Still No Internet

Oh, kidlings. I fear that my "free" internet is gone! I hope that this glitch is temporary, but downtime has never lasted two days before. It's usually just a few hours, and then everything is back to normal. Having to wait until I get to the yoga studio or typing on my phone is terribly inconvenient, and I can't post photos. Boooooooo. This stinks.

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Currently reading a book called There's No Place Like Here. It's the author's fifth novel. Another of her novels, P.S., I Love You, was made into a feature film. She's the co-creator of "Samantha Who" on ABC. She's 27. *sigh* Happy for her, but *sigh*.

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Today I'll be photographed for The (Red) Campaign. I feel honored to be a part of such a great concept. It's a win-win idea, and according to The 7 Habits..., win-win is the way to live. Hopefully I'll be able to get a copy so you all can see!

Internet's down

But that's ok. I don't have anything important to say, anyway.

I caulked some cracks around the apartment yesterday. Used a caulking gun and everything. Ended up having to use a pen and my finger for some of it, but I think I got the major ones. There's more to do in the kitchen under the sink, but that area is a little more hopeless as far as the bugs are concerned. When they installed the new cabinets, they left lots of room for roaches around the drains. *sigh*

It's getting chilly. I suppose it's time to take the A/C unit out of the window...

Not Lava

Not Lava
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

The wall of the excavation thus far, which our tour guide kept attributing to a flow of "cold lava." Any thinking person knows that this is IMPOSSIBLE, as lava, when it's cold, is rock.

What happened at Herculaneum was a mudslide.

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Whew. Not a whole lot goin' on over here.

Doo dee do dee doooo...

Anybody know any jokes?

A roach (a BIG one) was crawling on my desk this morning. Jerk. THERE'S NO FOOD THERE. LEAVE ME ALONE.

It's time to stop talking about silicone caulk and act. I will purchase some tonight and attack the cracks tomorrow.

I'm at the yoga studio at the moment. There's chill music, no one else is here, and the internet is not blocked. Suh-weet. I'm attempting to enjoy this time and not think too much about roaches I can't see or control. (It's not working so well.)

I feel icky. It's rainy and cold. I have to find another job.

Stupid roaches.
Stupid rain.
Stupid economy.

I Know You're Totally Jealous

I Know You're Totally Jealous
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Wow. Teenage girls love them some Jonas Brothers.

Worked a private concert yesterday for the clients of Netjet and MarquisJet. Hundreds of screaming little girls in attendance.

There was a projection screen above the stage that said, "Text the Jonas Brothers at 612-***-****!" (612?) The sent messages would then scroll at the bottom of the screen. One message said, "I'm saving myself for you! Meet me backstage!" Whoa.

Parthenon

Parthenon - Aisha
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I let myself sleep in today.

I start rehearsals for The Less We Talk, a group-singing piece, next Tuesday. Hooray! I'm also doing work study at a yoga studio at 6:45 am on Friday mornings. Ew.

I've missed doing work study. I worked at Zenon every Saturday morning for three years, off and on. I enjoyed the early morning shift because it was peaceful, and the regularity in my schedule kept me anchored when other calendar items and to do's were driving me nuts. I think this work study, as early in the morning as it is, will be really good for me, not to mention the fact that I get free, unlimited yoga classes! My body will get a chance to build strength and recover from injury, and that is a beautiful thing.

Yup, I was there

Yup, I was there
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I was SO DIRTY by this point in the day. It was our last stop and sand had been blowing on us all day. When I went to wash my shirt, I noticed that it had a yellow tinge to it.

GAH. 10:00. I have to go. Sorry, guys. Got home from catering (for the Prince of Luxembourg!) at 2:15 am. Training for work study at a yoga studio in an hour.

*sigh*

This is how it will be for the next few weeks. Gross.

Ugh

I want to go back to bed.

Giza

Giza
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I didn't notice until we took this picture that all of us were wearing white shirts.

