I watched "Whalerider" this morning before I went to bed - incredible movie, and I think it is my favorite of the five I rented over the weekend. I loved it. I don't know that I agree that the young woman in it should have been nominated for an Academy Award, but whatever, she was, and she did a fine, fine job acting in the movie. I just don't think her performance was as demanding or as dazzling as the other actresses who were nominated. Doesn't take away from my appreciation of the movie, though!

I slept fitfully today, and then had to get up and go to a spinning class tonight for the infomercial. I've never done a spinning class before, so this was an experience! I was grateful that I've been working out for six months now, because I know I kept up better than I would have otherwise. I never felt like I was huffing and puffing, so all those hours on the elliptical machine were good for something! My legs, on the other hand, were exhausted by the end. I can definitely see the need for cross training! By the time I got off the bike I felt like I could barely stand up! Enjoyed it, though, and the trainer is VERY motivational for this O, and brings out my competitive side. I need that right now, as that sense of competition has been pushed down for a while!

After the spinning class, I was supposed to have dinner with my uncle, but when I called him to see where to meet him, he cancelled on me - the time difference was too much for him, and he was exhausted after having travelled all day. We may not even get to see each other tomorrow since I have another spinning class tomorrow at 6:30 that I have to attend. That will depend on how tired he is tomorrow night. But Wednesday evening is a definite go, and he said we would do something utterly lavish and decadent for dinner. Cool! Except that I really need to stay focused on this program for the infomercial! I might have a little bit of dessert, though, or wine or something.

Since he cancelled for tonight, I went home and napped for a couple hours before coming in to work. Then got up, threw my clothes on, and headed in here. Nearly forgot my lunch and snacks, which would have been a first, and a disaster in terms of my diet. I had some ground lamb that I threw into a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, some toasted walnuts, sweet potato, and spinach, and I put some curry and garlic salt on it and mixed it all together. It was divine, all HBs, and I have more for lunch. Had some celery stalks with almond butter for a snack. Haven't juiced in a couple of days since we're supposed to limit our sugar intake. : ( Once a week we have a 'free' day to eat whatever we want, within reason. I suspect I'll have some juice on those days.

Went to Starbucks the other day and was chatting with this cute young guy about 'the industry' as the movie biz is usually referred to out here, and he is a wanna-be writer/producer. He currently works with some high-powered folks, and said he'd give my headshot and resume to them, so we exchanged information. He asked me out for that evening (Saturday, I had plans with Mike) and then he called me today because he had a terrific job interview and wanted to celebrate with me, and again I couldn't because I was supposed to have dinner with my uncle. But I think we'll get together one evening next week. At first I was against the idea of going out with him at all since he's about 25, but he seems mature, kind, intelligent, and fun, so why not? Demi Moore and Cameron Diaz are both dating younger men, Oprah did a show on it, so what the heck. If nothing else it would be interesting to contrast dating a man 8-10 years younger than me to one who is 8 years older than me.

This has been a busy few days - Friday I was running errands and getting things done, and didn't ever take a nap during the day. Not getting a nap in meant that I was headachy and exhausted by 7pm - I'd been up for 24 hours by then, so I went to bed. Yup, 7pm on a Friday night, and I was asleep. So much for the wild single life, eh?

Woke up at 4am on Saturday to two cats playing rowdily. I managed to quiet them down and sleep a couple more hours, and got up around 6:30. Did my usual Saturday morning errands, and picked up FIVE DVDs from Blockbuster to watch over the weekend. I rented "Mona Lisa Smile", "Whalerider", "Me, Myself & Irene", "Kissing Jessica Stein", and "Ocean's Eleven". I've watched all except "Whalerider", and enjoyed all of them. I didn't expect to enjoy "Me, Myself, and Irene" much at all, but actually laughed out loud at a couple of things, so I can't say it was terrible. It was great for me to stay home and watch movies since I was able to putter around the apartment while I watched them.... Cleaned my kitchen, cooked, cleared off my table, and did several other things while watching them.

Saturday was not the best day in terms of diet - I went for a walk and found a health food store that I hadn't seen before, and they had SPELT donuts. Knowing that I would be starting this infomercial program, I bought a couple of them to eat Saturday - I won't have chocolate for at least a month, so I'm eating donuts today! I did eat them, loved them, and won't buy them again any time soon. Spent a little time with Anne during the late afternoon, and happened to stop by just at the right time. She was just about to pull a chicken breast out of the toaster oven, and also had made some artichoke and asparagus, and she offered me some. So we shared her dinner, and it was quite good!

Mike and I watched "Ocean's Eleven" together Saturday evening. I'd rented all the movies in part because he was supposed to be doing his taxes all weekend, and Anne was working and on dates all weekend, so I figured I'd be on my own. But he finished his federal return Friday night, so we watched the movie together. We wanted to work on some scenes/monologues together yesterday, but it just didn't work out in terms of timing because whenever he was free, I wasn't, and when I was free he wasn't. We did run into each other a couple times through the day, but only to say hello, update on the latest, and carry on from there.

