Nesting!

It's really hard when you're nesting but you have no energy to do anything! I want to paint all the walls in our apartment, go look for a new car, clean the refrigerator and start re-arranging our bedroom! I don't have the energy for ANY of this, but little by little, I guess I'll get it done.

Part of the problem is I've been having trouble sleeping. And it didn't help that I was watching O.J. Simpson: Made in America before bed! There's a lot of gruesomeness. The murders and case took place when I was a kid, so a lot of the details of the case I didn't know! For some reason, all of a sudden this country chose to revisit the case through the tv show and this documentary, but I'm hooked. And yes, I've completely changed my opinion on the case. I mean, I was like 12 when this happened! I knew nothing!

It's also been super hot in Los Angeles, to a point where your ac and central air has to work overtime just to keep you from melting! We have central air, and had it running all day and found ourselves in the back of the apartment where it was cooler! The "real feel" actually hit 111 degrees a few days ago! It doesn't bother me too much, but it does make you feel more tired. We stayed in the house, drinking lots of ice water.

So my plans for the rest of this day includes a nap, cooking dinner, and then going to bed. Exciting!

Amazing Mother's Day

At the Little Tokyo Galleria in Los Angeles

I had an amazing Mother's Day. After a week of hits and misses, I had a really good day today. I woke up to my kids poking me going "Hey mom, you wanna open your presents??". Then Laila going "It doesn't feel like Mother's Day because no presents". It was 7:40 am. I realized, hey, my kids aren't just about getting presents themselves (like they are on Christmas, birthdays, etc.), they just love presents!

I got a huge bag of handmade cards and drawings and different crafts they made at school and on Saturday afternoon after I passed out in my bed after cleaning and rearranging all of the kitchen cabinets. Yes, I did that. I put on a movie in the living room for my aunt to watch with the girls and I literally hurt myself cleaning the cabinets. It was worth it. I guess. I severely needed a massage after that. But whatever, exercise!

After breakfast (Denny's take-out, cause balls to going there, waiting for a table then having to deal with a large crowd of people and having to take all three girls to the Denny's bathroom at some point). So after gifts (including a blue jean vest, a banana pillow that actually smells like banana, a Supergirl necklace and matching earrings, a mini banana plush and a cute little Ty Beanie Boo owl that Ani got for me). After reading the beautiful card that Ani wrote me and Bry wrote me (that made me cry, geez), Bry went to get the food.

Later in the day, we went to Little Tokyo in downtown L.A. to a Japanese shopping mall that I didn't know existed until today. Bry used one of those claw machines to try to win a plush loaf of bread for me. It's like a neck pillow that looks like a loaf of bread, seriously!

We did some shopping. We had fun. We goofed around. My thighs hurt from all of the walking, but at least I had on my Converse!

And now I'm trying to write this and make it make sense while watching last night's episode of SNL with the aunt and husband. I'm tired and I'm going on Mia's field trip with her and her class in the morning as a chaperone. It's her first field trip! More walking. More, more walking. But I'm excited to spend that time with my little Mia.

I thought Mia looked like this pic I found in my wallpaper app. 

Okay, I did my post for the day. Laters!

That time we went to the beach

School is almost out for my girls. It's awesome because we have a lot of summer plans. I'm signing them up for either dance or music classes (or both), and we're going to explore all of the great things Los Angeles and beyond has to offer. I'm talking about the beach, farmer's markets, museums, the beach, the zoo, the beach, picnics in the park, the beach, oh, and did I mention the frickin' beach?

I'm sorry. I love Malibu. It's one of the reasons why living here is so awesome for me. I never thought I'd be a beach bum (especially considering I can't swim), but hey, here we are. The first time I visited the ocean was magical. We'd lived here for only 2 weeks and I needed to see the Santa Monica pier close-up. We drove all the way there just to realize that it's much colder in Santa Monica than it is in the valley. The girls had on dresses and no jackets. Thank God we had a throw from Ikea in the back of the van, so we could throw it over the twins who were 2 years old and still in a double stroller! I put my jacket on Ani and of course the husband wasn't cold. Ever. I'm pretty sure he's never been cold in his entire life.

Photo from that day, Santa Monica 2012

Nevertheless, we walked around the pier and then I announced that no matter how frickin' cold it was, I was determined to stick my feet in the ocean. I'd never been to the ocean, so I was going to stick some part of my body in it! So we all did. We took off our shoes, walked across the cold sand and stood there waiting for the tide to come in. It was so refreshing and cold! I giggled. Ani giggled. The twins cried. They were NOT having it!

