and settle this debate.

Is it BUNco or BONco?

(Otherwise known as a dice rolling game played by suburban women. Africanuck if you were in my neighborhood, you would definately be a player!)

¶ 10:19 AM //

So I'm standing in line at the gas station yesterday and started chatting up with the woman behind me. She was from out of town (New York) and had been spending the week at a friend's house on Flathead Lake. I love a New Yorker's accent so I engaged her in some conversation.

Her and her husband are thinking about moving here permanently and she had one thing on her mind - do Montanan's treat NY transplants the same way they do to Californian's?

I laughed and told her that I didn't realize that the anti-California sentiment was so high here but last I heard it was a free country.

There are lots of rumors and stories about Californians who moved to Montana and then hastily retreated back. But they are just rumors right? ;)

¶ 8:58 AM //

My dear blogmate Chinquapin wanted to know what I thought of Situation Comedy, the Project-Greenlightish show on Bravo to which we both submitted scripts some time ago.

Well first let me once again thank the inventor of Tivo and the DVR for making my life a little easier. (I was unable to watch the premiere when it aired.)

For some reason I was very nervous to watch this show. I was completely afraid that the finalist's ideas would be absolutely brilliant and make me feel like a complete failure as a screenwriter.

Instead, just like Project Greenlight, I got riled up watching the show. Envious that I could have been there along with the other finalists pitching my pilot. (The way they sprung the surprise pitch session on the writers was great. I would have seized that bull by the horns!) Flabbergasted at the ungrateful ones. And kicking myself for not having a writing "partner" like the two finalists did.

I was very curious to see how my screenplay compared to the ideas of the finalists. Now, I can see why my script was not selected. It was a little too cable for NBC. And that's fine. At least it wasn't a script about a lasagne that comes to life or a lamp that becomes a butler. Those scripts HAD to be sent in as a joke.

Did I agree with NBC's decision for the top two? No way. My choices would have been Baked Alaska and On Your Mark. I don't think NBC is going to get anywhere with a show about a kid who runs his life like he's an executive (joke will get old fast) or a show about a sperm donor (these guys lost me). But then again, unlike Project Greenlight, the contestants did not get to read each other's scripts. And these may, in fact be, brilliant.

So, I will watch this season, punch up my script and resubmit it next time.

Then you all can say you knew me when...

¶ 9:05 AM //

Recently a celebrity "pal" of mine had a small "blog run". She's expecting and thought it would be fun to blog about how Hollywood and pregnancy don't mix. While I was thrilled at the thought of such a blog existing, I warned her that there would be many who would try to "out" her. She assured me that she was aware of that and had taken all the steps to remain annonymous.

However, that fear of her being exposed was shared by daddy-to-be and after some discussion, the blog ended. Which is really too bad. You would think that the internet would be the one place celebrities could "go" and not be famous.

But then again, blogging is becoming a publicists' dream. Got a movie to promote? Hire someone to "ghostwrite" a blog for you. (Yes my services are available. :)) Want a cheap way to get your client some publicity? Have them start an online journal.

Unfortunately, fans always want more. Slebs get tired of blogging on a daily basis and so their entries seem to fade.

Their surreal life gets in the way.

¶ 1:05 PM //

I was sitting on the bed, talking on my cell phone to my sister in Seattle. About 10:10 pm, I felt the bed move as if my dog was trying to get out from underneath it. I looked and my dog was right next to me on the bed.

Then I noticed my bedroom door start to sway. I said to my sister, "You might think I'm nuts but I believe we are having an earthquake up here."

Apparently it was a 5.6!

¶ 10:29 PM //

Arkansas is Kansas without the AR.

Arkansas is pronounced "Ark - can - saw."

Then why isn't Kansas pronounced "Kan-saw"?

¶ 8:45 AM //

This picture looks fake but I assure you it is not. I saw this with my own eyes. The ducks are original chainsaw carvings.

Photo courtesy of The Daily Inter Lake.

¶ 8:58 PM //

to say that our thoughts are with the great Gonzaga basketball player Ronny Turiaf, who was recently drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. The hubby and I got a call last night with the news that a routine physical showed Ronny has an enlarged heart and will need to undergo open heart surgery which could possibly end his professional basketball career before it even started.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2113689&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233

¶ 11:11 AM //

No more blogging till Monday for me.

http://www.rebeccafarm.org/overview.html

¶ 10:53 AM //

but not those of us who live in the forest.

Dear Smokey the Bear:

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Tell those assholes to stop throwing lit cigarettes out their car.

Yours truly,

Planna Tree

¶ 1:20 PM //

Many people have emailed me and asked for suggestions of things to do in Glacier. Since we recently had a weeklong visitor who wanted to "see it all", I thought I would share the itinerary of the past week with you.

Day One: A day on Flathead lake of boating and fun.

Day Two: Glacier National Park. We took Going to the Sun road to the summit and hit a few easy trails on the way back down. The evening was spent taking in a double feature at the Columbia Falls Drive-In.

