Had such a fun week what with volunteering for AARP and shooting a comedy pilot.

Throw IN a few auditions and the beginning of another season of DANCING WITH THE STARS and you have a very enjoyable few days.

Wednesday I spent 5 hours at the St. Francis Center in downtown LA working with 9 other AARP volunteers to help James Beard Award winning chef Adam Siegel and his sous chef Dan.  We  chopped, diced, sliced, stemmed, stirred, plated and presented about 150 meals.  It was a great deal of fun and to my surprise, hard work.  I tell you there ain’t nothing wimpy about cooking.  Oh my goodness, the endurance and strength needed to stand for very long hours, and haul around monster size pots filled with hot liquid.  But so very, very rewarding when you see the skid row clientS really dig in, and stop talking.  No one was chatting when the food was on the table.  So nice. Check out photos under Volunteering.

Thursday I gave 8 hours to the AARP Life@50+ Expo, 2 ½ of which were spent being a “counter” at the entrance of the convention center. I got very lucky when Marina & Darlette were assign along with me.  My we had a rollicking good time.  See photo under Volunteering.

Best part of the convention which I enjoyed thoroughly was hearing Jane Goodall speak.  She was so very inspirational.

Rounding out the week was Day 1 of 2 on FOREVER YOUNG AT HEART.  It is a comedy pilot presentation put together by a very bright, creative, and hungry group of friends.  We had 12 delicious hours working and bonding. When this show goes to series, the glue and heart is already in place.  Will post a photo as soon as I get the go ahead.

Sunday is Day 2 of 2.  I expect nothing more than another great 12 hours of creativity and fun.

Tom will be taking Part 1 of his 2 part camera class.  Another wonderful Groupon purchase that went along with his fancy new camera for his birthday.

If the day shakes out in time we’ll catch the screening of KILLER ELITE.

The week ahead is currently filled with errands and chores.  Will see the agent to sign a new contract, visit Joel to pick up his donations to my church charity auction, work on gift baskets for the auction, go shopping for clothes for an upcoming Palm Beach wedding, etc.  With any luck I’ll see an audition or two.

Speaking of which I am “unpinned” on the PRIME SUSPECT episode.  I like to believe there is one in my future.

Lunch on Thursday with Brenda Siqueiros, field rep for FREE WHEELCHAIR MISSION (FWM), one of our favorite charities.  She’s the one doing follow-up for me on the broken wheelchair I saw in the mountains of Honduras while on my Heifer International Study Tour.  The chair was clearly one of FWM so I jumped on the chance to get it fixed.

Will try to swing my the LA County Museum this week to see their new exhibit on California Modern Living.  Haven’t taken the time to read about it but I am never disappointed in their offerings.

Hope to catch two screenings on Saturday, 50/50 and DREAM HOUSE.

Rush to see THE DEBT.  It’s so good, truly Oscar worthy.

Did auditions and callbacks last week.  Came up with two “avails” for commercials and one “pin” for a drama.

It shook out by Thursday.  I got and shot a spot for WALMART.  Had a fabulous time with the amazing Kinka Usher.  This is my tenth commercial for that genius.

We shot two days 7000 feet up in the Angelus Forest.  Check out my Behind the Scenes photos 2010's for full details.

Did not get the ARCO but that went to pal Dale.  Yay!

Still waiting to hear about the drama but not holding my breath.  Normally I would have heard by now, so....

Tom is trying out his new fancy camera by taking head shots of me.  I desperately need a new one so we figured why not.  Haven’t nailed the lighting yet but we sure are having fun with it.                                               
Due to my shooting schedule I heard I missed one hilarious production of ONE MAN TWO GUVNERS.  So it goes.

Got a bunch of donated items to our block club president in preparation for our annual garage sale.  One of the volunteers is coming by after Mass on Sunday to pick up a giant TV, the old fashioned kind.  Happy to get that out of our guest room closet.

I’ll be watching the EMMYS most of the day.  Will you?

Monday Tom and I go for our annual eye exams.  I know I’ll be getting stronger glasses and hopefully nothing else.  The doc told me two years ago I have a cataract growing.  Eventually I’ll have to have it removed.  I just as well wait on that if you know what I mean.

Winnie and I will be working on charity baskets as I will drop off hers and mine on Wednesday at the St. Francis Center where I will be volunteering with an AARP sponsored James Beard Award winning chef who will be at the non profit making a fabulous meal for their “clients.”  I expect I’ll be a sou chef for the day.

As it is a charity Tom and I have long supported, I figured I’d save a step and bring the baskets early for their October 4 fund raiser.

That evning I have a two hour rehearsal for a charming pilot presentation I am doing called FOREVER YOUNG AT HEART.  We will do the actual filming on Saturday.

I’m be volunteering at the AARP Life @50+ Convention starting Thursday.  I’ve been assigned “Movies for Grownups” from 8:30 to 11 AM.  Mary Pat and Mary are joining me afterwards to visit the rest of the convention.  Everything they are offering sounds so interesting.  I’m really looking forward to this.

