Recap of the week

The panel went all right, I suppose. My friend, Mina came which totally surprised me. I didn't ask anyone to come, not even Mike cos I thought I would be too nervous. It was in my status update on Facebook but I was careful to update an hour before the event. I guess that explains why she came in late and distracted everyone. Lol

Some of the husbands of the other women came - one sat in the front row and incessantly took photographs. I sat next to Ellen, the costume designer and I thought she was amazing. She has a good 10 years on me in experience and in years but she was so insightful into the business and gave such great advice. Her husband was an electrician but he gave it up to run a gourmet hotdog place in Park Slope. I developed a little bit of a girl-crush on her (which never happens) and I might go to visit them this weekend with Mike.

They played my PSA before the panel began which was uncomfortable to say the least. The Mayor's Office lady who took great pleasure in discomfiting me said they have locked down a deal with the Tribeca Film Festival and now it's going to play before all the movies screened at the festival. It's also on tv (mostly during the day) and of course, those darned cabs are the worst. She gets tickled by the fact that I don't really like the spotlight. Urgh. When they screened the PSA on the white board behind me, I could see my uneven skin tone. It was just gross.

I recently found out that the entire crew for that PSA got paid full commercial rate. I felt a little strange 'cos I didnt. I actually thought we were all doing this as a labour of love but it turns out only I was! I don't know the other 7 people featured but you can be sure, if I run into one, I will ask. Of course I sound churlish considering I am now famous and "the face of Local 52" (as some of the guys are saying with great relish) but it was as much a chore for me as the other crew members...no?

I hosted a book club meeting on Monday - not a bad turnout - 6. One came all the way from PA! (She just moved there temporarily) The book in question was awful and a waste of time. Hopefully the next one - Off the Road by Carolyn Cassady - is better. It's from the beat generation which has never been my favourite but the whole point of this book club is to challenge my reading habits so I'm not complaining. The only guy who had signed up chickened out. I felt bad for him. I don't want the book club to be all women, but it seems like that's what it usually is.

My husband takes the opportunity to attend a "book club" of his own when I have a book club meeting. He meets with Goose (Crystal's bf - another book club member) and with their book club of 2, proceed to take advantage of a spouse-less night at a local bar. I have to say his book club meetings with Goose are more regular than mine.

The In Laws are coming this weekend which will be fun because it's going to be a balmy 50F! We are thinking of taking them to the Cloisters which is a medieval art gallery/nunnery up in Harlem. It has a medieval garden too which they are very protective of (I know this 'cos we've shot in there before and they freaked out if you even breathed near the quince bush). I think it will be a nice day to walk around.