Thursday, July 27, 2006

Still Bored

I am terribly bored here and I don't know what to do with myself. It should be coming to an end soon though. I finally picked the picture I'm using as my main headshot, and I just turned in the order today to get duplications made. In the link to my photo album 2 blogs ago, it's the very last picture in the album, number 111. I hope it catches people's attention. I should have the copies Tuesday afternoon. It just sucks that you really can't do anything in this business without your pictures. Pictures to someone in entertainment are like scalpels to a sugeon. You can't do ANYTHING without them. So, what will I do when I get my picures? A few things.

First, about 25 of them will get mailed to various agents across town. Hopefully at least one, or a few, will be interested and contact me. I'll meet with them, decide which one I want to sign with, and then things start happening. The agent tries to get me work, thus ending my boredom. I also can send some pics directly to casting directors (the people who actually choose the actors to be in movies or television shows). I'm trying not be impatient, but I really want this stuff to happen fast. Not because I think I'm so great that I deserve it, but because I'm really ancy and about to go crazy. My work ethic is stellar. It's one of my personal strengths that I'm proud of. I've been either working, or in school since I was 15. During summers, I would work 2 jobs, just to be able to have more money to buy the things that I wanted. I never asked my parents for money. I've always been busy doing something. So you can imagine how having absolutely nothing to do is KILLING me right now. And it doesn't help that the only person I know here has a fulltime job.

I guess I'll tell you what I've done in the past week to kill time. I've gotten everything I need for my apartment, so I can't really go to Target, or the grocery store every day anymore. I don't need anything from those places. Last Friday my friend and I hung out on the Sunset Strip. But, of course the one time I check out the Strip (the first time since I moved here), it's dead. We even asked someone on the street what was going on, and they said the Strip was just dead that night and that it wass unusual.

Sunday, I decided to drive down Sunset Blvd all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It was neat. It takes you though Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades. I saw the house O.J. Simpson used to live in, and the condo where Nicole Brown Simpson lived. Nothing big, but what else was I going to do? The biggest thing I did notice, however, was the 15 degree temperature drop from West Hollywood to Pacific Palisades on the beach. That's nothing new though. Later that day I went with my friend, Keisha (who I know from college) to one of her roommate's friends house for a pool party. It was fun. It was in Pasadena and I got to meet some people.

Wednesday, I went over to Keisha's place to watch America's Got Talent with them because Keisha and her roommate sang back up for one of the acts on the show. It was pretty cool. They were right there on stage. The show is taped at Paramount Studios, and it was taped on Saturday. I thought the show was live, but it's not.

That's pretty much it for my week. I'm trying to think of things to do, that are cheap, or free because I'm doing everything in my power to not have to get a regular job. Any ideas?? Still no other celeb sightings (like I really care; just saying for those of you that do, lol), although Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie were partying somewhere here in West Hollywood the other night. And Christina Aguilera was eating at The Ivy 2 days ago, which is right around the corner from me.

That's all I have folks. Make sure you congratulate RB on the birth of his second son, Noah Stewart. Hope everyone is ready for classes to begin. Sucks to be you!!!! LOL, I'm gonna shut up now because if this boredom doesn't end soon, it's gonna drive my ass right back to med school too!

Later

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Truth About Where I Live

Most of what I talk about in this blog, I have already mentioned before, but it is worth mentioning again.....in more detail. Three main things: traffic, gas, weather.

