We've been back in our house for about 2.5 weeks now. Getting re-settled was a lot easier this time because we simply knew where everything went. Unpacking was a breeze. Our guest room is now the only thing left to be finished. It's still a little cluttered with boxes and pictures yet to be hung. Hanged? Whatever. Our tenant left our house in pretty good condition which was such a relief. While our relatively short experience of being landlords was pretty easy, it isn't something I would recommend. It's a lot of stress and we even had a great tenant. Anyway, I'm just glad that part is over.
While the boxes were a breeze, it seems as though getting our house in working order again has proven quite difficult. Here are some annoying things we've encountered/currently encountering...
-For a while we thought we were blowing a fuse by plugging in an old halogen lamp. Every time we turned it on in our bedroom, the lights in the downstairs hall, guest room and bathroom would go out. It was very odd. Eventually we figured out by resetting one of the outlets in the garage (?) was the trick and now all the lights are playing well with others.
-We couldn't get our cable hooked up right away because our tenant hadn't transferred service. Comcast is stupid and won't turn off a service in order to turn on another service. Our tenant was having the same issue at her new place so we were last in line. We finally got it installed yesterday. However, the dummy hooking it up didn't realize that the other 2 cords in the cable box were for cable in multiple rooms. So he hooked up the family room, took the 3-way splitter from the box and left the other cords dangling! So now we have to go out and buy another splitter to fix the problem. GRR!
-Since we couldn't get cable installed right away, we had to with Qwest for phone and internet (we were going to bundle it all with Comcast, but they were stupid) because we couldn't go for weeks without internet with both of us on the job hunt. Well, that got hooked up, but of course in addition to the regular fees there is $75 worth of hook up costs! REALLY?! All they did is flip a freaking switch somewhere. Unbelievable!
-We have officially confused the post office. Here's the run down: A year ago we had our mail forwarded to CA. That fwding was supposed to expire 10/31/2010. When we moved back to CO, but weren't in our house yet, we had our mail sent from CA to my dad's house. Then when we had our house back, we fwded once again back to our original house. Well in the past 2.5 weeks we've received hardly any mail. The only stuff we receive is mail fwded from my dad's and CA, but nothing coming directly except stuff for "resident." Mail being sent directly to our home address is, we believe, being sent in a giant loop from our house, to CA, to my Dad's and hopefully back to us even though the original fwd is expired. We know something is definitely wrong because we haven't received our new ids, netflix dvds, or any of the tons of change of address notifications from banks, credit cards, bills, etc. We've put in 2 calls to the post office, but it's no where near resolved. A trip to the post office is in our future where we will no doubt get the run around again.
-Today fedex only delivered one of 2 identical christmas packages we ordered. The packages have 2 different tracking numbers, both of which come up as delivered, but we only got one. I called Fedex right away (having just missed the driver), but still don't have the package. I have a suspicion the driver took it thinking it was an accidental duplicate. ARG!
-And then there's all of our outdoor solar lights need new batteries, a toilet is running and needs a new flapper, our mailbox is halfway falling off it's pole and I can't wait to see what brakes next. Oy.
Oh, plus not having jobs really, really sucks. Who'da thought moving all the heavy boxes and furniture across several states and then from my dad's garage to the house would be the easiest part?! Phew!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Journey Home
I'm home! Hooray! While I'm sad to leave the beautiful California weather behind, I am so happy and relieved to be home. Gosh life is easier here...well except for the whole unemployment thing, but let's not dwell on that right now. :) Here's how it all went down...
My dad and my sister arrived in Burbank on Wednesday, October 20th to help with the move. I had all sorts of fun stuff planned, but most of it got thrown out the window due to last minute packing, cleaning and general exhaustion. Oh and the weather in CA that week was kinda crummy. We did a few things in Burbank, but mostly packed boxes and staged all our crap so it was easy for the movers to load up. The original plan was for the movers to arrive on Friday and we'd take off Saturday morning. Well, we decided that if we were able to leave Friday afternoon then we should take advantage of it.
So, the movers arrived around noon on Friday and were immediately impressed that all our stuff was packed and ready to go. Apparently, they encounter quite a few people that are still packing stuff while the movers are working. That makes no sense to me, I like to have everything prepared. Anyway, they said that they would be done in about 2-3 hours instead of the 4-6 they had planned! Ha, good thing because we were planning all along that it would only take 2 hours so we could get going. They got everything loaded and were on their way. All the while we were trying to clean so the apartment was spotless by the time they were done loading. We touched everything up one last time, dropped our keys off at the leasing office and were on the road home by 330pm Friday afternoon. (Side note: We decided we didn't want to wait for the apartment people to come to do the final walk through so we just left. I fully anticipate them keeping every penny of our security deposit for one lame reason or another whether we were there or not, so we just left. This will probably bite me in the ass later which might result in a big ranting blog post about it. Fun!)
So 330pm on Friday in LA means rush hour traffic on basically every highway in every direction. Well, ALL DAY on Fridays means rush hour traffic in LA. We were anticipating some delays and while we got stopped here and there along the way, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We maybe lost an hour total sitting in traffic. Our goal was to make it to Mesquite, NV by that night - 5 hours from LA. We rolled into Mesquite at about 930pm. Driving through the desert at night kinda sucks and I wouldn't recommend it. It is super dark! Anyway, we arrive at the hotel, grab some burger king and settle in for the night.
Saturday morning we were up early hoping to be on the road by 7am. This was the long leg of the journey, about 11 hours, plus we lose an hour due to the change in time zones. Well after packing up, checking out and gassing up we were on our way at about 745am. Rain was forecasted all along the way through to Denver and as we drove through parts of Utah we were rained on some, but experienced lots of splash back. Not fun when you are following another car all the way home. Evan and I drove our cars out of LA on Friday and for the first 2 rainy hours of Saturday. Then we switched and my dad and sister got nothing but blue skies and sunshine while they drove the next 6 hours or so. Cheaters.
We stop in Grand Junction for lunch at about 2pm and switch drivers. Here come the mountains! More rain...a lot of it this time. Then a break in clouds as we approached Eagle county. Then we start getting some gray clouds...wet roads...and at the top of Vail Pass...SNOW! UGH! I hate, no loathe, driving in snow with every fiber of my being. And what better way for the state to welcome us back then to have us drive through it on our way in. Really, it wasn't that bad. Just a little bit on the road, but the mountains were completely covered with the white stuff. So I was the loser going about 40 mph (partly because my Taurus and large hills/mountains don't get along that well) with Evan following behind. Luckily as we got to Frisco things cleared up and there was no more snow the rest of the way. However, by the time we got past Idaho Springs the sun had set and it was now pitch black. Blech. Curving roads, down sloping grades and lots of people's bright lights blinding you at every curve made driving the last hour and a half really crappy.
Then the bright lights of Denver appeared on the horizon and we were almost there! Home was not far and I couldn't wait! We pulled into my dad's house at 730pm Saturday evening. YAY!! We unloaded the cars, dropped my dad off and headed to my sisters where we would be staying for the week. We eat pizza, relax and play with our super excited 2 year old niece and enjoy being home!
Flash forward to this past Thursday when the movers arrive with all our stuff. Since we still have a tenant renting our house till the middle of the month, my dad generously allowed us to store all of our stuff in his garage. Moment of truth...our stuff made it! Kinda. All of our stuff is here, but I'm concerned about some of our stuff, mainly every box marked fragile. It seems as though the crew that loaded our stuff in CA either didn't give a crap about our boxes or had no idea what the word "fragile" meant, because our boxes are kinda beat to hell. A lot of them are bulging, gashed, ripped and even a few are partially crushed. In fact, I witnessed every box marked fragile come out of the truck with at least one super heavy box on top of it. One box of all glassware from our china cabinet was one of the boxes where the top was totally crushed. I haven't opened any yet to check the damage because 1) I don't want to have to repack the boxes for when we move back into our house and 2) I'm kinda scared of what I'll find and don't really feel like being pissed off at the moment.
So here we are! I am soooooo happy to be back. Now I'm just waiting till I get a job and we move into our house to breathe that final sigh of relief. Oh, I'd also say that I'm totally stoked to watch the Broncos on tv again, but after that game with Oakland I'm not sure I want to watch anymore games. Ouch.
My dad and my sister arrived in Burbank on Wednesday, October 20th to help with the move. I had all sorts of fun stuff planned, but most of it got thrown out the window due to last minute packing, cleaning and general exhaustion. Oh and the weather in CA that week was kinda crummy. We did a few things in Burbank, but mostly packed boxes and staged all our crap so it was easy for the movers to load up. The original plan was for the movers to arrive on Friday and we'd take off Saturday morning. Well, we decided that if we were able to leave Friday afternoon then we should take advantage of it.
So, the movers arrived around noon on Friday and were immediately impressed that all our stuff was packed and ready to go. Apparently, they encounter quite a few people that are still packing stuff while the movers are working. That makes no sense to me, I like to have everything prepared. Anyway, they said that they would be done in about 2-3 hours instead of the 4-6 they had planned! Ha, good thing because we were planning all along that it would only take 2 hours so we could get going. They got everything loaded and were on their way. All the while we were trying to clean so the apartment was spotless by the time they were done loading. We touched everything up one last time, dropped our keys off at the leasing office and were on the road home by 330pm Friday afternoon. (Side note: We decided we didn't want to wait for the apartment people to come to do the final walk through so we just left. I fully anticipate them keeping every penny of our security deposit for one lame reason or another whether we were there or not, so we just left. This will probably bite me in the ass later which might result in a big ranting blog post about it. Fun!)
So 330pm on Friday in LA means rush hour traffic on basically every highway in every direction. Well, ALL DAY on Fridays means rush hour traffic in LA. We were anticipating some delays and while we got stopped here and there along the way, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We maybe lost an hour total sitting in traffic. Our goal was to make it to Mesquite, NV by that night - 5 hours from LA. We rolled into Mesquite at about 930pm. Driving through the desert at night kinda sucks and I wouldn't recommend it. It is super dark! Anyway, we arrive at the hotel, grab some burger king and settle in for the night.
Saturday morning we were up early hoping to be on the road by 7am. This was the long leg of the journey, about 11 hours, plus we lose an hour due to the change in time zones. Well after packing up, checking out and gassing up we were on our way at about 745am. Rain was forecasted all along the way through to Denver and as we drove through parts of Utah we were rained on some, but experienced lots of splash back. Not fun when you are following another car all the way home. Evan and I drove our cars out of LA on Friday and for the first 2 rainy hours of Saturday. Then we switched and my dad and sister got nothing but blue skies and sunshine while they drove the next 6 hours or so. Cheaters.
We stop in Grand Junction for lunch at about 2pm and switch drivers. Here come the mountains! More rain...a lot of it this time. Then a break in clouds as we approached Eagle county. Then we start getting some gray clouds...wet roads...and at the top of Vail Pass...SNOW! UGH! I hate, no loathe, driving in snow with every fiber of my being. And what better way for the state to welcome us back then to have us drive through it on our way in. Really, it wasn't that bad. Just a little bit on the road, but the mountains were completely covered with the white stuff. So I was the loser going about 40 mph (partly because my Taurus and large hills/mountains don't get along that well) with Evan following behind. Luckily as we got to Frisco things cleared up and there was no more snow the rest of the way. However, by the time we got past Idaho Springs the sun had set and it was now pitch black. Blech. Curving roads, down sloping grades and lots of people's bright lights blinding you at every curve made driving the last hour and a half really crappy.
Then the bright lights of Denver appeared on the horizon and we were almost there! Home was not far and I couldn't wait! We pulled into my dad's house at 730pm Saturday evening. YAY!! We unloaded the cars, dropped my dad off and headed to my sisters where we would be staying for the week. We eat pizza, relax and play with our super excited 2 year old niece and enjoy being home!
Flash forward to this past Thursday when the movers arrive with all our stuff. Since we still have a tenant renting our house till the middle of the month, my dad generously allowed us to store all of our stuff in his garage. Moment of truth...our stuff made it! Kinda. All of our stuff is here, but I'm concerned about some of our stuff, mainly every box marked fragile. It seems as though the crew that loaded our stuff in CA either didn't give a crap about our boxes or had no idea what the word "fragile" meant, because our boxes are kinda beat to hell. A lot of them are bulging, gashed, ripped and even a few are partially crushed. In fact, I witnessed every box marked fragile come out of the truck with at least one super heavy box on top of it. One box of all glassware from our china cabinet was one of the boxes where the top was totally crushed. I haven't opened any yet to check the damage because 1) I don't want to have to repack the boxes for when we move back into our house and 2) I'm kinda scared of what I'll find and don't really feel like being pissed off at the moment.
So here we are! I am soooooo happy to be back. Now I'm just waiting till I get a job and we move into our house to breathe that final sigh of relief. Oh, I'd also say that I'm totally stoked to watch the Broncos on tv again, but after that game with Oakland I'm not sure I want to watch anymore games. Ouch.
Friday, September 10, 2010
September 11th - Where was I?
So tomorrow is September 11th. 9 years ago that day forever changed for every American. We all have our stories of where we were that fateful day, and mine is nothing special, but here it is.
I was a senior in high school and the day started off like any normal day. Woke up early to make my 7:20am psychology class. Typically on my short drive to school I would listen to a CD, preferably one I could sing along obnoxiously to. On this day, however, I had the radio on for some weird reason. As I pulled into my spot a newscast came over the airways stating that a plane had hit a building. I didn't think too much of it - I figured some tiny little airplane had clipped a building somewhere, no big deal. I turned my car off and headed into class.
I was typically early, so I sat down and started doing some homework, when my psychology teacher rushed in with her hand over her mouth and said, "I just saw the most terrifying thing." She then flipped on the tv and there on the news was the World Trade Center. Smoking. With a gaping hole in the building. And then they replayed footage of the second airplane hitting the second tower and my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I don't even remember hearing anything the newscasters were saying, I was just staring at the tv.
Needless to say, we didn't have a regular class that morning. We stayed glued to the tv the entire hour. Sometime during that class we all witnessed the 1st tower crumble to ground. My immediate thought was oh, of course they had gotten everyone out of the building by now. Certainly everyone had evacuated and was far, far away. I had no idea. In fact, it took a little while for it to sink in that I just witnessed hundreds of people die as that tower collapsed.
