the CMJ Experience

I do want to admit that for me, the CMJ Festival was the certainly a very big time event, being at MOMA and hosted by Ira Glass and everything. Usually I like to write about an experience right away, while it is fresh in my head. But I couldn't bear to think about this til now.

This festival experience was just so different. I had no idea I would wind up blowing it so badly….I honestly thought I could handle this for sure.

Oh I was wrong. It turned out so wrong. I can't think about it - it really, really does hurt even now to be exact.

Was it Ira Glass?

I have to ask myself that question... otherwise, why was I so messed up that night?

You know, before I ever left home, I had imagined any/all answers to whatever I figured they would ask in a Q&A … Finally now having some inside/useful experience answering past festival questions. I was pretty confident and didn't actually need to or want to think twice about it.

Geez, but that night at the CMJ for some strange reason, I was of no use when Ira started to ask stuff. I knew precisely what I wanted to say but it never came out.. who in the living hell was talking for me that night?

When it was all over, I woke up in LA and began to kick myself around the block for the next week and longer.

Looking back, I am grateful to say that Ira was an amazing prince of a guy.. he tried so hard to give us all the chance to redeem ourselves, clearly he believed in the film.. only wanting us to come up with something…. anything to warrant his inspired endorsement..

But what little cornball robotic answers he heard from me at least, fell way f..g short … and especially of "prestigious alliance worthy". I only finally realized I wasn't there once he looked at me and started to ask stuff.. .. That's right when I personally found out I was actually out of commission and just observing the whole event

I sincerely liked the guy.. I thought him so worth anyone's highest admiration.. Although I did not know him, I can say I personally felt a very elevated - and some kind of magical - vibe from him...Maybe it was just his celebrity status. . but I can tell you for sure he was acting like the best greatest guy ever that night at the MOMA/CMJ Festival.....A completely humble illustrious sweet guy trying to do the damn right thing for posterity.

Okay but now here is where it's gets ugly though....

There we were at the Q&A.. Frank and Cindy...Nobody much cared if I was stuck in a hotel room with Frank days before and he snores so loud that you can hear him through the walls..(which is why he sleeps/lives in the basement).. so anyway, I did not sleep one wink for two full days.. but there I was at the official MOMA Q&A anyway...It was exactly surreal.

I heard Ira asking simple questions like for instance " what did you think when you first saw the film?

Well for some lame reason someone (not me) took over and answered.. "I cried for two days"?

Okay cried for two days?.. not quite .. actually when I saw the film I thought well, I see where he is going with this, okay, then he is trying to get some attention/reaction from all the alcoholic parents I guess? Good.

But so why oh why did I say cried for two freaking days may I ask?

Now I can only guess that It was because I was frozen… or maybe felt so badly about some of the reprehensible things I had done to your life....so probably it might make sense to say that, or is all I can come up with right at the moment anyway..

And then Ira asked me "what part would you take out of the film.."

So my brilliant answer was " the part in he park (f.. what? for pete's sake).. and then I .. or whoever who took over my body said... "Yes, the scene n the park.. I had no idea he had those pictures.."

yikes, I had every idea he had those pictures and what on earth.. What I meant to say was the truth for a change apparently…. Which was " Nothing.. I wouldn't take out anything from the film" mainly because it was all true. Somebody needs to see the aftermath of alcoholic "parenting" maybe think twice. .. well but unless it was the "Wacky Wacky part because It wasn't quite wacky enough to rate an okay wacky in my estimation...

Then Ira asked "what part would you leave in" .. and I said as if I was retarded;

"hee hee the part where I was in a parking lot with the birds because it made me look good" (?)

Nice.

true answer being "everything, like I just said"

Then I heard an audience member ask GJ "what about exploitation". and so on..

I should have interjected something at that point..

All the while I was thinking.. "Exploitation?..who… where? "what about" child abuse. Or let's say child neglecting drunk parents "what about". a little straight A student 6 year old... helpless and hiding in a closet all day because mom worked and had no way to transport child to school (only because step dad took family car out of state for exploiting music career dream)

Shouldn't I have said a little of THIS? What was wrong with me.. I was a spectator.. I was a passenger… I just wasn't there..

I know it was partially due to not sleeping for 72 hours but aside from that.. I swear I wasn't even there that very important night in New York... and I will never forgive myself.. I just can't think about it.

12:24 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Oh my God I just got the mail..

How is it I got all shut off notices all on the same day? This is very unusual, actually a first.

So this means I can't throw any of these away, like I do with all usual utility bills. You remember my strict rule when it comes to utility bills " THROW EVERYTHING AWAY BUT THE SHUT OFF NOTICES." This way there is never any confusion on when you should pay.

I also found out that paying late and shut-offs do not under any circumstance go against your credit or ever on your credit report - so my rule is the only way to go. Let's face it, you pretty much figure in the back of your head about when the shut off time is. I just wasn't expecting them all today, but I figured around this week, so I am ready to finally pay.

But why so much... my water/trash bill is $140. 00 and gas is $106.00 etc etc... I went to put air in my bicycle tire and did you know air is up to 75 cents for 45 seconds now?

