That's It. Time For Change.

I threw out my back again for the second time since May.  I have a weak core, which means I have a weak back.  This time it's really bad.  I am wearing the ugliest back brace you've ever seen, and I can't even take care of my son.  If he cries, someone else has to pick him up.  It's awful. 

I hate it.

It's time seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY make some changes in my habits.  I don't want Wesley to grow up eating the way I do now.  He's watching what we eat, and what better motivation to make some changes so that I can teach my child that fruits and veggies are nummy?  I want him to take pride in his appearance and feel good. 
I feel awful about myself.  I don't like how I look or how I feel.  And I don't want to teach that to my son.

I made a call to a local fitness bootcamp in Tacoma today.  I'll call them back tomorrow.  I need to talk to my chiropractor to see if my body is ready for something like that as of Monday, or if I need to wait a little longer. 

It sucks that it took my back feeling THIS BAD to give me a serious wake-up call.  But sometimes that has to happen in order to make life better.

And can I tell you how excited I am to purge the pantry next week?  It's going to be a good day.

Things can only go up from here.

My best

So I have a couple of friends who are on a weight loss/fitness plan, and I have to say, there's not a bigger motivator for me than to keep myself in line with others. I'm working really hard at cutting back on sugar. Even with making cookies yesterday, I only had one. And today someone brought in gingerbread squares, and I only had one. While yes, my original goal is no sugar, I'm doing my best.

This week I'm getting back into my "normal" schedule. I say "normal" because I've been in shows for the last 7 months, and I can't really remember what "normal" is anymore. This gives me a little time to figure out meal plans, clean out the fridge, and focus on healthy eating habits. Next week I'll figure out my workout routine, which will probably be a few weekday walks during lunch, (especially now that the weather *should* start warming up), BodyRock TV, and a weekly Zoomba class at the community center. I've heard good things about that class, and I am eager to check it out. I figure if I keep the activities changing, then my body will respond appropriately.

Why the push? Not only do I just want to look better and feel better, but I'm in a HUGE wedding in June. I want to look good in those pictures, and feel better about myself over all. I'll be using the blog and facebook to hold myself accountable. So far, week one hasn't gone bad. Not perfect, but hey, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Refined Sugar

When in a show, I try to be healthy. Key word is "TRY". This show, for some reason, a lot of chocolate has been going around, along with cookies and candy. Luckily Matt realized that Lent just started and decided to give up refined sugar for Lent. And, though I'm not religious, I've decided to support him and give up refined sugar too. Which means if I want something like a cookie, it can't have any sugar, except honey and/or applesauce. I realize this is going to be a major challenge, but it shouldn't be too bad. I mean, I get to eat more fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth, and what's wrong with that? :) Just in time for spring and summer too. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries...here I come...

Challenge - Ideal Job

Today's Daily Health Challenge is to write down two or three characteristics of your ideal job. So I thought what better way to do so than to blog about it?

1) Flexibility - I have that right now, in some ways, at my current job. I have the ability to work from home if needed, which is really amazing. But I'd like to have a job where I can not be sitting at a desk all day, where I can break the hours up, meet different people, see multiple goals get accomplished throughout the day and not get bored, which seems to happen when I work a desk job. One distraction leads to another, which leads to another and so on...

2) Achieving both career dreams - In a perfect world, I'd be running a bed and breakfast while still acting in community theater shows now and then. I know it might not be possible to do both in reality, but there is nothing wrong with dreaming big!

Gluten Free vs Wheat Free

Either way it's still hard.

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs and tea.

Lunch - Gyro Salad from the local greek restaurant. A total splurge and well worth the $$. I yummed it right up.

Dinner - Leftover soup.

Dinner is going to be a challenge with my rehearsal schedule. Now that I a) get dropped off at the theater or b) take the bus, I won't be home to make dinner until late at night. I have given myself the week to go out to lunch so I can figure out timing and how all of this is going to work. I'm not going to stick to a lifestyle change if it's going to be immediately stressful. Matt has another job, writing part time for a video game company. This is really exciting for him, I am so proud (not to mention the extra income will be incredibly helpful)! This just adds another adventure to our evening commute. Luckily 2 people in the cast are south sounders, so I can get a ride home, or at least close enough so that Matt can pick me up and not have to go more than a mile or two.

