Then & Now

Today my son is 11 months old, almost a whole year, and as I changed another poopy diaper and wiped smeared avocado from his smiling face, wondering why his father had dressed him in a rugby shirt for bed instead of actual pajamas, I thought again, as you all do, surely, daily (perhaps some of you hourly) of how my life has changed in the last few years.

For a real eye opener, I decided to read some of my old journals to see what I was doing a few years ago on this date. For those of you who keep a journal, you know this experience can be like shopping for bras pre and post pregnancy/nursing: either a real lifter upper or a super shocking downer. For example, who knew that weighing in at 128 pounds would classify me as "a fat pig" (December 13, 1998). Or that I'd eventually rally against all odds ("I'll never get married and have a baby; I can't even pay my rent I'm such a loser!!" (December 13, 1994). But here's my favorite comparison:

Six short years ago I was a publicist in Hollywood, promoting Guy Ritchie's second movie, "Snatch," starring, among others, Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro. And oh, Guy was getting married to someone named Madonna....

December 5, 2001
Today was perhaps the most stressful experience thus far of my career in the movie business. The Academy Awards submission forms for all entries were due on Friday (it's Tuesday) and so I made a casual call today to check that the submission forms for all our division's releases had arrived. Somehow, the forms for "Snatch" were missing. My stomach dropped. Was it possible Guy Ritchie and Brad Pitt might not get nominated for Oscars because I forgot to send in the form with their names on it??? What would Madonna and Jennifer Aniston think of me if they found out? Would Guy have me "offed?" What about the other "actors" in the film - Guy's mates are not all exactly classically trained Shakespearan thespians...

I'm hoping it's the fault of a woman in the legal department named Olive, who normally submits the forms, but as the PR person handling the campaign for "Snatch" it might actually be my fault. My boss is going to kill me. She already has a burst blood vessel over her right eye because of this. I think one of us may get fired. During lunch we raced over to the offiecs of the Academy and re-submitted the forms in a plain, unmarked envelope. We also had to let the head of the studio know that "the forms had been lost." I did not say, "because I forgot to fill them out."

Later, the Academy called to say they had in fact, received the application. I gleefully told my boss, who suggested I check on the submission forms for the rest of our movies. Twice. I did so happily. What a day. I'm exhausted.

Luckily this one turned out ok. Please share your THEN & NOW stories, whether not your journal is depressing or electrifying. I want to hear them!