Newest Project - A play?

Hey Bloggers!

So far, it is Tuesday, and nothing this week has happened yet. My job search has not yielded any responses from last week's interviews. I had a few job applications completed, but still waiting to hear.

Anyway, that is not the purpose of this post. In this post, I wanted to tell you all about a project I have been working on with a few friends of mine out here. We are putting on our own play production!

This is something new for me, but I have been following my love for theater, and I joined a group with 6 actors my age and we teamed up. We are all getting frustrated with how life has not gone the way we planned it would, and we wanted to make something for ourselves. Make our own break if you will. So, our group director, wrote a script in April, and we have been rehearsing it every Monday night since.

I am the only non-actor in the group, but it has been amazing to watch how these guys work. It has really exposed me to the methods of acting, and the process one really goes through to get into character. I have never experienced that before, and I have a whole new appreciation for actors.

Anyway, the play is called, Shakespeare is Dead. It is about 6 students in a Shakespeare class want nothing to do with his plays, but the more they learn it, the more they realize it parallels their own life. In other words, the scenes they need to "memorize" for class are directly corresponding to current drama in their life. It is actually a really cool and funny message. I do not know much about Shakespeare, if anything at all, but this play is really funny and has a lot of potential.

We premiere at the Flight Theater in Hollywood July 8-10th. Tickets are $10 or $5, if you talk to me before hand. It is a 40 person theater, and we are hoping to sell out each night. It is a simple production, but we have needed to raise 900 dollars to rent the theater space. So far, we have $725, but still needing a bit more. I am sure we will get it. If you are interested in supporting this, I have pasted the link below. If you want to spread the word, you can tweet #Shakespeareisdead or forward the link below for donations.

My role with the show will be the tech and lighting director. This is a new role for me, but being a part of the theater world has been really rewarding so far. I just hope we can pull off our opening night.

I am proud of myself for being involved in a project that is different, but also exciting. I am proud of the cast and crew for being so dedicated to the project. I hope you will enjoy it too! Until then...

http://www.indiegogo.com/Put-a-roof-over-our-performances-head?a=160134&i=reli&key=qN7BMeHk

Gaining Momentum!!

Hey Bloggers,

I just wanted to update you quickly on what happened this week. Unlike the previous week, I suddenly find myself super busy! Yay!

To start, I had 4 interviews! One is actually for a non-profit organization called the LA Youth Network. It is their quest to house homeless children in LA in long term shelters. I had no idea the youth homeless population is over 10,000. That is over 7 large high schools! Kids ages 2-17 are welcomed to these shelters, but only 48 beds exist due to lack of budget from the CA government. I found these statistics staggering. Even the fact that 15% of the adult homeless are with bachelor's degrees. I could never imagine being in that situation, but in this economy, I guess we all could potentially become one of them. I don't think the job is for me, which is raising awareness of the situation in the streets of LA, like a grassroots campaign, but I do want to be involved as a volunteer somehow.

The second interview was with Disney Animation. It was the third and final round of interviews. This time, I was to meet with the 6 Production Supervisors in groups of two for 30 minutes each group. I was there for over 1.5 hours, and my mouth was tired of talking! The interviews went well, but I am still deciding if Animation is where I want to be. I really like the process, but I still want to be in TV. I will take it, obviously, if a position came up, but as of now, I just do not see myself staying there for really long. Otherwise, the people who work there are absolutely amazing, and I know the work environment is right for me.

The third interview I had was with... drum roll please.... Disney Channel! Yay! This was for the exact position I interviewed with a month and a half ago. Go figure! The only different is it is for three other executives. I applied ot it online, but I had three of my Channel contacts recommend me to come in for the interview. I know I am going on to round 2, because they told me at the end of the interview, and they sent me a script to read and give notes. I am really excited about this possibility, but I do not want to expect anything this time, because my heart hurt so bad last time I was rejected. I have no expectations, so I do not want to think about it.

