Ready for my close up

I have some new headshots as well...

Fancy Now

Last week we went to our first television wrap party; it was for the show Leverage and was held at a place called Cabana Club in Hollywood. 

We got to see a few people that we knew, and I saw an actor that I worked with on the show. There was a little red carpet at the entrance. Nobody cared when we walked on it, but we thought it was fun, so we took some pics. I think Zach has a better red carpet pose than me, so I'll have to practice :) Can't be shown up by my arm candy!

Criminal Minds

On Friday I worked on the show Criminal Minds. 

I. Had. So. Much. Fun. 

I worked with Joe Mantegna. He is the real deal. 

I played a bookstore manager. With a past.  ;)

Should air in February. We'll keep you posted!

Uncle Bob

                                                       Robert Morgan Simms

                                             May 17, 1950 - November 11, 2008

Dear Uncle Bob, 

We miss you already. Your faced biliary cancer with courage, grace, and dignity, and your were just as remarkable in your death as you were in your life. I am glad that I was able to come home and be with you. All of the family had some good laughs together as Dad told stories about the two of you. Of course our favorite was the one with the police officer and the bottle of Jack Daniels. Why haven't we heard that one until now? Christina and I got tickled thinking about how she used to put a pillow in front of her stomach and them run into your outstretched legs as you sat on the couch. Strange, but fun. And we guessed that there were still a few peppermints wedged into forgotten corners of Memaw and Big Daddy's house.

We are taking good care of each other, as promised. I have your Ovation guitar. I can't do it justice yet, but I'll work on it. I was trying to explain to Dad how good it sounds and I said, "You know how a gun is a gun, but some guns just plain shoot better than others? This is a really good gun." I think he got it.  

I found a post-it note on your dresser. It said:

Journeyman

2 callbacks

Eli Stone

Pilot

junior associate

Quiznos

just commercials

You always kept up with what I was doing and loved hearing about my career. Thank you for always being supportive, no matter what I was doing. I will remember the many good times we shared, and I will particularly miss your distinctive Bob laugh, and our secret code at the end of every letter or card. 

So, Bob...

The tree was happy. 

Love, 

Laura

Lights, Camera, Agent

The Handsome and Talented Zach Hanks has some great new headshots. He just signed with an on-camera agent and manager, so we're excited to see what opportunities this may bring. Congrats, Zach!

The Yuts

The phone was ringing. An 865 number. It was my sister, Christina.

"Hello?"
"Hey, how was the yut?"
"What?"
"Did. You. Have fun. At the yuts?"
"You mean the yurts?"
"Oh, yeah," Christina giggled. "Well, I knew it was like a hut but with a "y."

Christina is truly hilarious in ways she does not intend.

The two of us take unreasonable pleasure when Mom says something a little off. For example, when driving past the fitness center LA Fitness, Mom said, "Look, la fitness," as if it was a French gym. And then there was the time Christina called me so hysterical that I could barely understand her; she and Mom had been watching an awards show and Penelope Cruz had strutted by and her name had appeared at the bottom of the screen. Mom made some comment about "Pin-uh-lope" Cruz and Christina just lost it, immediately calling me so I could join in the hilarity. And of course we'll never forget the road trip where everything we drove past was "quaint and picturesque" according to Mom. We've gotten a lot of milage out of that one.

But yuts? Lookout, Christina. Guess who you're turning into?

Treebones

I'm realizing that it looks like we've been celebrating our anniversary for a month now, but we did nothing but work on our actual anniversary, so we've had to stretch things out a bit. Anyway, we just got back from a two night getaway where we got a see a beautiful part of the country that we'd never seen. 

We left on Sunday morning and headed north. Our destination was five hours away, but we decided we would stop if anything caught our eye along the way. Once we got on the Pacific Coast Highway (the PCH) that follows the shoreline, there were plenty of things to see. We pulled over at a vista point to take in the view, and were promptly greeted by an aggressive welcoming committee of ground squirrels. They approached without hesitation and I hollered at Zach to get a banana out of the car, partly because I wanted to get a closer look at them, and partly because they looked like they would eat human flesh if they weren't satisfied with people snacks.