I have gotten several suggestions on wheat free and gluten free blogs from friends and family. I know that I'm not gluten intolerant, nor allergic to wheat. But wheat and dairy allergies run in my family, and I do notice that when I focus on just eating meats, veggies, and fruits, I feel lighter and rather than weighed down.

I can tell that going wheat free alone is going to be a challenge. I went to the grocery store for lunch and thought I could get some baked chicken and a veggie salad. I was pleased to find the chicken, but all salads were coated in dressing and had pasta. The pre-made salads all had dressing that had MSG. Very disappointing! Then I went to find some sushi, only to discover that soy sauce has wheat in the ingredients. (This means I must find an alternative sauce so I can still enjoy sushi and chinese food...guess this means no more chinese take-out).

I am just taking all of this one day at a time, and am doing my best to not get overwhelmed. Day one is almost complete. We'll see how day two goes, hopefully it will go just as smoothly.

Dietary Changes Needed

I had a fantastic girls weekend. We went to Lena's in-laws cabin in Home, WA. There were 7 of us. Some crying, but mostly laughing, talking, and LOTS of eating. But the wine. Oh the wine flowed, and we got very happy. I ate and drank, and continued until 9pm, when the heartburn set in. I haven't had heartburn since May of 2009 when I overate in Hawaii and was up until the wee hours of the night dealing with painful tummy issues. Which got me thinking, while laughing and watching others drink wine, about making some changes to my diet so I didn't have to suffer anymore and pop tums like an addict.

Today I've been thinking seriously about making those dietary changes that I've been curious about. I've been reading a lot online about how those who've cut out gluten do feel better and have more energy. Bread and pasta are a big portion of our diet, especially in the evenings and in the winter. But I think we can manage by perhaps making our own bread, and buying gluten-free pasta. I have some friends who are gluten-free, and Matt has several family members who are as well. Now I'm not saying that we won't cheat now and then, but if we're going to seriously make this lifestyle change, then we are going to have to keep one another accountable. At least until we can feel/see a difference.

So, in the spirit of change, I made Sausage and Spinach Soup for dinner. Yum!

A New Year, A Fresh Start

I resolve to not have any resolutions this year but to just keep moving forward on my plans and goals like have been in 2010. I'm in my third play of the season, which is amazing, and Matt and I have this incredible house.

I am looking forward to 2011 with an open heart and an open mind.

Here's to a fabulous year!

Werking Gyrl

Seriously. I am now working for da family business. I am back in the land of nine to five. Really, it's more like 7:30 to 3:30 thanks to Matt's working hours. Matt's office is 3 miles from mine, so we get to take the carpool lane which is such a saving grace! We take turns driving in the afternoon but he drives in the morning. If I don't sleep well, he graciously drives and let's me take a quick nap on the way to and from work.

I have hit the ground running at work. Literally jumping in with both feet and seeing what happens. As most of you know, I am managing the website for my dad's company, and they are really far behind. As most of you also know, my major in college was theater. And I have zero to little experience with this. I am just asking questions, making phone calls, and figuring out where we are at. They hired someone to build an online store 2 years ago, and nothing has happend in those 2 years, so we are also a little time crunched, and might I say, desperate? In this economy, online sales are hugely helpful. Plus, once this gets off the ground, maybe I'll be just one of the peeps rather than the bosses daughter.

In any case, I am enjoying my job. I do like being in an office. I'm not as distracted and it's kind of cute to see how proud my dad is to have me here. I have missed the sarcastic humor at work, and unlike 5 years ago, I can now fire back with my own observations and remarks. I'm no longer a sensitive 20 something. I am a self-assured woman who can handle her own.

Speaking of which, I really should go back to work. Spreadsheets are calling my name. Joy of joys!

Reflections

In times of reflection, where I think about where I've been and how much I've changed, I tend to get pretty wistful. Especially on days like today, where we celebreate mothers world-wide and while I am continually amazed and grateful that I had such a wonderful mother, and that I am surrounded by amazing mothers, friends and family alike, I can't help but feel, sometimes, that I got cheated, that our family was robbed. I don't stay there very long, but every once in awhile, it just hurts. Instead of pushing it away like I used to do, I deal with it for 5 minutes and move on, figuring that one meltdown is better than five (mother's day last year, anyone?). I also take this opportunity to celebrate my mom, who was an incredible woman and I was very lucky (and still am) to have her as my parent, as my guiding force in life.

