Second Blooming

Grownup Problems

One Friday, a couple of months ago, I booked a commercial which shot in New York.

WOOHOO! Nothing better than being paid to travel. And it's a commercial which should air a lot, fingers crossed. And they take really good care of you on these jobs - first class travel, a meaty per diem, nice hotel, ground transportation. I was rather excited. I could see my girlfriend Lannyl, take in a museum all by myself, go out to dinner with Aunt Grace. JUST what I needed, in every way! 

My only concern was...

I have two volunteer jobs at Jude's school. 

1. I am co-chair of the Booster Club. We fund-raise for the Athletics Department by running/stocking/staffing the snack bar in the gym during any home games. It's far more work than you'd guess. And I am completely obsessed with it. I actually have anxiety dreams that we've run out of the blue Gatorades, or that nobody bought the seaweed snacks which I insisted on getting as a "healthful alternative". 
2. Bingo Night. One night a year. I get the equipment, set it up, organize the games and prizes, and run the show. 

I was supposed to leave for New York on Wednesday and return on Saturday. During those four days, I had three home games in the gym and...Bingo Night.

Great. So I went into high gear to get myself covered. Not easy. But I could do it if I got super organized and delegated efficiently.

Then on Saturday morning...

Jude and I got home from his 7 to 9 am swim practice (oh yes, that happens every week...) just as Jimmy was about to leave to drive to Beverly Hills to meet a friend for coffee. Jude says hi to his dad and jumps into the shower to wash off the chlorine. Jimmy turns to me as he's walking out the door.

JIMMY

Hey. So I'm meeting Devin. Can you give me some cash for

the parking? They always eobguahs;dffkvuaw'gweilkalk

gwogslk/lzsdlgjdlfjsdkflsskflsakjfllkasjfksffjlsfjalsjf.

GRETCHEN

What?

JIMMY

Dvmnak;fjhsdhf'lasdlfkjlskdfjlsa;kjdf;lkajl;sdkjf;laksdjfll

asdglhsa;dlkfhl;afkj;aslkdjf;laskjdf;lksajdfl;kjasadllfkjas.

Gretchen calmly lifts her phone and dials 911.

GRETCHEN

(to Jimmy)

You need to sit down. Something's wrong with you.

JIMMY

(indignant)

Eiasddv;akng;kv;dk sdkfja;lskdjgl;sdkhg;alkds?

GRETCHEN

(to Emergency Operator)

Hello. I think my husband's having a stroke.

He was.

For 12 years now, I have complained that we live two blocks from a fire station, and have to deal with the constant wail of sirens. I will never complain again. Those guys were here within a minute. They accessed the situation, took his vitals, loaded him into the ambulance, and were about to drive away when I realized that Jude was still in the shower. It went down that fast. And with strokes, Time = Brain. The more time passes before treatment, the more brain is damaged.

I found someone to leave Jude with, then rushed down and met them at the emergency room. They got him there, ran him through a CAT scan, and started pumping him with drugs. As it was explained to me, this miracle drug they gave him works like Draino. It just powers its way through the bloodstream and clears out anything blockages. Luckily, we got him there quickly enough for this Draino to do its job well.

The brain is very interesting. Apparently, Jimmy had a number of small strokes on the left side of his brain, the area which controls speech. And language/speech was the only area damaged. He had no drooping of one side of his face or issues with movement. He just temporarily lost the ability to speak and connect with language. It's at this point that I should remind everyone that Jimmy is an actor, and an acting teacher. So speech? Important.

A crowd of neurologists kept coming in and hovering around him, asking questions. They had a written list of words which they kept making him say out loud. "Huckleberry". "Fifty-fifty". When he first got to the ER, these came out "Hlvrono;e;lvlk" and "Frvnj-veflve". Then after about an hour on the Draino they became "Hookklbuuey" and "Vivity-Vifffffy". By the time they decided he could safely be moved out of the ER to a room, he could say the words, but only with great effort and concentration. He had aphasia. Which basically means the loss of the ability to understand or express speech. But he would heal quickly, and the doctors were certain that he'd have a full recovery.

