At work (music video and store.) I speak more Spanish than English (

Thank goodness...I am not a ho. I mean everyone always has doubts about themselves, no? okay maybe not. But last night, I was surrounded by hoes, and I can easily say I was not one of them. How do I knwo this? Well I recognized what clothes was right for my body type, and did not choose spandexing outfits that clung to rolls, and thighs, or exposed the rolls and thighs, because even the little girls can look a mess. I also did not need to tape my dress to my nipples because that's all it covered. I also was just not a hoe. But I must say it was fun dancing around a club set pretending to be a hoe, dancing, and stuff. Afterall I did get to dance within inches of Pdiddy and Nicole(from Pussycat dolls.), and I got put in the front of a shot at one point so I hope that means I will get some screen time, shakin' my bootey.

I think it's cool that I have now been part of something lasting, that will be recognized nationally, whether or not all you see is my head, arm, or back. And I got paid. P/S to all you lionizers, celebrities are regular people. No, really.

I started a job today...the job I have part-time while I find what I really want to do, like teach or work on a campaign or something else. But until I do, I may not be able to audition as much as I have been anymore. Ah well, I have oonly been here two weeks. I need to calm down. hhaha.

Status: Watching reality competition shows with roomate Dara who says: The One is crap (and no she doesn't mean Jesus or Neo, she means the reality TV show.)

J-Lo went downhill after Puffy. I'm going up.

First Los Angeles Style Gig: Club-goer in PDiddy Video.

Farts in the Universe.

Living here, in La LA land, it's so easy to get caught up in this world in the magical west and forget about everything else. Happens even to me, the girl who is hyper aware of world activity to the point of anxiety, sometimes.

Then I spoke, well MSNed, to Alberto, who was supposed to be home in Lebanon this summer. And he said to me, I left just in time and my mom in is Jordan right now, and I am pretty upset about whats happening in Lebanon. Unaware of the turmoil taking place between Israel and Lebanon I felt like an idiot that I could let something like that slip by. Not because I feel like I need to know everything that happens in the universe, though I try, but because I had gotten soooo caught up in my new life here, I let my perspective and priorities slip for a second, and I am glad that I became aware of it because I see now now easy it can be to do that here. Like Susie Phillips, my ex acting coach, used to say, our problems here are farts in the universe. And hre I was concerned about not being able to buy hair conditioner. My new concern is that Alberto's family is safe, and the situation be appeased some how. At least negotiated since these things are never solved.

Lord knows this is going to get worse before it gets better.

Ocurrences

The Abercrombie in Santa Monica has a shirtless stud greeting people at the front of the store. This is Southern California.

Today at my audition a girl came in dressed cut off daisy dukes an itty bitty tube top and big silver hoops. the rest of us were dressed normal as we were auditioning for radio. in my head i though, oh she probably doesnt think it matters what she looks like since its radio not tv. She looked around and said, is anybody else reading for mayra? (heads shake no) ooh, no wonder no one else is dressed like a hooker.

Apparently there was another audition going on.

I spent an hour getting home on what shouldve been a fifteen minute trip. I have to go to the gym now and i am SDREADING getting in my car again.

Give me your money or else you caused global warming with your frugality

So now I know that the reason door-to-door evangelism made me feel uneasy was not just that it was religious people trying to convert people while on their own doorsteps, but simply that I would never be able to present something at someones door without being able to completely back ro support what I was presenting. I guess selling knives is out of the question too.

Today I tried out a job working with the league of California Conservation Voters, what I though would be an activism/canvassing environmental job, which it is except that they go door to door not just soliciting support, but money, and the amount of money a canvasser racks up earns them a commission, so it becomes about getting people to give more and more money, even when they said hey i am unemployed, or hey i can only give you five bucks. I just can't do it, treating people like money dispensers that I am trying to shake to get more and more cash out of. I would much rather prefer a job just getting signatures or passing out literature, or working on a real campaign. So now...

Tomorrow I have an interview for a spot on radio as a radio personality. And I had an interview yesterday to be managing director of a small theatre company much like the playwright's center.

Life is beautiful, and I am already broke.

Friends...care packages are appreciated....I will payyou back when I make my first film.

Still can't upload the video, and pics coming soon.

Official.

It's official. I live here. Officially. I organized my books in the bookshelves by category and some alphabetically, and when that's done I know it's official. Perhaps that's why I always felt transient in my Minneapolis flat, I never did it. I want to take pictures to show everyone- not just the shelves but anumber of things-, but I can't find my camera because I haven't completely settled in my bedroom. And also, my fabulous video is not uploading, so it'll be some time before I can get it up.

