Random, scattershot update

Hi there! It's been a while, eh? (<-No, I'm not Canadian but I grew up in Erie, PA - which is pretty darn close.) So, since there's so much that's happened since blogged last, I thought I'd give the Reader's Digest version.

Back in June/early July, we went on a SCUBA trip to Saba, N.A. Wow, was that place beautiful. Some of the best diving I've experienced yet, and a tiny, unspoiled island from which to enjoy it. The residents are friendlier than any I've ever come across, as well. Maybe because the main activities are hiking and diving - so the tourist influx isn't overwhelming enough to annoy them. Regardless, fabulous trip. The kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa - they also had a great time being spoiled by their grandparents and playing with their cousins. So it was a winning week all around.

At the end of the summer, we took another trip, this time all four of us. Hubby went on a business trip to London back in May and the pictures he sent back enthralled the kids so much, they wanted to go, too. They've become big Doctor Who fans over the past year, so they really wanted to go to The Doctor Who Experience. But it closes in November. So we needed to find a time to go before then. Rather than jump through the hoops of getting approval from the school to take them out for more than two days, we just put the trip at the end of their summer vacation. Spent the first couple of days staying with friends in Derby (which is pronounced Darby, and is a couple hours north of London). Then a few days in Cheddar - exploring the countryside, visiting castles, hiking Cheddar Gorge, visiting my ancestral hometown and on our way from the country to London - STONEHENGE! Coolness everywhere; it was amazing. Then we continued on to London, where we hung out with friends, saw a show (The 39 Steps - hilarious!), enjoyed London's gorgeous parks, historical sites, museums, restaurants and one big shopping trip to Harrod's. Took the tube just about everywhere - which was one of the kids' favorite parts. Oh, and of course, our trip to The Doctor Who Experience - which was lots of fun.

Then the school year began. Both kids are in elementary school now - in school all day, taking the bus together, the whole shebang. And while you'd think with all of the extra solo time, I'd be all productive and stuff...you'd be wrong. *sigh* Oh well...

Still doing the QVC gig. My weekly Tuesday morning Denim & Co. slot is ongoing - but I've also got some other work recently, which is great! Recently, I've been modeling for Stan Herman. He primarily does pajamas and loungewear. This stuff is outrageously comfortable! Also, I did a couple of stints for a brand called Women With Control - which is basically clothing with the shapewear built in. Pretty neat idea, huh? I think I may have to do some of my Christmas Shopping with QVC. After all, I have them to thank for having my own spending money - not to mention getting out of the house and being an actual grown-up with social interactions and everything. How cool is that?

So, there you go...you're pretty much up to date now. What should I blog about next time?

I have a job!

Hey all!

First off, allow me to apologize (again) for neglecting this space for so long. I'm not so good with the regular posting, yeah? I do what I can. Hopefully, when I do manage to get something up here, you find it interesting.

Anyway, one of the reasons I've been too busy to post is that I have a weekly, paying gig now! Yay me, right? Now, before you get all excited, I must admit that this windfall is only one hour (sometimes two) per week. You see, I've landed myself a gig as a petite model on QVC - the Tuesday morning Denim & Co. show, to be precise.

This is all a bit surreal to me. I did a little bit of modeling when I was much younger...like, 25 years ago. That never quite went anywhere, so finding myself in a position where I'm actually getting paid to look nice after so many years (and at least ten pounds heavier, to boot) is a bit of a shock.

I got myself a new agency last year, just before my knee surgery. I'm now represented by Expressions Model and Talent agency - and while I went there to get representation for my acting, I ended up getting work for modeling, instead. You see, they're one of a handful of agencies who provide talent for the lovely folks at "the Q", and to my surprise, their model agent started sending me to go-sees (the model's equivalent of an audition) fairly regularly. They started out being for skin care products, mostly. Every time I showed up, there would be 20-30 other women there for the same gig - and most of them seemed to have modeling as their primary goal, so I'm guessing they had a lot more experience than I did. So I wasn't thinking much of my chances at getting the work. But then, I got called for a go-see to be a petite clothing model. And this time when I showed up, I was one of four. That's right, my odds had just improved at least five-fold! Since I already told you I got the gig, I guess I kind of spoiled the punch-line on that one, huh?

Ah well...anyway, I've been doing the Denim & Co. show every Tuesday morning since the beginning of March and am really enjoying it. Everybody is so nice, from the other models to the stylists, the crew and host extraordinaire, Carolyn Gracie. I'm still new at QVC and hadn't really been a TV shopper beforehand, but I'm told Carolyn is one of their most popular hosts. She's so relaxed and friendly on-air, I can see why. It's also fun to see how the whole thing works. I've been in studios before, but mostly news or talk shows, and even that was quite a while ago. I'm amazed by how little hands-on work is being done in there. With the exception of the one on a boom, all of the cameras are remote-controlled. And my theater lighting friends would just go nuts looking up at the ceiling. There are so many instruments, of many different shapes and sizes, but most of them smaller and all of them certainly newer than the stuff our community theater works with.

And I've been impressed with the clothes, too. Many of the pieces in the line are different from my own personal style, but there's no denying their quality. Everything is very comfortable - many of the fabrics are so soft I could easily sleep in them. And you can just tell when you put them on that they're made well. Plus, I'm helping to show the other short girls out there how the stuff fits on one of our stature. So, that's my latest adventure - I'm getting paid to "play dress-up" on TV. How fun is that?