O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!

I'm speaking of course about the fill I'll be receiving tomorrow. I totally forgot about it. I've been able to eat solids for about 2 weeks now and back to liquids I go! I hope I don't have problems. Right now I can eat about 3/4 of what I used to eat so I know a fill is in order. I'm just pre-dreading any side effects that may come my way. Something tells me I'll be just fine, though.

I made another connection today: I spoke with a fella that owns a production company. He's just finishing up pre-production on a full-length film. Actually, he just got the final script treatment back, so he's still got some work to do. Anyhow, I don't know how good this guy's work is, but I DO know that he's got access to a butt-load of equipment and he's willing to work with me on it! I told him about our current production and he seemed very interested in working "Camera C" for it. He's got a track, and I NEED a track. We'll see how he does. He's got friends at USC and hopes to go there, too. Maybe he wants to go over with me when I check it out. Right now I'm going with my friend Angie, who's brother is going to USC film school, in March. We're going to mosy on over to my cousin's house and then he'll join us at USC. It's gonna be one heckuva time! You're jealous, c'mon, admit it!

I'm being cursed

So far on this lap band journey, I've been telling everyone that I was out for Kidney surgery and that's the reason for my restricted diet, recovery time, etc. Well, yesterday that lie came back to bite me. Hard. Right in the kidney.

I gave birth to a 5mm kidney stone which I think I'll call "Rocky," at about 12:00 AM this morning. It hurt like the dickens, but the morphine made it all better. And thank goodness for Percoset!

In light of this discovery, I made a rather disenchanting phone call to the Ogden clinic today. Remember how I thought I was bleeding internally? Ah, no. It was the stone doing it. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, and I did suspect it, but the doctor couldn't see it on her X-Ray so quickly dismissed it as surgery related. The E.R. doc said that sounded like a very uneducated guess. TRUE THAT! I call it an uncaring guess. She couldn't immediately tell what the problem was so she just cried surgery. So I made the call. And hopefully she'll be given a stern talking-to about it. The good news in all of this is that it passed 3 days before I go on vacation and not ON vacation (could you imagine the horror, the HORROR!).

Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater

It wasn't exactly pumpkin I ate today. It was deli roast beef, oh yeah, and taco soup. It went down SO easy, in taste and in esophageal function. The plan this week: More cheating! Mind you, good healthy cheating is what the plan is. My doc says I can't have solids until week 5. Well, it's week 4 and my stomach said it was OK. I think the extra week is for those who don't heal as fast as I do. Yeah, that's the ticket. But you'll be happy to know I passed up all sweets today - even the cake from hell that Susan brought into work today.

I've also decided to work out twice a day on the days I do weight training. It just doesn't seem right without the cardio. Cardio makes it allllllllll better. The scale hasn't really moved in a week for me, but my pants are still getting looser, so I'm sure I'm losing fat and perhaps gaining back water weight, muscle, whatever. I don't care what it does as long as it has a shrinking action to it.

On another note (no pun intended) I did a little search on the Internet for local bands. Seems like there's no real Frank Zappa-style bands out there any more, let alone one that wants a jazz violist. I'll have to use my computer nerd skills to find one. Heck, maybe I'll start one and use my little 14-year-old bro. He's not bad on the guitar. He thinks he's Jimi Hendrix. Bryce can play the... uh... triangle... thingy...er...

So my cuz heard that I wanted to go to USC in the Fall. This got him all excited because HE wants to go to USC. So maybe I'll have someone to live with after all. I was just planning on copping a squat under a bridge or something. Heck, that'd make a great documentary anyway, but I figure there's less chance of... uh... death... this way. I plan on visiting the mouse every weekend. There's something sinister behind those big eyes and I'm going to find out what it is. I guess it's that obstinate skeptic in me that thinks anything that happy and organized must be evil.

