When foreign becomes familiar...

Whenever you are being trusted to show people around a given area, it brings to the surface how much you really know of your surroundings. And, once you have people with you who have no idea where they are, you start to realize just how familiar you have become. It is so interesting, because even in the short amount of time I have been here, I have already become extremely comfortable with the transportation systems, with the cultural challenges, with the way of life in London Yes, I still get lost, I still hate when it rains, and I still do not understand why so many people in a freaking English speaking country do not understand me when I ask for something completely normal and they stare at me as though I am spea

king another language – but I can still say with confidence that I am well-adjusted here.

 

That is why it is so strange to think that it was only four weeks ago that I came off the exact same plane my parents arrived in on this morning, and yet four weeks have transformed a foreign city into a familiar home. And showing my parents this new home has been so exciting and a little stressful, because of course, the minute they

 step off the plane the weather goes from uncharacteristically beautiful to a friggin’ down pour…. Ugh, that would happen! But even though the rain was pouring, having them in the same city as me brightened my day.

 

I woke up this morning, anticipating their phone call from the hotel to let me know they had arrived. I got myself all ready for the day, got the call, put on my new coat and headed off to theater class, where we discussed The Girlfriend Experience- that show I saw about the brothel that I found quite disturbing – and took our Midsummer quiz. Then straight away I got on the tube and took it to Lambeth North, the tube stop for the Imperial War Museum, where I was to meet up with my parents and the rest of my history class for a WWI tour led by my professor. The rain was pouring down miserably as Laura and I drudged through puddles to find out way there. Upon walking to the entrance I spotted my mom peaking from underneath her raincoat hood and I ran toward her, forgetting about the rain altogether. My poor parents were such troopers, and throughout the whole day they kept their eyes open and their chins up through the rain and the exhaustion.

 

The narrated tour of the museum was smelly (my teacher stinks really bad) and long winded – he is a good story teller, but he goes on and on and on and on forever and ever, just like this sentence – which can become boring after you have heard the exact same war hero story for the 15^th time just with a different guys name in the intro. I am all about paying my respects but we were barely able to take in the artifacts through all the droning. But my mom loves history, so she really enjoyed it, and we spent a little time there after to check out the D Day exhibit. Then we were off to Oxford Circus so they could see South Molton St – the street where I work.

 

I showed them the building door, but we did not go up because my parents wanted to meet the infamous Rob and Gordon when they had more than two hours of sleep in them, so in

stead of going up, we got a coffee and a brownie to charge us for the evening. Then we went back to my flat so they could see where I call home here. As we were walking toward the flat, I gained a new found appreciation for how lucky we are to be living in such a nice neighborhood. I cannot wait until the sun comes out, because everything in London is so much nicer blanketed in sunshine – especially Little Venice.

 

After planning our day for tomorrow (which includes Tower of London, among other top tourist attractions J ) We went to Leicester Square and had dinner at Bella Italia before going to see the show Blood Brothers. I know, I know, I am a horrible daughter for dragging my parents to a show on their first night here, knowing they would be exhausted – but we got a great group ticket discount that I couldn’t pass up. Plus, we had a really great time finding the theater from the restaurant. We got horribly lost, but after having shared a bottle of

 wine at dinner, it quickly turned into a hilarious adventure. We got to the theater just in time, and saw the show, which was your classic musical drama – kind of redundant music, and not very uplifting, but it was a very English theater experience since the characters all had Liverpool accents – which Rob and Gordon had warned me would be kind of difficult to understand – turns out, they were definitely right. At the end of some of their words they sound like they are hawking a loogie, which is not really….well….attractive. But the show was an experience, not my favorite, but definitely worth seeing.

 

Laura and I went back with my parents to their posh hotel in South Kensington, which is a beautiful area - very upscale – in fact it even has a Whole Foods on the block, which is the closest thing to a real grocery store you will find here. Laura and I are def going back to that J. After seeing their fancy, yet small room (everything here is downsized…Americans simply do everything bigger – bigger hotel rooms, bigger food portions – I suppose all to sustain our bigger bodied population J ) and grabbing some goodies my mom brought for me, Laura and I headed home – our familiar home on our familiar street in our now familiar life in London.

