Homecoming

So, the mini-teen was nominated for the Homecoming Court at school, which is weird on so many levels. One, she doesn't really know any of these people, because she just started at this school a month ago....and two, she's not the kind of girl who giggles and squeals at a popularity contest, which is exactly what this sort of thing was when I was in high school. She does her own thing and doesn't care what people think of her. At first she said it was lame and stupid and that she didn't want to go. But she changed her mind and decided to play along.

The nominees were presented at the football game last nite. Being the rebel that she is, she chose not to dress up for the occasion. I was concerned that she would stand out too much. Why would I be concerned about such a thing? Some of the girls dressed up, some didn't, so it was fine.

The kids were required to submit their parents' names and their favorite high school memory prior to the game for the announcer to read as they walked onto the field. And you'd think they would edit them as needed. (I'm making up the names of the kids, as I honestly didn't care about any of them but mine.)

Game announcer: "And the nominees for the sophomore class dutch and dutchess....Cindy Vasquez, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vasquez. Cindy's favorite high school memory was being elected to Student Council. And next, Janey Vera, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vera. Janey's favorite high school memory is making the honor roll. And next, Emily Hoff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hoff...."

(seriously, this is what came out of the mouth of the announcer guy.....)

"....Emily's favorite high school memory is getting suspended for creating her own class schedule."

A roar of laughter came up from the crowd. I thought I would cry I was laughing so hard.

And we got it on video tape.

How did I get so lucky to have the coolest teenager on the planet?

Deprivation

I haven't been sleeping well lately, but when I do manage to fall asleep I have the strangest dreams. Last nite I had a dream that I was doing improv with a bunch of people, and I had to hang on to the back of some guy and be the peeling skin from his sunburn. Weird.

Last week I had a dream that I was in some crazy cult, and I was trying desperately to escape from them, and Johnny Depp was the leader. Dressed like a pirate, of course.

And then there was the dream in which I was a prostitute. I told the boyfriend about that one, and he asked me if I was profitable.

"I don't know about that", I said, "but I sure was busy!"

How we spend our quality family time...

The little things.

It really is true that the little things make all the difference.

Last Friday, Emily got up at 5:30 in the morning to have coffee with me before I left for work.

Aww.

The evening before that, I helped her with her journalism homework. We wrote a kick-ass current events piece together that earned her an A, and she told me, “Hey, you’re really good at this! You should have been a journalist!” Yeah, that was a goal of mine many years ago.

I saw a note from one of her other teachers on an assignment she did. It said, "If only I could give you points for making me laugh." Apparently, her answer, although wrong, was amusing. That's my girl.

I’m getting better at navigating public transportation.

Evan is shooting short films and things with some friends and he’s loving it. Emily is participating, and I wrote a script for a 5-minute or so short. It’s becoming a family thing.

We have health insurance now. That’s exciting.

I got a call asking me to do another show. Unfortunately, it was very short notice (as in, 4 hours), and over100 miles away. I had to decline, but the booker promised to call me again and give me more notice next time.

Life is happy. Things are good. Well, except for the three-day headache I just got over. Geez.

Funniest guys from New Zealand. Ever.

I love these guys. Enjoy.

Extra!

Just a quick note before the evil Time Warner people show up yet again to fix our pathetic cable. Grr.

Some good friends of mine have sold their movie script and are in production. Damn I'm happy for them! It's a vampire flick, and we got to be extras last nite. How cool is that? And they have some real, live, working actors - Nicholas Brendon, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Tom Towles, of various Rob Zombie movie fame and many others. Here's a pic of Beth and I with Mr. Brendon. He's super nice and absolutely loves the script.