$ob $tory

What's the deal with money? Everything is so expensive nowadays.

I begrudgingly went to my audition this morning for a theatre I've been told never to work for, and they didn't even give me a callback. BAM! Ridiculous. So, I then meandered through the city trying to decide what to do next. I ended up spending about $80 in the next few hours, on simple necessities.

Stamps
Oh brother. Remember when first class stamps used to be like $23 cents? Sheesh. I bought two books of postcard stamps today because I just ordered some postcards with my picture on them to send out to casting people to remind them who I am, right? Well, it now costs $0.24 to send a postcard. That's almost a quarter! Are you kidding me? It's insanity. And don't try to send out a headshot to anyone or it'll cost you upwards of sixty cents -- $0.63 to be exact. And for cripes sake, I send out a bunch of them every week. No wonder I don't have any money. And, I had to stand in line for about twenty minutes to spend $22 on postage.

Vitamins
I went to replenish my supply of multivitamins, supplements and the like at GNC, using my member card. Now, thank goodness I have that, because I saved just under ten dollars today because of it. However, is it really fair to charge me thirty bucks for 180 vitamins? Of which, of course, I have to take two a day. So that's 30 bucks to get me through 90 days... which turns out to be $0.33 repeating each day for multivitamins. Oh brother.

Groceries
Come off it! There is no way I should have to spend over thirty dollars on orange juice, tomatoes, bread, mac&cheese, soup, apples, oranges, bread, cheese and turkey. For crying out loud! I just need to survive here. But, $35 later, the kind man who didn't speak my language (which is FINE! ... for today at least) just didn't have enough smile to make it worth it.

Finale Ultimo
What makes the whole tragedy sad, though, is the simple notion that I CAN'T AFFORD ALL OF THIS. I'm an actor. Which means my days are full of auditions. Which means my nights are full of rehearsals. Which means there is no time for a real job. Which means I can't make any money. Which means the jobs I do have a few and far between. Which means I now am beginning to realize why they came up with the whole starving artist mentality. I guess I'll just have to stop buying things, stop auditioning, get a job in a cubicle somewhere, begin hating my life and then be able to buy things again which won't make me happy anyway because I'm stuck in corporate America doing something I don't want to be doing next to fifty other people who feel the same way and are just spending their time updating their myspace profile on the boss's dime....

Love and peace. Beedow.

No Shadows Here

Phil didn't see his shadow this morning, and come to think of it, neither did I as I walked around the corner to do some laundry earlier today. It's an early spring -- which means things are looking up. It's a grand way to begin a new year. Of course, today is the real new year's day for me and Phil, who both consider this date probably the most important on the calendar. I mean, if it weren't for this date, neither of us would be who we are today.

I'm now about thirty minutes into my twenty-fourth year of life. It's exciting. Birthdays are always nice, because you see who really cares a lick about you. I got some early morning phone calls today from some friends, a bunch of texts, and a gaggle of messages on my myspace and facebook "walls." Of course, technology nowadays tells us immediately whose birthday it is, so it's no big deal to actually remember it or worry about forgetting someone's. Which, I guess, is nice because it allows the birthday boy (or girl or groundhog) to feel worth. Which is a good thing.

So, today I feel like a million bucks, and gosh darn it, I look like it too!

blue now red, what will they think of next?

What's up with that crazy thing called myspace? Those of you who aren't on it, get it. Those of you who are, riddle me this: why all of a sudden are the links in bright red "ink" instead of the standard internet blue link color? I don't get it. I don't understand it. I just signed on the other day to a sea of red - I thought I was Ophelia, drowning in the blood of the dragon Fafner.

Liza

I was forced, a few months ago, yes, forced (!) to sign up for myspace, which I did. So, a friend of mine had this fabulous video on his profile, which I've ganked and need to share with you. Now, Liza gets a bad rap sometimes -- a crazy mother, an abused ex-hubby, not to mention some of her own troubles -- but really, she's "just terrific." This footage, of course, is for people who already know her and can laugh with her. I'd be ashamed of you if you laughed at her in these clips. To get to know her, check out her absolutely marvelous, Emmy-Award winning show from 1972, LIZA WITH A Z, available via today's title link.

Anyhow, this montage is brilliant. Her devilish laughter and out-of-context quips are to die for. "I worked with retarded children/No she didn't!" And the cut after the Bette comment to Liza just sitting there, sad-eyed. Yes! Oh, and the laugh at the first caller is priceless. Of course, credit to the brilliant editor of this clip, but all the same -- love ya Liza.