Accidents & Inspiration

Checking in from my hotel room at Manadalay Bay in Vegas... C is attending the NAB conference, leaving me to my own devices which thus far has meant losing $20 in slots, losing my room key card somewhere on the fake beach, and paying $7 for a smoothie.  But the upsides are, I did spend a few calm hours relaxing on the fake beach getting a very real tan despite my good-girl 30 SPF sunblock, the hotel was kind enough to make me new room keys, and the smoothie was yummy and made with lots of real fruit.  And I'm banning myself from gambling the rest of my trip here so that I can instead spend my money (ha.  like i have any) at the Zappos outlet... which provides a FREE shuttle from the Luxor hotel next door... And in the mean time I'm chilling in the comfy little couchy nook in my hotel room.  It's been a few years since I've been to Vegas and I really had forgotten how far superior the hotels are here to anywhere else in the world.  So, that's awesome.  And driving here from Phoenix after a GOOD visit with my mom, my brother, his wife and my little niece, we got to see the Hoover Dam and some pretty scenery, and one of the few routes through the desert of this vicinity that we hadn't ever been to before.  The wind was furious today but it was still warm.  Not as hot as Phoenix, which even exceeded MY comfort zone, which really only happens over 100 degrees.  I prefer more like 90.  But supposedly it was about 79 here today which was not bad at all despite the winds that carried my key card away.

I'm missing my cats, all four of them, but enjoying myself in the mean time.  Trying to be a good girl and get some work done now...

So, yes, once again, sorry, it's been a while.  Somehow it seems like I don't have a lot of time despite the fact that I don't have a job.  Still, I seem to have a million responsibilities, things to take care of, places I need to fly, and cats to take care of... Starting with that, I seem to have acquired two more cats.  How that came about is a long story, and I was supposed to find them a nice home...  but once I get attached, I can't help but want to keep them. So now I might just be adopting the foster kids.  Which would be no big deal except that C and I are trying to have an actual human kid now, and whether four cats and a kid will be excessive in this apartment, remains to be seen.  But for the time being, such is my life.

Money would be good.  Job would be even better.  But writing, and the work I need to do at home, keeps me occupied, as do my travels and the aforementioned cats.  I was up in San Francisco earlier this week to see Arwen in A Streetcar named Desire.  Amazing production.  Amazing talent, all around.  Plus a nice visit up north when it was supposed to rain and miraculously, the weather held out.  I always have the best food when I'm there.  Had amazing butternut squash ravioli at a restaurant in Marin, and a yummy, YUMMY crepe back in the city before I left. 

Now, I'm back in town, organizing my thoughts, organizing my brain, and preparing for whatever comes my way next.

Just wanted to apologize to those who actually pay attention to this.  I got tired of blogging about the strike, since there are already way too many of those out there and I don't have the energy to try to out-clever them.  You have enough sources for news and strike information and it gets a little monotonous writing about how our feet hurt, how tired we are, and how much we want this to be over.  But that's all still true.  Mainly the hard part has been trying to strike a balance between putting as much energy as I can into supporting the strike efforts, and keeping my sanity, and my life and my creative spirit intact.  Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm doing okay, hanging in there, still picketing, still supportive... and even more grateful for everything and everyone else in my life...

IMG00119

Tired and in pain.  My back appears to be injured in such a way that it doesn't hurt when I'm walking in picket position, but it hurts when I do anything else.  I'm now a human picket.  Taking advil and going to the chiro tomorrow.  Sony lot was pretty droopy today.  I was going to go to the gay picket but couldn't get my ass out to hollywood.  Limping my way to the finish line which is thanksgiving.  Hopefully they'll be changing things up after that.  Hangin' in there until then. 

The days are sort of starting to flow together into one big picket line.  Saw Larry David on my picket line today, I suppose I should have thought to take a picture -- but my brain has been mush these days.  I swear every ounce of creativity has been walked out of me.  That's really the frustrating part -- fighting for money, when all I really want is to be able to write... grrrrr.  I know that we're right, I mean, in terms of what we're fighting for.  I know it well enough that I've gotten tired of reaffirming it.  Right now I'm more concerned with what we're doing and how this is being handled.  I'm worried that the animosity between the negotiators is prohibiting communication.  And that's just dumb.  I want to know what's happening, what steps are being taken to get everyone back to the table while we're all killing our feet out in the heat for 20 hours a week.  That's all I want to know.  Hopefully more interesting stories to come in the upcoming days.

Can I offer a little constructive criticism?  I probably shouldn't be typing this now since I'm tired and cranky after four long hours in the heat out at Fox, a lot which is much larger than the Culver lot which I'd gotten used to... But first of all, what is up with the "sign OUT" form?  Apparently someone is attempting to document that people are indeed putting in their four hours.  And as someone who's done the full four hours every single day, I'm pissed and pretty insulted.  With the amazing turnouts we're getting, what's the purpose of this?  Some sort of witch hunt to see who might have god forbid left early for a doctor's appointment, or lunch plans, or (god forbid) simply because he or she was exhausted?  Look, we're all very responsible, dedicated adults, and I think we should be trusted enough to assume that we're all pulling our weight as much as we can.  I didn't "sign out," and I don't think most people around me did either.  I appreciate the work the guild is doing, but honestly, I think the decision of how much to picket is a very personal one, dependent on health, money, and all sorts of circumstances, and we don't need to be monitored like errant children, especially since the massive visual presence is proof enough we're out there.  Anyway.  That's my rant for the day.  I do hope the rumors of an imminent return to the bargaining table turn out to be true.  This is getting old fast.  

