Yesterday's Blog

I felt vindicated when I read in the Metro today that Google is being investigated for the system being down yesterday. I came home from yesterday's activities and blogged and nothing registered. SO , I will try to recompose yesterday's entry. It was titled " Hollywoodland and Extra Work":
Tuesday my friend Kiki and I went to see Hollywoodland. It is a fictional account of the suicide of George Reeves , the actor who played Superman on the television show from the 50's. It stars Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Adrian Brody and Bob Hoskins. We both really enjoyed the movie. It was a well done story. Well written, acted and photographed. I thought Ben Affleck did a great job in the part. They all did a great job. I liked it. I recommend it.
Yesterday, I did Extra work in the Disney film "The Game Plan" shooting here in Boston. It stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Our call time in the morning was 6:30 Am and they "Wrapped" me at 9:30 PM. The scene was an evening at the Ballet. The location was the Emerson Majestic, downtown. I brought my leather backpack and my leather garment bag. I brought a variety of choices that might possibly work if what I was wearing wasn't good enough. They went with what I was wearing-My lace stretch skirt , a honey brown silk long sleeved surplice front blouse and my brown Target high heels. I wore that all day. 15 hours. My inner thighs were chafed when I got home (not in a good way) don't know why.
The scene was an actual ballet starring kids from the Boston Ballet School and some beautiful young male ballet dancers from somewhere else. They were young , but they weren't kids. All the dancers were great but I thought the boy dancers were amazing. Powerful and graceful. The Rock is in the ballet as part of the story. I never got up close to him but he was completely professional and he had a good rapport with the kids onstage with him. He always seemed present and attuned. He had a stand-in and a stunt guy. The stunt guy was dressed just like him and really looked like him, from our distance . Every time the two were on stage we would have to look a couple of times to figure out who was who. I thought the female lead was a little un-professional. She would be tapping on her blackberry while they were rehearsing dances. I felt it was unprofessional. I can't wait until I get to the point I can have a personal communication device while I'm working . They wouldn't even let me take my pocketbook with me to the set ! Even from where I was sitting-stage right in the back of the auditorium- you could see how handsom the Rock is. His hands are huge.
The craft services was awful. I was walking behind one of the "Football Players"- as we walked by the table with just doughnuts and bagels on it. The Football player tapped his buddy's shoulder and said "Hey Look ! Fat Pills !" -round and white and no nutritional value. yup ! I'd call those fat pills. I went out to the Store 24 and bought a bag of trail mix. Union members are suppposed to get a meal every 6 hours. I got one meal at 6 hours and didn't get the second, which means I accrued "meal Penalties" and since we went so long , I think I got into double time. I'm exhausted but that paycheck is going to make up for it !
The weather here in Boston today was really beautiful. It never got too cold and the sun was shining. The sky was very blue. I was very tired but I could still appreciate the beauty of the day.
That is all.

Movie Tears

I worked all day today. The weather here in Boston was mostly warm and summery with threats of thunder and lightning. We at the booth frequently hope for rain, it slows things down. It seemed like it was going to pour at any minute. The skies were dark and yellowy and then all bright and sunshiney. My co-worker called her husband to check the weather channel and it said we could reasonably expect hail. We had some little sprinkles, but nothing substantial . Nothing like the weather forecasters promised.
After work, I went to the new Kelly's over near Wellington Circle and got my brother a gift certificate for his birthday and a scallop plate for my Mum. I came home, had dinner washed some towels and got into my jammies and watched tv. I flipped from The Green Mile to Forrest Gump and back and forth and back and forth. For some reason, both of these films made me weep. I wasn't really even able to pay full attention to both of them, I kept switching back and forth, yet I was weeping like a baby. Both movies star Tom Hanks. When it was a current film, I saw the Green Mile on my own up in Danvers. I wept then, too. I guess I'm just in a weepy mood.
That's it. That's all I got . . . .

