SoCalKels's Xanga

House Hunting: Entry #1

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:47:00 GMT

On Wednesday (or Tuesday? Not working regularly has really messed up my sense of time), Pamela the Realtor took Alburn and I around the Burbank/NoHo/Eagle Rock area to look at houses. Here's what was derived from the event:

1. Revisited the Polly Pocket house. It seemed smaller than the first visit

2. Pamela the Realtor discovered Burbank requires realtors to have a second pass key code to get into houses in addition to the first pass key to get into the house So we weren't able to see all the houses in Burbank but will get to them next trip because she now has the extra key

3. Alburn was a little annoyed that everything we looked at was over 400k So we are sending Pamela the Realtor houses we find at real-estate websites that are under 400k

4. We liked two of the homes we saw but believe there's somethings better out there and will keep looking

To sum up: 3 sad-faces but 3 smiley-faces as well (four!)

Ode to the Polly Pocket House

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:39:26 GMT

Oh Polly Pocket house! Oh my dream home!
How cute! How quaint! How perfect!
Your bedrooms so tiny,
Your price yet so big!

Has LA really changed me that much?
Three years ago, when first I saw,
I thought, how sad that one would have to live
in a house so small!

Today you seem perfect, just the right size!
Alas, you're over four hundred grand!
Anyone out there want to give me a hand?

Perhaps to lend one grand, two or three?
Can't you just picture me and the Polly Pocket house?
How perfect we'll be!

There is a row of houses in Burbank that I have called the Polly Pocket homes since moving to LA three years ago. Since then, I've grown accustomed to the small houses in LA. One of the Polly Pocket homes has recently gone on sale. How perfect! I thought. It's meant to be! The owner is asking for 419,000 but open to negotiation. We're looking at other places, but the neighborhood is hard to beat. We'll see. And after that, we'd have to get 14,000 for a down payment.

Look at the comparison below to a Polly Pocket toy I used to play with:
(Grandmother's Cottage)
Polly Pocket house on Zillow.com

Product of "The Little Mermaid" generation

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:05:18 GMT

I was editing a children's musical of "The Little Mermaid," so naturally the songs from the musical and Disney movie started to stick in my head. Soon, I began to think about some of the lyrics in "Part of Your World," and believed I had discovered one of the influences for my worldview.
I am a product of "The Little Mermaid" generation.
For example, the Little Mermaid sings:

"Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?"

This reference is obvious. Even with all her stuff, she didn't have enough, she still wanted more. I'm also a product of always getting presents at Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Valentines Day, etc. As a little girl, I had more than enough toys to keep me busy (between my sister and I, we had 3 Little Mermaid Barbie dolls), yet I always asked for more and I believed I had every right to receive more toys.

"But who cares?
No big deal
I want more"

But what is the Little Mermaid longing for? Independence. Another thing growing up I never questioned my right to. Here's the lyrics that got me thinking:

"Bet'cha on land they understand
That they don't reprimand their daughters
Proper women sick of swimmin'
Ready to stand"

Hearing this made me think of why I might have answered my father with "Why not?" when he would tell me, "The world doesn't revolve around you!" Just like the Little Mermaid I was Daddy's little girl and believed that entitled me to all the world had to offer: independence to make my own decisions, go where I wanted to go, do what I wanted to do and be anything I wanted to be.

Thanks to "The Little Mermaid", women of my generation grew up believing in their independence. Having a man (the prince, Eric, and wasn't he one of the cutest Disney princes, Ladies?) was just bonus and for some (or several) not even necessary or desired.

In summation, I am a product of "The Little Mermaid" generation. I believe I can still be Daddy's Princess and live thousands of miles away independently doing my thing.

(Photo taken by Alburn Binkley, flickr.com/alburnbinkley )

Life's Direction

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:16:39 GMT

So, in attempt to find more direction in my life, I've been encouraged (by a friend) to have a personal mission statement.

Does seeing and experiencing more of LA count? Or is that more of a New Year's Resolution (something I didn't even attempt do this year).

Being Christian, "mission statement" carries with it a spiritual connotation. But does a personal mission statement necessarily have to be religious? Maybe I should have two mission statements. I'd perfer that much better to New Year's Resolutions. Much better.

Xanga welcomed me back

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:56:55 GMT

I signed into Xanga today and a banner on every page reads, Welcome back! And I guess it's appropriate cause it has been awhile since I've last visited. My, how the design layout's changed, but what's up with the annoying ads every time I go back to my homepage?

So, what's new?

After not working for a month (mostly not by choice), I got a job through the temp agency: receptionist. Which I have a small amount of experience with, however I don't think I'll be getting any #1 receptionist awards any time soon. So it's good it's only temporary and I'm not trying to make a career out of it, cause I'm not that good.

Looks like the WGA strike might be over, so I read. Hopefully that'll bring more industry related jobs my way.

I feel very boring right now, as I have no exciting news to talk about. Hmmm, let's see.

I learned how to make green and red enchiladas last night, in addition to spanish rice. That was fun.

I've been feeling both anxious and confused of late.

Confused about a number of things: my career, God, my place in God's will. Funny that the sermon on Sabbath was about the wilderness taken from the passage where Jesus is tempted in the desert. Funny that when it started I thought I wouldn't have anything to learn because of the numerous sermons I've heard on "the wilderness" but Pastor Ryan's message was very fresh and insightful. I prayed with him and afterwards he told me that he's been getting a lot of calls lately requesting prayer and thought the passage (picked months in advance) was very apropos for this week. At least I know I'm not alone.

I've been feeling anxious I suppose about the same things: my career, God's will. Also, although I suppose antsy is a better word, about a new stage of life. You probably know well that last year, '06, I moved five times. All in LA, but each time a new area and, for the most part, new roommates. In March I will have lived in the same place for a year. Maybe it's my sense of adventure, but I'm ready for something new. On one hand I hate change, but on the other I crave it. The entertainment industry is like that, nothing is certain. And while I hate not having a steady job, I like that every month or two there are new faces, new challenges, new environment, new responsibilities and it's all in the realm of what I have a passion for (now if I can just start getting those jobs again...). Anyway, maybe because that's how my career path plays out or maybe because I'm not in the that particular work environment at the moment, I want a change in my personal life. So I'm antsy, bored, looking for something new. And yes, anxious, always anxious about what that change will be.

I'm in the industry

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:42:57 GMT

I recently told a friend of mine that he was in the industry. He works at a multi-media production company finding the people to do the jobs other people request from his company (if that makes sense, I don't remember what his title is). He was telling me about how he always wondered what it'd be like to be living in LA working in the industry. I reminded him that he did know, he was in the industry. He laughed, acted like he'd never realized this (I really think he hadn't) and proclaimed, "I'm in the industry!"
Today, I felt like that.
I drove by three movie studios today and three groups of WGA picketers. Each time I honked and waved to show my support. It felt cool. I felt cool.
Strangely there were no strikers outside Warner Brothers in Burbank. Hmmm. I wonder what that means....

News from Hollywood-Hollyweird

Sat, 12 May 2007 00:35:16 GMT

Fire in Griffith Park

Fire at Catalina Island

And the fire back in March in the Hollywood Hills

We're in for one long summer....

I'm safe, though, and will be even more safe if a few weeks. Here's why:
On June 5th, a certain Beverly Hills resident reports to a correction facility to fill a 45-day sentence for violating probation. This Hollyweird socialite was put on probation for "alcohol-related reckless driving."
I, for one, am not surprised cause I've seen footage of her driving (you can too if you wish, I provided it below!) and will feel much safer on the streets in the upcoming days. Unfortunately her sentence can't be longer and might even be cut short due to "jail overcrowding," according to the latest news.

However, does this mean a new season of the Simple Life is in the works? I sure hope so...?

Hollywood, Hollyweird Segment #3: "Don't care how; I want it NOW!"

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:34:18 GMT

You all know, whether you'd like to or not, of the crazy things celebrities have done out here in crazy Hollyweird. Whether you care or not, Hollywood's celebrity news reaches your ears eventually. Most likely you just shake your head. Or maybe you are concerned about the celeb's well being, if only for a fleeting second. Perhaps you're intrigued and want to know more. Or perhaps you're disgusted and wish California would just fall off into the Pacific already. Most of you, though, at some point after hearing about another crazy celebrity outburst ask the question, "Why?"
Why indeed. Never before coming to live out here had I paid much attention to Hollywood's celebrities. I still don't but I do think about them and talk about them more than I used to. It's one thing to hear about Hollywood news when you live anywhere in the world and it's another when you live in the same city where the news is taking place. It's also on thing to live in LA with the celebrities and another to work in the business where the celebrities come from. That being said, I've thought a lot recently on the "why" question above. Here's what I've come up with:

Once a celebrity gets so famous, they turn back into eight year olds. But eight year olds with all the power.

Your average eight year old humanoid does not think about what is best for him or her. They only act upon what they want. Fortunately, there's a parent there (hopefully) to insure things are done in the child's best interest. An eight year old might want to eat candy every night right before bed. To an eight year old this is the best idea ever and how could it possibly be a bad one? But the parent has the foresight to discern that this is not a wise decision and sends their child to bed with freshly brushed teeth and candyless.
However, in Hollyweird's case, no one is there to tell the celebrity they can't have candy before bed. They wouldn't dare. The celebrity is famous. You can't tell them what to do. Sure, their requests might be outrageous, not in their best interest or just plain stupid, but lest you forget who has the power? The famous celebrity; the now turned eight year old; the grownup who acts more like Roald Dahl's character, Veruca Salt, who sang, in the 1971 musical adaptation titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, "I don't care how; I want it now!"

That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for reading and have a great day!

"Daddy, I want a Oompa-Loompa!"

When and when not to say "I work at ANTM"

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:28:10 GMT

Appropriate when:
In the company of females, age range 12 to 25.
When trying to impress friends from high school or college or family members back home (whether they're really impressed is hit and miss).
When someone mentions how they like America's Next Top Model, Tyra, or reality television. Even then, though, after you tell them they might try to make you reveal secrets which you can't do cause you've signed a confidentiality contract to never speak of the real going-ons of the show and if you do so you're at risk of losing 50,000 dollars or your first born child. So, sometimes I still might keep my current job to myself, especially around strangers.

Not appropriate when:
At a social gathering, someone talks about how they're at grad school studying chemistry and working on solar energy projects in order to save the planet from global warming and how it feels good to be working on something noble and life changing. Now would not be a good time to bring up that I work on a reality television show where I make wanna-be-models form complete thoughts and sentences.
In this event, I sit there silently praying that no one then turns to me and asks, "And what do you do again?"

Happy Valentine's Day

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:33:42 GMT

Delivered to my work, from Alburn. And the best part about them are that they're preserved flowers, which means there's no way I can kill them cause they're already dead! (I have a tendency to kill plants)