In no particular order:

While doing some reading related to work, I realized that kids that are graduating this academic year, were likely to have been born in 1986 and 1987. I'm not sure why, but that has just blown my mind.

I have also realized that I'm nearing obsession about the Up series. I've watched the first three (7-Up, 7+7, and 21-Up), and plan to get the rest from Netflix. I'm sure that I could easily Google to find out what has happened to this cohort of British people over the 40 years of the series, but I am trying to resist. Even just in watching the 1st 3 in the series, it is fascinating to watch how, particularly for the upper class kids, their predictions about education & employment at age 7 were often right on the money.

The new 90210 is just kinda blah. I liked seeing the old characters, but that's about it. It lacks the camp of Gossip Girl and the craziness of One Tree Hill. Oh well.

But there is other new TV to look forward to...I'm going to give Fringe a whirl, which I think starts next week. Yip yip!.

It was a beautiful, blue-sky weekend.

Lots happened. Friday night, the Professor took me to supper in downtown Decatur, and as we were strolling around afterward, we came upon a band playing outside near the Brick House and stopped to listen. They were Uncle Daddy and the Kissin' Cousins, which is just about the best name ever. They had all sorts of homemade instruments, including an upturned washtub with a carved staff and some sort of band that was adjusted for bass, a saw hooked up to an amp, and this xylophone made of wrenches.

The next morning I got up early and went to the farm to help make the annual pear preserves.

It was a gorgeous day to be inside cooking over a hot stove.

There were lots and lots and lots of pears this year.

Which translated to treats for cows.

As well as for us.

Joan was kind to host us. And to show us the lovely bracelet she made. There are a few more private pictures up on my Flickr for friends and family. Cousin Sarah, you might find them amusing. Joan also gave me a pear for eating, either a comice or an asian pear, I'm not sure--one from the farm. I finally ate it today. Divine. It was very sweet, but had a coarser texture than I'm accustomed to. One day I'll have a small orchard of my own.

That same day, the Professor went to Dragoncon, as did everyone else I know. The Professor got some great pictures of costumes, and Carrie and Cathy got great pictures of some of the events. And check out Chip's video.

Saturday night we went to a bachelor/bachelorette party for Chip and Beth. Kate made some fantastic hats with some special, ahem, attributes. She did not share who her models were. The Professor and I just joined in for the Brewhouse supper, which was really delicious, and it was great to see everyone. But by the end of the night, I was quite cranky from the heat and cigarette smoke and crazy full belly and time it took to get the check.

The next day, true to the holiday weekend, I labored. I worked at my office's booth at the Decatur Book Festival. Well, I showed up to work a shift but mostly wasn't needed so went to hear a reading instead. Judith Ortiz Cofer read and amazed me all over again. It was good to hear poetry. I also really liked Kevin Young's poem about aunties clinging to their purses. Lovely.

That night, the Professor treated me to a viewing of Krull. When we were at Kroger's a couple of weeks ago, I spotted it for sale on the DVD rack, and memories swept over me. My brother and I LOVED THAT MOVIE when it came out. It's every hero-tale cliche rolled into one movie, and I really do think it's pretty awesome still. When I saw the DVD, I texted my brother and asked did he remember it, and he wrote right back, "I never 4get the glave. Or a bad arse cyclops." True. True. It also has a blind seer, changelings, a thwarted love story, a giant spider, a kingdom on a precipice, a magician who periodically changes himself into animals, usually by mistake, and a band of unlikely heroes who rebel against their stations and resist their fates to battle evil. And it's full of high sentence and a bit obtuse--it begins something like "This, it was given me to know." And of course it has the glave, which is like a throwing star, which is what sucked us right in as kids. The best part of this weekend's viewing, besides the wonderful surprise, was the Professor's ongoing hilarious commentary. I think he should record a special feature.

I'm hoping next weekend will be more lazy. But with more cooking. Of soups, perhaps.

So the re-boot starts tonight. Will you be watching? I can't help myself. I'm in for the pilot at least. There's a nice article about the original show over at the . New York Times In answer to the question at the start of the article ("What event defines the 1990s for you?"), I'm not sure that it's when Brenda slept with Dylan, but I have a really vivid memory of watching the "U4EA" in a hotel lobby while on a debate trip my junior year of high school.

I also love the fact that my parents were avid watchers, who kept watching even after I moved out to go to college. I think they made it to season 9.

In non-90210 news, I did make the trek to Cinci yesterday--the chair has been ordered and my fridge is full of cheese from Trader Joe's. Mmmm...cheese....Watched Gossip Girl (such delicious camp!) and One Tree Hill (it pains me that I still watch the latter, but it's a habit that I can't seem to break...yes, I actually am a 14 year old girl still...) And most importantly, I have exercised three out of the last four days. This is huge progress, although the total darkness at 6:30 this morning put a damper on my plan to hike around the neighborhood. So I guess it's back to the treadmill on weekdays. Ah well...

