Extra! Extra! Read All About It! PART THREE

Arriving back at Extras Holding, I saw the woman, who had been sitting next to me at lunch, having a cigarette.

"Smoking?" I thought and noticed two more people smoking outside, "Yay! I'm going for it."

One cigarette later, I went back into Extras Holding to wait. I was still a sweaty mess, so I spent a lot of time by the A/C. I didn't spend all of my time by the A/C, though.

I went outside to have another cigarette and soon heard a guy in shorts, a t-shirt and baseball cap, "I can't believe I caught him! Whew! Probably because I'm not wearing my vest. Thirty-five pounds lighter must be why. I'm an off-duty police officer," he continued and lifted up his t-shirt to reveal his gun.

"What happened?" I asked the woman I'd been smoking with.

"They caught a shoplifter."

"What?"

"Yeah," the off-duty cop went on, "How stupid do you have to be ..."

"You'd think with all these cop cars around ...," a uniformed officer joined in.

We all looked from cop car to cop car and from cop to cop. It was mind-boggling. Why would someone do that? Maybe he needed a place to sleep. Maybe he really is stupid. Honestly though, why would someone shoplift in the middle of a movie location with so many law enforcement and security personnel around? We shook our heads. A few chuckled. We stood and watched the real-life drama unfold as two female officers showed up in a sqaud car.

"They'll be taking him in," said the uniformed officer.

We continued to watch. Sure enough, in no time at all, the suspect walked out, handcuffed behind his back with a patrolwoman on either arm. I almost felt sorry for the guy, but that didn't last long. We all just stared in disbelief. Little did we know what we would witness this evening.

I went back inside because Bob and Tyler told us to. Everybody moved into the room and towards their seats.

Bob stood by the door and announced, "OK, I'd like all the people who are going to be inside to stand over here," Bob said, "... and who here is a pedestrian?"

In almost all cases, while someone was making an announcement, they would have to stop what they were saying to listen to their headset and maybe respond. In all cases, a polite, "Just a minute" or "Excuse me" smoothly inserted.

Soon the people who were going to be inside and pedestrians were gone. I saw the redhead and brunette women leave dressed in their waitress outfits. I saw the guy who was playing a busboy leave wearing a dirtier t-shirt than the one he had shown up in. I'd watched the Wardrobe Master teach him how to tie his apron while he was being set up. I saw the woman I had lunch and a cigarette with leave with the group going inside. I watched the woman who had the fantastic costume on ahead of me in line head out with the group going inside. I watched others in brighter costumes leave knowing that they would be pedestrians across the street.

I started to settle down and considered what I was going to do to keep myself busy. I didn't have time to decide before Bob returned.

"We're going to use some of our drivers as pedestrians. When I call your name, please go stand over there."

As he called each name, I sat in my corner hoping that he wouldn't call my name.

"Michelle," Bob said.

"Shit," I thought, "OK. Here we go."

I stood up, headed to the other side of the room, got in line and waited. People started talking a bit, and I went to the bathroom, again. Dang nerves.

Soon enough, Bob returned and more instructions were given. We were to be split up into groups. I was placed in a grop of five closest to Extras Holding. Our group was assigned to Laurel, one of the many PA's on the set.

The whole lot of us moved outside and waited. I looked around at the people noting that the one guy who really wanted to be in the movie hadn't been picked. I heard another guy tell his buddy not to join the "chosen ones" and not to worry because they'd get picked, too. I just waited. I didn't really listen to what was being said. Mainly, I listened to tone of voice and observed body language.

There was a young woman who looked amazingly like Winona Ryder. It was uncanny. I saw her talking to Bob and another gentleman. I would later learn that the other man was Jon, the Atmosphere Casting Casting Director.

Soon boredom crept in, and I saw the police officer that I'd been noticing for about a half hour. He looked very much like an officer that I'd met back in the fall when BB was shooting a Buick commercial. It had been a memorable occasion for me, and I was pretty sure that he was the one who had spontaneously posed for me while I hid and tried to take pics of BB without being noticed or in the shot.

I walked up to the officer, "Excuse me. Did you work a Buick commercial last fall?"

The officer looked at me and told me that he had.

"I was there taking pictures of my son."

"Who's your son?"

"BB"

"Oh yeah, I remember," he said, "I remember you taking the picture, "How is he?"

"He's good. He's working on his own project, but maybe when he gets done, he'll be called in here, or..."

"Good," said Gary, "Nice to see you, again. Opes. Gotta go. Thanks for remembering. See you." Gary left towards Extra Casting, and I returned to my group.

Again, the groups moved, and we were finally split into the groups we would be in until further notice. Laurel introduced herself, and we waited some more. People started loosening up. People started talking. Well, actually, Lauren, the woman who was a dead-ringer for Winona Ryder kept talking. She was very excited.

"They said that I look exactly like Winona; and that, they wished they'd seen me before they cast her double. They were talking about using me. Do you think they will?" Lauren went on and on.

I was glad to listen and not offer any opinions. I was happy to observe and listen. I was getting more and more comfortable. My feet felt good. My back didn't hurt. I was sweating in my hoodie, but there was a really nice breeze.
Standing with Laurel and the other four Extras in my group, I kept my mouth shut and listened.

"OK," Laurel said, "Here's what we're going to do. Ping-Ponging...."

I looked at her completely confused. Everyone must've because she continued, "I'll be sending you by ones and twos. All you have to do is walk to the other corner. OK. Rolling."

