Christmastime will recede back into the calendar in a few mere hours. This year, a pleasant day was filled with gift exchanges, family phone calls and mass texts from friends, and a trip to the movies.

In order, let’s begin with the gift exchanges. This morning my step sister and her children came over for breakfast and presents. Generally, everyone was pleased with their holiday treasures. Items of note that I received: an iPod Nano , a handful of gift cards, a blazer jacket, and a bracelet.

Dad called of course, as did my cousins, some with whom I haven’t spoken in quite sometime. It made me reminisce about years ago when I was considerably younger. The holidays are a particularly emotional time for me; I suppose that’s my mother in me. I also spoke with a few dear friends to compare holidays and gifts, and left voicemails with those who were busy with their own families. A couple of texts from friends at school also brightened my day, knowing that people were thinking about me even in between semesters.

My brother made the mistake of venturing into the cinematic world and watching Black Christmas. Though, in all fairness, what could we expect? Aside from the flawed storyline and unnecessary graphic content, it was not a total waste of money, especially since we attended the matinee. The movie was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and was completely self-aware of its cliche. It is not completely impossible that that last observation is just not a large oversight on my part, however.

Also, and I realize that I am completely behind the times with this news item, but I have recently discovered (RED). I have known what it was for awhile now, but have only in the past weeks or so become involved. One of my relatives, after watching Oprah no less, decided to purchase all of her Christmas gifts from (RED) vendors. So, though Christmas is now over, and is gift-giving, I have vowed to make a conscious effort to purchase (RED) items when available- such as clothing, and whatnot.

I guess every little bit helps.

technorati: (red), black christmas, oprah, ipod nano

Last week I finished Fall Semester 2006 (made all A’s), packed up all of my dirty clothes, and hit the highway for home. This semester, as I’m sure I’ve implied before, has been nothing short of tumultuous, nearly unbearable. I now have the next month to enjoy the comforts of lounging and no, or at least minimal, responsibility.

Since I’ve been home my days have included, well, not much of anything really. I wake up mid-morning, throw in the some laundry, catch whatever daytime TV show may be on. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It’s been a fairly peaceful regimen so far, and I’m looking forward to it continuing in this fashion.

Christmas shopping, though, has not gone so smoothly. This is primarily due to the fact that I’m tapped on both cash and gift-giving inspiration. Normally, I consider myself to be a fairly intuitive gift-giver (if you disagree, please keep that information to yourself so as not to spoil my blissful ignorance), but this year the Fate’s, as it were, just aren’t speaking to me. As a result of my budget, I’ve tried to keep my list to a minimum- you know, the standard parents, siblings, and close friends. Hopefully, I’m only one more Target trip away from finishing my list.

Tomorrow, I leave for the great NYC for a 5 day stint. Visiting friends, possibly catching a Broadway show, and then depressing myself at the expensive reality that it is to live in a big city. With any luck, I will be able to avoid a lot of Holiday Travelers.

As far as my summer-hunt for a fantastic internship is concerned, I’m still at a standstill. I’ve emailed a few offices and made a couple of new contacts. The process itself is much more tedious and slow-moving than I ever expected. I have, though, made the discovery that I will more than likely (about 99% sure here) have to end up in LA, at least this summer. It doesn’t appear that I have friends that are anticipating available rooms in NYC, and other than that, my option is the NYU dorms, which are very, very expensive.

Hopefully, this situation will improve in the coming weeks. When I come back from the Big Apple, and naturally after the holidays have settled, I will be working extra-super-hard, sending out resumes, cover letters and the like faster than ever.

Spent the last four days in Macon, Georgia at the Georgia Theatre Conference. I worked registration for the event, sat in on high school callbacks, among other less interesting tasks and random errand-running.

Now that I’m finally back and settling into school again, I’m regaining momentum in the internship hunt. I’ve been scouring various job posting sources online for the last few days and have begun to compile a realistic list of companies to which I would like to apply. Within in the next week or so, I plan on sending out preliminary emails to gage who is and is not looking for interns during the summer semester. Hopefully I will receive positive feedback and will be able to continue with the application process shortly thereafter.

I have had the idea that perhaps I might be able to contact casting offices within larger television networks- ABC or NBC for example. The summer seasons, as I’ve been told though, is typically TV’s off season so I don’t know how successful I would be there. Theatrical or movie-related offices, or even talent agencies, may have more consistent scheduling. At this point it’s all supposition- and a lot of greatly needed optimism at that.

As for my resume, I should get on top of updating that.

I just wish that there was a clearer way to all of this.

This has been a hard semester. That’s a given. Long days. Long nights. So, in an attempt to lift my spirits and reaffirm my faith in thinking that yes, I can make to December, I decided to succumb to a little bit of retail therapy. I wanted to spend a sum of money that I knew I absolutely should have kept and saved.
But I did it anyway. Did I regret it? Momentarily. Do I feel better about myself and life in general? Momentarily. Was it a good decision? Most definitely.

