I'm Just Sayin'

I Lost Finnegan to Westie Lung Disease 4 Weeks Ago

2012-02-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

Finnegan was one of a kind. I got him when he was just 8 weeks old, but held him at 1 day and again at 5.5 weeks. He was my everything. I was closer to him than I have been to any human. We shared a special bond. He moved with me countless times and we always were together. I loved walking with him and spending time with him every single day. Whenever I had to be separated, for a short trip, or anything, I missed him every second. We played together at least once a day and I always told him how much I loved him. I loved his little "terrier" stink and I loved how he would run around after a bath. He used to steal my pillows and commandeer the entire bed even though he was small. He loved to watch TV and hated Alec Baldwin and Kiefer Sutherland. His personality was big and he was always happy. A true best friend and he will be missed forever.

Valentine's Day-Ridiculous Day

2012-02-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

I don't understand people who celebrate this ridiculous holiday and I don't understand people who are sad because of it-seriously.

I mean, if you are in a relationship and either one of you needs to be told to be romantic then you need to think about that relationship. If you are not in a relationship and are moping around because some commercial holiday makes you feel like a loser than you need to re-evaluate the way you think about yourself.

It's beyond ridiculous to put so much weight and pressure on this day. I for one have never been a fan, even when in a serious relationship.

Romance is actually knowing a person and knowing what they like and being spontaneous not running out to the store and buying candy and flowers because the calendar says you should.

People who propose on Valentine's Day? The only thing worse-proposing on New Year's Eve.

Sorry folks, but I want my love to be real and not dictated by Hallmark.

Just sayin'

Pet Peeves

2012-02-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

Just like when people constantly post "Om Nom Nom Nom" I can't stand "Nuff said" Are you too lazy to say the word enough? Or do you think you're being clever? It's annoying, not original and just plain ignorant-nuff said.

Enough of These Posts

2012-02-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe I am a little less tolerant because I am still so destroyed from losing my dog on the 18th of Jan-I'll will take that in consideration when I start this mini-rant.

Why do you people insist on posting certain things on Facebook? Now I have to either unfriend you and or unsubscribe and then we might as well not be FB friends. Seriously. Stop posting this shit.

1. Photos of abused animals. Enough already! They are hard to look at and I can't save them all. Stop it.

2. Photos and posts about dogs being put down in the next such and such hours-really? Why??? Stop it!

3. Your political BS-enough is enough. Start a blog.

4. Naked photos of anyone good looking or not-really? Are you in the 4th grade?

5. Anything gross or nasty like spiders, or rotten anything-if you think it's disgusting-we probably do as well.

I am just sayin' Facebook is not a forum and it's really awful to log in and see some of these things.

Westie Foundation of America IPF Study

2012-02-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

The Westie Foundation is amazing! I wish I had known about this study when my little dog two weeks ago-I would have asked the vet to collect and send DNA samples. Westie Lung Disease is awful and I am so sad that I lost my little man to it so suddenly. I hope they make advances and spare other little doggies from not being able to breathe.

Isn't that Westie Cute?

2012-01-30T00:41:00.000-08:00

AW isn't he cute? Beware, behind that adorable face is a monster! Okay not really, but the Westie is a big dog in a little dog's body and they are very smart-and demanding-and get into trouble. I had my Westie-Finnegan-the best dog in the world-I know everyone says that, but I speak the truth-for almost 14 years and I miss him so much it hurts. Lemme tell you this, while he was a GREAT little dog, BUT he had his own mind. He often did the following:

1.Kick me and let out loud sighs when I was on the phone (especially when he was little)

2.Changed the games at his pace and rules-like we would play toss the ball or toy and he would go along and then get bored and make up his own version-which I usually let him get away with after tricking him into thinking it was MY idea-no need to fuel that Westie confidence

3.Steal my pillows or place I was sitting and pretend to be asleep

4.Not come when called

5.Chewed everything until I told him, "not for Finn, or not for Westies"

6. Turned his back on me when he didn't get his way-this was my favorite, like he was punishing me

7.Bark or keep hitting things until I gave him attention (and keep in mind this dog was walked a min of 2 hours a day-even when a senior senior and I played with him every night)

8. Go on hunger strikes when he wanted something else

Do you get the point? Westies are great dogs, and mine was great but not because he came out that way-because I spent time training him from the time we brought him home until the day he died. I made sure he knew I was the boss-not him.

Westies LOVE to please their pets-as they see it-so it isn't too hard to train them, but let them get away with an inch and they will take a mile or more. I ALWAYS made Finnegan sit before anything and trust me this worked like a charm.

I didn't yell at him, but if he did something wrong I usually just IGNORED him-that worked-sometimes. Sometimes when I was working and he demanded-Westies don't ask and everything is on their schedule-my attention-I would just pick him up and kiss him all over-YUCK! He HATED that and if that didn't work I would suggest a "brushes" which usually got him to sneak under the bed until that nonsense was over.

He was a great dog and I know that because I had him since he was born. I am now about to rescue a Westie-you may be wondering, "why on earth would anyone in their right mind invite that kind of trouble?" Well you know, all dogs deserve to be loved and Westies in the rescue program are the ones who have been ignored-they aren't bad dogs-they are trying to get someone to PAY ATTENTION to them. Patience is something you must have to be part of a Westie's life-if you don't have that and lots of love and energy-then skip it.

People were always coming up to me and Finn-especially moms with kids-"Oh. My. God. he is so cute-I want one" To my usual response of "Do you have two hours a day or more to play, walk and exercise him? Good luck!" One of the many nicknames my Westie had was monster and I would always tell people, he is a monster, but his cuteness usually fooled them. I remember one time I was out of town and my roommate was watching Finn for the weekend and she called me saying "Your dog has been barking since 5 am" and I said, "well how long did you walk him?" I mean, a Westie is not like ANY other dog-you can NOT simply pee them a couple times a day and expect him to be okay. My Finnegan would take out every single toy and I would wake up in the middle of the night getting hit by them flying through the air. He would also throw his treats around and chase them. Baby proof the inside? No I WESTIE proofed it. Which meant-NOTHING lower than 4 feet-NOTHING that I didn't want chewed. He was pretty good with knowing what was his and what was mine-but every once in a while I would let him have the entire run of the apartment for just 5 minutes to come back to a shredded magazine and a guilty dog face staring at me like, "well you left it there."

I miss my Finn-Monster so much and I look forward to being the owner of another Westie someday-and I know it will be equally hard and equally rewarding.

For those of you thinking about getting one because they are so cute in that dog food commercial-seriously remember-that is television-just like actors aren't always the nice guy they play-Westies are not for amateur dog owners, but they are the best if you can handle them. :)

R.I.P. Finnegan 3/30/98-1/18/2012

2012-01-20T06:58:00.001-08:00

On Wed I lost my Westie Finnegan to Westie Lung Disease. I had no idea he was so sick. He went from just having a slight cough to panicked breathing attacks and he was suffering. On Dec 12th, I took him to my vet for his 6 month senior wellness exam and mentioned that he had a little cough that had started that week. She took X-rays and did all the blood work. Everything came back good, even the X-rays, so we got antibiotics and cough syrup-which he hated. 10 days went by and he was still coughing, he got stronger ones and this is when I asked her "Do I need to be worried about this?" She replied with a firm, "No he's fine, it's just a cough."

He had NO other symptoms. The cough seemed to get better and worse, then the hard breathing started. I had to bring him in seems like every other day the first week of Jan and thousands of dollars of testing revealed that it was allergies. On the 12th he was put on steroids, and he felt back to normal for 3-4 days and I was so excited!

Then Monday last week-this week-the 16th he slid back into panicking and not being able to breathe. We spent the night in the hospital and then he spent the next day at my vet. When I got him at 6 pm she had made an appointment for me at the specialist. I brought my little man home that night and he was lifeless-refused to eat so I let him sleep. I stayed next to him and told him that I was sorry that I couldn't fix this and if it was his time I was giving him permission to go. His eyes weren't the same and I just gave him all my love. That night I slept a bit-out of sheer exhaustion-but he was restless and could hardly stand up. The next morning-the day he died-I picked him up to take him to the vet and he was lifeless just lying against my body. The specialists put him in oxygen and reviewed the 4 X-rays and notes we had. She came in and told me that my dog was dying and had what was called Idiopathic Canine Pulmonary Fibrosis-or Westie Lung Disease. She said she could do an ultra sound to confirm it wasn't his heart and on the off chance he had cancer. I asked her if it was anything else would he ever have quality of life and she said she hoped she was wrong, but in an almost 14 year old Westie it was more than unlikely.

In that split second I had to make a decision-do I end his suffering or be selfish and keep seeing him having these attacks? I asked her several other options about starting him on high steroids since last week he was back to his old self on the steroids-and she said it could work but he only had a matter of weeks and he would suffer because the breathing would continue to get worse. I asked her if it was his heart-even though there was no indication of that-would his lungs ever get better and she said no-the decision was clear even though I wasn't ready to hear it or say goodbye.

Around 12:14 pm they brought my sedated dog-my best friend, my everything-to the room and lay him on the table where he looked sad, and a little wasted. His chest wasn't contracting normal and he wasn't breathing right. I kissed his little nose and head and told him that I loved him more than anything. I then picked him up and cradled him in my arms as she administered the drugs that gave him relief of his pain and suffering. I know I did the right thing but it hurts so much.

I don't know how to live without him. He was a part of my life for almost 14 years. A month ago he was fine. I didn't get that last year or even months to know this was coming and am definitely still in shock. I feel like I am dying. People who haven't lost a pet don't understand how this feels, but it is just as strong, if not worse than the death of my own mother. I feel like a part of me died with him and I don't know how to go on. I can't bring myself to take down the babygate to my bedroom-where he stayed when I was out-I can't pack his toys-I can't seem to break the habit of wanting to walk him at certain times. I know it's only been two days, but I don't know how to get over-or through this. I won't ever get over it.

When I got him I always knew this day was coming and my dad was still sad over the death of my previous pet 4 years earlier and he said, "this dog will die some day" and I knew that, but the life I shared with him was worth it. I will get another dog. I am not me without a dog. I can't now. I am not ready, any dog now wouldn't be him and I would resent that dog. Finnegan was the best dog and I trained him well and he went to puppy kindergarten and day care and my best friend and then boyfriend was there to help me with those first two years. I don't think I could do that now with a new dog and I don't want to not be able to share a new relationship with another dog-but I feel empty without Finnegan. This is a pain that is impossible to explain and I have been all over my FB page talking about it-as therapy for myself, and my friends have been awesome, but I know that I can't go on like that forever as to some they don't understand pet loss and to others they don't want to hear it everyday. I thought I'd blog about it today-and even though today is worse than yesterday and yesterday was worse than the day before-I know at some point it will start going the other way and slowly the times of sobbing will be further and further apart and every time I look in my apt. I won't see my little dog. I can't wait to move out of this place though-we have only lived here since October of this year, but I just can't stand to be in here without him. I am trying to embrace the pain and grief-because usually I run away-that said, it's so hard and part of me wants to crawl into bed and die-part of me already has. I loved my little man so much. I don't know what happens to them, but I know that his suffering is over and that was the best I could do for him. He died in my arms and that is how I always wanted it to happen.

(This photo was taken on Jan 7th and he was having a good day-that was a new toy)

I Want To Live in New York, I Do, I Really Do

2012-01-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

In Los Angeles the best way to alienate yourself and make enemies is to mention that you love New York. It is a fact that this is a subject sore to folks here. That said, I do love Los Angeles, hell, it's been my home for almost 20 years-with a few stints outside: New York, Sydney and Copenhagen. That said, I want to go back home to the east coast. I have missed it every day since I left. I love it here, I love my friends, I love the industry, I even love that I don't have to shovel snow and freeze my arse off. I love both cities for very different reasons, but it's like having Ross (Friends ref) pick between Julie and Rachel. (Julie being L.A. and Rachel being New York)

If I had to make a list it would go like this:

Los Angeles Pros:

Weather (yeah I complain, but it's pretty nice here),

People/my friends,

The Entertainment Industry,

Beverly Drive,

Beverly Hills,

Santa Monica,

Runyon,

Burbank,

The Ocean,

TV writing industry is here,

Animation industry is here

New York Pros:

The people,

The crowds,

The stores,

Madison Ave,

The Upper West Side,

Broadway,

Close to my family,

Bagels,

New York Cons:

It's expensive,

It rains almost every day,

It's cold and wet,

It's expensive, (I said it twice for a reason)

Everything is harder there,

It's far from L.A/TV writing industry

Los Angeles Cons: It's NOT New York

Sitting in Traffic? It Could Be Worse

2012-01-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

In Los Angeles dealing with heavy traffic jams is a part of living; you either have to accept it, or be miserable. All the shortcuts on the planet wont help you avoid the inevitable-being stuck in traffic. Okay if you work 1 mile from your house and you never go out, then yeah you can avoid it, otherwise welcome to Los Angeles-deal with it.

I know more shortcuts than anyone I know, and people call and or email me all the time to find out how to save time or get around a wreck, so trust me, I'm an expert. I have lived all over Los Angeles from Valencia/Santa Clarita to the South Bay/Hermosa Beach. I have lived in Burbank and Glendale. I have lived in Sherman Oaks, and Studio City. I lived in Westwood, West Los Angeles, Brentwood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. I have lived in Playa Del Rey, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan and Hermosa Beach. I know this city. I constantly am going to Beverly Hills, or the WGA, or any decent agent in the city is in L.A. off Wilshire. I go to all the studios and have worked at most of them so at some point I have made the cross town drive in both directions during rush hour. My knowledge of this city is daunting. That said, I still get stuck in traffic because I live here, and that is part of the service.

Get my point? You will at some point get stuck in traffic and the way I see it, you can either get really upset and piss and moan that it took you three hours to get 16 miles, or you can accept it and be happy. Here is a little perspective, if you are stuck in that kind of traffic sometimes it's just that 17 million of us are all on the roads at the exact same time, but sometimes it's much worse. Someone has died, or multiple folks have died in an accident. They got into their car to go where ever they were going and never made it. You know how they say if you live in New York City long enough you will get mugged? Or if you live in Arizona at some point you will have Valley Fever? Well in Los Angeles you will see a horrible accident-either happening or just after it's happened. So the next time you are upset because you are inconvenienced by the parking lot that is the freeway-just think of the person who caused the mess you are in and have some perspective, it could be worse, you could be dead. In stead of being angry, try to have sympathy for those people involved. Every time I am stuck in traffic I always think that I hope there isn't a wreck and I hope no one has died. Just this morning I was stuck in 4 miles of a parking lot and it took about an hour to get through it, I was fearful of what I would see when I made it through, and thankfully it was nothing, just construction. Today was a good day.

Think about it and just be happy it isn't you who is hurt and hope that no one else is either and you'll find dealing with it will be easier. I also recommend, never leaving the garage with less than a half of tank of gas, water and sometimes a snack.

Happy Friday the 13th!

2012-01-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday the 13th everyone. I usually have quite good luck on this day.

Lemme tell you, this year has sucked so far. I found out my job is going on an undetermined break that I was NOT aware of-if I had been I would have saved more from the last two months instead of paying last year's taxes off and I would have been looking for work as well. My dog got a cough in December and thousand's of dollars and tests and him suffering for almost a month we find out it's just allergies-that was yesterday, so the month is looking up, but still what a crappy arse first two weeks.

I am seriously always the type to look at the good and the good thing about a few crappy weeks is that it has to go up. Right? Right. When things are bad, that's the silver lining if you choose to see it. They will get better so you have something to look forward to.

So here is to hoping my job gets extended, or I get another one and wouldn't it be great if I found out today? Yes it would.

The chickens on here? Well I just like these chickens. The commercials are great and they always make me laugh so why not?

Have a great bad luck day!

Stop Name Dropping-It's Pathetic

2012-01-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

You know those people who are always bragging about who they have seen or talked to in the "industry"? You know the ones who go to a panel and all of a sudden they spent the night with Brad Pitt? I mean, seriously you want I want to say to these people?

Dear Name Dropping Poser,

You can't swing a cat in this town-and by this town I mean Los Angeles/Hollywood-center of the universe, (in most our minds), entertainment capitol of the world-without hitting a celebrity or two or more. They are everywhere, you know why? Because they work and live here. Stop your bullshit name dropping. It really makes you look stupid. We are all sick of your complete and utter bullshit. If you pay to go to a panel and then you brag about how you met a star, really? It's just sad. If you go out to eat and happen to be seated next to someone who stars in a TV show, can you really say you had dinner with them? Um, no!

I'm not talking about joking around, like if you watch three Tom Cruise movies and say on you FB status, I spent the night with Tom Cruise. Or if you say something my new husband Ryan Gosling....that kind of thing is an obvious joke, but when you are ALWAYS beating a dead horse to try to be more popular or show us all who you know, or hob-knobbed with at a Hollywood event, it just makes you look sad, desperate, and pisses us off!

I work in the industry and many of my friends do too, some are on TV, some are in films, some are famous writers of novels, some are grips-PAs-lighting-sound, etc... this is our business, it's what we do. Don't belittle our lives by bragging about seeing some celeb.