With Laurel at one end and another wonderful, female PA at the other; ten of us walked from corner to corner. We stood and waited, and while we did we started to talk. We got to know each other a bit more.

My group consisted of the aforementioned Winona Ryder Look Alike, Lauren; Wesley; Charlie; Dan and me. Lauren talked non-stop. That was OK. It kept things lively. Nobody was required to join in. She mainly talked with Laurel, but sometimes just threw a random story out there. For the first part of the evening, the stories centered around her desire to act and experiences on sets.

"He was really nice. Let me stand there and watch the monitors with his hand on my back...." Lauren continued on.

Charlie and I looked at each other. Laurel drew back a centimeter. Wes and Dan perked up. Lauren noticed. She wasn't a stupid woman; just a bit naive.

"You don't think ..."

The Extras looked at each other, looked at Laurel, the PA, and looked down at the sidewalk.

"Yeah," Laurel grimaced, "That's a bit much."

Charlie kinda snorted and added, "Yeah."

Dan, Wesley, and I joined in with a "yeah", too.

Poor Lauren saw a bit her naivity land in a puddle at her feet. An awkward silence insued. No one spoke. No one spoke for a few minutes. By this time in the evening, we had walked a good couple of times. We had stopped and started over. We had "reset." We were tired and a bit sore.

As we continued to stand or lean on the planter and wait, I started a conversation with Charlie.

"So what brings you here tonight?

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! - PART TWO

So there I was driving around in circles trying to get back to what might have been but didn't really look like the proper parking area. I talked to a parking lot attendant who was very helpful. I got chased down by a guy asking if I was "going to the show." I told him that I wasn't and rolled up my passenger window. I, finally, talked to Bob.

Ah, Bob. Beautiful, kind, welcoming Bob. Thank you, thank you, thank you for welcoming me so warmly.

"Are you one of my drivers?"

"Yep."

"Hi. I'm Bob."

"Hi. I'm Michelle," I said and stuck out my right hand for a hand shake. Bob looked at it quizzically and extended his left hand. We shook. It was a very nice hand shake. Not proper at all.

"OK. Well, here. Just a minute," he continued and left to ask the person parking in front of me if they were with the movie. The blue car left, and he told me to park right in front of the police car.

With that done, I packed up my belongings and started to exit. Bob met me at my window and handed me a piece of typing paper that had "letters and numbers" on it indicating that I was Driver #4 for the movie. I stuck it on my dash and placed another piece of typing paper that BB had made for me with my name and phone number on it.

"What do you think?" I grimaced at Bob, "Should I really put this in my window?"

"No," he answered, "Then everybody could have it."

"Yeah, that's what I kinda thought," I continued, "My son made it for me, but well, I'm a single lady down here, and.... Anyway, so I should take all my stuff down to Extras Holding? 4707, right?"

"Yes. You're a bit early ..."

"YAY!" I interjected.

Bob chuckled, "You can keep your keys. Usually we'd have you leave them, but he's right here," he nodded towards the policeman standing by his police car"

"Sounds good."

Bob smiled, and I got my suitcase out of the trunk. All the while, I babbled about my son. Bob asked questions, and I answered.

"Tyler is down there, and he'll get you checked in," Bob instructed me when I was ready to go, "Be careful crossing the street."

I smiled, "I think I'll be polite and ...," I headed towards the crosswalk with great luggage.

Yes, my luggage ensemble needs to be mentioned. Besides the leather production bag that Dad had given me years ago, I also had the rolling suitcase with extending handle that doubled as a bag you could hang your clothes in which I had carefully done according to outfit. Dad gave this to BB years ago, too. YAY DAD! THANK YOU! "I LOOKED MARVELOOOOS, or at least I was comfortable in my schlubby outfit.

My hair had dried a bit on the way down, so I was hopeful that the block and a half walk wouldn't undo it completely. As I walked to the corner, I looked to my left and saw the trucks and crew. I turned to my right to cross North Broadway, and headed to Extras Holding. I did my best to be as graceful as I could be toting my wares.

When I arrived at Extras Holding, I navigated past some guys hooking up what looked like temporary air conditioning and through the door. There were people already inside, and I walked right by Tyler in a daze.

"You're checking in?" Tyler asked.

I turned around and got my paperwork and instructions from him. He mentioned that I was a bit early, too.

"Yay Me!" I thought and smiled a big goofy smile. I parked myself at the first table and got started to fill out the paperwork. I didn't want to sit in the front, but it was convenient. I thought it might be cooler, too. It was warm inside.

While I got myself situated, I looked around the room. There was a one table with people around it who seemed to know each other or at least had done this before. The red-haired lady was called to the mirror by a man in a white shirt and shorts. He was the make-up and hair artist. They talked while he got her ready for her role.

More people came in, and I decided that if I was going to hide in a corner, the back corner by the bathroom and bubbler was the place to be. It was open, so I gathered my things and moved quickly.

I set up in my corner and took out the paperwork, again. More people came in. Tyler made more announcements. The make-up and hair artist finished a simple, yet wonderful do for the lady, and called for his next victim; a pretty brunette.

A young, dark-brown haired, red glasses wearing woman entered and called for our attention, "Hi. I'm from Wardrobe. We'd like you to put on your best outfit and come have us check it."

I thought about the weather and the suitcase and the timing and picked. I opened up my suitcase and grabbed my brown hoodie and went to stand in line.

