No Joy in TV land

Hmmm. Well. I didn't get any of the parts I auditioned for in my previous posts. Missed out on 2 commercials and the spot in Neighbors. I didn't 'hit' the neighbors audition, but I'm confident I represented myself well enough to be considered again. So, let's see what next year will bring.
In the meantime, I've registered a comedy festival show (always busy). It's called Two Collars, (as in Blue Collar, White Collar) and myself and Doug Chappel will be starring in it. Starring in it. tosser.
I'm also doing a writing course at the moment, in my spare time. Here is an example of a poem I wrote yesterday.

My laptop sits
quietly on my desk.
well, not really.
It can't sit:
It's a thing
Without a bum.
So it lies,
No, can't do that either.
It's a thing.
What does a thing do
when it is on a desk?
my thing
searches the web for
Nude pics of George Bush.

Yep. This writing course is great. Get's my juices flowin.
Sometimes it's a flog, sometimes a blog
Mick

Neighbors

How unreal is this....I have an audition for Neighbors tomorrow. This is weird, all these auditions. Not normally this busy, but that's a good thing. I'll keep you posted. Funny. Neighbors. Russell Crowe, Kylie, Guy Pearce, just three of famous actors have been on this show. Next will be Mick Alford.....

Had a great weekend, relaxing and loving. Went Christmas tree shopping on Sunday with Tania and Luke. We found a good 4 & 1/2 footer, and we all decorated it. Should have put a photo up of it.

Tonight I'
ll be at Tania's to celebrate Luke's 3rd Birthday. Bought him a Thomas Tank set, about 30 pieces. He'll be Thomas'ed out come the end of Christmas.....

Tomorrow night I'm off to the Foo Fighter Concert with Garp and Petey. That's gunna go off...right off....

You know, I actually live a pretty busy life. Pretty full. I've always figured my life was kinda boring, but writing in here helps me to see how good it is. I'm not all that good at planning my days out, and this means that I always seem to have lot's of stupid things on, and my head is always too busy to enjoy what's in front of me. For instance, here's my list of things to do this week:

Monday: Luke's birthday, speak to the bank about my loan account being overcharged, cancel my gas and electricity accounts, call Bigpond to find out how the prospecting went in order to have Cable at Tan's, fit work in, and learn my lines for the audition piece.
Tuesday: Audition at 2:45, Foo fighters at night
Wednesday: I'm kinda thinking a bit of a goodbye session (bottle of wine or two) at my flat while I pack boxes and stuff
Thursday: Dad's Birthday, more packing
Friday: Work Christmas drinks, Comic's lounge to talk about 2006 Comedy festival show with Doug and Tony
Saturday: Hire trailer and move my flat.
Sunday: Complete move, clean up my old place.

I've also gotta fit in writing Chrissie cards, finding out addresses ('cause I could drive to my family/friends - I could even call them, but I'd NEVER write to them, so I have to call everyone, and find out addresses. 80 odd cards to write and send. Average 3 minutes per phone call, that's 6 hours worth of phone calls just there).

And of course, because this week is so busy, I won't have any time to spend worry about things. I worry about EVEYTHING: how many cigarettes I smoke, about my writing jokes, about me working full time (I am wasting my creative juices here!), worry about money, lack of it, or too much of it, I worry about next week, next year, last week, last year. I worry. I won't be able to fit much of this worry in this week, so I'm going to delay the worry, but then I'll only have to catch up on it the week AFTER, which will be worse, because more things will have popped up then, and I'll need to take a day off, just so I can worry and be anxious.

Does that sound dumb? Well, it's what I do. I worry.
Ah Well, a blog's a blog...sometimes it's a blurt too.

2nd Audition and a warble

Well, yesterday's audition went OK enough. At least I got some feedback:
"He started off a bit nervous, but warmed up in the end." That's what I figured. I realised that unless I have lines to rehearse and deliver, like an actor, I find it difficult to relax and be myself in these 'chat to cameras'. I'm happy to realise this, it gives me something to work with. Would be a pretty cool gig if I got it. 12 months Australia wide exposure can't hurt. Bit of humour in the ad as well, which is a big help.
This morning's audition required me to suit up and again, another chat to camera. Felt better about this one, probably because it was hot on the heels of yesterday's and also because I could put into practise what I'd learned about myself. I left thinking I did the best I could, which is all I can really expect.
Hopefully I'll be meeting Tania at lunchtime. She has come into the city to see the Myer windows with Luke (her son). I'd love to meet up with both of them.

Had Jim the mortgage broker over last night. Was late, and hopefully now we are pre-approved for a home loan. We'll take our time, and find a great house for us.

On the way into work from the audition, I got into a cab, and spoke to the cab driver about the Van Nguyen hanging. I felt a sense of loss, knowing that a human had been executed - by hanging. Is crazy to me, the harshness and finality of that punishment. In my mind, it doesn't fit the crime, and says more about that government being unwilling to lead with empowerment. Can't see death as a solution to a problem. But the thing is, the media here has given this case a lot of publicity, and co-incidentally, our PM has been able to get a bill through which will erode worker's rights, now and forever. It's almost as if this guy's charmed....the media go in a frenzy about a law in another country, which relegates the important things happeneing HERE to 2-3 second grabs on the nightly news. Something smells wrong about how quickly and without rigor this bill has been approved. Healthy and rigorous opposition has been vacant. Not just from the opposition parties, but the general public. What is it? Apathy? Greed? The generation of Australians who are prospering RIGHT NOW, are prospering because of the rights that the government is desperate to remove. Without thought or care as to the welfare of future generations. They'll be the first to complain when the next generation take NO CARE about their senior citizens, because they didn't care about them.
Phew.
And all I wanted to talk about was my audition.
Ah Well, a blog's a blog. Sometimes it's on a soapbox.
Until tomorrow.....

Audition tonight

I have an audition tonight in Malvern for a commercial. brief is of a 40 something cab driver. Commercial is for an insurance company. Good payer. Only thing is, it's a chat to samera, and, well, these chat to camera things can be awkward. I mean, what do you say? They ask: "What have you been doing?" And I don't want to say; "Not much at all really, waiting for the next nod for some paid work is about all I can do..." I mean, my day is spent in a Help desk, DOING NOTHING. I've top scored on Spider solitaire for Pete's sake! 1207 on medium. Anyways. Any tips on getting over extreme boredom at work would be greatly appreciated.
Also have an audition tomorrow morning, for an employment company. Another good payer, if I get it. Had to go out an buy a tie at lunchtime. The other thing with these auditions is that you only find out if you get them. You walk in, do 2 minutes, and leave. You then sweat for a day or two - if you don't get the phone call, you don't get the gig. I'm getting much better at relaxing nowadays. a few years ago, i would have been anxious and sweating about the result (and making it mean I was no good) for days.
Also writing a show for next years Melbourne International Comedy Festival, in cahoot with Doug Chappel. So plenty of things on the go right now. Oh...Also having a lending manager pop around to Tania's house tonight, we're looking at buying a house in Aspendale - or at least giving a good shot at the auction on the 10th December.
Hmmm...That's enough of an intor for now. Bye!