It wasn’t long before I spotted what I would soon be adding to my collection of impulse purchases:

A Samsung Digimax S700. Isn’t he adorable?

Fall break is finally upon us and I could not be more excited- tomorrow I’m off to my home town! My car needed to get new tires and a tune-up, and I am scheduled to work down at the theme park tonight, so I have to hang around here today and a get a later start to my little vacation.

Really, I’m just excited about getting to lay around all day when I go home and allow my body the opportunity to recharge itself. I have been running on my body’s last reserves these last few weeks it seems.

Last night, in celebration of freedom, I decided to go out with a group of friends and “let my hair down”, if you will. We started at a costume party, and then ended up at a dance club. I was unaware that it was a costume party until about 30 minutes before we arrived, so on the way I snagged a children’s Elmo costume that very nearly choked me, but was in the end worth it for the laughs. I wish that I had had a camera with me.

After we had mingled, bounced on the trampoline, and loosened up at the costume party, we all piled in our cars and hit the dance floor.

It’s been forever since I have been dancing. This is mainly due to the fact that the local gay club closed, and they were really the only venue with a decent soundtrack. The place we went to last night is repped to having a generally good play list. I would agree with that reputation, but I could have certainly gone without the sets of poor country cover sets in between.

We all had a good time, and it felt equally good to let myself go and not have to worry about any responsibilities for those few hours.

Also, Monopoly is back at McDonald’s and this year I’m feeling lucky.

I learned from my academic advisor that there is the potential for me to graduate in December of ‘07, which is a semester earlier than I was a originally scheduled to graduate. Now, if you had asked me a year ago if I would be willing to graduate a semester early, I would have eagerly replied with a , “Hells yeah!” (And, yes, “hells“, because everything is more exciting if you make it plural.)

But when he approached me with the idea this weekend, I did not have the same reaction. I was scared. I was shocked, and speechless. Is this it? It this…it? And just like that I’m grown up and thrust into the real world? What would I do if I graduated a semester early? Move back home? No, I couldn’t possibly. Move to a bigger city like was originally planned? No, not enough money.

I spoke with some of my peers and some graduated friends and most of them encouraged that I just remain on schedule and graduate in the spring of ‘08. This seems to be the most logical thing to do. There is no need to rush my education. This way, by staying on schedule, I’ll have to opportunity to take on another apprenticeship or internship on campus my senior year to chalk onto my resume. Furthermore, there would also be a possibilty for me to take another public relations or management class.

Not to mention, in order to graduate in the fall, I would have to take very full loads of classes for the next two semesters, and I cannot see the benefit in putting myself under so much stress just to squeeze by a semester earlier. Plus, I would have to take Lighting Design, as opposed to the Costume Design just due to class rotation.

The thought of being out of school and forced to officially care for myself 100% is utterly devasting. Who knew that it would come so soon? It spurred in me a debate as to where I would go upon graduation. Below is a list of pro’s and con’s that I would anticipate if I were to move to either NYC, LA, or Chicago:

Moving to New York City:
+ No need for a car
+ I know probably the most people there out of all three areas
+ I have visited NYC several times and could easily see myself living there
+ There seems to be a sizeable job market for intended career path (casting/talent management)
+ My dad lives in New York state still, so I would be close to him, and not an impossible distance from my mom and brother
+ Potential leads into industry
- The living expenses in NYC is probably the most expensive between the three locales
- My standards my be greater than the standards that my budget would prescribe
- Horrible weather

Moving to Los Angeles
+ Probably the biggest job market for intended career path
+ Several choices in neighborhoods and boroughs
+ Lindsay is going there
+ Potential leads into industry
+ Never been to the West Coast, and would imagine that I would be fond of the climate
+ Would be possible to rely on public transportation as opposed to driving
+ Know a handful of people
- Would more than likely need my car…
- Never been to the West Coast, and may not like the climate after all
- Undecided as to how much I appreciate the whole “Hollywood Vibe”
- Would be farthest away from my family

Moving to Chicago
+ Maybe most affordable locale
+ What I consider what would be a less intense NYC
+ Would be possible to rely on public transportation as opposed to driving
+ Never been there, and I may find the midwest suitable
+ Though I’ve never been there, I seem to think that I like the aesthetics of the city more than the rest
- Probably the smallest job market for intended career path
- Outside of the people in school now that plan on heading there, I know no one there
- No connections to industry
- Would be fairly distant from my family

So, by now it should be quite obvious as to how perplexed I am about my quickly-approaching future.

I am feeling rather overwhelmed lately, and I’m really dying to go home. Dying of course is a stretch of the imagination; however, I’m not entirely sure how much of one. Days are so much longer when they start at six o’clock in the morning and don’t end until after midnight- consecutively. School, work, rehearsals, practicums- they’re all adding up in one ugly beast of a burden. And it’s only just barely midterm!

