It's My Dog's World: I Just Live In It

You Can Do It: Audition For My Play! (Or Some Other Wonderful Playwright's Work)

The auditions for the Estrogenius Festival 2008, where my very Jersey-flavored, Oprah-mocking play will be performed, begin July 25th.  Estrogenius runs for four weeks, has boodles of plays, and offers actors and actresses lots of opportunities to strut one's stuff.   My favorite character description:  "Female, 20’s-40’s, A turtle who has done this many times."  Awesome.  I will so be seeing that play. 

Here's the FAQ.  Please pass it around.   Go here for more audition information.

Can I audition for more than one play in a week? IF there’s time in your slot, you may
read for another play. You are certainly free to express to all the directors (you’ll be seen
by a rep from each play & any of them can call you back) all the plays in which you have
interest.
Can I audition for more than one week? There is NO DOUBLE CASTING in
Estrogenius. Once you are cast, you must stop auditioning. Until you are cast, you are
free to audition for all subsequent weeks. (The only exceptions are walk on or under five
roles)
Should I mail in/drop off/email a headshot/resume before auditions? All pic/resumes
dropped off before the date of your audition will go into our general files. Bring 3-5
pic/resumes each week you come to open call.
Are any of the plays pre-cast? No.
When do the sign up sheets go up for weeks 2-4? Sign up sheets go up the Monday
before the auditions. This gives us a chance to make sure we’ve notified all those cast in
the previous week so actors know whether they’re eligible to keep auditioning.
Is Estrogenius an Equity showcase? Yes. We will be casting Equity & non-Equity
actors.
Is there pay? We wish. Estrogenius is entirely run by volunteers.
Can I take scripts home or copy them? NO. All reading is IN HOUSE ONLY. Please
respect our writers & leave scripts here.
When are sides available? Sides will be available by noon on the day of auditions.
Are there roles for men? Of course. There are roles for men & women, various ages &
types.

Faith and I Are A Little Bit Famous Today

My very nice husband sent in a picture and a bio to our local paper, the New York Daily News, and we made it into the Critters section today, and they even mentioned my book, My Fat Dog.  Much of the paper is online, but so far, not the picture. So here is it again...exciting!

Watch the Video, Buy the Book, Then Write Your Own Damn Memoir!

One of the coolest things about being a writer is sharing your work.  And one of the other coolest things is getting to be in an anthology with people whose work you are crazy about:  Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, David Rakoff, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Susie Bright, Mario Batali (!)...and it only took six words. This is Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. Watch this video, and see if you don't buy multiple copies.  And write your own damn memoir, and send it in to me.  All it takes is six words!

My Fat Dog Book Gets Some Big Fat Praise

Dog guru Julia Szabo blogs fantastic on FetchDog.com about My Fat Dog, my book, and my (formerly) fat dog Faith, and recounts her dog Angus' journey from fat to fit.  Both Angus and Faith are deep-chested shelter dogs with health-conscious parents, but each ballooned big time after foot surgery.  Fortunately, Faith and Angus are both veggie-holics, and that goes a long way towards getting your dog's weight down.  But even if your dog is indifferent to veggies, you can still use the number one tool of all dieting dog owners:

The measuring cup. 

I kid you not.  It's not rocket science. Becoming more aware of how much food you're giving your dog is the number one tool towards getting her healthy.

And it's paid off. Faith's almost nine now, but she is still mistaken for a puppy.  She never tires  during a long walk, jumps easily (too easily!), swims like a fiend, and...hugely important--has never had a major orthopedic issue since we slimmed her down.  Statistics suggest that we've extended her life up to two years...paws crossed.  I sure hope so.

I gave J. Peterman my dog book last night...

Well, not exactly J. Peterman, but close to: the delightful, silver-headed John O'Hurley.  I had him sign his book (a dog/kid wisdom book), then I gave him mine, and then I babbled. Thanks for being so gracious, Mr. O'Hurley...who, he confessed, has A Fat Dog.

A Genuine Ex-Fat Cat Recommends "My Fat Cat!"

I am delighted to inform you that my book "My Fat Cat" has been recommended by a bona fide  former fat cat, Smitty. In this post, Smitty the Cat’s 'Find Your Spot', Smitty and his people discuss the fine art of finding your spot--you know, the place where you are really at home in the world. Smitty reveals that moving to L.A. contributed to his avoirdupois, because the City of Angels was very definitely not his spot.  East Coast was where he got slim and trim...and then Smitty also gives a shoutout to my book at the same time.

Thanks Smitty!

My Fat Cat Reaches The Blogosphere...

How great is this review?  Two cats opining on my books?  Check out Paws and Effect, a lovely cat-centric blog.