Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Wait� check that� reverse it.

That's what I always remind myself.Ìý Underpromise and overdeliver.

And I mean to.Ìý I do.

But when I'm faced with a task� or an avalanche of tasks� this Superman cape appears on my back and I find myself with my hands on my hips, laughing in the face of the onslaught and knowing for one hundred percent sure that I can tackle it, no problem, and in no time at all.

Then I realize I need things like� oh� sleep, and I have to reconsider my original assessment.

Nowhere is this more evident than in my diary to Miss M.Ìý When I first got pregnant with her, I promised myself I would write to her for five minutes a day, every day.Ìý Totally do-able, right?Ìý What's five minutes?

Only sometimes even five minutes were hard to come by, and after days (or weeks) with no entries at all, I'd finally sit down to write, and the entire first paragraph would be, "Hey, Baby!Ìý So â€� no shocker â€� I owe you about a zillion minutes and I'm so sorry, but things got totally crazyâ€�"

I'd spend more than five minutes just apologizing for my lack of daily five minutes.Ìý After particularly long periods without writing to her, I'd be loath to even begin, because how could I possibly make up several hours of journaling?Ìý And make no mistake, I knew it was hours, because I kept meticulous track of how much time I missed, and how much time I'd have to write to make up for what was lost, and be back to where I "should" be.

"Should," I've realized, is a terrible thing.

I used to think it was self-empowering.Ìý I should be able to do the impossible!Ìý Doesn't that mean I feel like a superstar?

No, it means I feel like I'm not allowed to be human and have limitations.Ìý That's not self-empowering, it's self-thwarting, because it only leads me being angry with myself when I can't meet goals that were ridiculous to begin with.

I've gotten a lot better at this over the years, but I still have a long way to go.Ìý Tonight, I'm starting with my journal to Miss M.Ìý As I mentioned in this about ignoring my bills, I just went through a crazy period of intense work, where everything else fell by the wayside, including the journal.Ìý Despite the fact that there are a million little things I'm dying to immortalize, I've been avoiding it, because I know the amount of time I owe the journal is so insurmountable.

Yet the minute I finish this post, I'm going to click over and get back to it, with a major exception.Ìý I'm no longer going to keep track of the minutes I write, or the minutes I owe.Ìý I will write the journal when the mood hits, whether it's for thirty seconds or thirty minutes, with no pressure to "make up" lost time, or "bank" time for when chaos hits.Ìý I will write to Miss M for the pleasure of it, and without the pressure of any "shoulds."

I bet I'll have more fun with it that way, and write more often.Ìý And when I do present the journal to Miss M when she heads off to college (that's my grand scheme), she won't have to wade through any more paragraphs of me flagellating myself for not living up to a ridiculous expectation.

Do you do this to yourself?Ìý Do you jump at the chance to do the impossible?Ìý Do you over-commit, then struggle to make sure you don't under-perform?Ìý Are you a reformed over-committer?Ìý What are your tricks for managing your to-do list and your time?

Ìý

There were many reasons I was excited to go to Hawaii early this month, but I'd be lying if I denied a big one was this:

Being away would make it easier to wait those long weeks until THE WARBLERS CD WAS RELEASED!!!!

Yup, I remember it like yesterday.Ìý I heard the Warblers sing Raise Your Glass, and knew immediately I needed that song!Ìý I was about to download when I thought, "Hmmm.Ìý Ryan Murphy's a savvy guy.Ìý Surely I'm not the only person who loves the Warblers' music more than any other songs on the show."Ìý In the blink of an eye, I'd Googled "Warblers album," and there it was: "…to be released April 19th."

It had seemed like a lifetime away, but yesterday it arrived, and I downloaded the album.

It's SPECTACULAR!!!

