IndieGoGo

If you would consider spending $10 to see me in a movie or play, then please consider donating to our IndieGoGo site. We are raising funds for Girl Parts. Yes, we start shooting this weekend but we still need funds to make this the best production possible. Where the money is going is all detailed at the link and I will have more tomorrow about the significance of webseries. In the meantime, I'd be so grateful if you checked out the site and give it a thought. And a HUGE thank you to those who have already donated!

Great is the word of the day

One of my friends just posted the status on Facebook:

Woke up with a nasty case of awesome.

And I kind of love that. That is how I felt when I woke up this morning. I slept a little later than I usually do so I feel really rested. I did my morning pages, folded some laundry, put in a load of towels then went on my run. As I was doing my cool down it started to rain - so that was perfect timing - and I just finished a big, beautiful breakfast of eggs-over-easy, turkey bacon, cinnamon raison bread and orange juice and now I'm sipping my hot green tea. I just feel motivated this morning and have a feeling a lot of work is going to get done. Where is all this positive energy coming from? I have a few theories:

1.  My hubby is coming home today!! He has been away for work and I'm excited to get him back.

2.  I got to meet up, even though it was too brief, with my friend L. yesterday and had a really good talk. Among a lot of topics, the "actor funk" came up and we've both been experiencing it. And she said that she recently realized that even though she feels like her "funk" is unique - it really isn't. That, as actors, we all -no matter where we are in our careers - experience the same doubts and the insecurities and questioning that seem to plague us more than most. And that that is actually part of the experience of choosing this life. We are hyper-aware of what we are feeling all the time. It is the gift and curse of this art. We all have our own paths but we all hit the same speed bumps - they may just be scattered at different places in the road.  It is all about finding balance.  In that mindset, she and I made plans to go to the knitting store where her friend works next Friday and I'm finally going to learn how to knit! She is going to teach me and I will be fulfilling a three-year-old New Year's Resolution.

3.  Last night we had a really great rehearsal for Girl Parts. I am getting more excited each time we meet. Shooting starts next weekend and everything is really coming together. I love my character and the different ways I get to play with her. I love our director and how he works. I love the writing and how it becomes even funnier as we rehearse.  I love the good feeling I have about this series.

So those are some theories. 

Overall I've just had a very full and fulfilling week. I audited two classes, met up with friends, saw a great rough cut of Writer's Block (the scene I wrote), sent out some postcards, did some rehearsing, had a great yoga class, a great Runyon hike, downloaded great new music from Adele and was reminded of all the blessings I have. Can't wait to settle into this rainy weekend with the love of my life, watch our dvr'd shows from the week, shoot another scene with our production company tomorrow, go to a baby shower on Sunday for our friends who are expecting twins and then enjoy the Oscars to round out the weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend too!

Results

Well, it's official: I don't have TB.

I start my BookPAL journey on Monday and in order to volunteer at an elementary school you have to get checked for TB. My results came back negative and I'm all set to start reading!  I went to Barnes and Noble this week and picked out a few options to read. I put out a call for 3rd Grade book suggestions on Facebook and got great feedback. But no one's feedback was as awesome as my niece's. She sent me an email with a detailed booklist, organized by author, that was two pages long when I printed it.  She is 11. And awesome. My first book to read comes from her list. I'm really excited and a little bit nervous. More excited than nervous. Just nervous cause I don't know what to expect when I show up on Monday. But that will go away once I get settled in.

Right now I'm at the coffee shop, which is bustling. Have a bit of work to get done and I needed to get out of the house.  I appreciate the people-watching here. And the muffin I'm about to eat.

Tonight is another Girl Parts rehearsal/blocking session - we start shooting next week! Hope to get the schedule from our director tonight and we are also going over wardrobe choices. It feels good to have this ball rolling.

I had Chinese food over the weekend...

This was my fortune. 

Do you think there is a special Hollywood-fortune-cookie-fortune-writer? Like they know that 98% of the population here is chasing a dream, so they feed them fortunes that are affirmations of that choice? Savvy fortune-cookie-marketers...

