putting my name for a BW show in Boston. I'm so flattered and excited. We'll see what happens.

Work And No Work

I just talked to T about her next job and it's pending. Apparently they are waiting to confirm the star will actually be available to shoot - she might do something else. It's a music diva and funnily enough I worked with her sister several years ago (it's not JLo).

Anyway, I'm not nervous about it becasue something will come up - it always does. I just hate turning down work (the NOLA gig). It's the whole "bird in the hand" aspect. Plus I think I'm afraid the accountant will take it personally.

But mostly I'm bored. We're in a holding pattern waiting for the payroll company to send over some edits. I've surfed and played and even done some work, but I'm all out now. My assistant has gone over to the AP side to help them out but I don't so that anymore. It made me bitter when I would help them and they would never help me. So here I sit, bored and looking for something to occupy the next hour.

The UPM wants to talk to me but he was eating lunch with the producer when I went by earlier. Maybe I should go check now...

Nix the NOLA

I talked myself into taking the show in NOLA then talked myself back out of it.

The pros are: extra money from per diem and possibly housing, having a job lined up, going to NOLA on someone else's dime, my own rental car.

The cons are: being away from the husband and the animals, no Idle days, 5 months stuck in NOLA, finishing 1 month before the strike, no scooter.

I may think of more but basically I feel better now that I'm going to say no than I did when I thought I was saying yes.

Christmas Allergies

I am allergic to evergreens, have been since I was young but didn't realize it until I was 27 or 28. The office has put up a live tree and I can already feel my sinuses responding. Bring on the OTC drugs!

Trying to Bust the Crew

Is it wrong that I hope I caught a crew member double-dipping on another show? One of our set dressers turned in his start paperwork and it had a piece from another show in it. That show is on the same lot but I think they are using a different payroll company so it wouldn't get found that way. I'm waiting for the other payroll accountant to call me back and let me know. I really want to bust them.

Star Sighting

The husband and I went to a local grill for dinner last night and I saw David Navarro. Have to say he's a hottie - love the beard.

Idle Days

When you work on location the production company pays you "idle days". Basically it's a half day of pay each for Saturday and Sunday to compensate for any jobs you may have missed out on if you had been at home. It's in the union/guild contracts and most studios pay it to everyone who travels (except for the lowly production assistants).

Guess who doesn't pay idle days to accountants? The studio who wants to hire me to go to New Orleans. Umm, I don't think so. The whole point of going on location is to make extra money through idle days, housing, and per diem. Why go if there's no benefit?

I think I'm going to have to say no - just not worth it.

NOLA 2

I have officially turned down the WWE movie - just don't want to do an independent film on location with Renny Harlin.

As for the studio project, I called the accountant and told him I was interested, but needed more info before I made a decision. He doesn't have all the details yet so it may not happen anyway, but it's still a possibility.

NOLA

Is this a sign? I've gotten 2 calls today on shows going to New Orleans. One is with Sony (called Mardi Gras) and the other is a wrestling movie by the WWE.

I've never been to NO and I'm not sure I want to go. If I do, it would definitely be on someone else's dime.

I would like to work on location after this guinea pig movie is over. If the actors strike then I want to make as much money as possible. I'm just not sure I want it to be in NO.

Something Cute

1909-2007 JRT

Well, Granny passed away on Thursday morning and it's been non-stop since then. The husband called me around 9:15am and told me the news. I started looking for plane tickets, tried to find a dog-sitter (ended up calling the kennel), called the cat-sitter, called the funeral home, and found a replacement for myself at work. All this while trying to finish getting paychecks out. Thank dog my assistant is good at his job - I'd have never made it without him.

We took the red-eye back east and basically ended up being awake for over 24 hours. Took a short nap when we got in then drove down to the funeral home. It's a blessing she lived in a small Southern town because they did so much to help us out. We finally figured out where her first husband was buried (in her family plot since her parents outlived him). There was a spot left open for her so that's where she went. Otherwise she would have been buried head-to-head with her daughter which might not have gone over so well...

Anyway, we picked out a casket and a suit, wrote the obituary and arrainged for the service. It took less than an hour.

Time to go home and crash now - more tomorrow.

Bookworm

I've had a game of Bookworm going since Saturday or Sunday. I was over 500k points and still going strong. My stupid computer did an automatic update last night and restarted itself. Gone, it's all gone. Damn.

Clyde

Nothing new on Granny at the moment but with the help of my mom we've just about found out where her first husband Clyde Roberts (the husband's grandfather) is buried and whether there's a plot for her with him. He apparently died in 1966 and there's a good chance something was done then for her. Not a fun topic but there it is.

Write a will, keep it current, and let everybody know where the damn thing is.

Granny

The doctor from the nursing home called this morning to tell us Granny had a stroke over the weekend and it doesn't look good. Apparently she's been declining for the past week or so. Of course, the woman is around 100 so it's not surprising. We don't know how much longer she has but I do know Betty was called to her "deathbed" on a pretty regular basis and she pulled through.

I've been calling the nursing home and the funeral home, trying to find out if Granny had any arrangements set up and no one knows of anything. I've arranged it with the funeral home to get a plot (only $300 for the land and $500 for the digging and the tent/chairs, etc).

Now all we can do is wait for the call, get tickets, and fly east. We'll pick out a casket and schedule the service when we get there.

Strike Stuff

Whenever someone opens the door, I can hear the honking of car horns in support of the writer's picketing the studio. And I've been reading about several shows that are shutting down because the actor's won't cross the lines.

I wonder how long it'll last - the support, I mean. It's all good now because most people haven't had a chance to NOT get a paycheck...

Anyway. We got new script pages today but they're dated 11/3. I wonder how accurate that is.

Question for the Husband

Can I relate your tales from the picket line?

Writer's Strike

The husband is a member of the Writer's Guild and has been called to duty this week - he's picketing outside a studio during the afternoon shift. Therefore I feel I have the right to say something about what's going on...

Although my job hasn't been affected and probably won't be, there's no guarantee I'll be able to get work when it's wrapped. Come January, if the strike is still on, I may be out of luck. There are some people who are out of luck now and more who will get laid-off in the coming weeks and months. Despite all that, I think the writer's are doing the right thing.

I read a comment on a news site - the author compared selling s script to selling a painting. Basically, if they create a painting and sell it for $1000 that's all there is and they shouldn't expect any more. Fine, but what would happen if the buyer of that painting took that image and made postcards and magnets and coffee cups and mouse pads and umbrellas and t-shirts and tote bags and prints and anything else you can think of - and walked away with $1 million dollars? Would the painter still feel ok about it or would they want a piece of that pie?

The studios make money from the advertisers but the ads don't run by themselves. They are embedded into scripted content that someone created. That someone deserves a percentage of that profit. It's not like most of the people are millionaires. Yes, they make good money but they don't work 52 weeks a year and they aren't guaranteed to work from one year to the next.

Anyway, not many people read this blog and the ones who do already know what I think about the strike. I'mnot trying to change any minds, just clearing my own.

Scam Update

We finally heard back from the casting director about the background actor...

"ALSO, I spoke with our "friend" MS. It is a big long story, but bottom line is that he WAS a part of a scam (KS had to leave for another shoot, and supposedly called a friend who called MS to come and "replace" him). MS claims to be innocent in that he didn't know he was doing anything wrong, just trying to get work, needs money...etc... He claims that he can't even get in touch with KS. I yelled at him and told him, of course, that he will not be paid for that day, etc... I have also since had KS kicked out of his service for this. I told MS that if he needs money, he should get a job."

I do love it when people get busted.

Payday Surprise

Today is Thursday which is payday for the film industry. Our checks were ready early so I called the different off-production departments and told them to come and get 'em. The Special Effects department called back to ask if there was anything we needed from them and I said "roses, any color" then asked Colin what he wanted (fireworks). The SPFX Foreman joked about bringing Colin a 16lb bomb - I have no clue what that actually is but said we'd take it out into the parking lot and blow it up.

When the SPFX PA showed up, he had a dozen red carnations in a beautiful bouquet for me! Some people look down on carnations but to me, a flower is a flower and they are all pretty. I got a coffee can out of the trash (no vases) and cut the stems down. It's sitting on the file cabinet and it's really nice - makes me feel appreciated.

Now if I could just get that actor I helped on the phone to cough up...

Oops

I just did the math on the costumer that I've been overpaying for the past 6 weeks (@ $4/hour). She owes us $1694.00. Luckily her check for last week will cover it but I'm giving her the option of having it split over 2 checks.

Damn I hate making mistakes like this. I had to write a note to her and tell her I fucked up and apologize and I just know she's going to call. Plus I found out she's Jack's costumer of choice. Lovely.

Tattoo Drama

Damn, that tattoo shop is filming again and I just know my tattoo isn't cool enough to get me on the show and they probably aren't taking appointments. The only think I could do is a walk-in and then I'd have to deal with the artist I want being there and the price being right.

Getting a tattoo shouldn't be this much drama.

Pissy

This morning I was pissed off at everything. I don't know what was wrong with me but it wasn't pretty. I snapped at everybody that came into the office and then blamed it on the fact it's Monday and that's "payroll day" - my busiest day. But we weren't that busy because we both worked yesterday. I was just a bitch.

I'm over it now but I can feel it simmering just below the surface. I know it won't take much to tip me over the edge. This sucks.

The worst thing is I've tried to get into it with different people as a way to vent and no one has stood up to me. That extra who tried to pull the scam called looking for his check but didn't put up a fight when I told him he had to call the casting director. And the agent's assistant who I keep calling about the actor's start paperwork is too dim to even bother with - he says he's tried to fax it 3 times but we haven't seen it. Of course, this is the same paperwork he said was on it's way to us last week. Dumas.

I just want to leave early enough to take Sofie to the park and stop to get her some food.

Invaded

We're shooting today so the office is full of the regular crew and I don't like it. I like being here all alone on Sundays, blasting my music and cussing the crew out loud. At least there's a dog... the POC brought in her dog Lance aka Donkey. He's a chihuahua mix and pretty cute. I wish I could hvae brought Sofie but I'd never get the timecards done with her here. She'd be much too excited about going back to work for me to deal with.

Husband, if you get bored you couldbring her down for a visit.

Oh, and I just found out they've added 3 more days to the schedule. I've already warned my boss I'm going out of town for Christmas no matter what.

Late Night

Now we have a 2nd Unit working nights. I don't know if it's something that was always planned or if it's because we've gotten behind schedule and they have to pick up the pace. I thought we were supposed to be out of the warehouse by now, but that was an old schedule so I'm not really sure of anything.

The point is I sent the assistant out to set at lunch with the checks for the 1st Unit and I'm going tonight for the 2nd Unit. Call is at 8pm and I'm hoping to get there around 7:45 and get out asap. Anybody who isn't there is going to have to wait for the mail.

At least it's not as bad as LVT where I was out on set until midnight and then still had to drive back from Walnut. This set's not quite on the way home but it's also not 45 minutes in the other direction.

Oh, and we're shooting on Sunday and everybody will be in the office. I hate having people in the office when I'm breaking timecards - it's so distracting and I cuss like a sailor and call people names when their timecard is wrong. I like working one day a week all alone.

Just thought of 1 positive - catering! They'll be serving "breakfast" when I get there which means a free dinner. Thanks Walt!

Just Wrong

From the "what were they thinking?" file...

Annoyed

I am so annoyed right now. The studio is auditing the show - not a big deal as every studio audits every show. What is annoying me is the auditor obviously has no idea how to do payroll. I can tell by the questions she asks me. How on earth can I be audited by someone who has no idea how to do my job?

Ouch

I've been back to my boot camp 2 days in a row now and I have to say my quads are killing me. I can barely walk and stairs are murder - I'm like an old man hobbling around. Why I chose to wear a skirt and dress shoes I'll never know. At least they're not heels.

This morning I realized I didn't take my meds yesterday. I actually had to think through the days before I accepted the fact I had forgotten instead of the possibility of it still being Tuesday. Maybe that's why I was a bit of a basket case last night...

Husband, when you read this remind me I need to get the number for the HOA so I can call about the insurance. I keep forgetting and didn't have time this morning when I remembered.

Busted

I got myself all worked up over the possible phone confrontation with a driver. We had this guy call and say he'd been shorted 5 hours - a claim I take seriously because I don't make too many mistakes. Usually it's because they didn't write their times down correctly on their timecard (yeah, sounds easy enough). Anyway, we pulled the file and took a look at the carbon but it was illegible. Turns out the guy had had 2 timecards stacked together and the info from the 1st one ended up on the 2nd one as well. I couldn't read jack and what I could read made it look like I didn't know what I was doing!

I got the payroll company to fax over a copy of the original (after finding out the Transpo Coord didn't have one). I was totally vindicated - the non-carbon white was clean and unchanged and paid correctly. I showed everything to the TC and he said the guy had wanted to be paid for an extra day to change the oil on the vehicle but was denied. Turns out the vehicle and the guy both came from the same place - the place that changes the oil...

Anyway, I got all psyched to call and tell the guy he wasn't getting any extra hours but he didn't answer. I had to leave a message. I figure he'll call tomorrow and try to bully us even though I told him he needed to call the TC.

It wouldn't have been so bad except when my asst asked him what hours he had worked each day he kept changing them to make them longer - in the end he was 6 hours short. Dumas.

Tax Queen

I know how nerdy this is going to sound, but I just figured out how the state of CA calculates its income tax. I've been trying to figure it out for years. I can do Federal taxes, as long as I know the current value of a deduction, but CA had eluded me... Damn, maybe I need to get out of this business

Good News

Sofie has an infection - that's all it is. I have to take her to the vet on Friday to get a check-up but it's nothing serious. Whew. I really hated to think something might be wrong. She's going to break my heart one day.

I bought my ticket to go "home" for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family but I'm going to miss the husband and the furry kids. The ticket was more than I wanted to spend but I didn't know until last week when/if I would be able to go at all so it's not like I could have gotten it sooner.

Anyway, time to go home and finish the laundry.

Tattoo

I just submitted my application for a tattoo w/ Hannah at High Voltage. I really just need to find out how much it'll cost before I can decide when to get it done. I will be getting the tat, just don't know when...

Cranky

My Vespa is dead, my dog still has an unknown lump on her back, and Dumbledore is gay.

It doesn't bother me that Dumbledore is gay - I just wish JK didn't feel the need to be so damn subtle about it. They may not have gays in Iran but the Wizarding world must have the same ratio as the Muggle world. Now we have to deal with months of people parsing every word for a clue and the weirdos who think HP promotes witchcraft are going to be burning books faster than ever. Not only witches, but gay witches - the horror! It makes the baby Jesus cry.

Anyway, I'm at work and I'm cranky. At least I'm almost done.

James Stephens

"Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will."

Sofie Update

Dr Liz thinks Sofie has an infection, probably from a bug bite. She got a shot and some antibiotics but they also did a biopsy - which the vet said looked mostly like pus. We'll find out for sure tomorrow when the results come back. Think good thoughts for my little puppy girl.

Boner Pie = Kirk

Boner Pie is the new Kirk. I'm so disgusted by the thought I don't think I'll be able to see the movie. Man, sometimes it sucks to know what actors are really like. Makes it harder to watch them on screen.

Knowing who's really gay doesn't bother me. I find that I feel sorry for people who think they have to remain closeted. But knowing someone is a prick or a druggie is a bummer.

Maybe Not...

Even though the battery has been nothing more than a thin red line all day, the iPod is still playing. Not sure what's going on with it but it's brand new and better not be fucked up already. I'll have to plug it in earlier tonight when I get home and see what it looks like tomorrow.

So Soon?

I charged my iPod last night and if I had to bet money, I would bet that it said it was fully charged this morning. But now it's reading nearly dead! WTF?!?!?!

If it dies on me today I'm going to have the husband show me what I did wrong, if anything. So bummed.

Sofie

When I got home last night, the husband showed me the spot on Sofie's back where there seems to be some kind of mass under the skin. I had noticed it the day before (or maybe it was Sunday) but had somehow managed to think it was just her spine - bumpy from the way she was laying. I mean, I knew it was wasn't something I had felt before but it didn't dawn on me that it might be a problem. Anyway, he noticed it yesterday and now she's going to the vet to have it checked out. We're waiting until tomorrow because that's when Dr Liz works and we don't really care for the other vet at the clinic.

I'm trying not to wig out about it because it doesn't seem to be hurting her unless you poke at it for too long. I have no idea what it could be and don't really want to go looking for stuff on the web. I'm just going to wait until tomorrow and see what Dr Liz says. Fingers crossed for the little girl.

Damn Funny 2

The husband sent me a better link (and told me I misspelled "World"):

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd242/filmchick_stuff/WW2.gif

Damn Funny

The husband sent me this link (click on the post that says World War 2 Online Game).

http://p082.ezboard.com/General-Discussion/fshocklinesforumfrm2

A Contender

So maybe KIA wasn't the least professional show I've ever worked on... one of the actors on this show signed the Exhibit G as "Faggot". Very nice.

Something Good

The husband helped me set my new iPod up last night and I've been listening to it all day. It makes me happy to have access to all of my music. Makes it less traumatic the bastard broke into the house and stole all my cd's. I just need a holster for it now so I can stop yanking it off my desk with paperwork.

Another good thing... being done for the night and going home. I haven't done every last piece but if I work on what's left, it'll take too long. I'm in a good place for tomorrow and it should all be fine.

Even More

7) Why am I paying the POC a 6th day when the football is still over at Gate 2?

8) Why are grown men, who've been in the business for 20 years, incapable of putting down an out time for Saturday? Now I have to call and hope they call back with the info today so I can actually break the timecard...

9) Since I had a conversation with the trainee about the round trip mileage (that it's 26 and not 60) you'd think she'd be able to get it right on her own timecard... nope.

10) Someone broke one of my Halloween decorations. I found it sitting on my desk this morning. I hope they confess tomorrow.

Still Pissed

I've decided to keep the blog open and continue listing reasons why I'm Pissed - it's going to be a long day...

5) Our start packets have an Equal Employment Opportunity Data Collection Form in them. The very first sentence states they are VOLUNTARY. There is no reason no half fill one out then write "Don't Ask" over the ethnicity selection area. If you don't want to fill it out don't waste my time, just throw the form out.

6) It turns out the well-know older British actor who's starring in this movie is a bit of a prick (at least to the Asst Prod Offc Coord who's trying to book his travel and hotel accomodations). Bummer. You win husband.

Pissed

4 reasons why I'm pissed off and I've barely started working...

1) I don't know what my assistant does all day on Friday when I'm not here but it doesn't seem like much. I didn't leave him with a lot to do and while all the important things are done, it doesn't look like he got to anything extra. You can't tell me the filing and the PA adjustments took ALL DAY.

2) I got a note saying the UPM is coming in tonight and I should leave the payroll outside his office - no taking the work home for me today.

3) The football (the file full of all the papers from the set, including the timecards) is not in the office. I had to call the Production Office Coordinator to ask where it is. Well, it's out at Gate 2 because she didn't want to wait for it on Friday because it was late and it was raining... Now I have to go and get the crap.

4) The stack of start cards is over 3 inches think and most of these people probably started on Monday. I hate when they don't turn the stuff in right away. We could have gotten through most of this during the week. Bastards.

Tattoo

This is the tattoo I want to get on my left arm (on the shoulder cap). I'd love to get color but I think it would look better in black and gray. I can't find a good picture of the vine work I'd like to have done on my right hand. Something more substantial than ivy but not a thick Tarzan-vine, either.

Stuff

I just found out an old boss mine is taking credit for a spreadsheet of mine. I don't think so! Damn, I knew I shouldn't have sent her a copy. That's what you get for trying to be nice. At least I took out some of the formulas so she wouldn't have everything.



Happy Birthday Sped! I didn't forget, I just didn't manage to call. But you should have gotten my card...



I haven't been writing much because there's not much happening and it's been busy. The 2nd unit finally finished after destroying a couple of cameras and several cars. The schedule keeps changing and that's throwing some of my work off. For 2 weeks I've worked 6 days, which is good for the paycheck but bad on the housekeeping.

My computer at home isn't hooked up to the internet so I can't upload any photos from the fair or anything. I also can't update my iTunes (the husband got me an iPod Nano for our anniversary). I have to figure out how to collate the music on the laptop with the music on the desktop and get it all on the iPod w/o losing anything (since that bastard crook stole my cd's).

I still want a tattoo and may try to get it this weekend of the husband agrees. I need to go and talk to the artist and see how much it'll be. Plus I'm still trying to decide on exactly what I want.

The husband wants me to go home for Christmas and I probably will. I need to talk to the boss about my timetable. Bleah, it's all so much right now. I just want to crawl back into bed.

A Day At The Fair

The husband and I went to the LA County Fair on Friday. It's the first time we've been in the 7 years we've lived here. I have to say I wasn't that impressed. They had some exhibits but mostly is was booths selling stuff, food stalls, and rides. The stuff for sale was the kind you could find at any flea market - not much in the way of arts and crafts. I was hoping for a lot of deep-fried food on a stick but there wasn't much of that either. We saw Snickers, cupcakes, smores, and chocolate dogs (which turned out to be Tootsie Rolls).

More later, gotta get to work.

Office Shui

Someone told me I had negative pictures up. I hadn't thought about it but they're right. I didn't pick them because they were negative, I picked them because I thought they were funny. I guess I need to bring in my personal stuff and liven the place up. It's not like we won't be here until January...

And we finally hired the villain - I am so stoked! Welcome to G-F Bill Nighy! I am totally going to ask for your autograph.

Hover Cat

Not my cat, but I always wondered what they looked like from below...

Over It

I can't believe how much I don't care about this job. I have a huge stack of payroll to break and I just don't care. Usually I'd be in a huge panic about getting it all done but not anymore. There's so much that's more important than stressing about this. I will work on it and try not to stall, but I won't kill myself over it.

All Better

Sofie is off quarantine! She's got to finish all of her meds but she's been cleared to go back to the park and interact with other dogs. I'm hoping to take her over tonight but I'm not sure I'll get home in time.

I finally had my stress test today. My blood pressure got low enough and everything looks fine physically. They did decide to keep me on the pills and even added a new one. Lovely. But I'm going back to my boot camp tomorrow even if I have to do the granny version. Yay!

Now I just have to get the eating back under control and maybe I can clear up all the blood pressure issues.

Lack of Respect

I don't like the accountant on this show. He doesn't know the answers to any of my questions, which isn't that big of a deal, but he doesn't seem interested in getting the answers. Usually if the acct doesn't know I go up the food chain, get the info, and report back. Usually my boss is glad to be informed. This guy just kind of looks at me with a dumb gaze as if he's wondering why I'm bothering to tell him what I found out.

Well, if the UPM wants to pay the set pa's DGA meal money and it's beyond what you have in the budget, I'd think you'd be interested in knowing... silly me.

I just have no respect for him but thank dog I don't need to respect him to do my job. We both know he was up a creek unless I took this gig so he's the one who has to worry, not me.

Hiking

I went hiking on Saturday, just up a little trail in the Hollywood hills. I met up with C and her dog Foxy and DS. We had a pretty good time, although I was worried I'd have trouble with my blood pressure. It ended up not bothering me at all. I'm really hoping I can get back to my boot camp this week. I really miss it.

Anyway, C showed us where George Clooney lives - or at least a house he owns because I think he spends most of his time in Italy and who wouldn't. Nice place for what you can see of it. She said she passed Brad Pitt going in once as she finished a hike and was walking by (she said he was in his car with a look that said "please don't freak out on me" and she was trying to not freak out on him - she saved it until she got around the corner). With possibilities like that, I may hike more often.

Then she told us just about the best star-sighting story I've ever heard. A friend of hers is/was a huge Paul Newman fan. About 10 or 15 years ago, she's in line at Baskin Robbins and realizes PN is behind her. She's tries not to lose it and debates talking to him or letting him get ice cream in peace. She finally decides she's going to play it cool, orders her cone, pays, gets her change, and leaves. When she gets outside she realizes she doesn't have her cone. Now what? Go back in and look foolish in front of PN? Pay for something and not get it? She really wanted the ice cream so she goes back and and interrupts PN as he's ordering, apologizing and excusing herself. She tells the guy behind the counter that she paid for her cone but he didn't give it to her. At this point, PN taps her on the shoulder and says, "Honey, it's in your purse."

