Today I got a lot done. I checked my mail, met a friend in town, paid for and got some stuff out of my storage unit, went shopping, organized my room, played with the dogs, made some phone calls, and watched the final seven episodes of "Lost" season three. (I admit that I'm procrastinating, putting off doing my taxes.) Tomorrow I'm going to meet up with Steve for dinner and trade "Lost" for "Battlestar Gallactica" season three. I'm excited to see it since season four begins on Friday. (The fourth season of "Dr. Who" begins on April 18th, btw.)
At the risk of turning this into Alicia's Bargain Blog again I need to write about a couple of items I purchased today. I was very much in need of new sneakers (my old ones are quite holey and have no support left) and planned on going to Payless. I also needed a new pair of khaki pants because my old ones had finally gotten to the point where I had to throw them out (both pockets had holes, there were holes along the inseam, and the eye hook gave way this week). I decided to check out Steve & Barry's since almost everything in the store is $8.98 or less. I tried on a couple of pairs of pants from Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" line but they didn't fit me well. I really liked some of the other stuff in her collection, especially some of her dress shirts, but I don't need most of it right now. Anyway, I also tried on a pair from another of their collections but didn't like the way they looked. While I was there, I noticed that they also had sneakers. I ended up buying a pair from Venus Williams' "Eleven" collection that are called "Groundstroke". They are lilac and white but I think they'll be okay once I scuff them up a bit. They didn't have the blue and white in my size. Susan is really into tennis (both watching and playing) and she got a kick out of it when I told her whose shoes I was wearing. I was really excited that I got a new pair of sneakers (that I wore home) for $8.98! When I got home, I threw out my old ones and put the chic but uncomfortable ones I'd gotten a few months ago in the bag to be donated to the Salvation Army. Oh, I also went to the Salvation Army store and bought a new pair of khaki pants (that look almost exactly like the old ones) for $5! Yay me! :)
Tomorrow Susan and I are going out to a sugar house for breakfast. Unfortunately, Jonathan and Paige can't come because they're in Texas visiting Page's family.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Last, but not least, "Lost". Wow, I'm not sure I like watching the show anymore. All the people being murdered is not fun to watch. I did almost start crying when Charlie died but, since I knew it was coming, I had kind of braced myself. I had more to say about it when I started this post but I guess I distracted myself with the other stuff. I sort of liked the future scenes toward the end but I also feel like the writers are just about at their shock value limit. I kind of figured Lock wasn't going to die and I don't think anyone trusts any of the others (did anyone, besides Jack, fall for the fake killing of Said, Bernard, and Jin?). Anyway, mostly I'm just stuck on the killing. I liked it when the show was about figuring out the secrets of the island and the others but now that is being eroded by the battles. I don't know that I want to see season four if it's just going to be more of that. Oh, and if one more of the others gets indignant about being hurt or killed by the survivors, when the others are the ones who started this in the first place, I think I'm going to scream. I understand their being upset but they sound as if they have no responsibility for the situation. Okay, I think I'm done for now. I'll get to rehash all of this with Steve tomorrow. Wait, I knew there was another thing: I think that no one really ever dies on the island. Too many people have died and are still walking around. I figure the ones who are "gone" are just elsewhere and all will be revealed later. There are some time and aging peculiarities as well that I hope will be explained eventually. For instance: How come the guy who Ben meets as a chlld looks the same age now that several decades have gone by? Did anyone else notice that in the future scenes Jack talks about his father as if he's still alive? I hope this is all intentional (if Joss Whedon were writing it, I'd be sure that it was) otherwise I'll be very disappointed.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
I know you're all dying to know how it went with the Station Manager...
Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to him today. There was a big fire, close to the station, and they were scrambling to cover it. He asked his secretary to find out when I'll be available next week. I gave her a few options and I got his direct email address. Then I emailed him another copy of my resume and reiterated that I'm looking forward to talking to him. I drove by the site of the fire on my way home and it looked like a doozy.