Price gouging, and even I would say we have no choice... or so I found out recently with one of my refusals to comply. Glad i wasn't too hasty to add this latest trick to my money saving "Cindy's Tip List....."

Since I don't like the Edison Co.'s bullying pay or else attitude. I just let them shut it OFF a while back and we promptly went out and turned it right the hell BACK ON. (Frank knows a lot about electricity in case you didn't know.)

However, here comes this creep about 2 months later knocking on our door- to accuse us of this (news to me) big crime called ""Electricity Theft." That's an exact quote too by the way, electricity theft... who are they kidding? So then wouldn't they be guilty of stealing electricity from the sun or something? Not to mention they "The Edison Co." stole/thefted the whole idea from the actual true inventor of electricity (the real genius, Tesla). Except his wealthy egomaniac of a crook employer, Edison, slapped his own name on it. Everybody knows that.

But getting back to the "shut off/turn on..." this official Edison creep told us we would now be summoned to court , etc..( sure sure sure). I took over and told him a wild story about how we knew nothing about the "hows/whys of any turn on...and that we had called to arrange it turned back on and It came back on in the middle of the night, etc. - so naturally we assumed THEY were responsible!".. I had my handy conservative look on that day, so he looked a little meek and uncertain and went away with some warning or other.

Bottom line is better not mess with them on this one I guess.

______________________________________________


Well I have run out of time so next weeks topics are :

(MORE OF MY TRUE STORIES!)

BUT NOW HERE COME THE EXCITING AND AMAZING ONES!


COMING NEXT WEEK!:

TEEN KIDNAPPED TO THE ARIZONA DESERT BY THE FARMER JOHN RAPIST

MASTER CHILDHOOD SHOPLIFTER ARRESTED AT 9

ATTEMPTED DROWNING OF 3 YEAR OLD BY PARENTS

PARAMOUNT PICTURES/RALEIGH STUDIOS INTERVIEW RECAPS

ANSWERS TO JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS SOMEONE NEED TO HEAR

EXPERIMENTS ON PEOPLE BY ME

LITTLE GIRL PYROMANIAC BURNS DOWNS PARENTS KITCHEN

CHILD BEATEN WITH 2 BY 4

KEITH PARTRIDGE, AND I DON'T MEAN OLD DAVID CASSIDY EITHER... I MEAN TEEN IDOL KEITH PARTRIDGE

REAL APPARENTLY TURRETS SYNDROME EPISODE RECAPS!

CINDY'S NEWEST "TIP LIST" ADDITIONS



(AND EVEN MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK)

12:35 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

More Interviews

ok, I am going to finish my update to you about the job interviews in a bit...

Well speaking of job offers, Frank has been busy as a bee with music projects working 7 days a week, so this time will have a bunch of stuff to report to the MOMA Q&A.

For one thing Frank is down there in the studio with Rick ("Borderland"), finishing up another song for the a NEW biker movie. Rick is actually a very talented lyricist and they work well together on projects like these themes. And I almost forgot, I think they just wrote a SMASH HIT with this other project by the way. Everyone who hears it is shocked! Maybe they will let me put it online but I doubt it, since they both are sures to hell sure, it is already sold to this record company that "wants to sign them up right now..."

Which reminds me, did Frank ever tell you about the exclusive record contract he signed after he went solo from OXO? (when he left Geffen Records... knowing full well if ever there was a hit solo guy... let alone that he even played ALL instruments to begin with.. say no more.)

So he sent his demo to this ad "looking for new artists" he saw in the back of Electronic Musician Magazine. The next thing you know he got this big record contract in the mail! "Its less than 2 weeks later... already?" He was excited, period. This was big he told me... "a major record company" (that I personally never heard of) called "Columbine Records, Inc." I saw him in there with the dictionary filling out extensive forms and paperwork they sent.

And then he (elated) asked "Do you have fifteen hundred dollars?(!) That's all I need and I will be getting thousands back in the mail. I don't even have to leave the house ever again! It's all done by mail."

What did you say just now? I asked to read that contract since I was a little curious to how much he was going to get, but I meant money at the time.

Well I know you guessed the rest by now. How it works as follows:

He was to send so much per month for the "Record Co." to "promote his music," them promising to get it heard by probably every big shot to kingdom come. And when (not if) it was sold, he would collect untold amounts of royalties. No "if's" about it either…they were "100% sold" on Frank Garcia as a this surefire solo star along with his fail proof writing "talent" likewise their plans to invest countless hours of promotion in him non stop… so all he would need was that piddling token amount to "get the ball rolling.."

You might imagine that I put the kibosh to this Record Deal and I don't think he secretly ever forgave me to this day, and still talks about what "might have been if she hadn't," and "the big offer from Columbine", etc. But he had to move on.

Actually, Frank has four separate music projects he is working on right now - now watch the Q&A'ers won't ask about what, if any, projects he's done since the film, like they usually do.

