Caroling, Careers, Comics, and the Blur

“So what do you really do?” Kat asked me as we were waiting to sing carols for the firefighters and their families in the Lower East Side.

(Lower East Side, Red Hook, and Sunset Park this
year, respectively)

“..when you’re not here, what do you do in the
real world?" Kat pressed.

"Because today we’re basically elves” she joked.

I never thought of it like that but I guess in a way we do take on this elf-y role as
we go to the firefighters’ parties, cheerfully sing a few songs, have some of their
food, coffee, and tea and get to thank them for all that they do.
Except for manufacturing toys, we're very elf-like for them, free of charge.

I've been volunteering as an FDNY caroler for about 5 years now, ever since I
found out about them through the playwright group I was a part of, as a reading
actor, not a writer. Most of us are in show biz one way or another. Kat does
voice-over work and is a stunt woman but is about to retire from that soon
because of the physical toll it takes. We 'talk shop' here and there even though
my acting and writing journey has been a twisted and practically nonexistent one.
That's not exactly unique but to describe what I do for a living isn't always easy.
Part of me feels like a traitor saying "I work in an office" and that it's been
something I've actually pined for awhile after the teaching thing didn’t work out
and then when I didn’t want it to after all. Maybe I should say I assist in staffing
cases? Saying that I transfer calls, faxes, sort, and file all day, as much as I’m ok
with it, sometimes I say it like I’m not, like I’m anticipating their reaction. I'll get
sympathetic,  “yeah I had jobs like that too, I get it” kind of responses and, “don't
worry, it's not forever” shoulder pats, so to speak.

My coworker once complained to one of the supervisors, “I feel bad for her and
it’s not to her intelligence!” I stayed quiet, but in my head I was begging to differ
and argue that it is intelligent of me to commit to a job like this. This clerical, low
pressure, close-by, good location, steady paycheck. I guess I do strive for more
but I'm also content in the meantime, it's weird. I don't think I'm 'afraid of
success', I think I just have different ideas of what that entails. In one of those
Harry Potter hybrid house quizzes I came out as a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin, a "slytherpuff". My sister sees me more as a Hufflepuff but I seem to have a slither of a Slytherin streak within me somewhere.

A week before the caroling, I finally got the opportunity to see Janeane Garofalo
on stage after all this time, after all these years of being a fan of her on TV and
films- since the 90's! And it's all thanks to Chris Ferretti , my old driving instructor
and new friend.

Here's a split picture I took and put together of the great comics- Chris and a
blurry Janeane. My phone was not clearing up for her for some reason and I didn't
want to keep the phone camera on her to wait for it to clear up. I didn't want her
to think that I was one of those bootleggers recording a video planning to put it
up on YouTube later.

So I had to settle for the blur.

Ah well, the blur will have to do for now. Til next time- Happy New Year :) xoxox