reflection

On my career:
You came into this life equipped with great curiosity, a lively, versatile, inquisitive mind, and an urge for constant learning and new experiences. Your most basic inner drive is to communicate, to make connections and association (between people or ideas), and to develop your gift for language and expressing yourself through the spoken or written word. Thus being an intermediary or messenger, a translator, a teacher, a broadcaster, a correspondent, or in some field where you can mix and mingle and interact with a broad spectrum of people, suits you well.
Fascinated by life's seemingly endless variety and the multitude of options and choices available to you, you may flit from one person, job, hobby, or location to the next, restlessly seeking new experiences and stimuli. Even if you do not do this in your outward behavior, inwardly your mind is in constant motion, and you require a healthy dose of variation and mental or social stimulation in your life in order to approach anything resembling contentment. Skimming lightly over the surface of life, however, can lead to a shallowness of understanding and a fluttering away of your energies.

Lessons Learned

I teach you to lie, cheat, and steal, and as soon as my back's turned you wait in line?
~ House

The Journey in a Symphony

No one imagines that a symphony is supposed to improve in quality as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing it is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same, I feel, with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them.
- Alan Watts

On A Roll....

GRE is taken and I'm happy with the score. I think it will definitely help get in the door of a good grad school.

The list of programs that I'm looking into is growing:
Emerson College, Boston - M.F.A. Media Art
NYU/Tisch School of the Arts - M.F.A. Film Production, M.A. Cinema Studies
U of CA, Los Angeles - M.F.A. Producers Program
Northeastern University, Boston - M.A. Cinema Studies
George Washington University - M.A. Media and Public Affairs

Making Plans

I'm trying to decide what to do with my life... as always.

I am working hard to get into Boston or New York. Very. I want to be there. I want be back there, doing something I love. Or at least something that is a step towards doing what I want.

I am going to find that job in radio or tv, first. Something to get in the experience.

And then the GRE is on the list again. Registering to take it in September.

Then there will be grad school for film at one of the following: NYU, Emerson, Northeastern, SMFA, UCLA.

Applications will be in by October.

Let's see........

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Premiere and After Party Pictures here

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Premiere

I landed in New York midmorning and rushed to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Larry's apartment in order to get some sleep. After a little food, i spent a good hour and a half deciding what to wear. Luckily the hair was already curly. Got dress, walked over to 6th and caught a cab to the Ziegfeld Theater. We were guests of Debra Martin Chase, Sharon's good friend who got me this job.

The theater itself was nice. Caught sight of a lot of the crew members. Amy Johnson, publicist, and always with a camera on set. Phil Caruso, still photographer. David Allen, property master. Ruth DiPasquele, asst prop master. Michael Kirsten, hair stylist.

The After Party was on top of the Rooftop Garden. It was so much fun. I got to hang out with Sanaa Hamri, director. She looks great btw, changed her hair. Richard Patrick, 1st asst director. He's got a new HBO series starting filming soon, "In The Ninth" or something. Mariana Hellmund, script supervisor. It was great to see her because she did so much work for the film. She helped keep the story together which was NOT an easy job at all. Chris Sacani, exec producer. Gaylyn Fraiche, co-producer.

Funny thing happened. We ate first. We ended up sitting at this table with this woman and her daughter. And we're chatting about the movie and the books, and the film industry in general. She gets up to leave and shakes my hand. I ask her her name.... She says "Oh. I'm Ann Moore, president of Time, Inc." .... Aunt Sharon and Lori were stunned! Completely. Well they ARE lawyers. They are start saying "Get her back, get her back!"

And of course, I hung out with my men. The entire production I was in charge of the leading men and their "1st team production assistant". I had also looked after Blake Lively, but she was being hounded by the girls and their cameras because she had the whole Gossip Girl crew there: Leighton Meeser, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, and Ed Westwick. In a word: craziness. So I had chance to talk to her mother, Elaine. She was always a nice, but strong woman.

Back to my boys. Jesse Williams mostly associates me with Debra. Jesse's been doing Off-Broadway shows and . Still Leo Nam remember me. We spent hours in this house on a hot day without air conditioning and squacking parrots outside. We had the greatest time joking and dancing. He had the best attitude and a wonderful personality. So much fun to work with. I went over and found Tom Wisdom. He vaguely remembered me, but he's the perfect English gentleman. Asked me how I was, what I was doing now, and life in general. We talked about life since filming, about his year-and-a-half-old daughter and the vacation he's taking to spend time with her. Talking to him, I'm reminded how new this fame thing is for some. He's been fairly untouched by the media. He is amazingly sweet and sincere. A great combination. And there is Michael Rady. Michael spent 3 days hanging out with me. He was so funny and nice. He didn't remember me at first, but when I told him my role, he's like "Oh my God! CLAIRE!! I'm sorry I didn't remember you. " He introduced me to his dad, whom I talked to for a long time.

It was the best time. So surreal! And I got to see my name in the credits. It is under "Set Production Assistants", in the middle column under Patrick Bevilaqua. EXCITING!! I'll post the pictures soon.

Southall-Wright Wedding

Pam and Rick's Wedding
Professional pictures here
Personal pictures here

on small and insignificant

"You ever been to the Grand Canyon? Its pretty, but thats not the thing of it. You can sit on the edge of that big ol' thing and those rocks... the cliffs and rocks are so old... it took so long for that thing to get like that... and it ain't done either! It happens right there while your watching it. Its happening right now as we are sitting here in this ugly town. When you sit on the edge of that thing, you realize what a joke we people really are... what big heads we have thinking that what we do is gonna matter all that much... thinking that our time here means didly to those rocks. Just a split second we have been here, the whole lot of us. That's a piece of time so small to even get a name. Those rocks are laughing at me right now, me and my worries... Yeah, its real humorous, that Grand Canyon. Its laughing at me right now. You know what I felt like? I felt like a gnat that lands on the a$$ of a cow chewing his cud on the side of the road that you drive by doing 70 mph."
- Grand Canyon

Happy Birthday to Me

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:14-16

on learning new things

Optimally, you learn something new every day.
Today's Highlights:
1. Being Puerto Rican can give you an edge
2. The truth about Claire Danes' cellulite and wide hips
3. Forgive the jerks in your life
4. You may be right, but you may have to keep your mouth shut, for now
4. Never go to the hardware store for apples

Great Eulogy Passage from "Crossing Jordan"

"As I stand on a mountaintop as the great bird approaches, she is small in my sight but grows larger on approach, until I am blessed with a full sight of her graceful wings, proud countenance and good company. All too quickly, she grows small again on the horizon and disappears from view. And I call out: There, she's gone! But there are other mountaintops beyond me. And at the precise moment when I note the great bird's departure from my view, I know there are new eyes taking up the sight of her and fresh voices calling out: Here, she comes!"

Missing the Good Ol' Days

Just got back from Jubilate Reunion, celebrating 35 years of alums, worship and fellowship. And I can tell you that I miss them already.

Somewhere close to 150 people showed up. Imagine all of them in the Practice Room.... Squeezed like sardines. From 1973 to 2008, Jubilate has been singing and bringing the word of God to people all over the country. And the scattered flock came back this weekend to reconnect to an organization that has continued to bring people together and changed lies. We had one woman all the way from Hungary.

The music was beautiful. The banquet was long and tiresome. We did have a night of wine and mingling downtown.

I got to connect with Meg for a hot moment while I stayed on her couch. There was also a lot of time spent with Sally, Jordan, and Sarah R. Which was so great because, when I think about it, we were together during an important time in our life. Along with Joey, Janice, Danny, Allison, Alden, and countless others, we grew up together and were there for each other. Even if it didn't feel like it at the time, we were family and could count on each other. And I can still count on them.... We're sisters and brothers. I love them so much. And I can't wait to see them at their weddings.

Next up..... Jordan Redman and Joseph Johnson!

Welcome to My Life... for now

I'm sorry I have not updated. I have been very busy. So let's get the lowdown....

I'm in Chesapeake, Virginia. Staying in the house with Mom and Nana. This is has been a good thing and a bad thing, to say the least. I am constantly in looking for a place to move to. I really need to get my own apartment. Mom and I get along great; its my wonderful grandmother I have problems with. She drives me crazy five out of six days. I just need to get out of her 24/7 watch. I need to be able to live my own life!

Speaking of life, I am working as a Box Office Assistant in Portsmouth. It is a part-time job, but I have a great boss and good working environment. I mean, the women I work with are strong. And of course, I get to stay in the performing arts business. Of course, I'm not building stages, or teching, or vocal directing... But I'm working the monetary ends, and publicity... I get the business end.

On the horizon, I am considering many different options.
One of which would be grad school. There are different programs that are in this area in terms of Media, Film, and Theater. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it all work if i stay here. Because if I go to grad school, I'm not sure I can afford to move out. But I'm still figuring out things on that end.
Another option is finding another job in the area more directly involved in the media. Like at a television station. Or with some of the production studios in the area. I also have acquaintances who are starting their own productions companies. But all that seems to be moving a snail pace.
Another option is the picking up and moving to ... say, New York or Boston, or even D.C.. That will always be something that I should definitely do at some point.

See, this is a problem I get into when I am home. You get pulled into this vortex. This comfort zone that you can't get out of. And I know I need to break away, but do you ever feel like its just not the right time yet? There will be a right time. And even if it's not a right time, there will be a breaking point.