Eventually the bell rang signaling it was time for 2nd hour. I had gym. I was astonished when our gym teachers made us dress and go outside to play softball. Perhaps they were trying to keep our minds off the tragedy, but it didn't work as no one was interested in playing. We were outside though and we all froze each time a plane flew over. Not all the planes were grounded at that point so we didn't know who exactly were flying those planes that flew over our heads towards downtown Denver. We could only fear the worst. Finally, class was over and I rushed to 3rd hour Chamber Choir, knowing full well my choir teacher would have the tv on.
Another hour of watching the chilling details of the day unfold. The Pentagon, the plane in Pennsylvania, the other tower collapsing, New Yorkers covered in soot and debris running for help. It was during this class that the newscasters started speculating what this all meant. Were we going to war? Why yes, yes we were. And my brother had just joined the Navy the previous year. I kept telling myself that the Navy was probably the best place for him to be as Afghanistan was landlocked. He told me years later that the first bombs to hit Afghanistan were from jets stationed on his air craft carrier. And that shortly after the first plane hit the World Trade Center their aircraft carrier was immediately set on a different course. He was far more involved in the war effort than I thought.
4th hour, another choir class, 7th Harmony. There were only 7 of us so of course we decided to continue watching the news. We kept holding our breath just waiting for another plane to hit something or a bomb to go off or something horrible to happen. It was terrifying.
The rest of the day continued much the same. More tv watching. Calling my mom and telling her to come home from work downtown because who knew what city was next. Calling my dad and sharing how shocked and scared we were. Calling my sister who was all alone in Seattle. It was an awful day, one I will never, ever forget. The details are so finely engraved in my memory as I'm sure they are in everyone's mind.
And each year as I catch some of the coverage of those horrific events 9 years ago, I stop, and stare at the tv still shocked, saddened and stunned that this happened. There is pain in my heart every time I see coverage or hear someone else's story. I also distinctly remember watching anniversary coverage on 9/11 about 3 years ago while I was watching my 2 year old nephew. He was playing when all of sudden I was frozen watching that plane hit the tower. Something I have seen hundreds of times now, but I still have to catch my breath. I stood there, frozen with tears in my eyes. My nephew must have been aware in my change in mood because he ran over to me with his hands in the air asking to be picked up. It will be years before he understands what happened on September 11th, but in that moment, at 2 years old, he comforted me and made me smile.
All I can do now is remember, pray for those who lost their lives/loved ones/coworkers/friends and hope that something like this will never happen again and we can all live in a peaceful world.
I was a senior in high school and the day started off like any normal day. Woke up early to make my 7:20am psychology class. Typically on my short drive to school I would listen to a CD, preferably one I could sing along obnoxiously to. On this day, however, I had the radio on for some weird reason. As I pulled into my spot a newscast came over the airways stating that a plane had hit a building. I didn't think too much of it - I figured some tiny little airplane had clipped a building somewhere, no big deal. I turned my car off and headed into class.
I was typically early, so I sat down and started doing some homework, when my psychology teacher rushed in with her hand over her mouth and said, "I just saw the most terrifying thing." She then flipped on the tv and there on the news was the World Trade Center. Smoking. With a gaping hole in the building. And then they replayed footage of the second airplane hitting the second tower and my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I don't even remember hearing anything the newscasters were saying, I was just staring at the tv.
Needless to say, we didn't have a regular class that morning. We stayed glued to the tv the entire hour. Sometime during that class we all witnessed the 1st tower crumble to ground. My immediate thought was oh, of course they had gotten everyone out of the building by now. Certainly everyone had evacuated and was far, far away. I had no idea. In fact, it took a little while for it to sink in that I just witnessed hundreds of people die as that tower collapsed.
Eventually the bell rang signaling it was time for 2nd hour. I had gym. I was astonished when our gym teachers made us dress and go outside to play softball. Perhaps they were trying to keep our minds off the tragedy, but it didn't work as no one was interested in playing. We were outside though and we all froze each time a plane flew over. Not all the planes were grounded at that point so we didn't know who exactly were flying those planes that flew over our heads towards downtown Denver. We could only fear the worst. Finally, class was over and I rushed to 3rd hour Chamber Choir, knowing full well my choir teacher would have the tv on.
Another hour of watching the chilling details of the day unfold. The Pentagon, the plane in Pennsylvania, the other tower collapsing, New Yorkers covered in soot and debris running for help. It was during this class that the newscasters started speculating what this all meant. Were we going to war? Why yes, yes we were. And my brother had just joined the Navy the previous year. I kept telling myself that the Navy was probably the best place for him to be as Afghanistan was landlocked. He told me years later that the first bombs to hit Afghanistan were from jets stationed on his air craft carrier. And that shortly after the first plane hit the World Trade Center their aircraft carrier was immediately set on a different course. He was far more involved in the war effort than I thought.
4th hour, another choir class, 7th Harmony. There were only 7 of us so of course we decided to continue watching the news. We kept holding our breath just waiting for another plane to hit something or a bomb to go off or something horrible to happen. It was terrifying.
The rest of the day continued much the same. More tv watching. Calling my mom and telling her to come home from work downtown because who knew what city was next. Calling my dad and sharing how shocked and scared we were. Calling my sister who was all alone in Seattle. It was an awful day, one I will never, ever forget. The details are so finely engraved in my memory as I'm sure they are in everyone's mind.
And each year as I catch some of the coverage of those horrific events 9 years ago, I stop, and stare at the tv still shocked, saddened and stunned that this happened. There is pain in my heart every time I see coverage or hear someone else's story. I also distinctly remember watching anniversary coverage on 9/11 about 3 years ago while I was watching my 2 year old nephew. He was playing when all of sudden I was frozen watching that plane hit the tower. Something I have seen hundreds of times now, but I still have to catch my breath. I stood there, frozen with tears in my eyes. My nephew must have been aware in my change in mood because he ran over to me with his hands in the air asking to be picked up. It will be years before he understands what happened on September 11th, but in that moment, at 2 years old, he comforted me and made me smile.
All I can do now is remember, pray for those who lost their lives/loved ones/coworkers/friends and hope that something like this will never happen again and we can all live in a peaceful world.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Linda Picks the Emmy Winners
Well here they are, my Emmy picks for this year. Watch on Sunday to see how I did.
Outstanding Lead Actor Drama
Michael C Hall - Dexter
What can I say, I’m riding the Dexter train now. Besides I have had enough with Don Draper (John Hamm) and his man-whoreness on Mad Men. J
Outstanding Lead Actress Drama
Dunno...Julliane Marguiles – The Good Wife
Comedy Series
Modern Family!
Modern Family!
I still don’t honestly know how Glee won this last year. Modern Family is WAY better than Glee on so, so many levels. I’ve watched the first half of the season of Glee and while I like the music (sometimes) everything else around it is crap. Modern Family is quality comedy through and through and they better walk away with the Emmy this year.
Drama Series
Mad Men
Drama Series
Mad Men
Ok this one is tough. We’ve been mad about Mad Men for a while now and I still rather like it, but recently we’ve started watching Dexter on netflix and I kinda love it. It’s pretty smart and suspenseful. However, since I haven’t watched all of this season yet to make a fair judgment, I’m giving the Emmy to Mad Men.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy:
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
This one I’m not sure about. Usually I can gush over Alec or Steve Carrell, but they didn’t stand out to me last season and I haven’t seen the other nominees in work. So, I’ll just go with Alec. Will Schuester from Glee will probably get it, but that’s stupid.
Outstanding Lead Actress Comedy
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
I can’t believe I’m not picking my girlfriend, Tina Fey. I love her! But I gotta hand it to Amy Poehler this year. I wasn’t much of a Parks and Rec fan when it first started, but now she has me rolling!
Outstanding Lead Actress Comedy
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
I can’t believe I’m not picking my girlfriend, Tina Fey. I love her! But I gotta hand it to Amy Poehler this year. I wasn’t much of a Parks and Rec fan when it first started, but now she has me rolling!
Outstanding Lead Actor Drama
Michael C Hall - Dexter
What can I say, I’m riding the Dexter train now. Besides I have had enough with Don Draper (John Hamm) and his man-whoreness on Mad Men. J
Outstanding Lead Actress Drama
Dunno...Julliane Marguiles – The Good Wife
I have no feelings about this category at all, so let’s go with Julliane, ok? Ok.
Supporting Actor Comedy
Ty Burnell – Modern Family
Supporting Actor Comedy
Ty Burnell – Modern Family
He is HILARIOUS!! Seriously one of the funniest characters and actors on tv.
Supporting Actor Drama
Terry O’Quinn! - LOST
If you don’t know what a Locke Face is, then you obviously didn’t watch the last season of LOST. He was awesome!
Supporting Actor Drama
Terry O’Quinn! - LOST
If you don’t know what a Locke Face is, then you obviously didn’t watch the last season of LOST. He was awesome!
Supporting Actress Comedy
Jane Lynch? - Glee
Jane Lynch? - Glee
Darn, another one without a passionate opinion. I think Jane Lynch’s character on Glee is kinda one-dimensional for her, but I love her from the Christopher Guest movies, so why not.
Supporting Actress Drama
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men
I’m giving this to Christina Hendricks because again, I don’t have a clear opinion in this category and I’m all about supporting this beautiful, busty babe. Gotta love Joan!
Supporting Actress Drama
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
How California is Trying to Kill Us
So I've started to believe that the state of CA is really trying to kill us. From dreadful lines at the DMV to hours spent in traffic and smog that chokes the entire city, LA just doesn't get high marks in terms of health. In addition to all that crap, we've discovered that our bodies are certainly taking tolls in other ways.
First, my skin is trying to escape from my body - particularly on my face. I've never really had an acne problem. I would get a pimple here and there on occasion, but never experienced anything near a "break out." Until the month we moved to CA. Ever since November, my skin has been waging war on my face, in particular, on my chin. I have had constant break outs in the 10 months we've been and have tried everything to stop them. I have tried rose hip oil, vitamin E cream, scrubbed and washed my face till it was raw and now I'm using Pro-active. Some would say it's stress related, but anyone who knows me knows that I've been stressed all my life and haven't been more stressed here. It's also not my diet since that has remained pretty constant as well. Could be hormonal, but I think I'll just blame California.
Next, sudden allergies! Again, I have never had allergies. I'm not allergic to pets, or foods or even the change in seasons. This all changed about 2 months ago when I suppose summer started in LA. It's pretty summery all the time here, but I guess something decided to bloom that made me completely congested. The second I opened a window, I would notice that I couldn't breathe anymore. I had to live with nasal spray by my bedside and in my purse just so I could breathe. My allergies have since subsided a bit, but I still notice on occasion that I can't breathe through my nose or that I'm coughing for no reason.
Finally, our stomachs are more than upset, they are mad as hell. Evan and I have both experienced pretty severe stomach issues since we've moved. We both were poisoned, we believe by cereal, a few months ago. Body aches and several trips to the bathroom were the norm for about a week. Most recently, Evan was violently ill from another bout of food poisoning from a company lunch. I have never seen him so sick. And now, I was awoken last night with awful, painful indigestion of some sort. I'm almost doubled over, but I'm still at work. In the 10 years that we have been together, we've maybe gotten ill like this a total of 5 times between the 2 of us. And now in the last 10 months, we've gotten sick at least 4 times (combined). Something is definitely going on with the food supply in this state.
So far we've survived, but what the heck?! Clearly our bodies are having a harder time adjusting than we are. Let's just hope that this is the worst of it.
First, my skin is trying to escape from my body - particularly on my face. I've never really had an acne problem. I would get a pimple here and there on occasion, but never experienced anything near a "break out." Until the month we moved to CA. Ever since November, my skin has been waging war on my face, in particular, on my chin. I have had constant break outs in the 10 months we've been and have tried everything to stop them. I have tried rose hip oil, vitamin E cream, scrubbed and washed my face till it was raw and now I'm using Pro-active. Some would say it's stress related, but anyone who knows me knows that I've been stressed all my life and haven't been more stressed here. It's also not my diet since that has remained pretty constant as well. Could be hormonal, but I think I'll just blame California.
Next, sudden allergies! Again, I have never had allergies. I'm not allergic to pets, or foods or even the change in seasons. This all changed about 2 months ago when I suppose summer started in LA. It's pretty summery all the time here, but I guess something decided to bloom that made me completely congested. The second I opened a window, I would notice that I couldn't breathe anymore. I had to live with nasal spray by my bedside and in my purse just so I could breathe. My allergies have since subsided a bit, but I still notice on occasion that I can't breathe through my nose or that I'm coughing for no reason.
Finally, our stomachs are more than upset, they are mad as hell. Evan and I have both experienced pretty severe stomach issues since we've moved. We both were poisoned, we believe by cereal, a few months ago. Body aches and several trips to the bathroom were the norm for about a week. Most recently, Evan was violently ill from another bout of food poisoning from a company lunch. I have never seen him so sick. And now, I was awoken last night with awful, painful indigestion of some sort. I'm almost doubled over, but I'm still at work. In the 10 years that we have been together, we've maybe gotten ill like this a total of 5 times between the 2 of us. And now in the last 10 months, we've gotten sick at least 4 times (combined). Something is definitely going on with the food supply in this state.
So far we've survived, but what the heck?! Clearly our bodies are having a harder time adjusting than we are. Let's just hope that this is the worst of it.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Les Auditions
Evan told me that I should do a blog with quick descriptions of the different types of auditions I've been on. I responded with, "Well I haven't been on enough to fill a whole blog post." To which Evan responded, "Pft." So that's how this blog post was born!
The No-Dialogue Pantomime Audition:
One of the very first auditions I went on here in Cali was for a student film at some college in Oxnard. The script for the film was actually really interesting which is saying something for a student film. There was no dialogue in the short film, just music while you watched a bitter housewife make a poisonous cake for her cheating husband. So, at the audition, since there was no lines to read, we had to pantomime all the stages of baking a cake and general house-wifery. So I mixed batter, put the cake in the oven, folded clothes, cleaned house and smoked a cigarette (at the request of the director). She had a few props to use, but essentially I was just miming everything. I did it twice and that was it.
The TLC Audition:
What I consider my first "real" LA audition was for a TLC show called "Born on a Bad Day." For this particular audition I was given the scenario before hand and was expected to improv a scene based off of that. This was pretty easy, I'm pretty good at natural improv when given a complete scenario...obviously. Anyway, I sign in, wait to be called, give my headshot and resume, slate and begin my little scene. Easy peasy and a lot of fun. However, the casting office kinda smelled like cat pee.
