Making My Own Fall

Even if it doesn’t quite feel like fall yet in LA, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some fall classics. Some of my ultimate fall favorites are pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider, cranberry relish and chili. Last year, I can’t tell you how many crockpots full of chili I made. It freezes well, so it’s perfect for multiple meals. Thankfully you can make an amazing batch of chili with only a few key ingredients! I like to start with my mom’s recipe but add a few of my own special ingredients. 

          

            1             pound ground turkey, browned

            1             8 oz. can tomato sauce

            1             12 oz. can petite-diced tomatoes

            2            12 oz. cans Kidney beans, undrained

            1            envelope McCormick’s chili seasoning

            2            tsp. nutmeg*

            3            shakes of Tabasco sauce*

Yes I use McCormick’s chili seasoning over making my own seasoning mix. I like the ease of the package but more importantly I like the flavor. My two special ingredients are the nutmeg and Tabasco sauce. The nutmeg adds warmth to the chili and a true spice of the holidays. After I brown the ground turkey, I simply combine all the ingredients into a crockpot and simmer for four to six hours. If you don’t have a crockpot, combine all ingredients in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two to three house. The left picture turns into the right after a couple of hours as the ingredients reduce.

Top with traditional finishers such as cheddar cheese, sour cream and oyster crackers. I decided to crumble Gorgonzola cracker crisps into my bowl to add another flavor dimension! Happy cooking and happy fall!

The Bar Scene: From WeHo to Culver City

Since moving to West Hollywood, I have been trying out an array of new bars and not just in the WeHo area. I love going out and trying new places, and bars are one of the easiest places to sample until you find the right fit. The search for the perfect bar is “research” I don’t mind participating in! Los Angeles has more bars/clubs/pubs/lounges than you can really even imagine. Each area of town also seems to cater to a certain genre of bars. West Hollywood with lounges, Hollywood with clubs, Culver City with pubs and Santa Monica with a nice mix of everything. That’s not saying you can’t find a pub in Hollywood because one of my favorite pubs is there, but the area is definitely more concentrated with clubs pumping top 40 remixes.

One of my favorite new bars is The Woods. Located just two blocks from my apartment, this loungey bar stands out from the rest with a “starlit” ceiling and deer antler chandeliers. Also it’s located in a semi-sketch looking strip mall similar to a thousand others that liter Los Angeles County. The Woods offers a happy hour that extends later than many bars, which I appreciate since I work until 7 p.m. If you get there before 10, you can enjoy $5 martinis of many different varieties. Another new favorite is Village Idiot on Melrose, which is a gastropub with some delicious specialty drinks. The Texas Mule mixes homemade ginger beer, vodka and a squeeze of lime. It’s similar to summer brew but so much better! A similar drink mixes the same components minus the vodka and adds whiskey. The ale steamed muscles aren’t bad either. This bar gets packed late at night, but still maintains a chill atmosphere.

If you are looking for a classy place to grab a few appetizers and drinks, Blu Jam Café and Lolas are great options. Blu Jam is known for its amazing brunch, but recently made the transformation into a bristro at night. You can choose from a large variety of cold and hot small plates. To bring in the breakfast crowd, the restaurant has been handing out free bottles of wine if you come in after 6 p.m. This is how I ended up here, but will definitely be back for more wine and small plates. If you like martinis, Lolas is your place. Lolas claims it invented the apple martini, which wouldn’t surprise me because it offers around 100 different martinis. I came here for my birthday with some friends, and it was definitely a good time. All the appetizers were delicious, but my martini was fantastic. There were almost too many martinis to choose from but I eventually settled on one with a lychee base.

If you are looking for a crazier atmosphere, head over to the Sunset Strip. Clubs and lounges liter this iconic street, such as Bar Marmont, The Standard and The Saddle Ranch. Be prepared to spend away your paycheck, but it’s definitely fun every once and awhile. Venturing to the Westside, you can find another wide varieties of bars. On a mini bar crawl of Culver City, I discovered City Tavern. Differentiating itself from your typical brewhouse, City Tavern offers a unique experience if you sit at one of the booths. Here you can pour your own pints from three taps along the back of the booth. This could definitely get out of hand fast, so thankfully the waitress puts a cap on the amount of ounces you can pour! Another fun spot in Culver is Seventy 7 Lounge. Entering this speakeasy themed bar, you feel transported back to the 1920s. Well until you hear the 1970s music, you hear jamming from the speakers. I can say this was a fun experience. You had the classiness of a lounge with some awesome “Staying Alive” music that you can dance to. Slightly north of Culver in West LA sits another one of my far bars, The Arsenal. I guess you would classify The Arsenal as a swanky sports bar. Later in the night, people begin to dance around the bar in any space they can find because there isn’t a designated dance floor. This bar definitely reminds me of my good ol’ college days!

I’m sure this list will grow over the next year as I enjoy exploring different parts of this city!

Behind the Scenes: On the set of my first movie

Two weekends ago, I had one of my best new experiences in Los Angeles. I got to be on set for a real movie shoot! Ok, well reshoots but still. I hung out in “video village” aka the behind the scenes area where all the director chairs are set up to scene the ongoing shot. I arrived during the second scene of the day, the crew’s breakfast spread was still out, and I was shocked by the amount of food. Cereal, eggs benedict, bagels and lox, hashbrowns just to name a few. Reminded me of my good ol’ sorority days when food was simply provided for me without me actually having to cook it! Anyways after I stopped salivating over the breakfast and the extensive coffee selection, I settled down into my own director’s chair (see above if you don't know what I'm talking about). I will just come out and say it, I felt pretty big time even though I was pretty much only observing. I enjoyed seeing first hand how the director can manipulate the entire scene with one simple note to the actors. Dialogue’s tone and volume can also transform a scene from angry to compassionate.  