So anyway about the latest job/ interview experience

Incidentally, I don't understand why after the interview, anyone would say to you "good luck on your job search"... oh yeah?... I see... that tells you right away that you didn't get the damn job because otherwise why would you need luck on the search?

I always want to say "No, good luck on YOUR job search because you are going to need it more than me because you don't have any brains or you would have picked me and I am already pretty lucky some dumbass like you didn't."

... or something to that effect... sniff... and remind me to go over those standard interview questions with a little feedback that all HR depts. need to hear. My personal answers to stuff like "what are your three greatest strengths, what were your greatest achievement on your last job, why do you want to work here, what are you looking for, where do you see yourself in 5 years, blah blah" okay? I have some answers all right... I have decided to address each one with the true answer and then the "correct" answer they want to hear - just so they can see where they went wrong.

Oh I almost forgot about this other interview I scheduled for an entertainment job... another "Receptionist for TV Network."

Well that sounded good... and it a was a TV job wasn't it? This one turned out to be a network all right, "The Retirement Network" (?) - (not kidding) yeesh. I sat there just imagining Erik Estrada infomercials galore for seniors looking for property like those retirement villages in Arkansas, and ads on how to buy motorized chairs and other "how to's" like get a good pair of hearing aids & some discount prescriptions... but what if I would just maybe take orders for polygrip and get into fights "oh go get some teeth like I did!." (Ay Carumba! if that's how you spell it)

But this time for some reason I didn't even feel like practicing on them… just up and walked out and drove away.

I do however plan to tell you about my actually legit entertainment interview experiences though - like the ones at Paramount and Raleigh Studios. I certainly have a few choice words to say about that.

Somehow at the moment I am only trying to recreate all the details....what I found so damn interesting and amusing right afterwards it is all slowly coming back to me... and I will sure get back to you on it... considering It was a month ago I will think awhile on it okay.. stand by though, really....Got to go get some food but mainly face and eye crème, I am out.. be back soon.

______

Well I am back but not ready to describe those two interviews just yet - mainly because I just got back from returning something and this crap going on at stores is getting me all worked up right now.

What the hell IS going on? Am i the only one who resents those people who park their crooked asses in front of markets and drug stores. With those folding tables and chairs. Damn lying good for nothing cons asking for money for "clothes for the homeless school children" and for "school supplies for homeless children." They are all over town right now, at every store I go to. Right smack in front of the entrance, this one guy just now said would you like to donate blah blah homeless children... it's for the children"… and I said right back, "No but would YOU like to donate to a homeless program I work for?"

Then I asked him "and how do we know the kid's are getting the money?" ...he said "I am just a volunteer maa'm, and I have no money to give, but I have time to volunteer"...so I said, "so do I... sign me as a volunteer."

I think I will go undercover and investigate and "get these crooks off the street" like AMW. I don't know why they infuriate me so, so much, really but they do. Probably because it is straight up robbery. For instance we have to go EARN our money, and still the IRS is on our backs keeping us awake at night and so on – and these guys are plain robbing us out of our HARD EARNED cash by laying this guilt trip on us... lying that "it is for innocent victims… little homeless helpless kids," while they rake in (our) money every day without having to lift a finger – and do you think they are laying awake worried about the IRS may I ask?

I have asked them why don't you ask for clothes.. or school supplies... "No, we don't accept that, only cash." Sure thing, that makes sense too you bastards.

This last guy i told off just now said.. "Well can you just give me 50 cents for a coke?"

I thought he said he was collecting money for homeless school children?

And by the way these supermarket lot guys always look homeless themselves. But I notice lots of cash being given to them anyway. This one guy was always transferring his full cash jar to a cash box he carried with him – and always trying to lay the same guilt trip on, of all people... me? This one guy at Von's got me so mad I went gunning for him the next morning. And I noticed he wasn't there until afternoon so I said, "I noticed you weren't here this morning, to hell with that noise huh?"

It just pisses me off that they have to pounce on you every time you go to the store when you are trying to concentrate...Like just now. I had this used jar of face cream already to transact until he came along and shook me down…and shook me up too which changed my professional demeanor.

Which reminds me.. I would like to recommend this cream stuff called "Derma Freeze 365" if you know anybody who could use a quickie face lift appearance

It works damn well and takes ten years off - but lasts only about 6 hours before reapplication is necessary, but when it's free, who's complaining? It costs about $32.00 with tax, so a little pricey for me if I was ever interested paying for it.... So this is what you do: You go and buy one container and go home and empty it into another empty container of whatever. Go straight back after refilling it with anything cheap like hair conditioner & repackaging it - and say I just bought this and I noticed it says it contains Ginseng and I am allergic to that. (if you tore the pkg.. then you say I tried it and got a rash, blah whatever).

But still, what is the difference between this and any other of my cream returns you ask? Well the difference is they are finally getting a little suspicious of me at my local Rite Aid, so now I eliminate all doubt and have my empty container in the car ready to go - so I do the switch in less than 3 minutes… you know, like I just went out to the parking lot and read the label. Or for all they know, (it's so fast it's dizzying) I could have just walked out the door and right back in... and which is WHY I say these phony rip off bums in the parking lot piss me off and change my thought processes.