If you actually were friends with these people you claim to be so tight with you wouldn't be posting about it.

So my final words are, GET OVER YOURSELF YOU F***ING POSER!

I'm just sayin'

Living Like Jack Dawson Making It Count

2012-01-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Last week was an awful week for me and I let worry, fear, and dread get to me and it was not pleasant. So this is a brand new week and in a new week I am going to do my best to change my attitude and start living life like Jack Dawson-hopefully with a better ending.

If you wonder what I mean by that, I mean that I will still work hard and do everything in my power to change my life/financial/job situation, but I will adapt his atitude of enjoying every day and taking life as it comes and not freaking out every time things don't go as planned.

In the last 6 years I have been in this situation where a job ends earlier than I thought, or something falls through and it always works out, yet every time it happens fear creeps his ugly head in and starts freaking me out. I am done being afraid. I can't take much more of this, so besides working hard and changing my strategy, I am going to change my attitude and enjoy things more.

This summer I was in Seattle and one week in August I lost two jobs that I was counting on. One was an illustrator job that was going to take me all the way to Christmas and the other was a teaching job-both jobs fell through and I was in Seattle, far away from all my job contacts down here in Los Angeles and I was terrified. I met a friend for lunch and he said to me, "So what? So what if you get evicted? So what? You have good friends, you are smart, it will work out and you'll be alive and healthy." And you know what? I left that lunch feeling inspired. I went and got a day job at Trader Joe's, which I loved, but it didn't even cover the rent. What it did do was get me out of the house and it helped stretch the money I had in the bank until a bigger job came though.

Then I was offered my dream job to create a TV show. Now I thought it was going to be 18-20 weeks of work and then even longer-but the break would hit about then while we pitched. Turns out they decided to break sooner and then we'll go back and then break again. It's still be a great opportunity and I am thankful to have had it, but had I known I would have planned differently-that said, this is an opportunity for me to do something I wasn't otherwise going to have time to do and usually a new opportunity will come up for me in these situations.

Here I go, changing my attitude and living life like Jack Dawson.

"I mean, I got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or, who I'm gonna meet, where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people. I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count."

Mark Margolis for President-Nah That's Just Ron Paul

2012-01-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or have we found the actor to play Ron Paul in the film version of how America screwed up the world?

Every time I see Ron Paul I think of the film Dinner Rush-that can't be a good sign.

Mark Margolis is one of my all time favorites, but he rarely plays a likable fellow.

Just sayin'

Changing My Attitude

2012-01-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.' — Maya Angelou.

So here I am in Los Angeles and I HATE the weather. I know most of the people in the world would switch places with me in a New York minute-anyone? Really? Have a flat in New York and hate the weather?-But I do not enjoy hot weather.

True most of Los Angeles, especially the west side-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood, etc...has great weather-it usually doesn't go over 80 and doesn't drop below 50-40 overnight in the winter.

I don't live in that area. The part that I live in has Arizona-esque weather and it sucks and usually I piss and moan from mid January until December about how evil it is.

*If I could afford to live in Santa Monica, or Malibu, or somewhere "over the hill"-as well say in the Valley-I would.

This all said, I was in Seattle this summer and one of my FB friends complained every single day on his page about the cold-even on the sunny days-and this summer the PNW had tons-broke records even-and that was so beyond annoying that I decided he was like how I am here. Hating the weather so much that we can't even see when the weather we want shows up. So instead of complaining all the time I am changing my attitude until I can get my arse back to New York city-where it's freezing and you pay through the nose for 200 sq foot apartment.

I can't change that I live here right now, I can't change the weather-if I could I would be a bagillionaire-and so I am going to enjoy the awesome things that this city has to offer and be positive instead of negative.

This is a photo from Christmas on the beach. A Malibu rum drink in Malibu California where the water was gorgeous and the sky was blue and the sun was shining!

I'm changing my attitude and enjoying what I have and hopefully next year I'll be in gray, dark, cold and wet old New York.

Tassimo Tuesday!

2012-01-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Tassimo Tuesday! I call it this because I am the proud new mama to a new Tassimo-well I know she is coming soon-due next week sometime. I am very excited. I will be getting all my coffee, cappucino and tea mugs ready for her arrival. I think I am going to name her Emmy-she is sweet, kind and makes great coffee. Please feel free to send gifts!

Not Resolutions-Goals

2012-01-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do resolutions, but rather goals! My goals for 2012 are:

1. Never allowing myself to make someone a priority when they make me an option.

2. Not allowing other people's negativity get to me.

3. Not getting into any political or religious conversations on FB.

4. To stay positive even when things are hard.

5. To work on myself and finally let go of all the grief I have been lugging around with me for years.

6. To continue to pursue my dreams.

7. To get out more and hang out with friends more often.

8. To take days off and relax.

9. To go to more writing events and take more writing classes.

10. To surround myself with positive, happy, supportive people.

Cheers to 2012 being a great year!!

Happy Monday

2012-01-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Happy first Monday of the new year!

I know I was ranting yesterday, but it's just so hard to watch people starve themselves and brag about it on FB!

In any case, I have decided to keep my opinions here unless it's about something silly like loving a TV show or it's nice and cold outside, because I believe that even though people post all the time on FB they only do it so others will tell them how great they are. They don't want to hear that they are killing themselves, or that they have the facts completely wrong or even that someone disagrees with them. I mean I started this opinion blog for that reason, but I think I fell into the FB trap.

My new year's resolution is to keep my opinion to myself unless on my blog.

I hope everyone is having a great day so far and happy new year on day 2!

Happy New Year-Let The Idiocy Begin

2012-01-01T12:06:00.001-08:00

Okay, I am not one for "resolutions" per say, but if you have to do them-it's so trendy to do so-then at least use your brain.

Which leads right into my point and why I am writing this blog today. Happy New Year by the way-

Why is it that every new year women all over the world decide it's okay to starve themselves? Really ladies? You want to be treated like an equal and then you act like an idiot-yes an idiot-I said it and I'll say it again. If you are starving yourself you are being an idiot.

I don't mean those of you that have an actual eating disorder-and if you do-please get some help-as a past eating disorder person-I know how hard it can be, but you must get help.

I mean those women who insist on doing starvation cleanses and think that it's okay.
These cleanses are VERY VERY VERY DANGEROUS-do I need to say it louder? They are dangerous! Don't be stupid. How can a drink consisting of lemon and maple syrup be healthy?

Use your brain.

These women say they've done it before and or survived it, and or felt great-really? Well when I was starving myself I was 108 lbs and survived-so should I be anorexic again? NO! Of course not.
Losing weight on a diet does not make it healthy.

Why not just change your habits? Eat healthier instead of starving yourself? I don't need to "cleanse" (OMFG it's so Los Angeles I could just F-ing scream) because I eat healthy. Eat healthy, mostly plants and small portions-it ain't rocket science.

Doing a "Master-Cleanse" fast is beyond dangerous and you are making the rest of us smart ladies look like idiots. If you must do it, please stop subjecting the rest of it on your FB page-it's really hard to watch your friends killing themselves to be thin.

I wonder why in the '90s it was an eating disorder to behave like this and now it's the new rage? Well these are not the '90s or the '00s-fasting on a juice is so over.

UGH. Just sayin'

Why Does FB Create Road Rage Behavior?

2011-12-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

For the most part I love FB, I love how it has kept so many of us in touch, but just like any place in life-some people ruin it for others. This week I have been slammed for being super entitled and rich-HA!!! That was the biggest laugh I got-the truth is so completely the 100% opposite-then I was slammed for writing comedy because it means I don't care about the world and then I was just bitched out for being a writer and posting about it IE: "I'm working on the show today" etc. Type posts.

Honestly folks-really? Why does FB create a sort of road rage?

I don't understand this childish behavior. I really don't. People get on FB and rant all day long about politics, or whatever then they get upset at anyone who even remotely challenges their beliefs. It doesn't make sense to me. Why not start a blog?

I'm just sayin'

Crazy Christians

2011-12-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Why is it that ONLY Christians continually post about Jesus on social networks? But Jewish people, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Scientologists, Mormons, & Catholics never do anything like this?

How about every time you post some shit about Jesus I'll post a quote from L. Ron Hubbard?

I mean honestly. Other followers of Christ don't act like this either. I don't understand you people.

And what's with all the judgement? Okay I digress.

Just sayin' folks, it's getting beyond old. You have missed the point of the bible completely. Don't be so pushy and obnoxious if you want people to join your crazy cult-er religion.

Would you walk into work quoting or misrepresenting Jesus? No

Just sayin' Enough already

My Review of Ghost Protocol

2011-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have to repeat from one of my other blogs-this is one of those times! My review of Tom Cruise and Brad Bird's new flick!

http://stephtvfilmwriter.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/ghost-protocol-incredible/

Yeah, Oh Nom Nom Nom

2011-12-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

What is with the new craze of saying "Oh nom nom nom" when you are out eating food?? It is gross and disgusting and no one wants to hear you smacking your food, EVER! Not online nor in real life. I understand saying MMMMMMMMMMMM but not "nom nom nom". Just because it's trendy doesn't make it right. It's really gross and if you continue to use it on FB, I will promise to never go out in real life for fear that I will actually hear your "Nom nom nom."

Yeah-why do educated people always use this wrong? Yeah is yeah, like okay, yes, etc. Not YAY!!

And lastly why do people say Nom Nom Nom????? I know I already mentioned it, but YUCK!

Red Flag WARNING!!

2011-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Seems like I tend to gather the same type of people into my life and then I am surprised when it all goes to shit. I need to remind myself of the HUGE RED FLAG WARNINGS because they are always there.

1) "I love you" -when someone says this with in a month of knowing you-that's a huge red flag-get away and get away quick.

2) I am only telling you this-implying that you are special manipulating you into their weird shit that will eventually turn into backstabbing rage.

3) I cut people off all the time-this bragging right means they will do it to you

4) When they call you and bitch about everyone in their life and then you see them posting about how great things are with said person-they are two faced and they will be to you as well

5) Being high drama-everything is about them all the time

6) Accusing everyone around them of abuse

7) Getting hurt at every tiny thing you do

8) Expecting you to drop everything for them

Basically I tend to be a magnet for these kind of high drama people and also bi-polar folks as well, but I can't deal with it anymore. Maybe I am older and have less patience, or maybe I am actually wiser and know better.

I just don't know why when the flag is so big and so red I don't see it sooner!

UGH just sayin'

TERRIBLE APPLE SERVICE

2011-12-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

Things have really gone down hill at Apple since Steve Jobs passed away.

Last week I tried to download an App for my iPad-a magazine app-it doesn't work, something is wrong with the app-no biggie, except Apple/iTunes charged me for it anyhow.

I called them today to get a refund. THEY DON'T GIVE REFUNDS. I was told, by customer service, the only way to get a refund is to call my credit card and LIE and say it was stolen. She also said I could make a complaint to iTunes, but they won't do anything about it. iTunes doesn't "do" customer service.

REALLY PATHETIC APPLE. Talk about a sad Mac.....

Yes We Really Are "That Stupid" or We Appear to Be

2011-11-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

Been watching the news tonight, LIVE coverage of Occupy Los Angeles, and no one that's been interviewed, (so far) knows why they are occupying-that is what is really sad-they are willing to get arrested but don't even know why. Oh Americans making our country look "that stupid" constantly.

FIRST AMENDMENT!

2011-11-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Or did people skip government class in the 8th grade? This is the FIRST AMENDMENT, first as in number one. FREEDOM OF SPEECH-this is America, isn't it?

I love my country, but some days are harder than others. I mean, really people. What the F is going on? This country has the FREEDOM OF SPEECH and that means people can speak freely without being pepper sprayed? I mean, really what is going on?

Do we have to go back to an era where our heroes are bank robbers just because someone is sticking it to the banks??

Will there be a repeat of Kent State (see yesterday's blog)?

How will this end?

Have We Learned Nothing?

2011-11-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

May 4th, 1970 4 students were shot by police at a rally at Kent State University in Kent Ohio. The police fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others.

Jan 30, 1972 14 innocent people were shot and killed during a peaceful demonstration in Derry, Northern Ireland. Twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army. Thirteen males, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately or soon after, while the death of another man four and a half months later was attributed to the injuries he received on that day. Two protesters were also injured when they were run down by army vehicles. Five of those wounded were shot in the back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs_2QRCEtl0&feature=related

Nov 16, 2011 Police spray pepper spray into the eyes of an 84 year old in Seattle. Jennifer Fox lost her baby after being sprayed in the face and beaten by police.
Oakland, Davis, NYC-when will it end?

All I can say is WTF police? Has history taught you nothing?

I'm just sayin'

BROKEN

2011-11-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

I was watching Private Practice last night for the "Intervention" episode and it was truly amazing-well the first part. I didn't care as much for the 2nd episode as the first one-maybe just the direction. In any case, Charlotte, (Kadee Strickland) was telling Amelia, (Caterina Scorsone) how she would do something terrible, like kill someone and never come back from that.

I know this is different, but it finally hit me. All these years since my mother died (2004-Lung cancer) I am broken and I haven't made it back yet. It just isn't the same anymore. Sure I laugh, and play and have great friends etc, but it broke me. I am not sure why it's so hard-I mean, everyone loses their parents-or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.

That said, I miss her every single day and some days it's beyond sad and other days I am okay. The way she described not making it back from something is exactly how I feel. I'll never be the same again, even if I am okay and happy, I'm broken.

It's weird though that this particular episode made sense-grief is an evil bitch isn't she?

UGH Some People Are Just Mean & Miserable

2011-11-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

So the other day, this "friend" of mine was ranting, again, about something that has nothing to do with him and asking people to boycott Target, because he is outraged that some people are working late on Thanksgiving night to get ready for black Friday the next day. This guy isn't even American and doesn't work at Target and neither does anyone in his family-he just likes to bitch and complain. I stupidly-little did I know what was coming-replied to his post saying that it wasn't a big deal lots of people work on Thanksgiving and not just retail, but I agreed that the black Friday thing was getting out of hand-it is, but so what? Why does it bother anyone?

Later that day several people had posted on his wall disagreeing with him, but I got it. He took it upon himself to delete me and then send me a nasty email message telling me that I was trying to sound smart AND that it's only because I have no family that I didn't mind working on Thanksgiving-which I am not this year-usually I do, but not because I have no family because I work in the film industry and a lot of the time we are on deadlines-I love my job, so it doesn't bother me. As well in high school I worked in a movie theater, then I worked at restaurants so it's not a big deal. That said, it is beyond shitty to remind someone that their parents are gone, especially when that person is still grieving.

I honestly think that Facebook is a great place to network, but for some people it's just a place to rant and complain about everything thing instead of being happy.

Happy Thanksgiving to this douchebag and maybe instead of bitching and moaning this year he will actually spend time being thankful for something-but I doubt it, it isn't his style.

Sick of Politics and. . .

2011-11-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

I am so over politics! I can honestly say that the more the democrats push their hatred for the Republicans-who let's face it have gone completely stark raving mad this past year-down my throats the more I want to move to Canada. I am so sick of all of it. Really done.

I am sick of people saying how much they hate America-no one is forcing you to stay. America is pretty damn great even if we are having some problems.

We are encouraged to follow our dreams-from birth-for the most part we are.
We are taught to be confident and outgoing.
We are raised believing that we can achieve anything.
We have more opportunities than most places.

Yes we have debt, yes we have issues-but it's still a great place to live and be a part of.

I am so sick to death of people from other countries coming here and then bitching all the live long day about our president, about past presidents-seriously go home or be thankful.

Just saying, it is getting on my last nerve people.

GOOGLE Before You Rant

2011-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

I have to bitch and moan a little bit because lately somethings have been really bugging me on Facebook.
First of all it's a social network not a place to whine and complain all the live long day about politics. Enough already-enough! Seriously why don't these people start a blog? You wouldn't walk into work or into a mall and start spewing your political rants? Or would you? I don't get it and am getting really sick of people's closed minded political agendas all the live long day when I go onto my FB page. Seriously!
And on that note, this Occupy movement? Really? I am as left as they come, but honestly this is not well organized. I went to two of these rallies and more than half the people there didn't even know why they were there. You people want to shut down B0fA? Really and render some 300,000 people out of work? How is that making anything better? It isn't. I am all for freedom of speech, but get a clue before you hold a sign about closing down anything that is giving Americans jobs in this economy. It's just plain silly to me.
As well, we all know the Republicans hate the Democrats and the reverse-we get it. No need to rant every single day on your page or if you must-which clearly you do-do your research. GW-was NOT the reason Sept 11th happened. Obama is not the reason we are in debt. Quit blaming everyone and do your research.
I think FB has helped in the dumbing down of the world. People see something on someone's page and agree without doing any reading on the subject. I had a friend a couple years ago going on and on about socialism and how we would lose all our rights and be controlled-basically she was describing Communism and when I called her on it, she said, "well you know, Fascism, Communism and Socialism are all the same." SERIOUSLY? UGH....as well I have another friend always going on and on about he is a Capitalist and yet he wants everyone in America to have the same income range and have gov. help on stuff-hello? That is Socialism.
I am not saying I have all the answers here-but if I choose to rant-I at least, at the very least, go to this great new invention called GOOGLE.

