Hello You

Last night I got to perform my sketch "Hello You" (that I wrote) at the iO West's "Nicest Sketch in the World" Competition. As I sat back stage with the rest of the anxious actors I felt so happy to be where I was. Only a month and a half of living in L.A and I'm performing on the iO main stage. I've written my very first sketch, it's picked by Dave Holms and is considered one of the "nicest sketches in the world". He was so nice to talk to and he said he really loved "Hello You"
I didn't win the competition. The winner was decided by the audience. There were 7 other scenes and all were pretty darn funny. I had such a blast just being a part of this.
Thankfully I was lucky enough to make some friends before all this and was able to have one of my new friends perform with me. He did a great job. Woo Allen!

So, I'll include a little synopsis of my scene for you guys:
A guy and a girl walk hand in hand and sit on a park bench. Enjoying their cute little romantic setting, the guy and girl say how much they like being with each other. There is a long silence and the girl begins to feel awkward. So, to lighten the mood she turns to him and says "Hello you". The guy quickly responds with "I love you too." She is stunned but doesn't want to make him feel bad. She anguishes over what to do and finally blurts out that she said "hello you" not "I love you" and that she feels really bad because this is a big step for them but she's not ready and she couldn't live with the idea their relationship would be based on a Hello You misunderstanding. They guy expresses his relief saying he only said it because she said it. They sit for a moment then decide to go get pizza. As they leave, they turn to each other and say "Hello you"
Black out.


If only when this really happened to me 2 years ago I could have told him I said "Hello you" and not just kept silent during our romantic awkward moment. Ah life.

Training

Having a guy roommate who is neither you brother or significant other is like marriage training with out the benefits. I love my roommate. He's a great guy and totally laid back, but there are times where I feel like I'm getting a glimpse into the future of a married life. I find myself cleaning up after him. Rewashing his dishes, re-cleaning what I've asked him to clean...I find myself following a step behind him to do damage control but trying not to let him notice.
This morning we heard a big "pop" come from the refrigerator. I opened the door to discover his Rockstar he put in the freezer section had exploded and was dripping all over the rest of the refrigerator inhabitants. I asked him to please clean it up before going to work as it would dry and get really sticky all over the place. He grabbed for a big white clean bath towel to start cleaning. I quickly got a wash cloth and switched out the towel for him. He was done in a matter of a couple minutes. I knew there was no way he could have cleaned out that entire little fridge in that time. So, slyly, I got something out of the fridge and began to wash it off. "Oh! Did it get on that too?" It's every where buddy. So he cleaned a second time.
I waited till he left for work to do my version of the fridge wipe down.
One day after work I came home to find our one dish towel and all the dish rags in the dirty pile covered with coffee stains. I went looking for the big spill site and didn't find much of anything. I washed out the rags and towel as best I could since we needed something to clean dishes with later. I later found out what had happened was that there was some water on the kitchen floor from the wet dishes and Jon had slipped on it, flaying backwards, then forwards and head butting his head on the the mug of coffee he had set on the edge of the sink. The coffee few everywhere, the curtains, the wall, the floor, and all over his face and shirt. After hearing this I couldn't be mad at all. I was trying so hard not to pee my pants from laughing at the image of him face butting his coffee on the counter. He's kind of a klutz.
Last night Jon said something about the plugged kitchen sink and said I shouldn't dump my mac and cheese noodles down the drain because that's what clogged it. I didn't want to get in a battle of who's fault it was and my mac and cheese weren't in that sink longer than earlier that evening. The drain had been getting continually worse since we got here. I didn't feel like pointing out he dumped his grease from his cooking down the drain every night and that this sink was a problem before we even got here.
At night Jon likes to go to sleep watching television. Me, a light sleeper, finds this hard to cope with. Most nights I have to turn the t.v off after he's fallen asleep.
The bathroom situation still tends to make me feel a little awkward. With only a curtain and no door I think we both wait till the other is gone to work to do any personal business in there. With a curtain only separating our rooms I'm worried about a gust of wind blowing the "door" open while I'm changing.
I find myself on edge and unable to really relax. Apparently I like my things clean, organized, and safe.
Jon is a great roommate. It's just that the confines of this apt. are a little too small, and frankly, I've discovered, until I'm married, I'll stick with girl roommates.

A Month in Hollyweird

Well, I've been here just a little over a month now. I'm working two jobs. One as a barista (as earlier predicted) and also working for Ann Taylor (women's apparel) . Coffee and Clothes. What more could a girl want?
Our bathroom of death continues to worsen. The only thing I could find to keep the shower head where it belonged was electrical tape. So far it's holding up but due to the amount of times the shower head has fallen, there is a nice big crack in it, I'm pretty sure more water comes out the crack then through the actual spray area. Water pressure is lacking. I might as well wash my hair in the sink....if that wasn't clogged. I think the sink in the kitchen is beginning to get back up as well. So now we just brush our teeth and spit into the toilet. That we can flush and make go away....for now.
Thankfully we made a deal with our renter to only pay every two weeks since we are desperately looking for a new place to stay. Right now it looks like I may be moving out into the suburbs for a while to live with my friend Candice (she was a roommate of mine in N. Ireland). Rent will be much cheaper and I need to get into a place of better financial security. Even with two mediocre jobs I can not afford a place close to the metro rail. I feel I'm taking quite a step back, but I think it's best for the long run. I hope to still make it to my improv classes once a week, but that might be it for improv for now. Sometimes it's best to slow down to get a stronger footing. That way I can run longer and further instead of burning out and having to move back home.
This will make things easier for Jon since now he can look for a place closer to work and it doesn't need to be by the metro in the more expensive areas.
All in all things are going well. I'm really enjoying this learning process of growing up and living in the real world. Finances suck as I'm sure you all know. So it's been interesting figuring out what works best for me.

