Nasa has carpeting/Finale coming up for WHTSN

So... I'm still a week away from knowing what my treatments are. I was very much hoping that it would be clear what I would route we would be taking but because my new doctor is one of the top Breast Cancer Onocologists in the world, it turns out that my course is not that simple. Since I won't know what's up til next week, I wanted to take this opportunity to sing the praises of a series that in many ways changed my life, both personally and professionally. And it was all with the talent I was lucky enough to work with.

I have to start with Meredith Baxter. Come on!!! Cathy is responsible for bringing her to our series and how cool that? I would be lying if I didn't say that I was nervous the first day I met her. Yes, I'm a new director to web series but I've directed plays and short films since I graduated High School, so I'm not sure what happened the day she showed up for the reading but except... I grew up watching her in TV movies and I'm a HUGE socially awkward geek. So there you have it.

Anyway, Meredith was awesome. She brought her natural gift of comedic timing and an attitude of "try everything" to our set. She also has worked on some big sets, so she adjusted to our little production band of thieves very well. My favorite suprise about her is that she is a total smart ass, so we all got along very well indeed. So happy to have been able to share a set with her.

The list of guest stars is mind boggling to me, especially when I think of the day we had all 18 of them. Or 20. I am going to make a blog just with their names soon.... Thankfully, Jill and Cathy are talented directors in their own right (as you can see from their work throughout the series) because without them on the set that morning, I would have crashed and burned for sure. A stand out for me is Kate McKinnon... she blew us away and in fact, if you look really close, you can see Jill and I laughing in the reflection on the seat behind her. They will hate me for saying that, but now you can watch it over and over again to see what else you can pick up in those seats :)

Kate just took this little piece of dialogue and spun it into a character that could have her own show. Her level of commitment to an improvisational way of bringing the script alive is a director's dream. If you haven't watch "The Big Gay Sketch Show", you need to. Kate is going to be gracing our computer screens, TV screens and hopefully someday movie screens for many moons... thank god!

Three new actors that you have to keep an eye on are Mary Frances Careccia, Alexis Boozer and Sage Mears. All three of them were the last standing in the auditions for Dee Dee. They were all exceptional in their auditions and exceptional in their own ways. If you watch them in the series, you can see what each brings to their roles.

Mary Frances finally won out. She's a wonderful and committed actress and in the end, it's the chemistry between her and her co-stars that won her the part. One of the best ways to see how an audience will react (a chemistry all it's own) is to see what one actor brings out in the other. It's the part of chemistry that you can articulate. Watching her audition with Ann, with an added directory twist from Jill, it was clear that Mary Frances brought out a more vulnerable Cindy... something that I've been dying to bring the audience since Season One.

Alexis and Sage were sooooo good that we had to write them into the script. That is the biggest compliment that a production can give to an actor who doesn't get cast. I loved working with both of them... one of my favorite days on set. They are both so strong in their instincts and flexible... it's wonderful so see such young actors that have the ability to be nuanced and subtle in their emotional turns. I can't wait to see what else these talented ladies can do.

Mary Francis is ridiculously talented. There is simple depth to her performance on screen which belies the hours and intensity in which she pursues her performance off screen. I fear that I could never really give her all the time she yearned for... I tried but our set was very much like a low budget television show where you get two takes if you are lucky and move on fast. Sometimes I would push for 6 takes on one thing, which would cost on others. She adjusted and gave strong, nuanced performance that is always grounded in absolute truth. Mary Francis is going to tear it up people... just watch.

Last but not least, I need mention Shannon Allel Reeve. Shannon is one the most giving and hard-working people I have ever had the pleasure to share a set with. She has an amazing lack of ego and besides being a fantastic actress, I would not have made it through a few days on that Cruise without her. She is tireless with an amazing spirit and I'm so glad to see her getting so many parts. She is a force to be reckoned with.

I'm not going to comment right now on the finale because it's behind the scenes thoughts and if you read this, it will reverberate without you knowing it. All I can say is that I am proud that I was part of the series that brought some of the best work I've seen from Jill, Cathy and Ann. Especially because of their involvement in every other aspect of the series.... not easy to do folks. Check it out.

So... that is my pre-finale, pre-treatment rant of the week. Have a glorious weekend all! I am diving into a sea of hospital bills and financial aid web sites. Not complaining though... in all things, I remain a lucky and ridiculously grateful, at some point to be breast cancer survivor who finally knows how lucky she is.

"Love is like oxygen... "

What does that have to do with this blog? nothing really but let me try.

