Friday

I had a pretty great Friday. Here's why:

-I got to sleep in a little.
-Drove to Malibu to attempt some outdoor rock climbing with my older brother who is in town visiting and saw a whale swimming past Point Dume (My first time seeing a whale in the wild)! 
-Relocated to an indoor climbing gym after the cold wind convinced us to pack up after two ascents, and kicked butt on my first indoor route - a 5.10a! This was big for me as I haven't been rock climbing in 3+ years (maybe even 6-7 years... I really can't remember the last time I went!), with the best I ever did at my peak being a 5.9 in a gym, and a 5.10 c/d outside. Guess that aerial training is pretty good conditioning!
-Homemade sushi.
-Spent an hour with my brother beating the game Bubble Bobble on the Nintendo NES (yes, the original Nintendo game system).
-Realizing that if I go to sleep right now I can still get 8 hours in before heading off to flying trapeze. =)

Onward and Upward

There are two dates every year that members of my family have tried to be the first to remember and remind everyone else of. The first date is March 4th, known as "Noah's Ark Day." We did not come up with the story/joke ourselves, but it goes something like this:

"Did you know that today was supposedly the day Noah let all of the animals off the ark? For didn't he command the animals to 'March Forth?'"

Just a bit cheesy.

Yesterday was the last day of my little trip home to Colorado, and I was the first to remember the date (although I don't think anyone else really cared this year, as my text message to my family garnered only one response). However, as the day drew to a close and I prepared to board a plane back to Los Angeles the date took on a new meaning for me. Yes, I'm dealing with some difficult experiences having been laid off and then dumped by my boyfriend within a week and a half, but really I am doing okay. I realized that I am marching forth. I don't feel all bent out of shape from the events that have transpired. I am now back in my apartment, I found a roommate to fill the spot that had been empty since November, and am being asked to work more often at the aerial studio where I started my training two years ago. While I don't have a full time job yet, step by step things are coming together.

So the moral of today's story is to remember not to let the difficult things weigh you down, they will get better. Pick up, move on - march forth.

On The Hunt

I seriously dislike looking for a job. In the past it has been difficult to find positions in the entertainment field (as the industry is often based on who you know), and let alone positions that I feel qualified for, and I'm really not very good at interviewing. How bad can I be, you ask? When I was 24 years old I almost didn't get hired at Target (which was supposed to be a shoo-in job even for someone in high school) because of my interview. I also ran for homecoming queen one year in college and was eliminated after the interview round. I'm just not good at answering incredibly open-ended questions in a way that puts me in a positive light.

So here I am, once again looking for a job in the entertainment industry and potentially facing more open-ended questions in the interview process, but I am finding that it's a little easier this time. Many companies now have their jobs posted online (thank you, LinkedIn), even ones in the entertainment field! I have found several jobs just in the last week that I have been able to apply for just by typing in a little bit of personal information and quickly uploading a resume and cover letter. Better yet, I now feel like I have some experience under my belt and I'm finding more opportunities I feel qualified for. Ignoring the fact that some jobs have more than a hundred other applicants, I'm staying positive and preparing myself for the next step if someone decides to call me in for an interview. I have to remind myself that my last employment interview resulted in a full-time position I held for more than 2 1/2 years - I CAN DO THIS!!

The Proverbial Rug Under My Feet

"Wow- this must mean you're really good at manifesting things... Be careful what you say! I know you'll be okay though, because of how positive you are. This will be a good thing, so many opportunities will come from this!"

I was sitting in the office at Fly Studios (where I teach birthday parties) yesterday afternoon airing my bad day to the studio owner. She always comments on my positivity and joyfulness, and I needed a dose of that when I left the office. The rug had just been pulled out from under me. I was laid off.

Maybe the studio owner is right about me being good at manifesting things- I did just recently post about being bored and wanting to transition completely into entertainment, and I have told many people that this is the year that I was planning on leaving the company. It just happened sooner than I had planned.

In experiences past whenever the rug was suddenly pulled out from under my feet it meant a lot was going to change in my life. It always resulted in me moving away from the city I was living in for one reason or another. I don't know what it means this time yet, but to start I guess I'd better update my résumé and look for something in the career field I want in L.A. before jumping ship. The problem with L.A. though is how expensive it is to live here; I have higher bills. I'm paying double my rent because I've had no luck finding a roommate, I have a car loan and student loans to pay. I'm really not sure how this one is going to play out, and it makes me nervous.

Let's try it out- if I'm good at manifesting things I would like a new roommate to move in ASAP to lower my rent, and I would like a full time job working with up and coming musicians. Something flexible enough to allow me to keep up on my aerial training.

Please.

Achoo!

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the work day sneezing. I can't believe I'm feeling sick AGAIN; I think this may be the third cold I've had since the beginning of the year!

I can normally predict when I'm going to get sick, due to being in close contact with 4 other people in my office and knowing too much about their personal habits. It's almost guaranteed that when my boss comes into the office sick I end up with the same thing two days later. I've tried putting out hand sanitizer where he'll use it (he doesn't), wiping down my keyboard, mouse, phone, and doorknobs with Clorox wipes, my coworkers and I tried to convince our boss to work from home the first few days he's feeling sick (that never happens), and one coworker brought in a large box of Emergen-C for everyone to use. I still get sick. It's becoming increasingly frustrating every time I start getting the sniffles - why can't I stay healthy? This time though, I can't put the blame on my boss - he's out of town.

I've tried some of the typical things to avoid getting sick - drinking more water, getting more sleep, etc. but so far I haven't seen much improvement. I occasionally drink some Emergen-C at work, but have been hesitant to drink too much since I have an allergy to oranges (or vitamin C or citric acid...not sure exactly what I'm allergic to, I just know orange makes my eyes swell up and itch). Last night at the grocery store I started stocking up on different items I was hoping would help me kick this cold quickly and keep me healthy for a while. I bought some throat drops, Airborne, herbal tea meant for congestion, spicy soup, some vitamins with a little vitamin c, and... a carton of orange juice. I know I'm taking a gamble here, but am obviously feeling desperate. I need something to boost my immune system.

Cross your fingers I don't wake up rubbing my eyes tomorrow - I'm opening the juice tonight.