THE WEIGHT IS OVER!

I am happy to announce the launch of my new business! I have written two books that can be downloaded on my website. The first one is called "The Weight Is Over: The Real Reasons Why You're Fat And How You Can Conquer Them For Good".
The second book is called "Banish The Brain Fat" and you can get it for free when you purchase the second one.

I also have a supplements page for people who want some additional asisstance with increasing their metabolism and burning more fat.

I am very excited, so please check out my website at http://www.healthinspiredweightloss.com/. There is a multitude of informartion in both of the books. Also, be sure to sign up for my FREE e-mail newsletter on the form half way down the page. You'll receive weekly e-mails containing advice, tips, exercises and healthy food options for losing weight and staying healthy. There is some really good information, so please take a look now.

http://www.healthinspiredweightloss.com/

THIS BLOG IS ON HIATUS!

Thank you to all of the people who continue to come to this blog for updates.  Unfortunately, this blog will be on hiatus for a little while longer while I re-vamp and re-vitalize my approach to acting!

In the meantime, please CLICK HERE to check out my new blog on Health & Fitness!  I've always had a passion for being healthy, in-shape and feeling good.  On this blog I will be sharing LOTS of information on how to feel your absolute best and I will also have a lot of inspirational information on how to think positive and change your thoughts in order to achieve all of your health and fitness goals.

So please, go to http://healthinspiredfitness.blogspot.com/ and look around at some of the articales already posted.  The only thing I ask is for you to share the link to my new blog with everyone you know and to also register as a follower to the blog.

I think you will learn a lot of things from the new blog and also think about certain things in a different way as well.  After all, nothing is more important than your health and well being and you you feel.

See you on Health Inspired Fitness!

What Have I Been Up To In the World of Acting?

Well, not a whole lot, but that is about to change! I've been wanting to write this entry for a long time now, but I just hadn't got the nerve to do it, until now. Basically, I was a bit foolish this year and pretty much wasted the year of 2008, and I'm going to tell you why.


It all started in November of 2007. Does everyone remember the Writer's Strike in Hollywood? Well, I was pretty involved in it. It is a long story as to why, but it really isn't important. The point is, is that I was on the picket lines at Disney Studios in Burbank to help support the writers. The writers of a particular top 10 show on CBS. I was basically the liaison between the writers and the large number of worldwide fans from a popular internet blog. The fans are very loyal to this show and wanted to show their support. It was great for me because I got to meet these writers and producers personally. They are a great group of people and I felt very privileged. I was determined NOT to be "that actor" that bugged these people to get me on the show. I was not ever going to bring it up. Of course I wanted to, but it wasn't the time, nor the place. It didn't matter, because after spending a few days with them, they started throwing around the idea of getting me some lines on the show. That is like more than music to an actor's ears. I mean, this is what people dream of! Just one line on a show is a big thing for us. To make a long story short........the strike ended in early February, I believe, and they said that they would try to get me on the show the next season, as in this season. I was elated!


Now, being the moron that I am, I pretty much stopped everything I was doing in terms of acting. Stupid, I know. I thought I was going to get my break through them, then that would lead to something else, then I would be on my way. Not so much. I am not mad at the writers/producers. It takes a lot of effort to get an actor on a show and it has to be ok'd by many people. I am more mad at myself. Even if it was a guaranteed 100% surefire thing that I was going to be on the show, I shouldn't have halted all my other efforts. It would have only been a 1 time thing anyways. Not to mention, I have been approached by 3 other people (completely unrelated to this show) who have said to me that they were working on projects that they would put me in. Did I ever hear from them? Even after THEY gave me their business cards, e-mails, telephone numbers? NO!! I guess that is the nature of this business, and after all of the exhaustive research that I did BEFORE I moved to Los Angeles, I just didn't think about all of the broken promises that this town has to offer. I guess it wouldn't be natural to think of something like that when you are so excited about something.


All in all, it was a learning experience for me. I certainly see why people here get into porn, prostitution, etc. They are naive (and broke) and most likely promised a dream by someone. Thank God I got a good education before coming out here and thank God I never got mixed up in drugs or anything like that that might impair my ability to think right.

Anyway, I've got a new energy, a new outlook on the biz and a new and re-organized plan for 2009, and I'm going to tell you what it is in my next post. I must say, all of the friendly comments I get on the blog and the nice e-mails really do help. I may have been down in 2008 but I am not out!

I have 2 positive quotes for this blog. This first one was my original one:

"I believe, therefore I am" (I don't know who originally said this)

Then, at work tonight, I happened to come across this similar one in a newspaper:

"If you can believe in your power to do great things, you will" --Michael Berg

I don't know who the hell Michael Berg is, but this quote fits this blog entry.

Ciao!

I'm Not Very Good At This Anymore!

Yes, I was supposed to update this thing every week. Do I have an excuse as to why I haven't? NO! But you all love me so it's okay! Now, the purpose of this entry is to give the contact information for the doctor that performed my ICL procedure. His name is Dr. Paul Dougherty and he has been a pioneer with Visian ICL procedure. Click here to read his biography on his office website! As I mentioned before, Dr. Dougherty was one of the FIRST eye surgeons in the U.S.A. to learn the procedure, and has gone on to teach many other doctors how to do it as well.

I told Dr. Dougherty that I had this blog and that (sometimes) a lot of people read it! I said I would give everyone his contact information and he specifically told me that he does treat people from all over the country, so he would be glad to hear from any and all of you. If/when you do call, just mention that you were referred by Kris Campbell! There is absolutely no incentive for me whatsoever, but I'm sure the staff would be happy to hear that one of their patients was spreading the word after having such a great experience with them!

If you are seriously considering the ICL procedure, you can call Dr. Dougherty's office and schedule an appointment for a completely free consultation. What that means, is that you will go in and the eye technician will do an eye exam to make sure you are a good candidate for the procedure (not everyone is of course). And then Dr. Dougherty will sit with you and answer any and all questions you may have. They are all very nice and the office has a great team of optometrists that will take care of you after the procedure.