Live Support Group = Falling asleep in class

Today at 10:00 AM I hauled myself down to SLC for my lap band support group. I, of course, was late, as usual, on account of my hair and not wanting to wake up early enough to curl it. So I enter the room as everyone stares at me. I know they're thinking, "Hot pink is RIGHT!" Just kidding. So I sat down (first mistake) and listened to the support group leaders talk my ears off. Support group, in my mind, means a group of people discussing questions and things of that nature. Nope. You get to listen, that's it. Not only do you have to listen, but you have to listen to them drone ON AND ON with information we've all already heard before. It went for 1.5 hours like this. I was nauseated, and not on account of the band. I'm going to write them a suggestion about this. I think their expertise is great, and I think they should definitely take 10 minutes or so to explain new things or tips and tricks, but for an hour and a half?

Okay, so I've been cheating with my eating. It's true. I've had a few baked potatoes, some tortilla soup where I had to chew the chicken, etc. Honestly, I don't feel bad about it. There has been no pain associated with any of these. I've never been able to stand eating the same thing over and over (with the exception of the amazing Sweet Pork salad at Costa Vida). So in one week and two days, I'm SO on solids.

The Salt Lake Symphony is not working out right now. I'm supposed to play for them once their lead violist goes on sabbatical, but she's freakin' not going! I refuse to play for the New American Symphony. If I'm going to be a music elitist I'm not going to play for a wanna-be symphony. Again, maybe I should just find myself some local jazz group and find out if I can play some new-age jazz viola for them. I can freak out in the key of a-tonal like the best of them. Plus, it's a cool sound that many jazz groups haven't even considered. I think a quartet is out for me. I've been in many a quartet, they like to play baroque. I like to play freaky new-age stuff, and jazz. But quartets like to play weddings, and gigs that, well... pay. I'm not interested in that.

Movie talk time: Buckley, you're right. This is a tough movie with so many scenes. You ARE going to do a lot of acting, but just practice those facial expressions in the mirror. I know that psychotic and endearing look nearly the same on you, but I think that's the beauty of it. Subtlety's the key. Just ONCE, however, I'd like to hear you say, "I'll be in my trailer!" Promise? The funeral scene is going to be freakin' amazing. But once we get the script treatment we may have to revise it. Any idea when that's coming? Oh yeah, and who's doing it again?

A Haiku for you

My ability
To think is lost forever
I've nothing to say

Actually, that's a lie. I always have plenty to say. But first, a question: Is I've one word or two? Because if it's two, the above "poem" is not a Haiku but a bunch of meaningless meanderings. It's like playing poker and having a straight flush with one card in a different suit.

Today I went to the gym and did some upper-body weight training. It kicked my proverbial butt. I am barely typing right now as my arms want to drop to my side and never move again. But I also weighed myself. Down 20 pounds. Gotta love this whole weighing thing when the evil scale is on your side. My dad says to me today, "Just think, this time next year we'll be saying, 'Where's Georgia? Oh, there she is, behind that telephone pole.'" Ha ha (she said sarcastically). I'm sooooooo slight.

So I met with my two wonderfully creative and fun friends today for Buckley's birthday lunch. Buckley gave me a lift home and gave me some great suggestions for the funeral scene. We huddle people in the funeral and shoot their backs. And then we move to a car (donated by Mr. Atkinson himself! Harrrrrr) where we see the boy and his father sit. The father (we never see his face) is obviously withdrawn from his loss. The boy scoots by his father and attempts to comfort him and receives no reciprocation, so he scoots back, thus beginning his withdrawn childhood and his need to "purify" himself with the light that so reminds him of his mother and makes him forget the bad things he's done or the things he's scared of. Yessssss. We can do some great angles here, in addition to having Jensen's brilliant acting skills. Tentative filming date: October 29.

Buckley also suggested after this ever-so-light twisted tale of a psycho's addiction we're filming, we do an actual comedy, something we're most likely to be better at. I'm all for the mockumentary of the indie filmmaker filming a movie in a 10X10 shed. We laughed at least 1/4 of the way home about ideas for this comedy. I, of course, had no brain or creativity today so I could only laugh at his ideas. Come see me tomorrow. I'll have had more sleep by then.

BTW, Atkinson (if you are reading this), I think you have it in you to be an actor. We've wanted to do an office comedy for some time now (WAAAAAY before "The Office" came out). I think you should be in it. You seem a creative guy, plus you have the greatest facial expressions and body language. You're already halfway there! Want to help with this one, too (besides donating your car)?