But well no matter about that but wait! what about those damn little kid shysters.. ugh! I know you have seen them at stores.. The ones who have those butterfingers & candy bars for sale for $5.00 each? hah!.. I especially like the ( and I quote):

"Would you like to buy some candy to help keep me off drugs?"

So exactly what I say to them is "No. But I want you on drugs. Drugs are good for you." (you should see their little faces) Believe me it works and they remember you next time. Except this one kid actually yelled to me "grow up!" Excuuuse me? What f..ing nerve. So I said "but why, I don't LIKE grown ups," and that shut him up for awhile.

4:32 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Job Hunting

Okay well I wanted to tell you the status on my latest job interview. I am waiting for a call back from Betsy at Disney-ABC. They are doing a background check on moi so she said. All studios have to do that now - says it is mandatory pre-employment requirement, etc.

I hope I get this job. I didn't tell her I already applied at another subsidiary of Disney a while back and got hired. Then right away, semi-promoted and then fired all on the first day, due to hyping on my proficient skills.

We shall see where this one goes now. I am very hopeful about this particular job I might add, when I called to see if they got the background check back yet, she called me "Cyn." She said "we are just as anxious as you are Cyn." I guessed we are pals already by that. Oh I am so hoping I get this… especially in light of the recent "Entertainment Industry" interviews I have had, yikes. I was so depressed last week I was in tears for a day or two about it.

For instance, I don't want to mention any specific names but I am just about to... uh oh, I just want to mention names right now... getting mad thinking about it.

I will pull myself together and go on since I need to finish this e-mail, but of all the nerve.

Well, this one interview was supposedly as an assistant to a "well known pop star," joining the team for their "Grammy Campaign" and working at an also "well known Record Co"... unquote.

Well so I anxiously agreed to an interview @ 6:00 PM, and when I went out there (well sue me) the well known record company turned out to be this smarmy little about four unit apartment building with no lights on. A small seedy dark building lit only by the KFC across the street.

The pop star turned out to be living there in "the record company" and was this (rather beautiful) Japanese rockin' electric violin player in the flesh... who came to the door in "suite 3"- apartment 3 I mean, wearing a sparkly orange bikini looking get-up, kind of like something from (one of my favorite movies though) "Pricilla Queen of the Desert" and was pleased to meet me… and almost ready to hire me right then and there, before I even went inside, it looked like... but wanting me to know me the scoop, that it was "an entry level," non-paid INTERN (?) position - perhaps not understood per the ad.

However, as for me? Since the place was at least a one hour drive and well, what with the price of gas, how could I afford to incur that kind of cost and I don't actually own a car right now, and why in God's name...(mainly can't you see I am not a man)...

But this one interview opportunity depressed me a hell of a lot the next day when it hit me.

Oh, why did I think it would be so easy to get a job with a "well known record co" and could it be that bad out there, this WAS nuts. But I was also feeling ripped off about it because I had been perhaps deceived or something. I don't like that because I am the one who is an expert at deceiving people into things like returning used items for cash, etc.

All right well then, so I started to get over it, but then there was the "Entertainment Network" interview that really set me off.

What a sham. Talk about deception. This "Network" turned out to be "The Psychic TV Network."

But during the interview, I further found out not EVEN that.

Originally they told me that the job would be working for two film directors, who owned a TV network and also did other things like infomercials and blah blah..

Geez, what a pack of liars..

So as it turned out, this place was in Hollywood... on Sunset Blvd. to be exact. As the ad said newly remodeled office building "with city views" ? of what, were they talking about the cheap no-tell motel directly across the street... hell I wouldn't know - but what I do know is for crying out loud, I have never been in such a place besides jail with security like fort knox or something... all these codes and locks and buzzers and voice boxes to speak into just to get up to the floor where the psychic stuff happens... and forget asking to use the restroom - this takes 2 buzzers back in with and code this key they give you and finally your voice into speaker box "Pls. let me back in"...

Now the real deal was as follows: (they finally laid it on the table for me) "well, we have sold the psychic TV network… BUT we still have the "psychic internet daily blog site, and we have a 24-hour call center psychic hotline!" ...Great... So I realized that this "Psychic Hotline" was their only business... this 24-7 (eek) call center hotline WAS the entertainment I guessed.

But for some reason, I just went through with it... right on through the perverted interview to the end - to amuse myself since I drove all that way and made it through all those official alarms and locks. I thought I had nothing to lose, like dignity.

The main guy interviewing me was asking stuff like "tell us, how thick-skinned are you and why?" "do you have a problem with angry callers and visitors?" "Tell us how you would respond if some one tried to force their way in, or threatened you over the phone." "Since of course we cannot give credit or refunds here, suppose customers were inside demanding their fees refunded " (but "Inside?" how?... when?)

At any rate, they wanted the right answers and I had them all…. all the while seriously thinking, good f-ing grief, so then you want me to be on the front lines after you shaft seniors and single moms out of their fortune telling food budget, but mostly that I for one, sure wouldn't want to shop here without the assurance of my trademark refund.

