5 Things Wednesday

Hello. 

I’m just here, sitting. Trying to process things. Nothing huge has happened, just been busy lately. Sometimes I just need to stop whatever I’m doing and make myself process everything, otherwise things just gets jumbled up in my head and it becomes a big mess.

Anyways, here’s what I can make of it all.  5 things that are going on with me:

1  CURRENTLY BACK HOME IN THE NORTHWEST - I’m back in the Seattle/Tacoma area and brrrrrr it’s cold here. I really like our weather. That jacket weather. You know what I’m talking about?

Sure beats that east coast humidity. But I’m back to wearing jeans for a bit. S’all good. It’s been a week of family time, hitting up favorite spots, and exploring new ones. Not to mention connecting with incredible people. That’s always the best part of traveling.

2  FAMILY VACAY IS BEST - Every summer as a child, I remember going to Long Beach (WA) with my family. There were kite festivals and beach bonfires and lighthouses. Stuff like that.

And then I got a job in high school and never went again. And then left home for about a decade. Technically, I haven’t been part of a family vacation in like 15 years! They, on the other hand, kept having Long Beach trips without me.

So this year, when they gave me dates ahead of time … I WAS THERE. And well, our family tree has grown. So many cousins, aunts, and uncles.

We had three huge vehicles parked right on the beach (and condos nearby to stay in). We had a huge bonfire, men swinging axes to cut firewood, and my teenage brothers + cousin hauling wood while driving the Suburban. We cooked steaks and paella right there on the beach too.  

Um, this is the best kind of camping ever. Because we went back to our little resorts and slept in beds afterward. And played a lot of Heads Up. So fun. I’m so glad I was able to make time for this. Family is great. I kind of love them.

3  ACTUALLY RESTING IS BEST - I’ve come to realize that for the entire month of July I’ve done minimal work. Which is like laziness (ugh gross) but I’m looking at it as rest

By the grace of God I managed to tie up most projects before I left for my trips and still line up a few remote projects while I’m gone. So I’m fine … but I’m not working a lot. Just taking time to step back, breathe a little, get some creative inspiration, take time with family and friends. REST IS GOOD.  

I once heard* that every 7 days you should take a Sabbath. Every seven weeks, take a weekend. And every seven months, take a month off. Who the heck can take an entire month off? 

I apparently can. So I did. And it’s been kind of nice.

Who knows what kind of craziness awaits me in August, but for now. selah.

*for my TM friends: Ron Luce said this during Character Development a long, long time ago. 

4  THAT PNW BRIDGE - Finally got to conquer this bridge! 

5  I REALLY WANT TO WATCHMANNEQUINBECAUSE OF THIS MOVIE TRAILER - I mean, seriously. This is the best song ever. And Kristin Wiig + Bill Hader?!  Best.


MONDAY MUSIC SHARE: OK Go - The Writing’s On the Wall - Official Video


I swear, every time OK GO does a music video it blows my mind. Like for serious. The treadmill one really got them on everyone’s radar. Then the rubik’s cube/mousetrap on. And the stop motion one. And the Chevy car track one. Now this. They are crazy creative!

Man. This makes me want to do some sort of big, extravagant musical warehouse project video of sorts. Not that I do anything like that, but who knows? Maybe I do. I’m surrounded by super creative people too. Just gotta push your brains outside the box to come up with gems like this.

Anyways. Enjoy the music vid.


5 Things (Post East Coast Jet Lag)

Hello friends.

I started this 5TT post last week when I was majorly jet-lagged. I managed to muster up an outline of things to write about but hadn’t the strength to actually flesh it out a bit.

So here I am, on a late Wednesday night with the crazy second wind that sometimes comes out of nowhere. Here goes nothing: 5 Things (Post East Coast Jet Lag Edition).

1  NOT MEANT FOR WALKING - So a couple weeks ago I hopped on a plane and flew over to the east coast. Spent 4 days in Washington DC and then a couple days in NYC. What an amazing trip! Full of the best people. Incredible sights. Great food. Fireworks. And tons and tons of walking.

I mean, like tons of walking.

I thought I came prepared. Better shoes. Better clothes. Did some stretching (not really). But boy, I was not ready for this. We walked SO MUCH. And it was so humid. Ugh. It was the worst.

But I appreciate the proximity of everything in these cities. And I love the subway system. But honestly, I was super excited to come home to Los Angeles and be in a car again. Oh driving, you’re pretty swell. I like you.

2  I SHOULD BUY MORE DRESSES - It’s been decided (although I’m not sure how well I’ll follow through on this) that I should definitely buy more dresses.

Being in the east coast humidity made me realize that I should probably have something a bit more conducive to stupid hot weather, ie. dresses. They’re more flowy and breathable. And great for travel. And dresses are just cuter. What can I say? Sometimes it’s nice being a girl.

3  TIME OFF IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL - So being away was actually pretty nice. I was able to unplug for a bit. I really need to do that every now and then to just recalibrate my brain. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily routine of just doing.  

I managed to really just not work for about two weeks. Technically it was only supposed to be one week, but jet-lag messed me up.

What did I learn in my time away? That I don’t necessarily like taking travel pics. 

I know that’s a big sector of photography, but it’s just not really my style. I just don’t like taking photos if people aren’t really in them. I’m more of a lifestyle/portrait gal. And food. I like food photography. 

Let’s do more of those.

