I'm moving on...

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The Blog Move

Hmmm...

I may be leaving the land of "Blogspot.com",

Getting my own domain name,

Switching to something like "Wordpress" for formatting

And creating something that will hopefully be a little cooler and all my own.

More to come...

Get A Move On

Tonight I go to the theatre to see some friends in [act]ion. Hooray!

As August draws near, I get closer to my big move and my excitement about my own acting career is starting to build!

A client at my work recommended some teachers and workshops to me and I started googling away.

Some of the women she mentioned had books out so one thing led to another and I ended up splurging on a mini "Amazon" binge, ordering quite a few plays and books about acting in LA.

Some of it's pretty funny and induces little giggle-fits or major eye rolling but I'm determined to put snobbery aside and try to focus on the potentially helpful bits.

Never judge a book by its...

Yeah, yeah.

Another book I was incredibly skeptical about at first is turning out to have a few cool tidbits too.

But shhhhhh... it's a ______.

Nothing you haven't heard before if you've ever read about any "creative visualization" techniques but it's always cool to be reminded to think positively, I guess.

I will say that I hate the way it's marketed, don't approve of the materialistic overtones and could do without the ridiculous Da Vinci Code-esque look of the thing.

But all that said, I do believe that thoughts can create your reality in the sense that the things on your mind color your mood and affect those around you. I dig it. Why dwell on what sucks?

So in that spirit: I feel great today! I've made it out for my morning jogs every day this week and I have the comfiest bed EVER and cool friends AND I got to eat yummy fruit from Bi-Rite last night AND it's almost the weekend! Life is good, no?

*The next few months are going to be a little hectic for me so I don't think I'll be posting much but there will probably be at least one more before I move. Then, when I make it down south it'll be a change-of-address and a change-of-blog-address too! You will be able to find me here and I think I'm going to be posting lot's and lot's of pictures now that I have a camera again. Follow my Adventures and watch me sink or swim!

Wings and Things

When I was a kid I was obsessed with flying.

Obsessed.

Not only did I desperately want to fly but I believed that if I tried hard enough I could.

Why not right?

There was no doubt in my mind,
So I set about to my task.

I made a makeshift hang glider out of wood and blue tarp.
(only to jump off the roof of the jeep and twist my ankle.)

I made a contraption out of a towel tied with rope that hung from the porch rafters and suspended myself in it.

Belly in the sling, arms and legs outstretched I swung back and forth for "practice".

I jumped off the barn roof into piles of hay.

One time I even jumped off a 40ft bridge into a flowing river but alas, I never made it into flight, at least not in the way I had dreamed I could.

I may not have flown but I sure as hell had fun trying and I think this is the way I'm cursed (or blessed) to live my life.

Sometimes I set my sights ridiculously high but it's not always about getting what you want, it's about having a good time trying!

No wonder I chose to be an actor!

Trying to succeed as an artist can feel as impossible as trying to fly.

But it's absolutely fun to try!

Rainy Day Blues

Rode my bike to work as usual.

It was dry when I left my house.
I was drenched when I reached the salon.

Last week I screamed at the wind from my bike.
Today I screamed at the rain from my bike.

Both times nothing changed.

Listened to my ipod on the way:
"Why do I smile at people who I'd much rather kick in the eye"
Name it!

Thought about the question, "how are you?"
Thought about inappropriate answers.

Today I heard a woman respond,
"I'm alive, I didn't kill anybody and I'm innocent, I'm great!"
Seriously?

Started baking in an effort to cheer myself up.

Half of what I make is good.
Half of what I make is scary.

Two recent creations include: "mookies" and "crownies".
(Both originally intended to be cookies.)

The first were more like muffins and the second, brownies.
A hammer, some Mexican chocolate and light mayo were involved...

The "mookies" were questionable.
The "crownies", a success!

Watched a woman have another woman's hair woven into hers.
Freaky.

I keep getting the feeling I'm forgetting something.

Maybe it's a symptom of the SWINE FLU!!!
Swine Flu is like, totally the new SARS.

Speaking of swine, when a certain boy pops into my mind,
A certain song accompanies:
"You're no good, you're no good, you're no good, baby you're no good..." know that one?

Anyone have the cure for the rainy day blues?

Relax Baby Be Cool

For a girl with no TV I somehow manage to watch quite a bit. (Thank you friends and Internet.)

I just finished Season 1 of "Californication". Love it. But I fear it can only go downhill.

Old TV character crush. Handsome but I've moved on, sorry Don.

New TV character crush. Come on! He's horribly flawed, witty, sexy and gets into the occasional fist fight!

(*Note to self: Stop talking about imaginary boyfriends in public forum.)

Still recovering from a 4-day bender with friends from out of town.

I had to give them the drinking tour of my city! What?

I finally swallowed some vitamins and forced myself to go for the morning run.

Well, by run I mean jog.

And by jog I mean jog/walk.

I'm working back up to it!

Friends can bring out the mischievous side.

Reading this article though, I learned that friends can actually be good for our health too!

You know what's not good for our health?

This.

I know, I know, everyone has linked this. But dude! This shit does not get old!

(*Um, second note to self: Stop swearing in your blog. Who are you a 15-yr-old boy? WTF?)

It's terrifying.

I got chills just now looking at it. And not the good kind.

At least those chills gave me momentary relief from this heat.

Stay cool friends.

At least you know you're cooler than me.

(Well, everyone except you, Joey.)

Notice:

Come to find out, meditation is not necessarily about clearing your mind of all thoughts but rather noticing the thoughts as they come and go. The practice of noticing, checking in, coming back to something like the breath. I'm beginning to see my artistic life in a similar way.

As an artist I am constantly questioning and redefining my identity. Noticing where I am and continuing to deepen and expand whatever work I'm doing whether it be an acting project, a new painting or a piece of writing.

Moving forward, staying awake. Eyes open, ears pricked, mind alert and heart expanding.

The teachers in the school of life are sometimes difficult to identify. They're all around but every once in awhile we dreamers and creators must be our own teachers too. We have to set our own standards and continue to ask what are we doing and why?

Today, this is where I'm at. Add your thoughts to the list and perhaps we can learn something from each other.

My rules as of this moment:

• Have something to say. If the impulse is there but the purpose is unclear work towards specificity.
• Do everything possible to open and expand the mind.
• Read.
• Find role models and note the specific reasons you admire them and the specific reasons you don't.
• Be willing to compromise but only to a point.
• Develop artistic integrity, don't be afraid to say no.
• Keep money separate. Money motivated art is likely to be shit.
• Daily practice. Do/make some art every day.
• Allow yourself to be moved as much as possible and wonder at the beauty of your heart.
• Make room for the simultaneous existence of genius, mistakes, perfection and shit.
• Daydream, nightdream, fantasize and actualize.
• Ask lots of questions.
• Yes, people are judging you. Sit with that.
• Re-write these rules as often as possible.