Lew's Place-Preliminary # 9

I went up to to the Open Mike at Lew's Place in Tewksbury tonight. As it so happened, Brian Longwell was going to be there as well as Andy Ofiesh. Kris, Brian , Andy and I went to Scotland together last year for the Festival Fringe. It was really nice to see them all in one place again. Brian Longwell looks awesome. He's really looking "New York" these days. He was going to work on his set , but the configuration of the room and the modest size of the audience was not conducive to taping. He hung.
Once again, I didn't really work on my set ahead of time. I kept thinking that I would get a chance to work on it during my lunch hour, then maybe when I got home and if worse came to worse, quickly put the set together up at Lew's. No dice. I think I pulled out an old set list and winged it from there. Kris was trying to keep it a tight show and asked us to do a tight 5. I kept it as tight as I could. I had intended to try some new material. I remembered one of the bits . I think I need to recite my set at least once a day. I hate when the setups get bloated, it dilutes the punch -line. Whose fault is that ? Huh ? Me! I'm not focused. Take out the whipped cream and leave the brownie. It's progress not perfection.
Also, I don't know what was going on but, all the guys were very complimentary to me. Both on my material and my appearance. I've been feeling really unattractive lately and the male attention was very helpful to me. Though, at the end of the day, the comments on my material will last the longest.
I think I've been out every night this week. I don't know how I'm still standing. I feel like I could burst out crying from fatigue at any second. That is all . I must go to sleep now.

Friends,Flowers & The Black Dahlia

Last night Kiki and I went to see the "Black Dahlia" in Harvard Square. It features a physically beautiful cast -Hillary Swank, Scarlett Johansen, Aaron Eckart and the Dreamy, Dreamy, Josh Hartnett. The script was by James Ellroy. It was visually beautiful to look at . The story wasn't all that compelling. I would have liked to see more steamy scenes with Josh Hartnett.It felt like the person who directed the film wasn't truly familiar with Film Noir. As if, their knowledge came from viewing parodies of the genre. It wasn't a complete waste of our time, but I had hoped it would be better.
Tonight I went to dinner with an old friend at the Elephant & Castle in downtown Boston. There were four of us and my friend who gathered us brought us each a bouquet of flowers. I don't really care about whether I get flowers, having been abused at a flower shop for over 7 years, they have lost a lot of allure for me. However, the flowers are very nice looking and are now in the middle of the top of my bureau. Little tiny red roses, daisies, dainty little pink carnations and yellow mini mums in a tall cut glass vase. My 3 dining companions had burgers . I had chowder and a seafood casserole with green beans and mashed potatoes. The conversation drifted to topics political and left us all in despair.
Still, it was nice to spend time with old friends. That is all.

Barry's Pajama Bottoms

It's not particularly relevant, but I'm wearing the pajama bottoms from my Christmas gift from a guy named Barry. They are a good flannel and they have Snoopy wearing a red Santa hat on a green background. They are rolled up like I'm about to wade into the Atlantic ocean as soon as I finish setting up my beach chair. Meaning, It's almost 10 AM and I still haven't got myself out the door. At 10 AM I should be on my way to work somewhere to make money. Preferably not wearing pajama bottoms and a movie festival t-Shirt.
I have to take a shower, get dressed and vote before I go to the first of the two jobs I will be working today.
Firstly, I called the phone company (in this case Verizon) to see if I could get a couple of bucks knocked off my monthly bill. My monthly phone bill is outrageous. They turned me off a while back and now I barely use the damn thing. Yeah, I paid it off. I 've always paid it off. I removed the monthly long distance charge. They charge me $9.50 a month weather I call long distance or not. I am not coordinated enough to log in $9.49 worth of long distance calls a month. So, I took that off. Then they took another $3.25 as a connection fee if I would commit to having this Verizon account for another 2 years. I've had this phone line for just over 20 years now! DO you think someone would have noticed that ? Huh? Maybe take that into consideration ? Fuckers.
I hate the nickels and dimes of things. Of course , that's almost always what it boils down to. I didn't go out at night for almost 2 weeks. I felt like a really boring person , I didn't spend any money and then I had a dentist appointment and needed a new tire. I had the money. That was the first time in 4 years I was able to pay off the dentist at my appointment. I was the first time , in a long time , when I didn't have to borrow money to fix my car.
I still feel pretty grumpy but I have a faint sense of satisfaction that I may be saving a over $125.oo in the next year on my phone bill. Of course, they'll probably add some other charge and then I'll be back to sqaure one. Fuckers.
I hope I didn't bore anyone with this financially centered tirade. I'd talk about sex, but I don't really have much of a working knowledge on the subject. I'd talk about health , but I 'm in good condition and that is even more boring to me than someone who insists on talking about their weight .It's almost always some really skinny girl with great skin and a boyfriend. Fuckers.