I spent some time on Sunday at the Huntingon Library and Gardens wandering through the William Morris exhibit and the gardens. I have loved the work of William Morris for 10-15 years now, ever since I found a box of postcards with his textile patterns on them. I've long-since used up all the postcards, and have been looking for more of them ever since. Haven't found any, but saw that the exhibit was taking place, and had to go. I really enjoyed learning more about how the designs were created and produced, and bought a little book on the designs, a couple of postcards, and a little mirror with a design on the back. Still no stationery! Pffftt! Oh, well. I enjoyed the exhibit anyway, and I'm happy with my purchases. I also bought two beautiful pairs of earrings in the main shop there. I found my favorite pair of earrings there about four years ago, and specifically looked for earrings there today. I found a table in the cafe, and ate a chocolate mousse (last day of sugar!) and drank my smoothie before heading out.

After the Huntington, I had to go an hour south of me to an audition at Chapman University. I enjoyed talking with the student/director, and I think it will be a fun little project. I'm one of only two women who auditioned for the 'mom' role, so my odds are good! It will be filmed towards the end of April, and if nothing else will give me another credit for my resume, and could provide something nice for my reel.

Went home after my audition, ate some scrambled egg with onion and spinach in it, as well as some sweet potato, and took a nap for a couple hours before heading in to work. Monday's events will be sleeping during the day, going to work out for the infomercial at 6pm, and then meeting my uncle for dinner.

Forgot to mention! On Friday I got a call for an audition for an infomercial, and for the next month I'll be working out on some exercise machine they'll be marketing and following the diet they prescribed for us (basically 'Body for Life') with BTD and allergy modifications. When the trainer was asking me about diet, I told him what I ate on Friday (lamb and broccoli, a fruit smoothie with protein for breakfast, etc.) he said, "Well, I won't worry too much about your diet". We'll see how it goes. There are about 30 of us participating in the program, and it seems that whoever has the best results (of course) will get to be in the infomercial. Wish me luck! I can use the credits on my resume! They did 'before' pictures, and it was amusing to be told "Don't suck it in" and "Don't smile" - I had to fight all my natural urges on both of those counts!

Brad self-selected himself out of the picture - apparently found someone else he'd rather spend time with. I was bummed because I really liked him. Mike was pleased to hear the news, not that it changes anything between us, but he was funny when I told him what happened, and said that he didn't quite know how to respond to my news. I said, "You're sorry, but you're not, right?" He nodded and said that pretty well summed it up. I am considering signing up for an on-line dating service. I was on one for a while last year, and had good luck with it.

My uncle arrives tomorrow! I'm so excited! : )

I didn't sleep well today - remembered to turn the phone off, but forgot to turn the answering machine down. Once I was really asleep, it was fine, but a couple calls came in before I was completely out, which of course then keeps me awake that much longer.

I got up around 6pm, and went to see "Monster". Wow. Incredible movie, and Charlize Theron was amazing. Complete transformation! And Christina Ricci was great, too. The story is not a happy one, but is very powerful. I sat through the movie essentially stunned by the quality of the acting and the film. I found it very inspiring that Charlize Theron was so willing to undergo such a physical transformation for the movie - she gained 20-30 pounds, had lots of her hair plucked out to make it look thinner, had prosthetic teeth, and hardly any eyebrows. Didn't even look like she could have been the SISTER of the glowing, gorgeous woman who went to the Oscars. I wonder how far I'd be willing to go for a role like that. Gaining weight isn't a problem for me - pass the wheat! But losing it is, and having to lose 30 pounds (again) scares me. I'm still trying to lose the rest of the weight from when I broke my leg last year! I've been working out and eating well for the last 6 months, and have made great strides, but I STILL have 10-12 pounds to go.

Anne is finally back from her housesitting job, so we got together for a little bit tonight- I'd missed her! I'm glad she's back - we see each other nearly daily, and seeing her cats every morning just wasn't the same as seeing her!

Tonight before work I made some carrot ginger juice. It smells wonderful, and I'm probably going to drink it at my break here in a few minutes. Yummy. Also made some more grapefruit juice. Hopefully one of them will help me stay awake, because I'm sleepy tonight. I'll be so glad when I don't have to have a 'survival' job and I am acting for a living! All in due time....

I've been doing a lot of that lately. Examining my intent for doing things, making sure that I am doing what I really want to be doing for the long-term, and for the right reasons. Been scrutinizing my behavior and thoughts and how well they are aligned with my goals and dreams. I've come a long way in changing my life, but boy, do I have a long way to go!

