Staying Positive

So, recently I've become a huge advocate of positive thought. And now that I try to practice seeing the bright side of things daily, I have no idea why I didn't try it sooner. Of course, I still have my cynical, "why are we here?," "what the hell is the point of life?," moments. However, I truly find that when my day is going badly, if I take a breath and think "This is going to be a great day. There is nothing anyone can say or do that will affect who I am inside," it really does turn my day around, or at least puts it into perspective.

I've read loads of self-help books, looked up inspirational quotes, and watched The Secret for 20 full minutes, before I had to turn it off. And all I can say is this: you won't find happiness, until you are ready to try for it every day. You can weigh the pros and cons forever, but if you never experience anything, you are wasting your life.

I thought I had found the love of my life...I was wrong. But that's not going to stop me from hoping it's out there somewhere.

And that's all for now!

SPRING AWAKENING.....CLOSING!!!

This is very upsetting news. The 2007 Tony-winning ( 8 of them!) Broadway Musical, Spring Awakening will be closing. The show is scheduled to close on January 18th of next year. Noooo! This is currently my favorite show on Broadway! When Legally Blonde announced it was closing...I got it. That sounded like a pretty rational decision. But then Spamalot announced its identical fate (Spamalot is also scheduled to close January 18th.) Why are all of these seemingly successful shows closing? It's simple. With the bad economy, a lot of these shows can't support themselves. Spring Awakening was funded as a private project, therefore, they just don't have the financial support needed to stay open. Ahhh! Hurry and go see it! Buy a million tickets! Help keep my show open!

I need a hero...

I actually hate that song, thanks to the tractor chicken run sequence of Footloose (seriously, who thought of that?)
But enough complaining. Vermont Teddy Bear has an amazing program that you should definitely take advantage of. Usually their cuddly little critters are overpriced, even if they are one of kind. This is not the only reason I urge you to check out the Little Hero Line.
When you buy a Little Hero Bear, (which is cheaper than the average bear from Vermont) you participate in a buy 1, get 1 service. You get your own super cuddly teddy, but you also get one for a sick child.
Here's how it works...at the end of the month Vermont Teddy Bear Factory donates the "doubles" of the bears they sold to hospitals who sign up to give them to children who are transported by ambulance.
It's quite lonely and scary in a hospital, especially for a child, so this is an amazing program to take part in. So buy a little hero! And be a big one.

Sorry for the delay!

I've been working non-stop at a school for autistic children and then tutoring after school hours. SO, I've been pretty busy and not getting home until after 6:30 every night.
I promise I'll write something interesting soon.
Meanwhile, anyone hear of Mika? You probably have because he released his CD in 2007. But he is seriously channeling Freddie Mercury. Some of my favorite tracks are "Any Other World," "Grace Kelly," and "Billy Brown" (Billy Brown...if you know me, for obvious reasons.)

If you like Queen, The Beatles or Scissor Sisters, you'll love Mika.

10 things you can do now that your boyfriend dumped you.

1. Go OUT and not worry about feeling guilty that other guys are hitting on you.
This is self-explanatory.
(Although I feel guilty anyway, since I hate leading people on...but whatevs to that.)

2. Catch up with all of your friends that you blatantly ignored to hang out with said ex-boyfriend.
Now you don't have to feel like you're rushed to go meet up with that loser the second he texts or calls you, so you can REALLY catch up with your friends.

3. Buy something for yourself just because YOU like it.
Like those new shoes that your boyfriend would have said made you look like a stripper? Well get them anyway, because he doesn't matter and was probably wrong.
(Although...if you have really bad taste, it might not hurt to get a second opinion from a friend.)

4. Rent something he would NEVER have watched with you.
The Notebook or Pride & Prejudice, just to name two. Make a night of it. Cry. Wallow. Burn pictures. Then be happy because now you have the chance to actually find your Ryan Gosling equivalent.

5. Exercise.
Get a gym membership and GO. If it's hard to keep on a schedule, start taking one of the classes your gym offers. It's easier to go when your routine is already planned out for you. If the gym isn't your thing then start walking more.

6. Make Dinner....for your friends.
Instead of slaving away on a romantic dinner for two for whats-his-name, boil some water and make up some steaming plates of pasta for your friends. Have them bring the wine and top it off with garlic bread. You can even combine this with your chick flick night. Cheesy, but it works.

7. Make more guy friends
Girlfriends are wonderful, but guys are awesome at saying that perfect logical thing that will bring you back to earth when you're having a estrogen-related break down. Now that Mr. Wrong is out of the picture, you have a lot more time to hang out with the guys.

8. Get a haircut
Or change up your style. Sometimes that's all it takes to make you feel a little rejuvenated. Having chopped off my long blond hair several times, I know it works.

9. Volunteer....either for more tasks at work or outside in the community.
You'll be doing more things and keeping busy while meeting new people.

10. Write a blog...or in a journal.
For me its extremely therapeutic...and it helps me keep track of what I'm thinking and doing every day. Also, if you kept a journal while you were with your significant other, it may help to go back and read previous entries. It will show you that the relationship wasn't perfect all the time and help you move on faster.

Having just gone through a break up recently, this is stuff I have JUST picked up on. But so far it's been working. Right on!

Start writing that screenplay you've been thinking of!

Link: Celtx

I learned about this lovely little program when I got my lap top and didn't want to pay for a second copy of Final Draft Pro (which I had on my PC tower.) And let me just say...I think I like writing on Celtx more. It doesn't have the application where robot voices can read your script, but there are a lot of other things you can do with it.

I actually really adore the index cards application; where you can write your scenes and characters on digital cards and swap them around to see what scenes would look like in a different order.

Celtx isn't only for screenwriting either. You can created many different projects ranging from film, audio, theater, av and yes, even comic books.

It's freeware and the website also allows you to upload your projects to share with others.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what program you use, as long as its in the correct format, so be sure to have a source on handy to double check yourself before you submit anything to a contest.

I like Syd Field's Screenplay or How Not To Write A Screenplay by Denny Martin Finn, two books I bought for my screenwriting course about a year ago.

Just remember to have fun with it!

Goodbye Jonathan Groff...

This is really old news (a couple of months old actually) But Jonathan Groff, the actor who originated the role of Melchior in Spring Awakening, has moved on after an extensive stay with the musical. His last performance was on May 18, 2008. It is rumored that he will be in Ang Lee's new movie, Taking Woodstock. The film will be released in 2009. Good Luck Jonathan. I am in love with you.

And for a little obsession?

Being completely obsessed with cosmetics, I see it as my duty to buy everything from Stila to Wet and Wild. Recently I have been on the search for the perfect eye liner. This is actually a continuing search...I'm always open to try anything recently birthed into the cosmetic world, just clean the placenta off first please.

Now it's important for you to understand that I'm not looking for a regular eye liner...my criteria is extensive. I'm looking for color, manageability, is it portable? What types of lines can I make...thick...thin...dotted? Is it appropriate for daily use? Is it a pencil? Liquid? Matte? Gel?

Well I think I've found the eyeliner that fits all of my qualms and in a drugstore surprisingly.

Loreal H.I.P. line makes a pot gel eye liner. I was skeptical...I was. I have been a fan of Studio Gear for a while, but the problem with their pot eye liner is that I needed water to wet the brush in order to use it. Without a water source, I was doomed. This my friends, is the answer.

I purchased the brown shade, but there is a large variety of funky colors including teal and eggplant. It goes on smoothly and stays on all day long. The only thing I do not like is the brush it comes with but I already have a Bare Essentials brush anyway.

Try it. It's awesome. You will not be disappointed. And if you are, well...I'm sorry.

When you have the time

Link: The Write Brain Workbook

Let me get one thing straight: I love to write. I really do. But sometimes it’s really hard to get started on a short story, screenplay, or sometimes even a poem because of the dreaded writers block. Everyone who writes has had it, whether it happens at the start of a project, or in the middle of it. We all know it’s a pain.

Here’s a little secret though: The more you write and the more often you write, the easier it is to beat the block. I also found a great book (okay well, my boyfriend found it and gave it to me for my birthday) to get your creative juices really flowing. It’s called “The Write-Brain Workbook. 366 Exercises to liberate your writing” by Bonnie Neubauer. It’s 366 funky pages (all put together by graphic design students) with great exercises meant to get you thinking and writing right away. There’s no word minimum or maximum for any of the exercises, you can write a little or as much as you want. There’s space for you to write directly in the book, but you can obviously choose to type or write on another piece of paper, and you can do the exercises over and over again. There are actually double the amount of exercise because at the bottom of the page is always a question for deeper thinking.

The book is funky and fresh and meant to make writing more fun. I certainly find that it gets me going and usually when I get an idea from it I run with it. If you’re the type of person who has a hard time writing something without an assignment, you might want to pick up a copy.

30 Second Rant

To all the hard workers out there, I salute you. It takes a lot of patience to deal with neurotic bosses, irrational customers and annoying co-workers. And you don't ever complain...much. It's really, almost indescribably tough to remain working hard when you have people constantly trying to tell you how to do your job or how you're not doing your job correctly when, in fact, you are.

I'd like to tell you that this all changes in time, but it actually doesn't. Which makes it even more important to seek a career that you love.. Then, at least the majority of the time, you'll be content, if not happy.

Patience is a virtue, not that that ever makes us feel any better. But maybe we just need to take it with a grain of salt.