A day in the life of me

It's been a few days since my last post, and sadly enough nothing that interesting has happened nor has any profound thought come to me. So for those of you with a stalkerish side to them, here is what went down today:
1. Woke up this morning and had my last thing of instant oatmeal (exciting yet panic struck in b/c I had no more food)
2. Went to the gym to do some rock climbing where the following occurred:
- I tied my thumb into a knot. After that situation was taken care of I went to walk over to get my belay device, but I forgot I was anchored into the ground. After I took out my anchor I tied in to do a climb. It was a tough climb that left me with blisters on my fingers, then busted and bleeding blisters b/c I don't know when to stop.
3. Found some bandages for my new wounds. I now look like Micheal Jackson with white tape around my fingers.
4. Came home to eat my last can of tuna for lunch (panic sets in b/c now I really have no food left and no money to buy some)
5. Went to my karate class where my sensei told me that I'm really good at karate, which means I can probably kick your booty
6. I was very tired from my day of physical activities. I decided to skip my night class.
7. On my way home my gas light came on. My thought: "crap food less, gas less and moneyless."
8. Pull out the credit card and start shopping. Buy now, pay later. I hate using my credit card but this was an emergency.
9. After charging over $150 in food and gas I came home and ate myself a real meal and even had leftovers after that.
10. Veg all night and pretend I don't have a ton of work to do.

Hope you enjoyed my boring day. I know I did. I'm now a little stronger, a little more beat up and a lot less hungry.

Oatmeal and Tuna

The past few days, well weeks actually, I've been extremely busy with the responsibilities of a graduating college student. Classes, studio time, meetings and projects have taken over my life. The spare time I do have at home I use to either catch up on lost sleep, catch up with my roommates or research more jobs to apply to.

Why do I tell you all of this? I don't do it for your sake; I do it for my own. I have to make some sort of reasoning that explains why I haven't been to the grocery store since February 16th and have eaten oatmeal or tuna for almost every meal for the past 3 weeks. As you can imagine I'm quite sick of these two forms of food. Now, I am exaggerating quite a bit. Tuna and oatmeal aren't the only foods I've had for 3 weeks. Except for the occurrence last week when I bribed a friend to buy me a hamburger and the bags of popcorn I have but only eat on tough days, I have been receiving my fare share of protein and fiber. The funny thing is that I don't even like oatmeal that much.

As I sit here, avoiding a design project that is overdue and grudgingly eating a bowl of oatmeal, I can't help but think about my script who's main character is called Oatmeal by her younger sister because of her inability to afford any other form of food. Now I love the story but my most recent experiences with this food have made me feel sorry for my fiction character and want to change the story completely. I know this is irrational and I probably won't go through with rewriting the whole thing, but I now have a new respect for the characters I've created...or maybe I'm just going crazy.

Paris, Je T'aime

Paris, je t'aime is about the plurality of cinema in one mythic location: Paris, the City of Love. Twenty filmmakers will bring their own personal touch, underlining the wide variety of styles, genres, encounters and the various atmospheres and lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris. Each director has been given five minutes of freedom, and we, as producers, carry the responsibility of weaving a single narrative unit out of those twenty moments. The 20 films will not appear in the order from one to twenty, but rather, in a pertinent narrative order, initially unknown to the audience...Considering the common theme of Paris and Love, the fusion between the films and the transitions, the fast pace of a fluid and complete storytelling, Paris, je t'aime will not be just another "anthology" picture. It will be a unique collective feature film that will constitute a two-hour cinematographic spectacle whose original structure will make for a dramatically different experience for its global audience (IMDb).

There are two reasons I'm excited about Paris, je t'aime. First of all the cast. This film is packed full of well known actors from here in the US and Europe. Lets not forgot that two of the stars are Elisha Wood and Emily Mortimer, two talents that never let me down and are stars of several of my favorite movies such as Everything's Illuminated, Green Street Hooligans, and Dear Frankie. Secondly, the mere fact that this is a conglomeration of 20 directors and their films! It's 20 short films with totally different views on the same subject, love. I believe this is going to throw our mainstream Hollywood for a loop. This is different and gutsy. Paris, je t'aime has already released over in Europe and did quite an impressive job at the box office, but that is Europe. This movie is only going to be released in certain theatres so I'm hoping a Charlotte theater will be lucky enough to get it. We'll see how Americans react to this sort of film. Me being a fan of foreign films already find myself liking it. Lets hope I won't be let down.

