Day 364: I'm attempting to do the Couch to 5k program since it's hailed as a running program for people who hate to run, i.e. ME. I actually started this a few weeks ago in a crash diet attempt right before the Houston wedding but since I only completed the first day I'm starting over. Running is considered one of the best forms of cardio and a fantastic way to lose weight which is the only reason why I'm attempting to do this. I must say, though I don't know if this will change my lack of desire to run, this program does seem like something I can get into it since I don't have to run for long periods of time. This is a 3 day per week, 60 day program so it will be something I will carry with me into the new year. And the best part about it is that there's a free phone app that keeps track of how long to run, walk, jog, etc. as well as a record of all your time.

Day 351- 360: Took a little over a week off to spend time with family for the holidays.

Day 361: Returned to submitting myself on Actors Access. The breakdowns are very slow right now but there are still a handful.

Day 362: Met with the director of the Mitrice Richardson documentary to discuss our goals for the upcoming year and the things I need to set in place to make sure we meet them.

Day 363: Researched nutritionists to consult with in the new year that are near my side of town and won't set me back $1000 bucks like many of them. I've narrowed it down to either Healthee Life or Learn 2 Eat Right. Both have a nice variety of services that I'm interested in, including body testing to determine what type of foods don't work for my particular body & blood type and both have excellent reviews on Yelp so now I just need to choose between the two.

Day 344: Cardio Hip-Hop class at Your Neighborhood Studio.

Day 345 - 346: Refined my 2012 goals and monthly action plan. Just need to type them up and possibly create a vision board to go with it.

Day 347: Follow up phone call to one of the Atlanta agents. She didn't answer so I left a voicemail. Since many of her clients have gotten co-stars and recurring spots on multiple shows out there I'm going to continue to pursue this agency.

Now that I'm done with physical therapy it's time for me to get back into the dancing scene since that's my preferred method of exercise. Lo and behold Beyonce has teamed up with my favorite First Lady, Michelle Obama, to create an exercise dance video called "Move Your Body." After watching it a few times I've picked up the moves and I started off this morning dancing to it. I must say, it gets your heart rate up rather quickly!

Original Video:


Easy to Watch & Learn Version:


Full Choreography Instructions:

Day 23: Had too much fun at a dance studio open house today! My favorite class was Burlesque but I also had fun in the Broadway class too. I wanted to try out Booiaka & Urban Hip-Hop but they were super packed. Now that I've had a chance to sample the classes for free I have a much better idea of which ones I want to pay for.

First of all, HALLELUJAH! I finally have home internet again! This means no more going to Starbucks or Bricks & Scones at night for a few hours at a time trying to play catch up with everyone who's emailed me. It also means I can start submitting myself again for roles on LA Casting, which I haven't been able to do for about a month now. Unfortunately my Actors Access account expired and I haven't been able to renew it just yet but after rent is paid I'll get that taken care of.

Post production of Diary of A Wedding Planner has been a rollercoaster! Everything started off nice and smooth. Our teaser looked great! Our schedule seemed to be moving right on time then bam! The day our pilot episode was due to be completed we get an email from our editor flaking out on us. Turns out she got another better paying gig and threw us to the side. To say I was mad is an understatement! But everything does happen for a reason and though it's taken me quite awhile to find a new editor, it's a task that I'm very happy to check off of my to-do list. Our new editors are the fabulous Greg & Lex {husband & wife duo} of Long Lost Pictures. I can now breathe a very heavy sigh of relief and with them taking care of the pilot I am now focused on getting all of the pieces together to shoot episode 2 sometime next month.



It's that time again- Jayden is headed back to school! Time for clothes shopping, up to date physicals, nice fresh haircuts and school supplies. My baby is going to 1st grade! Of course I'll be saying "my baby" when he goes to 12th grade too. :-) I'm already prepared to be in a hectic state of mind for the next 2-3 weeks getting used to his new school schedule. And my little Stevie is growing leaps & bounds, counting to 12 and saying his ABC's. He's not yet potty-trained but he's running his mouth and his little legs a mile a minute so it's time for him to start preschool. I plan to check out quite a few preschools that are near Jayden's elementary but in the meantime he'll be going to the homecare provider where Jayden has been all this summer. There aren't any other children his age there, most are a little older, but it'll still be nice for him to be around other kids until I find the right place for him.



Sad to report that thus far none of my commercial submissions have got any response other than "no thanks." One agency brought me in for a meeting which was actually a good experience and another agency called to tell me they can't offer me any representation at this time but to resubmit within 6 months if I'm not signed with someone else by then. *Sigh* Gotta send out some more till someone says yes!



Finally our family fast is almost over, just 2 more days to be exact! And guess what, though I didn't agree to do this for the purpose of losing weight, I have. I've lost 15 lbs and am down to 130! 5 more and I'll be at my ideal weight. I'm absolutely giddy and just want to make sure I continue eating more healthy once our fast is over in order to maintain this size.

Whew! Enough updates for now. Hope you all have been doing well and have some great updates of your own.

