Just qualified for SAG insurance, WHAT?

I went to the LA Premiere of Levy Lee Simon's play "The Bow Wow Club" last night. If you haven't seen it, go see it! It's running all month on Fridays and Saturdays at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. There was a reception afterwards, and I didn't get home until around 1:15AM or so. I checked my mailbox (looking for a paycheck that didn't come), and "what in the world...?" I had a package of insurance stuff from SAG. My first thought is "they must have made a mistake." I am SAG-eligible, but haven't yet joined and thought I couldn't be eligible for insurance until I had joined. Wrong. I stayed up another 45 mins. or so, sifting through the paperwork, and yep, I, who have not had health insurance since I left the employ of Chubb Insurance in 2003 (and been MUCH healthier since then) can have health insurance for less than $800 a YEAR!! How cool.

I need to book something else. Maybe I can start by, I don't know...getting an AUDITION for something!! I've slacked on drops b/c I'm working 2 jobs right now, but I just did a mailing and ain't heard n'er word from NOBODY (my "southside of Chicago English comes out when I get salty). Been doing workshops too.

Well, just gotta trust that the work I've put in will pay off, and keep plugging away. My commercial agent went on vacation. When he gets back I'm going to confer with him about my next step to get us PAID. Maybe I need to take a commercial workshop.

And I'm going to cut my hair. Everytime I get the notion to let it grow, the amount of mental energy I expend on figuring out what to do with it seems like a waste. I'd rather cut it off and expend mental energy on more important issues.

I've already expressed that I am not the most social person in the world, so last night at the play, and even moreso at the reception, it was great to see familiar faces. Not talking about the famous people: the legendary Glynn Turman, Bokeem Woodbine--whose mother was in the play, and Ella Joyce, who was the most down-to-earth woman you ever want to meet, but friends from college. People who have known one another since before getting into this crazy business. People that, though I don't talk to them on a daily basis, I feel I can trust to pull me aside and say "Nicole, you trippin'. Let me help you get back on track." And I would do the same for them. They are out here doing their THANG

I'ma give them some props here so you can look 'em up from time to time and see what they're doing. Give 'em a shout out or something. SOME of them have been remiss about putting their credits on IMDb, but I'm going to pull their coattails about that:

Elgin Burnette
Lanre Idewu
Levy Lee Simon

Ciao! I'm finna go to the doctor since I got health insurance. lol (Just kidding!) It's 1AM and I'm going to bed. Gotta get up early and try to do a drop at the SAG building. The ABC diversity casting deadline is tomorrow, and I just found out about it!!

--Nicole