Florida - The Early Years

I'm the butterball on my mom's lap.

HA! I just added my headshot to my blog and I realize that I match with the chocolate picture.
Humm.... what can this mean?

Writing = Chocolate

I was up until 1:30 last night writing. I'm a night person, so staying up late and writing is like eating chocolate! I love it. But I'm also a parent, which means that I have to get up early. Argh! what was I thinking. I'm going to be a short tempered zombie all day (watch out kiddos).

I guess I was got carried away, playing out my story in my head, a zillion different ways. Finding the right word to exactly convey my feelings and intent.

I think choosing words is like pairing different desserts with wines. When the go together, the experience is delicious!

Writing!!

I’ve been working on a poem now that I'm pretty excited about. Only two or three more stanzas, then some tweaking, then perhaps move a few lines around to see what flows better, more tweaking, etc.

Then I’ll subject Mr. Spouse to yet another read aloud. Then I’ll give it to Lauri to look at and offer notes. Then grab Stacy before she heads out again to places unknown and get her clear thinking on it. Then on to Kat - who will tell me “dude, this is definitely a film!” And I’ll know she’s right. Even now this poem has been finding little ways to try to turn itself into a short story, which will then lead to a screenplay.

My writing process: idea to poem, poem to short story, short story to screenplay, Screenplay to thinking I can make a film, make a film to FEAR!!! ….WHOA! No! Not going to think about that. Nothing like overwhelming oneself with what is going to happen and how hard it may be, to squash the thrill and fun of the creative process.

So I’m going back to my poem that is making me very happy. J

Weekend Recap

Many things were going on this weekend, so instead of boring you with details, how 'bout a quick recap:

Friday: Took kids to an evening baseball game.


Saturday: lots of films!! - Saw "The Promotion" with Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly. Great acting, cute film. Definitely speaks to the GenY group. I'm more of a GenX, but I still liked it. There are life questions, behaviors and feelings that transcends ages.

Saw The Hulk" - It was an alright action movie. The effects were very well done, but the story was very predictable.


Saw Ben performing with Master Pancake Theater, which spoofed the James Bond film "Gold Finger" Can I just tell you it was incredible funny. I laughed my ass off!!

Sunday: Father's Day - I missed my dad and my spouse had a lousy day. Overall not the best Father's Day on record.

Here's me when I was about 4, and my dad's giving me a piggy back ride. Cause he was so tall, the view was always great!



Monday: Start week again!

Roach Tales

Two weeks ago, I had my first roach encounter of the summer. I was in the shower, grabbed the towel, was about to wrap it around me when this monster roach creature fell off the towel and landed, with a thunk, by my foot. Did mention I was in the shower, drying off, which meant that I was NAKED! Hence the screaming, shrieking, mass hysteria. My very own Psycho shower scene. Probably the roach saw me naked and jumped for his life, but to me it was a horrid encounter with a reviled bug in my most vulnerable state. Fortunately, Mr. Spouse was able to knock the segmented demon unconscious before flushing it. Then yesterday, as I was putting some pretty plants on the front stoop, a mondo biggie roach jumped off one of the plants and high tailed it into the house. The front door though, is right by my office. My office that overflows with paper, boxes, cables, dvd, cd, computers and is the perfect place to hide if your 1/2 inch high and three inches long. (eeerrr, I'm feeling so buggie writing this!) So I had to act quickly. I couldn't squash it with a shoe, it was too damn big. I don't have roach spray. The neighbors were gone and the dog was scared of it. I was scared of it. But I had to act fast, or I would never be able to step foot in my office again. So I ran and got the broom. But as much as I hate roaches, I hate killing things even more. I thought maybe I could sweep it back out the door. So with broom in hand, and with a mighty sweep, I sent that roach flying, but not out the door. That Kung Foo Bug, was pretty pissed off that he couldn't stay and did a double aerial flip, ricocheted off the wall and was flying back at me, doing a superb impersonation of a flying power puff girl. This roach though, didn't know that I'm from Florida. And Florida roaches snort roach spray for kicks, they own Harleys, and they fly! So pulling from the strength of my Florida roots, I did my very own Matrix, dodge-the-flying-roach contortion. And it flew on by, all the while shooting me a bird.

I realized then, that this had become personal and with the words "THE BROOM IS MIGHTIER THAN THE ROACH!" I squashed that sucker and flicked him out the door.

