if i could just believe in something. . .

The title of this particular blog comes from the Fisher song, "Believe in Something." She's an artist that is one of my favorites that I had forgotten about until today as the year's coming to the close and everyone is preparing for the fresh start that seems to come with the annual change with resolution lists and year in wrap up lists. I guess part of the reason for the lyrics is my recent interest in non-profits. For example, the billboards for forbetterlife.org caught my attention and did exactly what they were supposed to. This particular campaign strikes me because I adore quotes and keep a book of my favorite quotes from books and songs. If you get a chance, check it out.

Let's see the holidays have been fun, got to spend time with friends and family. Saw a few movies including National Treasure 2 on Christmas eve. Enjoyed that immensely. Christmas included some elfing trips and then there was the day that we all celebrate the birth of Jesus. In my house this usually means that my mother cooks a feast and many relatives and friends come over. It also means she bakes A LOT. Dangerous stuff.

Finally made it out to a live show this week. Mao and I had an adventure out in Silverlake which involved some magic parallel parking skills on Mao's part. Get Back Loretta rocked the Spaceland stage after Dirty Sweet played. I hope that both of these San Diego based bands make it back up to L.A. for shows more often in 2008. Perhaps if I finally get through the rest of my newer music, I'll make my top lists for 2007. If I wasn't so darn afraid of drunk drivers my pick for New Year's festivities would be Tony Lucca and Curtis Peoples' show at Molly Malone's tomorrow night.

hooray!

I'm so excited because while catching up on some emails I've found out that quite a few artists that I love are releasing albums next year!
- Josh Kelley - Feb. 8th (indie! and i believe he & Ms. Heigl are to marry this month)
- Matt Morris - TBA (currently recording and signed to JRT's label Tennman Records)
- Jack's Mannequin - TBA (currently recording - expected spring release on Sire)

And recently I got an email from the Jonah Cohen mailing list in which he informed fans that he's been in medical school (!!?!?).

The Juno soundtrack isn't out until January 8th, which is also the late Elvis' birthday. Saw the movie and find it somewhat ironic considering what's been splashed across entertainment news headlines recently. Ellen Page definitely gave a stellar performance. Really, really want to see the National Treasure 2 film that just came out this Friday. No I do not particularly care for Nicholas Cage, I actually think the geeky side-kick, Ben (Justin Bartha), is absolutely adorable.

In other randomness, Whole Foods is now one of my favorite places ever and they carry awesome publications like GOOD Magazine, which I think I'm going to need to invest in a subscription to.

This life is way to short to get caught up in this stuff

I've always been one of those people who gets way into the details. And yet it's always the details that tend to make me put the blinders on. I was listening to The Spill Canvas cd today and the "All Over You" lyrics pop struck me today as I was reading a few emails and came across the organization www.DoSomething.org which is the charity organization that is benefitting from the Take Action! Tour that starts on Quirky Alone Day (aka Valentine's Day) in Detroit. The bands on the line up are very Warped Tour esque and I've only heard of From First to Last and the headlining band is Every Time I Die (I'm assuming it's an emo band.)

The way that the Do Something site challenges its visitors to get up and do something is great. It takes on various causes like hunger, teen pregnancy, recycling, genocide in Darfur. They also offer $500 grants to kids who are out "doing something." I hope that this organization gets more recogniztion because it looks like they have their stuff together. It's organizations like these that make me go um. . .what the heck am I doing other than attempting to help some "go green." Maybe it's time for me to "Do Something" more.

"Something has changed within me. . .

something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game." (song: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked)

Last night was the second time that I had the opportunity to see the LA run of "Wicked" (thankyouverymuchJ&DJ). It was a Christmas gift to my sisters and one of my friends. I know why it's one of the most popular musicals because bottom line it's just an AMAZING musical. What's funny is that the timing of when I see it. Last time it was in October and it marked a particular chapter point for me and this time it did again.

One of the songs that stuck out the most in my mind this time was "Popular" and how it applies to many social and political situations. Glinda's intentions of making Elphaba a project reminds me of recent conversations that I've had where I was basically the Elphaba. And then there's the song, "No Good Deed" that has lyrics like "No good deed goes unpunished" and is all about intention and the concept of good. It's like the conversation I had with someone about presentation, you can have all the best intentions but in the end if your presentation fails ultimately, you fail too. Which is why I've used the lyrics from "Defying Gravity" as the title of this particular blog. And I leave you with some of the lyrics from "For Good" for all of the people in my life it applies to.

