"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been"

Grad school is almost over and to say I've learned a lot would be an understudy. Sure some of it has been from the classes but overall it was the films and the relationships. I've learned a lot about myself, my strengths and weakness' and I can only hope to not make the mistakes I've made in the last two years again in the future.

Big Changes, School Starting Back Up

So the summer has flown by and classes start next week and with those classes comes the stress of my thesis film. But that's a diffrent topic for another day.
Just as a summer recap, I've been spending half my week each summer interning with Andrew Sugerman, a producer who made films like Shop Girl, Premonition, Ballistic, etc. He's working on this new true life story about Betty Anne Waters, which is a pretty exciting project. The script is solid and the casting so far is pretty strong. I look forward to hearing more about it in the future. They plan to start shooting in November. Unfortunately because I have classes and my thesis, I couldn't stay on helping him.
Aside from that I've been working many hours at Old Navy. . . good ol' Old Navy. . . the people are nice and the job is not all that stressful but it's caused two very strong and unexpected emotions to come out. . . that I hate people sometimes (especially when they are messy and inconsiderate) and that little kids are the cutest damn things ever (and I'm half serious when i tell Brian every other day or so that I want to have a baby soon) But then I wonder if I worked somewhere that had cute dogs around all the time, maybe I would just want a pet really bad. . . either way, I'm not getting a baby or a dog anytime soon.

Well I have to run off to the post office but as a last minuet thing, Brian and I got engaged on July 4th 2008. He surprised me with a sunrise hot air balloon ride in Temecula, CA. and popped the question high in the air. It was a great weekend and we met up with Danielle, David and Nick for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, we saw two movies and then had dinner before he brought me to a beautiful inn that David had hooked him up with. All in all, a pretty damn perfect weekend. . . so, now we are looking into wedding cruises. Our top 3 locations are, Hawaii, Australia, or Italy. . . but I will keep you posted on that.

Homesick

Maybe it's because Brian's family was up for the weekend
Maybe it's because the Patriots lost
Maybe it's because the semester has started

I don't know why but I'm extremely homesick today. . . like this crappy feeling where all I want to do is go back to my apartment and curl up on the couch and watch tv for hours.
It's a really terrible feeling and I've been trying to shake it off all day but I can't seem to. Brian is at work and cant talk and I've tried to call a few people but I've given up because no one has picked up.
I hate feeling like this. . . Errrr

Beautiful California

I'm working on a film called The Coast, which is actually the first project I've worked on so far that is a movie I would usually see. The cast has been so fun and since I've done wardrobe on the set I've been able to work with them more than on some sets. Also the first day we shot was at a Beach in Laguna and although it was really cold that morning it was such a beautiful location. I was filled with the excitement of living in California for the first time since Brian and I first drove into CA and saw all the giant windmills and palm trees. I took some photos and they may just look like regular beach photos but I assure you it was an amazing beach.

And in the words of Dao Strom

It is said love can move any mountain, and love comes to us when we are not looking, when we have turned our backs on its very possibility, have resigned ourselves to the longing. Yet when it comes, we know it from the first moment the would –be object of our affection appears We know love by both the dread and excitement in our hearts, by the resistance our minds raise against what our hearts are straining toward; we know it by the fact that we cannot stop it once it starts to happen and suddenly the world is full of a sense of great and imminent change just ahead: the most minute detail overflows our senses now with the indescribable pleasures of hope.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
It was a grand story with many events and inclusive ending, and it left her with an ache in her brain and heart, a feeling akin to wanting. Wanting tinged with amazement and understanding - the ending would always be inconclusive - and this was why the story worked as well as it did; this was why it was so affecting and rending and lingering. For many nights afterwards, she went to sleep wishing she could live this story and picturing herself after the experience a wiser, sadder, nobler person. Or she liked to imagine meeting a man who had lived through such an experience, a humble, beaten man whose integrity only she would recognize, and she would be his friend. She wouldn't ask for more than that.

Things that give me amusement

BOY MEETS WORLD
Topanga: But I've never failed before!
Mr.Feeny: There is a first time for everything Topanga
Cory: That argument doesn't go anywhere with her, trust me!!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
ERIC'S GOOD LOOKING DETECTIVE THEME SONG:
Oh when a crime breaks out
All the girls will shout
Get Good Looking Guy
When there's a crime out there
He's gonna comb his hair, he's
Good Looking Guy
Book him, Good Looking.

ANALYZE THIS
Dr. Ben Sobel: You know, you can take a pill for that.
Boss Paul Vitti: Nah, you start with the pills, the next thing you know you're putting in hydraulics. A hard-on should be achieved legitimately or it shouldn't be achieved at all.
Dr. Ben Sobel: Hmm, I think Mark Twain said that, didn't he?

The pessimist says the cup is half empty. The optimist says it's half full. The pragmatist says its liquid contents are at 50% capacity. The ironist says it's half full of air. The plumber says the cup must be leaking. George Carlin says the cup is too big. The Starbucks employee says it's so you have room for cream. The conspiracy theorist says aliens took the other half. The baseball player says his cup is definitely full. MacGuyver says he can build a powerful explosive with it. The psychoanalyst says the cup is your mother. The punk sitting next to you also says the cup is your mother. The romance novelist says the cup is a willing receptacle to the wild gushing torrents of pure passion from the hard chiseled urn. The zen master says, "There is no cup." Pamela Anderson says her cups are definitely full, and me I say "Waitress! Refill!"

This is the day when I lost my first love. Funny enough, I didn't know it yet.

Christmas without snow is like a pop tart without the filling. . . disappointing

So this is going to be my first Christmas away from home. . . i guess the good part is that it doesn't really even feel like Christmas time here because there is no snow. Sure there is lights up and fake Christmas trees with fake snow but my mind cant comprehend me wearing flip flops and a tank top and Christmas in the same time period. That said, this Christmas may be a craptastic one. I know I should be happy for what I have. . . my health, my family and friends, the ability to go to school and have a roof over my head. . . but I'm home sick and Brian and I can't really afford to distract ourselves from being away from home for Christmas with a big extravagant Christmas this year so it's going to be a weak one. I have to work, possibly Christmas Eve day AND the day after Christmas which gives us only Christmas Eve and day to spend with Brian's brother and wife.
Orginally we were going to go to the beach for Christmas, but i understand that Brian's brother has been in Iraq and how important it is for Brian to spend some time with him. Plus, family and christmas just go together.
Well I have to go into work tomorrow at 8am. So I'm going to keep this short.
Happy Holidays, in case this is my last post for awhile.

Blockbuster Movie Assignement

So my birthday has come and gone. It's really sureal being thousands of miles away from your family for your birthday. In a way I thought I would be more homesick on my actual birthday but thankfully Brian and my friends here distracted me and my birthday passed much like every other day out here.

Thanksgiving is in a few days and Brian and I are going to spend the day together. Between his working and my working and school we haven't spent all that much time together and it will be nice to have a day. He still owes me part of my birthday present. . . a double feature at the movie theater. . which couldn't come at a better time because for class I have to watch at least one of the following movies and now I will be able to see two. . . but which two do we choose? ? ? any ideas? ? ?I'm not even sure if anyone actually reads this :-P


In my line of preference for the moment.
August Rush (I'm almost def. going to see this)
The Mist
Enchanted
No Country for Old Men
Beowulf

But I think Brian wants to see Hitman. . so we may see that as the 2nd one instead. . . as long as I get to see August Rush I will be happy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Interpreter of Maladies

So I've yet to really enjoy the perks of living in Southern California, besides the nice weather everyday. I was on my cycle shoot for the last two weekends which was a great experience in some ways and a stressful situation in other ways. I met some really great people and actually woke up early enough to see the sun rise a few days. I realized that if I started getting up earlier I would not only enjoy the morning but I may actually get more stuff done.
I stayed up till 3 am the other night because I had a paper that I was procrastinating to avoid and I got a good amount of stuff done. I was really pretty productive. . . now if only I could figure a way to keep myself motivated without becoming a complete insomniac.
I blame my disinterested in coffee. . otherwise maybe I would enjoy waking up nice and early, rocking in my rocking chair out on the porch and enjoying the nice cool morning. Well no more excuses. . . tomorrow. . .mark my words, I'm going to get up. Pour myself a glass of chocolate milk (because i really don't like coffee) and sit in my rocking chair. Maybe I will read my new favorite book, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. So far its great. I read a short story by her a few years back and instantly fell in love. I want to get one of the screenwriters in my grad program to help me make a script so i can try and pursue getting the rights.
It's a short story called Sexy which is in the collection I mentioned before. I hadn't read any of the other stories until now and I've only had time to read the first one but I love how she writes. It does make me a bit homesick for Boston though.

Not much to say but feel like writing. . .

So I've been going pretty non-stop with school stuff lately. I am crewing on six different films in the next few months and it can be a bit overwhelming at times but I really like the people and even the process.

I went to my first big casting on Saturday. Danielle, one of the producers, rented a theater space off of Sunset and we had people coming in from noon to 8pm. We were casting for two roles, a young mother and a young child. I was amazed especially by these young girls who read for the child role. They ranged from age 6 - 11 and they were so prepared. It was really a fun day and I can't wait to see who the director/producers pick.

Aside from that. . . I have to start researching getting the rights for a short story. I can't even imagine how much money it will cost. I guess I will just have to wait and see. I suppose if it is at all manageable it would be a good thing to have because I really love the story.

I'm also doing a large research paper for one of my classes about programs developed solely for the internet (i.e. Lonelygirl or Prom Queen) and how internet programing will be developed, marketed and sponsored. I'm actually very fascinated by the idea of more internet programing. I know that almost every channel now allows you to watch their TV shows on their websites as well but I want to dive into the concept of Internet only programming. If you know any great resources or contacts please let me know.

Wow this has turned into quiet a ramble. . . sorry.

Blue skies, smiling on me. Nothing but blue skies, do I see

So I've been in quite a funk lately. A bit homesick, a bit discouraged but in general in a funk. I suppose it's not unusual when you move across the country and are no long in driving distance to your old home, family and friends. I've tried to just push through but the other night it really hit me hard. Hopefully I've pushed through the worst of it.
I am so lucky to have Brian here with me. Honestly, I sometimes think I would have gone back home already had it not been for him keeping me calm. Not that I'd like to think I would be a quitter.

I've been noticing that God and religion having been coming up a lot lately. I've met some very amazing people out here and one of the most inspiring is a guy who is extremely spiritual and knows what he believes in and has no sign of waiver to that. He doesn't have the same beliefs as my family and I were brought up with but just seeing the way God has really made him who is . . . I just really believe that faith is the best thing in our world. To me, what your faith is in is really a personal choice but the fact that faith can lift people, heal people, and bring people together. . . it is really moving.

About two months before Brian and I drove out here I was riding on the T (Boston subway) and this group of people came into the car dragging all their suitcases and bags. I was by myself that day and for some reason, very uncharacteristically of me, I started a conversation with the woman sitting next to me. I found out they were a traveling Christian group and they had come from California to Boston for a retreat. We talked during the ride to the airport and she asked me questions like what was my spiritual need and what I thought of the world in a spiritual sense. The conversation, although short, has stuck with me very vividly. I remember giving somewhat "pageant" answers, kind of glossing over the question itself. At the time I was in awe of how confidently she spoke of her belief and the path she followed.

Since then I've noticed little things here and there and a few days ago I wandered upon a blog of a woman who spoke very eloquently about her life and her family. It seems that her relationship with God is such a strong component of her life and through her faith she is able to find a sense of meaning that is inspiring.

What this ramble mean, who knows. . . just thoughts that have been bouncing around me head a lot since I got out here.

It was a beautiful day to try Gorgonzola and to see the beach.

I'm on my own computer today so road trip pics will have to wait another day at least.

Today was a very nice day. Brian and I got up early and drove to see Brian's sister-in-law Stephanie. She lives above L.A. in Camarillo. We went to a really nice restaurant that Mike, Brian's brother, and her really enjoy named Enoteca Toscana. We started out with a cheese and meat plate which was kind of uncharacteristic of Brian and me to order out but was really tasty. I loved the Gorgonzola, which i really didn't expect. I took pictures. . . well becuase I'm a huge dork and I like to to have pictures to remind me of experiences. . . so bare with me :)


Then we had some great paninis and of course some very fun deserts. Steph got a chocolate cake



I got the apple crisp which was pretty good except it had a faint taste of raisins which kind of turned me off.



Brian had the cheesecake, which in my opinion was the best. I especially liked the fact that both mine and Brian's had raspberries and since Brian doesn't like them, I got double. :) Yum.




After our delicious meal we went for a drive. It was a bit breezy out but still beautiful and we went to Malibu to see the beach and the houses. I took a bunch of pictures at the beach but I'm only going to post a few. . . I didn't take any pictures of the houses becuase I thought it may be creepy. . .seeing as they are people's homes after all. But let me tell you. . . huge or not most of the houses are so beautifully built. I can only hope I'm lucky enough to own a home that beautiful in the future.

Well that's all for tonight. I will leave you with the beach photos and get some sleep.

NOTE: For some reason it won't let me post those photos. . . so i will try again later.

There is a lot of world out there and I plan to see it all.

So here is a very abbreviated version of our road trip across the good ol' US of A

We started out leaving from my father's house in CT. We thought it was a fun idea to bring something on the trip with us so my childhood stuffed bear, Mr Rooney Bear, came along for the ride.

After driving out of CT we headed into NY. Now those who know me might know that I really dislike NYC. It's just not the place for me so when we were sent through NYC I wasn't extremely thrilled. This picture to the right is a prime example of why. The roads were a mess and of course people are speeding like crazy. Just all in all no good.

Some of these shots don't have a really exciting story behind them, like this one to the left. I just really like bridges and anything involving large bodies of water.




So as we were driving there was this point that I noticed a dot in the sky. Which ended up being a plane that looked like it was just hovering above the road. As we got closer we figured it was just going to land at an airport nearby. But it still seemed really low. The last shot was it flying by us. I promise I didn't zoom in, it was really that close. It was kind of scary.





So we ended up stopping for food in before heading to Virginia to crash at Lani's.

I didn't realize how much time it took to upload pictures on here so I'm going to have to break it up. So that's the end of day one of our trip. I hope you enjoyed some of the random shots. On day 2 there was an aquarium/zoo. . . hopefully I will get to that soon but I have to take over Brian's computer to do it because all the pictures are on here.

Stepping Up My Game

I have been a horrible blogger and for that I am sorry. I had such aspirations for this blog and all the great stories I would write about my trip here to California but sadly I left what few readers I may have had hanging and probably lost them for the long haul. So here I am stepping up to the plate. (for those of you who may be sports fans, I assure you that as many sports related cliches I may spew out I know nothing about sports. Then again if you are a sports fan you should check in with this blog every once in a while becuase Brian will be starting a sports blog in the near future and I'm sure it will be much more interesting.)

Coming very soon. . . road trip posts, hopefully with pictures. . . I know you are super excited.

Sitcom Soundtrack

Sometimes I wish there were CD’s just filled with sitcom audio clips. . . I think that would entertain me for hours. . . especially if it was The Office, Scrubs, Friends, That 70’s Show. . anything in that area.

Brian and I our collecting CD’s from everyone for our road trip. We are giving people blank CD’s and asking them to make us a collection of their favorite music so we have a good collection from all over the music world. . . so far my brother gave us three cd’s filled with over 100 mps each (we are lucky enough to have a CD player that plays mps CD’s) and if I know my brother it’s a pretty wide range. Plus we have friends doing classical, country, punk, rap. . . hopefully we will get some cool world music, that would be pretty interesting. . .

If anyone is interested in sending us any music let me know, because we would love to get it.

Only 12 days till we start going west. . .

So I have only one more day of work left. Then the craziness of the film festival and then we leave for the trip. I am so excited, nervous, and anxious. I really can't wait to start school, although I have a bunch of reading still left to do.
Our road trip will be taking us to Virgina, South Carolina, and Austin, TX before we finally go to Orange CA. Originally we had planned to take two weeks and just see stuff in the U.S. but I have orientation that starts on the 20th. I'm even excited for that. I can't wait to meet the fellow students in my program. Ok, so maybe my love of school makes me a super dork, so be it.
We've packed about half of our apartment and gone through the stuff and Brian's parents house and my dad's place in CT. We actually had a lot of stuff that we are leaving in Boston becuase it is just too much stuff, even for a 2 bedroom apartment.
Well I should work on stuff for the film festival.