So yesterday, I went to see if the name "The Sleeper Hit" was available on Word Press. Since it was, I took it.

Click here for the new home of "The Sleeper Hit" and update those bookmarks.

It's been fun, LJ, but there's just so much more I can do with Word Press. After admiring my dad's blog's look, then my uncle's, and then Dad's friend Paul's, I just couldn't take the blog envy any longer. And so it goes.

Brandon and I are going to look at another apartment tonight. It's right by the library near King, which, as I may have said before, is the super-scary library. On a side note, am I the only one who thinks the parking lot of the Whetstone library is one of the most hazardous ever? I feel like I am about to get rear-ended at any second over there.

Anyway. My aunt is on the lookout for places in Clintonville, and Brandon is still combing Craigslist postings every day. I am very sad to be leaving our place, and I cling to the hope of finding something similar for the next year.

I am considering switching my blog from Live Journal to Word Press. If I had been more familiar with blogs at the time when I started this one, I am sure I would have gone with Word Press. Anyway, if and when I do make the switch, I will of course put the link up here so my many, many throngs of readers may adjust their bookmarks appropriately.

Last night's meeting went alright. A small group of people read words that I wrote, and nobody cringed, not even me. Only a handful of people could make it, so I sent out the questionnaire I wrote up to the others via e-mail. However, I think hearing people read parts last night really helped, so I still want them to come read if possible. I plan to try to arrange another meeting for as early as Thursday, or maybe a week from tomorrow.

I got a rejection e-mail from Donato's Pizza this morning, in response to my letter. At least they replied; I am thinking it was a mistake to simply count on donations from businesses during an economic crisis. How am I going to feed these people?

Dear Meryl,

Thank you for your request.  Unfortunately, we are unable to donate pizzas for your cast and crew while you are in Columbus, Ohio.   We have been inundated with donation requests for the past 2 months.  The economic situation has led to many schools, non-profit organizations and charities needing more help this year.  Our budgets have been allotted for at least the 1st quarter.  If you cannot find a food vendor to donate food, we can offer your company a large order discount.  You can call Donatos Catering and one of our Catering Specialists would be happy to help you with a price quote.  Their phone number is (614) 340-3333.

I am so sorry that we cannot help!

XX XX
Donatos Pizza
935 Taylor Station Road
Columbus, Ohio 43230

Another problem I hit last night is the work schedule of my leading actress. She works at the zoo, and once the weather gets warmer, it becomes their busy season. Starting in April she will be working on weekends... which is when I plan to do the bulk of my filming. However, she gets out of work around 3:30, so I think I can plan the shooting schedule around hers, and thank God she told me this early. I am so excited that she wants to do this project. She read a few scenes for her part last night and ROCKED it. Oh, man. She is going to be exhausted, though.

Brandon has been awesome with all this, by the way. He didn't ask questions when I suddenly started writing a script and began inviting people to our home to read for it. He hole-punched copies of scripts last night after printing them out for me (FYI, the public library does not accept a debit card as payment for copies. At least I asked about this before beginning said print job). He is willing to take an acting role and he doesn't care which one it is. He's even read most of the script.

One guy who came out last night read it all, and even brought his own printed copy. "I liked it," he said. "It was better than I thought it would be. Not that I expected it to be crap. But you know."

Expenses:
Food, approx. $10

I am meeting with about a half dozen actors tonight at 7. I have made up a questionnaire for them to fill out, answering questions about what type of role they would accept. Small, big, speaking, non-speaking, smoking, kissing, etc. I will be distributing copies of scripts as well, after buying a dozen binders from Costco yesterday. I'm making stuffed mushrooms and a couple other snacks. That's a whole different fun aspect of this project: making finger food for company.

On Wednesday, I am visiting the home of a married couple I know who have offered their place as a filming locale, and they are also willing to make food for cast and crew shooting there. Very, very awesome. Also, the husband is letting me use some of his music as well, so now he and John are both contributing to the original soundtrack.

I also made several copies of a flier to hang around the area, asking for actors to volunteer, with tear strips with my information on them. I ran into a dead end when I realized I had no idea where to hang them, however, aside from good ol' Spinelli's, the only place I really knew had a public bulletin board. I googled "local theatre groups, Columbus, Ohio" and that gave me some results, so I guess I will just head to those addresses with fliers in hand and hope for the best. I will also check out coffee shops in the Short North and German Village.

I have had a couple people say they can't take on a role after all, or else they can't have as big a role as they would like, but I've decided I am just happy to be able to get some of my friends to be part of this. Working with strangers was not the original game plan, but who is to say it isn't a good direction in order for this to take off?

Expenses:
12 one-half inch binders, $17

Purchases to be made:
External lapel mic, compatible with camera
Mini DV tapes

In other news, Brandon and I saw "Fanboys" Friday night. For a movie we have been looking out for for this long, it lived up to the hype pretty well. That was a busy night. I met Eileen for coffee at the German Village Cup O' Joe for a few hours, saw that movie at 9, and then picked up my dad from the airport at midnight.