Today I went to the actor's network that I'm involved in to hear from an acting coach. I slept about 90 minutes before I went over there, and probably shouldn't've napped at all, because I was incredibly tired going over there. And when I parked my car I hit the rim against the curb and bent the rim enough to make me wonder if I would have a flat tire by the time I got out of the meeting. So far it seems fine, but I'm still checking it every time I head for the car. Fortunately, my car is 10 years old and the paint is fading and it generally doesn't look like much of anything, so I don't care if the rim is bent unless it is MORE than cosmetic damage.

The coach was interesting to listen to. He seems to have a lot in common with my current acting coach, so there doesn't seem to be much point in changing coaches, though I might take his 8 week class just to jump start myself and get really jazzed about acting again. I'm always excited about it when I'm doing it, but I haven't gotten to play any parts lately, so an extra boost would be a good thing.

I've been pretty good lately about exercising, even if I haven't been posting about it. I haven't been to the gym in weeks (I hate this gym - I need to join my old one as soon as I get my tax refund, because I loved it there), but I have been doing Pilates and yoga at least every other day, and I'm feeling good about what I'm doing. I do want to get back to the hated gym in the next few weeks before I join my old one again - the elliptical machines are calling to me!

I'm really enjoying my juicer! The extra time it takes to clean it is far offset by the decreased chopping to get the food into the juicer. I love that I chose one with a large opening! Tonight I juiced two ruby red grapefruits and got roughly 30 ounces of juice out of them, and it is delicious. It was a breeze to peel the grapefruit and pull them apart into a few sections rather than section out the whole thing like i used to have to do with my old juicer. Yesterday I made a beet, carrot, celery juice. Yum.

On tap for today is a massage (haven't had one in a while!), sleep, and meet a friend for drinks in the evening. I haven't seen Joseph in probably at least a year, even though we both live in LA. I've known him for probably 6 years, and we used to get together regularly with a group of people. The last couple of years, we've gotten together sporadically. It is always good to see him, and we always enjoy our time together, but we just can't manage to meet up more often. I'm very much looking forward to it.

- Almost forgot to mention that I realized the other day that I'm now having reactions to my favorite chicken/turkey pesto sausages from Trader Joe's. I happened to have one by itself the other night, and nearly choked from the pepper in it. I can usually get away with a little black pepper in something like that, but won't be having those sausages anymore. I also had some of my 'usual' reaction - coughing, sniffling response to stuff I shouldn't be eating. So no more sausages for me. : (

I didn't make it to the submission place yesterday - by the time I fed Anne's cats (she's housesitting all this week), did laundry, and cleaned up around the apartment a little bit, it was noon and way past my bedtime. So I'll go one day next week.

Slept for nine straight hours today, and woke up actually feeling awake and refreshed, which was very cool. Sleeping during the day just doesn't recharge me like sleeping at night. I'm sure it's knocking all kinds of circadian rhythms off, and switching from sleeping during the day to sleeping at night all the time probably doesn't help.

Watched a new show "Wonderfalls" - I missed the first 15 minutes of it, and I feel like I missed something key about how the whole talking with inanimate critters started, but I still found it to be an interesting show. A bit quirky, but not so odd that I don't want to watch anymore. I've set my VCR to record tomorrow night's episode. Did anyone catch the beginning and if so, could you tell me what happened?

Still eating lightly - turkey sausage, salad, mashed sweet potato. I think I'm detoxing as a result of eating lightly, too - the eczema on the back of my head is flaring up and I've eaten nothing that would trigger it. So I hope that means I'm clearing out toxins. I've got sausage and sweet potato for lunch today, a smoothie, and carrot juice.

Tomorrow will be a long day, and I may not even get a nap in, though I do hope to! I've got to go home and feed Anne's cats, throw on some casual clothes for my Friday, and head out the door to meet Anne where she's housesitting FIVE dogs. I'll meet the pups, we'll head to the chiropractor's, and then go to lunch together. Then I will drop her off back at the house, and I'll head home to nap for an hour or two before heading to my PO Box and then to my babysitting job. I also need to stop off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy a new juicer before going to babysit. I killed my juicer a few weeks ago when I juiced a pineapple. Oops. So I've been researching them to decide what kind I want now. It won't be a very expensive one (which of course, is the kind I want), but it will have a sufficiently powerful enough motor and an opening through which I can drop a whole small apple. One of the things that drove me nuts about my old juicer was that the size of the opening was so small that I had to chop things up into fairly small chunks to fit them in there.

Then I'll babysit for the evening, and hopefully the child will go to bed early enough that I'll be able to nap a little bit, too.

The rest of this weekend will be busy, too. I've got an audition on Saturday (yay!), babysit Saturday night, and I'm going to the movies on Sunday. No dates! Brad's busy all weekend (rats!), and I haven't even seen Mike in days (and still need have the 'let's just be friends' talk, anyway).