lights and buzz

So I just got back from New York late last night, this being the first time I've been to New York (apparently, JFK airport doesn't count). I had such a wonderful time, but I'm fairly sure that I'm prejudiced because of the people that I spent most of my time with, who are just about the most awesome people of EVER.

I'll back up and start at the beginning, and try to skip any boring details -- I'm shooting a web-series called Hell Froze Over, about this girl named Jody, who's determined to change her bad taste in potential love interests by going on a date with everyone she's ever rejected. That's a lot of people, and let's just say that sometimes it was a good idea for Jody to have turned them down in the first place, but that's where the comedy comes in. I play Jody, and I have to say, again with tons and tons of prejudice, that the scripts I have been given are hilarious, the actors I've gotten a chance to work with are so insanely talented and hysterical, and the very capable guys (and girl) over at Misplaced Planet are so freakin' cool that I'm kind of worried they're going to wake up one day and ask themselves, Why do we keep working with Tracy again? And when that happens I will curl into the fetal position and eat lots and lots of chocolate to dampen the pain.

At any rate, I flew out this past weekend, we shot six(!) episodes in Brooklyn and New Jersey over three days, and lo and behold, I just about fell in love with everybody I worked with. It seems there is no shortage of amazing people on this planet, and I'm always somewhat surprised to learn that I get to keep having them wander into my life. I mean, I should share, right? Does everyone else get to meet as many incredible people as I do on an everyday basis?

Being the lucky girl that I am, I got to spend the weekend soaked in blood, hitting on girls, and throwing up in a bathtub, among other things. And if that doesn't raise your interest, I really don't know what will. It's looking like the episodes will debut in early 2009, possibly January, and I will let you know when they air, and where they can be found on the internet. I'm so excited to show off the hard work that so many talented people have put into this project, and I think you'll find the web-series just as funny (and sick and twisted) as I do.

The part of me that loves and misses and pines for seasons just snapped awake the first time I saw a tree lit up with brilliant gold leaves on the road to New Jersey for our first day of shooting, and everyone was really patient when I kept stepping outside between takes to take photos of the trees and just about everything else I could think of. I spent a lot of time thinking about how the change of seasons helps us keep better track of the passage of time and lets us feel renewed, almost as if the seasons help us remember that we, as human beings, are just as cyclical; we respond and awaken to nature just as much as anything else does, we feel the pull and give of the weather and the wind at our backs, and we can measure our lives in the change mirrored in the world around us, the rain beating down on the windows, the snow cresting softly on our cars, the crunch of leaves underneath our shoes. It's the one thing that I feel we lack here in Southern California -- well, that, and a good public transportation system.

I'm also feeling truly grateful that I got to spend so much time with some really incredible people, people who offered me a place to stay and got me addicted to mint tea and mildly curious about zombie movies, people who drove into the heart of the city and didn't make fun of me of for staring in wonder down at Times Square or squealing over the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, people who patiently put up with my endless questions about New York and who stuck with me during conversations about movies, music, politics, theology, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, people who took me to the Ninja restaurant so I could die happy and took the time to walk with me through a cemetery so I could take more pictures. I feel like I found some new partners-in-crime and I'm really excited that I made new friends, and made some already existing friendships stronger.

I had such an incredible time in New York, and I have a feeling I'm going to have some more wonderful times ahead of me when I get to work with these people again. I can't wait.