The Wait a Monologue? Really? Audition
I auditioned for a pilot where they requested a comedic monologue. I dunno why exactly, but I find this odd. Usually projects have sides or scenarios to act out, but to have someone do a completely unrelated monologue was just weird - they also didn't film it which I find a bit unprofessional as well. I presume they didn't have their act together enough to produce sides and didn't know enough about the project to give a scenario to improv to. Anyhoo, I have an old stand-by monologue that I do that's pretty funny. Anyway, off I went and did my thing and then we discussed improv - they asked if I do it and I said yup and they said great. O...k...
The Inappropriate Improv Audition
I auditioned for a webseries about bad dates. The audition was improved because that was the premise of the webseries. So there was "bad date Ben" and I was the unsuspecting blind date. There were 2 girls that went before I did and I could hear the scenario and their reactions through the door. Well, let's just say that bad date Ben liked younger women....or shall I say girls...and that was the premise of the bad date. Anyway, I heard both of the girls take the easy route and react as a normal person would, so I decided that if my scenario was the same as theirs that I should do something different just to not fall into the same traps they did. I got the same scene and I probably came across as too aggressive and bitchy for the situation and it wasn't really that funny (because of course pedophilia is always a huge laugh fest), but hey at least I was different.
The Official Commercial Audition
I recently auditioned for a DirecTV commercial and it was my my favorite thus far. Except for the fact that it was in Santa Monica which is a bitch to get to from Burbank, the actual audition was fun. It was a doubles improv. We were paired up - a guy and girl - and given a situation to improv. We were a couple moving in with each other and wanted to get our DirecTV hooked up right away. My guy was fun to work off of and I think we did a great job. I was invited to this audition by the casting director so that made it feel a little more comfortable. There were a gajillion people there, but I didn't have to wait long and the whole thing went really smoothly.
So that's about it I guess. I'm pretty sure I forgot a few, but these were biggest and most memorable ones anyway. So if you ever wondered what the heck I've been doing with my time this is it...well a small, small fraction of my time anyway. :)
The No-Dialogue Pantomime Audition:
One of the very first auditions I went on here in Cali was for a student film at some college in Oxnard. The script for the film was actually really interesting which is saying something for a student film. There was no dialogue in the short film, just music while you watched a bitter housewife make a poisonous cake for her cheating husband. So, at the audition, since there was no lines to read, we had to pantomime all the stages of baking a cake and general house-wifery. So I mixed batter, put the cake in the oven, folded clothes, cleaned house and smoked a cigarette (at the request of the director). She had a few props to use, but essentially I was just miming everything. I did it twice and that was it.
The TLC Audition:
What I consider my first "real" LA audition was for a TLC show called "Born on a Bad Day." For this particular audition I was given the scenario before hand and was expected to improv a scene based off of that. This was pretty easy, I'm pretty good at natural improv when given a complete scenario...obviously. Anyway, I sign in, wait to be called, give my headshot and resume, slate and begin my little scene. Easy peasy and a lot of fun. However, the casting office kinda smelled like cat pee.
The Wait a Monologue? Really? Audition
I auditioned for a pilot where they requested a comedic monologue. I dunno why exactly, but I find this odd. Usually projects have sides or scenarios to act out, but to have someone do a completely unrelated monologue was just weird - they also didn't film it which I find a bit unprofessional as well. I presume they didn't have their act together enough to produce sides and didn't know enough about the project to give a scenario to improv to. Anyhoo, I have an old stand-by monologue that I do that's pretty funny. Anyway, off I went and did my thing and then we discussed improv - they asked if I do it and I said yup and they said great. O...k...
The Inappropriate Improv Audition
I auditioned for a webseries about bad dates. The audition was improved because that was the premise of the webseries. So there was "bad date Ben" and I was the unsuspecting blind date. There were 2 girls that went before I did and I could hear the scenario and their reactions through the door. Well, let's just say that bad date Ben liked younger women....or shall I say girls...and that was the premise of the bad date. Anyway, I heard both of the girls take the easy route and react as a normal person would, so I decided that if my scenario was the same as theirs that I should do something different just to not fall into the same traps they did. I got the same scene and I probably came across as too aggressive and bitchy for the situation and it wasn't really that funny (because of course pedophilia is always a huge laugh fest), but hey at least I was different.
The Official Commercial Audition
I recently auditioned for a DirecTV commercial and it was my my favorite thus far. Except for the fact that it was in Santa Monica which is a bitch to get to from Burbank, the actual audition was fun. It was a doubles improv. We were paired up - a guy and girl - and given a situation to improv. We were a couple moving in with each other and wanted to get our DirecTV hooked up right away. My guy was fun to work off of and I think we did a great job. I was invited to this audition by the casting director so that made it feel a little more comfortable. There were a gajillion people there, but I didn't have to wait long and the whole thing went really smoothly.
So that's about it I guess. I'm pretty sure I forgot a few, but these were biggest and most memorable ones anyway. So if you ever wondered what the heck I've been doing with my time this is it...well a small, small fraction of my time anyway. :)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
It's the 4th of July! Well, close enough.
I LOVE the 4th of July. It ranks right up there with Christmas and Halloween for me. Warm weather, BBQs, family, and fireworks! Growing up, it was always so hard to wait for it to get dark to start blowing things up. My brother and sister and I would be outside with the sparklers at 6 o'clock swearing it was gonna get dark any second. Before kids started blowing off their hands and ruining it for the rest of us, we'd light of our bag of fireworks in front of the house. Neighbors would come out and watch and light their own as well. A whole street full of roman candles was always quite a sight.
It has been a standing tradition for me to go see the fireworks with my dad. In fact, I think I still have the blanket in my trunk that would only be used once a year for watching fireworks. My dad and I (and eventually Evan) always watched the Northglenn fireworks show. It was close by and we had a system nailed down. We would park in the RTD parking lot on the other side of the highway and then walk over to EB Rains Park, blanket in hand. We would wind our way through the crowd and always find a good spot by the lake with a pretty close view of the fireworks.
Northglenn always, always, always shoots off their fireworks late. For some reason they insist on waiting until Westminster and Thornton (who's shows you can see from afar) finish their shows before starting their own - even though they were always scheduled for 9pm. Anyway, we'd watch the fireworks gleefully anticipating the grand finale and when it was all over we'd say how great it was and how they started late, but finished strong and walk back to the car.
Needless to say, this year I won't be able to participate in this tradition. So I went looking for fireworks shows around the valley. Burbank is having a show at their Starlight Bowl where a concert will be taking place before hand. And in typical California fashion, it costs money to see the concert and to park, of course. In fact, nearly all the fireworks shows charge admission! Combine that with the nightmare of finding parking and fighting huge crowds, the 4th of July has lost its luster here in CA. We might try to find a place to park and watch the fireworks from a distance, but because it's so hard to find free parking, we don't know how successful we will be. I'm a little sad at the situation and wish I could be in CO right now, but luckily next weekend we are headed down to Sea World for our anniversary and they have a nightly fireworks show.
I hope you all have a fun and safe Independence Day! Hooray for the USA!
It has been a standing tradition for me to go see the fireworks with my dad. In fact, I think I still have the blanket in my trunk that would only be used once a year for watching fireworks. My dad and I (and eventually Evan) always watched the Northglenn fireworks show. It was close by and we had a system nailed down. We would park in the RTD parking lot on the other side of the highway and then walk over to EB Rains Park, blanket in hand. We would wind our way through the crowd and always find a good spot by the lake with a pretty close view of the fireworks.
Northglenn always, always, always shoots off their fireworks late. For some reason they insist on waiting until Westminster and Thornton (who's shows you can see from afar) finish their shows before starting their own - even though they were always scheduled for 9pm. Anyway, we'd watch the fireworks gleefully anticipating the grand finale and when it was all over we'd say how great it was and how they started late, but finished strong and walk back to the car.
Needless to say, this year I won't be able to participate in this tradition. So I went looking for fireworks shows around the valley. Burbank is having a show at their Starlight Bowl where a concert will be taking place before hand. And in typical California fashion, it costs money to see the concert and to park, of course. In fact, nearly all the fireworks shows charge admission! Combine that with the nightmare of finding parking and fighting huge crowds, the 4th of July has lost its luster here in CA. We might try to find a place to park and watch the fireworks from a distance, but because it's so hard to find free parking, we don't know how successful we will be. I'm a little sad at the situation and wish I could be in CO right now, but luckily next weekend we are headed down to Sea World for our anniversary and they have a nightly fireworks show.
I hope you all have a fun and safe Independence Day! Hooray for the USA!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Dad On Arrival
I know the economy is bad, but I think it's time to start paying our greeting card writers a little better in order to motivate them to put out better work. I was recently in the market for Father's Day and birthday cards and was extremely disappointed with the quality of greeting cards available to me. I'm not the type that buys the sentimental, sappy cards decorated with pastel flowers telling the recipient what a special and beautiful soul they have - those cards are already in their own special "crap" category. Conversely, I go for the funny, simple and sometimes offensive cards that accurately represent the recipient or the situation.
So as I was saying, Evan and I were looking for Father's Day cards and a birthday card for my brother-in-law. First, we checked out our grocery store while we were doing our weekly shopping. The selection was small and hugely un-funny. We picked up several cards hoping to be impressed, but we were nearly offended at the lack of wit and originality. Assuming it was just the small selection at the grocery store that was the problem, off to Hallmark we went.
Hallmark has a pretty large section dedicated to Father's Day so our hopes were high. After glancing through the section I wasn't even inspired to pick up a card to read it. I knew by looking at the 1/4 of the card cover that sticks out above the row under it that these cards were going to be craptacular as well. In addition to being boring, most of the cards usually fall into 3 different Father's Day themes: 1) Tools 2) Golf and 3) Butt cracks. Sometimes one of these themes will yield a slightly witty card, but not this year.
There is also a new fad in greeting cards called "cards with sound." Or as I like to call it, "Writers ran out of funny card ideas years ago so they are relying on music to do the trick." Well, I'm sorry, I just don't think my dad would be that impressed with a card that sings "Shake Your Booty." But the cards I like the most are the ones that allow you to record your own message. They are admitting that they can't sell any cards worth a damn, so they are just telling you to do it yourself and charging you a pretty penny to do so. Brilliant!
Needless to say, we walked out of Hallmark empty handed. Luckily, there is a cool little shop in Burbank that sells the Selfish Kitty line of greeting cards. I love these cards, but after several birthdays and other events, I'm running out of options with this somewhat small card line. This line of cards has great greetings such as:
So as I was saying, Evan and I were looking for Father's Day cards and a birthday card for my brother-in-law. First, we checked out our grocery store while we were doing our weekly shopping. The selection was small and hugely un-funny. We picked up several cards hoping to be impressed, but we were nearly offended at the lack of wit and originality. Assuming it was just the small selection at the grocery store that was the problem, off to Hallmark we went.
Hallmark has a pretty large section dedicated to Father's Day so our hopes were high. After glancing through the section I wasn't even inspired to pick up a card to read it. I knew by looking at the 1/4 of the card cover that sticks out above the row under it that these cards were going to be craptacular as well. In addition to being boring, most of the cards usually fall into 3 different Father's Day themes: 1) Tools 2) Golf and 3) Butt cracks. Sometimes one of these themes will yield a slightly witty card, but not this year.
There is also a new fad in greeting cards called "cards with sound." Or as I like to call it, "Writers ran out of funny card ideas years ago so they are relying on music to do the trick." Well, I'm sorry, I just don't think my dad would be that impressed with a card that sings "Shake Your Booty." But the cards I like the most are the ones that allow you to record your own message. They are admitting that they can't sell any cards worth a damn, so they are just telling you to do it yourself and charging you a pretty penny to do so. Brilliant!
Needless to say, we walked out of Hallmark empty handed. Luckily, there is a cool little shop in Burbank that sells the Selfish Kitty line of greeting cards. I love these cards, but after several birthdays and other events, I'm running out of options with this somewhat small card line. This line of cards has great greetings such as:
- Happy Birthday, you bastard! (inside -->) Seriously, though. You really are a bastard.
- Happy Birthday. I'll see you in hell. (inside -->) You heard me.
- Congrats on the new baby! (inside -->) And remember, teaching him cuss words is only fun for a little while.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Out and About in SoCal
As a recent transplant to Southern California, I get asked a lot about what kind of things have I seen and where have I been. People want to ensure that I get the full California experience, so they are always suggesting places to go and things to see. Many of you may be curious just what we've done while we've lived here and others may not give a crap. Well here is a blog about it anyway, so deal with it.
Universal Studios: I kinda like Universal Studios, but it is absolutely not worth the $75 to get in. Plus you have to pay like $15 for parking. Anyhoo, I go for the studio tour mainly, but some of the rides are fun. You're usually done with the park within about 2 hours, but hey it's really close to where we live.
Hollywood - Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, Freaks: Yes, you have to go at least once and that's about all you need for the rest of your life. It's cool to see, but it is crowded with tourists and filled with all sorts of crazies! People dressed up as comic book characters, cartoon characters, hollywood icons and some people just dressed up like weirdos. You can smell the desperation mixed in with car exhaust, sunscreen and BO.
Hollywood Bus Tour: The one we went on was pretty lame. I don't even remember one cool thing that we saw. The highlight of the tour was the El Pollo Loco where Brad Pitt once worked as a chicken. Seriously. The tour was crappy, but hey at least someone else was driving.
Griffith Park: I like Griffith Park. It's free and has the best views of the city. However, a gazillion people are there everyday so you have to park 2 miles down the mountain and hike up to the observatory. You do have a pretty good view of the Hollywood sign, though.
Sony Studios Tour: Ok, so we took this tour on a trip to LA several years ago, but I think it's worth a mention. I LOVED this tour! I don't remember the price, but I think it was pretty reasonable. Not many people know about this tour, so we only had like 6 of us in the tour group. This is a walking tour around Sony Studios. Because our group was small, our tour guide snuck us in to several working sound stages and other places not typically seen on the tour. It was awesome.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour: This one was kinda pricey, but I think we got a pretty good value for our money. Also, it's right by our house so we had to go. This is a mix between a tram and walking tour and you see a lot of stuff including just about all of their back lots. We even got to get out and explore some of the houses on the back lot and that was really cool.
Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive: Meh. It's fancy and I guess that's cool, but clearly I can't afford anything there, so it's not that fun. Oh and there aren't any public bathrooms!! UGH! There is a Crumbs Cupcake shop, so that may be worth the trip.
