Brandi's Place

After an incredibly long week in KC I am home. I have traveled more highway miles in the last 5 days than I care to count. Not only did I drive back from KC yesterday but I immediately drove to OKC for family holiday with Shelton's family. I-am-tired.

So I am going to hit on some high points and leave it at that.

On the second day of shooting we stopped to have lunch. The caterer on set was my best friend. She kept feeding us ALL DAY with JUNK and it was GOOD. Anyhow, we are standing in line for lunch and this man walks up next to me and asks how I am. I'm like, fine. He then asks if this is some kind of charity function or open to the public. I'm looking around thinking, do we really look like a meals on wheels group? Umm, no. I politely informed him we were on a tv shoot and he went back to his truck where HIS WIFE WAS WAITING. It was weird.

I ordered a extra thick mint chocolate chip shake from the Braums in Guthrie off I-35. It took all the way until I was in downtonw Edmond to get any of that to move up through the straw. I think I sucked a hole in my own tongue. Nice work Braums!

I got my new suit this weekend. I'm psyched. It is gorgeous. Thank you 'rents-in-law.

And finally, again props to the in-laws, we got new cell phones. Not just any ole cell phone. A Motorola MPX220. Pretty much it's a computer with an antenna. Umm, it's pretty friggin awesome. When I told Jim I have it, he said, HA! You don't know how to use those! (thanks) He's right I don't. But I'm having fun learning. I can get all my email, Outlook AND forward my 405 # calls to my 316 #... that's hot. Now, I'm no longer a nerd with 2 cellphones and I switched up for a fantastic phone that I will NEV-ER learn all the functions of.

Here is to a great week everyone. I will be slammed hella busy at work again. Peace.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/27/2005 10:54:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

This TV stuff is far less glamorous than one would think. Exciting nonetheless. I'm loving every minute of it. We have a fantastic film crew from Dallas. We only gave them 2 weeks notice to shoot these spots and I can't get over how together they have it. Impressive.

Yesterday we shot 2 spots and did a 3 hour photo shoot. My AE actually let me leave the TV and handle the photo shoot on my own. I had no problem with that. I expected him to have a panic attack. Everything went smooth as butta.

Took our talent to dinner last night and then sat at the hotel bar until about 11:30. I wish I could give you more detail but then someone would have to kill me... and I'm too busy for that right now.

I'm off to another day of shooting. We do two spots today and then our final spot tomorrow.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/25/2005 06:41:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I arrived in Kansas City this afternoon for a 4 day TV Shoot for my client. Talk about insanity. I have easily received 40 phone calls today. We stopped at Cheesecake Factory (Amen!) for lunch, and of course, it was just as I remembered it to be. OOOOO-Face!

We left there and hopped over to our pre-production meeting. Directors and producers and talent and wardrobe and storyboards... did i mention insanity? Well, that's what it was. Great meeting though. Very impressed with the crew and how organized they are considering we only awarded the project a week ago.

I am staying in a hotel alone for the first time ever. Fabulous room... so nice! Internet on the agency... yes! Dinner with my client and boss this evening and then on set to begin shooting by SIX AM!!! Sigh. I brought warm clothes and a hat, I should be ok.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/23/2005 06:14:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Hello all! We are in the midst of changing cell phone companies. My 405 number is currently down. Please use the 316 number for now ( if you need, send an email). I am also leaving for a 3 day TV shoot in Kansas City in the morning. I will be easily reached by email.

Sorry for the lack of post.. I've been working 10-12 hour days for about a week now. Nothing exciting to chat about.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/22/2005 12:37:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

CONGRATS TO JEREMY & SARAH!!!

I graduated with Jeremy and spent many long campaign hours at he and Sarah's house (AKA our clubhouse). He proposed on the 14th and according to my sources, they are go for launch!

Thanks to JITBA ()for giving me the news first. I was almost out in a Nyquil slumber when Shelton goes, "You didn't tell me Jeremy got engaged." And I jumped out from under the covers and shrieked, "WHAT?!"

I can't wait to see the ring Sarah!

Posted by BrandiK at 2/16/2005 07:51:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Shelton got a job today. We are so excited. He has been searching desperately to find something, sending out probably a hundred resumes and apps. He finally went with Express Personnel and in less than 24 hours he was hired. He starts in the morning at Cessna, which I'm sure most people know is a huge aircraft company. He is doing some customer service something or other office something or other. I'm not to sure about the details. Anyhow, great pay, great hours and it's close by.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/15/2005 06:32:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Earlier this week a woman at work asked if I could judge a high school debate tournament this morning. I looked and her and laughed. And, in her squeeky Bangleshian potty mouth, she said, Brandi you can do this. Please do this.

So I did it.

