Posts Tagged ‘volunteering’

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.”

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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!

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Wait, is this my arc?

LIFE is the ultimate CONUNDRUM, right? I mean, what does it all mean?

What’s the effing point?!

Uhhh, the scarier question really is, what if there isn’t any… POINT? What’s my purpose? Why am I here? How the hell do I know if I’m on the right path?

Does “Entertaining” Count for CONTRIBUTING?

Acting feels fleeting, frustrating, and self-serving. Even when I book a job, when it’s over I’m back to auditioning again! And again, and again — Am I risking my sanity and wasting my time?  Am I just a hammy hamster going round and round and round and… Ug– ach– blug– BLEEAAUUUUCH! (sorry, I had to get that out.)

dizzy blond

Ever notice how in INSIDE THE ACTOR’S STUDIO Actors come from messed-up lives? Does everyone have an imperfect life? Does portraying the human condition let everyone know — it’s cool to be flawed?  Are we all losers in an imperfect world? Should I run for President of Loserville? Read the rest of this entry »

the new flu can be rough-rough!

OMG! It’s a MASKADEMIC! Our hospital reminds me of Asia during the Sars Epidemic ‘cuz everyone’s wearing a MASK! Crazy! It’s like the opposite of what we learned in ER Volunteer Training when our Supervisor Charlayne told us –

Ya’ll need to wear masks around patients in ISO, but be sure to remove them when you’re walkin’ around. It’s like wearin’ rubber gloves in the waitin’ room. They give the wrong message.

Things are different now with the current strain of Flu — because it’s much stronger, scarier, and more virulent than in previous years. The new Flu is a RISK to the young, the old, the high-risk and even to HEALTHY humans. Yeah, it’s Twilight-Zone-y, sorta like that movie Gwyneth Paltrow was in: CONTAGION. Well no, not that bad —  but seriously, this new Flu can be a matter of life-and-death. No kidding! Read the rest of this entry »

(but moving forward…)

Uh-oh! We’re five days into 2014 and I’m still thinking about my list of New Year’s Resolutions. So in a never-ending effort to stop procrastinating (which should be my #1) — I’m addressing it now. Not tomorrow, not next week – NOW!

DO UNTO OTHERS…

As I contemplate my list, my wandering mind heads over to what bugs me in others and what I’d write on their list:

• My “Dr. McCrush” (master of mixed-messages) over-analyzes pros and cons of anything remotely personal. He’s so freaked-out about moving in the wrong direction, he makes no moves at all! Not only is it frustrating from my P.O.V., I realize it can’t be healthy for him to be in constant stress-mode. What’s weird is that he has no problem making decisions professionally – he’s always focused and forthright and has an awesome bedside manner. But personally he’s a total basket case. Obviously there’s a whole lotta baggage in his history. (C’mon, Dr. A – pack it up already and let’s get going.)
• My Agent Josh is big on conversation these days, but not great at delivering. I realize his hands are tied by some of my inconvenient spur-of-the-moment decisions — and now that I’m on the lower steps of a ladder, it’s harder to get back up — but I’d rather he didn’t say something and get my hopes up than not say it at all. (But I don’t want to lose all hope…)
• My frenemy, Briana weirds me out on a regular basis, with her passive-aggressive behavior, the fleeting moments when things seem like they always used to and her bitchy flare-ups when I least expect them. Why does she hold onto the past, when there’s the possibility of a positive future? (Enough with the Dr. Jekyll and Hyde-ness!)
• My Volunteer Supervisior, Charlayne would get a lot more outta me if she’d show a little appreciation, ugh. It’s not a sign of weakness, Charlayne to act human occasionally. (“Honeychild,” didn’t they teach you in Southern school that you get a lot more flies with honey — not that I’m a fly – I hate flies, almost as much as moths who eat away at the vintage designer sweaters my mom left me.) Read the rest of this entry »