Posts Tagged ‘How-To…’

hope there’s a point

Why am I doing this? Who knows why?

Trying to make it as an actor when most people fail.  Stressing myself out every step of the way.  Worrying if I’ll get the audition – worrying if I’ll look the part – worrying if I’ll get the part. Then what if I get it and the project’s not good, or even worse – what if I’m not good?

Is it Worth It?

Is the gain worth the pain – the late night Deejaying, the Temp jobs, the Uber-driving – just because Acting’s my passion? Is it really my passion or something I’ve had some success with? Am I holding on too tight to the encouraging words from CDs and Producers in my corner – the ones who say they’d love to work with me again when the right project comes along. Am I too little-too-late? Are my supporters and successes too few and far between?

Can I be passionate about something else? Maybe instead of putting all of my effort into what I think my passion is, it might be smarter to work on finding another passion. How does one find a passion? Through a Passionologist?

Volunteering in the ER —

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recipe for a sparkly 2015!

1. LUG YOUR LUGGAGE around the block – (Packed with the the things you’ll need on your “Dream Vacay”.)
2. Go on a HOUSE CLEANSE on the 31st  (Mop up the old mess so you can make room for the new mess.)   
3. GRAB THE GRAPES — (In-between midnight hugs and kisses eat 12 of them, making a wish with each of the 12 months to come.)
4. CARRY CASH at midnight – (For prosperity in the New Year… and while we’re on that subject…)
5. Put a GOLD RING in your Glass for the promise of riches — (But be sure you don’t swallow it, because that’ll insure a trip to the ER instead — which is so not where you’ll want to be on New Year’s Eve, trust me)!
   
6. Light COLORFUL CANDLES to create different outcomes — (Light a green one for good health, a yellow to improve your finances, an orange one for wisdom and a blue one for peace. Oh, and don’t forget the red one for the promise of PASSION!)
7. On the 31^st open the front door and SWEEP OUT NEGATIVITY but open the windows to LET POSITIVITY IN – (But don’t sweep anything out on the 1^st, especially a HANDSOME MAN bearing gifts : )
8. MAKE A LIST of all of the things you want to forget in 2013– (Then light it on fire!)
9. LIGHT FIREWORKS (Scare away Evil Spirits!)
10. JUMP UP-AND-DOWN at Midnight – (Go as high as you can to encourage physical and mental growth.)
11. If your UNDIES are INSIDE-OUT or BACKWARDS — and you switch things around the first few minutes in the New Year, it either means the RED CANDLE worked and you started out the year with PASSION or you’re going to get all New Clothes (Something I can get very passionate about, ha!)
12. Oh, and if you’re wearing RED UNDERWEAR when you light the RED CANDLE, and move in for the MIDNIGHT SMOOCH and whatever it leads to — you need to know… RED UNDERWEAR signifies FERTILITY in Italy. (So if you’re Italian or in Rome when all of this happens or your RED underwear is backwards shortly after midnight — you might be expecting more than GOOD LUCK in the coming year.) Uh-oh!

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I’d really love to be him!

I LOVE Holidays! I LOVE giving Presents. In the search for special for the “Specials” in my life, I feel like I’m searching for a beautiful shell on the beach that no one else has discovered. Yep, finding the perfect present is a challenge, but it’s a fun one. Try to listen to what people say when they discuss things they like, it’ll make things a lot easier. (Dr. A craves white chocolate, Mira smells like roses, my Dad’s really into cool socks.)  I love wrapping presents in fun creative ways (my first job ever was wrapping presents in high school at a drugstore in Brentwood, and I’ve been good at it ever since.)

But the paying part. Ugh! Everyone hates that. Ebay sales, residuals and being a temporary Temp help. But when that credit card bill arrives in January it just adds to the pressure of Pilot Season, reminding me:

You’ve GOTTA book a job, Evie!

So this year I’m baking presents, making presents, and recycling bags/boxes as much as I can. I have to buy few gifts though, so I’ve been searching the net for fun finds.

sole-mates

12 Gifts That Won’t Break The Bank

1. Christian Louboutin Nail Polish @$50 (when he designed the first red sole, he used nail polish! Truth!)
2. 4-in-1 Travel Adapter from MOMA @$25.00 (for the gal or guy on the go)
3. Bike Bookmark @L4.95 /approximately $7.75 (for the cyclist who likes to read)
4. All-in-one Kitchen Tool Set from MOMA @ $40 (for the space-challenged)
5. ½ Clocks in Colors @$31.32 by David Weatherband in the UK (for those who strive to be punctual)
6. “I love you” Tea Towel @$18.79 (a dishwashing incentive)
7. Canning Jars filled with “Whatever“ 6 for $29.00 = $4.84 (sweets for your Sweet, nuts for your Nuts)
8. European Floating Candles @$3.00 (romantic and they last longer than most romances)
9. French Tassle Key Ring @$43.00 from Clare V (monogrammable and easy to find in a big bag)
10. Alessi Uselen Paper Knife/Letter Opener @$31.00 (modern and cool)
11. Diptyque Mini Candles @$30.00 (I know the perfect recipient for “Roses”!)
12. Paul Smith Music Socks @$45.00 (for my Dad who’s musically-challenged  — don’t tell him I said that!)

chicken wire + glow-in-the-dark paint = stylishly spooky

Thankfully I don’t have to wear a hospital mask on October 31st  (thank you, Mira for covering for me!) so I’m prepping for the big night.  I know, I know — once I passed the quarter-of-a-century mark I thought I’d have to give up on my passion for pumpkins.

But after spending Halloween in NYC recently,  I realized it’s actually cool to be into Halloween. Seriously — just ask any New Yorker!

