A Girl Named Bazooka

When I was twelve my dad's girlfriend (who I hated) had a sixteen year old daughter who I worshiped. I loved going over to his house just to see her. I loved everything about her from her Led Zeppelin posters to the money that was always casually strewn on her floor. (I'd go home and toss some money on my floor too, but I always ended up picking it up. It was money!) Her name was Ann Marie but everyone called her Dee Dee. Just as much as I adored her, she ignored me. If I spent a full eight hours at their house and she just said, "Hey" to me, I was happy. At the time I thought she was this older mature woman. Looking back I realize she was just a teenager who, I'm sure, was very sick of having a twelve year old stare at her.

When she wasn't around, which was often (I like to pretend it wasn't because of me), I'd stand in the doorway to her room and just look around. I wanted to be her. I thought she was the coolest. I remember her blasting, "Heat of the Moment" by Asia and thinking that was the hardest rock song I'd ever heard.

Since I was too young to dress like her and too organized to keep my room like hers, I decided I wanted a nickname like she had. If I could just come up with something clever and catchy, I knew I'd be as cool as she was. I thought about it for all of a few hours when it hit me. The coolest, hippest name I could imagine: Bazooka. If I could just get everyone to call me Bazooka, I knew I wouldn't be ignored by her any longer. The trick was to get everyone to start calling me by my new self-appointed nickname. Not as easy as you'd think.

I started by calling my dad's house and when she answered I'd say, "Hey, Dee Dee, it's me, Bazooka. Is my dad there?" (I cringe just typing that.) Since nobody ever questioned it, I figured my new name was working. (Although, Dee Dee still didn't talk to me.)

I was really getting into having my own nickname when my dad's birthday rolled around. I thought, here's the perfect time to announce my new name to a room full of people.

My dad opened his presents and when he got to my card, he lingered. Somebody asked, "Who's it from?" My dad's response? "What the fuck is Bazooka?"

Horrified, I just slunk back and didn't say a word. That was the end of Bazooka.

Things I'm Thankful For

Since our Thanksgiving plans were changed, I decided to stop dwelling on my aching back and instead on the things I'm thankful for this year.

• Adopting Joey
• Mike, for everything
• Our business is busier than ever considering the economy
• I had two films made, and one in a film festival
• I've met some wonderful friends though Rochester Movie Makers
• We decided to home school Joey
• I've gotten closer with my girlfriends
• We started preparing to buy a house in the next few months
• I ate four pieces of chocolate chip banana bread today and didn't throw up
• Joey's OT and Speech therapist
• Joey spontaneously saying I love you a lot.
• The Yankees winning the World Series so my husband isn't grumpy
• Joey loving ancini de pepe, the one thing I can cook
• Our cars not breaking down
• The awesome bookshelf I got at the Hilton garage sale
• Keeping in touch with long lost friends and family on Facebook
• Joey's adoption party going just how we always imagined
• Joey's amazingly good behavior on a daily basis
• Taking turns with Mike sleeping in on weekends
• The years I spent with my grandma before she died last March
• The relationship with my ex-husband and his awesome wife
• Being done with jury duty for the next ten years
• Gordy Hoffman buying us Yankees souvenirs from the World Series and sending it to us
• The free piano from Kristen
• My iPhone
• My in-laws
• Having my dad to talk to about anything and everything

I'm How Old?

Yesterday I went to see my chiroprator again. He's a nice guy but I'm starting to think it's all a crock. This time he charged me $45 for less than a half hour and hardly did anything. He wants me to come back Monday to see how I'm doing. I wanted to say, "Can't you call me at home and ask how I'm doing? It'll save me another $45." I don't feel any better today than I did last Saturday. I'm doing my exercises, alternating hot and cold and walking around a little at a time, but I'm still in a lot of pain.

I thought my chiropractor was in his mid-fifties. He looks like one of my dad's cousins. When I asked if yoga or pilates would help strengthen by back when I'm better he said, "When you get to our age we need to exercise to keep flexible."

I'm sorry, our age? Does he actually think I'm in my mid-fifties?

I couldn't help myself. "Our age?" I asked. He looked at my chart. "Your're almost forty, and I'm forty-two. Not too far apart."

Right. I forget I'll be forty in a few months. Minus the back pain making me feel eighty, I consider myself around twenty-three. Sometimes twelve. I have noticed lately that people tell me I look in my late twenties, which I appreciate. But a year or two ago I was getting early to mid-twenties.

I really don't mind turning forty. In fact I'm looking forward to it. I don't feel old and luckily I don't look old. But I definitely don't like being compared to somebody I thought was fifty-five. Yikes.

Unexpected Shot

This morning our speech therapist told me they set up clinics for the h1n1 shot. I had no idea about this and haven't been following it. I admit I haven't done any research on the shot up until today. We called Joey's old doctor's office at the clinic (he has a new doc since being adopted) and talked to the nurse who we completely trust. She said if he was still in foster care they would have called us come in for the shot. Since he was born three months premature and has a weak immune system, she said he would be susceptible to death if he got the swine flu. We went to Irondequoit Mall and got in line. We were told it would be at least two hours. No sooner were we in line when a security guard came over and said there was a clinic on West Ave. (not a good neighborhood) that was empty. A bunch of people left the line and headed over to West Ave. We got there, filled out the paperwork for Joey and got in line. We realized that all the adults around us were getting it too, and decided to get our paperwork and have the shot since we take in babies and clean houses were people have/had the swine flu. It ended up taking about 40 minutes to get in and out. Poor Joey wasn't happy. On the news tonight it showed the Irondequoit Mall with people outside in the cold rain waiting for up to six hours. That's nuts. I'm thankful we were in and out and hope there are no side effects for anyone.

I've been cranking along on my script. I've been working on it every little chance I have. After the shots today, we went to IHOP for lunch, then Mike dropped us off at a play place while he went and cleaned a house. We were there over 2 1/2 hours and while Joey played non-stop, I wrote. I also met an older woman who seriously talked to me non-stop. I've never in my life met anyone like this. She's going to make a great character in my scirpt.

Scripts and Other Ideas

There I was, cranking away at my script, when suddenly I had an idea. An idea that may save my script, but it's a BIG one that will take a lot of work and rewriting. A few days ago I signed up for Pilar Alessandra's rewrite class. I actually thought it was the first draft class, so it was an accident that I signed up for it. I've thought about signing up for her classes before, but it's so expensive I've always decided not to. To attend a class in person it's about $400, but to have the workbook sent to you through email for six weeks is only $100. Still a lot, but turning out to be worth it.

Before I received the first part of the workbook, I decided to re watch her DVD that takes you from premise to outline. It's an excellent way for people like me (who struggle with structure) to get everything down. Throughout the DVD she'll tell you what to do, then give ten minutes for you to apply it to your own story (it's filmed in front of a live class, so they actually have the 10 minutes). When you're done you can listen to what the people in her class did to see if you're on the right path.

Anyway, part way through the DVD she has the class write out two loglines. One from your main character and one from the pov of another character. Once I did that I realized the story would be a lot more interesting coming from the pov of a different character. I've been struggling with writing from the pov of a 38 year old man. The other character is a 37 year old woman. Something I have a little experience with. Now I feel like I'm starting all over.

On another note, just as I was falling asleep last night I had a comedy sketch idea that I'm going to work on. The local TV channel here has been looking for sketches to put on. I just finished the script for one that we'll be filming soon, and now I have another idea.

Something pretty cool happened last week. Back in September I had signed up for Gordy Hoffman's first ten pages workshop. I've taken it before and got a lot out of it; both friends and advice. Plus, he cut the price in half since this is his hometown. I ended up not being able to attend the class in September because Joey was sick. I asked if he'd still be willing to give me his feedback for the $45 I paid, and he agreed. Fast forward two months and I still hadn't heard anything even though I've seen him and traded emails. Last week he posted a pic on Facebook from the World Series. I emailed him and asked if I could trade my feedback (and $45) for a World Series souvenir for my die-hard Yankees fan husband. He ended up sending my husband a Yankees Championship tshirt and a program from the game (plus paid over $10 in shipping). THEN the next morning he sent me my feedback! I felt weird about getting both things, so I emailed him thanking him for everything and asking what I owed him for the Yankees stuff. He emailed me back and said he owed me the feedback and the Yankees stuff was a gift. Isn't that crazy?