I found it invigorating. We left right after that, going back to the van and apologizing profusely to the little ones. A great time was had by all. Well, not Mia and Laila. They were not happy after that. Don't worry, they fell asleep in the van 5 minutes after we drove off. Now they're beach bums too. They can't wait to go to our favorite place in the world, Zuma Beach!

The Summer of TV

This has been the summer of catching up on tv. Shut up, all of you! Yes, I know, this is L.A., I'm near beautiful beaches and all that. But let me just say this...it's hot outside! And didn't you guys hear about that lightning strike at Venice Beach last weekend? That's terrifying to me! Oh, and sharks. There are sharks. 

These bitches!

Anyway, I've been in the house a lot lately. I go out from time to time, obviously, and thanks to my dear friend Laura for coming to visit me, knowing I'm kind of cooped up in the house with the kids. I can't say that I've been bored or anything, as I've been selling stuff on eBay and Tweeting for money (yes, you can do that). I've been doing all of that on top of being a mom to 3 little girls who always want juice or Goldfish crackers and stuff like that. I've also been cleaning the house! (I felt very good after cleaning the hell out of the bathroom and then didn't want anyone to use it because that bitch was SPOTLESS.)

I'm also writing a new pilot. I wrote a pilot called "Jersey Did It", but I entered it in this contest called NBC Playground so hopefully I'll hear from them soon. So I started writing a new pilot, untitled for  now, and I'm just working out the kinks and getting some ideas for it before I sit down and write the actual script in Final Draft. 

The talented Mindy Kaling...love her!

So, television, right! I've been watching the crap out of The Mindy Project. I started watching it when it first premiered, then I got busy in life and episodes piled up on the dvr then slowly got deleted. Whatever, I'm making up for it now with Hulu Plus, which I originally signed up for for The Hotwives of Orlando, which is epic, by the way. And I'm not just saying that because my friend Tymberlee Hill is on it. The show is HILARIOUS! Unfortunately, I binge watched it and now it's over and that sucks. I hope there will be a season 2!

The Hotwives of Orlando. This show is amazing. Check it out!

I'm also really excited because I found out last night that NBC announced there will be a season 2 of Undateable! And again, I not only love that show because I've met all of the guys on the show at some point (especially Chris D'elia, who's the reason I started doing stand-up in the first place, regardless of that stupid fucking thing he said during that live interview, but I digress...).  Undateable is truly funny. There are very few shows on tv right now that make me laugh so hard I have to pause it, then complain of chest pains, go drink some water, use the toilet, then go back to watching it but first rewind the episode to hear that joke again!

Me with Chris D'elia from 'Undateable'

Me with Brent Morin from 'Undateable'

Another show that makes me laugh that hard is Nathan for You! How can you not love Nathan Fielder?! He's so epic for so many reasons. He's so awkward and acts like people don't want to be around him like he's some sort of loser weirdo, but I'd love to be around him! If I run into him, I might just invite him over to play Checkers or something like that. I bet he has a beautiful girlfriend and great friends and all of that. But on his show, he acts like he's never kissed a woman let alone had sex and that no one ever wants to be around him. Great acting! I think he's hot!

I love this man!

So I guess I'll go back to watching The Mindy Project for now then check to see if these shoes I'm selling on eBay have any bids yet. Later!

Can't Take Them Anywhere

We went into L.A. today. The heart of L.A. If you know me or even follow my blog, you know I live in Glendale, which is kind of a suburb of Los Angeles. It's nice, but sort of boring at times. It's good if you have children. Low crime, good schools, blah blah blah, you get the point. 

Anyway, we headed over to Golden Apple Comics on Melrose. I've been told that celebs shop there pretty often...just not when I'm there. It's okay, though. The last time I was there was for Free Comic Book Day last year to see my dear friend Sherri Dupree-Bemis. She's the singer and guitarist of the awesome rock band Eisley. She was there with her husband Max, lead singer of the band Say Anything and comic book writer. He was there signing and we got to see Sherri and meet their new baby, Lucy!

So we go there today, the twins see the covers of comic books that scare them. There was no crying and I know they're 5, it's just a phase, but geez! Can I take them anywhere now?

Afterwards we went to Target where Anneka got upset because she couldn't find the Pokemon cards she wanted. Again, there was no crying but geez!

Then we had this sweet moment, driving through Silverlake, we came across this reservoir. It was such a serene scene. The breeze, the palm trees blowing in the wind...Anneka almost stepping in dog poop in the grass. We took some cute pictures, then just stood there, gazing at the water and speaking of memories past.