This Week in La La

It's been soo crazy this week, I havent' been able to blog, or even worse, work out. But I have a few minutes free time before I go to bed soooo here's the scoop on Life in LA.

I already got rear ended by a guy on santa monica boulevard.

I had an interview today for a group called Grassroots Campaign who works for the League of California COnservation Voters(Something like that.) and I think it went well, as I was the most qualified person in the interview group.

I have an audition for a play this Sunday.

My room is really pretty(will take pictures soon.).

Went to ZARA-AAAAHH!!!!

And unpacked and unpacked and unpacked.

Miss everyone in Minneapolis though I am sure I won't feel it till a little later since I saw my friends in the cities like once every month or so anyway because I was always so busy.

Claudia and Nora's Adventure Video coming soon...

Gone, Going

It still didn't hit me that I was moving away from Minneapolis until Nora and me drove accross the Minnesota/Iowa border. Up until then I had been so busy packing things, cleaning, and planning. I am thankful for Nora's company on the looooong drive- we've had a good time talking and making videos (stay tuned for a mini-road-trip movie in a near-future blog.) The drive through Colorado was especially amazing, and I encourage anyone to just take a drive through our country and see all it's surprises. All through the Colorado drive we couldn't stop saying"wow" and "awe" and "that is beautiful." I mean we didnt have apretty rough night, so anything after that was pretty amazing. We drove around to three different towns looking from inn to motel to hotel and all three towns in a 100 mile radius were sold out beacause of tournaments and conferences, so already falling asleep while driving and in the car, we slept at a rest stop. Nora and I have been trying to get some exercises jumping-jack-ing during rest stops. But it still doesn't burn half the calories we've accumulated on our road trip diet. egh. Life is good. I already miss the friends. We stopped at Arches National Park in Utah, today, and tomorrow is GRAND CANYON DAY! More to come... here are some pics....

Going Away Party

Several of my my friends brought up the fact that I have great friends, and that I surround myself with wonderful people. They really are, and they made my last night in town a beautiful one. As a parting gift I wrote everyone Haiku. I think I produced some of my best work last night...I hope the pictures in themselves express my joy.


LIFE IS GOOD.
I may have an acting gig in LA!

Felix emailed me back!

Stats.

Packing Status: 50% (of things that need tp be packed, unlike bed and other furniture.)

Carbonated Beverages Consumed: 1

Ice cream scoop count for the past week(counting tonight):5 (ugh)

Bruise Count from tripping over apartment mess(or just running into things): 3

Number of Wild Birds Freaking out in Living Room: 1(well 0, Charlie batted it out with a broom.)

Alcoholic Units:0

Amount left in Savings: $8

Last Unecessary Purchase: Green Envelopes at Papersource. And "The Right Stuff" New Kids single to dance to in the living room.

Pounds Lost in Last two weeks: 2 (pretty good seeing as I am not trying as hard now that I'm in a good place.)

People Expected at Going away Soiree: 20-30

Seats reserved: 15

Days till moving: 2.5

Days till arrival: 4.5

Emotional State: Content

Physical State:Tired

Mental State: Busy

Another Video

I can't help it, I'm in love, and now you can see (though not hear) why. Okay, to be reasonable...I am in love...with a memory. Seems to be a pattern these days.

You Have to See This.

As one commenter said, Freud would have a field day diagnosing this one.

What I need to do is pack..not write a blog entry.

When you're leaving town, your friends want to go out with you and buy you drinks, which is what led to my past week of non stop going out and getting drinks, and frankly I can't have another glass of wine, or vodka cranberry, or ice cream for a while. But I will at my going away party, I suppose, where I will be a horrible mess, saying "gybe" to everyone. Megan and I proved to be dancing machines several nights in a row, and also proved to be the best girlfriend duo, having perfected secret eye contact communication and creepy bar guy rescue.
Me and Lindsey...
This weekend I also got to see Joey again, who was in town visiting Charlie, and who I enjoyed when I first met him months ago (as proved by previous April Blog) as well as this weekend.

Today also marks the end of my Jerome Foundation Many Voices Fellowship at the Playwright's Center. Here is a look at the fabulous group of writers I have been meeting with, and my favorite facillitator in the world, Harry Waters, who teases me about being a princess.


Tonight I also saw Adia for the last time in a long while. It was almost a yr ago we did our horrible Teatro show (pretty neat how our names rhymed), and I have come to love her dearly.


And also, had Ice Cream with Brynn and Jen- two girls who give me hope. Oh God, I can already feel the tears coming on...Just wait till Wednesday.

I'll be Nice.