 

Tomorrow it is sightseeing bright and early with a hopefully well-rested duo J

 

Miss you all so much (its not the same without you here Lynnie J I love you)

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny

The time of my life...

There is something about going to the theater that is unlike any other experience. It charges me with energy and excitement and I always leave feeling moved - be it good or bad, it forces you to think and feel and be in the moment. Seeing so much theater here and being surrounded by it at my internship reminds me how much I crave being on stage and how much I miss performing, dancing and sharing in the thrill of being a part of an ensemble. But even as an audience member, the right musical can sweep you off your feet and make you feel so alive - as if it were you on stage performing yourself - not just giving the applause, but receiving it. The right musical has this effect and tonight, the final scene of Dirty Dancing did just that. But let's not get ahead of ourselves....

Today was such an amazing day! I cannot get over what an incredible time I am having and how much I love working for Robert and Gordon. We have so much fun and on top of that, I am simply in love with them. Mostly, I love that I get to be myself and we can 

laugh and share stories and enjoy each other’s company. This is an unpaid internship, but the joy it has brought me is payment enough. And to top it all off, I got to see a musical for free tonight, which is quite the perk.

Gordon is back and tan and full of fun stories from his trip to Rio! This morning I woke up, got dressed up in my dark teal dress (I had to be dolled up for the theater) and arrived first in the office after an Ipod enhanced tube ride. I began by updating the week’s white board with the appointments for the week. I also added which clients would be on holiday and which clients had castings. This is an exciting week because we are meeting with two potential clients, one of them came in today (but was crap) and in between emailing out the invoices, booking castings and calling clients

 back, we jammed out to Jennifer Hudson's new album. 

An exciting highlight of the day - Robert let me call Fiona Weir’s casting office to inquire whether or not castings for Harry Potter were beginning. It was an attempt to push four of our youth clients that I have gotten to know very well through the workshop classes I h

ave been teaching with Robert. I got on the phone with Fiona’s assistant Ruth, and ensured that the other assistant Millie had received the client breakdown list that we sent her. She said in one month the development would be far along that calls would be made to agents with clients that fit their casing needs, so I plan to call back in November to push our clients at that time.

Our client Gavin WHO IS SO HOT, and SO STRAIGHT came in today to look at his new headshots and discuss future roles. It is always great to meet one of our clients, espec

ially one that I have spoken with in detail on the phone and stared longingly at his picture, waiting for him to finally enter my life. The boys said I was flirty with him, which if you ask me, I was just being kind, but I guess American nice girl can be perceived as flirtatious. He kissed me on the cheek goodbye – a lingering kiss that immediately shot me into smitten kitten central. He is 27 and has a girlfriend…. Wah wah…… but it was still very fun none the less. God he is so hot.....

So after a day of laughs, we went to dinner at Café Rouge and two glasses of wine and a chicken caesar salad later, we left for the theater where we sat row G right in the center- the most perfect seats. We were really there to see our client, Karen Williams who is the understudy of Penny and an amazing swing dancer. This morning I ordered a beautiful bouquet of flowers to congratulate her on her opening night with the show (which has been successfully running for over 2 years)! As the base began to beat, so did my heart and thus began my first West End musical experience.

The show was a complete toss up. It followed the movie to a T and you left feeling so uplifted because of the final “Time of Your Life” dance scene – I was literally dancing in my seat, I could not stay still. But the show itself was not meaty enough- they could have done so much more to expand on the plot, add musical numbers like they did with Legally Blonde, but instead it was a mix of cheesy, bad acting with a bachground track of all the songs from the movie soundtrack, which were great to hear again, but no one sang them –only four people actually sang in the show, and only for featured numbers. It kind of reminded me of a cruise ship show, which are great, but not really up to par. 

But it was still such a blast because the dancing was great, Karen was awesome and beautiful, and that last scene made the show. Plus laughing and nudging Rob and Gordon during all the cheesy “can you believe that just happened” or “what the hell was that,” parts was actually a lot of fun. The set changes and the acting were pretty bad - I mean they would have a meaningless scene to fill up time and 15 seconds later, change to another set. It was really funny. But we were still on our feet by the end and the surge of applause courses that feel good energy into my body.

