Goodbye Los Angeles

At the risk of sounding cheesy, this has been the best experience of my life.  The more I learn about this industry, the more I love it and the more I want to work in it.  The more I learn about television, the more I want to work in it.  The more I learn about comedy, the more I want to work in it.  You never know until you try something, and after trying this and living and working in LA, it's confirmed.  I will live here the rest of my life and I will work in this business.  Before I came, I knew this would be a gamble.  This would either be the worst experience or the best experience.  I knew I might realize this isn't for me or I might love it even more.  I'm so happy to know what career I want and to have goals.

Writing a script has been a surreal experience for me.  I wrote a Modern Family script and have showed it to alot of people at work and to my fellow interns and it has gotten really really good responses.  It has made it's way to the owner of one of the companies I work for and I'm really excited about it.  It's been very strange.  When someone talks to me about my script or an executive says "come in my office, let's talk about your script" I wanna say 'What? I wrote a script?  Really? No.  I couldn't do that.  That doesn't sound like me.'  Or when I read the emails the owner sent to his co-owner of the company saying "our intern wrote this,  and I know you watch this show, you should read it" I think, 'who are they talking about? What intern? Oh.  Right.  That's me.'  When I'm reading my script, I think 'who wrote this? Oh yeah.  I did.  What?  Really?  Are you sure?'  It just feels very surreal. 

Things I will miss:

• The owner of the company walking through the office at the end of the day on Fridays saying "what are you still doing here? It's the weekend; get out of here!" 
• Talking to the producer of Desperate Housewives in the elevator about his current projects.
• Watching the owner of the company walking  up and down the hall on his bluetooth talking on the phone cause he didn't want to be sitting anymore.  It always looked like he was talking to himself.
• Bonding with the owner of the company as I would pick him up at his house and drive him to work because he didn't have his car because he was too drunk the night before the drive home.  That was such a good opportunity because now he likes me and knows me and on my last day he told me to let him know when I move back and he'll make whatever calls I need and help get me a job. That is priceless.
• My friends.  I made such good friends here! They are such amazing people and I am so grateful that I met them.  They have helped me and changed me more than they will ever know.  I love them and will miss them so much!
• This city.  I love LA.  I don't care what anybody says about it, I love this town.  The traffic didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.  I love the skyscrapers, I love the culture, I love that it's always warm, I love it has beaches, and most of all, I love that it's the entertainment capital of the world.
• Working in the entertainment capital of the world.  I love how close I was to what I see on film and TV everyday.  I got to read some amazing scripts that will come to theatres soon and get a peek at new shows.  I'll miss being part of creating entertainment that reaches people all over the world.  Everything is done on such a big scale here and I will really miss that.

Despite all of this, I am really looking forward to being near my family again.  This is kind of pathetic, but this is the longest I've gone without seeing my family, and I've only been gone for 13 weeks!  I miss them so much and can't wait to be closer to them! Especially my nephew; I can't wait to be only 20 minutes away from him.  And I get to meet my new nephew on Tuesday!! I can't wait!

I'll miss this place.  But I'll be back in August.  Peace out Los Angeles, I'll miss you!!

A Memoir of Driving in LA & Halloween

I asked a very successful comedy producer and writer what advice he had for young comedy writers.  He told me to write everyday, always and constantly writing.  I've been good this week.  And writing this counts for today right??

Driving in LA is an experience in itself.  Before I moved here, everyone had told me that LA traffic is so bad and it's just gridlock and horrible all the time.  This is only half true.  It's not gridlock unless you get on the 405 N during rush hour.  Then you can sit and watch a glacier melt.  But on other streets, you can usually go 20 in a 55.  That's not gridlock  to me.  Gridlock is stopped dead and moving an inch every 10 minutes. 

LA drivers are the rudest people.  If you don't go at a green light the SECOND it turns green, you get honked at.  Then the person will switch lanes and pull up next to you choose to share their annoyance.  They give you an evil look and gesture.  Whenever this happens, I just shrug at them and lift up my hands like "what you gonna do about it buddy?" And then I stick my tongue out at them once they're gone. 

Saturdays and Sundays are the only times when you get the pleasure of driving 65 on the freeway.  But the funny thing is is that LA drivers don't know how to do that.  It's the funniest thing, when a freeway is clear, its like everyone has forgotten how to drive fast.  It's like a totally foreign concept to them.  WHAT?! I can go 65??? How do I DO THAT? It's quite amusing.  A girl who has never come close to mastering the value of patience, I speed by them while they chug along in their ignorance.  I look at the speedometer thinking, "Wow! I'm flying! Am I speeding?" Nope.  I'm going exactly the speed limit while everyone around me going at least 15 under because they don't remember how.  If there is one thing I won't miss about this place, it's the traffic.  Ah how I can't wait to get to my lovely Salt Lake where the "traffic" is only on the freeway, not on the streets, lasts an hour, and you can still go 40!!

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.  Why wouldn't it be?  You get to dress up, eat lots of candy, and it's in my favorite season AND month!!

I was an assassin for Halloween.  Those of you close to me and know the deep desires of my heart, you know why this is ironic.
                   
 I was wearing a blue tooth to communicate with my "team" and I had a gun holster.  And my gun was orange which makes it Halloweeny.

Our ward had a combined dance with other wards.  It was super fun, especially the Latin dance floor so I could get my cultured groove on.

From left to right: Snookie, Cat, Assassin, Candy Man

Kristine had it comin'.

It's okay.  She survived.

Kristine had a party at her humble abode on Halloween and we told scary stories and watched Signs and made caramel apples.  Signs is the stupidest movie to ever happen.  I wasn't even scared, and that's saying something.

The only person in costume is this picture is a queen.  And it's pretty.  But I am wearing Halloween colors!

So I only have two weeks left and I am looking forward to going home.  This is the longest I've been away from my family.  I'm still a little girl and need my Mom and Dad and I haven't seen them in 10 weeks.  Ya, I know, I'm lame.

I feel really good because I've sent my script all around this city and am getting really good feedback.  I first gave it to my fellow interns and then after changing it, I sent it to people who are higher up at work.  I'm so terrified.  They're all reading it this weekend and I am so scared on Monday I'm going to get to work and they're going to tell me it's the worst thing they've ever read and I should quit this and get a job at Staples.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  That's just not my dream.

Any last advice for my last two weeks?  Do you know of any awesome and amazing thing I should do before I leave?  Anything you think I should do at work before I leave? If you have a script you want me to read, if I like it I'll give it to the execs. 

P.S.  If you live in SLC and know of something looking for 2 roommates, let me know.  Me and my friend Stacey are looking.