Here it is...

http://adriaoccasionally.wordpress.com/



See you over there!

Adria

Big News

I'm switching, guys. Don't get scared! I'm switching to WordPress and I have a new web address and a new title, but it's still me! And all these posts will still be there!

I'm not even going to give you the address yet, because I want this to sink in. This blog will still be up, but I won't be writing here anymore. This is a very sad day for all of us, but I promise we can continue our relationship! Think of it like a good friend who used to live in the blue house on the corner, and that was where you went if you needed her, and she was always there, but now she got a better job, and started riding her bike everywhere and he moved to a great new loft downtown, with exposed brick walls and free street parking. You might not like having to go somewhere else to find her, but once you learn the fastest way to get there, she'll be waiting for you, with a cold beer and a big bowl of guacamole. Come on in!

In case you feel left out and would like to know what I've been up to, I'll give you the short end of it:
-I'm bad at chopping onions
-My dad and I have been having an email "fight" about Woody Allen quotes. Can someone buy that guy a plane ticket out of 1970s New York? Just kidding, it's awesome.
-I took a yoga class today from a lady who had one of those old-hippie-lady-baby voices that you find in LA. I'm already sore though, so I'll take it.
-I've decided that if you don't pay your medical bills nothing happens. That's what I've decided, so take that foot doctor!

Ciao, and see you on WordPress! I'll post the link tomorrow. Get psyched!

A

We're All Just Dirty Hippies After All...no? maybe just me

Living in LA has completely changed my relationship with nature, and I know that's a cliche thing to say, but I'm seriously always doing outdoorsy activities. I go hiking at least once a week, yesterday I played tennis for the first time in over a year (and my forearm is wondering why I tortured it now), and I try to get to the beach whenever I can. Those of you who know me know that being outside has always been my "jam". When I lived in London I used to sit in a bathing suit on our rooftop in March (seriously...I know), I had to force myself to sit on the dock by the lake in college year-round (even though it was sometimes almost always snowy and -10º), and running along the East River last winter saved me from insanity. But this is different. It's socially acceptable and no one calls me crazy, because its warm enough (sometimes. I mean I'm wearing wool socks and a cashmere sweater on top of my regular sweater to sit on the porch right now, but you know.).

Last week, like I mentioned, I was in Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez Valley and went on quite the hike. We were the only people on the trail and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was talking very loudly after I saw the mountain lion/rattlesnake warning signs, but it was worth it. The top of the mountain (not very high, but right at sea level, so majestic nonetheless) was covered in caves (they are called the Gaviota Wind Caves, in case you want to Google) and you could climb in them and sit or, whatever you want, really, since there's no one else around except the lizards. We sat in the top cave where you could see the surrounding hills and the Pacific and it was one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile (and I've seen some cool things). I have better pictures, but the camera cord for that camera is MIA, so in the meantime:

In addition to all of the nature, life has been pretty full. I spend entirely too much time and energy worrying about this never-ending diet. Today I mostly just wondered how I could convince myself that it'd be okay to eat a croissant for breakfast (I didn't) or a bowl of cereal (I've gone two months without cereal, again, for those of you who know me, that's INSANE) or a bagel, or maybe just a gigantic slice of pizza. I had my first real, important audition yesterday, and I'm sure I won't get it, not because I'm negative, but because I'm realistic, but it's a great stepping stone. Other than that, it's just a lot of work trying to figure out what my life should be shaped like right now, and how to catch up on all of my moving expenses (yes, still).

I've noticed that there's a lot more of you reading than in the past, follow and show some real love, or give me some comments so I know who's out there! Show yourselves, folks! Let's be friends!

A

On Film, Oscar...and falling down.

Once again, I owe an apology to anyone who thinks that this blog is updated "regularly". Life keeps getting in the way, but I promise to try and be more scheduled in the future (as soon as my life evens out a bit).

I was out of town for the past few months days (sometimes I think that my cross-country–holy hell I just wrote "cuntry"...bedtime?–move is just an out of town trip) and I promise I'll write about that little jaunt up to Santa Barbara/Solvang soon, but for the time being, let's talk Oscar.

Now, whether or not you're a fan of watching the show each year or not is irrelevant to this story. I happen to think of the Oscars as my Superbowl, as in even if I'm not a fan of anyone who might win, I'll still watch for the spectacle of it all, not like my biggest night of the year. And not to sound like a whiny Winnie, but the quality of films made in the past few years is akin to the quality of wine I can afford (read: lowbrow). In this harsh economy the movies that studios are investing in tend to be crowd-pleasing, star-studded bore-fests (or plotless action flicks), not new ideas (and no, I don't think that The Kids Are All Right was innovative or forward-thinking, I think that it was a movie that should have been made ten years ago to deserve those accolades, and I understand that it wasn't, which shows its perseverance, but it was full of A-listers and, honestly, full of, appropriate, but still abundant cliches about alternative families, California, and way too much in the way of trendy liberalism–which I'm sure is rooted in honest-to-goodness good intent, but is just too easy for me to buy or care about. PS: I actually kind of liked the movie.) or new faces. Yes, I'm biased because I'm a young actor trying to get her foot in the door in a very incestuous, incredibly self-serving, self-perpetuating, business. And I stress the word business because that is what it is, and what it has to be these days; studios can't lose millions of dollars, because then they lose credibility, and money and power, and no one wants to lose that.

ANYWAY, where I'm going with all of this (do I even remember after that Kids Are All Right rant? Have I mentioned that I love Julianne Moore? Each and every freckle of talent on that woman. And of course Annette...of course. Good God, I need to stop rambling, or just go to sleep) is that I was at these 83rd Annual Academy Awards today. Yes, ma'am, I was on the red carpet, I was at the Kodak Theatre, I was " Ello!"-d by Russell Brand. Was I happy about it? No. Was I wearing shine-able, no-slip black shoes, a tie and unflattering slacks? Yes. Did I feel like I was in a boring episode of Party Down where no one is drunk and the lead character's hangover doesn't come with Lizzie Caplan's dry wit? Fo' sho.

