Together again forever!!!!!!!!

I leave for Austin in 10 hours...

In fewer than 12 hours, I'll be on my way back to Austin and my Honeybun.

Today's been better for me than yesterday. Yesterday, I was BORED. Into stupefication. I called Ken after work - from my car, while I sat in the parking lot of a local grocery store - to tell him I didn't know quite what to do with myself the rest of the evening. I had done nothing but surf the Web all day and read trade magazines. My eyes threatened to pop out of my head if I did any more reading.

Talking to him helped alleviate my loneliness. When I got home to the apartment, I changed clothes and went walking through our neighborhood. Still felt mopey-ish, but better overall. :)

Today, I had a few more "housekeeping" tasks to keep myself occupied, which was good.

Hey, it's 6 p.m. PST. Time to book outta here!

I'm on my way, Ken!

Ken recuperates, anticipates

I spent yesterday (Thursday) recuperating, lying in bed with a pounding headache and a sore, gurgly gut. I was able to keep things down after about 3am so I drank lots of water and ate a few saltines and some broth. That's all I had yesterday and I didn't miss food at all! It's funny how you really don't have an appetite after being this sick. Even today (Friday) I feel like I could live the rest of my life eating only saltines and water, and I'll never drink beer again...

Yeah, right. On the bright side, I did want to lose a little flab before Lorie arrived. This is certainly one way to do it - The Food Poisoning Diet! Can't imagine why it hasn't caught on.

Anyway, I'm definitely on the mend today. I still don't have any appetite, but I felt good enough to replace our water heater all by myself. Yeah, that's right, just after we decided to sell our house, the water heater started dripping! Maybe this house is sad to see us go.

Boy, it sure is satisfying to take a hot shower an hour after replacing your own water heater!

Lorie will land in Austin at 1pm tomorrow and then we will be together forever again!!!!! I feel like a kid the night before Christmas. Hurry up and go to sleep!

My Austin adventure has come full circle (ugh)

Ken here. Some of you may recall that while Lorie and I drove from Maryland to Austin in 1998 I picked up a bug eating dinner at a Denny's in Little Rock and the next day I basically puked my way across half of Arkansas and one third of Texas. This was my welcome to Austin.

Well tonight, just two weeks before we drive away from Austin for good, I must have picked up a "goodbye" bug eating dinner at Jovita's, 'cause let's just say the entire meal went to waste later this evening. Several times. And a few more times in the wee morning hours. Goodbye Austin!

Isn't this poetic?

ughhhh....

Ken had a dream too

OK, as long as we're talking about dreams...

I had a really cool dream last night! It was one of those rare "I can fly!" dreams. So, I was flying around in an unfamiliar house-like building, but I wasn't just flying I was ARTISTICALLY flying. I was posing while I flew, like flying sculpture. And people were walking around in the building below me and it was like I was doing performance art for them. Oh, and I was unashamedly stark naked!

OK, so what does THAT mean? I dunno, but it was great!

Lorie will be here in 5 days!!! Every day I feel more and more excited about the coming end of this apartnesslimbo period. It's long overdue.

And even though she might not want to make a fuss, I'm sending a big hug and kiss to Aunt Gayle for housing Lorie for what feels like six months at least! Thank you so much Gayle!

First night in new digs

So, I slept in our new apartment last night.

It was fine. Dandy. Quiet. Thank God.

Unloading my car was laborious. It's a secure building, so every door you come to needs a key to open it. Which is fine, except when you're holding a vary large pile of clothes on hangers or a Mac computer, with stuffed canvas bags on each shoulder, to boot.

Got me a workout, I did.

Met a couple of the neighbors. Nina and Rich live across the hall and have two male Pugs. Very nice and very cute (neighbors and dogs, respectively). Met Chip, whose parking space is adjacent to ours. He works for the show, "King of the Hill." I learned this b/c he saw my Texas license plates - and the show is set in Texas and staffed with a lot of Texans. Also met John, two doors down. Bumped into him with his girlfriend in the hallway Saturday. And, later, he helped out with jumper cables after my battery died from leaving my hazard lights blinking for (apparently) too long. Turns out, he's a producer for an MTV show, "Pimp My Ride." Kinda ironic, huh?

I dawdled leaving Gayle's house. I put off leaving Sunday until early evening. I said thanks for everything, and that Ken and I would be back out upon our return to hook up her cable modem to her PC and do some gardening in her yard, etc... I felt like she didn't want to make a big deal of anything - no big professions of thanks or goodbyes - so, it was really low-key. But, a little bittersweet to leave, for me at least.

Let's see, what else?

