"Worst Day Ever"

Thought I'd be productive and write from the Toyota dealership this morning since I have to be here from 8-11am. No, it's not on one of those boring routine checkups. I actually wish it were. 

I'm at Toyota because someone stole my keys this weekend so I have to get my entire car system reprogrammed. Yep.

I was carrying in multiple bags of groceries Saturday and, admittedly, left my keys in the door. Less than an hour later I'm leaving again and can't find my keys. I open the door and find my apartment key still in the lock and all my other keys -- car keys, mailbox key, gym key, and gate clicker to get in the apartments -- gone. 

WHO DOES THAT? Who takes someone's keys?! I feel like it's Courtesy 101 to knock on someone's door and let them know they left their keys hanging. Clearly, I didn't do it on purpose. I had too much in my hands and too much on my mind. Or if you don't feel like interacting with people, LEAVE THE KEYS THERE. But do not take the time to take off all the keys on my keyring and be so considerate to leave my apartment key in the door. 

So instead of having an easy Saturday, I had to move my car out of the parking garage (because they could have easily found it) and park at another complex all weekend and continue to walk back and forth to my apartment. I had to wait until someone came into the building before I could even get in to my complex because I had no gate clicker. I couldn't check the mail. Thankfully I had a spare car key otherwise I would have been even more screwed. It cost me 150 to change the mailbox key, 130 for a garage clicker, and Toyota is 300 for reprogramming the vehicle.

Finally had a breakdown about it that night. Got home from work at midnight, parked my car down the road, walked to my complex alone that late, and waited outside the building until someone drove in so I could get in. By the time I got to my door, I was an exhausted heap of frustration and anxiety.

Then, I look on CNN and see that Zimmerman was charged not guilty. And read that Cory Montieth was found dead in his hotel room.  And remembered that my own boyfriend is back home dealing with a sick father. 

Even though shitty things happen, there is always, always someone who is going through much worse. Yes, getting keys stolen is extremely stressful, I've had to drop hundreds of unanticipated dollars I don't readily have in the last 48 hours. And I've been paranoid walking by neighbors. 

But in Florida, a mother and a father are dealing with the tragedy of their son's wrongful death. In 2013,  racism is still very much alive and breathing. A girl, celebrity or not, is trying to wrap her head around the too-soon death of her soon to be fiancé. Yes, Lea Michele and Cory Montieth were engaged. I don't care if she's a celebrity, she's a person, and woman to woman, my heart hurts for her loss. My boyfriend is spending his nights beside his father in the hospital. There are countless of other stories in the news as well as the thousands that go unreported daily. 

So, things I am thankful for from this weekend's experience:

1. They didn't take the apartment key. They easily could have. They could have damn near robbed me. I was actually in the shower when all this took place -- one try at unlocking the door, and I would have been home alone with them. For their decision to leave the key, I am thankful. Not to them, they're a piece of shit, I mean I'm thankful to the universe. 

2. I found a spare car key in an old shoe box. Toyota initially quoted me at 600 dollars, but because I found a spare key last night, I didn't have to pay for a new key as well and it dropped to 300. 

3. I had friends who let me keep my car in their gated complex for the weekend so it'd be safe, friends who reassured me it was an accident and not to blame myself, and to let them know if I needed anything. The first thing that both my parents and Alex asked when I told them what happened was, "Well, are you okay?" As pissed as I was for the costs of all the new keys, everyone who loves me made me realize I am more valuable than those things. 

I end with this quote that made me feel better when I was in the middle of it all and wondering how I was going to pay for everything.

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will;

when the road you're trudging seems all uphill;

when the funds are low, and the debts are high

and you want to smile, but have to sigh;

when care is pressing you down a bit-

rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;

the silver tint of the clouds of doubt;

and you can never tell how close you are

it may be near when it seems so far;

so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-

it's when things go wrong that you must not quit."

- Author Unknown 

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer. Usually I'm into more bubbly and self-depricating posts. But, sometimes, your "worst day ever" is a day someone else would gladly trade with you. So acknowledge your shitty day, hell have a meltdown if you want to, then remember it could always be worse. And say a little prayer of light and love for your brothers and sisters who are experiencing their worst day ever, too. I guarantee it will make you feel at least a little better. That, and some dark chocolate, of course.

Top 3 Audition Fails

Sometimes I get to audition for really cool things. New television shows, commercials, indie films, and the highlight so far, Modern Family!

I just turned 3 in LA years, and I was thinking of all the auditions I've gone on so far. Because they come and go so often, I try my absolute hardest to let the experiences, good or bad, stay in the room. Easier said than done! If it's a good audition, you leave feeling awesome and then if you don't get it (for whatever reason, it could literally be that you're brunette and they wanted blonde) you second guess how "awesome" you are. If it goes badly, you're spending the next 48 hours crying to your loyal confidantes, Ben and Jerry.

But some auditions can be so awkward, uncomfortable, and downright WTF that a teeny tiny voice in your head asks, "This is what you moved to LA for, you idiot?"