After, we stood by the stage door and I met Karen and she was lovely and gave us some gossip on the show. Then Rob, Gordon and I went our separate ways on the tube and headed home. I think I know why that last scene was so amazing – yes, the choreography, the energy, the fact that the horrendous acting was almost over ;) but also because I too am having the time of my life... every day is a new experience and I just feel so lucky. 

MOMMY COMES TOMORROW!!!! cannot wait :)

Love and hugs,

Jenny

The NC State Fair has met its match :)

Since moving to NC four years ago, it has been a tradition that every year I go to the NC State Fair. It is so festive and always marks the beginning of the most magical time of the year – Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas – they all kick off with this mid- October event. The leaves have changed, the air has cooled, and you get to go with your friends, scream your head off on the rides, and eat fried candy bars, fried dough, and basically any major fod group with the word “fried” in front of it. It is a heart attack waiting to happen, but it is one of my favorite traditions. But this year, I am in London, and Laura and I both – she being an NC native who has gone to the fair every year since she can remember – have been very sad about missing out. But today I made a discovery that makes missing the fair a little more bearable. I should have known London would have a way to make even this all better.

 

Today I woke up at 11 am, had some breakfast, did some crunches (I am trying to be good and counter all the delicious food I have been eating) and got ready for a fun filled afternoon with Kelsey and Katie exploring our NC State Fair substitute - Camden Market.

 

This market is unreal. It is set up every weekend and it is essentially a weekly festival of amazing specialty food and fashion – fudge, cookies, colorful candies, brownies, teas, every type of cuisine you could imagine from Indian to Chinese, Italian, Argentinean Sausage, Mexican, Thai – you name it, there was a booth nestled into this market maze waiting to serve you (or even give you free samples if you asked… and boy did I ask!). There were racks of amazing vintage clothes, music, books – it was really remarkable and bustling on a Sunday afternoon. And it is only about a 2.5 mile walk from our flats in Little Venice along the Regent Canal to get there- which is a beautiful canal that narrow boats ride up and down. You pass part of the Zoo, plus tons of amazing mansions that looked like they belonged in the Hollywood hills. It was YET AGAIN an unprecedented beautiful blue sky day, the temperature was quite warm, I was wearing a tank top and had to roll up my jeans into capris because the sun was actually beaming down. The walk was a bit of a work out, which was great because the beautiful scenery made the time fly by. I am definitely going to run down the canal on my own more often, especially on lovely days like today.

 

When we arrived at the market, we walked around and were immediately taken by how busy it was. People from all over the world were gathered to share in the market experience, taste all the different cuisine and revel in the gorgeous day. For lunch I got a savory crepe filled with ham, cheese and spinach, which was really good AND I bought this adorable cropped pea coat with tulip sleeves – it is so British and adorable, and an amazing deal – only 25 pounds, which is only like 47  US dollars, and this coat would definitely cost more than that in the states. So, naturally, I am thrilled about my stylish bargain, and cannot wait for Monica to see it and be totally jealous of my good find J.

 

We ducked in and out of shops and after tiring of the crowds, ventured back along the canal as the sun began to lower and the temperature began to cool. Along the way we stopped to take pictures, look at the animal cages since the canal runs along the back of the London Zoo, and even get some soft serve vanilla ice cream (which was specialty ice cream that tasted more like frozen whipped cream – it was interesting, but delicious on a hot day).

 

After walking back from the market, we just had a lazy evening cooking spaghetti bolognaise, showering, catching up on homework and watching DVD’s.

 

It was yet another amazing day, and I cannot wait to go back to Camden market again – not to mention, explore the tons of other markets this city has to offer. How great is that?! I have two more months to go back and try different foods and really take my time experiencing things to the fullest. I love that this is not just a vacation. Anyone who has been to London for just a week cannot even come close to understanding how amazing it is because you need time to appreciate it. London is like a fine wine, it only get better with time. I don’t know how I am going to squeeze everything I love about London into five days with Mom and Don, but I am certainly going to try! I cannot believe they get here Tuesday morning! What an exciting week ahead.

 

Not to mention, GORDON IS BACK TOMORROW!!! I am so excited to have him back and the office and we are all going to see Dirty Dancing the new musical together and I simply CANNOT WAIT! Oo! Maybe it will be just cold enough for me to wear my posh new coat J. Plus, Jennifer Hudson’s album comes out tomorrow, and Robert and I are so excited, so that should make for a fun Monday morning.

 

Another feel good day in London, which makes missing the state fair and missing all of you a little more bearable. Plus, what a great week ahead to look forward to J

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny

Before the parade passes by....

They say all good things come to end. Now that we have been here for about a month, we have realized how good this experience is, and in turn how real it is that in two months (which are sure to fly by) this too, will come to an end. It is a scary realization, amplified by the fact that in January my life will be so completely different – more hectic, more academically rigorous, back to the Elon grind. And even further amplified by the fact that each day I am loving London more and more. And today was no exception.

 

This morning, Laura and I (again, unbeknownst to us because it is so dark in our basement flat) slept until NOON! Can you believe it? I was woken up by my cell phone ringing, which never happens – and it was a lady from my school calling about something silly – and I was like, what the heck is this lady calling me and waking me up at the crack of dawn. I end the call and check the time and it is 12:03 pm….I was shocked. This never happens to me, and we only have so much time here, I can sleep in America J. So naturally, I woke up immediately not wanting to waste the day because I really don’t like sleeping in that late if I can help it. Yes, I did feel refreshed and revitalized, and it was nice getting the extra rest, but there is still so much to see and do.

 

So, Laura and I ran to the Tesco to pick up some groceries and then fixed a little brunch for ourselves before throwing on our gym clothes and walking to Regent Park for an afternoon workout. We walked for about an hour and a half around the beautiful park and it was the most gorgeous day. I am almost afraid to jinx it, but the weather has been so incredible and the funny thing is, when you spend days in the gloomy rain, you really begin to appreciate the sun when it shines for a rare visit. The gentle breeze swept through the park, there were families picnicking on the grass by the roses, there were tons of rugby and football (which is soccer, remember) games being played on the fields, children riding their bikes, feeding the ducks, and frolicking around, and my favorite – mom’s pushing their babies in these sweet prams holding their husbands hands. Ooo, and we saw a couple sitting on a park bench and she had her head on his lap and they were both reading, just like in Notting Hill. It was so adorable and the day was just so beautiful.

 

After our walk we tubed (I am making this a verb from now on J ) to the street where we go to school (about a ten minute commute) to take out money (always a joy….) and buy some folders to organize our school notes. Then we headed home and before we knew it – meaning some crunches, cleaning up the flat, and a shower later – it was 6 pm and the girls all started coming home from their Saturday dates with the city.

 

Last night we ended up going out to Oxford Circus and just having a chill night at one of the local bars –low key and I was home by midnight – but still we went out, even though we originally planned to stay in. But tonight we decided, no ifs and or buts, we are staying in and having a girls night. So we all cooked our dinners (Laura and I made a delicious chicken and veggie stir fry), sat around and talked, painted nails, and caught up with each other’s days and thoughts. Seven girls all together makes for some hard laughs and interesting conversations from which cursive letters we like to write more (a J was right up there, which made me proud) to how we were going to keep from smelling our history professor in class J. Then the boys from upstairs (Josh, Mike, James and Nick) came down and visited for a while, amused by our girly antics. We then pushed the couches together and huddled around Katie’s laptop and watched The Holiday, which to this day is one of my top three favorite movies of all time. I mean, when you have Jude Law, London and Christmas time in one movie, it naturally becomes a top three. Which brings me to my next rant – I am in love with London.

 

I know I rave about the food, the sights, the parks, the people, but I cannot express to you how much I love this city. I love how I feel walking to my job, getting on and off the tube on my own, figuring out how to get places, finding my way and feeling like I belong. I love the parks and all the families around, the area we live in and how there is always something to do. And of course there are things I hate too, like how hot the tube is, the rain, etc – nothing is perfect, but today truly was.

