5/27/08

A comment

About the way we do business today. At least the way some enterprising women in Georgia, Wisconsin and Colorado are doing business. And it's a way that has some interest to those of us currently wondering what to do about our SAG and AFTRA memberships in the next few months. Not that I'm wondering much -- I walked the line for the WGA and I'm not even a real member yet and I've been in SAG since college.

Anyway, long story long, I recently girl-ed out as detailed below and bought a book about perfumes. I'm a slightly insanely organized person, and went from reading the book and considering testing a few scents to building a color-coded spreadsheet detailing the perfumes I'm interested in, the ones I've tested, the dates tested, my thoughts, and recommendations for future action. 'Cause that's what I do. You should see my pattern spreadsheet. Or my exercise and diet versions.

After visiting department stores, some lovely-smelling shops and even CVS, I had winnowed the list of 60-80 interesting-sounding perfumes to about 20 actually interesting ones. Ones that I wanted to give a second and maybe third sniff. But, obviously, I can't buy 20 perfumes at $80-$200 a pop. Not unless one of you lovely readers wants to buy a pilot or two. (Or three. I got priorities.) And they were getting kind of tired of me at the Nordstrom counter.

No fear. There are sites on the Internet that decant and sell itty-bitty inexpensive sample sizes of perfumes. ALL OF THEM, apparently, as every single one of the very varied lucky 20 were in stock at this site. What were the odds of that? Every one I wanted, in stock? And actually in the mail within 24 hours? What kind of weird-ass perfume collecting company is this?

All was made clear when I started receiving the packages: not from one central business location, but from ordinary home addresses of a number of women -- in Georgia, Wisconsin and Colorado. Apparently these ladies collected and sold perfume on eBay, became aware of each other and joined forces to offer big-company style inventory in a basement-company kind of way.

I think that's fabulous. I love the Intenet. Hey, maybe McCain's right about something...

5/23/08

A video

This one is from my brother. It's funny, right? (And I am going to have to watch the way I write from now on.)

5/22/08

A quick comment

It's raining. I can't believe it's raining. It's not supposed to rain again in Los Angeles until November. Still sunny out there, mind, just also raining. Too weird.

5/21/08

An oldie but a goodie

This video makes me happy. She takes a while to get started, but it's worth the wait. Thanks to Lydia for sending it (many months ago).

5/19/08

A meeting

With my writing partner on the pilot, JAWBONE. We're closing in on an official first draft (not an actual first draft, of course – nobody gets to read that). We had a great session sketching out our projected first season arcs. I think it's a good sign that after working on the same script, we've come to many of the same ideas for the season to follow. Can't wait to get all this on paper. Or in front of a camera.

5/16/08

A comment

About stage parents. Not a generalized comment – and nothing to do with whatever weirdness went on at American Idol rehearsals last week. This is a comment about my stage parents.

Who were and are awesome.


My parents ran a touring marionette company in the NYC tri-state area from before I was born until I was in high school. I worked the show all those years and loved every minute of it.


As quickly as we could, my sister and I learned to run the show from the bridge, with our kid brother manning the sound and lights. On one memorable occasion our parents left the theater to bring back take-out lunch before the show and got caught in a monster traffic jam. Assembly period started, the kids filed in, the lights went down, and my barely double-digit siblings and I shrugged and started the show ourselves (child labor infraction no. 1).


I also took great pride in lugging the large, heavy set and puppet boxes between truck and stage. Setting them up. Breaking them down. And lugging them all back (child labor infraction no. 2).


As we toured largely to schools, and performed during school hours, my sister and brother and I missed a lot of time at our own schools. Not that we “missed” it at all. We pretty much hated school. I could go on and on about the miserable state of the education system – maybe someday I will go on and on. Anyway, there really is a truant officer and she had my name at the top of her list (child labor infraction no. 3).


Suffice it to say, we learned enough from our parents, from reading, from playing in the back seat during long trips, and, honestly, from television once we got home to do just fine learnin’ wise: we all got into Stuyvesant HS in New York, and I eventually did quite well at a little place called Harvard.


So, don’t knock all stage parents. I wouldn’t trade my sometimes deeply weird experiences growing up for anything.


Of course, reading this over, what with the truck and the touring and the lugging and the puppets, it’s possible my parents weren’t stage parents at all.


Were we carnies?

5/15/08

A book review

I'm joining the chorus of praise for Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. And I make this recommendation with real surpise. I am NOT a perfume junky. In fact, I'm only on the first tentative steps out of a decade-long "I don't wear perfume" pose. But this book is a really fun read – equal parts informative, lyrical, passionate and snarky. I was pleased to see that the very first perfume I ever fell in love with and spent more money than I had on got a five-star rave (Calyx by Prescriptives). Though the next perfume I bought – after that lengthy gap – got a one-star drubbing (Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana). I have work to do.

Anyway, great read, can't wait to see how it ends. Oops – I peeked. SPOILER AHEAD:

The ending: Zoe (Fresh Scents by Terri) – one star – floral musk – A simple jasmine-based white floral with a strong, sweet soapy musk. Honestly, just wear Joy.

Okay, so the ending is a bit of a downer. Although that "just wear Joy" thing could refer not to the perfume, but to some kind of metaphysical/philosophical position statement, right?

5/14/08

A mnemonic

The Kings and Queens of England:
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee; Harry, Dick, John, Harry three
One two three Neds, Richard two; Harrys four five six... then who?
Edwards four five, Dick the bad; Harrys (twain), Ned six (the lad)
Mary, Bessie, James ya' ken; Charlie, Charlie, James again
Will and Mary, Anna Gloria; Georges four, Will four, Victoria
Edward seven next and then, came George the fifth in nineteen ten
Ned the eighth soon abdicated, and a George was reinstated
after which Elizabeth, and that's all folks until her death.

I love how the entire period that interests me exists only as a comma between the two Charlie's... though to be fair, this is a list of royalty. And the guys I'm working on had a rather unpleasant way of dealing with royalty.

5/13/08