They start school in 2 weeks. 2 weeks! I have to send my twinsies out into the world to have their own lives...outside of me! I'll be okay. I'll be auditioning, looking for writing jobs, going back to iO West to finish the improv program and taking yoga classes. Yep. I'll be alright...I think. 

Summertime In Southern California Hot

So I'm sitting here, trying to work on a few things, and it's hot. I mean, it's summertime in Southern California, what can you expect, right? I foolishly thought it wasn't going to be that warm today, especially since it's 9:30 in the frickin' morning and I'm literally just sitting here typing on my laptop in the living room.

So I opened all of the windows, turned on a few fans and was okay for about 20 minutes. And I don't know what it is about L.A., but the sun just seems so much brighter so I have sunlight smacking me in the face, and I'm sweating and it's certainly not a good look!

Anyway, I turned on the central air finally. I've been trying to conserve energy and not waste money on the central air, but when I start to feel like I'm getting a migraine from the heat, it's time to turn on the air!

I've been super busy as of late, not just because of the kids, even though they've been no problem whatsoever. We're at this point in their ages where I don't have to worry too much about them being in their room playing together quietly because no one's fighting, no one's doing anything sneaky and they're really just coloring or watching tv or just playing nicely. I'm lucky that all three of my girls like to draw because that gives me time to write!

I've been working out more than I ever have, I started therapy to deal with the anxiety I've been having and I've been using a few new beauty products I'll probably write about soon. I've also been working on short comedy videos and a vlog for Youtube. Oh, did I mention I'm selling things on eBay?? I have a lot of stuff that I bought over the years and used either once or not at all! I just sold my Betsey Johnson heels I never wore, and I have a few other things for sale! Go check it out: http://www.ebay.com/usr/angelina_208

Later loves!

Angie

Because Sitting in the House Sucks

At the park yesterday when some dude and his baby photobombed me.

I'm so tired. I probably shouldn't be up this early. After having a toothache for the past 3 days, I've been having trouble sleeping. The Advil works (the 600 MG my doctor gave me), but my dentist can't see me until Thursday for this root canal, so I'm kind of in hell right now.

Yesterday I said "screw it" and took the Advil and Orajel with me and we had a picnic in the park. Now see, that's not something I ever really thought about doing when we lived in Chicago. We had a park and playground near our house in the suburb of Chicago Ridge where we were living, but I don't know, I don't remember seeing other people doing it so perhaps that's why it never dawned on me.

The pic they'll use of me on the news if I'm ever arrested for drunken rowdiness.

Here in Los Angeles, there are so many parks you go past and you just see people hanging out in the grass, laying on a blanket, having barbecues, all the time! So why the hell not, right? We frequent the parks near our house, but after being in the house for the past week, I decided to go a little further and we ended up in Beverly Hills to his beautiful little park called Coldwater Canyon. It's not too far from home, maybe a 30-40 minute drive, depending on traffic. We drive through the valley then take this winding rode that goes through the hills. It's quite an adventure for someone who still can't get used to the high-ups and the wind-ings!

Me and my little Anneka during our picnic

Mia about to step into the water at Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, CA

Either way, we had a great time. There's a little wading pond for the children and we let them take off their sandals and play in the water with all of the other small children. Unfortunately, I saw no celebrities. Let me tell you about this "famous park". Every time we're not there, I see online or on the news that some celeb mom was there with her kids like Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani, Selma Blair. Hell, not too long ago, Mark Wahlberg was there! The day we go, no celeb parents there! It's okay, because that's not why we go there, we go there for the pond and the serenity of it all, and to just get away from our usual parks. But still...

The twins chasing bubbles their dad was blowing

Armed with my Orajel and Advil, I will conquer this world! Until Thursday when I won't need either anymore...then I'll conquer the world without those two things. You know what I mean!

Worth It

Griffith Park

It has taken me over a week to recover from Disneyland. It was hot as crap and there was a lot of walking involved. Obviously, I knew all of this, especially since I'd been to Disney World 4 times in the past. It was totally worth it, though. We had a lot of fun and the kids got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse. We got a lot of great pictures and I was able to flood my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with pictures.

Disneyland!

I always expect someone to say "Okay, Angie, we get it! You like your kids!" but no one is usually rude to me like that online. I'm not sure why either. A lot of people are rude online, but not to me so much. I get creepy people coming at me from time to time, but that's it. Which is a good thing because I'm the type of person who'd get angry, then upset, then just stop tweeting for a few days.

I did stop tweeting last week for a bit, perhaps a day and a half. Not because someone pissed me off, it was because I was just tired. After the Disneyland trip, I was just drained. We stayed at a hotel the day before and got in the pool with the kids. Bry even got into the pool with swim trunks on and his iphone in his pocket! Don't ask me if I laughed. Don't ask. Okay...I laughed. I laughed a lot...until I realized that his phone was completely broken! That was messed up.