 

And then, bam – it hit us – it won’t always be this way. Laura and I had this revelation on the tube that eventually (and while it seems in the far future, it is really only two months away) we will be leaving this place we have completely fallen in love with. And while I miss my family, friends so much and of course I occasionally miss Elon (meal plans and Saturday football games especially, but I must admit, being there is going to be so boring in comparison to being able to hop on a tube and be at Buckingham Palace, Thames River, the theater, museums, parks, every kind of food you could imagine - besides for JIF peanut butter, but we can overlook that) it is going to be hard to leave. I mean here, there is such an amazing night life, and of course, cute boys with even cuter accents, and being here has been so great already, I can only imagine how fond of it I will be come the end. I love Rob and Gordon and I love the girls in my flat, and even though we all go to Elon, things change when you change environments and you are not all living together and sharing an experience.

 

But every great beginning and middle has a great end, and I know this chapter has to come to a close eventually. And when it does, I just feel so glad I will be embraced by family and friends who have missed me and a very special man who never does me wrong – SANTA! Coming home for Christmas will be so worth leaving all this behind, but still, the reality of it all does make us sad sometimes. However, when change is anticipated, inevitable, and unwanted, we sometimes have a tendency to spend our time jumping ahead to the future, and I am really trying to stay present in the moment. Someone told me before I left, don’t just do – be. And so I am trying to be present here and push those thoughts out of my mind, and of course remind myself of how amazing it will be to be reunited with all of you – something I think about everyday.

 

And what better way to be present than with a good chick flick?! Mission accomplished. After the movie, we all parted to our bedrooms for another good night sleep; glad that we have a whole other day off tomorrow to hopefully wake up at a more reasonable hour and enjoy every moment we have here before this parade passes by.

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny

To be brief....or not so brief... that is the question

What a beautiful day out today! The temperature is so mild and breezy and the sun was out, blue skies in sight! The weather must know my mama is coming! On Tuesday to be exact and I couldn't be more excited :)

Sorry for the delay in posting, it has been a busy two days and I am actually off in a bit, so this will be a brief update. I will have more time to write this weekend!

Yesterday I went for a run and then we headed off to class. My run was kind of a bore and I had very little energy. The wind kept throwing cob webs from the trees into my face and I was just not feeling it. But then, about midway through my jog, this old woman past me (what is it with me and old ladies?) but she called out to me, "I wish I could be doing that," and in that moment, sappy as it sounds, I was uplifted at the fact that here I am complaining about silly cobwebs when at least I can freakin run.... bit of a reality check and it made me glad I was young and in London and had the ability to work off all the food I have been eating :) It was one of those moments you just feel a little lucky inside.

My goal is not to come home with the study abroad twenty (you know, there is the freshman 15 and the study abroad 20....pounds of course...) well not if I have anything to say about that... and so far, so good :) I do so much walking and going up and down escalators here, it would be impossible for me to become a complete heffer.... so thank goodness for that.

Anyways (so much for being brief I just spent a whole paragraph on my morning jog...) I went to my history class, which was same old same old and then from there James, Ashley, Mike, Jen and I went to a pub and had an afternoon beer :) (where I kept my eye on the dirnk the whole time, no worries parents) Then we went to a BBC Radio show taping as a part of one of our classes, and I had to pee so bad the entire time - it was completely painful and I could not leave. I was so about to burst....I vow never again to drink a pint of any kind of liquid before going anywhere.... ever again. But it made for a good laugh :)

Our advisor Brooke then took us to Spaghetti House for dinner (you would think we were in Italy with all the Italian food we have been eating - but I love it!) and we had a lovely (and on her) dinner, which was really delicious. Afterward, the girls and I got all dolled up and went to Zoo Bar, a club in Piccadilly. It was a real blast, tons of dancing and music and techno lights, and we had a really good time. After we went to a Karaoke bar and I sang "I Love Rock n Roll" Britney Spears style and got a standing ovation... it was a proud moment.

Today, I went into the office so that on Wednesday I can spend the whole day sight seeing with mom and Don. I had such a blast. Of course it was the usual grind of castings and phone calls- by now you have the idea of what I do in the office. But it was such a fun Friday, just doing work and hanging out. Then Robert took me out to lunch at this awesome restaurant called Slug in the Lettuce or something like that, which sounds absolutely disgusting, but it was an amazing menu and I had really good chicken, and the bread was really good too. I know I always put so much emphasis on food, but it was a highlight. Plus the conversation was so fun. I gave Rob the breakdown of what a sorority is, and he had so many cute questions - then he decided he wanted to start one with Gordon :) Very funny.