Our exchange student from 1995 and 1996(?), Maria, and her mother are here in New York for a few days. So little time! That means a lot of running around trying to see the major sights. I took them to Grand Central last night - where we ended up eating dinner - and they really enjoyed the architecture of the train station. It felt good to show them something they really enjoyed, because they would ask, at points on our walk, "What is that?" and I'd say, "Um...I don't know." I'm a bad guide when it comes to the tourist stuff.

This evening we're going up to the top of Rockefeller Center to look out on the city. That should be fun, as I haven't been up to an observation deck since the Empire State Building on a high school choir trip.

(May I admit, though, that I'm a little pooped from all that walking and trying to speak Spanish?)

Step Pyramid at Sakkara (Saqqara)

Step Pyramid at Sakkara (Saqqara)
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Sakkara.

I'm all a-twitter. Bonnie Gillespie commented on my blog. I feel like I've been visited by Yoda. Not meaning that she's green and tiny and talks backwards, but that I'm the padawan and she's the Jedi Master.

Catered at Ellis Island last night. Hoo boy. Not fun. Not fun at all. I think the people who've worked that location before have had unpleasant experiences, and they bring those memories with them, and so everyone's expecting a bad night and that's what they get. Not to mention that some personalities (not naming names to protect myself) are high-stress anyway, and they set everyone off on the wrong foot, i.e. the cranky, yelling foot; even people who I've never seen yell. It was the most unpleasant job I've worked thus far.

Not to end on that note, here's my Cub commercial, up on the interwebs!

Rhodes

Rhodes
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Oh, the blank page.

The empty text box that pops up on Flickr for the "Blog This" function is intimidating today. I find that I'm not burning to say anything or expound on a photo or rant. That's a scary time, when there's nothing in the well. (Well, there's something in there, but it's frustration, and a feeling of being blocked at every turn, but that's not much fun to read, so I refrain.)

The blank page taunts me. It speaks in the voices of the doubters and cynics. It says, "Who do you think you are? What makes what you have to say so important?" I don't have an answer to that question. I don't. I only know that I'm compelled to keep doing this, keep putting one word after another, even if it's not anything anyone else wants to read or hear. I wish I had an explanation for the compulsion, because it would make me feel a whole lot better (*controlfreak*), but I don't. I write because I must. And when I don't write, something goes wrong inside that is equally impossible to explain.

The fear of the blank page is why I do NaNoWriMo. At least once every year I abandon the idea that I can only write when the muse strikes me. I hogtie the taunting voices. I toss aside the notion that every word has to be profound and just tell a story. It's a lurching, sometimes grotesque thing, the story that emerges, but NaNoWriMo doesn't care about pretty. Pretty and Perfect is boring. Grotesque gives me something to work with.

I'm feeling naked now. I think that's ok.

Silk

Silk
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

My day was not like silk at all.

I woke up this morning and thought, "Wow, I'm well-rested for having gone to sleep at 1am. Oh dear. i wonder if my alarm didn't go off." I crawled out of bed, thinking it was 8 am, not 7, the target time. I looked at my phone. "9:39."

Oh crap.

I was supposed to be at Lincoln Center at 10. I live in Brooklyn. It can be an hour-long trip from my house to Lincoln Center.

I called the catering office. No one answered. I desperately wanted to shower, but there was no time. I was already going to be at least a half hour late.

I washed my face, swabbed at my pits, threw on my catering clothes and ran out the door. It was a beautiful, globally-warmed mid-October day, but I barely noticed. All I could think was, "Late. Late. Late. Never been late. Hate being late to work. Late. Late. Late."

I arrived at about 10:40. Ugh. And since I didn't get to do my morning ritual (make coffee, write three pages, drink coffee, read blogs and news, shower, get dressed, eat something, leave) I felt discombobulated all morning.

The good news is that I got my checks for "Life On Mars" today. Bad news: TAXES. Ick. I hate New York taxes. You Minnesotans think you get taxed a lot. You're wrong. At least it's a set amount, not 20%, or 22%, or 25%. (One week at my last job, I made more than normal, about $460. They took 24% out of my check. I mean, really? Obviously I'm not super wealthy if I'm only making $460 a week, and that was more than normal. MUST you take a quarter of it? And for what? Rat and cockroach upkeep? Come on.)

I got released earlier than expected (*sad face*) so I have time to come home, take a shower, and make myself presentable for my work study interview. (I'm hoping to take yoga and get my body back into dancing shape.)

Ciao, kidlings.

Finished Silk Skeins

Finished Silk Skeins
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I've been working most days the last few weeks, so to not be working feels strange, and I'm antsy. I have things I could do around the house, but I don't want to do them. I want to work.

I wish I had some paint.

Clearing

I just murdered a whole bunch of credits on my acting resume. Bonnie Gillespie, L.A. casting director, told me that I need to get rid of them, and therefore, away they go. I'm sad, but it's confirmation of what I've been struggling with for the past 11 months: I really have started over, and everything I did before doesn't count here.

I don't mean that my experience on set or on a stage, or the classes I've taken, or the people I met before New York don't matter. They do, immensely. They've shaped me and encouraged me and challenged me and prepared me to be resilient in the face of New York elitism.

However, no one cares what I did in Minneapolis. They want to know if I've done anything in New York that matters (i.e. NOT background work, as exciting and affirming as it was), and until I have, they'll let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I don't matter.

I don't believe them, but I'm willing to play by their rules - for a while - to get what I came here to get: a viable acting career. And until I make the decision to stop, nothing can make me.

Silkworm Cocoons

Silkworm Cocoons
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Catering a lot. That's good!
It makes me lazy in my off time. That's bad.
Doing more background (extra) work today. That's good!
No work tomorrow. That's bad.
Anxious to get my demo reel cut together. That's good!
Can't get the video ripping software to work. That's bad.
Generally a whole lot more cheerful these days. That's good!
The weather's supposed to be in the upper 70s today. That's...not so bad, actually.

NaNoWriMo starts in, like, three weeks. I have no idea what I'm writing about, but I'm DOING IT. I keep trying to coerce people to do it with me. "Come on, don't you want to go nuts for a month? No, there are no official prizes. Isn't self-satisfaction after abject suffering enough for you?"

Heh.

Wishes

Wishes
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

So...I took a day off yesterday. Didn't mean to, just didn't feel like doing anything other than reading in bed. And eating. Lots of eating.

Currently reading Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley. I read another novel of hers, Moo, on the cruise. The ships have libraries, and I took full advantage of that this time around. Read some good ones and some real stinkers. Moo was not a stinker. I was giggling out loud two pages in. Horse Heaven is even better.

Jane Smiley's writing is like no one else's I've ever read. It's almost conversational, but her wit and poetical turns-of-phrase elevate it above ordinary. She also seems to have mined my thoughts for her characters. She knows how to write women. It's sad that that's a surprise, but all too many authors write women who don't exist, at least not in my world. Jane Smiley knows women, and she writes her female characters with all the complexities and contradictions real women possess.

I am a fan for life. That's high praise, coming from me: I'm always hesitant to name names when someone asks me "who's your favorite author?" or "what's your favorite book?" Jane Smiley has made the list.

Skinny Mama Kitty

Skinny Mama Kitty
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I do get a day off!

But Day Off has become Laundry Day. I don't like Laundry Day. But I'm running out of clean clothes, so Laundry Day must commence.

I'm feeling the desire to withdraw again. I've come to realize that any time I'm faced with a tough decision, all I want to do is curl up in bed with a book and a package of cookies.

I've been wanting to do a lot of curled-up cookie-eating these days.

Mykonos

Mykonos
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Goodness. What a weekend.

So, to recap:

- 12-hour catering shift in Westchester, broken down bus, home at 4:30am
- keys lost, locked out until Monday afternoon, wandered around Manhattan from 4:30 until 9:00 am on Sunday, called a locksmith, couldn't cough up $240, checked into a hotel
- 5 am call for catering on Monday morning
- interview this morning with a really great company, torn about what to do next if offered the job

Catering again tonight. Fortunately for me, it's in Brooklyn, about three stops away on the subway.

I have some decisions to make, and many tasks to do, but all I want to do is sleep. The chaos of the weekend really messed up my routine, and I feel like I need a day to get back on track. I'm not going to get one, though.

