This really makes me think about all of the unnecessary hunger in the world today

"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/2793564/Dumpster-diving-with-the-freegans-Why-pay-for-food.html#"

Because I love food (real food, farmer's market fruits and veggies, and Mike and my home made deliciousness), I believe this is of utmost importance:

WAITING FOR IT TO BE OVER

This is sort of a supplement to my last post. I just finished my job as a PA on a movie called The Effect. The last thing (I think) I said to the producer was that I learned a tremendous amount of information about film making and I thanked him. It is so true, being involved in something, no matter what capacity, brings forth an understanding and appreciation that cannot be had from being told or shown or reading about a subject.

The last movie I saw was My Best Friend's Girl and I saw it with new eyes after having worked on a film, I was able to appreciate everything from the set decorations to the moments where the camera's focus changed ever so slightly (ok, that's because I had a monumental crush on the first assistant camera operator or focus puller). I also learned the reason behind the order in which the names roll in the credits, paying special attention to one title in particular ;)

With that said, it wasn't always fun. And there were definitely times when I felt as though I didn't belong. Additionally, there were the stereotypical situations of corruption; the slightest bit of power in the wrong hands...



There were also those who couldn't wait for it to be over. Those who knew that they were saying, "I can't wait for it to be over" now, but would look back with fond memories of the good times and laugh at the bad times. And appreciate all the characters that made an impression, even if they were thought to be jerks while we were filming. Then, there were those of us who smiled everyday. Knowing that this is life. Choosing not to fall in to the category of people cursed with life happening while they are making other plans or WAITING FOR IT TO BE OVER. With practice I've learned not to wait for an end but to appreciate what I am doing WHEN I am doing it.

Follow the Yellow Submarine

Last night I finally listened to Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I say finally because I received at least 4 summons to listen to it in the two days prior to actually doing it.

1. While driving home from work at 6am on a Sunday morning I listened as a twelve year old girl read a letter she wrote to NPR's "This I Believe In". She disclosed that the Beatles music was the only music that her family could agree on during long road trips. In particular, she mentioned that they would all sing along to Yellow Submarine. The letter she read went on to reveal her wise father's attempt at finding their lost dog by driving through the neighborhood blasting the Beatles through the car's speakers. This didn't bring the dog running but it was a memorable experience for the girl who's father passed away not longer after this incident.

2. Once home on that Sunday I slept for about 4 hours then went to the farmer's market and the grocery store. Home again...I began cooking away. Then, the boys walked in. My roommate and two of our friends from SB. I loved that there were hungry boys in the house because I had just made enough blueberry pancake batter for our little army. JR and I started talking about food, spirituality, messages, and music. He brought up the Beatles, namely the song Yellow Submarine. He said he loved the song and heard the message it offered.

3. At a party at my best friends new pad she and I talked to a musician that was really in tune with life. He talked about coincidences and I told him about the Yellow Submarine and how it kept popping up. He asked if I had listened to it yet to find out what it's lyrics meant to me. He said that there are no coincidences, just hints that you are on the right path when you're receptive to them.

4. I typed Yellow Submarine into the search bar on my computer but my internet was misbehaving so I decided to listen to a couple of pod casts that my best friend downloaded for me awhile ago. One was from "This American Life" and it was entitled Quiz Shows. The first story was about a man that was an unlikely candidate for Ireland's Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He was painfully shy and more than that he discussed his self hatred and feelings of worthlessness as sound bites from the show played in the background. The first question he was asked was "What color was the Beatles Submarine? Red, Green, Yellow, or..." Of course, he got it, along with 250,000 pounds worth of other questions, an audience that couldn't help but root for the soft spoken man, and some new found self-esteem...And I got another summons to listen to the song.

Hence, finallyfinding the song with a smile of acknowledgment (of something greater at work here) from ear to ear backed by the thoughts, "Alright, I get it, I must listen to this song".

Of course, I have heard it before I just never really listened to it before. This time I listened to each lyric and waited for it to speak to me. It didn't. Don't get me wrong, I like the song and it may have a message beyond living together on a yellow submarine with our friends on board, yet, the message I got from the whole experience was that my myspace quote is so true, "Pleasure lies in the pursuit, not the destination"

Like when people meet in a movie

Yesterday I went hiking up Runyon Canyon sans expectations of anything. I did people watch the Monday hikers to see what other jobless or independently wealthy people looked like. I noticed when people noticed me. At the first bench, where there is a nice lookout over the city, I saw what a clear day it was-you could literally see out beyond the city and into the blue of the ocean. No smog, no haze, just a perfect day.

While I was at that little pit stop I noticed Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome notice me. It's not unusual to see hotties on the canyon, so I continued on my hike. Pretty much immediately after I began the uphill climb I sensed that Mr. TDH had decided to start his climb too. He was right behind me for much of the hike til I stopped and stared at the view again...this is when he passed me. Then, he stopped to take in the view. At this point I just told myself that it could either go on like a cat and mouse game for the rest of the trail, OR I could say something. Hmmm? What to say...I went with stating a fact, "It's so clear today", I said as I stood right next to him and looked at the Griffith Park Observatory in the distance. I don't remember what he said to that, yet it was the beginning of our spending over four hours together. We walked and talked and we realized that we are neighbors, that we have friends in common, that we both needed to go to Ikea, that neither one of us has life figured out and that that is okay, that we both want to start carrying cameras with us to not miss the opportunities for capturing beauty (and for me to capture the fairy landscapes of Runyon after the rain), that we could talk so freely with each other and that THAT is rare. He came over to see my apartment (that's not code for anything). My flatmate came home and we all talked for an hour then decided to hike the canyon again. We walked and talked again. I confessed that I initiated a conversation with him because I thought he was too shy to talk to me. He confessed that he had "noticed" me. I said I knew it, he didn't believe me. He thought he had been so subtle.
It felt as though we were just kids that met on a playground and decided we were going to be friends from that moment forward. No pretenses, no guards up.

My life changed with one little remark about what a clear day it was, actually it changed with the decision I made to say anything at all. It really made me think about all the opportunities for adventure that I am faced with everyday.

It was like when people meet in a movie and their lives are changed forever.

I'm sensing a pattern...

My recent dreams include finding Puff Daddy behind a building almost in tears...okay, he was crying. He told me that he felt like he was always playing a character and he didn't even know who HE really was anymore. I took him by the hand, told him that I have had those feelings before and that I could help him figure himself out. And, as with any dream, the rest is really fuzzy.

Later in the week I dreamed that Oprah was helping families in a town or village that had been flooded. It was incredibly eerie--there were bodies, cars, and peoples' personal effects floating in the water. While she is OPRAH, she was not immune to the damage that had been done, nor was she above helping save things and people from the water (I know, it's super weird...it was a dream). At some point she wanted to get out of where we were and get a ride out of the town--not too easy with the roads being under water and all. Somehow, we made it out. She confessed to me, as we were both looking in a mirror and talking to the reflection of each other, that she was really unhappy about her weight being always in flux and that the headlines about her hurt her feelings. I didn't know what she was talking about because I don't watch t.v. or read the rag mags. She explained the issue and I told her, as I had Puffy, that everything would be okay and we could work it out/off. I then asked her where her favorite place to live was and she said Santa Barbara (which I guessed at the same time that she answered me). I told her that I used to be her neighbor- well not right next door, but SB is so small that we're all neighbors. And I babysat for a little Lilly did live just around the corner from her mansion. She wasn't all that amused. However, she was receptive to my offer to help her though. She was on the phone quite a bit scheduling interviews and the like. At one point she was on the phone with Brittany Spears. She seemed kinda private, yet she was candid in the same way that Puffy had been the other night...

Maybe my dreams are telling me that I should be in the celebrity self-help line of work?! BTW, if you google images of Oprah, you'll see that she really is beautiful and has a glow to her that only a kind heart and lots of moo-la will give you.

I am you and you are me and...we are the walrus

Chalkboard philosophy...

Gotta love chalkboard communication...The lav at The Sojourner restaurant in Santa Barbara has a chalkboard in it allowing its patrons to leave a message for everyone that uses the loo in the same day. I was the lucky recipient of the message, "All One...Al one [Alone]". And because there was more room on the board I picked up the chalk and jotted down my favorite Confucius quote, "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I might remember. Involve me and I will understand."

Em and I discover that she is me and I am her

Remember to love everyone we are all one.