But as I said I had some answers at least... like when they asked do you understand "our product" " Would you have a problem with "our product"?

I said "you mean physic advice - one of the most important topics in the universe to me...?" And "not at all... in fact I am psychic .. people have always said that about me (then they stared at me like they didn't believe me or like I (!) was the nut.)

So right away I said "well I am not feeling it right now though… it comes and goes."

And I was definitely tracking with them until he started asking me how I felt about making coffee and cleaning the kitchen etc. "For the staff of 80 (of what looked like homeless hollywood blvd. street people) psychics." And I just had enough since I was only trying to amuse myself by staying... so I started to ask them questions now. Like I asked the main guy "what 's your sign by the way"... and "no no… let me guess"... and "gosh ummm... I have no idea… heh heh." Then he told me and I was all "no way, you must have a different rising sign then!" (just to show my savvy in the subject.) You should have seen the look on their hypocritical faces.

Okay so then I knew I already crossed the employment line, so I just sat there and grabbed the opportunity to vent... and forced them to listen to me tell about that latest "interview at the well known record company" from start to finish, just for the hell of it since I was bored. I began with " "Well and I don't know why I am telling you this right now hee hee, BUT..." (but I knew why as I said... I was just practicing and amusing myself to at least use up my gas money) anyway, they were psychics and it was kind of like a free session as far as I could see.

And that did it! They couldn't even hide their haste/horror to get me out. And I resented their unprofessionalism in this regard all of the sudden. So when I got home, I emailed their Director of HR to register my complaint about how I was treated with such an abrupt/insulting conclusion to the interview... how they didn't even say goodbye/pretending like I wasn't there and so on. So believe it or not, the HR director of those phony charlatans replied and apologized profusely stating that "I hope we (the psychic hotliners) have learned something from this experience"

(but she didn't say what, so I doubt it.)

Bottom line is that for some reason though, victorious with an apology or not, I still out of the blue got sad and down about it in general... ugh... what kind of job am I going to wind up with... I wondered all the next day or two...

7:10 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

MOMA Q&A

The rain looks like it is gone for now. I hope so cause I wanted to go for a bike ride to get in shape for that Q&A coming up in a little over two weeks! I am kind of wondering what that will be like. Finally, Frank & Cindy next to Picasso! Makes sense to me since I always knew we'd wind up along side the masters in a high brow museum Q&A...

.. ah well so do you think the audience will be snobs or think us kind of like "My Name is Earl" people? 99% wrong almost, as I watched the show a few times, and about that girlfriend of Earl's hairdos… well I have been seeing that every single damn one of her hairdos is one I wear. I thought mine were even original… but this show is strictly featuring the white trailer-trash style. I just now stopped wearing those do's anymore is all... I am even thinking about a hip short cut someday.

But now where was I...

Oh, right MOMA... possibly a more scary NY Q&A... this IS the big time... I can say that I have gotten the feel for it already. The Q&A. I welcome it except I wonder about those NY museum people, will they be there checking us out?

Well that's okay because you know I have given the workover to lots of ex-coworker snobs, that's not a problem. But what scares me is those cool hipsters... the so called "in crowd" which is why I even would say "scary" to begin with. They better not fool around with me since I have zero plans of taking it this time around. If anyone plays with me, no telling how I will react now.

I get pissed off just thinking about those pseudo-hip posers... artists… and probably even film student know-it-alls.

What a bunch! I can picture it now. No Dice, don't bother.

...ahhh, here I go again, but like I said, I got mad just thinking about the possible hip element at MOMA. You know, trying to amuse their smug selves… push me around and corner me.

You see, this is my plan for them: all I do is answer the straight up truth now at those Q&A's, and so that blows them off/away - they won't know what to say later.

(Okay, but if they are reading this… I might start shaking in my boots once I get there so go easy on me.)

7:50 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

a "Ghost Story" for you

A while back at about 9:00 PM I heard a knock on the door and then some footsteps walking toward the street... I looked down from my bedroom window and saw this guy coming back up the walkway triggering the motion detector lights and then he knocked again and rang the bell. I suck I mean stuck my head out and said "hello?" and he looked up at me and said "Robin? Is Robin there?" (The soap opera actress Robin Marchese used to live in this house in 1992).

After that, I carried on a very interesting conversation with him from the upstairs window. I should have invited him in, since after I talked for only a few minutes I sensed he was really fun and a great guy - however I was in my nightgown and Frank... well he was in drunk in the green shorts.

Well he told me that he used to live in this house too, in about 1990 with two other girls. He used to have the "Art Room" and the other girls had my room and GJ's room. Then he asked me do you have any ghosts now? I said well yes, in fact we do but they are very nice ghosts.

This house does have very friendly ghosts and I have seen their spirits flying around from time to time - ESPECIALLY when we first moved in and when we were going to move out that one time the house was for sale... the wall actually "reached out to me" and I am not kidding either.

