lovely and talented

Some days, bartending & catering isn't so bad, and I think, you know, this is easy money & I could do this to supplement my income for a while, no problem.  Yesterday was not one of those days.

I worked at Myspace (that's right, the actual offices of Myspace), filling and re-filling cereal in four kitchens.  That's it.  For five hours. 

I rolled a cart piled high with boxes of Fruit Loops and Cheerios down the silent, polished office floors.  Footstep, footstep, squeaky wheel, squeaky wheel.  I passed empty cubicles, un-plugged cords creeping out of desktops like weeds in a corporate graveyard.  Layoffs?  Probably.  Curious eyes followed my progress from behind flat-screen monitors and beige half-walls, and whispers of "the cereal girl" and "sugar" and "mmm Coco Puffs" collected around me. 

 from weheartit.com

First kitchen - full.  Second kitchen - full.  Third kitchen - add one orange and a handful of cornflakes.  Fourth kitchen - full.  Stop.  Repeat.  And repeat.  And repeat.  And repeat...

I was bored out of my mind.  I wanted a sneaky espionage camera in my buttonhole.  I wanted someone to talk to.  I wanted to eat the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms bags.

And then I was done.  It was lunchtime, no one wanted cereal anymore, and I wound the canyon roads back home, thinking - that was easy money, but I just got dumber from five hours without a single useful thought.  I can't do this forever.  Gotta get myself into some more creative endeavors.

That night, as if scheduled to reinforce that thought, we premiered Teeter's movie, Pivot.  We filmed it last year & it's making the festival circuit; she wrote, produced and starred in in, I was a character and the script supervisor, and the entire cast & crew were our talented friends.

Teeter with the movie poster

Before everyone got there, Teeter, Chick and I set up the wine & cheese, laughing at ourselves for our use of risers and fluff - sure signs of catering experience.  But hell, one thing working events has taught us is how to host a damn good party.

  Chick even made a step-and-repeat/red carpet/paparazzi cake!  Adorable.

It was at the Sunset Screening Room in Burbank - a beautiful & professional venue if you're ever looking to rent a screening venue - and we had a great turnout.  Everyone was there to support independent film, and everyone was receptive to the movie.  It was a room full of creative minds, buzzing.

I am so proud of Teeter.  This is her dream and she made it happen.

You can buy Pivot here.

It was brought to my attention recently that I often write "I am so happy & grateful for my lovely and talented friends," or something similar.  Well, it's because I have so very many of them, and they are so very lovely and so incredibly talented.  Talking to them & knowing this one is writing a feature film, that one is releasing an album, the other one is directing operas, and that one over there is studying medicine...  I am the luckiest girl in the universe to have such friends.  You are all amazing.

The night ended as most of our celebrations do - at our favorite bar, Pineapple, cheers-ing Teeter over dirty martinis & sweet tea vodka. 

 Chick & Teeter, dancing at Pineapple

Today I am so happy & grateful for:
~ not just talking about things but actually doing them
~ jobs that remind me not to get complacent
~ inspiring friends

xo! n.