So, Dr. Dougherty has like 4 locations and I'm not going to type them all on this post. So CLICK HERE for a listing of all the locations on the website. I had my procedure done at the Los Angeles location. When I was doing research before my procedure, I found this really good aritcle that had a comprehensive list of questions that you should ask your ophthalmologist while interviewing them. But now I can't find it! It was really good and I swear it was a CNN article. It listed the questions, and then it told you what a "good" answer from the doctor would be and what a "bad" answer would be. I'll have to look for it.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

The Update On My ICL Surgery

I can't believe it has been 6 months since I had my Visian ICL procedure. If you haven't read my first post about the procedure, click here. Yesterday I had my 6 month follow up visit with the Ophthalmologist and I'm going to talk about my results and everything that's happened with my eyes over the last half year. It's crazy because, I've gotten so many e-mails from people inquiring about my procedure, what it is exactly, how well I see, and was it worth it. First off, I had no idea how many people didn't know what this procedure was or had never heard of it. This was put more into perspective for me when my doctor informed me that I was his ONLY patient that had come to him specifically requesting the ICLs........and he's done this procedure on thousands of people!

So, how is my vision? How well can I see? Let me start off by reminding everyone that whatever I talk about in this post is solely based on MY perception of the results of the procedure. I can only speak for me. Of course, results vary for each individual that has this done and there are many factors that contribute to those results. I happen to be young and very healthy because I'm a health nut. Anyways, according to experts, after having the ICL procedure, perfect vision is not guaranteed. Of course, because they can't guarantee anything. They say that vision anywhere from 20/20 to 20/30 is acceptable after a procedure like this. So, what is my vision. Well, needless to say the doctor and his assistant were a bit baffled when I read the eye chart. My left eye read the chart on the 20/15 line, and my right eye read on the 20/10 line. 20/10!!! I got 3 out of 4 letters right on the 20/10 line. All they could do was laugh. They were speechless. The assistant even said that I may have a bionic eye, haha. Clearly, I have no complaints there.



I should note here that witin these last 6 months, I did make 2 appointments with the doctor because I had some minor problems. The first one was in June and it was because my eyes were severely red and very uncomfortable. This was due to a pre-existing condition I had before my procedure and completely unrelated to it. They gave me some steroid drops and sent me on my way. The second time I went was because my right eye went blurry and stayed that way for a few days. Of course I freaked, because that's what you do when you were once in medical school. You start thinking of all the worst possible outcomes. I just knew that I was either developing cataracts or my eye pressure was rising. I went in to see the doc and basically we figured out that it was because I had stopped using my lubricant eye drops. When the human eye is punctured, there is always a greater risk for dry eye afterwards. In addition to my ICLs, the doctor did also did what are called "limbal relaxing incisions" or "LRIs" on both of my eyes to correct my astigmatism. According to emedicine from WebMD (http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic656.htm), here is some info on astigmatism and LRIs:


Astigmatism is present when the cornea is not spherical; that is, it is steeper in one meridian than in the meridian 90° away. The cornea with astigmatism may be thought of as being shaped like a football rather than being shaped like a basketball.
Limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs) are a modification of astigmatic keratotomy (AK), a procedure to treat astigmatism. LRIs are placed on the far peripheral aspect of the cornea (the limbus), resulting in a more rounded cornea (see Image 1). Astigmatism is reduced, and uncorrected vision is improved. LRIs can correct astigmatism up to 8 diopters (D); however, the use of LRIs is routinely reserved for 0.5-4 D of astigmatism. LRIs can be performed either at the time of cataract surgery or as an independent procedure.
Although LRIs are a weaker corrective procedure compared to corneal relaxing incisions (CRIs), LRIs produce less postoperative glare and less patient discomfort. In addition, these incisions heal faster. Unlike CRIs, making the incision at the limbus preserves the perfect optical qualities of the cornea. LRIs are also a more forgiving procedure, and surgeons often get excellent results, even with early cases.

Severe astigmatism can be corrected by lasik surgery, which thankfully wasn't my case. Well, apprently it can take up to a few months for this small incisions to heal. A few weeks after my surgery, I thought I didn't need my lubricant drops anymore. I mean, they weren't even medicated drops, just artificial tears. Turns out my right eye went blurry about the same time I stopped using the drops. I went back on the drops twice a day and my sight returned to normal. So, it goes to say that this little problem was corneal, and had nothing to do with the ICL's as well!

Now, as fas as drops go, I am only using the artificial tears. These are the only drops I have had to use since my procedure. Having the ICL procedure can stimulate a temporary spike in intraocular pressure, and anti-glaucoma drops may be needed. Normal eye pressure is between 11 and 18 mmHg (give or take a few). I know someone whose pressure spiked to 34 mmHg 24 hours after the procedure. He was put on the anti-glaucoma drops and then he was fine. My eye pressure is currently 13 mmHg in on eye and 10 mmHg in the other. Also, there is a risk of seeing halos around lights at night, and if they are bad enough, drops may be needed to lessen this effect as well. I think halos are the most common side effect of eye surgery. I must say though, that for the most part, I DO NOT see halos around lights. Only if my eyes are extremely tired. Other than that, my night vision is perfect. I was worried just after my procedure though because I did see very intense halos around light, especially in my left eye. They were so bad that I thought, "if this is what I have to deal with for the rest of my life, then it wasn't worth it". Of course, I was jumping to conclusions again. Those halos were just caused by corneal swelling, and they disappeared after 2 weeks or so.