First, let me speak about traffic here. All the stuff I heard about L.A.'s traffic before coming here was definitely not false information. Yesterday I experienced the FULL WRATH of the Los Angeles freeway system. It all started when I was bored yesterday and so I decided to try and find a walmart. I remembered reading that there was one on Crenshaw, so I thought I'll just make my way to Crenshaw Ave and drive til I see it. Well, I was driving east on Melrose I think. Little did I know Melrose was too far north to intersect with Crenshaw (if not then, then I just plain missed it) and I find myself dowtown basically. Next thing I know, I'm crossing Normandie Ave, which I happened to learn about while watching the National Geographic Channel. Yeah, they did a whole documentary on one of the most vicious gangs in L.A. that controls most of Normandie Ave. I had to laugh to myself. Normandie is right next to downtown. So, I make a few turns and get going west again. It's easy to do that in L.A. because its just a grid system. So, anyway, I make my way to the wal-mart and of course they don't have what I want. Keep in mind that this is the nearest wal-mart to me and it's more than 10 miles away. I guess West Hollywood/Beverly Hills is too good for walmart. So, I ask the people where a Home Depot is because I need an adapter to convert the un-grounded outlet in my room to a grounded one since this place was built in like 1700. Of course, I have to go all the way to Inglewood. But by now, it's 3:30, and I still have to go all the way to West L.A. to pick up some more pictures from the photographer. I just know I'm gonna be on my way home right smack in the middle of rush hour. I get my stuff at Home Depot, go get my pictures, and BOOM, I hit the freeway back home at 5:30 pm. It was inevitable. I thought I'd try to be smart and take back streets home. No luck, AT ALL. All of L.A., all the streets and freeways were just one big parking lot. I am not exaggerating. I live maybe 15 miles from West L.A. and I got home at 7:45!!!!! That's over 2 hours!!!! Well, I made one stop at the grocery store, but still. It's amazing. I will do my best to avoid rush hour whenever I can, but on the good side, I did learn a lot of the streets in L.A.

Next thing is gasoline. Now, we all know gas is a lot higher in California. But I don't get 2 things. One is necessarily why gas is higher in California. I mean, I know the demand is higher, but gas stations in Cali don't pay more for there oil do they? I'm not good with politics because I hate politics, and I don't understand much about oil and the stuff in the middle east, so excuse my ignorance. But if gas is $80/barrel, isn't that for everyone. It's not $80/barrel in Ohio and $100/barrel in California, is it? Hell, I don't even know!! The other thing that amazes me is how the gas station I get my gas at is $3.19/gallon now for regular unleaded, and the gas station one block over has their gas for $3.39/gallon. How does that happen? Whatever happened to the competition. Oh well, doesn't matter to me....I'm going for the cheapest I see, lol.

The other thing I want to mention here is how funny the weather people are here. I really had to laugh. I mean, it is sunny and hot everyday here. It has been the same every single day since I arrived in L.A. over 2 weeks ago. So this morning I hear my weatherbug chirping on my computer, it says there is an alert for my area. I look, and it says severe thunderstorm warning. I think that's funny. A few hours later, it says something about a flash flood watch. I'm like damn, this is like Ohio weather and stuff. Well, it has been sunny and hot all day today. It's just funny because the weather is so monotonous here (which of course I love), but I guess it could get boring for a weather person. I guess they just wanted to spice up their job for a day, haha.

All right, last topic: the people. Everyone is in such a rush here, which I understand because it's a big city. I've been to NYC so many times since I was born, I know how it is. But man, these people won't even let you park. Obviously there is lots of street parking here, even on busy streets. So, to parallel park you have to stop and back into the space. This makes people M-A-D. You see the looks on their faces as they swerve into the other lane to go around and then speed off into the distance. Cracks me up. The other thing, is the drag queens here. I have never really seen men in dresses just walking down the street before. I mean, buff men with big shoulders, walking down the street in a backless dress with wig and make-up on. It's just something I'm not used to. I guess I'm not in Kansas, err, um, Ohio anymore, lol.

That's all I have for now. I'm just about to get my pictures printed and duplicated and things of that nature, so hopefully after all that my blogs will be a little more "exciting" if you know what I mean.

Later

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Pictures Are In

I just got some headshots done. If you have facebook, you can see them in an album there. If you don't have facebook, just go here: http://community.webshots.com/album/552280614NWYWXy. Let me know what you think because I need to choose one to use to send to industry peeps, you know? A smiley one, lol.

Not much has happened since the last posting since that was just 2 days ago. But I would just like to say that I'm hot....very hot. It was 107 degrees in the valley yesterday. This is some crazy heat!

Later

Friday, July 14, 2006

My Stress is Decreasing!!

Man, I finally got my computer back after it being in the shop for 2 weeks. Do you have any idea how much I've suffered without my internet??? I didn't realize my life depended on it so much. I've been going to the public library everyday to use their internet and they only let you have 1 fifteen minute session. I can't do anything with that!!

Anyways, the last week has been really stressful, and here's why:

1. My computer was gone and I had no internet.

2. I moved my stuff into my apt a week ago (July 8th). My room was so messy because that's just how it is when you move. I just get really stressed when I'm around disorganization, but it took my 4 days to clean my stuff up anyways.

3. The apartment!!! I've gotten used to it now. But the truth is, the building is more than 60 years old and there is no A/C. The temperature has been hitting near 90 everyday here and it is HOT in my room. It's not so hot that I'm dripping in sweat, but hot enough that my skin stays damp. I hate it. Next is the shower. It's TERRIBLE!! First of all, it has about 5 little sprays of water, with no pressure, and on top of that, they all shoot in different directions. It's bad. Not only that, when anyone in our building flushes a toilet or even turns on a faucet, or uses water period, the shower turns ice cold and slows down to a dribble. It's the worst, but I guess I have to make some sacrifices since I made it to L.A. and I'm loving it so far.

4. Parking!! I thought parking at OSU bad, but this is ridiculous. I got a $45 parking ticket within 3 days of moving into my place, and that was after the managers had gone over the parking rules in detail with me! They think it's crazy too though. They said that's how the city makes most of its money. I mean, you park, and have to sit there and read up to FOUR signs and make sure you're not violating any or all of them. I learned my lesson, read the signs more carefully. It was my first, and my last parking ticket (hopefully).

Those four things have been my major stressors thus far, but I'm getting used to it, so it's not as bad now. So, what have I done since I got here?? Not much. Other than going to the store or the mall or a bookstore to fill up my time, I haven't done much. I signed up for a commercial acting workshop, and that's pretty cool I guess. I also got my headshots taken today, so those will be posted somewhere sometime in the future. I did happen to see Ice-T and his wife the other day when I went to the Beverly Center (mall).

Oh, one thing about the temperature here that's crazy. I live on one of the Hollywood Hills that overlooks the city. On my side of the hill, it could be, let's say, 85 degrees. If I drive 15 minutes over the hill, into the valley, the temperature jumps to 98 degrees. I can see the thermometer in my car changing, going up like a degree every minute. It's crazy because the other side of the hill is only a mile or two away. And of course it stays in the upper 70's around the beaches.

Overall, I really like my new life here and just hope to like it more and more. Where I live, everything is walking distance. I'm a block south of Sunset blvd and a block north of Santa Monica blvd. So, the grocery, shops, cafes, etc. are all walking distance. And it's real lively at night. Just like a big city should be. I love it.

My cell phone number has changed, so if you didn't get my new number, let me know.

Factoids:
  • cheapest regular unleaded gas I've seen: $3.06/gallon
  • priciest regular unleaded gas I've seen: $3.65/gallon

Monday, July 03, 2006

Getting Settled In

(7/3/06/)

I'm finally in L.A. as of the 1st of July. The 3 day drive was grueling, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I must admit, as bad as I wanted to move to L.A., it was just a little sad leaving Ohio. I was so nervous and stressed about leaving that my face completely broke out into some of the worst acne I've had in a long time. Oh well, it happens. We did 15 hours of driving the first day and stayed on Oklahoma City that night. We did 15 hours the second day and stayed in Kingman, AZ (it's pretty close to the Cali border). So, the 3rd day we only had about 6 hours of driving to do. The scenery from Columbus to Oklahoma City was all the same. I mean, if it weren't for the signs, I wouldn't have even known that I left Ohio. From Oklahoma City to Amarillo, TX and on into New Mexico was just plain, flat, barren land. New Mexico and Arizona were the most scenic. The colored mountains, canyons, and valleys all were nice. Albuquerque was pretty nice to look at too. The city's architecture was really cool. For the whole 3 day drive the weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and clear, no hassles at all. I loved it because you guys know how much I hate clouds! I wish those things didn't exist!! THANKS to all the people who called to check up on me throughout my cross country trip. It's great to know people care.

Sunday I pretty much chilled, but today was the beginning of my new career. I met with 2 photogs, then hung out in Hollywood with a friend. I even went to a Scientology Center to see what they were all about. It was kinda interesting......sorta. I just like to know about all kinds of people and their beliefs. Point is, this place is all about sun, sun, and more sun, and that makes me happy. We could definitely see the greenish-brown smog sitting over L.A. as we were driving in, and it's really disgusting. I mean, it's just gross. I don't know how else to describe it. We were at the Getty Museum which is supposed to have a really good view of the city, but you can only see 2 or 3 miles because of the smog. Definitely not something I'm used to.

I'm staying with my cousin in Redondo Beach, and this is a whole other story. She's stationed here in the air force and so is her lil military boyfriend. For the love of God, they CAN NOT keep their hands OFF each other. This is the most annoying crap I've had to deal with in some time. I mean honestly, you have guests staying with you....lighten up on that stuff. They are constantly rubbing each other's legs and back, etc., etc. Makes me wanna puke. Case in point: we're sitting there watching tv and my cousin gets up to just get a drink of water. The boyfriend is 2 steps behind her fondling her all the way to the kitchen and back. BARF!!!! They asked us to go to the movies, and we of course declined. So my cousin tells us they invited some friends and they all "just happen to be busy". DUH.......nobody wants to see you guys grinding on each other in the movie theatre. Ok, I'm done with this topic. I just had to rant because I HATE pda to that degree!

Let me rant about one more topic, only because I'm bored right now. This is going to be about blogs. I don't understand the reasons that some people use blogs. I decided to start this blog so friends and family can stay updated on what I'm doing in California. It's going to be just about that, and about that only. I'm not going to talk about if/when I get a movie role. That comes through private phone calls. And I'm not going to talk about the intimate details of my personal life!! I DON'T GET THAT. "Some people" have blogs, whether on here or on myspace, and tell the world their ENTIRE business. Not a good move if you ask me. When you do that, people think you are weird!! I mean, am I right?? NOBODY cares that you are mad at someone. Nobody cares about your sexcapades. Nobody cares that you're coughing up green phlegm or that you got a 90.127463% on a test. I think people who do this either have ZERO friends (no one to talk to or vent to) or some serious self confidence issues. They should be addressed IMMEDIATELY!! Seriously!! And what is with bitching people out through away messages on instant messenger. It's one thing to lay out your thoughts (like I'm doing now), but to actually cuss someone out through an away message: childish! Ok ok, no more side topics like this. It's just my 1st week in L.A. and things are slow. From now on, only things dealing with my experiences in L.A.

(7/6/06)

Today I met my roommate, and what a cool guy he is. Ya know, I tried so hard NOT to have to find someone on craigslist. I practically begged a lot of people to move to L.A. for at least a year. But, it turned out ok. I just hope we get along and all that good stuff. I'm living in West Hollywood though where there is so much to do. There is always something going on. Plus, museums, malls, the beach and other attractions are just minutes away. The apartment is right on the side of one of the Hollywood hills. I mean, I live on a hill, kind of like a semi rich person, haha. There are some very expensive, upscale condos on either side of our building too. It is one of the cleanest, safest parts of L.A., which is really all I cared about. I can stand sharing a one bedroom apartment (I have the bedroom to myself anyway) if it means I don't have to constantly worry about my car being there when I wake up the next morning.

Wow, I didn't mean to make this so freakin long, so I'm basically done. I have to meet a few more photogs, then get the pics taken, and as soon as I get my computer back from the shop (about a week and a half) you'll be flooded with all kinds of pictures, and the next blog!

Later