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November 25, 2003
On a lighter, and hopefully more juicier note..
It's official! I am cooking my first Turkey and hosting my first Thanksgiving Dinner. Wish me luck! And by the way, Elizabeth...in my opinion...there is nothing for which to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day unless Grandma's stuffing is on the table.
I'm not putting it in the bird though. My friends in the know have informed me that stuffing, being mostly bread, soaks up the moisture and dries a turkey out.
I will not have a dry turkey! As God is my witness!
P.S. If you are in the New York neighborhood and need a place to eat; I've got plenty!
Posted by mermu at 12:13 AM | Comments (2)
Tammy was Right
Sometimes it is hard to be a [business] woman. A few months ago, I found that one of a client's employees was personally responsible for roughly 40% of the phone bill to make calls out-of-country. This person was an immigrant and, while working for a competitive wage, he didn't make alot of money. Given that what he was doing was basically theft, I had to insist that he pay the money back. It was an issue we had addressed before. He was supposed to pay a little every week until it was paid but after 3 weeks had yet to make a dent. Still it was heartbreaking because he wasn't a young man, nor was he well-educated. He was somebody's father or son or husband and here I was having to humble him in this ignominious manner. And to pay the money back would most certainly be a burden. It was a hard thing to see a grown man, despondent and tearful and still force him to do this right thing. I was insistent and steadfast; a hard ass. The man agreed to a more stringent payment arrangement and we agreed to forgive a small portion of the debt so that he could keep his job. He left the office and I bawled in my sweater. Mr. Cheaver aka Rhett was there and thought my behaviour was bizarre. "Business is business" he said. "He would have been fired anywhere else." I agreed with him and I thought I behaved admirably when it counted; when the man was in the office. Despite my conflicting emotions I still did the right thing and I only broke down in front of a friend to whom I thought I could break down.
That's me and I'm not so sure it's a bad thing. I may have to go home and cry in my sweater but in the end I'll make the right decision.
A few weeks ago, I made a hard choice. With any luck, a tense situation could be resolved soon. I don't want to jinx it, so I won't go into too much detail and don't ask. I'll divulge if and when there's a development to divulge. Let's just say that I had to make the right decision-the hard decision and tonight, I'm crying in my sweater.
Posted by mermu at 12:04 AM | Comments (1)
November 24, 2003
Celine/Deon
I took Gentleman Caller out to dinner as a thank you for being in the commercial. A great meal, a bottle of wine and a few cocktails later we were both ruminating on our lives of love and fortune and bemoaning the insufficiencies of past situations when GC looked at me and said, "Don't you find it fascintating that my ex's name is Celine and your's is Deon? Together we've had Celine Deon. "
I roared.
That GC is a quite the clever man.
Posted by mermu at 12:38 AM | Comments (2)
Principal Photography
This weekend I completed principal photography and all voiceovers for my first project on film, the Bush in 30 Seconds competition. I am so proud of myself and the participants. Now all we have to do is edit and upload to the MoveOn.org website.
So many times I have great ideas, the best laid plans of mice and men as they say, and often times those ideas never see the light of day due to laziness, inertia, scheduling, or even the fact that it wasn't such a good idea in the first place. I am so pleased that this one, so far, has lived. Kudos to my actors...the chef at Mama Duke, friend Liz, and the Gentleman Caller for being my "people on the street".
Two of the actors weren't actors at all. GC for one, had never done something like this ever. It was really interesting to see his reaction to the whole process and seeing his likeness on camera. When we met up right before his shoot, I could sense an overwhelming amount of nervousness on his part. I could tell he was freaked but I knew he'd get through it. He proved to be a natural. Perhaps one day I can say I gave him his big break. Later, he told me that before we started filming, he was seized with the notion that he wouldn't even be able to do it. I'm glad he did.
My cameraman, Ken is a budding superstar in his own right. Ken managed to score the only interview Liza Minelli has given since her very public break up with David Guest. Ken does a cable access show in New York and has interviewed the likes of Cindi Lauper, Deborah Gibson, Carol Channing, and a host of other divas and darlings of the Broadway stage. He graciously offered to film using his equipment and edit, again using his equipment. What's more, he's promised I can be the, ahem, cameraperson, if he ever gets to interview Scott Foley, the Felicity star who is currently playing on Broadway. Hmm. Maybe I can add him to my ever-growing collection of rebounding men?
Posted by mermu at 12:32 AM | Comments (4)
November 21, 2003
Gentleman Calls Again
The Gentleman Caller has reappeared in my life lately. He and I decided to take a big bite of the New York Apple on Halloween. Instead of watching the NYC Village Halloween night parade on USA Network or from the sidelines....we took part and marched in it! GC had this whole *issue* about dressing up as a ghoul. As in a person should dress as one and if you didn't it wasn't really Halloween. He seemed to be a little snotty about the fact that "all the girls want to look like sluts on Halloween".
