Cosi cosi

Chad and I are taking Italian language classes for our upcoming trip to Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast. I'm very enthusiastic in trying to say things correctly in Italian, but I keep mixing in Spanish. Whoops. I do the homework each week for both (cheater!) Chad and I, yet Chad speaks Italian much better than I do. Not to sound like sour grapes, but Chad was born in Naples, Italy (navy brat) and spoke some of his first baby babble words in Italian. I think he has a distinct advantage.

So, um, do you like... stuff?

Today's blog title is a reference to a classic line from an episode of The Simpsons in which Lisa makes friends with some cool kids while on vacation. Chad and I say this line when we want to talk to each other, but don't know quite what to say. I've been feeling less than inspired to share info lately, but want to say hi. So, um, do you (gentle readers) like... stuff?

I just got home from my weekly acting workshop. The first week, I did well in my performance as a polygamist cult wife (one of three) who goes a little overboard with eBay purchasing. My instructor commented that I was off to a great start. Yay! Last week, I seamlessly went from smiling, joking trophy-wife to crying, shaking, crazy-with-grief-wife in my scene. My instructor commented that I knocked it out of the park and should be proud of my work. All the other actor-type-people wanted to be my best friend. Wooo-hooo! This week, I was supposed to play a faith-healer in a dramatic scene where I absorb a boy's cerebral palsy into my own body and heal him. The stage directions included liberal use of the word "convulsing". Ewww. I did not want to convulse on stage. Nope. My performance was not good. My instructor said, "Jennnnnn..." and shook his head. Boooo...

Lots of people I went to high school with have gone on to great things in the entertainment industry. Alan Tudyk has a thriving career acting in films. T.J. Thyne has been in films, commercials and now stars on the TV series Bones. Jeremy Schwartz has been in a few TV shows, some commercials and is now the announcer voice of Comedy Central.
Carl Greenblatt has voiced, written and animated cartoons such as SpongeBob Squarepants and is the main creator of Chowder on the Cartoon Network. These talented, fun people were once my peers. I am simultaneously inspired by, and completely demoralized by, their great national successes in comparison to my very modest local work. I'm sad that I waited this late in life to start my acting career in earnest.

Batgirl for Pay

We've all done things we're not terribly proud of to earn some money. Yesterday, I spent two hours dressed up as Batgirl walking up and down a four block area of 6th Street. Get your mind out of the gutter as I explain... I was one of the hired actors for an urban scavenger hunt called Go Game. Teams of contestants are set lose with a mobile phone tricked-out with GPS, email and text capabilities. They are also given a little lunchbox containing a digital camera and a few tools to help them with their scavenger hunt. Dressed as Batgirl, I was one of the people that contestants had to find. Their mission was to stage a tabloid photo with Batgirl caught doing unsuperhero-like activities. The teams were pretty creative and had me posing as a purse-snatcher, a bike thief, a mugger at an ATM, boozing it up at the shot bar (it was just cranberry juice!), getting caught in a (fake) surprise kiss, etc...

The game was lots of fun and the contestants were super-nice. The weird part of the day was waiting for teams to find me. Passing cars honked at me. Everyone who passed me on foot said, "hi Batgirl," or "hi Batwoman". Only a few people asked me why I was in costume. Several tourists (one couple all the way from Canada) took photos with me. Everyone felt like they could approach me and talk to me, which was kind of weird and different for me. My husband sums it up well, that I was "flying my freak flag" and thus a magnet for comments and interaction. No one (really, not one person) said anything rude to me.

Not that I will parade solo up and down 6th Street in racy costumes on a regular basis, but there are worse ways to earn paycheck.

Schmoozing Won't Land the Role

When asked for advice on how to make it in showbiz, Steve Martin likes to reply, "Be undeniably great."

I was very fortunate to attend a Q&A session with four of Austin's most prominent casting directors on Monday evening. When I first arrived, I felt intimidated as fellow-actors introduced themselves and asked which talent agent represents me. I sheepishly stammered that up to this point I've had no trouble booking my own work, thus no need for an agent. Then I became absolutely invisible to each one of those people as I watched them scan the auditorium for someone else to schmooze with, someone important, someone with one of the famous agents. I started to think that the evening was going to be a complete waste of my time, and would not yield anything useful.

