When We Left Off...

It was last Tuesday after the networking session, when last we spoke. Ah, yes.

Well, for some reason that I can't offhand remember, I didn't get to yoga on Wednesday...and did nothing else at all. Ah, well...these things happen.

Thursday I met up with John and Jeanne again for our farewell get-together, and Sarah turned up. Then I stayed up like an idiot when I got home playing with YouTube until 4 am...I get these fits every now and then. Sometimes a girl just needs her Fred Astaire/Gene Kelly/Danny Kaye etc. fix.

Friday was another day of recovery (I've gotta slow down)...Saturday was going to my pal
Robert's screening. His piece was wonderful, as always. He's a very talented and funny guy, and he's very good at high camp, which I happen to love with a passion. Then it was a quick stop at the Housing Works street fair (not worth it), and an art show (our friend Seth was showing). Then Caesar and I had a couple of drinks and I went home.

Sunday, R&R. Monday, yoga, after a week off, which damn near killed me.

And then there was today. Boardwalk Empire finally filmed, with me in my 1920's temperance lady outfit with that goddamn waist cincher.

I got up at 3:30 am (movies are glamorous, remember?) and got myself to the corner of Church and Chambers for the 5:30 am bus to East Flatbush. Then wardrobe, hair, makeup...then to the set. And there we stayed, with about half an hour for lunch. And stayed. And stayed. And...

Several things have become very clear to me out of this experience. At the top of the list is this (and write it down because it's very important):

DO NOT EVER WEAR A WAIST CINCHER FOR FOURTEEN HOURS. Ever. I am permanently scarred.

Thing 2: If you are going to sit around on a stage reacting to Steve Buscemi being slimily charming, be aware that you are going to have to continue doing this for FOURTEEN HOURS. Don't overreact in the first six hours or so, because by the end of the day, you're going to doze off...during the speech.

Thing 3: Martin Scorcese is an absolute charmer.

Thing 4: Try to get on an HBO show if you're going to be there for FOURTEEN HOURS. because,

Thing 5: HBO has lots and lots and lots of really good food and it's around all the time. And THEIR asparagus is properly cooked and comes with really nice hollandaise. And their roast beef has not only gravy, but horseradish sauce. And their afternoon break food is lovely...tons of cheeses and fruits and candy bars and absolutely necessary Diet Coke and potato chips and lots and lots of nice stuff to keep actors awake. Unless, of course, the actor in question is wearing a WAIST CINCHER which by this time has cut off all circulation to the stomach area.

Eventually we got to go home...and when we got on the bus, there was a whole kerfluffle because it was suddenly announced that "in accordance with SAG rules," the bus would drop us off in a safe area," which in this case they had deemed to be Grand Central Station. Those of us who are downtown West Siders had seven fits at this point, because that may be safe, but it's inconvenient as hell, and we had made travel plans home based on the Church and Chambers location. We therefore (once we were over the Manhattan Bridge) simply announced, whenever the driver hit a red light at a logical corner, "Oh, you're stopped...I'll just hop off here." I have no idea how many people the poor man had left when he got to Grand Central.

It is midnight at the oasis here. I have been up since 3:30 this morning. The cat is confused...breakfast at 4 am and dinner at 10 pm? What? Um, meow? I don't care. I'm no longer running on empty...actually, I'm no longer running.

I'm supposed to go to yoga tomorrow. I may actually do it, because I feel there's a possibility that stretching out all these permanent scars from that WAIST CINCHER may help. But I think I'll sleep first. THEN I'll worry about it.

Love, Wendy