Who the heck do I think I am?

Just when we thought Tim Gunn (of Project Runway) could not be any more perfect, he "gets better":




(I particularly need this stuff because right now it all sucks. The Penguins suck, the work situation sucks and potentially really, really sucks, and there's precious little else to distract me. Fuck y'all, fuckers. I'm watching Sherlock, so there.)

So I went downtown today to fill out paperwork and test and interview with yet another staffing agency - one can never be enrolled with too many. But I didn't want to take the T because dude, my back is still not up to walking or standing as long as it would take to go via public transit.

However, I should have done it anyway.

I drove around and around and around hoping to find a lucky parking spot. All the garages had their "full day" rate signs up and I balked: $23 or $26??? For like, an hour? How much is just an HOUR?

But finally, it was after the time I was supposed to be there, I'd gone around the block(s) about 4 times in different directions, got stuck on one-ways taking me *away* from the target, u-turned to get back without running into more one-ways, and called to let them know I was just looking for parking.... and as I came around the corner, the garage in the same building as the place was taking down the all-day parking sign and putting up its hourly sign: $6 for the first half-hour. Great!

I pulled in and gave the car to the valets (yeah, but the rate was still $12 for the hour), and made it to the appointment.

Where they ran me through MS Office testing, typing test, and then I had to wait a good 10 minutes for a room to open up. (During this time, btw, I realized that this agency's "gimmick" for team-building is that when someone successfully places an employee, the agent rings a bell - and the other hiring agents applaud. All I could think was "How...Pavlovian.")

Anyway, so I'm already over the hour-mark and then we get into the interview. And I probably talked too much, but she wanted me to "take her through" my positions, which is understandable, because my work history is a little wonky. And then she asked if I could meet with a couple other agents in the various arms of their organization (e.g. "creative" vs. "administrative") - and I looked at my phone (which doubles as my watch). EEK. I was 3 minutes shy of two hours on the car.

So I said, "Actually, if you don't mind, if I go right now, I'll make it within two hours" and she was very understanding and I rushed to the garage... Where I realized that between one and two hours, the price JUMPED from $12... to $28.

Thirty bucks to park!!! $15 an HOUR. I almost should have stayed, because the *next* hour was only $34 - at which point, who cares?

But YIKES. Okay, the T would have taken 2 hours of travel, and I certainly would have had to be really careful walking, but YIKES. In retrospect, I should have just gone in at the day rate!!!

I hope it pays off.

Meanwhile, I'm doing the exercise that the chiropractor prescribed. My father had also recommended a particular brand of adhesive "hot" patch, which happens to be relatively inexpensive (especially compared to the thermacare patches), so I tried that during the brush-up tonight.

OMG. No. First off, I'm glad a. they're cheap and b. I got two, because the first one folded onto itself and got all stuck to itself and had to be sacrificed. The second one still got stuck to itself, but in a more wrinkled than folded way, and I was still able to stick it on, albeit kind of at a weird angle. Second, the "heat" it generates is from capzaisin, so it's more of a "spicy" heat than an actual warmth...and it burned more like a chemical burn than a radiating heat. I wound up ripping it off on the way home, because when I was sitting in the car, and couldn't get away from it, it felt like it was flaying my back.

So, yeah. Not doing that again, but at least it was only a couple bucks' worth of experimentation, and certainly not another $30 mistake!

Argh.

So. Get the back back in shape. Then the next order of business is to get ME back in shape - walking and more. Zoicks, I'm gaining weight like whoa.

And lastly, unfortunately, a quick check of my odometer from last year confirms that I will not qualify for the "low mileage" discount with my insurance company. Which is a pain, because apparently I have to suffer another year of surcharge due to the accident in '07, because while the anniversary date of the accident is coming up in a couple weeks, the surcharge wasn't actually applied until January '08. Sigh. So my rates don't drop for another 8 months.

I can haz new life now?

Okay, a few good things so I'm not all about the bitchy.

Alternity continues to rock hard.

