Pig Dog Says Howdy!

Sunday Roundup

The dog is asleep next to me having puppy dreams and making her blerp sound. So damn cute.

The husband came to Boston for Thanksgiving and we had a very nice time. It rained every day he was here and of course it stopped not long after he got on the plane to go home - I wish he could have seen the beautiful weekend. At least we finally made it to The House of the Seven Gables in Salem (I feel I should read the book now). We had a nice dinner although I couldn't find the turkey roast I wanted so we had turkey sausage instead. Yum!

We've got a lot of renovations we want to do on the townhouse. In no particular order:
1) fix the fireplace (includes making it work and putting up tile)
2) redo both of the upstairs bathrooms (all the way down to the studs and possibly move a wall)
3) install a tankless water heater (there's a rebate on that!)
4) redo the kitchen (also all the way down to the studs)
5) redo the patio
6) finish painting

I think the water heater may have to happen sooner rather than later, though. The husband says the current one just isn't doing the job anymore.

S is coming into town on Wednesday night. She's going to drive down to TN with me over the weekend. I'll drop her off in K-ville and head off to N-ville on my own. I don't know what she's going to do with herself on Thursday but I hope she goes shopping or sightseeing. I'm going to take her to dinner Wednesday and Thursday nights - probably to Legal Seafood one night and Top of the Hub another. Or maybe to the North End... we'll see what she's in the mood to eat.

I have to get all my packing done before she gets here - that's not why I asked her to come up. A big chunk is done - all of my clothes are in the suitcase (except for what I pulled for the week). I've cleaned out the fridge and the cabinets and gotten rid of some of the stuff from the bathroom - it's just not worth it to drag cotton balls and nail polish remover with me. They have that in N-ville! I have to start on my office tomorrow but I'm going to ship all of that so it's not going to add to the headache. Actually, I can probably pack and send a couple of boxes this week instead of waiting to send it all on Friday. It can sit in the new office as easily as in the current one...

Hard to believe that a week from today I will be in TN, dragging my suitcase into my "home-away-from-home". Blech.

Finch - 8 Weeks

This is Meagan's French Bulldog Finch. She had planned to get this one, then changed her mind and decided to get the all black one. When I asked why she went back to this one she replied "when I got there, the other one was really alert but Finch was just hanging out and his one ear wouldn't stand up straight and he's fat. I fell in love!"

Who wouldn't?

Fish

The guilty party - she knows she's guilty because she was afraid to come near me. But she's really a sweetheart and Sofie's back in the bed as I type so all's well that ends well.

Dog Issues

Fish the prop dog peed on Sofie's bed on Friday - a bit territorial or just jealous. I washed it and Sofie's curled up in it right now so I guess the smell is out. I'm glad becuase it's her new fancy one. I'll post a pic of Fish if I get the chance. She's a rescue and has some issues but she's a good girl.

Countess Sofula!

What's Next?

Did I mention I'm going to Nashville for my next job? And that I don't have any time off between? What am I thinking? Well, I'll be close to my parents and will be able to visit every weekend if I want. It's also keeping the money coming in which is important if we're going to redo both of the upstairs bathrooms and the kitchen (apparently it's still pretty slow in LA). And if the timing works out, I may get onto a Hugh Jackman movie afterward.

The only other interesting possibility I've seen is a job in Croatia and Budapest which I would consider if I hadn't been in Boston since May. I'm ready for an easy show and to go home...

I do get to go home for Christmas hiatus. I have to drive with Sofie so I won't get as much home time as I'd like, but I'm hoping to get down to see Sped and Dilly and Dan for at least a day. I have to find out if they are traveling.

Timmy

This is Timmy - a cat the husband sees on his morning walk. Timmy is very friendly and tends to run out to the husband and throw himself down on the ground at his feet waiting for a belly rub. Over and over again. I think he'd pretty cute.

Scene from a winery

I want to have a party where all my guests come and sit at a table like this and eat and drink and talk and laugh for hours until the stars go down...

Sofie - A Trilogy of Bliss

JS and I went on a wine-tasting trip and Sofie took some time out to roll in the grass. You'd think she'd been tasting, too.

Monkey Friday!

Sadly, the monkeys have wrapped but we'll always remember Monkey Fridays fondly.

