Everyday Goddess

Well, it's a good thing there's another weekend between my move and Thanksgiving.

I got a lot of unpacking done this weekend, but took two big breaks. On Saturday I went shopping & ran errands, and on Sunday I met with my writers/creative group. The new apartment is slightly smaller than the old one, so most of the fit-stuff-in puzzles are slightly different. The closets are the same, but under the sinks is just slightly smaller. I still have some major projects left to do.

Still, I'm pretty pleased at what I did get done. In particular, the bathroom, kitchen, and armoire are going to make this week much more livable than last. Much thanks to my ex for helping with the fridge door and the shower caddy.

Now if only I'd done laundry...

And let's not even talk about my inbox since the DSL came through. Oy vey.

The Move

The move upstairs and across the hall kicked my ass. It's been over six years since I moved last, and I remember being a powerhouse. Making it happen.

Well, I made it happen - with seriously awesome couldn't-have-done-it-without-them help from some friends on the Saturday and the Sunday - but it felt harder. Granted, I only took 3 hours off from work for the entire move, and life is a mess right now, but still, it felt harder. It took all day both days of the weekend.

But, it's done. The moving anyway. The unpacking kicks into high gear this weekend, and here's hoping that I'm just as much of a powerhouse, even if it hurts. I'm over the moon about hosting Thanksgiving at my place again this year, so I'm using that as inspiration to get my place in immediate order.

I, in my brilliance, having never moved DSL, didn't call until the Friday... And it is taking Earthlink TWELVE DAYS to move my service upstairs and across the hall, so I probably won't post again until next week.

Who needs boxes when you've got seven years of free bags?

I slipped financially towards the end of my unemployment. Add Cobra health insurance and a pending security deposit, and you've got mega financial suck. When my roommate told me she was moving, I felt like I just couldn't do the roommate thing again. Plus, the economy's killing me, but it's also bringing rent prices down in L.A. I felt like now was the time to push and get my own place. Extra hundreds per month be damned.

But, I also couldn't imagine doing a full move to a new apartment. With the new job and the giant commute, finding a new place seemed impossible, and then renting a truck, loading a truck, unloading a truck. Driving back and forth. It's a lot, and it's not free.

I needed my move to cost basically nothing, and I needed it to be something I could handle right now with everything that's going on in my life. And I like where I live, except for one thing - facing the freeway.

So I'm moving to a 1-bedroom in my complex. That doesn't face the freeway. And even though I wish I could, the only boxes I've bought is one pack of ten cheapy file boxes from Staples that I always get to move my files and keep them in order. They are great, and I wanted to get another pack... But seriously, I need this move to cost basically nothing. Thankfully, I got donations of boxes from a variety of friends, including a healthy stash from my roommate who moved earlier in the month. Still, I needed more. More!

And I didn't want to buy them.

Solution to the last of my books? Bags. Oh yeah, you know I've got a stash of shopping bags.

And I had some paper grocery bags around, too. I give you, my bathroom:

I've gotten a ton done, but I am stressed about getting everything upstairs and getting the old apartment clean. Normally, I'd take a full day off from work, but as a temp, no work = no pay, so I'm only taking a 1/2 day to get a giant cashier's check on my last payday of the month and sign the lease and stuff. I've got a friend coming on Saturday to help me move loose stuff, like what's in the closets, and then on Sunday - THANK GOODNESS - I have friends coming to help with the furniture and boxes (and book bags). THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I've been cleaning and packing like a mad woman, so I'm getting through it. The patio (freeway dust is disgusting) and the oven (so are burnt almonds) were two big projects that are done, so that's good. The carpet, my bathroom, and spackling the walls remain.

I'm getting there.

And I can't believe I'm going to be in my own place. I'm going to have to make some difficult financial choices, and I need to jump right on finding a more financially viable health insurance option, but wow, my own place.

My own place my own place my own place.

Wow.

I'm totally going to end up buying boxes.

Well, technically I already did, because I always buy files boxes when I move to move my files from my filing cabinet. But I'm going to need some small, sturdy book boxes, and I just don't have time to go box hunting.

I'm moving at the end of the month. Up one floor from where I am now.

Thing is, you've still got to pack some stuff. Slow and steady wins the race? Here's hoping...

 

Oh, and when I pulled my weights out - which in the new place will be out and put to use once again - they literally had cobwebs on them. So sad.

But at least they were in the Halloween spirit!

Catch a Tiger by the Tail

In "Life of Pi " there is a part where, confronted by the sheer impossibility of surviving at sea with a tiger on his lifeboat, Pi realizes that he might as well go about trying to quench his thirst.

