Casting

They are casting for High School Musical 3 on the same floor as my new office. I wasn't sure what it was because the signs only said HSM 3 and since I'm old it didn't register. Today the signs are spelled out. I should have figured it out yesterday when I kept hearing people singing... There are a couple of other casting offices on this floor and it's fun to walk past them on the way to get water or use the restroom - they're so eager and nervous and diligently going over their lines. I always wonder if they hope/fear I'm someone who could affect their career.

There goes the singing again. At least it's good.

Cute Puppies

Bored Again

It's time to go home and I've got almost everything from my office packed up. The only things I'm leaving behind are my pilates ball, my electric stapler, and some extra adhesive. It looks like I'll be able to come back for a few days next week - for what I don't know. It's so boring and unless the payroll company gets their shit together I have nothing to do.

Blech.

Day 1

Today is my first day at the Boston show. It's been a good day - I think I'm going to like working with this group. I only brought a limited kit with me and the one good blue pen died within the first 30 minutes. All I could find was a black pen and I don't like to do payroll in black - blue shows up much better. But that was the worst that happened unless you count the fact the other office went home at 5:30. I'll have to see what time I get home before I decide. My commute is only about 15 minutes instead of an hour.

I go back to the guinea pig movie tomorrow and Friday (at least). I have to pack up the rest of my stuff and hope the holiday report gets sent over. And Friday they're having cake to surprise me for my birthday. Yum.

Accident

I forgot to mention the accident on the lot this morning. I didn't see anything but the aftermath but our clerk saw the whole thing in his rear view mirror.

There's an underground parking garage on the lot and when you go down the ramp to enter, you have to make an immediate left. It's dark but not that narrow. If you're not careful you can cut the corner too close and the change from sun to dark can mess up your vision. Apparently there was a man working on a grate - he was set up in the right hand lane just after the turn. He had cones and stuff set up but it was still a dangerous spot.

The clerk said he thought about it as he was entering, that the man was not in a good spot and that there could be a problem. The SUV that entered after the clerk was the problem. The woman driving it went right over the cones and the man's leg. She claimed she didn't really see the cones and didn't see him at all. He claims he got dragged by her car. The clerk saw the SUV hit the guy but didn't see any dragging and did see the guy get up afterward and run after the car. He figured the guy was ok if he could do that much.

The whole thing is just kind of screwy. The guy was in a bad spot at a bad time and the woman probably wasn't paying a lot of attention. At least no one is really hurt.

Boston

The acct from my Boston show called me this morning. Apparently they're trying to cut $5 million out of the budget and there's a chance it will shut down. She wanted to let me know it would be ok if I started looking around - she wouldn't be offended.

Until we know for sure I'm going to start over there 2 or 3 days a week. The UPM said he doesn't want to lose me and she agrees. I'm probably not going to start looking until next week or after. If I put my name out I'll get calls and I'm not ready to abandon Boston yet. She thinks they'll know something by the end of next week.

They had a huge meeting yesterday and the dumas director actually asked the question "do we need to have more than 3 people in the accounting office?" Well, only if you want your crew and vendors paid correctly and on time... Like cutting down on the accounting staff will save your movie. If you want it saved don't pay the star $20 million or cut back on your own salary. Or maybe don't pay the DP $20K per week.

I told my assistant about it and she's decided to go ahead and look for other work just in case. I completely understand but it's too bad. I think we would have worked well together. Hopefully it'll all still work out.

Push

I found out today my Boston show is pushing for 2 weeks. The accountant still wants me to start next Monday but she has to talk it over with the UPM. Luckily he likes me and maybe he'll let me start. Otherwise I have to decide if I'm going to keep coming down to the guinea pig movie or take some time off.

The problem with taking time is the push might last longer than they think or the show may go away all together. Then I'd have to find something else. Not really a problem but a hassle.

Weekend Activities

Saw Cloverfield this weekend - it was a hard movie for me to watch. I still have trouble with 9/11 imagery and they used it very effectively. It's hard for me to decide if I liked it or not - I feel odd saying I enjoyed it when it's so dark. But it wasn't a bad movie either. It's just tough.

Didn't do much else this weekend. We got the Vespa fixed - just a bad battery after all. I'm really looking forward to riding it - I'd forgotten how much fun it was. We took Sofie to the dog park both days of course. I did some chores and ran my Roomba (which I love). I could use a day off where I don't have to even get out of bed.

Freak

Abacus

One of the 2nds gave everybody an abacus for Christmas and I just spent 10 minutes trying to figure it out. I found a website that had a tutorial but frankly I don't see the point to it. They said the person using the abacus does the calculations in his/her head and uses the beads to keep track. I always thought it would do some of the math for you. It seems like it should but I think it'll take longer than 10 minutes to be able to manipulate it easily and understand what I'm doing.

But then what else am I going to do? I finished the JJ Abrams script for Superman and it was abyssmal. I had to stop and tell my asst about whatever foolishness was going on at the moment. It was just not good.

Pleh

Consistent

I know my posts aren't all that interesting, but it doesn't really matter since I don't think I have any regular readers. One thing I am proud of is the fact I manage to post something almost every day (helps that I work on a computer for 10-12 hours a day). I read some other blogs that are good, but if they don't post on a regular basis I get bored with them.

Anyway, got the Vespa towed into the shop this morning. I was embarrassed to tell the guy it hadn't been ridden in a while but I can't help that I work an hour away in crappy traffic and it's cold/rainy out. I hope it's just a dead battery.

I've started packing up my office. Mostly just the toys and frivolous stuff so far. I did toss a few old memos but most of it will have to wait until next week. I wonder if I should cull the toy herd a bit. I'll have to see how many boxes I end up with.