The man was damned lucky. I mean, really, really lucky. If Jude and I had gotten home two minutes later, we would have missed him and he'd have been in his car driving to Beverly Hills when he had the stroke, instead of speaking right to my face. All the doctors kept going on about how lucky he was. I guess it's not very common that someone has a stroke while somebody's actually standing right in front of them and able to call 911 within seconds. One doctor actually told him he should do some soul-searching about God and the meaning of life, because somebody was clearly watching out for him. The other doctor suggested that the person watching out for him was HIS WIFE. I think it was a combo.

He had to stay in the hospital for two days so they could make sure he wasn't going to have another stroke. He will be on blood thinners for the rest of his life, and he has to seriously be good about his diet and exercise. I have now purchased FOUR Mediterranean Diet cookbooks. But for the most part he's expected to be fine, and his speech is back to normal.

Did I spend the next three days comforting my sick husband and son (who was being very stoic but was probably scared to death)? No. I spent the next three days freaking out about Bingo Night/Snack Bar/Work trip to New York. Because I now not only had to find people to take over all my damned volunteer jobs, I had to leave my 12-year old home in charge of his father who'd had a stroke. It's times like this when one truly appreciates friends. After all, it takes a village. A gang of excellent women swooped in and brought them meals and managed driving Jude to school. All sorts of blessings here.

Jimmy's well, the trip was great, the commercial a success, and Jimmy, Jude, Bingo Night and the Snack Bar survived without me. 

Oh, and everyone has to remember...DON'T TELL MOMMY! Jimmy's parents don't know about the stroke, and absolutely can't. Seriously, it might actually kill Mommy. Ignorance is bliss. 

So that happened.

The other day I was talking to my childhood friend Flavia about Jimmy's stroke, her aging mother's health, and the endless planning for her daughter's upcoming wedding and she suddenly asked "When did we get all these grownup problems?" It's true, right? When did this happen? I clearly remember the days when my biggest worries were what to wear that day and if some guy liked me. 

So that's what I've been doing lately. Taking care of grownup problems. I'll try to do better with my blogging.

 

Gretchen's Very Own Adventure: Part Dos

Saludos desde Madrid!

According to Google Translate, that means "Greetings from Madrid!" I wouldn't know, because my Spanish is muy, muy bad. But luckily, everybody here in Madrid is muy, muy nice, and smiles patiently while I try to make myself clear using my phone app and mucho hand gestures. 

Madrid is so cool! It's beautiful and cosmopolitan and friendly and modern and ancient. Sort of like New York, except older and everybody speaks Spanish. I am loving it! 

So far, I haven't done a lick of work, just wandered around and looked at things and eaten a lot of ham. Who could ask for more? I spent FIVE hours at the Prado Museum, two hours at the Museo Reina Sofia (modern art), and several hours looking at churches and palaces and stuff. I had dinner both last night and the night before with some of the other actresses here for the shoot - they are all terrific. Today they sent me for a manicure at an uber-lovely salon, Tomorrow, I actually shoot the commercial, so tonight I'm laying low and going to sleep early.

Here are my impressions of Spain thus far...

Spaniards love pork.

That's right, the Ham Museum. They have these all over town.

Pork, pork, pork.

Considering bringing a ham home in my suitcase. Maybe not?

Little funnels of meat to-go.

I found the perfect meal.

While wandering around looking at old things, I rounded a corner and found this...

A chocolateria! And what do they serve at this chocolateria?

That is a big bowl of chocolate and a plate of fresh churros. YES!!

Spanish men are very attractive.

And willing to flirt with middle-aged women. Don't tell Jimmy I said this.

Madrid has a weirdly large number of dead-kings-on-horses statues.

La paella es muy deliciosa!

Why don't I ever make paella? It's totally up my alley. All I can think of is that long, long ago, when I first moved to LA, there was this smarmy guy who kept asking me out and saying that he wanted me to come to his apartment because I had to try his paella. Eww. I have hereby upgraded my thoughts on paella.

People should really run things by someone who speaks the language before printing something on a mug.

 

Okay, that's all for now from Madrid. I'll check back in after my shoot. Adios!

 

Gretchen's Very Own Adventure: Part One

I'm always hearing about some actress or another who books a great location job. An acting gig that involves traveling to some fabulous and romantic location - Europe, South America, a cruise. It's one of the best perks of our business, actually getting paid to travel. And I'm telling you, we get treated well - first class plane tickets, all expenses paid. Very cool.