On a Saturday morning at 7am, coming down with a cold AND starting my favorite week of the month, I went to school. Yes, I worked 50 hours this week and yes I'm tired and no i do not feel well. But I went. Hell, I even showered AND straightened my hair AND wore clean clothes. (Damn, that's an accomplishment).

This school is scary just driving by it in the morning on the way to work. All the little hoodlums and bebe's kids are hanging outside smoking and I lock my doors. No, I will not smoke your stolen cigarettes and I will not write your english papers!

The inside was less scary but weird. I was walking the halls of a high school and for the first time ever, I was allowed to go into that sacred place, The Teachers Lounge (that should read like I'm speaking in a deep voice with an echo).

So anyhow, I checked in at the judges table where I'm pretty sure that girl had a better idea of what I was supposed to be doing there than I had. I listened to 5 different duos present these dialogue things, a "Novice Duo." I felt bad giving some bad scores because they obviously had tried. But someone had to be the winner and a lot of them had to not be. For this first part, I was in a room alone with the kids. I felt old. My God I felt old. One of those poor little girls didn't know she wasn't supposed to be wearing white shoes. I obviously couldn't put that on the critique sheet.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/12/2005 11:07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Shelton and I went out for dinner last night. Something we haven't done in a while. We both needed out of the house for the evening. So we left the house doing that thing where every single solitary restaurant you drive past you say, "does that sound good?" And the other person dryly replies, "no." Still driving, we start to drive past Olive Garden (not at the top of my list) and both decide that breadsticks and salad sound fantastic. We go in, seated immediately, off to a good start. Then the manager walks to the table next to us and starts apologizing for the fact that the waitress just dumped wine all over this woman and her leather jacket. He offers to have it cleaned and the woman has nothing but good things to say about the waitress we are sharing. I'm thinking, this is OK, so she slipped, she must have been a great waitress despite that.

Umm, no.

You would have thought she was serving every other table in that building but us. Our drinks were slow coming out. Our salad and breadsticks made it to our table just barely before our meal. When the meal came, we needed more salad, breadsticks and water. We waited and waited and waited. She finally came. Refilled the glasses and then left. She came back 5 minutes later with TWO BREADSTICKS. Are we rationing these badboys?

Shelton is growing more and more frusterated by the minute. This is VERY unlike Shelton. I'm the one who always throws hissy fits in restaurants and Shelton has NEV-ER done this. She brings our ticket...finally... and of course, the price is wrong on Shelton's meal. We wait and wait, she finally comes back, takes off to fix it. Now we've waited 10 more minutes and Shelton's like, "that's it, we're out of here. If they want their money they can chase me down." So we wait at the frong and after sending another waitress after her she finally shows up, we sign, leave a $1.00 tip and were out of there.

On our way to go shopping, Shelton is still bitchin' and complaining about the situation and I'm thinking, damn, did he take a Brandi pill today or what? This is SO unlike him. It gets better, he calls them back, gets the manager to refund our dinner and then he was happy. I'm thinking, That's how you do it!!!

Posted by BrandiK at 2/10/2005 08:18:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Now that I am in the corporate world, one thing keeps bothering me: proper elevator etiquette. Where in the hell was this elective?

I never know who is supposed to get on or off first. Sometimes people just stand there and awkwardly stare and I can't tell if they are letting me leave before them or if they are impatiently thinking, "just go already!"

When people are walking toward the elevator, at what point do you call it too late to stick your arm between the doors and hold for them?

Talking. Shizah! This is my biggest issue. I hate staring blankly and you know we're both thinking, "Do I say hi,?" "Do I complement her shoes,?" "Oh, that looks interesting, are you going to --- Department?" And then when you go to leave there is always that weird, "Have a nice day."

Sometimes I offer to hit the floor buttons for people, sometimes they accept and sometimes they push past me to hit it themselves. I remember in the dorm elevators (which I realize is a far cry from the bank elevator) there was always one person who hit all the floor buttons. Just the way it was. Now here, I don't know who is in charge of hitting buttons. And when I get in last, I never know if I should squish past people to hit floor 7 or if I should ask them to do it.

Am I crazy or does everyone have this sort of panic attack when they get into the elevators?!

Posted by BrandiK at 2/02/2005 02:37:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

My grandmother is leaving this morning for Houston to have surgery. She has serious blockage from her aorta down to her kidneys. The grand poobah of surgeons in Wichita, who she has used several times, unfortunately feels he is not qualified to perform the surgery. This is good in that he is sending her to someone he trusts can do the job right; however it signals to me that this is far more serious and risky than any of us expected.

I trust that her surgery will be successful and she will be home soon and fully recover. I ask that you say a quick prayer, a happy thought or whatever method you choose to use for the hoping of good things.

Posted by BrandiK at 2/01/2005 08:09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments