Where did I leave off??

It's been a busy few days. Let's see if I can get you all caught up...

Tuesday evening, I got a call from my manager telling me that I had a "really good" audition for "Lincoln Heights". I looked at the script and got excited about it. It was a mom who had lost her children due to drug use and was going to see one for the first time in several years. A meaty scene instead of 1 line (though 1 line can pay some bills too, don't get me wrong). This is the kind of role I LOVE because of the creativity & emotional range I get to experience while doing it, but I got stuck. I couldn't really do what the role demanded for some reason--probably some combo of nervous excitement and rust. So I relied on my technique to get me there, worked on it, rehearsed with a friend on Wednesday night (a fellow Meisner-ite), then met with a coach on Thursday morning. I went in R-E-A-D-Y! I wore no make up and did nothing to my hair (not the way to bring sexy back, let me tell ya), so I grabbed my cowboy hat and a pair of shades and headed to the audition. I got some strange looks, but I just used it for the scene--I'm sure drug addicts get LOTS of strange looks. I got to the audition and saw some people that I recognized, but b/c I was in "disguise", they didn't recognize me. There were a lot of strange characters floating around there, though. One woman kept stomping up & down the street yelling obscenities (in English AND Spanish, thankyouverymuch) and arguing with nobody in particular. I had read all of the sides for the show, so I knew she was an actress also, and not just another L.A. nutjob. (Or maybe those two aren't mutually exclusive descriptions.) Then I saw some woman who actually looked like a crack addict walking down the street smoking a cigar. Alrighty, then.

I went in, the CDs looked me kinda strange until I took off my hat and my glasses and did my thing. I felt good about it, and didn't want to ruin that good feeling by over-analyzing it so I just shook it off and went to my next audition: A one-liner for "The Watch". Easy as pie.

The next morning I was getting ready for my weekend trip to Palm Springs and my manager called to tell me that she got a call from the Lincoln Heights CD, and they loved me. (Yayy!) I was happy to hear that I had made a couple of new fans. This was my first time in front of them and I really wanted to make a great impression. HOWEVER, they couldn't hire me for this role because I'm too big to be a crack addict. Very true. This was something I noticed when reading the script, but worrying about stuff like that is not my job. My job is to bring the character to life. The CD told my manager that they would call me back in as soon as they have something suitable. I consider this a success story. I didn't get the job, but that's okay. Seriously. What's mine is mine.

I went to Palm Springs (pix later) and it was...interesting. Got back today and was so exhausted I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Opened my apartment door and the biggest wasp I have ever seen was flying around in my apartment. I promptly proceeded to have a nervous breakdown. I stood in the doorway for about 25 minutes, called a friend of mine (wasn't reachable), then asked my apartment manager to come in and help a damsel in distress. I apologized because this really isn't his job, but unless he wanted me to take up residence in the hallway, something clearly needed to happen, and fighting wasps ain't in my constitution. I fell asleep on the couch, and woke up at midnight--STARVING. Nothing here to eat, so I went up the street to Wendy's (closed), then drove to an all-night Mickey D's (healthy). It's now after 4AM, and I have LOTS to do tomorrow...including an audition for "The Shield".

I'm getting in for lots of TV auditions now and feeling good about that. I'm really building my career brick by brick. How blessed am I??

Good night.

--Nicole