Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world

I just thought of another great use for my blog!

I will use it every time I want to call my mom and be negative about something in Los Angeles. Then you all can hear about it and she can go about her day unaware that I am angered!

Although, she may read this....

Anyway having said that, today's topic is: TAPE

At the post offices in Los Angeles, YOU have to pay for the tape THEY use in order to make sure the package you are sending is securely shut.

Next topic: THE BANK

At the Bank of America in Los Angeles, they cannot give you money in exchange for your loose change. Instead you must take it to a coinstar machine halfway across your area code which then proceeds to keep 9 cents for every dollar you have inserted in the machine.

Not to mention the ridiculously high over draft fee of $35.00 which seems to be taken out of your bank account (sometimes twice in one day) at complete random, even when there is money in the account...

Moral of today's story. I miss Iowa State Bank and The Fairfield Post Office. No one will ever understand my needs quite like you do.

I found the light in the tunnel at the end

I haven't posted in a long time. I got accused of being too self absorbed by having created this blog and it threw me for a while, but I'm back and I think it's important for me to write about my life out here.

I landed my first real movie job out here today. I had an audition last week for a film called "Locked Up." No it's not a spin off of "Knocked Up." It's actually a serious film about 5 women in prison and what they deal with on a daily basis. It has the potential to be incredibly raw and gritty with a message in there somewhere...

I'll get paid SAG wages and recieve SAG credit (whatever that means) even though I'm not SAG.

Besides going on about 1-3 auditions a week and having not landed any of them until now (yet, only recieving positive feedback) I've been doing background work. I never gave an update on what shows I've worked on so here it is:

Maybe someone will see me someday!

Movie: Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith
TV: True Blood
Movie: Operating Instructions
Movie: Warrior
TV: CSI Las Vegas
Movie: Family Wedding
Movie: The Roommate
Movie: Get Him To The Greek
Print: University of Pheonix
TV: Greek
TV: Criminal Minds
Internet: Hammertime Dance

Life is great out here. The weather is always nice, the people are nice, I've met some truly incredible friends whom I love dearly and Ben and Pumpkin don't think it's half shabby either.

=)

Much love,
Sara

I'm so gay and I don't even like girls

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Queer Eye for the Hawkeye
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

HELLZ YA!

who woulda thunk it

http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9396&Itemid=53

I am proud to be an Iowan!

The funniest thing about today was reading all the Facebook status fights. Some of my friends even went as far as "defriending" friends who said something negative about Iowa's decision.

broke

I have 30 dollars to my name...

Bad Timing?

So I guess coming to Fairfield may have been a stupid thing to do. I got a call yesterday from my calling service because a casting director wanted me in a production and they were going to give me a SAG voucher. I looked into flying back, but filming was on a weather permitting basis only, so they told me as much as they were impressed that I was willing to fly back for it, it probably wasn't worth the risk and they would consider using me in the future. I hope that there will be many more opportunities for SAG vouchers because that is the whole reason for doing background work. I know some people who have been doing extra work for years and still haven't gotten a voucher. I could have gotten one within a month of having started background work...

I suppose if it's meant to happen it will happen.

I love that I'm already getting to see my family and friends and that I'm getting to spend time with Ben and Pumpkin, I would have missed them so much. It's important to take them away from Los Angeles too. You start to become someone else after a while and it's good to go back to your roots. Even after only being there for a month I started acting like the other people on set. Getting upset about the long hours and gossiping about the "poor production assistant's attitude." Being away from it for a while will hopefully remind me that being in L.A. and having work there is a privilege that many people don't ever get to experience and that I should be grateful for everything I have.

Valentines Day

So after only having moved to Los Angeles a month and 9 days ago, I find myself already back in Fairfield. Don't worry, it's only temporarily and I am thankful for getting to visit so soon already. Ben is working on remodeling a house that his cousins just bought so I tagged along for the free ride.

Being back for only a few days now has already given me such a clearer outlook on why I felt it was the perfect time for me to leave. Along with the freezing cold weather I have found that being in Fairfield, as wonderful as it may be sometimes, actually gives me strange pangs of anxiety that I don't feel when I'm in a big city. In Los Angeles no one but my close friends, housemates, and lover know me. I get to start over with a completely new slate. I get to choose that for the first time in my life I AM going to be independent, I AM going to focus on my career, and I am NOT going to to settle for second best and almost perfect. I have that choice and so does everyone else. I think having lived in Fairfield for my entire life I became a bit jaded and only looked at the positive things because it is my home. I will still always love Fairfield, but I am so thankful that I have the amazing opportunity as a young person to decide what I want to do with my life.

