woot woot! things have been in a whirl

Have been getting some regular work via Grant Wilfley and Central Casting. Even got gig from Liz Lewis for my first music video. Can't complain. Came off the summer finishing on Boardwalk Empire's second season, the year 1921, and have already seen myself twice! AiEEEEEE! It's so awesome! Several people, non-actors and fellow BGers, saw me as one of the protesting maids for the season 13 premiere (Scorched Earth ep.) of Law & Order SVU. I even heard myself, I was very featured, it was awesome.

I got a call for more background work, and found myself on Gifted Man (again I appeared on camera but crossing the street, oh well). I have been submitting for Nurse Jackie but nothing has come of it. I mean, I have scrubs, I can play a visitor, nurse, or patient. I could even do pedestrian again. I meet others that manage to get on that set and they tell me to just keep trying, and keep submitting. So I keep submitting.

Worked an unforgettable two days on Unforgettable. We're talking 15 hour days a piece. A lot of waiting around, in order for them to set up cameras to make the show as special as it is as the main character has something like photographic memory so a scene has to be filmed multiple times from different ways.

The spring and summer came and went. By the end of August, I had a week off, just to relax in time for the long holiday weekend. But I was itching. I wanted to keep the momentum going. I got another call from SVU, and off I went to play a basketball mom for a young teenager in a banquet scene. It was very nice, and they fed us, and the scene went well and the director was thrilled it went along smoothly and let us know it. We were even thanked by one of the main guest star actors, and we got to see some famous basketball players like Carmelo Anthony. The boys that were with me and other "mothers" were thrilled and starry eyed, it was funny to see.

Meanwhile, I kept submitting for roles. Went on auditions, and didn't put too much stress on myself for it. I had fun, and read my lines, and just went with it. If I didn't get a call within a week, I didn't stress about it. I would continue to submit for new jobs, and then I got some paid audience work so I wasn't about to have the time to dwell and brood over things. Got work on some independent films and was happy to have fun playing the curvy woman who shows up at the wedding kind of thing and just had fun.

Now I have an early morning calltime, and I had to go to a fitting over a week ago in order to go to this. It's been really exciting, but early morning call times can be a challenge. I have no idea how many people are going to be in the scene tomorrow but I am going to continue to be strong, stay focused, and stay positive.

Did I also mention I started doing the 1,600 a day for the month of November challenge? I couldn't even summon a 1,000 words, only over 600. I put it on draft. Sloooooowww beginning indeed.

pics from the 'national bible quiz show' pilot for CMT channel

It was actually quite interesting and fun. I knew some answers but not all -- some were pretty tough. Pat Kiernan of Time Warner Cable's local station NY1 was there to host/emcee. He is a ham.

I ended up staying for both shows so got a decent amount out of it paid in cash at end of shoot and hung out with some of the more familiar BG peeps so the time went quickly, we sat, we clapped, and I had fun.

Beautiful day

Volunteer work went quick today. Chopped, sliced and diced and sealed pre-prepared meals. We had a huge group and we still had tons to do. At one point, around a little after 12, I found myself a little dizzy so I announced I was taking a quick break, and spent 10 minutes recharging in the kitchen with some nice cold soda I bought from the soda machine and munching on a slice of this rough delicious brown bread.

Then I went back downstairs to finish off my project and then before I knew it, we were wiping down counters, washing off our hands, and handing over our aprons. We were done. It was an amazing and satisfying feeling - a sense of happy accomplishment. I was one of the last three to leave as I was wiping down the last of the tables, and then it was signing out for the day and into the sunshine. I had been feeling hungry, so I made my way taking a casual walk down to Chinatown. There was a man selling bubble guns on a corner and the bubbles made me happy and I burst out laughing, admiring the sheer number of bubbles floating around me and others standing on the corner waiting for the light to change so we could cross. I took pictures with my cell phone, thanked the man and kept on going.

Before I knew it, I was in Little Italy and came upon an Italian festival. Wandering around, I snapped a few more pics before I came across a sign emblazoned with bragging rights to the best cannoli on planet earth. So of course that piqued my curiosity (as well as made me laugh out loud to the unapologetic tooting of one's horn on a food) and so I indulged in one of the big ones. It was crunchy and tasty, creamy, had what I think were chocolate chips. I never met a sweet I didn't like. As I walked, an old woman sat with her version of cannolis and we smiled and nodded at each other as she noticed what I was eating.

Kept moving, kept walking. Made it to Mott Street and picked up some food and then made my way to the train station. By the time I got home, I had to do some quick errands, like tumble drying my comforter. Finished at last, I didn't feel like going back out again, so I made sure to have a nice steak with onions done (I had been talking about wanting a steak earlier while chopping veggies and smelling the others cut fresh onions nearby). Also had tostones. Deeelicious!

Overall, a very hearty and busy day. And on to auditions, which are still on-going. :-)