Back it UP and write in sentences not questions, please? Surely. Today I catered the Oscars. I was working at the end of the red carpet holding a [absurdly heavy] tray of Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne. Last night I co-hosted a party at my home and surrounding areas that included a keg of beer, a fire pit, and a plethora of Oreos. This resulted in today's "festivities" including severe liver and kidney pain, headache, and...umm...fatigue? (aka: a hangover). It was also about 50º in LA, which sounds all balmy to those of you stuck in the snow back east, but is really frickin freezing when you're not wearing a jacket or a scarf and you're in an open air building with the wind blasting through and you're carrying a cold aluminum tray, no haters. I'm not trying to be a brat or anything, but I think I'm done with catering here in Hollywood. I have enough other income now that I'm more settled and I honestly just can't stomach the thought of having to, quite literally, serve the people who I want to work alongside (or replace...because we all know that Portman won herself some maternity leave tonight). Maybe that's the wrong attitude, maybe I have to pay my dues, but I don't think so, and I'll tell you this much, I don't plan on stepping one foot on that red carpet ever again, unless I have an invitation and a pair of Louboutins.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's a sign that when I left I nearly killed myself. Briefly: I was running (hey, I was freezing) to my car in the parking garage with such excitement ("IgettoleaveandI'mgonnaorderthaifoodandkickstartthedvrandputonmymansweaterandsweatpants!!") that I didn't even NOTICE the curb separating the parking spots and straight up ATE PAVEMENT flying over it. So...now I have nice abrasions, cuts and bruises on both sides and all extremities of my body. Clumsy, for the win!

Okay, now it really is bedtime. I hope you all enjoyed that journey. (That was too long, huh? Sorry)

A

Blogging and Social Networking...What does it all mean?!

The irony of this article, written for the New York Times yesterday about blogging, lies in the article itself (and almost all articles). The title of the article is "Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter", hmmm, let's blog about it.

For those of you who've managed to make it this far reading, the article basically says that with social networking sites at our fingertips, and all of our friends, family, lovers, ex-lovers, and even pets, already linked in, what's the point of a "long form" blog? If you only read the first few paragraphs of Kopytoff's article, that is what you'll walk away with, but what they're really saying is that blogging and social networking sites can work to aid one another. What's left of substantial "conversation" on the internet is still occurring on blogs (for the most part, obviously news sites aside) but the traffic to these blogs wouldn't be nearly what it is without the ability to self-promote blog posts and the like on sites like Twitter and Facebook.

I, personally, have chosen not to post my blog address on my Facebook and I do not post blog updates on my news feed, but I do Tweet blog updates and have the address listed in my Twitter profile. What's the difference? I'm "friends" with my extended family on Facebook, with people from High School who I haven't communicated with in six or seven years, other than to "accept" their friend request, and with an African stranger who spoke to me on 10th avenue one day, told me that he worked at D'Agostinos and asked for my email address because he needed friends in America. I don't want all of them reading my blog. My Twitter is reserved for close friends and internet admirers, stalkers, friends, and I communicate with other bloggers via Twitter. Most of my blog traffic comes from Twitter or my gchat statuses (not sure where posting a gchat status ranges on the social networking scale, but it certainly counts for something).

So what does this mean? Is this just another reaffirmation of the fact that the millennial generation is full of ADD-ridden, image obsessed, socio-phobic, electronically-obsessed, fast food-filled, coffee addicts? The latest marketing techniques for eReaders and iPads are magazine and newspaper-centric and stray away from the idea of reading books. So, does this mean that in our short-form culture long-form thinking and/or writing is becoming obsolete? Is anyone even still reading this or did you all stop after "ex-lovers"? I know that there are still people out there who believe in literature, people who aren't fifty or simply jumping on the bandwagon of the local farmers' market chit-chat while contemplating their pending order from Pottery Barn, but young people with charisma, and chutzpah, and goals. Most of those people have blogs, but who reads them? Is there enough of an audience to sustain a thought that lasts longer than 140 characters? What is happening?

Please, leave your comments. I am very, very eager to see what other people think of this.

A

Rain in the Hills

It's been raining in LA.

There’s something undeniably jarring about rain in Los Angeles. It’s as if the purpose of the city has fallen to the wayside and all inhabitants are forced to acknowledge their humanity and the fact that a world exists outside the car window. The veil of sunshine has dropped to the floor and your creaking windshield wipers perform their duty. A man huddles beneath the lip of the roof, illuminated by the neon “cocktails” sign above and the glowing gas prices in the distance. The monotony of the buildings lining the wide boulevards echoes itself for miles; the architectural nonchalance of a city built without a basement.

My mind wanders; over mountains, down rivers, trudging across massive plains, lingering in cities, landing at the other edge, the eastern edge. The colors dull and brighten and the land takes a deep, yogic breath. The bridges rise and fall again, carrying me home; swept past tired, old buildings, rumbling underneath it all in the warm tunnels, the maze and emerging again, back at square 2B. Somehow always back to 3^rd street, where the rain was just rain and the people, people, the humanity stuffed into the pockets of their jackets and no windshield wipers to rust, just stale, comfortable air. There’s no signs for the cocktails, no neon, only milling crowds flocking to never-empty corners and green street signs adorned with familiar names and numbers. The faces you can’t forget, the people who are just this very moment, forgetting your face and the tone of your voice, letting you be forgotten, left a vague memory, stuck in the muted LA rain with only your windshield wipers.

Memories of V-Days Past

Valentine's Day has always plagued me. In fourth grade the "cute boy" (now the kid who posts excessively Zionist/anti-Islamic jargon repeatedly on Facebook) gave the most popular girl a beanie baby with a heart on it, or something, and I went home feeling sad and rejected. In high school, I whined about not getting sent carnations from the boys I wanted them from in homeroom, until I did, and received THREE of them from the same boy who I was letting touch my boobs for a few months, who I later realized had another girlfriend. Not me, but someone else also. Thanks. Then I spent another Valentine's Day wondering why the guy that I was making out with upstairs at parties, but wasn't sure that I actually liked at all, didn't send me ANY carnations. And then senior year I got one, from my boyfriend, and it was sweet and then we had a "secret" sleepover at our friends' house whose parents were cool with these things, until they weren't and we had to sleep on the floor in the bedroom with the other couple.

After that it got bad. All four years of college were spent lamenting my status as a single at dinners with other single girls, whining about not being anyone's date to any stupid formal, or worse, going as a friend and trying to hit on other people's dates. And then I graduated, and started working in restaurants, and then Valentine's Day became great. It was a way to rape and pillage happy couples of their money while serving them overpriced specials and champagne "deals", and I didn't have to worry about whether I was dating someone or not, because I was on the schedule to work either way.

Last year my boyfriend and I had only been together a short time and I had no idea what Valentine's Day protocol would be, so I asked him if he minded if I worked that night. I maintain that that question is one of the major reasons he wanted to continue to date me. This year, he's out of town (which I okay-ed, more than once, and never once threatened to hold against him) and I'm working, as I mentioned last night and I already have my little present, and that's fine.

Valentine's Day is silly. There's no reason to whine if you're alone, or wear black in protest, or talk about watching "The Notebook" on repeat, and there's no reason to sit in an overpriced restaurant, basically on top of other couples awkwardly trying to have whatever you deem a "romantic" conversation.

