1. I have apocalyptic dreams at least once a week, and I secretly suspect I’m being prepared for The End.
2. I stopped buying DVDs about 3 years ago. (Those that know my huge horror DVD collection will find this interesting…)
3. Although I hate fish, I will occasionally buy a Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds. The fish is so bleached of taste, it’s basically a vehicle for tartar sauce.
4. I’ve gone thru periods where I’ve eaten at McDonald’s once a day, every day, for months at a time.
5. I eat fast food about once a month now, if that.
6. I don’t see every horror movie released.
7. I’m writing a musical that I’m convinced will play on Broadway (and no, it’s not “Angels!” for those that know about that show…)
8. After being thrown from the raft into Class 4 rapids on a whitewater rafting trip for my 40th birthday, I still have panic attacks when I see rafting, rivers or ocean scenes in movies.
9. I’m ready to leave Los Angeles.
10. I have Restless Leg Syndrome.
11. When AOL chat rooms were super big in the late 90s, I spent some time in the Psychic Room, and had a psychic tell me I’d find fame and fortune after I had a play of mine premiere at Actors Theater of Louisville.
12. I think that “This American Life” story about the ill-fated production of PETER PAN is complete bullshit, and I can tell you why (but that’s another blog post.)
13. I’m a fan of Rebecca Black’s moxie.
14. I have a weird savant talent for knowing the resumes of obscure actors.
15. No cavities.
16. The person who was the most disrespectful of me in a professional setting was a high school drama teacher.
17. The play I’m most proud of as a playwright was written for a high school drama teacher who was incredibly disrespectful of me.
18. I have a decaffeinated, iced coffee beverage almost every day.
19. I’ve overcome my fear of writing song lyrics.
20. I use the same drinking glass/cup at home for a week or more – I continually refill it, leave it on the counter full of liquid, day and night. Typically this is an iced coffee beverage plastic cup, which I hate to use once and throw away, so I’ll rinse it out and use it for water and Crystal Light. Normally I’m forced to move on to the next cup because my husband will throw out the previous cup when I’m asleep.
21. I met the newest NBC EVP of drama development, Pearlena Igbokwe, years ago when I produced a pilot for Showtime. She handled my enthusiasm for her unique name, and impression of Howard Cosell saying her name, with grace.
22. The one and only time I’ve gone up on a line during a performance was in 8th grade, playing sports caster “Howie Cassette” in SATURDAY AFTERNOON LIVE!
23. If I’m careful, I can pull off my entire baby toe toenail semi-painlessly…and I do frequently.
24. I had nightmares about the Joker after reading “Secret Origins of Super Heroes” when I was in 2nd grade. In the one I remember, the Joker caught me and was beating me to death. He told me, “The next time I hit you, you’ll be able to see all the broken bones in your body.” Then he hit me again, and my field of vision was filled with an x-ray view of my skeleton with all the bones broken.
25. I think I may be ready to work on low budget movies again. Maybe.
26. My first, and only, temp job when I arrived in LA 16 years ago was in CBS Business Affairs. I spent my lunch hours Xeroxing copies of original TWILIGHT ZONE and I LOVE LUCY scripts, which I snuck home under my shirt.
27. It was during this job I found myself in an elevator with David Cronenberg and Fran Drescher (at the same time.)
28. I’m a big fan of Arial Bold, and use it for the title page on all my scripts.
29. I would love to work at the Post Office.
30. Therapy, yoga, the gym, and my friend Georgia Jean’s channeling skills have helped me let go of tons of anger issues in my life, which has been a blessing. However, sometimes I’ll be having a good day, and as a reward I’ll give myself ten minutes to be angry about something/someone. It’s like dessert!
31. Did I mention Georgia Jean’s skills? Check out Circle Evolution and you’ll see what I’ve thrown myself into.
32. I’m going paperless, slowly but surely scanning everything in my files. (With triple back up.)
33. Thanks to “Dynamite” magazine, I wrote fan letters to Don Rickles (I think this was during his CPO SHARKEY days), and a joint letter to Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett. Don sent back an autographed picture. I hadn’t sent the letter to Lee and Farrah when their divorce was announced in the press. I was so angry at them, I scribbled out their names each time they appeared in the letter, which I kept for months afterward.
34. I prefer soft snacks (baked goods) over hard snacks (chips).
35. I think I’d be really good at hosting a talk show.
36. I always carry a power strip in my computer bag.
37. I hate wasting food at home, so even if I’ve created something awful for dinner, I won’t throw it out. I’ll douse it in some sauce – ketchup, ranch dressing, etc. – and eat it the next day.
38. As I’ve grown older, I find it harder and harder to watch genuine discomfort on TV or video clips. I can listen, but I can’t watch, so I’ll find myself covering my eyes during, say, JUDGE JUDY, or turning away during Ann Curry’s last appearance on TODAY.
39. I was a producer on Ryan Seacrest’s DATING GAME appearance in 98? 99? Over a decade later I was hired as one of his writers for the Emmy Awards Red Carpet, and he just did NOT get me.
40. Seeing the Broadway tour of HAIR was the most amazing theatrical experience I’ve ever had. Second row on the aisle. Dancing on stage at the end. I’d wanted to see this show since I was ten years old, listening to my parents’ original cast recording, and the experience did not disappoint for one second.
41. I’ve accidentally dropped my wedding ring down the garbage disposal twice. Reaching in to retrieve it was…nerve wracking.
42. I’ve had the wax for candle-crafting sitting in my closet for about 5 years.
43. My dream home has a huge privacy hedge around the front yard.
44. I think we give Samuel Jackson too much credit as an actor. He’s a cool guy, he “gets us.” He says all the right things interviews. But that doesn’t make him a good actor. He’s the worst thing in THE AVENGERS (and the other Marvel movies), and he’s only okay in SNAKES ON A PLANE, among other films.
45. Ditto Kevin Smith as a writer/director. SUPER ditto Kevin Smith.
46. There are some days I still can’t believe I live in Los Angeles.