I'll be in my trailer...

Sylvie in her new favorite window

I am somewhat established in my new happy abode; I have unpacked eight boxes or so and my computer is finally connected. I love my new apartment. This move has been one of the best steps forward for my emotional health in a very long time. I hadn’t realized the magnitude of my dislike for my roommate situation. Not only am I living by myself in my very own space without having to share a kitchen or a bathroom, but I am starting over. This is a new space that I've never shared with anyone else, and that is really healing for me. And aside from all that feel-good business, this place is just cool. It is incredibly bright and sunny, has hardwood floors (in not-so-hot condition, but I don’t mind), it’s upstairs above my own garage, and my new neighbors are very nice.






















Plus my new landlady is really wonderful--I had expressed some trepidation over the condition of the place before I moved in, so she made sure her maintenance guy fixed it, she paid me $50 to clean it (believe me, it was worth at least that much!), and she reimbursed me for all the new cabinet hardware I bought. They are even going to buy me a new fridge once I find an Energy Star one for the right price. Most of all, however, I am pleased that the landlady is simply a nice human being, and as it's her daughter who owns the place she has some real emotional investment in maintaining the property and making sure tenants are happy. When I went to sign the lease she had me meet her at Starbucks (I spared her the lecture) and she insisted on buying me something to drink--”to celebrate,” she said. She is very sweet.

On to my new status as a movie star. Oh yes. Last weekend, right after I moved in, still riding the big blurry wave of exhaustion, I helped one of my friends at Stone make a movie. It was such an incredible blast. I can’t tell you how much fun I had. No really, I can’t. It was that fun. Molly is our graphic artist at Stone and she is a warm, friendly, and very artistic and talented individual. As I recently discovered, she has her own film company these days and has been involved in the 48-hour Film Project for the last three years. The way this works is that competing film crews are given exactly 48 hours to write, film, edit and turn in a 7-minute film. Genres and required plot elements are handed out at the beginning of the 48-hour period to eliminate the possibility of cheating. We drew the “buddy film” genre, and were required to use the following in our film: a character named either Alex or Alice Gomm, a character who is a county official, a spoon, and the line, “Get that thing away from me!”

I think we did a really smashing job, if I say so myself. It’s a real inspiration and I feel privileged to get to work with so many talented people at Stone. At least five brewery employees were major contributors to the project--Molly was our illustrious producer, Matt was the lead actor in the film, Kevin was one of our key script writers and prop dudes, and Barbara blew us all away with her new skills as sound guru. I must add that she looked quite sexy with those headphones on, holding the boom mike and having all that technology hanging off her hip. But she always looks sexy.

What I meant to say was that I’ve really suffered from a lack of creativity in my life the last several years, and I’ve been making small and slow steps toward rectifying that. This movie adventure is a splendiferous example. I thoroughly enjoyed being around so many creative and friendly people. There were about 20 of us working on this project at different intervals, a handful of whom were there throughout the entire process--kudos to Charlie, our intrepid director (and Molly’s brother, incidentally). Friday night we stayed up late brainstorming and nailing down the basic plot elements. Having been selected as one of the actors, I was allowed to go home to get some beauty rest (it didn’t work) while others stayed up all night writing the script and making props. After a solid three hours’ sleep, I came back and we started shooting Saturday morning at 7 a.m. We finished filming and doing the voice-overs at 5 a.m. the next morning. I managed to fall asleep at Molly’s at 6 in the morning on Sunday, after being up for 25 hours on 3 hours’ sleep and spending most of my day in front of very warm lights saying the same lines over and over again...

That was mostly for dramatic effect. While it was thoroughly exhausting--by Sunday morning both Matt and I had sore throats and he was getting really hoarse; he had a lot more lines than I did--I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I had more fun than should be legal. The only thing that I am worried about is the film screening tonight. I found out after we finished filming that all of the films are being shown at the Hillcrest Cinemas--on a very large real live actual movie screen. I feel like throwing up when I think of seeing myself on a big screen like that. I don’t know if I can handle it, I really don’t. I've been threatening to leave when our film starts (but I know that my curiosity will get the better of me and I'll stay). So far I’ve only seen a little bit of the finished product on youtube and I turned the sound off for most of it. My big consolation is that I was only the supporting cast; Matt was the real star of the film and the camera focused on him for 90% of the time. I’m truly relieved that I’m in the background for most of the film; I really don’t enjoy looking at myself that much. And since Matt is much better looking than I am, it’s probably a relief for the audience as well!