Allow me to regale you with the song list:

1. Teenage Dream

2. Hey Soul Sister

3. Bills, Bills, Bills

4. Silly Love Songs

5. When I Get You Alone

6. Animal

7. Misery

8. Blackbird

9. Candles

10. Raise Your Glass

11. Somewhere Only We Know

12. What Kind Of Fool

13. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

It's a world of goodness.Ìý Even better news â€� the Warblers will be singing as part of the Glee live tour.Ìý It's a can't-miss, which means I'll have to visit StubHub â€� I'm having a beast of a time finding tickets through Ticketmaster.Ìý If it goes anything like the last concert, my daughter and I will share equally in the jumping up and down, singing along, and screaming.Ìý This time I'll also get to swoon over Darren Criss, which is a serious added bonus.

Are you as excited about this show as I am?Ìý What's your favorite Glee song?Ìý I'm torn between Bills Bills Bills and When I Get You Alone at the moment, but Mr. Schue doing Bust a Move may always be my ultimate fave.

Seriously.

I'm not new to this L.A. thing.Ìý I've been out here for well over ten years.Ìý I have dealt credibly with celebrities before.Ìý I've taken dictation from Lily Tomlin.Ìý I've sat across from Bill Cosby and Madeline Kahn as they read words I wrote.Ìý I've had long, involved conversations with Dave Goelz (who plays Gonzo) about the early days of the Muppets.Ìý I write .Ìý And, as I've posted on this blog, .

But there's a short list of celebrities that REALLY make me lose my cool and become a blithering idiot.

Near the top of the list?

William Shatner.

OF COURSE William Shatner!Ìý He's William Shatner!Ìý The master of Starships and ill-advised songs!Ìý There is nothing about William Shatner that isn't over-the-top genius incarnate!Ìý He's William Shatner!!!

And I was only ten minutes into dinner last night when he walked in the door.

I saw him out the corner of my eye first.Ìý It was a weird night anyway.Ìý My family had all kinds of mishegoss keeping us from our usual annual seder, so my husband, daughter, grandmother and I had opted for an early restaurant meal.Ìý We were seated close to the entrance, by a glass wall that opened on the upstairs walkway.

As I took a sip of tea (Earl Grey â€� hot!Ìý Yes, I know that's Picard and not Kirk, but still, it really was!), I saw a peach-shirted blur move across the walkway.

A William Shatner shaped peach-shirted blur.

No.

It couldn't be.

Then he walked in, and I swear I did a spit take.Ìý In the one second before he moved past our booth, I thought of all the possible conversation-openers I could use, from the basic, "Mr. Shatner, I'm a huge fan!" to the forced-casual, "Hey!Ìý We have a friend in common!Ìý I know someone who wrote on S**T My Dad Says!", to the truly lame, "Um, rememberâ€� um about eight years agoâ€� um, when you came in for a casting session for a movieâ€� and um, the session was in the same offices as ±«²Ô»å°ù±ð²õ²õ±ð»åâ€� and all the writers came in to drool over you?Ìý I was one of those writers!"

I went with none of them.Ìý I let him pass.Ìý I did, however, answer my daughter's query of "Mommy, why do you look so weird?" with the way too loud response, "I'm kind of freaking out because William Shatner just walked by!"

I guess my suddenly-mushy brain thought he'd hear that and be amused and/or flattered enough to come say hi.

Not so much.

I immediately whipped out my phone and Tweeted about how starstruck I was.Ìý Then I called my husband, who was still on his way to the restaurant.Ìý He expressly forbid me from making an ass out of myself, but when he walked in he had two questions for me: which way was the bathroomâ€� and which way was Shatner?Ìý The two were in opposite directions, but my husband's no slouch.Ìý He grew up here, and made it look perfectly natural to scope out one on the way to the other.

In the end, I was very well behaved.Ìý I didn't interrupt the man's dinner.Ìý I probably would have considered it, but he was wise enough to sit on the inside of his booth, so it's not like I could scrape and smile and apologize as I sweetly asked to lean in for an easy picture with him.

The waitress did say he goes there often though…maybe next time?

Yesterday about how I can't be allowed near the computer at night because I will buy whatever's advertised in my in-box.Ìý Well, one of my more recent late-night purchases was P90X.

I didn't intend to buy it.

