Finer Points of January

Long overdue for a posting on here Which means I will be catching up on several fun points! Go team! So much to discuss, so I may as well jump into it.

Work - I've been off of work for a week, and am still off for another week and LORD knows I needed the break. I am so grateful to have a job and to have been given the opportunity to come back but LORD some of the people I work with seriously need a gift that somehow incorporates a kick in the teeth. Maybe then they'd be more self-conscious about opening their mouths before they say something negative, self serving, or flat-out stupid. Nonetheless, there are some great people that I work with and appreciate.

Fitness - So I've been keeping up with my new years resolution of running at least 10 miles a week. It's been going well so far. I usually run anywhere from 3-4 miles 3 times/week. If it wasn't for the fact I'm also trying to put on muscle, I'd probably do it more often or run longer distances. Running is very freeing to me. I love it. (update before posting this blog) This last week was an unfortunate lag in my goal of fitness due to a bizarre typically dormant issue I tend to have that I won't get into here. All I'll say is it's hard to focus on fitness when you're in pain.

Modeling - it's something that I've been told I should get into for quite some time. Which, much like being a stripper, I've always shrugged off as something that I couldn't do unless I gained 15-20 lbs in my chest. Not that Modeling and Stripping are the same thing *cough* oops, excuse me. Yes, I've always thought I'd have great potential in the modeling world with my current body type if it wasn't for this pesky Y chromosome of mine. But I digress. I was hit up about possibly being in a PRIDE calender with SNAPI. An organization that puts on the gay pride festival in town. From what I gathered, they take a lot of people, take their pictures, hand them to a committee who votes for 12 guys to be in a calender. All I heard was free professional photo shoot and I was in. I don't expect to be one of the 12 guys, nor do I really want to be. I've never been to a gay pride parade, but my very limited experiences in gay bars makes me think I'm not missing out on too much. I just figure it would be nice to have professional quality pictures to add to my account on ModelMayhem.com

SPEAKING of, I forgot I had an account on Model Mayhem until I received an e-mail from some woman needing male models for the MAGIC expo. I'm not down with slight of hand illusions (which turned out to be ok, because MAGIC is some sort of clothing convention) I ended up registering with the PUSH Models as requested. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that apparently only accepting "5-15% of those who apply" and my having to wait up to a month to hear back from them, i had an email welcoming me into PUSH models the very next day. Needless to say, I felt VERY pretty. I went to the casting call for MAGIC yesterday and without much to say in the "interview" I was giving a schedule that I would work for the convention. The breakdown said $40 for a 3.5 hour training, then a 7, a 10, and a 9 hour day at $25/hour. WHAAAAAATT? Holy crapballs you guys. I'm seriously hoping I hate this, because if I can make cheddar like that just standing around and helping confused people (Why they would hire "models" for that is beyond me), I might go out and try to figure out how to make it a full time thing. I'll basically be making in 3 days at the expo what I make in about 8-9 days at the MGM. Which will significantly help me out for the 2 weeks that the show I work at hasn't been running. Talk about GREAT timing!

Stand-up. So my coworker, Ann, invited my other coworker, Sue, and I to attend this weekend seminar on humor and public speaking (speeches/standup). It was "Humor Boot Camp" or something along the same lines. It was hosted by 2 people. A "world chamion" speech giver and the very funny Judy Carter, Ann's comedy mentor and all around funny gal. The class was unique in having 2 instructors. Especially when it seemed like one of them seemed WAY more with it than the other. Without sounding too mean, Judy was so knowledgeable and quick witted and it was really cool to get to learn from her. The guy, not as much. Bless his heart. The class was unique because I think there were about 4 of us in our 20's, a few in the 30's and then there was like a significant age jump. More than anything else the thing that jumps out of my mind the most is that the people I took the class with were REALLY cool, genuine people,. And for WHATEVER reason on this planet, several of them seemed to think I was the bees knees. I made a bunch of them laugh, so I guess there's hope I could POSSIBLY get my foot in the door with the standup thing. We'll see.

What else is there to throw out. I think that's about it for now. Quick Entertainment review. I don't have the time nor the energy to give reviews on all of these movies I've seen in the last few weeks. So I'm just going to make this short sweet and to the point.

Despicable Me - Really cute movie. I could listen to Steve Carrell do that (God knows what kind of accent that was) all night long. Not too much going on in the film. The yellow helpers carried a lot of humor along with Carrell as did the youngest of the 3 girls that are adopted. Also big props to Jason Segel who played a nerdy villain that I couldn't picture him providing the voice for. Thoroughly impressed. Julie Andrews has a cameo, and that woman will always make me hot for England. Yay.

Willow - FINALLY saw this movie. Good watch. A little slow at times, but Warwick Davis is just too adorable. And a spry Val Kilmer who was not only entertaining, but easy on the eyes in a short pink skirt. The tiny french guys (no taller than a forefinger) were my favorites, for no other reason that they were aggressive and...well, french mainly. Good Times, would watch it agian.

Pan's Labyrinth - haven't figured out how to break this to him, but my roommate rented this (along with a few others) with the idea that we would watch them together. We got through all of the other films he rented, but it was taking too long for us to watch this one together. So I watched it after a horrible day by myself and loved it. Only to have him offer to watch it with me the next day (ain't? life screwy). I'm confused as to why so little of the movie takes place iN the labyrinth. But that's just semantics. That monster with the eyes in his palms = nightmares. The faun was my favorite thing EVER! Tall like a viking, shaped like a goatman, speaks in over-exaggerated spanish and looks asian? What's not to love? Great film.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Watched this one with my friend after she had surgery. Very cute, definitely a chick flick. But a good watch for sure. Francis McDermott plays a frumpy woman consistently fired from nanny work finds herself playing "social secretary" to a very air-headed braggart played by Amy Adams who struggles to juggle her time and uncommitted affection towards 3 men. The story moves rather quickly and was definitely enjoyable.

Alright, I'm too exhausted to proofread ANY of this, so I'm going to bed before I write something even more non-linear. Night Y'all!