we need to talk...

Oh Los Angeles, why do you taunt me so?

You gave me a terrible, sweaty, bumper-to-bumper afternoon, wherein you reminded me oh so clearly why I hate you, and why I want to leave.  You took the form of the rudest human alive and denied me parking, evoking memories of many, many times past where, similarly, I've driven a very long way, sharing the road with people who are either drunk or "special" or too busy on their iphones to bother holding the steering wheel, only to find that for some reason, I can't do what I came there to do, and therefore have to turn around and sit still in a running car for hours all over again.  I want to punch you in your eyeball.  (would that be the Griffith Observatory?)

But then you turned around and gave me that million-dollar smile of yours, with your crooked Hollywood-sign teeth, and presented me with a sunset picnic bordered by nubby-blanket mountains and no mosquitoes.  You lured me with an outdoor amphitheater and well-done, real, funny Shakespeare - you know that gets me every time! - and a group of artists that are unpretentious and talented.  You gave me a perfect evening and wrapped me up in those movie-deal, concerts-at-the-bowl, everyone's-creative arms of yours, and I just want to kiss you on the mouth.  (would that be Ryan Seacrest? ugh.)

Let me go or let me love you, LA; I just can't do this friends with benefits thing anymore.

xo, n.

Just a quick little hi there

Last night we had our second installment of Unstill Life and I sold three more pieces with one special order!  The evening was fantastic & even though I got waaaay more nervous about singing because in this venue we actually had a stage with an audience (and I messed up the lyrics once), I felt really good about my performances.  I even had a couple strangers tell me that they really enjoyed it; one girl even said it was her favorite part of the night!!

 Chick putting final touches on her art display

So that was success.  I am so very proud of us for making this happen.

Tomorrow my momma gets into town and we have to pack up all my stuff so that Jamey can move into my room as planned.  I've had a lot of anxiety about the next month - having my plans change so unexpectedly - BUT they're changing for a good reason so I'm just going to enjoy it.  Since I can't start my road trip yet, Mom & I are going to spend two weeks vacationing and having adventures in California.  Stay tuned to hear all about it...

Today I'm so grateful & happy for:
~ selling art!
~ my amazing fellow Side Work artists
~ momma coming into town

xo! n.

My Unstill Life

Yesterday I had the first gallery showing of my art, attended by friends and strangers (and an occasional bum off the street), under the crooked smile of the Hollywood sign.

We didn't make much money, but it was one of the most beautiful things I've done; watching my talented friends perform with the backdrop of paintings and sculptures as people wandered in, curious, and stood smiling & transfixed, will forever be a happy memory.  A lot of friends showed up - a few bringing friends - and even a few people I hadn't seen in years, which was a great surprise.  The reaction to the show was all positive and Teeter & I each sold a piece.

And I sang!!  I did it.  I faced my fear and stood up in front of a roomful of people and sang, loud, backed only by a acoustic guitar and trumpet (yes, trumpet - another one of Jamey's unexpected talents).  I was so nervous I couldn't open my eyes on the first go round, but after a audience-less rehearsal (and a glass of wine) I felt much more confident & just had fun with it.  And I got a lot of positive feedback!  It was such an amazing experience.

That's me! (accompanied by John on guitar & Jamey on trumpet) And my art behind me.

For those of you in LA, you have one more chance to be a part of this Side Work experience on Tuesday from 5pm to midnight - and at the world-famous Magic Castle, no less!  Check it out here.

Today I am so grateful and happy for:
~ all the friends that came out to support us last night
~ selling some art!
~ facing an old fear - and feeling great about it
~ making amazing things happen

xo!  n.

Overwhelmed.

I have so much to write about I don't even know where to begin.

Maybe I should start with my friend Lauren's visit from Australia and how excited she got over the prices of everything ("everything's hell cheap here!!") and driving into the 90210. How we went out to a gay club in WeHo for monster sweet tea vodka cocktails and were the only girls gawking at the half-naked guys dancing on the bar, and how the next morning, hungover, we went out for her first American pizza.  How we threw her a movie-style Frat party, complete with keg, toilet-papered bushes, and an all-night game of flip cup.  How much fun it was having her around, and how I considered my sightseeing with her a bit of a goodbye LA for me.

Or maybe I need to tell you that we had to put Chick's sweet kitten Gumshoe to sleep; the news hit us like a stab in the back, completely unexpected, he had kidney failure and a mass in his abdomen. He was only 2 months old. The house feels so empty without him hopping around like a little bunny, sunning in the windowsill, or going all cutest monster on our toes with his tiny snake-mouth teeth. Some things just aren't fair, but he certainly was smothered with love from us, and we miss him.

Or maybe I should bypass the sad stuff and describe how our house is buzzing with creativity in preparation for our art show, Unstill Life, in Hollywood tomorrow. If any of you are in LA, please come by and check out the show - there's tons of original art, from paintings to sculptures to video, even an interactive exhibit, and there'll be live performances and free wine and cheese! Here's the information for our Friday show: Side Work Presents: Unstill Life. And our Tuesday show at the Magic Castle: Unstill Life at the Castle.

Or maybe I should try not to sound like an advertisement (sorry, I'm excited!) and just get to the big news...

I've been cast in Atlas Shrugged. It's a movie adaptation of the Ayn Rand book and I'm a real character with a name and lines. I'm stunned.

I found out on the same day that I sold all my furniture; I am literally sleeping on a mattress (sold, just not picked up yet) on the floor surrounded by boxes in a room someone else is moving into in two weeks. Have you ever heard that when you let go of something, it happens? Well, that is the damn truth. I've been working hard, waiting for an opportunity like this for 6 years, and just when I finally decide I'm ok without it & will be happier doing something else, here it is, slamming into my life like a pie in the face - I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but it sure does stop me in my tracks.

Filming has started, but they think they won't need me until July, so that postpones my road trip and move home indefinitely. I have mixed feelings about that; I want to do the movie (I'd be crazy not to!) and at the same time, I just want to go ahead & get on the road. I was all prepared to move, to start new, and now this almost feels like the past has reached out and grabbed me by the back of the neck. Don't get me wrong, I'm estatic for this opportunity & experience, and I'm so very grateful for it. I guess it just goes to show you can't plan your life, you just have to accept it as it comes...

On top of all that, it is effing cool to see my name in Variety!!! Check it out: Cameras roll on 'Atlas'


Today I am SO incredibly happy & grateful for:
~ having Gumshoe & giving him a good, loved life
~ hanging out & being crazy with Loz from Oz
~ letting go
~ being creative & productive
~ unexpected opportunities
~ the biggest acting job I've ever gotten
~ making myself happy - everything else just falls into place

xo! n.

Want It.

Hi!  I'm so sorry I've been absent.  My friend Lauren was visiting from Australia (you may remember her from my Awesome Festival entries) and I'm working on a new project with Side Work that opens next week - yikes!  I'll be back to posting more regularly soon, but for now...

New Escape Hatcher post up!  Can't is just a word we cage ourselves with.  What if you stopped using it?

Read it here.

xo! n.

[source]

Just One Thing

New Escape Hatcher post!  Read it here.

[source]

If the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, what can you change to live the life you want?

xo! n.