All is not 100% perfect though. The only problem I have, is that I see ghost images, sometimes. Ghost images are a form of double vision. Basically, I only see ghost images with traffic lights and certain text on road signs. What I see is a partial shadow of the object I am looking at, just underneath it. Have you seen those fonts on Microsoft Word, that have the shadow of a letter under the real letter? Kind of like that. I certainly don't have true double vision. For example, if I look at a car, I don't see 2 cars. As I am typing now, I'm not even seeing ghost images with the words I'm typing. I don't know how else to describe it, but it is so minimal. It is not nearly enough to interefere with my daily activities.
So, that is pretty much my experience. I hope this info is helpful for anyone considering corrective eye surgery. I recommend it 2 thhumbs up to anyone who is a good candidate. Even my doctor now only does lasik on patients who are NOT good candidates for the ICLs because the results are so good. Because this post is getting rather lengthy, in a post in a few days or so, I am going to give all of the information about my doctor, his background and how to contact him if you are considering corrective eye surgery. He is the leading doctor in the ICL procedure, was one of the first to learn it, and actually teaches other doctors how to do it. AND, his fees are very affordable.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions I may be able to answer!

***UPDATE***

One of the commenters reminded me of something that I forgot to explain. The intermittent ghost imaging that I see is due to me still having a slight astigmatism. The LRIs cannot 100% cure the astigmatism. Also, I forgot to mention something about the ICLs moving around or shifting position in the eye. My doctor's office is one of the only in the U.S. to have the latest technology for fitting the lenses to a person's eye. They use ultrasound to get a 3D image of the eye in order to get the perfect size lense. My doctor has had to actually go in and re-fit a few patients lenses who were not properly fitted by the doctors that did their procedures. Remember, these are your eyes. It is VERY important not to get lazy when doing research on doctors. I'll give all of my doctor's info in a later post.

It's Been So Long.......

..........I almost forgot how to post on this thing. No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. A LOT of people have contacted me asking me to update my blog, so I am going to this week. I have a lot to say now.

I'm going to talk about my acting and all the hardships that comes with, my job, living in L.A. and also about how my eyes are doing. It's been a whole 6 months since I had my ICL procedure!!! I can't believe it.

So, for anyone who still has checked my blog to no avail for the last 6 months, I'm here and I'm going to try and keep it updated.

Check back in a few days.

I Got My "Procedure" Done............

...........3 weeks ago now, and I must say, it was money VERY well spent. It has made my life so much better. I actually feel like a diffent person. So, what did I have done?? Well, If you can't tell from the picture on the left, I had corrective eye surgery. But I DID NOT have Lasik. I got the Visian ICL procedure. "ICL" stands for "implantable contact lens". Yes, you read that right. I got contact lenses implanted inside my eyes. Upon telling my friends and co-workers that I was going to get this done, I was surprised at just how many people have never heard of this procedure. It was FDA approved in 1999!! That's almost 10 years ago. Actually, now that I think about it, I might not know about now either, however one of my very good friends from medical school, RB....his dad is an opthalmologist that performs this procedure, and that's how I found out about it over 2 years ago. Thanks RB.

If you've never heard of Visian ICL, then the concept of it probably sounds complicated. But in reality, it is actually a very simple procedure. It's takes less time than Lasik (only 15 minutes per eye), it is less invasive than Lasik and it is also less risky. And most of all, it is completely reversible, unlike Lasik. Let me explain. During Lasik, the doctor basically cuts the cornea (the clear front part of your eye) off, peels it back, and then uses a laser to BURN tissue off of your eye to reshape it. Years down the road, if your vision changes, you either need a laser to burn more tissue off of your eye, or you have to wear glasses or contacts again. With the Visian procedure, the doctor makes a very small incision (3 mm) in your cornea, inserts the rolled up contact lens, and then tucks it behind the iris (the colored part of your eye) and in front of the eye's natural lens, as seen on the right. So, the lens is hidden and no one can see it. If your vision changes in the future, you can choose to wear glasses/contacts again, or the ICL can be removed, and replaced with another ICL with your new prescription. So, you see, the choice was clear for me. Lasik was not an option. I can see prefectly and I have 20/15 vision in BOTH eyes!

Now, why did I decide to get this procedure done? Two main reasons. Yes, one is vanity! I think I look better without my glasses. There is nothing wrong with that, right? But the main reason is that I could no longer wear my regular contact lenses. I've worn contacts for over 10 years and I guess with the normal wear and tear they put on your eyes, my eyes had had enough. I was only able to wear my contacts for a few hours at a time, and never for more than 1 consecutive day. So, you can imagine how frustrating it was to have to go to auditions with my glasses on. The casting directors almost always asked me to remove them because they want to see everyone natural. Makes sense. Well, that created a problem, because without my glasses, I couldn't see my script without holding it 5 inches from my face. Not only that, when it comes to things like clothes, glasses, and other accessories, people should be able to wear them by choice, not be 100% dependent on them.

So, it goes to say that I had a great experience. I even went to the beach the very next day with my friends. If you'd like more information on this procedure, click here.

By the way, this is my 100th post!! I can't believe it took this long.

Positive quote:

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."

- John Quincy Adams

There goes that word patience again. Something I STILL need to work on!

Just an Update

I tried really hard to update 3 times in March, but my laziness got the best of me, so you just have to get over it! I want to start of by saying something that I wanted to say a year ago. Basically, I don't understand people. People, who specifically, call themselves your friends. What is the definition of a friend? Is the definition changing? I thought I knew, but apparently I don't. I've never had a lot of friends. I always thought that I carefully selected those people that would be close to me because you never know who is on their own agenda. Turns out, I can't shoose friends worth crap! Why am I rambling about this you might ask? Here's the reason, plain and simple. Over the course of the last 6 years or so, I have had 5 friends completely cut ties with me. All of them (at different points in time, not all at once) just stopped talking to me for NO REASON. And I mean, these are people who were pretty much BEST friends. With each of these individuals, there was no argument, no falling out, NOTHING. Now, I am the type of person that will take full responsibility for my actions, but how can I when I haven't been given ONE reason by any of these people? Most people will probably say that if I'm being dropped by so many friends, there must be something I'm doing wrong. Maybe Im mean, maybe I'm difficult, maybe I'm insensitive? Well, I say MAYBE I AM, but how in the hell can I know if I'm not told? I'm certainly not perfect, but when there is no argument, no yelling, no fights, I'm kind of left standing there dumbfounded each time as to what went wrong? I can tell it's affecting me a little bit too. I have walls up. I'm starting to not let people get too close. I mean would any of you want to constantly deal with this? So many people that I know now tell me that I'm cool and fun to be around, but when they first met me they thought I was a snob and could tell I had walls up. Well, now you know why. Thoughts?