I'm Just Sayin'

Sad Mac

2011-10-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs passed away today, and the world mourns.

I am usually not one to be sad for someone I never met, and don't know personally, but today I am writing this with a heavy heart as I believe Mr. Jobs to be one of the most amazing people on the planet.

Like so many others he has changed my life in so many ways that it would simple take too long to list them here. My first computer was a Mac, that my mom-an avid Mac lover-bought me in 2000 for Christmas and my home coming from a year in Australia. That said, me owning a Mac doesn't even matter, what matters was his vision and his genius that changed the world.

It really doesn't matter if you are a Mac person or a PC, Steve Jobs forever changed the world for all of us and future generations to come. He did it with class, dignity, grace and honor. Many people have no idea what that really means, and most of us will never change the world.

Having a global impact is more than anyone could possibly imagine and yet this man did just that. Many of us don't even know how he has touched our lives and a world without Steve Jobs is a sad place.

I have a lot of friends who worked for him and or with him at some point, and I can't say that I was ever that lucky, but his tenacity and passion for what he did inspired so many of us whether we knew him or not.

And now I'll share some of his most famous quotes and ones that keep me going when things were dark.

‎"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me." ~

"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." ~

"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea."~

"These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I'm not downplaying that. But it's a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light -- that it's going to change everything. Things don't have to change the world to be important." ~

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” ~

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” ~

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

David Letterman Top Ten/Amanda Knox

2011-10-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Late Show Top Ten

Monday, October 3, 2011
Top Ten Thoughts That Went Through Amanda Knox's Mind When The Verdict Was Read

10."Mama mia, that's a spicy verdict"

9."If there's time, I'd still like to see the Coliseum"

8."Can I keep my Versace prison jumpsuit?"

7."Four years in an Italian prison, this is the last time I book through Priceline"

6."Who's Justin Bieber?"

5."I want to go hiking in Iran"

4."I can't believe I've gone four years without a Pop Tart"

3."Does time-served in Italian jail count towards my degree?"

2."I wonder how Conan is doing on 'The Tonight Show'"

1."If Michele O'Bachmann beomes President, I'm moving back to Italy"

Amanda Knox, My Thoughts

2011-10-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

When I was working late in 2007 and heard the news about a British student murdered in Italy, I couldn't watch it, because it was so graphic and horrifying that it scared me too much, but then in the daylight hours I became intrigued. My interest faded quickly as my own life was in a constant state of chaos with the WGA strike and work uncertain. I soon forgot all about Amanda Knox and Meredith Kercher.

For the past four years I have heard stories about it and until last week, I was 100% convinced that Amanda had some part in the killing of her roommate.

My conclusions were based on this:
The way she reacted after, the fact that she lied so many times, the way she reacted, and the media, and the way she reacted...my dad always said, believe NONE of what you hear and HALF of what you see.

I believed what was said about her and I know better so for that I am ashamed.

First off all, who can say how someone is going to react when they find their roommate dead? Especially after a night of "smoking out" with a new boyfriend. Pot is a weird drug and everyone is different on it, and the fact that she was stoned could definitely play on the way she handled that first 24-30 hours.

There is no rule saying she had to act a certain way.
As well shock hits people in different ways.

Also when I was in Italy, I couldn't order a coffee or dessert without saying something completely different-she was interrogated in Italian-not English. That means something.

I condemned her because I heard she had acted a certain way that I thought was crazy.
Then the media painted her in a certain way and I bought it, which I believe now was wrong.

The science is the science and there is no way she could have removed just her DNA. Come on people.

I am not sure if she is innocent or not. I hope she is, and I believe now that she did not kill Meredith. Maybe she was involved, maybe she wasn't-that said I would rather see a guilty person go free than an innocent one suffer in jail.

My own brother was murdered, so trust me, I know how the Kercher family feels in some ways, but putting Amanda away, guilty or not will not bring Meredith back. It is beyond tragic what happened and I think the world's attention was caught because it could happen to anyone, or anyone's kids.

Today in Seattle-where I am living for another week-the city welcomed a visibly worn out Amanda home. There were signs all over the city for her and it was nice to see a community coming together in support of this young girl.

I hope that she finds some peace and I hope that if she does get a huge payout to interview or whatever, that she will lend a hand in finding the real killer-unless he is already in jail.

To Amanda Knox, I raise my glass to you and welcome you back-and I really hope all the families involved can find peace at the end of four long years.

Well Excuse Me!

2011-09-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

I took a day job at Trader Joe's-which I love-because it is fun and I have met some great people.
(I am leaving in just over a week for a dream job and return to SoCal from my summer in Seattle-but that's another story)

So I am there today and it's packed-the Huskies are playing, it's the first cold(ish) day in 78 days, so people are shopping.

A lady in my line had more groceries than I have seen anyone buy, ever. It was insane. I calmly, yet quickly rang them up and bagged them. The woman behind her was getting really pissy in line and I could hear her making noises under her breath. After maybe 6 or 7 minutes it was her turn.
I could tell she was already upset so I apologized, "Sorry that took so long, she had a lot of stuff" which was met with, "Fine, but I am in a hurry!".

"Well excuuuuuuuuuse me!" Ala Steve Martin back in the '70's was what I was thinking, but I smiled and said nothing.

I also wanted to say, "well if you were truly in a hurry would you be in a contest with your woman who just left to have the most groceries possible-as if Mt. Rainer was blowing up, or WW3 was breaking out?" But I just smiled and worked as fast as I could.

After I rang her up in record time, she looked at me and said, "If you weren't so stupid you wouldn't be working at Trader Joe's, could you have taken any longer for Christ's sake?"

I looked at this obnoxious woman and smiled and said, "I am so sorry."
She snarled at me, "Well you should be, I have important things to do today, not stand in some line all day with someone like you ringing me up."
I corrected her, "No I am sorry that you are in such a bad mood, I really hope that everything in your life is okay because you seem really upset."

The look on her face was priceless--------in my head this is what was happening.

Persian Cucumbers $2.29
Almond milk $1.49
Cookies $3.29
The look on snobby Seattle Socialite after putting her in her place-Priceless

She stormed off in a huff ala Miss Piggy and the couple behind her just started laughing and one of my co-workers told me that I was a very good cashier because of the way I handled it.

I have to admit, it was quite funny, so I had to share this with you all and add this tip, if you are in a hurry, don't go to ANY grocery store midday on a weekend with a FULL cart.

Just sayin'

Ryan Murphy is My New Hero!

2011-08-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

RYAN MURPHY IS MY NEW HERO!

OMG! So if you haven't watched the Glee Project this season I will just say that you missed out on real life fairy tales for some amazing kids.

Ryan Murphy is one of the creators of Glee-the amazing show on Fox about geeky, now Gleeky, kids in high school standing up for themselves and being who they really are in the face of adversity and slushies!

If you don't watch it, then you are missing out.

Anyone who knows me knows that it takes a lot to make me cry, I'm just not that girl, but Glee constantly brings me to tears-CONSTANTLY.

The very first episode when those kids sang Don't Stop Believing I was bawling like a baby.

I never had the courage to be myself and being popular was everything to me. I was too embarrassed to be who I wanted to be and I did everything not to be a geek, including dropping out of band and drama-my two favorite things in the world.
I was NEVER strong enough to stand up for myself and being liked was everything, which is beyond stupid, but high school is hard.

So when Glee aired a couple years ago it hit me on a personal level because I wish I had had the courage that these characters do on the show. I have so many close friends now who tell me that they weren't popular in school and they were loners, and or they didn't have many friends, and I know it's because most of my friends are artists like I am. I didn't have the guts that my friends did and I do regret it, but regret is stupid-I can't change how I acted, it is what it is.

Many of you know that I had another blog for a little over a year called, RYAN MURPHY HIRE ME because the rumor around town-Hollywood-was that he was going to bring on a couple writers. I did submit and my then agent did make sure my stuff got there. I wanted to write for Glee because it's personal to me. I know that I can write to that show because of my life in the industry, my life as the popular girl who turned her back on everything she believed in to be that way and because I am the girl who never really fit in anywhere. Well it didn't happen and okay, so I moved on.

I believe that Glee is so good because Ryan has finally hit the "truth", his truth and his pain, hurt and life story are all wrapped up in Glee. It's real. I have seen him at many panels and when asked about why he writes the Kurt stuff the way he does he always says, "that's how I wished it would have been for me." AH! Right in the heart and you can see it in his eyes. For me this is so apparent in the show.

Enter the Glee Project-a talent competition looking for someone to guest for 7 episodes season 3.

This summer I was so inspired and started writing an episode for Damian McGinty because I knew he was right for the show and if Ryan didn't see what I saw I was going to do whatever it took to get that script to him because as arrogant as that sounds it isn't. It was so clear in my head-the story-and I didn't have a choice-I was compelled to write! AND yay!! Damian is one of the main winners.

Which brings me to why I am writing this blog and not my novel-Ryan did thee most amazing thing tonight. There were 4 finalists. Damian, Sam, Alex and Lindsay. The winners were Damian and Sam and then he offered Alex and Lindsay smaller parts-2 episodes each-on Glee. All four of them won!

It's beyond gracious that Ryan did that for these kids. He truly changed the lives of 4 people and he doesn't even know it, but I am sure he has affected many with this amazing thing, I know I am inspired and feeling better about the world tonight.

If you haven't watched Glee or the Glee Project-now is the time to start.

Buy A Leaf-Kill A Polar Bear

2011-04-22T16:00:00.001-07:00

While I have always said that electric cars are beyond moronic, especially when we don't even have enough power to keep the electricity going during a hot day.
If the fact that the car should only be driven at 38 mph which means, no freeway, and it costs a lot more than even the Prius...never mind a practical car like a Focus.....the car needs to be recharged every 50 miles or so.

AND if turning off one light a day will save polar bears, how about plugging in a car??? WTF? Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous!!

Honestly, SOLAR powered cars would be smart, anything else doesn't solve the problem, it just switches it.

Ironic is the commercial with the polar bear hugging the guy driving it, when they will actually kill more polar bears.

It just goes to show that if something is marketed right, it will sell, even if it isn't helping anything.

UGH..
I totally agree with what this guys said, his blog:
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2011/03/another-reason-not-to-buy-nissan-leaf.html

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Another reason not to buy a Nissan Leaf: Resale value zip because batteries die within 6-8 years

If the unpredictable limited range, lack of charging stations, and painfully long (minimum 8 hours) recharging time wasn't enough to convince you not to buy the all-electric Nissan Leaf, the Wall Street Journal reveals today another blow that resale values will be hard to come by since the $20,000 battery pack dies within 6-8 years.

Pull the Plug on Electric Car Subsides [paywalled]

Consumer Reports doesn't have good early reviews for Chevrolet's flagship entry into electric vehicles. A top editor from the publication said the Chevy Volt, which has both a plug-in battery and a gasoline engine "isn't particularly efficient as an electric vehicle and it's not particularly good as a gas vehicle either in terms of fuel economy." He concluded that it just "doesn't make an awful lot of sense."

He's right when you consider the cost and performance of PEVs, starting with the batteries, which require major breakthroughs before they will be ready for prime time. A battery for a small vehicle like the Nissan Leaf can cost about $20,000 and still only put out a range of 80 miles on a good day (range is affected by hot and cold weather) before requiring a recharge that takes eight to 10 hours. Even then, those batteries may only last six to eight years, leaving consumers with a vehicle that has little resale value.

Home installation of a recharging unit costs between $900 and $2,100. And don't forget workplace and retail recharging stations, which will be necessary.

Slick TV ads boast PEVs' supposed environmental benefits, but what they don't tell you is that a substantial increase in the numbers of them on the road will require upgrading the nation's electricity infrastructure. Since half of all U.S. electricity is generated by coal, which produces greenhouse emissions, PEVs may not be any better than hybrid electric vehicles that do not need to be plugged in. Meanwhile, new technology for gasoline-powered vehicles has substantially increased miles per gallon, to as much as 35-50 mpg for several smaller vehicles.

If you're looking for a car that makes good economic sense in these tough times, PEVs simply don't make the grade. Unless crude oil prices rise close to $300 per barrel and battery costs fall by 75%, a PEV is more expensive than a gasoline-powered vehicle.

Interview With Me! Animation Insider

2011-04-21T19:31:00.001-07:00

http://www.animationinsider.com/2011/04/stephanie-olivieri/

Stephanie Olivieri Assistant animator/clean up artist-traditional, 2D, paper and pencil and storyboards (boarding, clean-up & revisions)

What is your name and your current occupation?

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked as a waitress and an actress before animation, so nothing too crazy.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Hard to say, honestly I love everything I have worked on for different reasons. Feature films are fun because of how long you are with the characters and crew, commercials and shorts are fun because of the crazy hours and cartoony characters. How did you become interested in animation? I went to an audition for a Disney film and was doodling on my call sheet, and they brought it up.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from all over really, but came out to Los Angeles for acting. Disney got me into the business by offering me an internship after the audition in above question. I turned that down because I was still acting. A couple years later I was depressed about how hard making a living as an actress was, so I went to see Lion King and a friend brought up the offer and why wasn’t I doing that. I went to the classes at the animation guild for a year and luckily was offered a job after that.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
It really depends on the project, but right now I am working freelance, so I get up early, 6 or 7, and draw until 8-midnight depending on how demanding the schedule it. I also will go to meetings and drop off and pick up work. And yes occasionally get a hike, or run in mid day and then continue working late at night.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I love that I get to draw for a living and the why is because I love to draw.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
That work is not consistent and you never know where your next job will come from, how much it will pay, or how long it will last.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Finding and keeping steady work.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
None really. I draw with paper and pencil, sometimes I scan in scenes, but that’s about it.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Yes of course because I have worked at all the major studios and all over the world.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Being out of work when animation crashed in 2001- that was the hardest time in my life professionally because the career I had was gone in an instant, or it felt that way. I had a mountain of debt and had to file bankruptcy, it was humiliating and demoralizing.

Any side projects you’re working on you’d like to share details of?
I am also a writer, so I have a lot of TV shows and novels that I work on.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Stay true to what you love about animation, but try to be current with software and programs. Flash and ToonBoom are the two that I would definitely learn if you want to work in 2D. Then of course for 3D there are so many depending on what you want to do whether special FX, gaming, films, etc. Also work hard and if you can focus on one main area. Be nice to everyone and don’t ever stab anyone in the back, not even to get a job. This industry is small and everyone knows everyone. Also remember not to compare yourself to others. We as artists are all different and there is no reason to try to be someone else, and worry about what someone else is doing. There will always be someone better and someone worse than you are. Lastly, draw, draw, draw all the time and study films, books, etc.

Quit Your Bragging-it's Annoying

2011-04-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Do you know someone in Hollywood that knows someone who knows someone who's related to someone who went to school with a guy who sat next to a guy who knows...such and such A lister?

Seriously as if this isn't annoying enough~what about those people-you know who you are-that constantly brag about celebrities that they either have seen or "spent time with"? UGH...For those of us that live in Los Angeles and work in the film industry this happens all the time. It's part of the business.

AND if you are bragging about knowing someone that no one has ever heard of, better to keep it to yourself.

I mean what other industry does this? Do you ever hear of Josephine Office Girl in the midwest bragging about how she spent time with her CEO or client in the lift?

Come off it.

One guy I know is such a poser that he will go to a trendy and well known celebrity hotspot and then send out emails claiming he had dinner "with", Al Pacino, Bieber, and Steven Spieldberg all at the same table-complete LIES!

So for those of you that see Leonardo driving on Sunset in his Prius, it's okay to say, "I just say Leo" but it is not okay to say, "I spent the afternoon driving around Sunset with Leonardo" when you were actually chasing him.

Tis St. Patrick's Day After All

2011-03-11T17:23:00.000-08:00

More Fun Ways To Keep Your Tree Up!

2011-02-25T09:36:00.001-08:00

I love having a tree up!!

So we still wanted the tree up and couldn't think of what to do for Feb. Valentine's Day is a kinda yucky-even for the most romantic types and president's day? Really? A tree full of presidents? Then came Feb 2nd and it came to me!

GROUNDHOG DAY!!

This is an official Phil right from PA. He looks cute, doesn't he? Early spring so we made sure there was no shadow!
The roommate turned 30 in Jan, so that was an easy one!
A birthday tree!~ I actually really love this idea as well. The tree looked awesome and festive!
Oh yeah and just Christmas-sorry didn't get a good photo of this but everyone knows what a Christmas tree looks like. This year we went simple with just white and silver balls and white lights. The tree had class and elegance!
St Patrick's Day is soon, and I will be posting photos!!

Oscar Nominations are Here!!!

2011-01-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yay! It's Oscar season again! So thrilled that 'True Grit' got 10 nominations including best picture-which in my opinion it deserves. Not sure what was wrong wit the HFPA that they ignored it completely, but am so happy today that it is getting the recognition it deserves. Yes the Coen Brothers seem to always have films up, but they are brilliant.