Then the casting directors started their panel discussion. Every instinct I've ever had about professional acting was confirmed. These casting directors do NOT want gifts, birthday cards, holiday greetings or to be stalked. They want actors to show up on time to auditions, prepared with script pages, headshots (that actually look like you) and résumés in hand. They want actors to conduct themselves in a professional manner. They told us that if you're rude to the receptionist, that's points off, because no one wants to cast a diva. One casting director treated us to an anecdote about a certain producer who camps out in the waiting room incognito and observes how people conduct themselves.

Yes! Yay! Hooray! I'm so happy to hear all of this! I am professional, punctual, polite and prepared. I have zero interest in schmoozing or stalking.

I'm sending packets out to three talent agents this week to seek representation. While I don't need an agent for theatre/stage work anymore, I do need an agent if I ever hope to work in TV, films or commercials. Send happy thoughts my way.

Kenji's New Name

Kenji loves going outside when the weather is nice. She's only allowed out in the fenced backyard with parental supervision. She has to wear her collar with her city tag on it, just in case she sneaks out of the yard somehow. Her "necklace" and "pendant" match her blue Siamese eyes. Kenji wondered what her pendant said and I told her it said that she had her rabies vaccination and that it had a special number on it to help her get back home in case she gets lost. All this domesticity is a far-cry from Kenji's beginnings as a little streetwise kitten.

Kenji wants to keep it real. She's decided that her new name is Rabies, because it sounds tough. And it already says Rabies on her pendant.

Who Is That Middle-Aged Lady?

I've known since the 6th grade that I loved acting. When my dad passed away last year, the whole limited time on earth concept hit home in a hard way. I decided to lose weight and pursue acting in a more professional capacity. My big dream is land a role as a sitcom mom, work with a great cast for about five years and retire. After losing 28 pounds over the past year, today was the day I finally got my professional headshot photos taken.

I was excited to have a professional photographer take my photos. He did a great job, but I see wrinkles in my pictures. Ugh. When did I get old?

The upside is that I look old enough to be a sitcom mom now.

Flying High with Sean Penn / Karen's Wedding!

Hollywood bad-boy Sean Penn was on our flight from Santa Anna to Austin last night. He looks the same in person as he does on the big screen, only smaller.

We went west primarily for my friend Karen's wedding. I met Karen at freshman orientation at the University of Texas in the summer of 1991. She was cool. She knew about bands. She went to clubs. I didn't believe her when she said she would find me in the fall. She did! We were inseparable for two years until she took a break from school, and moved to New York City. We lost touch for a few years, then bumped into each other in Austin at the movies one Friday night. Boom -- fast friends again. We've stayed in touch ever since.

Chad and I arrived in LA Wednesday afternoon, staying at the lovely and eco-friendly Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica. Karen waited tables at the restaurant Real Food Daily when she first moved out to LA ten years ago, so that's where we had dinner. It was fun to see where she worked, and the vegan menu was really/surprisingly yummy!

After dinner, we saw my favorite band, NadaSurf, with another good band, Sea Wolf, at The Music Box (a.k.a. Henry Fonda Theatre) on Hollywood Blvd. The Music Box features velvet curtains and a roomy, raised stage. The theatre has art nouveau touches like scrolly gold columns flanking box seats on either side of the stage. The venue lends a real sense of credible theatrical performance since the audience doesn't have to watch the band scramble to set-up and tune their instruments. The curtains come up with a sense of ceremony, and the band starts to play. Both bands delivered solid shows. Oddly, both bands featured cello players which added a real depth to the music. I did the silly bounce at the knees and bop your head dance to every song. I was that dorky girl that sang along.

Thursday we spent twelve hours at Disneyland. Bag on the Disney marketing machine all you want, but I grew up on the movies and the theme parks. I really enjoyed the trip down Childhood's Good Memory Lane. And I got to ride the Matterhorn roller coaster for the first time. Woooooo...