Office Dog

This is Souris - a Papillon with the biggest ears I've ever seen. She belongs to a woman in Set Dec from the other show with offices on our floor.

Puppies!

These are pics of the French Bulldog puppies my friend Meagan is going to choose from... She was initially thinking of going with the one with the white on his face and chest but now she's leaning towards the all black one. She will name him Finch - a good name.

Shower and Snow and Babies that Grow.

Jenny and I hosted a bridal shower for Suzanne this afternoon. It was a total surprise and a huge success! The only problem is it made me regret not getting to have a shower of my own... yes, I am still bitter 11 years later.

Anyway, it's been raining all day but there have been periods of SNOW - actual snow on October 18th. I'm told it's pretty early for snow but it is so enchanting. It's not sticking to anything but the flakes are huge and just tumble down - that sounds kind of dumb but I don't know how else to describe it.

I'm totally missing Dilly growing up and I'm very sad about that. She's so frickin' adorable and every time I see a pic she's bigger. I think I'm actually jealous of Caitlin. I hope I can get down there in December when I go back to CA. Sometimes I wish I had a regular job that didn't take me out of town for months at a time but it is what it is. I console myself with the knowledge that she's too young to know if I'm there or not but I think of her (and her mom) all the time. Still my best friend.

Something tasty from the shower - crackers with whipped cream cheese and hot pepper jelly. Try it!

Why the Industry Doesn't Take Boston Seriously...

"Just wondering if you fixed the time on the ticket? the girl had me leaving at 12 pm when in fact it was 12 am and she rudely wrote across the ticket in bold that I left early! after 14 hours of working I dont consider that early! im also partial disable and im protected by fedral law! any retailation or denial of future work will be an act of discrimination! to add fuel to the fire im hispanic and im 42 years old, so I got you on disablity, age and race! just waiting to hear back about my time sheet being corrected! there was another day where they wrote me leaving at 8pm and Its was 8:30 pm, if you dont correct these mistakes now its going to become a big issue later so to avoid the drama you should just respond to me and do the right thing and correct my time sheet. Thanks!"

An actual email sent from a background actor. He's very emphatic in his threats, isn't he?

September Already

One of the animals on our show died unexpectedly. They did an autopsy but didn't find an immediate cause and now we're waiting for the tests to come back. It's very sad and I feel terrible for the owners/trainers. An animal-rights organization is all over us for abuse and crap and it's just ridiculous. I had gotten to meet him several weeks ago and fed him carrots. It was obvious he was cared for so to imply they would neglect or abuse him is just mean and petty.

Beyond that, the show is going well except the AD's suck as usual and I'm super busy doing my job and their paperwork. There hasn't been too much drama - just minor diva stuff from the star and some of his personal crew. Oh, and one of the producers is just over-the-top. He was on another show that's sharing our office space and when he moved over to us, everything just went nuts. He makes deals and leaves it to the "little people" to figure out how to make them happen. It's so frustrating because he obviously only cares about being perceived as a generous guy to the shooting crew - the office staff could sit and spin for all he thinks of us.

Sofie is still universally loved despite her territorialism. She guards the area outside my office pretty fiercely for 28 pounds. She gets very barky and I make her come into the office and shut the door. I really don't want to annoy people...

It's starting to cool down weather-wise. We were gone by this time last year and I'm looking forward to seeing fall in New England. I'm sure I'm going to be complaining about the cold but at least the humidity is gone. Ugh.

About 1 Month Later

New Bed

Sofie got a new bed and it's pretty swank. That's her new hedgehog she's pointing at - my boss bought it for her.

Ice Cream

Sofie and I went to an ice cream social tonight. It was at a nearby dog boutique and was for charity. Sofie really enjoyed her peanut butter dog sherbet and my chocolate chip people ice cream was good, too. She wasn't thrilled with the other dogs there since some of them were bigger but they were all pretty good. Especially the big bloodhound...

I Do Know What I'm Doing

I had another email altercation with a crew member. For your enjoyment...

Me: Did you guys really have 2 stand ins on Sunday 8/9? Because I never got vouchers...