Semi-Final Round & A Party ( I think. .. )

Tonight was the last of the Semi Finals in the Boston Comedy Festival.It was held at Dick Doherty's Comedy Vault at Remington's, on Boylston Street. Tonight's winners were Shane Mauss, Dan Boulger and Ryan Hamilton and some guy whose name I couldn't hear because the sound was so shitty in that room. Honestly, there was a tech guy from Terry Handely's sound company and I could barely hear the acts.
This was a really tough call . Everyone was so good. Myq Kaplan was great and Travis was also great. I would say the set of the night was Dan Boulger. The comics in the Vault area stopped talking and were paying attention during his set. It wasn't a "Hush" they just stopped talking to listen to Dan. For me , this was what comedy should be about. I wasn't talking or listening to anyone talk about what 's coming up or what they've just done. For the most part , I was able to watch and listen. There was great writing and great performing. Rob O'Reilly did a set after the competition and so did Jackie Flynn. Even a veteran like Jackie Flynn came in and brought the "Heat" . He was on his game and he was a great way to end the show. I loved watching this show. I wished there was a woman in the Semis. There's always next year. ..
Afterward, there was supposed to be a party. I think they did bring some cold cuts in. I stopped to talk with Daniella Capellino (she looked fantastic tonight) and Winson Kidd. Stacey Yanetti was there, she also looked fabulous. The blonde girl from Comedy Central was there checking out talent. I worked my way outside and had a brief conversation with Tony V. George McDonald came by and I had a nice conversation with him. While I was outside, the stars of the Cutler show started ambling down. Nicki DiPaolo, Lewis Black and Kenny Rogerson.
I really didn't have the stamina to hang around. I have no show to promote . I'm not trying to get drunk and laid (or either one individually, but the combination seems to be the poplular choice for the last 75 years or so .. .). My favorite party, at a prior festival, was the night I ended up with Denise in a corner and we just hung out and talked the whole evening. Sometimes we just stood silently and then someting would happen and we'd just chuckle to ourselves how greatful we were that that wasn't us. If I have one good conversation over the course of an evening, I'm happy. I think George McDonald was that one good conversation. I just don't have the patience to go to parties anymore.
I'm sure other people were finishing their shows all over town and were heading over to the Vault . However, none of them had arrived by the time I left.

Daughter of Sysiphus (yeah , check spelling)