In other news, I read Louis Sachar's (my apologies to him for spelling his name wrong in my previous post) "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" in about an hour and a half last night. I really liked it even though I teared up a little at the end when the guidance counselor had to leave. There is a line in the book that's repeated several times: "Give me a dollar or I'll spit on you". I shared about it at work today and one of my co-workers decided that it's going to be her new favorite line. :)
I have a busy day tomorrow because I have lots of errands to run.
Update on Dad: He was transported to the rehab facility today. He's still having some nausea due to his medications, and his insurance company refused to pay for the ambulance to take him to rehab, but we were able to have a short conversation tonight. He even walked 10 or 20 steps today! He can't really sit yet, without the probability of popping out the new hip, which is why he needed to be moved by ambulance.
In other news, I read Louis Sachar's (my apologies to him for spelling his name wrong in my previous post) "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" in about an hour and a half last night. I really liked it even though I teared up a little at the end when the guidance counselor had to leave. There is a line in the book that's repeated several times: "Give me a dollar or I'll spit on you". I shared about it at work today and one of my co-workers decided that it's going to be her new favorite line. :)
I have a busy day tomorrow because I have lots of errands to run.
Update on Dad: He was transported to the rehab facility today. He's still having some nausea due to his medications, and his insurance company refused to pay for the ambulance to take him to rehab, but we were able to have a short conversation tonight. He even walked 10 or 20 steps today! He can't really sit yet, without the probability of popping out the new hip, which is why he needed to be moved by ambulance.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got off the phone with the Station Manager and we are doing a phone interview tomorrow at noon. It's a bit unconventional because it's mostly just him telling me what the job entails. If I like what I hear (Scott has already told me a lot about the job and I like it already) then we will schedule a time for me to come tour the station. I'm very excited! Now I need to go eat dinner. :)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Some brief updates.
Dad's doing okay. He had hip replacement surgery yesterday but I spoke to him tonight. He's groggy and in a lot of pain but my stepmom and the doctors are taking good care of him.
My car is fixed! As I brought it home it drove like a dream. For $1157.76 I got a new catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, front muffler, exhaust hanger and clamp, gasket, seal, front crank, spark plugs, and an air filter. Rad said that the car is actually in good shape for the number of miles on it.
Susan suggested I read E. B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan" (along with Roald Dahl's "George's Marvelous Medicine" and Louis Sacchar's "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom") and I really liked it. It is sweet and it didn't make me cry. (I bawled for hours after reading "Charlotte's Web" as a kid.) "George's" etc. was okay but I prefer his Willy Wonka books and "James and the Giant Peach". I will probably read the Louis Sacchar book next. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to finish Piers Anthony's "Isle of View". (Say that title quickly, out loud, and you'll get the idea of the book.)
Last, but not least, I'm hoping to go to a sugar shack on Sunday with Susan, my cousin Jonathan, and his wife Page. We've all talked about going separately so I thought this might be fun.
Oh, and I'm planning on calling the local TV station manager again tomorrow. I mailed them another copy of my resume on Tuesday.
My car is fixed! As I brought it home it drove like a dream. For $1157.76 I got a new catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, front muffler, exhaust hanger and clamp, gasket, seal, front crank, spark plugs, and an air filter. Rad said that the car is actually in good shape for the number of miles on it.
Susan suggested I read E. B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan" (along with Roald Dahl's "George's Marvelous Medicine" and Louis Sacchar's "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom") and I really liked it. It is sweet and it didn't make me cry. (I bawled for hours after reading "Charlotte's Web" as a kid.) "George's" etc. was okay but I prefer his Willy Wonka books and "James and the Giant Peach". I will probably read the Louis Sacchar book next. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to finish Piers Anthony's "Isle of View". (Say that title quickly, out loud, and you'll get the idea of the book.)
Last, but not least, I'm hoping to go to a sugar shack on Sunday with Susan, my cousin Jonathan, and his wife Page. We've all talked about going separately so I thought this might be fun.
