Five Little Happies

Here are five little "happies" that are making me smile these days...
1.) My new position at Warner Bros.  
Due to some unexpected restructuring in my department, I suddenly found myself in an entirely new and exciting role two weeks ago.  I am now the assistant to the Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer Strategic Business Operations and the Vice President of Marketing (whooo!)!  While my previous boss was great, the new bosses are both nice and delightful to work with as well, and in my new position I will have more opportunity to dive into marketing projects and learn a ton. Holla! :-)

2.) Photobooths.
I have a deep affinity for photobooths, but sadly do not get to experience them nearly enough.  Kayla and I were thrilled to find a particularly fun photobooth at The Ellen Show.  A copy of this lovely photo strip is now proudly displayed at both my new desk at work and on my refrigerator.  :-)

3.) Being on the "Top Ten Young Alums To Watch" list. 
I got a fun surprise this week when my brother texted me and said "Your name is on some top ten list hanging all around Gaylord..." (which is school of journalism at OU). Turns out that list was the "Top Ten Young Alums To Watch" list which you can check out here. Thanks Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. :-)


4.) Darker hair.
It's no secret that Mary and I adore the band Something Corporate.  A line from one of their most famous songs (Punk Rock Princess) says, "Maybe when your hair gets darker, maybe when your eyes get wide..." As someone who has dark hair, I have always been particularly fond of these lyrics.  I had been enjoying some great blonde-y highlights for the past several months, but as November rolled in, I decided it was time for my darker winter look. I'd like to think that Andrew McMahon would approve. :-)


And last but CERTAINLY not least....


5.) My new car. 
After my driving my good ol' 1998 Honda Civic since age 16, I decided many months ago that I was ready to bid the old silver beaut farewell.  In fact, I even boldly listed buying a new car as one of my goals for while I'm 25.  I took the plunge last weekend, and now I am the beyond proud owner of this gorgeous 2008 Honda Civic! Hooray!  :-) 

Currently listening to: One Eskimo
Why: This talented quartet from the UK performed on Ellen the day that Kayla and I were in the audience, and what a glorious surprise they were.  Very fortunately for us, we all got a copy of their debut album.  They are Coldplay-esque (in that its soothing, easy-listening, good music that has the added bonus of acting as a headache remedy), but their mix of horns, experimental drumming, and the lead singer's unique voice really set them apart.  Listen to (the very aptly titled) "Amazing." 


Happily yours, 


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First Week, Food, and Fireworks.

I successfully completed my first week at the new job!  It went really well, I think.  Monday I had 8 hours of orientation (where I made a couple new buddies). Tuesday I had a tour of the incredible Warner Bros lot in the morning (where I saw such fun things as the real Batmobiles, the set of Cental Perk from "Friends", and a page from Denzel Washington's script from his Oscar-winning "Training Day" which included his very interesting handwritten notes all over it... that was my favorite thing :-) ). After the tour I dove into the new job: Executive Assistant to the Vice President of eCommerce in Digital Distribution (Isn't that a mouth full?...yowza). 

As expected, there were many logistical things to take care of the first week.  In addition to this, I did administrative things for my boss (mainly scheduling meetings and helping him with a powerpoint presentation for a big meeting). He is very "self sufficient", which is good because it leaves me a lot of room to get involved with other projects. :-) I'm already working on our social media outreach and exploring options for involvement in an upcoming classic film festival.  The people in my office are really nice too! (I only had to eat lunch by myself once this week... special thanks to Mary for chatting with me on the phone so I didn't feel completely lame.. ;-) I definitely miss my co-workers at the Academy, but I'm glad that my new ones seem to be great too. Hooray!! 

This weekend I ate some amazing food. Friday I went to Luna Park for dinner.  After hearing numerous rave reviews, I had been wanting to try this trendy spot for quite some time, and it definitely exceeded my high expectations. We started our meal with a delicious appetizer of crispy gnocchi with summer vegetables. SO FREAKING GOOD.  For my entree I had mahi mahi with moroccan cous cous. Not as mind-blowing as the gnocchi but still, quite delectable. Luna Park is known for its speciality cocktails, so in addition to these tasty dishes, I enjoyed their wonderfully refreshing strawberry mojito. A perfect summer drink. :-) To finish this grand feast, we ordered my favorite food in the world: s'mores!  And these weren't just your average everyday s'mores... these s'mores are so good, they have been featured on The Food Network's show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." That is legit!  