The last two interviews were more random. One was for a reality production company that is in charge of the Kardashians and a few other top shows. So I don't want that one. The last one was for a Production Coordinator, not assistant, but Coordinator position for Discovery, more specifically, TLC. The catch with this is, if I get it, I have to move to Maryland. I am not opposed to moving, especially if the job takes me there, but I don't know anyone or anything really in MD. I would start completely over, but at least I would be closer to home. I have no idea what will happen with that, but I hope to hear something soon.

So... that was my week in summary! Pretty good! It really feels like I am getting closer to something happening. 5 successful interviews, and two I know I am going further in the process. It has put me in a surprisingly good mood! I have not given up yet, but my bank account almost has. I have nothing really left, and I only get half the hours I need at the restaurant, so I am praying hard that something will break sooner. That leaves a lot of possible news to come this week. Until then....

goodnight!

Another Week Down...

(written June 10th)

Well, it's been almost a week from home already. Wow how time flies. It feels like yesterday I was in my room. I will be back someday soon.

I wish I had more to report, but this week was really quite uneventful. I was actually pretty bored for most of the week. I hate that feeling. I try to be productive, but not really having a lot to do is maddening at times. Yes, I have tons of small projects to work on, but it seems my motivation to work on those are really small at times anyway.

What did I do this week? Well, I applied to over 40 jobs! That's good. I applied to anything and everything from jobs back east to cable companies in LA, Disney, Nickelodeon, and reality tv companies, etc... Hopefully I will hear from one of those.

I went to the gym a lot... almost everyday. Trying to get back in shape. I really want to get as toned and athletic looking as possible. To be the best version of me.

I went back to work at BJs. Woo Hoo! (jk). In all reality though, it did feel good to make money again, even if it is not the job I want at the moment. I actually took pride in working there for a while.

I also had lunch with a producer connection of mine. It was more pleasure rather than business, but it was nice to go out.

That was my week. Woo Hoo!

OH! I am not sure if I mentioned it before, but I am a part of a theater group I started with some BJs friends of mine. Out of the group of 7, I am the only non-actor in it. We meet every Monday night, as we are preparing for our first production on July 8-10th. We finally secured the stage, and thanks to my brother, we have a program underway. The play is about how the meaning of Shakespeare still applies to modern times. I will explain more as the project gets closer, and I will be having a "donation launch" post. Just keep in mind, we are looking for donations to pay for the stage. If you want to donate, please follow this link:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Put-a-roof-over-our-performances-head

More will come.

And finally, one last update. I got rejected from two more jobs today. I came a close second to the both the VH1 talent position and the Nickelodeon position. Those were two that I made to the final interviews with, so now I am out half my job leads. I still stand by my position of rejection the last job because that seemed way too unstable.

I am pretty bummed about losing these chances, but I know I am getting closer. Going home has refreshed my mind, so it really is easy to take these rejections. Something better will be coming. Hopefully....

That's really it. I am still going after what I want whole-heartedly. I just hope a chance will pop up soon. I don't think I can deal with these uneventful weeks much longer.

Anyway, night Bloggers!!

Last Night at Home... A Growing Experience

Hey Bloggers!

I am writing this to you at 3:22am because I cannot sleep at all. Even though I am getting up in less than 6 hours, I can never sleep the night before I travel.

That's right... I am going back to LA tomorrow. Wow, as I typed "LA" I caught myself typing "Home" before I deleted it. I guess I am not sure which one is my home much anymore. Burbank is my current home and where my current life is, but NJ/East Coast is where my heart is... that is my home too. So am I returning home or leaving it? Not sure.

I cannot believe how fast two weeks has gone by. It seriously flew by! I usually find myself bored in Chatham by the first few days, but not this time. Does that mean I just had a lot of stuff to do, or does that mean I need to stay longer? I know I could. I could easily stay another two weeks, if not more, just to figure out meetings and interviews in NYC. Maybe next time I will have a better organized trip with a purpose to NYC.