One of the best parts was seeing our VP in action. At eight months pregnant, she can still command a room. If the director has gone a little too far into his vision, she was able to reel him in and create better takes. She definitely sets a high standard for what you can achieve through hard work and putting in the time to get to a certain position. Before I knew, it was time to break for lunch, and we were presented with another incredible array of food. I don’t know how people on set stay in shape because if I had access to this much food everyday, I would be obese. I have little to no self-control when it comes to good food! I patiently waited for the crew to get their food before I dove in. I filled my plate with salad, mashed potatoes, lemon chicken and veggie meatloaf. If that wasn’t enough, I sampled each of the three types of pie that were available for dessert. After an hour break, we were back on set. Six hours later, it was about time to wrap when the director yelled he needed more young people for a rave scene. I quickly saw one of the on-set producers coming my way. I tried to hide, but it was no use. He had spotted our development exec and I. After a few costume adjustments ie putting an embarrassing pink bowtie around my neck, we were ready for our shining moment. Our task was simple. Dance and then when the other extras run toward you, don’t let them through. I hid in the back and did my part. I danced, I held the line, and I waited to die… Yes, my big debut is a horror movie!

After 10 hours on set, the day finally wrapped! It was an absolutely amazing learning experience, and a great first time on set. I wish we shot more of our movies in Los Angeles! Being on set is a completely different experience than the development side I am used to. There are so many steps that go into making a movie, and I can’t wait to experience even more aspects such as editing, scoring and distribution!

New Movie Overload

A great perk of my job is “having” to see new releases during the weekend. I enjoy this perk probably the most since my previous unemployment kept me from seeing all the movies I really wanted to see. I only saw two movies in LA before three weeks ago, which is pretty sad since I am in the entertainment industry. In the past three weeks, I have been able to see three great movies. My first movie assignment was The Help. I already mentioned this but want to say it again. The casting was perfection, and the acting was spot on. I can’t wait to see, which of these actresses will be nominated for Academy awards. Next up, Contagion. There was just something about Gweneth Paltrow dying in the first scene that intrigued me. Where is this movie going if they kill off one of the big names in the first ten minutes? Well it was going in the direction to freak you out! The movie basically plays out what H1N1 had the possibility of becoming. The movie struck a nerve with me because KU had one of the largest outbreaks of H1N1 my senior year. It definitely made me think twice about touching doorknobs and finding the need to carry Purell with me.

Three weekends ago, I saw Drive. I had been dying to see Drive all week, but figured the boys had already saw it in Toronto. I lucked out and none of them did. Ryan Gosleing has emerged as one of the most talented actors in his age group. He can make audiences melt with a quick, small smile or cringe from an angry outburst. Well, Drive combined both of these things and so much more. The music sets the tone for the movie into a 80s vibe, which is reinforced by the hot pink opening credits. One thing I wasn’t expecting, the intense violent scenes. My heart was literally racing as I hide behind my splayed fingers. I think I freaked the poor guy next to me out as I jumped and squealed. I loved the tone of the movie. I loved the music. I loved Ryan Gosling and Carry Mulligan. I didn’t love all the violence, but I am willing to over look that.

This past weekend, I saw two new movies. One was a huge disappointment and the other only confirmed why I am in the entertainment industry. Margaret has been suffering through countless lawsuits and editing problems for the past six years. All those problems were evident in the movie that ran a little more than 2 ½ hours. It was over acted with every scene spilling with high decibel screaming matches and dramatic overreactions. I was ready to leave after 45 minutes but stayed and suffered through the remaining hour 45. Later that day, I saw 50/50, which I had been anxiously anticipating for about a month. The result was pure movie love. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It made me cry and then laugh at the next moment. Yes, there was still plenty of Seth Rogan raunchy humor, but the story as a whole was simply the perfect mix of laughs and tears. I also got my Joseph Gordon-Levitt fix who I have been pinning over ever since 500 Days of Summer. While this movie isn’t necessarily Oscar worthy, his performance deserves one. By the end of the movie, you truly believe he has cancer. 

I can’t wait for the movies premiering in the next few months. One movie I still need to make time for is The Lion King 3D. No I am not kidding. This was my all time favorite movie when I was younger. I had Nala earrings, necklace, shirts, two stuffed animals and countless stickers (yes I realize this is completely embarrassing to admit but also completely true). My mom even found me a piano book of Lion King songs. I can’t hide the fact I am excited to see how it has been transformed into 3D. Other titles I am counting down the days to include: Moneyball (I know it’s already out), Melacholia, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Ides of March, The Rum Diaries, The Descendents, Like Crazy and Martha Marcy May Marlene. What movies are you looking forward too?

The Real Meaning of Pink Ribbons

My aunt and my mom

As September fades into October, pink ribbons are popping up everywhere from the grocery store to the gas station. This simple pink ribbon symbolizes Breast Cancer Awareness, and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the past few years, I have become involved with Lee National Denim Day and also Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Reading the stories of survivors and their struggles made this cause especially dear because these are someone’s mother, daughter, sister, grandmother or aunt. Until recently though, no one in my family had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This all changed about a year ago, when my only aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though I know all the statistics and the prevalence of breast cancer, I somehow thought my family was safe; however, breast cancer does not discriminate against race, age, or family lineage. It can happen to anyone, even men, which can be very scary.

Instead of focusing on the scary, I choose to believe there is a cure. I have to believe because I have a grandmother, a mother, an aunt, a female cousin, two sisters and four nieces. My aunt underwent a lumpectomy and received partial breast radiation. This is a new technology, which would most likely not be possible without the funding from breast cancer research. I am thankful for every dollar raised and every person who participates in the cause. A year later, I am so happy and thankful to report my aunt is cancer free. I know you’ve heard it a thousand times to always have a yearly checkup, but it truly is important. It’s not about living in fear, but rather taking preventative steps. My aunt’s cancer was caught early on, and I could not be more thankful!

Next Friday, October 7 is Lee National Denim Day. I would love if you would donate to my aunt’s team or simply wear jean or pink in support of the cause. In the span of a lifetime, it is almost impossible not to know someone affected by this disease. A small $5 donation can truly help bring a cure! You can follow this link Team Knutzen or go directly to denimday.com and search Knutzen.

24

There is no way I am 24. Wasn’t I just turning 21 yesterday? 24! Where did 23 go? I guess this past year really has flown by as I pass yet another birthday. Now don’t think I am freaking out because I am turning 24, it’s more that 23 went by in a blur. I am entering a new stage in my life, my mid-20s. So long early-20s, you are now a thing of the past, but a not so distant past. After a year of people telling me I was too young, I am fully ready to embrace my mid-20s. I feel like 24 is when people actually have to start taking you seriously. You’ve been out of college for more than a year and are now in the “real world.” 

