Just When You Think Your Day(life)Can't Get Any Worse...

Just When You Think Your Day(life)Can't Get Any Worse...

My best friend was calling, I was stoked to hear from her! I answered the phone in a goofy tone, just to be embarrassed for doing so after I heard the voice on the other end. The phone call no one ever wants to hear…and one that’s dreaded to make. It was her fiancé calling on the behalf of my friend to inform me that her mom had just died. I felt sick. I just spent this past Thanksgiving with them in Arizona and I was looking forward to seeing my friend and her mom during my visit to Ohio. I was supposed to see the both of them a couple weeks ago but because I couldn’t get a ride (my car is in California) it didn’t work out. Thoughts and images overwhelmed me and before I could thank him for calling, I broke down, sobbing. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Why was this real?
I couldn’t sleep at night. I just kept thinking why why why? Why did this have to happen… I needed to see my friend, but of course, I couldn’t. She lives on the other side of town and people here are selfish. Thinking about my friend and how she must feel and how I have to be away from her… it’s a hurt I can’t describe. I hate it. And some stupid part of me keeps thinking maybe there’s been a mistake maybe I just dreamt this but no, it’s as real as the person (my sister) in the other room who sits there numb to the devastation that has stricken me. Aside from one text message the day I found out about my friend’s mom, she’s expressed no concern for me. I’ll sit here by myself and just cry. Today is the day I’m going to the showing of my friend’s mom. I’m a mess.
This will be the first time to see my friend since I’ve been back and this is in no way a way I would wish for us to see each other.. My mom wants to come with me, thank goodness. I need strength, I can’t hold myself together. I needed to wash my face, the water was shut off. I went to check the mail to see if there was a notice of when it would be back on, but instead I found something that would make my sad-started day—even worse. It was from the Malibu Sherriff’s office. Shit. A few months ago my freakin car broke down on me up in Malibu and I left it in a friend’s neighborhood because it wouldn’t drive for more than two miles without overheating and attempting to blow itself up. I freakin had to work every dang weekend the past semester and was just overloaded with working three jobs, finishing stuff for graduation, and attempting to sleep. My family came out for the last few days and graduation so I was constantly busy with them. My original plan right after graduation was to move to LA for the month before my job started but the people I was moving in with were wishy-washy with rent-numbers so to save money, I booked a flight to Ohio instead. Long story short, my broken car has been in that neighborhood for awhile.
I called the Sherriff’s office, which’d sent me the notice, and they directed me to the towing company who had apparently towed my car. Oh awesome, because I hadn’t looked at the notice in depth at that point, I was unaware they actually towed it . Someone in the neighborhood had reported it and because my friend supposedly was out of town, didn’t see the ‘abandonment notice’. The guy from the towing office was a real jerk, and he totally yelled at me. I wasn’t even rude, I just had a lot of questions. He told me a whole lot of crap and that at the standing total right now… I owe them $544 plus $32/day and my flight isn’t until Tuesday which will mean when all is said and done it’s going to be $736. So much for saving money by coming back to Ohio.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste….