Before ending this update I have a great Hollywood story for you!


I had the most stereotypical run in with a Hollywood director/producer the other day. I was walking along the street and this tall black man walked up to me and said "Girl, mmm you better put some aloe vera on your skin every day!" I told him I always wear sunblock to which his reply was "Ya, but you need to put aloe on to keep it nice and soft and protected. You have some nice fair skin....What you do in this town?" I told him I started doing improv. I tried to get away but he kept talking. "Oh your a funny girl. When's your show I'd love to see you. I'm a director and a producer and I'm always looking for someone new who's got 'it'. You have a brilliance about you. I can see that. Your going to make it to the top." I thanked him for his encouragement and tried to leave again. "You should call me. Here put my number in your phone. You have a phone, Don't pretend you don't". So I took out my phone hoping this would finally let me leave. He gave me his number and I pretended to put it in. " Now you better call me. Don't go all Hollywood on me and not call. We can just hang out or something. I'm doing lots of projects and doing stuff for HBO and shit." I told him that was great. After a little bit more awkward sentences were spoken I finally got away.
A couple hours later as I was enjoying a nice ice tea and a book at Cafe Audrey the guy showed up again! He was just visiting a friend who "supposedly owned the place". "Well look who it is! This must be fate!" He sat down at my table and the awkward conversation resumed. I tried so hard to get him to go away but still be nice. "Why haven't you called? I'm just kidding. But seriously you should call me soon. Sorry I'm so jittery right now I'm in the middle of a bunch of shit that I"m getting started. I'm doing a documentary that's up for a Nobel Peace Prize." It has something to do with a nation and God....I don't know. I couldn't read his outline because he kept talking a mile a minute. Laying all his cards on the table of how special he was and all the stuff he was doing. At that moment two Hollywood Hotties walked by and he stopped in mid sentence to look at them. He turned back to me and said "Mmm, I'm always looking for new talent." I looked through some of his other papers he had on the table and noticed another "project" titled something like "Sexy Kittens". Hmmm a Nobel Peace Prize piece and porn. You really got all your areas covered.
Finally he left the table after shaking my hand three times and staring at me for a long time "absorbing my 'brilliance'". I thought about my run in and laughed. Over the course of two conversations he never once asked my name or really anything about me. He sold himself on every level. How sad, I thought, those caricatures are true for a reason. They really exist.

A Few Weeks In La La Land

What do I have in common with Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Mary Pickford? I have the same size hands. I know! I checked - first hand at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Today, as I walked over the stars across Hollywood Blvd. in search of a new place to call my own, my tired feet stumbled into the cutest cafe. Cafe Audrey. Done up in black and white with pictures of Audrey Hepburn hung across the walls. A wonderful highlight to my rather disappointing day. Even with two jobs I don't see much hope in affording a studio apartment on my own. Most studios in the area run about $1,000 a month to $1,500 a month. However...I do still hope. If I can get myself 2 jobs (at a cafe and hopefully soon at Ann Taylor) in a matter of a few weeks in town - I can find a place to call my own.

Things really have gone well so far despite the cramped living quarters. I met Al Pacino the other day and saw a private screening of his new documentary he's working on. There was only 15 of us in that private screening room on the Santa Monica Boardwalk. My being there was all due to my roommate being Al's assistant. While watching his movie I would remember every now and then that I was only a few feet away from Al watching his movie...just three weeks of being in town! What are the odds?!

While still new to the city I find it justifiable to do touristy things - hence Grauman's Chinese Theatre. After the tour I got to talking to the guide. He gave me his e-mail address and said if I ever wanted to see a movie in that great theatre (one of the finest in the nation) just to write and he'd get me a ticket.
I've had my first class at the iO (improv Olympic) and am excited for the knowledge to come. All those I've met who are in the program or are alumni of the program have been so nice, encouraging, and welcoming. The iO is a very nice place to be. The heart there is the closest to pure and genuine that I have felt while here.
I found a theatre that plays old movies! I rejoice at any chance to get a first hand glimpse of the golden era of Hollywood. I hope to find more. While walking across those stars on Hollywood Blvd. I kinda feel that the dirt and grime represent the hard times in the beginning. It's what stands between me and that star.
From this quaint Audrey cafe I write to you and give my love and best wishes. I thank you all for your continued support.
More to come. Much love. Cheers

Shower of Death

Here's an adventure for ya! So our bathroom is trying to kill us. The shower head isn't really attached to the wall. Well it is, by one screw that loosely hangs in the wall. I'm scared to turn my back in case the screw lets loose. And if the pipe holding up the shower head does choose to stay then the clip holding the actual head of the shower is only half a clip. You pray that gravity won't be pushing the limit so it will stay up there. But gravity is not always on your side! One day while Jon was turning off the water the shower head fell and hit him on the spine. I shower in fear of my life!
Over the past couple days the drain in the sink has been getting slower. Today it came to a dead stop. Jon and I attempted to unclog it. I bought the Draino (which took me an hour to go get using the wonderful bus system of L.A). No luck. He took out a part of the pipe and when the smell filled the room I thought he was going to loose it....and if he lost it I would CERTAINLY loose it! So I ran into the other room.
I though it was bad enough having a curtain for a door. That was only the beginning.....