 

Twenty-three marked a number of significant changes in my life. I turned 23 less than a month after moving to Los Angeles. During the past year, I found my true passion, developmental production. The year brought a wide range of bad and good. Twenty-three brought more rejection that I faced in my first 22 years of life. I pained through two part-time, mind-numbing jobs to pay the bills, so I could continue to pursue my dreams. I walked a dog three days a week for extra cash. I saw my family the least of any year since I was born. I was in my first serious car wreck. Actually I was in two wrecks, back to back. Thankfully, 23 brought ten times more good than bad. I finally put fingers to keys and started this blog, which I still love writing on. I received my first real paycheck that I seriously considered framing rather than cashing. With my new cash flow, I was able to buy a beautiful Kate Spade purse that is more a piece of art than a purse. I lived minutes from the beach rather than a plane ride away. I sunned in Laguna Beach, and I didn’t see a day of snow. I met two fabulous groups of KU alums in LA and Orange County. I put my cooking skills to the test and made a complete Thanksgiving dinner. I bobbed my head to the side at the Roxbury and chatted with a TMZ camera guy. I gazed out on the sparkling lights of LA at night from Griffen Observatory. I constantly have to stop and take in the moment, simply because I can’t believe how much I love my life. Twenty-three has brought me so much to be thankful for.

Twenty-three was great, but I think 24 is going to be even better. I am now employed and ready to take on a whole new set of adventures. I can’t wait to travel the coast of California, visit my best friend in NYC, and hopefully take my first trip to Vegas. I love traveling and definitely didn’t do enough during 23. I might not get to every place I want to go since the list is endless, but I plan to make a dent. While 23 was completely devoted to finding a job, I am dedicating 24 to excelling at my job. Twenty-four is still about having fun. Come on, I live in Los Angeles! I might be a year older, but I don’t plan on slowing down. I already know 24 is going to be a great year because I woke up this morning to a call from my littlest niece singing me Happy Birthday. Right there was enough to make the day great, but it just got better and better. My amazing family sent my Sprinkles cupcakes at work, which was an amazing surprise for not only me but also my office! My office was a little shocked because I had kind of forgot to mention that it was my birthday. Haha. They all agreed 24 is a great a great age. If the last few days were any inclination on the future of this year, I can’t wait for it to get started!

The Process of Hiring Interns

While the boys of my office are at the Toronto Film Festival, it means only the VP and I are at the office. I think it is the first time ever that only females have been in the office! We are normally outnumbered two to one. To make things even weirder since she doesn’t work Fridays, I am all alone at the office for two Fridays. I have been alone at the office before but not for an entire day. Let me say after my first alone Friday, it was very strange. I thought it might be nice to have the office all to myself, but I was wrong. The day started productively, but by noon I had finished literally all of my work. Amazing how productive I can be when the phone isn’t ringing off the hook. I’ll let you know next week, if my second “alone” Friday is just as uneventful. Also while the office was quiet, I was put in charge of hiring new interns.  

Well this is definitely a new experience for me! Since I have always been the interviewee, it was interesting to be on the other side of things. First off, I received some BAD resumes. Maybe I am just picky because I was a journalism student. Writing standout resumes was pretty much hardwired into us. It’s hard for me to overlook glaring mistakes that some industries see as fine. First off, please refrain from “fun” fonts. There is a time and a place for these fonts, and your resume is not it. Second, you graduated last year. Why is your resume two-pages long? I understand how important being a cashier at your college concession stand was to you, but it means nothing to the entertainment industry or me. Third, use some variation in your bullet points! If more than three start with the same word, you need to spice it up a little bit and pull out a thesaurus. Fourth, please use a professional email. Brainwasher@hotmail.com is never acceptable. If Brainwasher wasn’t bad enough, a hotmail account shows you are out of date. Fifth, I absolutely don’t care about your middle school GPA. If you are in college, don’t even put your high school GPA unless you were valedictorian, and you are a freshman. The one that pained me the most was from a graduate with an English degree who contributed to their campus newspaper! How were you not familiar with AP style?! Sorry for the rant, but I cringe that the important skill of resume writing is obviously not being taught at other universities.

After I have sifted the okay resumes from the terrible, it was time for the interview process. Normally our other assistant handles this, but it fell on me since he is in Toronto. The night before the interviews, I tossed and turned thinking about what I could possibly ask these potential interns. They were going to realize I have never done this, or the fact I am younger than many of them. I did my best to calm my nerves, but when the first potential intern arrived I was shaking slightly. Thankfully I pulled it together and did my best, “Hi. Nice to meet you. You can follow me to the conference room.” Some interviews were short. I am talking less then 10 minutes. They had nothing to say, and I was all out of questions. I could tell one guy was really nervous. I mean the works: swaying the chair back and forth, sweating and continually rubbing his hands on his legs. I feel bad because I have been in the hot seat so many times before, but there was nothing I could do to calm his nerves. After eight grueling interviews, I narrowed 25 submissions into four new interns! All together I think I had a successful few days alone in the office but will be glad when everyone is back in the office!!

Remembering 9/11

This weekend I booked tickets to visit my best friend Juliana in NYC. As I booked my tickets on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I thought of the impending day. Was it really ten years ago that our great nation felt a blow beyond anyone’s worst nightmares? I remember the exact person who told me the news and exactly where I was standing. I was in eighth grade and my science enrichment class had just ended. Entering the hall of my middle school, the atmosphere in the hall seemed normal. Suddenly a wave of chaos engulfed the hall as whispers turned into yells of panic. See I went to middle school in Oklahoma City, a city that had their own tragedy only six years pervious. I was standing in front of the school office when Anna told me that planes had flew into the Twin towers. At first, I thought she meant the “twin towers” China was building. I couldn’t fathom that planes had crashed into the NYC Twin Towers. Teachers quickly rushed into the hall and ushered students back into the classrooms. My teacher plugged in the ancient TV set as the class sat in perfect silence. Some students cried, while most sat with the mouths agape. While I didn’t live in OKC when the bombing occurred, I still felt the city’s pain through my friends’ memories. At only 14, most had now lived through the two largest terrorist attacks on American soil.

