"She outta be in pictures!"

Recently, I was interviewed about being a model-mom.  I was asked a question that’s actually pretty common: “Where do you see this going for your daughter?  What is your ultimate goal?”  I think when I answer, I probably gave a response that would be similar to most of the moms I know in the NYC print market…which is TV, movies, and commercials.  It seems like a natural progression, right?  My kid is cute, kids on TV are cute, so voila!  Now, there are some answers that may be more specific to print, such as a bucket list of clients or maybe a Vogue Bambini cover.  I do know a few moms who wish to hang out in the print world, and that’s fine.  I personally think it’s fun and cool to see my kid in pictures, but honestly after a while it becomes a lot of work with a relatively small financial compensation.  (I’ll talk more about the money in the future.)  My ultimate goal?  SAG national commercial for a non-seasonal product, principal role in a film with an Oscar winning director or writer, and a recurring role on a TV show that lasts more than 3 seasons.  (Syndication, baby!)  I’ll take a side of Vogue Bambini with a gap store window, but hold the mayo.

This is where you can laugh yourself off of your chairs, because I could probably have better luck winning the lottery.

I’ll veer off for a second here.  If you follow casting sites or get casting emails, you see terms like “singers who dance” and “dancers who sing” in breakdowns for stage work.  If you think about Broadway for a minute, you typically assume that the actors are the whole package – obviously they can sing AND dance.  Now I’ll bring this back around to our kids.  I think it’s true that there are print kids who do TV and TV kids who do print.  (I’m going to use the term “TV” to refer to all on-camera work – commercials, TV, and film – just to make it easier to write.)  I didn’t realize that until fairly recently, maybe within the past year or so.  Because so many of the moms and kids I know do both, I just assumed that was what happened for the most part.

I’ll explain a bit about how getting into the TV stuff works.  Generally speaking, TV agencies will sign a kid once the kid is about five and has reading skills.  The kids need to be able to read sides (the lines for a commercial or a scene from a show) for auditions.  They need to be able to read them ahead of time, learn them, and be able to take a quick glance at them if they need a line when auditioning.  This sounds hard for ME, let alone a five-year-old kiddo.  For roles that are for babies or toddlers, agencies typically choose from managers’ kids.  For the roles in the 4-6 year old range, many kids who play those parts are 6 or older.  Six is a big age for child performers, because the number of hours they can be on set (under New York Child Performer Law) jumps from six to ten hours.  If something is filming over the course of a day, it can be hard to schedule one person in a restricted time block.  It does not mean that the kid would work ten hours straight – there are all sorts of regulations for rest and meals – but allowing the kid to be on set that long is easier for production.  There are also restrictions under the unions like SAG (on-camera) and Equity (stage).  Law supersedes union, which means the union cannot allow the kids to work more hours than the law states, but unions can create more protections and restrictions for child performers.

So, basically, if you’re thinking of TV work, five or so is usually the magic age.  It was a little earlier for us.  My daughter got signed by an agency at age three – she was incredibly verbal, expressive, and outgoing (that translates into she always asks questions and never shuts up).  Even though most of the roles she goes out for tend to go to older girls, she is very comfortable with learning lines and auditioning.  We’re working on the stuff that goes along with that now, like responding to feedback during an audition (be sadder, be happier, be surprised, etc.).  Imagine walking into a room of strangers, bright lights, and a camera at age 3 or 4 and being able to bang out a performance.  That’s the kind of thing that made me realize my daughter had something a little special and extraordinary – and I should pursue performing arts for her since she seemed to have a talent for it.

Let’s fast forward a year or so.  I wanted to consider options for the future, and I wasn’t really thrilled with the agency where we had started.  I felt like it was very heavy on commercial for kids, and not as strong with legit (on-camera/TV).  I decided to shop around a little bit, and decided to meet with at least one different agency and one manager.  My daughter was only four, but had a couple of commercials under her belt, so we were able to get appointments pretty easily.  I scheduled the appointments for the same day, and we met with the manager first.  I waited outside the office while my daughter went in, and within moments heard her chatting up a storm.  She does this thing when she goes into offices – which, now that I write it, sounds totally creepy – where she wants to sit at the desk and play office.  This typically involves about $10 worth of post-it notes as well.  Anyway, some people find it charming.  She wants to take charge and own the conversation.  Sounds annoying, right?  That, however, is the kind of personality agents and managers look for in child performers.