Ok, enough of my rant. Things are going well at work. By that I mean that I've been offered a promotion. It's flattering, but I couldn't accept. I'm not ready to give up on Hollywood just yet. I can't commit to being a supervisor. I have to have my flexibility to go on auditions, etc., etc. I'm just waiting to see what SAG is going to do in June. We may have another strike on our hands, but lets hope not!

Now, there is something I'm really excited about. Next week, I'm having a cosmetic procedure done. I guess you would call it a cosmetic procedure anyway. Have I gone completely Hollywood?? I'd say no, but I am not going to say what it is until AFTER I get it done, haha.

That's it for now.

P.S. -- I'm still trying to find Na Young a boyfriend, while trying to fend off a stalker of my own!

Random Things

As I said, I'm going to try to get on here every week and update, even if I don't have much to say. And other than me going on a few auditions and completely blowing them, I don't have much to say. However, even though I've been absent from this blog in the last 2 months, the crazies still keep finagling their way into my life. I can't get away from them!

The one I'm going to tell you about now is my new co-worker. Her name is Na Young and she is on the fast track to becoming my favorite! Na Young is Korean and she speaks with a thick accent, so keep that in mind during this story. It all started one day when we were working together at the front desk of the hotel. Just to make conversation, I asked her old she was. Simple question, right? Well, she paused for a second and looked up at the ceiling as though she was really thinking hard about it. I was confused and thought to myself, "What is with this chick?" Then, as soon as she looked at me and said, "I'm 24 in America, but I'm 26 in Korea!", I knew I had a crazy on my hands. I busted out laughing, but that crap sounded funny the way she said. Turns out, however, that in Korea, they start your age at the moment of conception, NOT birth. So, when you're born, you're already almost a year old. Ok, that makes sense, but it sounded funny when that way it came from her. So, a couple of days later (February 12 to be exact) we had another meaningful conversation. Keep in mind this is happening 2 days before Valentine's Day, which is Tuesday the 12th. It went something like this:

Me: So Na Young, do you have a boyfriend?

Na Young: (eyes get big) Nooooooooo! I want boyfriend! Do you know someone?

Me: (laughing of course) Umm......yeah I have some single friends.

Na Young: They have to be Korean.

Me: Why?

Na Young: So we can communicate better.

Me: Okay.

Na Young: Okay!! I need boyfriend by Thursday!

Me: (Laughing so hard at the front desk that I had to step away) Umm......wow.......ok

The nex day.........

Na Young: So did you find me a boyfriend?

Me: No, I wasn't able to. What are you gonna do?

Na Young: (looking down) Ooohhhhh. Well, tomorrow I will just take sleeping pill and sleep all
day!!

And then I lost it! This girl is too funny and she doesn't even know it. Actually she does, because most of the time she starts laughing after she says something too. I mean, the other day I was teasing her because she is afraid of everything. Literally everything. She asked me if I was afraid of anything, and I said no. She says, "Not even a lion, or a shark?" And of course I'm being all manly ands saying "No". So, she says she saw something on tv, and she starts to tell me. She says, "If you see shark..............If you see shark......" But she stops and starts laughing hysterically. This goes on for 20 minutes. And her laughing is making me laugh like crazy. She covering up her face and being all silly. We were in the cafeteria and I know the other employess thought we were BOTH crazy. I mean, it looked like we were both laughing for no reason! I finally mustered up the words, "Na Young......just........say.......it". She says, "I can't, I will e-mail you", with her face all red. So, I go to put my dishes away, and she's able to stop laughing and finally get it out. All she wanted to say was that she saw on the Discovery channel that if you're swimming in th ocean and you see a shark, to hit it on the nose to get it to go away. What on Earth was so hard aobut that to say? I have no clue, but I can't even describe how hard I was laughing that day!

So, that is my crazy story for this month. There is more where that comes from. Positive quotes and pictures will be back in future posts!

P.S. -- Do you think Britney Spears would get her act together if Tyra Banks really did this to her???

I'm Here, I'm Here!!!!!

Ok, I realize my last post was in December, and apparently so has everyone else. I haven't even had a post yet in 2008. That is atrocious!! So......I've decided that no matter how I feel, I'm going to start doing my posts again AT LEAST once a week. The truth is, my part time job has been asking me to do all these extra shifts because they are short staffed. So between both jobs, I have been working somwhere around 75 hours a week! There are some days where I work from 7 am to 11 pm, and then have to go back to work at 7 am again the next morning. One time I did this for 3 days in a row! Not only that, I went from November 21st, 2007 all the way to somewhere around mid January 2008 without having a single day off!! No joke! I mean, the money is nice because I'm paying off all my loans (double the amount each month) and I still have some extra money left over at the end of each month. But I'm wondering if it is even worth it. I've been thinking about quitting my part time job to free up some time for me to get back into some acting classes and things of that nature. It would mean one of my loans would probably have to go back into deferment, but I have to remember what I came out here for. It sure as hell wasn't to work at some stupid hotel. All my loans are paid at least 8 months in adavance anyway.

Ok, almost time for my lunch break. By the way, that little paragraph above. I worked on it for 2 days. That's how much time I don't have. Anyways, topics for next time so I don't forget:

-the new "crazy" at work
-gifts from my hotel guests
-future goals
-my time on the picket lines with the writers that were on strike

Hopefully I'll have a post in a day or two!

WOW, I Had No Idea............