A lot has changed in ten years. Our relatively peaceful nation has gone to war on two fronts, our economy has bottomed out and America’s future as a world power is uncertain. The effects of 9/11 are still felt today in both negative and positive ways. A new sense of American pride has been planted, and I hope we never forget why. Oklahoma City hasn’t forgotten the bombing in 15 years, and I doubt America or the free world will ever forget 9/11. I’ll leave you with a quote from good old, former president George W. Bush. “One of the lessons of 9/11 is that evil is real. And so is courage.”

A Slew of New Experiences

As I sit in my office alone since the boys are all at the Toronto Film Festival, I think back to last weekend, and those three glorious days. Nothing really beats a three-day weekend in Los Angeles. There is always a ton of stuff going on. First on the agenda was First Fridays in Venice. Many other towns have similar festivities, but Venice centers on trendy Abbott Kinney road. I am not always the biggest fan of Venice, but it has its shinning moments like the pier, Washington Boulevard, the cannels and now First Fridays. All the boutiques were open late and offered a variety of sweet and salty appetizers. The street was packed with people, but you were still able to walk. Well that was until we got to the food truck lot. I found out beforehand the Grilled Cheese truck was making an appearance in Venice. A variety of other food trucks lined the main street, but I was on a mission to find the Grilled Cheese truck. After walking basically the entire length of the street, my friend and I stumbled upon where it had been hiding. The food truck lot. The street had been crowded, but this lot was mass chaos. The first thing I noticed was the line down the street for the Grilled Cheese truck! No!! I knew it drew long lines, but I never imagined a line this long. As my excitement began to deflate, my friend and I weaved our way around the other food trucks. This just wasn’t going to happen. There were way too many people in a tiny area for my preference. Maybe I am a little claustrophobic or maybe it’s my fear someone will yell “fire,” and I will be trampled. Needless to say, I don’t like being crammed between two strangers as if I was in a cattle corral. We decided to just go check out some of the shops and see if the line would fizzle down in an hour. I am now officially obsessed with Abbott Kinney boutiques. All had super cute merchandise, and most wasn’t too expensive. I can’t wait to come back once I have a little more cash flow! Making our way back to the lot, we quickly realized the line had grown instead of shrunk. Boo. We admitted defeat and got a table at a sushi joint next door. The food ended up being amazing so I couldn’t be too upset about not getting my greasy, macaroni and cheese filled grilled cheese sandwich.

After a long work week, I literally had to peel myself off of my bed around 10 a.m. Saturday. If you know me well, you know this is not like me. Weekday, weekend. It is all the same to me. I like to be up by 8 a.m. After a week of moving and a hectic week of work, I wanted nothing more than my bed. I knew I needed to get up though and start unpacking the mess of my apartment. My stuff is literally everywhere, which makes me feel terrible for my roommate! Unfortunately my body wouldn’t cooperate and after two hours of unpacking, I gave up. I still wanted to be productive, so I finished reading a script for work. New moto- always working. I had to see The Help for work and planned on meeting up with my friend in Century City. While I got to the theater early for a little pre-movie shopping at the mall, I didn’t think to get my movie tickets. Twenty minutes before show time, I sauntered over to the pay kiosis to purchase the tickets only to find out this theater has assigned seating. Assigned seating?! Are we back in college? Ugh. The only tickets were on the very front row. No thanks. If I am paying almost $14 to see a movie, I don’t want to be craning my neck for two and a half hours! My friend and I decided to catch up instead over beer, appetizers and college football. When I got back to my apartment, my roommate was getting ready to go out. She invited me, and I was happy to come along with her and her friend. We ended up going to three bars along the Sunset Strip that I had never been to before, Bar Marmont, The Standard and Saddle Ranch. Each bar was basically complete opposites of each other. I love being so close to true LA nightlife. It is definitely what I was missing in Brentwood. I ended my long weekend with finally seeing The Help. I can be overly critical of movies adapted from books I have read, but I have to say The Help won me over. The casting was perfection! It absolutely made the movie. I recommend everyone seeing this movie.

I hope this week’s adventures made up for some of my lame previous “new experiences.”

My Moving Saga

I guess my move wasn't as bad as this guys!

Moving. Ugh. I am NEVER moving again. Okay that is probably a lie, but I am glad I won’t be moving in the near future. Also if I ever move again, I am hiring movers. Why do I always think I can do things by myself? Well Saturday started my five day moving adventure/fiasco. Looking around my apartment, I realized I had a lot of stuff so I decided to rent a U-haul van. Of course the weekend I moved was the hottest one yet in August, and there was a cop crack down. After I picked up the van, I drove the five miles back to my apartment and saw literally 10 cops in that small span. Fabulous. This should have been an indicator of how this move was going to go. I have only moved out of one apartment before this, and my mom and sort of movers helped me. Somehow I forgot about this and enlisted the help of only one guy friend. At least I was smart enough to realize I needed someone stronger than me to lift my poorly, packed boxes. My friend took one look around my apartment and simply said, “I am going to kill you.” I tried to flash my biggest smile, but he wasn’t having any of it. I knew I hadn’t done the best job packing, but this became even more evident as we loaded the van. I packed things in tons of small bags and boxes. This was the ultimate downfall of my move. Small bags and boxes equates to TONS of trips to the van. After about two hours of loading, I resorted to throwing things off my balcony and having my friend catch them. After a mini crisis of broken decorative plates and my third favorite coffee mug, we were finally on our way. I took my normal route to West Hollywood, which turned out to be another bad move on my part. To get to West Hollywood, you have to go through Beverly Hills. Here I am driving the biggest vehicle I have ever drove with limited visibility attempting to not sideswipe a Bentley or Mercedes. Making matters worse, we hit terrible Saturday traffic. Unloading was less eventful, but probably just as stressful. After five hours, I was over moving. Too bad I still had a bunch of stuff at my old apartment including my bed, couch and loveseat. A friend of the family offered to help me move the big stuff on Tuesday night, which I was super thankful!

