Oh, hello.

Oh, hello, Blogspot. It has been SO LONG since we've seen each other. How have you been? How's the fam? Dog still hanging around?

No, seriously. I can't believe it's been almost 8 months since I last wrote in this. I'm in the wrong here. I suck.

I have, however, been looking at other people's rambling, tmi-ing, annoying and [very rarely] entertaining blogs. That's gotta count for something, right? That I remembered that BlogSpot exists? Totally counts.

Random alert: A HAND JUST APPEARED ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN.

Seriously. A hand. But, it's okay. It wasn't a severed hand floating in the Georgia Aquarium display as I had thought. The hand was attached to a diver who just wanted to scare the bejesus out of those of us who dreamily stare at sharks all day.

Aaaaaaaanyway. That's really all for now. I needed to write something - anything - to keep from eating my own hair due to stress. (It really is inevitable though. Sigh.)

I'll make a real post sometime soon.

LATERZ!

2011, Here We Come

For 2011, I SWEAR that I will update this blasted blog.

On that note, let's talk about resolutions.

It seems like every year, everyone I know makes a resolution and then breaks it by January 3rd. And I completely admit that I am in that group.

Now, as 2011 approaches, I've been thinking a lot about that. I am not the poster child for self control or will power, but I'm tired of not meeting my goals. For example, this blog. Every few weeks, I vow to write more often in order to keep my communication/journalism skills sharp. And, after a post that I feel proud of - or, at least, ok with - I forget about the blog until the guilt hits a month later.

So, I ask you this. Why are we so wishy-washy? We make resolutions out of things that we obviously want to acheive. So, why give up so quickly?

I think the biggest reason I've been thinking about this is the battle with my weight. I want it to be a nice, low number, and my body thinks that higher is better. (I think it's been playing video games a little too much. Just because a high score in Mario means you get the princess does NOT mean that you need to weight as much as a killer whale to get the guy.)

I REALLY want to drop some weight. And I'm doing my best to look at 2011 as the year to do it. To finally conquer my weight and get into eating/exercising habits that keep it off. But, there's that nagging doubt. Statistically, it's looking pretty good that I won't be sticking to it. And that is just so disappointing. Why put in all this effort to research healthy recipes and sign up for a gym if I'm not going to use any of it?

So, you are witnesses, Blogosphere.

My 2011 Resolutions are:

1) BLOG
2) Lose weight
3) Use my gym membership.

So how about all of you? What are your resolutions?

Lack of Direction

Well I promised that I would use thing more often, but I'm finding it hard to find things to talk about. I don't want to have an angst-ridden blog like the rest of the Blogging World.

I'm not sure that anyone even reads this.

I originally set this thing up so that I could keep my degree relevant. Because you never know what employers will look for. But, the longer I go without hearing from a job that I want, or am perfect for, the more downtrodden I become.

I start thinking..."what does it matter if I keep my degree relevant?" "Obviously I'm just not good enough for the arts or communications communities." "Why am I wasting my time applying to jobs that I'm not going to get?"

Which all inevitably leads to - "What is wrong with me? Why am I not good enough?"

Two years ago, almost to the day, I graduated from college, B.A. in Theatre Arts and Journalism in hand. I was full of hope, sure that it wouldn't be long before I had the job that I'd been dreaming about for four and a half years. I'd worked my butt off to get through classes, putting in extra time to teach myself skills that might come in handy in the real world. I learned HTML and WordPress and Illustrator. I dabbled in databases. Anything that I could use to my advantage.

Slowly, that hope faded away. I told myself that it was just the economy. The Enquirer had a hiring freeze. The Community Recorder just laid off a bunch of people. There wasn't room for me. And I understood that. There simply weren't jobs. How could I fill a position that wasn't available?

But now? There are jobs. There are plenty of jobs. I've been unemployed three times since I graduated from college. Once, it stretched out for over 2 1/2 months. I keep taking jobs that I don't want, just because I have bills to pay. And, then, a few weeks or months later, my employers figure out that I'm really not the person they're looking for, and I'm back to sitting on my couch, waiting.

I'm tired of taking jobs that I don't want. That I don't enjoy. This job I just started a month ago? Already makes me want to cry.

I have been SO close to getting that Dream Job. But I've only been called for an interview once in the past two years.

So, I ask again. What am I doing wrong? What is so wrong with me that I'm not getting a callback? What if my job history is hurting me? Taking these jobs that have nothing to do with what I want to do. My resume is cluttered with positions that have no relevance to Communications or the Arts. My degree is hidden in all the muck.

There are two positions open right now that I have the perfect skill set for. I sent in everything they asked for, sure that they would see how perfect I am for their organization. But I haven't heard anything. People are telling me to wait it out, not to give up hope on them yet. But how am I supposed to do that?

I want that optimism back. I want to be that 22-year-old, fresh out of college. I miss how sure I was that something better was just right around the corner. I'm losing hope that I'll ever get to do something I enjoy. I'm afraid I'm going to be bouncing from job to job for the rest of my life, getting more miserable by the week.

Why aren't they calling?

Anyone have advice?

HARRY POTTER! *flails*

So. I know a lot of people would probably look down on me for this - or, maybe not, considering how popular it is - but EVERY time a Harry Potter 7 preview comes on tv, even if I've seen it before...I get ridiculously giddy.

I'm 24.

Sadly, I couldn't care less if anyone sees me flailing over a Harry Potter ad. I've had to be pulled away from hugging the new poster(s) in movie theatres.

It's sad, I know.

BUT IT'S HARRY POTTER!!!!

I know this isn't theatre or journalism related...but I don't care.

Because...

HARRY FRIGGIN' POTTER!!

*flails more*

That is all. :-D

Oh, and a real quick P.S.

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE HUNGER GAMES, YOU MUST DO IT NOW.

Seriously. Go.

You're missing out.

Blah blah blah blah blah....

I really have to stop making false promises about blogs. Or life in general. But, since Rachel things I need to blog in order to use my degree - which is why I set this thing up in the first place - here I am. Maybe this will be good for me, as I'm currently unemployed. Again.

So, I'm working on a new show, at the Clermont Inn. And, while they're just little one-acts that most "serious" actors would write off, I really enjoy doing them. I mean, yes, rehearsal can get kind of tedious. But, that's true with any show.

The Clermont Inn is such a unique setting. I feel like every actor, who's actually serious about what they do, should jump at the chance. It definitely helped me improve my techniques - whatever those are. Rather than having the lights and everything cut you off from the audience, the fourth wall is shattered at the Clermont. The blocking is woven in between tables where people are enjoying their dinner. And there are even times when the "characters" interact with the audience. It's so much fun. It makes the audience feel like they're truly a part of the atmosphere that's being woven in between courses.

(Wow, that paragraph felt like a real article. Go me!)

Also, free dinner is involved when you do shows there. NOTHING beats free food.

Ok, I'm due at rehearsal soon, so I suppose I should cut this short.

See you on the flip side! ^_^

(I have no idea what that means...but it sure sounds cool.)

Well, hello BlogSpot

Ah, Blogspot. I remember when I started this blog. It was to keep up my writing skills by posting about random newsworthy (or Becky-opinion-worthy) stuff in order to stay relevant and hope that maybe, just maybe, a possible employer would see this while searching the Interwebz for me and think, "Yeah. She's the right one."

But, alas. Stupid real life. And boys. Well, boy. All getting in the way of my staying relevant.

No more! I am taking a stand today that I WILL write in this blog!

Hopefully!

:)

Taking The Stage

So there's a new reality show on MTV centered around students at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in downtown Cincinnati. And, as much as I hate reality shows, I decided to give it a chance. After all, it is about kids from my hometown area.

Big mistake.

I was hoping that the show would actually focus on their classes or their "strive to be the greatest" or however the ads portrayed it. But, it's just like every other MTV show. The drama is the focus because drama is what the average MTV viewer thrives on.

I'm a little sad about that. Not that I expected a group of high school students to paint Cincinnati in the best light, but it would at least be nice for them to rise above. At a young age, they already have an idea of what they want out of life - or I at least suspect that they do, since they took the initiative to go to a performing arts high school. It's just disappointing that they come across like every other kid, no matter how wayward.

Maybe next time I'll listen to my instincts about reality TV.