(PS - how do you like my Hipstamatic photo app? My new iPhone rocks.)

Wonder

I was a blonde once upon a time.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

- Pablo Picasso

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.

- Margaret Young

Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected.

- Sophocles

Oh, Hollywood

Last night was the famous Chubbuck Holiday Party. It always takes place in February and it is always a place to see and be seen. I could name drop a few celebrities that were there but this is Hollywood - they are everywhere, right? It was fun to see all of my old classmates and some of my old students from when I was a monitor. It was definitely one of the most unique parties I've been to in awhile. Remember the Christmas party in Love Actually? It was a little like that with provocative photography and white walls everywhere. There were also beds instead of tables, trapeze artists, a crazy awesome impromptu electric cello show and a bunch of other fun surprises. Definitely not my normal Sunday evening. And I liked it.

Some familiar faces and future celebrities

Preview

I've sat here for a while wondering what to write and then I got distracted watching movie trailers. This one for Something Borrowed surprised me...I actually think I want to see it. Let me know what you think:



Hope you have a great weekend :)

Three Fun Things

1. Commercial audition today.

2. Rehearsal tonight for Girl Parts...because we start shooting soon!

3. TRUE LOVE will be screening at an LA film festival next month. So excited to invite my friends out and see it on the big screen...at Sunset Gower Studios!

Living here is kind of magical like that. It will be slow, nothing happening and then, just like that, things start percolating. Also, the sun is shining today. Yesterday was gray and rainy. Today it is bright and sunny. The irony isn't lost on me.

Moved

I finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer last night and already want to read it again. It is one of my new favorites and I can't stop thinking about it. The style is one of the most unique I've ever read, with more than words comprising the story. Photographs, pages with one sentence, pages with words typed over words typed over words because there is too much to say. It seemed like more than a book and left me inspired to experiment more with writing, with context, with framing, with creating.

Blessed

I got to spend time with my family over the weekend and this picture says it all:

It was spectacular.

One of the hardest things about this career is the necessity of being far from family. The hope is that one day I'll be successful enough to live where I choose and still be able to work on projects that are floated my way. That may seem like a luxury - and it is - but please refer to the title of this blog. Until then, I treasure the time we get to spend together and it never feels like enough.

Beginner's Luck

I’m writing up a new bio for my revamped website. I end up referencing The Alchemist and so I was searching for the exact quote that I bring up. Since it is such an immensely quotable book, it was hard not to get distracted…

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them.

One’s Personal Legend is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. “At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend….whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth. 

Every search begins with beginner's luck and ends with the victor's being severely tested.

If you’ve ever had a dream and you haven’t read The Alchemist yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It is small but powerful. I’ve read it several times and I think it is about time to dive into it again. 

Making lists

Friends, neighbors, countrymen.

I know I am very positive on this blog. I know that is why some of you read. Because no matter what this business throws at me, I tend to look at the sunny side. And I do most of the time. But I'm only human. And I admit that there are times when I have little meltdowns. Little tantrums of 'why?' Why not me, why not now, why her, why is it slow, why is this taking so long, why why why? And these tantrums are frustrating and juvenile and petty.  And embarrassing.

I started out this year being very adamant that I was going to "let the year come to me." That I was going to get off of that hamster wheel. But just six weeks in and I've already had a relapse. I've fallen off the wagon and gotten back on the wheel. Of course, the wheel started spinning out of control and that is when the meltdown occurred. And then I just have to laugh at myself. And that is when I start making lists.

This morning I made a list of my blessings. I have so much good in my life. When I start letting this career define my happiness, I lose sight of that and I lose sight of myself. Making my list I realized how lucky I am to even have tantrum of whys. They seem to only happen when all else is good in my life. Actors seek out the drama and I guess I'm no different. Humans seek out drama - that is why we tell stories, which is why we have actors.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is SO MUCH that I take for granted and it is such a blessing to sit back and remember that. I am beyond grateful for all that I take for granted. And I am grateful that I had a tantrum this week. Because every once in awhile, it is so nice to take stock of all that is wonderful in my life.

And I have a wonderful life.

Cool down

Fun fact: I've had this sweater for
about 7 years. I know this because
I used to wear it all the time when I
first started dating my hubby.

At the coffee shop this morning, drinking my tea. Or, I should say, letting my tea cool off so I can drink it. Getting some writing done before yoga. Also working on updates for my website. I'm doing a complete overhaul and getting a whole new look and design. Lots to do before downward dog, so a short post for today.

How the magic happens.

Pondering lighting. And life.

Discussing shots.

Rehearsal on set before shooting

Time for my closeups and getting notes from our director.

Over the weekend we did a little guerilla filmmaking with our production company. When we started this company at the beginning of January, we discussed the various projects that we have ideas for and decided that we should first shoot a few short scenes that we wrote so that we could get our feet wet before we move on to our bigger projects. See what works, what doesn't. Being a group primarily made of actors, we are used to being in front of the camera and don't have that much know-how behind the camera.  But we're learning! And that is the point of shooting our scenes with no money invested and no other goals for them except to use them on our reels or as little youtube sensations.  Yes, we are using books to create our tripod but that is what guerilla filmmaking is all about. Our company shot a scene last Monday that R. wrote and the scene we shot over the weekend was one that I wrote. I'm excited to get it edited together. It is a quick two minute scene called "Writer's Block" that took us about four hours to film...which is how the magic happens. I'm excited to share it with you!

I drive a VW.

Sorry for the late post, y'alls! I switched up my routine this morning and went running first thing, before breakfast. I went further than I've been going and I feel good about it. Today is a day full of getting stuff done and I'm heading to my coffee shop in a bit so I can work more on the scene I wrote that we are shooting tomorrow and get some other writing done.  I love my new apartment and when we get our patio set up, I'm sure I'll work out there more, but for now going to the coffee shop helps keep me focused. When I'm here in the privacy of my own home, I end up wasting time on Facebook or Twitter or Go Fug Yourself.  When I'm out, I feel very aware that people could take a glance at my screen and see that I'm goofing off.  Man. Am I really such a slave to what people think? Sometimes. But really I think it is a bit of a mental game I play with myself.  Ah, the twisted games we play.

And with that...I'm off!  Hope you enjoy your weekend and the Superbowl commercials!

"I deserve this"

Wrote a new scene yesterday, had a production meeting last night preparing for our shoot this weekend, designed a postcard that I'm sending out to casting directors which then inspired me to revamp my entire website....feeling a little productive.  Let's get this party started.

For something fun to watch, check out Shirley Maclaine's Oscar acceptance speech in 1983.

God bless that potential that we all have for making anything possible if we think we deserve it. 

I deserve this. Thank you.

 - Shirley

Rock Stars

Since the internet was being wonky yesterday I ended up doing a lot of laundry and getting some errands done. I should have planted myself at a coffee shop and gotten some writing done but sometimes when errands are hanging over my head...that's all I can focus on.  Today is a new day though and already I'm getting stuff done. About to go for a run and then I will plant myself in a caffeine joint to work on a few writing things. All is quiet in the world of auditions and I wish it was different. But I'm not wrangling cats this year and I'm letting go as much as possible...letting the year come to me.  Ha. I've said that a few times. Do you believe me yet?

As you saw a preview of yesterday, F. and I went out karaoke-ing on Monday night. It was a little treat to ourselves for completing all 12 weeks of The Artists Way.  A graduation present, if you will.  We had a lot of fun and F. is convinced she is going to buy a karaoke machine so we can have karaoke parties and sing as much as we want. I'm on board with that!

2 Non Blondes

Our internet is being wonky, so for now this picture from last night of F. and me livin' it up karaoke-style  will have to suffice for a post today. More later when technical difficulties have been resolved...