GLINDA
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

Some how everything's gonna fall right into place

I think over time that destiny plays a large role in why things certain events take place. Last night I went to a screening party and also caught the movie "Atonement." We had such a range of people at party in both age and background the common thread amongst us was that we all worked on the same show that was airing that night. It's funny how there are so many shows that I have credits in and in all honesty I don't think I even watched all of them or in one particular case, I was so exhausted with one from one of them that I started watching it and somehow fell asleep despite the fact Kanye West performed on the show. I did however watch all 85 odd editions of my old webcasts and it was interesting to see the growth over time and naturally I have my favorites. Those tended to be the ones where things just fell into place.

And then there's the film that my sister and mom watched last night. "Atonement" has been building quite a bit of buzz especially with all of the award show nominations coming out. I have to say I enjoyed the film but didn't particularly care for how jumpcutty (for the lack of a better word) it was. The definition of the word atonement according to dictionary.com is "satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends." Keira Knightly and James McAvoy are fantastic. Well I suppose it also helps that they're both really beautiful people. Anyway. . .that's it for now I've got to get a jump on attempting to get ready for the holidays that have snuck up on me.

"But you bring me here so close. . .

. . .to the single thing that I want the most."

With the holiday season in full swing a common question that keeps popping up for me is what do you want for Christmas? Is it wrong that I really don't want anything really except maybe for some time off? Sure there are things I want, but I started thinking a lot about it lately how there's really a big difference between necessity and luxury.

I finally caught up with a friend from college for coffee who works down the street from me. We're two peas in a pod in two different parts of the same industry. It was good to catch up with her, it had been at least a year and the funny part is that between a group of us who had an intro journalism class freshman year are all scattered in some pretty amazing places around Hollywood. I thank my lucky stars that I had the ability to get back into something that a lot of people wouldn't even dream of having the opportunity to do. With that said I think really truly for the holidays this year, I want the world to be a better place.

Have you ever been alone in crowded room?

It's been awhile since I posted. The title of this blog comes from one of my favorite Jack's Mannequin songs because that's how I've been feeling about having to go into work lately. It's been such a roller coaster of a year with some of the best moments ever and then a lot of overwhelming ones as well.

One of my co-workers taught me the term "working remotely." I found it amusing because I've had so many weeks of bosses working remotely that when we finally got to being physically at the same shoot that it actually felt weird to me to have them around. There were a lot of new people that I met this weekend and some that I remembered from the past that didn't necessarily remember me when I was a PA a few years ago. It's funny to find out that there's almost always a handful of USC alum on hand at a various production as well as quite a few NYU peeps too. The funniest thing that someone said to me was that he saw big things for me in the future. And I was so caught off guard by that comment because I keep feeling like I haven't been cutting it with my job. It's scary that the holidays are right around the corner and that one of the shows airs this weekend. And then the flurry begins and I haven't even started to get a handle on the next show that's live during the first week of the year. I seriously want a break in February to bum around the country for a bit and figure stuff out. Maybe it's like what some people say about not knowing a good thing until it gets taken away.

Home is where the holidays will always be. . .

Thank you Mr. Lucca for putting the holidays into song lyrics for the title of this blog. It's hard to believe that it's already December. It's been a crazy past couple of weeks with Thanksgiving, a wedding and craziness at work. That was compounded with my getting sick. I had to call in yesterday because it got to the point where I had to go see the doctor. The weather matched how I was feeling yesterday. What's funny is that it hardly ever rains in SoCal, so when it does it throws traffic off even more. Anyway I sat at home taking antibiotics and attempting to drink soup and work from home. It's amazing what we can do with technology today.

Anyway next week's going to be long and I need to be ready for it. But I think the reason I'm writing about where home is is that it's where the heart is. I read a cover article in Alt. Press the other day and it's a rather extensive article that features its cover boy, err man? No he's a boy, anyway I find the cover funny because I've shot the band a lot and it amazes me how complicated the article is with all of it's credits. For example, there's a stylist and a groomer WTF? The concept of home and family leads me to how we build mini "families" wherever we go and however we name them groups, cliques, friends. In the freelance world is a nomadic lifestyle in which many times they often run in the same circles. Sometimes I think that if you take the saying home is where the heart is, then what happens when you feel like you've left bits of your heart in different places?