I think I accomplished everything I wanted too while I was home. I figured out car insurance, health insurance plan, residency, back issues, NYC meetings, and spent time with family. I wish I could have seen more of my friends, but their lives have also gone in another direction. I am mad that I am missing my good high school friend, who returns from her year abroad in China, by less than 72 hours. I did, however, get to see my sister for a little more than 24. So that was worth it!

Looking back at these two weeks, I can see how I have changed as a person. I have never been away from home this long before (9 months), and so much of my life has changed in those 9 months; I just didn't know how much.

First off, I see just how much I am different from my parents. I think I am starting to come into my own person now and really owning it. I do things differently than my parents, and I think differently than they do. Being my main influencers on life, I see now that I do not have to be exactly like them in those respects. It is hard to mentally separate yourself and accept your ways when you are still dependent on them for survival.

Secondly, I have realized just how much I am like my grandmother. I really am a younger version of her, and I want to be just like her as I grow older (notice I did not say, "When I grow up.") She is so free loving and affectionate. I have never thought I was unaffectionate, but I have come to realize just how affectionate I want to be as a person. I guess I have my boyfriend to thank for this as well. I found myself wanting to give more hugs than I received, and I had to stop myself several times from asking for too many. My family is full of love, but we are definitely not the most affectionate; its just our nature, and I want to be different than that. I now see I want to be just like my grandmother because she is always the one I can count on for a any form of love...hug, back rub, or even hand holding. I want to be able to give others that appreciation and love as well. This is one area in which I know I want to mature when I return to the West coast.

I also felt I have finally grown out of my room. Despite it being my childhood room and full of memories, I want to have a more sophisticated room; one that I can feel comfortable revealing to my new friends and future guests, and not one that looks like a 10 year old girls' room. So a makeover will be rendered someday.

I have also noticed just how much having a relationship means to me. I though being away from my boyfriend was going to be a lot easier than it actually was. I thought about him a lot, everyday honestly. My family asked about him too, so I talked about him everyday and thought about our times within the few months we have been together.

I was really happy to meet up with him in the city this week for two days since our schedules coincided; and it was amazing! I am starting to realize what it means to become "invested" with someone. Let's just say my relationship has become more important to me than I will comfortably admit in public. :D

And lastly, I have realized just how strong I can be. In the last post I told you about a 3 month job offer that came through. Well, I am proud enough to stand by my decision and state that I denied the offer! what??! Did you see that coming... or not?

I was so nervous to tell the company about passing up their offer, so I avoided it for two days, and thought more and more about the whole situation. I basically came to the conclusion that I have better outstanding offers coming up in the near future that will better suit my personality and career path. As the days passed, situations unfolded, and I felt less and less sold on the idea for various confidential reasons.

But today I was able to tell the executives "no, but thank you" in a very professional manner and still keep my connection with them. I feel good about my decision, and now I just have to work even harder to get where I want to be. Calling them and saying "no" resulted in a boost of self-confidence and pride in my ability to stand up for myself. I never compromised myself or my morals, and I was not tempted by money. I am stronger than I thought I was, and discovering that about yourself is such an amazing feeling... like you're invincible. I know I have what it takes to make it now, I just needed to realize that again.

So spending my last night at home, I am able to refocus myself for the upcoming weeks. I have a new and refreshed perspective on my life out in LA. As much as I do not want to leave home, I have some promising leads that I hope manifest themselves soon. I will continue to work hard for what I want, and I will continue to grow.

I never thought I would be ready to grow up, but looking at myself now, I feel like the time is coming for me. Time for me to grow up because I want to become a better person: professionally, personally, socially, and lovingly.

Being in your early/mid twenties during the Great Recession has brought on 2 years of identity crisis for most Americans. Well, I can say I am really starting to own myself and realize I do want to grow up now, and I do want to be my own person. I thank God for all that I have and all that I grew up with, but I know I have the tools I need to make something of myself. I just hope that is sooner rather than later.

Until that time comes... I really need to get some sleep. Goodnight bloggers, goodnight home, and hello California.