Oh Dear Gawd in Heaven ! It's still the Boston Comedy Festival in town. I'm not competing. So, the shows have been really interesting to me. However, tonight I did a set to a packed crowd at the Comedy Studio. A packed crowd of young Harvard and Tufts kids who came to see their friends perform. So, at the end of the day, I suck. You can call me "Electrolux" from now on. I am old dead meat and there is no reason to rise to see another sunset. Sorry , I don't actually feel that way. I should have probably saved that for a really depressive blog. However, it seemed appropriate for this installment.
I went to dinner with I, Ken Reid and his lovely wife I, Rachel Reid. Zoe's diner. Greek food. Not the best Moussaka I've had. And I 've had Moussaka all over the world. We had a lovely dinner.
As I said , the Studio was packed. Rick did a good job warming them up, Ken did a great job. They really seemed to like him. A Hip smart young guy for a hip smart young audience. Then JJ Leslie went up and I think they were intimidated by him. He wasn't wearing tight jeans and pointy shoes. Neither was I. Oh, they were polite, like the young folks are when Nana is drunk and talking too much. I don't think I had any really age prohibitive material. I thought it was all pretty accessible and topical. In reality,Not so much. I'll have to see the tape. I thought the professional set of the night was Joe Cronin. He's got a great writing style and I think they really liked him. There was a girl from Weston, Serena Coppick. She had really good material, but , seriuosly, it was all "young People" material. She was down with her Weston Homies. She's moving to New York. I think she has a promising career in front of her. Of course, the Tufts and Harvard boys did great . As they no doubt will for the rest of their lives. The crowd loved them because the comics brought them . That's why those boys go last.
In the middle of everything , Jan Davidson showed up and wanted to know if I was going to the Great and Secret show and I thought well, I guess I could meet her over there. Uh, no , she needs a ride. So, I ended up over at the G&S show. After some insane (but beautiful) weirdness, it was great show. I bumped into Michelle Proud, one of the SAG Board members ( I voted for her) and we sat together. Some drunk homeless guy was in the alley behind the theater yelling. He was by himself. David Walsh went and brought him into the show and made him part of things. He wasn't just a drunk Homeless, he was , as my cousin in Canada referred to our mutual cousin Margie, "A Skitzy". He alternately crouched on his duffle bag of belongings and walked across the stage. No ryhme or reason. You could smell the cigarette smoke on him from across the room. Then the Walshes left the stage and sent "Happy the Sad Clown" on stage and left her there with the homeless guy. Anything could have happened. The fear of it, made it fascinating to watch. Then David gave the Homeless guy a tall boy of beer and escorted him back out into the alley. Then the Brothers Walsh did some great character stuff and there was some great stand-up comedy. James Patterson, was great. Erin Judge did a fantastic character of a drunk maid of honor. Ryan ( oh what is the guys name ? He won the Comedy festival last year) Oh , he was great. Jan Davidson did a set , all material I hadn't seen before and then Mike Dorval closed the show. He was great.
Everyone was great.
I suck.
I should enter the convent.
I 'd be the funniest Nun in the world.
It was a much later evening than I had anticipated. I was glad I was there for what I was there for. Now I go sleepy.

Flat Tire & Doggy "Style"

So . . .I drive a 20 year old car. It's a SAAB, they last a long time. However, with every old car you can expect "stuff" to happen. Yesterday morning , on my way to work, my tire was flat. I knew it wasn't flat beyond repair because it periodically rides low. I fill it with air and I'm good to go for a couple ofweeks. It was riding low on Friday and I just forgot to put air in on the way home from work. I went to a gas station ,got air, it was good at the end of the day and I drove home. Fine and dandy.
It was fine on the way in to work. When I got there , it was lower that when I left the house. I still wasn't riding on a rim , but it's not safe. I go to the Hardware store on Charles Street and get a can of tire sealant. After work, I'll put the can in the tire and drive it to my garage. I got a soup at a local establishment and headed back to have take the rest of my lunch.
Today was the Doggy Parade. All sorts of dogs being walked through the Common to some destination. I sat on a bench, ate my soup and watched the parade of dogs stroll by. I love watching dogs. There were a lot of little dogs but my favorites are Labs and Cocker Spaniels. It was a beautiful day today. Not too cold, warm enough for a light jacket. Lovely. It was fun to watch the dogs. They all looked like they were having a Gay Pride Parade. .. except it was Dog Pride. They seemed to know this was a special day for dogs. I love dogs. I wish I could have one.
After work, I put the can in my tire.The can cost $5.49. It doesn't really inflate the tire, it'll just fill it up enough to get the rim off the ground. Okay, that was good enough for me. I dropped it off at Aris , in Somerville and took the bus home. The whole procedure only added another hour to my usual commute.