But in all of my 25 or so years as a working actress, with the exception of two months I spent in Israel back in 1989, I have only booked the most pathetic location jobs imaginable. Palmdale. Which is the meth capital of California. I think they put me up at a Motel 6. Riverside, California. Slight upgrade to a Holiday Inn. And I was flown twice, yes, twice, to...Minneapolis. In the middle of winter. Sad. That was the extent of my location jobs.

Until now.

Today, I am flying to shoot a commercial in...Spain. Yes, it's true!! At this very moment, I am sitting in my first class seat enjoying my wifi and a glass of complementary champagne. Hehehehehe! I'm so excited I'm about to bust. I'm flying from LA to New York, then changing planes and heading across the Atlantic (I've got an Ambien burning a hole in my pocket) and in the morning I'll be in Madrid. I then have THREE days off before I shoot for one day, and then head home. Can you stand it?

What commercial is it? I don't think I'm supposed to say. They didn't make me sign a non-disclosure agreement or anything, but it's kind of a no-no to blab about unaired commercials on social media. Suffice it to say, it's a pharmaceutical company, and I will be talking about my pain, which I no longer have because I use their drug. I'm telling you, these pharmaceutical companies have ALL the money in the world. I know how much they paid for these plane tickets, and it would have paid for Jude's private school for a year! And the craziest part is that they're not even shooting me out and about enjoying the sites of Spain. I'm in an office. They could have shot this thing in...Palmdale. But somebody at the drug company, or the ad agency must have wanted a trip to Europe, and damn if I didn't luck out!

But this was not the first part of my adventure. Oh no. Last week, they flew me to New York for A DAY for a WARDROBE FITTING. Because they don't have clothes in LA or Spain. (Where's that sarcasm font when I need it?) They flew me first class to NYC and put me up at a rather ritzy hotel down in the Meatpacking District, which is the in/hip area of the city right now. The wardrobe fitting took all of 2 hours.

I felt slightly bad about missing Jude's school's annual fundraiser/live auction, but guess where I went when I was in New York? To my friend Lannyl's kid's school's annual fundraiser/live auction! Is that crazy? It just happened to be that her school's party was the night I got to NY, and she and her husband have a band, a group of parent-musicians, and they were playing the party. I have to say, I had always thought that Jude's school's community was pretty fancy schmancy, and the bids in the auction were outrageous. But we are NOTHING compared to these Manhattan families! Turns out we're not fancy schmancy, we're just plain fancy. These folks were paying $48,000 for pieces of art! And I thought $50 for a Hello Kitty gift basket was a good auction bid. 

I am hoping that Jimmy and Jude will be fine without me. I have written out ridiculously detailed instructions with a full calendar for the kid and a full page of phone numbers of friendly moms if they need help. Jimmy seems confident. Jude, however, suggested that when I get home I'll find Jimmy sprawled on the sofa dead of dehydration, and Jude dead on the floor of the kitchen, his arms outstretched as he was crawling his way to the refrigerator (he acted all this out with great aplomb), with Fancy eating his leg. Wish them luck.

Oh, I'd better go. The flight attendant has just taken away my hot towel, and is bringing me my beef tenderloin. I think I'll just adjust my seat and turn on the massage feature. Teeheehee. I'll check back in from Spain.

Spin Cycle: Patriotic

I try not to get political around here. I can't stand political arguments and mean-spiritedness, and it's very easy to lean a little too far to either the left or the right and then opinion can become meanness. I do sometimes get on my highhorse regarding issues of social justice which I feel strongly about, but I don't think of that as political, just...right. But anyway...

I am basically a left-leaner. A bit of a bleeding heart. And I have to say that the thing about those on the opposite end of the spectrum that makes me most angry, is a nasty, knee-jerk belief that Democrats and political liberals are unpatriotic. It's mean-spiritedness at it's most mean-spirited. The assumption that if someone doesn't believe the same things that you believe then they don't love our country is ignorant and dangerous. And there's a condescending attitude that if you are anti-war, then you don't "support our troops". What the what?! How could you be more "supportive" of them than wanting them to get the hell out of a war and come home? I believe that being "anti-war" is the only Christian choice, how can you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, the greatest pacifist of all time, and support any war? It's completely illogical.

