Posts Tagged ‘find the funny’

chicken wire + glow-in-the-dark paint = stylishly spooky

Thankfully I don’t have to wear a hospital mask on October 31st  (thank you, Mira for covering for me!) so I’m prepping for the big night.  I know, I know — once I passed the quarter-of-a-century mark I thought I’d have to give up on my passion for pumpkins.

But after spending Halloween in NYC recently,  I realized it’s actually cool to be into Halloween. Seriously — just ask any New Yorker!

Anyway isn’t working in the ER scary enough with the Ebola-factor or having to deal with Triage Nurse Anthony Chan, who clearly doesn’t need a costume to totally freak me out?  And though Dr. Crush hasn’t done anything horrific, I’m trying to think of him as DEAD-TO-ME because he’s become such a Passive-Zombie lately. Is there a cemetery where I can go bury my feelings for him so I can stop feeling them…?

In an attempt to distract myself from my LIST OF LACKS: Jobs, Auditions, Romantic Sagas — I’m sharing a few more Halloween ideas.  And btw — my favorite source for GLOW — Glow Universe is having a final HALLOWEEN 15% off sale so if you need any glow sticks, check ’em out.

GLOW GHOSTS —

Balloons + Green Glow Sticks + Cheese Cloth = Tada!

 BLOODY MAT —

Roll of white paper + Red Paint + Feet = Ewwwwwuuu

GLOW DROPS–

Balloons + Orange Blow Sticks + Nylons to hang from trees= a romantic Halloween? if only…

SCALE-Y SKIN–

Fishnet Stockings + Green Make-up Base + Your Head = A new look for Auditions? HA!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope your October 31st has just the right mix of treats + scary. Be sure to stay out of ERs though, k?

xo/evie

nothing’s gonna stop them now

During my Amazing Mom’s much-too-short life she managed to find the funny during the darkest of times, so unsurprisingly I raced out to see THE SKELETON TWINS opening weekend after learning that it’s about family members (Maggie and Milo) who use humor to cope.

It certainly didn’t hurt that it was a Sundance Best Screenplay winner — and then when I read that that Writer/Director Craig Johnson and stars Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader would be doing Q&As after some of the weekend screenings, the deal was sealed. Win/Win for me as I managed to score a ticket (to what would be a sold-out performance) at the Landmark in West L.A. where Johnson and Hader were planning to appear.  Big YAY!

SMART COMEDY

To me Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are the “best of” modern-day SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. I’m devastated that now they only guest on the show.  But it’s awesome seeing them on the big screen where they shine even brighter. In THE SKELETON TWINS they take talent to a whole new level tackling layered, complex roles and dramatic situations (like suicide, career failures and adultery) with creativity and expertise.

People say that comedy actors are really smart (Lisa Kudrow/Vassar, Jenny Slate/Columbia, Sasha Baron Cohen/Cambridge) because their brains are so creatively quick. Watch any Robin Williams interview to see how his train-of-thought is light-years ahead of the rest of us. It’s not a skill one can acquire, COMEDY is part of the DNA for the lucky ones.  Lemme tell you after seeing Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig seamlessly dance back-and-forth from drama to dramedy — hitting every mark in every frame — I’m guessing that both of them are off-the-charts smart! Read the rest of this entry »

we’ve all got ’em

Life deals us HUMPS.  No one can escape them. No one gets off scott-free (even Tony Scott of Scott Free.) Some humps are kept hidden — like they were for Robin Williams. Others are out there for all to see — like for Gabby Giffords. Yep, struggles, challenges, humps are part of the human experience. The only alternative to giving up is facing them as best as we can.

Volunteering in the ER is an up-close-and-personal view of humans dealing with humps:  scary tests,  bad news,  challenging outcomes, embarrassing situations, and PAIN: Physical pain, emotional pain and the anxiety of waiting, waiting, waiting which is a pain in the ass. Oh and don’t forget the pain you get in your bank account when the hospital bills arrive… and arrive… and keep on keeping on.

Dealing with Pain —

facing fear

I’m amazed that so many people can handle humps with acceptance, grace and even humor.

Like –

• The 85-year-old grandfather now without quality of life thanks to an operation gone wrong, stuck with two long tubes coming out of his kidneys, rushed into the ER by paramedics after he tried to slit his wrists.  As his daughter tries to explain to police officers interviewing him that he just got bad news, the old man cracks jokes — (“May I borrow your gun to finish the job off?”) (“Not now Dad, they’ll have to lock you up!”)
• The 90-something great grandmother who suddenly discovers she has lung cancer with 3-6 months to live — (“It is what it is, guess I can go off my diet now.”)
• The Teen surfer disappointed when he learns his broken leg will keep him out of the water for the rest of the summer, who suddenly grins at me — (“Think I can drum up some sympathy sex?”)

Read the rest of this entry »

living the dream…

Volunteering in the ER is Icky-Sticky.  A plethora of Private Parts in Private Matters with Doctors asking questions — that trust me, I don’t need to hear. Curtains fly open as bare-assed Patients bend over in a Peep Show — that trust me, I don’t need to see! Bodily Fluids and Functions are F-ing embarrassing — even when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  Especially when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  It’s a lot to deal with…

Things Get Awkward When You —

• Chaperone a pelvic exam and the doctor says, “Spread your legs.”
• Feel nauseous as a Patient throws up in the emesis basin you just handed him.
• Ask a Transvestite if he/she prefers to be entered in the computer as a male or female.
• Hand over an ice bag to a doctor you’re trying to help and the cap comes off spilling ice all over him.
• Ask an Old Geezer if he needs help getting undressed and he says, “Yes.”
• Accidentally offer to dispose of a big bag of hypodermic needles, and then realize there’s no safe place to put them.
• Hit your head on the cabinet in the Patient’s Room and realize you’re bleeding more than the patient is.
• Have to tell a Patient you’re not a Nurse after she’s described her medical condition in embarrassing detail.
• Must pretend like you don’t smell anything, when it’s an obvious “Code Brown” situation.
• Enter an exam room just as you overhear a Man’s Voice say, “You’re about to feel a prick.”

Read the rest of this entry »

rom with real com!

Perhaps it’s due to the afterglow from my summer fling with Jorgen, or maybe it’s the best comedy of the summer, but either way I find myself totally into Greg Poehler’s fresh fish-out-of-water half-hour, WELCOME TO SWEDEN.  Sweet, charming and understated so it actually feels real, it’s a welcome relief from those loud, actor-y, in-your-face comedies that hit you over the head trying too hard to be funny. (It’s exactly the kind of project I relate to — would love to be called in for a guest spot, hint-hint!)

A Sweet Set-up —

In this sweet summer treat, single-camera comedy, successful Accountant, Bruce (Greg Poehler) leaves his self-absorbed celebrity clients (like Will Ferrell) and his narcissistic boss (sister and co-producer, Amy Poehler) in the dust as he impulsively moves to Sweden to live with his hot girlfriend Emma (Josephine Bornebusch) without exactly working out the details. The relationship is tested as he navigates his way through foreign everything, while trying to prove his worthiness to doubting potential in-laws, Emma’s parents: Therapist/Mother-without-filters, Viveka (the wonderful Lena Olin who steals every scene),  and stoic, hard-working Dad, Birger (Claes Mansson.)

Pushing Boundaries —

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why not?

Why wait till the New Year to start over? The sunny-sun is shining — we can all shed some layers —  and days are longer, so why not make the most of them?!

SUMMER RESOLUTIONS 

Less
Can’t…

More
Can do!

Less
Maybe…

More
Definitely!

Less
Taking everything too seriously —

More
Finding the funny! Read the rest of this entry »

one, two, three, you can do it!

Oh.My.God!

Tonight was epic! Life-altering! Out-of-body!

I witnessed a BIRTH! Not in the movies. Not in my imagination. It was almost in the Hallway! Uh-huh, things were happening that fast!

Rewind —

Earlier on my ER Shift it’s busy-busy — but there are four Volunteers (including Mira and me) so no one seems to mind when I wheel a moaning OB Patient up to Labor and Delivery and never come back.

When Duty calls…

“Red” the OB patient (with ridiculously curly red hair) wobbles in from her Uber, nervous, excited and very much ALONE! In one swift move I grab a wheelchair, plop her into it and ring L & D to let them know we’re on our way up —

In the elevator Red starts blowing in through her nose, out through her mouth –”oooooou, aahhhhh” when the elevator operator asks “When are you due?”

Red’s face scrunches, reddens, she looks like she’s about to burst and WAILS  —

Now—-owwww! Ow-ow-owwwww!

Read the rest of this entry »