I should be able to sweet-talk my family photographer into new headshots when I go to Rochester, which I'll be doing on the way to Crown (along with a haircut at my old hairdresser's). This means I'll have really good professional headshots again, that aren't 20 years out of date, in time for the big StageSource auditions (in early June). Now I need to choose a monologue and song, always an agonizing process, but something that I just have to DO and then not worry about. Whatever - as long as it's memorable, and I do it well, that's the point.

Only two more performances and then I can really focus on the summer shows.

I finished the first draft of my sci-fi story, though I haven't read it over to begin editing it. I fear it is more lame and simplified than I intended when I was outlining, but it's also short, so I have a little room to expand if necessary.

BAF3 is gonna be awesome - it's set to launch at Balticon, where I probably won't be, but that's okay. The book will launch and maybe a few of 1 and 2 will sell, too.

Oh - I almost forgot! There's a new episode of SpellCast out! Actually, it's not new, because I recorded it in December, but it's finally out!

So.

I'm gonna navel-gaze for a bit and catch up on a few things. It's been a helluva week and it's only getting better.

I'm basically all but done at work. I set my out-of-office reply and auto-forward on the email, I recorded a final outgoing message on my phone, set it to extended absence, and sent all the calls direct-to-voicemail. My key and ID are in the drawer and I brought home all the remaining personal items, including my calendar and the wrist rest from my keyboard (which was actually mine from Mt Auburn). So the only thing remaining is to come in for breakfast tomorrow and deal with any last emails that may come overnight or tomorrow morning. And I'm off to Rochester and then Buffalo for Masked Ball.

Still have to finish packing, but I've got the evening to do that.

First I'm going to gaze at my navel a little on the subject of my career so far and my options to come. ( I don't want to lock this, but it'll get a bit long, so here's a cut. )


So here's my question: If I'm going to try to take the next 3-4 months and really push for professional theatrical gigs, what's the best course? Agent? Online sites? Crap, I'm not very happy with the online voice and talent sites I'm finding. I've even got a pro account on one and I'm not sure it's worth it, though I admit I haven't really been getting as much utility out of it as I might do. I dunno. I think one could easily waste a lot of time and money on these kinds of accounts and get nowhere. Maybe Stagesource is the best option. I clearly need to sink some money into better headshots and maybe spend some serious time working on my in-home recording setup.


Which brings me to auditions for Fiddler. I will tell y'all, I rocked it. Again. Of all the ladies reading for the character I wanted, I know damn well I read the best. I got the best reactions from the committee - and the director, dangit. But guess what? TOO OLD. Despite the fact that on a stage I can still read very young (I mean, heck, I didn't look too out of place opposite Dan S in Mame, even though I was twice his age).

Casting hasn't happened yet, since there are more auditions tonight, but I did get a callback - for a role about 20 years older than I *actually* am. Not that I don't want to play the part,cause she's fun, but y'know, in 10 years? And btw, again, a pretty much non-singing role in a musical.

But. The director is one of the best in the area, and there's little question that if offered the role, I'll take it, and I'll do well at it, of course, in order to work for this director. Just.... Y'know, I just don't get it. When I was 20-22, all the roles I was age-appropriate for were given to women who were 15 years too old for the part. Now that I'm 15 years too old for the part...everyone casts women in their teens and twenties in those same roles.

What. The. Fuck. Is wrong with this picture?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I really want to be serious about this theatre stuff, I know, I have to just take what's offered and make it work and do a great job and keep getting cast. I would like to play a few key roles before it's completely ridiculous. But maybe I'm already ridiculous.

Stupid rain.

Like an idiot, I put my hat in my lap this morning, not by *bag*, because the brim was wet.

Yup. I stood up to get off the bus and forgot that my hat was not in my bag. Didn't notice it fall out of my lap. (My Nimbus ballcap, of course - not anything I can replace easily! WHY am I such a dumbass?)

I've called the MBTA twice already - they still haven't found it. I'm supposed to keep calling to see if they can track it down. I called last at 10:15; I'll call between 11 and 11:30 to see if they find it. Thing is, I could tell them within 20 minutes when I was on the bus but there are still about 5 buses running the route at that hour.

Argh.