Yes, she'd put the cone in her purse with her change and walked out - all because she was discombobulated over PN in line behind her. I wonder if he's ever seen that happen before?

Late At Work

I'm stuck waiting for someone to call me back so I can give them the info they need. I hate stuff like this but since I came in late I really can't complain.

It's been an interesting day. The Unit Production Manager came into my office and spelled out how he wanted payroll submitted. That's fine, I am more than willing to work with the boss's preferences. I just felt bad because I already knew what he wanted and just didn't do it. Sometimes it takes awhile for it to sink in...

Then he told me he had questions about his per diem and would I walk him through his check stub. Of course! I made it to his office a couple hours later - after picking through his file and trying to figure out what he could possibly ask. Turns out his taxable and allowable proportions were completely off and he's been over-taxed for the past 22 weeks. So I worked up an adjustment and in the process, figured out who had done it the wrong way in the first place. Turns out it's the mouse's most prominent payroll accountant, their go-to-girl. She's done their biggest shows and has been in the business for years. I just don't understand how she could make such a silly mistake.

Damn, the guy called and I have to run some reports before I can go. If I were using EP's system I could do it blindfolded but I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to this other system. Better get to it.

Bath Time

I just walked into the production office to drop off some paper and they're giving Wendy and Lisa a bath in a trash can. Actually, Wendy is done and is getting dried off - she sounds like a squeaky toy. Lisa is hanging out in the trash can, waiting for her chance to dry off. Guinea pigs...

Sick Sofie

Sofie has a developing case of bronchitis. She spent most of last night and this morning with a dry hacking cough (like clearing her throat). She didn't seem sick or anything, just had the cough. It was bad enough the husband took her downstairs so I could get some sleep.

Anyway, he took her to the vet and they gave us the news. I thought it was going to be kennel cough but not the case. So she's totally infectious and can't go to the dogpark for at least a week. She's going to hate this weekend. Of course, she probably got it from the dogpark to begin with...
we were just there last night but she wasn't really coughing until later.

And we find out she now weighs 28 lbs! When did she get so big? Last time she was just 23 lbs. She barely eats her dog food, so I don't get it unless it delayed growth. I mean, she is part beagle and I think they weigh more than she does. Have to keep an eye on her so we don't end up with sausage-dog.

Someone To Look Forward To!

Niecy Nash is going to be in this movie and I am so excited! I hope I get to meet her - she's fabulous. Thank dog she's working for 18 days - I may get the chance.

My brain stil isn't working right - I have a lot of trouble remembering words.

iPod Attachment

Something I got from Daily Candy...

http://www.ohmibod.com/ohmibod.html

Not that I've ordered it or anything, but it's interesting to ponder my playlist in this regard.

I Can't Brain Today.

My brain has stopped working correctly. I had to go back into the house from the car 3 times this morning to get things I actually needed for work/life. Now I think I've left my pills in my car and I really don't want to go and get them but I guess I should.

I hate the person I'm becoming.

Chickens

I wonder what they meant when they said we'd be using "living roasted chickens"? Hmmm...

TG called me this morning to ask my advice - the studio she's working for has proposed she do 2 or 3 more shows with them after the current one is done. She's all for it but she wants me to come and work with her. The problem is the Prod Supervisor recommended a payroll person since I was unavailable and TG is unsure if she can make the switch between shows. This other woman is capable of doing the work, but TG says she's not as good as I am beyond the basics of breaking timecards.

I told her she should just ask because the worst is he'll say no. Or that I would get booked up before she had a chance to offer me a job. I want to keep working until the strike hits.

What Stress?

My doctor appt didn't go so well this morning. We went early to fill out paperwork but they weren't open yet. We stood in the hall for 10 minutes then knocked and got let in.

The 1st guy asked me questions that I had already answered on the paperwork, then didn't write down the answers to some other questions. He took my blood pressure and it was 140/90, which is high for me.

The 2nd guy - Mike - was abrupt and dismissive and I didn't like him. He got me hooked up for the stress test and took an ultrasound of my heart. Then he took my blood pressure again before starting the actual stress test and this time it was 170/110. Way too high for them to do the test.

The doctor finally came in and asked me questions that I'd already answered and basically told me they couldn't do anything today with a pressure that high. She gave me some hypertension drugs and told me to come back next Friday and they'd try again. I got a call from her later telling me to lay off the boot camp and take an aspirin every day, too.

Damn, I wanted so badly to get back to working out. I feel like such a slug when I can't. This damn medication I'm on is all to blame. It's the reason my bp is up, more than the fact I'm 36.

So next Friday I have a noon appt and I have to run around the building a few times and get my heart rate up, then rush upstairs and get my bp taken immediately. Then maybe they can do the damn test.

Stella

Stella the GP just came by to visit. We didn't notice her come in but one of the trainers was following her and said "you have a gp in your office." She's all black and spent a couple of minutes under C's desk, just checking things out. Pretty cute little girl.

He finally picked her up and thought she had piddled and pooped, but when he came back to clean it up he couldn't find anything. All they eat is hay and it's basically a rock-hard hay pellet that doesn't even smell. Thanks to this show I know more about gp poop than ever before.

Guinea Pigs...

I really don't know what to make of the show I'm working on. It's a huge budget (over $100 million), 45% is visual effects and it's about commando guinea pigs. Talking commando guinea pigs. And one of them is hairless.

It's a paycheck through December - that's all I need to remember.

I will write more about all this but I'm still stymied.

Not So Fun Kid Story

SJK writes:

Hi guys,
Well, here it is the first day of N's first grade, and we're both home! N started throwing up around 3:40am. This morning it was 7:45am and we were trying to make a decision about what to do... take him into school or not. That's when he took his first bite of breakfast and threw up in the kitchen garbage can. A dr. visit this morning at 8:45am confirmed it was a case of the creeping crud. He'll probably be fine for school tomorrow. We had to make a quick run to Target for the requisite 7Up and popsicles.
S

Poor guy - hope tomorrow is better.

Fun Kid Story

Erdedo writes:

So I picked up A from kindergarten today, and she told me she got in trouble at school and "had to move her card to white." (Green is all good, white is a warning, yellow you miss 5 minutes of recess, red is parent called). I asked her what had happened, and she said she was trying to talk to a boy in her class (Sam), and he was ignoring her. Finally, she became fed up with this, and told Sam that he was an "evil little boy!" So, while I tried desperately not to laugh, I explained that it wasn't a nice thing to say (she said her teacher had said the same thing 25 times). I asked if she apologized, and she said, "I already did TWICE!" The thing is, I can hear her saying this to him. I have no doubt that she did this. And while I am not condoning my child's behavior, I have to wonder if she get points for creativity (not that I would tell her that). So tonight at bedtime she kissed me goodnight and said that said that she was going to apologize again to Sam. She said she wasn't trying to hurt his feelings, but he wasn't being very friendly. I said I understood, but that name calling wasn't really appropriate. She said she knew, and she would try to stop. Especially since her Daddy said that if she didn't she couldn't go to a birthday party next week. At least we will work for an incentive...

Now that I have made it past that, I just need to address my third grade daughter who announced at dinner tonight that she was feeling "virile." When S asked her to repeat it, and if she knew what it meant, she responded she thought it meant she had "lots of energy." Now that she realizes it doesn't, she is hounding me to discuss what it does mean. (Apparently when she came home and looked it up the Websters Online it didn't clarifly enough for her). Maybe I'll let my husband have this discussion.

I just know if it had be me, I'd have been rolling on the floor laughing.

Day 1

The stars of my current show are sitting in cages across the bullpen from me. Guinea pigs. I'm working with guinea pigs.

More later...

Wow

I just spent a few minutes updating my book blog - it's been since Phoenix that I put anything on it at all.

I scrolled through the postings and noticed I had a couple of comments. One seemed to be spam but the second was from the author of the 2 books I had reviewed - luckily I liked them. She wrote to let me know #3 was on the way.

I think that's pretty cool. I need to write back and say thanks and that I'll be keeping an eye out for it.

Done

This is it, my last day with LVT. I only came in this morning to pack up my stuff and finish off a couple of small projects. I just went to the bank and now I'm going to start dragging my crap down to my car. It's been a good and easy show and I really needed that after KIA (which is getting terrible reviews).

I have to run a couple of errands then I'm going home to catch a nap and watch a chick flick before taking Sofie to the dog park. We can't go until at least 6pm because it's 100+ in the valley today. Ugh.

Tuesday will be my first day on G-F and I really hope it's not as bad as it could be - talking animal commandos? Whatever, it's a paycheck.

Some Gossip

I am so bored. I've done all the wrap reports I know about and have nothing new to do until I get some payroll edits. I've been playing games online and looking for pictures of icebergs for the clerk.

I did get some gossip. Apparently one of the producers (a guy not from the studio but with too much time on his hands) took it upon himself to dress the sets as if the union set dressers hadn't thought about what they were doing. The best part was when he realized some of the art work had visible nipples and he totally freaked out. He went around taking down the pictures until the director and director of photography freaked out. The real producers had to step in and set him straight and the Prod Supervisor had to promise to pay for digitally removing said nipples if any of them showed up on film. What a tool.

Cute Shoes

It's been a rough week and I haven't felt like posting, but today a woman I don't know from another show told me I had the cutest shoes ever. That made me feel better.

Heart Troubles

I haven't written for a couple of days because on the way home from the gym on Wednesday, I thought I was having a heart attack. I'd been having episodes during my boot camp where I had trouble catching my breath and it was a weird, fuzzy feeling. They'd been occurring more frequently and I figured I should go to the doctor after I had another one on Tuesday. Well, Wednesday's class was tough, but they always are. I couldn't catch my breath but didn't have the same fuzziness.

On the drive home, I realized I was dizzy, my heart was pounding, I had pain in my jaw and arm, and I was sweating. I made it home and got myself into the house - I was afraid I would pass out but didn't want to be found in the garage. Once I got inside I dropped my stuff and stumbled over to the couch and laid down. I yelled for the husband, that I needed him and he got up and came downstairs. He got a cold drink out of the fridge and put it along my neck to cool me down. We sat for a bit waiting to see what would happen and everything finally subsided. I went back to bed.

When I got up, we went into work for a bit so I could get paychecks done. Then we came home and I slept the rest of the day. I got a doctor's appointment for Thursday morning and although they did an EKG and referred me to a cardiologist, the doctor thinks I had an anxiety attack possibly related to the intruder. Maybe. I do feel better that the EKG came out ok, but I'll be convinced after the cardiologist. Anyway, I worked a half day yesterday then went home and went back to bed. I did manage to go to the planned dinner with the crew from KIA (which was a lot of fun). Now I just have to take it easy at the gym and not let myself get too out of breath.

Corinthians

The POC and I just had a discussion about the bible - namely whether or not the Corinithians ever wrote back to Paul.

We've decided the only reason the letters made it through history is because the Corinithians didn't accept the letters - marked them all "return to sender" and Paul kept them.

Why not?

TMI

I was looking at those window decals people put on their cars that show the members of the family and sometimes have names. I thought it was cute until I realized it's a perfect way for pedos to learn all about your family... way too much information given away freely.

Bitter

The Production Office Coordinator is going to Vegas this weekend for his brother's bachelor party.

Is it wrong that I've been married for almost 9 years and am still bitter that I didn't get a bachelorette party or a bridal shower?

Probably, but I don't care.

Autographs

Everybody has to fill out an I9 when they start a show and they all come right to me. Sometimes I wish I had started keeping photo copies of star's passports - I'm looking at W Smith right now. Just don't know how legal that is... it's not like I have their license number or SS#. And it would totally be proof that it's a legit signature. But a photocopy wouldn't really be worth anything. Oh well, too late now.

Stickin' It

Well, only half got stuck. I got back the 4 major forms signed correctly but I was told to let go of the 3 minor forms. Can't win them all, I guess.

I tried lane sharing last night but mostly chickened out. The only time I did succeed was because the woman at the head of the line was soooooooo slooooooooooow. I just couldn't take it anymore.

The clerk on our show interviewed for Star Trek this morning. I'm jealous.

Lane Sharing

Lane sharing is not illegal in California and a lot of riders do it, but I haven't been able to bring myself to try. There are times when it seems ludicrous to sit in a line of traffic when I could scoot between and get to the front. It's not like I want to lane share on the freeway or while actually moving. I just want to pass the cars waiting for a light. Does anybody have an opinion on this? Does it bother you to have a cycle come up the middle while at a red light?

Too Sexy To Sign

I just got a chance to look at the paperwork for 2 of our producers. One of them is a well-known actor/rapper and the other is not. I guess the famous one is too big to sign his own stuff because the other guy's name is all over it. Not going to work like that fellas. You've got to sign your own stuff for it to be valid. I hope I don't get in too much trouble for doing my job with this one.

New Job

I want to be hired by LiLo to be her babysitter. It would be my job to make sure she didn't do anything illegal or stupid in public. She wouldn't be able to fire me and I could physically restrain her if necessary.

I worked with her on FF and she was still normal then. Of course, we all worried about the influence her guardian would have on her since the girl they hired was quite the partier. This is the person who thought a Hustler t-shirt made an appropriate wrap gift for the producer...

Greenies

Husband, I got some greenies on ebay. Keep an eye on the front stoop.

Bored Again

There is nothing interesting going on at work right now. For about 20 minutes I had overpaid the casting director by a day, but it turned out they wanted to all along. I'm so bored. I keep hoping someone will spill some gossip, but there's nothing.

I keep seeing coyotes around the neighborhood and they freak me out. The last one wasn't 20 feet away and wasn't at all fazed by my flashlight. I just know I'm going to end up fighting one for Sofie one morning. I hope the bunnies they put in Griffith Park get to humping so the coyotes have something else to eat.

The producers finally kicked in for a wrap gift. We got zip-up hoodies with the logo on the front and "made in the 'nut" on the back (we shot for 5 weeks out in Walnut). They're nice, brown with gold stitching. Panavision sent hats, too. I think we only got one of them because the camera department was gone and they didn't suck them all up.

I do need to get the timecards set up for W Smith and J Lassiter. They're the last of the producers (that I know of) to get paid. Apparently they've done the paperwork - it just got sent over to the wrong production office. Gotta love 'em.

I did get 2 annoying crew phone calls. One was on Friday from a Teamster who was looking for his check. First of all, he called on my personal cell phone. When I answered and found out it was crew, I told him to call me back on my office line because I don't get paid for my cell phone. I could tell he was about to say that he didn't either, then realized it wasn't the same thing. So he called back and I told him his check was mailed. Then he asked about his check for that week. I told him it would be out this Thursday (we always pay 1 week in arrears). Well, that wasn't good enough. He got snotty and said he'd been laid-off and shouldn't he get it in 24 hours? There used to be a rule that if crew got laid-off you had to pay them w/in 24 hours, but it got to be too much at the end of a show. Now you have to request a lay-off check - it's not automatic. I told him as much and he requests one and asks if it'll be done "tomorrow." I say no because that's Saturday but it'll be ready Monday. Do you think he called or came by for that damn check? Do you think I've even cut it yet? It's ready to go and will have the correct date on it, but I'm not mailing it until Thursday.

The 2nd call was from a camera guy. He started giving me attitude about not getting his check yet. I told him I'd mailed it on Friday and didn't know how long it would take to get to him. He claimed in LA it only took a day and I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I replied "well, I don't run the post office." He didn't care for that and said he'd call around and see if anyone else had gotten their check and would let me know. Have I heard back from him? Of course not.

Catch Up

We finished shooting on the 3rd. It was a crazy week because for the first time we weren't in the cul-de-sac in Walnut. We had a lot of new hires which made my job actually hard for the first time in weeks. Plus, I took Sofie to the office on Wednesday and Thursday which is one day too many. She is such a distraction!

So this past week was spent earning my paycheck instead of blogging.

But it'll only get easier as time goes on. I may technically be able to leave early and go on to the next project, but I don't think I'm going to.

Gossip

So the production company (not the studio) decided to hire an up-and-coming rapper to play a female role in the movie and possibly do a song on the soundtrack. They were really hot for this chick.

She flew in yesterday with her manager. The driver from the car service called to say he couldn't find them at the airport. After several hours and many phone calls, we find out she had gotten a ride with one of her "peeps" who lives in LA and is now too busy to go to the scheduled fitting. The costumers were told to lock the door at 7pm if she hadn't shown but when she finally showed up at 7:05 they hadn't done it so they had to let her in and do the fitting.