I read about another opportunity to volunteer with the Skid Row Housing Trust’s annual Dish Depot event this Friday.  They need helpers to set up and staff the event where skid row shoppers who live in the organization’s 1500 apartments are invited in to shop for old dishes donated by Heath Ceramics.  Each visitor can select up to 8 pieces leaving enough for everyone who comes.  The idea is so simple: that having a set of matching dishes leads one to feel integrated into the larger community.  I think that is true.  And it also makes it simpler to invite someone to break bread with you.  I hope it works out that I can volunteer for it.

I shoot on Saturday as I mentioned above.  If I get out in time I’ll go to a party given by Mary Pat Green to celebrate her birthday.  I’d love to be there to ring in another year with her.

America holds her breath today, praying there is no terrorist action on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I pray for that and for Ruth, my friend celebrating  her birthday.  Rock on, Babe!

Last week I completed my 5 pilates classes at BODYLINE Fitness Studio in Beverly Hills.  I have to tell you, this is a very impressive operation.  What I like best is the excellent instructor I had, Izumi Takiguchi.  She is so knowledgeable, detail oriented, constantly tweaks each person in the group class as she effortlessly moves us thorough our demanding paces. I recommend this pilates studio to anyone who wants to see what it’s all about.  www.bodylinela.com

Had four auditions last week.  Hope to nail something before the end of the month. 

The party for Mia went wonderfully well.  Everyone was genuinely enthused about the celebration and send off, as she aims to take a bite out of the Big Apple. She arrived last Tuesday.

Saturday was date night and we loved every bit of it.  Had dinner at The Grove’s Marmalade Café before heading over to The Academy for a screening of CONTAGION.  Enjoyed it but didn’t knock my socks off.

I’m expecting big things from THE DEBT on Sunday evening.  So much buzz and we are entering that rarefied time where all the good movies open in hopes of picking up Oscar momentum.

After my annual mammorgram on Monday I’m heading over to Prospect Park to do an audition for PRIME SUSPECT.  I’ll be meeting Mary Pat to hand off a couple of novels she wants to read before I give them to my sisters in early October. Just a little reciprocal charity as she gave me BRIDGE OF SIGHS which I am enjoying.

Wednesday evening Winnie and Scott are meeting us at Samba in Redondo Beach for Brazilian BBQ.  Turns out it was the same place I did the Heifer event a few weeks ago.

While Tom takes an art class the next night I’ll be seeing the screening of the National Theatre’s production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNERS.

Will start learning the script for a pilot presentation I am shooting soon.  If I didn’t have two lines of Japanese to master, I’d be looking at the material 3 days before filming, instead of two weeks.

We had such a nice time at my cousin wedding as well as the few days prior visiting more family. These are cousins that grew up with me in St. Louis.  They’ve all relocated to Santa Fe/Albuquerque so I don’t see them as often as I’d like. What a wonderfully relaxing four days.

The day we got back Tom headed for bed and I unpacked, changed clothes and went to the last 90 minutes of an Ice Cream Social put on by our historical society.

I ended up wining two auction prizes and a cake during the cake walk.  Can you stand it?   

Turned out the cake came in very handy as we had an impromptu dinner party for six the following night. Mary Pat had 3 grade school chums in town, all of whom I’ve known or heard about for years.  So she brought the roasted chicken and appetizer and we filled out the menu with salad, yams and cake.  Such a great evening.

Have managed to take a third pilates reformer class and one barre class.  I’m telling you on day two I ache but not as bad as I thought I would.  Am still not a convert but those who do it have my respect.  One more barre and my Groupon is used!

Had a real scare the day after we got back when everything in our basement freezer thawed, about $300 of Omaha Steaks and Costco jumbo purchases.

I spent a few hours shifting food from there to two other refrigerator top freezers, while moving their contents to the lower fridge sections.  Then I tested the upright freezer over night.  It worked just fine.  Apparently Tom didn’t close it completely when he went down for a fudge sickle.  I just couldn’t believe everything could thaw in 5 hours but it did.  So I shifted it all back to it’s original home in preparation for a BIG shopping I had to do in preparation for our goddaughter’s party on Sunday.

Last Friday I baked two German Chocolate Cakes in to the wee hours, while straightening the house.  Then Tom got up early on Saturday and Mia, our goddaughter came at 8 AM to go to the flower mart with him.  They bought gorgeous sunflowers for the deck, and roses for the dining room. 

By 10 AM Mia’s Mom, Lisa was here to roll up her sleeves make the quiches.  We got three done with the fourth one being made Sunday before our guests arrive.

I’ve taken all the photos, cards and letters from the past 23 years and put them into a scrapbook for her.  We’re also giving her a delicate gold necklace and earrings set, in a little hand painted jewelry box I bought in St Petersberg a few years ago. I’m very excited to see her reaction to these gifts.  I think they’ll be a perfect fit.
                               
I booked a job last week in that I will be doing a pilot presentation at the end of the month.  More about that as it approaches.

On Tuesday I start working on securing charity donations for the many auction gift baskets I have committed to providing. That will take a good deal of time throughout the month.

I intend to go to my block club meeting this month.  Haven’t been in ages and they are having the garage sale soon.  I’ve been cleaning closets and drawers for months.  Can’t wait to move it all out.

Saturday Tom and I are going out to dinner and then to see CONTAGION.

Happy birthday to my niece Cindy and pal Lorilynn.  May this be your best year ever.