Watching For Me

Mona Lisa Smile was on basic cable tonight. I kept flipping between PBS and this movie watching for the scene I'm in. That's how small the scene is. It was a much longer scene that we filmed. I had a bunch of lines with Julia Roberts. It was Improvisation. Maybe not the most funny of my life, but it was with Julia Roberts. Julia Roberts-Oscar winner. Yeah. .. I've worked with yet another Oscar winner. It's me . They become better actors working with me. Uh. . .she won for Erin Brocovich, it was a couple years before we shot Mona Lisa. . . my point is. .. my scene was so insignificant, even I couldn't find it in the movie. I could identify myself in the background in a couple of scenes. Don't blink , or you'll miss me ! I did . ..
I know it's there because I received another check last week.
That's kind of pathetic, watching for myself, on a Saturday night, still in my work clothes waiting to see myself on tv. Honestly, I didn't stay home specifically for that. However, since it was on, eh . . .why not ?

Out ! Get Out !

Oh dear God in Heaven !, I'm sitting here in my bathrobe. I don't know what to wear to work and I'd rather blog than face the awfulness of that decision. (Oh yeah, if that's the toughest thing I experience today, I should consider myself lucky !) My big accomplishment of the day , so far, is I was able to get onto my website and update my schedule. A task that I have been unsuccessful at for the last 3 days ! I want to eat breakfast. . .but what to eat ? If I get to work on time, one of my co-workers offered to buy me pizza today because it's Friday ! It's good pizza. It's from Sal's in North Andover.
On another note. . .
I can't believe how many people are surprised at the death of the Crocodile Hunter. He lived a dangerous life. He took risks that most of us could only conceive of in nightmares. How could anybody be surprised that he died tragically ? I'm not glad about his untimely death. I liked the guy. I think I will miss him in the world. But everyone is acting like the crocodiles put out a mafia style hit on him. Like there is a sting ray syndicate . My friend Kiki , who is a registered Master Diver, explained to me the difficulty of the sting ray actually hitting the right spot on his body to induce death. The odds were really great. She had once been hit by a stingray , but on another part of her body.
Again , I say, no surprise. You live by the sword (alligator, crack pipe) you're going to die by the sword. Which is why I am worried that I will die of old age in the same bed I've had since I was a little girl .. probably eating the twisty style Cheetoes wishing I had chocolate pudding. . . ..
Oh for God's Sake ! I need to go to work !!!!! AAaarrggghhhh!!!!!!!!

That Wasn't Bouncing

Okay, so, I didn't bounce out of bed yesterday. When I did finally get myself going , I kept getting distracted by things keeping me from getting out the door. I forgot I had a bill to pay, causing further delay. Oh , I got up in time. . . but it took me a long time to get out the door.
I worked at the Engineering firm and then I headed to the drug store and my pal and I went to see "Invincible" with Mark Wahlberg , Greg Kinnear and Michael Rispoli. The time period is the mid-late 70's. Though I was alive and partially sentient during this time, my heart was owned by the Boston Bruins. I didn't have much love for other sports. The Red Sox. I always went to games, but football was my least favorite sport. I really liked the sound track . It reminded me of driving around with Tricia and Adrienne, cruising through the Center, looking for boys. Frankly, Adrienne and Tricia knew WHO they were looking for. I think I was just along for the ride.
It's about a guy on the down and out. Things keep not happening and then his wife leaves him and then when it seemed like the downward spiral was going to continue, the guy starts catching breaks. His friends support him. His Dad supports him. All of Philadelphia ends up supporting him. It's the story of Vince Papale a one-time player for the Philadelphia Eagles. He tries out for the team as part of a media stunt, he makes the cut. Of course it's not easy. He vanquishes in the end.
I knew how it was going to end up . It was worth the time spent in the theater. Yes, I did get teary -eyed. I just wanted to see someone try and succeed. Someone who wasn't entitled. I am a big fan of Mark Wahlberg's work. I think for a kid from Dorchester, he's got some great ideas. And, he's a good actor. What I don't understand is why he keeps doing movies where the characters are from Philadelphia. WTF ? Huh ? Throw some chowder home , Marky Boy! Oh , I'm still going to spend the money to see his films. I just think if he picked a Boston project, it could be amazing. I'm talking a Boston project that he has a feeling for. Not a gratuitous feeling. I don't want him doing just anything in Boston. I look forward to whatever that project is that could bring him to Boston.
Today was an uneventful day at the booth. Something is brewing under the surface with the boss. I wish I could help her. I get the feeling it's someone pulling high school tricks. It didn't help back then and I don't think it's going to help now. People are idiots. . .You know who you are. . . . .

The Art of Nothing

Ahhhhhh. .. my first whole day off since April. I didn't have to drive anywhere or be anywhere or have to talk with anybody. I did get a call from a friend inviting to pick me up and bring me to Kellys. .. even that would have required too much effort. Or, more importantly, required me to shower and change out of my sweatpants. I did do some laundry, cleaned the bathroom , swept the stairs, changed my my bed. I watched about 6 hours of "The Closer" marathon and cried through "Meet Joe Black". When I cry at a movie like "Meet Joe Black" I can 't always tell if I'm crying over the emotion of the scenes or the improbability that two people as beautiful as Claire Forlani and Brad Pitt would have trouble finding someone to love. (See my review of that Keanu Reeves -Sandra Bullock film that came out earlier this year).
Though I could see from my window that it turned out to be a beautiful day, I had no interest in things outdoors. I should have taken a walk. I should have invited myself to someone's cookout. Again, I say "Too much effort".
I had hoped that I would bring order out of the chaos of clutter that I have arranged about my life. I'm pretty sure nothing in the piles are essential, mostly just magazines and junk mail I want to go through. Apparently, I didn't want to go through it enough. The irony of a day off is that the next day I am rested and able to focus to get stuff done. . . but I'll be at a job and far form my clutter.
In conclusion, I had the day off. I accomplished little of consequence. Tomorrow, I will bounce out of bed and probably not get another day off until Thanksgiving. That's just what I've got to do.

V Pulse Laser Treatment

I see a dermatologist. I see the same dermatologist that I went to when I was in High School. I have rosacea which is essentially an adult version of the acne I had when I was a teenager. I also have broken capillaries. Until the last few years, there was nothing you could do about that except cover it with make-up. Then they invented something that will eliminate the broken capillaries, but it was too expensive for a poor little self-payer like myself. .. UNTIL NOW!
Before work today, I had it done.
There is an affordable treatment called V Pulse Laser Treatment. It takes about 5 minutes. It stings like a bitch right before it's finished and I felt like I had a really bad sunburn for a couple of hours afterward. They fire up this machine about the size of a refridgerator. I'm assuming that's all this machine does. It could possibly do other things -like repair leather shoes and make frapaccinos, but I really only noticed the cable attachment my Nurse was using on me. They made me wear metal goggles. The nurse zaps the capillaries individually. They describe the sensation as "like a rubber band snapping". I would agree, but who's ever had 60 rubber bands snapped all over their face ???? After the 3rd or 4rth one, it's going to get annoying and uncomfortable. I can expect redness and swelling for a couple of days. They told me to take Ibuprophin , before I go to bed. Right now, only my right cheek is red and puffy. I am not currently experiencing any discomfort.
I wish I could explain the technology of this thing. It emits a beam of both intense heat and an immediate jolt of cold. It cuts off the blood supply to the vein and then it gets absorbed into the body. I know it's really too soon to , but I swear it looks better already . Probably only something I would notice about myself. They took a "Before" photo before I had the treatment done and then I go back in another month to have them check on the results.
That was pretty much the highlight of my day.