M: Yes we did I gave them a call to get there info because D didn't have any vouchers with him on Sunday and they haven't called me back yet. I will try again on Monday and see if ML can give me their info so I can fill out a voucher for them. Thanks M

D: They should have gotten to you

Me: obviously they haven't or I wouldn't be asking about them

D: Easy. I asked for them to get done and m said she would do it. The 2 standins are on g.u. and didn't have their soc for the vouchers so I know she is waiting for the info

Me to D and M: whenever you get them please forward them to me for payment

D: Absolutely Also I just want to be sure you guys know production fee gets added for all 7th days thanks again D

Me:
D,
I know this is going to sound harsh and I mean it that way but if you tell me one more time how to pay the DGA I'm going to refuse to do it and send the cards to you. It's insulting.

D: I wasn't trying to insult you in any way it was something that came to my attention that I didn't know. And since you need to check something I told you about I am not sure threatening me is the correct response Sorry if I have made you angry because that was absolutely not my intention

Me:
D,
All you have done this week is tell me how to pay the DGA. That's my job. You don't approach me with the attitude of "hey, I got this info and wanted to see if it's correct." You bring it to me as if I don't know what I'm doing. Apparently you have had some shitty payroll people in the past but I am not one of them.
You may want to think about that the next time you find a tidbit of payroll info that you think needs to be passed on.

__
I'm really looking forward to the rest of this show... his comment about me needing to "check on something he told me about" really pisses me off. What he told me was bullshit and instead of arguing about it with him at set on Friday, I just told him I'd check on it. That was my polite way of saying "you don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

Yes, I Really Did It

and while I'm glad I did it, I don't think it's all that flattering. You were right about that husband.

Morning Blog

The Set Decorator was in the office yesterday. He looks great and is getting around as if he didn't just have brain surgery last Friday. I still don't know if they have details about his tumor, but it's nice to see him up and around.

Otherwise, the show is going ok. We start shooting on Monday with actors instead of just animals so we're in a push of hiring hair, makeup, and costume people. But that's business as usual.

We haven't had too much drama beyond the usual nepotism and political hirings. One of our producers will be an issue as he tends to make deals without specifics and then it's up to us to figure out how to make it happen. That's going to be fun.

Hard to believe it's the middle of August already. Harder to believe my 20th high school reunion is next weekend. I can't go, of course, but it would have been nice to see everyone. And unlike some people, I've always been overweight so it's not like that would have been something to dread. My tattoos might have made me stand out, though.

Anyway, I'm sitting here with Sofie blogging instead of going to the gym. I was up late last night with my belly dancing class and it's raining and I just couldn't do it. I could try and go tonight when I get home but I know I probably won't. I've been considering getting roller skates or a bicycle just to have something different to do. I can make it to my classes but going to the regular gym is getting boring.

I talked to my boss yesterday about my assistant. We've decided she may be a little OCD because her main problem is she gets focused on a course of action and it takes a real effort to get her to stop and change direction. She's going to have a hard time with payroll if she can't get past that because this job is all about switching gears at a moment's notice - depending on who is on the phone or has walked in the door. I'm going to have to try and talk to her about it at some point.

Set Decorator

Our Set Decorator had been having headaches for a while and his doctor told him he should get an MRI if they didn't stop. Well, they were getting worse from the job stress and last Wednesday he went to a doctor again. Turns out he has a brain tumor and had surgery on Friday to remove it. We haven't heard any more details yet but the surgery went fine.

Just kind of stops you in your tracks.

New Camera Phone

There's my Sofie girl sitting in the passenger seat while I drove us to work this morning. I wasn't really aiming but it's a good shot. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Payroll Asst.

I am not thrilled with my assistant on this show. A woman I worked with before recommended her as being just fabulous. She's a local and really wants to learn payroll since it's almost guaranteed employment, but I don't think she has what it takes. She's eager to learn and tries hard but it just doesn't seem to be catching on.

Part of the problem is that after 3 months, she still doesn't seem to know which questions to ask. The same situations come up over and over and each time I have to tell her to go back and ask something that she should have asked already. I'm having a hard time trusting her to do stuff on her own, which makes it even harder for me.

And even though she's nice enough, she's lacking in some office etiquette that I can't put my finger on - she walks into my office and starts talking without taking the time to see if I can even pay attention to her. Or she comes in and just stands there looking at me until I say something.

My biggest peeve right now is the fact she can't separate the paychecks into the correct departments even though they are 95% sorted to begin with...

But there's still time and I'm hoping I can train her on a few more things before we get any busier. It's in my best interest to get her as far along as possible before 8/17.

