when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.

I have a one-line part in an independent film that's shooting here. The movie's called Waiting Rooms.

www.waitingroomsmovie.com

It's a feature length film about a family and cancer. The father is a workaholic who never seems to have enough time for his family and regrets his decisions when he's diagnosed with cancer.

My part -- I'm the school principal who chastises a kid for using the "F" word. Of course, the chastisement isn't shown. It's just me, stepping through my office door saying:

"Alright, Hunter, why don't you come in and we can have a little chat."

Then I glare at the child for a minute as he and his mother bicker about whether he's going into the office or not.

For all I know, they never go in the office. I haven't seen the script -- just this one scene. So bizarre.

It was fun. The director and his crew are super nice. Like, over the top kind of nice.

They brought me into the set and sat me down in the make up chair. While the makeup artist powdered my face, an assistant director tied my tie. He also put my jacket on me. Very strange.

After that the director showed me where to stand and told me how to deliver the line. We did it in two takes, and then another two for just audio -- and that was it.

I think I was there a total of 20 minutes. It took me longer to stop for some Chinese food on the way home.

And who knows. This might be the independent hit of 2008. Probably not because of my one line. But you never know.