On that note and being that it is Valentines day and I'm feeling the love, I'd like to thank all the wonderful people in my life that I often don't thank enough. I am forever grateful for what you've given to me and the things you have taught me. Just two short years ago, I was at the lowest point in my life and look at me now thanks to all of your love and support. To my girls who I will always consider my best friends: Sammy, Tiffany, and Michelle without whom much of Middle School, High School, and College would not have been possible! To my girls in Iowa City Isabelle, Erin, and Kelsey who I got to know better once I was no longer attached at the hip to the man who broke my heart, and to all of you who together pulled me out of my place of depression as much as you could at the time. To my girls in Fairfield: Rosanna, Leah, Jessi, Molly, and Bug who made being back in Fairfield the most fun ever!

Of course I'd like to thank my family for never letting me forget to focus on the more important things in life and to Ben for being the most patient, understanding, loving, non judgmental person I've ever had the pleasure of spending my time with. I love waking up to your smile every morning.

Happy Valentines Day everyone! I love you!

Picture

Here's a picture from the photo shoot Ben and I went to. I think this may have been the only one that turned out half decent. It wasn't the photographers fault, she was just used to shooting porn which never really has to look good. Generally as long as there are boobies, people are happy.

No boobies here, just sweet sweet innocence.

Double Shot at Love

So I was unfortunately selected to be in the audience of The Ikki twin's happy hour: a double shot at love reunion show on MTV. It paid quite well, but sent me soaring into 10 of the most painful hours of my entire life. Jerry Springer style.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/a-double-shot-at-love-happy-hour-reunion/1604217/playlist.jhtml

You can see me at second 38. I'm so amused.

You treat me like a princess, I'm not used to all of this

Yesterday I was working on set of Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith which is a Hallmark movie with Cybill Sheperd. It was fun because I worked on that set last week so I got to know some of the people and got to see them again, not something you always get a lot of in Los Angeles. Although, it's truly surprising how many people you see on a day to day basis that you recognize from places you've been or sets you've worked on. You soon realize that out of the 3.8 million people who live here and the 44,351 people just in your hood many of those people are on the same schedule as you: Wake at 5:30, on the road by 6:00, to set by 7:00, on set 'til 7:00, directly to Pink Berry for your much deserved reward, and then home for a stroll around the neighborhood, dinner and a movie, and at last BED.

Or a day off, which isn't ever Saturday or Sunday, but rather a random Monday or Thursday and goes something like this: Sleep in to the ungodly hour of 7:30, make pancakes, take a stroll around the neighborhood, tea and email time, hike up a random mountain to a waterfall, hike down the mountain to nearest Pink Berry, Lunch at nearest taco stand (which is very hard to narrow down considering there are always at least 2 in sight) home to tidy up the house, to the movies or the beach, dinner in Santa Monica, home for more Pink Berry, and then BED.

Kind of like a sunny vacation from reality 24 hours a day. Why only 38,148,493 people + 2 more (Ben and I) live in California beats me...

Here's what Ben has been doing:







I went to a shoot with him the other day and got propositioned by the photographers there for porn, so hey, if acting doesn't work out, I've already got another road to take... KIDDING. (This is when I was taught that we were in Porn Capital of the world. Yup, an entire part of California (San Fernando Valley) dedicated to the extremely prosperous business of making porn. You should have seen the houses around there, they were ALL mini mansions.

These two particular photographers were really cute though and included me in part of the shoot. I can't wait to see the pictures. (No we didn't do any porn...this time...KIDDING.)

BUG comes to visit

More pictures

Okay more pictures since I didn't finish the post yesterday:

I was supposed to be on Curb Your Enthusiasm yesterday to watch the Lakers Game, but Bug and her friend Reed came to visit so I canceled work. I felt a bit bad, but had so much fun with them. We went to Pink Berry and Highland Park with the doggies and then went bowling as soon as Ben got off work. It was worth missing the game, they lost anyway.

So here are some pictures of the community I live in:

Life in L.A. (as of three weeks and 1 day ago)

Hey family and friends. Blogging time. I am not much of a writer so this is really more to keep you all informed on my journey.

So far so good is really all I have to say. I had so many preconceived notions on what living in Los Angeles would be like and everyone kept telling me I would either love it or hate it so I should visit first. Luckily, it didn't take long at all for me to realize I would be one of those people who love it.

It really was love at first sight, the second I got on that CA- 2 coming into Riverside drive there was a rush of excitement I have never felt before. Partly because for the first time in my life I was moving somewhere without any clue where my life was headed, but partly because if I let my foot off the accelerator for even a second the race car drivers approaching quickly behind me on the busy freeway would end my life right then and there. It's the fast paced, but laid back attitude of this city that I adore already. Not to mention the unbelievable 80 degree weather in January and the fruit trees on every corner.

For about the first week I was here, okay maybe more like the first 2 weeks I was here, I was absolutely terrified of the freeways. I finally braved them all by myself late one night (not the best time, but at least the traffic wasn't bad) when Ben and I went to a party at his brother and sister in laws house and he wanted to stay, but I was getting chilly so I went back to get some warmer clothing on and to take my brother who came with us back to my apartment. I was so determined to get from Eagle Rock to Silver Lake and back to Eagle Rock that my fear never really set in and I successfully made the trip after almost rolling the SUV down a very steep hill. It really wasn't so bad, I just realized that making a U-turn on a dead end street wasn't such a good idea because the reason it was a dead end street was because it was nearly impossible to go any further up the hill side without being practically verticle. I made it back to Graham, Elizabeth and Rex's, my heart pounding and a lot more awake than I was when I left.

After that journey I was fearless, going to tbe grocery stores and gas stations in my neighborhood without thinking twice. The thing is, L.A. drivers aren't scary. They are really very nice most of the time. Unlike on the East coast where they lay on their horns and flip you off as they pass you. L.A. drivers simply beep very gently as if to say, "hey, I'm back here, just letting you know so we don't get into an accident. You see, i'm kind of on the way to the beach and as much as I'd like to make a new friend I'm sort of late to meet my old friend and I don't want to be rude, you know, but hey, no worries, whatever happens happens, but yeah it would be pretty cool if we didn't hit eachother, so that's all my saying." I guess it's kind of hard to be an asshole when it's always sunny.

two of my favorite places in my neighborhood are Pink Berry and Trader Joes.

Amazing and Amazing. At Pink Berry you get either natural, green tea, or raspberry frozen yogurt and then you can get fruit, nuts, or mochi ball and other toppings. My favorite is the natural with yogurt chips, coconut, and almond slices. Delicious. At Trader Joes, I can get all my favorite foods from Fairfield for about 2 dollars less an item. Who ever said food and clothing out here is more expensive is lying. There are entire clothing stores at the mall near my house that sell the same products as rue 21, forever 21, and gadzooks who have signs in the windows saying EVERYTHING IN STORE UNDER $4.99.

Insane...I know.

One more thing I love about this city is comedy night at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in Hollywood where two weekends ago Ben and I and a whole group of Fairfieldians got to see Jeff Garlin and his guest Andy from the Office, for the insanely inexpensive amount of $1.00... $1.00! I'm not joking. The shows are only $1.00 and ever weekend they have different famous and no name people who are among the funniest people in existence. Plus they give away prizes. Jeff gave me a chocolate bar the size of my head ( to share with Ben, he said.)

This is a long post since I have been here for 3 weeks and just now decided to update y'all, but you can always break up your reading into a few days since I probably won't post again until God only knows when, I guess when something more significant happens.

I went on a few interviews for part time work at clothing stores and pardon my language, proceeded to say to myself, "Fuck this, you came all the way out here to act and pursue your career NOT to work at a clothing store, what the fuck are you doing going on job interviews for something you don't want to do anymore?!" That's when I decided to take the advice my lovely roommate Ariana had told me before I went on those interviews which was, "What the fuck Sara, you came all the way out to here to pursue acting and a career, what the fuck are you doing?! Go pursue acting!" Once I finally woke up, I didn't have much of a choice, neither of the two employers got back to me..nature's support to find another job I guess, I signed up with Central Casting Los Angeles and got a calling service to get me work. So far I've been signed up for one week and have been employed every day I have asked to be employed. Pretty sweet.

My very first job was on the set of True Blood which is an HBO series about vampires starring Anna Paquin, the second youngest person to have ever won an academy award at the age of 11 (she was beaten by Tatum O'Neil by a few months.) What an amazing first experience. Everyone was so nice and the catered food was delicious!

I also worked on the new movie, Mrs. Washington, starring Cybill Shepherd. My car will also be appearing in the film. I knew my pretty pearly white toyota avalon was going to be a star too. I couldn't be more proud.

Anyway, I've been on the computer nearly all morning I really should go do laundry and clean up the apartment a bit. I will upload real photos soon!

Love you all!

Sara