Saturdays Off

It's been a while, I know. I have gmail for my work email account and I can't log out of it to get into blogger.

Never friend a coworker on Facebook - you can never gripe about them. Which says something about a coworker - namely my assistant. She's smart and eager to learn but I don't know that she has what it takes to do this job. Some days I have to jump from one project to another w/o getting to finish. I have to prioritize and come back to stuff as I can. She doesn't seem able to do that - she gets very focused and doesn't always listen when I try and change her direction. I know I'm going to need the help it's just such a hassle to train someone.

The visual effects shooting of the animals is going ok. We're behind a little bit - mostly because of the rain but also because the bears don't like having the lions around. They catch the scent or hear the noises and it freaks them out to have another predator nearby. Then a lion stepped on a screw and wouldn't work anymore. It wasn't hurt just a bit wigged out.

The zoo set is amazing. It doesn't look like a real zoo in person but I know on screen it's going to be perfect and beautiful. We did get to meet some of the animals a couple of weeks ago (not the bears yet). We met Rosie the elephant - got to pet her and had her sniff my hand with her trunk (elephant snot smells BAD). Then we met Tweet the giraffe - fed him carrots and tried to pet him, but he was only in it for the carrots. We couldn't get too close to the lions that day but 20 feet is close enough. Then we met the African vulture, the Austrailian eagles (Sydney and Darwin), and the crow (can't remember his name). They were all beautiful and kind of scary up close. Those beaks are vicious looking.

Sofie and I care relaxing at home today. We worked 6 days this past week and will work 6 days this coming week. If this get settled then we'll switch to 5 days but for now I'm taking it easy on my day off.

I did sign up for a couple of classes at the gym. They have free ones that I haven't made it to, but I signed up for belly dancing on Wednesday nights and kickboxing on Saturday at noon. They just started this week and I love both of them. I'm not the most graceful dancer - having trouble with some of the steps, but I love making the belt jingle. And of course I love punching things. I just wish there were more people in the class - 2 in belly dancing and only me in kickboxing. But I'll go to all 8 and work my butt off (hopefully literally).

Ok, I think it's time to take a nice bath and either watch a movie or take a nap. It's getting late so it may be the nap.

Animals

The bear trainers invited us to come down and meet the grizzlies - Bart and Honey Bump. I met Bart while working on Evan, but I'm not going to pass up the chance to see him again. Not to mention his sister Honey Bump! Not that we can pet them or anything but we can get within 10 feet of them - plenty close.

Crystal the capuchin (not white-faced) has been back to the office a couple of times. I haven't gotten to have her sit on my shoulder yet - all I've done is shake her hand, played "tilt your head" with her, and gotten a high five - but everybody seems to think she's really taken with me. When the guys were walking her out she kept staring at me. I didn't think there was anything going on but other people mentioned it so maybe... Next time I hope to get a pic.

I think all of the animals have made it into town by now so I'm also looking forward to meeting the elephant and the wolf (hybrid, I think). And the giraffe although I'm not sure you can really meet a giraffe...

The Monkey

The monkey that's going to be in the movie was brought into the office today. The director's dog Spuz took one look at it and peed - then barked. When we heard the monkey was there, I debated going to the other side of the office to see it because it meant taking Sofie with me and I didn't know how she'd react. But I went anyway and waited to see what would happen.

I'm not sure yet what kind of monkey it was - maybe a capuchin but it wasn't the typical white-face - I'll have to ask. Anyway, Sofie didn't notice it at first. It was sitting on my assistant's shoulder eating some chocolate. It wasn't until it climbed onto Mimi's shoulder that Sofie realized there was something new in the office. She stared at it and then walked over to Mimi and started to stand up (not jump, just stand) but I told her to stop and had her sit. Then she just stared as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

The monkey was familiar with dogs, but having a strange one staring made it a bit nervous and it started making noise, which made Sofie's ears perk up. Luckily, though, Sofie never did anything aggressive towards it in the slightest. She was just super-curious and would have loved to smell this new thing. I don't know what would have happened if the monkey had started moving around - that might have been too much for her.

The rest of the time Sofie just wandered around with this look on her face of "What is that? I must try to get closer and get a good sniff."

Sofie's a good girl - much better behaved and trained then I ever thought.