I really really really, do hate roaches!

party time X 2

My kids have their birthdays a few days apart, which means it gets really crazy around here for one week out of the year. One weekend is full of a zillion elementary kids, running higgly piggly through my house, and whining for more ice cream or cake. Ice cream, cake, ice cream, cake!!! This birthday had a splash theme and there was water everywhere. Really. Then with all of them hyped up on sugar, they literally went out of their minds. Dripping wet crazed children flailing about the lawn and screaming for more cake. Got the visual? Oh, and I should mention, that when kids are at a party and have mass amounts of sugar, they become deaf, which causes them to scream louder. Then because I too am out of my mind, the party was also a sleepover (note: it was too hot last weekend for them to stay in the tent outside, hence they ended up spread out like puppies, chattering the night away, in the room next to mine). Did you know there is an unspoken competition among children to see who can stay awake the longest? O.K. so major sleep deprivation on my part. But Little Guy absolutely loved his party, told me I was the absolute best mom in the world and gave me a great big hug around the neck. As every mom knows, this is the best feeling in the world and of course I let him have extra cake and ice cream.
Then this weekend my high schooler had his big party and sleepover. His party started with everyone meeting up to see the new movie "You don't mess with the Zohan" and everybody pretty much hated it. I didn't see it, but you know a film must be pretty bad, when it's naturally crude audience pans it. A few of them thought the film was like attending a bad Human Development class. Then we loaded up a couple of minivans and brought them all home for pizza/cake and ice cream (yes, urp, more cake and ice cream) and they played video games, guitars, band hero etc., until the wee hours of the morning. I don't think when kids are this age, they try to see who can stay awake the longest. They just lose track of time and don't want to stop. If I hadn't put the cabash on the activities, I think they would still be playing. I wish I could have taken a photo that showed how it all looked - a bunch of kids in the front room playing Band Hero, a mess of them connected with their laptops, playing some war game, a few more at another TV playing some game or another, one or two on the electric guitar figuring out a riff, and a few wolfing down the food.
It's funny how the parties change as kids get older. The little ones had games, activities, and things to keep themselves busy and away from jumping off the roof. The older ones were only interested in food and not having a parent around. In thinking about it: the passage of time, the change in the kids, the bitter sweetness of it all, I'm surprised to find I'm good with it. I enjoyed my kids and had fun. A lot of fun. It's the way it's supposed to be.

"Hey, Weren't you in..."

This weekend, someone came up to me and asked me if I was in the film Stop Loss. 'Yes, Yes, I am." I most happily replied.

Now, if anyone reading this is an actress, or if you work with actors, you know that when we(actors) are recognized, we absolutely love it a zillion times over. For some reason, getting recognized for other more noble things, just doesn't compare, but when someone sees your acting and they notice you later for it: Wowzee! What fun!! I would not be out of order to say that many of us feed on such recognition. I think though, this mostly goes for us small change actors. The big names, who are always being asked for an autograph, probably don't think it's such a wonderful thing. Maybe more of a hassle. But not me!! I'm always thrilled if someone has seen me in a film.

Unfortunately, the down size is that people then start thinking that they've seen me in other films. Films I've never been in. And then I have to keep telling them "um.. no, I wasn't in that one. Oh, huh, no, that wasn't me. " And when I tell them what I have been in, and they haven't seen them, well, the conversation gets down right awkward and depressing.



When I was talking about this with one of my actor friends, he told me to just lie about it and say I was in them. His angle was that the person I was talking to would be extra thrilled to know such a star. HA HA, Oh Boy, wouldn't that be great. What a list of films I would have to my credit! Really, if I was to start lying, why not throw in some really good stuff, like... I just got back from shooting in LA with Brad Pitt (Really great guy! and much more handsome in person!) and while I was there I had dinner with Spielburg and Hanks (Can you believe Steven was the funny one? Kept the rest of us in stitches!), and lastly, ... I keep my Oscar on the mantle!



But if you really know me, you know that lying is not what I'm about. In fact, if you ask me for my opinion, I'll give you my take on a situation, even if it's not the popular one. If I've done something wrong, I fess up pretty quickly. If someone has done something wrong, I'll call them on it (or I won't have anything to do with them anymore).



So to sum up my ramblings for today. I would say - I love acting!! I love it when someone occasionally recognizes me for being an actress. I do not love it when the conversation gets awkward and that I'm not nearly as exciting they would like me to be. And lastly, I'm not a bullshitter!

Perhaps I jumped the gun a little when I said that summer was officially here. That’s because only one of my kids, had finished with school. Now though, everyone is out and the season can “Officially” begin.

So what do we do now? The routine of school, while not exactly a thrill a minute, provided some stability and academic challenge. Now though, it’s free time. Unstructured, devil may care, la de da, time. Which, after a few short days will inevitably lead to ….massive BOREDOM.

I can hear it now…”Mom, I’m bored….”

To have some adventure, I have set the kids up in a few camps here and there, but mostly, I want them to be bored. I want them to slow down and catch up on sleep. Stop the crazy, higgly piggly , running around like crazy that seemed a constant theme during the school year. I’m looking for a lazy, lazy lazy summer. I’m looking for everyone to just take it easy and be a kid (did I mention that goes for me too?).

I love being a kid.