The New Guthrie Theater is Amazing. I cannot wait to work there in November; and I mean I know how significant it is that I am understudying a role, even if I only go on if the girl gets sick or something, but I kept getting "congratulations" all day that I was running into people at the open house, and Kenny, my old acting coach, even told me that he was informed that I read really well for the part and it was a hard decision to make, (i mean i guess i did it to myself by writing on the resume in the auditions "moving ot LA" really big, but ah well, at least I know they had storngly considered me.)

ANyhow, check out the new Guthrie, for fun or to see a show. It is beautiful. Funny to think that when it was being designed five years ago(my freshmen yr in the acting program) I almost hooked up with one Jean Nouvel's French architects at the Guthrie Gala. Haha. Now there it is, all blue and big and obvious.

I think me and Megan are hitting up the Guthrie Dance Party in the Yellow Box of the building tonight. I dont know if I can handle dressing up and dancing for a third night in a row. We'll see.

Random thoughts in Insomnia or Dry Space

Had one last meeting with The Lighthouse Group tonight, the theatre company I helped develop under Ellen, my now dear friend. And I believe we are producing my play next January, so I had better get to working on it and on writing/researching grants for our Lights Up! Fetsival.

Went to the Times one last time tonight, and the ratio of guys to girls was the worst I had ever seen it. But it was fun, though the whole time I was reminded of Sunday night, and I would smile hugely when a random picture or memory of the night came accross my mind. How can one night make such an impression?

Also, apparently a 'hang out' with a friend last week was a date, and apparently my other friend who's 'hang out' I intended to be a date got very wierd and distant on me when I reminded him I was leaving next Friday. This is understable I suppose.

I barely have begun packing up my place.

Today I had a photo shoot for an Evercare Ad where I played a Nurse Practitioner. The little old lady I was taking pictures with couldn't hear very well, they had to physical move her when they wanted her to tilt her head a little in any direction.

Last night, when having drinks with the Lange girls (and Ana, Danessa, and Mel), I ran into GABE! A friend who I last saw my last weekend in Madrid when I stayed with him at his grandma's house and made Pasta with Laura and Jeff. THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO.

I can't sleep...I have a dry dry dry apartment and it hurts my sinuses and head.

Shopping Woes.

I hate stretchy clothes. I just bought a couple of tops, and I bought them in small, cause I mean, there's no way I am an XSmall, but now that I have only worn them each once, they are already to big. Don't even get me started about my jeans (that I love but can no longer wear much) because they stretch the minute i take them out of the dryer and put them on. And then I end up trying on clothes that a little bit snugger, but I feel like a fat chunk in that, so I don't buy it- all the better for my starving bank account. Sometimes I really hate shopping.

And lets also talk about how I finally brought up all my great summer clothes from last summer that I got on my trips to NY and DC and Texas, and now they don't fit. So I took them to Stitch N Time down the street to get the clothes taken in and it turns out the lady would have to take apart my favorite dress and pretty much reconstruct the whole thing to make it fit so I don't look pregnant cause that's how big it fits now, and then charge me 130 more bucks just to take my skirts in an inch. And thats only half the stuff that needs repair. At this point, I really have nothing to wear. If you see me more that one day in a row you will see me wearing things twice. But whatever, that's what French women do and nobody cares, and that's how they afford to buy that crazy expensive Parisian fashion wear.

Exactly a year ago, according to my old Xanga blog, I had my horrible horrible horrible West Side Story Audition. I'd forgotten about that nasty day. In my blog I wondered if there was a reason it went so badly despite the odds being in my favor, and a year later I know- According to Everyone who saw it in Chanhassen it was a mess of a show, complete with inadvertent racism and blah amounts of passion delivering not much of what the musical requires. I am glad I didnt' spend all that gas and thirty bucks to see it, and I am even happier I wasn't in it. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to-Go to London, be in Anna..Tropics, be in Marta Solano, be in Breaking Ice, Go to Mexico, Go to Houston, Go to St. Louis, Go to Go Run, Be in Snapshots, etc. Always a reason....

Donde esta mi gatito de domingo?

12 Days to Go.

About 12 Days before the parents and me drive out to Los Angeles. And these past non-blogging days have been spent tying up life here in the cities, spending as much time with friends before I go, and procrastinating packing.

I must say that lately I have been thinking about the things I will miss about this place, and if you know me you know that is hard for me to admit because I never really allowed myself to settle here, always complaining about the cold and lack of stuff.