I didn't need it.Ìý Not really.Ìý I take boot camp classes at , and they're amazing â€� only thirty minutes long, but so butt-kicking that they always destroy me.Ìý Plus they're never boring, since Josh and his trainers constantly mix things up.Ìý Truly, the classes have me in the best shape of my life.

But I'm me, and I'm neurotic, and I'm all too aware of the not-so-little pooches here and there.Ìý Okay, just one there, really â€� I'm a poochy-lower-abs girl and it's seriously annoying.Ìý Still, in my best moments I recognize I'm doing just fine, so I was not on the lookout for a new workout program.

Then I started working on the Populazzi trailer, and for reference I Googled videos featuring transformations.Ìý (When the trailer premieres in about two weeks, you'll understand why.)Ìý Again and again, P90X videos came up â€� people taping themselves either every day for 90 days, or in a few cuts: the start, 30 days in, 60 days in, and 90 days in.

Oh.Ìý My.Ìý God.

Not only were the transformations incredible, but they also offered my Holy Grail: flat, toned abs.

I needed it.Ìý Immediately.Ìý I ordered the videos, a pack of resistance bands, and the Monday after the Populazzi trailer shoot, I started following Tony Horton's mantra and bringing it.

The program is very challengingâ€� and very time-consuming.Ìý You know how I said one of the cool things about Carter Fitness is that he effectively destroys you in just thirty minutes?Ìý Well, Tony Horton needs between sixty and ninety minutes, six days a week.Ìý I'm in week three now, and so far my weeks have been the same: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are for weight training plus abs; Tuesday is Plyometrics, Thursday is Yoga, and Saturday is Kenpo X.Ìý There's not an easy workout in the bunch.Ìý I am constantly pushed and challenged, and each video is a blend of so many different exercises that my body is far too busy mewling in agony to adapt and cruise.

I love itâ€� but I will admit that as far as I can see, there has been no change to the poochiness as of yet.Ìý All the message boards claim that magic happens in the last thirty days, and since the transformation videos all seem to back that up, I'm forcing myself to be patient.Ìý I'll keep you posted, and if by some miracle I do end up with flat abs at the end of these 90 days, I will gleefully flaunt them on this site.

Have any of you done P90X?Ìý What did you think?Ìý What other workout programs have you tried and loved â€� or hated?

My running partner told me she's addicted to infomercials.Ìý If she's watching late at night, she's enthralled, and is very likely to buy whatever's flashed in front of her, whether it's a comfort dog leash or an immersion blender that holds itself upright in a pan.

I laughed out loud, amiably because she's a dear friend, but there was a scoff in my voice.Ìý I mean, come on.Ìý Infomercials? Really?

Then I stopped laughing because I realized I do the exact same thing, only I have a different poison.Ìý Mine's email ads.Ìý I delete them all day long, but between the hours of midnight and 4am â€� a time during which I'm all too often plopped in front of my keyboard â€� I am powerless to avoid their spell.

The Children's Place is having a Monster Sale?Ìý I must click now and buy a boatload of things for my daughter!Ìý Yes, she has more than enough clothing, but the email says I have to act now!

A "Thousand Calorie Workout" that'll give me the body of my dreams?Ìý YES!Ìý I need it!Ìý Despite the fact that the sane part of my brain knows a thousand calories is absurdly minimal and I'll never stick with it.

An organizational website says a recipe book is a great way to store gift cards?Ìý Of course it is!Ìý How have I lived without such a thing?Ìý I must order it at onceâ€� even though I'll never ever take the time to file said gift cards.

Some things I order in the dead of night are great.Ìý Like when I got it into my head that I MUST have a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad.Ìý Immediately.Ìý I spent two hours doing research, and got this, which seriously has made a huge positive difference in my work life.

Purchases like that are the exception, though.Ìý The rule?Ìý Stuff I really don't need, but is mesmerizing under the combined tonics of sleeplessness and salesmanship.

Do you fall for this too?Ìý What's the weirdest thing you've ever bought online thanks to an enticing come-on?