We went to Dragon*Con 2008 this past weekend. Mostly, we just stood in line waiting to go see famous people talk. Of course, waiting in line lead to much people watching and costume discussion.

I discovered at the very beginning of our weekend that my camera was screwed up again. This time, it kept giving me CF card errors. I am not sure if it was actually the card or if the camera is just destroying any card I put in there. But, long story short, I have no decent pictures from Dragon*Con.

We did have the Flip Mino with us, so I took some shaky, crappy video of us walking around. The bulk of it is too shaky to even look at but I edited out most of the floor shots.

This is the stuff I shot on Friday night.

The panels that I attended were ones with people from Torchwood, Ghost Hunters, Battlestar Galactica, and Firefly. Beth saw those and then an additional one with Ghost Hunters.

VIdeos of Days 2 and 3 possibly forthcoming.

So last night I was poking around the On Demand & found that I can watch Mad Men in HD. Which is bizarre because we don't get AMC in HD, but whatever. I'm behind the times--didn't see the first season (on order w/ Netflix though) but am now caught up on Season 2. I get why people love it. I love the look of it--the cinematography is fabulous.

Also discovered: That this is yummy. I made it with shrimp. Simple & totally summery.

Final discovery--that apparently I bought Singles on dvd some time ago. Huh. Shrink wrap was still on. Since the Netflix I got is cracked, Singles it is tonight.

Okay, one more....I think I'm in love with this chair. (If that link doesn't work, go to macys.com and search for "monica poppy chair") I've been thinking for a while that I want another chair for the tv room. They don't have a sample at my local Macys, so I'm contemplating a trek tomorrow to Florence, which is south of Cincinnati. It seems a little out of control to drive 75 miles to see a chair, but I also don't want to order one until I've sat in it. The up-side is that it's just another 20 miles to go to Trader Joe's.

Mmmmm...Trader Joe's...

...well, mostly.

I have struggled with grilling steaks. Usually, I incinerate them and then they just aren't good. But tonight--oh, tonight--I remembered to turn down the heat & let them get juuuuuuust right. I used a couple of seasonings from a local company called Herb'n Renewal. Some of their Herb'n Cowboy and the Sassy & Salt-Free, and my steak was on its way. Those spice mixes are good, yo. The Fresh Market sells this lean Hereford strip steaks, & they are seriously good. I'm thinking about buying a whole one & have them cut into steaks & then freezing because they're on sale for cheap this week.

I did a simple salad, and made the korean-style dressing in this recipe from Mark Bittman. It's really simple but really different. And YUMMY. Why have I never considered this kind of dressing before? Spicy, and Asian-y, and light.

Anyway, the last yummy thing was I sauteed some sliced shittake mushrooms (locally grown--can you believe it? I still can't) in olive oil. Right at the end, I added the leftover garlic that I'd chopped & the leftover dressing that I didn't need for my salad. A splash of balsamic vinegar, and put them on top of the steak. Huzzah!

The only failure was a bland spaghetti squash incident, but you can't win them all.

And it's looking like it's gonna rain (we need it desperately), so again, I say: Huzzah!

The amazing and lovely Camille Bennett sent me a wonderful distraction, which just killed a half hour of my life in the best possible way. (Filled with giggles.)

Yearbook Yourself

Thanks, Camille! That was a fun break! :)

Now back at it!

...til the election. I hope I can make it without my brain exploding. Because I'm with Barack--I have had enough. That was pretty much all I needed him to say last night, and he did. I loved that speech, and watching the footage of people in the crowd, made me cry.

Because I am so profoundly tired of being ashamed of the holder of the highest office in this land. So, so tired.

I had a brief moment where my heart sank today upon seeing that McCain picked a woman for the VP slot...until I read that as of last month, she wasn't exactly clear on what the Vice President, you know, actually does. She's also a crazy wingnut, based on early reports. It made me feel a little better.

I promise to resume my usual babbling about pop culture shortly & will try my best to not rant too often about the election. I'm gonna try...

After work today, we are headed to Atlanta for the weekend.

Dragon*Con is today through Monday but we are only committing to Saturday and Sunday.

Of course, Saturday is a joint bachelor/bachelorette party so email me for details if you are looking for plans in ATL tomorrow night. If you are at D*Con, send me a txt or email and we can meet up.

I made a Google Calendar of my planned events which may show up here:

If not, you can search on google calendar for chip and dragon*con and it will probably come up.

Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes for Corabelle. I think she and Rose are cured of the worms and are on the mend. They seem to have more color.

Corabelle even laid an egg the other day. After I gave her a follow-up dose of worm medicine today, I checked her feathers and skin and legs and all seemed fine. She's still a bit skinny, but I'm hoping all the treats will build her up. I even saw new feathers growing in on her neck. They were unfurling at the top but still quill-like halfway up.

I finished the second wave of freelance work and I hope to live again now. The stress has taken it's toll on me, on my eyes in particular, but medication is clearing them as well. I am a delicate hothouse flower.

Is it weird that I teared up a little during the Today show when they showed Hillary stopping the roll call vote, and noted that today is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech? Perhaps. But I will own up to it.

And now, this very exciting news: a sequel to Center Stage. Whoop!

Also, some fall tv starts up next week. Huzzah! Will you be watching 90210? I've decided that I will try it. Loved this interview with Jennie Garth & Shannen Doherty over on EW's website.

I'm caught up on Saving Grace (can't believe it's over til March already...) and The Closer. I never used to be much for the police procedural, but I dig both of those.

Loved Vicky Christina Barcelona. I figured I would. If Woody Allen movies aren't your thing, it probably won't wow you, but I like movies where people talk a lot. :-) Javier Bardem absolutely blows my mind--he's the kind of actor who can just do anything (and already kinda has). I've never been to Barcelona, but now would totally love to go.

And that's about the it. I'm slogging through the first draft of a new manuscript, which means I'm even more tired than usual. But it's coming along & hopefully I can get it sent off to co-authors sometime next week. My September already looks kinda crazy (another three state month: Indiana, GA, and out to Seattle), so I'm trying to get stuff done now. (sigh.)

I had a nice weekend. Mostly, for at least part of it, I took it easy. The Professor fed me. A lot. Then he took me to the botanical garden in Atlanta. I had it easy as this frog amid the mosaic plant.

Then Sunday I did freelance work. Then today I came to Athens and worked a lot at work against crazy schedules then came home to work a lot on freelance work, with a break to go to court for the sentencing for the boy who broke into my house. Now I feel more like this fly.

So we watched 21 last night. Hmmm. On the one hand, I thought the performances were good, with the exception of one of the most tight-lipped screen kisses that I have ever seen. Setting that aside though, the plot left a little something to be desired. Maybe I'm more deviant than I thought, but it just seemed like there were a million better ways to run the scam (essentially a team approach to counting cards during blackjack). And perhaps the main problem was that these students were from MIT and hence, supposed to be uber-smart, that I kept saying out loud, "Why are they not switching up the cities they're in?" "Why are they winning big every time? They have got to lose sometimes (opportunity costs) so they don't. get. caught." "Why go for the super-big win that's going to draw attention when you could just go smaller & totally be less conspicuous."

And then it came out that Kevin Spacey's character was skimming 50% off the top & I was like, "For MIT students, y'all are dumbasses." I would've gotten rid of him long, long before. Because 50%? That's crazy.

Anyway, enough about that...today was a five-star day because I finished a new paper and got it submitted. Whoop! whoop! Am going out with my bff for a celebratory dinner, yay! As for the rest of the weekend, I'm hoping to hit the farmer's market in the morning & see Vicky Christina Barcelona later in the weekend.

Happy weekend!

Phew! Okay, so.

I have been working on the edits for the 3rd edition of Self-Management for Actors since August began. I got my first seven chapters to proofers on August 4th. The book has 46 chapters. I continued to get chapters to my awesome proofers daily through the 15th and had all of their feedback by the 18th.

I've been entering changes and trying to cut content (the book was originally going to be 368 pages but looked like it would be 630+ pages as of the 15th) since then and--today--the 520-page *near-final* manuscript was FedExed to the final team of proofers who do the cover-to-cover read and get notes to me by the 29th.

And then this lovely book hits the printer on September 1st. And will be in stores everywhere by Thanksgiving (if not sooner).

Our international distributor tells us we've already sold 800 copies. Yay! But also: Oops. The book is now 150 pages longer than originally listed (and it's now also eight bucks more per book). Wow.

It was the last couple of days that were the most intense. I woke up at 6am Wednesday and said, "Today is the day I call failure on my SMFA3 goals." I just knew there was no way I would have everything ready in time. No way. But when I went to bed at 5am Thursday, I had logged in 22 hours of work on the book, 45 minutes nap time, and 10 minutes on Wii Fit.

I slept for four hours this morning and then finished up everything to have Keith take the manuscript to Kinko's to copy and then FedEx out. I was back in bed at 4pm and up at 7pm. So, my sleep patterns are wonky (and the heat works well with that... bleh) and now I'm feeling all buzzed and antsy. I've found that opening three weeks' worth of mail and paying a few bills has helped calm me down. Soon, I will listen to at least a week's worth of voicemails, as I've not even had the phone volume UP for at least that long. Book mode is serious focus, y'all.

