* Tick * Tick * Tick *

Even though my friend and neighbor, Lucy, accused me last night of being a "stage mom", I think I'm handling the stress pretty well.

However, today I almost lost my cool when the checkbook came up MIA. My husband, who in the last 24 hours a) left Jack's birthday present sitting out of the bedroom floor and b) last night forgot to let the dogs out "one last time" (resulting in 6:30am "quality-carpet-time" with my Bissell), redeemed himself by remembering the checkbook was in the pocket of Evan's Mickey Mouse backpack.

Of course, additional deep cleansing breaths were necessary when, upon paying bills using the recovered checkbook, I realized there wasn't enough money to pay all the bills. Darn.

Ah well. Money is the least of our worries.

Jack is being interviewed by the local FOX news station tomorrow morning at around 11:30am. They're filming back at the Dairy Queen, the proud sponsor of Jack's trip to California, and for his cooperation tomorrow he will receive additional payola in the form of a complimentary chicken strip basket. Ah, ya gotta love capitalism.

Then, as tomorrow also happens to be Jack's 10th birthday (a nice angle for FOX news to explore), he is having his birthday party: a bunch of friends to a movie, pizza, and them home to hang out.

A couple hours after that, Bruce and Jack head to the airport for their trip to L.A.

I found out the tryouts are from 10am to 1pm on Saturday the 28th. Only three hours. Wow. My speculation at this point is that this group of kids is but one small pond from a much bigger pool of possible candidates for the show. That probably should have been more obvious to me from the beginning, but this whole process is incredibly foreign. We're learning as we go.

What I loved was reading the following part of the directions to the studio:

When you arrive [at CBS Television City], please enter through the main gate at Gennessee Avenue. Your name will be on a list at the guard gate and they will direct you to the Artist’s Entrance at the East Studios. There will be plenty of parking available.

A Casting Associate will be waiting for you at the Artist’s Entrance and they will check you in. They will then take you to our holding area where you’ll be waiting to get your audition to be on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

I love that: "Artist's Entrance". "Holding area". Sounds ominous. ("Moo.")

Anyway, that's all I know for now. I understand to the very depths of my soul that Jack being picked to be on the show is very, very slim. I'm not thinking about that. Nary a "what if?" But it is a grand adventure for a boy turning ten, that pivotal age encompassed in so much great coming-of-age literature.