That's how I first knew we weren't moving after all... it was like the house was embracing me and saying "don't worry, I won't let you go." I will never forget it. I was walking on my treadmill at the time and I looked around as I felt something, and saw the wall coming across the room - coming alive with what seemed like arms. Please don't laugh because it is very true.

The reason I never mentioned this before was for a couple of good reasons. One: that GJ would think I was losing my mind and that would scare him and Two: GJ might believe me and that would scare him.

Then why am I talking about this now? Because now that a former tenant has confirmed it I feel like right off the bat no one will think it's "just me."

So here is the whole story; the fun, great guy that I was talking to from my window told me he was a "film maker"... and I think that should be capitalized don't you... and that he had just done a documentary on Anita Oday... the famous jazz singer who just died in 2006... and said he just got back from the Tribeca film Festival and was going to show it in LA soon and invited me to attend.

He said his name was Robbie and i should check out the Website Anita Oday.com, etc. (which I did today and it seems pretty cool). Naturally I told him well YOU should check out the website "FrankandCindy.com" and then I told him the film and so on.

One of the reasons I knew he was fun and smart was because when I told him about the film, right away he laughed a lot and immediately got the humor of it and said he really would like to see it. I probably should have thrown him down a copy but I didn't have permission at the time... I just e-mailed him today, I would actually like to talk to him some more... I..uh..now...Okay, Okay, the ghosts.

He told me that the ghosts that used to live here in 1990 - 1992 were very angry and violent. He said that the two girls he lived with finally got so scared that they moved out. They couldn't even sleep here anymore. He (I probably could call him Robbie by now) told me that those angry ghosts were doing all sorts of frightening things to all of them like "all the windows in the house would suddenly fly open by themselves" and things like chairs would be found broken all over the house, etc.."finally he had to move out too after the night one ghost actually pushed him down the stairs." He said obviously the ghosts didn't want them in the house, period.

I told him that they wanted US however (and all the time he was talking I was thinking "maybe that was my dad's ghost paving the way for us to move in - after all he did die in 1992 didn't he? Perhaps my dad finally wanted to do something to help me out and ease his conscious I wonder?") zzzzzzzzzz... Oh, anyway the nice fun ex-tenant guy repeated "FrankandCindy.com huh?- I will check it out" and left.

But he also left me with those possibly old, angrier ghosts to think about, so just in case they were still around I decided to have a seance or something, to introduce myself.

Then something about it reminded me of when I had to volunteer for community service about 25 years ago - when I got a part time job for The Suicide Prevention Center, as an intake worker - answering the 800 hotline phone... Bottom line being - either you believe in life after death or you don't, and those were the only two types that called me on suicide hotline. Looking back, I can say that I probably saved more lives than a lot of those Psychs who specialize in that field (you know what they always say about shrinks, it's because they wanted to find out what in the hell was wrong with themselves).

I was supposed to be transferring the calls (according to religious denomination?) to the appropriate counselor after determining stage of urgency and/or to keep them on the line until a counselor was available.

After only about 6 hours of training that wasn't such an easy job, so I invented my own system - since as I mentioned before, there are after all, only two types that called in. So I started to put them in two groups. I called them The "I don't know where I am going but I know how to get there" (non believers in the afterlife) and the "I know where I am going but I don't know how to get there" (the believers).

You see, with the first group it was far easier to nip it in the bud; a little compassion/sympathy and either talk them out of their "Plan A:" I know how to get there (to death) since they obviously didn't have a "Plan B" after that... OR: so being not all THAT anxious - easy to keep them on the line chitchatting away until a counselor was available.

(Plan A: I know how to get there, Plan B: Where I am going)

Now the second group was the problem. The "I know where I am goings..." (They are absolutely sold going to heaven of course) but that was when I first started thinking "I should be in real estate"... and "I could actually start selling condo's in the afterlife..."

Well there was one saving grace about this group though and I found out what that was all right. Okay, they were the scaredy cats. They had "Plan B" down to a science but what about "Plan A?"

They knew about the afterlife and they only knew they wanted to be there right on the spot. But remember they didn't know how to "get there." They had checked out all available remedies, they were still just too scared to do anything. Some of them even hinted "they only needed help" (me?) to do it for them.

Well anyway, watch out for certain ones from this group who sound like they are getting drunk on you over the phone - get an address out of them pronto.

I am not sure what got me thinking about this... I guess it was the seance I had. I found out that those ghosts are still friendly and insist that we stay in this house all right. Details to come!

6:30 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Silverdocs 5 - After the Screening

When we walked down the outer aisle, the audience was laughing and clapping as the film was just over & rolling credits. Then we walked to the front of the stage and when the audience saw us they actually STOOD and clapped - A Standing Ovation! I was shocked almost speechless and Frank went wild... in rare form... since this time he drank his four bottles of zinfandel before the event (the last Q&A he decided to go sober because I told him he should get drunk first).

The Silverdocs Festival audience was much different from the Florida Festival audience - they were kind of show bizzy even - and they weren't as sympathetic with me as the Fla. audience was. This was a Frank crowd all the way. He was sitting drunk on the stage and answering "yeah, still there" to "Frank are you still in the basement?"
"But Frank, you don't have a bathroom"
Then plain, "Don't need one." etc.