Tuesday night rolls around, and it ended up being just him and me. I might occasionally lift weights, but my loveseat weighs probably 200 lbs because it is a twin sofa sleeper. With the help of a carpet dolly aka my new best friend, we were able to move all my furniture out of my apartment! I helped carry my other couch, my queen mattress and my box springs. I am not really sure where this strength came from, but I guess it’s good I was really into lifting weights a month ago! Thankfully another amazing guy friend came to help unload my stuff into my new place because I don’t think there was any I could have. After another five hour moving adventure, I was finally all moved into my apartment! So word to the wise. When moving, invest in those big moving boxes and spend the $10 to rent a dolly!! A little shout out to the three guys who helped me move. Thanks Cory, Bob and Zach.

I know I keep saying this but I promise my new experiences will get more interesting. Tonight I am checking out first Fridays in Venice, which should be an experience. Plus it’s Labor Day weekend, which means it’s time to have fun! 

A Year of Job Searching in Hollywood

Has it really been a year? No. Yes. Whoa. I turned my life upside down when I decided to move to Los Angeles. I am Midwest born and raised. Before I packed up my Uhaul and headed west, I had probably spent a cumulative two weeks in California since I was five, but the lure of sandy beaches and a big city overtook me. I wanted to move here more than anything, and I was going to no matter what. Did I have a plan? Not really. (I don’t suggest this) Did I have a job? Nope. Was I even sure what I wanted to do? Nope. Yes, I thought of all these things before I moved, but I didn’t care. I just kept telling myself that it would all work out.

Well at the six-month mark, I was working at BCBG (kill me) and interning two days a week at a film production office. I loved my internship, but my retail job was making me go brain dead. I knew I had to find a real job asap. I began my long search for really any type of entry-level job in the entertainment industry. The one thing that continually kept getting in my way was my lack of experience. Seriously? All the jobs wanted the same thing. At least one year working on a desk at a talent agency. OK, well then I will go be an assistant at a talent agency. Nope, it is not that easy. There are thousands of people who want to be assistants at talent agencies, which is why the agencies have their “agent-in-training” program. This is a joke. Your first job in the program is delivering the mail. I am not kidding, and everyone in the mailroom has at least a college degree if not a J.D. After a couple months of learning your way around the office and everyone’s names, you are pulled out of the mailroom into the “floater” pool. As a floater you fill in on agents’ desks when their assistants are either out of town or sick. You could be a floater from anywhere to a day to a year. When a desk (finally) opens up, the agent usually interviews candidates out of the floater pool. Usually. Sometimes they bring in outside people, so it’s back to the floater pool until another desk opens. Your day finally comes, and you have been hired as an agent’s assistant! Yeah! You are so happy that you giddily sign a year contract without thinking about the fact the last two assistants needed therapy after being on this desk. There you have it, the gateway to any job in Hollywood. Crazy. For me, I wanted it. I heard horror story after horror story, but I didn’t care. I wanted into the elite club of a male-dominate field. Unfortunately it is next to impossible to get into this club unless you are a male or went to an Ivy, which I’m not and didn’t. Also, if you don’t have a referral good luck even getting HR to email you back! There is always the option at working for a boutique agency, but unless it’s a big boutique there isn’t much room for advancement. You want to work for the big four! After numerous attempts and a couple of interviews, the reality of me working at an agency was looking bleak. Great. If I can’t get the gateway, how am I going to get any of the other jobs I really want?

I pondered this for another couple months as I applied to an endless amount of jobs. I lost count on the number of jobs I applied for around 100. I applied for 100 jobs! Maybe you are thinking that I am a slacker or that I didn’t do well in college. Both false. I graduated with distinction with two degrees from the University of Kansas. I ran the student-run PR firm and was an executive member of the PR club. I was in countless honor societies and was even an executive member of my sorority. I’m a catch! Somehow all this stuff adds up to nothing, zilch in Hollywood. It is now month 11, and I am completely unemployed. I have enough money for six more months in LA if I continue to be unemployed, and I am about to sign a year lease. I hope you are starting to feel my panic just a mere two weeks ago. Maybe it was time to pack up my bags and admit defeat. Things were looking grim, but I still had my faith that I was going to find a job! I could feel it in my bones that change was right around the corner. Boom! Out of nowhere, my internship offered me a job! I have already gone on and on about how much I love this company, but I could not have asked for a better opportunity. I had to keep myself from crying when they offered me the position. The best part, I get to skip the elusive agency desk. No mailroom for me with my two degrees! I am on the path to my dream job as a producer and literally couldn’t be happier. I smile a lot. I mean a lot. I am pretty sure people think I am crazy because I am so happy. Whatever. I live in gorgeous Los Angeles and have an amazing job.

The lesson of the story is this. Finding a job is LA is hard. Finding a job in the entertainment industry next to impossible, but if you bide your time something amazing will eventually happen!

New Experiences: Week 2 and 3

I started this blog post last week, but I didn’t quite get around to finishing it since my life was turned upside down by getting a job! So please forgive the fact that some of the events come prior to my last post.

Okay so my new experiences for this (two weeks ago) week might not be exciting for everyone, but they were big steps for me. I have been looking for a roommate for the past few weeks, and my search was beginning to look slim. Finally on Tuesday, I had a breakthrough! I met my potential new roommate for coffee over in West Hollywood to see if we would be a good match. After some light conversation, we both laughed at the fact this felt the way online dating probably feels like. Thankfully she turned out to be super nice and normal! As an added bonus she has a puggle, which I’m very excited about because I am a huge dog lover. I finally felt like my apartment search could officially begin because I now was for sure looking for two bedrooms. On Thursday, I went to my first apartment showing all by myself. Sometimes I get nervous doing things by myself, but LA has definitely helped me to break out of my shell. For me both of these were big steps toward my new adventures in Los Angeles.

Now onto last week! Last week I was offered and accepted my first real job in the entertainment industry. It could not have come at a better time! After a crazy week, I am already getting into the groove at the office. I know I am at the right company, and this job is better than any others I have interviewed for! After almost a year as an intern, I always covered the desk (ie: answered the phones) during my company’s “Monday Meeting.” Since my job is more front of office, I figured I would still be covering the phones during this meeting. The producer of my company surprised me last week by inviting me to the Monday meetings. I have always wanted to sit in on these meetings because it is when a lot of important decision are made. Yesterday I experience my first five-hour meeting, and I loved every minute of it! I was able to contribute my opinion, and it wasn’t scoffed because I am new. From this part of my job, I will be able to get a firm base and further understanding of the industry and the developmental process. This knowledge will help me move up the totem pole to one day be an full-fledged assistant, then a developmental executive, then the vice president of development and production and finally a producer!

Life is good, and I can’t wait to update everyone on all my new weekly adventures! I promise I will try to make them more exciting new time!  

My Big Break

My own desk!

After a year in Hollywood, my situation was beginning to look desperate. Last week I was on the verge of being roommateless, homeless and unemployed. Not exactly a winning combination when you are trying to make it in Hollywood. As I contemplated signing my new lease, I feared the worse for my current situation. I have enough money to last me six months, and then I would be flat broke with nowhere to turn. Going home isn’t even really an option because my parents are considering moving to my grandma’s farm. My fallback would be to move in with one of my sisters, her husband and children. Not exactly the dream of any (almost) 24 year old. Last Tuesday, I was beginning to feel the dire aspects of my situation. First on my list of things that needed to be accomplished- find a roommate. After countless efforts of trying to find a roommate through this LA website, a girl finally responded! We met up that day and immediately decided it was a good fit. Okay, one thing down and two more to go. The obvious next step was to find an apartment. On Thursday, I found a dream apartment: reasonable priced rent, central West Hollywood location in a quiet neighborhood. Things were starting to go in my direction. Friday, I had lunch with my friend on the Warner Brother’s lot and laid it on him hard that he needed to help me find a job. As another persuasion technique, I baked him cookies since it was his birthday. Bribe or not- he agreed. I could feel it in my bones that I would have a job by my birthday.

Monday, I planned to put down the deposit for my dream apartment, unfortunately this didn’t go as planned. The apartment had been rented out over the weekend! I cursed myself for not putting down a deposit on Thursday, but it was too late to change anything. This started my Monday on a sour note along with the fact I screen my company’s horror film at 10 a.m., which isn’t exactly a pleasant way to start the day. My day brightened when I saw two of my favorite Glee stars at my local sandwich spot. Coming back in the office, I was in for a big surprise that I never saw coming. Our development executive popped out of a meeting to tell me that our company was going to hire me! I almost cried but thankfully kept it together. He said he just wanted to give me a heads up, but I needed to act surprised when I got the official offer. I wanted to yell on the top of my lungs and dance around wildly with my hands over my head. For the past year, I have fallen in love with the company I intern at. I believe in the projects they take on along with the people who work here. It is a small operation, but it is a successful one. I never imagined I would get to be truly part of this team. All the rejection I faced at other companies made getting this job ten times as rewarding!

There was still one thing on my list that didn’t seem to want to work. Now that I was a full-time employee, how was I going to find an apartment?! Thankfully, I was able to do a half day Tuesday and secure an apartment. Of course this wasn’t an easy feat, but after three apartment duds my roommate and I found a gem on the board of Hollywood and West Hollywood. I guess a girl can have it all. Well all I need for right now- a roommate, an apartment and a dream job. Persistence pays off. It is a lesson I have learned time and time again. Even if everyone is telling me no, I will keep trying if I am passionate about something.

Favorite Movies

Visiting my friend at the Warner Brothers lot, a group of his fellow employees started discussing their favorite movies. I really started to think about my favorite movies. If anyone asks what my all-time, favorite movie is, I automatically respond Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It is hands down my favorite movie, but what is my second favorite? I drew a blank. I want to be in the movie business. Why can’t I think of my other favorite movies? When I read scripts, I gravitate to in depth, unique plots and developed characters with true emotions. I started thinking about movies that I can literally watch over and over without getting bored. Other than Breakfast at Tiffany’s a slew of other Audrey Hepburn movies come to mind: Sabrina, Roman Holiday, Charade, Wait Until Dark. All fantastic! If you haven’t seen them, do it- now! It’s a shame Audrey only won an Oscar for Roman Holiday because her performance in each of these movies is breathtaking. She is able to fully encompass each character however different the characters are from one another.

What about modern day movies? This year I loved The King’s Speech, Black Swan and Midnight in Paris. Last year I loved An Education. What about my all time modern day favorites? I would have to go with Pride and Prejudice. My friend Emma and I probably watched this movie at least 30 times our freshmen year, and I still love it. Jane Austen is an absolute genius, but then again I am going back to the old writers even if the movie was made recently. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to break it down my favorites by genres.

Drama is up first. Inception. How can you not like Inception?! Christopher Nolan is an absolutely brilliant. The more times I watch Inception, the more I like it. The characters blend flawlessly into the completely unique plot that literally blows my mind. Okay onto the rest of the list: Across the Universe, Atonement, Blow and the Harry Potter series.

Next genre- romantic comedies. There is nothing necessarily profound about rom-coms. They tend to be very stereotypical and fall into a cookie cutter formula where the main characters fall in love in the end. The best ones are able to steer clear of the clichés (for the most part). Newly topping my list is (500) Days of Summer. Next to Garden State, this movie is able to capture all the best feel good feelings of a rom-com without being overly cheesy. Others on my list include: Garden State, You’ve Got Mail and Love Actually.  

Now onto a genre that isn’t exactly known for its cinematic genius- cartoons. A lot of cartoons have little to no plot, but Disney and Pixar have been able to mix a heartfelt plot with comical characters. My favorite cartoon from my childhood will always be The Lion King. Let’s not even discuss it. It is amazing! In my second grade yearbook picture, I actually wore a Nala t-shirt. That is a little embarrassing to admit, but I just wanted you to realize how far back my love for The Lion King goes. Others making the list: Lady and the Tramp, Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc and Toy Story 1 & 3.