This woman had a 5:30am pickup this morning but of course didn't make it downstairs until 6am. When she came down, she had about 7 people with her, including her manager. They get to set and she stays in the car while her manager and some of the entourage check out her trailer. Then they check out the hair and makeup trailer. Then she demands sides. Now, sides are script pages for that day's work, copied down to half size. Most of the time actors get them the night before so they can prepare. Not a big deal for her to ask for them. She takes a minute (still in the car) to look them over and announces "this is only one line, I'm not doing this" and they leave set.

The UPM calls the guy from the production company and tells him what's going on. The guy says "send her home." At some point during that conversation, the rapper comes back to set only to find out she's been replaced.

Nice. Maybe next time you'll be professional and fulfill your commitments OR find out what the part entails before we fly you out from Hotlanta.

Greenies

Husband,

Sofie wanted me to ask you if she could get some more Greenies.

Thanks,
da Wife and Sofie

I'll see what I can find on ebay and we'll talk.

Sofie

Sofie's coming to work tomorrow and she'll be wearing her Underdog costume. So friggin' cute. I'll have to take a pic.

How To Piss Off A Star

There's a bit of tension on set...

Normally, the DP (director of photography) watches rehearsal and sets up the lights accordingly. It seems our DP has been doing it differently - he's been blocking out the action with the standin and basing his lighting on that. Well, one day SJ came to set and the DP says to the standin "why don't you show Sam what we worked out."

You can imagine Sam was not happy. A famous actor, making millions of dollars, being shown his movements by the standin (who'd been instructed by the DP). Ummmm, so not gonna happen. Sam was very clear when he said "Let me tell you how this works. I come up with the actions and you light them." Ever since then, Sam's been a bit more difficult with the DP. Luckily he's pretty good with the rest of the crew.

Also, one night everybody got together and decided to rewrite the ending. Then, they decided to shoot both endings. Then, they decided to stick to the original script. Then, they decided to go with the new ending. I'm still not sure what they got on film.

No Job Hunt Necessary

I got my next show - G-Force for Disney. It's a Bruckheimer film and I start September 4th. Shooting starts on the 17th so there's not a lot of prep, but I have an assistant and it shouldn't be too bad.

It's down at Culver Studios so the commute will suck but the pay is good, the payroll company is ok, and it will take me to the end of the year. Then maybe I can take some time off.

A Crappy Tuesday Morning

I went to bed shortly after 9 last night and woke up at midnight to use the bathroom. About 20 minutes later I was awakend by the light turning on. I sat up and opened my eyes, about to ask the husband what he was thinking, when I realized the person standing in the doorway wasn't the husband. There was a strange black man in my bedroom doorway and he'd turned on the light in the hall behind him - all I could see was a silhouette. I didn't scream, but I did yell "Hey". Then I yelled to the husband that there was a guy in the house. As soon as I made a noise, the guy took off. He was probably down the stairs before the husband got out of his study.

We chased him downstairs but he was gone out the back doors, which he had left wide open. We spent a few minutes collecting ourselves (at this point, Sofie decided to bark, but only once) and looking around to see if anything was missing. Not much was... about $80 in cash out of my wallet and my cd case. We didn't realize that was actually gone until later, but I knew it wasn't in sight and that bothered me. Then we stopped and realized we'd better find all the animals. Sofie was with us. She'd been in bed with me and followed us downstairs. I went up and checked under the bed and found Baxter and Quincy, but no Darby. We couldn't find her anywhere.

We searched all over the complex for her and nothing. She's not afraid of going outside and we assumed she took the chance with the open doors.

When the cops came and we told them what had happened, they said it sounded like the same guy who had been in an apartment one street up. Two guys were on their balconey when they realized someone was rifling through their living room. They asked him what he was doing and he took off... Considering there were lights on in our place, the guy was either high or has balls of steel. We're lucky he didn't have a weapon or anything. That's when we figured out the cd case was missing. The husband had stacked some library books on top of it and those books were on the floor when we ran downstairs. We figured the guy took the cash then went upstairs and got busted. On his way out he grabbed the case and dropped the books. Why else would he leave behind the husband's wallet and my digital camera?

Anyway, after the cops left we went to Kinko's with our missing cat flyer and had them printed. Then we drove around putting them up all over the neighborhood. It was about 3:30 by then. In my desperate search for Darby, I investigated every little movement - saw a raccoon. We went home and sat together for awhile, all 5 of us. The husband finally made me go to bed around 4:30. I slept with the lights on.

I got up at 8 to call into work and let them know I would be late, then took Sofie for a walk. I kept looking for Darby everywhere and nearly lost it as I passed the fliers. I went back to bed until about 10 and decided I couldn't take it anymore, that I needed to go to work and get my mind off of it, that it all seemed like a bad dream. Baxter came in and sat down by the bedside table while I sat on the edge of the bed talking to the husband. I don't remember what I was saying, but I noticed him walk past me towards the foot of the bed when my mind did a slow motion thought process where I said to myself "that should be Baxter but it has spots." I swooped down and picked it up and it was Darby! I held her out to the husband and started crying. We don't know for sure where or why she was hiding, but it was her.

She was pretty spooked and kept going back under the bed. The husband said she hadn't gone downstairs at all today (he found a pile of poop in the bathtub, which is something Darby doesn't do). I don't know what that bastard did to her to freak her out so badly.

In the end we lost $80, some cd's and several hours of sleep. We also spent $20 on fliers and will probably have to rearrange the bedroom furniture. But we are 6 again and that's about all that matters.

Revenge

The fucker who ran me off the road this morning is in for a world of hurt. I have his license number and when I find his truck, Carrie Underwood will be ashamed of the minor damage she caused in her song...

I have my list of things to do, but if anyone has a suggestion, I'm listening.

By the way, I'm fine and the car is fine.

Paychecks At Lunch

Now that we have a new paymaster, I got all my checks printed yesterday and am ready to go to set. The best part is we are on day shoots right now and I can go out at lunch and get done, then be able to go home at a decent hour. No 10pm or midnight for me, baby.

And I get to have lunch on set. Hopefully the caterers are serving something good and vaguely healthy.

Stolen From ICHC

Jealous

Heard this story from D, the production secretary:

The phone rings and when he answers it, a woman asks who is in charge of the production. D asks if he can help, what this is regarding.

The woman says she's calling for a friend whose husband works security for our show. He's acting weird and distant; leaving at odd times. The woman went on for several minutes but basically wanted to let the female members of the crew know to not flirt or have sex with any of the security guys. D tries to get her info but she claims she's calling from her husband's cell phone and won't give it. He tells her he'll pass the message along.

And he did, to the location department (who hired the security company) and everyone in the production office. Obviously not calling for a friend and we were shooting nights so the odd times may be justified. Jealous freak.

And The Winner Is...

Sofie.

It actually was a tough choice and that surprised me. But then the Vespa didn't cock it's head and jump up and down excitedly when I asked it if it wanted to go to work with me today.

Cake

Forgot to mention I made a Cookies and Cream Tunnel Cake for work today. It turned out pretty good even though I ran out of confectioner's sugar for the whipped cream filling. It's not as sweet as it's supposed to be but it balances out nicely with the Oreos and chocolate glaze.

A couple of weeks ago I made a Loaded Goat Blueberry Cheesecake. Damn good, it was.

What To Do?

I can either ride the Plum to work tomorrow or bring Sofie to work tomorrow. Damn hard choice...

Book List

I finally got my book list consolidated onto my other blog. Check out the link on the right if you care to know what I've been reading. I'm a bit behind on posting - haven't put anything down since I got back from Phx. I'll catch it up this week if the husband helps me.

What Mess?

Kwik-E-Mart

The 7-11 down the street from the husband's comic shop is a Kwik-E-Mart. I need to go by there tomorrow night on my way home.

Wednesday is "Ride Your Scooter To Work Day." I really want to, but that's the day I bring Sofie to work. There's no way I can take her on the Plum. Now, if I had a side car I'd totally strap her into it but otherwise there's no way. And don't think I haven't thought about it. If she was smaller I could put her into one of those chest packs but at 23 lbs it's not going to happen. What if she freaked out?

