Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Birthday

My birthday always makes me so grateful! Grateful for all the many wonderful friends I've made, my wonderful family, and how lucky I am to be able to pursue what I want to do for my career. Every person who goes out of their way to wish me a happy birthday makes me feel so cared for and appreciated. I really am blessed.

As if that weren't enough, this year for my birthday, my parents drove down to visit me. We were able to explore some of LA, and visit a The Huntington Library, but I was also able to just enjoy their company playing games and watching movies. What a treat.

Every year on my birthday I expect to wake up with some new wisdom or insight into the world. I've actually never had that happen. Not once. Every piece of (seeming) wisdom I have gained has been developed and revised over the whole years of experience. Here are the few (theoretical) pearls of wisdom I've developed in my life so far and are most often repeated in my head these days.

Money Ain't No Thing.
Well, it is a thing, but it isn't the only thing. I need to take deep breaths and know my worth (thankfully) isn't measured by my bank account.

Enjoy The Moment.
I'm young, relatively healthy, happy, and just starting out in a career I love. Instead of stressing out about the future, I should enjoy the now.

Being Healthy Takes Effort.
At least for me. I can't just eat whatever, and exercise not at all and remain healthy. I need to put some thought in. It'll be worth it ... right?

Don't Panic.
Spinning your wheels and stressing out not only negatively impacts my body/mind/soul, but also those around me. Deeeeep breaths.

Never Take A Friendship For Granted.
Too rare and precious a thing. I should tend to my long distance friendships better than I do.

Confidence.
The plan is to fake it until I make it.

Take Responsibility, But Know When To Ask For Help.
A tricky balance. Haven't figured this one out yet.

Risk More.
I'm the kind of person that can look forever before they leap. Eventually one must jump into the fray.

So while none of these ideas came to me in a bolt of inspiration, they are wise words. (At least for me. At least for now.) Seven pieces of advice is already more than I can keep in my head at any one time, but perhaps as I continue to grow older and wiser I will need to be reminded less often.

Any other good pieces of advice from those wiser than me? I know you're out there.

~Claire Out.

Monday, May 9, 2011

An Ode To Language

A Facebook friend of mine posted this video.*

As I was watching the video, I became more and more excited. Never had my own views on language been more clearly expressed. (and in an groovy English accent no less!)

For some reason, (probably having to do with a combination of my alternative education and my dyslexia) the rules of grammer have never been very clear to me. I couldn't diagram a sentence to save my life. (I can sense you nodding your head in agreement dear reader. I sympathise.) However, I've found I can't be made to care too much about the rules of language.

Remember that friend you had in grade school? The one that you passed a note to in class? They would always pass back your same note, pointing out and correcting your errors in spelling, grammer, and punctuation. Well, that kid completely missed the point. The idea was to communicate (in a slightly rebellious way) and they stopped that communication dead in it's tracks. Is it worth being pro-language to the point of being anti-communication? In my opinion, no. Isn't that why language developed? In order to communicate? Communication should be considered more important than grammer.

(I'm sure that some of you were that kid in elementary school. And good on you! I'm sure your life has been better for it. I have left a string of exasperated English teachers in my wake. And I'm sure it's students like you that allow them to live on without tearing their hair out. And thank you too for your understanding when your read my blog and not e-mailing me with a list of corrections.)

Now, to take a moment to talk about the beauty of language. If you know me, you know I love Shakespeare. In my mind he is one of the greatest craftsmen of beautiful language to ever live. It amazes me every time, how the meaning of the words is enriched when you hear the words spoken aloud. I have been known to read Shakespeare aloud when I'm feeling depressed. Just knowing that I can speak such beautiful words somehow makes things better. Shakespeare was well known for his misuse and abuse of language, which later was called innovation. One of my favorite examples of a Shakespeare Original, is the word 'bloodthirsty'. Now the word 'blood' and the world 'thirsty' already existed ... but combined! Not only is this new word instantly understandable to the Elizabethan population... but what a mental picture!

In my studies of Shakespeare, I learned about the Elizabethan fascination with the study of rhetoric. It was the study of composition of writing, persuasive speeches, and utilizing the beauty of words to enhance both. It was the equivalent of modern day English/debate/poetry/journalism class and it was taught in every school. The beauty of the words (and indeed the tactile pleasure of saying them) were as important as effectively communicating and being grammatically correct. I get the sinking feeling I would have done much better in Rhetoric class than I every did in English. Clear, correct and beautiful language ... can't we have it all?

I suppose I should brush up on my grammer. If only to work toward the glorious trifecta of rhetoric.

If you admire a concisely expressed thought.

If you savor the challenge of conquering a new tongue twister.

If you delight in changing someones mind through words.

If you read passages of books aloud because the words are too beautiful to go unsaid.

If you know that the beauty and power of language is too tremendous to be boiled down into the parts of speech all the time.

Then, you have a friend in me. (And Stephen Fry)

~Claire Out.

*For the record I find the actual visual element of the video a little dull ... different font sizes of Helvetica are only visually interesting for so long. (Please don't be offended Mike.)



Tuesday, May 3, 2011

May-be a Better Month

Well April sure went by quickly.

Here is the skinny on how my goals from last month went. I'm sad to report that my attempt to regulate my sleeping schdule was a complete failure. Complete. Failure. Maybe I'll try that again sometime in the future if I ever get a job with regular hours.

The news reading goal went better. I read some newspapers, some websites, and many many copies of Variety. Hopefully I'll keep up this good habit to move further along my path to become a well informed citizen.

This month, I've decided to stop overindulging in stress. Sounds nice hu? Anybody want to join me?

As has been my tradition, I also am adding a positive habit to the mix this month. I really want to get back on the work-out horse. With my late hours, I've had some more trouble getting going early enough in the morning to swim. (My fitness level is reflecting that.) So - my goal is to work out at the gym at least three times a week. With the week ending Sunday and starting Monday. I'm going to post a schedule to put on my fridge again so that I can have that great cross-it-out feeling throughout month.

Good luck to me. As always, I'll let you know how it goes.

~Claire Out.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Stress Less

Recently I realized I don't handle stress well.

Normally, in a stressful situation I go into, for lack of a better term, 'Stress Mode'. All my senses are heightened and I become super focused. This mode is perfect if I were tending to an injured loved one, or putting out a kitchen fire - however - it is terrible when you are going into week three of overtime. Because in addition to my super focus in 'stress mode', I also lose my sense of humor, become emotionally on edge, easily overwhelmed, and am incapable of seeing the big picture. This makes spending extended periods of time in said, 'stress mode' un-fun for myself and the people around me. This is very upsetting since, the ability to handle pressure situations is vital in the film industry and separates the great from the not-so-great (unemployed). So I've decided to improve.

I've come up with a plan to reduce 'stress mode"s role in my life.

1. Write everything down. This will keep me from churning over everything I have yet to do and becoming overwhelmed. I can prioritize and focus on one thing at a time and experience the joy that comes with crossing something off your 'To Do List'.

2. Keep the blood sugar up. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on the edge convinced that the world was coming to an end, only to be revitalized by a little snack of some kind. A handfull of pretzels or a single piece of string cheese can save the world.

3. If I can't change it, accept it. This one is so hard for me. Not only do I waste time and crush myself with stress about things that have already happened that are beyond my control, but I also spend time and crush myself with stress about things that may or may not happen that are beyond my control. I preemptively stress. Not worth it. So whenever I catch myself stressing about something I cannot change - I am going to try five deep breaths and a mental subject change. Good luck me.

Do any of you have advise? Ways that you have found help you deal with your stressful lives? I will take all the help I can get.

~Claire Out.