Taking Care of Business

Something has clicked in my brain. It has been almost a full year since I finished school and I feel like I have my footing in the ‘real’ world. (I use ‘real’ very loosely here since I am still supported by my parents and work in the arts)

The reason I haven’t been posting lately is because I’ve been working two jobs. In addition to my usual day job as a production assistant, I’ve also been editing the thesis film of a friend of mine. While I will not pretend that it has been easy, it has been so rewarding.

Being paid to do what I’ve been trained to do feels fantastic. Every moment working on this project has been a validation that all the time, money and effort spent in my training was worth it. This editing job has made me realize how much I’ve missed the practical application of 'my art'. (Again the term is used loosely, because I still have trouble considering myself an artist). I am now looking for more opportunities to take side projects and jobs to keep my skills up to snuff, and to expand my knowledge and experience base.

I feel like for so long so many parts of my life have been on hold. This job has really shown me that they don't have to be. I can be working towards getting days of work for the union. I can be moving forward, networking, and learning NOW. Obviously all this was true two weeks ago, but something about experiencing editing again, (and knowing I can survive two jobs at once for short spurts of time) has really my perspective. I am actively trying to figure out how to accelerate my career so that I can make the practical side of editing my full time job. For the first time I can see possibilities for my future as an editor, what steps I need to take and how I can get there.

Basically I'm pumped for the future. Bring it on!

~Claire Out.

Impulse Control

Warning: This particular post is off theme. It isn't about new experiences, or expanding my horizons. It's about shopping.

I hate shopping for clothes. Hate it. I don't know what looks good on my body, I don't know what size I am, and about 90% of shopping trips end with no new clothes and a huge blow to my ego. However, I have friends that love it. If they have a free afternoon - BAM they are shopping. Digging through vintage shops, looking for bargans, and taking joy in finding awesome pieces or accessories. It is a past time, a hobby, a love affair with the act of shopping.

I can relate. Not about clothes, but there are some stores that I walk into and instantly want to look at every item in the shop and buy as much as I can afford. Hardware stores, book shops, and outdoor/adventure stores are so much fun to browse around in. It is like walking around in a museum of things you can buy. Each object represents some potential future project/ story / adventure. It's like when you are in these stores you are surrounded by possibilities.

Just to defend my materialistic rant for a moment. It isn't important to buy anything. In fact, "as much as I can afford" is often nothing. Just looking in these shops is a good time, just like hunting for clothes is fun for some friends of mine.

So, dear reader, what stores do you enjoy going to even if you don't buy a thing?

April Rules

I know my my last set of monthly challenges was a little underwhelming. To be honset, I was starting a new job and wanted to make sure that I didn't set the bar too high. Now that we've hit April, I'm ready to get back to a serious challenge.

I had to think long and hard about an overindulgence for this month. I kept thinking to myself, I've already done all of my major bad habits. So it has come to this: sleep.

I LOVE sleeping. I am the queen of naps. I get really cranky when I don't get enough sleep. So I'm going to help myself out by establishing a consistant sleep schedule that doesn't tempt me to overindulge.

First thing, I'm not going to hit the snooze alarm. (I have been known to hit the snooze four or five times. AKA through all the time I was supposed to be at the gym. Note: my alarm clock is on the other side of the room from my bed, so every eight minutes I get out of bed and hit the snooze. That doesn't make for good sleep OR a good workout.) So this month, when I set my alarm is when I get up.

Secondly I am going to try to stick to a bed time during the work week. In bed, lights out, beckoning sleep by eleven pm. Wake up at six am every week day. (Even when I don't go to the gym.) That gives me a full seven hours of sleep. So I should be good to go during the day and be tired again when it's time for bed. (Keeping an eye on my caffeine intake is also going to be key.)

The weekends will be the tricky part. I know better than to put strict rules on those sleeping hours, since I'm such a rebel, but hopefully I will not get too far off track. Wish me luck.

My new positive habit this month? Reading the news. I'm sick and tired of not knowing what is going on in the world. (Example: They're shutting down the U.S. government? WTF?) If I am going to have the positive impact on the planet that I want to, I really need to be better informed. (Everything I know about the rebellions in Egypt and Libia I've learned from friend's tweets.) So, those early mornings that I don't go to the gym, my time before work will be spent reading the news of the day. I haven't decided between CNN.com or BBC.com yet. Any suggestions for a good free news source? I also subscribed to the Sunday edition of the L.A. Times, which I plan to tackle on the weekends. Hopefully reading the news three days a week will at least get me a preliminary understanding of current events.

What do you think of these new goals?

Also, in case you were curious. My reaction to my Goals for March:

I started taking vitamins. I didn't find a noticeable improvement in my health. However, though three of my office mates got sick, I remained healthy as can be. Possibly a coincidence, but it is comforting to know my cells are getting the nutrients they need.

I also survived my media diet. There were some dark times. I found a new show (Downton Abbey in casse you care) and instead of watching it in one sitting as I wanted to, I had to spread it out. But it was good to recognize I can survive with no tv in the evenings.

~Claire Out.

The Other Side of New

Most of the time on this blog I write about the fun side of new. The new places, people and experiences that broaden my horizons and create more possibilities. Today is not one of those days.

Earlier this week I found out that a childhood friend of mine had died.

I didn't know if I wanted to write about this in my blog. Discussing the new experience of dealing with the death of a peer seemed disrespectful, but so did ignoring the situation and writing about the mundane. So, instead of writing about myself, I'm going to talk about Evan.

One of my most vivid childhood memories was of Evan climbing nearly to the top of a massive pine tree in my front yard. I remember being impressed and terrified. To this day I've never seen a child climb higher.

He was a 'good' kid without being a suck up or tattle tale. As the only boy in our carpool he had to put up with a ton of crap from the girls. I recall he put up with our teasing more gracefully than a fourth grader really has a right to. No outbursts of anger or tears. Just good natured acceptance. I think some parent or other once compared him to Kermit the Frog. The one sane guy surrounded by crazy muppets. Subjected to their wacky schemes, but still (somehow) managing to enjoy himself.

I admired him. It breaks my heart to think of all of his potential left unfulfilled. My prayers go out to his family. I hope they can take some comfort in the fact that he was loved, admired and made a change for the better in the lives of those around him. He made a difference in mine.

~Claire Out.

Medici

I was not a fan of history in school. Memorizing names and dates really wasn't my passion or my strong suit. However, I've found that lately I have a change of heart.

I feel like there is so much to be gained from an understanding of history, life lessons already discovered in someone else's lifetime. So I've taken it upon myself to try to go back and learn about history.

However, I've chosen to learn history on my own terms. For one, I'm reading it. Books are cool. (Yeah, I'm one of those nerds.) And secondly I'm not starting from the dawn of time and working my way forward. I'm choosing things I find interesting and actually want to learn more about.

I just finished reading "The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall" by Christopher Hibbert. Shockingly enough it is about the Medici. (...) I chose this book to be my first official foray back into history because, the time frame is around the Renaissance, a time period I find fascinating ... obviously. The other interesting part of this book is the family and the way in which they ruled. Previously, the people in power got there using brute force. The Medici both got into a position of power in Florence and (to some extent) defended their place using political tactics. A revolutionary change that exemplifies the Renaissance.

It was interesting reading about a family dynasty. Each generation there was turmoil as the citizens of Florence doubted that the new Medici would be able to live up to the generation before. This family had a hand in building almost every single important building in Florence and were the patrons of some of the most famous Renaissance artists: Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo. They had two Popes in their ranks. They gave Galileo a safe place to retire to. (Isn't it weird that we refer to Galileo by his first name, when most other historical figures are called by there last names?) This family was ALL over the Renaissance.

Anyway, the book is a good read, but dense. Any good recommendations for histories or biographies out there?

~Claire Out.

Hot Yoga

About a week ago an incredibly friendly co-worker of mine asked if I would want to join her for some morning yoga. I had been invited last season as well, but had declined due to scheduling difficulties. This season I have a much easier start time, and obviously a new found craving to try new things. So I accepted.

This morning I went to my first yoga class ever.

You see, I had avoided yoga in the past because I had it in my mind as an activity for very skinny very flexible women, not really a mental picture I associate with myself. I also used to avoid ever working out at the gym because I become deeply self-consciousness when working out with other people. (It's the potential judgement...It's stupid....I'm trying to get over it) But today I was ready to face my fears.

Did I mention that this was hot yoga?

Ninety minutes. One hundred and five degrees. Twenty plus Yogis. And me.

It went surprisingly well.

I'll admit, I didn't do everything the 'regular' crowd did. There were times when I was just standing (or laying on the floor) while most of the others were twisting themselves into complex shapes. I did, however, attempt almost every pose. (I was relieved to see they were pretty simple) Some poses were successful. I rocked out the half moon. Some poses were not. There was one that required me to grab my foot and it kept sliding away from me like a greased pig. (What? It was hot in there!) But overall I had a marvelous time.

I have never been so in touch with what my body was feeling before. Perhaps it was because my body was screaming 'Holy MOLY it's hot!', but I'd like to think it was something more than that. Since I had absolutely no reference point to judge myself against I had to continually make sure I wasn't hurting myself. I kept thinking, are you dizzy? Are you thirsty? Is that a good stretch or can you go further? Quite frankly, I think my body was flattered by the attention of my conscious thought. And because I didn't know what to expect at all, I was completely focused on each pose. It was freeing and downright fun to push myself to see what my body was capable of doing.

Basically, I'm sold. I'm planning on going back this Thursday. While it is too expensive for me to adopt for an all-the-time workout. I plan on indulging in maybe a few sessions a month as a little treat to myself.

Impromptu Camping

On Friday I was pleased to discover that Mike had a free weekend. "No big deal", you might say to yourself, dear reader. However, I assure you it is a big deal. You see, Mike goes to a school that requires absolute allegiance. You must be photographing, developing photographs or talking about photographs all of your waking hours, all semester. The only saving grace is that he loves it. I was thrilled with the idea of being able to go on an adventure that wasn't focused on photography.

My very first instinct was CAMPING. It has been so beautiful the past few weeks that my mind has been drifting to all of the fun activities that summer brings. When I suggested camping, Mike didn't point out the obvious flaws in my plan, (i.e. we only really had 24 hours, it was last minute, and we didn't know anywhere to go) but instead was excited by the idea.

We decided to go to Malibu Creek State Park, which is barely thirty miles from my front door, but offers beautiful green things that L.A. proper seems to lack. (Aside from my awesome garden that is ...)

Mike and I took off Saturday morning with all our gear packed up. We were lucky and they had a camp site available for us. We set up camp and went on a hike down around the river, and up to above Mulholland Drive. The views were beautiful!

Mike showed off his Oregonian roots by sprinting up hills. I went for the very (very) slow approach. But I got there in the end.

We returned to our camp tired but happy to have discovered such a beautiful place so nearby. I got to utilize my Girl Scout fire building skills, and Mike cooked up some delicious hot dogs. There is something so special about sitting around a campfire. People get more philosophical, they share more, and bask in the essental human-ness of gathering 'round a fire. *bliss*

After getting crushed at Gin Rummy, and reading maybe two pages of my book I fell asleep soundly asleep. Mike was not so lucky. You see two of our neighboring campsites were having celebrations. . . parties you might say. Mike and I giggled a little about how loud they were while we enjoyed our hot dogs, and muttered at how loud they were when we played cards. I was certain that by 10pm (park quiet hours) they would tone it down. I was asleep by no later than 9:45 last night. (Hiking is hard, okay?) Apparently the quiet hours inspired the groups to get even louder. Mike was wide awake, I continued to sleep. The Ranger came and asked the to be quiet, but they continued on. Mike was unable to sleep, I was sawing them off. The Ranger asked again, and again they partied on. Then the people were ARRESTED.

That's right. ARRESTED. I slept though two drunk men being arrested twenty feet from me. According to Mike they resisted arrest and backup in the form of the sheriff had to be called before they went off into the night. I might have a sleeping disorder. That certainly can't be evolutionarily advantageous. Once that one group had people arrested, apparently they other party campers took it as a sign that they should bump up the volume. Mike reports their favorite slogan was "It's my birthday!", from an increasingly drunken girl. They didn't stop until SIX-A.M. Yikes.

So while our day spent hiking was delightful, the actual sleeping portion of our adventure had mixed results. Poor Mike had to nap away much of a beautiful Sunday in order to recover from his (literally) sleepless night. However, we've discovered a great camp site close by that hopefully we'll return to throughout the approaching summer season. I can't wait to get back there, I just hope next time we have better neighbors.

~Claire Out.