Me and my lovelies in Griffith Park with our matching Frozen shirts on.

Then this past Sunday we went for a hike through Griffith Park. It was my idea. I'm trying to lose weight but not so much to a point where I'm weighing myself constantly, but I really want more energy. I want to be more physically active. I don't eat a lot of bad foods, I just never lost the baby weight from back-to-back pregnancies, one of them with twins! The most active I am usually includes loading a dishwasher, dropping off and picking up Ani from school (which really is just driving), and other cleaning things around the house. I also would like to be more outdoorsy. There's no reason to not be where we live in California. All of a sudden, I feel like I just want to explore more.

So yes, my muscles are sore from all the walking, plus I've gotten on the treadmill a few times in this past week. Advil helps. I'll be alright. The sore muscles are worth it!

I Almost Didn't Post This

I don't want this to be one of those "I've had a rough week" posts. Yeah, the point in this blog is to share what's going on with me, but how many times can I say "I've had a rough week" before I feel like I'm whining? Besides, at this point, I know it's just a rough week, not a rough month or year or life and I'll be fine in the end. Because I always am.

So this week, yeah, I'm not doing as much. I've been kind of laying low. It's a mixture of doubting myself (again), questioning what the hell I'm doing and being tired and not eating enough. I've never been a stress eater, I've always been a stress under-eater. I had a fall-out with a friend which I completely still don't understand, and one of my other friends hurt himself and it's really bothering me. I mean, this is someone I've known perhaps a little over a year and I don't hang out with regularly, but him being hurt is fucking with me. I feel bad, but at the same time I can't mommy-at everyone. I had a friend who lived in my building years ago back in Chicago. He was a recovering drug addict, but he was much younger than me and I treated him like a hurt puppy. He was appreciative because he lived far away from his family, but even now if I don't hear from him for a while I text him to make sure he's okay. But perhaps that's just being a caring friend, I don't know. He checked up on me when we had all of these earthquakes last month.

Sometimes I feel excluded from things because people assume I'm busy or have a full life because of the husband and kids. When Bry gets home from work, he usually takes over. Not because I ask him to, but because he wants to. He's like "I haven't seen my girls all day, I'm going to get them ready for bed". So I give him his time to help them brush their teeth, read them a story, blah blah blah. I'm bored a lot, you guys. After 5, 6 o'clock at night, I'm bored. As shit. I cook dinner, then go in the room to call my aunt. We talk for like an hour. Not every day, perhaps once or twice a week. We usually talk about everything and nothing and then talk over one another and laugh about it. She gives me advice, a lot, because I ask for it.

And yeah, I've been talking to my mom again and that's strange, as I mentioned before. We've been estranged for over a year. I'm not getting into specifics, but if you know me, you know the deal. I'm a very sensitive person, perhaps too sensitive for Hollywood, truly. I'm not depressed, because trust me, I've been down that road. I have hope and aspirations and all that good mucky muck. I have a show next week that I'm very excited for. I think really I just need a therapist. I need to talk to someone who I can vent to that's not Bry, who I guess tries to understand, but truly doesn't. He doesn't understand why I put so much pressure on myself and feel like I should be doing more. He doesn't understand the anxiety and the fear of driving. He drives all over L.A. for his work and describes the driving as "annoying" instead of "scary".

So yeah, I guess in order to survive this industry and being a mom and having a shitty upbringing, I guess I have to see a therapist or whatever. I picture some old white dude with glasses asking me "and how did that make you feel?" and over time telling me "I've had enough of your whining! I'll refund your money if you just get the hell outta here and never come back!" Haha! That's both hilarious and sad at the same time!

Not Another Post About Earthquakes!

Okay, so this isn't going to be another post about earthquakes. Yeah, we had a pretty big one the other day and we're still having aftershocks, but this blog will not be about earthquakes! Ahhh! I'm so sick of talking about earthquakes!

Me, cuddled up in my My Little Pony Rainbow Dash robe after the earthquake, 

scared shitless.

It's a problem now because I'm not sleeping. I'll start to fall asleep, and then I open my eyes again, because i think I felt the bed vibrate. The aftershocks are little ones, of course, but the pessimistic side of me can't help to think that a really big one is going to hit and we'll be hurt, lose everything, or worst.

Ani felt the earthquake the other night. She was in bed, had just gone in there, and all of a sudden the floor started to shake. Of course, Bry and I run in there and tell her to get down from the top of the bunkbed. She had trouble going to sleep. We let her stay up a little after that. She calmed down, though she never cried or anything like that. She just kept saying she was scared. I was scared, but I had to reassure my 7 year old!

I may have also had a little panic attack. Or two. Or whatever. I woke up in the middle of the night crying and shaking. My teeth were chattering hard. I was shaking. I don't know if I had a nightmare or an aftershock shook me awake. Either way, Bry had to calm me down. I could just remember all of the footage I saw a few years back when I was watching some special on the Weather Channel about the Northridge quake of 1994. But I can't talk about that right now.

I'm getting my mind off of things. I was up until 3 a.m. last night/this morning. I was texting with Lidia and looking up Steampunk clothing. I then fell asleep, woke up, fell asleep, woke up, and then started thinking I was losing my mind from the lack of sleep all week. I haven't slept well since that 4.3 or whatever from last week.

So then I slept until 11 am this morning. Thank God it was Bry's day off. Then we went to this awesome Steampunk shop called Clockwork Couture in Burbank, CA. There's a real Tardis outside of the store! Not real Tardis, obviously, it doesn't travel across time and space, duh! But you can pose for pictures outside of the police box. That's pretty cool. They also have a large selection of Doctor Who things, which Bry loves. I bought a nice blouse and some really cool Steampunk goggles. Love them!

Okay, so this post wasn't entirely about earthquakes!

See the kid hand? :)

Still Shaken (no pun intended)

I'm not gonna lie, you guys. I'm still shaken, no pun intended. I barely slept last night. And yes, there are people who are all "that earthquake wasn't even that bad", but um, I've been here 2 years and never felt anything like that.

Yeah, back in Chicago there were tornado warnings. Never any tornadoes. Never. Perhaps there were tornadoes further out, like say, Morris or somewhere. Where I lived in the southwest suburbs, we had a crapload of tornado warnings and tornado watches. There were a few times where I had to run into the basement with baby Ani. There were times where we'd be watching the news to find out when a tornado would hit Chicago Ridge. It never happened, thank God, but we lived in fear.

I'm really hoping this is making sense. I'm really tired, really sleepy, and trying to write something about how tired I am, while watching Rick & Morty.

And I knew what to expect, coming out to L.A. But there has been several earthquakes in the Los Angeles area over the 2 years we've been here and I've barely felt any. The first one I actually felt, it was so small. Nothing was knocked down, and no one felt it but me. Bry didn't even believe me about it until we saw it on the news. The second one, I wasn't even sure it was an earthquake. I had to go to Twitter to even find out if that was one.

But now, every time things get a little too quiet, I can hear the way the sliding doors to my bedroom closet sounded when they started shaking. Or how it scared us and Ani out of our sleep. Or how I was shaking for a few hours afterwards.

I'm scared of a lot of things, I know, but I guess being an earthquake newbie, I have a right to be scared about this still. And I slept, a little bit last night, with the tv on. It kept my mind from wandering too much. I caught an episode of that old Adult Swim show Sealab 2021 and now the theme song is super stuck in my head. Now, everytime I hear that song for the next 50 years, I'll think of my very first real earthquake.

Praying there are no more. At least not for a long time. Perhaps 50 years?

Earthquake?! Tweet about it!

Yeah, we just had an earthquake. I'm fine, the kids are fine, Bry's fine. Everybody's fine. It was a 4.4, which I guess isn't huge by Los Angeles standards, but it still scared the fark outta me!

Earthquake! I felt that.
— Angie Grace (@AngieGraceLA) March 17, 2014

I've been in L.A. now for 2 years. The first little earthquake I felt I was like "whoa, I think that was an earthquake". The second one I felt, Bry didn't feel it and we were going back and forth on whether or not it actually was one. I was all "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was!" and then I turn on the news and they announced we'd just had one. This morning was different.

That's what it looked like on the seismocam this morning. #ShamrockShake #earthquake pic.twitter.com/rM9NwfhRYR
— Jonathan Lloyd (@JonathanNBCLA) March 17, 2014

I was asleep, Bry was asleep. I remember feeling the bed moving and our sliding closet doors, which were open, knocking together and making a terrible sound! We both jumped up and ran for the girls' room. Ani was sitting up in bed and the shaking had stopped. That's how quick it was, just 20 seconds, perhaps. Mia moved in her bed, Laila didn't move. We comforted Ani then Bry went to Mia, who'd laid back down. I sat on Laila's bed. Laila was so knocked out, she didn't feel a thing!