The Jay Leno Show/Tonight Show: We've been several times cause it's really easy to get free tickets. However, you do have to wait in line for at least 2 hours and if you get there late you may not be seated. Anyway, it's neat to see and if you're lucky to go on a night with a really cool star, then it's definitely worth it. I do think Conan is WAY better still...
Santa Monica Pier and Beach: Parking sucks. It smells like fish. There's not much do on the actual pier. The beach is nice. And I guess that's about it.
Malibu: We ate at a nice restaurant right on the water and that was fun, but it was really windy at the beach so that didn't make it very enjoyable.
The Getty Center: Another free thing to do in LA. Well, the museum is free, but parking is like $10 or something. Pretty cool museum, if you're into museums, and a stunning building and location. I'm not much into museums, but it's cool to see that stuff at least once.
The Groundlings: This was great!! Tickets are pretty cheap and the show is hilarious. We even had a guest star in our show - Groundlings alum Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers movies). She was hilarious! Anyway don't miss this one!
Several Theatres: The Falcon, The Colony, Glendale Centre Theatre, A Noise Within, Luna Playhouse...all pretty good shows!
Disneyland: Ok, so I really, really like Disneyland (and Disney world for that matter) and this trip didn't disappoint. If you are gonna go, especially from the Valley, go early on Sunday mornings. We shot on down there within 30 minutes on a route that takes at least 2 hours any other day of the week. Nearly $100 each for Disneyland and California Adventure, but I think it's worth it. We filled our day riding rides and only had one ride where we waited more than 20 minutes. It was great!
The Grilled Cheese Truck: Some people may scoff at this as an attraction or LA hot spot, but it is...for us anyway! This gourmet food truck travels around to a new destination everyday and serves up the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever! Mmmmmm....I had a brie with smoked turkey, pears and honey and it was fabulous! You can follow them on twitter to see where they are grilling on a particular day, so if ever they are in your neighborhood, be sure to go!!
And...I guess that's it so far. We still have a lot to see and do, like:
Universal Studios: I kinda like Universal Studios, but it is absolutely not worth the $75 to get in. Plus you have to pay like $15 for parking. Anyhoo, I go for the studio tour mainly, but some of the rides are fun. You're usually done with the park within about 2 hours, but hey it's really close to where we live.
Hollywood - Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, Freaks: Yes, you have to go at least once and that's about all you need for the rest of your life. It's cool to see, but it is crowded with tourists and filled with all sorts of crazies! People dressed up as comic book characters, cartoon characters, hollywood icons and some people just dressed up like weirdos. You can smell the desperation mixed in with car exhaust, sunscreen and BO.
Hollywood Bus Tour: The one we went on was pretty lame. I don't even remember one cool thing that we saw. The highlight of the tour was the El Pollo Loco where Brad Pitt once worked as a chicken. Seriously. The tour was crappy, but hey at least someone else was driving.
Griffith Park: I like Griffith Park. It's free and has the best views of the city. However, a gazillion people are there everyday so you have to park 2 miles down the mountain and hike up to the observatory. You do have a pretty good view of the Hollywood sign, though.
Sony Studios Tour: Ok, so we took this tour on a trip to LA several years ago, but I think it's worth a mention. I LOVED this tour! I don't remember the price, but I think it was pretty reasonable. Not many people know about this tour, so we only had like 6 of us in the tour group. This is a walking tour around Sony Studios. Because our group was small, our tour guide snuck us in to several working sound stages and other places not typically seen on the tour. It was awesome.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour: This one was kinda pricey, but I think we got a pretty good value for our money. Also, it's right by our house so we had to go. This is a mix between a tram and walking tour and you see a lot of stuff including just about all of their back lots. We even got to get out and explore some of the houses on the back lot and that was really cool.
Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive: Meh. It's fancy and I guess that's cool, but clearly I can't afford anything there, so it's not that fun. Oh and there aren't any public bathrooms!! UGH! There is a Crumbs Cupcake shop, so that may be worth the trip.
The Jay Leno Show/Tonight Show: We've been several times cause it's really easy to get free tickets. However, you do have to wait in line for at least 2 hours and if you get there late you may not be seated. Anyway, it's neat to see and if you're lucky to go on a night with a really cool star, then it's definitely worth it. I do think Conan is WAY better still...
Santa Monica Pier and Beach: Parking sucks. It smells like fish. There's not much do on the actual pier. The beach is nice. And I guess that's about it.
Malibu: We ate at a nice restaurant right on the water and that was fun, but it was really windy at the beach so that didn't make it very enjoyable.
The Getty Center: Another free thing to do in LA. Well, the museum is free, but parking is like $10 or something. Pretty cool museum, if you're into museums, and a stunning building and location. I'm not much into museums, but it's cool to see that stuff at least once.
The Groundlings: This was great!! Tickets are pretty cheap and the show is hilarious. We even had a guest star in our show - Groundlings alum Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers movies). She was hilarious! Anyway don't miss this one!
Several Theatres: The Falcon, The Colony, Glendale Centre Theatre, A Noise Within, Luna Playhouse...all pretty good shows!
Disneyland: Ok, so I really, really like Disneyland (and Disney world for that matter) and this trip didn't disappoint. If you are gonna go, especially from the Valley, go early on Sunday mornings. We shot on down there within 30 minutes on a route that takes at least 2 hours any other day of the week. Nearly $100 each for Disneyland and California Adventure, but I think it's worth it. We filled our day riding rides and only had one ride where we waited more than 20 minutes. It was great!
The Grilled Cheese Truck: Some people may scoff at this as an attraction or LA hot spot, but it is...for us anyway! This gourmet food truck travels around to a new destination everyday and serves up the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever! Mmmmmm....I had a brie with smoked turkey, pears and honey and it was fabulous! You can follow them on twitter to see where they are grilling on a particular day, so if ever they are in your neighborhood, be sure to go!!
And...I guess that's it so far. We still have a lot to see and do, like:
- Mulholland Drive
- San Diego
- Knotts Berry Farm
- Medieval Times
- Paramount Studios Tour
- LA Zoo
- Six Flags
- La Brea Tarpits
- And about 6 billion other things...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Mish Mash: a Quick Recap of April Events
So I really didn't post much in April and hey look, now it's already May 7th. April was kind of a weird month for me. A lot happened and very little happened. Very little happened in the way of auditioning and finding employment - at least for the first part of the month. A lot happened in way of life changes and traveling though. Here's a recap:
April 1-April 7: Did absolutely nothing but search for jobs and auditions all day, everyday.
April 8-April 12: Trip home to Denver!! Evan's family VERY generously flew us out to celebrate Evan's sister's birthday. We were only there for 4 days and we used every second we were there to visit family and catch up. It was extremely busy, but awesome and definitely much needed. I was so sad to have to come back to CA and so didn't want to leave.
April 15: My dear friend Brittney came out to Burbank to visit a school and we got to have lunch. I LOVED being able to spend that time with her, although it was rather brief. It was really great to have a friend out here!
April 16: My grandma passed away - 1 day after her 88th birthday after a long battle with Alzheimer's. This prompted an immediate trip home to CO the next day.
April 17-April 21: Flew home in order to drive out to Kansas (6.5 hours) the very next day. It was lovely to see family again even though it wasn't under very pleasant circumstances. There was a rosary, funeral and burial service for my grandma which were all full of tears and great memories. My grandma was a truly classy and refined woman who had devout faith and endless love and support for her family. Unfortunately, my grandma was stripped away from us several years ago by trauma-induced Alzheimer's. As awful as this may sound, I had been slowly saying good-bye to her over the past few years which made her actual funeral a fraction easier to handle. She is now at rest beside my grandpa and I know those two are whooping it up in heaven - eating ice cream cones, my grandma's awesome fried chicken and still trying to solve those pesky Wheel of Fortune puzzles. :) We drove back home to CO on Wednesday.
April 22-23: Still in Colorado because my brother and his wife were expecting their 2nd baby!! Funny the way life works out. I wasn't going to be able to be present for his birth, but because I was already there for the funeral, I could now see my brand new nephew. Landon Riley was born on April 23rd via c-section and was small, but healthy. He was born with a full head of hair just like his brother and even seems to have the exact same calm temperament. I think they may have had twins 5 years apart. :) I only got to see Landon for a few minutes before leaving to catch my flight back to CA. Can't wait to see him again when we visit in June.
April 24-27: Not...a lot....going....on.
April 28: Finally, FINALLY my first real audition!!!!!!! Nearly 6 months in and I had an audition for a TLC show called "Born on a Bad Day." It's a reality/re inaction show about real women who gave birth in crazy situations. I was called in to audition because I kinda looked like the real person in the scenario they were recreating. I was given a scene that I had to improv dialogue to. It was pretty fun and easy and of course made me crave for more auditions. Nothing came of this audition, but I was happy to be given the opportunity to try.
And now here we are, already in May. Oy, how time flies. Still looking for a job that doesn't make me miserable and still trying to get more auditions. It's a never ending cycle. Oh and it's starting to get pretty hot here. We're trying to be strong and not turn on our AC yet, but it's just a short matter of time before we give in to refrigerated air.
On a different note entirely, many of you know that an old friend of mine is in critical condition in Colorado. He suffered a brain aneurysm and has been in a medically induced coma for a few days. I plan to dedicate another blog post to my fun and quirky memories of him once he fully recovers and is able to re-live those memories with me. Keep fighting, Jason! I know you are gonna pull through and become stronger than ever!!
April 1-April 7: Did absolutely nothing but search for jobs and auditions all day, everyday.
April 8-April 12: Trip home to Denver!! Evan's family VERY generously flew us out to celebrate Evan's sister's birthday. We were only there for 4 days and we used every second we were there to visit family and catch up. It was extremely busy, but awesome and definitely much needed. I was so sad to have to come back to CA and so didn't want to leave.
April 15: My dear friend Brittney came out to Burbank to visit a school and we got to have lunch. I LOVED being able to spend that time with her, although it was rather brief. It was really great to have a friend out here!
April 16: My grandma passed away - 1 day after her 88th birthday after a long battle with Alzheimer's. This prompted an immediate trip home to CO the next day.
April 17-April 21: Flew home in order to drive out to Kansas (6.5 hours) the very next day. It was lovely to see family again even though it wasn't under very pleasant circumstances. There was a rosary, funeral and burial service for my grandma which were all full of tears and great memories. My grandma was a truly classy and refined woman who had devout faith and endless love and support for her family. Unfortunately, my grandma was stripped away from us several years ago by trauma-induced Alzheimer's. As awful as this may sound, I had been slowly saying good-bye to her over the past few years which made her actual funeral a fraction easier to handle. She is now at rest beside my grandpa and I know those two are whooping it up in heaven - eating ice cream cones, my grandma's awesome fried chicken and still trying to solve those pesky Wheel of Fortune puzzles. :) We drove back home to CO on Wednesday.
April 24-27: Not...a lot....going....on.
April 28: Finally, FINALLY my first real audition!!!!!!! Nearly 6 months in and I had an audition for a TLC show called "Born on a Bad Day." It's a reality/re inaction show about real women who gave birth in crazy situations. I was called in to audition because I kinda looked like the real person in the scenario they were recreating. I was given a scene that I had to improv dialogue to. It was pretty fun and easy and of course made me crave for more auditions. Nothing came of this audition, but I was happy to be given the opportunity to try.
And now here we are, already in May. Oy, how time flies. Still looking for a job that doesn't make me miserable and still trying to get more auditions. It's a never ending cycle. Oh and it's starting to get pretty hot here. We're trying to be strong and not turn on our AC yet, but it's just a short matter of time before we give in to refrigerated air.
On a different note entirely, many of you know that an old friend of mine is in critical condition in Colorado. He suffered a brain aneurysm and has been in a medically induced coma for a few days. I plan to dedicate another blog post to my fun and quirky memories of him once he fully recovers and is able to re-live those memories with me. Keep fighting, Jason! I know you are gonna pull through and become stronger than ever!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
An Evan Adventure: Random Movie Reviews!
Boredom is a dangerous thing. So when Linda abandoned me went out of town this past week, I needed something to fill my time. Luckily, I just discovered that I can stream Netflix movies directly into my TV. Hooray! So I found a bunch of movies that I hadn’t seen ever, movies I hadn’t seen in a while, and/or movies Linda would have very little interest in seeing. I watched 20 movies in 7 days, and because you care, here are my mini-reviews of each:
Zombieland (2009)- Starring Woody Harrelson as himself and the poor man’s Michael Cera/Shia LeBuef. The scene at Bill Murray’s house in the second act is worth the admission.
Kick-Ass (2010)- Went to the theatre for this one. I worry that I’m becoming desensitized to hyper-violence. When the little girl chops a man’s head off, I wondered to myself “how does her wig stay on?”
Roxanne (1987)- I don’t know if anyone else caught this, but they totally ripped off the play Cyrano de Bergerac. Edmond Rostand should sue them for royalties.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)- I don’t know why I watched this (all the way through no less). It’s bad when you think to yourself, “You know what would make this movie better? Michael Jordan.” He actually makes a cameo, and you know what? Didn’t help.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)- Re-watching this made me feel bad for the Ducks that got cut from the team between sequels. All for the sake of bringing in Kenan Thompson. Also, it dawned on me that the guy playing the lovable old man, Hans, is played by the same actor who played the villain in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. No way? Way.
The Producers (2005)- They should turn this into a staged musical. Yep. That would be a much better format for this.
3 Ninjas (1992)- This used to be a favorite of mine when I was nine. Re-watching in 2010, however, did not go so well. This movie was touted to be a mix of Home Alone and Ninja Turtles. The difference is that Macaulay Culkin and the Turtles weren’t complete idiots and could actually be effective. Three men with guns assault your babysitter and intend to kidnap you. What do you do? Call the police? No. Use your ninja training to actually hurt them? No. The 3 Ninjas decide to simply annoy them! How? By throwing CDs at them, by making them slip on jelly beans and oil, by throwing pepper in their eyes, and by feeding them ex lax. And at no point do they even think about taking the kidnapper’s guns. I’ve never yelled so much at fictional characters in my life.
3 Ninjas: Kick Back (1994)- Yeah, I know. But there were so many unanswered questions from the first film. Shameful confession: if 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up was on Netflix’s Watch Instantly, I probably would’ve watched that too. But I would’ve drawn the line at watching 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain. Probably.
Pineapple Express (2008)- Wow, Seth Rogen really likes playing that one character, doesn’t he?
Innerspace (1987)- Martin Short as a semi-serious leading man is strange. Very strange. At least he found a way to incorporate his patented Ed Grimley dance.