At least the strike has spared me the pressure of coming up with clever titles for blog entries.  Today, of course, was the big rally at the fox lot, which was inspiring and the most fun I've had picketing all week.  Saw so many old friends from every show I've been on and familiar faces from my standard picket line.  Watched writers lie in the middle of Pico blvd. in a "W-G-A" formation which was pretty amazing.  Heard it was on the news all afternoon, on every channel.  Heard from those in the know that there was "nothing like this back in '88" and it was heartening to see so much energy out there.  Now, if only we could get the powers that be back to the bargaining table, at least...

DSC01100

I can only write so much before I draw myself a nice, warm bath.  Yeah, it's one of those days.  My feet and my legs and my muscles hurt from all of this standing and walking.  Good news of today was that we had some high energy folks who had previously been on the Fox lot who came over to our lot and kind of got everyone's attention and riled everyone up.  So today's strike was more energized than previous days for us.  Though it's funny -- everyone I talk to seems to think everyone else's lot must be more fun.  Well, I'm here to tell y'all that nobody's lot is more fun.  At least no one I've talked to.  It's hard work, and we don't really have very much sense of if we're doing any good at all.  It's very taxing and scary.  I hope we are.  I hope we're annoying the crap out of the execs who are in the power to make any decisions about this and that they get fed up enough to just decide to settle this thing out.  It can't be that hard.  Is shutting us out of internet residuals, which in their estimation, aren't making any money yet ANYWAY (and any% of 0 is still 0) -- really worth all this bullshit? 

Today Karyn and I were on honking patrol, in the hopes of getting every single driver who passed by to honk for us.  This was more entertaining than walking in circles, at least for couple hours.  Plus it has a goal.  Kind of like a game.  Plus it was fun to come up with things to say to the people who didn't honk.  "Corporate greed affects you, too!"  "Do you want to watch repeats of CSI for the rest of your life??"  We even got a couple cops to honk -- that is before one got on a loudspeaker and told us that we can't "encourage people to honk" and that it's some kind of violation.  Everyone, better hide those "Honk if you love Jesus" stickers because they'll be after you next.

But, I'm tired now, going to try to actually get some work done.  Everyone's getting sick.  I think I had a hot flash today.  Later.

Tiring, tiring day out there today but that might just be me because I got up and worked out with my trainer this morning at 7:45, then picketed for 4 hours.  The upshot is there's a lot of cameraderie.  I've never seen writers be so truly nice to each other, not competitive, not sorting themselves by "levels," no snobberies of feature vs. tv writers.    There's definitely a nice sense of "we're all in this together."  I've had the chance both to catch up with old friends and to meet new people from all worlds of writing walking side by side.  A sort of strike-etiquette and culture is beginning to evolve.  There are those who've decided to consider the strike a kind of weird sort of social hour, floating, sometimes 30 minutes at a time, from line to line to catch up with friends and forge new connections.  There are those who don't show up at all, and there are those who show up when the mood suits them.  There are those, like me, who show up at the same place, day after day, because it just takes too damn much energy to decided someplace else to go.  Plus everyone seems to be sending people over to our lines, so it seems counterproductive for me to go anywhere else.  I don't begrudge anybody their choices.  I know I'm only doing it because I don't consider it a choice.  If I considered for one second what I felt like doing I probably wouldn't ever get there.  But I don't consider the options.  I just go.  And the unity, and all, is nice -- but I do think it's important that we don't get so blinded by the "united front" mentality that we stop thinking.  We do have to challenge our leadership even while appreciating their hard work.  We DO owe it to ourselves to make sure that every step of the way that we're making the right chocies.  I hope we are.

Tiring, tiring day out there today but that might just be me because I got up and worked out with my trainer this morning at 7:45, then picketed for 4 hours.  The upshot is there's a lot of cameraderie.  I've never seen writers be so truly nice to each other, not competitive, not sorting themselves by "levels," no snobberies of feature vs. tv writers.    There's definitely a nice sense of "we're all in this together."  I've had the chance both to catch up with old friends and to meet new people from all worlds of writing walking side by side.  A sort of strike-etiquette and culture is beginning to evolve.  There are those who've decided to consider the strike a kind of weird sort of social hour, floating, sometimes 30 minutes at a time, from line to line to catch up with friends and forge new connections.  There are those who don't show up at all, and there are those who show up when the mood suits them.  There are those, like me, who show up at the same place, day after day, because it just takes too damn much energy to decided someplace else to go.  Plus everyone seems to be sending people over to our lines, so it seems counterproductive for me to go anywhere else.  I don't begrudge anybody their choices.  I know I'm only doing it because I don't consider it a choice.  If I considered for one second what I felt like doing I probably wouldn't ever get there.  But I don't consider the options.  I just go.  And the unity, and all, is nice -- but I do think it's important that we don't get so blinded by the "united front" mentality that we stop thinking.  We do have to challenge our leadership even while appreciating their hard work.  We DO owe it to ourselves to make sure that every step of the way that we're making the right chocies.  I hope we are.