Oh, and I'm planning on calling the local TV station manager again tomorrow. I mailed them another copy of my resume on Tuesday.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
It's the weekend!
I've been resting a lot this weekend. I vegged out in front of the TV on Friday night and ended up sleeping in the recliner most of the night. Yesterday I did some chores: balanced my checkbook, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, etc. Today I had planned on going grocery shopping but I forgot it is Easter Sunday so stores aren't open. Oh, well. I'll go to Trader Joe's on Tuesday. I won't be filming on Monday or Thursday night because both commitments have the week off. I'm going to try to get more sleep this week and rest my feet. (I need new shoes). That's about it for now. I did call the Station Manager on Thursday so hopefully I'll hear from them this week. I'll keep you all posted.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A couple of quick updates and a welcome to new readers
First of all, welcome some new readers in my family! Several of the relatives I saw on Saturday received an email from me this week with my blog address and have checked it out. Thank you all very much and enjoy!
Car News: I have decided to take the plunge and get my car fixed. It is going to cost $1100 but that's cheaper than buying a new car. The mechanic has come highly recommended and would have told me if it wasn't worth fixing.
Career Stuff: On Monday night our producer told us that the music show I run a camera for is working on a deal to have the show air to a potential 200 million homes in Europe! The one we filmed this week will be one of the first five shown. If you are in my area, be sure to check out this week's episode because you'll actually see me on screen. We were filming "in the round" (cameras on all sides of the band) and my camera and I seem to be in a lot of shots. At one point our director quipped that it was actually the Alicia show this week. :)
Car News: I have decided to take the plunge and get my car fixed. It is going to cost $1100 but that's cheaper than buying a new car. The mechanic has come highly recommended and would have told me if it wasn't worth fixing.
Career Stuff: On Monday night our producer told us that the music show I run a camera for is working on a deal to have the show air to a potential 200 million homes in Europe! The one we filmed this week will be one of the first five shown. If you are in my area, be sure to check out this week's episode because you'll actually see me on screen. We were filming "in the round" (cameras on all sides of the band) and my camera and I seem to be in a lot of shots. At one point our director quipped that it was actually the Alicia show this week. :)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
It's been an eventful few days!
Tuesday and Wednesday night were restful because I relaxed and got eight hours of sleep.
Thursday night I helped film a long and difficult (for the decision makers and the town) school committee meeting. The town is projecting a large deficit for the next budget year and most of it will be in the education budget. There were a lot of people there (usually there are less than 10 people in the audience) and a large amount of public comment. The officials knew that airing the full meeting, live, would be very important. Therefore, they were very understanding when we needed to delay the beginning of the meeting due to technical difficulties. First, we couldn't get the live feed to work. Once we got the live feed going, the sound cut out. The next thing I knew, the director was putting a camera on my shoulder and telling me that we would be going hand-held until he could fix the problem. I spent the first 30-40 minutes of the meeting pretending I was a tripod. I made the committee members laugh when I pointed out that, even though they can be very funny, it would be a bad idea to make me laugh this time. Unfortunately, it turned out that the camera was set for timelapse so the footage and sound we shot with it was unusable. Our director planned on asking the other TV station that was covering the event for their footage of that part of the meeting. I was really sore and exhausted and only got between 5 and 6 hours of sleep Thursday night.
Friday I had a good day of work but Susan's car that I've been driving broke down on my way home from work. I had quite an adventure! Thank goodness for AAA, experienced helpers, nice state troopers, a good friend, and neighborhood mechanics. The short version is that I had pulled over but was still in an unsafe area where three lanes merged into two on a major highway. A state trooper came and used his car to push mine about 200 feet farther up the breakdown lane to a safer spot where I could wait for the tow truck. They towed me to Susan's mechanic and, because he's a friend of hers and lives very close to us, he drove me home. Unfortunately, though I left work at 4:40pm I didn't get home until 8pm. For various reasons I ended up not going to sleep until 1:15am. The plan is now to have Rad (the mechanic) fix Susan's vehicle on Monday. Susan is going to let me use her main car to go to work and she'll get a ride with a co-worker. I'll leave work early and bring her car back so she can go to tennis. The I'll drive my car to Rad's so he can figure out whether or not I should fix it and I'll pick up the car I dropped off on Friday and drive it to the local music show. I told Susan that I would pay for the repair but she said to wait and see how much it is since what happened wasn't my fault.