My rehearsals, though they run back-to-back all evening, are coming along. The Crucible which opened next week, has been one of the most taxing rehearsal periods with which I’ve been involved. Not to say I’ve been annoyed with difficulty, but rather, I enjoy the feeling of hard work when it pays off in the end. I can safely say that this is will go into my memory as one of my proudest roles.

Once I make it through the run of The Crucible, I’m hoping for clearer schedules. However, when the closes, I begin rehearsals for the ballet, and the other dance show that I’m in doesn’t end until November. Oh me. Oh my.

Also, as I previously stated, I want to go home, and take a break. Hell, it doesn’t have to be home. I just want to go somewhere- out of this town, where I can breathe and recoup any pieces of sanity that I may have floating around in me. Fall break, after GTC, I’ll be heading home for Savannah; also, I have a tentative trip planned to NYC over Christmas break.

The unforunate side to the story is that, in all honesty, I shouldn’t be traveling anyway- save home- because I’m trying to save my pennies in order to support whatever endeavor I find myself in this summer. Frankly, though, I’ve been a complete flop. I’m totally not on top of my game at all, in terms of preparing myself in a meaninful way for the summer. I did decide, though, to go through Job Cotact at SETC, providing that it does not conflict with my casting assistantship at the conference.

But I don’t want to talk about my life, or my future anymore– well, until I need to.

I just want to go home and take a well-deserved nap.

Annie Leibovitz photographed the Cruise-Holmes family for a 22-page spread for Vanity Fair magazine. I plan on grabbing an issue for myself so that I scope out the rest of the shoot.

All I can say is that Suri sure is lucky. This child is beautiful. I never really understood any of the “Where’s Suri?” business, but it doesn’t even matter anymore, because she is one gorgeous baby:

technorati: tom cruise, katie holmes, suri, vanity fair

This area needs a better nightlife, period.

Save for the typical college-town strip of bars located near the commercial side of town, this place has very little to offer as far as variety is concerned. The same handful of garage-bands circuit the same handful of smoky bars. And quite frankly, it gets boring quickly.

With the right group of people, I can enjoy myself’; but even still, I require a drink in my right hand. One of the only positives to frequenting this area is, by knowing some of the employees, many times I can get in for free and get discounted drinks.

The dance clubs, or really club, I should say are pitiful. Line dancing and cowboy hats. Enough said. The gay bar, the only bar with decent dance music, closed recently, leaving the area with nary a good beat to dance to. Not to mention, the people that filled those four walls were enough to make your skin crawl. Now the gay bar back in my home town, that was a gay bar. Three floors of fun- well, generally speaking- and the crowds weren’t nearly as…well, scary.

The downtown area here seems to be taking some sort of initiative to increase its patronage. In the last couple of months, about three or so new restaurants with bars and cocktail lounges have either gone up, or are in the process of opening soon. I’m particularly excited, because the downtown area has a cleaner and more mature air, than say, the rest of the city. I simply love the atmostphere of a good downtown area.

One night lounge in particular is supposedly opening soon, and it holds the promise of being just what this town needs. Hopefully, with any luck, and the right amount of planning from its owners, it will whet this area’s appetite for a night venue with a little maturity, without all of the nonsense that inhabits the typical college-town life.

Upon graduating college, I want to go straight away to either NYC, LA, or Chicago, in no particular order depending on any potential job or networking leads.

I would prefer an entry level position as opposed to an externship or assistantship- though, if the right one came along, I would be hardpressed to give it up.

I would be interested in accepting positions in the following fields:

1. Casting agencies
2. Talent rep. agencies
3. Talent managment firms
4. Entertainment PR firms
5. Special event planning
6. Entertainment administration

I haven’t made a clear decision about graduate school, yet. I am convinced that it something that I will not only need, but want for myself. The best thing, I’m thinking, is to get a year or so, depending on my job, of field experience before beginning the graduate school application process. This theory may be flawed and is subject to change.

Also of concern is my personal life. In the non-existant utopia in my head, I can see myself living in a small apartment located in a downtown area with a dog. In reality, though, I am prepared to accept the inevitable possibility of a shoebox apartment on the outskirts of the world with a pet fern to keep me company.

Roommates would be lovely to cut down on living expenses, and also obviously for the company. I’m afraid that I can’t bring myself to move somewhere by myself; the last thing that I want to be is lonely.

As far as romance, I don’t want to make any predictions. I want to leave this area blank, because, well, I want to be surprised. I want it. Hell, I want it now. But mostly, I’d rather not have any preconceived notions- I just want things to happen when they’re ready.

In the next five years, I want to be rich, famous, and successful.

…or at least in a place where I pay off my student, put dinner on my table, and comfortably succumb to now-and-then retail therapy sessions.