Anyway isn’t working in the ER scary enough with the Ebola-factor or having to deal with Triage Nurse Anthony Chan, who clearly doesn’t need a costume to totally freak me out?  And though Dr. Crush hasn’t done anything horrific, I’m trying to think of him as DEAD-TO-ME because he’s become such a Passive-Zombie lately. Is there a cemetery where I can go bury my feelings for him so I can stop feeling them…?

In an attempt to distract myself from my LIST OF LACKS: Jobs, Auditions, Romantic Sagas — I’m sharing a few more Halloween ideas.  And btw — my favorite source for GLOW — Glow Universe is having a final HALLOWEEN 15% off sale so if you need any glow sticks, check ’em out.

GLOW GHOSTS —

Balloons + Green Glow Sticks + Cheese Cloth = Tada!

 BLOODY MAT —

Roll of white paper + Red Paint + Feet = Ewwwwwuuu

GLOW DROPS–

Balloons + Orange Blow Sticks + Nylons to hang from trees= a romantic Halloween? if only…

SCALE-Y SKIN–

Fishnet Stockings + Green Make-up Base + Your Head = A new look for Auditions? HA!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope your October 31st has just the right mix of treats + scary. Be sure to stay out of ERs though, k?

xo/evie

nothing’s gonna stop them now

During my Amazing Mom’s much-too-short life she managed to find the funny during the darkest of times, so unsurprisingly I raced out to see THE SKELETON TWINS opening weekend after learning that it’s about family members (Maggie and Milo) who use humor to cope.

It certainly didn’t hurt that it was a Sundance Best Screenplay winner — and then when I read that that Writer/Director Craig Johnson and stars Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader would be doing Q&As after some of the weekend screenings, the deal was sealed. Win/Win for me as I managed to score a ticket (to what would be a sold-out performance) at the Landmark in West L.A. where Johnson and Hader were planning to appear.  Big YAY!

SMART COMEDY

To me Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are the “best of” modern-day SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. I’m devastated that now they only guest on the show.  But it’s awesome seeing them on the big screen where they shine even brighter. In THE SKELETON TWINS they take talent to a whole new level tackling layered, complex roles and dramatic situations (like suicide, career failures and adultery) with creativity and expertise.

People say that comedy actors are really smart (Lisa Kudrow/Vassar, Jenny Slate/Columbia, Sasha Baron Cohen/Cambridge) because their brains are so creatively quick. Watch any Robin Williams interview to see how his train-of-thought is light-years ahead of the rest of us. It’s not a skill one can acquire, COMEDY is part of the DNA for the lucky ones.  Lemme tell you after seeing Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig seamlessly dance back-and-forth from drama to dramedy — hitting every mark in every frame — I’m guessing that both of them are off-the-charts smart! Read the rest of this entry »

we’ve all got ’em

Life deals us HUMPS.  No one can escape them. No one gets off scott-free (even Tony Scott of Scott Free.) Some humps are kept hidden — like they were for Robin Williams. Others are out there for all to see — like for Gabby Giffords. Yep, struggles, challenges, humps are part of the human experience. The only alternative to giving up is facing them as best as we can.

Volunteering in the ER is an up-close-and-personal view of humans dealing with humps:  scary tests,  bad news,  challenging outcomes, embarrassing situations, and PAIN: Physical pain, emotional pain and the anxiety of waiting, waiting, waiting which is a pain in the ass. Oh and don’t forget the pain you get in your bank account when the hospital bills arrive… and arrive… and keep on keeping on.

Dealing with Pain —

facing fear

I’m amazed that so many people can handle humps with acceptance, grace and even humor.

Like –

• The 85-year-old grandfather now without quality of life thanks to an operation gone wrong, stuck with two long tubes coming out of his kidneys, rushed into the ER by paramedics after he tried to slit his wrists.  As his daughter tries to explain to police officers interviewing him that he just got bad news, the old man cracks jokes — (“May I borrow your gun to finish the job off?”) (“Not now Dad, they’ll have to lock you up!”)
• The 90-something great grandmother who suddenly discovers she has lung cancer with 3-6 months to live — (“It is what it is, guess I can go off my diet now.”)
• The Teen surfer disappointed when he learns his broken leg will keep him out of the water for the rest of the summer, who suddenly grins at me — (“Think I can drum up some sympathy sex?”)

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living the dream…

Volunteering in the ER is Icky-Sticky.  A plethora of Private Parts in Private Matters with Doctors asking questions — that trust me, I don’t need to hear. Curtains fly open as bare-assed Patients bend over in a Peep Show — that trust me, I don’t need to see! Bodily Fluids and Functions are F-ing embarrassing — even when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  Especially when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  It’s a lot to deal with…

Things Get Awkward When You —

• Chaperone a pelvic exam and the doctor says, “Spread your legs.”
• Feel nauseous as a Patient throws up in the emesis basin you just handed him.
• Ask a Transvestite if he/she prefers to be entered in the computer as a male or female.
• Hand over an ice bag to a doctor you’re trying to help and the cap comes off spilling ice all over him.
• Ask an Old Geezer if he needs help getting undressed and he says, “Yes.”
• Accidentally offer to dispose of a big bag of hypodermic needles, and then realize there’s no safe place to put them.
• Hit your head on the cabinet in the Patient’s Room and realize you’re bleeding more than the patient is.
• Have to tell a Patient you’re not a Nurse after she’s described her medical condition in embarrassing detail.
• Must pretend like you don’t smell anything, when it’s an obvious “Code Brown” situation.
• Enter an exam room just as you overhear a Man’s Voice say, “You’re about to feel a prick.”

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