I Want Cake!

Thanks to a friend's tweet, I just rediscovered this website that features some of the most delicious (and disgusting) food you'll ever see. When I first saw it, I went through every single page because the pictures are addicting! Anyway, I found many today that look sooo tasty, but this one is just plain pretty!

Magical Rainbow Tower Of Dreams (link contains credits)

If you look at this site, make sure dinner is soon! I know I'm hungry . . .

Clothes Swap Blues

I've been planning this clothes swap party for monthssss now but have had the HARDEST time getting people to come. I had to reschedule it because so many people were out of town and yesterday was the RSVP deadline for the new date, and I still only have the two original "yes!"s coming. (THANK YOU, you two. You know who you are!) Out of like 30 people invited, two said yes, many (again!) are out of town, and a ton have completely ignored both invitations. Some of them really good friends! I don't exactly understand it . . . I would behave in the quite the opposite fashion, even if I didn't want to come. Oh well. I just thought it was an awesome idea for poor people like me to have some fun and get free, new-to-us, threads. Whatevs, people. I'll blog about the end result after the 3 of us swap. Ha.

My mom e*mailed me this cute pic of SHOES:

I'm always a fan of both hot pink and zebra, and together is even better! :)

Today I had my first full day of classes as an art major. I feel SO incompetent with art supplies; it's scary. I survived my first figure drawing class! We only did basic cubes and abstract blob things but it still took quite the effort on my part! I do NOT draw, and the last (and only) drawing class I took was 3 & 1/2 years ago. Sitting there watching super artsy and talented people draw around me was quite intimidating! I really need to practice when I'm not in class.

Well WOW, this has been a boring post. I applaud you if you read through all of it! I hope whoever you are, you are having a good day. :)

Playing House

8:36am. Hello! I'm writing from the set of House M.D. which is pretty cool if you ask me! I don't watch it so I don't know any of the characters or storylines, but I have plenty of friends that do! I called an agent at Central to submit for an 18 to look younger part for another show and ended up getting booked for House as a parent (and also a secretary?)!! Kind of a blow to the ego! Haha.

This experience is WAY different than Heroes. There are around 20 extras which makes the whole experience far more intimate. Also, we're on the actual set in-studio rather than outside on location. I got kind of lost walking to set because the studio grounds are pretty big! I walked through a pretend scariesville to find the right soundstage and ended up walking past the facade for Nolita, the restaurant for the 2005 show Kitchen Confidential (which I just rewatched on Hulu and am currently reading the book it was based on). I had to ask two people along the way but I eventually ended up in the right place.

We got to go to set about half an hour after checking in with wardrobe, which was awesome. The scene was cool but I felt pretty self-conscious at the beginning because everyone else here seems to be actual actors who have already been on House for quite a few episodes (some even having been on previous seasons). No one ever yelled cut because of me, so I guess I was OK. Haha.

Right now we're back in the holding area listening to some guy snore. I'll go back to trying to stay warm (soo cold in here! My teeth are literally chattering. Returning background brought blankets. Smart.) and reading Kitchen Confidential. Until later. . .

. . . 7:31pm. Well we didn't get called back to set until about 6? hours later. (Maybe it wasn't quite that long, but it seemed like it!) We didn't do very many scenes but we did do a lottt of takes. One thing learned today, Jesse Spencer is fun to look at. hahaha. Just an observation! It made the 100 takes around his character quite bearable.

The hardest thing about today was that everyone around me knew the crew and each other and clearly knew what to do! Granted, it's really not hard to get the hang of, but there is something to be said about that initial intimidation! Everyone knew their way around set and knew the routine. It's like your first day at school being in the middle of the semester.

Call time was at 6AM which meant in order to get to the studio on time, I had to wake up at 3:45am!!! Boo to that. I managed to get there without falling asleep at the wheel. Always a good thing! About an hour before we were dismissed, those of us who had a "change" (me being a secretary) were told to put on our alternate clothes. After waiting for about half an hour, we were dismissed because we were coming up on our 13th hour and they didn't want to fork over double pay! Unfortunately, that means I didn't get to be a secretary, which I had really been looking forward to!

Today was uncomfortable at times, but I think it was a good step up in learning the ropes. (I'm really glad I did Heroes first because it was a nice stepping stone for House. Today I would have been WAY more lost than I already was.) It should be fun to watch the episode because I think I'll be able to catch a [really quick, small, fuzzy] glimpse of myself.

Well this is certainly long enough now. If you bothered to read this far, thank you so much! I hope the rest of your week is amazing. :)

As promised

Thursday and Friday were so fun! Thursday just after midnight, I learned my call time had changed from 10:30am to 8am which meant in order to wake up and get to set on time, I'd have to get up at 4:30am. I am perpetually late, so I wanted to give myself plenty of time to ensure I was punctual (completely required for this business). I ended up getting to set around 7:30am and followed a girl in and found an empty seat in the extras holding area. Check-in wouldn't begin until 8, so I opened up my book. All around me people were eating breakfast that was provided by craft services, and I was trying hard not to feel nauseous from the smells (I was soo nervous!).

Anyway, after signing in, we were told to make a line for wardrobe and makeup so they could OK what we all looked like (we had been told to dress in young, bright, fun clothes that looked appropriate for early summer). After we got checked, we had to wait another couple of hours until we were finally brought to set.

I love being on set. It's so cool seeing everything and everyone that makes up what we watch on tv. I could hang out on set for hours (which, of course, is why I was so excited to be an extra). There was more standing around while ADs (assistant directors) placed the 150 extras (we were there for a carnival scene) in various places around the set. In the end, everyone had been placed except me and two other girls. We seemed to have been forgotten about! We ended up staying where we were while the rehearsals took place. It turned out to be a great place to watch everything because the action went SMACK (2 ft) past us (including Zachary Quinto). Once they actually brought the camera in, us three were told we were "stacking up" in the camera's view so we had to move around the corner in front of a dart throwing/balloon popping booth. haha. Oh well. It was still a good shot once, halfway through the scene, the two actors passed right next to us.

New villian Robert Knepper was there all day!

One highlight of the day was when Zach came up to the three of us and started popping the balloons with the darts. (For the first 12ish darts, it was him, girl #1, girl #2, then me lined up at the counter and then he moved between girl #2 and myself for another like 20 darts. Awesome.) Of course, as lowly extras, we couldn't throw with him, but we certainly savored the situation and eagerly replied to his chatter (well, honestly it was mostly expletives for when he missed the balloons. haha) and one of the set guys was complaining that he'd have to replace all the popped balloons. He didn't in the end so all was fine. Anyway, it was just a cool element of the day. :)

At a few times during the day, one of the ADs was working on a list trying to figure out who was coming back the next day. My name was never called, so it didn't look like there was any way I would be recalled. In between takes on the last scene, she said that the whole group I was booked to be a part of (18+ to look younger) was being recalled. I was sooo happy to be able to come back!

I was there for about 12 and 1/2 hours and at the end of the night was certainly looking forward to bed. At 1:30am, I got a call saying my call time had been pushed back half an hour which meant half an hour more of sleep! (But because I had been roused from a dead sleep, it took me like that whole half an hour to figure out what time to adjust my alarm clock to. haha)

Friday was wayyy more boring. We sat there for . . . 8? 9? hours. Ugh. We only got to film like 3 scenes. Sitting in the holding area was frustrating because I so badly wanted to be back on set watching the crew! Oh well. I ended up being there for 10 and 1/2 hours.

Not the actual set, but a mockup for Comic-Con

All in all, I had a great experience meeting people, learning the ins and outs of pantomiming ("talking" and interacting on camera while being completely silent) and crosses (extras walking on camera from and to a certain spot), seeing some sneak peek Heroes' storyline info, eating good food (craft services is awesome!), and stepping out of my comfort zone to try a new experience! One girl I met overheard a crew member say we were working on episode six, so I'll look forward to watching it!

Finally, a pay check!

A couple weeks ago my friend and I signed up with Central Casting. I had been wanting to for years and figured now, before school starts up again, is the perfect time to pursue it.