How cool is this?Ìý Know how on my page I kvell about writing for The Muppets?

Well, the Muppet web-series I co-wrote with Craig Shemin, , was nominated for a Webby!!!!

I won't lie â€� we're clearly the underdog.Ìý (Rowlf the underdog, of course.)Ìý We're up against webisodes from The Office, 30 Rock, and Funny or Die, but honestly â€� how stinkin' cool to be among such amazing competition!!!

Yes, the odds are against usâ€� but they've been against the Muppets before.Ìý Like when they made their way across the country to try to break into show businessâ€� or when they had to stop Miss Piggy from going to jail for a crime she didn't commitâ€� or when they needed to put on a Broadway show despite the fact that Kermit had lost his memory.Ìý Did they give up then?Ìý Heck, no!

(And don't tell me those were just movie plots � they were real, doggone it!)

Yup, the Muppets love defying the odds, but they can't do it this time without the lovers, the dreamers, and YOU!Ìý Go to and sign up.Ìý Once you confirm your email, go back to the voting site.Ìý You'll see categories across the top.Ìý Scroll over "Online Film and Video," then click on "Comedy: Long Form or Series".Ìý THEN, you can vote for Kermit and pals!

If we win, I'll post the all-puppet, condensed version of Waiting for Godot the brilliant and I did when we were auditioning to be Muppeteers many long years ago.Ìý Unless of course that's a disincentive, in which case I'll only post it if we don't win.

Thanks in advance for the votes!!!

Yesterday I got a call from my husband.

Him:Ìý Hey baby, just so you know, I opened the DWP bill andâ€� umâ€� they were going to turn off the power.Ìý Like tomorrow.Ìý So I paid it.

Me:Ìý Oh.Ìý Um.Ìý Sorry.Ìý Thanks.

I'm always under one deadline or another â€� it's the definition of being a freelance writer.Ìý I also really like keeping busy, so I'm usually at one level or another of "swamped."

That's great â€� I'm good with that.Ìý I function well swamped.

But every now and then, the universe tilts, and like the aligning of the planets, we have the Aligning of the Deadlines.Ìý When this happens, so many things are due in such a limited space of time that there is no earthly way to accomplish it all except to spend every waking moment (and many should-be-sleeping moments) attached to the computer.

That was my March.

In many ways it wasn't a problem.Ìý I love what I do, so work is fun.Ìý And even if the ticking clock adds some serious stress, it also gives me the same competing-against-myself thrill of running a marathon.Ìý There's an endorphin rush when the stakes are that high, and I can let everything else fall by the wayside because I have to work, all the time, end of story.

The only issue with that is reality doesn't exactly wait for me when I'm in super-swamped mode.Ìý Especially when super-swamped mode lasts for an entire month.Ìý Hence the unpaid DWP bills.

As of last night, the deluge of deadlines has passed.Ìý I still have all kinds of things to do (and that are due), but nothing breathing its hot dragon breath down my neck.Ìý My gut reaction is to take a break.Ìý With the heavy pressure off, I can put off work and concentrate on things like my messy disaster of a house, the giant stack of bills threatening me in the middle of the night, and, oh, time with my husband.Ìý (Miss M gets my time no matter how swamped I am â€� I keep stay-at-home-mom hours â€� but on swamped weekends I disappear, so my husband barely sees me at all.)

That's my gut reaction, but as is often the case, my gut is setting me up for disaster.

It's true, I do need to concentrate on those things, but I also need to keep working, despite the lack of fire-breathing deadlines.Ìý That's what will keep those deadlines from becoming insurmountable, and ideally let me keep some semblance of balance even in the craziest times.

Like many things, this is a lesson I've been actively not learning for decades, but despite the irony of turning over a new leaf on April Fool's Day, I'm dedicating myself to the effort.Ìý BALANCE is the buzzword from here on out.

Balance.

After I dig out from under the bills.

And balance my checkbook.

And organize the house.

And escape to Hawaii for a week with my husband and Miss M {giddy squeal}.

What do you do in your most swamped moments?Ìý Are you able to juggle everything, or do you look up and realize everything else except your shiny new script/manuscript/trailer/all-of-the-above-at-once has fallen through the cracks?Ìý Please share!

Alsoâ€� has anyone worked in WordPress from an iPad?Ìý Bringing that to Hawaii, not the laptop, so I'm curious.Ìý Mahalo in advance!

I've worked in film and TV most of my career, so I'd be lying if I said turning Populazzi into a film or TV project at some point isn't on my radar.Ìý It is.Ìý It's not why I wrote the book â€� I wrote it because I loved the story and felt a novel was the best way to tell it.Ìý But now that it's written, I'm peeking into other venues as well.

To that end, an intrigued party the other day asked me for a synopsis of the book.Ìý I sent them to .

It didn't work for them.

They needed something with more detailâ€� but not too much detail.Ìý Three to five pages.Ìý And ideally, it should highlight the more cinematic moments of the book.Ìý If I did it correctly, I had a shot at turning the "intrigued party" into an "interested party."Ìý If I did it wrong, no dice.

No pressure or anything.

The intrigued party had found me through a friend, and that friend had assured them I could throw together this new synopsis in no time.Ìý I thought so tooâ€�

…then I started.

Five pages and ten hours later, I was only two thirds of the way through the story.Ìý I could feel it wasn't right, and I was ripping out my hair trying to figure out why.Ìý I felt like I was doing what was asked â€� highlighting the basics, then diving whole hog into my favorite moments â€� but even as I was writing, I knew it was reading less like a tantalizing overview, and more like a Reader's Digest condensed version of the book.

I needed help.Ìý I sent up a flare to my friend â€� the intermediary between myself and the intrigued party.Ìý She had read Populazzi and loved it, which is why she contacted Intrigued Party to begin with.Ìý She's brilliantly savvy and has spent many years in the film world.Ìý She read my "summary," and came back with:Ìý "Here's what you want â€� you set up A, meet B, do C-D-E, touch on F, and finish with the big G.Ìý Done."

She made it sound so easy!

And she was right!Ìý The minute she gave me that road map, it was a breeze for me to write up a quick, compelling summary that told just enoughâ€� but not too much.Ìý It was interestingâ€� I've been so involved in the millions of details of this book (and the acres of backstory that didn't even make it into the novel), it was torture for me to pull back and see only the most major moments, sifting out everything that wasn't necessary to grab someone's attention.

Now that I've done it, I feel like I have a better sense of how to explain the book simply, without getting bogged down in all the details.Ìý I adore those details and they're what makes the book great, but it's just as important to have a bird's-eye view of the story that works really really well.

Writers, do you have this issue too?Ìý Do you find it difficult to sum up the novel you've lived and breathed in three pages of terse brilliance?Ìý Or do you thrive on finding those E-ticket-ride moments and highlighting them in a way that sums up everything in a three-minute elevator pitch?

I've blogged here before about my friend , who has the audacity to still be deceased, despite the fact that after all these years I can't believe it's true.

I was thinking about him this morning, after a conversation with my husband about balance� or more specifically, my complete and utter lack thereof.

I have always been a HUGE Don Adams fan.Ìý (Nope, it's not a non sequitur â€� just seems that way for the moment.)Ìý I adore Get Smart, and I go nuts every time Tennessee Tuxedo says, "Chumley, let's go see Mister Whoopee."Ìý Don Adams is one of those actors I would have loved to meet, despite the fact that I would have gone completely stupid around him.

Well, I had the chance.

My friend Jason worked with AFI, and they were doing something that involved Don Adams, and Jason had to deliver something to the home of Agent 86 himself.Ìý Knowing what a Maxwell Smart/Tennessee Tuxedo geek I am, Jason invited me along.Ìý He was even going to let me make the delivery, which I doubtless would have done while holding my shoe to my ear as if it were a phoneâ€� because I very much am that big a dork.

I said no.

