Live in New York City once...

The following is a speech by George Carlin.


Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. 

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

25 Days of Giving

Last year I used the power of Facebook to spread the word about 25 charities and donated to each one as a personal christmas gift to whomever recommended that charity.

This year I was inspired by this video called "Advent Conspiracy"

"Spend Less on Gifts, Give More Presence."


The Charities I supported last year included the following. If anyone is considering buying me a Christmas present this year, a donation to one of these would be preferred:

1.     Terrence Higgins for world AIDS day

2.     Human Rights Campaign 

3.     Jimmyv.org 

4.     http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

5.     www.nhctf.org 

6.     http://www.nhcadsv.org/

7.     International Justice Mission 

8.     Aspca 

9.     Post secret hopeline

10. joyful noise leukemia foundation

11. hoops for heroes

12. Haiti yele

13. invisible children

14. toys for tots

15. Courage campaign 

16. Girls on the run NH

17. Breast cancer awareness

18. Heifer international 

19. Let’s move 

20. National inclusion project 

21. Charity for cancer survivors

23. Faith Hope and Love Foundation 

24. Defenders of Wildlife 
25.Momentary Times           (I'm not sure where 22 went, my blog is being funky with the lay-out and HTML... I'll edit more later.)


        *also, if anyone else has other websites or organizations they would like to recommend to me, please do so!! 

Love one another. X

On trying to Act in NYC

Here we go. I've jumped into the acting world of New York City. It is competitive and harsh and you only get places by knowing the right people.  You can have talent and try really hard and still fail.

So far since being here I have applied to numerous projects, including feature films, television shows, student films, web series, and commercials. I have gone on a few auditions and even landed a few roles. The projects that I have done are a web-series filmed in Brooklyn and an episode from a television show for a class at NYU. Both were unpaid but it was great to use them as experiences to learn more about film acting and to meet new people. Also, it's building up my resume!

How I found out about these parts were by constantly searching online. The two websites I use most are Mandy.com and NYCastings.com. Mandy is free and it has mostly student films and non-paid work. NYCastings cost about $10 a month and it has everything from background work on Gossip Girl to models for Hair Shows. I have received more feedback from Mandy, but I got both of the gigs I actually ended up doing from NYCastings. Both websites allow you to upload headshots and resumes, however NYCastings also lets you upload a multi-media reel.

I think the ultimate goal is to eventually get an agent and be in a union. For now, just doing non-union non-paid stuff is fun. I have a few days off a week from work so I can go to auditions and have time to film, but eventually I hope that acting can be my full-time job.


Here's to making your dreams come true!

X

New Home

So I'm leaving Manhattan and moving to a nice place in the Bronx. My rent is reasonable and the commute to my jobs is only about half an hour on the subway.

I also was asked to stay at American Apparel as a full-time employee so I need to think about what that means for my other job and my free time as well as trying to start auditioning and doing theatre again.

Oh, and it snowed the other day and snow in NYC is the worst.

oops!

Oh gosh, I haven't posted in so long! New York is so busy and crazy and every day I wake up, go to work, get home from work, and spend hours on the computer searching for a new place to live. I have to leave my room i'm in on Monday and I don't have a new home yet! It is scary, but I'll find a place I hope. I have to figure out my work schedule because I've been offered instead of part-time positions at my jobs, full-time and I can't do two full-time! Life is so crazy!

X

One Year in Photos

I've had a Flickaday Account for over a year now, and this is a video of one year of my life in photos:

http://www.flickaday.com/swfs/flickadayviewer.swf?id=7774

The Joys of Craigslist.

I was really lucky and found a great sublet here in Washington Heights. My roommates are fun and quiet and clean, the apartment is huge and my room is fully furnished. Unfortunately for me I need to move out Nov. 1, so the search for another place to live begins.

 Now I have two jobs, so I think I can start the process of applying for my own apartment. However, I then need to deal with real estate agents, brokers fees, and finding furniture ( not to mention kitchen utensils, bathroom supplies, setting up utilities etc.) I'm 23 and it's about time I get my own place (with or without a roommate.) I've never actually lived alone. It's possible, but not preferred.

Anyway, I'm still searching the NYC craigslist sublet section just in case there's a place that looks promising. I would love to stay on the Upper West Side so my commute to work isn't bad, but I've heard a lot of good things about Brooklyn.

Here are some craigslist postings that made me laugh:

Beautiful Pot Plants

Naked Guy

Dear world: Normal 23 yr old female seeks normal roommates my age with a fully furnished bedroom, not expensive, not far from manhattan, laundry near building, elevator preferred, pets are fine, clean and tidy and semi-quiet & safe..... does it exist?