Citizen of the World

While it wasn't Broadway, a movie, a TV show or a commercial, it will apparently be a short film, festival piece, or festival submission.  This was my first "cold read" ever. I had no copy of the script. When I arrived, there were no copies of the script. When the guy walked out of the room - The Red Room (and, well, it was behind a red door) - and did a double-take at me, THAT's when I got a copy of three pages of the script. And I got to size up my competition right then - about the same build but looked a little doughier, different features, and didn't look quite as professional (IMHO). Not sure if that matters anyway. What does matter is that THAT guy had received the whole script like two days earlier via email. I got an email response for the audition, but no attachment. They had that guy run through the full script - 10 minutes or so - twice.

It was an interesting experience and I look forward to more of these. Matt gets the information from Craigslist and other places and goes. He's got some parts in upcoming festival pieces already!  There was a part that he really wanted to audition for last week, but he was just too sick to go, which was unfortunate. But, there will be more.

I had to read through the ethereal, surreal script twice. It's basically a 3-person script; my part was the support actor to the lead.  One read-through was with the first reader, who looked a lot like Zach Braff.  The second read-through was with the other selected opposite to my role. That guy - long, brown, curly hair, smelled faintly that he'd gone through a day - a little street-worn, yet actually wasn't all that hard on the eyes.  Both of these guys were very thin. The second guy seemed to understand his role better.

The great thing is, during the entire experience, I didn't have time to get nervous at all. My life doesn't depend on any level of acting or gigs. All that sort of weight is lifted off my shoulders already. It felt good to be there going through the process of learning lines off the page enough to emote something. THAT was cool.

Oh, and here's my head shot I'm using (Matt made it slightly more "head shot worthy"):


Edits: Changed "art films" to festival piece and/or festival film, since the directors will be submitting these pieces to festivals. Also, "art films" tend to be code for porn, which these are not.

This is our Easter 2011 album. There are pictures of the decor prep, the household set up, the feast, laughs, and festivities.

Matt cooked an AWESOME meal. And I was pretty proud of the way the place looked - totally spring and Easter. The kids came in and kept saying, "Oooohh, wow..." and "Awwww... cute!" So did Matt's aunt, sister, and cousin. Score! Check them out!

I wish Picasa would catch up with embedding their web albums into blogs and onto Facebook. It's almost as if Google doesn't really want to interface with Facebook at all. On the one hand, I understand, and on the other, isn't it a business opportunity? Or maybe it's the other way around... Either way, it would seem that having more interplay would be better for both in the long run. Another topic for another post.

ENJOY!!

There are a few LJ projects that I really love and fewer in which I actually participate. I like the month-long projects like 30 secrets in 30 days and I was really intrigued with the March picture meme (might actually transpose that into April just to be different). I'm sorely tempted to do the "Year In Pictures" project, but that might have to wait till next year.

A couple of years ago, I participated in the Pay It Forward project as a recipient. This year, I posted the Pay It Forward project a the maker. I still haven't decided what I'm going to make for the people who've responded to my post.

On Monday, my building's front desk called to let me know that I received a package. I asked Matt, "What did we order?" Neither of us had ordered anything that would have already arrived by Monday. To my surprise, I got a BEAUTIFUL, well-made, personalized, and handmade quilted table runner from dorisduke!! I was surprised because I'm supposed to make something for him!

BIG THANKS to dorisduke (Mike) and Gus for their generosity and craft! Impressive work. Unbeknownst to most folks (till now!), we try to use Chinese reds and designs in the bedroom, so even as a festive adornment for the futon or bed, it's perfect!

Here are some pictures:




The back:

Here's hoping that this post backfires in a positive way! Given positive outcomes in other holiday goings-on, this issue might be resolved today! Here's hoping!

On Dec. 13, I sent out a package priority mail with the USPS (with a 2-3 day turnaround), who we always use for any of our packages - domestically or internationally. Usually, their delivery windows are the best for the price point. In contrast, FexEx, DHL, and UPS are terrible. The package was destined for Brooklyn. Another package I sent out on the same day got to NC within 3 business days. I fully expected the same with the package to Brooklyn because, after all, it's basically just over a couple of bridges.

Using Track & Confirm, the last update status after "Sorting Complete, December 17, 2010, 10:29 am, BROOKLYN, NY 11217" was, "Delivery status not updated as of December 18, 2010, 12:39 am".

I was shocked! I'd never seen any update like that on the USPS tracking site. I contacted customer service on Monday, Dec. 20, after 9AM. Even they said they'd never seen anything like this either! Let me reiterate: The USPS Customer Service said they'd never seen an update like that either!