After a while, the assistant invited me in.  The manager gushed over my daughter, and told me this: “When she walked in the door, I thought I was looking at a print kid.  And then she opened her mouth.”

That’s when I started to think about the whole print kid versus TV kid thing.  When I go to print go-sees, I typically see at least several moms I know and kids I recognize.  It’s like a little meet up or reunion, sort of…for print kids.  When I go to TV auditions, I may see a kid or two that I know, but there is a whole different crop of kids there.  These are the TV kids.  While I know that personality is essential for the TV side, I’m not really sure what the other differences are in the kids.  Everyone looks great.  Honestly, I don’t know a lot of “just TV” moms, but I would love to get their view on the whole thing.  Did they try print and not like it?  Did their kids not have a “print look”?  Or was it never even on their radar?

TV moms, give me your take on all of this.  I’d love to hear your perspective on the print side.  I started some thread over on Backstage (or here) or feel free to add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the brown icon below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger!  I’ve taken a few days of lately, so I need some love!

When the discount...discounts.

I went to a prep school.  I wasn't your typical affluent kid from the city or the suburbs.  I was a little more rural (northwestern CT) but raised in a traditional middle class home that valued education.  I loved my teachers and was a pretty good student and made the school proud of my college acceptances.  I was a "day student" meaning that I attended classes and activities but went home at night, so maybe one could argue that I didn't get the "full boarding school experience."    I managed to remedy that by returning to the school at age twenty-two to live in the dorms and teach...wait for it...Latin.  Well, also American History and Journalism, but for the most part: Latin.  I was a dorm head, which meant I lived in an apartment in a dorm with my family and supervised 30-40 kids as well as a handful of dorm parents.  I was pretty young for my position, but assured that I was "wise beyond my years" on multiple occasions.  I did that for eight years.  Oh, the stories...so yeah, I managed to absorb that "full boarding school experience."

So the school is about to celebrate its centennial.  Kind of a big deal.  I was a senior when they celebrated the seventy-fifth.  Remember it well.

And I got this letter in the mail.  (Hold on a second.)

I'll say it came at a bad time.  Things have been a little heavy in my world.  And the teaching profession is not exactly in a feel-good mode right now.  But you know what?  Things were kind of heavy back in those days of work there as well.  I still have anxiety-ridden dorm dreams.

So I'll share my response with you, because you know what?  Man, it pi$$ed me off.

Here goes:

Dear ___:

I would like to express my reaction to a letter I received offering an invitation to attend the Centennial Reunion at a "discounted rate."  While I was well aware of the occasion due to the numerous mailings and did NOT plan on attending, I found the letter and invitation I received from you to be highly insulting.

I realize that there are many former faculty members that you may wish to include in the event.  I also realize that there are alumni faculty members who, perhaps, may have a somewhat more vested interest in attending the festivities.  However, it may be the case that some of these former faculty members put in a more substantial amount of time into their work at __.  For example, I put eight years into my work at ___.  I was a dorm head each of those years for 29-36 students, taught, advised, and perhaps influenced kids numbering into the hundreds during those years.  I had my sons while at ___, and they spent for the first few years in the dorms, providing that "family atmosphere" and supervision ___ proudly and successfully offered its students throughout its one-hundred years.

Perhaps you mean well with your "discount" but does that discount acknowledge the eight years worth of hours I spent in the middle of the night sitting up with kids in the hospital?  Awaiting news on runaways?  Calling a mother in another country to inform her that her daughter was expecting a child?  (The baby was named after me and is graduating from high school next month -- I couldn't be prouder of her and her mother.)  Sitting with a girl to prevent her from committing suicide while her parents rushed to (town) from New York?  Inviting kids into my home for countless dinners, brownies, band-aids, and well-needed listening and attention?

Frankly, your form-letter invitation to a discounted "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" was nothing short of insulting and belittling to the time I spent dedicated to a school that I believed had been so integral to my growth and development.  Twelve years of my life and dedication merits me...a discount for a dinner dance?

I'm also quite certain that in the course of the events that weekend, a picture of me interviewing Sargent Shriver (that's me in the red dress) for the (school newspaper) may surface, reminiscing about the seventy-five year celebration of ___.  There's a little piece of ___ history I felt attached to as well.

So, I am replying with a resolute NO THANK YOU to your invitation.  Additionally, please remove me from any mailing lists (fundraising, invitations, magazines, etc.) from ___.  I can assure you that I have made my contribution and I wish for no more requests.  I would, however, appreciate continuing to receive any death notifications of former classmates.  I trust that you will be able to indicate my preference in your database.

Best regards,

...

The Real Housewives of the Secret Shame

We all have secret shames.  I probably have more than most; I’ll hang a few out there for you.  I eat Girl Scout cookies in the dark after ferreting them out of hiding places in my pantry.  I have a purse farm in my son’s closet that I sometimes just go and look at…yet I carry the same old bags all the time.  I have clothes in my closet from every adult size I have ever been – despite Real Simple’s ongoing admonishment to purge. 

I am a Bravo TV junkie.

Hardcore.  When I was kvetching about having no internet in Florida last week, I was at least – if not more – distraught about not having access to my Bravo shows.  I just didn’t advertise it as much.  Now that you know I can, in fact, have words with a woman at the Target Lilly event, you might as well know about my Bravo thing.  I’m particularly fond of the Real Housewives.  In order: NYC, BH, NJ/OC (tie), ATL.  ç you wondered, right?  And I watch all the other Bravo shows, too, sooooo…it’s just kind of my thing.  And I watch them over and over.  Like, my TV has only one channel, for the most part.  Mind you, I don’t pay attention every minute, but I can be pretty sure that by the third time I’ve had the episode on I’ve seen every bit of it.

If you’re turning up your nose at me, reflect a moment.  People have said “Eeewww, how can you watch that!”-type things to my face.  I didn't exactly go all Target-animal on them, but...I’m sure you have some show or thing or whatever I might not understand.  Maybe it’s football or dog shows or something.  Thank goodness for my mom.  My mother (shout out!!!  Hi, mom!) is a fellow Bravo devotee, and we have been known to discuss these people as if they are our family members.  Like, seriously in-depth analytical conversations.  And I’d love to be an episode re-capper!  I don’t think I could ever top Julie Klausner, who did the recaps for NY Magazine before she began writing her own show, so I’m afraid to even try.

Do you think less of me?  I mean, I’ve talked a good game about my knowledge of the child modeling industry.  I’m quite well-educated.  I read good stuff.  I have mad investigative skills.  I guess I am a little paranoid, though.  People judge, right?  And reality TV does seem to rank at the bottom of some people’s TV food chains.  Tell me that you are a Bravo junkie, though, and it’s like we have a bond.

Sometimes, I wonder, would I ever do reality TV?  Have I watched so many hours of Bravo shows that I know better?  Or would it be kind of fun?  Is it like a New York street shell game: you think you’ve studied all the ins and outs and can outsmart the producers?  Or will you have your season of being a total b!otch/skank/psycho regardless?  What about a scripted series based on my life where I play myself but have creative control?  Because those are becoming things now, too.  Julie Klausner has one coming out.

This is where you hear the record screeching to a dead stop noise: would I be interesting enough to watch?

Well, I guess that ended that!

Going on a little adventure this weekend.  It may or may not be related to this post.  I may or may not have anything interesting to report back.  But like any good reality show, you need a good cliffhanger…so there you go!

What’s your take on reality TV?  Add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the brown icon below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger!  I’m somewhere in the top 50!

"Wanna lick? Psych!" or: My kid was the backup.

Back in high school, my friends and I used to love watching Eddie Murphy stand-up comedy.  One friend in particular (shout out!!!  Not a model mom, but I’ll make her read this today!) could perform the sketches with amazing accuracy and timing.  A bit I remember particularly was about the ice cream truck coming and a kid who gets an ice cream and holds out the cone  to offer a lick…”Wanna lick?” and then pulls it back and says, “Psych!”  That’s basically been burned into my brain for 25 years.  Cracks me up every time.  (Here’s a link to the bit…warning: strong language and sexy black man in red leather.)

So my point is this: sometimes modeling can be “Wanna lick? … Psych!”  A friend (shout out!!!) messaged me last night wondering if I was going to take on the subject of…dramatic pause…being a backup kid at a photo shoot.