So here is a list of things I will miss...(I numbered the list but the numbers only serve as bullets, not ranking)

1. Proximity to wonderful lakes, the tracks that surround them, parks, and trees.
2. Barbette, Amore Victoria, Cafe Brenda, Wuollets, Ecopolitan, Azia, Lucia's, La Bodega, and some other restaurants.
3. The leaves in the fall (Before this, i had never seen a true autumn, or snow for that matter, but that's definitely not on the list.)
4. The Walker and the MIA.
5. Co-ops, protests, picketers, and the prominent presence of all other things granola and liberal.
6. Targets.
7. Cafetto, Spyhouse, Uncommon Grounds, and Cafe Royale.
8. The Mall of America ( I mean I get nauseated if I go there as a pastime, but seriously, my favorites stores can all be found there.)
9. Closeness to Chicago, unfortunately I didn't make it back one last time to visit the friends and fam, and now I will be so far away. :-( I miss Lindsey Pate.
10. The Small but very (as pete put it) sexy skyline.
11. The public transportation system. (hey it's definitely better than houston's and LA.)
12. The Southern, Intermedia Arts, And all the other great performance and dance venues.
13. My African Dance class :-(
14. The TImes, Tiburon, Loring, Babalu, and Lurcat Salsa Nights. (Though I am sure those will be easily replaced in LA.
15. The Lagoon and Uptown Theatres.

ANd more to come.....

PS I was at this random party last night sitting on a porch with some guy name Alex who'd just returned from Iraq when a drunk shirtless guy walks out the door and starts running his fingers thru my hair and messing it up saying "I love the way Asian hair feels." HAHA

India takes Ibanga from Mexico, the day after Mexico takes the game from Iran.

One of my dearest friends left this morning for India, where he is relocating to work for some big time company (I don't knwo which), but he'll be there and I don't know when I will be able to see him.

I saw him last night, at dinner (we are dinner buddies, always trying new restaurants and things...) and realized how much I was going to miss him... I love him so much. Ibanga is one of the most holistically intellgient people I know, all while being a real human being with crazy moody days, questions, problems, highs and lows. But the boy can do anything, well a lot of things... SUch as make me one of the best dinners a friend has made me, from scratch, because he's worked as a cook. Or consult me in starting a business. Or even try salsa dancing with me for goodness sakes! When that didnt work we had our own little dance party where we acted like fools.

There was also the time we went sailing (me, tarlene, nate, ibanga and nate's little brother) and the sailboat capsized in lake harriet cuasing us to fall in, the mast hitting me on the head pushing me further down, until Ibanga reached out from under the boat and pulled me out.

And the time we got dressed up to go to the capitol in the middle of the night.

And the time we made of fake occupations to tell people when we went to the pretentious "Independent".

Or how about how we created the pretentious group the summer we had no jobs, but a bit of money, and a whole lot of time to do nothing but philosophize, sail, learn tennis badly, and go out every night ot eat and drink.

I love him, and will miss him sooo much, and I hate that yet another one of my close friends, or another kindred spirit, will be moving halfway accross the world, too far from me.

Last Minute Friends.

It seems that it's usually right before I leave somwhere, or right before someone leaves, that I meet someone who I wish I coudl spend more time with, but the timing is all bad. Perhaps that is the Universe trying to tell me it's not the right time, which I believe, but indulging in a little human connection (sometimes through the form of swinging on swings in a park in the middle of the night.) is nice.

First of all, I met Brian not too long ago(this is not the "date" Brian of previous blogs.) And we had BBQ yesterday. He really helped calm my recent death/hypochondriac nerves of the last week. Perhaps it's his joy, kindness, and humor, despite the fact that a tragic bike/bridge accident not too long ago left him in a wheel chair, he's now only 24 or 25, and like runs Theatre Mu.

Then there is David, my salsa dance friend who I have had fun dancing with, and who I consistently see at every salsa sancing Venue I go to (Lurcat is now the favorite.)

And then there are both John and Angela who I met through my bud Charles. And I only wish there was more time to be spent with those two, because they are good people,

And then there's Peter who I met through them. And who I enjoy very, very much, and at least got to spend some time with him last night (As I mentioned before- partly in the form of good conversation and swinging.) it's unfortunate he and I don't likve in the same town, we'd have fun.

Maybe what the Universe is trying to tell me is that I have good people to come back to here, if LA turns out a mess, if Texas won't elect me into office, or when I come back in the fall to be at the G.

I am actually going to go through the Master Cleanser starting now, so don't invite me to dinner, I won't be eating.

And I figure if I type it here I have to stick to it- I am practicing Abstinence. Of the Sexual kind, and of the intimate spirit kind and that is it, and now i am accountable to alllll my readers.

Ailments & Allergies

My throat is prickly. Not like Strep.
I think I am allergic to something.
I think it may be soy (in the form of milk.) :-(
I hope that's all it is.
Pray for me.
Va male la gola.