Maybe I'm a cynic, or, finally, a pessimist, but LOVE isn't something that concerns me so much anymore. To have someone who compliments you, who forces you to grow and push yourself, who you can share with, and who you can rely on, that is what is important. That person need not be a romantic attachment. Sure, that's the goal, and we'd all love to find the person whose presence makes our knees buckle and our mouths water, but there's so much love and support in the world with friends, family and even strangers, that we are all strong enough to make it on our own. Love is nothing more than a way to verbalize a feeling of comfort. So let's all be comfortable in our own skin and strive to make others feel the same way.

Remember, this Valentine's Day, you are loved. And come have some all-you-can-eat tacos...

A

Well, that was "fun"

This has been the week from hell. Between starting two new jobs, fighting off a cold, fighting with my landlord, trying (and in a few instances, failing) to stay on this detox diet, one (only partially suicidal, but also including riding the cart around the aisles like a skateboard) trip to Ikea* resulting in five unopened boxes sitting on my porch, waking up before 9 am four out of seven days, going to bed after 2 am five out of seven days, and just generally trying not to scream my head off in any public places, I've had a week. Now that its Sunday at 4:22 pm PST and I've eaten nothing but fruit and juiced kale/lemon/apple/ginger today, I'm showered, dressed, probably sporting a 100º fever, drinking tea, watching a week's worth of back-logged DVR, and still have two hours before heading back to the restaurant I finally feel like I'm catching up on my life.

*I'd like to thank my dvr for playing 30 Rock right now and Tina Fey's writing for "starting with the worst place in the world!"..."Ikea on a Saturday?"

I just re-read that and I think I need another nap now.

And Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Which means I'll be at work awkwardly serving all-you-can-eat tacos to depressed, fat, LA singles. Or couples headed for Biggest Loser-dom by going to a trendy Mexican restaurant with an all-you-can eat special on Valentine's Day. Or my friends who I'm enticing with my beauty and guacamole. I'm just glad I'll only be at dinner and not a fly on the wall for the apres-meal hump and belch fest. I apologize for the previous sentence. Valentine's Day bores me. I can't eat any dessert but dark chocolate anyway, and I have enough Teddy Bear drama as it is, so I'd rather just use it as an excuse to send those ridiculous ecards and make extra money on a Monday night.

Let's see, other things? Ummm, I'm obsessed with the IFC show Portlandia. I've never been to Portland, but I can honestly tell you that every single aspect of hipster culture, not to mention any other alternative lifestyle, crafting/DIY, art world, ex-hippie, green yuppie, etc, etc, etc culture is portrayed with SHOCKINGLY accurate wardrobe, vocal inflection, and prop placement...and it's hilarious. I've watched each episode twice (mostly because I tend to watch it after I've "had a few" and need a recap) and I can't wait for the next one. Mustaches, birds-on-things, sweaters, bikes, publications, glasses, and bangs. That's all.

Ummm, what else...I just started getting New York Magazine. Wanna know a secret? It's too depressing to read it because I mostly just wish I could go to the things listed, so I generally read the approval matrix and then just spend the rest of the week doing the crossword puzzle. And I just got the first season of Daria from Netflix. So at least my mail is arriving. Except the package of all my ski stuff. That's been lost. No biggie, though, because I can afford new ski pants, a jacket, gloves, and goggles. Because my bank account doesn't have $0.54 in it. Nope. No biggie whatsoever. I should try and deposit that one check I have. It's gonna be great.

Wanna see another picture? I just took it with my phone, so it's not great quality, but Downtown LA looks crazy dramatic right now from my porch (and not just because The Grammy's are tonight...oooh snap. That sucked...blame it on the fever) and I felt like sharing.

I'll end with this, I really want to choreograph a theatre/dance piece with no words, just the entirety of Tom Wait's Rain Dogs. Downsides include: people thinking Tom Waits is weird, I don't have dancers or a dance space, I have four jobs and no free time, my bank account is resting one quarter short of being able to park at a meter for 45 minutes. Anyone in LA want to collaborate on this and/or have ANY ideas as to how to make this happen/be interesting/not be lame?

A

Two Posts in One

PART ONE

It's come to my attention lately that most of my friends "back home" (now I sound like I'm from the boonies..."Mah fry-ends bay-ack hoome be missin' me") use this blog as a way to keep up with my life here on the West Coast. SO...in an effort to not bore the bollocks out of the rest of you who don't care about my guacamole and kale diet (just kidding, I can, like, totally, eat more than that), I'll direct you to the second half of this post. For those of you who went to high school or college with me and had the pleasure of knowing me when I was twenty pounds heavier and eighty-seven times more likely to erupt in beer tears on any given week night, please read all of this, not that you owe me anything else at this point. I honestly can't believe we're still friends after all I've put you through. Gosh, I've been a self-absorbed prick for many of these years, haven't I? Wait, here I am, assuming (and sometimes using force to ensure) that you read this regularly enough to care about every minute detail of my life. I haven't changed.

Anyway, who cares, I'd read your blog if you had one. So...I've officially started working at the restaurant (no more training) and damn, does it feel good to be gainfully employed. I even got a haircut today to celebrate not being broke anymore. And then I made dinner. I know that bragging about one's cooking isn't thrilling for others to hear about, especially without photographic proof, but honestly, we ate it so quickly that I couldn't take pictures. I made Red Pepper, Garlic Bruschetta on sprouted grain bread, Baked Thyme Sweet Potato Fries, Rosemary Eggplant Fries, and Lemon Artichokes. I should end the post here. I'm salivating again. All this stuff is on my diet. Jealous?

PART TWO: The negative space

...the air between lyrics, between chords. The pregnant pauses, the moment after the crack of the burning log. The stasis of a flying hawk's wings and the clouds leaning over the horizon, and the emptiness in the separation of the ocean's waves. The calm, the peaceful and the moment when the last guest has left the party and the echo of the door closing has evaporated. The house settles and we breathe, negative space.

We crave a place where the is no accelerator, no brake, no roof, no power windows, and no space bar–the great, departed nothing. A land of silence and lavender, cloaked in sunshine and non-specific breezes. A place neither over, nor under the rainbow, not beyond, not in the abyss, but here. The familiar, only stripped of convenience and choice. A land left to its self. A people devoid of influence.

