April 12, 2002 - 1:53 p.m.

i wasn't too terribly late to my first casting today, for a clothing company called sussan (pronounced like suzanne). imagine something like lerner new york or the limited and you'll have a pretty good idea. anyway, i think they liked me and asked me to try on the outfit they were going to use in the ad. oddly enough, it was a white long-sleeved, button-up shirt and long black pants, which is basically my photojournalist uniform.

i tried it on and primped in the mirror. what did i see but a giant white hair! horror upon horror! those things are multiplying, i swear it. i spent an extra two minutes in the bathroom just trying to pull it out. i was successful, but i really felt old after that.

the sussan people asked if they could keep my book (what a photographic portfolio is called, which every model must carry with him/her), which i took to be a good sign. now give me some money! oh wait, i have to be patient.

the other casting was for a very sexist tv commercial for mens' jackets. the scenario: three guys are walking with their girlfriends down some alley. all at once, the guys nudge the girlfriends under the jackets they're wearing, which the girls think is a form of cuddling. then a really "hot" girl walks by (the ad agency's description, not mine), and the girls realize that the guys were "perving," not being affectionate, and just trying to hide their girlfriends from their pervy glances toward the hot chick. then "MENS' JACKETS, $59.99" flashes on the screen. hmmm...

i wore the wrong shoes, of course, so my feet have amassed quite a few blisters. i had to take a cab home from the train station because i didn't want to walk anymore and nobody was home to pick me up. did i mention that i want to move from here? i think simon's parents head into the city maybe once a month, if that, so they don't see the problem with being out in the boondocks. i would be fine if there was a train station nearby, but you have to walk a couple of blocks just to catch the bus to go to the train station, which is still a good 45 minutes from the city. the bus leaves every two hours to go to the train station, but it takes friggin' forever if you need to head towards home, like I did today.

i'd seen a pair of pants i wanted in the city but didn't think i could afford them. they also were quite a snug fit (on a skinny day), so i thought maybe they wouldn't fit under real conditions. i ate lunch at the all-you-can-eat hare krishna place ($5.50, including drinks and dessert!) and ended up with a giant, beach-ball-like belly. like after thanksgiving (post-pumpkin pie), or maybe even 4 months of pregnancy (i'm guessing here). it was a test, to see if the pants would stretch enough to still fit comfortably. miraculously, they did! it was a really unfair test, too. so i bought them, of course, because they were extra long as well and perfect for work, no matter where i'm working.

when i went to pay for them at the counter, i saw the cutest hat in the entire world - one of those cloche hats in red corduroy with a corduroy flower on it. it looked very japanese and very 1930s at the same time, and it was CHEAPY CHEAP CHEAP. i think beth b would be very proud.