gearing up for week 5

It wasn't a bad Friday. We started at 6pm by the pier which meant the sky lightened around 5am and kept them from shooting and shooting shooting which they are prone to do. I was also under strict instructions to put a cap to it at 12 hours so combined with the checks being there at the call time, the crew was in a pretty jovial mood.

I took a ferry ride over with the producer that's my friend, JW. Just chatted about things, not necessarily work per se. While this is his first producing gig he's had very eclectic experiences around the business and lots of anecdotes that make him very interesting to talk to.

At the end of the night (at 6am) everyone shook hands and hugged in relief that the week was done. I had difficulty staying awake coming back to the city sitting in the car with my co-worker cos we were still an hour away from Brooklyn. I'm glad I didn't drive. When I saw Mike at last, it was such a strong sense of home. I could stop being the tough person from work (I'm not going to say 'bitch' cos I'm not like that at work exactly, but I am firm and stern - you have to be. It's a very male dominated business and a lot of working class sensibilities (although that's changing)) and just be myself again.

I'm not flattering myself when I say I handle stress well. It's mostly because I compartmentalise very well. I can literally separate my personas from one situation to another and stressful situations can be handled by another type of person than the person I am at home. Hence, I generally don't associate with work people after work. It keeps it easier. The friends we have are mostly Mike's and never ask me about work. I never discuss my job outside the generalities to most people. I think in many ways, this blog helps with keeping things apart. It makes it easier to leave work at work. It's one reason why I bought an Acura sedan vs a truck/SUV which would have made more sense in the business I am in. Definitely the sedan has been very inconvenient at times. But I like to know when I get into the car to drive home, I am actually not the same person I am at work.

Next week looks ok. Mike leaves for New Orleans to shoot the Essence Music festival. I toyed with the idea of flying down there but he would be working and I would be wandering the streets of New Orleans alone. Not unappealing but July 4th crowds make the thought less palatable. I might just go to the Hamptons where a friend is house sitting. The Grays will be there too. I am also dog sitting which promises to be fun - replace husband with dog.

Mike has been great these past 4 weeks. He never reads my blogs, I think he is uncomfortable with the idea of it as he's quite private even though he's very sociable. It's a Scorpio thing. He's been quietly supportive and he's seen me through some tough jobs and even he admitted this was one of the worst ones in terms of schedule and times. He's hardly seen me.

We are deep in NJ a few days next week and might have to stay over again. I was annoyed they told us this last minute cos I now have to contend with a dog. I was going to bring her to work since the lighting truck is my mobile office and she could hang out with me there somewhere in the country. Now I have to sneak her into some Days Inn somewhere. We have 2 tougher days Mon & Tues and then the next 2 days leading up to the long weekend will be much easier since we are shooting inside the RV driving around. I am really looking forward to that. The trucks all park in some lot somewhere and one person from each department gets into a follow vehicle while the camera shoots inside the moving RV. That means a lot of downtime for the rest of the people (myself included) and if I rotate the shift around everyone can relax at some point. A little paid holiday if you will...

Heading out to see a movie on the rooftop as part of the Rooftop Films with the Grays. It sounds nice to watch a movie outside with a drink or two to relax!