When I got to the front, the same woman, with the wonderful graduated bob, had been joined by another woman who was a bit taller, had her hair pulled back, and was wearing one of the world's best white shirts. Directing them was a gentleman in equally cool clothes giving his opinions on each outfit.

"She's great!," he exclaimed about the woman in front of me, "She should be inside."

"You can zip that up," the first woman said to me as I approached wearing my Steve Kerr t-shirt under my hoodie.

"Yes," the gentleman said focusing on me, now, "You're a driver?"

"Yes. Don't even worry" I responded, "I've got a brown t-shirt."

"Yes. They may pull you out," he agreed while both women nodded beside him.

I went back to my things and got my brown t-shirt and waited for the bathroom to open up.

After I'd gotten approved by wardrobe, I had to bug them one more time to see if I could wear my sunglasses on top of my head.

"Sunglasses, OK?"

The introductory woman shook her head and announced to the room, "It's a night shoot, so no sunglasses."

Glad I could help. I went back to my corner and wiped the waterfall of sweat that was running down my face. My hair was completely soaked. It wasn't unbearably hot, but there I was with my white towel vigorously drying my whole head off. I got out a water bottle and headed up towards the A/C unit without my hoodie or much hope of drying my hair, but at least I'd cool off a bit.

I'm going to interject here, since I may not remember at the end of all of this that looking back; I would've gotten on my brown t-shirt, added my lavender shawl/scarf and purple headband instead of just going with the brown hoodie. Still, for wanting to hang in the car, not wanting to get picked, and definitely wanting to stay as cool as possible; my choice turned out pretty good. At least Wardrobe approved it. Don't know if they would've approved the other - CAUSE I DIDN'T ASK because I was a bit OVERWHELMED.

Soon Tyler was talking again, "We're going to take you over to eat. It should be pretty good. Just a few rules. Do not speak unless spoken to. If someone speaks to you, just say, 'Hi.' Just line up and someone will walk you over to ... Is anyone here Buddhist?"

I perked up and my thoughts raced, "Buddhist? Did he ask if anyone was Buddhist. There is a Buddhist Temple around here. They must have rented it. Cool. I'm not really Buddhist, but I like Buddhist...."

I joined the line and started talking to a lady behind me. She had never been an Extra before either. She works for the City. She has something to do with cleaning up hazardous waste on City property. Very cool Her handbag was made out of recycled tires. Nice lady. She held my spot while I followed a woman to the bathroom.

When I got back we were led to the Buddhist Temple. As we approached we could hear drumming. Really good drumming. There were small windows on the side of the Temple, and a drumming rehearsal or lesson was taking place. As we walked around the corner, we saw a grill outside. We were told to wait a moment. When we entered we were informed that the buffet line was for us.

The spread was GREAT! I mean COMPLETELY, TOTALLY AWESOME!

"If this is what the Extras get..., " I thought and grabbed a plate. First there was mashed sweet potatoes followed by rice with bit of veggie. I passed those two up and went for the sauteed carrots and other root vegetables. I think I had some turnips or parsnips and maybe even some rutabaga, but I'm not sure. It just looked so good that I had to try it. After the veggies came the beef, chicken and fish. FISH! I loaded my plate with fish. Piled it on. I grabbed an apple from in front of the fish and continued on to the salad bar. SPINACH! I just wanted Baby Spinach, so I loaded up on that, too. I looked for the cucumbers that I'd seen a young man restocking. They were at the end of the line. I hoped there'd be some left by the time I got there. They looked to be the same as my grandma's. You know, the vinegar and sugar kind. Well, I'm very happy to report that there were still cucs left when I got to them. I piled those on my plate, too.

Walking back to a table, I looked for the drink station. I set my plate down next to a woman I would end up talking to later and headed to get a lemonade. All the while this is going on there was a guy in a black shirt and jeans walking around talking. He was just sort of throwing out a general question or two about having fun. Nobody talked to him. He gave up and headed out the door. With him gone, we could really hear the Buddhist drumming and conch shell. It sounded so good.

The man sitting in front of me started to chuckle, "Look at everybody bobbing their heads."

I nodded at him, looked at the older woman who had been sharing the A/C with me earlier bobbing her head, smiled and continued to eat while bobbing my head.

"Heaven!" I thought, "Welcome to your first Extras experience."

I thought no more. I ate and enjoyed the sights and sounds. I relaxed. I reminisced about how relieved I was when BB returned from his first day of his internship on "The Beast" when he told me not to worry because he got fed on set. There I was enjoying a grand feast, and I didn't have to think. I just relived a few happy memories and gobbled down my food aware of my pacing so as not to give myself indigestion, yet get out of there in a timely fashion allowing for a gander at the drummers before I left.

With apple and lemonade in hand, I headed back to Extras Holding.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! - PART ONE

At approximately 5:30am on June 25, 2010, I woke up to a television reporter commenting about the Unemployment Extension vote. It didn't pass.

"Motherfucker," I thought, "Great. Now I'm awake. Shit."

Laying in bed, listening to the full report and the various opinions of various commentators on various channels, I thought of the letter I had just received from Unemployment telling me that I would be informed about what would happen next since my extension was coming to an end.

"It is the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death," introduced another reporter, and the story went on from there.

"Michael Jackson's death, Unemployment Benefits no more, and I've got one day's worth of work. Here we go. Better finish packing. After I've done that, I can lay down and maybe get a nap in."

I'd been sent an e-mail telling me to bring three possible outfits for Early Spring weather in Fall colors. The e-mail also told me where the shoot was and where to look to park my car. I was brought in as a driver.

On Thursday night, BB & I washed both cars; so I was set in the vehicle department. I'd also started picking out wardrobe and driving SA & BB nuts with my questions. It's a dangerous thing to be a Costume Designer/Wardrobe Mistress and be putting together outfits. SA did help, but basically I just needed someone to bounce ideas off of. I picked out most of my three outfits while she was at our house, but continued til I was satisfied after she left. My outfits were as follows:

1. Brown T-Shirt w/Brown Hoodie Sweater, my raggiest jeans, and hiking shoes.
2. Teal light-weight sweater w/cool scarf, khaki capris, and tennies.
3. Maroon light-weight sweater w/lavender scarf I made, navy bell-bottoms, and either pair of shoes.

I had a good idea of what I was bringing to keep myself busy, and what food I was going to take "just in case." I'd decided to take my knitting, a book by David Lynch, a book by Frank Zappa, and some art supplies to keep me busy. My food choices were granola bars, baby carrots, some chicken, and some spearmint leaves. I also decided to bring gum, mints and two bottles of water. It was just a matter of getting everything packed up in my suitcase and leather production bag that I got from Dad many years ago.

I ran down to put a load of whites in the laundry, came back up and got to work. I was so mad at our Senate, felt bad for Michael Jackson's kids, and was so nervous that I wanted to puke. I drank some decaf and kept going. Finally I decided that I best eat something, so I had a bit of left-over Italian Sausage, coleslaw and potato salad.

After all of this was done, I found that I was still genuinely pissed at our Senate. It was fueled by a comment made on "Monsters & Money", a local morning talk show. I don't know the commentator's name, but he summed it up beautifully, "Why take it out on the weakest link? I can go to Washington right now and find the money and be back here tomorrow morning." I decided to write to my Senators, and if you've been reading; you may have read my letter to them.

With that done, and no sleep in sight, I thought it might be nice to watch a movie that Ron Howard had directed. What I really wanted to do was listen to a Director's Commentary on the DVD. I started looking through our DVD collection and came across "Cinderella Man." It seemed appropriate, but I didn't know who had directed it. I pulled it out, and TA DA! Ron Howard!

With the DVD in the machine, me in my bed, and a good three hours until I had to start getting ready to leave to be at the set early; I laid down for a rest.

For those of you who don't know, "Cinderella Man" is the dramatized story of James J. Braddock, a boxer during The Great Depression. Dubbed "The Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyan, Braddock was and is a true inspiration to hard-working, down-on-your-luck people everywhere. It's not just Braddock, though. His wife, Mae, was instrumental to his success. It is the story of decent people trying to survive and succeeding.

Ron Howard's voice kept me captivated rather than lulling me to sleep. His commentary is brilliant down to who he thanks, the technical choices he made, and the research he did, and the personal stories he shared.

As my alarm went off, with the movie just ending, I started to dress in my most comfortable driving clothes; my raggiest jeans, my Steve Kerr t-shirt from the 1997 Bulls Championship season, my hiking shoes and favorite socks. Just as I was done getting everything zipped up, BB & SA returned from their shoot.

"Who's this I see?" asked SA blocking my way out.

"I am Extra Person."

"What have you done with Forward?"

"Oh, she's inside in a straight jacket shaking like an earthquake, but I can handle her. Has anyone seen my reading glasses?"

FLOP SWEAT! My hair that had looked so good was soaked as sweat poured down my face. I grabbed a towel and continued looking. BB half-heartedly helped until I found my reading glasses in my bag with my knitting.

DANG FLOP SWEAT! Oh well.

We laughed and gathered my things, and headed down to the car. BB helped me load the car and motioned that we needed to hug.

"They grow up so fast," he mocked as we did a proper, long, no-pats hug.

I laughed and told him to be on his way, and took off. I was so light-headed that I had to convince myself that I would not be passing out. I was on my way, and this was not a matter of life and death. Gees.

About three blocks away from my house, I realized that I hadn't filled the tank, so I looked at the gauge and did a triple take. It was full. BB had filled the tank for me on Thursday without telling me. I called and left a thank you message for him, and continued driving. It was 5:18pm. I was to be on set at 6:45pm. I'd planned on leaving at 5pm, but well, you know.

I had decided to take Sheridan down because it can be faster than the Edens at rush hour. Besides, it's an absolutely beautiful drive that I can do in my sleep. As I headed on my way, I drove like a grandma too conscious of having an accident and mucking up everything.

If you're unfamiliar with the North Shore Sheridan drive, it is filled with beautiful architecture and famous landmarks. I decided to take the route that included passing behind Ravinia Festival. When I joined Sheridan at Lake-Cook Road, I was relaxed enough to take in some of my favorite bridges. My favorite section of road goes down a ravine in Winnetka. It's steep and twists and turns with trees close by and hanging over the road. It's very fun to drive a small, fast car through this little stretch of road. Continuing on, I passed the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette and went on past the main gate of Northwestern University. From there, Lake Michigan is directly to the left and then there's a pretty little section of Evanston. Coming out of Evanston, is a huge cemetery to the right and Lake Michigan to the left. Finally the Loyola campus is to the left after going through a bit of Roger's Park. North Broadway, where I was to report for parking is reached by continuing straight instead of turning left on the south edge of the Loyola campus.

I continued in the right-hand lane to the corner of North Broadway and Lawrence. I saw a bit of activity north of the intersection, but nothing that indicated that this was where I was supposed to park. I turned left onto Lawrence and saw five white semis parked with equipment and people working. I was in the right spot. Now to find out where to park my car.

Transformed

HUGE Day!

I have to be up at 5am, so I give all y'all permission to "hate" me because there is no way I can write this all up in a way that gives it justice now. My weekend is crazy busy until late Sunday afternoon. My back is feeling better, so I'll keep it that way. I honestly can't wait to write up my experiences, so bear with me.

"I'll be back!"

Oh, and just a teaser trailer: Today started out at 4am and is just wrapping up on Saturday at 12:20am. From an enjoyable Open Extras Casting Call for "Transformers 3" that took five hours to being flashed in the Walgreen's parking lot; it's been an amazing day.

OW!

OW! I could leave it at that, but there's more to tell. I earned every "OW!" that I feel tonight. BB & I have achieved our goal of getting the garage and basement ready for our new downstairs neighbors. It's looking like we're very close to our goal of getting rid of 75% of our stuff, too. We are very happy and very sore. "Good Times."

Tomorrow I'm up at around 6am and headed to another Open Extras Casting Call. I'll be running and gunning all weekend checking out more leads on more jobs. It's time to get horizontal.

Sweet dreams, All.

Hitting the High Points!

Here's a quickie. I'll take pics tomorrow and post them with a meatier post. BB wants his computer, and I'm too tired to move mine, so here goes:

1. Had a wonderful day in the basement with BB sorting through MOST of our stuff.

2. Happy to report that so far, so good on the 75% going/25% staying goal. You should see the SELL pile.

3. Have rescheduled the Garage Sale for after production. Playing for a mid-July sale, now. This is good because the weekend before production is a time to hit the punch list and rest as much as possible. Filming begins June 14th.

4. Had the usual back, hip, leg and knee pain today; but it has subsided after four Tylenol and lots of moving. Hmmmmm. Moving. Who woulda thunk it. Duh. Worked up a good "down & dirty" sweat a couple of times, at least.

5. Cooked two dinners: Pasta with Italian Sausage Sauce & "Forget About It" Turkey Loaf. The latter got its name tonight because BB, SA & I went to take the trash out and ended up cleaning up the yard, awnings, tent, and new Mud Room while the "Forget About It" Turkey Loaf was still in the oven. We were amazed to find that it wasn't burned when we came back in. Oops! LOL It's looking good. Left overs for tomorrow! Had to cook both dinners or lose the meat. You know how that goes, right?

6. Shhhhh. Be very, very quiet. I'm on the last pack of a carton (yes, I broke down and bought a whole carton). Considering the unmentionable. Probably won't happen, but who knows.

7. While BB originally only agreed to work with me today, we had so much fun and got so much done that he's agreed to work with me tomorrow, too. We will get everything done tomorrow if we continue at the same pace; relaxed, yet moving forward. I do like the Zen of Cleaning. I always get more done when not worrying about getting it done.

8. Also had a wonderful bit of conversation with my mom today. She got the pics of BB, my daughter and granddaughters. She's very happy. This makes me happy.

9. So, that's the short version. Found some amazing stuff. Getting rid of so much stuff. Will have to go to the library to find out the value of a bunch of stuff before selling it. This is all good.

10. Still no job, but Friday is another Open Extras Casting Call. This time it's for Transformers. We'll see what happens there. I'm still waiting to hear from the Casting Company about work for Cheaters.

So that's it for tonight. I'm hitting the shower and heading to bed. Great day & night. Phew. It's about time. Sweet dreams, All!

extra! extra! read all about it! - Part 2

my apologies to my readers. my nap turned into an all night affair. guess i was plum tuckered out.

extra! extra! read all about it! - Part 2

As I got the vehicle secured, I continued to talk about getting oil. Norma listened and offered that she could take me home because it was on her way home. I accepted her offer.

"CVS would have motor oil," I said to Norma as we sat at the light at Chicago & Ogden looking at the CVS, "Could we pull in and try it? Would that be OK?"

Norma looked at the CVS, "OK. It would be better to try it now. I can do that."

"Thank you, Norma," I replied while hanging up the phone.

I'd called my son and my son's girlfriend because I wanted her dad to call me. He races Porsches, so I figured he might even know someone with a tow truck or at least there was some local help. She was up in Wisconsin with my son.

Since both calls went directly to voice mail, I did the dreaded and called my dad.

"Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!" I thought while dialing the number.

"Couldn't you call your daughter?" Norma asked after I explained that I really didn't want to call Dad and get him worried.

"No. It's her birthday, and she's got enough on her plate," I answered knowing that this was another birthday present to her fulfilling my wish that she have a "do-nothing" day on her birthday.

As Norma made the necessary turns into the CVS Pharmacy, I got through to Dad, "Dad. Hey. Are the kids with you?" I asked and listened with great anticipation and hope for a positive answer, but he told me that they weren't; and that, he didn't expect to see them for an hour or so. I gave him the same message that I'd left for them about having her dad call me, told him I had to go because I was in the middle of handling the situation.

While gathering the three quarts of 5W/30W oil, a funnel, and a roll of paper towels; my son's girlfriend called back. I explained in halting sentences while looking for the necessary materials explaining what I was doing, what had gone wrong, and telling her to call her dad and give him my number. Just after I grabbed the roll of paper towels and interrupted Norma as she asked the Pharmacist where the paper towels were; my son's girlfriend called back and said that her dad was driving back from Black Hawk. She also told me that he wouldn't answer the phone while he's driving and wouldn't be home for about an hour, at least.

"OK. Well, think good thoughts," I said and hung up the phone, "Norma? You're thinking good thoughts, right?"

"Yep!" she chirped.

I whipped out my cash so forcefully that I discombobulated the cashier. It was all that happy coming out. I was happy to have "walking around" money. I didn't care what the supplies cost. I was just happy to have the money and to be going back to try my plan. I was happy I'd met Norma; and that, she was so wonderfully willing to try my plan as evidenced by her ownership of the situation. I was happy to have help from such a capable and communicative person.

When I'd told her that her words were really helping, she shared that she'd experienced panic attacks, too. She'd been to her doctor, and was following the advice that she'd come to learn worked; breathe deeply and take one thing at a time.

We had incorporated this advice into our approach to our challenge. Yes, it was now our challenge because Norma wasn't going to leave me behind and realized that not only did I need to try my hand at solving this problem; but that, it was logical to do so. This made me very happy, too. Each little bit of happy dispelled some of the nervousness, but the nervousness was still my primary feeling.

We got to the car and worked as a team getting a quart of oil into the engine. While we did it, I showed Norma where the oil cap was and tested the oil again many times. I turned the key, depressed the accelerator, and Nothing. I got out. We agreed some more oil. Norma started talking about pulling her car in front of mine again. I agreed to that thinking that hooking the cars up again was probably the way to go. I didn't tell Norma that I thought this. I was taking it one step at a time. Our next step was to put more oil in and hook up the cars.

"OK. Now think good thoughts. This will work," Norma said with her hand held over the jumper cable grips connected to her car.

"OK," I replied and held my hand over the grips connected to my car.

We stood there for a moment. Norma looked so peaceful and confident. There was a battle raging inside me. My positive, confident feelings were being annoyed and nagged at by Doubt. I focused on letting my doubts go, but I wasn't entirely successful before I took my hand away. I walked around to the driver's side and looked at Norma.

"Think good thoughts," she said, "It will work."

Norma continued to bless her battery and it's connection to my car's battery. I waited for her to start her car. I waited some more.

"Norma?"

"Yes?"

"You have to start your car."

"Oh," she chuckled.

She returned to the front of her car and suggested I start mine. I was stalling to get a bit-o-juice in the engine and told her so. In a little bit, I tried my car. Nothing.

"I'm not sure if revving the car works, but how do you feel about it?" I asked as I headed to meet Norma.

"What?"

"Revving your car."

"Revving?"

"You know. Make your car's engine go faster."

"Oh!" Norma responded and headed to her car.

I headed to my car and waited for a bit. I tried. Nothing. I hung my head.

"PLEASE!" I thought, took a breath and tried again.

IT STARTED! IT STARTED! IT STARTED! IT STARTED! IT STARTED!

I was afraid to take my foot off the pedal, but I scrambled out of the car and rushed towards Norma. The jumper cable separated us. I unhooked my car and tried to hand them to Norma.

"No!" she said.

"Hold 'em," I said and held them far apart as I put them in her hands.

I unhooked her car, took the jumper cables, looked at the cables, looked at Norma, made a funny face, tossed the cables on the grass and HUGGED Norma. I gave her such a bear hug. I did my best not to smother her. We hugged HUGELY Twice. The air was filled with our laughter and my 'thank yous'. The whole time I couldn't help thinking about my Facebook status just the night before about being "smarter than the average bear." I couldn't help chuckling more. Duh, duh, duh, duh - Duh!

"May I follow you home? You know how to get on the freeway, right?"

"Sure."

We gathered up our stuff. Norma brought my coffee mug to me. She pulled out and waited. I followed her all the way to the 94 split. She headed up 94. I headed up 41. She never let me out of her sights for long while I was following her. She led beautifully. I talked to my son's girlfriend because her phone gets better reception than his, and told her that I'd call when I got home. I reveled in driving my car home knowing full well that it had too much oil in it now; and that, my previously planned trip to Chuck's would happen this upcoming week.

"Besides," I thought, "I need a reliable car for the shoot. Wish I had a dog. Maybe Beau. No. He's not trained. Sure would be nice if he was. Oh well. I'm DRIVING MY CAR HOME!"

I smiled, played my Little Feat "Waiting for Columbus" cassette and drove straight home where I parked my car so the battery would be easily accessible should I need another jump. Happily, the car started twice after I got it parked.

There were a flurry of phone calls after I got home. I had to check in with everyone who was aware of my predicament and thank them for their willingness to help. I had to leave messages for my daughter telling her that I'd gotten at least one day's worth of work. I had to work off the adrenaline. One of my favorite comments was from my brother who had the perfect response to my, "Isn't this just typical me?"

"Yep."

Yep. This is typical me. No wonder my nerves are a bit shot after all these years. Glad it's not worse.

I've discovered oil on the garage floor. The car has an oil leak that I didn't know about until today. Technically, it's another two thousand miles til my next needed oil change.

I'm pretty sure I left the lights on given my nerves and the arrival of the older, good-looking man when I arrived at the Open Extras Casting Call. Oops.

What I know is that Norma and I have one day's worth of work on "Cheaters" (link below)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1578275/

simply because we showed up in Blackhawks t-shirts. We're both investing in our futures.

I called Norma to let her know that I was home safely in my kitchen about an hour after I'd gotten home. She had just arrived home. We talked for a good while and learned more about each other. We're planning on going to the Transformers Open Extras Casting Call together on June 4th. I'll give her gas money. She doesn't know she's driving yet, but I'm sure she won't mind. It's being held at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, too. We're planning on getting there earlier and getting out earlier.

I'm so hoping that this summer I get called to set a lot. It would be so nice to say that in these economic times when I've face rejection for over a year that what finally put me to work was "The Entertainment Industry." Wouldn't that just be a great thing for a former Welfare Mother who had the audacity to get her degree in Technical Theatre being only a semester away from her degree in Acting/Directing and having worked for seven years as a cable company employed Television "Do Everything" Public Access Producer? Wouldn't it be nice for her children who were dragged through college with her, to the studios, and location shoots? Wouldn't it be nice for my parents, friends, and other family members to see something good happen to me in "The Entertainment Industry."

I know, respect, and love almost everything about my chosen field of study. I actually fit in quite well even though there are quite a few mean people in my field, too. I've experienced enough of the mean people in my field to have stayed away for a long time. It's just that I've learned more, now, and have decided that I'm stronger and able to handle the bullshit better. At my best, I take a deep breath and focus on one thing at a time.

Thank You, Norma Tan! As I told you, "You've done your good deed for the month and are even entitled to a few really grouchy and unreasonable days!" I'm looking forward to our next adventure which will include some coffee or something instead of a car repair seminar. We'll keep the teamwork thingie going.

To my daughter on her birthday - I did this for you. All the goofy happenings were just a part of your goofy mother's life. I went to the Open Extras Casting Call on your birthday to overcome one of my biggest fears because I wanted to give you a mother who is capable of overcoming her fears and fulfilling another dream. I did it! Whether I do it on purpose or simply by breathing, I know I embarrass you and have embarrassed you throughout the years. When I do it on purpose, well; that's funny, sometimes. When it's just because "I yam what I yam", well; that's heartbreaking, infuriating, annoying, and in many cases; motivating. I have given you an example of a fearful woman who has let bigotry, meanness, and self-doubt get the better of her. I had to change that. I hope that this one goofy experience might go to show you that while you may not understand or even approve, once upon a time your mother set out on a mission to overcome what she thought of as her biggest fear. She's happy to report that it turned out better than she expected. Carpe Diem, Chicklet. I love you with every breath I take. Keep being stronger than your mother. Every good parent wants their child to do better than they have. You'll see. Also know that pushing to overcome fears is worthwhile no matter what the circumstances or timing. It can turn out to be too late, but for the most part that's what creatures do. Every second of every day there are creatures all over the world that are overcoming fears. It's nice to fit in somewhere. (wink - rim shot)

That's it, my fine friends and family. It is 8:33am. I've been up since 6:30am. Go figure. Time to get my morning sun. Time to clean off my hammock. Probably time to take a shower and take off the Blackhawks t-shirt, too. Time to have a day filled with no dramatic ups and downs. Remember, one of my goals in life is Boring. Maybe a few more people know why, now.

extra! extra! read all about it!

just saw david ride by on his red moped/vespa/whatever thingie. no, i'm not going to blog without using punctuation, etc. just needed to warm up a bit before tackling today's post.

ok, one more neighborhood thingie - d just dropped off her air conditioner. 3, 3, let's sing a song about 3! 3 air conditioners. we're ready to rock and roll. thank you, d!

At 6:13am with the radio blaring, I turned my head to confirm that I would not be leaving at 7am. The jury was still out about whether or not I'd leave the house. I went back to bed for another twenty minutes. This went on for a couple more times, then M*A*S*H* was on directed by Harry Morgan, so I decided to watch that while continuing to lay in bad with thoughts of maybe going to the Open Extras Casting Call.

I was pretty sure I'd be going because I'd bought a Blackhawks t-shirt, and it's been a long time since I spent over $2.50 on a t-shirt. What was I going to do with a washed and stretched Blackhawks t-shirt if I didn't go? It would be a constant reminder of the failure.

OK, so I didn't need to be there til 11am, and it went to 4:30pm; and the mission was to get me out the door and on my way.

I'm very happy to report that my daughter's "Happy Birthday to You" song was sung to her while driving down to the city. I got to talk to my oldest granddaughter, too. Well, that was just wonderful. I signed off and continued to drive to the Chicago Academy for the Arts building arriving around 10:30am. Drove back and forth deciding where I would park and opted for the gravel parking lot behind the animal hospital. No signs! Seemed to be a good spot.

A good looking older man pulled up in his Blackhawks jersey. We exchanged pleasantries, and walked to the end of the line which was right in front of the animal hospital with a beautiful liver-colored lab tied up in front.

People were quiet for the most part. We waited. I read my Frank Zappa book. A woman came by and told us to have the forms she was handing out filled out by the time we got inside. That was the beginning of a most fortuatious meeting.

"May I borrow a pen?" the woman behind me asked.

"Sure," I replied thinking that it was a good thing I'd packed four pens.

"May I?" asked a gentleman behind her.

"Sure," I replied and continued digging in my bag for all my pens because I saw another guy motioning that he'd like one.

If filling out a form can be interesting, this is simply because I turned into a woman while filling it out. It was all over Bust/Waist/Hips. Dang! There I was feeling like a doofus for not taking my measurements before going especially considering my training! To top it off, I was embarrassed about what measurements are even in approximation. About nine months ago I took my measurements, so I couldn't be far off. I had to take my measurements for my daughter's wedding and for some nice business suits for interviews. I had a good internal chuckle at me, and turned to the woman next to me.

"Do yo mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"No," she responded.

"Well, we seem to be about the same size, and I was wondering if you know what your measurements are."

"Oh," she chuckled and showed me her form, "I left it blank. You don't think we'll be disqualified for that, do you?"

We both chucked and continued talking. We introduced ourselves, and by Norma's request; got each other's phone numbers. We were both Open Extras Casting Call "virgins." I told her everything I knew from bugging my son, Justin, and doing research on the web. My vintage bag, that my mom can't figure out why she gave me and my daughter wants, was packed with everything I could think that I needed and maybe someone else would need, too. My Blackhawks shirt was on with my black bell bottoms and green hiking shoes from Blaine's Farm & Fleet. I relaxed. So did Norma. I made her laugh. I love making people laugh with my self-depricating humor and honest interaction. From the heart, ya know?

Soon we were standing about seven feet from the door. My Frank Zappa Book had been replaced with my green folder containing my picture, the form and both resumes. We were directed into the building by another nice looking gentleman. We were told to go downstairs where we were told that people in Blackhawks stuff were to go to one side, and street clothes people to the other. Well, thank goodness Norma and I went out last night and bought Blackhawks shirts!

The woman checking us in was wearing a black and white striped tank with jeans. She was beautiful and curvatious. She was flying covering the front desk and filling the staplers. She was also keeping a mental note of what number she was on. Everybody's form got a number. Mine was B127, and Norma's was B128.

We had our pictures taken with our Blackhawks gear on and number showing below the .... hawk which basically means below my breasts. I saw the look of discomfort on the photographers face. He made me laugh and relax. I'm sure the picture is goofy.

When I got done with that, I got a bit scared. Norma wasn't to be seen. It was just an instant, though.

"There you are! There's my buddy. I'm working on the buddy system, now."

We laughed and made our way up to the front of the line with our forms, pictures, and resumes stapled together. We were both going over the instructions we'd received regarding casting the movie. They need reliable cars! We were also asked if we had any medical, police, or military background. Unfortunately, I do not have a working dog.

Soon, I was up a the front of the line. I handed in my paperwork and received a handout in return. I followed the people in front of me to the exit door. To the EXIT DOOR! Wow! That was quick. I looked down at the handout and read, "One day of work...." Just by showing up in a Blackhawks t-shirt, I got ONE DAY of work!

I went back to gather Norma who was standing patiently in front of the two beautiful women checking people out. I waited in the doorway trying to make myself as small as possible.

"Is that it?" I heard Norma say.

"Yes, you can go," one of the women responded nicely.

Norma came walking out just as dazed as I had been.

"Did you read it?" I asked.

"What?"

"The letter. We've got ONE DAY of work! I got a day of work! Wow! I can't tell you how long it's been since I felt that! Wow," I went on and on.

Norma just chucked at me and at her own good fortune. Not bad for two Open Extras Casting Call virgins. We were delighted and made plans to keep in touch, go to the Transformers Open Casting Call together, and go to the United Center for our Blackhawks game sometime between July 21st & 23rd, or maybe even all three days. We were giggly, over-the-moon happy. By this time we were beside my car. Norma and I said our good-byes, and she walked across the field to her car.

I got in my car, put the key in the ignition, and heard nothing. Nothing. No turn-over. Nothing.

My heart sunk. I started thinking. Norma! I called her cell phone.

"Norma? It's Michelle. Do you have jumper cables by any chance?"

"What? Oh. Let me pull over. I think I might. I'll call you back."

While I waited, I figured out how to get the hood open, checked out the battery, checked the oil, and read the Owner's Manuel to see what kind of oil the car took. The oil light came on besides the car not turning over, and I thought it looked very low.

Norma pulled up, and went to her trunk. She had the cutest little red bag with the cutest pair of jumper cables still in their wrapping. We figured out that she needed to park her car so it was facing mine.

Just about then, another good-looking young man called from the fence, "Ladies? Do you need some help?"

"Uh Huh," I called back in my best three-year-old little girl voice.

He laughed and headed towards us. His name was Josh. Kudos to Josh for being willing to be a good samaritan. I told him that he was there for moral support when he showed up. I knew how to hook up the jumper cables and taught Norma how to while I was doing it.

Unfortunately, the car did not turn over. Nothing.

As Josh talked about just having his alternator replaced, Norma asked me what I wanted to do. We discussed my options with Josh and Norma making a good argument for having the car towed. It was convincing, but I wasn't quite ready. Josh said his good-bye with our blessing. I was perfectly willing to find a store or gas station to see if adding some oil would help, but Norma didn't want to leave me.

"Unless you're a mechanic ...," said Norma.

I looked up at her, fully aware that my son was in Wisconsin, it was my daughter's birthday, and I didn't have a clue who to call; but it was time to secure the vehicle and move on.

GOOD LORD IN HEAVEN! A bird just pooped on my son's computer! This may be a sign! (There's another story there.)

It's getting chilly, and I'm sitting outside with my Blackhawks t-shirt, some khaki shorts, my Wisconsin flip-flops, and the lovely, green, fleece shawl that my Mom gave me - on. Bird poop on the computer! ... and no napkins in sight.

There is more to the story, though. Much, much more. Could be that there will be two posts on this day, May 22, 2010.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHICKLET! I did all this for you! More on that later, too.

AND ...

I've found my fashion havens! Well, I knew about Tarjay, but Blaine's Farm & Fleet is a recent discovery.

Have to insert a big "Thank You" to Mom for introducing me to Willow Ridge!

Come back for the second installment of "extra! extra! read all about it!"