For the month of August my family and I have gone on a fruits & vegetables fast. While it has been a bit challenging, it's also great to try out some new recipes and try to make creative, tasty dishes that are super healthy. The funny thing is, it's not the meat that I'm missing, it's bread. Everytime I have to take someone's order of garlic breadsticks to their table I just want to sink my teeth into them...but I show restraint. The great thing about this fast, aside from all of the spiritual reasons that I'm doing it, is that it aligns perfectly with my goal of healthier eating. And thankfully my job offers some incredibly delicious salads so I can still have a shift meal. :-)

We're halfway into 2010 {how is that possible already?} so according to my "Year of the Hustle" Action Plan it's time for me to reevaluate and update my goals and the steps needed to achieve them for the remainder of the year...I was supposed to do this in June, my bad!

1. Live a healthier lifestyle
I've been eating a lot of seafood and fresh or frozen {never canned} vegetables. Sushi has quickly become a favorite- so much so that it's usually my go-to choice when meeting with people for lunch. Side note- Bricks & Scones is my favorite coffee spot! Their scones are golden, buttery & delicious. Their salads are fresh & tasty and they have free-wifi. Best of all, it's about 10 minutes from my place and from those who live in the valley so it's a pretty central spot. I actually have yet to taste their coffee but it's Intelligentsia and apparently that's the crème de la crème of java. Anyhow, as far as eating more food made from plants, I'm doing fairly well. What I still need to improve on is to stop eating sweets at night. Sweets are truly my achilles heel {has been all my life} and though I've cut down on them, I still reach for them first to snack at night which means all those calories have no where to go once I go to sleep. Soooo not good for any attempt at losing weight. Lastly, exercise. Haven't done it. At all. Not for lack of want but for lack of funds and that needs to change.

2. Land a commercial agent
I haven't submitted to any commercial agencies yet because I'm not in love with my commercial headshot. It shows my smile but doesn't look really natural so I was planning to hold off until I took new pictures. However, my friend {and Low-Budget Bride from DWP} Rayshell Curtiss has referred me to her rep so I'm mailing her {and 14 other commercial agents} my headshot & resume early next week. Hopefully I'll get a few meetings. Fingers crossed!

3. Become SAG-Eligible
Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh boyyyy!

4. Get listed on IMDb*
Check! But I feel like I've cheated with this one because though it's a legit tv credit it's not for acting. The Style Network show was reality tv and though we all know reality shows have scripted moments, there was no actual script for me to read or lines to learn. It was just me being me so this gets crossed off but with an asterick next to it for the technicality.

5. Book a national commercial
Though I don't need an agent for this, it would help my chances tremendously! Suffice it to say, no national yet.

6. Land a manager
I didn't want to submit to managers until I got my SAG eligibility and had some reel footage. Now that I have both, I'm ready. I've put together a list of about 50 managers that I'm considering. Some manage friends & colleagues, some have clients with co-star & guest star roles on the shows that I'm targeting, and some are those who I've read are looking for new clients right now. Using imdbpro, their websites {those who have them} and feedback from various message boards, I'm going to cut this list in half and begin submitting from there. I have some specific requirements for what I'm looking for in a manager- but that's a future post.

7. Land a theatrical agent
Ideally, I'll sign with a manager who will help me get a reputable agent. For now though, I'm putting together a list of theatrical agents I'd like to submit to when the time comes.

8. Book a co-star credit
I submit on a daily basis for the rare breakdowns for network tv that are sent out on Actors Access and {even rarer} LA Casting. Problem is, so do thousands of other unrepresented actors. The numbers don't discourage me though. They just make me keenly aware of the fact that I have to do all that I can to make my headshot & resume stand out. That, and be patient.

9. Book a lead role in an indie, short or student film
The hard part for this one is done. I've booked the lead for the student film "Low Count" but due to funding issues the start date has been pushed back. Hopefully they'll raise the funds they need but until then this one only gets crossed off halfway.

10. Develop vocal strength/stamina
I didn't actually plan to begin to tackle this goal until October but instead I've decided to replace it with something else. In light of writing DWP, which wasn't even a priority when I created this list in the first place, I want to continue to devote my time & energy into getting it off the ground. That means shooting more episodes, which means investing more money. Though we have a kickstarter fundraising page it hasn't been as successful as we had hoped so we're preparing for Plan B. Part of that plan is to shoot 3 more episodes and then pitch it to production companies who can help fund the remainder of the season. So Goal # 10 is now to save/raise enough to shoot 3 more episodes of Diary of A Wedding Planner.

Wow! That's a lot to take in for one post, so we'll Save the Action Plan for tomorrow.

Didn’t really want to post this but since the point of this blog is to share both the good and the bad that comes with this journey, here it is…

Now that we’re in our own apartment, money is tighter than it’s ever been. So much so actually, that I couldn’t do the fitness program I signed up for. Why you ask?