Brain Dead and Hungry

I'm beginning to realize that I need sleep. I know, not a very profound statement. But 4 years ago I would laugh at the thought of sleep. Who needed it? I could go to bed at 5am and wake up in time for breakfast before an 8am class with energy enough to spare for the gym later that afternoon. Today is quite another story.
Last night I couldn't resist watching a movie then staying up a little longer to read up on it's horrible cast. I made it to bed on time to get five hours of sleep. This morning and through the rest of the day my mind wasn't functioning properly and my eyes closed on their own as I sat in the studio. I couldn't say a full sentence without mixing up my words and my body ached from what I now consider a lack of sleep the past few nights.
This lack of sleep led way to interesting events once I finished my day of classes. My roommate needed me to pick her up from work at 8pm. In my delirium I walked out the door and got in my car to drive to campus. Halfway there I realized I had no shoes on. I slowed the car down and thought to myself "I need shoes...I should turn back" but I was already halfway there and I got distracted by the techno rock playing over my radio. Emma (the roomie) jumps in my car and we have a quick dialogue about how hungry we are, yet how broke. We count up our money and we come up with $1.79 and a coupon for a free frosty between the two of us. This would not suffice. We brainstormed our options...no boyfriends (dang), no food at the house (dagum), our neighbor brought us food last night (dang it)...RYAN AND JUSTIN, they have meal plans.
I turn my car around in the nearest parking lot and we head over to the duplex, knock on the door and deliver a sweet smile. They look at Emma, then me (still with no shoes on looking like a hobo) and reply "Umm, hey?"
Us: You want to buy us dinner?
Them: Are you seriously mooching off of us?
Us: If you want to call it that, then yes!
The greedy little boys didn't want to share their meal plans but were quick to offer some moldy baked beans in their fridge that they stole from a sorority house around a month ago. This was unacceptable, we needed real food and they had money. We distracted them with my new car and locked them out of their own house...GAME ON!
They began to whine like little girls so we turned the TV up. The third roommate, Andy, came downstairs and let them in, that's when the negotiations began for 2 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers and a medium fry. We won the argument and walked away without owing a thing. Yes, we're that good.

Although my age in showing with the growing inability to stay up long hours and sleep less, I'm growing smarter and wiser when it comes to getting what I want.

Spring has Sprung

I feel as though today is the perfect day to enter into the world of bloggers, considering it is the first day of Spring. It is time for new life and a new form of expression.

Today was the perfect day to start off this new season. The air was a perfect 72 degrees, the sun was out, birds chirping and a slight breeze. There is always something so wonderful about this time of year. The earth gains its color back and things seem to come to life. After my classes I contemplated taking my flip-flops off, walking over to my spot in the Court of Carolinas and taking a nap in the grass (a daily habit for me on campus). But my large coffee and empty stomach forced me to rush home for food.

Although I love Springtime, I do have my two complaints. To begin, Bradford Pear trees. These beautiful trees are the first to bloom with their white flowers. They seem pleasant and admirable until you get out of your car or building, then their true character hits your senses. I can't seem to fathom how a flower can smell so terrible. I walk through a city park every morning to get to class and the path I walk is beautiful yet lined with these rank trees. It isn't a desired smell early in the morning. I'm forced to pick up my lazy stroll and breath through my mouth until I reach my destination. Which leads me to my last complaint about my favorite time of year...pollen. I'm somewhat of a dork when it comes to allergies. I seem to find something new every year that I'm allergic to. Pollen, though, has always been a trouble spot for me. March and April the whole world is dusted with this yellowness. You can't get away from it. Thus today started my two months of sneezing and watering eyes. It's wonderful to have people flee from you for fear you carry a contagious virus, lets not forget to mention how attractive it is to have a crusty nose...gross.

Even though Spring brings it's fair share of troubles, the beauty it brings easily overrides all those annoyances. Enjoy the season. Take the time to read a book in the grass or cut down a Bradford Pear.