I am ridiculously patriotic. I love my country. I think there are areas in which things could improve. But I am a firm believer that it's the best country in the world, and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. And our freedom to express our opinions as to where/how things could be improved is one of the most important elements that makes our country great. Maybe I am this way because I was raised by a daddy who was a veteran of WWII, a great one from the "Greatest Generation", a time when America truly saved the world's collective butt.

I love our flag. I love our armed forces. I love our national anthem. It's funny, just this morning Jude and I were talking about a report he's writing on The War of 1812, and we started discussing "The Star-Spangled Banner", which Francis Scott Key wrote during that war.

GRETCHEN

So, it was the Battle of Baltimore, and Key was watching from this

ship, and he knew that if the US flag was gone and had been destroyed,

then that meant the British had won the battle.

JUDE

Uh-huh.

GRETCHEN

(getting more animated)

So all through the night of the battle, every time there was "the rockets

red glare" or some "bombs bursting in air" he would look to see that

"our flag was still there"!

JUDE

(he already knows this because he read it in a book)

Right.

GRETCHEN

(starting to get teary)

And when he saw in "the dawn's early light" that "our flag was still

there", then he...he...sniff...knew that it was still...sniff...still...

JUDE

Mom. Why are you crying?

GRETCHEN

I'm not actually crying, I'm just emotional because he knew...sniff...

JUDE

Mom, this is embarrassing.

GRETCHEN

(starting to actually cry and need to blow her nose)

He knew it was still the "land of the free and the home of the brave"!

And we still are. We still are. Sniff.

Jude shakes his head and gets his mother a tissue.

On Memorial Day, this past Monday, I had the immense privilege of singing Verdi's Requiem with my church choir, together with five other choirs, a full orchestra, and four soloists from the LA Opera. It was a stunning experience.

Any of y'all who have been paying attention around here should remember that last year on Memorial Day weekend, we traveled to New York and performed Mozart's Requiem at Carnegie Hall. As far as I know, the timing of that concert had been kind of random, that's when the Carnegie people scheduled us. But before we went on, our choral director/maestro, Joe, had a revelation. We were singing a requiem, which is a mass for the repose of the dead, on Memorial Day! It was perfect.

So Joe developed a plan to produce a different requiem, Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem, at our church in Hollywood, on Memorial Day as an actual...memorial. He has been working his butt off for a whole year and damn if he didn't make it happen.

 

We were so good! Worth all that rehearsal! And the soloists were breathtaking. Verdi's Requiem is one of the most dramatic pieces of music ever written, combining the drama of opera with the thrill of a  great symphony. The proceeds went to the Wounded Warrior Project, and we managed to get a huge crowd. Really successful.

 

That's me in the middle of the back row with the tall girls.

Joe also connected with an organization called Portraits of the Fallen, a group which recruits local artists to create portraits of Southern California service men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the last movement of the requiem, the "Libera Me", they showed a slide show of the portraits. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Here's a video my friend Foster made of the slide show. The soprano soloist, Stacey Tappan is amazing...

 

So many faces. So many families who lost someone. The good news for sentimental patriot me is that we couldn't see the screen from the risers where we were singing, or I wouldn't have been able to get through it.

It was really beautiful, and I am blown away by Joe's vision that put it all together. This lovely evening that brought together musicians from all over Southern California, a truly diverse group from all races and religions and ages and sexual orientations and both ends of the political spectrum , who came together to celebrate through music the lives of those who died serving this country we all love.

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

 

Happy Stuff

Happy things here at Second Blooming.

First, it was my boy Jude's 11th birthday. Happy Birthday Jude!

Surprised the boy with an IPHONE. Yes, I know. Sigh...For years now, I've been saying "What the hell would an 11-year old kid need with a frickin' IPhone?!" Three- quarters of the kids in his class have them. It baffled me. But then I called AT&T. Turns out, one could purchase a Certified Pre-Owned IPhone 5C for $40. So I said...oh, okay. And bought it for him. He is VERY happy. He's busy Instagramming things like the above mooooody photo of himself. Sigh deeply...

And...

I'm a BlogHer Voice of the Year! Crazy, right?