It took me a few days to work up the courage to call the line to see what they were looking for (yes, unfortunately my extreme fear of new things makes me an absolute chicken!) and another day or so after that to finally call in for a description I fit. Yesterday I called in repeatedly for over 3 and 1/2 hours but to no avail. :(

Today I tired again and after an hour of calling with my home AND cell phone (yes, at the same time; I heard a phantom busy signal for over an hour after being off the phones! haha), I booked my first background acting job! Yeehaw! It's for Heroes which is awesome because I really want to work on all my favorite shows. Heroes hasn't made me the biggest fan, but I do watch it regularly hoping the story lines will improve. My two days of working will be so much cooler because I'll be trying to figure out the plot the whole time. :)

Anyway, I'll definitely blog a play-by-play this weekend so that anyone who is curious about the process (like I am! I want to know what's going to happen! Yikes!) can read up and get the details. Wish me luck!! I'M TERRIFIED, but definitely excited.

Chocolate Vodka . . .

. . . that's what I bought for my friend's party this weekend in honor of him completing his bar exam this past month. (I'm not usually a fan of "rubbing alcohol" but in this case it really does taste like chocolate!) Everyone at the party dressed up in "legal eagle" attire (judges, lawyers, criminals, etc.). It was really fun! The next day my family went to our friends' house for a nice gathering in which ample eating and music making took place. :) It was a great evening!

Sunday morning, I had time to play with my Konad supplies for the first time!! It is soo much fun. Here are some pictures of my very first stamping experiments. Yes, it does take some practice - especially the tips and full nail designs!

Here's my first official manicure with the nail art.

Revlon Lily Chrome over Revlon Va Va Va Bloom

Before I could play with Konad, I had to run out to get pure acetone to clean the image plates during use and stopped at the 99 Cent Store to see if they had any. They didn't, but I did find three fun items that are normally a lot more than 99 cents each! I scored a Revlon eyelash curler (with replacement squishy thing), a cool Revlon set of loose eyeshadows built into a compact, and a Princessa 7 texture nail file. Fun fun.

Oh hey. If you're a fan of food and of "free", then be aware that today Jack In The Box is giving away free tacos again today! Just go to their website and print the coupon.

Happy Tuesday!

For the Love of Konad

Over the last 3 or 4 days, I have been obsessively watching every video and reading every blog about Konad nail art that I can find. I happened across the products a few days ago can't get enough!!! I ordered some of the essentials (double sided stamper, scraper, black and white special polishes, and two plates) from OCNailArt.com and CANNOT wait for them to arrive!!!! I know the stamping will take time and practice to perfect, but I'm so ready to hop on the bandwagon and get going. OK, so here are some of my favorite looks I've found online:

Someone else got the same pieces I did; here's what's in the mail! Aren't the plates adorable?!

My current nails: Rather Barbie-esque, n'est pas? I wish you could see the true intensity of the colors. I added the flowers on a whim and didn't do the best of jobs, but I'm confident that from now on they will be far more precise thanks to my Konad supplies! EEK can't wait.

Photo credits (in order):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36359506@N07/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36359506@N07/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36359506@N07/

http://www.casuallavish.com

http://www.abeautyfulsentiment.com

http://nailinit.wordpress.com

http://mezzamy.blogspot.com

http://decoratived.blogspot.com

http://spark-leigh.blogspot.com :)

Rock Steady

This past Sunday night I went to my first official "artist on tour" concert (about time, yes??). Despite my love for them, I never did go see the Spice Girls. ;) Anyway, No Doubt is my favorite band of all time so I knew I had to see them this summer. The Sounds and Paramore played before No Doubt came on. We were only able to get lawn seats which were pretty far back, but we still had a great time and I can't stress how AMAZING No Doubt is live. OH MAN. I really hope they go on tour again soon so I can rock out even closer to the stage. :) Anyway, here is a smallish sampling of my 295 pictures! Sorry they're so small but I'm having a hard time working with the template and had to shrink the photos to fit.




















































































































Sorry; I know that was a lot of pictures. :) At the concert, I wanted to splurge on a ND tee but in the end the lines were really long and I knew the shirt was slightly cheaper on their website. So, as soon as I got home, I ordered the one I had been lusting over. It's the girly version of their Tragic Kingdom logo (I loveee their older albums). The shirt arrived the very next day!!!



I love it.

OK, guilty pleasure soap opera time. You didn't read that. ;)