Best. Spring Break. Ever!

So all four of us just got back from the "Party Down" premiere party, at which was Paul Rudd! OH MAN! And of course, the cast of "Party Down," Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Jane Lynch, Martin Starr. The only one missing was Ryan Hansen.

We had a blast watching the show (which, by the way, airs on STARZ, Fridays at 9:30CST/10:30PST). It's always fun watching a project you worked on with other people who worked on it, too.

In other news: VEGAS WAS AWESOME! OMG! Srsly. It was amazing. But even more amazing (for me, at least) was Beatles LOVE. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! It was so beautiful. It may sound really nerdy, but I almost cried at the beginning when it started, it was that moving. I really wish my aunt could have been there, too. She and I have bonded over our love for the Beatles. Really, I wish my whole family could have seen it with me.

What else? What else? Uhhhh...since we were staying at Excalibur (the castle hotel), we went to the "Tournament of Kings," which is basically a dinner show with jousting and such. AND, you get to eat with your hands. Well, they don't give you any silverware, so you HAVE to eat with your hands. LOL! It was a lot of fun.

No such luck on the gambling front. We technically did win money (only a few dollars), but then of course, we lost it. Ha. Ah, well. C'est la vie.

Thus has our Spring Break ended. For the most part. Vegas and premiere party. AWESOME!

There are drive by soprano shootings each day....

Hey Everyone! Sorry, it's been busy here so I finally grabbed a minute to write y'all (I'm still a Texan inside :) 

In my music class Monday we had a panel of musicians come and speak to us about what it is like to be a musician. Above is a picture of the group, so from left to right here we go: Michael Clarke (professor), Will Wheaton, Jeff Weber (professor), David Leach, Terry Wood, Fred White, Sheldon Reynolds, James Denton,  and Nick Lane. Look these people up. They are seriously talented and have worked with some of the greatest musicians ever. 

It was so interesting to hear them talk about the inner workings of their industry, and dish some dirt :) The title was inspired by Terry who said she was jealous of Will for being a bass. There is a new soprano girl everywhere you turn. 

Things are going really well here. I feel like I am doing well at my internship. I got to eat lunch with all the assistants last week which was hilarious. The stories they told about past jobs and people in the industry were great. Groundswell is about to start production on a new film so the office is abuzz with budgets and meetings. It's really exciting!

Next week is spring break, of which Nicole and I are going to Vegas! Yeah! Plus Nicole is taking me to a wrap party for the show she was working on so I should get to meet some really neat people. 

I hope all is well and I miss you all!

LOVE! 

Jen

Welcome to Hollywood!

So, we're a tad bit late on getting out to take pictures at the Hollywood sign, but whatever.

But yes, today we ventured out to the Hollywood Trails and trekked up the very steep trail towards the Hollywood sign. It was warmer than usual (Spring

will soon be here), but overall, the weather was really nice and made for a great day of hiking (we'll definitely feel it tomorrow).

Here are some pictures of us and the Hollywood sign.

After our hike we drove over the Griffith Observatory (home to several famous film scenes, notably Rebel Without a Cause) which was AWESOME! So many cool exhibits, a fantastic little cafe, and an awesome planetarium show. We're nerds. We love stars. Celebrities and the celestial kind. :)

Immediately after the planetarium show ended, we booked it to Subway to get Monica a sammich and then to Panda Express for the rest of us. A good meal to end a great day.

Oscars 2009!

(Dustin Lance Black, image via Google)

Well, Slumdog Millionaire was the little film that could. Who knew that it went from being an almost straight to DVD film to an Oscar (make that 8!) winning film? And FINALLY, Kate Winslet won! :D Yaaaaaay! *dances* We love Kate. :) And Sean Penn won! I guarded his diet cokes! HAHA! Srsly though. I did. It was epic.

And MILK won best Original Screenplay. MILK's Screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black, gave a shoutout to Groundswell (i.e. Jen!) AAAAAND to San Antonio! woot! Yes, he grew up (not sure how long) in S.A. Texas, represent!

Overall, we had a blast watching the Oscars (Hugh Jackman, you rock!).

What we do in class...

Enough said. :)

Keep Austin Weird

Oh, how I miss the quirkiness of Austin:

Cali vs. Texas

Now that I've been in California for almost a month, I figured I would make a list of things that are different from Texas (and other stuff worth noting):

* I-35 traffic has nothing on L.A. traffic. Srsly. I thought avoiding I-35 between the hours of 3 p.m and 7 p.m. was smart, but having alternate routes (at least 4 or 5) in L.A. is a must. Thankfully, L.A. is pretty (for the most part) well organized in its road/highway structures to easily find another way around traffic.

* Speaking of traffic, thus far on my lunch outings for the editors I have managed to avoid using the highway (i.e. "The 5". And yes, Californians refer to all highways with "The" preceding the highway number. The 10. The 101. The 5. The 405, etc.). However, yesterday, I had to make a run to Westwind (sound post-house) and the highway was the easiest and shortest way to get there. This trip resulted in my first run-in with stop lights on the highway entrance. Weirdest (but most logical) thing ever. 

* Turning signals, while there for a reason, are completely ignored by L.A. drivers. I don't care if people cut me off while driving (as annoying as it is), but please, just let me know instead of freaking me out when you suddenly pull in front of me.

* In-n-Out burger is addictive. I'm convinced their burgers are laced with some form of crack to keep you coming back. Haha. In-n-Out burger is Texas's equivalent of What-a-burger. (And my dad will hate me for saying this, but I find In-n-Out burger to be better. :p )

* The cost of going to the movies is more than what I used to make per hour at work. $12 a pop! I should start donating plasma now! Oh wait, I forgot. I'm terrified of needles. LOL!

* There are too many hills in California. Srsly. I'm so used to seeing where I'm going thanks to the flatness of Texas, but not in California. Nooooo. Entering the apartment complex through the residents' entrance is a death trap. The gate sits on a hill and you're at almost a 45-degree angle while trying to use the keycard to raise the gate bar, but THEN, you have to wait for the gate to open, all the while trying not to roll backwards down the hill. Californians are lucky they don't get much ice. Otherwise, I can only imagine the price of car insurance spiking immensely.

* On the subject of ice, we had our first few cloudy, cold rainy days in L.A. this past weekend. A shock nonetheless. You quickly get used to the everyday sunny, comfortable 70-degree California weather and the instant that it changes you think the apocalypse has begun. LOL! But according to the editors, California's winter usually occurs from March to May, with April being a month of non-stop rain (hence the "April showers bring May flowers," but if this is true, I'm not looking forward to it).

On the weekend agenda:

* Pre-birthday dinner at Miceli's on Friday for Kristina

* Saturday venture to the Knott's Berry Farm Amusement park (bringing canned food for a half-price admission fee!), followed by an evening out on the town.

* Possible trip to the beach Sunday afternoon followed by a lasagna dinner and mint chocolate cake in the evening.