You might think that I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better. We see that in sports all the time, don't we? The tennis challenger starts strong but soon loses confidence in his playing. The champion racks up the games. But in the final set, when the challenger has nothing left to lose, he becomes relaxed again, insouciant, daring. Suddenly he's playing like the devil and the champion must work hard to get those last points. So it was with me. To cope with a hyena seemed remotely possible, but I was so obviously outmatched by Richard Parker that it wasn't even worth worrying about. With a tiger aboard, my life was over. That being settled, why not do something about my parched throat?

I decided that I needed a tiger. Something big and unwieldy that would dominate my life, forcing simplification into my decisions. Being me, my tiger is a 6-month studio office gig with overtime and a giant L.A. commute.

I had ten things on a to do list for last night, after being out on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I got two of them done before I collapsed into bed for the sleep I simply must get to be able to perform well in my new position: I stopped for gas on the way home, and I wrote my BlogHer post. I didn't stop by the bank, pay bills, write my directing update for September, write a letter to Cobra regarding my health insurance, or clear my inbox. All those things are waiting until Sunday (my next open time) because I've got to respect the tiger. I had to go to bed.

Writing this post was on the list, so I'm doing it this morning instead, but I have a hard computer out in the morning of 7:30am, so if I end abruptly, you'll know why.

I'm going to have to be doing less going out on the weeknights.

I'm going to have many, many times where I simply can't get to the fray that waits on my computer.

I'm going to spend a lot of money at the gas station and Audible.

I'm doing something completely new to me, and hoping for new outcomes, or at least some rewarding focus for the next six months.

And... I'm out.

My pics are up from BlogHer Food 2009!

OMG, I had a *great* time! My BlogHer Food 2009 pics are up at Flickr, sans captions/tags.

What I Did On My Laid-Off Vacation

Here's what I didn't do: I didn't bike, do yoga, or reboot with Phase 1 of South Beach. Unlike last time, this was not a get-healthy laid-off vacation. (Although this is now a get-healthy fall!)

No, this was a catch-up-and-get-organized laid-off vacation. In the first two weeks I tore my room apart and went through almost everything I own. In the months that followed, I went through basically everything else. My linen closet, iPhoto, and my email "hold" folder are the only remaining hold-outs. Seriously. I went through things like my business cards, my cookbooks & loss recipes, and my health paperwork folder.

I plowed through my things to do list. I cleared my inbox. I went to every annual doctor appointment I could think of. I got shoes fixed and clothes patched and my car washed. I used gift cards that had piled up.

I slept till 9am.

I worked on post-production for the spec webisodes I directed.

I looked for a new job.

I didn't read enough, but I totally finished watching Reaper off the Tivo.

I tried to figure out which way is up and where the hell I should go next.

And I will tell you one thing, and that is that some things need to change. I was completely behind on about a million things. I was full on buried. I was moving forward, ever prioritizing, but once I had the time to really dig in, one thing became massively clear. I was utterly and absurdly behind. It took a full two months to get remotely caught up.

While I didn't have a full-time job.

Now, it's not like I'm utterly and completely caught up. I've got a couple scripts to read, and various other things. I've still got my things to do list, and I've still got commitments on the calendar. But I intend to stayed focused on the big items for the next six months:

• Personal life and my relationship
• My new day job (Oh, yes!)
• Moving (Oh, yes, that, too.)
• Directing/writing things
• Blogging

What I really need to mitigate is the number of items on my calendar and the number of smaller things I say yes to. I want to focus more on what's here now. I need to be more realistic in terms of time when I say "yes." Sometimes, I need to say "no."

I often think about the ebb and flow between getting out there and staying in to cultivate - be it your art, your life, your relationships, your love. Time to cultivate.

UPDATE: A good friend reminder me I should mention that it wasn't all work and no play. I actually got to do a fair bit of travel, hiking, and lots of late night beer and wings. All of which was super fun!

Laid Off Mondays Blow

Seriously, WTF?

I think I've been doing fairly well since being laid off in June. I've been very productive, both personally and as much as possible professionally. I've been on job interviews, I've been networking my heart out, I've been getting things done around my world.

Every Monday I wake up having accomplished a ton of things the previous week, having had a full weekend, and wanting to plow through an ambitious list of things to do. Only to find I'm roaring with anxiety or wallowing in melancholy.

Then Tuesday I wake up and it's gone and I'm off to the races again. It's 8am, and I've been working since 5:30am.

I think the negativity comes when it's Monday morning and I'm not heading off to work. I really like working for the man, it seems. I've had a smattering of miscellaneous free-lance opportunities come my way, and truth be told, it's not for me. I fight feeling scattered and unfocused, and I think trying to construct a life of disconnected income situations would only exacerbate that.