This morning I got up at 8:30 and Steve picked me up at 9:30 to take me into town so I could meet up with my cousin Jonathan and his wife Page. The three of us drove out to the eastern part of the state for my cousin's, Jenny, baby shower. It was a lovely day. I can't put into words all the joy and gratitude I felt today. Jenny's husband, Jason, is really nice and they make a great couple and will make terrific parents. Her friends and friends of the family all had a good time. I got to see a lot of family on my dad's side, a lot of whom I haven't seen for 12-15 years. My Uncles Les, Mike, and Eddie were there, along with my step-Aunt Amy, Aunts Lisa and Margot, and cousins David, Dana, and Melissa. I really enjoyed just hanging out, eating, and talking with everyone. It felt like we picked up where we left off since we'd been pretty close when I was little. I said that I would not be a stranger any longer and I've been invited to their Seder. I can't wait!
Now I'm watching "U. S. Marshalls" and will go to be soon. I plan on sleeping in tomorrow. :)
Thursday night I helped film a long and difficult (for the decision makers and the town) school committee meeting. The town is projecting a large deficit for the next budget year and most of it will be in the education budget. There were a lot of people there (usually there are less than 10 people in the audience) and a large amount of public comment. The officials knew that airing the full meeting, live, would be very important. Therefore, they were very understanding when we needed to delay the beginning of the meeting due to technical difficulties. First, we couldn't get the live feed to work. Once we got the live feed going, the sound cut out. The next thing I knew, the director was putting a camera on my shoulder and telling me that we would be going hand-held until he could fix the problem. I spent the first 30-40 minutes of the meeting pretending I was a tripod. I made the committee members laugh when I pointed out that, even though they can be very funny, it would be a bad idea to make me laugh this time. Unfortunately, it turned out that the camera was set for timelapse so the footage and sound we shot with it was unusable. Our director planned on asking the other TV station that was covering the event for their footage of that part of the meeting. I was really sore and exhausted and only got between 5 and 6 hours of sleep Thursday night.
Friday I had a good day of work but Susan's car that I've been driving broke down on my way home from work. I had quite an adventure! Thank goodness for AAA, experienced helpers, nice state troopers, a good friend, and neighborhood mechanics. The short version is that I had pulled over but was still in an unsafe area where three lanes merged into two on a major highway. A state trooper came and used his car to push mine about 200 feet farther up the breakdown lane to a safer spot where I could wait for the tow truck. They towed me to Susan's mechanic and, because he's a friend of hers and lives very close to us, he drove me home. Unfortunately, though I left work at 4:40pm I didn't get home until 8pm. For various reasons I ended up not going to sleep until 1:15am. The plan is now to have Rad (the mechanic) fix Susan's vehicle on Monday. Susan is going to let me use her main car to go to work and she'll get a ride with a co-worker. I'll leave work early and bring her car back so she can go to tennis. The I'll drive my car to Rad's so he can figure out whether or not I should fix it and I'll pick up the car I dropped off on Friday and drive it to the local music show. I told Susan that I would pay for the repair but she said to wait and see how much it is since what happened wasn't my fault.
