Monday, May 4, 2009

Lots of Good Stuff

Well, let's just take it from the top here...or, in fact, from the bottom of my last post where I was heading to bed before the Revlon Run/Walk.

As a networking opportunity, it was pretty much a washout, although I did meet a gal who'll be doing Boardwalk Empire with me. But a day in Central Park (actually a morning in Central Park) can't really be a bad thing, no matter how you look at it...and seeing those thousands of run/walkers was pretty inspiring. Not, you understand, that I have any intention of EVER joining them, but it was quite nice to see.

Funny/interesting - I took a short break before the bulk of the runners came through because I wanted to A. go to the porta-potty and B. have a cigarette...I mean, at an event raising money for a cancer cure, I could hardly have had a cigarette in plain view. That would be in REALLY bad taste. So I walked away from the course toward the potties, and sort of quietly attached myself to a group of the parks workers, who happened to be having cigarettes on their break from picking up garbage. They looked at me as I came up (probably prepared to answer questions about the location of the aforementioned potties), and when I explained what I was doing, they all nodded and one gentleman remarked, "Oh, yeah. Irony." Otherwise known as, never underestimate people who are picking up garbage.

This morning I trotted off to some Godforsaken area of Brooklyn...no, don't ask me where. I got off the subway in Dumbo, at the corner of Jay and York, and a nice man with a van picked me up. No, I was NOT hopping in a car with a stranger - this was the courtesy van from the producers because evidently there IS no other way to get to the warehouse where the costume fittings were being done. And I even had another "never underestimate" moment while I was shivering in the rain waiting for the van - a rather scruffy guy saw me standing there and asked whether I needed a Metrocard or any help. He said he had an unused Metrocard if I was out of money or something. This was, I may add, a totally industrial corner at 7 in the morning...I think he thought I was some poor gal who'd been to the Dumbo clubs and spent all her money. (So I DON'T look that good at 7 am...so sue me.) I thought that was nice. And yes, people, he was serious...believe me, I'm old enough to know the difference. Besides, once I told him I was being picked up, he smiled and trotted away quite happily. So there, you with your cynical minds.

The costume turns out to be a walking suit - not wool, thank God, but a blouse and almost ankle length skirt and a jacket past my hips and a perfectly awful hat...and just for funsies, one of those truly horrific little fur pieces made out of the entire pelt, where the thing is fastened by closing the animal's mouth on its own tail and the poor little paws hang down. I look exactly like Miss Sarah Brown, the Salvation Army gal from Guys and Dolls.

And I tell you, this summer is shaping up to be one constant whirl of activity! This Saturday, I go to see my pal Tom in his show at Theatre Source, my friend John will be in from California for a week starting Memorial Day weekend, a family friend is premiering his short film on June 18th, and Sarah and I have a huge family party in Cornwall, Connecticut on July 25th. And then we're going off to France for Sarah's birthday at the beginning of August!

Even better than all this, Macy's has decided to do the fireworks for the 4th of July on this side of town, which they haven't done since 2000. This is absolutely the best. I distinctly remember the one in 2000...we got out that afternoon and a bunch of us had this huge picnic. It was great fun, and I have every intention of doing the same this year. Actually it'll be even better, because in 2000 we were still on those rotten old piers and now we have a beautiful park. Yay!

So things are definitely looking lovely all summer. Now if it would only stop friggin' raining...I'm beginning to mildew.

Love, Wendy

2 comments:

Kim Waltrip said...

You are hysterical. thanks for the good read and hearty laugh this morning.

Paul A. Greenberg said...

Wendy, I'm a writer/teacher in New Orleans. I found out about your blog from a blurb that Scarlett Johansson wrote about you on The Daily Beast. I want you to know your words have real heart and soul. I very much enjoyed spending time reading your stuff. I'll be visiting often.
Paul A. Greenberg
GreenbergRants.blogspot.com