OKnLA

So much of who we are lies in what we do for a living. There is prestige that comes with a title or an affiliation with a well-known company. Being able to say you work for yourself is great, too, but only if the money is right. A small business owner with a comfortable salary can say she is self employed. But so can the homeless gentleman around the corner from your apartment.  AMC Currently I say I'm unemployed, even though it's not technically true. I have a part time job. I'm constantly writing and submitting articles. I am working . And hard. But in my mind having no office, having no steady income, hell, having hardly enough income to put gas in my car in order to drive to the interviews I'm not getting does not constitute employment.  Enough of the pity party, let's get down to business. Could it be time to change my perception of what having a "real job" means? If I sit quietly, push myself pass the worry, the fears, and the moments of

This is the story of how I was once an extra. "Background," if you will.  As many of you know I am basically unemployed currently. Among other things, this means I'll do just about anything to make some cash. So when Jersey Mike told me the production he was working on was looking for background actors – correction: PAID background actors – I jumped at the chance.  The first day we filmed at the YouTube Stages in Marina Del Rey, Calif. It was really cool to see how corporate YouTubers do their thing.   I spent most of the day sitting around, reading my book.    ( Gone Girl ! I'm finally reading it and I'm IN LOVE with it. I've been distracted the last few days with really concentrating on writing and pitching and job applying, but I'm nearly finished with the book and can't wait to see how the craziness ends.) Most of being an extra is pretty boring. Even when you're in a scene there are no speaking parts, obviously.

My latest goal is the perfect my pitch. 20th Century Fox/Via Tumblr No not that kind. Universal Studios/Via Tumblr Not that either, though it wouldn't hurt. Maybe I could moonlight as a performer and bring in some much-needed cash.  No, no. The pitch I'm talking about is more journalistic; the story pitch. The "hey I have this amazing idea that I want to send out to a lot of people on YOUR publication, so please understand how pivotal it is and let me write it and share and pleezethanx."  For some reason I always freeze up when the time comes. OK, truth time. I know what the reason is:  The fear of rejection. How many times has that exact fear stopped us from doing so much? Applying to a job that would actually challenge us. Moving to a new place that would require you to start "all over." Quitting a job in order to follow your dream. Asking someone on a date. Telling someone you love them for the first time. All of these are s

When I was still at BuzzFeed (many moons ago it seems now) I wrote a quick post about Jack White 's upcoming effort to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest produced record; from recording to pressing to selling all within a few hours. Read it here , then dream of the other, tastier Guinness like I'm doing right now.  via Tumblr Mmm, Guinness. In other record-breaking news, recently I discovered the latest Paramore video for "Ain't It Fun" during which the band sets ten official world records. Via YouTube The video is a lot of fun, of course. I originally heard the song before seeing the video and was already hooked. With lyrics like "Don't go cryin/To your mama/'Cuz you're on your own/In the real world" It audibly punched me in the gut.  Remember back in high school when things got tough you go home, curl up in a ball, and your mom or dad would come in and somehow make you feel better? That was my experi

I'm listening to this song on repeat. (You should click play.) This song is not new. So don't get all in a tizzy like "Doriean. You're supposed to bring us the latest music news. What the hell is this?" Just give me a minute to explain. I just completed my fellowship at BuzzFeed.com. Hopefully that explains why I've been so absent from posting on this blog the last few months. I wanted to pour all of me into that program so that I could get the most out of it. I tested out a number of topics that fit into various verticles. I was searching for my home. Considering I'm no longer at BuzzFeed, I don't think I found that snuggly spot. I also don't know how much I learned about actual writing except that I CAN do it. In fact, I do it well. My absolute favorite part about posting on BuzzFeed was the fact that I tried to create posts that catered to people who have very little to relate to on that site. Now, this backfired a bit because a