Oh, had a dream last night with my friends, Ora and Dianna (found it odd that Dianna was there - haven't talked to her in years) in it. It was set in Paris, and I needed to get to my plane, or change my flight... Couldn't get my fingers to punch the numbers into Dianna's cell phone correctly, to call the airline. Kept trying, and messing up, over and over. And, didn't know whether to stay a couple days extra to meet up with Ora's colleague. Was seeking clarity, trying to get answers from people... Turns out, I did stay (but didn't reach the airline to change my flight), and met up with Ora and her colleague - who then turned out to be completely disinterested in anything I might be interested in. Hunh. Then the alarm rang.

Made my Supershuttle reservation this morning. My flight leaves at 6 a.m. Saturday, and the shuttle will come to pick me up at 3:45 AM. YIKES.

Well, off to sort some files.

Addendum - it's quiet at work today

A few of my new favorite things out here:

Roses blooming everywhere, and the purple, pom-pom flower heads of giant agapanthus (Lily of the Nile).

Geraniums blooming everywhere. All different sizes and colors - upright and trailing.

Giant, deep-green, Norfolk-pine-looking pines and 20'-tall Hollywood Junipers.

Pointy-purple-bloom bush - flower heads look like large, purple mascara wands -- don't know name of it, yet.

The smell of citrus blossoms in Gayle's front yard.

Chocolate croissants from Porto's Cafe in Burbank.

Iced mochas from:
Porto's in Burbank
The Back Door in Silver Lake
The La Brea Bakery on La Brea Avenue
Urth Cafe on Melrose or in Venice

Spinach and gruyere cheese crepes from the crepe restaurant on Broadway in Santa Monica.

Jeans/khakis from Land's End Petites at Sears. They fit, and they're the right length for me - no hemming!

Cool relatives who are good folks -- Gayle, Tracy, Lisa, Maggie, her family, Diane Flyer.

I'm stylin'

Got my haircut last night at a shop in Koreatown. I really like it. It's still past my shoulders, but it's about 3-4 inches shorter and has a lot of layers in it now. The girl cutting my hair didn't speak English, so maybe that's the secret of a good haircut. :) AND, it was very affordable - only $30!! Hot damn.

Had some dinner with Aunt Gayle last night when I got back to the house. It's kind of freaky that I'm coming up so fast on my last few nights staying there! We shared our days ('how was your day?') and anecdotes/pointers about using olive oil, rosemary oil, and/or baby oil on our scalps to help relieve the drying, cracking effects of psoriasis. I like her a lot. She's a hoot.

I've broached the idea of Ken and I taking Gayle, her daughters Tracy, Maggie, and potentially all associated spouses and kids to Catalina Island for a day one weekend in June. She likes the idea very much, but doesn't want me and Ken to pay for anything. But, I'm sure he and I'll figure out something creative to splurge her with in gratitude...

At the moment, I'm enamored of the following name for my future production company - LME Productions. LME stands for Lorie Marsh Entertainment. I can hear it now, "Good morning, LME Productions." Nice, huh?

I'm going to a Book Launch Party this evening. The author is a photographer/artist whose medium is Polaroid photography. His name is Mike Slack, and he came to Austin last May to shoot photos for "jumping off bridges." If you've been to the JOB website (http://www.jumpingoffbridges.com), his photos are all over the site. Here's a link about him -- http://www.mike-slack.com. This is his second book to be published.

I'm also going to meet up with an Austin film buddy (who worked as a gaffer on one of my short films) and fellow LA transplant, Markell, at the party. In addition, Markell's working on putting together a group of Texas filmie transplant friends of his...

Aha. So, another friend from Austin JUST phoned me, and he's in town. Andy worked on "JOB" last year, helping me wrangle food sponsors and donations. He did a fantastic job. The world's feeling like a pleasantly smaller place at the moment. :)

SO, only one more weekend without Ken! A week from tomorrow, I'll be on a plane back to Austin to my honey-bun. Yay!

Oh, and one other aside. I had lunch today with a writer named Collin, whom I met here on the lot maybe a month ago. The reason I mention this is b/c guess where he's from? LINCOLN, Illinois (which is where I was born and graduated highschool). Pretty trippy, huh?

An ode to iced mocha

Everybody, sing along:

I love iced mocha.

I love iced mocha.

It might be an addiction.

But, it makes me feel bitchin'.

I love iced mochaaaa!!!

Everyone needs a vice, right?

Happy Camper today

Will make this quick, b/c I have a fair amount of stuff to do at work this afternoon. I'm in a much better mood than the other day. I knew it would pass, and it has. Thanks, especially, to Ken for his pep talk and words/thoughts of support. He rocks. Seriously, he's such a great guy and great husband. I'm really blessed.