I do have to say that I enjoyed all the extra attention at work yesterday. People from the office kept coming downstairs and talking about how they had seen the film; a few had even seen our few minutes of fame on Fox news on Saturday night. There was occasional random quoting of select lines from the film and appraising looks (no fawning, though; I could have used some good fawning) from folks who had had no previous clue that not only can I pour beer, but that I possess a WEALTH of acting talent as well. Cough. Ack. I think I have a hairball...

June 21: ok, ok, ok, I've been badgered by several people to post the movie on my blog, so here ya go. I'll be in the other room humming loudly.

So far nobody has asked for my autograph. What gives?

Mayhem

I’m in the middle of furiously packing and cleaning (at least I should be; obviously not much packing is going on as I type) for my move, but I just had to share with you the awful fact that I have inexplicably had “Ladies’ Night” stuck in my head ever since I woke up this morning. Lord help me.

Engrish!

Last night I was at Kiki’s house helping her husband celebrate his birthday by eating an enormous amount of tasty food and staying up way too late. We all gathered outside on the perilous deck (there is no railing yet) and ate our way through several helpings of pasta, baguettes, bruschetta, salad, and pesto. All homemade, all amazingly delicious. Kiki's pesto is way better than mine and I need to learn how to make it as well as she does. After topping the dinner off with ice cream from Mariposa--the best ice cream on the planet, I am not kidding--we went inside for hours of silly word games and heated discussions accompanied by wild gestures and raised voices. Lisa had given Welton a book of “Mad Liberals,” a new left-leaning version of Mad Libs, and we played that for a good long while. We learned many important things, such as the fact that Pegasus is the sole owner of the pinwheel and he doesn’t have to share it with any of you sorry commie pinkos.

Later on in the night, K, L, and I decided to escape the wild gestures and raised voices and retired to the computer room to watch Will Ferrell videos. We had sat in the sun room with the boys for a while, because their initial arguing was quite entertaining. However, it soon became a painful spectacle as they got mired in several tangents and began arguing heatedly over what the subject of their argument should be. I believe they spent a solid 50 minutes trying to nail down an acceptable definition of their “First Principle." I’m glad we got out when we did. After a few youtube videos, L introduced us to a site called Engrish.com. I have to say that I have not laughed that hard at anything on the internet in a good long while. I’m not even going to describe it to you; you just need to go there. Right now!

Here is my favorite t-shirt from their store that someone can buy me for an early Christmas present: monkey shirt. I would like it in red in a size small. Thank you very much. This website also has instructions for a fun diversion that I discovered this morning: how to translate your very own English excerpts into tortured and amusing phrases by using the Babel Fish site, or by using Sherlock on a Mac. I did both, and I am happy to say that they turned out splendidly. I took a sentence from my previous blog post that was kind of bizarre even in English. Here is the original text:
"Doesn’t that just happen to you all the time?--You’re sitting at home relaxing and watching a movie, and then two grease-smeared young women show up at 10 o'clock at night asking to borrow some tools to fix their tandem bicycle?"

And now, for the oh-so-enlightening translations, which I have not altered or edited in any way. The first is from Babel Fish, the second is by Sherlock. Please let me know which version you like better.

In that fair you all time? Then -- where it does not happen it loosens the movie, sitting down in the house which is seen, because it locks the tandem bicycle 2 at 10 o'clock the grease coating it is accustomed to painting the fact that you ask that you borrow a certain equipment which in the young woman shows in the night is high.

It causes exactly always in you? In regard to being seated of the
foam/home which -- it loosens is seen the movie because the tandem bicycle is locked, that the tool which at 10 o'clock is in the night is borrowed you ' and then two it asks the grease which shows in the young woman where coating it is accustomed to painting is high.