 

I was chosen in the Exploration category, for my Haunted Hollywood post. It's a real honor, and maybe I should use this as a kick in the butt to get to writing again, since I've only been posting once a month for the past few months!

According to the notification letter I received, at the BlogHer Convention in July in San Jose, CA...

• All your fellow non-reading honorees will have assigned VIP tables at the front of the Voices of the Year Community Keynote on Friday, July 25th at BlogHer '14
• At the close of the Community Keynote, you'll all be invited to join the Community Keynote readers on stage to take a bow and take a group photo. 
• Directly after the Community Keynote, there will be a reception in honor of all 110 Voices and Photos of the Year. Your work will be printed on a large banner. (Talk about a great selfie photo opp!)

...which sounds great, except that I guess that means I'm supposed to get myself to that BlogHer Convention, which I wasn't planning on attending at all! At least I can drive. Is anybody else going? I don't want to go if I only know one or two people there. I need a Blogherd! Who's in?

Spin Cycle: Go Away!

As I have mentioned before, I'm writing a novel. 60,271 words as of this minute, thank you very much. I'm working hard, but it's taking...a while.

I recently read Stephen King's book On Writing, which I highly recommend. In it, Stephen suggests that in order to become a successful novelist, one must write a minimum of six days a week, and put down at least 1000 words a day.

To which I give Steve my best Alice Kramden stare. Yeah, right, Stevie. 1000 words a day, 6 days a week. If I did that, my family would starve, we would live in a dump, and Jude would take part in zero activities. I simply don't have the time.

Stephen also says that a major key to success is working in "a serene atmosphere" and having a writing space all your own where you can close the door.

Uh huh. Well... My writing space is wherever I can find a place to sit with my computer. We have an "office" in our home, but it's also Jimmy's office/computer/phone area and where Jude's computer is kept. So I usually write either sitting on the bed in the bedroom, sitting in the Starbucks or in a carrel at the public library next to the swimming pool where Jude has swim practice. Those are my offices. It's pathetic.

And I can't get away from THEM. Those other two people who live in my house and constantly WANT THINGS from me. "Honey, where are my keys?" "Honey, did you talk to my mother yet today?" "Mom, may I have a cheese?" "Mom, how to you spell vertebrae?" It's endless.

I try to take comfort in remembering that JK Rowling wrote most of the first Harry Potter book in a tea shop near her home where she would walk her baby in his pram, the kid would fall asleep on the way, then she could write for the hour or two when he would sleep. I guess we moms do what we have to do.

But I do dream of a place of my own. I dream of a writer's escape.

My old friend from high school, Jeb, lives on a farm in Wales. He's a writer/musician/artist, who putters around on his farm, feeding his sheep and chickens, then locks himself in his barn/studio and creates to his hearts content. The other day he told me in an email that his door was always open if I wanted a quiet place get away and write.

Could. You. Imagine? The thought of a little writer's escape to WALES literally makes me weak in the knees. I could write and write and then hike around the farm in a big wooly sweater looking at nature. Sigh...

 

Not really Jeb's farm, but it's what I imagine it to look like.

 

I sometimes also fantasize about going to Texas and holing up in the little house on my friend Kaysie's family's ranch. They have a big, South Forklike house too, but on the other side of the land is a cute little three-room house which they've always called "the little house". I feel sure that Kaysie's mom would let me hang out there by myself for a couple of weeks if I asked. I could write and write, then go stare at cows and swim in the creek. And maybe treat myself to a little local barbecue and beer. But alas, life gets in the way.

Maybe what I really need is a writer's shed. Yeah, that's the ticket. A little tiny house in the yard all my own.

 

Roald Dahl's writer's shed. Don't you think I need this?

 

Or maybe THIS one. Or THIS one. Or one of THESE?

What the hell, as long as I'm dreaming, maybe I could buy a little mountain getaway cabin?  Like maybe THIS ONE...

 

Cute and cheap!

 

But unfortunately, my writer's escape has become the bedroom with this sign affixed to the door...

 

 

 

I have discovered that I am left alone if I inform THEM that if they interupt me even one time, I will not prepare dinner for them. This threat seems to work very well. The rules are as follows...