I am still confused about Black Swan-but to each his own, I just wasn't a fan. I know all over Twitter today people are outraged by Chris Nolan getting snubbed, but I don't know. I think Inception was great, but not best picture great. That's just me. The Social Network was a great film, even if not entirely true to Zuck's real life to multi-billionaire status-it is a solid film.

My prediction is that Social Network and True Grit will dominate-but it is anyone's game at this point!

Here is the complete list. Oscar Nominations 2011

Best Picture
'Black Swan'
'The Fighter'
'Inception'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'The Kings Speech'
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'
'Toy Story 3'
'True Grit'
'Winters Bone'

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, 'Black Swan'
David O. Russell, 'The Fighter'
Tom Hooper, 'The King's Speech'
David Fincher, 'The Social Network'
Joel and Ethan Coen, 'True Grit'

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, 'Biutiful'
Jeff Bridges, 'True Grit'
Jesse Eisenberg, 'The Social Network'
Colin Firth, 'The King's Speech'
James Franco, '127 Hours'

Best Actress
Annette Bening, 'The Kids Are All Right'
Nicole Kidman, 'Rabbit Hole'
Jennifer Lawrence, 'Winter's Bone'
Natalie Portman, 'Black Swan'
Michelle Williams, 'Blue Valentine'

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, 'The Fighter'
John Hawkes, 'Winter's Bone'
Jeremy Renner, 'The Town'
Mark Ruffalo, 'The Kids Are All Right'
Geoffrey Rush, 'The King's Speech'

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, 'The Fighter'
Helena Bonham Carter, 'The King's Speech'
Melissa Leo, 'The Fighter'
Hailee Steinfeld, 'True Grit'
Jacki Weaver, 'Animal Kingdom'

Best Animated Feature Film
'How to Train Your Dragon'
'Illusionist'
'Toy Story 3'

Best Foreign Film
Mexico - 'Biutiful'
Greece - 'Dogtooth'
Denmark - 'In a Better World'
Canada - 'Incendies'
Algeria - 'Outside the law'

Best Original Screenplay
'Another Year'
'The Fighter'
'Inception'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'The King's Speech'

Best Adapted Screenplay
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'
'Toy Story 3'
'True Grit'
'Winter's Bone'

Best Art Direction
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I'
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'True Grit'
Best Costume Design
'Alice in Wonderland'
'I Am Love'
'The King's Speech'
'The Tempest'
'True Grit'

Best Original Song
'Coming Home' - 'Country Strong'
'I See the Light' - 'Tangled'
'If I Rise' - '127 Hours'
'We Belong Together' - 'Toy Story 3'

Best Original Score
'How to Train Your Dragon' John Powell
'Inception' Hans Zimmer
'The King's Speech' Alexandre Desplat
'127 Hours' A.R. Rahman
'The Social Network' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Documentary
'Exit Through the Gift Shop'
'Gasland'
'Inside Job'
'Restrepo'
'Waste Land'

Best Film Editing
'Black Swan'
'The Fighter'
'The Kings Speech'
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'

Best Makeup
'Barney's Version'
'The Way Back'
'The Wolfman'

Best Sound Editing
'Inception'
'Toy Story 3'
'TRON: Legacy'
'True Grit'
'Unstoppable'

Best Sound Mixing
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'Salt'
'The Social Network'
'True Grit'

Best Visual Effects
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'
'Hereafter'
'Inception'
'Iron Man 2'

Best Documentary (Short Subject)
'Killing in the Name'
'Poster Girl'
'Strangers No More'
'Sun Comes Up'
'The Warriors of Qiugang'

Best Visual Short Film (Animated)
'Day & Night'
'The Gruffalo'
'Let's Pollute'
'The Lost Thing'
'Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)'

Best Short Film (Live Action)
'The Confession'
'The Crush'
'God of Love'
'Na Wewe'
'Wish 143'

Sports Zeros, Not Heroes!

2011-01-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

Ben Roethlisberger is a douchebag quaterback for the Steelers-like so many sports 'heroes' has been accused of sexual misconduct~I hate him, but have liked the Steelers as a franchise since I was a kid-now I don't know what to do? Cheer on the Packers? No way.

Thing is I can't ever cheer on the Eagles because of Michael Vick, so I guess cheering on the Steelers is equally as bad. I'll be honest that until my brother-in-law made a joke on FB tonight about Cutler being hated more than 'Big Ben' & Vick, I really didn't know how bad he was. I knew he had once charge against him, but not several? WTF?

I don't like many other teams, including the Lakers, (because of Kobe) because they seem to reward their players for rape and assault.

So now I guess I will do something else on Super Bowl Sunday, because I can't cheer on a rapist or a Packer.

Why Is There A Spider On My Head?

2011-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

Is not just the title of my new & fabulous 'how not to' book about breaking and staying in the entertainment industry it is a reality that just happened to me.

I am sitting at my desk working on a query to a new book agent for my new YA book ~ when I feel my bangs falling into my eyes. I brush them back. It happens again. I brush them back. It happens again. Until finally I feel the touch of a leg on my face and when I reach back there is hairy spider sitting on the side of my head just hanging out messing with my bangs!

I quickly jump off my seat, slamming into the desk, knocking over my water sending the mobile phone flying and waking up the dog as shrieks of fear escape my mouth and the spider, as if to say, "F you" lands gently onto the key board part of the desk and then casually hops onto the floor before I put him out of his misery quickly.

Oh My God!! My heart is racing!

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

2011-01-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

Okay now how can anyone not be aware of this?

A picture's worth a thousand words -- especially for cyberstalkers. Social networking and smartphones go hand in hand for the web savvy. But few people realize they may be giving away more than they plan to when they post even the most innocuous photos from their Blackberry phones or Apple iPhones. Most smartphones encode a GPS stamp called a geotag into digital photos they capture, a tag that reveals the exact location a photo was taken by embedding longitude and latitude coordinates. Share that picture on Twitter or Facebook and anyone can instantly discern where you are, warned Ben Jackson, a security analyst and co-founder of the website ICanStalkU.com.

Thing is folks, like Facebook's places-which is a great idea if the network in question was just on a college campus, you are telling everyone exactly where you are!

It is dangerous to say the least. As well people.. putting your place of birth, you exact birthday, your address and phone number on FB is also quite risky.

Why even have your birthday on there? Do you really "happy birthday" from 1400 people you don't know? I used to have mine on my Myspace and FB, but to be fair, never the real one.

I read this about paragraph today and just wondered-wow! People really are that stupid.

Can I ask also, why use your phone for FB? What could possibly be that important that you must log into FB?

I see people do it all the time. Work disables the ability to log on, so you pull our your trusty phone and there you go. Really? Why you are at work you can't miss a few hours of FB?

I admit, I love Facebook, I am on all the time, but from home, not from my phone or when I am working in the studio.

Just sayin' this obsession everyone is getting is risky!

Evian Roller Babies ~ WHY???

2011-01-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

Can someone explain this to me like I am a two year old-WHY? WHY? I don't understand why people make these commercials-disturbing at best! Honestly I can't stand these types of commercials that use babies doing adult things. It is so wrong and completely NOT funny, and yet they keep getting made. Something is seriously wrong with the world.

I'm just sayin'

What We Say Means Something ~ Sarah Palin

2011-01-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so recently I have noticed that a lot more people than 'follow' me read my blog(s), and a lot more people than comment read what I say on Facebook and Twitter. Which can be a great thing or a bad thing. For example last year I went on a rant defending staying with my big bank(s) because of the country club exclusiveness of credit unions-I got actual death threats from left winged nut jobs who actually are living life like fat rich righties and don't ever have to worry about money-but that is a horse of another color and another blog. The point is, people read what I say.

Now the reason I bring this up is this. I am no one really. I am an animation artist and writer who lives a small but meaningful life. I am not in the public eye and I am not someone that thousands or hundreds of people follow. Many people in the world don't know who I am, and yet I am smart enough to be aware of the fact that what I say gets read and it makes an impression.

Do you know what I am going? If you have been reading me for a while I am sure you have figured it out.

Millions of people-people who I question their ability to see reason, intelligence and logic, but people none-the-less-follow Sarah Palin.

She says a lot of stupid, hateful, ignorant things and that is fine, she is just continuing to prove what a complete imbecile she really is. Why anyone in their right mind likes her is beyond me, but I digress.

The reason I bring this up is not to blame her for what happened in Tucson. It is not her fault, and yes lefties, get over it. You can not make her the villain for everything that happens, unless Jared Lee Loughner was in a helicopter with a long range rifle aiming at wolves and accidentally shot congresswoman Giffords by mistake you really can blame Sarah Plain 100%.

To be perfectly clear, I am more left than right, and I really find zero redeeming qualities about this woman, but I am fair and reasonable.

Okay so here lies the problem in my opinion. That moron-yes Sarah Palin-fails to even acknowledge that what she was saying was both dangerous and hateful. She put out a video the other day again blaming others for her mistakes. I don't understand what goes on in her brain that she can't even say, "shit, maybe I shouldn't have put those cross hairs over people and sent it out to the public. I am sorry, I never meant for this to happen." I mean really? She is like a cartoon character out of a great film making fun of politicians. In her mind she is perfect and that my friends is beyond dangerous.

Have you posted a status update on FB and then had people totally misunderstand what you meant and even get in arguments about it? Of course you have, we all have. What happens is that usually you will take down the status, or explain what you meant and sometimes apologize and you probably only have the attention of 10- 20 of your friends. Sarah has the whole world on her and yet she continues to say things like "reload". While I blame Jared for his actions 100% it really pisses me off that this twit of a woman won't even admit for a second that things she said may be swaying people into twisted acts of violence.

She has proven to me, AGAIN, that she is a closed minded twat of a human being and I really hope that these right winged folks that like her finally start seeing who or what you are dealing with.

Do I think she is the devil? No because she isn't smart enough to be evil.

I am just sad that anyone in this country not only likes her but wants to have her in charge. What's going to happen when she makes a public statement about taking out No. Korea and they nuke us and then what's left of the world blames her and she says that it is left winged rhetoric and has no place in the tragedy that is WW3? Yes I am exaggerating to make a point, but the point is right.

Someone please teach that stupid cow some grace, humility, understanding and to keep that big pie hole of hers shut!

I'm just sayin'!

"But I Don't Even Have My Phone With Me Officer."

2011-01-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

This morning I got up and made my coffee-to my surprise I had no more creamer so I decided to walk over to Vons and get some. I grabbed my wallet and keys and was out the door in a flash. I left my mobile phone because this would 'only take a minute'.

Little did I know. . .

When I arrived at Vons the electricity was out-"arrgh!"

My coffee was already made and sitting on the Keurig waiting for me. I thought seriously about having it black, but I can't stand black coffee-addict or not.

At this point, as I walked back to my apartment, I thought about running up the 3 flights of stairs to grab my phone before driving to Pavillions, but then convinced myself in about 2 seconds, that I can live without my phone. Even if there was an emergency of some sort, it was still close enough to make it home.

I get in my car, turn on the music and start singing along as I pull out on my way to secure creamer so I can have my coffee. I am about 1/2 block from my apartment and make a left hand turn onto the street where the Pavillions-and my salvation in the creamer is waiting-is, and a cop is there. He takes one look at me, makes and illegal U-turn to pull me over.

I see him immediately but since I didn't do anything wrong, I figure he can't be after me, but I still pull to the right to give him the right of way for his pursuit. Well to my surprise, he is after me.

CUT TO:
"License and registration ma'am." (ugh I hate being called ma'am-not relevant, I just hate it). I asked him what I did, going over in my head on whether I had my turn signal on, or went through a red light-because let's be honest I had not had my morning coffee yet.
He says, "You were talking on your phone." I start laughing and he does not look happy.

I explain, "But I don't even have my phone with me officer."

He repeats that he saw me talking on the phone and please give him my license and registration-so because I have two scenes to finish and don't want to end up in jail, I hand over the documents but tell him again, "I swear it isn't even with me. I made coffee and then had no creamer and walked to Vons and their electric was out, so I got into my car to drive to Pavillions so I can have my coffee, my phone is at home."

He just stares at me, clearly not amused with my babbling.

I offer to let him search the car and start getting out and he stands back, almost about to draw his gun-and commands, "Ma'am don't step out of the vehicle."

I sit back down and say to him. "Please search my car, there is no phone in here I can assure you."
He walks around to the other side of the car, has me open the door and then step out so he can perform a search. He does, he searches the front, the glove-box, behind the seats, and under the seats-no phone found. He looks at me dumbfounded.

I offer to give him my number so he can call me and it'll prove the phone is not with me because he won't hear it ring and then he can even hear my voice on the voicemail.

Then he asks me to open the hatchback and that is when I start laughing again.

"Officer, I am not trying to disrespect you, but really? Since you say you saw me on the phone and pulled me over in less than a minute, when would I have had the time to stop, open the hatchback and put the phone in there? And if the phone was in the hatchback, then there would be no possible way for me to have been talking on it, in which case this whole thing is not valid."

All of a sudden like someone turned the light on in his brain, he gets a look of understanding and says. "I am sorry ma'am, I thought you were on your phone. I really did. It is clear that I was wrong, it is not here."

He handed me back my documents, and apologized a couple more times. I wanted to make a joke about maybe he needed his morning coffee too, but kept my comments to myself.

Then I got to Pavillions and it was like 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" with me in there. I got the creamer and then saw the ....which led me to want .... but that is a horse of another color and a story for another day.

Just sayin' I think God, or the universe does these kinds of things to writers so they have something to write about, because seriously, this would only happen to me, and now Ellie-the character in my new sitcom. "Ellie From Chicago"

Today in Tucson TV Drama Became Reality

2011-01-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last year Grey's Anatomy ended with a bang, literally with the show surrounding a man who's desperate plea for answers in the loss of a loved one went unanswered and he snapped. He walked into the hospital planning on killing Dr. Shepard and then himself. Unfortunately, he killed several others and caused fear to run deep into the hearts of the survivors.

This Thursday, a similar storyline ran. This was about a man who went into a campus and starting shooting. Many went into surgery and the doctors of Seattle Grace were forced to relive the worst day of their lives. One of the smaller storylines woven in was the mother of the shooter. The shooter was in surgery for hours and hours. Some of the doctors and nurses refused to help him while Christina Yang came back to herself and worked with another surgeon to save him. His mother was in the waiting room and no one would tell her how he was doing until finally she had a small berakdown and talked about how she had no idea he was like this. Dr. Avery, who has previously walked out in the middle of the surgery heard what she was saying and he stepped up and talked to her about her son.

Well today in Tucson TV drama became reality as a man identified as Jared Lee Loughner opened fired on a crowd killing 6 people, in the attempt to kill AZ Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The story is still breaking and the news of the tragedy is spreading like wildfire. It is indeed a horrific act this young man committed. I hope that people understand that he was sick, you can You Tube him, and feel for his family as well. They are also victims.

This is a horrible story with 5 people still in critical condition. What makes someone snap and do something like that? There have been so many stories like this and it is just terrifying, tragic and beyond sad.

I went to high school and college in Tucson and that shopping plaza is in a nice, safe area of town. Anyone from my family to close friends could have been caught in the crossfire. It makes me really sad and ashamed of yet another thing making Arizona look terrible.

Here is the latest from the Washington Post:

By Shailagh Murray, David Fahrenthold and Clarence Williams

Saturday, January 8, 2011; 4:44 PM

Tucson - Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot and critically wounded Saturday morning while hosting an event outside a Tucson grocery store, according to local news reports. Doctors said she survived the attack, but six others did not.

Federal law enforcement sources said that John M. Roll, the senior U.S. District judge in Arizona, was shot and killed in the incident. The Pima County Sheriff's office said that five others including a nine-year-old child had died, and a total of 18 people were injured.

A 22-year old man was taken into custody after being tackled by people on the scene after the shooting. One pistol was recovered and it had what police described as "an extended clip."

The man was identified as Jared Loughner of Tucson, according to the Associated Press.

Giffords, who in November narrowly won reelection to a third term, was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" event when a gunman ran up and began shooting her and others in her entourage with a Glock handgun, according to law enforcement sources.

Eyewitness Steven Rayle, a Tucson doctor, said he saw a young man wearing sneakers and what appeared to be navy blue sweats approach Gifford with a semi-automatic handgun raised. The man shot Giffords once in the face, he said.

After Giffords fell, he said, a number of people near Giffords sought to flee but were trapped--hemmed in by the table and a concrete post. The gunman fired into the crowd, he said.

"It was so close, and sort of a tight thing, there was nowhere easy to run," Rayle said. "So most of the crowd got it, you know."

"People that were there were just sitting ducks," Rayle said. "I don't think he was even aiming. He was just firing at whatever."

After a few seconds, Rayle said, the man stopped shooting and tried to flee.

Earlier in the afternoon, CNN and NPR reported that she had died.

"We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society," Obama said. "I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers."

You can read the full story here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/08/AR2011010802422.html?hpid=topnews

"It's Facebook's Fault!"

2011-01-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

You know what I just don't understand people?