In other news, the breakdown for the November 2008 Cricket Feet Showcase went out on Monday. Submission deadline is the 25th. Auditions will be held on September 8th. I'm so looking forward to meeting our new cast!! And to working with Chil and Eitan and Tamika and Keith again, as always.

I can't believe what a great couple of years it's been, doing this showcase. Just awesome.

I'm being interviewed by Spun Gold TV next week. This will mark my third televised UK interview in 18 months. First was for BBC Breakfast. Second was for UTV in Ireland. This is another London-based outfit and they're sending an actor to Hollywood and following her as she meets with people. Apparently, it is now known in the UK that I give good, "cheeky" TV in a very fun, biz-savvy manner. Cool. That'll help when we're ready to take the roadshow abroad.

News on that: We're going to try and do some LA-adjacent tours and speaking engagements in the last two months of 2008, and then we'll head to other cities and states (and countries?) in 2009. Very much looking forward to this. Haven't been on the road in a long time.

Saturday is my 20th high school reunion. I will not be there. Two main reasons: 1. August. 2. Atlanta.

I mean, c'mon! October, I could do. But Atlanta in August? Dunwoody Country Club in August? In formalwear? Really? Nah. I'll have more fun hearing the stories, I'm sure.

Let's see... what else?

The four-week class I was supposed to teach at the Hayworth got pushed to November.

I've lost 40 pounds since Christmas. (And five inches off my waist, thankyouverymuch.)

I get to hang out with the director of Another Harvest Moon next week and catch up on all the tales from the set and plans from here.

I can only imagine the tales will be outstanding (the ones I've already heard are hilarious and touching and inspiring).

And that the plans for this film are... big. I got chills looking through the photos at the website just now. Dear GAWD, this film is going to be amazing.

I still need to read a script that's been sent to me for a casting bid. It's a $2M thriller and looks good from quick skim of a couple of pages. (Honestly, I've been so busy with the book, there's been no time to do other stuff.)

I've learned I'm really good at compartmentalizing. (I mean, I knew that already, but it's become VERY clear with all of this work on the book this month.) When I go into book mode, I'm a machine. It has been nearly three years since I've had this experience, but it really is like riding a bike. It all comes back to you and hopefully you've given yourself enough empty road to not bump into anything at first.

As with the 2nd edition, I have both the HUGE worry that I've messed up whatever was good about the book by making changes to it AND the certainty that it might possibly be the best book for actors ever written.

This "sure you suck" and "sure you rock" simultaneous opinion is pretty tough to maintain, but somehow I find a way. ;)

Okay. Not sure what's next. So much got set aside in the past three weeks that I just need to start on something... but I also need to just CHILL. Perhaps I'll play computer solitaire for about five hours straight. That'll be fun. And maybe a walk to the beach when Keith gets home, just to remember what that's like. Oooh! Or a midnight trip to the gym. A good sweat in an over-air-conditioned facility might feel REALLY good right about now.

Or maybe I need to just sit here for a minute. :) Just be.

OH!!!!! HUGE thanks to the actor who sent me free passes to the Magic Castle (I've never been!!) and also to the actor who sent me half-off passes to Glen Ivy Hot Springs (I've definitely been!!) as encouragement for working so hard on the book. :) I love you guys. Also love my friends who made me take playdate breaks once a week or so while all of this was going on.

Man, I've got it so damn good it's just ridiculous.

I hope you can say the same, everyone. I've missed keeping up with you all. Catch me up! What's going on in your world?

XO

So, like many of you, I have been enthralled with the Olympics. I totally resisted it, but I do enjoy the Olympics (remind me to share an article from the Nation about what a mean sum bitch Bela Karoli is), but I digress. I was watching Bob Costas and Cris Collingworth do their thang and thinking to myself that the latter seemed totally high, but also wondering who is this guy? So, I turned to the Wikipedia and found the following:

Early years

He moved to Titusville, Florida as a member of the communist youth council. He played quarterback and ran sprints at Cosmonaut High School in Titusville, where he was the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A 100 yard dash state champion in 1976. However, as a collegian at the University of Florida Collinsworth was converted to Anti-Americanism and made the Chinese Football All Anti-America Team as a senior comrade. During his career at Florida, he caught 120 passes for 1,977 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also scoring 2 rushing touchdowns.[1]

Hmmmmmmm. I'm assuming that this is a funny piece of culture-jamming, which I totally support, but it does serve to remind us that the Wikipedia is not to be completely trusted.