1. Do not enter the room.
2. Do not speak through the door.
3. Deal with your ownselves.
4. You may send me a text message on my phone, to which I will reply when I am stuck in my writing and need to walk around and/or when I exit the room to pee/get myself a cup of tea.
5. You may speak to me/enter the room if the house is on fire.
6. You may speak to me/enter the room if someone in the house needs to be administered the Heimlich Maneuver.

I managed to get two 1000-word days in this week using this method. Other days...not so much. I have made this picture my new computer background image, and it's my new mantra...

 

 

Many days I crawl. And I'm okay with that I guess.

But still...that trip to Wales would be damned nice.

What kind of escape do you need?

_________________________________

Please add your Escape post to the Linky below. And you absolutely MUST visit our other Escape spinners!

And check back on Monday for Ginny Marie and my Spin Cycle topic for next week!

 

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

 

Just a Little Spoiled

My parents used to always say that I was spoiled, but never spoiled rotten, and I think this is true. I think spoiling a kid a little bit is just fine and dandy, as long as they don't start to expect to get everything they want.  Of course, the fact that my family didn't have a lot of money kept my spoiling within "not rotten" limits.

I think Jude is also a little spoiled. It's the only child thing. We only children grow up believing that we are the center of the universe because, well...we are. But I'm happy to report that Jude is by no means a "grabber" (as Jimmy would say), he never expects to get everything he wants, and he's always tremendously appreciative of what he does get. He's a good boy, and his good boyness just makes us want to give him even more. 

One problem of being the poorish family amongst a bunch of rich families at Jude's school is the "fabulous vacation". After every Christmas/Easter/summer vacation, he gets to hear about everybody's "fabulous vacation". In the last year, I'd say about 3/4 of the kids in his class went with their families to either Europe or some island somewhere or to some ski resort. We, on the other hand, went either nowhere or to Grandma's house. It's sad. And though Jude has never once ever complained, I know he must be jealous. I AM. I see pictures of everybody's "fabulous vacations" on Facebook and turn absolutely green.

Recently, his friends families have been planning their Spring Break vacations. Hawaii seems to be the top destination. Jude had pretty much resigned himself to staying home and at least getting a little extra video game time in. And then...

Jimmy's brother, Tony called. Tony, who is Jude's only uncle and godfather, and his wife, the Amazing Niki, announced that they wanted to take Jude and me on a vacation for a week to...

 

 

That's right! We're going to Disney World!

Jude is so excited he can't stand it! His friends are actually jealous of him! "Dude, you're so lucky!" And though Disney World might not be as relaxing as Hawaii, I'm totally up for it, I love some rides!

So even though we can't spoil the boy rotten, his uncle and aunt can!

If you're in Orlando in April, let me know and we'll do a meet up!

__________________________________

This post was inspired by...

 

 

Prompt #1 -  A blog post inspired by the word: Spoiled.

 

Spin Cycle: 2013 - The Highlights

When Ginny Marie first suggested that we make this first Spin Cycle post of 2014 about the highlights of the past year, I became a little...depressed. It just felt like there was absolutely nothing that happened in 2013 that I would consider a "highlight". I didn't feel that I'd accomplished anything noteworthy or interesting, that I've just been plodding along on the same-old/same-old futile path. I looked back at last year's New Year's resolutions post, and discovered that of my resolutions for the year, I had accomplished exactly ZERO of them. ZERO.

But when I went back through my posts from the last year, I realized that there were quite a few things that happened which I would consider "good". Some of them even "quite good". Maybe this is a lesson for me to learn from, instead of looking back on the things I didn't do, look at the things I did do. It may not have been the year I had hoped for, but it was the year it was, filled with quite a few good and unexpected events.

Month of blogging - Last April 11th, which is just the most random date I could have chosen, I embarked upon a month of daily blogging. My thought had been that I was stuck in a blogging rut, and needed to think out of the box to find inspiration, so I forced myself to blog every single day for a month. And guess what? It worked. I wrote some of my most interesting posts of the year during that time, and definitely shook loose some preconceived notions I had about what I "had" to do. I'm thinking I should do it again this year at some point.

Carnegie Hall - I performed in Carnegie Hall, y'all! I really did. Well, my choir, of which I am but a minor member, performed Mozart's Requiem there along with several other choirs under the direction of Joe, our choral director. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime, goose bump-inducing experience, which I will never forget.

