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.

Hot/Cold and Drills

Our wonderful corner office gets all of the afternoon sun. Yesterday got a little hotter than normal because Wednesday night was the first night it wasn't ridiculously cool. You wouldn't think you'd need a jacket at 9pm in June... Anyway, the guys called maintenence and had them turn the a/c up a couple notches to combat the lack of natural over-night cooling. Apparently they thought it would be a good idea to set it at 55 and leave it there all night long. It was freezing when I came in this morning. The accountant was already here and his nose was all red. He's been sick and finally got over it, but could feel it coming back - made him grumpy. He was going to send the clerk to buy a sweatshirt somewhere so I jumped in and said I'd planned to go to Sears to buy a new drill - I could get him a shirt...

So off I went to Sears with my gift card and $50 from the accountant. I had to search for the shirt, hard to find in June in SoCal, but finally found a nice green one for $7. When I went to pay, there was an old man trying to return some t-shirts. Apparently, he had bought several shirts and some were made in Guatemala and some were made in Thailand. The ones from Thailand were fine, but the ones from Guatemala didn't fit right. So he wanted to exchange the G shirts for some T shirts because the G shirts didn't fit right. And he had to make sure he got the same colors because he had already bought several shirts and didn't want to duplicate. And the shirts he bought were only $5 and were the new shirts also going to be $5. The poor cashier had a bit of an accent and she kept telling him they had the same "ting" (thing) available for $5 on the floor. He didn't understand what she meant but she finally got him to go out and have a look around and I was able to buy my shirt. He was back and complaining by the time I was done but I didn't stick around to listen.

I went off to the tool dept and a nice salesman asked me if I needed help. I told him the number of the drill I wanted and they got it out of the cabinet. It was on sale so I decided to get a laser level, too. I've been wanting one for awhile for hanging the larger pictures and curtains. I used the gift card my oldest brother gave me for Christmas and went back to work. Took all of 30 minutes and the guys in my office liked the level and thought I was smart for buying a corded drill.

Test Pic

I haven't posted as many pics as I'd like on this blog. I download my camera onto my laptop and then upload everything to Shutterfly. But when I blog, I'm usually at work (slacking) and I don't have my laptop with me. Well, I just ran this test to see if I could pull a pic off Shutterfly and get it to post. Voila! The Smoky Mountains in December of 2004. Pretty, isn't it?

Now I'll be able to post pics all the time - once I get them off the camera, into the laptop, and onto Shutterfly that is.

Thanks, David

The construction coordinator came in today to get the checks for his department and as he was signing for them, told me on his last show the payroll acct didn't have his/her act together and he was going to get spoiled by a well-functioning payroll dept. It was a very nice compliment and I appreciate him saying it. I work hard to make sure people get paid right and on time and that rarely gets noticed. The few times there's a problem are all people remember. Thank dog it really has been only a few times!

Bad Fit

I found a link to a fat acceptance blog today. I've been looking at some of the posts and the blogger takes the time to point out different instances of negative attitudes about fat people in the media.

I think I went to the site hoping to find some inspiration. I mean, I'm fat but I don't intend to put my life on hold because of it. But the blog isn't meant for me because I don't intend to stay fat. I know I will never be as thin as society says I should be but I also know I am fat because I eat too much of the wrong things. I am trying to get back to what I think is an acceptable weight (about 32 pounds from where I am now) but there will always be people who will say it's still too heavy.

It's weird to be in this gray area - unhappy with my body but living my life. It seems I'm being told I can't have it both ways; if I'm out there living, then I can't diet and if I'm dieting, I must have put my life on hold. Sorry, neither one fits.

Shit List (cont'd)

Today I heard from AD, the first asst camera guy who is also missing his check. Either KK didn't tell him jack or he was testing me to see if I would tell him the same thing I told her. Plus he had the nerve to question whether or not I had even cut checks for them! Like I enjoy dealing with assholes who think I can't do my job... Anyway, he was all for a stop-payment until I reminded him of the 72 hour rule. He decided to give it one more day. The camera department is usually filled with prima donnas (because they are so close to the actors all day) and they drive me nuts.

I need to find out who the current Postmaster General is so I can direct complaints to him/her. Hang on... John E. Potter. Look out, John. I'm sending KK and AD your way.

Poor Puppy (from Fark)

This pic makes me laugh out loud, although I feel bad for the dog. It must have been very confused when it got hit in the side of the head. It's so earnest about catching that ball.