So, cancer does not do well in oxygenated blood. it hates it. Which is why due to my aerobics, I now have the blood pressure of a teenager. And not that drunken sailor either. Which I still miss by the way :) that doesn't make sense, but I haven't gotten much sleep so I don't care!

I'm filled with movie love and family love and friend love. Yes, movie love. I saw "undertow" last night at the Castro and fell in love again. What a beautiful and graceful movie. Seriously, see it. And the director was so passionate and said all the directory things that only geeks like us love... about location feeding character, shadow and light... the process of letting your script breath on it's own. Sigh and smile :)

So, off to Austin. Have to miss both screenings of WHTSN in Frameline, which sucks (did I mention that I hate being left our of anything??) Off for some treatments, hot springs and a wedding! Timing is everything and not always what you would like I'm finally accepting that.

But before I go, I am transferring my care over to what seems to be the Nasa of breast cancer treatment: UCSF. Just in time, while the bills are piling in and my bank account is drained. Bordering close on the filing that chapter that no one wants to file... is it still 13? The sad thing is, I know of three other people who have it worse than me. The are losing their houses...

Fuck. another friend of mine just told me their biopsy is cancer... she's a lovely woman. Full of life and this just friggin sucks.

Well, this blog was going to be different than I thought now. I am not going to finish it but before I go, this is what I got yesterday as a gift.

I had this amazing conversation with someone who has more advanced breast cancer. she had a mastectomy, but they found cancer in her lymph nodes and hers was super aggressive. It was bad enough that she lost her breast, had to go through full throttle chemo and hormone therapy... she was 44 and it slammed her into an early menopause which put her body into craziness it wasn't ready for. She doesn't regret it, she said she didn't have a choice because of how fast it was moving.

She is so brave and sweet and she is helping me get into UCSF so I can have the best care for my cancer. Before we got off the phone, we talked about how once you have been diagnosed, cancer is a part of your life... for the rest of your life. It's not a death sentence... no one, and even doctors say this now, can tell you what will happen. It's your cancer. There are only odds and you never give in to it. You don't accept it, you fight it. You get it out and try to make sure it never returns. You wage war. Whether it's wheat grass or apricot pits or the best of western medicine. You kill it first. You have to be the cheetah, not the impala.

But there is also a gift in this kind of war. It's figuring out how you want to live your life. There's a saying in some American Indians cultures: when they would great the day with "today is a good day to die." I used to hate that. I lost my sister when I was really young, so the thought of losing anyone was always so painful to me. But when my friend said that now she lives her life asking "what do I want to be doing when I die." ...and I got it. And that's the gift that some of us have to get the hard way... and it's not about choosing how you die. It's all about choosing how you live.

Now I'm going to go love my friend and give her the support so many of you and others in my life have continually given me. And then fly to Austin and wear a silk skirt in 97 degree weather.

xoxoxoRobyn

Cancer sucks/actors rock: Part One

So... I am waiting for my first Chemo but also getting a second opinion on treatments. A good friend of mine suggested that I check out UCSF, which has the cutting edge newest treatments... so I am, which is yet another stack of paperwork and phone calls, etc but well worth it in the end. I'm still pretty sure about Chemo at this point. It's weird, you know no one can make this decision for you. And it's all a crap shoot in some ways backed up with statistics. My alternative medicine providers are against it, Meg is 50/50, other cancer survivors are mostly for it. And then there is me. With my gut. My gut says a hestitant "yes"... so, we will see. Oh yeah, and if my insurance decides they will pay for it (more on that later.)

Meanwhile, my life is not just about cancer. It's also about my passion for filmmaking and the amazing people I get to work with. I'll tell you right now, I love actors. As most of you know I worked on a web series "We Have To Stop Now" which is making it's mark on the internet and beyond. Season One is playing round the world in film festivals and from the looks of it, Season Two will be heading that way as well. Those ground breaking peeps at Wolfe Video are celebrating their 25th year and so happy that the show is a part of the Wolfe family. And amazingly proud to watch a project that started as a whim, that we produced for about 50 cents and bag of Doritos turn into full-fledged series.

As a director, I have to say the most satisfying thing is working with the actors. I could rave about working with the ladies of Dynakit (Jill, Cathy and Ann) but I've done that over and over (just listen to the commentary on the fan video of Season One) But what I want to talk about is the other crazy good talent I was lucky enough to work with on the show.