Once we had quelled the hunger of the man-eating ground squirrels, we went to check out the ocean view. And what did we promptly spot? An otter! Two otters in fact, swimming around and playing. It's quite possible that it was a mom and a pup, but we can't be certain. It was the first time I've seen them in the wild, and I was delighted to see one floating on her back and trying to break open some food by tap! tap! tapping! it on a rock on her belly. Delight!

Our next stop brought an even more spectacular sight:

Hundreds of seals napping on the beach. They looked so warm and soft, like perfect pillows. Occasionally one would use a flipper to throw sand on his back, and we saw one cover his head with sand and then make a breathing hole in the mound by blowing air out his nose. Further down the beach we saw what we think was an elephant seal. It was like the most enormous slug you've ever seen lobbing itself toward the water bit by bit.

On to our destination: Treebones Resort in Big Sur. "Resort" is an interesting word choice. We loved the place, but when you share a communal bathroom, is it really a resort? Treebones is a series of yurts that offer ocean views and an unplugged experience. No cell phone reception, no tv, no computers. It feels like a campsite but offers more comfort. There is a lodge with a free waffle breakfast, and they also serve dinner and have a little gift shop and games and books to borrow. Really, there was nothing to do, which is just what we wanted. We played a lot of Scrabble, sat by the fireplace, and looked at the ocean.  And we tried the homemade pie both nights. Apple and strawberry. Mmmm.

We took a drive up to Big Sur proper...

...and had lunch at a riverside restaurant.

On the drive back we pulled over at another vista point and heard loud barking coming from the beach. Sea lion barking. We caught sight of them and listened to them talk for awhile.

Back at Treebones, we discovered this:

A "bird nest" built by a Bay Area artist. It faces the ocean and you can sleep in it. It has a mattress and is quite cozy. I'd love to come back and do this when the weather is a warmer.

Treebones is a new favorite. But next time, we want one more day. To sit. And do...nothing.

Hootenanny

We wanted to have an little anniversary party, so last weekend we invited a bunch of folks to join us for a picnic in the park. We had hoped that more people would bring instruments so we could have a regular hootenanny, but we did the best we could with two guitars and a harmonica. We had great fun with our giant frisbee, and served Linda's coleslaw, some potato salad, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. For decorations, I made a posey string out of our left-over wedding invitations. We had wonderful weather and look forward to another picnic, this time with more music!

Change the Waitress

This week I shot my first television role for a new TNT show called Leverage, and I learned the magical formula that keeps the tv industry going: Hurry Up and Wait. 

I arrived at 10 am, and was sent to hair and make-up for an hour. Then I was sent to hang out in my little room in the trailer. For 2 1/2 hours. Then I went over to the set and sat around. For 2 hours. Then I went back to my room, got into costume, went back to the set, did a quick rehearsal of a scene, and mostly sat around for 3 more hours. I had three lines, and they had to be shot outdoors, and the sun was starting to set. "Change the waitress!" someone yelled, and I quickly changed costumes and had a mike put on me. We had one walk-thru of the scene and then they started taping. Tensions were high and there was a lot of pressure to get everything done while there was still light, but I think they got what they needed. 

I'm glad I had the chance to spend some time on set and see how things operate. The series regular actors were really nice and offered to rehearse our scene--not an opportunity you always get!

Here's my little honeywagon:

And here's me in it:

This show is under an AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) contract, not SAG, so I had to join AFTRA as well. I am now fully unionized! 

What Happens When Zach Puts Away the Groceries

Zach Goes Gogo

Zach is the voice of Gogo Inflight Internet. You can get a little taste here:

Get a Clue

Two members from my improv group wrote and produced a web series called Get a Clue. The third episode features Zach and me as the voices of a couple of bunnies. Who else could they have asked? Each episode is 3-4 minutes long, and the bunnies are in episode three below. Check out the series website to catch the first two episodes.

Zombie Apocalypse

                                                  It's happening!

                                            Seeking shelter in a high school.

             We later learn that zombies can only be killed by paper cuts.

            My boyfriend is attacked by a one-armed zombie in a cemetery 

Feast of San Gennaro

Two years ago we discovered an Italian fair called the Feast of San Gennaro. This year we went back with our friend Fred and his parents. There were many booths with Italian food and we ate our way through the place. My favorites were the pink biscotti and strawberry and lemon gelato; Zach loved the italian sausage, but declared that it was not as good as his mom's recipe. Sadly, the pumpkin ravoli in sage butter sauce that we so fondly remembered from our last Feast was elusive. There was a little petting zoo complete with bunnies, and some hilarious singers to entertain the crowd with Sinatra tunes. And as you'll see in the pictures, we met a giant piece of string cheese. 

First Anniversary

I take you to be my partner, my friend, my love, and my lifelong companion. As we build our dreams together, I will encourage your dreams; I will support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in time of happiness, and I will treat you with respect, love, and loyalty through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.

Many thanks to our family and friends for your continued support and love. We have so many happy memories from the wedding weekend. We'll be reading our leaves and looking at our album. Cheers!

Zach on Criminal Minds

In case you missed it:

Green Clean

A few months ago when we decided to paint our apartment, we shopped around for paints that were environmentally and human friendly. We were shocked to learn that most paints emit VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, which are pollutants that are emitted from many household fixtures like furniture, carpet, and building materials. We spend so much time in this tiny place, we didn't want to add more gunk to the air! Indoor air can be much worse than outdoor air depending in VOC levels. Having seen the smog around here and wiped layers of black dust off the exterior of our windows, we decided to go as healthy as possible. We found a great paint at Home Depot called Freshaire; it has no VOCs and we love how it has perked up the place. 

After doing some further investigations into VOCs we decided to take up an experiment in cleaning. Since many household cleaning products contain know toxins, we thought we'd see what we could do with some old fashioned natural cleaning products. For a few weeks we've been cleaning with white vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda, and have been amazed. The vinegar smell is a bit overpowering at first, but it goes away once the surface is dry. We've cleaned bath and shower, floors, countertops, chrome fixtures, the toilet, the toaster oven, and have taken stains off of our white ceramics. It's effective. It's cheap. It's better for us. It's fun to watch the baking soda bubble. Here is the article that got us started. If you give it a try, let us know if you make any discoveries of know other natural cleaning tips.

That said, I still love the Magic Eraser. Might hold onto that one. 

Back to School Special

It was a Back to School Special 80's style for our last improv show. Based on "Pretty in Pink," the show was all things high school and 80's: bad fashion, powerful cliques, angst, just not being understood!, after-school clubs, overbearing teachers, and well-meaning parents who just don't get it. We hosted a prom following the show and many audience members stayed for the party.

Mrs. Meadows speaks with the school superintendent 

At graduation

Quintessential prom picture. Note the awkward hands.

SOUNDAWG Expands

We worked like dawgs this week to launch our Services for Actors. Some of these things we've already been doing, but we wanted to make them officially under the SOUNDAWG banner and do some advertising. We're offering demo production, private coaching, and a weekly voiceover workout group. The website has been updated in our "services" section, and Zach took our new brochures with him when he a guest teacher at a voiceover class on Thursday. 

Here are the front and back of our brochures* (imagine they've been tri-folded):

We also created a business page on Facebook. Support us by becoming a fan!

*The content of the brochure is the same as the website, so if you're dying to read all the details, you can visit the site. 

Eaton Canyon

The turtle pond inspired a quest to find a waterfall to swim in. Last weekend we travelled to Pasadena to hike Eaton Canyon and take a dip. More photos are here. 

The Tour: Turtle Pond

If we've spoken on the phone lately, it's likely that I've called you from the turtle pond. It's a few blocks from our apartment and it's my new favorite place to go. I love to watch the turtles and examine their behavior (Did you know that turtles, like most reptiles, don't exhibit play behavior? When they are being aggressive, they ain't playin'. They mean it!). The surrounding park is a great place to read a book, and it was once a destination for a bunny field trip with Leroy. 

I'm about to reveal my true strangeness for your entertainment: 

Several years ago while working at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, I discovered a climbing plant that was covered in fuzzy bean pods. Being a Simms, I plucked one off the tree to take home as a treasure. The entire walk home I enjoyed petting this "velvet bean." When Zach came to visit, he asked me what the deal was with the bean-thing sitting on my desk. "That's my velvet bean," I calmly explained. "It feels good to pet, so sometimes I carry it around with me." He married me anyway. But the point is, the turtle pond park is home to a gazebo that hosts a hearty velvet bean plant, and now I can pluck them whenever I like. Turns out the plant is called "wisteria," which is not only a lovely plant, but one of my favorite words.

                                                                    So soft!

Show Stopper

From our last improv show, Black and White Classic:

The Tour: Miracle Mile

We live in an area known as Miracle Mile, which is in the Mid-Wilshire area of town. The true "Miracle Mile" is a stretch of Wilshire from Fairfax on the west to La Brea on the east. We're two blocks south of Wilshire on Olympic, but are considered to be in the Miracle Mile district. You can read about how the district came to be and got it's name here. 

We like it because it's a central location and the surrounding neighborhood is nice; we can walk to the gym and the store, a rare treat in LA. We are also within walking distance of one of my favorite restaurants in Little Ethiopia. Mmmmm. We don't like it because it's in the thick of things and feels a bit hectic. But it's a good fit for now. 

The Miracle Mile is home to LACMA, The La Brea Tar Pits, and many small shops. We've been to LACMA but are eager to enjoy their free Friday night jazz event sometime soon. I love the tar pits. I haven't taken the tour or been to the museum, but the surrounding park is one we walk through on our quest for Pinkberry. The smell of tar fills the air, and there is dramatic, life-sized tableau of a parent mammoth sinking into the tar as its baby straightens its trunk in distress. I like it. 

                                                             LACMA

                                          Lots of art deco architecture

                          Museum Square, home of the SAG headquarters

                                        Many new residences in the works

That's it for Miracle Mile. More tour info coming soon!

The Tour

We are lucky to have had a few visitors come our way, but many of you haven't been to Los Angeles and may be wondering just where we live. My grandmother seems convinced that every street corner in LA is hosting a gang member or some other dark figure trying to lure people into using drugs and engaging in unsavory behavior. I'm a little disappointed to say that I've never knowingly seen a gang member,* nor I have been offered drugs or anything unsavory. Maybe I'm not getting out enough. 

At any rate, I'm going to be posting a series of pics and info from our neck of the woods so you can get a picture of where we live. Mom always says that she likes to be able to picture where we are so she has some context when she thinks about us so far away. Enjoy, Mom! 

*Perhaps this is an argument for one of Dad's favorite adages: "If you see an Indian, be careful. If you don't see an Indian, be even more careful." But gangsters don't walk as softly as Indians.

Double Shot

I must also mention my trip to Knoxville to visit the family. Highlights include:

enjoying Sewanee Rum Punch on the porch with Dad

playing Blockhead with Bob and Tina

Smirting

taking a walk with Mom

playing the piano

Gran telling us that she "didn't think much about those carrots"

playing Tina's Harry Potter game (quite amazing)

driving around the neighborhood

playing with the the kitties 

walking the estate

                                                        Blockhead!

Roomie Reunion

There is nothing so refreshing as a roomie weekend. My three roommates from Furman and I had been planning our get together for several months, and we escaped the company of parents, husbands, and babies. Vonda graciously hosted us at her lake house, and once we got there on Friday, we didn't venture out of it until Sunday (except for a trip to the dock and a swim). We were treated to lots of Sally's excellent cooking and some wine courtesy of Daddy Brinkley. And John even chipped in for some groceries! We watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and spent a lot of time talking on the porch. And talking on the couch. And talking in the bedroom. There was lots of talking. 

Roomies, I'm so glad that we had this "time together." Let's do it again, soon!

More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/forestoffriends/RoomieReunion