A mind is a terrible thing to waste…

The catchy-cliché tagline, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste…studies show that your kids can lose what they’ve learned over the next two months for summer…” Each time I hear this sylvan learning’ promo, it resonates and reminds me, just because I’ve graduated from college, it is no time to stop learning. I’m choosing to avoid the blues of not being in school anymore. Yeah sure, we all say, on the mornings after our all nighters that we hate school and can’t wait to be done… yet when we are done we say man, I wish I had more access to my friends. The truth is, we’re never really happy with what we get, which is what makes me keep working for what’s next. Last August, going back for my senior year of college was brutal. Yes, life in Sunny San Diego can still be a downer, that’s just life. But I’d been living, working, and having a ton of fun in Hollywood and I wasn’t ready to leave. A lot of the semester I whined about the friends of mine I missed in LA… so just about the time when I began to whine about missing my friends in San Diego (I’m currently in Columbus, Ohio) I reminded myself…here in just a few weeks, I’ll be back to the city I love, the City of Angels.
Those Sylvan commercials though, haunt me like a bad fun-house experience. I’m somewhat obsessing over NOT slowing down, yes, I need a break (after working three jobs and going to school full time) but I still don’t want to become comfortable or lose what I’ve learned just because I’ve moved, but instead, learn more. That’s why I’m spending ample time in front of the tube. In college, I was on TV more than I ever had time to watch it. That’s not bragging, it’s just an example of how much time I didn’t have for nonsense entertainment. Yesterday I had a free afternoon and I literally watched seven episodes of The Hills, it just made me miss California mostly, but it was nice to see the characters again that I’d never had time for. Speaking of characters, I’ve been hanging with the fam a lot and catching up with my old Ohio pals. It’s honestly amazing to me how people and things change. Sometimes it’s a bummer, but by this point, I know how to move on. Some amigos I’ve been chatting with this past year via text and social networking, we’ll talk about how we can’t wait to see each other or ‘hang when I get home’…it’s almost time for me to head back west, and some of those people I haven’t heard a word from or have ignored. On the flipside, I’ve met a few people here while out and about, and we’ve hung out on several occasions. Funny how things work out sometimes right?
Everything is an adjustment, it’s how we learn. My sister, her kiddos, and I hit up the Groveport Pool on this insanely sweltering day and we ran into a couple my niece’s classmates; I was stoked, I love those little ladies. After an exhaustingly fun day in the water with the kids, and tan time during Adult Swim, I could barely keep my head up on the car ride home but found myself singing to the song RadioU was playing. It was the first time I heard it and I sang it like I knew the band, quietly of course. The lyrics were ones I knew I wouldn’t forget because they were so strong, so full of life but unfortunately hours later, those lyrics were left somewhere in my state of exhaustion. It didn’t hit me till later that I totally could have ‘Shazammed’ that song on my far-too-expensive-new phone. Fail! Like I said, everything is an adjustment. I’m used to having a gangster dumb-phone only capable of the simplest of tasks such as texting and talking. And a phone that when I pull it out of my purse people would usually respond with “dang… do you have an upgrade soon?’ or “oh, my 8 year old brother has that phone…”. Awesome.



That's all for now... bye bye <3

Sincerely,
Meh.

My Day Job Versus My Passion

My Day Job Versus My Passion
Who goes from working in Hollywood on the studio back lots to working for a SoCal smoothie franchise? That’d be me. A few months back I applied for a side job at Jamba Juice to have some extra money, a sweet discount, and satisfy my constant craving to learn. It was also appealing to revisit the feeling of working hard for little money. Strangely enough, much can be gained from such an experience. I love my job at Jamba Juice. Customers are generally pretty happy when coming in, as opposed to a caffeine-oriented place. Then my coworkers, though younger than me, (high schoolers) always make it an interesting and entertaining atmosphere. I like to see it as being on-set for Degrassi , or some other high school drama-oriented TV show.
Speaking of TV, I’m the station manager for the TV program here at PLNU; Point TV on Channel 23. Just recently, I was making a mental note of what’s on the agenda for the next 24 four hours and I had somewhat of an epiphany. I have to finish editing the latest episode of the Blind Dating show I host and direct, host an episode of Acoustic Sessions, between sets, make an appearance at the KPLR karaoke event (grab one of the free Chipotle burritos) back to editing, begin my performance reel file, and reserve equipment for the Advanced TV Class screenings on Wednesday. An estimated 15 hours of work, and I’m stoked for it. Whereas when I work at Jamba, even though I love it I still dread those eight-hour shifts. After the first six hours I’m ready to get a Bobik-Special-Bananaberry smoothie and peace out. Jamba is fine for now and of course I enjoy a healthy sweet smoothie as much as the next person, but my real passion lies working in entertainment. It’s the ultimate team effort and it brings people together; that’s something I want to be a part of for a very long time.

