bite me, i'm an east coast girl

i bet y'all are super excited for me to move back east, if for no other reason than these damn east vs west blog entries will stop. i'm starting to understand why the rap rivalries of the 90's got so bloody.

last week i went to a screening of troop beverly hills, one of my fave childhood movies. kadi and a few of her work buddies from disney were going and allowed me to tag along. the screening space was cute, reminded me of a smaller jengo's playhouse. kadi said she hoped i wouldn't feel out of place as it was kind of a hipster. here comes the rant :)

the clear difference to me between hipsters here and the hipsters in wilmington (aka: everyone i worked with at cucalorus) is: i never felt out of place or judged in wilmington. seriously, even when i'd just met them. here, it's identity judgement police 24/7. i'm too poor to be preppy, too preppy to be hip, to cutesy to be a nerd and to southern east coast to really be "into" film. good lord, people have more than one side to the right? ha, not in la. the only dimensions here come from the plastic surgeon.

while there are not dimensions to personalities, there are varying degrees of one personality. i will address the hipsters. while at dinner kadi had assumed i'd click most with her "hipster chic" friend who says she watches nfl all day sunday. turns out she watches nfl b/c her roomates beau does and she's more a mature zooey deschanel than a sports fan like me. she was also super picky about how her food and drinks were prepared, not is a cute meg ryan circa when harry met sally way. then there was the "sci-fi hipster", she loves doctor who. i also love doctor who and the fact kadi didn't pair us two together has me questioning how good a friends we really are. however my iphone wallpaper is unc, not doctor who, and therefor i am not enough of a whovian for that hipster. kadi is the "mistaken for a lesbian hipster". she's athletic but in a running/hiking/yoga only way. she reads self "enlightenment" books and actively took 6 months off from boys after her last break up b/c she really needed to focus on her. i have far too little interest in the perceived "deeper meaning" in a sentence or action to be accepted there. then there was the "tofu hipster" who seemed to be equal parts of the others with out committing too strongly to one flavor or the other. la hipsters = pick an extreme and own it!

la identity is further defined by what neighborhood you live in. much like nyc is broken down into neighborhoods, los angeles, santa monica and hollywood collectively are as well. i refuse to be defined by my neighborhood, mainly b/c, i live in santa monica. yes, technically it is on the westside which would make me a "westsider" but so is west hollywood which is the hipster/gay man neighborhood. i clearly fit neither category. i ride my bike to the beach, buy my flannel at j crew and walk to starbucks if i'm too lazy to clean my coffee press. this dosen't make me a granola munching, lulu lemon wearing, prius driving tree hugger that is associated with the "westside." i swear i've walked into the rei sporting goods store and gotten a look of "ha, like you could climb a mountain." know what bitches, i have, i just own something other than cargo shorts and yoga pants.

* side bar: this place is the reason people feel they can wear full on yoga clothes as outfits. i find it really gross to see people out to brunch dressed like they're coming from a work out. cause you know they'er not on the way to the gym, after all that breakfast burrito, they are not going to attempt downward facing dog.*

i think the last time i complained so openly about a facet of my life, it was the film commission job. guess it's time to move back east. i have a plan in the works, more details at christmas i hope, slumber party anyone?

ok, someone else needs to blog about something fun. i feel my humor to negativity ratio is going toward a bad place.

xoxo

this is not my ocean

i've been doing a lot of complaining lately. i actually complained for nearly 5 hours on the phone with mamma on forth of july. i'll spare you all the details and just focus on that bizarre beach trip i recently went on.


i was invited to "hang at the beach" for my friend kadi's 32nd b-day. now y'all know what hanging at the beach is in nc. be it wrightsville or carolina, it's pretty much the same besides the parking. in ca i live close to the beach. if you walked 2 miles west of my front door, you'd be standing in the pacific ocean. it would be frigged, but you'd be there. i figure, great, i'll just ride my awesome new bike down to meet them. not so fast, we're going to a beach 20 miles nw of me, zuma beach. the traffic headed that direction on a saturday, it took 50 min just to get there, then look for parking.


i'm told we're going this far out because it's a better beach. we never go to the one at the end of my road is what i'm told. zuma beach is less sceney. i've discovered sceney is the word la people use to describe anything they don't enjoy, it's really lost all meaning. there is a parking lot and street parking at zuma. after several passes i decided to just pay to park. that is until i discovered it was $10 and i still had to walk a quarter mile down to the beach. no thank you, i'll find a spot along the highway.


i knew other people were coming so i asked what i should bring. i was told "what ever you bring to relax at the beach." booze? um, no. the beach patrol is pretty strict and they love writing tickets. seriously? i didn't go to the beach to study with out a beer or two in my bag. i grab a bag of cheddar goldfish, figuring everyone else will bring doritos and such, so this will be a nice change of pace. the food was like going to a gluten free, vegan picnic in the park. everything spread out in shallow containers and getting covered in sand. the doritos? not a one in sight. all chips were kettle cooked and made of veggies and flavored with curry or teriyaki. with the exception of one lone bag of salt and vinegar, i was confused.