A little later our local NJ PO contacted me about the package. I'd been trying to call the Brooklyn PO all day and got a constant busy signal. Our local PO had no further information and was also having trouble getting through to Brooklyn. Although I fully expected to hear on the news, "The Brooklyn Post Office at zip code 11217 was blown up today in a terrorist plot initiated by postal workers who were denied their pensions...", I kept trying to get through to the Brooklyn PO.

On Tuesday, Dec. 21, I got through to the Brooklyn PO after lunch! The guy I spoke with was fully 1) trying to get me off the phone, 2) did not want to help me, 3) couldn't have cared less about my problem, 4) came up with all sorts of excuses about why the package hadn't been delivered, and 5) took about a full 10 minutes to locate a pencil to take down my information. He still hasn't called me back and now my friend, for whom the package was intended has gone over - on Christmas Eve - to hopefully retrieve the package. He just called and the post office in Brooklyn couldn't locate the package.

This whole thing is soooo frustrating!! Most likely, the package was lost and no one wants to claim responsibility. Other stuff has made it to Queens and Brooklyn (other POs), but not this one little package.

Here's what's in the package along with a card:





We had missed their tree-trimming party, the first one we would have ever been to, because Matt was pretty sick with a cold. We were both so very sad to miss it. I had made these ornaments especially to give them for their tree. They are inscribed on the back of each ornament for 2010. UGH!

Well, here's hoping that at some point during the year, someone finds the package and actually delivers it to them. I've heard about packages that are lost around the holidays might not turn up for years. Years. So, here's hoping that someone finds it soon! This is really the only sad thing that's happened for us around the holidays this year, and I hope it stays that way!

We set up our listings on eBay as a store. We're called "The Marble Cave", which is an anagram of Matthew's and my last names (Lambeth-Vecera). Ain't that cool?

I'm in the process of updating our Store Categories so that our items are more easily found and purchased. Most of our items are Buy It Now and will stay online as Good 'Til Canceled. There are very few items that will be auctions.

Check out our store! Who knows? Something might suit your fancy!

One of my father's hobbies is to buy yard sales. I guess you could call him a "Serial Yard Sale Buyer". He goes around neighborhoods late in the morning looking for open yard sales and few customers. He parks nearby and asks the yard sellers how much they want for "the rest of what they've got". If $50 looks reasonable to my father for the plethora of the other folks' junk, he'll buy it. Once home, the stuff gets sorted, tagged, listed out, and taken to the "thrift shop" for a charitable donation and a tax write-off. It's a good system, as long as you get rid of the stuff. My dad likes to share that stuff with us and 2 times out of 10 we'll indulge him.

Yesterday my father brought out two or three boxes of jewelry for us to peruse and take if we wanted. We figured this stuff was from some yard sale, but turns out there were some pieces from our grandparents' and mother's stashes. Two thirds of the stuff was what my father collected from yard sales. Most all of it was costume jewelry and not worth much other than nostalgia and family history, except for the yard sale items.

Throughout the course of the perusal, I was excited to find my grandfather's cuff links to add to my collection, semi-precious stones ready for hanging on a chain, charms, and buttons. My sisters decided they didn't want any of the pearlesque necklaces or bracelets. Since I make jewelry, it seemed fitting for me to take them and do something with them - even for Christmas or birthday gifts next year. My father had had other plans for those necklaces and they didn't include his youngest son.

He inquired through piercing squinty eyes, "Are you gonna wear those pearl necklaces? Why do you want 'em?"

All I could picture was a scary vision of me in drag when I exclaimed, "No! I'm not gonna wear those; don't be silly!! I'm going to make stuff with them and sell them on eBay. You know I do that! A couple of strands of these plastic pearls I envision using as Christmas tree garland."

That was yesterday. Ever since then my dad wants to go through the things I found "useful" and see what I took - even though no one else wanted the stuff. I found out this morning he wants to kind of sell my sisters on the pearls so that they'd take them instead of letting me have them. I think he's scared that I will end up wearing them.

As if all I wanted for Christmas was a pearl necklace.

Through the expertise of my sister's writing and her occupation (as an editor), she's written an article about phillumeny. Apparently (and I only found this out today for the first time ever!), I'm a phillumenist!! Who knew? Oh, and btw, the picture accompanying the article? That's a picture of some of my stuff!! And the article is VERY true - I HAVE TONS OF THEM!! And special boxes for them.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-hobby-nobody-knows-phillumeny.html

( The article on phillumeny )