To make this glorious meal even more incredible, we got all of this delicious food for 50% off. Yes, you read that correctly: half off! I had heard an almost too-good-to-be-true rumor that Luna Park occasionally reveals special passwords on Twitter and if you say that word to your waitor, you get 50% off. This seemingly urban legend happened to come to my mind while we were eating, so we checked their Twitter page, and sure enough, we told our spunky waitress the word 'Independence' and badda bing, badda boom, our meal was half off! Whooo! Overall: food was delicious, atmosphere was fun/trendy, service was great, and the secret password was legit (and economical!). You should definitely go to this restaurant. 

The 4^th of July is fun in LA. A group of friends and I drove to Manhattan Beach (my favorite!) for a cookout at our friends’ awesome new oceanview apartment. After some beverages and BBQ, we walked down The Strand to a beach party in Hermosa Beach. I knew the Manhattan and Hermosa crowd would be a lively bunch for the 4^th, but the quantity and quality of American-themed attire and body paint was both unexpected and hilarious. It was almost like Halloween only with everyone dressing up patriotically. I felt a bit out of place since I didn’t have “GO U.S.A.!” or “I LOVE THE 4th OF JULY!” painted all over my body in red, white and blue. (Just kidding… those people really looked like drunken fools). It was fun. After spending several hours enjoying the perfect weather on the beach, we headed back to Manhattan. We watched a classic American film, Anchorman, and then enjoyed several fireworks displays on the beach. It was a lovely day.  God bless America.  J

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Goodbye Home/Hello New Job

I’m composing this post from 36,000 feet as I fly back to LA.  My week at home was lovely, fun, restful, and of course flew by entirely too quickly.  I love my family, friends and cats a lot.

There is a ‘For Sale’ sign in front of my house, which is strange.  My family has lived in Duncan my entire life and in that particular house since I was 5 years old.  My mom is planning to join my dad in Houston on or before September 1, and since I’m not coming home again until Christmas, that was more than likely my very last time in my childhood home. Ever. Wow… that’s weird. 


We saw Toy Story 3 yesterday.  It was cute and funny and great; I definitely recommend it (although seeing it in 3D is completely unnecessary).  My favorite new characters were the thespian hedgehog and fashion-loving Ken.  Mom and Daniel (and apparently almost everyone else who has seen this movie) cried.  I did not.  I think the last movie that made me cry was Homeward Bound when I was 9. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing…?

While I don’t have a stylish sister to share clothes, I do have a very music-savvy brother to share good music with. Daniel gave me a plethora of new music today. Currently listening to Andrew Belle.  I give it two thumbs way up.  His sound is sort of Band of Horses meets Eric Hutchinson meets The Fray. Thanks Dan…you are so cool. J

I start my new job tomorrow.  While I am very excited and thankful for this wonderful new position and all the opportunities that will come with it, I can’t help but feel a bit nervous as well. I kind of feel like a reluctant schoolgirl going to a huge new school for the first time in the middle of a semester. How killer will the commute to Burbank be? What should I wear?  Will the other kids like me? What will all my new assignments be like? After working at the Academy for almost two years, I was so comfortable and at home there.  Diving into a brand new work environment will be so foreign.  Here’s to hoping that I can calm my nerves enough to actually sleep tonight and that some kindhearted soul sits by me in the proverbial lunchroom.  eek...

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VICTORY!

Remember last week when I posted about going in for an intense third level interview at a huge amazing organization where I wanted to work oh so badly??  Well, I can now proudly declare that that wonderful place is Warner Bros and yesterday they gave me an offer!!!  I am so ecstatic.  I think my feelings on the matter can best be exemplified by the following video:





Yeahhh!  My first day is June 28th, so I decided to take full advantage of my last week of unemployed freedom and bought a last minute plane ticket home to visit the fam the 20th-27th. Hooray hooray hooray. :-)  


That's all for now.  I'll let you know how the first week at the new job goes!  Who else wants an update from New York?!  Hey Mar... what up girl?  ;-)  


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Pick Me. Choose Me. Love Me.

I'm going in for a third level interview tomorrow at a very huge, amazing, reputable organization where I would absolutely love to work. The first of these interviews occurred in March.  It is now June.  Can't they just HIRE ME me already?! If my resume, talent, personality and passion aren't enough to win them over, perhaps I should try this tactic....

Given my unfortunate lack of musical ability, let's hope it doesn't come to that....for my sake and their's.  Fingers crossed! 




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