Saturday, we didn't do a whole lot, but we did go out to breakfast at Northstar with my dad before he left. The medication I am on for my legs has indeed had an impact on my appetite, and that day, I think I ate three very rich pancakes, a dozen garlic parmesan chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, a slice of cheesecake, and uncountable chocolate chip cookies from an impromptu purchase at Giant Eagle. I better hit the gym pretty soon before this all catches up with me.

To start your weekend right, some A+ photos Brandon took of the mice:

 
  

I like the last one, because it looks like she and the man in the painting are having a conversation. At some point, I should probably post some pictures Brandon took of actual people, like our trip to the North Market last weekend. He got some good ones, that's for sure.

So, a couple weeks ago I noticed this small knot on the inner side of my right lower leg. I only noticed it when shaving or putting on lotion, basically whenever I put pressure on it. Well, on Wednesday, it swelled suddenly and hurt like a bee-yatch. It got all red and it hurt to walk. I really felt like I'd gotten hit by a bus that day, and I just went home and laid down. Brandon called his mom (a nurse) and described it to her, and during her analysis I realized another similar small knot had begun to form on my other leg, on my shin bone.

I don't really have a regular doctor yet, so I asked my HR lady at work what to do yesterday afternoon. The swelling had gone down a lot by yesterday, so I knew the worst was over, but I was still concerned about the status of the OTHER bump. My HR lady was pretty horrified when she made me show it it to her, and recommended I go directly to Urgent Care down the road. I asked my boss and she wanted to see it too, and she told me to go as well. It was very strange having my boss, my HR lady, two doctors and a nurse poke at my leg yesterday, but so it goes.

I went to where my co-workers had suggested, but they weren't terribly definite about what it is. They seemed a little alarmed when I told them about the second one. They gave me a couple prescriptions and said if it gets worse (or doesn't get better) I need to see a doctor because it might be blood clots. They seemed to think this was unlikely though, and now I am on steroids. Arggghhhh! Just kidding. They also gave me a prescription for a pain killer, but that seemed a little extreme, since Christina's dose of Advil worked just fine when it was at its worst Wednesday, so I opted out of getting that one filled.

Besides, the only other time I was prescribed Vicodin was when I had my wisdom teeth pulled when I was 15. All I remember of that special day was my mom and her friend Lynne having to help me go to the bathroom in a CVS, while I loudly sang "Yellow Submarine," which may or may not have been playing over the loudpseaker.

Yesterday's experience actually made me think a lot about my mom. I don't think I have had to go see a doctor alone before, and I thought about all the doctors I had to see when I was little, for my hearing problems. I remember my mom asking a lot of questions and thinking, those are good things to ask, why didn't I think of that? And I would feel bad for not being able to remember all the stuff the doctor said to do, but that it was okay, because my mom always remembered. I know my dad took me to an appointment once when I was in college, but when I was a kid, it was almost always my mom.

I also remember my mom's experience with steroids when she was sick, and I am dreading how I may be feeling this week because of them. "You'll be up all night," my boss said when I told her about them. They made my mom absolutely ravenous, and they messed with her mood a bit. I don't like taking medicine to begin with, and this regimine seems a little extreme, but I really don't want that second knot to go the way of the first, or for any other knots to surface. So, we'll see...

So, things on the movie front are a little uncertain. I had a great day Tuesday, when a friend from the house church responded to my cry for help to the church's e-mail list, with several things. She got me in touch with an actor friend of hers, she may have a restaurant connection for me to film at, and she is also my first private food donor. Basically, she is a miracle worker.

But the rest of the week has not been so promising. Few people have gotten back to me about a meeting time, and I don't know how else to cast people. I want to talk to everyone and make sure we are on the same page about what kind of role they would like. I suspect they are not replying because they haven't read the script yet, and that's okay, I just want to know who will be playing who, and be done with that. I think my next step will be contacting local theatre groups and maybe the OSU theatre department, ASAP. That intimidates me a little; I wanted to have a cast of people I know, since at least half this film will be shot in my apartment, but I need more people who are willing to commit to this project. It really is an awful lot to ask of my friends, who would just be doing this as a favor to me.

Another disappointment came this morning when I got a call from the Wal-Mart I wrote to. The woman said she got my note, but Wal-Mart only gives donations to registered 501c3 organizations, that which I am clearly not. She said she just wanted to call so I wouldn't be waiting around. I thanked her for doing so, and she wished me luck on my movie.

I sure hope this won't be the case with the other 30+ places I wrote to. I never would have had the audacity to ask for handouts like this, except that it is what the film making books told me to do. And we all know that their word is gospel. Will businesses only make a donation if it can be written off on their taxes? A couple nights ago I sent out a handful of more letters after deciding I hadn't included enough pizza places, and after my house church friend gave me the idea to write to chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Applebee's.

I sent separate letters to Surly Girl, the Press Grill and Spinelli's Deli, asking permission to film for one hour on a day of their choosing for my  opening scene in a restaurant. I am still really hoping one of them will be willing.

