So, as most of you know, I am 90% unemployed (I'm still freelancing and MadSciencing). This means I am NOT constantly checking my dayplanner (old school, analogue, paper model). Which means at 7:45 tonight I got a call from my producer asking me if I was caught in traffic...because I was supposed to be performing at 8pm.

Now, I had been trying to trade this date to another performer, but not because I didn't want it, I was just hoping to be out of town this weekend. It didn't work out for a number of reasons and I gave my boss every assurance that I would be there and excited to perform, since I haven't done the show in months.

And then this friggin' happens.

Seeing as how the shoe was at Kowloon, there was NO WAY IN HELL I stood any chance of getting up Rt. 1 in 15 minutes, in costume and make-up no less.

I am SO not happy about this. I am SUPREMELY pissed at myself.

And the thing of it is, I even looked at my planner this afternoon during my MadSci meeting, since I was jotting down notes on a potential gig I might be doing.

But somehow, it didn't register.

Dammitall.

In happier news, tomorrow we travel a bit west for birthday japes and tomfoolery (and semi-drunken couch snuggling, which is practically a competitive sport with this group).
And today I actually received a personal email from a potential employer...the gist was "I've got responses up to my nose, so once I sort out the chaff I'll let you know where you fell" kind of thing, but he DID say the magic words "I enjoyed your cover letter".

Your quote of the day is a phrase Lars came up with for Snipe:

Vogon Chewtoy

Essentially, Snipe fell asleep with her D20 necklace on, resulting in a bruise she inferred to resemble a Vogon hickey. Lars, being the man he is...

wench18? I think this might require the creation of a pin for Snipey...

Tags: acting, grumble, quote, update

So Tufts is doing a dental study, and I qualify! So I get study-related dental care for free for the next 18 months. This includes filling my two worst cavities, a full cleaning, and anti-cavity treatments (since that is what they are testing). Oh, and I get paid for doing this. It's not much, but I'll take what I can get.

So for the next CladdaghBing! show, I'll be playing Mother of the Groom. Which means I need a MOG type dress. Tighter and more sequined than is good for me. Essentially, the MOG and MOB spend a large amount of time talking about how tacky/trashy/gaudy/inappropriate the other woman's dress is...while they are at least as guilty.
I plan to visit Poor Little Rich Girl in Cambridge tomorrow after my dental appointment (depending on how I feel). I also have two places to try on Thursday in Malden if PLRG doesn't work out. If I had a car, I'd just do a tour of the local Salvation Army shops. Or I'd go to Worcester and go to the one on Cambridge St. since I know what they stock and there is always something hideous from 1987 in my size.
AJ Wright and Marshalls just don't carry formal dresses like they used to.
There is a bridal shop downtown, but they're pretty damn nice and all the MOB/MOG dresses they carry actually have style. Admittedly, some of the Prom dresses they have are hideous, but my budget is around $30-$40.

If I can't find anything soon, I may have to play cut-and-paste on my bridesmaid's dress from Deb and Jim's wedding. I do still have a lot of sequins in my costume emergency kit...but I'll have to find someone who can help me pin it up for taking in...I've lost 40+lbs since the wedding, and it was big on me even then.

Meanwhile, here is your quote of the day:
"Abortions on demand! Free condoms! Huge posters! The Nazi's will love it!" -Batz, in A Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner

Tags: acting, dresses, quote

...since I got cast in a film today! Student film for part of the CDIA at BU program, but it is a paying gig, and I'll actually have material for a REEL! Now, if only I could track down the PSA I did in college...I film next week.

Anywhat, that's a big plate of yay, with hooray sauce and a side of woot. So I'm really acting again...huh.

What else...yesterday I popped by VDA to work on Molly's dress. All the pieces are cut out, now I just need to sew them together. Tonight I made a REALLY good dinner, recipe behind the cut lower down. It feels extravagant while using leftovers. Mostly because I splurged on one item...but go read if you are interested.

