I'm too busy being fabulous....

Oh my goodness me.

I am listening right this moment to the new Eagles album.

*sigh*

It's called Long Road out of Eden, but goodness I think I'm in Eden right now. New Eagles music... Don Henley... Timothy B. Schmidt (sexiest bass player ever!)... "Busy Being Fabulous"... "I Don't Want to Hear Anymore"...

You see? It must be good, if it inspired me to blog for the first time in so long!

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In other news...

I'm really fascinated by the WGA strike in the States. I've been following it on John August's blog , Craig Mazin's and Ken Levine's.

It will be so fascinating to see if it really does "shut down" Hollywood, and if they can stick it out for long enough for the producers to even care.

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Speaking of Ken Levine... Noel recently bought a box set of the entire 11 seasons of M*A*S*H (written by, amongst others, Levine, who apparently never sees a penny from the years and millions of sales of the show!). He is up to Season 6 I think. I have been watching bits and pieces. I love the show, I just can't watch that much of anything the way Noel can! And if I have to listen to Major Hoolahan's screeching voice for much longer I might just go completely insane. But Hawkeye, oh Hawkeye. There can never be too much of the charming Major Pearce.

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I snuck out for a rare night to myself last night, and completely wasted it by seeing Good Luck Chuck. I thought it was going to be a really funny, sexy kinda comedy. Well, there was lots of sex, and there were lots of jokes! Some of them were funny actually. But... eh. Waste of time.

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Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for.

Alice Walker

There are two types of people -
those who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!"
and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are."
~ Frederick L. Collins

Stephen Fry

Heydie ho....

Just popping in because I just came across Stephen Fry's blog and wanted to link to this... http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/?p=19 . Some really cool, and kinda funny, ramblings about fame and celebrity. I like it.

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Love the actor, for he gives you his heart!
~ Bela Lugosi

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Sorry for posting nothing but quotes lately. There's just not much going on. Pregnancy is going well, children are beautiful, husband is working hard, the job is boring but fine. Planning the big post out to agents in the next couple of weeks. Um, that's about it. la de da....)

Kiss your life. Accept it, just as it is.

Today. Now.

So that those moments of happiness you're waiting for don't pass you by.

~unknown

Hey!

So, we've changed ISPs and have had no internet for a week. Didja miss me? Huh? huh?

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I got my new headshots done - yay! I look all sophisticated and actorish...



He took about 150 photos. that was the best one and he edited it to make it all beautiful (ahem, I mean, to enhance the natural smoothness and lustre of my skin...).

And just because he's the coolest, here's a plug for Jom, the photographer - http://www.jom.com.au/ Go see Jom! For all your photographic needs!

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I also got my Showcast submission in on time (Jom emailed them my headshot directly - told you he's the coolest!), so go on, find me on Showcast... there's a link on the left and you can search for me. I just have to find a way to put in my internet profile that I'm pregnant - so that all those directors looking for a pregnant actress can find me!

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Noel had a bit of an Impulse Purchase moment this week and bought a very new, very fancy Hi-Definition digital camcorder. So, boo to Noel for spending so much money!

However, Yay for Noel now being able to record me acting and make a showreel to send along with my photos to agents! It's a seriously good quality camera and has seriously tricky editing *stuff* so we should be able to make something fairly decent. I'll do a bit of a hello and a monologue and a bit of a scene and some super-dooper acting and we'll make it look all gorgeous and the agents will love me darling!

*giggle*

No really, they will.

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I don't pretend to be captain weird. I just do what I do.
~Johnny Depp

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Maryanne Williamson

Spring!

And oh, it's devine! Warm sunshine, cool breezes, fragrant fresh air - the last few days have been the perfect start to spring.

My girls are wearing their favourite pink dresses and spinning around playing Princesses. My nausea seems to have gone! Hooray! All is well with the world.

Today, among other things, I'm off to an Eco Sustainability Fair at a local park. That should be fun and interesting.

Hooray for Spring!

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Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
~ Ashley Smith

Phew

I found a different photographer, who charges about the same and sounds really helpful and lovely, and booked an appointment for next Wednesday. So yeah, I have to work in the morning and then fight my way through the "George Bush Wednesday" crowds and hordes of protesters into the city. What fun.

It means I'll have my new headshot just in time for next year's Showcast submission, which is due in by next Friday.

Hopefully I can still look nice enough, after 7 hours of driving for work, to take a fabulous photo. :-)

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Oh, and the ridiculous pay situation continues. I received a cheque today for ONE WEEK's pay (the first week I did, a month ago). I called Manager and let him know how frustrated I was and how ridiculous his system is. He assured me another cheque, for the 2nd week, was sent today, and then I'll get the next week's pay the week after that. He insisted that was a "fortnightly turnaround", just as he had promised. Um, no, buddy, look at your calendar - three weeks does not a fortnight make!