.....that so many of you would go and look at my imdb page. This is nuts. I went to look at my page on Monday (because, yes, I look at it everyday!) and my STARmeter has increased 5,483% since the previous week. 5,483%!!!! That means thousands of people looked at my page. I really have to credit my blog buddy, Jill, though. She posted my picture and the link to my page on her wildly popular Criminal Minds Fanatic blog. It's just crazy. I really appreciate people taking a few minutes to go look at my page because it was something that was REALLY exciting for me. Here's the link if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2856613/. Each person's page has a STARmeter which tracks traffic on said peron's page. Pages for films have MOVIEmeter, which does them same thing. Whether the meters go up or down doesn't reflect positive or negative interest, it just reflects traffic from week to week on the page.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I'm working straight through it at the hotels. I work 7 days a week now, even through the holidays. I was able to get off work early on Christmas though and spend it witrh friends since I didn't go home again this year. I spent my Christmas in Compton though. How I ended up there, I have no clue, but it was a good time.

I know I had some other things to say for this post but I can't remember. I'm at work and I keep losing my focus here. I can't believe I'm blogging from work. I work so much now that I have to do this at work because I'm too exhausted when I get home. I work so much now that friends are getting pissed at me when I have to cancel plans because I'm too beat. Some of them don't understand the fact that when someone works 7 days a week, they don't get to do much else. I'd much rather work hard now and play later when my acting success comes, because believe me, it's coming. I'm leaving no other option for myself.

This brings me to my positive quote. It's my new favorite quote. I pretty much have a positive quote to look at for every mood that I'm in. When I'm angry, I go look at one, when I'm sad, another. When I'm depressed, another, etc., etc. But, I didn't have one for my impatience, until now. I'm a very impatient person. It's pretty pathetic and it just adds more stress to my life that I don't need. So, I came across this quote on TMZ of all places. I usually post quotes that can pertain to everyone, but this one is just for people in the entertainment industry who have been working long and hard at their goals. Don't give up!

"When someone is lucky enough to catch a big break after being in Los Angeles for fifteen seconds, often times they are not equipped with the professional skills and knowledge required to sustain a long and successful place in the entertainment industry."

~David Todd of Nous Model Management

I'm going to probably look at this every day. I'm all for longevity in my acting so I don't have to work these stupid day jobs anymore! If I have to be patient and diligent in order to have a long and successful career, then so be it. I will be patient. Who's with me??

Another Milestone Achieved

Hollywood isn't full of liars after all!!! Yesterday, I was bored at work with nothing to do. I had checked all my e-mails, been to every website I could think of. So, I decided to peruse through IMDb. I put my name in and noticed they posted my credit from the film I did back in August. I now have my own IMDb page!! There is only one measley credit on there, but it is a start. It's a big deal for a new actor to finally get a credit on IMDb. I originally thought they had lied to us because we shot this back in mid August, and they told us the credit would post within a few weeks. After a month and a half, I assumed they had lied to us just to get some people for the film, but they actually held to their word. So, you can go to http://www.imdb.com/, put in "kris campbell" in the search field, and two entries come up. Mine is the second one, the one that says "Actor" next to it (obviously). The first one is another Kris Campbell who is a sound technician or something. My picture isn't up yet because apprently they have to be put up by the production companies. So, it will probably be a while before a picture of me is on the page. But who cares, I have my own IMDb page!!!

I've been busy with work and helping to support the writers that are striking here in Hollywood. It's getting ugly, but we need to get them back to work. They even gave me a t-shirt that they wear on the picket line. Those glasses that I'm wearing are new. What do you think? I tried to go for something a little trendy and not so "midwestern" if you know aht I mean, haha. In the first picture above, that's me with a rep from the Writer's Guild of America on the picket line a few weeks ago. I've been hitting the gym hard, can you tell? It was hot that day hence my sweaty forehead.

Got to run some errands and head to work thereafter. Seems like I'm always on the move now. Here's the positive quotes:

"Plant the seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses."

~Norman Vincent Peale

"Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible."

~Cherie Carter-Scott

You get 2 quotes today because I liked them both. These are quotes on achievement because I'm happy about my IMDb page. That's an achievement in itself! I don't know about you, but I want to be extraordinary.

This Christmas

I hadn't realized that it's been almost a month since my last post. Want to know why? Well, simply put, all of my student loans have gone into repayment. I left the gym and started a second hotel job (because it pays a lot more). I now work 7 days a week and never get a day off, all while fitting in auditions when I can. It's tough, but it's the life of an actor and there a re many others doing the same things. Almost everyone I know here has 2 jobs, even people that are NOT actors. I initially was pissed that I had to give up my days off in order to pay these loans, but after pondering it awhile, I'm actually just thankful (I suppose, lol) that these 2 jobs provide me with enough income to pay the loans each month and still have a little bit left over at the end of the month.

Now, everyone knows I stopped doing background work back in March after I got my SAG eligibility, and everyone knows that I no longer tell people when a show I was on is going to air because it's too hard to try and pick someone out of the background. However, there is a movie that was just released called This Christmas that I was able to be a part of back in January. The only reason I'm writing about it is because I actually have some good camera time. I wasn't really planning on seeing the movie right away, but after it was realeased, I got contacted by so many people saying they saw me in it. Not just my friends either. I was contacted by people that I hadn't talked to in years, who had no idea I was even in L.A. (I don't think), and they recognized because the camera was that close to me. If you're going to go see the movie, look for me at the end of the movie in the church scene. I'm in the very front pew in the church wearing a gray suit jacket and glasses. It's kind of cool I guess, but I'm still just an extra, so not a big deal! The movie was pretty good though.

Before i end this post, I have to share a "first" that I experienced this morning. I went to my car to go to work and my windshield was opaque. No biggie I thought. It got really cold last night. I get in the car, switch on my wiper blades, and the opaqueness doesn't budge. It was ICE! I was so mad. I left Ohio to get away from ice and snow. It better have been only a 1 time thing!

Here's the (sort of) positive quote for the day:

"I don't really keep counsel with others. I'm the kind of person who will think about something, and if I know it's right I'm not going to ask anybody. I don't go, 'Boy, what do you think about this?' I've made every decision for myself - in my career, in my life".

~Tom Cruise

I guess I've done this by making my move to LA. You have to live for yourself and not for others. It's just hard when you're a people pleaser and you're looking for some sort of backing from people close to you and you aren't getting it. I wasn't getting it at first, but I am now!