There was no crying, thank goodness. I guess it scared Ani, but she's a pretty tough kid so she didn't freak out. Mia says now that she felt it, but she doesn't seem rattled by it. But they don't know what earthquakes can do if they're stronger or what aftershocks are.

I grabbed my phone after a few minutes to see what people were saying on Twitter. Of course, my timeline just looked like this "was that an earthquake?", "that was an earthquake!", and of course the obligatory joke from a comedian "Wow, it's St. Patrick's Day! I guess it was time for a Shamrock shake!", which I thought was funny. Of course my friend, comedian and actor Josh Fadem made the joke that the earthquake made his snuggie fall off! I read that to the girls and that made my girls laugh too!

@AngieGraceLA my snuggie fell off!!
— Josh Fadem (@joshfadem) March 17, 2014

So that was the first big quake I've felt. And I'm not going to lie...I'm still a little scared, and I have to act like it's no big deal because of my little girls. I've said several times today "earthquakes happen here all the time, we'll get used to them", but someone try to convince me of this!

Chicago winters don't sound so bad right now.

And in case you were wondering...my Precious Moments figurines are just fine.

New Look! Better Blog!

Hey guys!

So I've updated the look of my blog! What do you think? It looks better, I think. I had the same layout for about 2 years! I'm trying to get more traffic to this blog to showcase my writing and just share some of the crazier things that happens in my life.

Ever since I moved to L.A., things have been way more interesting. Actually, things have been so hectic that I forgot to mark the 2-year anniversary of us moving here! We moved from Chicago on March 7th, 2012 and we were supposed to celebrate! We didn't, and oh well, and yes, that's kind of messed up, but that's okay.

I want to start covering more ground with this blog also. I don't want to just post things about my life and what I'm doing day-to-day. I'd like to add more content, such as favorite videos, lists, funny things, stupid things, etc. I'd like to also possibly do a few interviews here and there.

I got a lot of advice from looking at other blogs and from asking friends. I'd love to do this blog full-time instead of trying to find a job outside of the home so I can be here for my kids! The twins don't start school until the fall, so in the meantime, I would just like to do something here in the comfort of my home, right next to them.

That's it for now and I will be posting on this thing more often! Later guys!

Angie xo

Rainy L.A. Day ramblings

I haven't been keeping up this blog as much as I should because I've been too busy writing for everyone else. That's my problem, though. Lately, I say 'yes' to practically everything, thinking it's a good opportunity or thinking "hey, why not?" and then I over-stress myself and then don't have time for things I actually like to do. Like this blog...something I actually used to update because I liked to.

I use to have a lot of readers of this thing. At one point in time, I was updating once or twice a week. But lately, all of my creative energies have been going elsewhere. And I don't do that much stand-up. I mean, I could be trying harder to book shows, but the truth of the matter is I like doing stand-up, but it's not my favorite thing in the world. These comics I see doing open mics and shows all the time, I commend them. But they also probably enjoy it more than I do. I love being on stage, but I get so nervous beforehand, I nearly puke. It's probably because I haven't been doing it that long. I get that. I also do stand-up when I have time, and as a mom to 3 and I have a husband, I don't have a shitload of time. I don't know. I'm rambling.

I keep saying things will be easier once the twins start school. Then I won't worry so much about being out late because yeah, I'll still have to get up early in the morning to take them to school, but then I can come right back home and sleep! I'd also have time to work more on jokes.

I'm getting over 2 weeks of being sick. First, I pulled something in my back, then I got the worse cold I've had in years! I mean, I'm still blowing my nose and have a slightly sore throat. I'm not 100% yet. It's weird, because usually I feel when I'm getting sick and fight it off with sleep, medicine, juice, etc. This time, it came out of nowhere! I was sidelined, severely. I had to cancel a few shows. It sucked.

Thank God I'm okay now. I just got through watching The Jungle Book with my girls and eating popcorn. We all stayed in because of this severely rainy weather. I swear, I would've scoffed at this weather in Chicago. L.A. is changing me, you guys!

So yeah, I'll update this thingy more often and maybe I'll get some of my readers back! Love you guys!

Stand-up Comedy Stuffs

I haven't been updating this blog as much as I used to and I'm not sure why. I get writers block from time to time, but I'm never fully blocked. I write jokes a lot, and I still write for HelloGiggles and now I also write for PopWrapped, which gets my name out there even more.

I'm playing a show tomorrow night in North Hollywood at the Haha Cafe Comedy Club at 8:30 (in case you're reading this and you live in L.A.), and then on Feb. 2nd, I'm producing and hosting my own show at Flappers, with headliner Josh Fadem, and featuring Shannon Bobo, Mischa McCortney, Steve Dez, Martin Rizo and Rye Silverman. All awesome comics, all my friends who I've met while doing stand-up in L.A.

