Okay, so I forgot about it.  Seriously.  And so all the content's gotta be recreated, and I'll work on that soon.  But I've got to deal with the day job first so give me some leeway.  Thanks!

Okay, so here's the deal - there's like what, three people out there that read this thing?  Four?  Well, I chat with y'all other places, so why bother updating the blog, yeah?

So why AM I updating the blog?

To tell you to go check out my friend's blog at http://theoreoexperience.com.  It's funny as hell, it's updated often, and it's funny as hell.   It's social satire.  It's smart.  It's funny.  As hell.

(What?  You HATE social satire?  How COULD you?  But wait, you love indie music?  Oh, then check out my other friend's blog at http://thelastbroadcast.us ... updated ALL THE TIME with a really eclectic mix of new musicians!)

Seriously people, CLICK ON THOSE LINKS!  Love me, love my friends.

Oh, and I'm gonna be hitting you up for money next.  I guess there may be another blog update coming soon after all...

Okay, so blogging strikes me as seriously narcissistic today, but that's just fine by me.  'Cause really, I find my life terribly important.

So here's what's going on.  I had an audition today - a pretty nice little role on a new pilot.  Major people behind the show, major CD, major network, etc.  THANK YOU Mr. Manager for getting me a cool audition, hooray!  So I get the sides and yup, I'm crying in an audition again.  So I decide maybe I should get some audition coaching on this since I'm not feeling super-confident, could use another set of eyes, etc.  So yesterday I go see Jim Gleason, who is WONDERFUL and super-helpful and I leave feeling like I know what I'm supposed to do and with the sense that it's not entirely impossible.  YAY!  But it's actually a lot of work and very tiring too.  I pop out to do a little tutoring mid-afternoon, then go out to hang out with some of the COOLEST PEOPLE ON EARTH - friends from IFA at Second City.

Now, these are like the first people I met in LA and they're just as wonderful as I thought.  We sit around and eat pizza and gossip and talk about relationships and acting and improv and have a great time - really a nice way to unwind and not think about the next day's audition. 

Today was the audition, and though I rushed my prep at the top of the scene I got some GREAT feedback from the CD and I'm happy with what I did.  And I ran into a friend at the audition and we're planning a big fun lunch with fun cool women soon.  And then I had an awesome coffee break with another friend, then went to another friend's staged reading (with Marla Gibbs, woo!) in which ANOTHER couple friends were performing, so that was awesome too.

This is not a bad life.

Okay, so here's what's great (and not so great) about today:

1.  BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is elected president, with a VP I like, an AWESOMELY cool and adorable family, and did I mention BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA???  What a cool dude.  I watched the inauguration.  He made me want to.  How awesome is that?  AND I just got home, turned on my TV, saw him dancing at a cool party with his kick-ass wife and didn't have the urge to apologize to anyone for where I live!

(2.  I had to proctor a practice SAT for almost 5 hours today - which is boring.)

3.  I got a friend request from an old good friend on Facebook!

4.  I got asked for an autographed photo by a complete stranger online - which is both creepy and cool.

5.  I got CAST in the Writing Level 5 show at Second City!  This is a lot of fun - there's a 5-level writing program culminating in a written sketch show performed by kick-ass people like myself.  AND my friend Susan's in it too so we get to play together, yay!  Should be an absolute blast, I'm really looking forward to it.

It's a pretty damned good day.   AND it's still early!

I'm making pies.  I'm making little mushroom and onion pies.  Theoretically.  I made pie crust, shouldn't the rest make itself?

I'm also on TV.  My WalkFit Platinum infomercial is airing across the country, I hear.

Okay, so I had a GREAT New Year's Eve/New Year and I hope you did too.   Since I know you're DYING to know what I did that was so special, I'll tell you.

I was in a bad mood all day on New Year's Eve.  Just not happy.  One of those days.  But I had a couple parties to go to, little friendly affairs with dear friends, so I made those little cheese thingies that I always take to parties where you're supposed to take something and went out the door.  Long story short, I ended up having a fantastic time playing Apples to Apples with super-cool people, watching the ball drop, then heading up to the rooftop of a 5-story old apartment building in Koreatown with a 270-degree view of the city. 

