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June 13, 2008

Exciting Overnight

We have a Gladys Kravitz in our building.

Hell, I guess everyone does, really. Someone who makes it her business to know everyone else's. You can't receive a package without her asking, "Ooh, what'd you get? Who's it from? Is it your birthday? How old are you? Are you having a party?" and so on.

Bonus. Our Gladys is very loud. She doesn't have one of those "read the room" meters that allows her to know when she's overmodulating (which is always) and her favorite thing to do is to go out into the courtyard or front yard and blather on and on and on at 70dB about *anything* with anyone who will listen. (Poor mailman.)

Well, at 3:40am today, something terrifying happened. A loud crash that didn't stop for a while and ended with a car alarm going off. Scary and right out in front of our building and the kind of thing that woke us all up and sent us scrambling for the window to see if we needed to call 911.

A car was T-boned into the front of a parked car... but T-boning didn't make any sense because that would've meant this guy had come out of our neighbor's driveway and slammed into a car at 35 mph, which wasn't possible, considering the distance (and the sounds). The light of day revealed that he had been driving south on Lincoln and clipped a parked car, slammed it into the car in front of it, which slammed into the car in front of it, and because he was so drunk he didn't realize what was happening, he kept flooring it (clipped to/hung on the back of the first car) until he peeled around to the front of the car, landing T-boned after having shredded every outside edge of that car from its rear end to the front quarter-panel and having pushed that car so far into the curb that its tires all popped.

And, at around 3:43am, as we watched him try to figure out how to put his car into reverse to get off the car he had creamed the most, our Gladys Kravitz went running out into the street in her skivvies, on her cell phone with 911. She ran out to the car, right behind it, ignoring its reverse lights popping on and off as the driver tried to figure out how to back up and leave the scene (which he, of course, ended up doing). She asked, "Are you okay?" and since the guy had figured out how to turn off his blaring stereo but not how to leave the scene just yet, he staggered out of the car and toward her, to which she replied, "Sir, get back in your car. Sit down. You're in bad shape. You're in shock. Sit down."

He did and then realized he needed to turn ON his car again and then he was able to leave. Of course, he backed right into Gladys' direction, as she stood there in the middle of the street on call number two to 911, letting them know she smelled alcohol, it appeared he was about to leave the scene, and here's his license plate number.

Best part, she got to hang out in the street for an hour with cops and emergency personnel, got to ride in the back of the cop car to do the "identification of the suspect" up the road where he had been detained, and every neighbor who came out to see what was going on got to hear the whole story retold by Gladys--including the stuff she "figured out" but had absolutely no way of actually knowing, seeing as we were all inside our homes at the time of the impact.

Best BEST part, she gets to continue this story all day today, to anyone who will listen. And now that the owners of the parked cars across the street are coming by, she's on major neighborhood watch, so she can be the one to run out and greet them and tell them all about her encounter with the guy who wrecked their rides.

(Of course, I understand the irony that *I* am Gladys watching Gladys from my window and blogging about things she's only saying out loud and on a dozen phone calls and probably a few emails.)

Point is, it was a very exciting little bit of time in the overnight, and Keith and Quinn have enjoyed surveying the damage up close this morning and talking about drinking and driving, leaving the scene of an accident, physics of accident reconstruction, how to be a good witness, and all that cool father/son stuff.

Bless our Gladys and her loud mouth for being such a good neighbor. Truly. I may roll my eyes about her, but she's actually a good egg. Just a bit cracked.

Posted by bonnie at 11:26 AM | Comments (6)

June 12, 2008

June's 12 of 12

Well, all right! My favorite day of the year (Quinn's arrival) corresponded with 12 of 12 this month! Woo! (Don't know what 12 of 12 is? Visit Chad Darnell for all the info.)

9:25am: Good morning, Salema!



9:29am: Well, hello, Archie. On me. As usual.



2:42pm: Wow! That's a big jump in time. Uh... I was cleaning and packing up boxes of old scripts and casting bids on projects I ended up not casting and loads and loads of submissions and source material on archived columns and of course the raw goods for the third edition of Self-Management for Actors to be totally ready for Quinn's visit... and I got a very deep bruise inside my finger. Ow. (Yes, that's 90210 on in the background. Duh.)



3:56pm: Yay! They're here! Quinn and Keith roll up in the TicTac, top down and all. Yay!!!! Let the fun begin!!



4:02pm: This is our receipt for Quinn. You know... in case we need to return him. ;)



4:28pm: Quinn very quickly settles into Keith's new computer (Reggie) and its awesome, badass computer games.



6:34pm: The boys have headed off to the market to buy supplies for Quinn's half-birthday celebration tonight and that means there's a chance for skittish Thwok Kitty to investigate the fort they built for Quinn before they headed out on their walk.