He was on 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a slew of other things. He's a great friend of mine and probably my comedy hero right now. Don't worry, I'm still obsessed with Chris D'Elia.

The last time I ran into Chris D'Elia, I'd just done a show at the Comedy Store, and he was out front. I walked up to him and he remembered me. I told him I'd just done a set up in the Belly Room and he asked me how'd it gone. I was all "wow, I'm having a real conversation with Chris D'Elia". I was probably totally awkward and weird. Hopefully, he didn't notice. No matter how many times I run into him or talk to him, I'll still be thinking "Oh My God, I'm talking to Chris D'Elia".

And my 4 year old Laila, when she sees him goes "That's Chris D'Laila".

Yep, I'm still obsessed with Chris D'Laila.

And Bastille. Forever. Who are the musical guest on this week's SNL. That makes MY LIFE.

Yeah, so...

Yeah, so...

I've been in a funk in the past week. It could be because we switched rooms with our daughters and now I'm having trouble sleeping in their old little room. My room was quite comfortable. Now it sucks. The end.

It was a great decision, though. It's 3 little girls who are getting bigger, they should have the bigger room. Especially now that they're getting older, they need more room for playing, and their three beds, including a bunk bed. There are no more toddler beds, so it just made sense. When we moved here 2 years ago, we gave them the smaller room because the bigger room has a bathroom in it and I didn't trust the then 2-year-old twins to not put toys in the toilet. Now, both are fully potty trained and love having their own bathroom.

I don't know why I'm having trouble sleeping in that room. It's the same bed, some dresser, etc. I don't know.

Then I got this really hateful e-mail from my brother yesterday that put me even deeper in a funk. I haven't spoken to my brother in almost 2 years, my mother in almost 1. He sends me this message saying "I get mad at mama too, but I've never gone that long without talking to her!" Okay, first of all, she was here with me and my family in Los Angeles for 3 weeks and made my life a living hell. She ruined Christmas for me and yelled at me and called me stupid in front of my children. Then in March of last year, she sends me a text message calling me terrible and telling me to have a nice life. I remember it because I didn't delete the text messages, just in case I decide to forgive her, I can go back and read those so I can stay mad.

He also told me karma was going to get me. Don't get me started on all of the horrible and truly terrible things he's done that he should really worry about if there is a such thing as karma.

And I don't really care if it's "unhealthy" or whatever, to hold on to anger. I believe what's healthy for me is not having people in my life who will call me names and make me feel like less than garbage. Since I've been in L.A., I've surrounded myself with good people. People who don't try to drag you down and make you feel guilty about everything you do. I was made to feel guilty for wanting to move out to Los Angeles for my career, better opportunities and for the sake of my kids and husband. I was told I was selfish and my husband would end up leaving me.

But truthfully, this is a much longer story than I'm willing to provide right now, in this blog. I've probably said too much already, but whatever. I don't want to bite my tongue anymore and writing about it is truly the best therapy.

My current group of friends are supportive, kind and truly beautiful people. And my kids make it impossible to be sad for too long.

Very L.A. things

So I'm so excited my aunt is coming back to visit in November. She's coming for Thanksgiving and staying about 10 days. Not only am I excited because I love my aunt, miss her, blah blah blah...this means FREE BABYSITTER! Don't tell her I said that...

I'm sick of doing stuff by myself. The first time I went to a comedy club was by myself, and I went to see Chris D'elia, and I was so nervous about being in the same room as him. I was fangirling like crazy over some Chris D'elia, you don't even know. He's the reason I finally got off my ass and started doing stand-up! I owe him, for real. So my aunt was in town, Bry and I got to go see Chris together, and then I got up the nerve to actually talk to Chris! I met him, hugged him, took a picture with him! The third time I saw Chris live, Bry and I met him and talked to him for a while on the sidewalk outside of the Laugh Factory. What a great night that was. So I'm looking forward to some nights of doing totally L.A. things with my husband. Fancy dinners, schmoozing, giggling about condoms in a Rite Aid at midnight. Yes, we're that immature.

I'm also going to try to book some more stand-up gigs around that time. Who's coming out to see me??

Later guys.

Things I'm Obsessed with Right Now- October 2013

Okay, I did this list before and it got a lot of attention, so since I'm an attention-whore (not really...okay...really), I figured I should do this again. Let's get started...