Grrrr.

Anyway, at least I have petrol money. Next week I'll have Showcast money. One day I'll have money that is not allocated within an inch of its life before I get it! I won't know what to do with myself!

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Problems are opportunities in work clothes.
~Henry Kissinger

Too fat for the 40's.

You know how, back in March, I went to a casting for extras for that feature film? They just measured me and took a photo etc. Well, yesterday I heard that there were more castings happening this week. So I emailed the casting guy saying I'd love to be considered again, if possible. I told him I'm pregnant, but not showing yet.

He emailed back, very friendly and diplomatic (and congratulating me on the pregnancy), saying the biggest consideration they've had to make for this film is sizing, because all the costumes they have (it's set in the 1940s) are very small. He doubted that there would be any to fit me, especially in my "happily growing condition".

Ha! I'm too fat for their costumes! At a whole size 12! Well, I guess spunky young nurses in the 1940s were pretty thin.

Anyway, I was just happy that he didn't mind me emailing him again. :-)

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Oh, and this promotions job... jeez louise... I've been getting one or two shifts a week, which is fine. They haven't been paying me, which is NOT fine. I should have received a cheque two weeks ago for the first fortnight, and I should be receiving another this week for the 2nd fortnight.

Yesterday we turned up to work and found the water main had been turned off and locked with a big water company padlock. Not good. One manager said the water company was flushing out the pipes, the other manager said it's something to do with APEC. Yeah right, what ridiculous lies.

So anyway, I finally get an SMS today saying a cheque was sent today, "sorry for the delay". It had better bloody well be a cheque covering both fortnights, because they owe me over a grand!

Why do I always get the terrible managers???

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AND, I was supposed to be getting my headshots done this week. I asked the girl (by email) if I could have an appointment Tuesday afternoon, but she never got back to me. Not entirely her fault, I could have phoned her to properly make an appointment, but gah, I just want to get it done! Hopefully, will get an appointment leter this week or next week.

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"The universe is dynamic. When we are creative, we are the most alive and in touch with it."
~ Brad Dourif

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark.... Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."

~ Ayn Rand

Johnny Addiction

So, Nic gently reminded me that I'm being a slacko blogger... sorry... will try to be interesting...

Pregnancy goes well, morning sickness continues to thrive. Work is fine, and if their *insert expletive* accounts department actually start paying me I'll be very happy!

The two guys I've been working with are actors and singers, so they're great fun. They do a bit of TV work and a few commercials (they're brothers so they always work together). AND, their favourite actor is Johnny Depp, so guess what we spend all our breaks talking about? Yep, Johnny's movies, Johnny's acting, Johnny's tattoos.

My first shift I only met one of the brothers, and a few of us were talking about celebrities owning islands, and he said "Johnny has an island". Of course I knew exactly who he meant but he obviously thought he needed to correct himself and said "Johnny Depp". I knew right then I'd found a fellow Johnny lover. tee hee.... anyway it's so much fun chatting with those guys... we do talk about other films and actors too, I promise. :-)

We had a bit of a debate this week about paparazzi photos... I have a personal policy of never looking at pap photos, because I despise the paparazzi and most famous actors do too, and I really feel strongly that it's wrong of me to join in the invasion of privacy... J and H agree with me that they're wrong but "if they're there, I"m going to look" - to which I just rolled my eyes and told them they're evil, evil, EVIL! :-) They were also concerned that I was missing out on all the best photos - like drunk Johnny being arrested (over a decade ago!) or, recently, Johnny half naked on his yacht. *sigh* That's the point, people, the world is not supposed to share those moments!

What do you think about paparazzi?

Just thought I'd pop in and say hello to you, my millions and kajillions of faithful blog readers... tee hee...

The pregnancy thing is really the only interesting thing going on with me lately. Threw up for the first time last night, after weeks of just feeling nauseous. Although, the only thing I'd eaten was neopolitan ice cream, and very recently, so it was definitely the pleasantest vomit I've ever experienced!

Ahem. Sorry.

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The "Fun Promotions Job" turns out to be not all that much fun at all. It is well paid, though, and uncomplicated and flexible, so I'm happy with that.

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I got my tax return, yay! Enough for the rest of the year's preschool fees, car service, Christmas and birthday pressies, and HEADSHOTS! Woohoo!

I still plan to get those done and do the big send-out to agents and casting people. I'll just have to write a letter accompanying them that somehow makes the fact that I'm pregnant the most exciting prospect ever! Who knows, hey, just maybe there's something going on in December or Jan that will need a pregnant lady. The chances are pretty small, I know, but the chances of getting anything if I DON'T do it are far, far smaller.

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I've been surprising myself by how sensible and philosophical I'm being about having another baby right now, while in the middle of a struggle to start a career. I really didn't want to get pregnant this year (though we were thinking about it), because I was so worried of losing what tiny little momentum I've been gathering with the acting and work stuff. But now that I'm here, I just feel like it's all on the right track, and that things will happen just right if I keep working hard.
I read a quote yesterday, can't remember who said it but it was something like "the harder and longer you work, the better the payoff will be when you achieve you goals". Not that I've been working all that hard in the general scheme of life, but by the time I do get some acting success, I'll have worked at it for a long time and I'll be so very proud to have finally done it.
So there. Even if I have a few detours and baby-raising breaks along the way, I will keep this dream of mine alive, and I will get there.
I have all the time in the world, after all, and a big fat baby bump never stopped me before!

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I'm loving this quote, too... just a nice little reminder...

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~

Morning sickness

Whoever invented that term must have been a big fat liar and, obviously, male. I feeeel aaawwful... moan, groan, whimper...

Turns out I was wrong when I joked about the film being Knocked Up, and not me. Perhaps that's why I didn't like the movie as much as everyone else does.

Baby Brown #3 is on its way. :-) Well, it's not really on its way anywhere, it's just floating around all blob-like, with teeny tiny arm and leg buds and a microscopic heart thumping away at 161 beats per minute.Growing, growing... set to arrive in early March 08. Excitement!

So, let's hope there are a few productions requiring a woman with a big baby belly going on in Sydney towards the end of the year... that would be fun. :-)

No news...

I feel like posting, but I have nothing to say... nothing happening.

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I haven't heard back about the waitressing job, so I assume I didn't get it. I posted off my info for the Fun promotions job, so as soon as I hear back from them I'll call and say no thanks to the Not Fun promotions job.

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Noel and I watched Underworld last night. For the first half we were just saying to each other "what? who's that guy? why do they need to do that?"... but once the film actually got around to telling us what was going on, it was good. Bill Nighy is just the coolest, even if there were far too many "Davy Jones" moments to make us giggle. (though this was made way before Pirates 2 and 3 , so I guess it's really the other way around. Davy Jones is one big expanded and more evil "Victor" moment perhaps.) Especially hilarious was when Kate Beckinsale's character sliced his head with her sword, and it looked like his face was just cut all the way across, until half his head slips off sideways! Hilarious yes, but also nearly made me gag.
Anyway, a good film if you love vampires and things like that.. and if you don't mind pretty poor sound mixing.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Tomorrow! Eeeek! What's going to happen?
My most gorgeous of the gorgeous friend J is buying me a copy, isn't she just delicious? I will have to send her chocolates and do her housework and marry her and love her forever!

:-)

Still cold!

Yesterday was apparently the coldest day in Sydney since 1986. It got down to 3.7 in the city, but out at at Richmond? Minus 3, thank you very much. And at 9am when I was in the car on my way to the city, it was still minus 2. And that was after I'd spent 5 minutes on my driveway trying to unfreeze my windscreen.

I was going to convert those numbers to fahrenheit, but 27 degrees just doesn't sound as impressively cold as minus 3 degrees, does it?

Anyway, enough about the weather.

The "interview/training session" yesterday was great. The manager is a really nice casual friendly guy, and the general vibe of the company seems so much more fun than the other company. He was kinda talking as if we all already had the job, but he didn't actually say that, so I'm not 100% sure. Why didn't I just ask? Cos I'm stoopid, obviously. But I shall call in a couple of days to confirm, and then if I do have that one, I will tell the other promotions one "no thanks". This one is purely advertising and samples based, so no sales at all. Driving around little tiny cars covered in advertising or going to shopping centres and events to hand out free samples. Lots of fun!

I'm donating blood later today. Be nice to me! :-)

Jobs, jobs, jobs...

Still no acting jobs... darn it! Darn you all to heck! (what am I quoting there? I can't remember.)

However, I did get the promotions job for which I trekked into the city today. Hooray! I don't think I'm going to like it much, as it seems to be more sales than anything, and I am the #1 most reluctant salesperson on the planet, but HOORAY anyway! I don't start for a couple of weeks, and it's pretty variable casual shifts which will hopefully work out nicely with other stuff.

Other stuff being, hopefully, other jobs.

I have another "interview and training session" tomorrow for another promotions job, one which is not sales-based, but more stand-around-wearing-branded-clothes-giving-stuff-away type promotions. Oh and they also have those cute little advertising-covered cars that need to be driven around and shown off to the world.

Now, to me, "interview and training session", and the fact that he said I'd be needed for about an hour and a half, sounds pretty positive to me. Surely, if there wasn't a fairly big chance of being hired, he would just say "interview" and not mention the training session?

Anyway, who knows. Will be doing the trek again tomorrow to the exact street in Alexandria that Noel used to work, years ago, when we were young and freshly in love... ha. rambling.

The restaurant trial shift went well, I thought. The worst thing I did was almost seat a couple at a table that was already reserved, and then switched to another table that was also reserved, requiring the other waitress nearby to gesticulate wildly across the room and then run over to apologise for me being new and ignorant of table-reserving procedures. Oops, but nothing dramatic. The supervisor said I'd done well even though I'd been thrown into the deep end (didn't feel deep to me at all actually!), and she'll call me sometime this week.

Blah. I really wish I had some actual proper exciting work (ie ACTING work) to report about, but still, this is all good. :-) Positive positive positive.

I'm so cold!

Not that that's got anything to do with anything, but hey, I am. It's freezing. But HOORAY for the yummy wet watery dam-filling rain we've been getting lately.

Anyway...

I have a trial shift today at a restaurant for a waitressing job. I'm so nervous, it's ridiculous. It's just waitressing for goodness' sake.

It's been at least 7 years since I've waited tables. (gasp! I feel old!) I told the man on the phone that I've had about two years' experience but that it was a few years ago. Then, afterwards, I thought about it and realised that the last time I actually waitressed was 1999 or 2000. Oops!

Oh well... how hard can it be... I always get ridiculously nervous at the start of a new job but then it always works out fine. She'll be right matey.

I weighed in again this morning and, yay!, lost weight again this week, so I'm back under 80kg again and feeling much better about that. My body fat percentage went down again too. It probably helped that this week I didn't eat a litre of chocolate rocky-road ice cream.

Knocked Up

No, not me. (Well, I don't think so, but you never know...) The movie.

Noel sent me out to see Harry Potter the other night, but it was sold out, so I saw Knocked Up instead. I've heard lots of great reviews so I was expecting it to be really funny and have a great story. And, well, it was kinda funny, and had a fairly dull story, speckled with moments of just "why the heck did they do that?". (for example, showing the crowning of the baby's head, three times, but not the actual birth of the baby. What the?) The acting was great, the leads were good, with some interesting characters, but the story just wasn't compelling enough for me.

So, yeah. I knew I should've just watched Pirates again. Damnit.

I have an interview on Monday for a promotions job, and someone calling me back today, apparently, about a waitressing job. Promotions sounds much more fun than waitressing, yes?

Bits and pieces...

I know I haven't been posting much. Real life, you know...

* I spoke again to the lady organising the drama classes at the rehabilitation centres. Her manager is concerned that I don't have insurance (personal liability/injury insurance) and they want me to get it. Blah. So she's going to send me some info about that, because I can't actually find a company that offers the kind of insurance they want me to have. Craziness.

* Applied for another boring just-need-money job, waitressing at a resort restaurant. Blech.

* Am reading David Copperfield at the moment. Charles Dickens. I really like it.

* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix starts showing on Wednesday. I don't love the movies, but I do love the books. So, far more exciting is that the final book is out soon. My fingers are all crossed that I will actually be able to get a copy at the library.

* Weight loss project continues. I actually put on weight the last two weeks, but my body fat percentage went down a fair bit. So that's gotta mean something.

* Still feeling pretty depressed and cranky about the lack of progress I'm making in just about anything. Also feeling lonely and unloved. Sucks to be me. Lucky you're you!

* Although, a general community announcement; when you're curled up on the kitchen floor crying (seriously, one of the best places for a cry - try it sometime), nothing beats having two gorgeous little girls come running from upstairs to see what's wrong... "cuddle will feel you better Mumma".

* Ray of hope on the horizon; as soon as I get my group certificate in the next week or so, I can do my tax which means I will get baby bonus money, a little itty bit of tax refund, and hopefulyy a little chunk of family tax money. Woohoo! Headshots to have done, children's birthdays and Christmas pressies to buy or lay-by, carpet to steam-clean, bills to pay.... hang on, this is getting less fun by the second...

and finally...

Philosophers have argued for centuries about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but materialists have always known it depends on whether they are jitterbugging or dancing cheek to cheek.
~Tom Robbins