I'm reflecting too, on the big changes ahead. We are gearing up to move back to Washington State, where we'll be first time home-owners, and with that comes more (albeit new and kind of scary) responsibilities. Something goes wrong? Breaks? We must fix it! Yardwork? We've it cut out for us. But I'm SO EXCITED to explore a new city, to strengthen new relationships, to start a new chapter in my life. To start auditioning again, to explore my home-state as a grown up, to live my life in a new way. I feel like I've taken California for granted, in a way, and become stagnant. I don't intend for that to happen as often up in Tacoma, except on bad days. And they'll happen, hopefully just not as frequently. Because I'll have a new house to slowly decorate and keep me busy (cleaning it will take longer, I imagine). And a commute. To Redmond. Blech. Anyone for carpooling?

I'd like to imagine, too, that moving to Washington will get me off my lazy bum and inspire me to exercise with friends by going for beautiful walks and exploring Dash Point State Park which is fairly close to my new home. I'll have a living room and a rec room, both with their own TV's (and fireplaces) to stretch out in should I want to do yoga at home. There's a few bikram studios nearby, and a lovely suburban neighborhood to explore. And if all else fails, there's the gym. But I'm hoping I will be able to avoid a monthly fee and figure out a routine that's adventurous and satisfying.

And let me just tell you that I'm THRILLED with our new kitchen! I plan on many more culinary adventures, and hope to have a grill fairly quickly after moving in so that we will have another avenue for cooking. And I'm thinking that in August we'll have a house-warming party tied in with my birthday. An end-of-summer bash. With a bbq. And maybe I'll have that firepit going in the backyard? You know me. I like hosting. So come on over for dinner, just let me know when you're on your way so I can set an extra place for you!

I'd like to end this with one of my favorite pictures of me and mom from when I was a kid:

Love you mom. I miss you every day. Thanks for everything, and continuing to help guide me from afar. xoxo

Late night thoughts

I can't believe it's 2010 already. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy to see 2009 leave. I love how I feel at the start of a new-year: hopeful, happy, energized, and goal-oriented. It won't last more than a few weeks I'm guessing, as that's the norm, but that's ok. I know that lots of changes are ahead this year, and I'm super excited to see when they happen.

Naturally, the first big change is that we're working with a realtor up North to buy a house in Tacoma, WA. It's a huge decision, prompted mostly by us wanting to return to our roots. We also have the opportunity to contribute more financially if we move up there, never mind that we'll be closer to our family and friends. We won't be building air miles so frequently, but that's ok. We have dear friends in L.A. that we will miss terribly and need to visit. It's good that we still have some left, though, as my in-laws are living in Turkey and we'll need to visit them at some point. Darn! I'm also excited about being closer to family around the holidays. We just never seem to have enough time when going up to Seattle/Tacoma for just 1 week. People always get left out, and while they are kind and say they understand, it's tough to be so far away from so many that we love. But that doesn't mean that leaving L.A. will be easy. Oh no. We thought we'd be moving in February but unless we find that perfect house and perfect loan (ha), we will more than likely be moving in April or May (March is out since Matt will be filming). That gives me a little more time to visit the beach a few more times, go on a couple of hikes, and most importantly, enjoy what I do love about L.A. - year-round farmer's markets, 70 degrees in January, beautiful beaches, funky bars, good food, wine country, and most importantly, our friends.

Over our trip, I got to talking with my sister (who just turned 20 in December) and her friend about being in the 30's versus being in the 20's. I explained that for me, and many of my friends, that being in the 30's isn't as bad as it seems - rather, I prefer this age than my 20's. I seem to be so much more at peace with myself, more honest and carefree, less inclined to give a crap as to what others think. There is so much freedom in that frame of mind! The 20's were so chaotic, it was hard to figure myself out. And while I'll spend the rest of my life figuring myself out, because let's face it. life is what happens while you're making plans, at this point in my life, I'm quite pleased with where I'm at.

Happy 2010 to all!

Loss and Gain

This year has been an interesting one.  I've had many friends move away, and they're not done yet.  It's difficult for me to see my friends go as they're my family down here.  We all rely on each other, see and support one another through ups and downs.  Every time one leaves, I feel as though I've been "dumped".  I know that sounds harsh, but when then latest friends told me they were leaving, I just burst into tears.  I can't help it.  Even when I was little, I was incredibly attached to my friends, never wanting them to leave, always feeling like there was just never enough time...to do or say what, I'm not sure, but I still feel that way now.  That there's just not enough time with the people I care for.  

I got my hubby back though, after him being away for 9 days location scouting in WA.  It's prompted a huge and long drawn-out talk about the future and what we want to do.  However, as my MIL says:  "If you want to make God laugh, make a plan."  So we're keeping our options slightly open because life is definitely full of surprises.  But in the meantime, I'm working hard to stay on track.  I have goals and I plan to see them through.  When they'll happen, well, I can't plan everything.  Sometimes I just have to be flexible and patient.  

I also became a fan of the bootcamp I attended all last week!  I am so proud of myself.  It was my free week and since I enjoyed it so much and did so well, they're offering me a payment plan so I can afford to go back for the six week special.  I plan on going every day or as much as possible so I can really get in shape and feel better about myself, feel more confident.  I'm lucky to have a spouse who thinks I'm beautiful and tells me so every day.  I just wish I could feel that way about myself that often.  But back to bootcamp, it's run by these 2 amazing women who really work with you to see your fitness goals through while working with your individual limitations.  I'm excited to see what differences I'll have in 6 weeks! 

Back in the swing

It's been an interesting week being back home and getting back into the routine. I've fought it tooth and nail, watching movies and reading books, playing scrabble online, rather than doing what needs to be done...cleaning out closets, vaccuming, going over the budget again...reality is such a kick in the pants sometimes. I think about how much I want to go back to Hawaii, but then if we lived there, our problems would follow us and we'd probably be worse off since it's so expensive there, and it's even harder to find work. So I'm getting back to my positive attitude despite some financial surprises (did I mention how much I despise our car). I have a busy social weekend ahead of me, full of dinners, bbq's, and even a baby shower.

One thing that I realized during the trip, and rang very true after we returned to L.A. was that I don't believe Matt & I are here for the long term. We may be here a few years, maybe more, but this isn't where we belong. I don't feel like this is my "home". I know that if we didn't have such wonderful, supportive friends here, it would have been easier to leave L.A. altogether in February rather than simply moving to Glendale. What I need to continue working on is creating those elements that I miss about other places in my life here. Maybe join a book club, or a hiking group. Re-learn Japanese. Continue healthy habits (eating right and going swimming), keep in touch with friends that I don't get to see that often, and get that passion back for running a bed and breakfast...so much to think about, but I don't have to make these decisions today. I will not anticipate, rather I need to work on taking each day as it comes and being proud of what I've accomplished that day, even if all I did was feed the cats and make the bed.

And with all that, right now I just want to take a nap. Instead I'm off to work!

Momentary Financial Panic

About once a month, I go through a momentary panic where I truly believe we're going to run out of money tomorrow, that no raises are coming, investors and managers won't sign Matt, movies won't get made and we'll be left in the dust, broke and heartbroken.

Yes, I'm being dramatic, but at midnight that's about the best I can do.

I worry that we'll have to move back to Seattle. I worry that we'll have to move in with my Dad or his folks and be reliant on others rather than ourselves. I worry that we'll never not be broke, that we'll never stop living paycheck to paycheck. I worry that I'll never stop worrying and yet I'm always hoping that maybe next month, maybe next year, things will be better.

I've been talking about how confident I am about our financial situation but the truth is I'm terrified. Really and truly. I don't know what's going to happen in the next few years. We want a house of our own, and a child. But there's this giant black cloud of graudate student loans in deferement that seems like it will never be paid off. Our monthly bills aren't completely covered, even though we have cut costs significantly. More than significantly. I guess I shouldn't have bought that domain for my new website. And I didn't really need red flats. Shouldn't have gone to Disneyland today (even though we got in for free). See how I make myself feel better? Ugh.

I have to get creative. I have to be confident in the (occasional) fun (on sale/clearance) purchases I do make while sticking to a strict budget. We have to cut our grocery bill even more, and look into buying bottled water rather than continuing with the water delievery service. We've already cut cable and his health insurance payments went down.

I don't meant to whine, but this is definitely a sign of the times. I want to look back on this time in our lives and be proud of the decisions and choices we made rather than thinking What the eff did we DO?

Pondering Thoughts

I am really loving my life these days.

The man and I are doing so well, I'm nourishing relationships and releasing tension from others. I'm just feeling GOOD. And I like it! I can't explain why. Maybe it has to do with finding my career path and spending time being creative. I've taken to posting a few articles a month for a friend's blog which has included spending more time writing and editing my work. That has been so helpful because soon, I'll have my own website with my own content and be working on my creative process every single day. How exciting! I've also created a profile on YELP to encourage me to write reviews on restaurants that Matt and I go to.

There are some friends that I'm sorely out of touch with. You know who you are, and I'm really sorry. I promise to call this week and check in.

Now if I could just get back on track with eating better, I think I could upgrade from "good" to "excellent"...the no-drinking-soda is helping...

Awwwww, Freak Out! (Just a little)

I'm having moments of momentary panic and anxiety.

The development of my future website and the strong resurgence of commitment to my travel blog, finally figuring out my path and direction in life, it's all overwhelming. Exciting, definitely, but overwhelming in such a way that all I want to do is walk (or sometimes run) from the office as fast and as far away as possible. I have searched long and hard for some sort of direction in my life in terms of my career, and it's always been here, just waiting to be pursued. It's funny how we don't notice those things right that are right in front of us, yelling and waving to be noticed and cultivated.

In any case, I'm trying very hard to not pepper Paige A. with loads of questions about what to do because she already told me on Sunday what needs to happen next. I just have to settle my anxiety by getting things done. I must force myself to stay in this char and make progress!

Please check out my new blog and let me know what you think. It's really not all that new, but I'm really determined to post 3x a week so that maybe, just maybe, I could get sponsorship. This is what I love to do, and I'm hoping you'll be as excited as I am.

http://liveslo.blogspot.com

A Few Good Days

Yesterday was so much fun. My good friend Cindy and I spent the enitre day together. I could not document it better than she did, but I can at least sum up what happened.

She mentioned in a recent blog post that she was not having a good day, and I jumped at the chance to take her out and have a girls day. By the time Saturday rolled around I wasn't in the best of spirits but by the time I got to her place and we were out for our 3 mile walk, I was feelign better. Listening to her talk, I realized how much I've missed spending time with Cindy 1-on-1. As she said, we often hang out in a group setting, and while that is fun, we often miss out on opportunities to connect on a deeper level. Cindy is so wise and thoughtful. She really thinks before she speaks which is a trait that I really admire. It felt good to re-connect with her and our friendship is definitely stronger for it.

After our walk, we were all sweaty and gross, so we quickly refreshed and headed off to the lovely air-conditioned mall. After a yummy lunch, we headed to Macy's for which we both had gift cards. I asked her where she wanted to start -- it was a total zoo -- and she grimaced as she said "Shoes." Shopping for shoes isn't her favorite thing, and on a Saturday, it's not mine either. We walked with some trepidation but determined to find her some cute, fun work shoes. And find we did! She walked away with a very cute and sassy pair, that could be easily dressed up or dressed down, good for work and play -- multipurpose pumps! I found a cute pair of red ballet flats on clearance and with our gift cards we spent a minimal amount of cash. We were very proud of us.

After shopping, I treated Don and Cindy to iced coffees with the rest of my gift card and then headed back to their house. Matt had spent an hour in ugly traffic getting home from a film seminar so after a wonderful conversation with the two of them, Don and Cindy graciously gave me a ride home. It was a wonderful opportunity to show them our new place, and they loved it! It really meant a lot to me that our friends loved our new home. We started watching the pilot of "Big Love" (which I highly reccomend, Matt and I are enjoying it so far), but were pleasantly interupted by Ben and Corrie dropping by for dinner! They were in town for a film festival. We walked over the 1 block to Zankou Chicken, a fabulous and cheap Lebanese/Aremenian fast food chain with great portions and equally great prices. We had a nice relaxing meal, catching up and talking about previous escapades in Washington. We headed back to our place, shortly after which Don had to bow out and go home. Poor guy. He wasn't feeling well and was such a trooper during the evening.

All in all, I wasn't intending to spend the entire day with friends but I'm so glad I did. I think all of us were boosted by the positive engery that we got from being together. As my Mom said the day after our wedding: "That was fun. Can we do that again?"

Today I spent the afternoon with Paige A. She is a new friend from Dallas that I met through Paige B. She is an incredibly talented graphic designer/illustrator/all-around-awesome-artist that is helping Matt and I build a website. Matt needs one for his writing career, and I've finally figured out what it is that I want to be doing so I won't feel so useless. I want to creat a tourism website for San Luis Obispo county. After talking with Paige B. who offered great advice after calming me down during my melt-down, I really thought about how I want to be spending my time. What would make me happy? What do I look forward to doing? So in my meeting today, I really got excited about what I will be able to offer the potential visitor to the SLO area. It was great fun. I have so much work to do and yet I am excited about getting this work done. I am terrified and excited at the same time, but I have a fabulous support system and a network of truly talented professionals that are just as excited about helping me create my vision. How could life feel any better at this very moment? I'm not sure how!

Southwest Bound

Today we head back to L.A. While I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and cooking in a kitchen that I'm familiar with, it's always hard to leave this place. Sometimes Matt and I think of moving back, especially when we see the cheaper rent prices in Tacoma. But that's not enough (yet) to pull us back. We are in L.A. for a reason, and we're going to do our very best to see that our time in L.A. is well spent. I intend to shop more at the farmer's markets and watch the sales at our local grocery stores. Katy is starting off the year with a great idea - Make It Yourself Parties - which should help ease the strain on the budget.

Matt and I have lots of plans for this year. As my MIL says, "Life is what happens when you're making plans." Hopefully some of our plans will happen, and some of them probably won't. I hope I can keep an open mind and be more patient.

Happy New Year!

I always make resolutions, and ultimately I reach them in some way. I only have a few this year, and of course, one is to loose weight. But I need to stop measuring myself on the scale because the more I work out, the stronger my muscles get and I start loosing inches, which is good! I'm down to a size 10 now, which is FABuLOUS! I love it. This just encourages me to go to fitness bootcamp more regularly.

I have a big motivator for this year - a trip to Hawaii in May. So not only do I want to lose a few inches, I also want to get healthy, and that means eating better. I start January 5th, focusing on low-fat but tasty foods. Cooking light and the cooking blog will be very helpful, as will the Master Cook program which tells me how much fat and how many calories are in the dishes we eat.

I am on my way to becoming a better person, sharing time and energy with friends and family. I enjoy cooking more and more and have found that it's ok to say "no" when I don't want to do something. At the same time, I'm becoming more open to new experiences while attempting to be more thrifty.

More on this later, I must join my MIL for another game of Scrabble! May you have a joyous, happy and prosperous 2009!

A clean slate

So I changed the blog address. Sorry to do so, but I had to make a change to signify how things have changed since this blog began over 3 years ago. Hubby and I are entering a new phase of life, actually craving stability, and we hope for a wee one in the near future. I can't tell you how nervous and excited I am to start this new chapter of life!

May the 30's be everything that I hoped the 20's would be, and more.

New beginnings

I keep trying to figure out what to say on this blog. Seems that I always think of really good, introspective, and interesting posts in the car, at work, before I go to sleep, on a hike, anywhere that I'm not able to blog. Of course, by the time I sit down, all of this goes out of my head. So, I'm thinking about starting a new one. Not yet, but it just seems about time. This blog was started to keep family & friends up to date, to relish in the new city, to experience being a grad-student-wife, to explore the city, amongst other adventures.

But see, we're cheap. And homebodies. So to really give purpose to this blog, I need to take more pictures. Reading previous posts, this should be called "Camille's Adventures". It was our blog, kind of, and now that Matt's made his own and now he's done with school...I don't know. I know that if we do move to the Central Coast (not anytime soon, it's a dream of ours), I have a great a idea for a blog: "The SLO Life" (SLO = San Luis Obispo). And I've thought about starting it up anyway because we go up there so often. But that's all I need. Another website to update. I can't even keep up with this one! :)

I feel as though I am in a place of transition. I think part of it has to do with turning 30 this summer, and I'm really excited. But it also has to do with the fact that I finally quit my job!! Yes, I gave notice on Monday and it felt really good. I walked out of my boss's office and couldn't help but smile a big toothy grin. It's time to move on. Personnel issues aside, I've been an Admin for 10 years now, and I need to find some other way to make a living. Don't worry, my fiscal friends. I've got a plan and it's going into place.

Big news this summer: The latest film from Dead Gentlemen, Dorkness Rising (aka Gamers 2) has finally gotten distribution! You can pre-order the DVD here, and we'll be releasing it at GenCon this summer. Read Matt's announcement. I'm so proud of him, and the rest of DG. It's about frickin time! Matt also has talks with some cable companies (big-time networks) about a couple of shows he's written. I can't say anything more except to say THIS COULD BE HUGE. But this is L.A. We won't hold our breath.

Tomorrow we are going out to a trendy bar downtown with friends Kari and Paul who are getting hitched this fall. If I remember, I will bring my camera and attempt to have more adventures that speak to this amazingly wonderful but odd and crazy city that we live in.