I felt like I had to.Ìý I was buried with work, had deadlines threatening to suffocate meâ€� there was no possible way I could take the time off, even if it was just for a couple hours.

Don Adams died a couple months later.Ìý Jason lived longer than that, but now he's gone too.

The work I did that day?Ìý I can't even remember what project it was.Ìý I do remember I did use every bit of that day to work, and just barely made my deadline, but stillâ€� I missed out on something pretty unique and fun.

My job â€� and I know many of you share the same situation â€� isn't nine to five.Ìý If I wanted to, I could fill 24/7 with legitimate work, be it paid assignments or new things I'm developing on spec.Ìý Sometimes things do get so hectic that I have to go into lockdown and do nothing else if I want to make my deadlines.Ìý But when I'm not at that critical place, there needs to be room for balance.

I haven't found it yet.Ìý I'm all about getting everything else in the world accomplished until a deadline is in my face, then I kick into gear to meet the deadline.Ìý When deadlines converge, it's ugly.Ìý In that dreamlike "balanced" place, I imagine enough work gets handled effectively at all times that the madness never hits.

I'm fairly certain this was a skill I was supposed to learn back in elementary school, but it never took.Ìý Instead I learned how to buy one-pound bags of M&Ms and munch them as I stayed up all night before a test or paper was due.

I've decided April will be the month of balance.Ìý (It will also be the month of P90X, but that's a different post).Ìý Wish me luck.

Have you managed to achieve the perfect life/work balance?Ìý Any pointers?Ìý I'd more than appreciate them!

I've blogged here before about my friend , who has the audacity to still be deceased, despite the fact that after all these years I can't believe it's true.

I was thinking about him this morning, after a conversation with my husband about balance� or more specifically, my complete and utter lack thereof.

I have always been a HUGE Don Adams fan.Ìý (Nope, it's not a non sequitur â€� just seems that way for the moment.)Ìý I adore Get Smart, and I go nuts every time Tennessee Tuxedo says, "Chumley, let's go see Mister Whoopee."Ìý Don Adams is one of those actors I would have loved to meet, despite the fact that I would have gone completely stupid around him.

Well, I had the chance.

My friend Jason worked with AFI, and they were doing something that involved Don Adams, and Jason had to deliver something to the home of Agent 86 himself.Ìý Knowing what a Maxwell Smart/Tennessee Tuxedo geek I am, Jason invited me along.Ìý He was even going to let me make the delivery, which I doubtless would have done while holding my shoe to my ear as if it were a phoneâ€� because I very much am that big a dork.

I said no.

I felt like I had to.Ìý I was buried with work, had deadlines threatening to suffocate meâ€� there was no possible way I could take the time off, even if it was just for a couple hours.

Don Adams died a couple months later.Ìý Jason lived longer than that, but now he's gone too.

The work I did that day?Ìý I can't even remember what project it was.Ìý I do remember I did use every bit of that day to work, and just barely made my deadline, but stillâ€� I missed out on something pretty unique and fun.

My job â€� and I know many of you share the same situation â€� isn't nine to five.Ìý If I wanted to, I could fill 24/7 with legitimate work, be it paid assignments or new things I'm developing on spec.Ìý Sometimes things do get so hectic that I have to go into lockdown and do nothing else if I want to make my deadlines.Ìý But when I'm not at that critical place, there needs to be room for balance.

I haven't found it yet.Ìý I'm all about getting everything else in the world accomplished until a deadline is in my face, then I kick into gear to meet the deadline.Ìý When deadlines converge, it's ugly.Ìý In that dreamlike "balanced" place, I imagine enough work gets handled effectively at all times that the madness never hits.

I'm fairly certain this was a skill I was supposed to learn back in elementary school, but it never took.Ìý Instead I learned how to buy one-pound bags of M&Ms and munch them as I stayed up all night before a test or paper was due.

I've decided April will be the month of balance.Ìý (It will also be the month of P90X, but that's a different post).Ìý Wish me luck.

Have you managed to achieve the perfect life/work balance?Ìý Any pointers?Ìý I'd more than appreciate them!