But somehow, everything he said brought down the house. As for me, well I could tell they weren't as sure. They were dead quiet when I said the IRS was after me, so I saw a little something in that. I even wondered for a minute if I disappointed them this time - but I knew Frank made up for it.

They all were into it when someone asked where I bought my clothes, so I stopped and started to think up stores but then Frank, drunk, yelled "TELL THE TRUTH!" So I just said "thrift stores" and they all clapped at that for some reason.

I saw they liked me all right but clearly they LOVED Frank, he was the man of the hour at Silverdocs, along with GJ naturally, which goes without saying. Which reminds me how at the end of the Q&A the audience was alluding to wanting me and GJ to hug or show some affection maybe?... and so we finally stood there clinging and huddling over each other because he is so tall and they liked seeing that.

Before we left the theatre, we shook lines of hands, and also signed lots of autographs and shoes - and had many pictures taken with fans of the film. Then Frank stopped at one of the many lovely and festive outdoor bar/restauants on the walk back to the hotel - and sure enough - another F&C fan and more Silverdocs people were there and so sat with us til the bar threw us out at 3:00 AM.

And I can't forget to mention the Siverdocs gift bags! All the fab goodies and professional items they gave us were quite impressive, That was my first clue to what a huge affair it was... If only I'd known in advance it was such an event... with Siverdocs parties and special events going on all over the city what seemed like every few hours, there was something festive planned wherever we went that entire weekend. I can say that was most surreal (incredible) weekend of my life in that city... and Frank's too, says he. But even better than OXO finally...? I forgot to ask that though.

Anyway all in all we had a unparalleled blast and I wanted to move there.


(after the screening)

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Silverdocs 4 - The Discovery Channel Interview

GJ came to our room and told us to report to the theatre early, for our kind of surprise Discovery Channel (? sounds BIG to me anyway) Interview... right before the actual Q&A that is.

Well the guys from Discovery were great... that is as far as corporate networks* go...

They had a professional set - lights, camera crew and all in there, and gave us tissue for the hot lights as we were sweating somehow. I only wished I was prepared for any of the stuff they were going to ask. I think we both made complete... well, gave the complete wrong impression of ourselves because we had no idea this was so International TV Network official - and it was not an audience Q&A by any means.

I can remember how nervous we suddenly got on that Discovery Channel Interview... that was because the crew were all so stone faced and blank starey**... I couldn't read them like I usually do people. They seemed to be expecting something very specific from us and anything so limited puts too much pressure on me, like prompting us beforehand on what they were going for and running through some examples, etc...

So I took it that I had to fit into some scripted plan THEN I got nervous because I saw that this wasn't about some audience Q&A... just telling the truth and having a few laughs. Not at all like that, but more like a commercial to sell something, like the channel. That would make anybody nervous if you weren't expecting to go on an audition for an acting job for a commercial... and suddenly found yourself in one out of the blue. And you weren't an actor!

But getting back to knowing what a big event this festival was would have been the first step. Now that I think of it, it wasn't Discovery Channel's fault, they asked us simple stuff like "what we thought of Silverdocs" - I didn't know exactly what the hell precisely it all was at that point - and so all I could come up with was "GJ is excited about it."

If I would have known at that time what a grand event it is, I would have said so and... and... I would say how it gives young independent filmmakers such a wonderful opportunity, etc. now that I KNOW it, that is.

Another example of this is when they asked that same question to Frank... "what do you think of Siverdocs?" He replied this: "It is great because I finally got to fly Jet Blue! JET BLUE! They are the best airline around... uh... great service." unquote.

Now this would have worked with an Q&A audience very nicely, but not the type of thing The Discovery Channel, being the primary sponsor of Siverdocs, wanted to hear. Now that I know what it all was about as i said.

notes:

*don't forget, I worked for the network president of CBS for 17 years, and really I'd say I still wonder why I only remember this one thing after all those years... the only thing I remember was back in the 70's, with the Rolling Stones on Ed Sullivan singing Gimme Shelter and Honky Tonk Woman, while on a "live" (but live it was not, of course) show taping... I remember Mick Jagger saying about the so called sound and subsequent technology... "what is this bullshit? We are the best in the business and this is what we get?" unquote, all the way from 1975.

So right the hell away in 1975, I deduced ... WHY would my idols, the Stones, say that? It had to be true.

It would be only fair to add that CBS fired me that day too. "Abandoning" they called it.

They fired me for the sole reason of walking out of my job to go to a party with the Rolling Stones?... in the 70's?

(later they rehired me but that was three years later, and one of my male ex-bosses confessed that "Cindy, you were our hero for that stones thing.")



**The Discovery thing sounds like "the crew" or the "starey crew," was a term including the actual host, which I wanted to correct that it certainly did not mean to include the host.

The host wasn't starey like the crew was, he was very sharp, kind and lively/upbeat.

