----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ The Fabulous Adventures of Astera: Writer/Actress for Hire: Happy New Year!

The Fabulous Adventures of Astera: Writer/Actress for Hire

Meet Astera (aka: me), a star in her own mind. Our plucky little heroine has embarked on not one but two difficult, low-paying career paths: writing and acting. Witness the menial jobs! The unreasonable demands! The quirky friends and family! And the glimmer of success just ahead! Through it all, Astera maintains her core beliefs: 1) She is destined to be fabulous 2) Everything is more fun with a cocktail.

Saturday, January 01, 2005

Happy New Year!

A new year. A fresh slate. A time to strengthen one's resolve. Welcome to 2005.

But first, my husband and I said goodbye to 2004 at a fabulous party featuring the Reverend Horton Heat. It was a great show, even if our tablemates were antisocial dweebs. "He reminds me of that guy from the Citibank identity theft commercials--the one who talks about building a 'girl robot,'" whispered my husband. "And I think his date is either a call girl or a mail-order bride." It was true that the man at our table gave off a geekish vibe, what with his receding hairline, small wire-rimmed glasses and clear braces. And it is also true that his date/wife/whatever was older and, judging by the accent, from somewhere in Eastern Europe. It is also true that he seemed to be trying to impress her by ordering the most expensive champagne on the menu (Veuve Cliquot). But we were lucky to have seats. And besides, one of my New Year's resolutions is not to be so snarky and to stop passing snap judgments. Hmmm...challenging.

But I digress. The Reverend put on quite a show and Zuma Zuma, the swing band featuring Miss Connie Champagne, was a kick. But the Kitty Kitty Bang Bang burlesque girls left something to be desired. Were they intentionally bad? Was it all part of the act? Were we just spoiled by the excellent burlesque dancers we had seen at Forty Deuce in Hollywood? No matter. The girls were mildly amusing, but the show went on for far too long. We wanted to see the Reverend! Thankfully, he did not disappoint. And the free fedoras, flapper headpieces and noisemakers were a nice touch.

I personally want to thank Zuma Zuma and the Reverend for showing my husband the light. He had so much fun last night and he enjoyed the music so much that he pledged to learn to swing dance with me! Yes, folks, you read that right. Dear Greg, who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to dance lessons prior to our wedding, has said that he will voluntarily take swing dance classes. Praise be and hallelujah!

And now, on to 1/1/05. I do have some resolutions. They are as follows:
  1. Get my voiceover CD made and submit it and headshots to agents
  2. Submit headshots for open auditions as frequently as possible
  3. Research new, higher-paying career opportunities
  4. Find job that I actually like, or at least one that doesn't bore me out of my skull on a regular basis
  5. Gain control of budget and start saving
  6. Work on plans for novel
  7. Stop being so snarky and judgmental (well, perhaps except for purposes of this blog)
  8. Exercise more and lead and healthful lifestyle (hey, alcohol can be part of a healthy diet--red wine has all those flavonoids and antioxidants!)
  9. Devote more time to charitable activities (I plan to become more involved with the American Cancer Society)
  10. Maintain sense of humor and decrease stress level
  11. Be generally fabulous
  12. Win big in Vegas!

Okay, the last one is a joke...but we are going to Vegas next weekend, and who knows what could happen! In the meantime, I will redouble my job search efforts and work on my writing/acting/creative pursuits in hopes of a breakthrough. I love the new year. It is filled with opportunity!

2 Comments:

  • At 9:22 PM, Blogger Bruingirl said…

    I hate the new year. I hate everything about it. It just creeps up on you without warning and we are expected to welcome it with open arms??? No thank you! Who knows where it's been? How do we know that it's not some psycho axe-murderer?? I think it's a lurker...like that one Seinfeld episode where Elaine was working with a lurker. She gave him tic-tacs so that she can hear him coming around the corner. Can we give 2005 some tic-tacs? Please?
    Besides, I don't want to "better" myself. I'm perfect just the way I am, thank you very much.

     
  • At 5:09 PM, Blogger Katie said…

    Happy New Year! Try to catch a Cirque du Soleil show while you're there if you haven't yet seen one.

    Fab.

     

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