I can say, without fail, that my daughter’s three best bookings (in terms of “name” and “coolness” – not necessarily in terms of money or exposure) were a jewelry company that features blue boxes and two shoots for a doll company that features – hmmm, well, let’s just say it can take your kid’s college fund rather quickly if you buy their stuff.  I think you get what I’m saying, right?  But those three shoots?  No pictures.  She shot both times for the dolls – one they shot four girls and chose one for the ad campaign, and the other time they shot a ton of girls and used a few but I never found pictures of my daughter.  She never even shot for the jewelry company; she just stayed on set during the shoot and two other girls shot.  She got paid for all three; and not even a bad rate.  Same rate as the girls who shot.  (Well, the first doll shoot paid hourly and then a usage fee for the girl they selected, and obviously we didn’t get the usage fee.  It was the first job for the girl who did print, so I was very happy for her.  Shout out!!!)  So, for all three of those shoots?  “Wanna lick?  Psych!”

Now I’ll give you the opposite scenario.  I got a call one random summer afternoon that my daughter had been selected to be the backup for an insurance company shoot.  It was a big production shoot by an ad agency (love those) and paid extremely well just for backup.  I didn’t even remember going to the go-see.  I was like, “Hellz yeah, we’ll sit around and do nothing for that money!”  When we got to the shoot, the producer told us we both girls would shoot and both would be paid the same principal rate (fist bump!) and then after all was said and done, my daughter was the one who printed.  (Not my favorite tear sheet by any stretch of the imagination – shelooked kind of haggard – but it was a fun shoot on a beach on a gorgeous summer day.)

What you need to know, especially with younger kids, is that it’s entirely likely that you may go to a shoot and not shoot.  Or not print.  Or maybe it printed somewhere but you will never find it.  Or maybe your kid’s feet will print.  Or you’ll be in the window of the gap with a giant flower covering your kid’s face.  Or maybe you’ll get to the shoot and your kid will be a total beast that day and no amount of iPad/candy/toy/playground bribery will get a good mood.  Any one of those things can happen and you need to be totally ready for it.  For babies, they may hire two or even four babies to get one look shot, the first one may nail it, and the others will get sent home.  Everyone gets paid (although occasionally there are separate rates for backup, but that is more the exception than the rule).  Yay! Your kid booked, but sorry; no tear sheets to look for in a few months.

One company regularly books at least two and sometimes more kids to shoot for their products and ads, and they are very likely to shoot the first kid and send the others home if they like the pics.  That’s a toy store where we have all dropped a ton of money, I’m sure.  You need to go to those shoots fully prepared not to shoot; and if you do, you need to be prepared not to print.  It’s just part of the whole business.  Every year we choose a catch phrase in my house.  One year we chose a phrase from a commercial for a septic tank product.  The phrase?  “Flush and pray.”  In other words, go for it – and hope it works out.  If it doesn’t, there’s always next time.

Flush and pray!

What did I leave out?  Any questions?  Add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the brown icon below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger!  I’ve made it to the top 50!

The insurance company shoot with the "grandma" (like, a couple years older than me!)

The Veteran Moms Weigh in on "Requests"

Yesterday my friends (shout outs!!!) had some great reactions when I posted that I wrote about requests.  I thought I would share their reactions so you can get some more candid perspectives on the meaning of a “request.”  These are their own words.

• Excuse me a WHAT ? Request casting ? You mean size request casting with 1/2 of the city ??
• Request castings where ONLY THE KID REQUESTED WILL BE SEEN. Anyone not on the list will be turned away at the door. Well, except for *that one over there.*
• Oh and by size request I mean they will book the kid totally out of size?!?
• There is also the "request go see" when the client doesn't see pic submissions but asks the agencies to send a set amount of kids that fit the breakdown. Now it's up to your agency. If your agency has too many of your child's type or are not on their radar they might not be sent although they fit the breakdown. It's so unpredictable. Then there's the kid who books that didn't even go to the casting.
• Lol!!! I don't believe any are request…and I think most are pre-casted in fashion.
• And you do have the specific requests if child is being used as a "prop" with a mom or family.
• I love the requests when it's for a headless kid!
• Or when they request knowing they like baby teeth & your child had adult teeth the last 2 castings…or has two missing teeth in front. 

So, as you can see, there is some skepticism among the veteran model moms!

My daughter has two legit auditions scheduled over the next couple of days…”legit” is the term for on-camera work that is not commercial (such as TV and film).  One is for a small role in a new sitcom and the other is for a role in an indy film.  I haven’t written much about that side of the performer business, but I’ll save all that stuff for the future.  In the meantime, break a leg, kiddo!

What did I leave out?  Any questions?  Add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the mommy blogger icon below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger!  I think I’ve made it to #46!

