Back.

Sorry I've been silent for so long. I'm back from Hawaii now. Did I mention that? That I was going to Hawaii for two weeks? Well, I did. With my family. It was highly enjoyable. And now I'm back. I'll write about the trip soon, hopefully with visual aids.

In the meantime, sit tight. :D

Target and Cats

I had a print job yesterday for Target. The set up was that I was in my kitchen playing with my two cats, the cats broke the cat treat jar, and then I fixed it with Krazy glue.

The kitchen had an orange and yellow theme, so that's what my wardrobe was: orange and yellow. Don't get me wrong, they were flattering colors, but I wouldn't typically wear them together. But I had to match the set. I found out when I arrived that there were going to be cats in the shot with me. The Production Coordinator (I think that was her title) asked me when I arrived, "You're not allergic to cats, are you?" She seemed just a little bit worried that she'd forgotten to ask when they booked me, but fortunately for everyone, I am not.

After I got dressed and made up (I really liked my makeup for this shoot), the cats arrived. One of them was a long-haired female with gray, white, and sort-of pinkish hair, and she was adorable. The other was a huge, male Siamese mix. They both came from the Minnesota Valley Humane Society and are ambassadors of a sort, so they were used to being in strange situations and working with new people. They were yowling something fierce when they were wheeled in in their carriers, but they calmed down as soon as they realized that there were interesting corners to explore.

I can't imagine trying to capture the perfect shot with animals in it; it's hard enough trying to do just people. These cats were alternately cooperative and squirmy. Many times they'd jump off the counter top and head for the hills, but they had the set cat-proofed so they couldn't go anywhere. I got cat hair on my lips, eyelashes, and up my nose, but on the whole the two of them were well-behaved. My nose ran several times during the shoot, and everyone thought it was because of the cats, but I assured them that I'd been sniffling when I came in.

The cats did their solo shot (the post-broken treat jar), and then they shot my hands glueing the jar back together. All-in-all a painless day, and now everyone can look for me in Target stores all over the country. I believe it'll be in the hardware/home repair section of the store. Just look for the Krazy Glue.

Tar-zhay

Target loves me. Let's count the ways.

1. I was a VJ for their Target Video Network twice.

2. I was a model for the current "Channel Red" spots that replaced the live TVN VJs (I'm the curly-haired one riding the Vespa and dancing).

3. I play a Target Associate in an industrial on interacting with "guests" with disabilities.

4. I am going to be doing yet another shoot for Target on Thursday of this week, which will play in both the stores and on the internet for a year. I'll be the painting girl.

And I love Target. I don't really want to go back through my accounting software and add up how much I've spent there in just this year alone, but I'm sure between what they pay me and what I pay them, it all evens out.

Edited to Add: I fixed the archives links, so hopefully everything's all sorted out now. Sorry if you tried to go backwards in time via the links on the sidebar. They didn't work so good.

It's bedtime. Seriously, guys.

I had a very long day today.

It started last night when I stayed at a friend's house much, much later than I expected to and got home at 3am. I slept for four and a half precious hours, then rolled out of bed to attend my first audition of the day. Then my second, then my third. At the third I jiggled my feet and looked at the clock and knew that I was going to be running late for my shows in the afternoon. I finally was called in and then released, and I booked home to collect my equipment and drive to Brooklyn Park. I set up in 20 minutes (not a lot for how much the show requires), then performed twice. And all of this on an empty stomach.

Was home and done at 4 and treated myself to Chipotle before I got ready to go to Zenon to perform. The show went well, our piece went well, and now I'm ready for bed.

I think it's time for a name change.

Not my name, but the name of this blog. Yes...time for a name change.

I forgot to mention that a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a script reading at the Mixed Blood Theatre. A very talented friend of mine wrote a play called Cut Flowers which was produced in several cities across the nation including Minneapolis. He has been developing that play into a screenplay, and I must say it's a fantastic piece of work. One of the people who has been instrumental in the development of this project is Karen Malina White, and she participated in the reading that night. I couldn't believe that Charmaine was sitting just a few feet away from me; all the Cosby Show and Different World memories came back in a rush. It was great, but she was so down-to-earth that I couldn't possibly be star struck.

Going back to the screenplay: the action takes place all in one day, in a flower shop in D.C. The action centers around six African-American men and the dynamics between them. It's funny, engaging, and thought-provoking, and if anyone who reads this has interest in contributing monetarily to a great (and possibly money-making project), email me, and I'll put you in touch with the writer/producer.

Nothing more to report, other than a short voiceover this morning. I like working for an hour and not having to worry about what I look like.