My Dad Is A Lifesaver

I got to sleep in a hotel last night. Too bad I have to be at work in 20 minutes so I can't sleep in and enjoy it.

What a dramatic 24 hours.

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I Keep Falling Asleep

Haven't slept yet. Been awake for over 24 hours. Still wearing my catering uniform. There are holes in my socks.

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I Thought This Only Happened In The Movies

I'm currently sitting on the floor in the entryway to my apartment building. Why am I sitting on the floor, you might ask? WELL. That's a bit of a story.

You see, I worked a catering gig this evening at the Westchester airport. The catering company busses the staff up from the city. On the bus on the way back, no more than 2 minutes from the airport, our bus breaks down. We sit, and we sit, and we sit. Finally, another hour later, a replacement part arrives and we're on our way.

I fell asleep on the ride home and woke up at the dropoff point in Brooklyn. I'm half asleep as I grab my belongings and leave the bus. I stumble down to the subway, wait for the train, ride the train, walk the 7 blocks home, try to avoid the drunk dudes hitting on me, and enter my building.

I reach into the pocket where I dropped my keys. Not there. I search my bag. Not there. I search every pocket. NOT THERE. Kidlings, I'm locked out. And I'm still locked out. I call everyone I know who's a half hour or less away. No one's up. And I have to pee. And I'm locked out. And the bus company won't find my keys (if it finds my keys) until tomorrow or Monday, and that's if the bus doesn't vanish to some location other than the garage.

I guess I'll go to the Good Stuff Diner on 14th in Manhattan and wait until last night's captain calls me back with the bus company's number, or I can get ahold of the management of my building and get them to let me into my apartment. I have a spare set of keys. They're safe in a drawer INSIDE MY APARTMENT.

This sucks, to put it mildly.

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When shooting exteriors until 4:00 in the morning in the fall...

...wear layers.

Oh, kidlings, I was so cold on Thursday night/Friday morning. I wanted to cut open one of my fellow extra's bellies and crawl inside for warmth. (**Wow. Reading this for editing, this is a little brutal. Heh. Seriously, though! It was cold.**) I wanted to bum rush the stars and steal their parkas. I wanted lava to spew out of the East River and blanket the Long Island coast. So, so cold.

So, yeah, we shot until 4:00 am. I got home at 5:30. Went to sleep at 6. Woke up at 9 to wait for the maintenance man that never came. Called and rescheduled my 3:00 interview because I knew I would be half-dead, and didn't want to give the impression that I was always half dead. Went back to sleep.

I don't think they're going to need us next week. I thought there were interior shots, but I don't think so. I think the 8th and 9th were on hold in case the weather was inclement. So, oh well. But two long days is still great, money-wise. I'll be able to pay my rent!

It was a good day, though. Tempers got short, people yelled, but I still would rather be there, on set, than anywhere else. I met a bunch of cool, professional actors, made some money, and got my foot in the door in the on camera world in New York. I have momentum. So, even when it's bad, it's good.

Moar, plz. Kthnxbai.

Ugh

Got released around 4. AM. I fell asleep leaning against the wall on set. I think that prompted one of the crew to decide to wrap us.

Everyone's cranky, everyone's tired.

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I Warmed My Hands On The Set Lighting

Duuuuude. So cold. Not as bad as this afternoon - the wind's died down - but it's still chilly.

There are some crazy people here.

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Surprise Guest Star

I can't say who it is, but I'll give you a hint.

"Until you do right by me, everything you do gonna fail."

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Still Cold

Although I got to use the bathroom in the honeywagon.

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Holy Crap It's Cold

We're down by the water in Williamsburg. The wind is cutting across the area, and even in a turtleneck and leather jacket, I'm freezing.

And we haven't been fed yet.

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Oh Dear

Tensions are running high today. A good day to shut up and do what you're told.

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Later Call Today

Waiting in holding with all my BLA peeps. We have a later call because the crew worked later last night. I think they were there until 2 or 3 am. Which means we may be working until 2 or 3 tonight. Fine with me. Like I said, more money is always good. We're still shooting exteriors today, and we haven't touched the interior scene. My fingers are crossed for another two days!

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