Here are my top 3 worst auditions. In retrospect I find them funny,  and Dr. Randy Pausch, who wrote my favorite book, The Last Lecture, says, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted." Let me tell you, these were definitely some learning experiences!

3. Hoop Dreams: For commercial auditions, most of them have no script so you don't really know what you're going to be doing until you get there. For this NBA promo, I drove about 1.5-2 hours in stand-still traffic during rush hour. When I get there, the guy says, "Cool, so you're going to pick up that hula hoop and just hula for 15 seconds." I ask, "Okay, do you want me to say anything...?" The answer was no. So, I hula hooped. For 15 seconds. And he said, "Thanks." And I left. And drove back another hour and a half. I spent roughly 3 and a half hours in my car (plus the time I took to get ready) for a 15 second hula hoop session. UGHHH is an understatement. SKYPE me next time.

2. Video Ho: One of my very first auditions was for this up and coming R&B group who needed the quintessential video girls. Because I was new to LA and excited to have an audition, I didn't catch the blaring warning signs whereas now, I'd be like HELLL NAW. I get there, and it's at an apartment. "Never ever ever go into someone's apartment!" said no one to me. All the girls were in club clothes of course, which makes me super uncomfortable because that's not my style. When it's my turn to go in, it's an empty room with 6 guys behind a table and I was to dance "seductively" for 3 minutes. While they watched. Do you know how long 3 minutes is?! I think after 30 seconds you know if someone can dance or not, but noooo, I had to dance to a full song. Longest 3 minutes of my life. When I left, one of the guys runs out and asked me for my number. UNPROFESSIONAL MUCH?! I very nicely said, "Well, it's on my resume," and then burst into tears when I got to my car. I ended up getting a part but declined. It just wasn't worth the money. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Btw, this is how I get down.

3. Say whaaa: I had an audition for Prius, and our task was to pretend we were Prius owners and give a reason why we loved our car. Easy enough, right? I don't know much about cars but I did remember that Prius's are a pretty quiet ride. So I thought, awesome, I'll talk about that! Then for some reason, unbeknownst to me,  I said, "I love my Toyota Prius because it's such a quiet ride, I can stalk my ex-boyfriend and he never finds out!" .............. WHAT?! WHERE DID THAT EVEN COME FROM?! *Cue awkward and confused look from the room. Definitely did not get the part. Prius does not want crazy psycho girlfriends representing their company,  and I don't blame them.

Awkward.

A toast, to more successful auditions, and more experiences!

Being UNjealous

We all get jealous at one point or another - it's human nature.

I speak for myself and the industry I work in, sometimes it can be very difficult to watch other people succeed while you sit and wonder if and when you will also achieve your goals. In the back of our minds, we all know that different doors open for different people at different times. But even if we know it, do we believe it? Do we accept it? Do we embrace it? That is the challenge.

"What does he or she have that I don't? Why can't I do that? I'm just as good, if not better," are thoughts projected at siblings, friends, colleagues, even strangers!! I can't tell you how many times I've thought, "Pssh. I mean, they were aiiiiight, it wasn't like amazing."

Why am I being such a hater?!

Admittedly, there was a point in my life a few years ago when I let my jealousy get the best of me. I was beating myself up for every little thing and in turn projecting that resentment, self-hatred, -whatever negative word you want to use - onto others.

Then I read this quote and it really, really, really struck a chord with me.

"Jealousy is nothing but fear that you too will not achieve the goals you've set out for yourself."

Hmm. Now, where in that quote does it say anything about other people?

Nowhere.

Lemme break it down. Jealousy is FEAR. That YOU. Won't achieve YOUR goals. Your journey, your path, your experiences, your successes, your failures...do not interfere with anyone else's and vice versa. Someone else's outcomes doesn't take away the chances of yours. Isn't that a relief?

The way I like to envision it now is, hundreds of mountains next to each other. And you can see others climbing their mountains. And you might say, "Hey his mountain seems easier to climb, or her mountain is not as high as mine." But that's their mountain. And if you spend time focusing on their climb, they will only keep climbing higher, and where will you have gotten? We aren't climbing one giant mountain together. This isn't a competition, no need to scramble to the top. Everyone has a unique purpose and we can all co-exist, we can all achieve individual success together.

I read an article in Psychology Today recently that said, "The happiest people are the ones who are present when things go right for others - and whose own wins are regularly celebrated by their friends as well. What is precious and scarce is people who can truly share in others' joy and gains without envy."

So the next time a colleague shares great news on Facebook, try celebratin' instead of hatin'! I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't still sip on haterade, some days more than others, but lifting others up is way better than putting them - or worse, yourself - down.

And besides, haterade leaves a nasty aftertaste. I'd rather have a smoothie.

AMERICA! F YEAH!

Happy belated birthday, America!

I hope everyone enjoyed celebrating freedom, independence, and hot dogs.

