This is 55

I turned 55 today. That number just keeps getting higher and higher. I mean, I could even retire if I wanted to. I wouldn’t get a lot of money each month, but I could do it. I know 55 is just a number, but getting older is….weird. I know it’s a privilege to grow older, and not all will get to do it (I’ve lost a couple of peers to cancer), but it is a trip, (pardon my Gen X-ism).

Something that helps me feel better about aging is surrounding myself with people who are older than me. I can glean wisdom from those who have walked this path before me, which I find comforting.

I turned 50 in 2020 and that’s when I started digging into my family’s history. My acting teacher told me that when we are younger, we think about the future, and when we are older, we think about the past. I am right on time on that end. It’s like a timer went off on my 50th birthday, and I developed this sense of urgency to trace my family roots. Speaking of which…

Look what I found in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper archives:

My Great Grandfather Declares Bankruptcy in 1925

Apparently, he was a bit of a high roller back in his day. He had a big house built for the family on the Oakland/Piedmont border. According to my Grandma Gerry, “It was the Roaring 20s and times were very prosperous. Daddy loved auction sales and was always buying. We had lovely oriental rugs and furniture. But we never seemed to have much cash, lots of credit, and very little spending money.”

No wonder he went bankrupt. Grandma went on to say, “Daddy had a stroke. Creditors took the house.”

And this happened before the Depression! My Great Grandma Katie was widowed pretty young (she was 15 years his junior and lived another 34 years after he passed), but in her writings, she seemed optimistic about the future:

“Now at the age of 77, as I drive across the Bay Bridge and I see the skyline changing with taller and taller buildings, I feel a sense of pride. Like the success of my own children and grandchildren. The city seems to be a part of me and my own family. I am left wondering, if all the great new things to come, will ever equal some of the ease and comfort, in the lives of my great grandchildren.”

Tales of the City

I was working on a friend’s film yesterday in San Francisco.

I wrapped a little early and decided I wasn’t ready to go home yet, so I became a local tourist and went looking for geocaches in the Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Mrs. Doubtfire House

I’ve lived in the Bay Area my whole life, but I never knew where this house was.

Beautiful Views

I saw a group of kids getting out of school nearby, too young to be aware of their privilege yet. It’s not their fault that their parents have given them this amazing opportunity. I wonder how old they will be when they realize what a beautiful city they live in.

I was pretty tired by then, but with the days so short and only an hour left of light, I decided to find one more geocache in one more tourist spot.

Crooked Lombard Street

Then I drove by the “Tales of the City- Barbary Lane” location in Russian Hill, but by that point it was already dark. Next time.

I decided to head back to Oakland and got stuck in traffic in the Financial District. It’s been years since I have been stuck in traffic in the Financial District. I reminisce about it in my current one-woman-show, “All the Great New Things to Come“.

“It’s 1999 and I’m working in San Francisco on the corner of First and Mission Streets. South of Market is packed with budding new businesses. It’s “dotcom” this and “dotcom” that, run by Gen Xers like me. Wait a minute, when did we become in charge? Now every day is Casual Sunday! You’re welcome.“

“And by 3:30, horns are honking as cars crawl up First Street on the way to the Bay Bridge. But I don’t have to deal with that because I take BART. Well, sometimes I take AC Transit, the C Bus will drop me off right across the street at the terminal. Occasionally I drive and park in an insanely expensive parking garage nearby…”

The dotcom bubble burst and we wondered if the city would recover. It did and then years later Covid hit and we wondered again. Well, if its recovery can be measured in traffic, San Franciso is going to be alright.

Scream 1996: Scene 114. People Die, People Live

Last Friday I visited the “Scream” house in Tomales Bay. It’s really the Spring Hill Mansion where a lot of scenes from the original Scream 1996 was filmed.

I worked on the movie as a stand-in for Neve Campbell and it amazes me how Scream is the gift that keeps on giving. One thing perplexes me though, and I am hoping a Scream fanatic out there can help me solve a mystery.

I know there is a photo circulating of a person wearing a t-shirt that says, “I Survived Scene 118” and people say it’s because it was the most grueling scene to film during production, but according to my call sheets and sides, Scene 114 – “People Die, People Live” was the long one.

114 Complete – FINALLY!!

And the final scene is Scene 115 of Gale reporting the news the morning after the murders. Roll credits. There is no Scene 118.

So, I’m confused. Any Scream fans that are reading this, can you help me with this one? What is Scene 118??