I Work With a Crazy.........

......and I absolutely love it! More on that in a minute. It's been a month now since I started working at my new job, another hotel. I like it so far and it's a big step up from the other hotel I worked at. This one is a luxury hotel and the presidential suite goes for $2000 a night. I've decided not to say the name of this hotel because all you crazies that read my blog might try to stalk me!! Haha, just kidding. Actually, we have a LOT of celebrities that stay with us, and I want to be able to mention who is in house with us sometimes and not worry about confidentiality issues, ya know? For example, Kelly Clarkson will be with us for 4 days next week. Other people I've seen in the hotel so far include, Gabrielle Union, Nia Long, Joy Behar, Soulja Boy and the Dixie Chicks. Now, I don't get excited about celebrities anymore, but those are some people who have come through.

Now for my new best friend. Her name is Rosie and thanks to her, I have not laughed so hard in a looooong time. Rosie is probably in her mid to late forties and she in from Vietnam and has a pretty think accent. I met her in a training course that I had to take for the hotel. We had to do this exercise where everyone had to ask everyone else one question. So, at the end, we each had a list of 9 questions. We then had to go around the room and answer the questions in the form of a story about ourselves. It was a creative little exercise. Well, Rosie got nervous the whole time, and she didn't write down any of the questions she was asked. She was the last one to tell her story, and boy was I in for a laughing fest. Basically, she didn't answer any of the questions people asked her. She told us the story about how she got hired at the hotel. She said that when she finally got hired she was so happy. She said she loved the hotel, all the people, and she is just so happy. The way she was saying it was funny for some reason though. So, I'm not laughing at this point, just kind of chuckling under my breath.........UNTIL..........I look to my right, and one of the housekeepers, a sweet Guatamalan lady, was patting her eyes with a tissue. I asked her what was wrong and she says, "Her story was just so beautiful!" She was CRYING!!! CRYING people.....and at that point I completely lost it! I could NOT hold it in. In fact, I'm cracking up right now just as I'm typing the story here.

At this point, I definitely thought Rosie was funny, but not a crazy. If you can make me laugh, I will be your best friend. I LOVE to laugh. I knew she was a crazy the next day she told us why God created men. The ladies in the room had been complaining all day that it was too cold in the room, but none of the guys were cold at all. Our instructor, who was male, told them it was because we have more testosterone, so we stay warmer. (Side note: that of course was a BS explanation. Remember, I was in med school, and it has nothing to do with testosterone, haha). So, he finishes his explanation and says that's why all the ladies are cold. Then Rosie says, (in her accent) "That's why God make man...to keep woman warm". Everyone laughed at that one. Rosie's "craziness" just went up a few notches.

I knew Rosie and I would talk a lot from then on, because I need my daily laughter. The next incident happened in the cafeteria. There was an employee eating a banana. Rosie sees him and calls him a monkey, and starts doing some kind of monkey dance. You had to see it, it was hilarious. So when he was done, there were no more bananas and as he was leaving he asked Rosie where all the bananas were, and without missing a beat, Rosie goes, "The banana's between ya legs baby!"

And with that, Rosie's "crazy" meter skyrocketed and now she is competing with Pam from Transformers! I'm ending this post on that note because I need to go to the gym and my abs just got a workout from laughing! Hopefully my blog can be a little more entertaining now that Rosie has entered my life!

Positive quote:

Regret is useless in life. It's in the past. All we have is now.

~Marlon Brando

This is the reason why I am enjoying Life in L.A. I want no regrets!

Mother Came to Visit (Part 2)

And the story continues. After not having had the chance to spot Britney Spears or Paris Hilton around town, my mom was feeling kind of down. So, I figured that going to The Price Is Right would cheer her up! The show wasn't going to begin taping until 1 pm, but we had to be at the studio before 7 am to get priority tickets. They go on a first come, first serve basis. I had gotten 4 days off from work to spend time with my mom and I wasn't exactly happy about having to wake up at 5:30 am to go to CBS and then wait around for hours and hours. Anyone who knows me, knows that my attention span is virtually non-existant. It's really bad actually. I dread airplane rides for this reason. I'm not worried about going down, it's the sheer boredom of sitting in the same seat for hours. But, I digress..........

Somehow the universe could sense my boredom, and so they sent us a crazy to entertain us. Bright and early that morning, Marilyn walked into our lives. Now, you have to picture what she looks like to get the full effect. She looked almost identical to Rhea Pearlman in that tv show Cheers. Here's a picture below to refresh your memory. Yes, I remember this show even though it came out the year I was born! Now, Marilyn was a very sweet woman who could talk, A LOT! She latched onto us like a barnacle on the side of a boat! But I didn't care that day, she was making me laugh, and if you can make me laugh, I'll be your best friend. Pam (the Transformers fanatic) has this down pat! Anyways, Marilyn is telling us about how beautiful her grandchildren are, what she had for dinner last night and how she'd been begging people to come to The Price is Right with her, but no one would, so she decided to come by herself. I wonder why no one would come with her? haha I have to say, upon telling her that I left med school to come to Hollywood to pursue acting, she said that was great and I should pursue my dreams. That was good, because if I hear one more person tell me to just go back to school, I'm going to explode! We ended up finding out the Marilyn lived right around the corner from the hotel my mom was staying at, to which she told us, "Well, gee, if I knew you were going to come, I would've picked you up!" LOL, funny Marilyn.

Just before the taping, we had to go through security and wait some more. We noticed Marilyn disappear. Then all of a sudden she re-appeared with some food and somehow gotten back to the line, having bypassed security! Never underestimate the power of a crazy! We finally got to go into the studio and we could sit wherever we wanted. I knew Marilyn had officially reached crazy status when my mom says to me, "Look, there's 2 seats left on the end of that row. Let's get them so Marilyn won't be by us". HAHA It was funny, but in my mom's defense, she wasn't trying to be mean, she just thought that Marilyn would distract her during the taping of the show by talking.

The show was entertaining, and Drew Carey is a good host in my opinion. He entertained us on commercial breaks. We had our fingers crossed that we would get called up on the stage, but it didn't happen. It was still fun though. We saw people win cars, and a funny thing happend at the end. After some lady won her showcase at the end, after the cameras had stopped rolling, we noticed Drew Carey laughing hystrtically. I mean, he was laughing so hard he was turning red and he had to take his glasses off to wipe his eyes. Everyone is like, "What's going on up there?" Well, he finally told us that the lady who won, was so excited and jumping up and down that her teeth fell out! I wish I could have seen it!

That concludes my mother's trip to Los Angeles. It was fun and she said she's coming back real soon.

Also, a lot of people have contacted me to see if the fires out here are affecting me in anyway. I appreciate all the concern. The fires are no where near me, but the sky is starting to get a little hazy from the smoke blowing over this way. Let's just pray that they get them under control soon and that everyone that is affected by them in anyway are ok.

Here's the positive quote:

I refuse to give up. I shall continue firmly, steadily, and insistently until my good appears.

Catherine Ponder, The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity

This quote is another one of those mantras that you are supposed to say to yourself multiple times a day if you get down about things. This one can be applied to anything, big or small.

Hollywood Is Full of Liars!

I got duped! A few posts ago I talked about a low budget feature I did that promised us IMDB credit. Well, doesn't look like it's going to happen. If so, it would have happened already. I should have know. Part of me did. But these people are so slick. I've heard stories of this happening before, but you get to a point as an actor when you get a little desperate. These people know this. They know that a person pursuing acting professionally does not like to be an extra. Low budget films don't pay extras anyway, so how do they get extras for their movies? They lie and tell actors that they'll get IMDB credit for it. As I said before, IMDB credit is a BIG thing, and when you're even a little desperate, you'll fall for these stupid lies. It's stupid, but a low budget movie doesn't have to follow the same set of SAG rules that a regular feature film would have to follow. Well, as they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." You can bet I won't fall for that again!

Now, a funny coincidence happend the other day. So, I've been getting a lot better at dealing with my enormous student loans and not being depressed about them. I started paying one off in July, and it's going well so far. One day I was thinking to myself how much I have to be thankful for in life, and how things COULD be a lot worse. I mean, both my parents are still alive and well, I'm healthy, I have friends and family who support my endeavors, and I am able to work. So, I told myself, I'm done with being stressed about my student loans (even though it is such a burden on my shoulders). There is nothing I can do about my debt, I just have to deal with it. I felt a lot better. The very next day I'm reading a magazine article about debt and tips on how to save money. It said things like, save a little each paycheck, have a money market account instead of a regular savings account, pay off credit cards first, etc. Every tip this article listed, I had already done, so I thought, "Wow, I'm really ahead of the game". Then I read a sentence that says, "In an Ohio State University survey, 25 percent of people admitted to losing sleep over debt-related stress." I had to laugh. It was so ironic that just the day before, I told myself I wasn't going to stress out about my debt, and more ironic that this came from Ohio State, the same place most of my debt comes from! Weird huh? I have to admit that, while I'm getting better at dealing with it, I do relapse sometimes. To the point where I get so scared or frustrated I start shaking. $80,000 is a big number for a 25 year old.

Positive quote:

"Money, money, money, manifest thyself here and now in rich abundance."

~Catherine Ponder, The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity

The idea behind this quote is that the mind is a powerful thing (which I fully believe). The book is filled with these little phrases, and the philosophy is that the mind can create whatever it wants, if it truly believes in something. So, you're supposed to take a quote, like the one above for example, and say it, silently or aloud, everyday, multiple times a day. This may seem kind of silly, but I thought to myself, what do I have to lose? It doesn't cost anything, there is almost no effort involved, I can do it anywhere, and no one has to know that I'm doing it or when I'm doing. Doesn't hurt to try, right?

Mother Came to Visit (Part 1)

I realized I only did one post in September. I'm such a lazy ass. As I said before, it's a combination of me being lazy and thinking people wouldn't be reading anyway, but I checked my counter and my numbers are still up. So, because of that, I'm going to try and post at least once a week. Keyword: TRY.

So my mom came to visit me 2 weeks ago. She was really excited to come and I was excited to have her. It was her first time to Los Angeles. To the left you will see a picture of my mom standing on top of the Hollywood Hills with the San Fernando Valley (where I live) behind her. I have to say, after her four days here were up, I was exhausted. We were ALL OVER the city doing all the touristy stuff and still didn't even get to half of the things there are to do here.

We started the day she got here by going to dinner. After it got dark, I drive her through Hollywood and the Sunset Strip so she could see all the lights and what everything looked like at night, since we were going to be doing most of our activites during the day. The next day I took her to the hotel that I worked at and then we went to Rodeo Drive. There was A LOT of walking included in this trip and Rodeo Drive was no exception. For those of you that don't know, Rodeo Drive is the name of the famous street with all th expensive shops, but the whole area is made up of more streets with more shops and we walked all of them. A funny thing happened in one of them. We went into a store called St. John (I think), and like many of the other stores, they have huge tv screens in there with fashion shows showing, with models walking on the catwalk. This is what happened next:

Me: "Mom, do you think you could walk the catwalk like that?"

Mom: (laughs) "Of course I can."

Mom walks down the aisle shaking her hips.

Store Clerk: (out of nowhere) "Ohhhhhh, very good! I saw you shaking it!"

Much laughter ensues

Maybe you had to be there, but it was really funny. We saw some sweaters in this store for $1200. I kind of felt bad for my mom because I'm such a bad shopping partner. I can't help it, I just really hate shopping. Maybe it's because I'm a guy, I don't know. I tried to stay enthused for her sake though, haha. She finished up on Rodeo Drive by buying a multitude of things at a store where everything was $15.00!! Now that's funny.