Starting with Suzanne Westenhoefer. I actually didn't know much about Suzanne before working with her. I knew she almost made me pee my pants when I saw her at Dinah in 2008 and that she was super sweet when we all hung out backstage. What I didn't know was what a hard working actress she would be... how much she would grow as an actress in the process of Season One and Season Two. How honest she is as a performer and willing to go wherever she needs to go to give a good performance.

Acting on the screen is not an easy to thing to do...ever. Even in a huge budget film, the stop and start... the disconcerting way a director has to break down a scene to film it. And on our series, the hours were xtra crazy long. We shot 8 - 10 pages a day in Season One and then topped it by filming 10 - 12 pages a day on Season Two. Sometimes on a moving ship with a hurricane at our heels.

Now I can tell you stories about producing and directing on that kind of schedule that would curl your hair, but imagine being an actress during that. All the actors pulled off such great work under those conditions, Jill and Cathy having the largest load as the leads. But Suzanne won the prize on our first day of shooting. I remember watching her on the 16th hour:

I was scrunched down behind the camera with the crew... we were all dead tired (I'm still sorry for the hours I put that crew through) and going for the perfect take. No lights in our eyes, not having to look good or perform. Suzanne had been there all day... performing the lines for other actors and then, into makeup and hours later... there she was. Performing like a rock star, like she had been on a film set her whole life.

She put so much trust in me and gave such a nuanced performance at the end of the day... when the rest of us were wilting behind the camera, she knocked it out of the ball park all night long. She friggin rocked it!

I can't wait to see what else Ms. Suzanne Westenhoefer will do in her career. I'm just grateful that I was lucky enough to be one of the first directors to see what a talented and dedicated artist she is.

Johnny McLaughlin...the last I heard, John was working on a new feature that would really show the world what this man can do. Always committed to bring the best to his character and the show, I loved every minute of working with him. My favorite is a scene which you actually haven't seen yet, so I can't give it away. But it's funny, touching and beautifully portrayed.

John is the kind of actor that is willing to expose himself in his part and I love that we get to see what a wonderfully complex character "Guy is. And it would only take an actor with access to all his sweetness, his snarkiness and his grounded talent to pull it off the way John does. Kudos Johnny. Johnny W. McLaughlin I mean :)

My only regret is that I took on too much during that production, so my time with the actors was much more limited than I would have liked. Because there is honestly nothing more amazing than watching what a great actor can do with the written word. Or the unwritten silence. When I was editing Season One, I used to just love to watch Jill and Cathy interact in the silence... or the exquisite timing they found in Ann's words. Ann's writing is a gift in itself... you already start on such a rich ground that it inspires you to do your best work in return.

Watching the actors navigate through the lovely twist and turns of Season Two was especially sweet. I'm really proud of how we all worked so hard in each creative session to find the more complex story lines of Season Two and build off what we sometimes created out of sheer instinct of Season One. And that in face of rocking ships, inhuman hours, carrying grip equipment back and forth, squeaking ropes at dock and other strange noises that come only from "shooting on a ship," I am so proud to see how far this series has come. And that only happens with the passion and dedication of everyone who worked on it.

Part Two: the other uber talented guest stars and supporting leads we got to play with.

"Nobody dies from Breast Cancer"

"Nobody dies from Breast Cancer"....

I sort of snapped out of the slide show in my head at that point and stared at my oncologist. I know that's not what she just said, but I'm pretty sure that's what she meant. I actually have no idea what she had said... all I know is that it landed with a thud in my gut.

On my way to the office that day, I was going over some blog ideas that had me chuckling. They had to do with being out of work during all this, asking if I can do my medical paperwork during radiation (because the paperwork and insurance two-step is never ending,) and a funny dialogue about my boob scar.

As you know, up until today, I had a great "low risk" report card. Tumor and it's little cancer following gone... good margins, hormone treatable (other technical things from the cancer biopsy that I never wrote down but are in my favor) all good. I was in the low risk category for recurrence of breast cancer or cancer of any kind. Except for one thing that was "worrisome"... The cancer cells they extracted were dividing much too fast for a low risk diagnosis.

So we did another test: Oncotype DX. what they do is chart the cancer and the chance of a recurrence. It's actually pretty cool as they chart 23 genes in the sample to come up with this rating. MY rating? 23: 15% chance of cancer somewhere else in my body in the next five years. That put me smack in the gray area of the spectrum. If it was 18 or under, it would low risk still and would go along with the rest of the diagnosis. 30 and over would put me at high risk. The temperature of my cancer turns out to be medium rare... and it's my bet.