My friend Gwen and me at the stage door.

If you squint, you can see me - back row (tall girls are always on the back row, sigh...) third from the right.

Jude found his passion - The boy has finally found his favorite thing in the world. LA County Junior Lifeguards.

We seem to be raising a California boy!

It's a total mind/body experience for the kid - he runs, he swims, he paddleboards, he surfs, he learns how to save lives, he learns ocean safety, he learns CPR! From now on, his summer will be arranged around JGs.

Partnering with Ginny Marie - In September, after much thought and soul-searching, I decided that if I was going to continue hosting The Spin Cycle, I needed to get a partner. I had reached a point where I was completely unable to spend the time necessary on promoting the whole thing. And man, did I make a good choice. Ginny Marie has been a massive infusion of energy and inspiration! And here's a gigantic "Welcome!" to the new Spinners which she has brought in. Well done!

Emmys - I had SUCH a good time when I went to The Emmys as my friend Lynn's date! The glamour! The celebrities! The free food and booze!

Lynn and me, looking glam on the red carpet.

Oh, and did I mention that I shook hands with Louie C.K.? Oh yes, I did that.

Modern Family - After a ten year mothering hiatus from television, I booked a job! On Modern Family, no less. Yes it was a small part, yes I now look old and fat, but I don't care, it was great fun and I worked with terrific people who I respect tremendously! Lets hope I get more work soon!

Me, in my trailer.

Thirteen Chapters - The main reason I've been so absent and distracted lately is that I'm writing a book. I know that everybody says this, but I really am, and I'm finally at a place where I'm feeling pretty good about it. I have now written 13 chapters. I recently went back and rewrote and restructured quite a bit, and am now on a path that I'm happy about, and am moving forward at a decent pace. It's all I want to do. I find myself thinking about it constantly, and stealing moments to work. Ah, to be able to go off alone to a cabin somewhere for about a week! But alas, not possible. But I think that 13 chapters is something to be proud of. By next year at this time, lets hope it's finished!

So there you have it. The highlights of my year. Not as bad as I'd first thought. But definitely room for improvement next year!

Here's to an excellent 2014 for all of us!

Please link your post on The Highlights of 2013 in the linky below. And pretty please visit the other spinners!

 

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

Spin Cycle: Christmas Recap 2013

Oh hello there. I hope you all had a blessed and beautiful Christmas. I worked myself into my usual holidaze, and have now spent the rest of the week curled up in a fetal ball, eating leftovers and playing computer games.

If I do say so myself, it was the best Feast of the Seven Fishes yet! Our stalwart little band of foodie friends (eight grownups and eight kids) gathered at our house for the sixth Christmas Eve in a row for a fantasia of seafood. The whole meal has gotten so much easier now, partly because I now know the rhythm of the meal, and partly because the children are now old enough to entertain themselves and leave us alone! And also because this group of friends have become so dear to us and to each other that it really feels like family. And they're damned good eaters, I can feed them anything and they'll give it a try.

 

The men - Jimmy, Jack, Scott, Brian.

The ladies - Melissa, Laura, Juliet. Notice "nativity with bourbon" behind them.

Me with Melissa, my baby sister from another mother.

This year's menu...

Appetizers -

Salmon Tartare - a repeat from last year's menu because...well, because I loved it. And I'm the one eating the leftovers.

Fried Calamari - one of Jude's favorite foods, and the first time I've ever made it myself. Mommy always made me slightly frightened to attempt it, she would always say in a hushed, spooky voice "be careful, it can get rubbery!" But I gave it a go, and they gobbled up every single bite.

Salad Course -

Shrimp and Scallop Tricolore Salad - I made up this name, it was basically just shrimp and scallops with these amazing giant caper berries and lemon vinaigrette over a bed of radicchio, endive and arugula.

 

Food pictures could have used a little better lighting. Sorry. Dim lighting was to make the middle-aged cook look better, not the food.

 

Octupus Carpaccio - Okay, this was the big gamble of the evening, and turned out to be the big success. I found this YouTube video of an Italian lady making this, and I thought it was just so wacky that I had to give it a try. Basically, I bought this dude...