I thought about writing many reasons why I love this country, but instead I kept thinking about things America seems to love, that I admittedly don't really care for.

So, thanks to my first amendment rights, I can and will exercise them here:

1. Fireworks: They are cool for like a second, then they're over and it's like, "Oh...okay then." I've never lit them myself, nor do I have any desire to. And I mistake the sound for gunshots a lot. Call me old-fashioned but I'd much rather watch stars in the sky do their thing.

2. Cheesecake: BLEGH! Why do we need to dedicate a whole factory to this?! There are much more delicious desserts!! Don't get me wrong, I love cheese and I love cake, but not together. (I also feel this way about peanut butter and chocolate - segregation!) I do like pumpkin cheesecake, but I like pumpkin flavored everything, so that doesn't really count.

3. Road Trips: Anyone who ever wants to drive across country with me, let me spare you the regret of inviting me along. I get car sick in about 20 minutes. I hate long drives. I have a tiny bladder and would have to pee probably every hour on the hour. I'm lactose intolerant and would not be able to live off of Dairy Queens. I will probably make you listen to Disney Pandora the entire time. I have a weird thing about hotels because I don't know how clean they are since I didn't clean them myself so I'll get no sleep worrying (also I've seen too many creepy murder movies involving motels) When I moved to LA, I shipped my car and flew just so I wouldn't have to drive. Maybe one day....

4. Drew Barrymore: Is she still America's sweetheart? Because, ew. Hit me up when it's Emma Stone.

5. Sappy animal youtube videos: I will never understand why people love these so much. Maybe it's because I've never owned a pet, but they just don't do anything for me. My best friends are obsessed with that popular video, "Christian the Lion" where this lion gets reunited with his trainer or something. They were all crying while I just questioned whose idea was it to have Whitney Houston playing in the background?! You want to make me cry? Youtube "Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt." Photo montages of their happier days (with Whitney Houston in the background), and I'll weep like a baby. THEY WERE PERFECT.

6. Beer: Never gonna like it, America. Sangria pong, anyone?

An Apple A Day

I have a bad habit of never wanting to throw away food I buy, even when it has passed the expiration date. One day I bought a bag of apples from Trader Joes (Am I the only person who thinks their produce is hit or miss?) and they were mealy in like, 2 days.

MEALY APPLES! The worst, right?

So, being torn between throwing them away and just eating them, I decided to instead make applesauce! And I've been making my own applesauce ever since. 

It's super easy to make, only takes 30 minutes total, and is WAY healthier than store bought applesauce with all their added crap. 

I'm not sure if anyone (who isn't an infant or elderly) is into applesauce, but here's the recipe anyway:

What you need:

4 apples

1 cup of water

1/2 a lemon

Cinnamon and agave (optional)

1. Peel apples, slice them, then chop them up into little pieces. 

2. Like so! Then put one cup of water in a pot, followed by the apples. Cover pot and cook apples on medium-low for 30 minutes (or until mushy)

3. Squeeze half a lemon (not shown in photo, everyone knows what a lemon looks like, right? If not, www.google.com) And, optional, add some agave and cinnamon for flavor!

4. Using the bottom of a glass, mash all the apples while still warm. Chill, and serve! Voila!

I mean, I'm no Julie or Julia, but this looks pretty great, doesn't it?? Bon Appetit!

BACK BY UNPOPULAR DEMAND!

Guess who's bizzack?

It's me.

HI!

I started this blog a year ago and then a few months in completely abandoned it. Recently, (last night) I thought, "Why don't I start blogging again?"

Which brought me here. And so....here I am. TAKE TWO!

I don't have really anything to talk about today per say BUT I will attempt to write more consistently. So today is more of a declaration. A "Hey everyone, this is happening, so get ready" post.

But for the handful of you reading this, I will leave you with this:

When I found out Kim and Kanye were having a baby, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be so hilarious-dumb if they named their kid, South? As in South West?"

And then they named their kid North. (*facepalm)

Here are a few other fitting ideas for their celebrity baby name:

1. Key (This is a winner because it fits the infamous K-starting names)
2. South by South
3. Mid

And my personal favorite,

4. Wild Wild

See you tomorrow!! When I will have hopefully thought of something more interesting to talk about.

s.

Unpossible Cuts Jewelry!!

Great googly moogly!!

I haven't blogged in months!!!!

Who missed me?!?!

<crickets>

<tumbleweeds>

<random cough in the audience>

WELL I'M BACK. (until I forget I have a blog, which was exactly what happened last time)

I wanted to share a cool company with you guys!! My boyfriend bought me a necklace from these guys and I got so many compliments on it over the last week that I decided to just post their link. They laser cut really cute and unique jewelry!!

Here is a picture of my necklace. Please disregard my lips in the corner. (Actually don't disregard them, don't they look awesome?! All sensual and stuff)

And here is the link!! CHECK THEM OUT! Their stuff is legit. 

 Unpossible Cuts Jewelry