Kids playing after a big "request"...running into friends is the best part of the business.

Request? Whatever!

One question that new model moms – well, no, not just new model moms – ask is, “What exactly is a request (go-see/casting)?”  The simple answers is: a client sees pictures (and stats of kids), sees your kid, and requests that your kid (and probably others) come in for a go-see.  Sounds pretty straight-forward.  And, it also sounds flattering.  Like, they wanted to see my kid!

Here’s my insight on requests.  I can boil it down to one word:  whatever.  I’ll say it again: whatever.  It doesn’t matter.  I’ve been to requests in which my daughter was the only kid requested for a certain outfit in a certain campaign (I might even call that an “unpaid fitting”) and I’ve been to requests that were hundreds of kids.    Whatever.  It really doesn’t matter.  A client needs kids, a client sees kids, a client books kids.  A client can see one kid or fifty kids that fit your kid’s breakdown – sure, your odds of booking might be better – but no matter what, the client is going to book the kids the client wants at that moment in time.

Here’s the scenario to imagine.  A client emails an agency and gives a set of breakdowns.  Let’s just assume these are the standard sample sizes (see my earlier post about these).  The agency puts together a package of their kids who fit the breakdowns and the client looks through these and chooses some kids to see at a casting.  This is what one might call the typical “request.”  Great!  Your kid caught the casting director’s eye.  Yay!  Cool!  You get an email from the agency with the specifics of the casting (where and when), the dates of the shoot (to make sure you’re available) and the rate of pay should you book the job.  Some agencies send these as soon as they get the info and some wait until the day before.  Then you go to the casting, maybe try on clothes or just have a couple of pictures taken, and you’re on your way.

The opposite of the “request” is a “cattle-call.”  Picture a ton of kids and parents trudging along a line to be seen.  Picture waiting in a narrow hallway, bumping into people and strollers, and maybe waiting outside in the cold rain for two hours.  (Sounds kind of Soviet, doesn't it?)  We picture a client saying to the agent, “send us all of your size 3, 5, and 8 kids.”  Every kid in New York shows up, it’s a mess, and you spend a fortune on parking.  Little kids will get restless and cry.  Ok, I’ve been at this over three years and I’ve been to exactly one of these…and it was pretty soon after we started.  Fortunately, I didn’t really know any better, and for all I knew, that could have been every casting.

I have to say that I think most agents and clients have worked together to reform the “cattle-call” style of casting.  Through a combination of timing and specific casting parameters, I rarely hear of anyone having that awful snake-around-the-corner experience anymore.  Most (I won’t go as far as saying “all”) castings are pretty well-run, pretty efficient, and mostly painless.  Maybe you’ll wait half an hour or occasionally a little more from time to time, but I think the days of those crazy “cattle-calls” are behind us.  The ones with the longest wait seem to be the ones where kids try on clothes and the photographers take a good few minutes with pictures for each kid.  At least when you wait through those, you feel like your kid got a decent shot.  At that casting I described earlier, they literally took ONE photo of my kid.  (She didn’t book that round, but it was a client who books a good number of kids, so it makes sense that they saw a lot of kids.)

So, the nature of a “request” can range.  One kid, ten kids, fifty kids… “Send me 5 ethnically-ambiguous boys, 40”-43”…” or “Send me every size 5 kid you have and stagger their times over two hours.”  My agency does not even specify whether or not it is a “true request” or mega-casting.  Every email my agency sends says “Go-see request” and that is fine by me.  We’re going to go – what difference does it make how many kids are going to be seen?  The only thing that matters is timing, but even that is a crapshoot.  The go-see we went on Saturday was seeing hundreds of kids over a few days and we were there for five minutes.  You might wait forty-five minutes for three kids to be seen some other place.  In fact, I think almost all of the big name castings over the past month saw a ton of kids and I really haven’t heard any horror stories about wait times.  Some were more organized than others, but isn’t that the way of everything?

Now that you know my treatise on castings, hopefully you understand my “whatever!” attitude.  I don’t really know when my daughter is specifically requested or not, and that’s ok!  Just go, meet some people, make it fun, and roll with the process.  Go in with a good attitude and don't be like that troll I met in Target.  You’ll either book…or you won’t. 

At some point, when the mood strikes me…I will take on the subject of holds.  Let’s just say I have a similar philosophy.

What did I leave out?  Any questions?  Add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the brown icon below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger!  I think I’ve made it to the top 50!

This was a "true request": one kid, one outfit.  I went in a blizzard.  I was crazy then.  And, NO, you don't get to keep the clothes!

Go-See with...Me!!!

For those of you in the NYC area, you may have noticed the glorious weather on Saturday.  I did, in fact, bring that weather with me from Vero Beach.  Just to hold onto my Vero living.  So, you’re all welcome.  It was the least I could do!

My daughter had a go-see on Saturday.  I thought I would tell you about the day.  It was a pretty typical go-see, so you can get an idea of what happens.  A quick note on terminology: many agencies call “go-sees” castings.  It’s the same thing.  “Go-see” originates from literally going and seeing the client.  If you’ve ever watched America’s Next Top Model, that’s the part when they drop the contestants into some far-away non-English speaking land and make them fend for themselves.  Go to the designer, sometimes try on clothes, stand still for a few pictures, maybe get measured, and you’re on your way.

Here’s the timeline of our day.  We were aiming for a 2:30 appointment at Pier 59 Studios, which is at Chelsea Piers – a mostly athletic complex right on the Hudson River in spanning from about 18^th Street to about 23^rd Street.

11:00am          I lazily tell my daughter we need to get ready.  We’re both still in PJs, and I planned to get us both into the shower…but she protested and I thought she was clean enough…so I got ready by myself, after I watched TV for about 15 more minutes.  (What can I say…I had a lot of reality TV to catch up on after my trip.)

11:40am          I assessed my daughter’s outfit.  She had on a baseball-style cat shirt from Gap, a cat applique twirly skirt from Mini Boden, and Dalmatian print leggings from Oshkosh.  This outfit pretty much exemplifies a Glamour-Don’t (did anyone ever read that column?  Do they still run that?) and contradicts everything I’ve said about what to wear…but I let it go, throwing a solid-colored shirt into the bag and figuring I’ll take off the leggings and change the shirt before we get out of the car.

11:45am          I do my hair.  Blow-dry and straighten a bit.  It’s been a while – I didn’t bring my hair stuff to Florida because…vacation!

12:00noon       I throw some juice bags and goldfish into the mom-bag, approve my daughter’s shoe choice (sparkly salmon-pink slip-on Vans) and get us out into the car.  I’m a little off my mom-bag game since I had rearranged stuff to bring on the trip, so I make an extra quick check and make sure we have some photos.

12:10pm          I set my WAZE app (and if you don’t have this app, GET IT NOW) to the destination address.  WAZE is a real-time, user-updated GPS/traffic app.  Now, I know how to get into the city, and this particular studio is about as easy as it  gets to get to.  However, I ALWAYS use WAZE because it will give me the best route based on traffic, construction, accidents, etc.  It gives me different routes at different times of day and different days of the week because it knows.  It just does.  And you don’t question WAZE.  Even if you think you know much better how to do something, just follow WAZE.  It will always backfire if you try to outsmart it.  WAZE tells me my arrival time will be 2:05.  Perfect!  Plenty of time!

1:00pm            I get off the highway in Danbury to get an unsweetened iced tea at McDonald’s.  It’s the best deal in town and really good tea.  There may or may not have been a happy meal involved.  (Hey, it’s My Little Pony week.)  When I’m back on the highway, WAZE adds 10 minutes to my trip.  I’m skeptical, but I carry on.

1:40pm            Traffic has been smooth sailing.  The day is gorgeous.  Yay!

1:45pm            WAZE updates me that traffic is building up ahead and sure enough, as I hit about 60^th Street on the West Side Highway, we begin crawling.  Boo!  Here’s the thing about the city in April.  This is when the first really great weather happens.  April 18^th, I’m thinking, is probably on the late end.  For sure, however, this is when people emerged from their hibernation in DROVES and everyone in the city headed toward the Hudson riverfront to bike, jog, walk…and whatever.  There’s always a whatever.  And the Citibikes were out in full force.  I hate Citibikes.

I’m going to take a moment away from my timeline to write about Citibikes.  Citibikes are rental bikes that are stationed throughout New York City.  The program is partially sponsored by Citibank, hence the “citi” in Citibike.  The system allows riders to rent a bike at any station and return it to any station.  I’m not sure what they cost (because I would go nowhere near one) but to me, Citibikes are a symbol of the downfall of civilization.  What a great idea, though.  In theory, city folk will make use of these reasonably priced and widely available bikes, freeing up traffic and being all environmentally friendly and stuff.  THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS.  If you’ve ever been in New York, you know that cyclists are CRAZY and the good ones are very good at getting where they need to go with minimal injury or traffic disruption.  I did once get swiped by one in Times Square on my way to work in 1994, but a dry cleaning bill for my new Burberry trench was really the only casualty.  Citibikes, however?  These are novice cyclists.  They do not know the rules of the road and bike riding etiquette.  Like, DON’T CROSS IN FRONT OF ME IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN I HAVE A GREEN LIGHT.  Ok, enough. 

2:00pm            WAZE starts telling me it will take even more time.  I have about 40 blocks to go, which is about 2 miles.  Traffic is crawling, and there is some low-level gridlock.  Pedestrians are not clearing the crosswalks in time which means cars aren’t all getting through the intersections…and it’s just par for the course for a sunny Saturday in April in New York City.

2:15pm            I’m still a few blocks away and realizing there will be no good parking.  I took my minivan thinking I could get street parking – and that was a dumb move, because now I will have to park in a garage and some garages charge more for “oversized” vehicles.  (As if driving a minivan isn’t enough of a punishment, they need to impose a financial penalty.)  I also get a message that my friend (shout out!!!) is at a playground nearby with her kids and if I’m done quickly at the go-see we might be able to hang out. 

2:25pm            Still circling.    I have come to the realization that I need to park…in a garage…in which…I once had a heated argument with a very mean parking attendant…(now you know about 2 of my heated arguments; seriously, they are VERY infrequent).  I had planned on boycotting this garage forever, but at this point, I just need to PARK.  The scary attendant was not working, but I am informed they will charge me extra.  I just need to run at this point.  I make my daughter remove the Dalmatians in the car, but I let the cat shirt stay on.  I’m choosing my battles.

2:35pm            I’m rushing along Eleventh Avenue to a place where I can get across the West Side Highway onto the Chelsea Piers sidewalk.  I see my friend’s kids climbing in the playground and I want to stop…but I’m rushing…(So much for WAZE giving me all sorts of good info about arrival time…parking and walking is taking forever!)

2:40pm            We arrive a little late.  The go-see looks pretty chill…two or three kids waiting.  I sign in at the table and fill out a paper with my daughter’s name and agency.  A woman takes her over to some measuring tapes on the wall, and measures my daughter at 109 cm.  Without any waiting, the photographer brings her over to the cyclorama (a part of the studio that is rounded where the wall meets the floor so there is no “crease” in photographs).  She snaps a few pics, cajoles a couple of different looks (serious, smile, etc.) from my daughter, and we are done in about 5 minutes.

2:45pm            We run into some friends (shout out!!!)…well, my friend’s mother, who has my friend’s almost-five year old son with her.  We wait for them to finish, and then we decide to walk to the park.  These pick-up play dates are one of the most fun things about go-sees on weekends.  People usually have a few extra minutes to relax and hang out.

2:55pm            We arrive at the park, which has a great playground and features water sprinklers during hot weather.  It’s hot, 80 degrees!!!, but not water-at-the-park hot.  Unfortunately, my other friend had to leave before we got there to get her family packed for vacation.  The kids play, the sun is fabulous, and I talk about kindergarten learning strategies with my friend’s mom, who is a recently-retired kindergarten teacher.

3:50pm            My daughter informs me that she is tired and wants to go home.  Well, ok, then!  It’s been a long enough day.

3:55pm            We’re back in the car, heading out of the city.  I ignore WAZE’s directive to head up Tenth Avenue, preferring to just stay on the West Side Highway.  WAZE tells me I will spend 7 more minutes in traffic, but I can handle that.  And, of course, WAZE was right…traffic crawled until about 79^th Street…and then it was pretty smooth sailing.

6:05pm            We arrived home, loved up the dog (we hadn’t seen her for a week), and chilled out.

Now we wait!  The shoots are in May, so it will probably be a while before holds and bookings go out.  Set it and forget it!  Thanks for joining me on our go-see!

What did I leave out?  Any questions?  Add a comment here, on my facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an email at thebizzymama@gmail.com …I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama.  Don’t forget to share the love by clicking on the brown banner below…I want to become a top-ten Mommy Blogger! 

I'm gonna go with...what not to wear.