Countdown to Cali

[This is a photo I took recently at Dingman's Falls up near Mikey's cabin. I just like the photo :) ]

Well, I have at least STARTED on the million things I need to do before I leave for California early Thursday morning. Burning a few extra DVDs of "Smalltimore", started some laundry and dishes. Keep forgetting to fake tan my legs, though. I am going to stick out like a sore thumb over there.

I went up to Mikey's cabin last weekend, because MICHELLE and her girlfriend were going to a Cyndi Lauper concert up there and she bugged the snot out of me until I agreed to go, and I bought tickets for me and Mikey, and they were going to spend the night at Mikey's even, and then JUST BECAUSE she got a really well-paying 4 day gig, she backed out and didn't go!

Mikey and I had fun without them anyway, and after the concert we ran into Cyndi Lauper getting on her bus in the parking lot and she invited us in for a drink. We waxed nostalgic over magenta fishnet stocking, oversized plastic jewelry, and the death of John Hughes. We invited her back to the cabin for a late-night feast of salmon & black bean cakes I had made from scratch, which we grilled on the back deck along with fresh corn on the cob, and then we crank called Rosie O'Donnell. Okay, none of that happened except for the salmon cakes & corn on the grill, but that's what I am telling Michelle, and you better back me up on this.

Mikey and I really did have quite the feast on the grill on Friday, we also grilled asparagus and eggplant, and downed half a box o' wine called "Angel Juice". Saturday he had to go back to NYC. After locking my keys in the trunk of car (so embarrassing to have to call AAA to let you into your convertible when the top is down...), I found an amazing winter coat for $25 at the flea market while waiting to be rescued from myself. Then went to the outlets in Tannersville to get some West Coast-worthy clothes. In my daily life I find that I am usually suitably dressed for Baltimore, usually overdressed for Pennsyltucky, and recently realized I had no decent clothes for L.A.-ish area. So I stocked up on some great bargains at Liz Claiborne, Jones New York, and Ann Taylor, even though I occasionally make fun of Cheryl Scungio for buying all her clothes from the latter. Have I mentioned that she is currently working with Charlie Anderson in a new feature titled, "Heaven Burns"? She plays a character who is addicted to oxycontin. I LOVE it. (Love that Charlie has her in such a role. Not love oxycontin.)

Anyway... brand new clothes always gives you an extra boost of confidence, don't they? Really psyching myself up to be as outgoing as possible, even though I am a little intimidated at the thought of... well, the West Coast in general. It is just very different there, I think. So many pretty, plastic people, or at least that is what I imagine. I have to remind myself that mostly I will be hanging out with other filmmakers, most of whom will be just as nervous as I am.

Winning the Judith Rheiner Independent Spirit Award at the 29 Days Later Festival last week pumped me up a bit, and I have to remind myself of that when I start to waver. Steve Yeager dropped by to see, "The Red-Headed Menace" today, as did Bobby DeAngelo, one of my actors in it. Steve had dropped in the day of shooting just to check it out. He was impressed (his word, not blowing smoke!) which was nice to hear, and Bobby seemed genuinely pleased. There are still some things I want to tweak but even without those things I am pretty satisfied with it myself. Even Michelle didn't have too much to say about it (as in, ripping it apart).

I will have free internet out there (yay, Marriott!), so I'll try to give you some updates from LALA Land. And if you have ANY friends, family, or acquaintances in the Anaheim/L.A. area, you better send them to see "Smalltimore", and please tell them to say hello to me. It screens at 9:30pm on Thursday, August 27th, at the Downtown Disney AMC Theater. They can check out the synopsis here:

http://indiefestusa.bside.com/2009/films/smalltimore_indiefestusa2009;jsessionid=A3EEC8BF3E6239B474001DDDB56E600A

and please click on this link as often as possible to boost our profile! Because it is screening with two shorts, it is unfortunately listed on the AMC site as "Shorts Block 15", but I am trying to get that straightened out. Well, have procrastinated long enough, going to go throw some stuff in the dryer and try to get some sleep so can get up early and take care of the 999,999 things I have left to do. Wish me luck and send me good vibes for Indie Fest!!!