What happened in Vegas....I Brought Back with Me

Just go away. Growing up, my mother always encouraged me to take advantage of any travel opportunity that I encounter. Now, I forget her reasoning’s in telling me to do so but she is my mom so of course, I listen. Since then, I have made it a point to make my way around any and everywhere I can. This past week I was in Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters Convention. I’ve been to Vegas before and even to this exact convention. Experience is organic, and in this case there's no such thing as a cloned substitute. To travel is to see and to learn. To me, being a learner is a characteristic I hold in high value. Essentially we have to make a choice whether or not to learn. Webster defines the word ‘learn’ as, “to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.” The convention itself is partnered with the "Broadcasters Education Association: Educating for tomorrow's media." Fortunately with access to several industry-professional-led workshops and seminars I was highly enthused during my note-taking sessions. Although somewhat more interestingly to me is what was learned from the unexpected conference rooms. The space in those five-hour car rides, the small casino diner, hotel room, and poolside tanning times. It was these occurences where I learned about others and myself. During a lunch with my cousin who was also attending the conference, he provided wisdom from his many years ahead of me that will benefit what will happen for me in these next months post graduation. Sometimes I think he has a lesson plan for my life and knows exactly the right time to share each lecture with me. Even though his times are opportune, doesn't always make them easy to digest.
I didn’t gamble any money in Vegas, mostly just my time. My expectations for the trip were far too high for the reality of it,at least socially, but I also acquired new knowlege in various areas, which was more than I started out with so I guess that means I win. That happened in Vegas...and I decided to take it home with me.

That Moment When....

It’s that moment in the movie where the story comes full circle. When the Titans score the winning point in overtime, when Forrest rescues Bubba, and the list carries on. Depending on the situation, the minor details can vary but the end result is the same, that feeling of unreal accomplishment. This week that moment came in the form of speech from my records advisor. Transfer credits, course substitutions, the whole bit. I was flustered with the fear of potentially not graduating; especially after my entire family from Ohio had booked their flights to join me for the celebration. I was getting down to the wire in a meeting with my advisor and then for a second, time stopped. “How would you like for your name to appear on the diploma?” He asked. The words rolled off of his tongue like gold poured from a casting. For a second I didn’t realize he was talking to me, but he had to be talking to me. I was the only one sitting in front of him. For a moment I think I even forgot my middle name. “Oh uh, yeah, the middle name, put Danielle down for that.” I was graduating. The first in my family to obtain a 4-year degree, all of the time spent in libraries, internship offices, labs, and classrooms. It all comes down to this. It’s really happening. It was one of those moments. I took it in with a deep breath and said, “Yeah, Jessica. Danielle. Bobik. That sounds good.” May 14th, here I come.

Japan Quake Causes Hollywood Shake Ups..

Just over a couple of weeks ago…terror from natural disaster struck Japan. The morning of, I had received a text message from my mother saying “There’s been an earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, California might be seeing after effects, are you okay?” Not exactly what I was expecting to wake up to, but I’m sure neither were the Japanese.
Roughly 5500 miles away, the disaster was strong enough to cause a flair of bad weather and slight damage up north in California. That was what was evident immediately after as well as the week to come. What’s even crazier is although Japan is quite the distance away, it’s directly affecting many individuals in the states. Earlier this week I was purchasing a new car and got to talking to the dealer about the tragedies in Japan and he shed a little light on how it’s affecting Japanese cars and their parts not only over there but here as well. Many of the major car part factories were damaged and now have to go through full inspections before they can pick up manufacturing again.
In addition to cars.. the film industry is also being hit pretty hard. Yesterday I was at USC with my cousin who is a film professor and one of his students rushed into his office frantically, she seemed very urgent. She stated that her thesis project that is saved on one device needs to be put onto a digi beta but because USC has no more tapes due to the current stoppage of deliveries from Japan, only left her with another option. “Can I just send it to Fotokem to be digitized?” she said. “Good luck, you’re not the only one, Hollywood is filling the bulk of Foto’s processes for the time being…”-my cousin responded.
When these sort of disasters happen, it seems a common trend for people to say ‘Oh, this is affecting everyone in some sort of way’, and normally I would assume people mean emotionally but now I know different. I’d usually think, well most people aren’t upset because it’s not happening to them and they dismiss it. Now it has become clear that when something goes wrong on our planet, that regardless of how long it takes us to realize….it will impact us in some way shape or form.