That was one of the things I was thinking about after she told me my score and explained what it meant. She showed me the sheet, but honestly, I was out at that point. I was having a slide show of the future... liver tests, since my liver was a concern before. Head scarves, because she was "offering" chemo... and worldwide poker.

Having cancer at that moment put in a version one of my favorite shows "worldwide poker series" Here I was, waiting to bet on the big hand of cancer. I had 85% with the cards in my hand and the flop. (okay, I actually don't know if I'm at the river card or not... once again, hard to say with cancer but anyway...)... based on statistics, if I take the next chemo card then no matter what my chances of winning increase to app. 93%.

Seems like an easy choice except what had happened was that I was sort of lulled into thinking I was getting out chemo free. All the signs were there and encouraging. It also meant I wasn't at any calculable risk for cancer anywhere else. I think once my liver was clear I thought I was cool. I was already writing my cancer hero's journey, complete with lessons learned both physical and emotional... strong warrior woman with a head scarf standing on a rock over Hollywood... wait, that friggin scarf should have tipped me off. Regardless, I saw my future in the next month or two.

So, here I am staring at my doctor. And my future is right now and the cancer free is at least six months off and it what hit me in the gut was this: I'm not playing for my boobs right now.

I could be playing for my liver or my kidneys... my tumor was near the chest wall, so I could be playing for my lungs... this was the first time I had felt that the decision I made was directly going to effect my chances of survival. Drinking wheat grass gently says "stop it cancer"... sort of the way I envision a yoga teacher attacking someone and then settling into the "gentle warrior" pose. Chemo says "fuck off and die invader... I may lose some but you are GOING DOWN MUTHA-FUCKER." Big guns.

I wonder what she was thinking as she waited. She's a nice woman, but I can hear in her head : "Geez, I am talking about cancer and you are worrying about your hair?" I focused in and she said that because I'm a young woman (obviously the one thing she hasn't looked at is my age) and that the benefits high out way the risks. And then, when I made my decision she smiled and said that she believes I made the right choice. And she actually looked like she was happy.

So... Chemo it is. 3 week sessions, four times. then radiation. then hormones. Now this my friends should be an adventure!

Next time: Hairstyles of the chemo and "how the hell do I prep for this one?"

the decidely whiny cancer warrior weekend

this weekend:

" I don't want to have cancer. I want to be healthy and drink Mojitos and play poker and go dance to GAGA for hours and then eat Carl's Jr. at 2 in the morning. I don't want to think about what "good for me" thing I should eat and how radiation is going to be weird and chemo, even weirder yet! I don't want to wait for results or be strong or brave. I want to be that 17 year old drunken sailor (I relate my inner child to a gay teenage sailor...my closest friends would agree)... I don't want to care if my insurance co. is running everyone around and threatening not to pay, I don't want to wait for any more friggin test results, don't want to give blood or have dye shot into me... just stick a thermometer in, tell me the temperature of the cancer and let's get the fuck on with it!!!!"

Yes...I had a decidedly whiny Memorial weekend Saturday. My girl was at a family reunion (thank god, poor thing, she's been attending the post surgery moi) so it was me and the kittens. After I visited my Mom and was a good little warrior, I went home and had my crying tantrum. I came home and cried like a baby for as long as it took to get it all out of my system.

Then, I ate popcorn with butter (ooh, la la!) and had ice cream (pretended it was a frozen Mojito)...played video games with the kittens in my lap and watched the entire second season of "Legends of the Seeker." (no, it had nothing to do with red leather) The next day, I pried myself from the adventures of medieval warriors with strange and sometimes hot powers, and went to the gym. I drank my wheat grass. I wrote in between napping with kittens. I even meditated...that's right, me, MEDITATED! And then I blasted Lady Gaga and danced until it hurt my boob... which was exactly 10 minutes.

One thing I've learned is that every brave warrior needs to acknowledge the other side of being brave. Cancer sucks. Yes, It's been a turning point for me to really see who I am, what I am made of and most importantly, who I want to be... but it still sucks. And just like anything else in life, it's my choice on what I do with what has been handed to me in life. And in some instances, what I've handed myself.

It made me think about how even before Cancer, would have such judgments about feelings I had instead of just having them and moving on. I never realized how hard I was on myself until I couldn't be anymore. I've had to become so much more patient with myself and my body... and because of that, it's so much easier to deal with things. Maybe it's because the weight of having to be a perfect human has lifted? I don't know... I just know that giving myself freedom to be flawed and make mistakes allows me to be so much more present and open to the world around me. Even when it sucks!