Why you are on Facebook and then bitch about it all the time? No one is forcing you to be on it but rather you choose to be there. You put all your personal information up there; where you went to school, where you grew up, how much you ate, what you ate, how big your shit was, who you are dating, photo after photo after photo after photo...(Please stop) and photos of your kids (Why? These are your children? Would you take out an add in the Chicago Trib/New York or LA Times with photos of your child? No of course not!! And they don't even get the readership FB gets) etc...and then you say that Zuckerberg is stealing your info? Newsflash Einstein, you are giving it to him and the rest of the world!

Yet you blame him and FB. One of my FB friends recently posted about FB ruining some relationship either she had or one of her friends had-I can't be sure which because the rant was so stupid, I couldn't be arsed to read all of it. The gist was that someone was spying on someone who was cheating, or flirting or something and so FB got the blame. I am sorry but WTF? If your boyfriend caught you cheating by opening the mail, would you blame the postman? Or if he saw you at a bar cheating at a bar, would it be the bar's fault? Nope, but of course it is FBs fault.

Here's an idea, don't snoop, don't cheat, and if you do, don't be stupid enough to post about it on FB.

Seems to me that the people of the world have become so "dumbed" down that they can't even take responsibility for their own actions and are always looking for someone to blame. "I was high, the dog did it, Facebook made me do it." Seriously, aren't you ashamed of yourself?

I also don't understand why everything said on FB is the truth. If you read it on FB it must be true. If someone posts anything about privacy settings, the whole FB community jumps on board to bitch and moan about how Zuck is screwing with everyone, instead of actually checking and being the commander of your own privacy.

Honestly people, don't you feel just a little stupid?

I'm just sayn'

Dear Starbucks-Epic Fail New Year's Day

2011-01-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

I couldn't come up with what happened to me today at my local Starbucks, maybe Larry David could, because this would really only happen to George or Elaine.

I went into Starbucks-with my Christmas gift card and a dollar for a tip. I ordered my New Year's Day treat, Caramel Macchiato and gave the tip to the cashier, who was more than thankful-seems most people with gift cards and credit cards forget to tip.

I am waiting there for the girl to make the drink, waiting waiting waiting-the place was empty. She was moving really slow-but that's okay, I'm a great mood and have no problems waiting. Finally another girl comes in and goes behind the counter and the two of them start gossiping about other employees and what they did the night before.

After about five or ten minutes of this the girl pulls my drink-that was already made and just sitting there on the espresso machine waiting like the ugly girl at the prom-and hands it to me. She doesn't look at me or make eye contact in any way because she is still chatting away to this other girl who has moved from gossip to her computer problems.

I look at the drink-that was over $5.00 by the way-and notice there is no caramel so I politely ask her for caramel. She yells at me "This is a hot drink-it is on the bottom." I say that is all well and good and holding back that if the drink hadn't been sitting there for over five minutes the caramel may not be on the bottom. I ask her to just put a little more on top.

She snorts at me and screams, "I have been doing this for eight years." Then pours an obscene amount of caramel into my drink-in fact it spills because it is now half full of caramel. Then she sets down the caramel in a huff and says "I have been doing this for eight years. Here you go!" I tell her that there is no need to be rude and or ruin the drink and once again she repeats that she has been there for eight years and then adds that is how it is made.

~So is the drink made with no caramel of half a bottle?~ Just sayin'?

I go back in line to talk to the nice cashier to ask him to refund me my money because this drink is undrinkable now and am waiting calmly while he is helping another customer-the barista sees me and starts yelling over the other customer and the cashier. "Do you have a problem? What do you need?" I say, "Nothing, thank you." She continues to yell while the cashier looks stunned. I tell her that I would rather not talk to her and will just talk to him when he is done.

The other girl comes out of the back room-where she had gone once finished with her computer story-and the barista starts calling me names and telling her that I am not happy with the caramel. Then the girl comes to me and says, "What's YOUR problem?" I ask if she is the manager and she looks back at the barista and laughs before saying yes. I explain what happened and how the barista started yelling at me saying she had been doing this for 8 years and she ruined the drink by pouring too much caramel into it." The "manager" tells me that she will make me a new one, but that is how they make it-and I'll have to pay for it.

I politely tell her thank you but that I will just get a new one somewhere else. I was walking out when the barista yells "Bitch!" after me. The cashier was mortified and so was I. I left without a refund or a drink-bad bad bad..but I am thinking-'well this was free anyhow because I am using a gift card, so what ever.'

I walked the block and a half to the other Starbucks-by Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake and ordered the drink, and had to apologize because I didn't have any cash for a tip. I explained what happened. They were so NICE. They apologized to me, and gave me the drink for free and gave me the number to their manager, the regional manager and told me the real manager's name at the one I was just at. I feel terrible that I couldn't tip them, but will definitely go back there instead.

Here is the thing. I get Starbucks a lot-well I used to when the economy was better-but I still go frequently. The drinks are always a gamble and usually I accept whatever they give me and drink it, but to pour half a container of caramel into someone's drink just to be spiteful is just plain wrong. It was disgusting. If I had some vanilla ice cream and nuts, I could have made a sundae out of it, but I didn't so having that much caramel was ridiculous.

There is no reason to treat someone like that. I don't care if you are upset that you are working on New Year's Day, or you have a hang over, or whatever your problem is.

I am very disappointed in the way I was treated at that branch and really hope that girl learns how to act because news flash Starbucks-what you are serving is a luxury and you can't afford to treat loyal costumers, like me, in that way.

Thankfully the other Starbucks and their amazing service canceled out the bad one.

My Sports Alliances May Seen Strange. . .

2010-12-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

But they aren't. Okay here goes, lemme see if I can explain this.

First of all, I generally hate basketball, but if I had to choose a team I would go with the Knicks because MSG is AWESOME, and any team playing the Lakers. I know I am living in L.A. but growing on on the east coast we were sort of trained from birth to hate them. I can't really love the Celtics because Larry Bird was on for so long and just too ugly to look at.
I had friends from college play on for the Spurs and the Suns, so I'll cheer them on, and who doesn't like the Bulls?

When March madness rolls around. I have to cheer on my old alma mater -the AZ Wildcats! Bear down Arizona and any team playing ASU.

Now for football. I have to be honest and say that I was never a huge Jets or Giants fan. I have always HATED DallASS and I think that is because I grew up watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and fell in love with them when they were badass.

I have always loved them, but am not from Pittsburgh or anything. I did fly on a plane with the entire team when I was a kid, sat next to Mean Joe Green and Rocky Blier, even got some autographs and listened to them complain about Terry Bradshaw coming back too soon. My dad on the other day proudly said he loved the Cowboys-I am surprised we didn't get tossed off that plane.
I have also always loved the Bears
and the Redskins and the 49ers.

The most important sport of them all- BASEBALL

I used to be a huge Yankee fan but like that gorgeous popular guy in high school that you fell in love with-at some point I realized that they are a bunch of rich, spoiled, overrated players and I have no interest in them anymore. It was like I woke up one day and said, "I can't believe I was ever remotely interested in these guys."

I do love the Red Sox. I had written a novel a couple years back and it takes place in Boston and one of the main characters plays for the Red Sox, so I called them up and said, "I'm a Yankee fan and know nothing about your ball club, but am writing a novel and need some info." Well they sent me tons of stuff including the history of the Red Sox, a PR kit, a hat, a shirt and tickets and opened themselves up for any questions and then wrote me a personal thank you letter for including them in my novel-that was classy and that won me over.

I love the Chicago Cubs because Wrigley is the BEST baseball stadium by far.
I haven't been to all of them, but I have been to a lot and I love Wrigley the most. If I lived in Chicago I would have season tickets for sure. When I lived in Wisconsin I spent many a Sunday in Chicago at Wrigley. As well, Cubs fans are the most optimistic fans on the planet. Their team never gets anywhere and yet they still show up and stay the entire game-unlike Dodger-fair weather fans-that leave during the 7th inning stretch like clock-work. I can get behind a team and a group of optimists, the world needs more people like the Cubs and their fans. And in front of the field across from McDonald's there is a hot dog stand that makes the best hot dogs on the planet. New York may have the best pizza, but Chicago has the best dogs and where you can find them is at Wrigley!

So when you hear me cheering on the Sox and the Cubs and hating the Yankees, don't be confused. When I root against the Lakers, understand it- and in football-it's all just fun, unless it's DallASS then it's serious.

Things I Hate: Part Five

2010-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

People that drive 10 or more miles UNDER the speed limit on Mulholland-if you're afraid get off the road.

People who constantly put political stuff on FB-enough already

People who constantly put religious crap on FB-not everyone has your crazy belief system

Scientology

Smelly Oatmeal

& Sarah Palin

Things I Hate: Part Four

2010-12-23T00:08:00.001-08:00

People who drive even when they clearly have more important things to do like texting

People who take things too seriously-especially on FB, Twitter or any other social network

People who lie about stupid shit

Getting gum stuck on my shoe

&

Sarah Palin

Things I Hate: Part Three

2010-12-09T12:49:00.001-08:00

Feeling fat and bloated

When the scale says I have gained weight even though my clothes are getting bigger

Scales

Weight charts

Not having time to work out

Smelly farts

&

Sarah Palin

Things I Hate: Part Two

2010-12-08T23:19:00.001-08:00

When people that know I really hate hot weather continually suggest I move to places like Miami or Hawaii.

When people think that just because they like something that I should as well.

People that are always late.

That people generally don't listen.

When I tell people I like to eat healthy and am vegetarian and they want me to eat at a diner.

When people sing out loud in the movie theater-during the movie.

Smelly farts.

&

Sarah Palin

Things I Hate: Part One

2010-12-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

When people leave food in the sink for days! ~ It's disgusting!

When people can't help out cleaning their own stuff and then I am expected to do it in the middle of my work day.

When people say I don't have a real job because I am an artist.

When friends say they want to hang out with you, then drop you for their work colleagues at a bar.

Smelly farts

&

Sarah Palin

You Never Know What The Day Will Bring

2010-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up on a chilly Monday morning happy to be alive, healthy and ready to work on my new novel.

I had nothing else planned for the day except dropping off some work I had done over the weekend at the studio I am currently freelancing for-hoping for more work from them later this week- and that was it.

Little did I know when I logged into Facebook around lunchtime one of my favorite persons/people/friends would be in town and having lunch right down the street. I texted her and ended up having an impromptu/surprise visit with her! How awesome is that? I had no idea I was going to see her today, but I did.

Then later while walking home from the studio I ran into another friend who offered me a pumpkin cupcake and an afternoon chat :0)

What a great day!

I also got paid to write two articles-it isn't much, but it is always nice to get paid to write and I had no idea that was going to happen.

I haven't gotten much actual writing in for the novel-but I have worked out the rest of it and the ending! It is SOOOO GOOD! OMG I am so excited.

Oh ....and I was contacted about an acting job in Seattle-doesn't pay huge, but does pay. That is a horse of a-whole-nother color and I will totally write a blog about it, I am sure. I will be moving out of Los Angeles to act-but to be honest-that would be great! Acting, writing and living in Seattle. Not sure what will happen with it, but when I woke up today I hadn't heard back from the lady who contacted me last week-now I have-another contact and possible fun job.

I am writing this blog to all the Monday haters out there. I say every single day is an opportunity for something fun, someone to come into your life, to hang out with friends, a new job, a new adventure and Mondays are the best because they kick start the rest of the week!

I'm just sayin' you never know what the day will bring! :0)

Bros Over Hoes Doesn't Mean Ditch Your Girlfriends Every Time a Guy Calls

2010-11-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

Seriously girls! Why must you act like this? I don't understand it. I really don't. It is all fine and well to be "in love", but to ditch your friends every time he calls is just plain wrong, on many levels and let me explain why.

1) You are sending him the message that you are needy

2) You are sending your friends the message that you don't care about them or your friendship

3) It is pathetic on so many levels

4) It is bad etiquette all around to blow someone off for any reason, much less a guy

I have a friend who has done this to me now 3 times. The first time I let it go. The second time I brought up the first time and she "giggled" yes I said, giggled and replied "well I would understand if you did it to me." When I told he that I wouldn't do that, she defended herself by saying "last time she checked she was a girl."

I thought I made it perfectly clear that it wasn't acceptable, and yet she did it again.

It was bad enough that she did it the first time, but the fact that I let her do it two more times?

I know, I know, I know....when I said, "haven't you ever heard bros over hoes?" She said, an giggled, "yeah, guys over girls."

Oh well, it is what it is. I gave her chances to make it up, but now she had lost a potentially good friend and for what? A guy who would leave her if she said she had plans? What a shame.

I have never done that to a friend, nor would I.

I'm just sayin'

~okay, if Jake Gyllenhaal called me, then I would-but I would have the cojones to ring my friend and scream "Jake Gyllenhaal just rang me, so I'll have to cancel our plans!!"

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows-Let's Talk

2010-11-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

So you've read the books and you've seen the latest film - part one anyhow. What did you think?

I want to start a discussion about it. I am curious what everyone thinks?

I still believe that the films are just like Cliff's Notes for the books, and I liked what this director did, but it would have been really hard to follow for people who hadn't read the books.

Don't think there is anyone like that out there? There is.

I think Yates has done a really good job in directing the 5th-7th, as these were clearly the hardest ones to work with in that they were extremely long books and grew more and more complicated as they went on.

I happen to like all the films, but LOVE the books and believe that everyone should read them. The UK versions are better-and yes they did change things in the American versions-UGH...Go get them, read them!
(Cover of the UK version

(Cover of the UK version)

For those of you that have read them all and saw the Deathly Hallows Part One.. what did you think??

Here is a list of the films and directors

Chris Columbus directed the first two films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Mike Newell directed the fourth entry, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was directed by David Yates. Yates also helmed the sixth entry in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as well as both parts of the seventh and final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Seattle Doesn’t Get That Much Rain

2010-10-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

I pulled this from an article I just read.

I found out that Seattle doesn’t really get that much rain compared to most U.S. cities. In fact, Seattle ranks 44th among major U.S. cities in average annual rainfall, getting approximately 38 inches annually. Cities that get more rainfall than Seattle include such as Houston Texas (48 inches), New Orleans (60 inches), Mobile AL (65 inches), Memphis (52 inches), Nashville (48 inches), and pretty much every major city on the eastern seaboard, such as New York (43 inches), Philadelphia (41 inches), Miami (58 inches), and Boston (44 inches)

Here is the thing about Seattle. The weather is perfect. I lived there and while it does rain more than Los Angeles, it is not a rainy place, not like New York, or Vermont where I swear unless it is snowing it is raining. Pissing down rain actually. In Seattle when it rains, it clears up and sunshine is there. So why not call it the sunshine state? Oh cuz Florida-which actually has more rain than Seattle-has that name.

I have been seriously considering a move back up north. I loved it when I was there, but things were tough after Sept 11th and I came back to L.A. and the entertainment business with my tail between my legs. Yeah I know most people leave L.A. cuz they can't make it in entertainment, but I did the opposite.
When do I ever do anything normal?
I can't leave the industry, but I can work it from a place I love, and Seattle is that place. I am not sure when or how, but I am going back and if you all want to think it rains every day, please go ahead. I will enjoy it all to myself.
:0)
I'm just sayin' I LOVE Seattle and it isn't all "that" wet.

More on FB Privacy

2010-10-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

So here is a follow up article about the privacy issue with FB applications. I could never understand why anyone wanted a farm or be in a mafia war in the first place, but to each his own.

This quote is just funny to me and I know that if and when I meet Zuckerberg in person, this is exactly why we will get along famously. He isn't trying to be a dick-but the truth hurts.

"Mark Zuckerberg, the company's chief executive, apologized to users, saying that some of the site's privacy settings had become too complicated for the average user to understand."

This said, I have never had an issue with the privacy settings...just sayin'; it ain't rocket science.

Facebook Acknowledges Privacy Issue With Applications

The New York Times

MIGUEL HELFT, On Monday October 18, 2010, 12:16 pm EDT

Facebook said on Monday that it was talking to application developers about how they handle some personal data, after a report said some applications had been improperly sharing the data with advertisers and Web tracking companies.

In a blog post, Mike Vernal, a Facebook engineer, said the company had recently learned that several applications were passing a piece of data known as a user ID to outside companies in a way that violated its privacy policy. User IDs are unique numbers assigned to Facebook members that are used by Facebook and its applications to identify them.

Facebook's statement came after The Wall Street Journal reported late on Sunday that it had found that several Facebook applications were "providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names" to advertisers and Internet tracking companies. The report said that all 10 of the most popular applications on Facebook, including games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, were transmitting user IDs to third parties. Three of those applications were also transmitting information about a user's friends, The Journal said.

Facebook also sought to downplay the significance of the problem. "Press reports have exaggerated the implications of sharing" a user ID, Mr. Vernal wrote on a company blog for application developers. "Knowledge of a UID does not enable anyone to access private user information without explicit user consent."

Yet Mr. Vernal acknowledged that the sharing of user IDs was in violation of its privacy policies, and said that it had disabled some programs that did so.

Mr. Vernal said there were technical challenges involved in preventing this problem. "We are talking with our key partners and the broader Web community about possible solutions," he wrote. "We will have more details over the course of the next few days."

Facebook has been hit with a string of controversies over privacy. In May, after a series of complaints from some users and privacy advocates, the company made wholesale changes to its privacy settings. Mark Zuckerberg, the company's chief executive, apologized to users, saying that some of the site's privacy settings had become too complicated for the average user to understand. Despite the changes, the privacy issue has continued to dog Facebook.

Don't Blame Zuckerberg For Your Own Security Issues

2010-10-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

I don't understand people...and warning, this entry will probably offend some of you, but don't get mad at me, or Zuckerberg, just fix your privacy issues and move on.

It blows me away that people give out their personal info on FB and then get pissed off at Zuck about it. I mean, use your brain people. When the app asks you if you will allow it to access everything including your first born isn't that a clue NOT to use it? As well, if you have your address, phone number, full birthday, etc..you are at risk. Don't blame the creator for your own stupidity.

I mean really. I see more and more people complaining about Mark Zuckerberg for invading their privacy when in reality they are the ones putting the info up there.

It isn't really that hard. Back in the day before Social Networking, did you sign each email with your name, address, location, phone number, names of your kids, your dog and what you were eating? No of course not.

Did you put all than on letters before email? Nope again.

So why did you think it is okay to put that on Facebook? Just so you have a reason to hate the youngest billionaire on the planet?

It's not Mark's fault if you are too stupid not to do these things. Most of it is common sense.

Here is an article about another breach of security having to do with Farmville-which IMHO is the lamest app around.

Just to be clear I have used the apps, they are fun. I have seen which decade I fit in, who in the Harry Potter series I am, read my horoscope, but at the end of the day, I delete the app straight away after I use it.

I also don't have much real personal stuff on Facebook in the first place. If someone that I am really friends with, or someone from work wants any of it, all they have to do is ask me for it.

I have to comment on one more thing before I post the article.
People, why must you put photos of your children, especially babies on here?
You really need to think about what you are doing? These are your kids and opens you up to a whole world of problems, and not just predators. What about just the fact that all your FB friends know your kids names, ages, where they go to school etc? These are your children. Protect them. I think photos should be only shared with people you actually know. You can control these with your privacy settings. It is pretty easy to make a private photo album. It isn't that I don't like seeing your kids, I do, kids are great! But I always worry for your security.

Okay, enough on making everyone I know feel stupid-sorry.. but really think about what you are putting out there.

Here is the article.... read, learn, listen and be safe.

Cut and paste link for full story

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304772804575558484075236968.html?mod=yhoofront

By EMILY STEEL And GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

Many of the most popular applications, or "apps," on the social-networking site Facebook Inc. have been transmitting identifying information—in effect, providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names—to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found.

The issue affects tens of millions of Facebook app users, including people who set their profiles to Facebook's strictest privacy settings. The practice breaks Facebook's rules, and renews questions about its ability to keep identifiable information about its users' activities secure.

The problem has ties to the growing field of companies that build detailed databases on people in order to track them online—a practice the Journal has been examining in its What They Know series. It's unclear how long the breach was in place. On Sunday, a Facebook spokesman said it is taking steps to "dramatically limit" the exposure of users' personal information.

A Facebook user ID may be inadvertently shared by a user's Internet browser or by an application," the spokesman said. Knowledge of an ID "does not permit access to anyone's private information on Facebook," he said, adding that the company would introduce new technology to contain the problem identified by the Journal.

"Our technical systems have always been complemented by strong policy enforcement, and we will continue to rely on both to keep people in control of their information," the Facebook official said.

Marcus Brewer Killing Us Softy~Tony Stonem Not So Softly

2010-10-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

So in real life the dork that is Marcus Brewer ~ About a Boy (2002)
would never grow up to be Tony Stonem ~ Skins (2007)

Nicholas Hoult has transformed.

This kid, I say kid, even though in the UK and across Europe he has become a sex symbol-a concept that is still weird to me, because he will always be Marcus Brewer "shake your ass" dork,
this kid has grown up to be a really good looking young man and he is a terrific actor.

I saw him in The Weatherman in 2005 and Nicolas Cage played his father-yeah right, Tom Cruise could be, but sorry Cage, no way. In any case, he had some pretty dramatic scenes in that film and did a great job. Now I see him in Skins and it is very weird to see his character play such a wanker. That said, he is a great actor. He has been given some amazing scenes and just like in About a Boy, he delivers.

He was also in A Single Man, which I haven't seen yet, I believe this guy is someone to watch closely. I am sure he will go far.

I would love to write something and put him in it. He is really that good of an actor. The next Tom Cruise? Maybe. Hard to say, he is young, but he does resemble him in looks and talent.

If you haven't seen Skins, you should. It is a great show with amazing characters.

Again, I am gobsmacked when I see him now, it's so weird. I have seen About a Boy like a million times and so I feel like I know Marcus (and Will-Hugh Grant) so it is a bit disturbing to see him play Tony.

Please Use Facebook Responsibly

2010-10-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

This article came out today and it makes me wonder why people can't use anything responsibly? I mean really? I can only say, if you are on Facebook-and the whole world is-don't be a douchebag. If I end up in your group, I will probably "leave the group" and drop you as a friend. Already it's crazy to get a gazillion group invites, and now people can just add people? That's fine. I have no problems with Faecbook itself, but it's the wankers that don't use it properly and cause trouble....So please use it responsibly. It is awesome, we all love it.

Here is the article. I think you will find it interesting~

Facebook's New Groups Feature Worries Some

Robert McMillan Robert Mcmillan – Fri Oct 8, 4:00 am ET

This week's overhaul of Facebook groups quickly led to an outcry over the way the service works, but the bigger lesson may be simply this: Be careful who you befriend.

The problems started on Thursday, the day after Facebook revamped groups, giving users a way to compartmentalize their Facebook lives and post certain items to pre-designated groups of people. That's when technology blogger Michael Arrington, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Mahalo founder Jason Calacanis all found themselves added to a group called NAMBLA. It wasn't immediately clear what this page was set up for, but NAMBLA is an acronym for the completely unsavory North American Man/Boy Love Association. (For South Park fans, it refers to the National Association of Marlon Brando Look-Alikes).

Mahalo CEO Calacanis quickly fired off an email to Zuckerberg Calacanis quickly fired off an email to Zuckerberg saying that he was troubled to have been added to the group without being given the opportunity to opt in.

That was followed by general confusion, with some reporting that Facebook's new feature could be used to unilaterally add anyone to a group.

But that isn't the case. The groups feature now lets users automatically add existing friends to groups, but they can't do this with people they don't know.

How did Zuckerberg get added to NAMBLA then? That's all down to tech blogger Arrington. "I typed in his name and hit enter,' Arrington wrote on TechCrunch. "He's my Facebook friend, I therefore have the right to add him."

Arrington added that "as soon as Zuckerberg unsubscribed I lost the ability to add him to any further groups at all, another protection against spamming and pranks."

A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed that group members can only add their friends to the group. "If you have a friend that is adding you to groups you do not want to belong to, or they are behaving in a way that bothers you, you can tell them to stop doing it, block them or remove them as a friend -- and they will no longer ever have the ability to add you to any group," she wrote in an e-mail. "If you don't trust someone to look out for you when making these types of decisions on the site, we'd suggest that you shouldn't be friends on Facebook."

Facebook Friends can also send messages and tag photos of other friends. Neither of these features has generated any type of outcry.

Arrington himself was added to the group by someone named Jon Fisher, one of Arrington's 4,824 Facebook friends. Fisher is also one of Calacanis's 4,740 friends.

Still, there is something disquieting about the way groups works, according to Chet Wisniewski, a senior security advisor with Sophos. He's concerned with the fact that people cannot opt out of the groups sign-up feature. "I'm uncomfortable with the idea that other people can determine what I display," he said. "The fact that it can't be opted out of, to me, seems a bit strange."

Facebook's groups Help Center confirms that there's simply no way to prevent people from adding you to groups. And the critics say that rather than being added automatically, friends should be given the choice to opt into any groups.

In a sign that Calacanis and Wisniewski may be onto something, online affiliate marketers have begun speculating about how the feature could be misused to drive traffic to marketing Web sites -- a current favorite form of Facebook abuse. "If you were to make a group named AT&T and decided to make a few 'official' Facebook spokesperson accounts to add to the fun, you could essentially launch a campaign offering FREE WIRELESS SERVICE FOR EVERYONE DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER," wrote a poster named Jon to the Wickedfire.com Internet marketing forum.

This Jon also claimed to have set up a fake NAMBLA page.

"Seeing as how crowd manipulation and influence over the interwebz is sooooooo easy already, plus tack on this as a social parody of sorts, and poof, you have yourself a publicity nightmare on a scale that would be spreading far more rapidly than any BP oil spill ever could," he added.

Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

We Could All Learn From Michael Costello

2010-10-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

I love Project Runway. I have watched it from the beginning and always enjoy the fashion and creativity of it. This season immediately I liked several people, and Micheal Costello (Michael C - as everyone calls him) was one of them. I loved his personality and I loved how he handled some truly awful situations that happened to him by some of the others.

I friended him on Facebook (thank you Mark Zuckerberg!! Love Facebook) and I noticed under his favorite quotes he has this:

"love your life and make the most of it! be straight forward!!! and dont care what any one thinks!!! put your passions first!!! and if they really love you they can wait!!!! that goes for anything and every one!!! remember to be a good role model for your kids..
and treat people like you would want to be treated!!!!"

This is so Michael, and I respect him so much for showing the world how to handle difficult people and be outstanding, respectful and most of all "classy".

Someday I will wear one of Michael's fabulous designs and when I am being interviewed on the red carpet I will want to say something like. "This is a one of a kind by Michael Costello, you can suck it Ivy!" but I won't, because Michael has taught us all that stooping to that level is wrong! I will just say. "This is a fabulous one of a kind by the awesome and talented Michael Costello"

Project Runway Season 8 on Lifetime now!~

Hot Chocolate Kind of Day

2010-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's raining again in southern California and I LOVE it. So many people complain about the wet and cold, but not me. I welcome this weather with open arms. It gives me energy and I feel charged and ready for anything!
It isn't really cold, more like chilly with temps between 50-65, and a light breeze I find it perfect.
If it was like this every day I would never want to leave.
For those of you that are saying "it's so cold I have to have my heat on" all I can say is this: man up! Seriously, this is not cold and you do not need to have your heat on. I think people like you should spend the winter in Chicago, or Milwaukee, or anywhere in upstate New York, Vermont of New Hamphire...seriously? Heat? Give me a break! I'm just sayin'

Another great thing about chilly wet days, is hot chocolate, it is fun to go outside and go running or something, then come in and warm up with a nice mug of chocolate~
MMMMMMMMMM

Enjoy the day because this is SoCal and the hot hot hot temps will be back soon enough.

Is Mark Zuckerberg An Evil Genius?

2010-10-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Is Mark Zuckerberg an evil genius? No way.. he is a geek, a nerd, a Harvard grad who had the billion dollar idea, smarts and passion to make it work. Got this from the New York Times Opinion section.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/zuckerberg-non-evil-non-genius/

This is a great article about Mark Zuckerberg-who thanks to Hollywood everyone is talking about even more these days.
I have been fascinated by this young man since I heard about how Facebook started a couple years ago and have read many articles about him because he is like the J. K. Rowling of the internet...fucking brilliant idea-why didn't I think of that? Is what many people are scratching their heads wondering.

Like this article suggests, who knows exactly why it happened? Just like Bill Gates and some others that have been called innovators, some people are just smarter and their ideas work.

Here is the thing. In the film the character of Mark made a statement about chairs, and if one person comes up with a great chair, will the inventor of the chair sue him? No, of course not. But I know what you are thinking, this is different, it is an intellectual property, so he is liable.
I don't think so.

Wait-don't get upset-just listen, and before you get too upset, he paid those rowing blokes 65 million dollars. I don't think either of them was actually smart enough to do what Mark did, so whatever, they are rich. (I can only hope someone steals an idea of mine and pays me 65 million dollars for it-a girl can dream right? Steal away, pay up!!)

Okay, so I was at a writing panel last year and the writers for The Hangover were there and they openly admitted that they saw another film with the same premise and then they wrote The Hangover and made it better. This is what people do. I have heard tons of times from other established writers that if they gave everyone in the room the same idea, some of the scripts would be brilliant and some of them wouldn't. That is just the way it is.

Mark Zuckerberg already had been innovated enough to do the Facemash site, and tons of other shit-seriously read up on him...and he knew about MySpace and Friendster, so it isn't actually like the idea for 'The Facebook' was new anyhow.

I don't know the truth, only Mark does. I don't know him, and I don't really care what happened. At the end of the day I respect him, and I believe that he will be studied for years to come in business schools around the world. I love Facebook and it has changed my life in many ways, so am I happy that he did what he did? Absolutely!!

I don't think he is evil and I don't think Sorkin was saying he was in the film. I am not sure if people are seeing the same film as I did. I think it was just what happened and the rest is up to interpretation.

As far as the film, The Social Network goes. It is a great film, but there is this: "The film is based on Ben Mezrich's book "Accidental Billionaires," which Facebook founder, CEO and lead character of the film Mark Zuckerberg openly opposes as an untrue retelling of the company's origin. "
(Quote from this story~ http://www.indianastatesman.com/a-e/student-critic-likes-the-social-network-1.1667208)

Of course this was going to be the case, but when you are like the second richest man in America, does it really matter?

The Suicide Barrier Plan is Stupid

2010-09-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

I took this photo a couple weeks ago when I was in San Francisco. As some of you know, I am fascinated by this bridge and it's, sad & tragic, history. I wrote a novel last year about a girl driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco to jump off the bridge, but she meets someone who talks her out of it, they fall in love, but turns out, he is a ghost-he jumped, and thus needed to save her to move on. (Yes looking for an agent and to find it a home). And while up there doing some research I met a gal who was crying at marker 79...well after watching her for a while, I asked her if she was okay~she wasn't~less than 30 minutes later she was gone. I had turned around for a second and she jumped. I did call the police, but they didn't get there in time-in any case~ I hope to bring awareness to people about suicide and how it is a very serious and tragic solution to a temporary problem.
That said, after the almost year of obsession with the Golden Gate Bridge, I learned about the most moronic idea on the planet that will cost Californians 5 million dollars. A net.
Yes a net. A net. I have to keep repeating it because it is beyond stupid.
Why? You ask? Well besides the high winds, cost, ugliness of it and daredevil attraction that it will bring and actually have more people jumping-it will NOT work.
Unless they put the whole bridge into a bubble-it won't work. This is simple physics people. Given wind-and it is always windy up there, and fog, and trajectory, someone could easily miss the net. A net will also give people a false sense of "if I change my mind, the net will catch me". It will still be far enough up that after hitting the net someone could just jump from there, or get hurt in there. Stupid! Stupid!Stupid!
So I sent a letter-a couple actually- to the folks in charge of the "suicide barrier" suggesting that the best was to deter people is to just extend the fencing by about ten feet, and not even with the super strong heavy fencing. Just enough so it won't blow down, or be easily pushed through and not so strong that people can climb up it.
If I was upset and thinking about doing it, and then got up there and had to climb...it would deter me.
At the end of the day, people who are going to commit suicide are going to do it, but so many suicides are just gut reactions to situations and could be prevented.
I got an email from them today and they said while it was a good idea, the suicide net is moving forward!
How stupid.. and really? 5 million dollars? A fence wouldn't cost even half of that.

I chose this picture because I think it depicts the sadness of the bridge and the many many souls that have lost their lives there. More than the Titanic and that is just the ones we know about. The numbers could very well be more than double that making it the worst American tragedy since the Civil War.

I'm just sayin'.....fence, not net. Fence.

Great Article About Mentoring

2010-09-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Whether you are a mentee or a mentor in the entertainment industry, or big business, or a lawyer or doctor, teacher, etc.. this is a great article. :0)

I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Mentors Pay It Forward

By Anne Cheevers
General Manager, 6FigureJobs

Last week I talked about why it’s important to have one (or three!), the wonderful people who agreed to be mine, and what we all got out of it. Today, I want to focus on why you should become one.

When you become a mentor, you agree to offer that person advice, access and advocacy.

Whether you are mentoring a college student or a professional whose career path is shorter than yours, your experience gives you invaluable perspective that your mentee can use to help them avoid pitfalls and missteps and to supercharge their careers.

I have several people that I mentor. Here are a couple of examples:

The first is someone I worked with 20 years ago that was an AP clerk in the accounting department. He was a very bright, very analytical guy who wanted to “make a lot of money” but didn’t want to put in the time to get his CPA.

My advice? Given his analytical bent, marketing was the career path he should consider.
Access? I helped him transition into the marketing department at my company.
Advocacy? Throughout his career I have helped prospective hiring managers understand his strengths. Today he is a lead marketer for a major advertising agency…making a lot of money.

Another mentee is a former vendor. She worked at a major printing house I used, she was an incredibly smart estimator (meaning she got me great pricing) and we had a great working relationship. At one of our meetings she shared her frustration with me that she felt like she had been dead-ended and that her opportunities at her current company were limited.

My advice? Move to the client side where “purchasing” is less narrowly defined.
Access? I worked with her to identify target companies, and segments, where opportunities might exist.
Advocacy? I’ve helped her get recognition and face time with those companies. We’ve worked together as she has transitioned from “ink on paper”, to online media and today, she is one of the top buyers for a major telecom company.

So what did I get out of all this? I feel a sense of accomplishment, and pride, in seeing the success that my mentees have achieved. Could they have done it without my mentoring? You bet. Could they have achieved their high level of success without having a mentor? I doubt it – at least not as quickly.

As my mentors have done for me, I feel a responsibility to do the same for others. That’s what my mentors have taught me – ask, learn, give back.

Please share your experiences on being a mentor at the 6FigureJobs Blog and pay it forward!

"Have A Cup of Tea! Go On, You Will!"

2010-09-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Old Irish women think that tea is the answer to every problem and it is usually true. If you are raging about something and you sit down, relax and have some tea you will feel better. If you are in from a rain storm; wet and cold, and you have some tea, you will feel better. If your heart is broken and you can't stop crying, the warm friendly tea will lift your spirits.

So when you say "This sucks!" or "I am so upset about this!" and it is met with the Irish, "You'll have a cup of tea. Go on, you will, you will." Trust me, you will be happy.

Funny enough it is the same in the States, people are saying tea is the answer to everything. Herbal tea, Green tea, Irish tea, just tea! Not to be confused with the infamous "tea party" that is a whole different kettle of fish, that one.

For example, yesterday all day, I felt sick to my tummy. I had no idea why and no matter what I did if wouldn't go away. Finally around midnight I Googled "Home remedies for upset stomach" and came up with TEA! Herbal tea with ginger, or straight ginger tea. I remembered that I have some "Stomach Ease" tea, and it does NOT taste good. Actually it is so rank, that I thought it would force on to throw up and thus feel better. Last night I made some and added a heafty tablespoon of ginger-which made it taste even worse,BUT, but I felt better with in 5 minutes. I could have saved myself feeling sick all day had I thought to Google earlier.

So the next time someone says, "have some tea." Have it. Whatever the problem is, the tea will help ya!

~Green tea is also on the 14 Superfoods list for optimal health~

Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' Warns Of The Cycle Of Abuse

2010-09-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

I read this article today because I have been completely under the spell of this song for the last 6 or so weeks. I never, well rarely listen to lyrics, not that they aren't important, but I admit that I listen to music based on my initial gut feeling when I hear it. I love the music, the melody, the riffs, whatever you want to call it, that is what draws me in. This new song does both and it hits me on a very personal level.

I have never been in that kind of relationship, thank God, or whomever for that, but I know it all to well, growing up in a violent household. In fact, I am sure if my mom were still with us, this song would get to her. It is VERY VERY VERY real. My father, who I love dearly, could be a scary sun of a bitch with the drink in him, and so in a way I was lucky to witness domestic violence, and what it could be at an early age. I see the warning signs very quickly.

I was dating a guy a few years back and I loved him, or I thought I did and leaving was the hardest thing I ever did, but he got really drink one night and punched me, then passed out. I remember sitting outside on his porch, well our porch because we lived together at the time and I called my sister crying and asked her if I could slowly send me belongings to her so I could "ease" out of the situation. It took me about 3 weeks, but I got away and it was hard for many reasons and the biggest one is that you continue to remember all the good reasons you are with someone, so the abuse seems like a one off, but it isn't, and it escalates. That was that and it was over. It hurt, but it was over.

Violent people usually don't mean to hurt anyone, they just can't control their emotions and it is really a sad thing. Look at OJ Simpson? He couldn't handle his rage and what happened? The murder of two people. Classic case of rage. Every case isn't like that, and that is extreme, but if you are being abused, get out. If someone you are with yells at you, calls you names, or starts punching things, even the wall-that is a BIG RED FLAG to get out.

I think this song is pretty amazing, and I commend Eminem for doing it, especially because of his past. Maybe it will make a difference in someone's life.

The power of music, especially popular music is huge. This song hasn't even been out for 2 months and everyone is talking about it, and it all over the radio.

Here is the article from MTV:

Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' Warns Of The Cycle Of Abuse

Dating violence expert says clip's 'warning' message is heightened by Eminem's and Rihanna's personal histories.

By Rochell Thomas, with reporting by Adam Murphy

In Eminem's controversial new video "Love the Way You Lie," love and violence intertwine seamlessly. One moment, a couple sleeps in each other's arms, the next, they're violently fighting, tossing bed sheets. Later, they kiss passionately, pressed up against the same wall the man has just punctured with his fist. All the while, Rihanna croons the chorus which includes the line, "That's all right because I like the way it hurts." But is it really all right?

Less than 24 hours after MTV debuted the video for Eminem's chart-topping single about the evolution of his relationship with his ex-wife, Kim, many are wondering: Does "Love the Way You Lie" glamorize domestic violence?

"The most important thing the video is doing is raising the topic of dating violence among young people," Stephanie Nilva, executive director of sexual assault and trauma resource center Day One, told MTV News.

An expert in relationship violence and domestic abuse prevention, Nilva praised the clip for accurately depicting a pattern typical of abusive relationships. The video stars actors Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox as a couple involved in a relationship that starts out passionately and lovingly but quickly devolves into a violent affair.

Nilva said the video is especially potent because of Eminem's and Rihanna's personal histories with violence or abuse. "Eminem's history is ...as someone who sings a lot about violence," she said. "And Rihanna's experience [is] as someone who was abused by Chris Brown."

That history, she added, is what will make people look at the video and see "that the message is not 'Don't you want a relationship like mine?' The message is a warning sign."

During the four-minute span of "Love the Way You Lie," Rihanna alternately sneers in the frame and seems to physically diminish before finally crumbling to the ground in front of the burning house that serves as her backdrop throughout. The images may be melodramatic but symbolically, they are accurate, according to Nilva. "Someone who is victimized in a relationship does become smaller, does lose their power and their strength."

"I think we tried as hard as we could to not glorify the violence, to try and explain that this was a relationship that is by no means ideal and a relationship that probably should have ended a lot sooner than it did," Monaghan told MTV News recently. "The concept of 'Love the Way You Lie' was essentially a look at the relationship that Eminem was in with his wife, Kim, so I kind of felt like I was playing Eminem a little bit, and Megan Fox was kind of playing Kim.

"It's the story of them getting to know each other, and it's the story of their tumultuous relationship, and it was the story of the breakdown of their relationship," he continued. "Ultimately, what I think he's trying to say in the song ... is that he should have walked away a little bit quicker than he did and not let it get as messy as it did."

To learn more about how you can prevent or get help for dating abuse and domestic violence, visit DayOneNY.org. If you are involved in an abusive relationship and would like help you can also call 1-800-214-4150. Love should not hurt.

Do you think the "Love the Way You Lie" video conveys its anti-abuse message? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

All Because of a Westie

2010-09-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

This morning, I got up ready for the day, and walked outside with my little dog as usual. I had made it around my block when I ran into an older lady with a puppy on the side of the street; he was also a Westie-the same as my guy. We got to talking about Westie care and then her daughter and granddaughter, life etc., and it was such a great conversation that I feel uplifted and happy that I met her.
This woman has really lived and enjoyed life, raised a family and she is still going strong. She is in her 70s, originally from the middle east, Muslim, and a wonderful spirit. It was so fascinating talking to her about her experiences in the world and in that 30 or 40 minutes that we spoke, we made a connection of sorts. She opened up to me about some sad moments in her life and we just had a great talk.
It is a amazing to me how you live your life and then suddenly you meet someone you never knew and a whole new world opens up.
I feel truly blessed that I met her today and had a talk, all because of a Westie :0)

Happy Thursday!

2010-09-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been having one of those weeks where I am confused, bewildered and completely lost with people and feel like I am in an episode of Glee getting slushie after slushie tossed in my face.

After a lot of tears, and trying to talk things out, I am at the end of it. I just can't keep trying to figure things out and fix things that can't be fixed, so tonight I am going out with the girls to have a super night out in San Francisco. I can't wait and it could not have come at a better time!

I hope you are all having a fabulous week, day, month, whatever!!

New Project Keeping Me Busy

2010-09-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello folks, I am working on my new book entitled :

Why Is There A Spider On My Head? How to keep your day job and NEVER make it in the "industry".

and I have a scene to finish for my day job-but mine is in the industry so it is okay!

Right now I am hungry, but wanted to check in with everyone.. Hope you are all having a fabulous day where ever you are!!!

Lunchtime Laughter!

2010-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Oh My God!! ~imagine Chandler/Janice saying this circa 1996 ~ and that describes my experience today grabbing a quick and terribly unhealthy grilled cheese & tomato sammy at Vons!

I am there in line, behind a woman ordering what must have been the biggest sandwich I had ever seen in my life when a huge man~I'm talking huge! Really fat, big man-sorry not being rude, it is just the way to describe him-comes in from the other side and starts demanding the lady making the other lady's lunch give him 'free samples'.

How would I even get close to explaining his personality to you folks? I am not sure. He was beyond normal rude, even for a New Yorker-not that he was one-but you know what I mean, that busy, rushed New York way of bossing people around. He was more like....hrm? Oh, oh I got it. Did you ever see the film, "That Thing You Do"? Well in that film there is a music producer that the lead singer Jimmy goes up to and tries to promote the band and when he does this, the producer fella spits out food as he screams at him. This guy in Vons, was like that.

He was a character played by Chris Farley on SNL, and I kept checking to see if Punk'd had been reinstated and Ashton Kutcher was there with his crew.

So this man decided he was more important than me or anyone else and after he got his free food-and more than I normally eat in a day-again, not trying to be bad, but it is the truth-he ordered a sandwich with all sorts of extra stuff on it. It was actually making me lose my appetite.

Then he took the sandwich after agreeing to pay extra for the extra stuff, and went on his merry way.

Apparently this man comes in every day and does the same thing and then goes into the men's room and eats it there! So I-super sleuth that I am-followed him to the loo and sure enough he went in with a sandwich and came out without one.

Unbelievable what people will do! I said to the nice lady working behind the counter, "well maybe he needs the money" trying to have compassion for him. He drove away in a brand new Mercedes! What a jerk!

You know if I ever did something like that, which I wouldn't, I was an actress I can go days without food, but if I did, I would certainly be nice to people and not make a scene!

Ain't nobody go no class anymore? I'm just sayin'!

Things I Love About San Francisco!

2010-09-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

1. The Golden Gate Bridge

2. The Bay Bridge

3. Pacific Heights

4. The stairs on the steep streets
5. Market Street
6. Union Square
7. Union Street
8. The Millenium restaurant
9. The Embarcadero
10. The laidbackness (not sure if that is a word)
11. Crissy Field

12. North Beach
13. The Marina/Cow Hollow
14. Macy's (the big one in Union Square)
15. The weather
16. The fog!
17. San Mateo
18. The architecture

19. The vibe
20. The Redwoods/Marin County/Sausalito

There are so many things I love about San Francisco that it is hard to chose just a few! :0)

"Because it's Murder. Cold Blooded Murder."

2010-09-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Phoebe on the show 'Friends' didn't eat meat "because it's murder, cold blooded murder" as she put it. I don't know about that, but part of me does agree. I am conflicted!

In any case, so starts my attempt to go vegan. I have switched completely back to vegetarian, with the occasional fish. I was out to dinner about a month ago with a vegetarian friend and when I asked her if she ate fish she replied, "no food with a face.", which is also very Phoebe.
Then I was watching 'Master Chef' the other night and one of the chefs started crying because they had to kill a crab and the guilt set in for the crab cake I had just eaten for lunch!

Without all the animals rights issues, the bottom line is I feel better on a plant food diet. I don't know if I can give up all animal products, like butter and other dairy. I don't drink milk anymore, but do like it in my coffee, lattes and cappuccinos. I use powered creamer at home for coffee-and weirdly enough, I like that tasted better, but at Starbucks and places like that, I do consume dairy. As well I do love eggs, and cheese. I can live without a lot of cheese, but the occasional cheese is okay.

Making the transition to vegetarian is quite easy, but to vegan I am not sure. My new plan is to eat vegan 4 out of 7 days a week and see how I do. I have read a lot of books about how to stay healthy while doing this and even subscribe to vegetarian magazine, so we will see what happens.

Wish me luck!!

I have already lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks, without even trying.

Magic Cards!

2010-09-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

"When I was 7 most of my friends stopped believing in magic. That's when I first started. They were beautiful, they were happy. They didn't even need any money, they had magic cards."

Okay, maybe I shouldn't be taking advice from Rebecca Bloomwood-a fictional character who just happens to have my love for shopping-well not so much shopping as buying.

I hate to shop, but I love to buy. I love to get new shoes, new accessories and new pretty things!

Check out my latest!!

And it isn't my fault-if God, or whomever the powers that be are, didn't want me to spend, He/they wouldn't make it so darn easy to get credit.
Technically, I could be dead before these charges even hit my card. The 'big one', world war three, a 747 could crash into my building, etc.. so really, why deny myself something pretty-okay two pretty things-when my life could be over and any given second? Honestly

It isn't like I really had a choice in the matter. These two dresses were practically calling my name. I will look so fabulous in them, it will be 'sick' as they say these days. Can't you just see me shopping in downtown San Francisco on a sunny fall afternoon in the ruffled one? Or perhaps hanging out at a trendy coffee house, or cupcake shop, or vegan cafe, in the Marina or Cow Hollow? Not to mention either of these anywhere in L.A. Like the Grove! One must looks one's best when at the Grove.

I am just sayin'....magic cards!

"The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent..."

2010-09-02T14:04:00.001-07:00

..."was the summer I spent in San Francisco" is how the quote goes!

On nasty hot days like today, (currently 95/feels like 102), this is what I think about. Walking, running, biking across on a summer day when the ice cold breeze kisses your face and your body is wrapped in moist air and you can see your breath! Oh I need a 'summer' home in San Francisco. ;p

Golden Gate Bridge June 2009 ~ photo by me!

Okay, I'll admit it, the day this was taken, it was FREEEEEZING. The breeze didn't feel like kisses, it felt like knives stabbing me and I was physically in pain up there. I never ran so fast...followed by a hot cocoa at the Warming Hut-weird for June-but I'll take it any day over this miserable heat!

We Have a "Situation"...

2010-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

David Hasselhoff, Bristol Palin, and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will compete for the mirror ball trophy.

http://tv.yahoo.com/falltv/photos/dancing-with-the-stars-season-11-cast/607

OMG~ NO WAY! I was joking last week when I said the following: Who is next, the Situation?
You have got to be friggen' kidding me? I must have some serious powers in the universe.

*******Okay from now on I am going to repeat the following : Ryan Murphy is hiring me to write on Glee. I am working on Glee. I am the next staff writer for Glee. I am winning an Emmy for my episode of Glee. It would really be awesome if you could all join in! Just say it once a day or so.*********

I apologize to the universe if I somehow made this happen, and I apologize to the dancers. I am not sure what will be worse, Bristol or the "Situation".UGH

Back FROM the Future!

2010-08-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

A would-be saboteur arrested today at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland made the bizarre claim that he was from the future. Eloi Cole, a strangely dressed young man, said that he had travelled back in time to prevent the LHC from destroying the world.

Read more: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/man-arrested-at-large-hadron-collider-claims-hes-from-the-future-49305387/#ixzz0y6aacdTW

OMG! How do we really know this man is not from the future? I mean, anything is possible, isn't it?
I am sure he is just a wack job, but I love love love the idea that it could happen. How do we know for 100% that is can't?

If Dr. Brown can make a car into a time machine, why not this bloke?

In the real Flash Forward the future was controlling the past. We have seen it in the Time Machine, Terminator, so why not in real life? Don't they say, life imitates art?

I am going to embrace the idea and I hope Mr. Cole rids the world of Mountain Dew forever!

and I am definitely re writing my Bog Bang Theory to include this in a discussion! or I will just write a whole new one! Hilarious!

You Are Lucky To Have a Job, Now, Shut up!

2010-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

People that complain all the time about having a job really bug me, especially when they grossly exaggerate the hours they are working-news flash about a million people would switch places with you!

I don't understand this type of behavior. I really don't.

Also the ones that if they work like 30 seconds past their normal leave time-you would think they pulled an 80 hour work week the way they moan and whine.

These same folks are the ones who leave work early, take a long weekend every other week, and generally use any excuse in the book not to work.

It must be really sad to hate your job and your life so much.

I am just sayin'

And Now; New York

2010-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

I figured it was only fair to mention a few things I love about a little town I like to call NEW YORK!!!

1. The buildings
2. The people
3. The amount of people
4. Riverside Drive
5. The Upper West Side
6. Columbus Circle
7. Central Park West
8. Central Park South
9. 5th Aveneue
10. The Plaza
11. The Walforf
12. The Met
13. The Mets
14. 52nd Street
15. Broadway
16. The Imperial Theater
17. The Upper East Side Shops
18. Huge Department Stores
19. Sample Sales
20. The Pizza
21. The Pretzels
22. The Empire State Building
23. Grand Central
24. The Natural History Museum
25. Dean & Deluca
26. Madison Square Garden
27. The Weather
28. The Christmas Tree
29. The Macy's Day Parade
30. The Tony Awards
31. The Buzz & Busy Feeling
32. Off Broadway
33. The Accents
34. The Brooklyn Bridge
35. Walking Down A Street in the Fall

Okay, so I got to 35 without even thinking, whereas for L.A. I had to really think about the top 20 or so....and trust me, there are a lot more reasons I love New York!

I Admit It: I Do Love L.A.

2010-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you are on my Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or know me in real life, you know I am not a huge fan of the hot weather, and I live in Los Angeles-or the Valley actually-it is hot hot hot, and what is worse, the SMOG! That said, I do love this city and here are some things I absolutely love: (In no particular order)

1. The Stairs off San Vicente

2. All the Farmer's Markets every Sunday-especially the Hollywood one and Studio City one.

3. Runyon Canyon

4. Century City Mall

5. Beverly Hills

6. Palisades Park

7. LAX

8. The Grove

9. Award Shows

10. Sunset Blvd.

11. Mulholland Drive

12. Manhattan Beach

13. Uncle Bill's

14. The Sports Club L.A.

15. Beverly Glenn

16. Pacific Coast Hwy

17. Malibu

18. Duke's

19. The Studios

20. The Entertainment Industry

AND we also have: two major league baseball teams, two hockey teams, two basketball teams, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, beaches galore-for every type of person.

I even love the freeways, I love the different burbs-okay the whole place is a big series of burbs, but I like how they are all different. I love Pasadena, Montrose, and all the trees in the hills (when they aren't burning)

So okay, I love L.A.! If it weren't so friggen' hot, it would be perfect!

Thought for the day

2010-08-19T16:53:00.001-07:00

if you have to; search for, join online dating, or use any matchmaking service to find your 'soul mate', is he/she really a soul mate? Just saying.

My thought for the night.

2010-08-19T00:49:00.001-07:00

I wonder who writes the "I know I just got booted but life is awesome, & I'm so thankful for this opp" ...silver lining-Pollyanna crap for Top Chef and Project Runway-because I would really love to see just one of them say, "this effing sucks, I am so upset, my life/career is over"-you know tell how they really feel.

Reviews For My Novels!

2010-08-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

I know I should only put this in Micheline's blog and my writing blog-but hey, all blogs are for writing right?

Both my novels were reviewed this week (as well as a book giveaway and interview)

So excited!

Please stop by my other blog(s) and check out my reviews~

http://www.michelinemcallister.blogspot.com/

Day One Officially of Detox

2010-08-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well I wouldn't call it a 'detox' in that I am not planning on starving myself or putting maple syrup into a blender with garlic and living off that for a month, but I am changing my diet completely. I started about a week and a half ago by cutting my calories in half-yes I would like to lose a few pounds, wouldn't most of us?-and now I am going back to vegetarian eating 99% of the time. Why? Because I feel better when I eat vegetarian, period. I am starting by doing a full week of nothing but fruits and veggies, that is it. I will do a vegetable and fruit juice twice a day-made at home with my juicer-and then veggies for the rest of the meals. I did it yesterday-had a few pieces of bread-but over all have tons of energy and already feel lighter and healthier.

I am also sick of people constantly trying to shove tons and tons of vitamins down my throat. I NEVER get sick and by never I mean, NEVER. I haven't been on antibiotics in about 15 years and haven't had a cold since I was working on El Dorado in 1999, which only lasted two days. I have never taken vitamins and this year when I started, actually all my levels were off-because what they don't tell you, is that if you mix them wrong, you can actually deplete stuff out of your body. UGH-what is the point?

My roommate is ALWAYS sick, in fact I have known people with full blown AIDS that get sick less than she does and that is no joke. I have never met someone who literally gets everything under the sun. It is like living with Doc Holiday. Cough cough cough, sneeze sneeze sneeze-always always sick and she takes tons of vitamins, but what she doesn't do, is eat healthy and she drinks soda everyday. I think that people are under the impression, it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you shove down pills all the live long day. I am just sayin' I am 12 years older than her and never sick. I am not trying to be insulting to her in any way, because she is a dear friend to me, but it is just the facts. I am never sick, she always it. I don't take tons of vitamins and she does. I pretty much live on fruits and veggies, and even when I eat meat-I eat it with a salad of veggies. That with exercise helps a lot!

So here I am, official day one of the new me!

Can't wait! Healthier lifestyle, here I come!

Friggen' LOVE Joan Holloway (Harris)

2010-08-08T01:22:00.000-07:00

Look at her~ OMG these photos do not do her justice. Her make-up is flawless, her outfits are flawless, her attitude is flawless. I seriously love this character so much! I am inspired to do some drawings (just add it to the gazillion writing projects I have going and work)...I will do it. I LOVE HER!

&

I have to say-Men are you crazy wanting a skinny bitch when you can have someone like this?
Va-va-voom!

Finally, A Great Question~

2010-08-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Weiner up close and personal, in real life~we were already Facebook and MySpace friends, but you know, that just isn't the same. As one of my fav authors, who actually inspired me to write my first book, told from a very candid and real point of view, it was great to hear her speak. Her voice in her novels is great, but in person she has so much vivacious, fun energy that even a gentleman walking by decided to stay for the whole reading.

This is actually what this blog is about...this man.. who I don't know and will probably never see again has made it into my blog.

Are you curious?

Are you dying to know what happened?

To tell the story properly and to have you understand why I was so happy with him I have to tell a short story about how the Q & A sessions after any writer, (actor, director, producer, plumber, mailman-okay maybe not the last two, but I am just seeing if you are paying attention), usually drives me COMPLETELY INSANE!

It is always the same questions: What is your process? How did you get started? How do I break in? What about this or that, or whatever...really boring people. What is worse than the same stupid questions-yes there is a such thing as a stupid question-is that there is always at least one, if not more, person that does the, what-I-like-to-call-ass kissing-bragging-portion of the question which usually goes something like this.

"OMG, first of all, I have to say that I LOVE you, you are a genius and I just love...(insert show, book, etc here) and I am in the middle of a huge deal right now with my screenplay that I came in 72nd in three contests, and everyone loves it and tells me that I am also a genius".....

Seriously? After all that you ask about process? Hrm? Are you really a writer?

But I digress.

Tonight was THEE BEST QUESTION in the history of questions.

I may not have it exactly as it was said, but what I am about to say is the truth and hilarious.

Jennifer was answering questions and this older man, old 70 or young 80 in coveralls-yes I mean overalls, white hair and all-stuck out like a sore thumb in a room of women, so I give him credit, raised his hand and what he said was this (or something like it)

"I wasn't going to stay more than 5 minutes, but you are so engaging, funny and (some other great compliment here), that I decided to stay."

Jennifer, "Thank you."

and then. . .

"I was wondering if you would ever consider having an inappropriate one night stand with a man old enough to be your father?"

OMG hilarious!!!

He was sweet, but it was too funny and by far the funniest thing I have heard in a long time.

Why So Desperate Ladies?

2010-07-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies-it is not 1960 anymore, why are you so desperate to get married? I don't and never will understand this mentality.

(What's wrong with this picture? Do either of them look happy?)

Honestly, what is it about getting married that still has women wanting it with more passion than actually finding someone they actually love?

There are tons of films, 'Bridget Jone's', 'Sex & The City', 'Must Love Dogs' to name a few, that all center females 'desperate' to be married, or re married. Did I miss something and we are back in 1960 and we need a man? It is ridiculous.

There are match making services where woman sign up in hopes of finding that certain someone to get to the alter. UGH.

There is always some woman giving advice on how to keep a man, get a man, marry a man-seriously? Did you not wake up and realize we are living in 2010?

I am not against marriage, or the concept of spending the rest of your life with someone you love, starting a family, etc, but I don't understand where the obsession comes, and yes it has become an obsession.

My clock has never ticked and I have never wanted to settle. By settle I don't mean, not want to settle down, I mean 'settle' for someone I don't love just for a ring.

A few years ago I mentioned to a friend of mine that I had been engaged and she looked at me horrified, "then why aren't you married?" I explained that I never wanted to marry any of these men, but wasn't ready to break up-and before you judge me, men do this all the time, I wasn't hurting them-and she said, "but you could have been married."

Another gal I met in the midwest was so upset for me that I wasn't married that I actually lied to her and said, "look I just don't like talking about it, but I was married and my husband and two kids died in a car accident." (totally lying to show her absurdity) and she said, "Oh thank God, at least you were married!" So to this woman it would be better to have lost my husband and children in a car accident than be single over the age of 30! That is seriously messed up.

I just don't understand it and maybe that is why I am single, but I don't ever want to marry someone I don't love just to be married and no one out there should, ever, especially now. It is 2010, not 1960!

Wake up ladies. Men are great. I love them, but we don't need to be married to define who we are and your desperation is making the rest of us look bad.

Sports Team Skivvies!

2010-07-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

You know what is totally weird to me? Sports teams that have underwear with their logo on it. I mean, really what are they trying to say? 'Our team is worth enough to have on your arse!' Or can you imagine, you are wearing your best Red Sox thongs (and yes thanks to Yawkey Way Store, I know these exist) and you get to crucial moment with the super hot guy you picked up in the pub-because please any girl wearing sports-undies drinks in a pub-he is there, you are there hot and heavy when he sees the Sox logo on your cooch and jumps off you screaming "You are a fucking Red Sox fan? The Yankees are the best team in baseball!" whips off his Levi's (Of course Levi's, he likes the Yankees for Christ's sake) and there he stands in tighty-whiteys with Jeter's number on his Johnson and 'Yankees' on his arse? The whole night is ruined because you had to wear your team on your hoo-hoo.
I just don't see the point in ruining what could otherwise be a fun night. Just sayin'

Remember, always give your best.

2010-07-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an evening at the WGA and will write about it in my writing blog, still have some work to do, but a friend on FB posted this quote, so I thought I would share it. It seems so relevant to life in the "industry".

‎"Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself." - Nixon

R.I. P Pres Romanillos

2010-07-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Pres Romanillos lost his battle with cancer yesterday and today we all mourn the loss of our friend, mentor, and amazing soul that touched the lives of everyone he met.

When I first went to work in Orlando on Mulan, I didn't know that many people, and Pres was one of the first people to make me feel welcome. The day I met him was the day my uncle had killed himself and I literally had only been in the studio one day. I was walking around the hallway in a daze when Pres came up to me like we had been best friends forever, and gave me words of comfort and strength. Then as the summer went on, we hung out during rainstorms on the patio for midday breaks and talked about life, work and he was just always inspiring me to be a better artist and person. He was a supervising animator at the time and I was a nobody, a newbie who had not even completed a year with Disney and only one film, but that didn't matter to him. He saw everyone as equal and treated us that way.

A couple years later I left Disney and went to DreamWorks and Pres was there and once again, he welcomed me with open arms. My first few months there were really hard emotionally and Pres really helped me feel at home, in fact he changed my experience there. He also gave me work on his character for Spirit off and on during El Dorado (which is what I was staffed on) and later on recommended me for character design jobs and pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. He helped me become a better artist.

As well, Pres and his wife rescued many lost animals and helped them find homes. I remember one time sneezing due to a cat allergy and when I went to see where these cats were, Pres' office door was open and he had a box of rescue kitties there. It warmed my heart to see someone so caring.

I think along your path you meet people that may or may not enter into your close circle of friends, and some of them move on without making an impact, but Pres was not that type in my life. We were never BFFs and I hadn't seen him in a long time, but he definitely was one of the best people I ever knew. His kindness and generosity were enormous and I believe he made a difference in the lives of many.

Last year when he was working on Frog, he found me, or I found him on some social networking site, I can't remember, and we talked about meeting for lunch, but we never did. I didn't even know he was sick until this year. He wasn't the type to talk about himself and be a downer like that. He was a believer in 'all things possible' and living every day happy. My heart broke when I heard he was sick and even though I am desperately afraid of needles I rushed over to try to donate platelets because I knew that Pres would have done it for any of us, or anyone. I wasn't able to because my iron and some other levels were too low, so in the end I couldn't help him, but I will definitely do my best to help others in his memory.

The world is a sadder and darker place with the loss of this beautiful spirit.

*Adding to the original post here* Today I have been reading everyone's kind words about Pres, and I think we are all in shock, like it isn't real. We really lost an amazing person. I was working and watching Glee, and when they sang this song it made me think of Pres, because the Pres I remember was always smiling.

I dedicate to you Pres and your journey to the other side.

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by…

If you smile
With your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just…

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just…

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by…

If you smile
Through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile…

That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

Quoting Sue From Glee!

2010-07-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

OMG people are hilarious.

It seemed to me that everyone on my FB page watched Glee all last year. Last night I posted a quote from Sue that was meant to be funny. I also included the " around it, but yet I got a bunch of nasty messages today.

What is even odder is that most people on my page know that I regularly quote TV shows and films, and that I am never serious. I am shocked that I upset anyone, but I can't really apologize for people's stupidity.

In any case, here are some great Sue quotes!

~ I can't stand the sight of kids getting emotional, unless it's from physical exhaustion.

~ I empower my Cheerios to be champions. Do they go to college? I don't know. I don't care. Should they learn Spanish? Sure, if they wanna become dishwashers and gardeners.

~ I like minorities so much, I'm thinking of moving to California to become one.

~ While they were in there, I told them to go ahead and yank out those tear ducts. Wasn't using them.

~ That's a very good question because I've forgotten both your names

~ I empower my Cheerios to live in fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror

~ I don't trust a man with curly hair. I can't help but picture little birds laying sulfurous eggs in there, and it disgusts me.

~ I always thought the desire to procreate showed deep personal weakness.

~ Every time I try to destroy that club, it comes back strong than some sexually ambiguous horror movie villain.

~ You're dealing with children. They need to be terrified. It's like mother's milk to them

~ I'll often yell at homeless people: 'Hey, how is that homelessness working out for you? Try not being homeless for once.'

~ Not everyone is gonna have the walnuts to take a pro-littering stance. But I will not rest until every inch of our fair state is covered in garbage.

~ Caning works! And I think it's about time we did a little more of it right here... yes, we cane!

Judging Others Isn't Cool

2010-07-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

It makes me really sad that one of the writer groups I joined last year has turned into a judgmental bossy pain in the ass group. I am also sad that people use others for their own gain and then drop them. It also makes me sad that this same group works on making people feel bad instead of promoting growth. I am so disappointed, but this is Los Angeles, being phony is part of the game.

Friday the 16th

2010-07-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

What if Friday the 16th was the good luck day, like Friday the 13th is the bad luck day?

Would there be a ton of films with a crazy man in a ski cap running around making people laugh for several sequels for years to come?

Would be embrace the day with a "yay, it's Friday the 16th?"

I implore you to look at this and wonder if today was good luck for you?

It was for me. I actually won the lottery, and yet here I sit blogging, because I love you all so much.

I now dub, Friday the 16th as good luck day!

How Film & TV Has Shaped Who I Am

2010-07-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

Okay that may sound a bit silly, but I am being totally serious about this.
When I was in high school, I was really uptight, and totally TYPE A personality, like Jeannie from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Everything had to be just "so" and I was always upset that others got away with things when I followed the rules, then that summer I went to see Ferris Bueller's Day Off and it literally changed my life.

I am not sure if it was the fun Ferris had on his day off, or just his philosophy of, "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and take a look, you could miss it". But I changed. The way I dressed changed. I became more type B, and a lot more fun to be around. All my friends noticed and I was happier.

Marty McFly taught me another very important lesson-to not be afraid to show my work to people. There is a scene when him and his dad are in the lunch room and he notices his dad writing away and he says, "Get out of here, I didn't know you did anything creative!" George doesn't show Marty his work because "what if they don't like it? What if they say I'm no good?"
That line scared me more than any horror film, because as a creative person, I felt that way a lot, but because of that film I pushed through it and now I never think like that and I do believe "if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish anything!"

Jack Dawson taught me to enjoy life and make each day count. I don't especially think I am going to die in freezing water and would rather have money than not, but that character showed me that it is just as good if not better, to enjoy what you have right in front of you instead of dwelling on what you don't have. I like to live my life like Jack and I do see it that way now. He also helped pull me out of my natural type A and into more of a take it as it comes, enjoy every minute and have no regrets. I am making each day count. Life is a gift and I don't want to waste it.

Dharma gave me some style. My room, my clothes, everything changed when I started watching Dharma & Greg. I loved her weird color schemes and themes and I wanted to live in her apartment, so when I got my own place in 2000, I made sure nothing matched, but it was all fun. I also love being in my place. Some more conservative folks don't really like it, because they want everything to be beige and matchy-ugh..but that is fine with me, because I love it!!

So I say to these fictional characters: Ferris, Marty, Jack & Dharma~thank you for helping me become a better version of me!