Dad & Cordelia

He took her from Susan and started walking her around the restaurant. The next time we saw him he was in the bar surrounded by a group of women. Turns out Cordelia is a chick magnet!

It's kind of sad because this is probably the closest he'll get to having another grandbaby. He actually caught himself saying "come to Grandpa" when he picked her up. Maybe he can be the 3rd grandpa...

Saturday

Saturday morning we got up and tried to take Sofie to the dog park. Sadly it was closed due to the wet weather (it's not a real dog park, just a school's fenced-in baseball field that is a dog park from dawn to 1pm on the weekends). We ended up driving down to the gravel-filled dog park that Sofie doesn't really like then over to work so she could be off-leash for a bit out behind the building. When leaving we decided to do a bit of exploring and went down to Castle Island and walked around the fort. A man fishing off the pier caught a huge fish while we watched and we met some good dogs. I hope to go back soon.

The husband and I then walked over to the Museum of Fine Arts, where an old man and his wife cut the line in front of us (and yes I did call them out on it). We bought the City Pass which would have been a better deal if we'd thought about it before we went to the aquarium, but it still saved us money. Anyway, we didn't pay extra for the special exhibits but the regular museum was enough. The ancient seals were just about the coolest things, very intricately carved.

After the MFA, we drove up to doggie day care and dropped Sofie off for the afternoon so we could do some shopping. We hit the cd shop, a bookstore, Trader Joe's, a Flag Day carnival and got lunch before picking her back up.

Saturday night we walked over to the Prudential and went up to the 50th floor to the Skywalk Observatory. I had wanted to go to the restaurant on the 52nd floor but heard it wasn't very good and since it was mostly about the view and not the food and since we had tickets from the City Pass, we did that. It was cloudy out but it didn't obscure the view of the city at all. It was just getting dark and was very pretty. It's always amazing to see what a small town Boston really is. I know the suburbs go on for quite a distance, but the city itself is compact.

We decided to get some dinner on the way home and stopped off at a restaurant we'd walked past several times. It was loud but the food was good - salt and pepper calamari and lobster mac and cheese.

My Brother's Pets

Scarlet the parrot

Carmen the dog

My Sister's Car

Maybe now she'll buy a new one that doesn't beep randomly...

My Mom

I am up way too late considering I have a 5:30am flight but it's been hard to part company with my mom. I've known for a while she wouldn't be around long but since Ma died, I've been feeling it even more. My mom is going to be 85 in August and I still don't think I know her that well. I'm glad she has seen me succeed in my career, but I regret that she'll never see one of her daughters have a baby. There's a lot going through my head right now and I thought writing it down would help, but it's just making me want to cry. So I'll call it done and hope that I have enough time to learn who my mother really is.

Barbara Elizabeth Lomonaco

Ma passed away this morning around 6am. She got to meet her granddaughter and had her family around her.

I last saw her in person in March when she was in the hospital. She looked pretty good but we didn't get to talk like we both had hoped. I'll never know for sure what she wanted to talk about but I know I said what I wanted to say.

We Skyped in April after Cordelia was born and I was visiting and helping out. It felt like old times.

Ma always seemed to be about style, but she had the substance to back it up. If you got to hang out with her it always shone through.

Apparently I'm going to be responsible for helping to tell Cordelia about her Grandma Barb and making sure she knows about all the stupid things her mom did growing up.

I think I'm also going to take on the responsibility of buying Cordelia all the super-girly things Grandma Barb would have bought her. It may even be fun.

I'll miss you, Ma. I'm glad I knew you and I'm sorry you had to go so soon. I've had the privilege of having 3 moms in my life and now I've lost 2, both to ovarian cancer. I don't know what else to say. It's just not fair, which sounds childish, but it's not fair.

Wednesday

It's Wednesday. I don't have anything to do but wait for people on the west coast to get to work and call me back or send me stuff. It's my second week on this job and so far it's been fine. Everybody seems very nice and the director even brings his dog Spuz to work. Luckily, Spuz and Sofie get along. Sadly, Sofie does not like the director. It doesn't help that he wears a hat all the time.

We are going to look at apartments later today. We got permission to move out of the hotel last week and we've been trying to find something. It hasn't been easy, since we need to find something for only 6 months, furnished, that will take Sofie. I'm going to room with AH, who was a housemate last year. We've seen one place but it was a bit of a dump and the parking was ridiculous. $345 per month and they didn't even open until 7am. WTF?

The hotel we're staying in is very nice. Everyone seems to know Sofie by name and most of them seem to like her. I'm going to miss having her around, but I won't miss the random barking at people who walk by.

Despite the quality of the hotel, not having a kitchen is expensive. We have to get something out every night and I'm so over it. I actually want to make spaghetti again. Hopefully one of the three apartments we're seeing today will work out.

We had a great trip out here - stopped and saw so much. I'm glad we didn't have to make it in four days like last time. And since Sofie isn't staying with me, I can fly home in December and save the husband some miles.

I hope the guy from the studio calls me back soon. I need to get my computer fixed so I can print checks. I'm not sure what's wrong with it - it may have something to do with me installing my scanner or maybe something I picked up from the internet. It's not like I look at porn and crap but I do click on things that may be trouble. We'll see what happens.

I think I'll go and see if the boss' cat is in - Peewee is her name. She's about as old as Baxter and it's nice to pet her. I miss my kitties.

Last Day Driving

I'm in a Motel 6 in Sturbridge, MA this morning getting ready to go to the laundromat before finishing the trip to Boston. I don't know when I'll have time to do laundry again so I figure I'd better take care of it now. Especially since both the husband and I fell into the creek at Fallingwater.

Yes, I know you're not supposed to go down to the creek but I did anyway and took some pics. Then I slipped on the wet rocks and fell in and then husband fell trying to help me. Soaking wet jeans made for an uncomfortable tour of the grounds but since we didn't pay for the interior house tour, it was fine. We changed pants in the parking lot and continued on our way. But now we're both down to only 1 pair of jeans and that won't do. So it's off to the laundromat.

After that, I'm hoping to stop by Sturbridge Pottery. I think we'll have time since it's only an hour or so to Boston and the hotel probably won't be ready for us until 3pm.

Other than that, it's been a good trip. We are all three of us tired of being in the car but we've gotten to see a lot of sights and that's made it worthwhile. I especially liked seeing the baby kangaroo in the canvas bag at the animal park in Donegal. It was behind the register and they're having a naming contest. I went with Hamilton.

Again?

I like ABBA - I always have. I went to see Mamma Mia! in the theatre and enjoyed it, even singing along under my breath.

But now that my neighbors own the dvd and play it at least 3 times a day, I'm starting to hate them with a passion that is unholy.

If I wasn't going to Boston on Sunday, I'd probably need bail money soon.

Boston

Forgot to mention, I am going to Boston. I have to be there May 18th and we're going to start driving May 10th. We have a house sitter lined up and are getting the place sorted and cleaned. Have to get the cats groomed and Sofie needs a bath, too. She's going with us but I'm not going to be able to keep her with me. Right now I'm stuck in the hotel and while it's dog-friendly, I wouldn't be able to leave her alone in the room at all. So that's not really going to work for me if I can't even go to the fitness room or the store without her. Things may change after I get there but I'm reconciling myself to being alone until mid December.

The in-town show fell through when the actors passed so I didn't really have a decision to make.

Police Raid

The husband, Sofie, and I were taking our morning constitutional when a large group of police in helmets rounded the far corner coming towards us. We were in a very nice neighborhood of Toluca Lake, on the route we take almost every day, about four houses away from them. I asked "what is that?" and the husband replied "a raid".

We crossed the street and stopped, waiting to see what happened. The husband was all for turning around but I wanted to watch so we stood there while they approached a house and spread out around it, some at the end of the driveway, some at the side gate nearest us, and the rest going to the front door. We couldn't hear anything, but a man came out of the house and they put him in handcuffs. Then a woman came out, but I couldn't tell if they cuffed her or not. The dogs came out but they were all happy and excited to have the company so the cops didn't bother them.

When we were sure there wasn't going to be any shooting (we never saw a single gun even drawn), we continued on our walk. It was surreal, especially since the people who lived there had said hello to us the other day - nice as pie. I guess we'll find out from the news if it was drugs or something else.

Sped and Dilly

I'm sitting in Sped's living room, waiting for her to come back from her mommy support group. I came down yesterday to help out with Dilly for a week or so. She's still pretty damn cute but what a set of lungs! I'm sure it will get better for everybody when Sped can bottle-feed - at least then Dad with be able to take a shift in the middle of the night and Sped can get more sleep. Both mom and dad are super parents and I enjoy watching them interact with their little girl.

On a selfish note, I'm hoping being here will help me decide once and for all if I want a baby. I know this part may be rough but I also know it doesn't last forever. None of the phases, good or bad, last forever. What changes is the complete responsibility you have for another person for 18 years. That's a long time and shouldn't be taken lightly if you're ambiguous in the first place.

In other news, the Boston show may be back on with a different accountant. There's really not any reason to not take the show. Even if they don't give me the housing allowance there's still the possibility of making an extra $14k. Yes, I am talking to someone about a show in town, but I haven't said yes, just talked rates. I'm going to have to make this decision today because if I'm going, then I have a lot to take care of beforehand.

No Boston For Me

Well, it looks like the show in Boston has fallen through. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I do know it had nothing to do with me. Oh well. I'll make it to NYC eventually.

I do have another offer for a Disney show with an accountant and producer I've worked with before. I've told them my rate and asked where the office will be. I'll probably say yes depending on the answer.

One good thing about not having to rush out of town? I don't have to scramble to finish my to-do list.

Back To Boston?

Someone around town seems to think my vacation to Portland was actually me taking a job in Portland... no wonder I haven't been getting any calls.

M emailed me to ask where I was and what I was doing; she'd been told I was working in Portland. Turns out the accountant from Surrogates has an offer to do a Kevin James show in Boston and had called her. I wrote her back then immediately wrote the accountant to let her know I was still available.

I heard from the acct this morning and she's still working out her deal, but it should all be coming together soon. Looks like we may be heading back to Boston even though I said I didn't want to travel that far.

Maybe this time we can stop in Gettysburg.

To Do

I still don't have a job lined up but I am getting better at working on my to do list. I've gotten a few of the small projects crossed off and now have to buckle down for the bigger ones. I have about a week or so before I go down to Sped's house and I need to be done with as much as possible by then. I should post some pics, maybe that will help motivate me. Bragging usually does...

And to my sister, I'm sending mom a little package.

Cordelia's Nursery Part 3

Cordelia's Nursery Part 2

Cordelia's Nursery Part 1

Introducing...

Cordelia Elizabeth

7 lbs 4 oz

19.5 ins

Portland

The husband and I (and Sofie) went to Portland last week for a little vacation. We had a nice time, but it wasn't thrilling or anything.

We left on Wednesday and drove, taking 2 days so we wouldn't be exhausted. We stopped in Redding and went to a little used book store, where we got my dad some Zane Grey books. Then we tried to see the Sundial Bridge but there was a sign saying "no dogs" so we didn't bother getting out of the car.

After leaving Redding Thursday morning we stopped in Mount Shasta City to get a close-up of the mountain. I'd read about Shasta and always hoped to see it in person, but never thought I would. It's pretty impressive, even though it was shrouded in mist and clouds.

When we got to Portland, we checked in and went for a walk. The hotel was right downtown so we saw some of that area, including Pioneer Courthouse Square where we saw a man walking a cat on a leash. Sofie and it made eye contact, but nobody wigged out. Then we got some excellent Indian food from one of the carts in a parking lot and went back to the hotel to relax.

On Friday, we drove out to Powell's to drop off 12 boxes of books for trade-in, then took off to Fort Clatsop (the Lewis and Clark fort out on the coast). It was a scenic drive but it looked a lot like East Tennessee. After the fort, we drove down to Seaside and took Sofie to the beach. She was ok with it because the water must have been at low tide and was a distance away. The only thing that did bother her was a German Shepherd named Brutus who kept licking her. Then we had lunch at Bigfoot's Pub and Grub, which was probably our 2nd best meal after the Indian food.

Saturday it rained, but we went to the Saturday Market and had a look around then drove out the Columbia River Gorge and saw the waterfalls - Wayne's recommendation and totally worth it.

Sunday we drove up to Fort Vancouver just over the river in Washington. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Since it was a fort of the Hudson's Bay Company, it was pretty swank. I'm so used to the bare, stark military forts that it was a nice change. We also had lunch in Mt Tabor Park, which is an extinct volcano within the city limits. If I ever moved to Portland, I'd want to live within walking distance of that park.

Monday we took Sofie for her morning walk and went down to Voodoo Doughnut. We'd seen it on tv and had tried to go on Saturday, but there was a line. Luckily, no line on Monday and we got 3 tasty examples. Then we checked out and hit the road.

The drive back seemed to take forever, but you get a much better and longer-lasting view of Mount Shasta heading south. We stopped in Reading again and went to the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. I got my passport stamped and then we headed a bit further south before stopping. We finally got home Tuesday around 3:30pm and that was it.

When all is said and done, I liked Portland and would take a show going there, but I doubt I'll go back on my own to visit again.

Job Hunt

I haven't had a call for work for a long time, then I go on vacation and get 3 calls in 1 day. 2 were for television and the 3rd was a feature, but they needed someone to start Monday. I don't even get back home until Tuesday!

I turned them all down - I really need my time off.

Updates

Lots of little things going on:

- Last weekend, I went down to Sped's and helped her decorate the nursery (I'll upload pics soon). It took longer than I'd hoped and I didn't get to help load all the baby stuff in, but they've gotten most of it done this week. It's super-cute.

- Right now, I'm in East Tennessee visiting my parents since I didn't make it home at Christmas. I'm having a good, relaxing time and my sister took off from work so we've been shopping and stuff. I made her buy red shoes and would have bought some for myself if they'd had my size. She says she enjoys shopping with me because I make her try stuff she normally wouldn't - I like that!

- Sofie has a bladder infection to go along with the inflammation on her side. At least now they've given her anitbiotics. I'm glad I wasn't home for that because the husband said there was blood and I would have wigged out. She's totally blown our budget but she's worth it.

- I got to visit with Erika and her kids yesterday and had a great time catching up. I'm always worried we won't have anything in common anymore and end up talking about nothing but what happened in high school, but I think we like each other enough to want to know what's going on now. And her girls were a hoot. I know they were putting on a show for company but I enjoyed it. I also brought them some hats and shirts from some of the shows I've worked on. It's stuff I never use and they get to feel cool with their friends.

- I sent out emails to all of the accountants I've worked with (that I liked) letting them know I'm available. I've heard back from most of them but no one has an offer for me yet. I'm not too concerned since it's still slow around town, but I would feel better if I had something lined up. At least the unemployment is good to go.

- It's weird to realize that LA is my home. I never wanted to move there but that's where my life is right now. I just really need to start exploring it more. When I'm there, I feel all fuddy-duddy but when I'm in East TN I feel absolutely cosmopolitan.

- The husband and I gave up our cable subscription. It'll save us $50 a month and a lot of wasted time. I'm hoping to catch up on my reading and movies instead of vegging out in front of the tube. Of course, I left town the day it got shut off and you know my folks have cable! Sorry husband.

That's it for now. Everybody went to 4:30 mass and I've just been killing time waiting for them to come home with dinner. I'm sure tonight will be spent watching tv, but that's how it is here and they are happy with it. Who am I to say it's a bad thing?

Only In LA?

This has been up for about a year and I finally had to take it down and post it. I wonder if they ever found the thing...

Headhunt?

I got "friended" on Facebook by an accountant I've never worked with before but we have some mutual friends. Please Dog let this mean I'm going to start getting some job offers... I've hadn't had a lack of offers like this for a long time. Friggen' actors.

Other Office Dogs Cont'd

This is Ouisi (Weezy). She's a 7 year old Boxer who belongs to the Construction Accountant Jerry. I'm told 7 is old for a Boxer and she shows her age, but she's a total sweetheart. And like Sonoma, she enjoys Sofie's bed.

Other Office Dogs

This is Kai (not sure of the spelling). He belongs to the sister of the Asst Costume Designer. She brought him into work on Thursday and he really seemed to enjoy it. He's quite a bit larger than Sofie and while she wasn't afraid of him, he did freak her out with his playing - he'd jump and lunge at her and that's a lot of dog coming at you! In the end, Sofie was mainly jealous and guarded. He ate all of her kibble, which had sat in the bowl for almost 2 weeks anyway, then stole Brad Pittbull, but I retrieved him and will wash off the slobber. The best part was Sofie going into the boss' office for her treat. She'd stand at the door, looking for Kai, making sure he didn't see she was getting food!