Why my Boob loves Obama! That damn health bill IS WORKING PEOPLE!

Okay, I need to stop blogging today and actually get a job or something but I have to stand on my soap box and beat my sore chest! ... that health care bill IS changing things people...

So, I am being tested for my risk of recurrence of breast cancer which will determine also if I'm in for chemo or not... my insurance covers it but it would still cost me 1200 even after my deductible... NOW, after passing of that bill, the lab that runs this test will pay my total amount due because I am low/no income The agent told me herself this is a direct result of something in that health bill...Yayayay! MY BOOB IS VERY HAPPY and feeling strangely patriotic at that moment... which is odd for a boob.

Maybe I'll paint it red white and blue and send it to Obama... do you think he would understand? Or would I be put on some sort of "crazy breast cancer" list with the CIA? Oh wait, that was the dick head we had before... My Obama gets me!

My report card so far: Stage Two Breast Cancer

So, the news is 95% good. Like I said before, good margins, clear lymph nodes, clear blood and found out Friday, clear liver. They are still concerned about the levels they got, so more blood work to do... but there is no evidence of cancer so that rocks!

The 5% is a little troubling right now... but, true to Dettman form, even my cancer cells are over achievers. ( I imagine them working 20 hours a day, taking on way too much, refusing help at any corner and then asking the surrounding breast tissue if they are performing well.)

Okay, here is the low down on my breast cancer: First, this is what stage two breast cancer is in my case: Malignant tumor in my milk duct The cancer had started to spread to the surrounding tissue, making it invasive and at a Stage Two.

so, the steps are: get the cancer out. And a portion of the healthy tissue surrounding... just in case. Next, check the rest of the body for cancer. I have no signs that it has metastasized anywhere else so far, except for those weird liver readings. So, did the CT scan on the abdomen. All clear there, so Yay!!! But won't get the all clear of cancer card til after treatment and then another PET test that scans me for rogue cancer I guess. Which is a way off.

Once they take out your cancer, they study it. I got back mostly good news. Hormone treatable, which means less of all the other scary stuff. Size was good, margins good ( I was wrong before. Margins are in regards to the healthy tissue they take out as well just in case there are any pre-cancerous things going on there.) The cancer type itself is not aggressive but...

So, what is that 5%? Apparently, the invasive cancer outside the tumor was multiplying very fast. they rate the division of cells concern at 15 - 20 %. Mine were 30. So basically, I went from being a low risk of reoccurring breast cancer to a possible high risk. DAMN!!!

But it's still not conclusive. More tests on the cancer itself which will target that specific "quality" of the cancer... and the return on that test determines whether or not I get the dreaded chemo-therapy. And more radiation.

I asked the nurse at the oncologist if she thinks peoples blood pressure goes up significantly when they come in to find results. She asked me why and I said because I'm totally cool until I walk through the door and start staring at that huge fish tank and begin to realize that in like 10 minutes I'm going to find out if my liver has a tumor in it.... I'm pretty sure my heart is beating just a bit faster than normal.

And so, the waiting continues... but I'm healing well and having my alternative medical treatments which are amazing... next blog I'll tell you about an amazing woman who is giving me free treatments that are helping my body repair itself, prepare for some major cell craziness (at the very least, radiation) and has helped me re-tune my nervous system... I'm going to make a video for her when I am able to help her change the world one spine at a time.

What I've learned that cancer hates: oxygen. Cancer hates people who do aerobic exercise. Vitamin D. Cancer no likey. It also doesn't like people with an alkaline ph balance in their bodies which means it also doesn't like wheat grass, sweet potatoes, people who eat a Mediterranean diet, avocados and a list of other things you can find in the ph charts online.

What does cancer like? stress. lots of stress since it puts your body in a very vulnerable place. it likes lots of sugar and any amount of fat. And it LOVES it when you over load your liver with alcohol, or high fat so that it can't do it's job and drain away the potentially dangerous elements in your system.

So what am I craving right now? Mojito. Steak. Video games (those are actually good for you in low doses... keep up your fighting skills) Ha. That's life. Today is the first day my breast hasn't hurt. I guess all the pain killer are gone now and my breast has gone through what I like to call the "what the hell happened here????" phase of pain. You know, the nerves are waking up from the vicodin induced coma... that shooting pain. And then it figures it out and goes to work healing it. My white blood cells are all up in that biz!

Next time: "I am breathing... aren't I?"