You had me at xoxo

As a writer, first and foremost, I often find inspiration in other people’s words.  In song lyrics...lines from a novel...quotes from TV shows or movies...from speeches and presentations.  The fact that it’s award season?  Well, despite the magical wonder than is the Red Carpet, I am also a total sucker for acceptance speeches.  There are usually some great gems in there.  Like when Robin Williams won for Good Will Hunting and he thanked his wife for “lighting my soul on fire every morning”.  Makes me all teary even now.  Part of me wants to be the person who inspires someone else like that and the other part of me wants to be able to thank someone for lighting my soul on fire.

  

And then Renee Zellweger when she won and said that she learned that “kindness and success are not mutually exclusive”. What a lovely concept.  The fact that she learned it from Tom Cruise...thank you Jerry McGuire...well...meh!  And while I love Katie...who as Joey Potter could fill a book with good quotes...it does pain me a little to be mentioning Tom here.  Too much fake bravado for me.  I’ll confess I thought Jerry McGuire was a great movie ("I've had three lovers in the past four years, and they all ran a distant second to a good book and a warm bath.")  But Tom never had me at hello.  Just saying.  

Anyone else weirded out by the little kid being some ripped body builder now?  It doesn't seem right.  Feel like he should have been in Harry Potter or something instead.  

But in my case the pen has more might than the sword.  (Don't even go there. That was a Harry Potter reference.)  Moving on quickly...the reason I can pull these quotes out at any time is because I have books filled with them, going all the way back to junior high.  Hmmm....guess the writing was on the proverbial wall.  But it’s true.  Anytime I see or hear a great quote I am quick to jot it down.  It’s one of my better habits.  So when I came across the below work of amazingness a few weeks back when I was reading some writing blogs (or rather procrastinating disguised as working), it stopped me dead in my tracks.  

It was created by three guys right after they quit their jobs and set out to live their dreams.  (Me.  Envious.)  You can read more about it at www.holstee.com/manifesto.  And I have to say for a girl who is jotting down quotes pretty much daily I thought this one was beyond ahh-may-zing.  Sometimes you read something (or at least I do) and it rings so true it screams at me.  This was one of those times.  Part of me is so happy someone wrote this becuase I feel like i can find so much in it today and for years to come.  And the other part of me is so jealous I didn’t write it because I think it’s kind of brilliant.  

I tend to have a lot of writing envy. I even found myself getting all jealous of Dan Humphrey for getting that second book deal even though “The Insider” fell off the Times best seller list and he blew off his book tour. I mean how crazy am I right now?  I’m kind of a lot afraid to hear the answer to that.

Though I do take a little comfort in the “I told you so” factor. I predicted that Blair would conveniently lose her baby in the car accident so now she’d be free to be with Chuck. And she did.  But wait...now there’s the whole Blair-found-God storyline.  And then there’s a creeper evil priest storyline that I can’t even be bothered trying to follow or understand.  And Nate’s cousin Tripp (don’t even get me started on that name) tried to kill him by draining the break fluid from his limo.  I mean who even knows how to drain fluid from a break line?  Especially when you’re supposed to be a Councilman or Governor or some crap. 

O! M! G!  

I have a pretty good suspension of disbelief and I love a good crappy show as much as the next teenage girl, but Gossip Girl.... 

YOU. ARE. KILLING. ME.  

I was devoted to you for years.  I did love you.  XOXO.  Bought the DVDs.  (Don’t judge me, judgers...Season 1& 2 were smart and witty and the delicious evil was just that.)  But now? I beg of you. For me.  For all of us.  Just end it.  Put Chuck and Blair together and let them be evil and conniving. Nate and Serena had killer chemistry at the Shepard wedding (and after) so let them live happily ever after.  Dan should fly to India or to wherever Vanessa ran off to.  Go be with your bestie and be all creative and funky together.  End scene.  Please.  It’s time for you guys to go.  Even the fashion stopped being interesting.  

I miss when it was great.  Like Chuck and Blair in the back of the limo.  This was the song that was playing.  So damn good.

I mean how happy is Eric that he ditched the UES for Montauk, reinventing himself as a townie named Declan?  (That one was for you, Revengers!)

Okay...so back to midtown east...as I may have mentioned here once or every post, the life dream is to make a living by writing.  And after attending my first legit writing conference I had the good fortune to meet so many other like-minded people.  And I don’t know if it was good fortune to see all the competition, but it was very eye opening.  Especially when I saw the drive so many of these people had to never give up.  I was in the minority as a first-timer and must admit at one point I felt very behind the pack.  It was like puberty all over again...as I waited while my friends grew boobs, grew in height, and had a reason to blush in the supermarket when they stopped to select something from the “feminine” aisle while I well...wasn’t.  (And yeah, I know! I should be all loud and proud like Khloe K. and break down that Kotex wall with some Real Talk and not go with “feminine aisle”, but maybe we’ll save that one for another day.)

