Reaching New Heights

BOY:  Look, Cat!  I got up on the bed all by myself!

CAT:  Yes, Boy, I've noticed.

BOY:  Isn't this exciting?!

CAT:  Uh huh, terribly exciting.  Can't you tell by my squinty eyes, drawn back ears and twitching tail?  Yes, brimming with excitement over here.

BOY:  We can wrestle with the pillows together!  I love wrestling with the pillows!  Here, lemme bury you under a pillow too!

CAT:  Remember that word GENTLE Mommy and Daddy taught you long ago, Boy?  Yet again that word comes to mind...

THE Rick Springfield

My friend Natasha loves Rick Springfield so almost a month ago we went to his book signing/interview at a theater in L.A.

The man on the left in the photo above is Rick Springfield.  THE Rick Springfield.  The man on the right is interviewing Rick Springfield and I don't remember who is he is exactly.  I was too consumed with camera flashes going off all around me.  No really, there was an INSANE amount of cameras flashing at a constant speed all for pics of Rick Springfield.  It was too much if you ask me.  I looked around and nobody but Natasha and I seemed to be simply sitting and listening/watching the interview.  What...you didn't think Rick Springfield was still a big name?  Well I didn't either but, lemme tell you, he is.  And not surprisingly, his fan base is mostly comprised of women in their 30's and 40's.

I can't say I was particularly star struck by Rick but that's also because he didn't fawn over my friend like I had expected him to.  Natasha is very fawnable as far as women--and loyal fans-- go.  He had TOLD her to identify herself after she had interviewed him on the phone for a magazine and said she'd be seeing him at the upcoming event.  So yeah, I wasn't impressed.  I think he's too used to being fawned over himself that the act now is a one-sided activity in his experience.

That being said, I have been enjoying "Jessie's Girl" just as much, if not more, than before.    

Dr's Drum Solo

Turkey With A Side Of Vic's Vapo Rub

"WHAT ARE WE CELEBRATING?!  WHATEVER.  I'LL JUST HAVE JUICE, PEES!"

This is what The Boy looked like on Thanksgiving.  He has a cold.  We were thinking of canceling our plans all together but then he'd rally and be full of energy.  So we went to our friends' house and had a lovely and intimate gathering.  4 adults, 2 toddler boys (only a month apart in age) and enough food to feed an army.  The Toddler Boys ate NONE of the food so I managed to eat enough for them as well.

Camel

Mom and Son posing with a concrete camel.  It happens...

Coat

"How could you put me in this warm coat?!  HOW COULD YOU!???  WAH!"

While we're only venturing 3 miles down Ventura Blvd. for Thanksgiving, we will be traveling 2,000 miles back to Chicagoland for Christmas.  My parents picked up the winter coat pictured above (with accompanied snow pants) last year when we went home.  The good news is the coat still fits.  The bad news is The Boy is now old enough to realize he's not a fan of coats.

I have become one of those parents I used to see out in the world and judge (not all that discreetly I might add).  Why don't they have a hat/sweater/coat on that little child?!  What's wrong with those people?  Look at THEM all bundled up while baby goes without!  

Yeah, well I owe all those folks a big apology (except for the ones who really are idiots and didn't even bother to attempt a hat/sweater/coat).  It's a good thing we live in Southern California-- or perhaps because of it-- because Boy hates warm clothes.  Lately just getting pants on the little fellow is a battle.  And if you think pants are a struggle then don't even think about getting a hooded sweatshirt on his little torso!  No way, Sister, no way!

So yeah, winter in Chicago will be interesting...  

One Moment...

I have a problem... I am too helpful when I answer phones.

You see, I am used to working in the service industry.  I have answered phones for the better part of my life.  The first job was answering phones for my father's restaurant and I took down "to go" orders and dinner reservations.  I temped in a medical billing office.  I answered phones for a prenatal clinic.  I worked in nonprofit and trained/supervised volunteers in answering phones.  I worked as a receptionist at other offices.  And then I sold tickets at the improv theater and had to answer phones there.  All of these jobs required me to be friendly and helpful.  Standard procedure is the customer is always right.

But not my current job in a casting office.  Now I am a gatekeeper.  I've realized that the combination of training as an improv actor and the undying inner urge to please others has made it extraordinarily difficult for me to just answer a phone without wanting to help the caller as much as I can.  

I am all, "Hi!  Yes, he/she IS here!  Well, lemme see if he/she is available to talk!  I don't have the answer but would you like for me to find someone who does know the answer?  Let me see what I can do!" Sigh...

This may sound silly but I'm so used to selling (food, theater tickets, social services) or directing calls right away that taking this breath and simply answering "One moment..." does not come naturally.  Basically, I'm used to answering phones with a level of desperation.  Does that make sense?  The caller has always been the one in charge and I've been there to help get them what they need.  This job is not that.  Which is nice because I was ready for something new.

So I had to write myself a memo to simply answer the damn phone with "One moment..."  I'm not there to make sure the caller gets exactly what he/she needs for the first time in my life.  It's not going as smoothly as I would have hoped but still a nice change regardless of how petty and insignificant this may sound.  

 

Domestic Snafus

"Lemme get this straight...you bought ANOTHER cheap media console from
IKEA to replace the OLD cheap media console from IKEA?  That might really be the snafu!
(I'll watch the TV no matter where it is, you know)."  

AHHHH!  

Let me explain... First off, Mr. Jarcy and I bought a new media console from IKEA.  We bought it over a month ago and of course the dang thing is still in its box.  Wait a minute...what's that # 2 mean on the ONE box we brought home?  Why yes, that means there is another box with a #1 on it that we failed to bring home with us!  

AHHHH!

And to top it all off, we have no receipt.  So we have a partial media console.  It's now worthless and the piece was being discontinued (and super cheap) and even if we do find box #1 in the Burbank store they won't give it to us because we have no receipt!

AHHHHH!

It's the little things like this in life that make you want  to go ballistic.  So I have decided to do just that. Let's just say this week has been a bit rough and leave it at that...

Walks

The Boy, his father and I take walks.  We walk a lot actually.  And I don't mean the kind where he sits in a stroller for 45 minutes while his father and I walk, although, on occasion we do that too.  I mean the kind where Boy grabs our hands and we walk all around the neighborhood...hand in hand.  It's quite lovely and, yes, he is not even two years old yet.

I have always enjoyed walking.  My friends and I would walk for what seemed like hours in high school and college.  I love it.  And I'm so glad we can now do that with Boy.  He's not the fastest but with every month it seems we pick up the pace.  I'm already looking forward to walks when he's 10, 20, 45.  I mean, what 45 year old man doesn't enjoy a long walk with his parents!?  Sorry, Boy, you've started this walking pattern!  You established it LONG ago when nobody was allowed to simply hold you without pacing the apartment floors!

On one our walks this week we came across these rope thingies.  They were scattered about underneath what looked like a grapefruit tree.  I am so unschooled on plants in general.  I can barely identify a rosebush let alone plants, bushes and trees.  Either way, Boy and I thoroughly enjoy exploring the outdoors on our walks.

Flip Flops

"Of course I'm pushing my blankie and a large James train from 'Thomas' around
in my stroller, what else would I be strolling?!"  

Recent conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Jarcy--

MR:  "Making it in Hollywood as a no-name actor is like climbing Mount Everest in flip flops."

MRS:  Ha!  That's funny!  Where did you hear that?

MR:  From you.

MRS:  I told you that?

MR:  Yes.

MRS:  Well who said it originally?

MR:  You did!

MRS:  I did?  When?

MR:  Just recently!

MRS:  Huh, well that's interesting.

MR:  You're funny, Honey.

MRS:  Well maybe so but not when I'm writing a damn book!

Toddler Halloween

Don't I look sort of possessed?  That was my costume I guess.

MAAAAM!

Seemingly out of nowhere, The Boy began to speak actual words.  It all went down this weekend.

First lots of "Mom" and "Dad."  He says them like this-- MAAAAAAAM!!!!  DAAAAAAAAD!!!!  DAAAAAAM!!!!  (I can only assume that's his way of joining our two names like Bennifer or Brangelina.  We are a Hollywood power couple after all.  :-) )

Then he moved on to "apple" and "camel."  By chance we visited a park that has a big, concrete camel and, lo and behold, he said CAMEL!  How does he even know what a camel is, we wondered?  I don't recall any camels in our books or TV programs.  Huh.

Also in rotation is "baby" and "book."  Somehow baby is said correctly, however, book is pronounced "gook."  

It's all quite exciting!