• Well daycare for the 2 week program would’ve run me about $200 {and that’s a bargain!}
• Parking another $20 at the meters or $50 if I actually parked in their garage
• The extra gas would’ve been somewhere around another $60 - $75 as the gym was in West Hollywood and I still have to pick up my son from school every day in Long Beach {didn’t want to move him this late in the school year}

So all in all we were looking at a total of $280 - $325. To many people that’s not a lot of money, but when you’re watching every dollar that comes in and goes out, believe me, it is. When I originally submitted for this we were still living with my grandmother so this wasn’t even a consideration at the time but it is now. And I felt so ashamed that I didn’t even want to tell the cd the truth about why I couldn’t go through with it- I just left it at “unexpected circumstances.” Epic Fail.

I feel like such a loser who doesn’t take her fitness seriously at all since this is the third fitness program I’ve started and stopped. First one- car trouble, Second one- just wasn’t feeling it, This one- finances. Stephen told me not to sign up for anymore until we’re able to afford daycare on a daily basis rather than just the drop-in situation we have now. He’s right. Which is why I’m looking for a survival job. Yes I’m a Wedding Coordinator but it will take awhile before I build up my clientele out here and I need extra money NOW. Our basic bills are covered thanks to the stability of the hubs but if want to watch cable, have the internet, take acting classes, attend cd workshops, schedule coffee and lunch with industry folks, attend networking events, and so on & so forth, I gotta bring in some extra paper. I signed up with The Friedman Agency, a temporary agency that caters to the entertainment industry, but they offer mainly daytime work which means I’d have to pay someone to pick up my son from school each day since kindergarteners get out so early. I wouldn’t mind doing that for a permanent position but I can’t afford that if I’m only working a temp assignment as the pick-up service operates on a weekly basis. So using the temp agency is out for now but perhaps when Jayden is out of school I’ll go that route. Besides, a night job is preferred so that I can still go on auditions during the day, take my oldest to school, spend time with the little one, etc. I’ve been scouring craigslist applying for a plethora of positions- event planning, admin work, office managing and of course the #1 actor job in LA: serving. I even thought about go-go dancing as I love to dance and it would be a fantastic workout {two birds with one stone} but Stephen quickly ixnayed that idea, LOL! Guess I can’t blame in. Hopefully someone bites though, and I don’t really care who that is, as long as they can offer me a paycheck, a sane work environment and a steady number of hours, I’ll be happy.

P.S.- the fine folks of the Running Twister very graciously allowed me to keep their product so I’m gonna learn how to use this thing one way or another.

Here we go again! I just booked another fitness program but this time it's only a 2 week commitment- short & sweet! The product is called the Running Twister. I'll be working out for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, at a gym in West Hollywood. I'll be on a meal plan that the production will provide during this time. And the best part is, I'll get to keep the equipment after the 2 week period is over. This program specifically targets abs which is what I'm excited about so we'll see how it goes.


And in other news, pre-production of Diary of A Wedding Planner is going very smoothly. We've had an overwhelming response on both Actors Access and LA Casting so I'm really looking forward to our casting session.

The most exciting news of all? We've moved! We're still living out of boxes right now but I couldn't be happier.

Lots of good stuff going on and I wouldn't have it any other way.


Have a great weekend!

AUDITION TRACKER
Absolutely none. I had 2 or 3 scheduled for non-paying gigs and 1 for a paying non-union commercial but couldn't find childcare in time and had to cancel. Thankfully I've recently found someone who accepts drop-in care as she understands the unpredictability of my hours since she used to work in the entertainment industry herself as a Host. She's now a stay at home mom and she's been doing a great job with the boys thus far so I'm relieved to have found her. The problem is, she doesn't live in or near the valley so I still need to find a closer option. In the meantime, however, I'm glad to have her. The auditions can now resume!

AGENT MEETINGS
I had one meeting with a commercial agency that was more like a cattle call than an actual meeting. I spoke with the two guys running the show for all of 30 seconds, gave them my read and was done. I'd like to think that if they ever do decide to offer me representation that they'll actually speak with me beforehand to try to get an idea of my personality but since I wasn't one of the chosen ones...yet, I don't know.




With the exception of my writing accomplishments February was a pretty weak month- thankfully it's also the shortest!

Yes it's a little after 3am and yes I should be asleep but I found this wonderful video on YouTube that I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE! This sooooo reminds me of my wonderful high school days at the Las Vegas Academy of Visual & Performing Arts. {Actually, I've found myself reminiscing more & more about high school thanks to the hilarious new show Glee- please watch it on the internet if you haven't seen it yet!}. Anyhow, I would love to be in a fun homemade video like this- not to mention I'm a big fan of the song itself. But really, this video makes me love the song even more...



Doesn't it just make you smile? Theatre in any form can be so entertaining!

Oh and by the way, we just had our 30 day weigh-in and I've lost 5.25 lbs & 4 inches off my waist so far so yeah, I'm smiling.

Thought I'd share a few photos & a quick video of the fitness center where I'm working out at every weekday morning. The area is right by the water so the breeze is cool and the vibe is calming. Definitely makes me want to live near the beach one day.