No, I am an executive assistant, I am a blogger, I could be something webby like an online community manager, and I am a director. I don't want any more professional titles than that, and I want someone to work for, and I want a paycheck I can count on.

I think it's also that my New Year's resolution was no new debt, and the tide is quickly beginning to turn on that one. I can't throw caution and my life to the wind. It's all on me, and I intend to be here for a while. Which means that I have to try to mind my finances and at least try to have a positive net worth before I die. When I think about sliding backwards again, I just want to die. And yet, things have come up that I don't want to miss and that I think will be good for me to attend, careerwise, so here I go again. I'm trying to make the best decisions I can and somehow not let this time suck another year from me in either missed opportunities or debt that's going to backslide me by the years it will take to catch back up to where I am now.

Time and money. Time and money. If you have them, and you aren't being all you can be, I'm here to tell you that you suck. Get off your ass and use your advantages.

I typed this early yesterday morning as my status update: "Up and at 'em this fine Monday morning. It's going to be a great week! Much to do."

Well, it *is* going to be a great week. But I'm glad the Monday part is over.

A Successful Cinespia Evening!

I hadn't been to Cinespia for a movie in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery all summer. This was primarily due to scheduling conflicts and sometimes due to the movie that was being shone when I was available. I've heard all summer that the Cinespia screenings have been packed, and I tend to have a sense for what films are really going to bring out the crowds. MBF's never been, and I really didn't want to go and have it be a nightmare.

Last night "Paper Moon" fell on an available Saturday, and I knew I had a winner. I was thinking that it's August, so many Cinespia fans have probably been more than once by now, so there's some fatigue setting in. More importantly, it's not a horror film or a cult classic. No, it's a solid American classic, one I hadn't seen, and a film with a kid in it. I guessed that the crowd would be slightly less crazy, and MBF and I made plans to go.

 

Total success. I have a drive-on system that I executed near perfectly. As expected, sitting in the car while people walk by and by drove MBF and I both a little crazy. (Particularly when the car in front of you lets two cars in who are illegally trying to merge in from the left lane while holding up traffic that's simply trying to get down Santa Monica Blvd.) But once you're sailing by the walkers, parking, and getting a good space on the lawn, it's all good. I never get super close, which I imagine takes a walk-on plan that begins long before I even leave my house), but I'm rarely on the far sides either (see pic above).

We had a nice little picnic. I brought cheese and crackers and cookies; MBF brought strawberries, sweet biscuits, and a great wine. And we enjoyed the film thoroughly. The crowd *was* slightly less than I've seen in the past, and I'd also say ran slightly older than other times I've been.

I should also mention that youngest-ever Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal came out to say hi to the crowd and watched the film with us. First class. All the performances are so great in "Paper Moon," but I have to say that I *loved* P.J. Johnson as Imogene. Hysterical! It's also kind of mind-bendy that Ryan O'Neal is Max Keenan on Bones. Love him!

I suspect we won't get back to Cinespia this summer, but I am *so* thankful we made it this once.

All The Way Home, and Home Again.

The monster round-up post. Here goes...

I don't fly well. I fly even worse when I'm sitting in row 25 because Spirit Airlines makes you PAY to reserve your seat when you order your tickets. Which is absurd. Which I would not do. Which I would never have ordered from them if I knew that that little tidbit was coming. I would have flown American into Miami instead.

Thankfully, starting in November, Most Awesome Airline Virgin America will have straight flights to Ft. Lauderdale (twice daily!). Hallelujah. Moving on.

We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport at 6:30am on Thursday, and promptly picked up this baby:

LOVED LOVED LOVED the Mazda 3. Sigh. The whole trip I kept reminding myself that there's no way I'm getting a new car. (Note: And yet came home and immediately looked into the cash for clunkers program. My '94 Toyota Corolla doesn't qualify. Moving on.)

Driving to my friend Marlisa's house where we stayed a couple nights, I slowly remembered my way around and soaked in the sunshine and the GREEN EVERYWHERE. Everyone says that Coral Springs has changed so much, but it doesn't seem that different to me. Except for the big hole where a Publix used to be before it was condemned following a hurricane. Not sad I missed that joy!

It was so great to see Marlisa and we chatted for quite a bit before MBF and I crashed for a nap in her guest room. Then that night we met her husband Randy after he got off work and we ate at Mississippi Sweets, which was super yum. (I kept forgetting to take pics of food this trip, sadly.) And then we headed to the Lion and Eagle Pub. I'd just let a bunch of peeps know I'd be there in the hopes of seeing more people on my trip. I've always been one of those people who has friends from all different groups, so it's difficult to impossible to make specific plans to see everyone. So let me just stop right now and say THANK YOU again to my friends that came out. I'd picked a place in Boca because I'd hoped I'd have people coming from both directions, but only peeps from Coral Springs came out, so thank you SO MUCH for driving up north!