6:35pm: BONUS PIC! The bonus pic this month (as I say... since there really isn't an official one) is "update." And the update is on the status of my bruise. Ow. Still. Ow.



7:02pm: Quinn and Keith return from the market equipped with cake mix, eggs, and ice cream. Oh, boy!! It's gonna get fun here, shortly.



7:46pm: Got word from the director that they've had to recast a role in Another Harvest Moon (which starts shooting Sunday! Eep!!), so I've got to do a quick update to the casting page, since IMDB monitors it to announce attachments.



8:03pm: Unfortunately, I am not happy with my TiVo right now. It skipped The Mole on Monday and I'm having to watch a recap that the awesome Ellen sent me to, so I can catch up. Grr. (But thank goodness I have that option, right?)



8:12pm: Ooh, look at that icing for Quinn's half-birthday cake! Looks AWESOME. (Of course, I'll have none of it, due to that whole gluten thing, but *man* that cake is smelling really good in the oven right about now. Dayum!)



8:20pm: Convinced Thwok (and Archie and Salema) to come out and play with some catnip while the boys eat half-cake and we sing a half-song and give a half-wrapped half-present and a half-card to Quinn, celebrating that he's now closer to 10 than to nine years old. :) Awesome.


And now my boys are sleeping. And I'm working. All is right with the world. :)

Posted by bonnie at 9:54 PM | Comments (10)

June 11, 2008

Tonight, tonight!

Ah, I can't think of the last time I so NEEDED to spend time around approximately 40 brilliantly talented, wonderful, beautiful people as right now.

Tonight is the Cricket Feet Showcase "First Looks" (which is when we get to see what the actors have come up with on their own, before they work with the amazing Chil Kong to bring the comedy and brilliance to its fullest potential in each and every scene, in prep for our showcase next month.

It's not terribly formal. I mean, there's a plan. There's a system (of course. I'm involved; there has to be). But it's not a "show" as much as a "show and tell" and that's actually a lot of fun.

Followed by a production meeting over cocktails and then--for those actors in the cast who stick it out and socialize with one another during our production meeting a booth or two away--a true round of social drinks and chats and laughs (usually up 'til last call).

And considering that June 2008 has officially been the most craptastic of months ever (yep--another big scary "issue" yesterday--and this one is one I've been sworn to blog secrecy about. Dammit. Can't even lean on the Internets for specific support on this one), I just have to say that I am really, really, really, REALLY looking forward to seeing 36 brilliant, amazing, talented, funny, COOL people doing comedy for a few hours tonight.

And then the adult beverages. I'm looking forward to those too. But the people more. Right now, I really need these good people. Thank God I have them.

Posted by bonnie at 4:07 PM | Comments (1)

June 8, 2008

Well, hello! :)

So, hi there. :) And thanks for all of the great and awesome vibes. The not un-scary thing from Thursday morning is done and now we wait. So, if you want to point the prayers, white light, candles, good vibes, and positivity in the direction of the afternoon of the 19th when test results are in, that would be most appreciated.

As for the wonderful, well-meaning folks who chose to "try and figure out what's going on" rather than simply sending the vibes along as requested, well, I guess I can at least say that I was entertained when I turned on my computer today for the first time since Wednesday night to learn:

PERISH THE THOUGHT! My rack is flawless, thank you very much!

Anyway, that was mildly entertaining as annoyances go. ;) So, I guess... thanks.

And please know--as public a person as I am, as OUT about my life as I am--when I choose to play something a little close to the vest, there is a reason for it and I would appreciate that you respect that choice. :) THANK YOU.

So, I'm part-time back at "work" and I'm glad I cleared off as many days as I did. Yes, this was a medical thing and I have to tell you I have learned that there are two kinds of medical experiences and I prefer one FAR above the other.

  1. You feel like crap. You go in. You tell them about the problem. They do stuff. You go home. You feel better soon.
  2. You feel fine. You go in. They tell you about a problem. They do stuff. You go home. You feel like you've been hit by a bus for three days.

Bleh. And then, bonus!! You get to wait for a couple of weeks to find out "what's wrong." Yay! :)

(I am soooooo pelting positivity around this room with every sarcastic eyebrow raise and mouth squinch I give myself as I write this post!!! Hee!)

Okay, on to work. I have a column to turn in and a home to prep for an awesome nine year old who will be here in just a matter of days, helping me stay distracted and blissed out and in a constant state of PLAY, which sounds great to me! Hee!

Again, thanks everyone for the love and vibes. Means the world to me. As do y'all. :) Keep 'em comin' and we'll beat this thing into a non-thing with loads of goodness, baby! Yeah! :) Rock on!!!!!

XO
-Bon.

Posted by bonnie at 3:50 PM | Comments (8)