This week, I have had two distant connections with recently-won Oscars. The first was was my dad. He and my uncle went to the Santa Monica pier Tuesday and saw a group of tourists getting their pictures taken with a guy who won an Oscar for this movie, I do believe. He didn't speak English, and there was a Japanese translator there. Anyway, he was there on the pier with his Oscar, and my uncle offered to take someone's picture with him for them. My dad then took a picture of my uncle taking a picture of said Oscar. Picture to be posted, I am sure.

Secondly, a co-worker's husband's brother worked on the digital effects for "Benjamin Button." She sent out a photo of him holding his Oscar. It is kind of funny to see a photo of a normal person holding one, not someone on a stage wearing a ballgown.

I forgot to mention it, but Friday the 13th was Brandon's lucky day. He won tickets to see the Decemberists in June. I unsuccessfully hinted to him this morning about the upcoming Ben Folds show in Cleveland the day after my birthday. He asked if I could get his ticket. Happy birthday to meee! Boys and hints don't always go together.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with my relatives for my aunt's birthday. I haven't seen any of them in well over a month, so that will be nice. I hope it doesn't pour out there like it's supposed to.

No one can meet Sunday for my movie, so I am asking people if Monday evening is any better for them. Sighh... it's hard to organize a group of people with different schedules.

Also on Tuesday, my uncle recognized an actor from "Desperate Housewives." The gay lawyer was in the area, but as it turns out, he's not *really* gay, since he was there with his family.

Much like this time last year, the apartment hunt has begun. The lease is up May 1, and with Christina moving to Dublin, it doesn't look like Brandon and I will be staying where we are. I had hoped we would be able to, because I love our place, but it's a little out of Brandon's price range, to suddenly be paying half rent and utilities instead of a third as he has been.

We looked at an apartment yesterday, available May 1, at Highland and Hubbard, less than a block from where I lived with Doug and Chandra last winter. I was reluctant, because Brandon was told the building originally housed three units that had been renovated into nine. That sounded like a major decrease in square footage to me. But the price was right; at $525 including utilities (!) the cost would be less than half what one of us would be paying to stay another year at our place in Italian Village (averaging in utilities).

We went there at 5:20 p.m. and walked around a little before the landlord got there. It was a nice block, with an awesome (but pretty fancy) little Italian restaurant DIRECTLY behind the building. It's just too bad the inside of the apartment didn't match the exterior.

Let me describe it to you: it's pretty small. It's a living room when you walk in, and then there is a wide doorway to the single bedroom... and you have to go through it to get to the kitchen. It has a pretty, uh, non-traditional layout. The best part is... the bathroom. It is across the hall. You have to leave your apartment to use it. It has a key and lock, but it's still pretty weird.

The rooms are decently sized, but then again, there's only like three of them. We laughed it off last night, but this morning Brandon made his budgetary needs pretty clear. We are putting in our notice with our landlord with the rent check tomorrow. He and I are actually considering living there, never, ever allowing company or our parents over to see the squalor in which we reside, and just living dirt cheap for a year.

Are we crazy? Is this a terrible idea? We aren't sure if we are on to something here, or if we are just freaking out at the prospect of paying a crap load of rent at our current place once Christina moves out. We are keeping it on the back burner. Brandon's been checking Craigslist every day, all day, so if something comes up, we will know about it. I can't bear to look myself, because we've seen too many amazing places get snatched up within days. But ultimately, I've decided I'd rather live in a dump in an awesome neighborhood we know and love for a year than make the inevitable migration north to Clintonville too soon, while we are still young and struggling. Call me a romantic.

I can just see us in that little place. We have a fight, and I yell "I'm going to be in the kitchen, and you BETTER not come in here!" I storm off, with no door to slam. Brandon gets all huffy and locks himself in the bathroom across the hall. It's going to be fabulous.

This week has been pretty laid back compared to the last couple. But now it's time to start a fresh round of the agency newsletters I had to do when I first started, when the Nov. 4 election was the deadline. These aren't quite so urgent, but I want to get all four of them out next month. And now that I've done them, I have more confidence in my abilities. Throw together a draft, wait for it to get torn apart, and make whatever changes people tell me to. My mistake before was spending hours and hours on each detail of the initial draft, only to be crushed by the feedback and hefty changes I was given. No more!

Our graphic designer is going to be out on disability, as I mentioned earlier, so I will be taking on some of her duties over the next couple months. I need to brush up on the skills I learned from that Adobe Illustrator class.

We are going out to lunch together this Friday to celebrate the end of our giant project that is now pushed out the door. I really feel like I took to that project well, and contributed a fair share. Sometimes I feel bad at work when I do something, and then someone else takes what I did and makes it the way it's supposed to be. On the plus side, I am learning more every day.

Brandon and I are almost out of both "Friends" episodes and Watchmen issues. What'll we do now? At least I've got plenty of movie-planning to keep me busy in the evenings. I am trying to set up an initial meeting for actors this Sunday afternoon.