This morning I got up at 8:30 and Steve picked me up at 9:30 to take me into town so I could meet up with my cousin Jonathan and his wife Page. The three of us drove out to the eastern part of the state for my cousin's, Jenny, baby shower. It was a lovely day. I can't put into words all the joy and gratitude I felt today. Jenny's husband, Jason, is really nice and they make a great couple and will make terrific parents. Her friends and friends of the family all had a good time. I got to see a lot of family on my dad's side, a lot of whom I haven't seen for 12-15 years. My Uncles Les, Mike, and Eddie were there, along with my step-Aunt Amy, Aunts Lisa and Margot, and cousins David, Dana, and Melissa. I really enjoyed just hanging out, eating, and talking with everyone. It felt like we picked up where we left off since we'd been pretty close when I was little. I said that I would not be a stranger any longer and I've been invited to their Seder. I can't wait!
Now I'm watching "U. S. Marshalls" and will go to be soon. I plan on sleeping in tomorrow. :)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Quick update
Yesterday I emailed my resume to a local TV station for their production assistant position. People from both of the community television stations I volunteer with are acting as references and have been very encouraging. I hope to hear from the station soon.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Ok, I know it's been a while.
The biggest news is that I made my formal directing debut on Thursday night! The Access Coordinator for the station started the live feed of the City Council meeting and then, after about 20 minutes, turned it over to me for the remainder of the meeting. It was a long meeting so I got a lot of practice directing. This morning I realized that I may have been bitten by the directing bug since I couldn't stop thinking about wanting to do it again.
I'm applying for an entry level position at a local commercial television station. Several of the guys at the local music show I've been volunteering for have been encouraging me about this and I hope to get my resume and cover letter emailed to the station on Monday. I'm doing this because I heard back from the Directors Guild and unfortunately they have decided to cancel the whole training program for this year. It's a bummer but I'm looking at this as an opportunity to stay in the area that I love and still make money doing what I want to do. Oh, this week I also managed to send out a career update newsletter to most of you and to the contacts I've made in the TV business. I still haven't heard back from my cousin but I did hear from a high school friend who was doing some producing in L. A. and who is happy to introduce me to her contacts if/when I make it out there.
Monday I'm going to be starting my third week in a row temping at the research lab. Unfortunately, the woman I'm replacing is having a slower recovery than she planned. It's good for me to have money coming in though. Especially since my car is really dying. Mark finally got a chance to look at the car and said that I need my brakes fixed asap. In addition, when I got her out of the snowbank after the last storm I evidently jarred loose the muffler pipe leading to the front end. I'm driving Susan's extra vehicle for now and am working on a plan for mine. I was actually thinking of putting a poll here on my blog to find out what you guys think I should do: buy new, buy used, fix mine, something else?
I think that about covers it. I'll try to post more regularly this week but I can't get onto blogspot at work and I've been exhausted when I get home.
I'm applying for an entry level position at a local commercial television station. Several of the guys at the local music show I've been volunteering for have been encouraging me about this and I hope to get my resume and cover letter emailed to the station on Monday. I'm doing this because I heard back from the Directors Guild and unfortunately they have decided to cancel the whole training program for this year. It's a bummer but I'm looking at this as an opportunity to stay in the area that I love and still make money doing what I want to do. Oh, this week I also managed to send out a career update newsletter to most of you and to the contacts I've made in the TV business. I still haven't heard back from my cousin but I did hear from a high school friend who was doing some producing in L. A. and who is happy to introduce me to her contacts if/when I make it out there.
Monday I'm going to be starting my third week in a row temping at the research lab. Unfortunately, the woman I'm replacing is having a slower recovery than she planned. It's good for me to have money coming in though. Especially since my car is really dying. Mark finally got a chance to look at the car and said that I need my brakes fixed asap. In addition, when I got her out of the snowbank after the last storm I evidently jarred loose the muffler pipe leading to the front end. I'm driving Susan's extra vehicle for now and am working on a plan for mine. I was actually thinking of putting a poll here on my blog to find out what you guys think I should do: buy new, buy used, fix mine, something else?
I think that about covers it. I'll try to post more regularly this week but I can't get onto blogspot at work and I've been exhausted when I get home.
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