For my last two genres, I only have one movie in each. It isn’t that I don’t like comedies and science fiction; I do but for some reason none really shine. For comedies, I love Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. This could possibly be considered a drama, but it is just so darn funny. Maybe I am more inclined to it because I have a little thing for Robert Downey Jr. Finally my final genre- science fiction. There is one series of movies that standouts from the rest. The Twilight Series. Ha- no I am totally kidding! Star Wars. No, I am not kidding. I love Star Wars. My roommate makes fun of the fact I will always watch it when it is on TV. It doesn’t matter if it is the original three or the new three. I like them all.

What are your favorite movies? I have probably left off about a hundred classics, but I am always looking for good movies to watch and would love suggestions!

New LA Experiences

After living in Los Angeles for almost I year, I feel I have somewhat boxed myself in. I used to do new stuff all the time, but it has began to trickle down over the past few months. Yes, I try new restaurants a lot, but I still get into ruts. I have done most of the big tourist attractions, but there is so much more to do in LA. I think the thought of saving money kept me from experiencing all that LA has to offer. In reality, Los Angeles has tons of free things to do. So I am making a vow. I am going to get out of my box, and I am going to try new things. Each week I am going to try to do something new. To kick off my adventures with a bang, I decided to do a variety of new things this past week! Easing my way into trying new things, I took my little furry friend, Rufus, to a park. Unfortunately LA doesn’t allow dogs off their leash, but Rufus and I lounged on a bench for a while until kids overtook the small park. Rufus isn’t exactly accustomed to children and began wildly jerking on his leash. At this point, I was done for trying new things for the day and quickly scooped up Rufus and exited the park.

While I enjoy trying out new restaurants, that same mentality hasn’t transcended to trying new bars. I have found a few select bars that I love and rarely try new ones. Keeping with my theme though, I convinced some friends to try a new, small lounge in Hollywood. A cute old man in tails and a top hat welcomed us to The Lounge Next Door. There was an instant speakeasy feel as we were escorted through velvet curtains into a room of exposed bricks, dim lighting and intimate couches. Adding to the 1920s theme, the waitresses were clad in classic flapper dresses and long-stranded pearls. Many classic cocktails adorn the menu along with some new favorites. Upon our waitress’s suggestion I ordered the Hotel Nacionale, which smoothly combined rum, lime juice, pineapple gomme and apricot brandy. The drink was delicious but unfortunately super tiny for its $12 price tag. After checking in on Yelp, I whispered a secret word to our waitress to receive a free appetizer. We ordered the spinach and goat cheese pizza that was also topped with spinach, walnuts and roasted apples. The strange ingredients actually married well with each other. I can say I will be back to The Lounge Next Door.

The next day, Jessica and I continued with our new tradition of Saturday beach days. Instead of going to an LA beach though, we headed south to Orange County. I have been to the OC a couple of times, but never farther south than Huntington Beach and never actually to the beach. Our adventure was going pretty well until good old Google maps took us on a toll road. This normally wouldn’t be a problem, but neither of us had enough change to pay the toll! Jessica ended up asking the people behind us for the 65 cents we were short. Cruising deep into the OC, you see a completely different part of Southern California. There are orange, barren hills and purple-colored mountains in the distance. Cookie cutter mini-mansions line the canyon valleys with identical red roofs. We branched off from the highway and began our crawl to the beach and suddenly we were there. The deep blue ocean off Laguna Beach greeted us with cloudless skies overhead. We found a small cove beach and set up shop. The views were absolutely breathtaking. After a few hours the tide unexpectedly washed up and partially drenched us! We saw this as a sign it was time to go. To avoid the toll, we took Highway 1, or the PCH, north through other OC beach towns. It was my first time through Newport where a lot of Jayhawks call home. We turned off the PCH when we hit traffic from the US Open Surf competition in Huntington.

All in all, this past week marked a new start in my LA experiences. I fully plan to keep up my pledge to try new things and broaden my own horizon.

The Reality of Rejection

In the last seven months, I have applied for more than 100 jobs. 100! From all those applications, I have landed ten interviews. So many people come to California because it is the land of opportunity. Well, let’s just say that time has passed. Los Angeles has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 12.4% and remember that only includes people who are collecting unemployment. I hate blaming the economy because it feels like a coup out, but in reality every industry has been hurt by the recession. Sometimes I dream about being born a mere three years earlier, and how this wouldn’t even be a problem. Back to reality though, I was born in 1987, and I graduated into the worst economy since the late 1980s. (F)un-employment has lost its luster over the past few months. All I want is a job in the entertainment industry. You would think after being met with such an overwhelming amount of rejection, I would give up, but I’m not ready to give up. It’s hard to get a job in the entertainment industry or even a foot in the door. Well my light knocking on the door is now a pounding.

In college I didn’t get the internship I wanted on the first try. I took another internship that turned out to be a great learning experience. The next year I reapplied to my dream internship and landed the position. This was a great lesson in perseverance. If I hadn’t had this experience, I am not sure I would still be living in Los Angeles. There is only so much rejection one person can take until you begin to doubt yourself. Doubt can start as a small seed planted by one person. When you have more than 100 seeds planted, it can grow rapidly and become overbearing. Even though I have encountered more rejection than I have ever faced in my life, I refuse to doubt my passions or myself. I am passionate about the entertainment industry whether it takes me down the developmental production path or to a talent agency. I love Los Angeles and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I can only see myself living in two other cities, New York and Chicago, but I ruled both out a long time ago since I am not exactly a lover of the cold. I have faith in myself that things will turn around and all this will only make me a better person and employee in the end.

The Big Apartment Search: A small hop after the big leap

I have been living in Los Angeles for almost a year now. A year! Living in Brentwood has had its ups and downs, but I’ve decided the negatives outweighed the positives and will be moving out in a month. My roommate and I are going our separate ways because we both want to move closer to our jobs. After living here for a year, I have definitely gravitated toward the West Hollywood area. I am always driving back and forth between West Hollywood. Everything is there that I love: delicious brunch spots, shopping and plenty of low-key bars. At first I thought about living alone, but most affordable studios are located in Koreatown not WeHo. I attempted to convince myself that living in Koreatown would be an adventure. Reality finally struck me that I might be paying cheap rent, but I would be living in a tiny studio in an area I don’t really want to live in. I live in Los Angeles. I should live where I want! After scouring Craiglist for studios in West Hollywood, I realized it wasn’t the best financial decision. I needed to find a roommate, and I needed to find one fast. With only 30 days left on my lease, how am I going to find a roommate and an apartment? Craigslist didn’t exactly seem like the best way to find a roommate. Craigslist killer, anyone? Thankfully one of my friends came to my rescue and let me use her account on an apartment and roommate finder. She had good luck finding a normal roommate and a great apartment, so I’m hoping some of that luck comes my way.

In other news, I’m back in Los Angeles after two exciting weeks in Oklahoma with my family. To celebrate my return, my friend Jessica and I had a relaxing beach day. Right on the border of Venice and Marina Del Rey sits the Venice Pier. It’s just far enough south to avoid the how can you say, interesting characters of the Venice Boardwalk. Even though it was a beautiful, sunny day the beach wasn’t overly crowded, which was a big plus. We caught some late afternoon rays, and I soaked up some much needed vitamin D after being locked indoors for the past two weeks. I could have laid out for hours, but our rumbling stomachs took over. On our walk to the beach, we had passed a Mexican restaurant that had looked promising, and we retraced our steps there. Our food ended up being tasty and drinks refreshing, but the real highlight was our ridiculous waitress. She would only talk to our table in passing, and we basically had to yell at her when we wanted a second round of drinks and our bill. I have worked in a restaurant before and realize it can be stressful, which is why I always tip 20 percent. I made a special exception for this waitress. I still tipped but only 15 percent, and I left a little explanation that went something like this, “sorry, you were really absent.” I thought it was the nicest way to say, “you completely ignored our table and actually deserved no tip.” We got a good laugh out of it though because she was so blatantly ignoring our table. We completed our beach day with a stroll down the 3^rd Street Promenade, how LA of us! I’m glad to be back in Los Angeles and can’t wait to experience more adventures.

You're Always 17 in Your Hometown

Yeah, I am ripping off the lyrics to the Cross Canadian Ragweed song but for me it is so true. Although most of my friends have moved away from Edmond, there is just something about being home that takes me back to high school. Maybe it is the fact that my room remains basically unchanged since then. Or the fact that high school binders can still be found stacked in a corner behind my closet door. Or maybe because my walls are littered with painted flowers, old pictures and posters of band that have long ago broken up.

I spend my time home with my family 24/7. I watch Fox News with my dad or his new favorite show, House Hunters International. I sip coffee with my mom in the mornings because we are both early risers. I watch my sister and her husband do their homework or sometimes offer my two cents. At other times, I see my sister wrangling her two children who have more energy than even I can keep up with. I cheer at my niece Kristen’s dance recital as she twirls and prances. I push my littlest niece Sophia on her tricycle since she can’t quite reach the petals. I don’t do any of these things when I am not home except for the coffee drinking part of course. I love being home and getting to do thing that I can only do with my family. I realize to the average person these things do not seem especially interesting or entertaining but that’s why they’re special to me. I treasure each moment because I only get to see my family twice a year.

 

Not everything was uneventful while I was home. My parents and I went to the musical “Sunset Boulevard,” which I found slightly ironic since I often drive on the iconic street in Los Angeles. I forced my family, who are creatures of habit, out of their comfort zones and to try new restaurants. We sampled a Brazilian brunch and an upscale, comfort food feast. At midnight July 14, my sister and I patiently waited for the final Harry Potter to air, which to many signaled the end to an era. One of my nieces turned five and had her first big girl party! I was able to catch up with a good friend who I hadn’t seen in literally years. On my second to last day, I took a little day trip to Tulsa to see my other good friend. It was nice seeing my friends since I don’t know the next time I will see them. Saying goodbye to my family was more than a little sad. With four nieces running around and my sisters trying to load them into cars, we took some quick pictures, and I was off to the airport. I miss my family dearly and can’t wait until I see them all again at Christmas! By that time, I will be 24 (yikes!) and my oldest niece will be a teenager (double yikes!). Funny how so much happens in six months.  

Best Parts of Being an Aunt

July 11, 2006

1st Birthday

This week my little niece turns 5 years old. I literally feel like only days ago we were rushing to the hospital. In the delivery room, three sisters gathered together to witness the birth of Kristen. Well at the time she was little no name because my sister didn’t want to give her a name until she saw her. I was pushing for the name Capri- like the island not the pant, but my dad came up with Kristen to pair with the middle name Louise. Being one of the first to see my baby niece, I was automatically attached to her. Our time together was cut short due to the fact I was leaving for my freshman year of college at the University of Kansas. I worried that my niece would forget me when I was away. My freshmen year I visited home more than any other year partially because I wanted to see my baby niece. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and by time summer break rolled around, I was still a stranger in her eyes. It broke my heart that she could not reciprocate the love I had for her, but I understood. Throughout the summer I slowly worked myself into her good graces, even though she preferred my sister to anyone else. Before I returned to college in the fall, I relentlessly worked with Kristen to take her first steps. I didn’t want to miss out on important milestones of her life. Unfortunately my efforts didn’t pay off, but I picked back up when I met my family at the lake for Labor Day. Finally, Kristen took 11 steps in a row that weekend, which was the most she had even done consecutively! I was absolutely ecstatic.

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

This moment held me over until Christmas break when my family had a surprise waiting for me. I walked into my house after hours on the road, and I was greeted by little Kristen calling me “Aunt Nessie.” It was the first time I had ever heard her say my name, and it absolutely made my day if not my year. It’s hard to explain the love a person can have for a niece. You get all the best parts of the child but rarely any of the bad stuff. They love you because you rarely have to discipline them. You buy them gifts excessively. I didn’t think I could love my niece anymore until she told me one day that she loved me too.

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

Now I have a whole posse of nieces with four total but no nephews, which I have always found a little odd. Kristen is the second oldest, and I can’t believe how fast each one has grown up. In the blink of an eye, I went from being able to cradle them in my arms to barely able to pick them up. Being an aunt is one of the best things in my life. Yes, I miss the rest of my family, but I definitely miss my nieces the most.