What I’ve Been Up To

I realize it’s been over a year since I last wrote a blog.  Well, I’m making it a goal to get back to it and my Auntie Donna told me to.  Last year I was sick a lot.  Nothing serious, just a cold, after stomach bug, then sinus infections.  This blog will just be a quick summary of what I’ve been up to this year.  For starters, Amy Brenneman chose to produce my one act play “Sideshow” for an event to raise money for CHIME Charter School.  She got Taye Diggs, whom I absolutely love, to act in my play.  Dreams do come true!  I tweaked the play to fit the cast, all the while, taking a pilot writing class at UCLA Extension.  I’m happy to say that the play went better than I could have imagined.  However, my pilot is a piece of shit.  You win some, you lose some.  God forbid my ego gets too inflated.

Also while this was happening, I put together a staged reading of “Stuck in Neutral” which I co-wrote with Matt Chorpenning.  “Stuck in Neutral” is based on a book of the same title by Terry Trueman.  We do have the rights to the book!  The staged reading was fantastic!  The play needs some rewrites (I should be doing that now but I’m writing this), then we should be able to go into production.  Yes, that means you will be getting asked to donate money to a Kickstarter account.

I took a break from stand-up comedy because I had a lot going on.  But, my fellow comic and friend Chris Fonseca got me a guest spot with Pablo Francisco.  It was one of the best shows I’ve ever done.  The Irvine Improv was packed.  The energy from the crowd almost knocked me over.  The rush was amazing!

Perhaps, the biggest change is Nick and I getting our own apartment.  For more than a year, we lived at my mom’s house with her and her boyfriend.  Just imagine you and your significant other living with your mom and her significant other.  Take your time.  Keep thinking about it.  The rest of my blog isn’t going anywhere.  It’s a strange and scary thing to think about isn’t it?  I reached a point where I felt comfortable enough depending on my assistant when Nick wasn’t around that I didn’t need to live with my mom.  I also knew my relationship with Nick couldn’t move forward in that living situation.  Luckily, Nick got a new job and we were able to find an apartment.  The manager was very open and accommodating to my needs.  I was worried about being able to find an accessible apartment.  The hardest part about moving was leaving my dogs.  Although we have two cute kitties now, I miss my dogs and visit them often.  I have a feeling I will be the crazy old lady with a dozen dogs and cats when I’m older.

The end of June through the beginning of July, I had three weeks off from school.  I was really looking forward to this, however, the three weeks didn’t exactly play out with the relaxation I had hoped for.  My mom’s boyfriend was in and out of the hospital for about two weeks.  He’s at home, recovering now, but he was in the ICU.  Then, my Auntie Lucy died.  She’s not a blood relative.  She’s a relative by choice.  This has been really hard on me.  I didn’t see her that often, but I talked to her on the phone quite a bit.  She always supported me in my passions.  I know she would want me to write, so I’m writing this partly because of her.  She’s the closest person I’ve lost so far.  I’m glad we spent last Christmas together.  She got to meet Nick and Stella, my dog.  She loved them both.  The only comfort I find is that she’s no longer in pain.  She had Dystonia, which caused her great discomfort.  It saddens me that I won’t be able to go to her memorial because of doctor’s appointments.  I feel like she’s watching over me.

Our good friend Paul moved to Australia on Saturday to be with his partner.  Australia is a much more progressive country and allows gay couples the same rights as straight couples.  I’ve known Paul for eleven years.  He’s been a huge part of my life.  For half of those years, I saw him at least once a week.  He could make any situation funny.  I will miss him a lot, but I look forward to visiting Australia.  Before Paul left, we went to see “Magic Mike.”  We thought the movie was so terrible, we couldn’t stop laughing.  I fell on the floor as we were leaving the mall and just laid there laughing.  Paul laid down next to me and we continued to talk about how awful the movie was.  Two mall security guards approached us, asking if we needed help.  The only help me needed was getting that awful movie out of our heads.  It’s moments like this that Skype cannot replace.  I’m happy that Paul and Marwin can finally be together in a country that fully accepts them.

I just started another pilot writing class at UCLA Extension, so I probably should go work on the pilot idea.  This is the last class before I get my certificate and I’m determined to make the script not suck.  I will write more later.