FYI - no specifics on hourly rate question, yet. Details must be determined between studio HR folks and temp agency folks now. My present feeling is "whatever, it's all cool." They'll figure out what they need to, I'm good at the moment.

A "new normal" is right around the corner. I'm feeling more at peace with the present today. Happy, thankful, enthused.

Just got phone call from my friend, O, at lunchtime. It put me in a great mood. She's going to be out here in LA next month! Yay! Ken'll be here, cats will be here, O will come to town -- yay!

Okay, back to annexing boxes and boxes of old Behind-The-Scenes materials/tapes.

Self Pep Talk

Monday, Monday.

It's a beautiful day out here. Sunny, blustery. Kept pulling mouthfuls of hair out of my face when I went outside to get lunch.

Weekend was fine. I went shopping on Saturday and bought... new socks and underwear! New gym shoes! Tops to wear to work in the coming warmer months and another pair of spiffy jeans (at Sears, natch!). And, a new purse. Except for another pair of fashionable-but-comfy brown shoes, I'm done. I am now set for "pseudo-cazh" (yet affordable - no $150 t-shirts for me at this point!) - studio lot dressing for the summer and beyond.

Had a late Easter breakfast at Tracy and Lisa's house Sunday. Quite yummy.

More dreams about spiders (big as my fist and hairy) and a CSI-like mystery involving multiple murder(s) and two female ghost/zombies.

But, really, I'm fine.

The folks here at work offered me $18/hour to stay. They want me to stay on "freelance," which means they don't pay the temp agency anymore, but I'm not Paramount staff either. I'd get paid out like a vendor each payday - and, no benefits. After doing some math, I ultimately asked them this a.m. if they would swing $20/hour instead... Word is from my temp agency guy that $18/hour is ridiculously low - he said $25/hour should be more like it. BUT, here we are, and this is what's in front of me at the moment.

This wrangling feels a little... irksomely anxiety-producing. Little questions start pinging like, "Am I settling too soon?" "Is this the right place for me?" "When will I make more money?" Stupid little pointless worry-questions-fears. The point is, I have a gig with nice people that's steady enough and pays enough to warrant Ken coming out NOW.

Things are settling into routine now. And, I'm not really thrilled about that. I'm really, really READY FOR KEN TO BE OUT HERE WITH ME. Routine sucks without him. It's empty. And, borderline meaningless. I look forward to piggy-backing his experience of moving out here, trying new things, adjusting, etc. Just seeing his face in the mornings, making cat sandwiches, making coffee (while saying 'COFF-ee"), going to bed and staying up too late b/c that's when we both end up feeling all chatty...

Two more weeks until I fly back to Austin.

Blather

I think I had just enough of Ken out here with me to REALLY feel the lack of him now that he's back in Texas.

Had a dream last night where I found myself in a mental hospital. I'd just lost it, apparently. I was quite bewildered and dismayed - couldn't believe I'd lost my cookies so accutely, and in my now-lucid state (in the dream), next tried determining the cause(s). Didn't figure it out before the alarm rang.

A ha. I just remembered to do something, a propos of the tidbit above. Needed to set up apptmt with a CA. practitioner, and I've kept forgetting to make the call. Just did! Insanity is abated for now. :)

When I started this entry, I had more to say, I thought. Now I find myself stulted. Is that a word?

Oh well, back to work cataloging publicity stills.

More Photos!

Here's our friend Gail recouperating on her deck several days after major surgery! She's such a trooper. First time in real pants!

We gave her our Adirondack chairs cause there's no place for them in our LA apartment.


Here's one of the reasons I wanted to find a new home for the bird:

I think bird was a little stressed at our house.


During a recent storm, one of my past projects got slightly crushed by a tree:

But they want me to build a new one from scratch cause they loved it so much!


Bachelor Ken tried a new recipe last night:

Shmoopie

Today's our ninth wedding anniversary - yay! I send my love across the ether to my shmoopie-pie, Ken. XOXO

Paramount Tour Today

Today we toured the Paramount lot. Here' s the main gate at Melrose and Windsor ->






And here, if you squint your eyes and use your imagination, you can see that the white blob in the distance is the "HOLLYWOOD" sign on the hillside ->








Yes, they're STILL making Soul Train every Sunday! This set is cheezylicious. Up close, in the stark light, it looks like it was built by three kids for a highschool prom.