Today there was also snow, of various flavors, from the big fat floppy lazy flakes to the little stingy blow-right-into-your-eyes flakes. But I got to enjoy it, walking from the parking lot to the CDIA building. Which is on the next block from the awesome toy stores on Moody, so I went in and played with toys for a while. And straightened the shelves of puppets in the back room. I felt bad for them. Whomever set up that section had (A) no idea how to merchandise, (B) no concept of shelf-height (or eyeline, for children and adults alike), and (C) no ability to keep order of any kind. I sold a man a puppet while I was there, becuase I was playing with it. It was one of those 'Folkmani' puppets, the Harbor Seal one, and he thought I had a little pet of some kind. Then I showed him how to use it, and his eyes lit up and sometime this weekend a granddaughter is going to have the best day ever when she not only gets to see the seals at the Aquarium, she gets to OWN one later that day. I suppose, what with the entire store only having ONE employee (who was apparently told he was NOT to leave the register), it was understandable...then again, no one is on vacation this week, and it was around 11:30-Noon while I was there, and I have a REALLY hard time believing that any children who were in there with a parent/guardian could have cuased such a tornado in the 2.5 hours the place had been open so far that day.

I'm working more often, and for more companies. Playing phone tag with a couple others. Hopefully that will come to a happy ending soon.

My hubby is snoring on the couch. I should probably wake him, or he'll be up all night.

[pause]

Husband has been prodded. His napping knows no bounds.

And now, the recipe for ( Leftover Grains with Mushrooms and Pancetta )

Tags: acting, recipe, thrifty, work

Did my first Claddagh Bing! last night. I play Nonna (that's 'Grandma' to the non Itialians), which is good, becuase I'm old and if I have no idea what I should be doing, I can be forgetful. It also means my make-up skills are coming in handy again.

Please go watch this NSFW commercial for work-gear, which I ganked from chowyunsmut.

And, I finally caved. ( Here is that Privilege Meme )

Tags: acting, link, meme, video

...back into yay!

Have another interview on Monday, with a company that is My Kind of Place, for a job that will require me to learn some heavy-duty stuff really fast, and allow me to build on my weird array of technical knowledge and apply it in new directions. Like, full-time, even.

Also, I am officially an actress once more! I just got the offer from Claddagh Bing! to join the cast! It's a mostly improv based deal, go look at the website for more info. Oh, and it PAYS! Holy jumping flaky crabcakes, Batman.

Scheduled to work 30 hours in the next 3 days, and have two more gigs next week.

And my mood has been further enhanced by walks in my spring jacket the last two days. Oh, and my Dunkin Donuts card, which buys me coffee.

Now, pendulum, kindly take as long on THIS side of the line as you did on the other, K?

Today I also read, in entirety, First Meetings in the Enderverse, by Orson Scott Card.

Your quote of the day is from that fabulous book:
"It stinks, Ender, but you know that if they gave you five crippled midgets and armed you with a roll of toilet paper you'd win." -Bean

Tags: acting, good stuff, quote, work
Feelin'...: woot

...I am officially a Working Actor! Thank you all for your good juju. For those keeping track, I wore a burgundy shell under a long-sleeve sweater, fitted, black with silver threading; light charcoal slacks, and my fave pair leather mules (pointy box-toe...just enough heel to make the slacks fall corectly). Plus a strand of pearls and slightly heavy street make-up (as opposed to my Mehron stage/screen stuff) for camera. Yes I used blush, Jenni. They asked me to take my hair down (I wore it up in a twist); It actually behaved for the filming. And I cold-read off a prompter with MUCH better accuracy than I expected of myself.

I got hired today for Seemeo, AKA Humanize The Web, AKA Onsite Videos. They put live people talk-spots on websites to help sell/guide/teach people. I'm supposed to be up by Monday, I'll put in a more direct link once I'm actually on the page. And hey, you wanna do this too? Know someone who wants to do this? Let me know; for every person I refer who gets hired, I get a bonus. So if YOU get hired and refer people, YOU get a bonus! Really, if you can read and be sincere and deal with lights in your face, you can do this.

Plus I now have a web credit to add to my Boston Casting portfolio; and I can put a link on it so people can see my "hi my name is" video (without paying the pesky video content fee).

Now...out of make-up, hair back up, out of business clothes and into techie clothes. Must find tool pouch for gig.

So, yay!

Tags: acting, work
Feelin'...: yay!