Friday's main event was Karen and Matthew's wedding. I'm so happy that Karen and Matthew found each other! Their wedding was gorgeous and fun, just like they are. The ceremony was outside under a perfect Malibu sky. I cried like a baby to see my longest-lasting, and delightfully wildest, friend joining her soul-mate in holy, monogamous matrimony. In short, the wedding was relaxed, joyful and perfect from a guest's perspective.

2 Quickies

First, I love hulu.com! This brilliant website is legal and free! Hulu.com has all sorts of new and old TV shows and movies for viewing with limited, quick commercial breaks.

I watched the first two episodes of The Return of Jezebel James starring Parker Posey and written by Amy Sherman Palladino of beloved Gilmore Girls fame. The show was okay: a little too quippy with recycled actors from Gilmore Girls and a plot premise that requires big suspension of disbelief. Maybe it will get better?

Second, I flew into the Palm Springs airport a few weekends ago for a girls' spa getaway with a pal from LA. So many people were packing pooches, literally carrying little cutie-dogs in glorified purses. I had a funny vision of myself trying to carry my forty-pound Janie-dog in a giant bag. I predict that bigger dogs will be the hot new fashion accessory! You'll get a good workout toting your furry friend.

TV Snob Embraces a Reality Show (It's British)

The writer's strike had me watching more shows on DVD or the internet, and reading books instead of watching the bad reality/competition show filler that the networks trotted out to fill the void. I typically don't like reality television. The editing and situations of reality television are mean and manipulative at best; and exploitative and potentially dangerous at worst. Oh, the humanity! (Sorry, Jenny. I know you like some of the reality shows.) Here's the big but, BUT I really like the BBC America show Last Restaurant Standing. This fancy-pants chef, Raymond Blanc, gives nine couples (some are romantic partners, but there are also sibling teams and one mother-son team) the chance to open a real restaurant with his backing. If you can catch a marathon of this on BBC America and catch up, or even just start viewing now, I highly recommend this show.

My top 3 picks for the teams/couples to win are:
Martin, a prison caterer, and his fiance Emma who works in a bingo hall.
Lloyd and Adwoa, an engaged couple who run market stalls selling food.
Sisters and children's entertainers, Jess and Laura.

On the subject of reality TV, I never watched Project Runway this season. I followed it last season, and liked it pretty well, but I wasn't into it this time around. I only have so much attention span to squander on TV.

Spring!

My first decade living in Austin, I hated the summer. The long seem-to-last-forever, hot record-breaking-temperatures, drain-my-life force summers were not my favorite (NMF). If you asked which was my favorite season, I'd answer fall, because it marked the longest amount of time until summer steamed back into town.

Now that I've lived here nearly seventeen years, I'm used to summer. I love going to Deep Eddy Pool and having Jim-Jim's water ices. I kinda like getting into my hot car after sitting in over-air-conditioned spaces. I see lots of movies. I've learned to slow my pace and constantly hydrate.

This year, I'm loving spring. Buds are bursting. Leaves are sprouting. Temperatures are rising and that lovely sun is shining. I'm okay with the impending summer; rather than viewing spring as the prettier harbinger of the long, hot season.

Chad and I raked, mowed, mulched and weeded this weekend in preparation for our spring yard. Janie sampled some of the fresh mulch and thought it was pretty tasty. She's learning the new command, "no! yucky!".

Getting to Know You

Janie did not go to work with Chad this week, because he was in New York, and she's not ready to fly just yet. Poor Janie was stuck at home with boring Mom (me) and the hissy kitties. Plus it rained two days this week. I've been trying to think up indoor activities such as tug-of-war and wrestling. We spend lots of time outside when it's dry enough.

I'm learning that Janie knows lots of cool commands and games. She totally knows:
sit
shake
her name
stay (when she's not too distracted)
go potty outside

If I pat my leg twice she knows that she needs to come with me, which is super-helpful when we go out for a midnight potty break, because I don't want to yell out her name to get her inside. She'll fetch her tennis ball and bring it back about three times before she decides she'd rather chew on the ball than give it back. We're working on the command "release" to have her give the ball back. Janie is learning "wait for it" when it comes to accepting a treat or a toy. She's always very gentle, but a bit clumsy.