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)- So is Pee-Wee Herman a tall child? Or a very eccentric adult? I’m hoping for the latter, otherwise he has some very negligent parents. The whole thing made me sad for the Pee-Wee Herman/Ernest P. Worrell cross-over movie that will never be.
The Chronic(what)cles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)- Eddie Izzard’s voice in a small warrior mouse is slightly off-putting.
Drop Dead Fred (1991)- Most imaginary friends are harmless. Drop Dead Fred is not. He tracks poop on carpets, puts Lizzie’s dad in jail, sinks a boat, chops off hair in the night, etc. So either Lizzie is completely sociopathic and uses this imaginary being as a scapegoat for her own bad behavior or Fred is some sort of actual demon that is able to manipulate her into doing his bidding. Either way, she needs much more help than a love interest with an earring can provide.
House Bunny (2008)- I’m pretty certain Collin Hanks will always look like a 15 year old boy.
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008)- The mean corporation wants to shut the hair salon down so they can build a giant mall. I would think that all they’d have to do is mention to the city that Zohan is charging women to have sex with him. It might’ve saved them the trouble of hiring Dave Mathews as a henchman.
Labyrinth (1986)- This movie is full of neat and innovative ideas that stand the test of time. David Bowie in tight tights is not one of them.
The Wizard (1989)- Famous for the debut of Super Mario 3 to the general public. This movie made me want to go out and buy a Nintendo Power Glove, though I resisted the urge. Bonus: at the end of the movie there is an appearance of a young Tobey Maguire with a horrible 1989 haircut.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)- I’ve realized that it’s not Kirsten Dunst’s fault that she’s a bad actress. I think she’s naturally that way and there isn’t anything she can do about it.
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist (2008)- I really liked it, but think I’ll like it better when they call it Scott Pilgrim.
Being John Malkovich (1999)- Catherine Keener is a fine actress who has never played a character that I’ve sympathized with or even cared about what happens to. Is it her? Or is it me?
Congratulations to the actors that coincidentally appeared in more than one movie on my schizophrenic list: Steve Martin (Roxanne and Looney Tunes), Emma Stone (Zombieland and House Bunny), Kat Dennings (House Bunny and Nick & Nora) and Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express and Nick & Nora). Special mention to Cabazon Dinosaurs for being a major set piece in both Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and The Wizard.
Respectfully submitted,
Evan Gray Marquez
Zombieland (2009)- Starring Woody Harrelson as himself and the poor man’s Michael Cera/Shia LeBuef. The scene at Bill Murray’s house in the second act is worth the admission.
Kick-Ass (2010)- Went to the theatre for this one. I worry that I’m becoming desensitized to hyper-violence. When the little girl chops a man’s head off, I wondered to myself “how does her wig stay on?”
Roxanne (1987)- I don’t know if anyone else caught this, but they totally ripped off the play Cyrano de Bergerac. Edmond Rostand should sue them for royalties.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)- I don’t know why I watched this (all the way through no less). It’s bad when you think to yourself, “You know what would make this movie better? Michael Jordan.” He actually makes a cameo, and you know what? Didn’t help.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)- Re-watching this made me feel bad for the Ducks that got cut from the team between sequels. All for the sake of bringing in Kenan Thompson. Also, it dawned on me that the guy playing the lovable old man, Hans, is played by the same actor who played the villain in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. No way? Way.
The Producers (2005)- They should turn this into a staged musical. Yep. That would be a much better format for this.
3 Ninjas (1992)- This used to be a favorite of mine when I was nine. Re-watching in 2010, however, did not go so well. This movie was touted to be a mix of Home Alone and Ninja Turtles. The difference is that Macaulay Culkin and the Turtles weren’t complete idiots and could actually be effective. Three men with guns assault your babysitter and intend to kidnap you. What do you do? Call the police? No. Use your ninja training to actually hurt them? No. The 3 Ninjas decide to simply annoy them! How? By throwing CDs at them, by making them slip on jelly beans and oil, by throwing pepper in their eyes, and by feeding them ex lax. And at no point do they even think about taking the kidnapper’s guns. I’ve never yelled so much at fictional characters in my life.
3 Ninjas: Kick Back (1994)- Yeah, I know. But there were so many unanswered questions from the first film. Shameful confession: if 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up was on Netflix’s Watch Instantly, I probably would’ve watched that too. But I would’ve drawn the line at watching 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain. Probably.
Pineapple Express (2008)- Wow, Seth Rogen really likes playing that one character, doesn’t he?
Innerspace (1987)- Martin Short as a semi-serious leading man is strange. Very strange. At least he found a way to incorporate his patented Ed Grimley dance.
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)- So is Pee-Wee Herman a tall child? Or a very eccentric adult? I’m hoping for the latter, otherwise he has some very negligent parents. The whole thing made me sad for the Pee-Wee Herman/Ernest P. Worrell cross-over movie that will never be.
The Chronic(what)cles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)- Eddie Izzard’s voice in a small warrior mouse is slightly off-putting.
Drop Dead Fred (1991)- Most imaginary friends are harmless. Drop Dead Fred is not. He tracks poop on carpets, puts Lizzie’s dad in jail, sinks a boat, chops off hair in the night, etc. So either Lizzie is completely sociopathic and uses this imaginary being as a scapegoat for her own bad behavior or Fred is some sort of actual demon that is able to manipulate her into doing his bidding. Either way, she needs much more help than a love interest with an earring can provide.
House Bunny (2008)- I’m pretty certain Collin Hanks will always look like a 15 year old boy.
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008)- The mean corporation wants to shut the hair salon down so they can build a giant mall. I would think that all they’d have to do is mention to the city that Zohan is charging women to have sex with him. It might’ve saved them the trouble of hiring Dave Mathews as a henchman.
Labyrinth (1986)- This movie is full of neat and innovative ideas that stand the test of time. David Bowie in tight tights is not one of them.
The Wizard (1989)- Famous for the debut of Super Mario 3 to the general public. This movie made me want to go out and buy a Nintendo Power Glove, though I resisted the urge. Bonus: at the end of the movie there is an appearance of a young Tobey Maguire with a horrible 1989 haircut.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)- I’ve realized that it’s not Kirsten Dunst’s fault that she’s a bad actress. I think she’s naturally that way and there isn’t anything she can do about it.
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist (2008)- I really liked it, but think I’ll like it better when they call it Scott Pilgrim.
Being John Malkovich (1999)- Catherine Keener is a fine actress who has never played a character that I’ve sympathized with or even cared about what happens to. Is it her? Or is it me?
Congratulations to the actors that coincidentally appeared in more than one movie on my schizophrenic list: Steve Martin (Roxanne and Looney Tunes), Emma Stone (Zombieland and House Bunny), Kat Dennings (House Bunny and Nick & Nora) and Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express and Nick & Nora). Special mention to Cabazon Dinosaurs for being a major set piece in both Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and The Wizard.
Respectfully submitted,
Evan Gray Marquez
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Scam That is The Entertainment Business
Ok, maybe the word "scam" is a bit harsh, but I still think it's fitting. There is no other profession that requires potential applicants to spend so much money just to be considered for a job. If you had to spend $25 a month just to send in a resume for a company, you would think, "WTF this is a huge scam!" If you were required to get your business cards and resumes reprinted, professional touched up and completely redone every few months just to stay current in the workplace, there would be a huge revolt or legislation passed to end this oppressing practice. Well let me just tell you how scammy the entertainment world can be...at least from a newbie prospective.
Headshots:
I have had my headshots taken 4 times over the course of 10 years. And 2 of those times within the past year. An actor simply MUST have headshots in order to be taken seriously at all. And in LA, they better be the best damn picture of yourself that can ever be taken. Headshot sessions can range from $100-400+ just for the photo session. Then, out of that you may only get access to 1 or 2 of your final pictures. I was uber lucky this past time and stumbled upon a sweet deal with an awesome photographer. Luckily, the shots turned out amazing!
This past time I paid: $100 for the headshots + $100 for a makeup artist = $200
I should expect to get my headshots redone every year, if not sooner.
Headshot Printing:
Oy, printing is so damn expensive. There are lots of places to get your headshot 8x10 printed and they range wildly in prices. Oh, and for those that don't know, for every audition you go to, you always need to bring at least 1 printed headshot and resume. Some places, like shutterfly, will charge $4 per 8x10, plus shipping. Then there are places like Reproductions that charge $60 for 50 headshots (of the same picture) plus a $18 set up free. I've kinda bunked the system and said screw 8x10s, I'll just print out letter size headshots cause I can get those for real cheap. However, that is clearly not industry standard and you can end up looking like an idiot when yours is the only one in the pile of headshots that is bigger than everyone elses. But I'm all about CHEAP! So I get mine printed at VistaPrint.com and then spray glue my resume on the back whenever I go to an audition.
25 headshots: $15 plus shipping.(I always have a Vistaprint coupon)
ActorsAccess:
ActorsAccess is a version of Breakdown Services available to actors. Breakdown Services is where agents and managers receive breakdowns of all the different things that are casting so they can submit their clients. ActorsAccess is a fee based membership that actors (those who don't have agents or those who just like to take matters into their own hands) sign up in order to submit themselves for various projects. ActorsAccess is one of the few reputable places that does this, so don't be fooled by MANY of the other websites that claim to offer this service, most of them are scams. Note: Not all projects are open to ActorsAccess members. In fact, the vast majority of breakdowns, including most major ones, are only available to agents. Anyway, there are 2 ways to go about this. You can pay a yearly membership fee or pay $2.00 for ever role you submit to.
I pay the yearly membership fee: $68/year
Photos and Video on ActorsAccess
This is where they really get you. AA allows you to have 2 photos in your profile for free. If you want to add an additional photo, it's $10 per picture! I haven't done this, I only use the 2 free ones. The video part is truly frustrating. First, if you already have a demo reel of your work, you can upload it to AA for $50 for the first minute. If your demo is longer than 1 minute, plan on spending $22 per additional minute!! Now, say down the road you add a clip to your demo reel and want to replace the video on AA, well not so fast it's $22/minute to replace your reel. UGH! This is something that's in the works for me and I will eventually have to pay these outrageous fees. Why is a demo reel important you ask? Well, for one it sells you a lot better than just a still photograph. And second, a HUGE second, is that those actors with a reel in their profile, automatically go to the top of the list of people submitting. So, casting directors will see the people with reels first even if they submitted days after you. And with potentially thousands of people submitting for the same role, it certainly pays to be at the top of the list.
Future costs: $50 for a demo reel, $22 for an additional minute = $72
LACasting:
Exact same service as ActorsAccess with a slightly different set-up. This too has a version that is only available to agents and this is where my commercial agent submits me for things. However, just like AA, it has a service available for actors to self-submit to projects. Since my agent is only for commercials, I need to self submit for TV and film. I recently joined this service because I wanted to make sure I was submitting to everything I could. This membership is monthly, plus fees for pictures and video.
Monthly membership: $9.95/month
Photographs: You get 1 free one. Then if you need to change that picture or add more, they start charging you. $25 for the first additional picture and then $15 per picture after that. = $40
Video: If you want to add your reel, they charge you $5/month. I haven't done this yet.
Backstage West Subscription:
Backstage is a magazine that has lots of entertainment stuff in it, but we primarily use it for auditions. It's mostly for theatre (and much, much bigger in NYC) but there are also some indie and student film auditions here. While they do have a way to submit through their website, often times there is an email address where you send your headshot and resume for an audition. Evan finds a lot of his theatre auditions here.
Monthly online only subscription: $17/mo
Classes:
Of course classes are all different and can vary in quality. In LA, there is absolutely no shortage of people willing to take your money to teach you something. You really have to do your research to make sure you're taking a good class and that it's worth your money. Because I hate to drive, I narrowed my class search to only ones in Burbank. Luckily, I picked 2 that are awesome and very different from each other. Still kinda pricey though.
Eastin Studios: Awesome class tought by a real hollywood veteran. In fact, if you saw Up in the Air, Steve Eastin was the guy who got fired by Anna Kendrick over the computer. He also has an IMDB page that's about 5 pages long. He's awesome and his class is unlike anything I've ever experienced.
I pay: $195 for 4 classes. Classes are once a week. (I've taken a few weeks off from this class because I started another and I am waiting before I spend another two hundred bucks. But I do intend on going back)
Weist Barron Hill: I take a commercial acting class here and I really like it. It teaches everything from the very basics to nailing the audition. I love that I learn things that I just wouldn't think matter that actually affect casting decisions.
I pay: $225 for 10 classes. Classes are once a week.
Other things I could pay for, but I refuse...at least I refuse right now:
-Casting Director Showcases: this is where you go and perform in front of casting directors and sometimes agents in order to be seen. Who knows if the people attending this things are legit, but they are everywhere and they charge actors anywhere from $100-300 to attend!
-Dues Paying Memberships at Theatres: There seem to be a lot of theatre's around that have memberships. This means there is this pool of actors that are considered for each show because they PAY to be a part of the membership. This is insane to me. If it guaranteed me a role, then maybe I'd pay a tiny amount, but just to be considered? You've got to be kidding me.
-Then of course are all the super scammy agents and managers that require you to take their classes, use their photographers and so on (to get a kick-back of course) and then take much more than the usual 10% agents take from the work you book. And yes, I have been approached by these people. Thankfully, I've done my research and know to stay far away.
Then there are the other miscellaneous things like gas, parking, postage (mailing headshots to agents, casting directors, etc) and whatever else that will certainly add up. Speaking of add up, let's get a total, shall we? So since I've been in LA here is what I've spent:
GRAND TOTAL: $848.00! (not including future costs to add my reel)
And let's remember that I've only been here 6 months. There are people that have been at it for decades! So where has all this blown cash gotten me...absolutely NO WHERE!! I have not had 1 real audition since I've been out here. In fact, I've only auditioned for 2 things: a student film and some random indie where I was the only one who showed up. And the sad part is, that this is how it's done. Until you have any real credits, no agent will look at you. And you can't get any real credits without doing all the things I've been doing. Well unless you are the son or daughter of a celebrity or just insanely lucky. Sigh...and when you think that it costs crazy amounts of money just to live in CA and there are thousands, upon thousands of gorgeous and talented people competing against you, it's really easy to get depressed and bitter quick. I'm not down and out quite yet, but putting all the costs and (lack of) rewards down really puts things in perspective. Ugh. Someday when I book a national commercial that pays $2,000 for a day's work, then I'm sure my tune will change. :)
Headshots:
I have had my headshots taken 4 times over the course of 10 years. And 2 of those times within the past year. An actor simply MUST have headshots in order to be taken seriously at all. And in LA, they better be the best damn picture of yourself that can ever be taken. Headshot sessions can range from $100-400+ just for the photo session. Then, out of that you may only get access to 1 or 2 of your final pictures. I was uber lucky this past time and stumbled upon a sweet deal with an awesome photographer. Luckily, the shots turned out amazing!