The entire city was celebrating.  We could see large fireworks displays in several directions - okay, we could see PARTS of large fireworks displays, at least.  But all over town people were setting off their own fireworks, bottle rockets, firecrackers, even the random flare.  Even with the fog you could see people celebrating the new year for miles - and it went on for at least half an hour or 45 minutes before we went back downstairs.  You could just feel millions of people celebrating at once and I was so grateful to be in a city to experience that.  I love Los Angeles, I truly do.  It was an incredible feeling.

Hooray for good friends and a new year.    And all y'all that I didn't get to celebrate with - I miss you guys.

Had a few minutes waiting for some pizza rolls to finish crisping so I figured I'd blog a little.

So 2008 was a particularly bad year as far as actual events go - so we'll just skip the recap.  It's been tough, but I'm also pretty darn happy overall, so let's just focus on that, eh?

Christmas was great, loved seeing my parents.   It's nice to be back in my (WARM!) place again but I'm gonna miss them.    Flight back was long and boring and today I have an awful headache but I'm really excited to get working on some projects with some friends - hung out with Aydrea the coolest writer chick ever last night and am super-motivated to work on a musical and a screenplay and a one-man-show and stuff - I won't say WRITE these things 'cause, you know, I don't want to write... I just have a couple projects that need... creating?

Of course, the first project is super-secret so I can't talk about that. 

See, now this blog has nothing IN it.  All the interesting projects I'm working on I don't want to talk about yet!  Ummm... the pets are fine....

Ciao!

So I keep BEGINNING blog entries and then trashing them 'cause I get bored or decide that I'm boring.  We'll see if this one gets finished.

I went to my first hockey game tonight!  It was GREAT!  What a fantastic sport!  I'm going to have to go see another game, get a favorite team, etc.  I can't see myself as a diehard fan per se, but it's definitely a fun way to spend an evening.  And the Staples Center is fantastic!  It wasn't crowded, they have everything from nachos to CPK to sushi, just a really good time.  And nice people!  And a FUN FUN FUN sport!

Went out afterwards to get some dessert for the birthday boy.  I might just recommend NOT eating cream of mushroom soup after tiramisu though.  I have a strong stomach overall, but not that strong. 

Anyway, it was a really wonderful evening.  Nice conversation with new people (new people!  Wow!  I'm still really shy with groups of new people, but I'm getting lots of practice and it's turning out not to be so bad!) and old friends and fun entertainment and NACHOS! 

So what else - in acting news, it looks like I'll be doing a little medical industrial soon, which should be fun.  And lucky me, I'm now in the Cricket Feet Showcase on November 5th and 6th!  Details at www.cricketfeetshowcase.com.  It's really going to be a great show, if you can make it please RSVP and come have a good time with us!

Off to take my antibiotics (which make my stomach queasy, yay) and go to bed.  Thankfully I've had a pretty gentle schedule the past couple of days so I've been able to get some rest to try and shake off this bout of bronchitis or whatever.  I'm so glad I didn't get sick enough to have to stay in bed and miss these fun events but I still plan on taking it easy for a few days and get HEALTHY.  Or at least stop wheezing.  That's the worst.

Sometimes lights on a hill are just lights on a hill....

I'm now on the year-long waiting list for a plot at the local community garden.

Good thai food is still fantastic.

Friends are cool.

Tutoring is a bit of a challenge - high school kids and scheduling don't go together.

OH!  And I'm going to be doing the Cricket Feet Showcase in November!  One of the actresses had to drop out for personal reasons so now I get to do a scene with the FABULOUS Eitan Lowenstein and I'm super-excited.  It's such a good time, Chil Kong is a fantastic director, such a nice group of people and a really funny scene - GREAT times!  Think good "theatrical agent" vibes for me!

So we have wildfires here.  And I can officially see one of them (the Marek fire, for those of you playing along) from my house.  Okay, so I don't live in a house, but a small apartment building that greatly resembles a Motel 6 and from the walkway in front of my apartment, if I go over to the corner where my awesome Aussie neighbor David smokes and look north, I can see a bit of fire atop a mountain.

A wee bit of deja vu going on.

Anyway, despite the occasional wildfire or earthquake, you gotta love LA.  I got thai food a mile from my house after 11pm for less than $10.  Fantastic city.

In other news, my friend Cindy is coming to stay with me for a few days, hooray!  There's only a couple problems with this.  One, I have to work a bit while she's here.  Two, and WAY more annoying - I have to clean.  Sigh.  I think I'll go to bed and read a book and take care of some more of it tomorrow....