~home~

 

 

 

2/6/11-echo park, LA, photo by Adria

 

 

Saxophones and Panic Attacks

So many things have made me cry today, KCRW, finally getting a restaurant job, the panic attack I had when I came home and realized that I had to immediately make dinner before even so much as sitting down, Central Park West by John Coltrane on the radio (that one actually made me write a "poem" about what I miss about New York on a post-it on my steering wheel while turning on the ramp to the 101S–no, I won't post it here, poetry is weird and personal and never as good as I want it to be), and this, (particularly when the writer gets asked what she wants to be when she grows up and she answers "happy").

I think it is fair to admit that I've had a few glasses of wine. Halfway through the panic attack (between yelling at a piece of chopped onion and going onto the porch to take a few deep breaths) I decided that a glass of wine (or 3) was a good idea.

Let's backtrack to the Coltrane song. Have I mentioned the jazz thing in my life here yet? Well, my dad was a jazz drummer for many years, a jazz enthusiast forever, and thus, jazz has always been a huge presence in my life. I'll put on the local jazz radio station and recognize songs whose names I don't know, artists I don't know, but melodies? Well, I know the melodies like my own first name. There's something about a Coltrane sax solo that always makes me feel okay. The way it sounds like New York smells, the way it reverberates in your head, chest, gut, and soul until you remember the point of it all is to be good. The point of everything is just to be good, and happy and eat a big bowl of pasta and laugh loudly. Did you know that? The point of life is pasta. That's what I grew up thinking at least. Pasta and jazz. Which brings me to "what do you want to be when you grow up?" "Happy". Because that's just about the only answer that makes any sense, and yet the most difficult to achieve. I sent my mom an email one night, probably late, my sophomore year in college and I'm pretty sure that all it said was, "Do you think I'll be satisfied with my life?" (I was worried about my pending life choices, my lack of a relationship, my inability to make decisions, and, probably, my unsightly weight gain). She responded with two full pages. I know because the document is still saved on my computer. One of the best parts of the whole response was this:  

It's the knowledge and feeling that things can always be better. More just. More fair. More human. Better color combinations. Better composition. A better melody. A better taste. Less fat. More passion. Wow- life is really great- GREAT! Will Adria be satisfied with her life? YOU BET! I KNOW you will. How do I know this? I just know. I'd stay away from that "end up" thinking,because life is an ongoing journey. If you follow something you're passionate about, you can't lose. You might have to compromise at times. So I married a man with bad manners.

She continues, but I'll spare you her whining. Just kidding. She didn't whine...and my dad does have terrible manners. PS: notice how she wrote "less fat"? She was clearly concerned with my Keystone Light, Late night pizza dipped in ranch dressing, and Grilled Cheese diet. Regardless, I think that advice is really good to remember sometimes. Things can always be better, but its always about following the thing you're passionate about.

I just felt the need to share that. More later. I'll leave you with a photo that I took of some pasta and wheatgrass on my window sill.

A

Traffic to Apples...and other things that don't make sense.

I used to draft blog posts on my phone on the subway. Now the only thing I can do while I'm weaving through side-streets to avoid clogged freeways and backed up boulevards is tense up my shoulders and scream through my bluetooth to whomever is, unfortunately, on the receiving end of that particular phone call.

I'm not trying to make excuses, I honestly have less time to blog when it takes me over an hour to get home from ––––. That line=anything that I might have to do. Like go to the grocery store, or have lunch with an old colleague of my father's, go to an audition, or perform in a show. I'm so burnt out by the time that I get home at any given point, that I don't have time to form my thoughts into any sort of coherent stream of thoughts. I've actually started forcing myself to deep breathe in the car. I'm one of those lunatics who's "oooommmmmmm"-ing through traffic, and I'll admit it. If it means that I won't drive my car off of an overpass then it's worth it.

Honestly, though, I have been pretty busy. All that grief to find one good job and I get three part-time jobs that pay me a big mac above a fast food salary. Sigh. What can you do?

Remember when I mentioned the raw food diet? (Shameless plug for nothing) Well, that bad boy has been seriously effective. Effective to a detrimental point. I started doing it to lose a few pounds to feel better about myself at a time when I was broke, unemployed, and unable to exercise. Well, now I'm employed, my foot has healed, I'm still broke, and none of my clothes fit. I know that no one wants to hear about how you have to go buy new pants because you've lost weight...but I'm telling you for some reason anyway. Bottom line...if anyone has recently gone up a denim size and would like to trade, I'd be down. And I'd buy you a milkshake, because I'm that kind of douchebag.

Anyway, I performed twice this past weekend and the results were to my liking, for the most part. I had a great turnout of friends which is always nice, and my new material seemed to go over well. The show on Friday was the best show, all around, that I've ever been a part of. The energy was great and the audience was really involved. Last night was the polar opposite. Monday night's are rough, but this was a whole different story. Between the 60 year old woman wearing a sequined shirt in the audience who was constantly heckling the comedians and talking about her six children (who were all in attendance), the Flamenco dancing street artist who fancied himself a comedian and gave a painting away onstage, and the three other female comics who felt the need to go into grotesque details about sex...to be more specific, there was a lot of, "my pussy doesn't get fucked enough" and the like, I felt like I was performing in a talent show at an insane asylum. I think I just moved my blog into a whole new category of NSFW, but seriously...obscene.

To validate the decency of this blog I've added a photo of my coffee table centerpiece. Enjoy your Tuesday night/Wednesday morning/snow day (I hear there's snow 'round some parts...)

The3six5

I got to be a part of something pretty extraordinary today (no, not the DGA Awards, that was boring, even when I brushed up against Ron Jeremy–don't worry, all of my vaccines are up to date), the3six5 . It's a year-long (well, now I guess a two year long) series of personal entries from different people's perspectives. I heard about it from Laurenne, who did an entry in 2010, and thus inspired me to sign up for it myself. I completely forgot that it was today until I woke up to an email from the friendly 3six5 staff reminding me. I'll save you the boredom of rehashing it here, just go and read it for yourself! And sign up!

Happy Saturday, all!

A

PS: I'm currently watching Benny & Joon off of my dvr, because it was one of my favorite movies as a kid (I know...rright?) and I guess I dvr-ed it from being on in the middle of the night because the commercials are HILARIOUS. I just saw one for a vibrator. Straight up. Have you seen that? The Trojan brand vibrator (oh, sorry, massager) commercial? It's hilarious. That's all.

Lovely Rita, Metah Maid

Today was a little bit, crazy. I'm going to do the obvious "storytelling" blog tonight, sorry.

I had an interview at a catering company this afternoon, 20+ miles away (which in LA can take you either 25 or 125 minutes. Woohoo) and I had a weird feeling about it. Well, they hired me. I'll be penguin-suited up/Party Down-wardrobed for both the DGA Awards this Saturday and the Oscars at the end of February. Before I get all kinds of "oh-em-gee celeb sightings!" comments, let me preface by saying that I'll probably just be refilling wine glasses for some random ass producers or something (not knocking producers, but, you know...its not NP and her French Baby Daddy-furthermore referred to as such-FBD). Also, I'd really rather hug a toilet for six hours than have to pour Javier Bardem and Penny Cruz their mojitos all night. Well, not really, but I'd feel silly. Aaaaaanyway, I got the job, so good. I have at least $100 coming in the next 28 days. Fucking magnificent. I leave the interview and see a tow truck backing up...towards my little engine that could. Dodging oncoming traffic, I ran across the street screaming, "That's my car!!!" and the tow truck operator drove away, car unattached. Leaving me with but a $48 citation. Exactly how much money my short stint catering gig on Saturday will yield me after taxes. How deliciously ironic. Kill me. To quote, well, myself, from earlier, in a phone conversation to my mother, "I'm either really lucky I didn't get towed, or incredibly stupid for parking in a space that expired within a half hour from the beginning of my interview." Her response, "You're stupid, but at least you're lucky". Thanks.

So, to celebrate, I took my seventh trip to Ikea.

Actually, I went to an Open Mic night tonight in Hollywood. It's really just a place where you pay a guy $5 and you get to sit and watch other comics work on their new material and you can do the same. It's basically heaven for a newb like me. I worked out some new jokes, figured out what material to cut from the show tomorrow night (again, LA-ers...come represent!) and had a jolly good time being one of the two vaginas in the room. Female comics are scarce. Attractive female comics, toot toot goes my horn...sorry, just being honest...I'll reword: Not unattractive/overweight/gruesome female comics are basically an endangered species. It's the only time I feel like I might have an advantage. My jokes didn't kill or anything, but I shook Marlon Wayans' hand on the way in and introduced myself. And then had a slice of pizza (who am I kidding, I enviously watched another devour a slice of–gross looking, LA pizza–while I swallowed the pollution) with the progeny of Andrew Dice Clay. If nothing else it was an evening where opportunity seemed but a handshake away. I'm not saying these guys could do something for me (they couldn't, really), but I genuinely feel closer to, and more devoted to my goals here than ever before. That's huge.

Oh and then I watched The King's Speech. As part of my SAG Awards voting duties I have access to screeners. I must say...it was good. It was shot beautifully and the performances were undeniably top shelf. Best movie out there? No. Good enough to warrant a strong recommendation? Certainly.

A

Another night going to sleep as my NY friends wake.

Jeggings, Photos and Excuses

Please excuse the lack of blogging lately. I’m using up every last ounce of energy trying to write jokes about the absurd and all-too-prevalent appearance of mustaches and knit Mexican ponchos in my immediate vicinity and get a job. Those two things should very obviously go together, but for some reason, they don’t. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s incredibly difficult to be funny when your reality is boredom. I’m past the point of wanting a job because I could use the money. Now I just want to a job to have a reason to put on clothes and leave my house. I motivated myself enough to throw on a pair of jeggings (your honor, I plead guilty to the charge of “wearing Jeggings”, on January 26, 2011” and a cardigan and go out to my local coffee shop. My local coffee shop is overrun with chest tattoos, the aforementioned mustachiod men, and their Mexican poncho wearing female counterparts (or male counterparts, it appears that the hipster movement knows no gender bounds). I’ll admit it, I’m wearing a pair of vintage, plastic framed reading glasses, so I’m not entirely excluding myself from the masses here. However, a young, overweight child just walked by wearing a plaid cowboy shirt and carrying a guitar. I got so distracted I almost submitted myself for a role on “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant”.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…I’m not trying to say anything. I’m just trying to make it seem like this blog has a purpose, direction or moral. I’m not proving myself right in any capacity.

Want to see a few pictures? (Yes, I'm resorting to this) Yeah? Okay, here goes:

Grand Canyon

 Sedona, AZ sky

I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light.

...but I didn't heed the all-wise advice of Woody Allen, I moved here anyway. And where does that leave me? I refuse to let go of the fact that I am, and always will be, a New Yorker, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I didn't say that I was really enjoying myself here in LA. I was afraid of this, you know. Afraid that I'd get here and hate it and want to fly home (oh, that happened, believe me), but even more afraid that I'd love it and not be sure that I'd ever want to go back. Don't get me wrong, I need to move back home, but I'm in no rush. Maybe I'll start to miss it in the spring, or summer, when I'm not constantly being bombarded by news of snowstorms and slush and cold and rain back east, but for now I'll take this:

 

I know...I look super awkward here. I normally don't look as though I'm being marched to my death and forced to smile for a hostage photo while hiking (just kidding, yes I do), but I was planning on sending this to my brother, and he's not the most over-zealous of human beings, so I was trying to keep it casual. And its totally lame to pose in front of the Hollywood sign, so I was trying to get it over with.

Feel free to mock me, throw things at me, and leave vindictive comments (as some of you...and you know who you are–so do I by the way– have already taken to doing), but I love the outdoors. This has to be the biggest perk to living here. I can get in the car and drive for less than 20 minutes and park inside Griffith Park and hike to the top of a mountain where I can see snow capped ridges, the ocean, downtown LA, the Valley, and lots of swooping birds. Not to mention that I've done this twice so far this week. I've gone hiking twice in one week. And I'm on a raw food diet. Good luck telling that to friends back home who made fun of me for substituting my fries for a salad. Let the mocking begin. 

In all seriousness, though, I'm happy. I have a long way to go before I'm highly successful, but at least I'm coating my lack of forward career motion with a nice glaze of sunshine and vitamin D endorphins.

Half-Assed Planning

On a recent brunch jaunt (are you picturing me wearing a hat and pastels? I wasn't) the topic of "our generation" and our neglect of planning, or commitment if you will, came up. A friend of mine (hey!) was ignoring phone calls and blowing off his previous plans to eat eggs in the sun with me and we started talking about how this is not at all uncommon.

Think about it: how many times in the past few weeks have you texted, bbm-ed, gchatted, or Facebooked plans with someone and you've thought, "well, I'll do this, unless something else comes up"? I bet at least once. Our parents never did things like this, they kept planners, date books, calendars and the like, and, more importantly, they kept their plans. Already this week I've blown off three things [just kidding, at least four...just thought of more] that I said I'd "probably" do (sorry to those of you who are a part of that...I swear its not personal)...and that brings up another point: half-assing your commitments to begin with! I am so guilty of this recently and I despise it. Let's elaborate:

Today, for example, I sent out roughly five text messages saying some variation of "hey girl!/hey buddy, whatcha up to tonight? Want to grab a drink later?" All recipients responded (I'm super likeable), a few with "sorry I can't tonight, but whats your schedule like for the rest of the week?", one with, "I have dinner plans but I'll call you at 8, otherwise let's do something later in the week", and one saying, "I'm seeing a show with some friends, want to meet us out after?". From those responses, I made plans for Wednesday night, but with the sidebar, "I should be free, but let's talk around 5", I made plans for Friday night, Sunday, and said that I was free Wednesday and Thursday night to one friend, and told another that I was free Thursday night. I never heard back from the "I'll call you at 8" and I blew off the "meet us after" follow-up text, even though it was a perfectly good invite. In fact, I did nothing with any of those people tonight.