 

 

...boiled him, cut him up, then stuffed him into a plastic water bottle into which I'd cut drainage holes, smashed him down in as much as I could, then weighted it down with a can of tomatoes and stuck him in the refrigerator. Seven hours later, he came out congealed into a carpaccio, and when I sliced it thin, he resembled salami. I then made a salad of shaved fennel, arugula and an orange vinaigrette and here he is...

 

 

Pasta Course -

Linguini Frutti di Mare - the usual. This year the frutti were baccalla (salt cod, soaked for two days), crab, mussels and clams.

 

 

Secondi -

Seared Albacore over a bed of Roasted Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes - damn, I love tuna.

 

I wish I'd seared it for about 10 seconds less per side, but by then, I'd had a bit of bourbon myself, and may have miscounted the time. It tasted good anyway.

 

Fillet of Sole Tapenade - basically, sole with an olive tapenade on top.

 

Okay, I realize that in this picture, it looks like fish with poo on top, but it did not taste that way.

 

Dessert -

Panettone Trifle - Italian panettone (Christmas bread) with chocolate mousse, coffee liqueur and whipped cream. Wheeeee....

 

 

This year, instead of having my usual signature cocktail (which has, in the past, been the source of a few problems which involved over-indulging - folks having to take naps between courses or hanging their head in the toilet, which leads to uncomfortable parenting on Christmas Day) I asked everybody to bring a bottle of good sipping bourbon or rye. And boy did they do well! The sipping made for a very mellow evening.

The children, by the way, despite raiding our appetizers and eating about half of the fried calamari, were banished for the rest of the meal and ate fish sticks and pasta in their own room. They seemed satisfied. For now.

 

 

They didn't even seem to mind that the children's table was crammed into the office.

 

 

 

On Christmas morning, Santa came early (the kid made out like a bandit!), and then Jude and I (Jimmy the lapsed Catholic was stiiiiiiiill sleeping) went to mass where he altar served...

 

Looks like such an angel, but in truth, the only thing going through his head was that he wanted to get home and play his new Wii U!

Clearly, he was thinking about the aforementioned WiiU when he tied the rope around his waist!

Then, we spent the rest of the day lying on the couch, and for dinner we ordered take out Chinese and watched the Alistair Sims version of Scrooge.

Best Christmas Day ever.

And yesterday, to celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa, I made my friend Marguerite's (she's from the Ivory Coast) lentil recipe, which was FAB!

So basically, we just ate and ate and ate and ate. I have no clothes that still fit me. I need to purchase a muu-muu. Or a sack. Maybe that's what I need, just a big sack to wear to cover my big ole belly. It's sad. But I enjoyed it!f

Oh, and if anybody wants any of these recipes, let me know and I'll email them to you. I'm thinking of putting together a Feast of the Seven Fishes Cookbook. What do y'all think?

What did you do for Christmas? Write your post and link it in the Linky below! And be sure and check out Ginny Marie and the other Christmas Recap spinners!

 

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

Work

So...do y'all remember a couple of weeks ago when I wrote a post about acting, and mentioned that I felt it was time that I got back into tv work? Maybe actually trying to have a career again instead of just doing commercial? My quote was "Time to act again."

Well, talk about sending a thought out into the universe and having it answered.

The very next week, I shot an episode of Modern Family. Yes, that's right.

It's just a small role, one scene, but it is on Modern Family, which is pretty damned good. And I think it's going to be funny. I play Kathy, a woman having a girl's night in a bar with her friend Marcy. Marcy is the sweet one, Kathy is the nasty one. I must say, it's more fun being the nasty one.

 

Me with Renee Albert, who plays my pal Marcy.

 

The scene is with Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell and Fred Willard, who plays Phil's dad.  They were all extremely relaxed and welcoming, really nice guys. In fact, the entire crew was terrific. And why shouldn't they be, they'd just won an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, so I'm guessing some bonuses were being spread around.

Here's my very nice trailer...

 

My sofa that I never actually sat on.

If y'all want to watch, please do. It's airing this Wednesday, October 23 on ABC. So set your DVRs. And don't blink, because you'll miss me.

I hereby send out into the cosmos that I would like MORE work please. Let's see if the universe is listening.