Hi ho, an actor's life for me

I sent out over a dozen headshots and resumes just today. I wrote cover letters, stapled resumes, trimmed them to fit the picture (there is a niche out there for someone to sell 8x10 sheets of paper to actors), addressed my envelopes and tromped down to the post office to send them all. In addition to those, I sent some electronic submissions as well. I should be keeping track of how many submissions I have made. I still haven't even received an audition but I am not giving up hope yet. On Wednesday I am going to a forum where supposedly I will get the chance to meet some agents who work in commercial print. You know all those happy people you see in ads for prescription drugs, laundry detergent and crappy snack food? I can do that! And gosh darn it, if I can make money doing that while I pursue other more creative opportunities, I am going to do it.

"Exceptional"

Today I read a casting notice looking for men and woman to attend a celebrity event in LA. The women have to have "exceptionally" good looks. What does this mean? It causes one to do quite a bit of self-examination. Am I "exceptionally" good looking? Am I "very" good looking? Am I simply "pretty"? None of the above? I stared at this casting notice for awhile, I laughed at the absurdity of it and then I thought, what the hell? I'll let them decide if I'm "exceptional" or not. Compared to some of the women I see walking around this city, I think I am rather a Plain Jane but you don't know unless you try right? It's not like I have had any responses from any of the casting directors I have contacted anyway so I won't take "exception" if I don't get a call.

Hollaback Girl

I came to this song late in its popularity. I don't listen to commercial radio so while I had heard about it, it wasn't until a fateful afternoon of channel surfing landed me on the video. Now, I can't get enough of it. I just downloaded it from iTunes so I can listen to it all the time. Seriously, I just created an iTunes account for the first time so I could buy that song. Then, I went on a cheesy song tear and downloaded Beyonce, Destiny's Child and Kelly Clarkson. iTunes is a dangerous thing.

What's important

When I logged on today I was going to write about spending 7 hours in a sports bar in Brooklyn watching football and being sad that I'm not in Seattle to celebrate the Seahawks first Superbowl appearance. But, before I wrote my own entry I caught up on everyone else's and suddenly realized - who really cares? I started this blog as a way to chronicle life in this city and have been hesitant to write too much personal stuff because while I think it's mostly my friends reading this, you never know who may be trolling the blogs and being a private person, I refrain from spilling too much from my soul.

But, I read Kelly's blog about the medium knowing all about her dad's passing and immediately thought of my Granny who died almost 6 years ago and how I often think she is a guiding force for me, my guardian angel. Morning John started playing "Goodbye" by Steve Earl and that only feeds the introspection and reflection. I read Karen's blog and started thinking again about Why We Fight. It was so weird to go from seeing that movie to watching football and, of course, all the commercials that go along with it. Why We Fight boils it down to money. The military industrial complex has become so pervasive and far-reaching that our economy thrives on it to the point where even well-meaning politicians have to vote for military spending because cuts could mean a loss of jobs in their states and then they won't get re-elected. Rich and I have started talking again about how and where we can get involved. Do we do something that's more political in nature like volunteer for a local politician or do we do something that will just help those that aren't being helped by our government, like volunteer at a homeless shelter or for Habitat for Humanity? Habitat has long been a favorite group of mine. I have also always wanted to work for literacy programs, in particular reading with kids. If you can introduce kids to a love of reading early on, it will stay with them for life.

Then there was Kat's blog. That girl. If Kat is your friend, you will always have your own personal cheerleader. I can't wait to see jumping off bridges. I wish, I wish, I wish I could go to the South by Southwest premiere in March. But, I am going to Austin in mid-Feb for her bridal shower and since I don't currently have a job, spending money on two plane tickets in a 30-day period seems a little excessive.

I am constantly inspired by my friends. I don't know what I would do without them.

Two funny NYC moments

1) I think I actually heard someone use the word "suburbanite" as an insult. I could be wrong, maybe I just overheard one word in a conversation, but even the idea of it made me laugh.

2) I was walking on the sidewalk next to one of the subway vents and I heard a cat meowing. I turned to look and saw an older, rough looking gentleman walking along slowly over the vent. I stopped, I listened, I watched. Was he following the cat? Was it his cat? The meowing continued and the man kept looking down into the vent. I walked back, looked down the vent and then stood in front of the man. He looked up at me and I said "Is that you?" He looked at me and meowed. So freaking funny.

blogspot issues

Sorry for the two identical posts. I couldn't get it to publish, then it published it twice and now it won't delete one of them. I Heart Technology

Two funny NYC moments

1) I think I actually heard someone use the word "suburbanite" as an insult. I could be wrong, maybe I just overheard one word in a conversation, but even the idea of it made me laugh.

2) I was walking on the sidewalk next to one of the subway vents and I heard a cat meowing. I turned to look and saw an older, rough looking gentleman walking along slowly over the vent. I stopped, I listened, I watched. Was he following the cat? Was it his cat? The meowing continued and them and the man kept looking down into the vent. I walked back, looked down the vent and then stood in front of the man. He looked up at me and I said "Is that you?" He looked at me and meowed. So freaking funny.

Finally, an update

I have been away from my blog for a long time. I guess I felt like I didn't have that much to report. The holidays ended, the cold weather moved in and I began my virtual sidewalk pounding. I have been sending out my headshot and resume via an online casting board I subscribed too. I have sent to everything from commercial auditions to student films to modeling jobs. I just want to do something. I also started researching teaching opportunities. Through my friend Margaret in Seattle I connected with the Associate Education Director at Manhattan Theatre Club and she gave me some places to start. So, I sent out my teaching resume in hopes it might attract some interest.

In another stroke of luck, my friend Dawnie's husband had a birthday gathering on Sunday night where I met a woman they work with who used to be an actor/director but who has since become a writer. She and I chatted for awhile and after going on at length about how hard it is to be in theatre in this town she asked what I do and when I told her I am an actress she felt horrible. I was actually grateful to get an unedited lowdown from someone who spend 10 years working in the business but she, whether in a burst of guilt or genuine helpfulness, gave me her card and said she would put in touch with some people show knows.

True to her word, today I received three emails from people she knows who work in small theatres here. Then, I had lunch with Victor Pappas (he used to work at Intiman in Seattle but is now at NYU) and he said those people were all terrific, well-respected rising stars who would be great to meet with! Victor, I must say, is a gem. Such a sweet man who speaks from the heart and was so encouraging and optimistic. Meeting with him this afternoon really made my day. I am so excited to meet with these other people and find out how I can get involved.

In other news, Mom came up for a long weekend. She arrived Thursday night and left yesterday afternoon. We went to the MOMA, saw the Human Bodies exhibit (crazy, weird, gross, fascinating, educational, embarassing), saw the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (bought standing room tickets for $25 and I'm glad because it's charming but flawed), ate out a lot and tried to stay warm. I think we all had a great time and it's nice to know that we are so much closer so it will be cheaper and easier to have more quick visits like that.

I think that is a pretty comprehensive update for now. I will try to be a better blogger, I promise.