Day 3 & 4

These days were hot. Austin, TX reached 106 both days and my ass was actually sweating on the drive home. It is a weird sensation to know your ass is sweating and worse to stand up and have your jeans stuck to your legs and butt. Yucky!

Wednesday, my younger sister and I went hiking in the Greenbelt to burn some calories and conquer a mountain. There is a back part of the trail that is practically vertical so my butt and thighs were burning by the time we reached the top. Abi decided it would be a good idea to run up a slippery slope and fell on the way. Not just any fall mind you but a kung-fu panda fall. She looked like a praying mantis about to strike. I think I burned more calories from laughing than from the hike.

Thursday was payday (Hooray) but then it was gone in an instant when I paid all my bills on-line. I think modern technology makes me more depressed over my paltry wage. I have money in the bank for a good 5 hours before it is ripped away by credit card transactions and auto-pay deductions. I should prepare to be further depressed as my job teaching will pay less money than I make now.

Thursday night was dinner and watching the results show for So You Think You Can Dance? and then off to bed at 10:30 p.m., a triumph for me. I am usually awake until 2 or 3 a.m. watching videos or TV on my computer. Sometimes I am dancing around my room to my iPod but that is an embarrassment best shared with strangers over the Internet. I would never tell anyone that information in real life.

So that is what a couple of days in my life look like to an observer. I have lost another 2 pounds and downloaded iTreadmill to kick up my afternoon workout a couple notches. I am still very excited to move to NYC and have begun making my lists of pros/cons and a step by step guide on how to get there. I am an organization fiend so as long as my lists say it is a go then I am still going. 361 days to go.

Day 2

…and the unsolicited advice has begun to poor in.  A few people are aware of my intense love of NYC. These people know it is my dream city. They support my decision even if they have reservations about how expensive it will be. People who haven’t known me very long look at me like I am insane.

“Do you know it snows?” : Yes, because 100+ year round temps is so much better. Who needs 4 seasons when you get 1.5?

“Aren’t people rude in New York?”: Texas isn’t exactly friendly. Hell, I’m not exactly friendly.

“Why do you want to be a damn Yankee?”  I am from Texas y’all and the thought of crossing the Red River into Oklahoma is consider treason.

I can’t explain my fascination with the city but I do know that as an aspiring actor it is where I want to be. I feel like that is the place to give me my start. That NYC will be where I can work on my craft and be among people who feel the same way about the arts as I do. LA is different. LA is weird. LA is not for me. Everyone has a dream city where they would love to live. For some it is Paris, London or Omaha. So maybe no one dreams of living in Omaha but if they do I hope they make it there. I know that I will never reach my goals if I stay in Texas. My road map leads to New York City and I plan on following it.

Onto the brighter side.

 I have started working on a couple of short stories and the makings of a horror script. A fact about me: I love serial killers. I have an obsession with them and can quote facts and figures on everyone from Ted Bundy to Charles Schmidt. I am also a huge fan of horror films. My grad school thesis (hoping for NYU transfer) is on the history of horror films and their affect on society. If I had the financing I would start filming today. I love the idea of an organically grown film that is almost entirely ad libbed and played moment to moment. Why tell someone to be afraid in 2 scenes when you can bring on the scare without warning? I think actors can grow a lot when given the ability to act and think in character. I have never been a fan of scripts because my mind never meshes with the writers view of the character. I think it would be fun but I am not trained in film making. I am probably talking out of my ass (a unique talent I have) but I hope to find out soon.

Countdown: Day 1

I have a goal…

I will move to NYC in 365 days and start work as an actress. This is the biggest of my goals although there are several more that I must achieve in my countdown. I am currently a private school teacher and master’s degree student in Texas. I love my job but my dream has always been to be an actor. I spent four years in undergrad being too afraid to take the next step. Now, three years later I am still afraid but my resolve has grown. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. Every time I think about the future I see it on a stage, in front of a camera or in a writing room. I am aware that the chances of making a sustainable career are slim but I have to give it a try. I would do infomercials or B-rate horror films for the rest of my life if I was able to make a living and continue to act. Of course, 5 years from now I can decide that I do not want to act but I have to give it a try first. You can go your life without living or you can take a leap to make something happen. So my goals are set:

1. Save moving money. $10,000 is the amount.

2. Lose weight. I am aware of the constraints of my chosen profession. I need to be healthier and can not do that at my current weight. My goal is 144 lbs lost. Yes it is a lot but I am already 30 lbs down and have 365 days left. 

3. Look into acting schools in NYC. I want to develop my talent and truly see what I can do with it.

These are my goals. I wish it was something simple like quitting smoking or learning to pilot a commercial jet but I know I can do this. I am ready and now that I have my mind made up I am truly happier and freer than I have been in the last 7 years. 

I have written my goals and now that it is out there I am ready to begin. So Day 1. Let’s get this party started.