So last week mother nature apparently decided NY needed to revisit fall weather. (Yes, once again, weather is a prevalent theme). The temps were in the mid-low 60’s all week, diving towards the 50’s at the end of the week. For me, this was awful, because as much as I pop Wellness Formula and drink OJ and keep any mix of meds on hand at any one time, I got sick. Not random cold & sinus problems sick (which happens often), but actually SICK. Like running a fever, head about to explode, over the counter medication isn’t working, all that. This is one of those industries where people really never take sick days unless they’re dying. Mental health days, yes. A personal day here or there, yes. But to actually just stay home because you’re sick? Almost never happens. On top of this, I’m sick the week I have a birthday party and a video shoot – actually two video shoots, but the first one is partially responsible for me being sick. Let me explain…
The Pop Princess shot the video for her first single last weekend. Everything with a female artist can be so much more involved and complicated than it is for a male artist. For most guys (not all, but many) you basically just need styling and grooming and they’re good. For a girl you have the styling, the glam (hair, makeup, etc), the choreography, the back up dancers…it just all has to be so precise. And when you’re talking about someone’s first shoot, everything is even more important. We all hauled ass to a warmer-weather locale, and despite a total stylist snaffoo, and the entire team having to pull every contact we had between us to call mad showrooms and clothing stores, and make a mad dash to the mall before it closed, we had a great looking, completely successful shoot. Albeit with stress levels near the boiling point.
Video sets are kind of like what I told you about photo shoots: they all seem very exciting and glamorous in theory. And if you happen to just pop in during an action-packed moment and then dip back out, they are. But in actually they’re really long, and the interesting parts are very stretched out, and it’s a lot of waiting, and sitting, and setting up, etc etc etc. So once our amazing video was in the can, I head back to NY where it. Is. Freezing. What the hell happened? Coming off a flight and into the cold air, my immune system was immediately on strike.
On Tuesday I was sniffling, sneezing, coughing, stuffy head, fever…oh wait, that’s a commercial. I was bad off, let’s put it like that. My face was red and puffy, my eyes looked tired, I was doing that really sexy thing when you’re trying to scratch the back of your throat and make that horrid noise…All of which would have been fine, but my birthday party was that night. My birthday party where I have to be fabulous and amazing and ready to boogie down with my crew. I did what I always do when I think I’m getting sick – overload on over the counter meds (children, do not try this at home). I was poppin’ Sudafed for the sinus pain, Advil for the fever, and chugging my secret cold weapon (which probably doesn’t work but in my mind I believe it does, so it does) Vitamin Water Power C. And it worked!
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For that night. I showed up at my party looking amazing (or course) and danced and ate and drank and had a grand old time. But then the next morning it was all back plus some. Wednesday was damp and cold which only made it worse. By the end of the day I was a mess, and by Thursday morning I threw in the towel and realized I just needed to sit my behind at home for a day.
I spent an entire day, on the couch, sleeping and watching Young & The Restless, 9 By Design (OMG I love them!!!), House, and a bunch of other foolishness, and taking more drugs. I didn’t feel an