This past time I paid: $100 for the headshots + $100 for a makeup artist = $200
I should expect to get my headshots redone every year, if not sooner.
Headshot Printing:
Oy, printing is so damn expensive. There are lots of places to get your headshot 8x10 printed and they range wildly in prices. Oh, and for those that don't know, for every audition you go to, you always need to bring at least 1 printed headshot and resume. Some places, like shutterfly, will charge $4 per 8x10, plus shipping. Then there are places like Reproductions that charge $60 for 50 headshots (of the same picture) plus a $18 set up free. I've kinda bunked the system and said screw 8x10s, I'll just print out letter size headshots cause I can get those for real cheap. However, that is clearly not industry standard and you can end up looking like an idiot when yours is the only one in the pile of headshots that is bigger than everyone elses. But I'm all about CHEAP! So I get mine printed at VistaPrint.com and then spray glue my resume on the back whenever I go to an audition.
25 headshots: $15 plus shipping.(I always have a Vistaprint coupon)
ActorsAccess:
ActorsAccess is a version of Breakdown Services available to actors. Breakdown Services is where agents and managers receive breakdowns of all the different things that are casting so they can submit their clients. ActorsAccess is a fee based membership that actors (those who don't have agents or those who just like to take matters into their own hands) sign up in order to submit themselves for various projects. ActorsAccess is one of the few reputable places that does this, so don't be fooled by MANY of the other websites that claim to offer this service, most of them are scams. Note: Not all projects are open to ActorsAccess members. In fact, the vast majority of breakdowns, including most major ones, are only available to agents. Anyway, there are 2 ways to go about this. You can pay a yearly membership fee or pay $2.00 for ever role you submit to.
I pay the yearly membership fee: $68/year
Photos and Video on ActorsAccess
This is where they really get you. AA allows you to have 2 photos in your profile for free. If you want to add an additional photo, it's $10 per picture! I haven't done this, I only use the 2 free ones. The video part is truly frustrating. First, if you already have a demo reel of your work, you can upload it to AA for $50 for the first minute. If your demo is longer than 1 minute, plan on spending $22 per additional minute!! Now, say down the road you add a clip to your demo reel and want to replace the video on AA, well not so fast it's $22/minute to replace your reel. UGH! This is something that's in the works for me and I will eventually have to pay these outrageous fees. Why is a demo reel important you ask? Well, for one it sells you a lot better than just a still photograph. And second, a HUGE second, is that those actors with a reel in their profile, automatically go to the top of the list of people submitting. So, casting directors will see the people with reels first even if they submitted days after you. And with potentially thousands of people submitting for the same role, it certainly pays to be at the top of the list.
Future costs: $50 for a demo reel, $22 for an additional minute = $72
LACasting:
Exact same service as ActorsAccess with a slightly different set-up. This too has a version that is only available to agents and this is where my commercial agent submits me for things. However, just like AA, it has a service available for actors to self-submit to projects. Since my agent is only for commercials, I need to self submit for TV and film. I recently joined this service because I wanted to make sure I was submitting to everything I could. This membership is monthly, plus fees for pictures and video.
Monthly membership: $9.95/month
Photographs: You get 1 free one. Then if you need to change that picture or add more, they start charging you. $25 for the first additional picture and then $15 per picture after that. = $40
Video: If you want to add your reel, they charge you $5/month. I haven't done this yet.
Backstage West Subscription:
Backstage is a magazine that has lots of entertainment stuff in it, but we primarily use it for auditions. It's mostly for theatre (and much, much bigger in NYC) but there are also some indie and student film auditions here. While they do have a way to submit through their website, often times there is an email address where you send your headshot and resume for an audition. Evan finds a lot of his theatre auditions here.
Monthly online only subscription: $17/mo
Classes:
Of course classes are all different and can vary in quality. In LA, there is absolutely no shortage of people willing to take your money to teach you something. You really have to do your research to make sure you're taking a good class and that it's worth your money. Because I hate to drive, I narrowed my class search to only ones in Burbank. Luckily, I picked 2 that are awesome and very different from each other. Still kinda pricey though.
Eastin Studios: Awesome class tought by a real hollywood veteran. In fact, if you saw Up in the Air, Steve Eastin was the guy who got fired by Anna Kendrick over the computer. He also has an IMDB page that's about 5 pages long. He's awesome and his class is unlike anything I've ever experienced.
I pay: $195 for 4 classes. Classes are once a week. (I've taken a few weeks off from this class because I started another and I am waiting before I spend another two hundred bucks. But I do intend on going back)
Weist Barron Hill: I take a commercial acting class here and I really like it. It teaches everything from the very basics to nailing the audition. I love that I learn things that I just wouldn't think matter that actually affect casting decisions.
I pay: $225 for 10 classes. Classes are once a week.
Other things I could pay for, but I refuse...at least I refuse right now:
-Casting Director Showcases: this is where you go and perform in front of casting directors and sometimes agents in order to be seen. Who knows if the people attending this things are legit, but they are everywhere and they charge actors anywhere from $100-300 to attend!
-Dues Paying Memberships at Theatres: There seem to be a lot of theatre's around that have memberships. This means there is this pool of actors that are considered for each show because they PAY to be a part of the membership. This is insane to me. If it guaranteed me a role, then maybe I'd pay a tiny amount, but just to be considered? You've got to be kidding me.
-Then of course are all the super scammy agents and managers that require you to take their classes, use their photographers and so on (to get a kick-back of course) and then take much more than the usual 10% agents take from the work you book. And yes, I have been approached by these people. Thankfully, I've done my research and know to stay far away.
Then there are the other miscellaneous things like gas, parking, postage (mailing headshots to agents, casting directors, etc) and whatever else that will certainly add up. Speaking of add up, let's get a total, shall we? So since I've been in LA here is what I've spent:
GRAND TOTAL: $848.00! (not including future costs to add my reel)
And let's remember that I've only been here 6 months. There are people that have been at it for decades! So where has all this blown cash gotten me...absolutely NO WHERE!! I have not had 1 real audition since I've been out here. In fact, I've only auditioned for 2 things: a student film and some random indie where I was the only one who showed up. And the sad part is, that this is how it's done. Until you have any real credits, no agent will look at you. And you can't get any real credits without doing all the things I've been doing. Well unless you are the son or daughter of a celebrity or just insanely lucky. Sigh...and when you think that it costs crazy amounts of money just to live in CA and there are thousands, upon thousands of gorgeous and talented people competing against you, it's really easy to get depressed and bitter quick. I'm not down and out quite yet, but putting all the costs and (lack of) rewards down really puts things in perspective. Ugh. Someday when I book a national commercial that pays $2,000 for a day's work, then I'm sure my tune will change. :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
An Evan Adventure: The California DMV...bum Bum THUD.
Hi, I'm Evan. Linda's husband and lifecoach. I thought I'd take over Linda's blog for a moment and recount my day(s) at the DMV for your reading pleasure. It's funny in the last line of Linda's DMV blog, she mentions "horror stories." This is one of them. Here's my DMV (in Glendale) experience:
• I scheduled my DMV appointment for 2:20pm on Monday.
• I arrive at the DMV at 2:10pm. I drive around for a literal 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot.
•Meanwhile, I have never seen worse driving then I do when I visit the DMV. People are cutting other people off, going the wrong way down one-way isles, not signaling, road rage, etc. I think the DMV should have a camera on the parking lot and automatically fail anyone who is being an idiot. There would be a lot of fails.
• I finally find a spot, on the street, about 3 blocks away from the office.
•I finally get in the appointment holder line at about 2:40pm. I'm given a license form to fill out and get my ticket; A029.
• While, I'm waiting, I overhear that the computers are down so there will be a slight hold up. This is a reoccurring theme with the Glendale DMV.
•I try to figure out the order in which they are calling numbers. The numbers are labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J (no I, for some reason). G's got called at a higher frequency than any other number. There was a good 30 minutes between them calling A028 and my number, A029.
•I make note that no one around me is speaking English.
•After an hour or so (at 3:40pm), my number is called.
•I tell the lady I need to get California plates and get a California license.
•Time for the eye exam. I cover my left eye. I read the sign perfectly. I cover my right eye and briefly can't figure out why I'm having trouble seeing the sign. Is my left eye that much worse than my right, even with glasses on? No, you idiot. You still have your left eye closed. Ah. That's better. I am stupid.
•The lady informs me that the written driver's exam will stop testing at 4pm. So I have less than 20 minutes to get in line to take my picture and get in another line to take the test. Super.
•Also, since I am registering my car, she tells me I need to have it inspected by one of their people. Only they stop the inspections at 4:30pm. So assuming I get into the driver's test before 4pm, I have to take the test and then go walk 3 blocks to retrieve my car and bring it back to the building all within a half hour.
•I get in line to get my photo taken. The line, to my surprise, moves fairly quick.
•They tell me to take my glasses off for the photo. I've always found this odd since I am legally required to drive with my glasses on. Plus, it's my signature look.
•I get in line for the test. By this point it's minutes away from closing, but I make it in it! A few of the poor saps behind me, do not.
•The test facilitator (with a clear disdain for humanity) gives me the two-sided test and marks the back with a green line. Maybe he explained what that line was, but if he did, his accent (combined with his vocal apathy) prevented me from understanding.
•Like Linda I had studied using their (deceitful) practice test on their website. And after Linda told me about her test, I knew their was a good chance I wouldn't pass.
•The first side was easy. I thought to myself, maybe I'll pass after all! Then I got to the back side (with the green line through it). The questions were so vague and ambiguous that I didn't know what to choose. For example, one question talked about a scenario with a man and a white cane. It took me at least 5 minutes to figure out that he's a blind man! I thought he might be a stylish and sighted pedestrian who carries a white cane. No where does it say the word "blind" in the question. Is that not P.C?
•I finish, not feeling great about the ordeal, and get in line to hand in my test. I look at the clock. It's 4:25pm. I know I'm going to have to comeback tomorrow and start my registration process all over again. Joy.
•While in line, I notice other people have green lines through their tests. I also notice that those people didn't fill out the answers on that side. Does that mean I didn't need to do that side? Cuz that would be great. That side sucked.
•I get to the front and he starts grading. I miss 1 one the first side and he throws the test away. Huh. Maybe I didn't need to do the back side after all! Cuz, again, that side sucked.
•He looks at his computer, furrows his eyebrows, and pulls my test out of the trash. He flips it over to side two. Curses. I can't look. I can hear him making marks. He turns the test over, and puts an illegible number (letter?) on my test and throws it away again. I assume I passed, since he didn't tell me to come back tomorrow. It would've helped if the man actually cared enough to speak to me.
(As a side note, obviously the DMV doesn't care about you knowing the answers to these tests, otherwise he would told me which ones I missed.)
• The guy prints out my temporary license and sends me on my way (not with words though, as he still wasn't speaking to me).
• It's now 4:45pm. I head out the door deading that I have to return to the DMV the next day. This time, without an appointment.
• It's Tuesday. I get to the DMV 9am and go straight to the area where they do the VIN # inspections. The inspection goes quick. Apparently I should have done this the first thing yesterday. Would've been nice to know.
• Not bothering with the parking lot, I head 3 blocks away to my "usual" spot.
• I get in line with the non-appointment people at 9:30am.
• I get my number, B068, at 9:50am. I look at the screen to see the numbers and see that B017 had just been called. This can't be good.
•Uh-oh. Computers went down again. Big surprise, Glendale!
•I wait an hour and a half before a lady (who just arrived) sits down next to me and we start chatting. She tells me her number is J015. They just called J014. We figure out that the J's must be for people with a handicap and are called at a higher frequency for some reason. Within a half hour, they call her number and she is helped. Handicap people have all the luck!
•There's a lady doing a Holy Bible Crossword puzzle.
•At 12:50pm, 3 hours after I got my number, they call me up. I hand them my stuff.
•The guy has an issue because some of the things on my form are crossed out and corrected. I explain that the lady yesterday told me to intial it, and it would be okay. He said "I'm not her." Okaaay. It's going to be one those.
•He checks with is manager, and she says my chicken strach is fine. He processes the paperwork. I pay him a large sum of money, he hands my plates and I am on my way out.
Success?
I'd like to address a few points of the last paragraph of Linda's DMV blog:
-No, Linda, registering your car isn't just paperwork. It's a suckfest.
-Sometimes you have to go in without an appointment. When you do, it's a suckfest.
-No body likes spending time at the DMV . It's a suckfest, after all.
-It took you an hour? Hooray for you? Pfft. I'm not being your life coach any more.
Respectfully submitted,
Evan Gray Marquez
• I scheduled my DMV appointment for 2:20pm on Monday.
• I arrive at the DMV at 2:10pm. I drive around for a literal 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot.
•Meanwhile, I have never seen worse driving then I do when I visit the DMV. People are cutting other people off, going the wrong way down one-way isles, not signaling, road rage, etc. I think the DMV should have a camera on the parking lot and automatically fail anyone who is being an idiot. There would be a lot of fails.
• I finally find a spot, on the street, about 3 blocks away from the office.
•I finally get in the appointment holder line at about 2:40pm. I'm given a license form to fill out and get my ticket; A029.
• While, I'm waiting, I overhear that the computers are down so there will be a slight hold up. This is a reoccurring theme with the Glendale DMV.
•I try to figure out the order in which they are calling numbers. The numbers are labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J (no I, for some reason). G's got called at a higher frequency than any other number. There was a good 30 minutes between them calling A028 and my number, A029.
•I make note that no one around me is speaking English.
•After an hour or so (at 3:40pm), my number is called.
•I tell the lady I need to get California plates and get a California license.
•Time for the eye exam. I cover my left eye. I read the sign perfectly. I cover my right eye and briefly can't figure out why I'm having trouble seeing the sign. Is my left eye that much worse than my right, even with glasses on? No, you idiot. You still have your left eye closed. Ah. That's better. I am stupid.
•The lady informs me that the written driver's exam will stop testing at 4pm. So I have less than 20 minutes to get in line to take my picture and get in another line to take the test. Super.
