Starting over at 40 something a.k.a. What Happens In Vegas Goes In My Blog

12 days and counting.....until my move...to Vegas.....As I lay in bed and think about how this could possibly happen and what the future might bring, my stomach twists and burns...breathe and calm down....Well to make a long story longer....Once upon a time there was a 40 something (but she looked like she was in her early thirties) lovely woman who lived in a guest house in Hollywood. Her sweet 92 year-old landlady had passed away last May and her house was being put up for sale....She was hustling between odd jobs and trying to finish three (yes, you heard it, three) screenplays and had (and have) been praying that the film she had made a while ago (Young, Single and Angry) would make enough money so everyone gets paid (including herself).

Ok, back to first person, I wasn't finishing anything successfully, just shuffling or waffling, I'm not sure what I'd call it, then I received the fateful phone call...."Cheri, it's your Dad"....Now everyone in the family is healthy and well, but my stomach dropped when I heard the next words (my stomach will be very active in this posting) "We need you to move into your brother's townhouse in Las Vegas." Mike, my younger brother, had flipped a 1700 sq foot townhouse, had renters until October, then couldn't find anyone to buy or rent the property....and two mortgages were very difficult to handle and since I didn't have a steady job....

The initial reaction was, do I have a choice in this?, can I still be a filmmaker?, what does the townhouse look like?, Can I bring Wendall and Fizzy my dogs?, and what's in this for me?...The answers were, yes, yes, gorgeous and huge, yes and keep reading.

Well the town house was VERY appealing, but leaving Los Angeles...Really? My closest friends, my comfort, my joy....the beautiful weather, the ocean, hiking, my scheduled happy hours with friends.....boo, hoo, hoo, hoo hoo (that's me melting into a pool of self pity). But as the next couple weeks progressed, it seem that fate was taking me on a journey...But to Vegas....Really? My stomach twists again...ok, I tell myself, only oatmeal and white rice until the move....and goodbye cocktails with all my friends....which I'm sure will help my stomach relax.

I told my friends...they had mixed reactions either, "Wow! Fantastic!, go and write, this will be great", or "No, we don't accept this, you can't leave, we think your parents are manipulating you." NO! I corrected them, my folks are actually BRIBING me with the promise of all new furniture (answer to the "what's in it for me" question), so yes, I'm AM AWARE that I may be being manipulated, but I'm knowingly accepting the bribe.

Besides that, I will have (that I didn't have in my cozy guest house) a bedroom, a bathtub (yeah baths), a washer and dryer, a kitchen and a dishwasher....and guestrooms for my friends to visit me....WOO HOO!!!

Then I went to the Cinequest Film Festival and proudly announced that I was going on a writing sabbatical (for a year, yes, that makes it easier for me to swallow) a year, to finish my screenplays and get them funded and make them, then I will be back in LA...in the meantime, I can do anything I need to do in LA, via email, phone and I can always fly back and forth. my stomach started to burn...

Then the stomach pains and vomiting started...I thought it was flu, then two days went by... food poisoning?, then 4 more days passed...Ok, maybe I'm not dealing with a bigger issue...I'm terrified!!!

Ok, I'll wrap this up: I'm still making the jump, so here I am, almost packed up, changing my address with my credit cards, and getting new car insurance. I'm telling my stomach to knock it off, everything is going to be ok and this is part of the journey...let's call it an adventure...this is what makes you feel alive...and now you have a blog (I'm talking to my stomach now) so I can write everything down (to represent your feelings, stomach) so you will not have continue to torture me...(I do need to leave the house on occasion) Yes, reading audience, I'm trying to be tasteful and spare you the nasty detail of living in the bathroom....

12 days and counting....Breathe....and jump off the cliff...To Vegas....Really?