I just thought I might have misrepresented this or omitted this because that would not be fair, as he really was a great guy. It wasn't his fault we weren't expecting all that professional network indifference from the crew.

10:54 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Silverdocs 3 - The Arrival, cont.

I forgot to add about the plane ride: I know you might be wondering what I was doing the whole time (while Frank was reading cans out loud for 5 hrs).

Well, I like to turn a bad situation around in my favor whenever I see the opportunity. Since I saw the other passengers were quickly looking away (thinking it was OCD or ?) and averting their eyes from Frank I knew I should bring out my curlers and set my hair. After all we might even have F&C fans waiting and I needed to look good coming off the plane... what if we were recognized etc.. anyway of course that was a good idea because even the drivers knew us from the infamous posters - and anyone on the plane was afraid to look.

I admit I was frozen stiff the first hour though and couldn't hear Frank's voice because it was drowned out with the fear I felt. I said earlier (a mistake by the way, and should be corrected) that "every time we fly - which was once in 10 years, they pull Frank aside," etc., well make that once in 20 years. Point being, I am too scared to fly and I don't trust the mechanics or the traffic controllers. I heard about them on the news just last week - how they have those whistle blowers now from the FAC (specifically the flight controllers) confessing how they don't give a crap about doing their jobs - usually DUI and sometimes forgetting/refusing to even pay any close attention thereby "unthinkably endangering all who fly" and then have further admitted they "have been consistently just blaming it on the pilots" ? unquote. One of the whistle blowers, a woman in a supervisory position said "if people knew the danger they were in they wouldn't fly." I didn't know the danger I was in and I still didn't want to fly, so now how do you think I feel? Those planes are too heavy to be up there too.

Well that's coffee for you. or how else would I get off on that tirade...?

Where was I oh right, Make up... after I put my hair in curlers, I just kept checking the mirror and touching up my make-up for five hours whenever I thought about it in case anyone cares to know my position.

let's see, what else did I do on the plane.. that's it.

After arriving, there seemed to be this kind of film buzz everywhere we went - even the hairstylist who flat ironed my hair recognized me saying he knew about "Frank & Cindy" and wanted to hug me... he seemed excited to see me, said "F&C was the one film he wanted to see most... and had watched the clips on line..." Oh I forgot to mention - at the hotel, right away, people kept coming up to us and introducing themselves (it was all very magical actually)... we felt like stars over there, I can tell you that.

Silverdoc festivities everywhere... lovely completely Silverdocs... A beautiful green Silversprings/Silverdocs Decorated Film Appreciating City... And the headquarters for The (international world famous) Discovery Channel.. which turned out to be the one of the reasons WHY I wasn't prepared for this as I mentioned earlier...

And this was no kind of flash in the pan, this Discovery Channel stuff on the local radio and TV about the festival. The first night we were in the hotel and turned on the radio, thinking to use it as an alarm, and the subject on the station was some more Silverdocs stuff. I guess you can imagine how I felt by then, just what in the hell... excited, but also scared and... but I must admit, not that intimidated though, since I wasn't kidding that I was ready for whatever you had.

But Good God, why did they schedule that surprise Disovery Channel interview right the freaking hell before the actual F&C Q&A I ask?

10:49 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Silverdocs 2 - The Arrival

Now as I started to say earlier, Everything started out pretty much the same as on the trip to Florida festival...

On the plane Frank was having the same nicotine withdrawals and started reading the free coke cans labels out loud to me, and then pointing and reciting the map and altitudes on the back of the seat at the top of his lungs (it was JetBlue). Usually he is soft spoken so this was surprising to me and I felt bad for the guy sitting next to him who put his head down on the food tray and stayed there asleep I hope. If only I knew we could have watched TV the whole way - Frank said no, he wasn't paying for that and get ripped off for five dollars for headphones, etc (but I later found out they were free). So he kept reading altitudes, cans and snack wrappers out loud for about 5 hours.

For some reason (well, or he told me the reason) he didn't order any drinks on the plane this time... and that was because drinking makes him want to smoke even worse he found out. So once we landed he had wine on his mind too... but there wasn't even time after that.

Everything about Silverdocs was fabulous - so professional and quite perfectly planned/ coordinated too I'd say.

The very minute we landed, we got a call from the Silverdocs coordinator to let us know that our driver was already waiting in front of the terminal for us. Then we were on our away to the Downtown Marriott, where they had reserved our room.

The driver told us she heard about the film Frank & Cindy and had seen the poster and loved it - and after discussing Frank's trademark cheap zinfandel and vendors of, even suggested she take us to the local Trader Joe's for a few bottles. In return, Frank gave her his latest CD to play on the way. (For some reason that TJ's didn't sell alcohol though).

On the ride I kept noticing all the festive banners and signs for Silverdocs everywhere... It looked like the event of the year, and pretty damn exciting... O.K., anyway the driver dropped us at the hotel saying we were the most fun ride she had ever had and Frank ran inside and hit the bar.

All right all right, I go into such detail I know... do you see why it takes me so long to write anything? Especially since I can't even type?

11:45 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment