Hallowinners

Please be honest with me if the photos are getting to be too self-centric. I try to make them topical / random, but consider yourself forewarned what you're about to observe is the past 5 years worth of Naugaliscious Halloween conventions/costumes.

I share them as evidence of my theory that Halloween is really the most hit or miss of all of the holidays. Worse, I'd argue than New Year's Eve even, which people are always saying "lets them down."

I know of one person who is consistently a Hallowinner. He is pictured below as Little Miss Sunshine to my meager manifestation of MySpace. And he has also pulled off Janet Reno, a blue-haired plastic Troll, and a Wheaties Box in the past. He's tireless in his thoughtfulness as the holiday approaches, and he honestly hits it out of the park EVERY October.

However, I really think he's the rarity. Because for everyone else, it's win some, lose some. Cases in point:

2010 = WIN: Snooki as in "wanna smush mush?"

2009 = LOSE: some miserable sort of goth chick aka I was at war with the bugs

2008 = WIN: Buzzing around Boston as a Busty Bee

2007 = LOSE: Helpless Mess of a MySpace Page

2006 = WIN: Barbie - life in plastic, it's fantastic

And there you have it. Q.E.D. And moreover, my reasoning for sitting this year's festivities out. I hate losing.

Agent Speak

I just want to share a little of my "work" with you all...

A client asked if I had a document justifying the need for food styling services on a photo shoot.

And I replied:

"We don't have a go-to text we use to explain to clients why working with a food stylist is worth their while, but you might mention to them that the polish a stylist brings to a project is invaluable.  Food stylists are artists trained to know how food will be captured on film, so where a chef can prepare and plate a dish that is no-doubt delicious to behold in person, a food stylist brings to set the ability to insure that that appetizing nature of the dish translates into print or in motion on camera."

Or in other words, "how do you like them apples?"

Yes please

AN ASCARIUM?!?!! I love it.

I entertained the idea of throwing a party, I said yes to seeing a musical on the actual Monday Halloween falls on where you get a free drink if you come in costume, but without a doubt my plans for next weekend will incorporate a trip to the NY Aquarium.

I mean, aquarium...ascarium!!!!

That's jawsome.

Working Gal

My oldest dearest friend sent me this article from New York Magazine yesterday and I do believe I'd be remiss to not blast it out into the blogosphere for other 20something bloggers to stumble upon.

http://nymag.com/news/features/my-generation-2011-10/

Posted on the ol' fb today how I can hardly believe it's been 5 years since I first interviewed with the bosslady and started working for the Agency. Could never have known as a freshly graduated 21 year old business world fledgling how lucky I was to be landing a job. And not just any job but a cool one...in an artistic industry...which would support my being able to live the dream in NYC.

And I won't pretend I didn't cry many a Monday at my desk in Lexington, MA that first full year I spent repping, and I won't pretend I don't still harbor some resentment for the fact that I give 40 - 60 hours per week to the fostering and development of other people's artistic careers, but I am grateful to feel that my efforts are appreciated and rewarded whenever I see the direct results of my labor on their behalf.

I've heard it said that success is a combination of preparation, timing & luck, so I won't take or give credit to anyone in particular for the way this has all worked out. But I will express my gratitude for the opportunity and the security afforded to me.

And I will say my prayers for other 20somethings in search of anything from a paycheck to a full blown career that they have patience and faith and the sense to see when an open door is worth walking through.

"You're livin' the dream, sissy"

(Text message from my sorellina that made me smile an hour ago.) She sent it in response to my explaining how I was feline-esque, how "I was like, cats are bitchy so am I, I can do this!!" when I got asked to stay for a dance call back.

I forget sometimes that I am still very much living the dream, and then I remember when I'm high on having had a really great audition like the one I had tonight for CATS of all things (sidenote, remember how the joke on Caroline In the City was that Amy Pietz's character was stuck in the Broadway cast of CATS? I loved that show).

Anyway, I also forget sometimes that I am still a single white female in my 20 somethings living in NYC so I do less than brilliant things like run as the sun's setting along the Hudson River and end up wishing New York Naugs didn't insist on wearing all black even for fitness garb, but what can you do? Interestingly enough I felt impressively if not invincibly safe when this was the case Saturday afternoon/evening whereas tonight, I was actually sort of wishing I actually did carry around the pepper spray my uncle, the police officer, acquired for me when I moved to Manhattan, because walking back from the City Center to the White Plains train station in my black boot & dress audition get-up I got cat called (punnily enough) by a guy who went so far as to pull over to the side of the road in the car he was driving.

Now, here is where the story is slightly more comical than genuinely concerning. He was driving a white subaru forrester. Or something like that. A subaru something. And when first I heard him calling from the window any number of things along the lines of "hey girl, you got a boyfriend? can i getcho numbah?" I didn't bother to look or make much note, I simply walked across the long street in this industrial area that's between the mall where the theatre is and the train station, but then when I noticed his voice didn't carry off with the light turning green, I had to look up to see what I was dealing with. And well there you go, low and behold, whoever he was (and seriously I wonder, because what guys in White Plains drive white subaru forresters or outbacks or whatever - hippy's right? or sporty fathers? I would think? I mean, not your typical mouthy pick up truck or pimped out sedan driver, that's for sure), anyway, he idled on the side of the road almost confident that I was in fact going to walk up to his car and either take his number (which he was also offering in his banter) or give him mine.

And I wouldn't mind, but White Plains was virtually a ghost town by this point (9:30 or so) and the whole thing just felt less than safe to me. Albeit entertaining. Especially the part where I got cat calls after my CATS audition.

I ramble, but all of this to to say, three years into my adventuring in pursuit of the dream, I'm happy to feel like I'm moving forward, like the audition I gave tonight is leagues better than the ones I was giving upon my arrival to the city. When first I auditioned at the WPPAC in the Fall of '08 (I think for Little Night Music maybe?) with my then roomie, Lace, I realize, I was truly a Broadway Baby. We both were. We were also flat out clueless, and we got off the Metro North at the Harlem 125th St station on the way back to our apt thinking we were a mere 24 blocks from W 101st and Broadway and not realize we were clear across town about 10 (exceptionally long avenues to walk in audition heels) blocks East of where we thought we were.

Tonight, I also got off the Metro North at the Harlem 125th St station but with full knowledge that I could simply hop on the M60 for virtually door to door service to my humble abode in the Valley. And I'll note that even at nearing 10pm, as a single white 20 something girl, I still felt safer in this citAy than I did on my walk from the City Center in White Plains.

Meow for now.

Finally saw Blue Valentine

...

sub par.

i like ryan gosling better in lars and the real girl.

but i want to be as skinny as michelle williams.

remember when she was the curvy girl on dawson's?

Chiacchierona

This is Mazzola - he was / is the best Italian teacher. Ever.

And he taught me the best Italian word ever... even better than "traversiamo" which is I think the one Elizabeth Gilbert picks for herself as "her word" in Eat, Pray, Love because it means "we cross over together..."

Anyway, Mazz, used to call me (and subsequently taught me the meaning of the word): a chiacchierona, Italian for, chatterbox.

Good one, right? Look at all those c's! The ch's are pronounced like hard k's so it's phonetically key-ah-key-A-rona.

LOVE IT.

Anyway.

To date I have never met more of a chiacchierona than my current roomie is. And I bestow the title upon her so affectionately (obviously) because I knew Mazz always meant it lovingly.

BUT - I'm not going to lie. I cannot wait until she's left for Brooklyn tomorrow and the San Fran subletters are the roomies who remain. BECAUSE, I need total silence in this apartment for the next month and a half or two if I am going to finish the book.

And I am going to finish the book. Writer Naugs is in the house - as they say. So thank goodness the two of them can keep each other company in the "after work hours" - I've simply gotta lock myself in my room, tape my fingers to the keyboard, and crank this puppy out.

The priming is upon us!!

Facebook Cut Me Off

Seriously, I was on a commenting spree like no other. My mother just posted 185 new pics from the wedding weekend and I knew I had to stop before I drove peoples news feeds or tickers or whatever to drink, but I just COULDN'T until something short circuited, and now I haven't been able to sign back in for the past ten minutes or so, and I can only imagine this is the Universe saving me from myself.

SO what better to do than blog instead?

And share the following exciting tidbits:

1. I'm working on incorporating at least a half smile into my face at rest from now on because a boy in my Improv class asked me if everything was okay this evening, and it was, I had just been emotionless for a few minutes at the start of class, and it alarmed him.

2. I'm going to spontaneously add pictures to past blog posts so there'll be more images than captions on the little flip cards that you can opt to view in this new template - sue me now if they're sort of random and they're not always related to the topic of a given post.

3. I'm finishing the final draft of the book in the next 6 weeks. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's a green one waving me onto the next phase which will be endless agent submissions, so let the secreting of the perfect agent begin and be as successful as the secreting of my handy dandy macbook pro this past Spring.

All I got.

OH! Other than this:

It's me and a fake hunting dog in the honeymoon suite where we partied after the rehearsal dinner last Friday night.

Katie Perry eat your heart out.

Wine Not

Have I mentioned that my roommate's moving to Brooklyn since she teaches out in Bedstye (sp?) now? Or that since she decided in late August not to move out until October she and I have had her subletters living in our living room since Labor Day Weekend?

Because. That happened / has been happening for going on six weeks now. (Move out date got pushed to Oct 15th, and I've accommodated mostly because I don't know how not to).

Tonight I offered a big bottle of wine for us all to share in celebration of surviving this situation though. And Saturday, some semblance of normalcy should be restored to my life.

Meanwhile. Would you look at these lovebirds?

and would you look at me making special friends with my sister in laws brother?

What a difference a day full of love makes, and what an even bigger difference a year full of coming to terms with ones younger brother being ready to take the leap makes.

I'm on board. 100%.

And not just cause the pressure from Boston and the grandparents at large is off, but because I believe in these two crazy kids. Born-to-be-a-bride-sister-in-law and ready-to-be-a-groom-baby-brother.

They're in it to win it.

I'll drink to that.

BACK!!!

And in the Full Fall / Sister Naugs Swing of things.... 6 days from my little bro's wedding in Mashpee, and a little more than 6 weeks from my 27th birthday.

27th birthday!!!! Can you believe it??

Prepare for me to be a chatty cathy in the days to come, as I patiently endured a month of silence on the blogosphere whence so rudely asked to remove a prior post. What is the blogosphere for if not the mentioning of whatever comings and goings, musings, and matters an individual feels compelled to share with an audience of anywhere from 1 to an infinite possible number of readers? But I digress.

So excited to celebrate young love and to simultaneously experience the complete removal of any and all pressure from my family in Boston to be wed or relationship bound after this coming weekend. 10 bucks, heck $100 says the only question that gets asked on repeat for the next year or three will be "when are you gonna have kids?" and will be directed at my baby bro and his bride to be.

I owe them a million bucks.

Trying a new template. Feeling like a fresh start.