1. Studio City

Okay, maybe I'm just a little celeb-enthused. I refuse to say "obsessed" because I seriously don't put much effort into meeting celebrities. I really don't. I go fun places with the husband and kids and run into them. I'm not Stalker Sarah, though I know her and like her. I usually run into celebrities at random places, like grocery stores and coffee shops. It's frickin' Hollywood for crap's sake! It's really not that hard! The only difference is, I have the balls to go up to a celebrity and ask them for their picture. No one has ever told me no, and then I usually have a really nice conversation with them. Every time I go to Studio City, usually to take the girls to their favorite bookstore or this kickass Farmer's Market, we run into somebody famous. Not our faults. We've now run into Ariel Winter, you know, Alex Dunphy from the hit tv show Modern Family. She's so nice and cool. I know her older sister now.

My picture, obviously.

And it's not about celebrity, because I couldn't say that I'd ask just anybody for a picture or talk to them just because they're famous. I like meeting incredible people who I admire for some reason or another. I love Modern Family! It's one of my favorite shows, that's why it's so cool to know Ariel and her sister Shanelle. Also, this past weekend, after running into them again and talking with them, my family ended up in some paparazzi pics on Just Jared Jr. and Perez Hilton. I'm not posting them because you can barely see us, standing next to Ariel. You see my back and back while Ariel is talking to me...and Laila's back...and Laila's bangs in one...and my husband's hat in another. Not really worth posting...well, okay...

My back and Trader Joe's bag. Pretty neat, huh? We were talking.

If you look to the right of this pic, you can see Laila's bangs (or Mia's, who knows, they look the same) and the top of Bry's hat! 

And in the bottom right corner, Laila. I think. Or Mia. Laila? Whatever. It's one of my twins!

Just Jared Jr.- Ariel Winter

2. This Damn Water Bottle!

I got it from Target for like $22. It keeps your water cold for 24 hours! Seriously! I fill it up at night, and since I have Hypothyroidism, I have to take my Synthroid medicine first thing in the morning, before I eat or anything, so I can just get up, take my pill, and then go back to bed if I want to. It's awesome! I take it almost everywhere with me. I even got hubby one too! I'm aware that I'm a little too excited about a damn water bottle...

You can also buy it at Amazon here.


3. HelloGiggles

Okay, I swear this isn't a plug! Yes, I write for the site, but I honestly love it! I swear, there is an article for almost every aspect of my life. When I'm bored or need inspiration, I go read other people's articles. I just read an article about Lasik surgery, because I'm considering getting it done. Seriously, it kind of eased my mind! Here's a link to that article:

http://hellogiggles.com/5-things-you-should-know-about-lasik

And for the shameless self-promotion. I wrote an article about The Wizard of Oz entitled "5 Reasons The Wizard of Oz is Still Damn Good" and it's now my most read article! It had over 3200 likes on Facebook! Mostly due to the fact that Zooey Deschanel, one of the HelloGiggles founders, shared the link on her official Facebook page. That was exciting! And they just posted my interview with Tia Mowry-Hardrict today, which Tia retweeted on Twitter. I love that site. And I love Molly McAleer for asking me to be a part of it! You can read about that too.

4. Tumblr

No disrespect to Blogger or Wordpress, but Tumblr is just so interesting! Yeah, there's a lot of sick stuff on there, like, seriously sick, but where else can I see gifs of Bastille videos I've already seen? Where else can I see pictures of pink houses and closeups of donuts? Hmmm...I'm not giving very convincing reasons of why Tumblr is so great, am I? It's also great for promotion...and stalking Bastille.

Did I say stalking? I meant admiring...

5. Luis Bunuel

Okay, I promise I'm not pretentious. I'm just an ex-film school geek who writes screenplays that are nothing like the films I love. I really need to re-write some scripts! So, lately, I've fallen in love with Luis Bunuel. I first heard of him because he was portrayed in "Midnight in Paris", one of my favorite films of all time. The film "The Exterminating Angel" was mentioned in it. In the film, a group of rich friends come from a play and go to one of their mansion's to have dinner. After dinner, no one seems to be able to leave the room! They all keep coming up with excuses not to leave. The next morning, they begin to realize that they cannot leave the damn room, let alone the house! They go to the threshold of the room, and turn around! People die. They're starving. They have no water. They stink. They can't leave the room! It's psychological! There's no door or wall holding them in...open space! But they can't leave the room! Look him up! He made other great films too that I'm going to buy and watch this week. I'm obsessed!


Follow me On Twitter you lot!

I've been performing and stuffs

Come catch me live!
May 12th, Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank
7pm $5!

Both of these shots taken at the Haha Comedy Club in North Hollywood, CA.

Oh, and here's some stupid shit I said and/or did this week: