My Florida working vacation is almost over. So far no major catastrophies other than one child being rather sunburned. They're out shopping for "Lillys" right now, so I'm cleaning clothes and preparing to pack suitcases.

It's been pretty good. Other than the desperation that comes from trying to keep two girls (ages 7 and 10) on their best behavior all the time. Another unforseen problem, trying to get them to converse with Grandmama at the table. Trying to keep the playing from turning into fighting is a given, but since they operate in much the same way as my sister and I did at that age, I feel I've got a good handle on the dynamic.

It's funny, not having children of my own, how much work it is to be "mom" all day. I can't complete a phone call without someone calling for me, or needing me. I eat only after they've scarfed and left, and I disappoint them when I spend an hour in the pool with them, and the WHOLE REST OF THE DAY reading by the poolside, watching for drowning or unfair playing, and dragging them out to reapply sunscreen.

The best part of the trip was the eldest picking out the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as her reading. Which, actually, became my reading - as I read them to bed at night, and on long car trips. I'm doing all the voices - though Pippin and Merry I haven't figured out yet. They kind of fluctuate between Irish and Yorkshire. Frodo is very proper British, and the Elves all talk very slowly - though not as slowly as Fangorn would, if we were to get there. Gandalf is the hardest -my voice doesn't go that low. (This is sort of a cop-out, but their parents did say to either have them read, or read to them. And since the youngest loves Lord of the Rings, and spent an hour in the pool one night grilling me for back history, it didn't seem fair not to let them both enjoy it. I had the oldest help me read my script last night - and she played half the characters. That counts).

So that's it. I hear the washing machine has stopped, so I'd better go take care of that.

Ciao from Florida!

Congratulations

Congratulations to Maurleine, one of my sponsor children, who just Graduated from the Compassion Program. One more woman in the world who has been allowed a chance to expand and grow and learn. It is an amazing thing for a girl in her country to go to school, much less to complete her education (the equivalent of finishing high school) and I'm very very proud of her!

If you'd like to give the gift of education to someone yourself, click the compassion icon on my sidebar and check into it!

Florida

Toddlers are the best form of birth control. I'm in Florida nannying my own usual charges, but their Aunt and two cousins (ages 5 and 2 1/2) are here as well. They fly out this evening after extending their trip a few days. They are a handful. The noise level is tremendous. And the Aunt, who was a lovely professional woman, now converses by way of a constant dialogue interspersed with indictments to her children, or answers to their millions of questions.

Would it be possible, do you think, to have a baby and then ship them off until they are, say 7?

Otherwise my working vacation is lovely. I spend ages in the pool, yesterday was at the beach, and we go every day to the ice cream store. I bought a new straw hat yesterday with a wonderful floppy brim, and there's an alligator in the fountain at the entrance of the resort. He comes complete with his own egret, who stalks around the pond and stares in the direction of the alligator, so you always know where he is. He's been removed by the grounds staff several times, but always comes tromping back to his habitat.

Tomorrow we're to go see the Everglades.

Leavenworth

The letter has come in - I'm playing Maria in Sound of Music, Hattie in Kiss Me Kate, and understudying Kate/Lilli in Kiss Me Kate. I'm so excited! So I'll be out of town for 10 weeks rehearsing for my 30 shows, and hopefully working some too.

Roommates

Well, and now I'm sick. Which always happens after a stressful week -- and with my job going to heck this week, and my immediate resignation on Tuesday, now I'm spending my Saturday with a cold. On the plus side, I have nothing scheduled for today except a costume fitting. And getting my room back in shape from being gone all weekend followed by houseguests.

My roommates have all been home, and this week has been a guest haven. I had Drea here for four days, Denise here overnight, and my whole family in for dinner. One roommate's boyfriend (who won brownie points last night for bringing me popcicles for my sore throat) was in again, and the other roommate has a friend up from Eugene staying on the recently vacated sleeper sofa.

I'm leaving next week for a week and a half nannying in Florida. Very excited. Should have been getting in shape all spring, but have instead been munching on whatever suits my fancy at any given moment. I do not want to see what I look like in a swimsuit just now -- added to pale-and-pasty Seattle skin (which in any other context I love - just means lots of big hats and SPF 50) which will look out of place in the land of fakenbake.

I finally went on yesterday as the actor number two in Alice's Wonderland. I'd only had an accent rehearsal - no physical one, so I was very nervous trying to remember my entrances, and no idea of how long my fast changes could take. All went well, however, and somewhere around the Cheshire Cat everything clicked into place.

Also, the 1985 made-for-tv Alice in Wonderland was just released on DVD for the first time. I bought my copy yesterday!

And that's all for me today. I'm off to clean my room, drink my cafe au lait, and eventually get dressed and go to my fitting.

November

November

OH and the film I costumed, that we sent into here, has been nominated as one of the 20 best films submitted - and therefore will be shown at the festival, and is up for best film, as well as many acting and production awards.

Happy Bloody St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday was miserable. At work they had me scheduled for upstairs, which the bartenders quickly contested, because they don't usually have a waitress upstairs as there's no computer terminal for them to place orders. Then, after following my bosses around to try to find out what I was supposed to do, I was given a basket and told to circulate with sandwiches. After I got over the frustration of not knowing what I was supposed to do with myself, coupled with not having worked all weekend - so being out of the loop (my own fault - out of town audition), I became the "Little Sandwich Girl."

Well, I busted my butt, and sold so many that the kitchen had to start an assembly line to make more once we ran out, and all was going well...until someone stole my waiters notebook with all my big bills in it - $180 worth of cash - out of my apron pocket as I walked by. I spent the rest of the night selling like mad just trying to break even for the night. I came up $50 short even still. Everyone 'felt bad' for me, but I management's stance was 'well, that's why you have to be careful with your money.' So far now, in four weeks I've had to eat over $300 at this place, plus all the nights I came in and paid for bus or parking, only to get sent home an hour or two later, plus the nights I bussed those first two weeks and was never tipped out by anyone. I think, all in all, I may have broken even this month, but only barely.

Cinderella

I just was offered, and accepted, a position with Storybook Theater as an understudy for one of the Stepsisters in an original musical production of Cinderella. Pretty cool, huh? This show opens about a week and a half before Alice closes, and runs through the end of the school year. I'm guaranteed at least one day of multiple performances, but they said in the last show they actually used their understudies quite a bit. That gets me up to June something-eth with continuous theatrical employment since November.

Also this weekend is the Leavenworth Summer Theater audition.

Alice's Wonderland

Here's a cast photo of Holly and me in Alice's Wonderland this morning! We began rehearsals as the C-cast, but have rotated around so much now every body's worked with everybody else. I begin rehearsals this week to start playing "Everybody Else" as well - The White Rabbit, The Caterpillar, The Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter, and The Red Queen.

November Shoot

Just a few pictures of the crew from my shoot. We spent four days filming, which was absolutely great! I had so much fun, and worked so hard - often sewing on set, then going home to work until midnight or later finishing up the costumes for the next day's shoot.

The cast was amazing, our lead actress had such an emotional depth to draw from I was duly impressed. Our crew and directors were very professional, and worked very hard to make a really wonderful film, short, and under a deadline though it may be.

On the set, day one, with Roach, Natasha, Constance and Ben

With Ben and Eric final checking the extras.

Myself as Natasha's stand-in.