Does this make me a bad person? No, seriously, I'm asking. Don't we all do this? At what point should we buckle down and stick to our engagements? Is it because of the nature of my career? (aka: I could get a call at any moment for an audition or a callback or a role) Or is it simply that we are all products of the ADD generation, the generation of people who are always thinking that someone/something better might come along, so we must be available for it? My vote is yes, yes to all of those questions, and as for when we should buckle down? As soon as possible. It does no good to wallow in our selfishness and "want-want-want" culture. Let's muster up the courage to commit to something once and awhile. Eating sushi with your ex-boyfriend's brother isn't going to be so bad.*

A

*Just kidding, yes it is...don't go!

What do you think about this? Comment away, I want to know what you're thinking. 

Why I Couldn't Be A Stripper (even though I kind of wish that I could)

So today marks two months since leaving NY (I think. I might've just made that up, though) and I still don't have a job. I worked for about 10 hours in the last two months. I'm totally not even kidding you. Just realizing that made me want to cannonball out my window.

Have I leads? Yes. Have I income? No. What's one to do in this situation? Well, lots of cleaning, lots of hours (and parking meter quarters) of running from bar/restaurant to bar/restaurant with a (somewhat fabricated...okay not fabricated, but exaggerated) resume with my smiling photo in the upper left-hand corner, many hours on Craigslist and lots of emailed attachments, some reading, booking two stand up shows (I know...that's good, right?! Want to come? Comment for info in the LA area!), and the occasional foray into a bar with a half-buttoned shirt and a manager's name memorized. Yes, I used my boobs to try and get a job that I didn't even get (although I did get eye fucked...sigh).

So let me be real with everyone for a minute. Real about stripping. I don't condone disrespecting yourself for cash, but I get it. When you've got flotation device boobies, or abs that would make Denise Austin blush, or a tush that don't quit [I am in no way suggesting that I do, or do not have any of these, I'm just commenting] and a checking account resembling the digestive system of an anorexic teenager (empty...get it? empty. sigh) it may be tempting to run to your local "Girls Girls Girls!" establishment. Let me give you a few reasons why you shouldn't (aka: a way to convince myself that I shouldn't):

1) You are bound to see someone you know in the audience. Most likely a family member or former teacher. It is never going to feel like Christmas again at Uncle Tim's house.

2) Someone will try and have sex with you at work. This is pretty likely in almost every job, but it's damn guaranteed if you're a stripper.

3) Those days when you just don't want to go to work but you have to? You have to go get naked in a room full of drunk, smelly, ugly strangers.

4) You don't get to choose who gets a lap dance.

5) Your parents will find out. And they will cry and tell you that they would have sent you a check...if you'd just asked.

6) You will fall and break your ankle in those shoes. You just will.

7) You'll probably get raped on your way out to your car one night.

8) You will get pregnant.

I hope this has been helpful. If you need me I'll be down at "All Nude" around 10 pm tomorrow night.*

A

*I'm kidding. Gosh.

This Was Your Life

A series of strange events (always begins with a dream, doesn't it?) has led me to an oddly upsetting discovery. Allow me to backtrack to the beginning (warning, this is long and might get boring. Don't un-follow, I promise I'll get back to sex and booze later on):

As a small child I was rambunctious and irritating, I would climb things and exhaust my parents with incomprehensible energy levels, so they did what any loving parents would do (no, not adoption), they enrolled me in gymnastics classes. From the age of three on I began to spend more time at "the gym" than anywhere else (yes, including my house). I would come home from school and rush to finish all of my homework before 4:45, then I would put my leotard under my clothes, eat a dinner of tofu hot dogs, salad and baked beans (I cringe now to think what the result would be if I attempted to eat a mountain of baked beans and then spend the next three hours upside-down), and then my Mom would drive me to gymnastics, where I would stay for the next four/four and a half hours.

Practically every important moment of my childhood occurred at US Gym on Humphrey Street. It went from a casual hobby, with coaches who had good intentions and smiling faces, to a life commitment and a rising competitive nature that still hasn't subsided, with coaches who barked at each other in Croatian and shouted our routines into perfection.


The group of girls who were on the competitive team with me were practically my only friends (who else would want to sign up for a friend whose entire week was spent essentially, in her underwear hanging from a wooden bar?) and, since I was one of the oldest, I was one of the "ringleaders", you might say. I was, by no means, a great example. I used to crack jokes at inappropriate times, I used to talk back to my coaches, and I used to have to run a lot of extra laps around the gym. But I loved it there. I loved the way that it always smelled a little bit like feet, I loved that I got my own locker that was covered in Spice Girls bubblegum wrappers and stickers, I loved that I knew how to push on the vending machine when my Snickers got stuck, I loved running at full speed, only to propel myself in another direction, I loved telling stories to my teammates, and I loved being the first person in US Gym history to get a 9.7 on the vault (even though that record has long since expired and the vault itself has long since been replaced with a newer, more aerodynamic design). I loved lining up in height order on a piece of crinkled, silver duct tape on the floor, I loved the way it felt to be the best at something, and I can still feel the different textures of the different balance beams; the coarse, camel colored, very square one, the smooth, softer, more rounded one, the blue mesh of the mat under my feet. That place was more a part of me than any other.

The summer that I decided to quit, I knew I was ready. I was already twelve and was developing mental blocks on almost every new trick I was practicing, as well as the other things I was developing, like crushes on boys, the need to be socially accepted at school, boobs, and the need to wear shorts over my leotard...if you know what I mean–ahem. It was time to say goodbye. It was time to wake up and have to go buy an under-wire bra, time to have insomnia for lack of physical exhaustion when hitting the pillow, and time to grow up.

I still would try to fall asleep by mentally running through my uneven bars routine, and I would still call myself a "gymnast". My biggest fear was ending up like my mother, saying things like, "I used to be a gymnast", I wanted to be a gymnast forever. Well, let me tell you something, kids, no one is a gymnast forever. That's some Peter Pan shit. You grow to 5'6" and you fill out a D cup bra and all of a sudden you realize that you will never again do a glide kip. Sure, you'll be able to impress small children (and possibly adults) by doing backflips on trampolines, but mostly, it will just hurt later. I used to listen to my parents talk about how much it would hurt to do anything like that now and would think, "I'll never be like that". I am. I carried a couch up one flight of stairs today and I think I need a vicodin.

Back to the point: I found the Facebook page for the gym I used to be a part of and I found something terribly sad: they've moved. I know this doesn't sound like much, but I somehow always thought that I'd be able to go back there and relive those moments, re-smell those feet, go look at those lockers. Maybe it was naive to think that, and I'm sure it was, but now, knowing that it's gone...well, I cried. Yes, seriously. If I ever go back (and that would require some serious time in NJ–and we all know how I feel about that...oh? We don't? Well, we'll have a post about that soon) it won't smell the same, and the walls won't be covered in my fingerprints, and there will be new lockers, probably with Justin Bieber stickers on them. What did I want? Some sort of immortalized plaque to me? Well, yes, kind of.

I know there is no way to relive your childhood, but I'd really like to do a back layout again.

 

Oh, I was Kerri Strug for Halloween '96 (You remember her: the gymnast who sprained her ankle to win Gold for the US in Atlanta?) 

A

Say Bye Bye

I’ve long since known that this moment would come, but I haven’t prepared for it. It’s no secret that I’ve had a teddy bear all my twenty-four years, nor am I ashamed of it. I might’ve been at one point, but Really Bear (yes, that’s what my toddler self decided was an appropriate name for a teddy bear who was “really a bear!”) has been just as much a part of my life as any other member of my family. No, I didn’t bring him to the dinner table or take him out of the house, except on vacation, but he was there for all of it.

When I first brought a boy back to my house and bedroom I tossed Really Bear aside, more because I didn’t want to corrupt him with the indecency of whatever was going on than because I was ashamed to have a stuffed animal. A somewhat well adjusted teenager, I went off to college at eighteen, but Really Bear came along. A constant for me at a time when he spent more time “shielding his eyes” than I care to admit, Really Bear was a reminder that I could grow up, but I didn’t have to be an adult just yet.

I long wondered how I would make the decision to remove a childish teddy bear, frayed and faded in color from the center spot on my pillows. Really Bear topped off each bed-making, always, so how would I choose to be the adult whose bed is not adorned with a teddy bear whose eyes are barely visible under the over-cuddled “fur”? It was never an addiction or dependency; I’d gone on vacation without Really Bear, I could sleep at night, peacefully, without him, so how is it that on January 7, 2011 I was able to consciously take Really Bear and place him in a cabinet, squashed up like some second-rate Beanie Baby with no resale value?

First, let me say that Really Bear made the cross-country trip with me back in November. Unavoidably stuffed in the overstuffed car and the subject of scrutiny (?), judgement (?), observation (?) in the mouth of my boyfriend’s father. I defended myself, and said that of course Really Bear made the trip, *wink wink*, as if I was shielding the ears of a small child whose feelings were to be protected. But really, why bring along a nearly twenty-five year old stuffed animal? Old habits die hard, I tell you. A rational (at times), intelligent, responsible adult still sometimes needs a reminder of her roots. Really Bear, somehow, serves that purpose.

Moving into my new apartment this last week I had time to myself before my new “roommate” arrived. I took the time to make the bed nicely and thought long and hard about Really Bear and then placed him in his usual spot. Once my boyfriend (and new roommate) arrived, without so much as a sideways glance, I found myself saying aloud, “I guess Really Bear should probably be retired, huh?” and was met with an affirmative response.

That was it, like a band-aid, and all of a sudden I’m an adult who shares a bed with a man, not a bear. I still keep two pictures of me as a toddler on my nightstand, just in case I need to remember what’s important.

Thoughts About Our Generation...and my libido

Our generation is fucked. This isn’t some earth shattering discovery or anything, I mean, birds are falling from the sky, our work ethic is akin to a goldfish, and by the time we retire, well, we won’t be able to. But that’s not what I’m talking about right now. I’m talking about how our parents ruined it for us. At least mine did. Think about some of the coolest, best bands and musicians of all time, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin. Who do they remind you of? They remind me of my parents. And the worst part is, they probably remind my parents of smoking hash in the back of a pickup truck in Michigan or blowing lines in the bathroom at CBGBs. Our parents ruined “cool”. I have it really bad, because growing up I was convinced that my parents were the least cool people on the planet, because they had a compost pile and practiced Buddhism and played the drums and danced like they were at Woodstock. It was easy to hate them and save up for Tiffany’s bracelets and Kate Spade bags and Sketchers because it was rebellious. But then I graduated from college and I moved to New York, and guess what the cool hipsters, that I so badly wanted to be like, were doing? They were composting and practicing eastern religion and playing the bongos and dancing like their bones were made of cafeteria pudding, and to top it all off, all of the men looked exactly like my dad did thirty years ago. My parents rebelled against their “square” parents with corporate jobs and Tupperware parties, if my choice to rebel against my “hipster” parents is go to get a corporate job and buy a Le Creuset pot collection (okay, I actually do want one of those) then count me out. Now, every time I go see an awesome new band, the bongo player reminds me of my dad and that’s not good for anyone’s libido.

I Am Not Me

I wasn't going to post this...but I will.

I wrote this on the plane on my way to New York two weeks ago. It's not the next War and Peace or anything, but I'm trying to share these days. (Warning: I realized in parts of this that it sounds like I'm "boasting" or something, but I promise, I was just trying to make sense of the past 24 and a half years)

We are not defined by where we come from or who raised us, but by a combination of factors that add up to the “I” that is ourselves.