Next we went to Hollywood Blvd to see the Walk of Fame, Kodak Theater, Grauman's Chinese Theater and all that good stuff. There wasn't much going on here because it was Sunday I think. At some point during this day, I took my mom to the apartment that I lived in last year. (Yeah, the one that was on the Sunset Strip that I'm pissed I don't live in anymore). She met my old apartment managers and they told us all of the old Hollywood stars that used to live in this building, including Marilyn Monroe at one point. He took us underneath the building and showed us all these trap doors and bathrooms down there where the celeb's assistants used to stay. I lived there for a while year and they never told me any of that stuff!! When I'm famous, I can be added to that list now!

The next day we went to Venice Beach (Muscle Beach) where all the weirdos and street performers are, and then we went to Santa Monica and the Pier. This was my mom's first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. Mom loves the ocean but is scared of water. Sounds like a crazy if you ask me!

Since this is getting long, I'm going to break it up into 2 parts. Next time, I'll tell you about our time on The Price is Right and the crazy my mom made friends with. Yes, we met a crazy at the The Price is Right. Did you really think I could make it through this trip without attracting one of them?!?!? lol

Here's the positive quote of the day since I get yelled at by people if I don't post one:

"A kindred soul is the friend who loves you for the total summation of whatever you will do, whatever you are, and whatever you are becoming, with no qualifications."

--Sylvia Browne

I'm looking for kindred souls. I posted this quote because I think "true friends" are very far and few between. There are NOT many out there for most of us. It gets depressing sometimes when you're going through things and you feel like you have no one to talk to for fear of being judged. I'm sure we've all felt like that before. Hey, just being honest here.

I Always Freak Out Too Soon!

Ok, things have been a little hectic, but let me fill everyone in on why I was freaking out. Basically, the hotel that I work at is closing down for renovation, and we're all being laid off. They expect the renovation to take more than a year, so we all have to find new jobs. I initally started to get nervous because I remembered how long it took me to get a job back in march when I quit doing background work. I refuse to work in a restaurant, and I was really lucky to find this hotel job that would let me go on auditions any time they came up. I thought there was no way that I was going to find another nice hotel to work at, with equal or better pay that would give me the flexibility to go on my auditions. It was also difficult for me to find this job because I hadn't had any previous hotel experience.

Well, our hotel held a job fair for us last week, and some local hotels sent reps to come interview us. These weren't hotels like Days Inn or Best Western. They were other hotels like the Sofitel, The W Los Angeles, The Hyatt, etc. I had already applied and been hired at the Beverly Hilton (where they hold they Golden Globe Awards) at the beginning of August, but they wanted for the overnight shift and I wasn't going to do it. My fear was not that I wasn't going to get hired somewhere, but that I wasn't going to get hired somewhere that was actor friendly.

Lo and behold, the first hotel I interview with hires me on the spot. The director of human resources asked if I was in the entertainment business at all. I half way lied and said I thought about it, but not really. He then said to me that they believe in having a balance in life there and actually encourage people to pursue things like that. He even said that he just finished shooting a short film for a friend!! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF A RELIEF THAT WAS TO HEAR?!?! Not having to be nervous to ask to go to an audition or feel bad for leaving for an hour or so. Relief!! I was really excited. There is another hotel that I interviewed at and am waiting to hear back from. It's a really nice one and I heard there are a lot of actors that work there too and they aren't too bad with it.

So, you see, everything worked out just fine. Why do I worry so much??? It's so stressful. I think it is the downside to being a perfectionist and a Type A personality. I have to have things go my way. Also, I think that by worrying a little (or being concerned about the future if you will), helps a person to better plan for the future and to think about everything thoroughly. I'd love to have a care in the world and let life take just take me, but I think I'd forget things and end up in some financial bind or something. Some worry is good, but I tend to overdo it, just like my mother!

Speaking of which, my mom is coming to visit this weekend for 4 days. It's her first time to L.A. so she wants to do all the tourtisty stuff. We'll take lots of pictures and post some on here and then everyone can meet my mom!

Life Is Boring, But.........

I am excited to say that I am getting my first IMDB credit. Cool huh? For those of you (like my mother) who have no idea what IMDB is, check it out at http://www.imdb.com/. It is the Internet Movie Data Base. It's actually a pretty big deal to for an actor, or anyone in the entertainment biz to get credit on this site, at least I think it is. Everyone always talks about it. When you go to the website, you can put in any actor's name (not just celebrities) into the search field, and it will pull up the profile for that actor, and every film or television project that that actor has worked on. All SAG franchised projects get listed on this site, and also non-union projects that qualify. For example, if you recall, I acted in an independent short film back in March. It's still in post-production. When it is finished it will be submitted to a number of film festivals. If accepted to any of the festivals, all of us actors will get IMDB credit for it. Hopefully it will and then my resume will grow from there! Having an IMDB credit also means that I will be google-able. Hey, I'm moving up in the world.

The film that I got this first credit for was some low budget feature. I think it is going to be titled Jelly, but that could change. There aren't any big names in the film and I don't know if it will get a theatrical release or not. I was part of a club scene, and actually, there was a girl there that was also in the short film that I shot back in March.

I wish I could post more often, but there just aren't THAT many exciting things happening right now. I work at one job, then go to the other job, then sleep for a few hours, and do it all over again the next day. Fun fun. I'm still trying to stay positive, so here's the quote:

Be a Do-er Not a Critic
A non-doer is very often a critic-that is, someone who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes philosophically about how the doers are doing. It's easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk, and change.

--Dr. Wayner Dyer

Britney Stopped By To say "Hi"

Early Thursday morning at 4am, Britney Spears graced my hotel with her presence, and she brought all sorts of madness with her. She was visiting Criss Angel "the mind freak" for whatever reason. He stays with us a lot. Click the link below to see Britney arriving at our hotel and the masses of papparazzi with her. Unfortunately this wasn't one of the nights that I worked overnight, so I wasn't there. I was actually out partying myself! You can, however, see my co-worker, JJ, yelling at the paparazzi to get out of the building. And she means business!! haha

http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah6501.shtml

(If the video doesn't start automatically playing, just click on the picture of Brit and Criss, and it should re-direct you to a page that will play the vid).