•Also, since I am registering my car, she tells me I need to have it inspected by one of their people. Only they stop the inspections at 4:30pm. So assuming I get into the driver's test before 4pm, I have to take the test and then go walk 3 blocks to retrieve my car and bring it back to the building all within a half hour.
•I get in line to get my photo taken. The line, to my surprise, moves fairly quick.
•They tell me to take my glasses off for the photo. I've always found this odd since I am legally required to drive with my glasses on. Plus, it's my signature look.
•I get in line for the test. By this point it's minutes away from closing, but I make it in it! A few of the poor saps behind me, do not.
•The test facilitator (with a clear disdain for humanity) gives me the two-sided test and marks the back with a green line. Maybe he explained what that line was, but if he did, his accent (combined with his vocal apathy) prevented me from understanding.
•Like Linda I had studied using their (deceitful) practice test on their website. And after Linda told me about her test, I knew their was a good chance I wouldn't pass.
•The first side was easy. I thought to myself, maybe I'll pass after all! Then I got to the back side (with the green line through it). The questions were so vague and ambiguous that I didn't know what to choose. For example, one question talked about a scenario with a man and a white cane. It took me at least 5 minutes to figure out that he's a blind man! I thought he might be a stylish and sighted pedestrian who carries a white cane. No where does it say the word "blind" in the question. Is that not P.C?
•I finish, not feeling great about the ordeal, and get in line to hand in my test. I look at the clock. It's 4:25pm. I know I'm going to have to comeback tomorrow and start my registration process all over again. Joy.
•While in line, I notice other people have green lines through their tests. I also notice that those people didn't fill out the answers on that side. Does that mean I didn't need to do that side? Cuz that would be great. That side sucked.
•I get to the front and he starts grading. I miss 1 one the first side and he throws the test away. Huh. Maybe I didn't need to do the back side after all! Cuz, again, that side sucked.
•He looks at his computer, furrows his eyebrows, and pulls my test out of the trash. He flips it over to side two. Curses. I can't look. I can hear him making marks. He turns the test over, and puts an illegible number (letter?) on my test and throws it away again. I assume I passed, since he didn't tell me to come back tomorrow. It would've helped if the man actually cared enough to speak to me.
(As a side note, obviously the DMV doesn't care about you knowing the answers to these tests, otherwise he would told me which ones I missed.)
• The guy prints out my temporary license and sends me on my way (not with words though, as he still wasn't speaking to me).
• It's now 4:45pm. I head out the door deading that I have to return to the DMV the next day. This time, without an appointment.
• It's Tuesday. I get to the DMV 9am and go straight to the area where they do the VIN # inspections. The inspection goes quick. Apparently I should have done this the first thing yesterday. Would've been nice to know.
• Not bothering with the parking lot, I head 3 blocks away to my "usual" spot.
• I get in line with the non-appointment people at 9:30am.
• I get my number, B068, at 9:50am. I look at the screen to see the numbers and see that B017 had just been called. This can't be good.
•Uh-oh. Computers went down again. Big surprise, Glendale!
•I wait an hour and a half before a lady (who just arrived) sits down next to me and we start chatting. She tells me her number is J015. They just called J014. We figure out that the J's must be for people with a handicap and are called at a higher frequency for some reason. Within a half hour, they call her number and she is helped. Handicap people have all the luck!
•There's a lady doing a Holy Bible Crossword puzzle.
•At 12:50pm, 3 hours after I got my number, they call me up. I hand them my stuff.
•The guy has an issue because some of the things on my form are crossed out and corrected. I explain that the lady yesterday told me to intial it, and it would be okay. He said "I'm not her." Okaaay. It's going to be one those.
•He checks with is manager, and she says my chicken strach is fine. He processes the paperwork. I pay him a large sum of money, he hands my plates and I am on my way out.
Success?
I'd like to address a few points of the last paragraph of Linda's DMV blog:
-No, Linda, registering your car isn't just paperwork. It's a suckfest.
-Sometimes you have to go in without an appointment. When you do, it's a suckfest.
-No body likes spending time at the DMV . It's a suckfest, after all.
-It took you an hour? Hooray for you? Pfft. I'm not being your life coach any more.
Respectfully submitted,
Evan Gray Marquez
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The California DMV...bum Bum BUM!
Some of you may recall a few months ago that Evan and I tried to go to the DMV 3 times. Each time we went, over a course of 2 weeks, the computers were down. Then, Evan had an appointment to go a 4th time, but that morning my car died and he had to come rescue me from the side of the road and he couldn't make his DMV appt. So, needless to say, the DMV was kinda on our bad side. Well, finally I had my 4th DMV appointment this past Tuesday. Maybe I should back up. Appointment you say? Yup, here in jolly California, you can get appointments to the DMV. Because there are so many damn people here, they figured out that people didn't have a day to waste at the DMV and they set up the appointment system. I give it a thumbs up! And here's my DMV (in Van Nuys) experience.
• I scheduled my DMV appointment for 8am (the time they open) on Tuesday
• I arrive at the DMV at 745am to discover a line wrapped around the building.
• Because the DMV wasn't open yet, I just figured this was the line to get in the door.
• I had suspicions that this line wasn't for appointment holders, but I wasn't about to lose my place in line to find out.
• So I wait...around 805am the line starts moving...slowly.
• At 815am I make it to the door where an employee is handing out numbers.
• I tell said employee that I have an appointment. He says, "What are you waiting in line for? Just go through those other doors."
• I think there should be a sign that explains not to wait in line if you have an appt, but nonetheless I merrily step out of line, pass all the suckers still waiting outside and head in.
• Lo and behold, there is a little sign inside that says "Appointments Only" right next to one that says "No Appointments" (with the line wrapped around the building). So I bounce right up to the Appointment counter because no one else is there.
• I explain that I'm there to transfer my out of state license. He hands me a form to fill out and attaches a number to my form.
• I turn around to discover that every chair and every bit of counter space to fill out forms is taken…or completely over crowded. Luckily I had my handy dandy planner and used it to fill out the form while kinda standing in the way of everyone else.
• I get as far as filling out my address and my number is called. Sweet! Off to the desk I go. I tell the lady I’m not done filling things out so she says just fill it out here and I’ll wait. Ok cool.
• So I fill out the form and I was writing so fast that I can’t guarantee that I didn’t accidentally check Republican in the voter registration box and I hand it in.
• She asks for my passport and CO license, I take an eye exam, pay $31 and I was sent to get my picture taken.
• I was shocked to discover that no one else was in line at the camera so I stepped right up, said cheese and that was done.
• Then, it was time to take the written test and this is where it gets difficult.
• It is now 830am. The DMV website has 5 practice tests to help you prepare for the written exam. Well, they didn’t do a damn bit of good. The test was HARD and I’ve been driving for a decade now!
• As a new CA driver, I could only miss 6 out of 30 questions and still pass. You really have to read the test carefully because the multiple choice answers are all worded to sound correct. The test takes me a good 40 minutes to complete and double check.
• So now I’m waiting in line to have the test graded. There are 2 people in front of me. 1st guy: Misses so many on the first side of the test that the guy doesn’t even grade the rest – FAIL. The girl right in front of me: Misses 8 questions – FAIL. Now it’s my turn and I’m nervous. If you fail the written test you have to come back the next day to take it again. I only miss 3!! I don’t know how that happened, but I guess I’m a lucky guesser!!
• The guy prints out my temporary license, punches a hole in my CO one and off I go! I step out of the DMV which is CRAWLING with people and still has a line wrapped around the building at 915am.
SUCCESS! Now of course I still have to go back one more time to register my car, but that’s just paperwork. What I can’t understand is why hundreds of people don’t try to get appointments! It’s not hard, just go to the website, select a date and time and that’s it. Maybe people just really like spending time at the DMV out here. I’m still kind of amazed that it only took me an hour considering all the horror stories I’ve heard. Hooray for me!
• I scheduled my DMV appointment for 8am (the time they open) on Tuesday
• I arrive at the DMV at 745am to discover a line wrapped around the building.
• Because the DMV wasn't open yet, I just figured this was the line to get in the door.
• I had suspicions that this line wasn't for appointment holders, but I wasn't about to lose my place in line to find out.
• So I wait...around 805am the line starts moving...slowly.
• At 815am I make it to the door where an employee is handing out numbers.
• I tell said employee that I have an appointment. He says, "What are you waiting in line for? Just go through those other doors."
• I think there should be a sign that explains not to wait in line if you have an appt, but nonetheless I merrily step out of line, pass all the suckers still waiting outside and head in.
• Lo and behold, there is a little sign inside that says "Appointments Only" right next to one that says "No Appointments" (with the line wrapped around the building). So I bounce right up to the Appointment counter because no one else is there.
• I explain that I'm there to transfer my out of state license. He hands me a form to fill out and attaches a number to my form.
• I turn around to discover that every chair and every bit of counter space to fill out forms is taken…or completely over crowded. Luckily I had my handy dandy planner and used it to fill out the form while kinda standing in the way of everyone else.
• I get as far as filling out my address and my number is called. Sweet! Off to the desk I go. I tell the lady I’m not done filling things out so she says just fill it out here and I’ll wait. Ok cool.
• So I fill out the form and I was writing so fast that I can’t guarantee that I didn’t accidentally check Republican in the voter registration box and I hand it in.
• She asks for my passport and CO license, I take an eye exam, pay $31 and I was sent to get my picture taken.
• I was shocked to discover that no one else was in line at the camera so I stepped right up, said cheese and that was done.
• Then, it was time to take the written test and this is where it gets difficult.
• It is now 830am. The DMV website has 5 practice tests to help you prepare for the written exam. Well, they didn’t do a damn bit of good. The test was HARD and I’ve been driving for a decade now!
• As a new CA driver, I could only miss 6 out of 30 questions and still pass. You really have to read the test carefully because the multiple choice answers are all worded to sound correct. The test takes me a good 40 minutes to complete and double check.
• So now I’m waiting in line to have the test graded. There are 2 people in front of me. 1st guy: Misses so many on the first side of the test that the guy doesn’t even grade the rest – FAIL. The girl right in front of me: Misses 8 questions – FAIL. Now it’s my turn and I’m nervous. If you fail the written test you have to come back the next day to take it again. I only miss 3!! I don’t know how that happened, but I guess I’m a lucky guesser!!
• The guy prints out my temporary license, punches a hole in my CO one and off I go! I step out of the DMV which is CRAWLING with people and still has a line wrapped around the building at 915am.
SUCCESS! Now of course I still have to go back one more time to register my car, but that’s just paperwork. What I can’t understand is why hundreds of people don’t try to get appointments! It’s not hard, just go to the website, select a date and time and that’s it. Maybe people just really like spending time at the DMV out here. I’m still kind of amazed that it only took me an hour considering all the horror stories I’ve heard. Hooray for me!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Oscar Quick Picks
So I kinda waited till the last minute on this one, but it's tradition, so here are my Oscar quick picks. And since time is of the essence and I gots things to do, no explanations, just the winners.
Best Picture: Avatar
Best Director: James Cameron
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (ok personally, I'm routing for Merryl, but I think Sandra might win due to the america's sweetheart effect)
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
Best Animated Picture: Up (Evan thinks this might not win because it is also up for Best Picture which might split the votes. Since it's up for the other category, people might think another animated movie should win this category)
I thinking I might score 100% this year, so we'll find out tonight.
Best Picture: Avatar
Best Director: James Cameron
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (ok personally, I'm routing for Merryl, but I think Sandra might win due to the america's sweetheart effect)
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
Best Animated Picture: Up (Evan thinks this might not win because it is also up for Best Picture which might split the votes. Since it's up for the other category, people might think another animated movie should win this category)
I thinking I might score 100% this year, so we'll find out tonight.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Su-Burbank-ia
I now live in Burbank, CA. And yes, there will be people reading that who will say, "WHAT?! You moved to California??? When did that happen?!" Well, catch up people! And for the rest of you loyal followers, I will now regale you with all sorts of wondrous details about my new form of suburbia.
• Burbank is by far the best town to live in California. So suck it, Beverly Hills!
• We have a Target here! That was actually a requirement before we moved to a new city.
• We live next to grocery store called VONS. It is the same thing as a Safeway, but for some reason they only had room for 4 letters on their sign and why they picked V-O-N and S is beyond me.
• There is also not 1, not 2, but 3 AMC movie theatres in Burbank. Movies are $12 here, unless you go before noon and it’s only $6.
• We have a cute little main street called Magnolia Boulevard. Lots of interesting stores and restaurants. Also for anyone who saw the movie “Valentine’s Day”, Ashton Kutcher’s flower shop was an empty store on Magnolia Blvd. If you look closely out the window and across the street you will the restaurant, Pinocchio’s. We haven’t eaten there yet, but we intend to.
• We have this restaurant called Porto’s. Well, it’s more of a bakery that also sells sandwiches and what not. People go ape shit for this place! It is ALWAYS packed. I don’t really get it, I don’t think it’s that great. However, I haven’t had any of their bakery stuff yet which I suspect is the key to their magic.
• We have an airport in Burbank! It’s small and quiet and I happen to be a fan of it. So if you ever come and visit us, fly into Burbank. LAX (and driving to stupid LAX) sucks.
• I get my eyebrows waxed at a place called Wax Poetic. My lady’s name is Michelle.
• We also have this super sweet candy store called Rocket Fizz. It has every candy you could ever want as well as a vast variety of strange and unusual sodas.
• Burbank does NOT have a Chili’s or an Applebee’s. This annoys me.
• There are, however, quite an abundance of Taco Bells.
• There are a lot of crazy squirrels that live around our apartment building. We think they are planning some kind of a coup.
• And now that we live in Burbank, we are told it got at least 2% awesomer.
Well I guess that’s all for now. Oh, did I mention that it doesn’t snow here and it’s been around 60-70 degrees every day this “winter?” Mwahahahaha!
• Burbank is by far the best town to live in California. So suck it, Beverly Hills!
• We have a Target here! That was actually a requirement before we moved to a new city.
• We live next to grocery store called VONS. It is the same thing as a Safeway, but for some reason they only had room for 4 letters on their sign and why they picked V-O-N and S is beyond me.
• There is also not 1, not 2, but 3 AMC movie theatres in Burbank. Movies are $12 here, unless you go before noon and it’s only $6.