Day Three: A trip around Flathead lake to Missoula for a day of shopping and a trip to the Carousel. On the way we stopped at the Mission Mountain Winery (west shore), the Mission in St. Ignatius and waved to the Buffalo on the National Bison Range. On the way home, we stopped in Bigfork (east shore) for a quick bite and to see the shops.

Day Four: A morning hike to Lone Pine State Park which is a lookout point for the whole valley (beware of Mountain Lions) followed by an afternoon at the Woodland Waterpark in Kalispell.

Day Five: A gondola ride to the top of Big Mountain, followed by an afternoon at the Big Sky Waterslide park in Columbia Falls.

Day Six: A visit to the Bear Country Gallery followed by a tour of the Conrad Mansion.

Of course there are many, many more things to do. Horseback riding, white water rafting, etc., but you do what you can in regard to the weather and the cash flow! :)

¶ 8:21 AM //

Someone said to me the other day that I should seriously consider becoming a voice-over artist.

It's an intriguing idea and interesting timing. I've been asked to do a radio interview next week for a local non-profit organization.

If anyone knows anything about voice-over talent and can give me some advice, please leave a comment or email me.

¶ 5:18 PM //

Jeremy Piven has been nominated for an Emmy for his role as Ari in Entourage.

Other people I was glad to see nominated:

Hugh Laurie, Sandra Oh, Debra Winger, Zach Braff, Hank Azaria, Mariska Hargitay.

People I thought would get nominated but didn't:

Charlie Sheen and Eva Longoria.

It will be a good show this year!

¶ 9:08 AM //

Pearl Jam will be in concert in Missoula on August 29th.

Thank you Jeff!!

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/07/13/breaker/doc42d53d32c0411027996647.txt

¶ 11:00 AM //

I am usually so pale that I can give both Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger-Chesney a run for their money. When I was younger, people called me Snow White. In high school, kids would ask me to put something other than mayonaise on my legs.

For the most part, being fair skinned has been a good thing and I've tried really hard to protect it. Sunglasses, sunscreen, baseball hats. (Naomi Watts says Nicole Kidman won't cross a street without a hat on!)

Being pale has it's benefits. I don't have a lot of wrinkles and I look a lot younger than most women my age.

But I have to admit, a little color makes me seem skinnier and dare I say to all you sun-worshipers out there - healthier!

¶ 9:29 AM //

"Can I have two dollars for the confession stand?"

"My dad says he'd rather ride in a dirty Chevy than a clean Ford. "

"That man just burped his butt and IT WAS LOUD."

"France! I didn't know they had license plates in France!"

"This car is too hot. I'm hungry for some air."


And on a side note, since it's always nice to get free stuff, a special thanks to this famous blogger for my recent mailbox surprise.

¶ 9:18 AM //

Everyone I know bitches and bitches about Walmart but still ends up shopping there. They hate the parking, the fact that it's a big box store and that it's usually full of people.

But everyone still shops there.

I try to limit my visits to "Wally World" when I am kidless. But if I do have to take the kids, it's really not so bad. Want to know why? My kids think Walmart doesn't have toys.

How did I manage that? By never taking them to the toy section. That's the secret. The first time you ever go into a store, you find out where the toy section is and avoid it at all costs. I told this to another mom and she said she's done the same at Target. Her kids think the only toy store in town is at Shopko (which only has two aisles of toys).

Speaking of moms and Walmart - did you know that on more than one occasion, I have had a mom tell me that they "hang out" at this store? Since it's open 24 hours, it's the only place they can go "wander" once the kids and husband are in bed. Silly me - I thought people only did that at Christmas!

¶ 4:04 PM //

I'm a speed reader. Always have been. I thought that would make me a perfect candidate for a script reader position but alas, no one wanted to ship scripts up to me in Montana. I'm hoping someday that will change.

Here's the difference between men and women. The hubby had a celeb encounter this week. When he told me about it, our conversation ended something like this:

She said "What was he wearing."
He said "I don't know."
She said "You spent a 1/2 hour with this man and can't remember what he was wearing?"
He said "No but he had a sweet car."

Peace out!

¶ 3:47 PM //

My 4th of July weekend was everything I could hope for. Food. Fun with family and friends. Food. Boating and riding wave runners on Flathead Lake. Food. Plenty of fireworks. And did I mention food?

I'm still in the midst of having lots of company and doing all sorts of touristy things. But I wanted to take a minute and mention two quotes I heard over the weekend.

"A mother is only as happy as her saddest child."

"Regret is the past ruining your present."

Definately food for thought.

And I am also dying to find time to read a new book called "The Big Show" by Steve Pond. It's filled with all sorts of stories from backstage at the Academy Awards. Delicous dish for someone like me who loves to be behind the scenes.

¶ 12:56 PM //

Recently I attended a function in which the national anthem was played. As I was singing with my hand over my heart, I looked around and noticed all the various ways in which people stood during the anthem.

Most men took their hats off.

Most kids had their hands over their hearts. Even toddlers.

Many women have what I call the "cheerleader" pose. Right hand over heart, left hand in a fist tucked behind the back.

And I was surprised to see how many people have the "athlete sway". The rocking back and forth while alternating heel lifts.

Bottom line - it doesn't matter how you do it - as long as you do.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

¶ 8:59 AM //