I did not break.

The union showed up Sunday. Negotiations were quick. The Camera union is telling everyone that they got the best deal they've ever accomplished. I know that my deal is spectacular.

- As of yesterday, my union hours "bank" is officially full. As in, no matter how much more I work, those hours are over the limit as to what I can save for later. Effectively, I ensured healthcare for my family through 2018, assuming my other show keeps going (and it's on Season 19).

- Every week I survive on this show pays for my family for a month, except the first "week" which pays for four. Although we have a phat loan to cover us through the lean times while my wife's business gets up and running, by the time I'm out of here I will have filled the bank enough to cover me through next September... which works out rather nicely as starting next June I'll be making enough every month to bank three additional months.

- My time on the mountain up here adds enough hours that effectively, it's an additional $30 a month on my pension.

- I now have enough cold-weather raingear that I'm actually comfortable standing in the dark in the rain for ten hours.

- Everyone who PAs this show is from Seattle. It is, essentially, the Seattle film community. A couple of them have recognized me from BEFORE I moved to Los Angeles. And as I'm far and away the highest-paid, most-qualified local on set (because nobody else knows I'm local) I'm going to walk out of this on top of that community.

- My supervisor quit, or was fired, or other muddy circumstances that my union's lawyers are investigating. He's a nice guy and I like him a lot but he's not the best supervisor I've worked for. The new guy is kind of a giant of the field. I walked around with him for two hours yesterday as he shook his head and talked about changes. He's worked with our director for 15 years and is only here because he was begged (he initially said 'no fucking way' to the job, which is why we got in). He's likely going to have the leeway to say "all that money you refused to spend to do this right? You need to spend it." We'll see what happens. Considering Network has been up here for two solid weeks, they seem to care about this show. And, as the new supervisor is smart, realistic and easy to relate to, I think that'll work out.

- The other A2, the one who was rushing around all the time, sprained his kneecap falling off the truck one too many times. He's out of here on crutches. Disability for him, and an excuse for me to (a) never rush anywhere (b) take extra time where it's icy and slick. Production has backed off heavily on that sort of talk post-union. Supposedly they're building me my stairs so I don't plummet ass-over-teakettle every time I have to freshen up someone's mic. And since my supervisor left, I no longer work in "the butt farm" I work in "the blind." Which means I can no longer title the wrap-up post "six weeks in the butt farm" but it's a small price to pay.

- Since we're Union now, they can't make me stop-then-start in less than ten hours (we were doing 4-hour turnarounds before). This has effectively locked me into the evening shift, which means I don't have to set anything up. Also, since the other evening guys are at a hotel an hour away and I'm at a hotel ten minutes away, it makes my day substantially less than twelve hours.

- As of two days ago, I'm more than halfway through my deployment. In other words, I'm over the hump.

- And I get to go home tonight and hang out with my family eating a turkey raised by friends of friends, as opposed to showing up to the community center and eating something catered with all these people who I really could use some time away from.

- I've been assured I'll be paid ANY MINUTE NOW... ;-) Everyone else has, so we know they have the money.

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THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS

Toughen the fuck up. If you think you can make it, you can make it. If it's worth fighting for, fight for it.

...unless you're that contestant of ours who had to run an obstacle course, then jump in a vat of ice water, then do ten burpees, then jump in a vat of ice water, then do ten burpees, then repeat until one of the three of you gives up. She didn't give up, she straight-up passed out and started twitching and still had slurred speech 45 minutes later in the back of an ambulance. Kinda lame; that chick didn't give up but we said she lost anyway. We hope she's okay but we doubt it.

So the other moral of the story is never give a reality television producer agency over your health and well-being.