 

It worked out great, thankfully, because the Lion and Eagle was super fun. It was quiz night, and our team with Marlisa, Randy, MBF, Corinne, and Debbie came in 3rd overall and smoked the team I was on with Daz, Barry, Jeannie and Rich. We did good, but not good enough! This was a great night, and mostly the only time I got teary.

Friday, MBF and I went to one of my favorite places on the planet, The Morikami Museum and Gardens.

I wrote about our lizard sightings, but we also enjoyed the exhibits and a nice lunch in the cafe. MBF found a sign for a favorite garden:

 

Unfortunately, the beer garden wasn't going to make an appearance until the next day, which was the magical Bon Festival. I've been many times; it's wonderful. But I had a reunion to get to.

The reunion started on Friday night at a place called America's Backyard. Which, unfortunately, I hated. I hated it before we even stepped foot into it, as horrible loud music came pouring out the front door. I'm fairly certain that you could lure L.A. hipsters there, hit the lights and music, and they would spontaneously explode into dust. And clearly, I've got more L.A. hipster in me than I thought, because a dusting was seeming like it would be a relief.

There's no roof on America's Backyard, which is clearly channeling the old Baja Beach club (sans air conditioning), so it was HOT. And the music was so LOUD you couldn't really have a conversation without full on shouting. Not really conducive to the beginning of a reunion where you're seeing people you haven't seen in years.

Also annoying, the invitation from First Class Reunions said there would be "passed hor d'oeuvres." Instead, you had to go downstairs out of the reunion area, across the whole place, and there you could make a sandwich and get some potato or macaroni salad. Which was edible, but completely mediocre. You had to make the same journey for decent beer, which your drink tickets weren't good for.

I definitely definitely enjoyed seeing some great peeps from high school, but Friday night was mostly miserable. The best part of the night, besides seeing my friends of course, was getting this pic, which I call, Different Outfits for Different Jobs:

Saturday, we went to lunch with Marlisa and Randy and enjoyed the best Cuban sandwiches in town. Randy got a Cuban BURGER, which was quite amazing. Then, we bade our friends farewell and headed to the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale to check in.

And WOW. It is BEAUTIFUL. I already showed you the view from our room, but here's us having some fun with the welcome committee:

 

 

We enjoyed the beach so much. We really lucked out on this trip and got the most beautiful weather. We also checked out the pools and had a wonderful breakfast (I had salmon benedict on a latke) overlooking the beach at Steak 954. Where I was too shy to ask the waitress to take the pic AGAIN after I blew it by not putting the flash on auto-on:

But before that Sunday morning breakfast, Saturday night was my 20-year high school reunion. And it was OK. I saw even more peeps that I was totally psyched to see, and the buffet at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 was pretty good. They took a group picture of all the alums that were there, and I enjoyed the balloons in our school colors. My friend Daz got a certificate for longest married (I think it was 17 years), which was nice. Marci from San Diego beat me out for longest distance traveled. My friend Katie - who I met in 4th grade - snapped this pic of MBF and I:

Between seeing people I hadn't seen in years and years and finally being back in Florida, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the whole thing, truth be told, and I wasn't as social as I would have liked to have been. I mostly stuck with my closer friends and tried to enjoy the fleeting time with them, whereas I do wish I'd been more social and flitted around the room and danced a bit. But before too long the music got way too loud and the lights unbearable, and we had to flee. I enjoyed some final conversation out in the lobby where a group of people had convened to talk where one could see and hear. And then we were back in the hotel room watching a poker tournament on TV from the big, fluffy bed.

The next day after breakfast, beach, and pool, we made our way to my friend Jeannie's where all the talk about people's kids turned into time with actual, real kids. My friend has the most adorable 4-year-old twins, who immediately took to MBF, of course. I think I did OK, too. They were very sweet, and it was very nice of them to allow us to take over their play room with a giant air mattress! Later, Jeannie, Rich, MBF and I went out to a yummy dinner. Sadly, this establishment was closed:  

 

So we brought wine back to the house and stayed up chatting. I was really thankful the next morning that they were able to go to breakfast on a workday, too.

It was so hard to say goodbye to all of my Florida friends.

On our last day, we visited my friend Grant and took him to lunch at the Ale House, where we enjoyed our last Yuengling beers, and MBF found a little pink pearl in a conch fritter. Grant was, as always, extremely happy to see me:

We'd really hoped to hit the Seminole Hard Rock Casino before we left, but settled for simply driving by it, filling up the rental car, and heading to the airport. Our flight home was much better than the flight there, once we switched seats with peeps so we could sit together.

And then we were home.