08/08/06

Mommy's Womb/Mummy's Tomb

Meet Lester.



He's our special effects and makeup guy. Today, he and Nina covered my head in plaster.

Here's how it worked:

First, Nina slicked my hair back with gel goop and pinned it all down, so they could fit the latex cap over my hair and ears.



Then they trimmed the cap to fit around the edges and glued it down to my skull. Next, they constructed a box frame and had me lay my head and neck down in it. After tracing a line divinding the front and back of my skull with a green marker, here comes the plaster. I had to keep a rag in my mouth so it would stay open (like a dead person's mouth), and as they poured the plaster around me, it started off cold and then got really warm.




So far, so good. I laid there for about 15 minutes, then pried myself out of the mold. Lester and Nina filled in the gaps where my hair was, let it set and then back onto the table...



After slathering vaseline all over my face and neck (mmm, pretty), I laid back into the mold...



where they covered my eyebrows with paper and glued my eyelashes down with more vaseline. I am now blind. My eyes truly feel glued, like I couldn't open them if I tried.



Next step, the plaster strips. First my forehead...



eyes...



nose...



mouth...



And now I wait.



Strange. I cannot see. I cannot hear. I cannot move.

All sound is muffled and it is warm. I let my face relax, there is nothing to see, nothing to say. I listen to the echoes of voices around me and just -- exist -- for a moment. No thinking, no anything.

An unexpected moment of peace. A wonderful 15 minutes....

and then it's time to take the cast off. An assisted lift to sitting, a peeeeeeelling of the plaster cast, and lo, I can see! (and it's very very bright!)



"I am pretty, oh so pretty.........."

Wow! Three and a half hours later, we're done! And in walks the next victim (BWAHAHAHAHA!!!)


...Clayton

And I'm off wardrobe shopping for the next six damn hours. Luckily, Olaf is a pleasure to be around (how many men offer you their arm to walk along the street these days?). To keep this short, most of our shopping was done at H&M. Natch.

Tonight, seeing live bands with Manu and Keith, and sleeping in tomorrow. Ahh. Lovely.