Life Behind Bars and Tone

Life behind bars and tone

Six months out
The short version

I left my staff position at CDTV after 7 years as the Daytime Assistant Editor (5months on the night shift) for family and health reasons. We packed up the Apartment with the help of my mother-in-law, sold my car, loaded up the Volvo station wagon and we (My wife, her mother, our 2 year old daughter and our diabetic dog) drove cross-country back to New Jersey.

I was able to find some freelance work for the video production department at a Major financial company. Although it paid well it was very short term and infrequent and I have staggering insurance payments to make. I was able to apply for financial assistance through the Actors fund and they lead me to The ESTA Foundation. They covered my health insurance for 3 months. I got another freelance editing gig with a successful (albeit small) infomercial firm and then interviewed and was hired to work on the documentary series “The IFC Media Project”.

At the same time my own health became an issue. I was officially diagnosed with Psoriasis in the late 90’s (I’ve been dealing with since I was kid) and about 5 years ago it progressed to Psoriatic Arthritis. I had pain and stiffness in my knees and hips and just coped with it (Advil and such). I started with a new dermatologist and asked for a prescription of Celebrex for the pain. I lasted a month and then had a possible reaction, after a trip to the emergency room; I had to stop taking it. I had another flare up and it spread to my hands and feet. I found it difficult to climb stairs and it was difficult to grip things like handrails (also necessary for climbing stairs). All this was happening while I had made the commitment to commute to NY everyday and I have work on computers, which aggravates my hands. My derm now has me on Humira and I am making improvements but it’s slow process. My employers have been very supportive and I have been able to continue working for the duration of the project.

Meanwhile, my wife who suffers from MS had a relapse and my poor old dog passed away. June has been a tough month.

Of course I started to feel better on the last week left on my gig. Now I have to start the whole job hunt over again. The pressure is on.