Messages

When I came in to work yesterday, there were 4 messages on my desk. I knew about one of them from Friday but the other 3 were new. My favorite was from the stills photographer. He had called Friday morning to ask about changing his dependents on his W4 (they were taking too much in taxes) but if it was going to be a lot of paperwork then he wasn't going to bother. Since I was there, I sent him a note and a new W4 so he could take care of it. Well, he had decided not to make the change and he called back wanting to know what to do with the form I had sent. Um, throw it away?

The other notes were about how the holiday got paid and another W4 change. I've called everyone back and dealt with all but one. We'll see how that goes because this particular crew member is not the brightest bulb.

One nice thing about working on Sunday is no one calls in and no one expects you to call them back. It's a slow, quiet day when you can get a lot done.

Sad Puppy

Almost forgot. The husband called to tell me Sofie seemed depressed today. Seemed she wanted to come to work with me. Who wouldn't with all the attention she was getting?

I Have A Question About The Holiday...

Just got back from set where I made a lot of people very happy and confused some who didn't understand how the holiday got paid. We worked overnight into the 4th of July and I had to pay double time for every hour that was past midnight. Sounds simple. Now, I've been doing this job for almost 10 years and this may be the 2nd or 3rd time I've had to do this. It's not hard, just different. And considering most of the crew doesn't understand how to pay a regular week, there's no way I'm going to be able to explain this holiday pay.

So I just start talking and use contract language and basically make them think I must know what I'm doing because I sound like I know what I'm doing. It's not that I'm trying to sucker them. I just know they're not going to be able to wrap their heads around it without visual aids and 10 or 15 minutes. I don't have that kind of time or energy...

Costume Drama

On Sunday, I got 2 box rental invoices from one of our costumers. One was for the current week and one was dated from back in May. I looked up her account and noted the May invoice had already been paid, so I marked it as such and handed it over to the 2nd who pays the invoices. He put a note on it to ask her why she had submitted it (in case she had lost the check or something and didn't think it had been paid) and sent it back to her.

She called me on Tuesday to ask about it and I told her she had sent 2 invoices. She started talking about working late on Friday into Saturday morning and not remembering doing that. That was pretty much it.

This morning, she called again to make sure I had an invoice for the current week because she didn't remember making 2 copies Saturday morning after working all night Friday... I told her I did get 2 copies, that one was for the current week and the other was from May and then I told her if she hadn't submitted an invoice for the current week, we would have told her. She said she knew that, then started talking about the invoice we sent back to her and how it had a big "paid" stamped on it and how the note attached was offensive. I cut her off and told her the 2nd sent the note and would she like to talk to him? Not waiting for an answer I put her on hold and went and got him.

He got on the phone and she just started rambling about the box rental and some store credit and getting questioned about stuff and how she's not a thief and she thinks we treat her like a thief and on and on. He stood there, barely saying anything, occasionally holding the phone away from his ear, waiting for her to stop talking. Finally she ran out of steam and he hung up. Wow.

So now we have to take all of our costume questions to the acct who will take them to the production superviser who will take them to costumes. We're not allowed to deal with them directly about anything that may be considered accusing or confrontational.

But really, if someone says "I'm not a thief" doesn't that make you suspicious? Nixon anyone?

Sof @ Work

Sofie is in the office again today and I think she's addicted.

Manicure

Our female lead got acrylic nails and of course we had to pay for them. She went to this guy who is described on various websites as "nail guru to the stars", "world championship team member", "a clear-cut virtuoso of nail design", an "industry icon", and a "nail industry luminary".

Normally he charges $1000, but since they are friends he only charged us $500. Wait, what? $1000 for a manicure? He'd better be using polish with crushed diamonds in it.

In the end they got it down to $250, but she has to have a fill done halfway thru and that'll be another $250.

I don't like paying more than $30 for a mani-pedi...

Hawaii Job

Experienced Payroll Accountant needed - Hawaii

Experienced Series Payroll Acct needed in Honolulu on July 30 for approx 6-7 months. Good Salary, Non-Affiliate Benefits, Good Housing Allowance & Per Diem. We need a top-notch person who can work with Vista & Show-Biz Timecards.

If it wasn't starting 7/30, I would be really interested in this. It may be for Lost, but I think there are other shows shooting there this season, too. Eh, I didn't want to travel again this year anyway...

Cupcakes

On Saturday I went over to Yummy Cupcakes http://www.yummycupcakes.com/ and picked up a couple for myself and the husband. I love their cupcakes. I'm not sure if they're better than Sprinkles, but Sprinkles is over the hill and therefore too far away so YC wins by default.

The only time I had a Sprinkles cupcake was during YM&D when the costume dept got some at Christmas. I had a chocolate peppermint one that was so good I still remember it. But really, who has time to go over the hill unless there's a PA available to send?

So YC it is. At least there wasn't a line out the door this time.

A Gift From Sam

I'm pretty sure SLJ is getting the crew a gift of some sort. His assistant has called twice now to confirm the number of people on the crew and the number of actors. The only reason she'd need to know that is to order giftages... I hope it's something nice.

Done Dog Day

Sof and I are about to pack it in. She's had a long and full day of getting scratched and laying around. Not to mention the solo forays down the hall to visit people in other offices and other shows. She's been quite the hit and I'm glad I brought her in.

I realized I don't have much to blog about on this show because no one is doing anything crazy. There's no drama to relate. It's very nice and I hope it lasts...

I do hope they get the A/C fixed soon. I'll be bringing in the fan tomorrow since I won't be weighed down with dog supplies. I don't have a lot of real work to do but I'm hoping to get a start on stuff for next week and go to set at call so it's not so friggin' late when I get home. That totally sucked last week getting home after midnight. So we'll see what I can do when I don't have to keep an eye on the pup.

Sofie At Work

I brought Sofie into the office today because I was pretty much done on Tuesday. She's kind of bored now, just lying on the floor behind M, but it's been a good day for her. Everybody up and down the hall, even from other shows, thinks she's just adorable. She's had her butt scratched so many times you'd think it'd fall off.

Andrew's mom in Transpo gave her some treats and Sofie stops by that office every time we pass hoping for more. I'm going to need to stop by the store and get some since she likes them so much.

I do wish she was a bit more shy. She tends to get up and wander off by herself and then I have to track her down. But I think she likes it here.

Day Off!

I am outta here for the holiday. We all have tomorrow off and since I have to work Friday to pay everybody, I get a 6th day. The A/C doesn't work very well in this building but it's supposed to be fixed on Thursday. I need to try and remember to bring in a fan or something.

Happy 4th of July!

Bring Sofie

Husband, bring Sofie down to the office. Andrew the Transpo dog is here today...

One Of Us

Sped, if you decide to get a Vespa let me come shopping with you. They are the best! I love mine and don't know why I don't ride it more often. Of course, I won't take it on the freeway since the top speed is only 60, but there are plenty of surface streets in LA! I do know it can get kind of hot in the summer because I also won't ride without a jacket. I know it's not much protection, but it's better than bare skin in case I wipe out. And there's helmet hair... but I really do love it. And your commute is so close it would be perfect for you. Ooh, I'm so excited for you.

Rare Monday Free Time

It's supposed to get over 100 this week. Our corner office facing the afternoon sun is a sauna. I hate being all sweaty/sticky at work. Sitting on a Pilates ball ain't helping.

It seems this show may turn out to be fairly nice after all. The crew is small enough that if I can get everyone to turn in their paperwork by Sunday I can get thru it all on Sunday. The problem lies in the cards that come in on Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday...) When I get late stuff it throws everything off and I never seem to catch up. Most of today has been pretty stress-free. Of course, I have a small stack of cards that are waiting for resolutions so tomorrow will be hectic with the adjustments. But still, nothing like last week.

The auditor is here and I'm hoping to get thru my paperwork sooner rather than later. I came in early this morning and got the filing caught up, so it should be good. I'm hoping to have as good a reputation with Sony as I do with Universal. Makes the job hunting easier. Actually, my friend A just sent me an IM to see if I was interested in something. No details yet but it would start right after this one. I thought I'd take some time off, at least a week, but if the offer is good...

Margarita

I don't know if I posted this recipe from the day we started drinking at work at noon...

6 oz Corona
6 oz (1/2 can) frozen limeade
8 oz tequila

Throw it all in a blender, add ice and away you go!

courtesy of Stevie L (my boss from Used Guys)

Another Working Sunday

I just finished going thru all of the start paperwork. There's a couple dozen, not too bad. My stack of timecards isn't too thick and I hope it's as clean as last week. We've got Wednesday off since the 4th of July is a union holiday and payday won't be until Friday. I get Wednesday and Saturday off and get paid for a 6th day on Friday. Nice.

I rode the Plum into work this morning. It definitely takes longer going surface streets, but I tried Riverside today and it's the fastest route. I'll have to see how it is during the week with traffic. It's a nice enough ride but still not the same as just cruising around.

I have to find my shuffle. Lost again... I'm streaming the local pop station which will be annoying once they start repeating. But it's better than silence.

Alright, enough timed killed - have to get back to work.

Job Offer

I just turned down a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay show (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time). They need someone to start in 3 weeks and I'm booked until the end of August.

The acct has called me before (to do the reshoot on The Break-Up) but I was already planning on going onto Used Guys and had to turn him down then, too.

I'd be more upset if it didn't seem like it was going to be a huge show with some "difficult" people. I don't really need that kind of headache.

I do need to email Brian and thank him for the referral, though.

How Green Does That Make You?

I heard a story from the POC on this show about an actress he worked with on Charlie's Angels 2. Now, I really like this actress and don't want anybody to think otherwise but this story makes me wonder.

Anyway, she's very green and does a lot for the environment. She even made the production company rent electric golf carts instead of the regular gas golf carts. Then she goes out and buys her assistant a $70K Hummer. Ummm, since when is a Hummer a green vehicle? And does she pay for the dude's gas? It must cost hundreds to fill that thing up every week. Maybe she's just off-setting her carbon footprint with the golf cart stuff...

Now I Know

I sent a timecard out to Sara to approve because I thought she was the department head for makeup. Turns out I was wrong - Allan is the dept head. I knew he had the title, but I also know he is Sam's personal makeup guy. Experience has taught me that the star's personal crew is rarely responsible for the rest of the dept. I would rather have made the error I did than to send him something and have him get mad because I would dare to bother him with such trivial matters.

How did I find this out? He called and left a message "just so I would know in the future and avoid any mistakes." How thoughtful! But really, he was fairly nice about it on the message. I'm not worried and now I know who to hold responsible.

Tattoo News

I forgot to mention: the husband said I could get some work done on the tattoo on my hand! I want to have the colors adjusted and add some vines. I don't know when that will happen, but yippee!

Working On A Sunday

When I came in on Friday, it looked like I had a huge pile of payroll. Now that I'm actually working on it, it's not so bad. It's pretty clean and if I had the production report for Friday I'd be in really good shape. Too bad the DGA 2nd 2nd dropped the ball on that one...

I saw another coyote Saturday morning. It was down in the park at the other end of the block. I kept an eye out to make sure it wasn't coming our way, but I never saw it on the street. I know Sofie's too big for them, but it makes me nervous all the same.

We didn't go to the movie last night. It didn't start until dark and I knew I had to get up this morning and go to the grocery and to work. I have to be lights out by 10pm to make that schedule. It may have to wait until this show is in wrap. I need to check the website and see what's coming up. Plus I had a nasty headache.

Anyway, I should get back to my timecards. It's getting close to done even though it doesn't look like it - there's a big stack of construction cards but they're only 3 days and really easy.

At Work

Because I didn't get done in time yesterday and went to set late, I had to come into work today and get my SAG (Screen Actors Guild) paid. They can grieve you for paying even a day late and it's such a pain in the ass. I really don't want to be here and people have started dropping extra stuff on my desk, things to fix and such. No. Not going to happen. Just waiting for the checks and I'm gone.

Running Late

I'm supposed to be at set right now. Actually, I was supposed to be at set an hour ago...

I have some late timecards that I've been waiting for from the payroll company. Usually I tell people who turn their cards in late that they will get paid late. It's the only way to manage the paperwork. But this late group includes the hair and costume crew for Jackson and I really don't want to start off on the wrong foot with that group. You never know what they'll say to the actor that may come back to bit you in the ass.

So it's better to make everyone wait for checks and have all of them then to go out on time and not have particular people.

Ah, the politics of payroll. I hate it sometimes.

True To Life

In our script, they mention the house backs up to an arroyo and kids come through to steal and vandalize.

Well, life imitated art last night as some of our set dressing got swiped out of the back yard by kids coming through the arroyo.

Maybe now they'll put a security guard back there...

Bingo

Rock-N-Roll Bingo finally has a game scheduled for this Thursday and although I've been wanting to go, I'm not so sure about this one. The charity is AIM's Life After Porn Scholarship Program... It's an adult's only night with a couple of adult film stars.

Maybe I'll wait for the next one. I really don't think porn stars need my money - whatever happened to sugar-daddies? I do wish they would give a bit more notice. I check the website almost every day and this wasn't there yesterday.

Help-Out Gig

I just got off the phone with my friend C. She's keying a low-budget show and needs some help with the payroll. I said I would help her out on Saturday. And yes, husband, it's paid. Shouldn't be too hard since the show started out non-union and everyone got a flat deal. They had to go union but they still have their deals - very little to do other than break cards, no checking the production report and crap. That's what takes all the time.

And this Saturday is The Haunting at the cemetary. We are going, aren't we husband?

Cheesecake

One good thing about working with an office full of men is they like it when I bring in baked goods. Last week I brought brownies and today it was blueberry cheesecake. I think I'm going to take a week off before I bring in the next item, but it's nice to have someone appreciate my baking. I love to do it but the husband and I can/should only eat so much!

Fucking Agents 2

The independent lawyer called my boss and told him that Dumas agent called to complain. The lawyer said he did send the contract back to her for the missing signatures, didn't she get it? Her response was she got it, but thought it was an executed contract and filed it away. So he says, well, if you had looked at the letter that I sent with it, you'd have seen what was missing and all of this could have been resolved. So now the ball's in her court and once she gets the DP to sign it and sends it back in I can pay him.

Do you think she'll call to apologize?

Fucking Rigging Grips

Speaking of not taking any crap, I got the time cards for the rigging grips this morning and the key and the best boy both have days where they indicate they didn't take a lunch. I called EG to ask him about it.

FC: Hey EG, I got your time cards and you indicate no lunch on a couple of days...

EG: Yeah, that's from the scout and from loading the truck.

FC: OK well, I have to check with the Prod Supervisor and make sure that's approved.

EG: That's ok, you can change it, whatever the PS wants, we don't care.

FC: Well, if you didn't care then you wouldn't have put down that you didn't get a lunch... But I'll check on it anyway.

PS basically said HELL NO and called him about it. Tired of the bullshit and not taking it anymore. Thanks N for the inspiration.

Fucking Agents

I hate agents.

I just got off the phone with the agent for the DP. He's been working for a while but hasn't signed his contract. Actually, from what I've heard he did sign his contract but not completely - it was sent back for the rest of the signatures...

Anyway, the studio won't let me release any checks without having a signed contract on file - they actually have to give me the green light. So I'm sitting here with a stack of checks that I can't send anywhere.

This bitch agent calls and starts trying to rip me a new one, trying to scare me into getting the DP a check. She's talking a mile a minute and won't let me say a word. In bits and pieces I manage to tell the tale about the half-signed contract and she snaps that no one sent it to her. I reply that I wasn't involved in any of that and she starts talking over me again. Finally, I tell her that if she's not going to let me get a word in edgewise, there's no point in the conversation. She yells, "GO". So I tell her that I am the bottom of the food chain and I can't do anything until the people who hire/fire me tell me to. I suggest she contact the lawyer who is negotiating the contract and the Dumas says that's it's an independent lawyer who has nothing to do with the studio - EXCEPT FOR THE FACT HE'S NEGOTIATING THE CONTRACTS!!!

Anyway, she doesn't like what I'm saying, which is basically that I can't help her and won't be cowed by her intimidation tactics and hangs up. Good riddance. Agents are leeches who need to feel like they earn their 10% but they don't need to take it out on me. I'm not putting up with any crap any more.