I, thinking that he did have a point, decided to quell my It's-Halloween-and-I-want-to-forget-I-met-someone-I-once-cared-deeply-for-by-looking-hot-and-desirable urges to go with the flow and look like the Damned. So I came up with
I fashioned a cape out of fabric glue, an old black satin cord, and some red material I found down the street an hour and half before I was scheduled to leave. GC was really impressed with my commitment to looking foul...that is until we got to the parade and he found himself surrounded by scantily and suggestively clad devils and 50s girls and milkmaids etc.
Next year I'm going as Lara Croft dammit!
I have really enjoyed hanging out with the Gentleman Caller lately. I have a sinking suspicion he's still a bit of a mess when it comes to women and relationships, but he is a worthy friend. And he recently paid me a high complement that every girl would be pleased to hear from an ex-amour.
In case you were wondering, I'm outing the Gentleman Caller. Here he is...
Gentleman CallerIsn't he sexy!
Posted by mermu at 01:06 AM | Comments (2)
November 20, 2003
The Scoop
So things have been rolling along. It's been an "I'm just so busy!" coupla weeks. I am filming a commercial for a competition this weekend. I wrote the script, will co-produce, direct and perform as the VoiceOver/Commentator for the piece. I am really jazzed about the concept and the competition. It's to be downloaded to MoveOn.org's website. If it wins it could be televised nationally during the week of the State of the Union. When it's uploaded, I'll be sure to beg for your vote.
I'm also directing Tex in the City's latest installment of the "4: Your Consideration Art Series" on December 10th. If you're in the neighborhood you should come by and say hello.
Plans are moving on "Stop Kiss" which I'll be co-producing and directing in May as well. We're looking at the 29th Street Rep for location.
So things are rolling along. I'm still dating and mingling and walking my dog. I've asked Mr. Cheaver aka Rhett to bow out of our ArtBar business so I can actually get the ball rolling. I had my last straw with him a few weeks ago and have come to the conclusion the bar will never see light of day while we are collaborating. Speaking of which, it's amazing to me how small, infinitesimal, even accidental that last straw can be. It's still the last straw and when you put even that whisp on the stack of straws that have been building, the back breaks.
So much to do and so little time and there's a possibility I'll be cooking my first turkey this Thanksgiving.
Posted by mermu at 02:14 PM | Comments (2)
November 12, 2003
The Real Pork Party
After reading this latest news story, I find it hard to believe anybody could accuse the democrats of big government. It's really interesting that the Clinton era managed to stick to an average 2.4 perscent rise in spending, while Bush has achieved a whopping 24% increase in government spending. So what pigs are they feeding? Halliburton? Probably. The one thing I know for sure, those farmers sure aren't feeding me. I guess I don't have enough meat in my bank account on which their campaigns can chew.
There also seems to be a renaissance of the Republican ideal of a government shut down. Seems Republicans don't want to solve actual problems of the nation, they'd rather bitch and moan about the fact they aren't gonna get their way. This is why I love teasing Republicans. After 30 hours of bullshit, they are still gonna lose this battle, and they are going to look like completely inept putzes for throwing such a temper tantrum. They're spoiled brats really, these GOP Senators. Yes, Orrin you have to share the government with all the American people, not just the one's you like. .
Posted by mermu at 03:52 PM | Comments (2)
November 10, 2003
Tangerine Dream
Well, as you may have noticed it was recently my birthday. One of my favorite and much-wished-for gifts was this little gem. I've already used it to make an apple crisp and it is everything the moniker implies....a dream!!! 
Thanks to "the Gift Consortium" for this wonderful present.
Posted by mermu at 12:38 PM | Comments (3)
November 06, 2003
On the 3
Check this out. I discovered this website awhile back but was a little concerned about joining back in the day. Now I've decided to take the plunge.
I've chosen the 3 line at the Times Square stop because that is the subway I take most often once I get in the city these days.
I figure if Mr. Cleaver (nee Rhett)'s girlfriend can find my family's website by googling Mr. C's name, then any attempt at anonymity when one keeps a blog is pure pretense. Not to mention the time that my ramblings outed one of the Psuedonyms for cheating on his too-good-for-him-girlfriend with me- unbeknownst to me or she of course. (NOTE TO KARLS: I know I used the improper pronoun thank you very much. It's artistic license and rhyme-y. So *&!# off. And I'm not editing it! PS. The "*&!#" means "buzz" I promise.)
Posted by mermu at 01:03 AM | Comments (2)
November 01, 2003
Happy Birthday To ME
It's my Birthday baby!
Posted by mermu at 01:01 AM | Comments (6)