I am not me because I was born at St Vincent’s hospital on 7^th avenue south in Manhattan. I am not me because my parents gave up their loft in Union Square to buy a house in the suburbs. I am not me because I have a brother three years my junior. I am not me because I am female. I am not me because I was one of two white kids in my first grade class. I am not me because I was home-schooled in second grade, sent to Catholic school in third and transferred to one of the best public school systems in New Jersey from fourth on. I am not me because my father is an atheist and my mother is a Buddhist. I am not me because my mother is a painter and my father a drummer. I am not me because my mother is a dancer and my father a film producer. I am not me because I went to school with primarily wealthy, Jewish kids. I am not me because I went to a small liberal arts college with primarily wealthy, New Englanders. I am not me because I graduated cum laude. I am not me because I’ve traveled to Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and thirty-seven of the fifty states. I’m not me because my hair is brown or my eyes the same. I am not me because I am five foot, five and a half inches tall. I am not me because I wear a size 8.5 shoe. I am not me because I drink coffee. I am not me because I don’t like Gin. I am not me because my ancestors come from Italy, Sicily, Romania, Russia, and Austria. I am not me because my mother’s side of the family is Jewish and my father’s Catholic. I am not me because I have a brother eight years my junior. I am not me because I am allergic to cats and have never had a dog. I am not me because I lived in London for a semester. I am not me because I have seen King Lear performed by Christopher Plummer at Lincoln Center and Sir Ian McKellan in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I am not me because I speak a little bit of French. I am not me because I spent ten years working towards going to the Olympics for gymnastics. I am not me because I quit. I am not me because I’ve been in love. I am not me because I can’t play a musical instrument. I am not me because I wear tall tube socks under my boots. I am not me because I take soy milk, no sugar in my coffee. I am not me because my best friends have been the same two girls since I was ten months old. I am not me because they are an accountant and a medical school student. I am not me because I am an actor. I am not me because I’d like to be a writer. I am not me because I’d like to be a photographer. I am not me because I wish I was still a dancer. I am not me because I used to believe in Santa Claus, and I still fantasize that he’s real. I am not real because old Tim Burton movies make me feel connected to something special. I am not me because saxophones make me cry. I am not me because I know I belong in New York. I am not me because I live in Los Angeles. I am not me because I could listen to Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor, and Fiona Apple all day. I am not me because the lyrics of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits make me rethink my entire life. I am not me because I have sprained or broken my ankles and wrists a total of seven times. I am not me because I run. I am not me because I do yoga. I am not me because I sing in the shower better than I’ll ever be able to sing in front of another human being. I am not me because my teddy bear’s name is Really Bear and he still sits on my bed, even though I have someone else to hold at night now. I am not me because I can put my legs behind my head. I am not me because I don’t speak Spanish. I am not me because I baked pot brownies in the basement of my on-campus house once [or twice] in college. I am not me because I’ve kissed girls, so I know I’d rather kiss boys. I am not me because I’ve been a waitress, a bartender, an office assistant, a file clerk, a production assistant, a retail sales associate, a temp, a receptionist, a sister, a daughter, a babysitter, and an actress. I am not me because my middle name is Rose. I am not me because I ski. I am not me because I want to learn how to surf. I am not me because I am always five minutes late. I am not me because I always have a good excuse. I am not me because I can talk to anyone. I am not me because I’m always reading a book. I am not me because I still try to finish the Times crossword puzzles after Wednesdays, even though I can’t. I am not me because I saw Hanson in concert…three times. I am not me because I wanted to be Morticia Addams for Halloween when I was eight. I am not me because I wrote a play. I’m not me because I’ve performed stand-up comedy. I am not me because I cried myself to sleep for months in high school. I am not me because I drove across the country in November. I am not me because I went to performing arts sleep-away camp. I am not me because I have too many pairs of shoes. I am not me because I rarely ever wear more than three pairs of them. (not at once...that'd be very impressive)I am not me because I’ve been dating the same guy for a year. I am not me because I always make scrambled eggs with cheese and no milk. I am not me because I love to eat frozen cheese tortellini. I am not me because I used to have my nose pierced. I am not me because I don’t have any tattoos. I am not me because I was an English major. I am not me because I have an absurdly small nose for someone with a Jewish/Italian background. I am not me because I love cliff jumping and rollercoasters. I am not me because I was on the diving team for one year in college. I am not me because I was born at the end of June. I am not me because the kids used to make fun of me. I am not me because my hair is curly. I am not me because I drive a Volvo. I am not me because I’ve been wearing the same silver necklace with a small “A” on it since I was sixteen. I’m not me because I’m a control freak. I’m not me because I hate being wrong. I’m not me because I’m competitive. I’m not me because I like naps. I’m not me because I take short showers. I am not me because I want to go to Brazil. I am not me because people have told me that I look like Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightly, Christina Ricci, Eliza Dushku, and Rachel McAdams. I am not me because I don’t actually look that much like any of those people. I am not me because I don’t like to re-read books.

 I am not me because of any of these things. But I am me because of all of these things.

Soy Hot Dogs and Cyphillis

I've been trying to finish Reverb10, but knowing that they were the last ones I'd answer I got seriously caught up in trying to make it "perfect" and had to keep it in the "edit" section for a little while longer. My East Coast trip is winding to a close as I sit here at my kitchen table with my foot wrapped in an ice pack and resting atop the table, while my mother carves a woodblock (what?) and talks to herself, and my brother is on his third soy hot dog. I never said we weren't a special bunch.

So...I've been religiously opening the tab on my checking account balance and doing math until I've figured out that I don't have enough money, again and again. I spent roughly $10,000,000* in New York the past few days, so now the need to get a job when I return to LA tonight is ridiculous. I might actually just put on some gold lamé booty shorts and stand on a corner until someone gives me something. Preferably not Syphilis. It'd suck if my boyfriend came back on Friday and I had to remind him that he just signed a lease with me and then show him my syph results. So maybe I'll just reopen my Craigslist tab.

*Shut up. I know. I exaggerate.

My Google history now reads Citibank, Gold Lame, and Syphillis. I have no idea what that means, but I know that the government still has no reason to hack my computer.

I have to share this. Sorry. This is in reference to a religious figure from my deceased grandmother sitting atop our entertainment center directly across from the kitchen table, in the living room:

My brother: Why is the Madonna facing away from us?
Mom: Because we don't worship her.
Brother: So we're kissing her ass?

My flight is in two hours. I think it's time for an online check-in and a ride to the airport.

A

Welcome to 2011

I had this whole crazy idea that I'd be able to give you a fabulous blog post yesterday, when in reality all that I was able to do yesterday was continue to drink. It's not my fault that the holidays in New York seem to just equal social, obligatory drinking. Is it my fault that I fall for that trick time and time again? Yeah, sure. But was it fun? Yes. Am I ready to start my new year now? Yes. 2011 officially starts tomorrow morning and I'm ready for it.

I spent New Year's Eve pretty wonderfully, actually. Woke up feeling pretty groggy and unenthusiastic, but then took a trip to the Russian and Turkish Baths in the East Village and spent some time detoxing and sweating before eating some sushi and going back uptown to get all dressed up for the Prohibition-themed party. New Year's Eve is always stressful. Always. And I was determined to not let it get to that point this year. So I didn't. The party we went to was really fun, really simple, and I had no ridiculous expectations for greatness. I ate grape leaves, cookies, and rum punch and we played Apples to Apples and I was happy. I popped a bottle of Prosecco at midnight and just generally had fun. AND best of all, I didn't spill on my borrowed, white dress!

Happy 2011, all!

A