they're good, but not beach good

the seating, not a beach chair in sight. it looked like someone had gone to a soccer game and put the ocean where the field should be. there was the occasional picnic blanket and even a couple laid out on their snuggies, hand to god. i put my beach towel down and wondered what was wrong with these people.

this is chair was actually in our group

other friends started to arrive and it became clear that this group gets together once a year so they had a lot of catching up to do. i talked a little, being the lone newbie. i zoned out for the most part because all film industry people in la seem to be able to talk about is work. i remember having great convos over lunch on set dec about different things the guys had cooked, documentaries they'd seen, even politics. not the case out here. it gets dull after a while. besides, i'm so annoyed with my work right now, it's the last thing i want to spend hours talking about. there was no music, no ipod dock boom box of any kind.


around 4pm the wind started to pick up, it got to be 65, windy and barely sunny. i'd only brought my cover up dress and had to wrap up in my towel. everyone else started pulling on pants and hoodies. really?!? there are 3 acceptable reasons to be on the beach when it's cold: 1. out of town visitor, 2. you're mad at someone and need the walk, 3. you're building a bond fire on carolina beach. we sat in the cold for a full 2 hours before everyone decided we should go and get some dinner. i actually turned the heat on in the jeep.

all bundled up, really?

i'll wrap this up because even i'm a bit board with myself right now. this weekend i'm gonna beach the way jen beaches. i'm gonna ride my bike down to the end of my street with some music and doritos and do the beach the right way!

My response to everyone's unanimous opinion.

Hi, all!  Sorry for the long delay between my last post and now.  I had to take some time to think about all of the emails I got from you girls.  You all said pretty much the same thing, and I have to admit I was super bummed.  I appreciate all of the "we'll support you no matter what" responses, though.  I have one friend that thinks I'm making a smart decision and it's Jeff, but you girls and Karen all think I'm making a big mistake.  So, I had to think, and then I felt like I needed to tell my dad what was going on.  I talked to him in depth about your emails, and about all of my fears about moving back to Hickory, about being close to the step-family, and about whether or not I'll even be any good at selling his product and after all of the unloading I did I felt much better.  In fact,  I had a really shitty day on this stupid, crappy horror film I'm on and it's official.  I'm moving home and working for my dad.  I cannot handle this industry any longer.

 

So, that being said, I think maybe I didn't do a good job of explaining myself on my first blog.  Besides better working conditions and benefits and all of that practical grown up shit that I'm excited about I'm also pretty excited about the responsibility.  I WANT to be a business owner.  I'll admit that my dad's business isn't what comes to mind first, but let's face it, I'm going to take what I'm given.  It could take me another 20 years of my life to start my own business; why not take the head start?  He's assured me that if I hate it I have an out.  And I believe him.  He told me he'd support me no matter what too, even if it means I can't handle his business and I want to do my own thing.  It would be lovely to open a little tea cafe or a plant nursery or even a doggie daycare and I can still do those things if I want to.  But I want to try his business out.  It's a legacy, you know?  My grandfather started it, passed it on to my dad and he's going to pass it on to me.  I'm proud of that and they think I'll be good at it.  It's so encouraging to hear someone say they honestly think I'll be good at something.

  

And I'm so frickin excited about living near my grandparents I can't even handle it.  It's been a little hidden desire of mine that my kids (if I ever have any) grow up knowing their grandparents and great grandparents.  I grew up so close to my grandparents and you girls know how important they are to me.  I want my child to have the same opportunity -- even if it does involve Mary. 

I've come to realize I'm one of those people that thinks they hate change, but when it happens it's devastating for a split second and then it's done.  I adapt, and I move on and I make the best of what's left.  I'm good at it. I'll make the best of that crappy little town I come from and who knows, maybe I'll be on some council or board and I can make some changes.  Or maybe I'll learn to love my stepfamily.  (right.) And maybe I'll be damn good at selling hollow metal industrial framing.  :)

XoX<3, L.

Movin' on UP!

Hi hi hi hi!  Hope you girls are doing well!  Welcome to my first blog.  This is exciting!  I apologize in advance for my run-on sentences and off the wall comments.  I started my day today on 5 hours of sleep and have now had like 3 cups of coffee.  WHOOOPEEEE!! 

I'm having one of those days that really aggravate me in the film industry.  I came in to work at 6:30 and have done no work since 11:30 this morning.  I have to sit here until 6:30 tonight.  With no work.  This is why I'm broke.  I turn to internet shopping in these dire times. 

I've recently gotten into the oil cleansing method.  (Look it up, its like a spa facial at home.)  I've bought castor oil, almond oil, jojoba, lavender and peppermint oil.  And that was right after I bought $85 worth of Murad cleanser and various potions for my adult acne.  That's right, folks.  It's back.  It's so unfair to get pimples AND wrinkles.  I mean, c'mon!  I would like all of you to take the time now to thank your parents, their genes, and the powers that be that you all have lovely skin.  I'm fighting a losing battle down here.  It makes me want to copy Kiki and detox my life.  I wish I could just start from scratch.  No caffeine addiction, no gluten, no dairy (no cellulite!), and taste buds that only crave fruits and leafy greens.

Now, on that note I will say that I'm quite happy about my overall health.  I went to the lady doctor last week and guess what!  I have gained 10 lbs in a year!  That's pretty good for me! I haven't gained 10 lbs since I was like 12.  I don't really know how it happened either.  I've outgrown 4 pairs of pants, and I couldn't be happier about it.  Maybe the puberty fairy finally found my home!!  (My boobs are bigger too!  YES.)  I'll be a totally different fat old hag by the time you girls see me again.  Ha!

Speaking of which, when will we all see each other again?  I miss you!  Do you girls feel like all of our lives are finally starting to shape into something?  Jen, you were the first to take the big step, and then Kiki and Haley... I just remember thinking how scary it seemed. I've thought about how brave you girls are quite a bit and also how unhappy I've been with my career choices, so I'm making the choice to do something different and maybe just plain crazy.  Big breath here.  I'm moving back home.  ......Not nearly as exciting as NYC or LA, but I don't think that big city life is for me.  My dad and I have been in serious talks since One Tree Hill ended about me moving home and working for him.  It started as a joke.  And then it just wasn't.  Recently, he's had some difficulty with his business plan for the future.  He had several different employees that were in the "plan" to take over when my dad retired, and gradually he lost one (that guy actually moved to Wilmington) and then slowly my dad realized that the dependable people that were left to take over are only 10 years younger than him!  So, when he retires, they would take over and then 10 years go by, and then what?  Then, there's me. 

So, I know you girls might think I've gone crazy.  But, when I really started to think it over it made sense.  I would work 40 hours/week instead of 60 and make around about the same money that I make doing this crap in the film industry just starting off and not have to worry about finding employment every few months and saving money vs. paying bills.  I keep getting stuck on these low budget shows where they don't pay enough and my living expenses just keep going up while I'm not making any more money.  I'm a ladder climber, people!  And I just cannot climb fast enough in this industry.  I should be making more money!  Maybe that sounds cocky, but I'm damn good at my job (I should be, I've done it long enough.) but I made the mistake of settling on that bottom rung on One Tree Hill for FAR too long.  I can't be 29 and still be a secretary.  I just won't do it. 

Whew.

SO, anyway, off my soap box.  I'm moving home.  To take over my dad's business in 20 years.  Ha!  I really do sound crazy.....  I'm trying to focus on the pros which are:

• Being closer to my family....my grandparents won't be around forever.
• More time for myself.  What will I do with 20 extra hours a week???  The real question is what WON'T I do with that extra time!?  (Gym, video games, more play time with Bailey, volunteering (eh?), gardening! It's so exciting!)
•  More money in a faster amount of time.  At least that's the plan....
• Stock options
• BENEFITS.  Sick days, paid days off, VACATION TIME, 401K, need I go on?
• My dad's office closes at noon on Fridays! 2 and a half day weekend every weekend....more time for trips to NY and LA!
• A chance to redo my living expenses.  Smaller house, smaller yard, less maintenance, more chances to save money.
• Working for my dad.  Cool. 

And now for the Cons:

•  Working for my dad.  Not always cool.
• I know next to no one under the age of 50 in Hickory, NC.  Hmmm...there are ways to remedy that.  I just have to talk to people.  Jen, where are you when I need you!?
•  The whole thing with Jeff is up in the air.  He graduates from SCAD in August, so his career might take him somewhere far far away,  and then again, maybe it won't.
• STEPFAMILY.  *groan*
• STEPFAMILY (hey, there are a LOT of them.  They deserve 2 bullet points.)
• I have to live in Hickory, NC.  Possibly until I'm 65.  This, to me, is the worst part of the whole deal.  If only I could work for my dad and live in.....well, anywhere but Hickory.  Port Isaac, for example.  I'm obsessed with this place, must take a trip there in the future!  Anyone in?

So, right now, I think the Pros outweigh the Cons.  There are a lot of things that are undecided.  Like I mentioned, I have no idea what Jeff and I are doing.  I don't know where I'll live, but that's fixable as soon as this show ends and I can make some trips home to look.  I don't know if I'll sell my house in Wilmington or try to rent it.  My dad wants me to sell, but I've always wanted to be a landlord.  (THE LAWD.) The plan is to move in July, so I'll get a little bit of a summer in Wilmington, and I'll have time to take a small vacation to Grand Cayman with Jeff from June 6-13th, hell yeah.  I should have enough time to look for a house in Hickory and manage to get my house on the market or find a rental company to look after it and get some tenants in place. 

All of that being unloaded, do you think I'm crazy?  It's ok, be honest.  I kind of think I'm crazy.  But, I'm so bored with Wilmington.  Don't get me wrong.  I love this place and I always will, but I've outgrown it, and I know you girls will understand that.  So, let me know what you think.  I really could use any advice you want to give. 

Love you! xoxo!

--Leigh

 

Oh for the love of manners!

“Jen, people in LA don’t have manners.” Hand to God, Spencer said this to me in the car on Saturday. We then discussed a TV show starring yours truly where I do my daily (or hourly) rants on LA’s rudest (majority of population) to a much larger audience than my current one, mom’s voicemail and Spencer.

My latest target appeared at Blu Jam, my fav breakfast spot. The girl sat with her friend at a table behind Spencer, I had a great view. As they waited for their check, this girl preceded to take out a fairly large sized makeup bag out of her even larger purse and plop it down on the table. How large was this makeup bag? It was large enough that had I not already been assaulted by her actual purse in the restaurant waiting area earlier that day, I would have thought she put her purse on the table.

From this large bag, which I can only guess was made by the same company that made Mary Poppins carpet bag, she pulled a compact and a powder brush. Surely a small powder brush, you think, this is after all meant to travel well. No my dears, it was the full sized face/body combo brush usually left on the vanity, never to visit any place other than your home. Why would she need such a large brush? It’s 3 in the afternoon, she’s already applied her makeup for the day. Apparently the task of eating was so strenuous it had caused her face to fall completely off. For after she applied several swirls of a fair shade powder (she’s Asian-Amer) she pulled out the bronzer and began buffing away, all the while talking to her friends across the table.

By this point I’m very obviously leaning to my right to better see around Spencer and have begun narrating the event to him. As she puts the bronzer and jumbo brush back into the bag she pauses. Perhaps she’s done, maybe this was not her original intention. She may have originally been doing a cursory glance for food in her teeth before they departed and realized, in the more naturally lit setting of Blu Jam, that she looked a bit pale and needed a quick touch up. Weird but, it’s LA so I’ll forgive a little. But then, why would she be toting such a large makeup bag to begin with? I also have a portable face, but mine is small and contains mostly mini versions of my full face. It’s primarily for after work touch ups and oops I slept over at Spencer’s on a school night. No, this was not the same sort of bag.

Once the pause ended (long enough to ask for the check) the eye shadow pallet came out. Not one of those tiny Cover Girl 4 packs or even a Clinique duo. This more aptly resembled Urban Decay Naked or perhaps Naked 2. (Side note that Mindy Kaling carries the Naked in her large bag, but the girl goes from The Office set to dinner at night and I doubt she ever takes it out at the table.)

The only credit I can give this young lady is that she did not attempt the smokey eye, a few small dabs would do it. Of course this was followed by blush and lipstick. By the time the credit cards were returned, she’d nearly finished picking her teeth with her pinky nail.

I leaned to my left occasionally to see if her friend looked annoyed/embarrassed/confused. None of the above, just sipped her latte like this was standard operating procedure. It’s moments like these I’d like to be 10 yrs older. If I were 10 yrs older I could walk up, put my hand on her shoulder and say quietly in her ear, “hun, they have a ladies room here.” Alas, I cannot, or else I’d just be that bitchy girl who told her to fix her face in the bathroom. How rude!

Clearly I was shocked, and there’s not a lot that shocks me here anymore. My first Halloween visit I saw a man in West Hollywood walking down the street at 1pm on a Saturday in ass-less leather chaps, butt hanging out like Prince at the MTV awards. This was something totally different. It wasn’t a holiday or West Hollywood. This was brunch, on Melrose! Not a fancy place but still, it wasn’t the high school cafeteria/burger joint.

I remember as a kid, my mom didn’t wear much make up, still doesn’t. She had dry lips like mine but hers were thinner and less defined, so she rarely wore lipstick. I was, however, told makeup was to be put on in the bathroom, and only there. My step monster on the other hand, looked like she’d stepped out of an episode of Dynasty. She had this small lipstick carrier with a tiny mirror that could only show your lips. This was the only item of makeup she allowed to be retouched at the table.

When I was 11 I received a few small makeup items for Christmas. One night at Golden Corral I pulled out my wet/dry foundation compact and began putting it on at the table. No sooner had I put puff to face than the step monster snatched it out of my little hand. Do that again and there would be no cookie, ice cream, gummy bear sundae for me. Can you imagine if I’d brought to whole caboodle in with me? I desperately wanted to tell that girl, no dessert for you!