Scooter Fix

I'm finally taking my Vespa to the shop tomorrow. I'm a horrible person for letting it get to this point in the first place because if I had riden it more often it probably wouldn't be dead. But it's really hard when it's an hour commute in heavy traffic and I'm not comfortable lane-sharing. But I'm planning to ride it to the new office come the 29th even in the cold. I can't wait. I hope I can get it shipped to Boston...

Ouch

I got my eyebrows done on Saturday (waxing, tweezing, trimming, etc). She did a great job and I was really happy until I realized yesterday that I must be really sensitive to the wax because the skin around my brows is red and irritated. It's also breaking out. Lovely. I've been putting neosporin on them which makes them look odd, but it's helping.

I also bought more sugar scrub for my lips as I left the cocoa one at home for K to use. They didn't have that flavor again so I got cinnamon sugar and it's good but the cocoa is better.

We finished shooting yesterday and I start my new show on the 28th but I still don't know when I'm going to Boston. Sometime in February I guess. I'm kind of glad I'll be at home for my birthday this year. Last year was a bit sad, leaving 2 days before.

Shrine

The husband and I went to the convention at the Shrine yesterday to sell off some excess comics and books. We didn't do as well as before but not too bad. We got rid of some stuff and that's always a good thing.

There was a woman there dressed as slave Leia - full costume. I was really impressed because I was freezing in jeans and jacket and she was half-naked! What a trooper - I hope they made extra money because of it. Her husband(?) was dressed as Han Solo so I'm sure he was just fine.

Work is still very slow. We were done with the payroll by 11am and since we're supposed to finish shooting tomorrow this week won't be any more time-consuming. I really don't know what I'm going to do to occupy my time. There's just not enough work for 2 of us. I guess I'll need to get more scripts to read. At least those aren't as obvious as a book or magazine.

I did clip coupons at my desk this afternoon. That was obvious...

Job Offers

Got an email this morning from an accountant I've talked to before, but never worked with. She's choosing between 2 shows, one going to Connecticut and the other going to Portland. Man, I would love to go to Portland but I had to tell her I'm already booked.

I did make sure I mentioned my interest in case my Boston show went down.

Total Bullshit

A friend sent me the following link:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01092008/business/payroll_company_is_casualty_of_writers_s_20817.htm

The headline places blame for the payroll company's demise solely on the writer's strike. But if you read the article, others claim the company was already faltering and the strike was just the final straw.

But what really hacks me off is the claim that people won't be getting their paychecks. TOTAL BULLSHIT!. There's no way the studios and unions would allow that to happen and I know for a fact the payroll was diverted to 2 other payroll companies on Tuesday morning for processing. Everybody will get their money and it will be sooner rather than later. Sure, some productions will lose out on deposits, but the crews will get paid. That's a non-issue and inflammatory.

Gym Rat Out

I have been having a really hard time getting back to the gym since my trainer left. I'm not sure why but I don't respond well to change. Every morning I get up at 5 to walk Sofie, but haven't managed to get my gym clothes on. This morning I did manage to get dressed and get in the car, but instead of turning left towards the gym I turned right, drove around the block, and went back to bed. Maybe it's progress, maybe not. I know I have to go back and I will. I just hope it's sooner rather than later.

Out of Business

One of the payroll companies shut its doors today with no notice. Luckily they're one of the smaller ones but what a nightmare for those shows! The payroll accts had to fax their stuff to one of the other companies, along with all the necessary start paperwork. And the accounts payable crew has to try and get its data saved and transferred to another operating system.

I'm so glad I'm not having to deal with any of that. I'd be a raving bitch.

Back To Work

It's back to the daily grind on GF. We have 7 scheduled days of plate unit and miniatures and then it's all over. I don't know what my last day will be but I hope it's soon. Actually, the show is ok I'm just tired of the commute and we've been really slow. There really isn't enough work for 2 of us but the accountant wants my assistant to go on the next show with him so he's not going anywhere.

I feel like I've had this idea before but there's nothing else going on to write about. Maybe we'll blow something up this week...

2 Cuties

Quiet Day

OMG I am so bored today. I have no work to do and the phones are out. I was thinking I may get some calls from people who haven't gotten their check yet but not gonna happen unless they call my cell phone. I actually just walked around and gave out timecards so people could fill them out and give me some work.

If it wasn't for the money I would have stayed home in bed. Maybe we'll all get to leave early and I can check out the tattoo shop - I need to find out how much it's going to cost to have a little work done on the one on my hand. I want to have the colors adjusted and some vines added.

I'd like to start checking out housing in Boston but we still don't have a production office. Not really any point to it without knowing what area I need. I'm hoping to get something within walking distance or maybe bike riding distance. I have no idea what to expect although Sped has friends who are from there so maybe they can help me out once I know where I'm going.

No More Trainer

I found out this morning that my trainer is moving to Texas on the 4th of January! AARRGGHH! What am I supposed to do now? I made my New Year's resolution to eat less and exercise more and lose 45 pounds by the end of the year. I thought I was being realistic and was motivated to make it happen. Then he doesn't show today and my gym partner tells me he got a job offer over Christmas and he's leaving. Damn. I mean, I know I'm off to Boston in February for 5 or 6 months but it's so not fair. That's the 3rd trainer I've lost since I've had a trainer. Basically that's all of them. I must be a trainer jinx.

But maybe the husband will let me take the $400 a month I'm not spending on training and buy an elliptical machine for the house. He could use it while I'm gone and I promise to use it every day (and I'm only going to the gym for 4 days a week now). What do you think, husband?