While visiting the set of The Insider (celebrity gossip magazine show) Eli got significant lessons in operating a TV camera and running the control room. He seemed less than awed. Guess his interests lie elsewhere. The boys are reading all the little notes tucked under the glass of the main set. They say things like, "If you can read this and you're on a tour GET OFF THE SET!" Hardy har har.

And here's what is now an interior gate, but it's more famous than the Windsor gate. Perhaps you've seen it in a movie?

Brunch at Diane's - yum!

Today we had a delightful family visit and brunch at my brother's (Greg's) wife's (Lisa's) sister's (Diane's) home in LA. Greg & Lisa's whole family (left to right: Zak, Ben, Eli) was there from Maryland, plus a couple of mystery relatives whom we'd like to see again sometime (Scott Something, and Whatzhername Whozeewatzitz. And wasn't there another woman who left shortly after we arrived? I'm sure Lorie knows all their names, addresses, marital statuses, offspring, personal goals, most embarassing moments, etc, but she's not here right now!) Diane laid out all the fixin's for lox & bagels, quiche, coffee, and desserts. Dee-lish! There was some kind of tussle between Greg and Diane, but Diane's suggestion of "my way or the highway" won out. Then some of us hiked up a nearby hill ('course it was a beautiful day in sunny California) and enjoyed a popular public park. Just imagine if I had taken photos of the view!

Thanks Diane!

Ken Tours Apartment

I flew into LA last night and today Lorie took me on a tour of our apartment. Wow! It's amazing! Lorie really did a great job finding us a nice apartment in a beautiful neighborhood for a price we can afford. All the residential streets in this neighborhood are in a grid pattern: perfect for walking and biking.

Barely two days until touchdown

Ken's arriving tomorrow night - yay!

The last two days, we've been emailing/phoning back and forth re: selling the house. Details, choices, decisions - it's all good. We're signing the listing agreement with our realtor shortly. He'll be "pre-marketing" the house perhaps as soon as next week. We've learned that houses adjacent to our lot or very nearby have sold for low to mid-200's in the last 6 months, which bodes promisingly for us (and, yes, they have had similar square footage and/or smaller lot sizes than ours - yow!).

Plus, Ken found a new human to adopt our parrakeet, Bird. She came and gathered up Birdie and his cage, food, and toys this week already. Bye, Bird! Happy sniff. And, Ken's been culling items throughout the house to sell or give away. I can hear excitement now in his voice when we talk, which is infectious. I can't wait to show him the apartment out here this weekend!

Miscellany

Okay, so it's a gray, light-rainy day here today - which pretty accurately reflects my state of mind, sleepy and dullish.

I woke up from a very clear dream, which is now hazy to me. I remember wanting to stay in that semi-dreamy state so that I could write stuff in my journal, but I also knew I had to wash my hair this a.m., so poof, didn't do any journaling.

There was a big old-timey house and surrounding grounds, at night. At first, I thought it was empty, but it turned out to have people in it, a family. I think they were grieving the loss of a younger son. As I moved through the house, sometimes hanging out with the family and/or their oldest son, additional rooms and/or sections of the house became evident to me, and I'd want to explore them. Then, of course, there was the requisite semi-clothed aspect. All of a sudden I'd realize I was in my underwear, or my shirt buttons wouldn't stay buttoned. I knew I should probably leave, b/c I didn't want to wear out my welcome, but one thing or another would prevent me from going.

Then the alarm went off.

Lynn, my new boss, is in NYC most of this week. It's quiet around here today.

I've been thinking about Ken's arrival out here. I want to remember to be patient -- he'll have a whole experiential curve of his own to adapt to. I'm already out here; my surroundings and energies are changed. I'm ready to go and do. I've got familiarity with the streets, commuting distances, neighborhoods, grocery stores. I've got a really good beginning comfort zone at my studio job. Hell, I have a paying job for the first time in years. I'm thinking about new (used) furniture for the apartment, where to put which of our existing furniture and shelving, paint possibilities (to paint that one living room wall, or no), and people I want to invite to our first dinner party... And, I know that for Ken, this all isn't really real, yet. But, I can forget. I feel a bit like a kid who wants to share with her parents ALL of summer camp as soon as they arrive for a visit. So excited, and assumptive, and impatient.

Ken arrives this Friday night for a three-day visit. Hurry up, Friday!

I saw Gollum and King Kong today

My new landlord and I were ambling down Melrose Avenue, wasting a half hour while waiting on my credit report info to be relayed to the apartment search service people. Anyway, I saw an antiques/furniture store to go into and lo, and behold, the one other shopper in there was Andy Serkis - the actor who portrayed Gollum in LOTR and the ape in King Kong (plus one of the ship's crew members).

Preciouussss!