One Good Thing About Today Was That There Were Cupcakes On Set.

And they were yummy.

Happy Halloween!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

So I've gotten about halfway through the book, and OMG, this girl is stupid.

Maybe it's all this financial stuff that's going on in the world lately that's taking the fun out of this book, but seriously, what else are you supposed to think about a girl who actually ends up spending more money when she's trying to scrimp and save?

Either you're supposed to find her antics "hilarious" (I fail to see what's funny about pretending to never get those collection notices) or you're supposed to empathize with her situation (the need to cut back on spending is understandable. The way she does it, is not.). If the latter's true, then I'm starting to understand how the world got into this financial mess to begin with.

It's because I'm surrounded by idiots.

And PS: I can't stop picturing the main character as Isla Fisher.

People Ask Me For Favors At The Weirdest Times.

Seriously, can't a girl spend a night to herself and get more than half a chapter into a self-indulgent chick lit book without getting bombarded with text messages asking her to be in Long Beach tomorrow morning at 6am?

Geeze.

And So It Begins...

It's been a few days since my End Of October Manifesto, and I'm happy to say that I've kept it up... Sort of.

My kitchen table is now usable and so is my desk thanks to some quick de-cluttering, which is a small step, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. As much as I would've liked to tackle bigger "problem areas" of my apartment, I just haven't really had the time or energy over the last couple of days.

But I am proud to report that the work related goal is getting some good attention. I landed a gig for this weekend and gained a new piece of equipment for my arsenal that I've wanted for a really long time but haven't been able to afford. Luckily, I was able to buy one (barely) used for a pretty good price, and I brought it home last night. Yay! And it's awesome timing too since I can test it out at work this weekend and see if it needs any adjustments or something. I can breathe a little easier now. =)

And tonight, since there's nothing really on TV that I feel like watching and my ass is going to be numb if I spend another minute in this computer chair, I'm going to spend the evening reading a book. I haven't done that in what feels like ages. And to start with, I'll be reading Confessions of a Shopaholic. Chick lit, I know, but it should be a fun read. Things are a bit too depressing right now to read anything serious anyway.

If My Day Was A Play On Broadway, Wardrobe Would Be A Bitch.

Want to hear something totally ridiculous and makes sense to absolutely no one but me?

I wore 6 different outfits today and changed clothes a total of 7 times. No joke.

Here's the breakdown...
- Woke up in PJs. Nothing new.
- Changed into jeans, a tank, and a track jacket... Then realized that it was 90 degrees outside and wearing a jacket outside would suck. But without the jacket, the tank wasn't working for me. So I...
- Changed into a different tank top, threw on a plaid button-up over it and headed to the supermarket. (And FYI, I should've stuck with the jacket. It was pretty chilly inside.)
- After I got home, I felt a bit gross and took a shower. I emerged from the bathroom wearing my PJs again because sometimes, it feels good to be wearing PJs after taking a nice hot shower.
- Shortly afterward, I noticed on my grocery receipt that they had double charged me on a package of yeast (note: be on the lookout of some form of bread-baked goodness in the future), so I threw on an old college sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and headed back to the store.
- When I returned, it was time for me to get ready to meet this guy I found on Craigslist who was selling me some old gear he no longer needed. I know I could have totally met the guy wearing what I already had on, but I like to make a good first impression. Besides, looking presentable would probably give me a bit more bargaining power if some of his items don't check out okay. So I changed into a more flattering ensemble and out the door I went.
- A few hours later and I was back in my apartment, where I promptly changed into something with more breathing room.
- And now, as I sit here writing this, I'm back in my comfy and mismatched PJs. Notice how I always come back to the PJs? It's a wonderful cycle.

I'd Call This My "New Year's Resolutions" But It's Too Late/Early For That.

It's not a big secret that I have a bunch of free time on my hands these days. But I'm also in that weird place where I feel like there's all this stuff I'm supposed to be doing and yet a good chunk of my day is spent wandering aimlessly between blogs.

Maybe I'm not motivated enough. Maybe I'm lazy. Or maybe I just don't know where to begin. Either way, I think that's all going to change. Starting now, here are my Must Do's:

- Read. I don't have as large of a book collection as I once had, but I do have a nice stack of books I've bought over the months, but have yet to touch. And we're talking best sellers and Oprah recommended titles here. Not to mention a growing stack of magazines. I currently have three subscriptions and am at least a month behind on all of them. I even have a handful of unread Entertainment Weekly issues that date back to almost a year ago when my subscription expired. Shameful, I know. I used to be able to plow through at least a book a day in my younger years. Now my goal is to get through two a week. (We're starting small here people.)

- Home maintenance. Namely, clean and get things organized. I rarely have people over since it's kind of embarrassing how messy everything is. Half completed decorating projects litter the walls, piles of crap on the floor, and hardly a bare surface in sight. I even still have a box or two that I haven't unpacked despite living here for over two years! Usually, I get possessed every couple months or so and start to do some sort of major overhaul, but that usually loses steam and before you know it, things are back to normal. Hopefully, I'll be able to reclaim my kitchen table from old mail and dead chia pets. I plan on tackling one problem area a day.

- Work on work. Or rather, getting work. Once a day, I will do something that may help my career. Be it shooting a quick e-mail to a former boss or co-worker for any job leads, or just applying to a listing on a production site. And if there really is no work for me out there, I will spend my time bettering myself so when the next gig does come around, I will kick ass. This means looking into taking a couple of classes and/or reading books on my trade.

- Get out more. I'm living in one of the most famous cities in the world, and have been for a couple of years. And yet, I have no idea where almost anything is. Even tourists can probably navigate between landmarks better than me. So at least once a month, I will go to some place I've never been. Be it a park, a museum, a farmer's market or even a swap meet, I will see what this city has to offer. Hopefully, I'll be inspired enough to make it more than a monthly ritual, but right now, I'm on a tight budget (see above) so this is highly dependent on things like museum free days and gas prices.

There's probably a lot more stuff I could add to the list, but I don't want to feel overwhelmed by something that's supposed to inspire me. I think this is a good place to start. Day one starts tomorrow. Wish me luck.

If Anyone's Reading This...

I think today will be a good day.

Not a great one, but a good one nonetheless.

Decorating on the cheap.

If I tried to do what this guy did you'd think a five year old came in and drew all over my walls.

I do have this urge to go color it all in though...

Jealous. Kinda. Sorta. Not really.

Life's a funny thing. It's never how you plan it. Despite growing up knowing that the "real world" would be tough, I never expected to be unemployed for this long at this point in my life. And to make this kick in the pants even worse, it's not really because of anything I've done. It's the economy... The pending actor's strike... Basically the mess that is the world. And while I know I'm not alone in my search for work, it still sucks.

Meanwhile, I have friends who seem to be flourishing. Booking back to back strike-proof features. Working non-stop. Shooting out in Bora Bora and staying at the St. Regis all on the company's dime. I'm sorta jealous of each and every one of them (especially the one in Bora Bora) but at the same time, I'm happy for them. And you know what? They deserve it. I know they work hard at what they do and most of them have been in the game too long to not be landing jobs like that.

I'm not gonna lie though. It does kinda suck to watch these guys go out and work on these amazing shoots while I'm sitting at home hoping for an offer, any offer, to pop up. But I guess I can find some comfort in knowing that I'm at least associating myself with some really good people. That's gotta mean something, right?

Wow.

I don't know who this chick is, but her work rocks my socks off.

I gave in...

I don't have a myspace page, and I wouldn't touch facebook with a ten foot pole. But I have a blog now.

We'll see how long I keep this up for...