• We have a cute little main street called Magnolia Boulevard. Lots of interesting stores and restaurants. Also for anyone who saw the movie “Valentine’s Day”, Ashton Kutcher’s flower shop was an empty store on Magnolia Blvd. If you look closely out the window and across the street you will the restaurant, Pinocchio’s. We haven’t eaten there yet, but we intend to.
• We have this restaurant called Porto’s. Well, it’s more of a bakery that also sells sandwiches and what not. People go ape shit for this place! It is ALWAYS packed. I don’t really get it, I don’t think it’s that great. However, I haven’t had any of their bakery stuff yet which I suspect is the key to their magic.
• We have an airport in Burbank! It’s small and quiet and I happen to be a fan of it. So if you ever come and visit us, fly into Burbank. LAX (and driving to stupid LAX) sucks.
• I get my eyebrows waxed at a place called Wax Poetic. My lady’s name is Michelle.
• We also have this super sweet candy store called Rocket Fizz. It has every candy you could ever want as well as a vast variety of strange and unusual sodas.
• Burbank does NOT have a Chili’s or an Applebee’s. This annoys me.
• There are, however, quite an abundance of Taco Bells.
• There are a lot of crazy squirrels that live around our apartment building. We think they are planning some kind of a coup.
• And now that we live in Burbank, we are told it got at least 2% awesomer.
Well I guess that’s all for now. Oh, did I mention that it doesn’t snow here and it’s been around 60-70 degrees every day this “winter?” Mwahahahaha!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Celebrity Watch
So now that we live in the entertainment capital of the world, we have had the pleasure of seeing celebrities in their natural habitat. Below is a list of those we've seen...and yes, we are taking some liberty with the word "celebrity."
Efren Ramirez - Best known as Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite. He actually works at an antique store here in Burbank.
Smitty (Martin Smith) - Best known as Jay Leno's Drummer. Saw him at a Hooter's
Rico Rodriguez - Best known as Manny from the tv show Modern Family. He was shopping with his family at the Burbank Town Center.
Chef Gordon Ramsay - From the tv show Hells Kitchen. He was walking into a Pinkberry as we were walking out.
Peter Facinelli - Best known as Carlisle Cullen from Twilight. He was standing in an alcove talking on his phone at the Glendale Americana.
James Marsden - Best know from a lot of things, but to me as Cyclops from X-men or Corny Collins from Hairspray. He was shopping in our local grocery store.
Len Lesser - Best known as Uncle Leo from Seinfeld. He, too, was shopping at our local grocery store.
Jay Leno - Best known as ruining Conan's career. He was driving down the street in Burbank in some really, really old car.
James Hong - Best known (to Evan) as Tia Carrere's dad in Wayne's World 2. He was a patron at Evan's play.
Kathy Baker - Best known (to me) as Jennifer Garner's mom in 13 Going on 30. She sat right in front of us at last night's production of Noises Off.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Decision Making 101
So I’m pretty sure I suck at decision making. I don’t know why, but I just do. I try really hard to not suck at it, but in the end I seem to make the wrong choice. This is nevermore apparent as in the grocery store or at Target. No matter what, I always end up choosing the line with the person returning 12 items, writing a personal check or filling out the form for a store credit card. This happens if I pick the shortest line or the longest line. I seem to always manage to pick the line that is going to take me the longest.
With big decisions, I take my time and reason it all the way through. I try to balance my gut feelings with common sense and rationale. I compute things, make lists and conjure up different scenarios and consequences. And just when I think I have it all figured out and make the decision, I am suddenly overcome with the feeling that I screwed up. Evan is constantly telling me how my brain and my heart never seem to play nice with each other and I have to agree. There is constant conflict between the two and I’m never quite sure who wins.
Case in point: I recently accepted and started a full-time position. Let me provide a little background…I was laid off from my job in CO in October and had severance through the end of the year. Score! So during that time I was looking for jobs in CA everyday. Because I wanted to try the acting thing, I was really focusing on part-time design or marketing work. Well, part-time jobs proved to be few and far between (except in retail and restaurants, but I wasn’t ready to go there yet), so I started applying for everything. In mid-January, I received a job offer…scratch that, I received TWO job offers…on the same day…within hours of each other.
Now, the first job I was offered was awesome. It was doing marketing for a local cupcake shop. It was nearby (like 2 minutes away), a casual work environment and, hello, they make cupcakes!! The job was also part-time…well, part time in terms of hours, but it would still swallow up most of the week (9-330pm M-F). The only drawback…it paid like crap. Like a buck or two more an hour than I made as an intern about 7 years ago. Ugh, I wasn’t happy with the pay to say the least, especially living in CA where everything is so damn expensive. But since nothing else was coming along after applying to something like 100 or so different jobs, and I thought I would kinda like it, I accepted the position.
Flash forward to about 1 hour and 45 minutes after I accepted the cupcake job. I receive a call from a job I interviewed for back in December. They called and offered me a full time marketing and communications job for about what I was making at my job in CO – and nearly twice the amount of the cupcake job plus more hours and benefits. So, thinking solely of the money and the fact that I like to eat, I withdrew my acceptance of the cupcake job and here I sit at my 40 hour a week job that’s 30+ minutes away, only has casual dress on Fridays and, needless to say, they don’t make cupcakes.
Aaaannd…here I am, again, certain that I made the wrong decision. My heart wanted the cupcake job, but my brain and my wallet made me accept the other. UGH! Why do I always do this?! So, now I’m somewhat miserable. This week alone I drove by 2 major filming operations on the street in Burbank on my way to work. I couldn’t help but see the symbolism in driving far away from the true thing I want to do with my life to go to work. Not like I wouldn’t have drove by them if I was going to the cupcake job, but at least I could have drowned my sorrows in some butter cream. [Insert stuff here about current job that I'm not supposed to talk about on the internet because Evan doesn't want me to get fired] And it’s nobody’s fault by my own. One day I’ll get it right…I hope. But for now there are only a handful of major decisions that I know were right…
• Deciding it was time to wear a bra after my sister told me I needed one
• Quitting soccer after 10 years to focus on drama and choir in high school
• Deciding to live in the dorms my first year in college and meeting my best friend, Marisa
• Marrying Evan
• Choosing Disney World for our honeymoon – seriously, THE BEST vacation ever!
• Witnessing my niece being born. (Technically this decision was made for me, but hey, I didn’t go screaming out of the room when they ripped my her from my sister’s abdomen)
Hopefully, one day I can add moving to California to this list, but right now that’s still up in the air… Dang this was a long post. I should add a picture of something…
With big decisions, I take my time and reason it all the way through. I try to balance my gut feelings with common sense and rationale. I compute things, make lists and conjure up different scenarios and consequences. And just when I think I have it all figured out and make the decision, I am suddenly overcome with the feeling that I screwed up. Evan is constantly telling me how my brain and my heart never seem to play nice with each other and I have to agree. There is constant conflict between the two and I’m never quite sure who wins.
Case in point: I recently accepted and started a full-time position. Let me provide a little background…I was laid off from my job in CO in October and had severance through the end of the year. Score! So during that time I was looking for jobs in CA everyday. Because I wanted to try the acting thing, I was really focusing on part-time design or marketing work. Well, part-time jobs proved to be few and far between (except in retail and restaurants, but I wasn’t ready to go there yet), so I started applying for everything. In mid-January, I received a job offer…scratch that, I received TWO job offers…on the same day…within hours of each other.
Now, the first job I was offered was awesome. It was doing marketing for a local cupcake shop. It was nearby (like 2 minutes away), a casual work environment and, hello, they make cupcakes!! The job was also part-time…well, part time in terms of hours, but it would still swallow up most of the week (9-330pm M-F). The only drawback…it paid like crap. Like a buck or two more an hour than I made as an intern about 7 years ago. Ugh, I wasn’t happy with the pay to say the least, especially living in CA where everything is so damn expensive. But since nothing else was coming along after applying to something like 100 or so different jobs, and I thought I would kinda like it, I accepted the position.
Flash forward to about 1 hour and 45 minutes after I accepted the cupcake job. I receive a call from a job I interviewed for back in December. They called and offered me a full time marketing and communications job for about what I was making at my job in CO – and nearly twice the amount of the cupcake job plus more hours and benefits. So, thinking solely of the money and the fact that I like to eat, I withdrew my acceptance of the cupcake job and here I sit at my 40 hour a week job that’s 30+ minutes away, only has casual dress on Fridays and, needless to say, they don’t make cupcakes.
Aaaannd…here I am, again, certain that I made the wrong decision. My heart wanted the cupcake job, but my brain and my wallet made me accept the other. UGH! Why do I always do this?! So, now I’m somewhat miserable. This week alone I drove by 2 major filming operations on the street in Burbank on my way to work. I couldn’t help but see the symbolism in driving far away from the true thing I want to do with my life to go to work. Not like I wouldn’t have drove by them if I was going to the cupcake job, but at least I could have drowned my sorrows in some butter cream. [Insert stuff here about current job that I'm not supposed to talk about on the internet because Evan doesn't want me to get fired] And it’s nobody’s fault by my own. One day I’ll get it right…I hope. But for now there are only a handful of major decisions that I know were right…
• Deciding it was time to wear a bra after my sister told me I needed one
• Quitting soccer after 10 years to focus on drama and choir in high school
• Deciding to live in the dorms my first year in college and meeting my best friend, Marisa
• Marrying Evan
• Choosing Disney World for our honeymoon – seriously, THE BEST vacation ever!
• Witnessing my niece being born. (Technically this decision was made for me, but hey, I didn’t go screaming out of the room when they ripped my her from my sister’s abdomen)
Hopefully, one day I can add moving to California to this list, but right now that’s still up in the air… Dang this was a long post. I should add a picture of something…
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Rain + LA Drivers = Craziness
yup....another post about CA drivers.
One of the reasons why we moved to LA was because I wanted warm weather. I grew up in CO and always HATED the snow and cold. Also, the thought of driving in the snow would make me so nervous and stressed that I would become physically ill. Even after 10 years of driving in snow, I never got used to it. However, if you go slow, don't freak out and just hope and pray there isn't another car when you go sliding around a corner, you do ok. Maybe all this driving in snow has made Coloradans better drivers because when summer rolls around and it's raining, it doesn't seem to affect drivers at all. However, out here in the big LA, it never snows so when it rains, hold on to your hats because things are gonna get crazy!
As soon as the first drop of rain falls from the sky, people start flipping their cars and running over pedestrians. Maybe this hysteria is fueled by the media as a rain storm prompts several "STORM WATCH 2010!!" Let's just say that I've never seen so many people freak the frack out over rain! CA drivers suck on dry roads, so it's no surprise that a little rain screws people up. Here are a few examples I've seen on the news...all caused by rain.
-A car flipped upside down on an off ramp. And no else was involved in the accident. Now that takes talent.
-A 5 car pileup on the freeway.
-And last night, someone in hollywood ran over a pedestrian and then crashed into a light post. The pedestrian had to have her leg amputated. And quoted from the news, "speed, alcohol and drugs were not involved." It was just the rain.
I would hate to see what would happen if it actually snowed here. It would be like an apocalypse and the end of Los Angeles as we know it.
One of the reasons why we moved to LA was because I wanted warm weather. I grew up in CO and always HATED the snow and cold. Also, the thought of driving in the snow would make me so nervous and stressed that I would become physically ill. Even after 10 years of driving in snow, I never got used to it. However, if you go slow, don't freak out and just hope and pray there isn't another car when you go sliding around a corner, you do ok. Maybe all this driving in snow has made Coloradans better drivers because when summer rolls around and it's raining, it doesn't seem to affect drivers at all. However, out here in the big LA, it never snows so when it rains, hold on to your hats because things are gonna get crazy!
As soon as the first drop of rain falls from the sky, people start flipping their cars and running over pedestrians. Maybe this hysteria is fueled by the media as a rain storm prompts several "STORM WATCH 2010!!" Let's just say that I've never seen so many people freak the frack out over rain! CA drivers suck on dry roads, so it's no surprise that a little rain screws people up. Here are a few examples I've seen on the news...all caused by rain.
-A car flipped upside down on an off ramp. And no else was involved in the accident. Now that takes talent.
-A 5 car pileup on the freeway.
-And last night, someone in hollywood ran over a pedestrian and then crashed into a light post. The pedestrian had to have her leg amputated. And quoted from the news, "speed, alcohol and drugs were not involved." It was just the rain.
I would hate to see what would happen if it actually snowed here. It would be like an apocalypse and the end of Los Angeles as we know it.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
California: (Almost) 3 Months In
February 5th will mark the 3 month anniversary of moving to California. It has been the longest 3 months of my life. In the past 3 months we have moved away from all of our family and friends, I struggled to find a job, I have failed to get any auditions, have yet to sign up for an acting class because they are damn expensive, and I spent thousands of dollars to get to this point. It's frustrating to know that everything you've hoped and dreamt of is right there in front of you, so close you could reach out and touch it. Except whenever you reach out, your hand slams into wall with a large sign saying "Wrong Way. Do Not Enter!"
So, after a few bruised fingers, that practical side of my brain starts to completely take over. Consequently, I have now accepted a full-time job which pretty much makes it impossible for me to try to act, but hey, it pays the bills. And to be honest, it's nice to have something more to do during the day than just sitting and watching tv. Also, now that I'm making good money again, I can sign up for an acting class. But I just stuggle with the fact that I could do this type of job in Colorado, so why the hell am I in California?! Why be here away from everyone we love and everything we've ever known when I'm not even pursuing what I came here to pursue.
I just have to believe that everything happens for a reason and it all will work out the way it's supposed to. I knew it was gonna be hard and I knew that I was going to struggle. I just wish there was some sort of clear sign that I was at least on the right track. Oh and I'm impatient, so that sign better hurry the hell up. Ugh.
So, after a few bruised fingers, that practical side of my brain starts to completely take over. Consequently, I have now accepted a full-time job which pretty much makes it impossible for me to try to act, but hey, it pays the bills. And to be honest, it's nice to have something more to do during the day than just sitting and watching tv. Also, now that I'm making good money again, I can sign up for an acting class. But I just stuggle with the fact that I could do this type of job in Colorado, so why the hell am I in California?! Why be here away from everyone we love and everything we've ever known when I'm not even pursuing what I came here to pursue.
I just have to believe that everything happens for a reason and it all will work out the way it's supposed to. I knew it was gonna be hard and I knew that I was going to struggle. I just wish there was some sort of clear sign that I was at least on the right track. Oh and I'm impatient, so that sign better hurry the hell up. Ugh.
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