Back to the dream...or the reality of competition...it was just the reality check I needed.  And just the dose of hope too.  And inspiration.  I think most people can relate, whether you write or not, to the fear of putting yourself out there - physically, emotionally, you name it.  Because rejection isn’t fun for anyone - or at least anyone I know.  

But there's that whole line about nothing worth having comes easy......so once again I’m dipping my toes into the cold pool and am putting myself back out there. I know an agent isn’t going to come a-knockin’.  I don’t live in a movie or a TV show, which in this case is unfortunate because if I did I would get to live in Monica and Rachel’s apartment instead of my studio.  (But I love you, studio!  Never fear!)  I’d also meet an agent while I was getting my hair colored or while I was online buying milk and apples at the Food Emporium and they would hand me the card...interested in what I wrote...and a few magic days late I’d be signed with a six-figure deal.  Ah, that would be lovely!

I really should be glued to my chair for the foreseeable future.  I have two agent submissions to get out and after learning so much at this conference, lots of changes and new ideas to get into the story before I can send anything out, so the self-proclaimed homebody just found a legit excuse to be in hibernation mode this weekend.  And the cherry on top is the SAG Awards are Sunday night.  Red Carpet.  Tear inducing speeches (see above).  Epic!  And I can’t wait to see what they’re wearing.  The popcorn will be popped and I will be tuned in.

Now I have to confess, for someone who is addicted to TV and Netflix and iTunes downloads, I really haven’t seen anything that’s Oscar nominated. I love the movies but I never quite get there.  Time.  It’s stupid expensive.  I’m at home.  Hermiting.  But I did want to mention that I am SOOOOO happy to see Melissa McCarthy get nominated. Most of my friends know I don’t do potty humor, so that whole sequence in Bridesmaids was less funny to me than most other people.  But she was pretty damn funny.  And she was great as Sookie...my perpetual soft spot for Gilmore Girls.  ("Did anyone ever think that maybe Sylvia Plath wasn't crazy, she was just cold? - Rory)  I’ll be rooting for Sookie.  Nice to see someone off the beaten path get a nod.  

What I am grateful is o-v-e-r is RHOBH.  I said it before and I’ll say it again - watching Talyor and Russell all season was cringe-inducing to me.  And I’m not a “wedding girl” so I wasn’t ecstatic to see Pandora’s wedding unfold (but congrats just the same!) and Kim’s whole sitch was also pretty painful to watch.  Kind of a crappy season.  And why oh why did they think anyone would want to watch Paul get a colonoscopy?  INAPPROPRIATE! Do I really want to watch a grown man toot?  See above.  A world of no.  

But who am I kidding?  I’m totally going to watch the reunion becuase that’s really the best part of the whole damn season.  And I read that Brandi goes cuh-ray-zee!  I kind of can’t wait to see that.  I know.  Hypocrite.  Party of one.

I am otherwise shamlessly behind in TV.  It’s been a busy week.  Other than the full time job that kicked my ass this week, I’ve been trying to spend all the free time on writing.  It’s all cutting into my quality TV time which makes me sad, but the weekend is on the horizon so I know I’ll make up for it.  

Until then I will leave you with these little nuggets:

1. Pretty Little Liars - nice job on finding another mysterious video from the day Ali died. Ezra leaving his car in traffic, running to Aria and kissing dramatically in the rain.  Barf!  So cheesy even for ABC Family.
2. The Lying Game - Annie isn’t really their mother?  Hmmmm....not too shocking. Cordelia possibly having a love connection with the creepy father?  Say it isn’t so!  
3. Revenge - I’m behind on commenting on this one, but *SPOILER ALERT*...burning down George from Desperate Housewives’ cottage?  Genius.  And finally getting rid of Amanda.  Can only hope she stays away. (I’m guessing she won’t.)  And the Charlotte & Emily twist?!!?  SO GOOD! 
4. 90210 - Can they make Liam be any stupider?  I think not.  Then there's Ivy's new BF whose all ready to go to Afghanistan to be a photojournalist - “There’s worse things in life than being dead.  Like not following your passion.”  Hmmmm...thanks for that moderately depressing and oddly inspiring quote.  And better yet..."We all have a past.  I mean if you Googled me, you'd crap yourself."  LOL.  Thanks Aide.  Brilliant way to end this!  Wait til you find out Silver is dating the dude who adopted your daughter.  Am guessing you'll be the one crapping yourself.

I’ve also been watching a lot of old Grey’s Anatomy episodes...the early ones are really the best.  The story was great.  The quotes.  The music.  This is from a middle season episode but it’s still one of the best songs.  Btw - anyone else think she looks like Rose McGowan?  

Happy listening! Seriously ;-)