4  BACK ON SET - So some new news and some old news. For those of you who didn’t know, I’ve done a few production things for various film projects. Last year I did some production design for a commercial (still haven’t seen it …) that led to doing a two-episode stint for a pilot project.

We’re finally going to premiere the episodes in a couple weeks! How exciting :)

And then this week I was pulled to do production stills for a short. So life back on set (sort of). Long hours. But less prep. I just showed up and shot (as opposed to doing production design which is a lot more work).

Either way, I’m super excited about this film project too. Can’t wait to share it with you guys when it’s done! 


5  I WANT THIS - I’ve been racking my brain for a really good #5 here and I came up bone dry. So I’m going the more shallow route to say that I want this bag. Someone buy it for me. Or win it. I think Lucky Magazine is doing a giveaway or something.

But it’s a designlovefest bag. Which is awesome.

And it’s perfect for those days you need a tote for grocery shopping (since Los Angeles is all super green / plastic bags are the enemy). I’d love to have this bag in my life.

And while we’re at it, I’d love an ONA bag too. Please & thank you.


5 Things Tuesday

Hello.  Sorry for my absence there for awhile. 

I kind of went through a whirlwind of busy and got swept up with things. And on top of that my introvert meter was on overload.  And then I shut down for a bit.  

But some time has passed now. And I’ve had a chance to journal … so I feel better.

I could talk about 50 million things that have happened since I’ve been gone, but instead I’m going to try to narrow it down to the best five. Here goes it:

1  STEAK, YUENGLING, AND (500) DAYS OF SUMMER - Last Friday I had the best night ever. It won’t sound like a lot but it was perfect for me and came at the best time. As an introvert, sometimes I need to be alone. But as a Quality Timer, I also need to be around people.

It’s a fine balance I have to keep.  

Anyways, last Friday started off by myself. Roommates were gone. I decided to have steak & potatoes for dinner and my very last Yuengling (I had to special order them awhile back). And then I ushered in summer with one of my favorite movies ever - (500) Days Of Summer.

SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. 

There’s so much that’s great about this movie.  The story, the photography direction, their performances, the wardrobe, the music, the way that it’s edited, the motion graphics, the kitschiness, the whole fact that it’s a coming-of-age movie disguised as a romcom. So so so good.

Anyways, I loved it so much that I watched it again yesterday with commentary. Now I appreciate it even more. 

2  UCB / DIAMOND LION - After my dinner & movie goodness, I went out to catch an 11 PM show at UCB. I’m so glad I did because it was Diamond Lion, a complete musical improv group.

THEY MAKE UP SONGS ON THE SPOT.

It’s outrageous. And hilarious. And I have to go to it again one day.

I’m so glad Mary texted me about it that night.  And that I fought off my grandma tendencies to stay in so that I could hang out with some cool peeps and laugh a lot. So good for the soul.

If you’re ever in LA, let me know. We’ll totally have to go to a show together!

3  BTVS FOR A NEWBIE - Speaking of Mary, she recently decided to watch the pilot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And me, being a good sport about rewatching great television, decided to watch it with her.

Granted, the first season you have to push through a lot. There’s a lot of horrible 90’s outfits and just bad costume and special effects. But once you get to season two - IT’S BRILLIANT from then on. The story is just SO GOOD.

By the time we got to UCB last Friday, she was already in Season 4. And of course, some of us were super excited about her watching the episode Hush (it’s one of the best episodes).

All this to say - you should watch BTVS (and if you’re game, watch Angel also to take it all in). Because it’s the best.

* * *

BONUS: My favorite moment of watching BTVS with Mary thus far was when we were watching the episode where Angel is revealed as a vampire, and she says “so basically this is just like Twilight?”

I seriously got so upset, I was like “Get out of my house!”

But jokingly. But seriously. 

Not like Twilight at all.

She’s way past that now.  

4  SUMMER TRAVELS - I’m planning some summer travels! I’ve been meaning to do a DC/NYC trip for awhile now and I’m just really glad some friends gave me a little nudge to just go soon. And a little bit after that I’ll be going to Seattle for a family trip.

The goals for my travels are threefold: 

  • Get out of town and let my brain breathe for a bit … I’ve come to realize that I need to leave LA every 3-4 months or my brain will explode. I just need to get some perspective sometimes.
  • Go shoot something. I need new creative inspiration. I think a change of scenery will be good. Plus, I already have a few shoots in the works.
  • Visit friends and family. I mean - isn’t that what it’s all about? Love God, love people. And I love me some quality time with good friends!

If you’re in any of those cities and want to hang out or book a shoot - please let me know!

5  WERE GETTING PUBLISHED - Also, big news:  my creative team and I are getting published in the next issue of Impress Magazine. I know, I’ve never heard of the magazine either but apparently it’s a big magazine that’s circulated all over Canada.  

We did a sunrise shoot about two weeks back that comprised of six summer beach looks. I cannot express to you how well this shoot went! It was like everything was working in our favor. The makeup was flawless. The model was incredibly easy to shoot. The lighting was perfect. And the wardrobe Mary pulled was amazing.

I can’t wait to show you the spread when it’s done but for now here’s one of my favorite images from the shoot.


PROCRASTINATION: MAKING PRINT PIECES

So I really need to work on print mailers and creating an actual book to show creative directors and buyers. 

But I sooooo don’t want to.

I’m not really a print designer, but I do have an eye for what looks good.

Sigh.

I just don’t want to do it.

I will.  But it’s just taking me some time.

*  *  *

Thx for listening to me procrastinate :)

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