Janie has been training me too. She'll take a piece of carrot for a treat once a day, but if I try this healthy treat option a second time in a day, it just sits on the floor uneaten. Janie sleeps in her crate through the night, and waits for me to come get her in the morning without barking or whining. Instead, she shakes her tags every few minutes when she's ready to get up and out, and that jingle-jangle noise makes me get out of bed. She knows that if she rests her head on my leg and looks super-sad, I put away the book/computer/project and pet her tummy. She lets me know she needs go out to potty by putting her two front feet on my knee or by giving a little bark and gesturing to the door with her head. My treats come in the form of happy prancing, tail-wagging and sweet, happy sighs from Janie.

Sweet Kitty Needs New Home

This cat, Hannah, was one of my Furry Godmother kitty-clients. I love her so much, and would adopt her myself if I didn't already have 3 cats and a new dog. Her person-mom is looking for a new home for Hannah due to a hectic travel and work schedule. She feels guilty for not having enough time to spend with Hannah. Email, comment or call me if you're interested in Hannah. I will then pass your contact info on to Hannah's current person-mom.

Here's what Hannah's person-mom says about her:
She's a lovable, playful, curious, spayed, Siamese-mix... very social, greets people at the door, curls up in strangers' laps, loves to be held, meows a lot (so she's not for people who need silence to concentrate at home)...doesn't have a mean bone in her body, has never even attempted to scratch or bite anyone, she's very healthy, except needs annual teeth cleanings. In the winter she likes to curl up on your lap a lot
and even get under the covers next to you.

She'd probably be very happy in a easy-going, lively household where people/kids wanted to play with her a lot, like letting her chase a laser pointer, or playing with a string. She also loves watching/stalking birds or squirrels at feeders and playing in cardboard boxes.

She'll be 13 soon, she was born around April 1995, and as you can tell from the photos,(taken this year) she still looks like a kitten. She has always been an indoor cat but still has her claws.

Mystery Comments

I was looking over old blog posts last night and saw some new comments I feel that I should address.

Ryan - I found Java furniture at Skandinavia Furniture (www.skandinaviatexas.com/) and Nest (www.nestmodern.com/).

Melissa - Sorry if I offended you or other Starbucks employees/fans. I think that Starbucks is a great company with good practices regarding sustainable farming and generous employee benefits. My sister worked at a Starbucks for a while, and only had nice things to say about the company. I was writing in hyperbole when I joked that Starbucks doesn't want people to know about the "short" size. Next time I'll put a wink emoticon so you get that I'm just being silly.

Mick - Thanks for the heads-up about Wildflours Bakery (wildfloursbakery.com). It's nice to find businesses that have a charitable aspect to them.

Janie, Our Sweet Dog

We're in love. Her name is Janie. She's slobbery, licky, sweet, funny and eager to please. As previously mentioned, Janie came from the awesome people at Blue Dog Rescue. Who knew that we'd fall in love with this forty-pound, Lab-Terrier-mystery-mix back when we were cruising the Wee Rescue (also a great group) website for a small dog? Our friend, Emily, got a Blue Dog Rescue friend and raved so much about Blue Dog that we decided to give them a try.

Janie nursed her three puppies in foster care, and was just the best little unwed, teen mother ever. Her puppies all got adopted, but she was still hanging out waiting for us to find her. Janie had hip surgery and eye surgery a few weeks ago to correct some mystery injuries. She's recovering nicely, though she still hops on three legs when she's in a hurry and her eye looks a little teary at the end of the day.

Janie goes to work with Chad. She made friends with another dog at work. Janie and Lupita love to wrestle and slobber on each other. They're BFF. I think I need to get Janie a collar to match Lupita's collar, kind of like the necklaces that say "Be fri" on one half and "st end" on the other half, so that you put the halves together to read "best friend".

Janie wants to make friends with our three kitties. Feline relations have been polite, if a little tentative. They're all much more comfortable if I'm in the room petting them or brushing them all at once. They'll sniff each other politely, but no cuddling or playing together just yet. Janie is a tiny bit scared of the kitties, whimpering a little on the few occasions that a kitty has hissed at her. Given her size-advantage, that's probably good.

Janie loves to chew on things, so we make sure to keep lots of Kong toys and Nylabones around, so that shoes don't look enticing. (Janie, I love you, but stay away from my shoes, please!) Janie loves to give people kisses on the chin or bare toes. She wants people to sit on the floor with her and pet her and rub her tummy. She loves, loves, loves going to Redbud Island dog park to play. She gets along great with other dogs. She gets in the water up to her chest, but hasn't done much swimming yet. She has webbed toes like her Labrador Retriever relatives, so she'd be a great swimmer if she wanted.

Janie knows her name and always comes when called. She is great at "sit" and we're working on "stay". She also knows "shake" but has a hard time balancing right now after her hip surgery. She walks very well on a leash without pulling or straining.

Yep, we won the awesome-dog lottery. More photos and anecdotes will follow, I'm sure.

Movies I Watch Repeatedly

Recent health issues have seen me spending more time on the couch than usual this month. I've been reading through back issues of Esquire, GQ, Wired and Texas Monthly. The September 2007 issue of GQ featured an interesting article on Barack Obama, and an unrelated quote from Chris Matthews stating that Rudy Giuliani would nab the Republican nomination--haha, he was wrong.

In addition to reading outdated publications, I've been watching movies. When I'm ill, watching familiar movies can be like a visit from an old, close friend. You know pretty much how it will go, with comfort in the familiarity, but you also are reminded of the qualities you like, and once in a while you discover some new detail. Here is my list of movies that I can watch again and again.

Enchanted April
Bridget Jones' Diary
Scoop
Match Point
The Devil Wears Prada
Singles
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Roman Holiday
To Catch a Thief
Bell, Book and Candle
Charade
Mystic Pizza
Groundhog Day
Cinema Paradiso (only in original Italian language with subtitles, the dubbed version is bad)

What are the movies you watch again & again? Maybe you'll find (like I did) that some of your favorite movies are not necessarily the same movies that you watch repeatedly.

Shrinking

I swear that I am eating. I am even eating cookies and chocolate on a daily basis. I lost another two pounds, which brings the total up to twenty-six pounds lost since March 2007. Just eight more pounds to lose! I'm so glad for the healthier lifestyle now, but all this weight loss makes getting dressed a chore. I went through four wardrobe changes this evening before heading out to see Skyrocket at Antone's. The first top I tried was too big, and it makes me a little sad. It was a Marc Jacobs wrap-shirt (see photo) scored from the bluefly.com clearance section just six months ago, now a little too big on me. The second wardrobe reject of the night was a pair of jeans purchased six weeks ago. They were tight when I bought them, but Chad says they're too big now. I would just return them, but I washed them and hemmed them. Sigh...

I donated four large shopping bags full of clothes to a charity just two months ago. Now it's time for another closet overhaul. When I hit my goal weight, I'm going to Hem to treat myself to two pair of designer jeans. The good news is that I saved most of my good skinny clothes from college that I liked, and they fit again!

Stylish Friends!

Mention of two friends caught my eye today as I perused the Style column of the Austin American-Statesman online. I'm proud to have such note-worthy friends who garner nice mentions in the newspaper. Yay for Maggie S. & John L.!

Click *here* for the full article.

Photo credit: Laura Skelding for the Austin American-Statesman

Janie Came A-Callin'

Monday evening our probably-dog, Janie, came for a home visit. Janie has been upgraded from maybe-dog status to probably-dog status as an outcome of this positive visit. Janie frolicked in our big backyard and made herself right at home by taking care of a little business back there. Then she came inside to demonstrate her superior doggy knowledge of the requests to sit, shake, high-five and down. She also showed us her belly for some rubs.

Janie politely sniffed each of the cats. Sonic and Marigold were so at ease with Janie that they took catnaps while she was here. Kenji, ever our nine-pound scrappy, bossy, queen-bee, bravely marched up to Janie and hissed to let her know who's boss around here. Janie gave a tiny whimper and ceded some space to the K-monster.

Janie has her hip surgery today. Send her happy thoughts as she recovers with her awesome foster-mom from Blue Dog Rescue. If all goes well, we could have Janie in our home in two to three weeks!

Political opinions fell by the wayside as I read this sad but sweet-ending story today about two dogs who came all the way from Iraq to find a home in the U.S.

Five Things

I enjoy reading the Design Notebook blog by Austin American-Statesman design columnist, Melanie Spencer. Her Monday Mood Lifter this week was a list of five things she loves about her home. She asked readers to share their own list of five things. So here is my list of five things I love about our current home and my list of five things I want to love at our next home.

Current home:

1. I love the layout of our house. The sleeping rooms are at one end of the house and the social rooms are at the other end. The house has a great flow.

2. I love our original hardwood floors. The floors are a gorgeous dark-honey color and no one will ever mistake them for veneer or laminate. We have a few area rugs, but I don't ever want a home with carpet again if possible.

3. I love that we have customized our home with paint colors we chose. No shiny white walls here. No concern about getting a deposit back. No reverence paid to resale value.

4. I love the deck. The weather here is nice most of the year, so I love having more area to entertain or lounge.

5. I love our driveway. The interlocking paver stone driveway has a quiet elegance to it. It makes the whole curb-appeal greater. The paver stones can shift without exposing unsightly cracks the way that concrete does. Our driveway is just wide enough for Chad and I to get our cars past each other, which means we don't have to move each other's cars to get in or out of the driveway.

Next home:

1. A fireplace -- Chad and I both miss the fireplace we had at our posh condo for the year that we lived there. On cold nights, we would make a fire and warm ourselves in its glow. We didn't like to leave the warm living room to trudge up the stairs to our not-as-warm bedroom.

2. Not located on a major road -- during our married life, Chad and I have always lived on major, high-traffic roads. Now we live at the corner of a major thoroughfare. Next house/condo must be tucked away on a quiet, lazy, low-traffic street.

3. At least two bathrooms -- we only have one bathroom now. It's not a hardship, but I really liked the two-and-a-half bathroom situation at our aforementioned posh condo. I had my own full bathroom in the hallway. I gave Chad the master bathroom. Guests had the half-bathroom down on the main floor/living level.

4. Lots of mature trees -- We have two good shade trees right now. We've planted three teenage trees and one baby tree. For me, nothing says "established home" like an abundance of mature shade trees.

5. Indoor laundry room -- The posh condo had an indoor laundry room just off the kitchen with a door you could close to hide the drying rack full of unmentionables. Our current house has a laundry closet at the end of the carport outside. The doors are big shed doors that in let in dirt, leaves, bugs, slugs, toads and other junk you don't associate with clean laundry. I want to be able to do the laundry in my jammies in our next home, and not have to constantly wipe dirt and grime off of our expensive high-efficiency washer and dryer.

You may wonder why we didn't buy the aforementioned posh condo when we had the chance. We agonized and flip-flopped over that decision for two months. The condo was offered at a great price. We loved the interior of the condo. We liked the wooded setting of the hillside on the west side of our building. The condo had a two-car garage with plenty of storage and big closets. However, the homeowner's association was in major turmoil with allegations of embezzlement by the property management company. The location was just outside of central Austin, on a road with notoriously bad traffic and dangerous curves and hills. The AC system needed to be completely replaced. Both garage doors and both garage door openers needed to be replaced. Ultimately, we decided we didn't want to jump into the homeowner's association fray and the location wasn't right for us. Our 1952 house in a more central location is the perfect starter home for us. We look forward to at least five more years here.

Like Summer Camp

I've finished my performances for another year of the Fronterafest theater festival. I am all at once tired, relieved, sad and wistful. The bonds forged during a Fronterafest theatrical production are like the bonds I formed at summer camp as a kid: emotional, fun, slightly sleep-deprived and most sweetly fleeting.

I am bone-tired and yet can't sleep. I am already thinking of the piece I want to write for next year's short-fringe (shows 25 minutes or less in length) and hoping that Max (my writer-director friend who has graciously cast me in five of his Fronterafest pieces) will cast me in his show next year.