Chanukah Sameach!!!!

May everyone who celebrates have a lovely, brightly lit holiday!!! My friend and I went to her Temple's Chanukah celebration last night. It was a BLAST!!!!! There were SO many kids-- and I mean YOUNG kids there!! They had a little 'volleyball' area set up with some great little 'beach' balls for the kids to hit back and forth, they had a crafts table, and best of all, great food!!! Latkes and kugel! YUM!!!!!!!!!!! It was great. There was a wonderful DJ there, too. He played some GREAT music (60s and 70s for us 'old folks' I guess! LOL!) and he got the kids, especially, but some of us 'big kids,' too, involved in dancing. He taught them the macarena, they did the limbo, the Electric Slide and we did the YMCA. It was a great, fun time!! They lit the Chanukah candles, and P. and I left a little early-- the kids were still dancing!! Mazel tov to all who worked so hard to make that wonderful night happen for the kids.

Today I went to DC and had my headshots done again. The guy who did them is great. He is funny (just SILLY funny) and is able to really relax you. The woman who did make-up (who I think is his wife) is good, too. I got to see a lot of the shots and a cd to bring home to look at to decide which ones I want him to retouch and make masters of. It was most definitely worth it! I can't wait to get them repro'd and sent out! DEFINITELY much better, from what I saw, than either of the other two I have had do them. Expensive, but very reasonable when you're talking about a NY photographer... and actually cheaper than the first guy I had do them a few years ago.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Well, she most certainly did help!!!! I think she gave me the key, and I hope I can do what she wants me to do!!!!! She helped a lot, and was very positive... but she told me that my headshot was 'REALLY, REALLY bad," and not to send it out to anyone... I knew it wasn't great, but I didn't think it was HORRIBLE. Oh, well... off to NY I will be. I didn't want to spend that much money, but it will be worth it to FINALLY have a headshot I can get work from.

I spent as much on my first ones several years ago (not including hair and makeup) as a couple of names I've been given, so I guess it will be worth the investment. I just have to find time to spend a day in NY, and that's not easy, either. Not to mention either driving up there or trying to carry what I need on either the train or bus. ACK! Oh, well, we'll see, but it's going to HAVE to be NY.

We really worked on 'strippping,' as she calls it-- distilling it down to the very basics. It was EXCELLENT, and 'grueling,' but very definitely worth it. I really DO understand now why I haven't booked a whole lot of film/tv auditions I've gone on. Now, I have to work on the 'vulnerability.' Tomorrow's scenes are tailor-made for that, so hopefully I can really nail them! We discussed what types we were, and she was very clear and straightforward, even blunt about what was good and what didn't work, so it was VERY valuable. I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as good.

Then I went out with T's class for dinner. I only went really because of the special guest who was there-- and it was great to meet him! :) However, $25 for paella that had shrimp and mussels in it (which I didn't/couldn't eat), a salad that had mussels in it (which again, I couldn't/didn't eat--although the waitress brought me a separate side salad with no seafood, which was very nice of her, and the salad was ok), and some chicken thing which I don't THINK had seafood in it-- we'll know for sure in the next few hours!-- just was NOT worth it. Oh, well, the company was great and that's all that really matters!