Ooo! Another high light of my day, I called this casting director, Alice, to confirm a fax number, and then I politely asked her (Rob gave me the go ahead) If she could spare one more ticket to the Broadway show Dirty Dancing on Monday night so that I could go with Rob and Gordon, and she said she never does this, but that she would this once! And she wrote to Robert and said I sounded lovely so she had to give in!!! How cool is that! ? I must just have a way with directors... just kidding :) I am sure she just thought why not throw the pathetic American a bone...
So now I get to go to the show for free with my two buds :) Cannot wait!

A client, Adrian came in today and watching him and Rob interact was so funny, the things they talk about and the way they talk to each other was really entertaining :) Adrian is amazing too, and had just come from an audition for Cats which is touring in Germany, so it was really cool to meet him - I love meeting our clients.

As for right now, I am sitting in the office and watching GREYS ANATOMY SEASON 5 EPISODE 1...that is right my friends...Rob hooked me up! He has a downloader that gives the episodes for free...I am sure it is illegal or something, but who cares :) I am in heaven!

I think after last night, the girls are staying in tonight, so that will be fun :) maybe I will reenact the Grey's episode for them so they don't feel left out :) I must practice my acting skills anyways to be a help to the children ;)

More soon.... (I said this would be brief.... I guess I don't have the ability to be brief once I get rolling...)

Love and Hugs,
Jenny

Kids say the darndest things :)

When I was a kid, my mom, sister, Don and I always used to watch Kids Say the Darndest Things, and I remember cracking up laughing at the crazy things that children would say, but sometimes not always believing that it was raw and real. However, being a part of the kids acting workshop has made me realize just how hilarious kids can be - you would have thought a summer of nannying might have brought this out, but when kids are performing it is completely different, and you just never know in improv situations what is going to come flying from their mouth. 

Tonight at the workshop one of our six year olds said in an improv skit that she was going to win the spelling test because she wasn't just a dumb black! It was so outrageous coming from a six year old in her cute little british accent and we all could not stop laughing. At the end of the class, when I had to leave, she reached her arms up to me for a hug and I pulled her up, gave her a squeeze and whispered in her ear "Jola, just so you know, no one thinks you are a dumb black sweetheart," and she giggled and squeezed me back. It was so sweet. the kids seem to really like me, which makes me feel so good. Not to mention I think I have really valuable things to say to contribute to the class. I was bummed I had to leave early to go to the theatre to see a show for my class because I loved being there with the kids.  AND I have a show next Wednesday too.... I know there are worse things then having to leave to go to the theater, but I only have so much time with them and getting to know them and then push them to casting directors is my project. Oh well, "academics come first...." yadda yadda....

Anyways, the workshop was simply the end to a really fun day at the office. Robert and I get along really well and end up laughing throughout the day - all day - whether it be at my silly slip ups, funny comments, music selection or finding humor in the grind of the long, busy and sometimes intense day. He is becoming a really great friend. 

It seems that Wednesday’s are always less manic than Mondays because by the middle of the week, most castings have already been arranged for the week. Robert said that Friday’s are usually also busy because again, casting directors are beginning castings for the upcoming week, so when I go into the office on Friday (I am going in so that next Wednesday I can take the day off to sight see with my parents) I am sure I will be crazed again. 

Today I began by answering emails, answering phones calls and contacting clients about castings that came in. We had cancellations from our client, Gavin who was supposed to come in to take a look at his new headshots (and he is hot, so I got all dolled up for work, and then he didn't show :( oh well) It actually worked out because him coming in conflicted with a meeting we had planned with a possible new client, Sam Blaney. She is a 23 year old from Scotland and Robert saw her in a showcase. She was lively and really ambitious, which are two necessary characteristics to possess in this industry. But of course, it is also essential to be talented, and while I did not see her performance, Robert says that she is quite good. However, the main reason Robert wants to represent her is because he does not already have a Scottish actress and diversity in an agency is crucial. She is having meetings with some other agents in London, but we hope she will sign with us come the end of the week.

Before and after the meeting I worked on converting all of the youth client resumes to the new format that I designed. It is a tedious process and consumed most of my day. The formatting changes depending on the client and how many credits they have, and everything needs to be typed in perfectly to ensure that the casting director has an accurate breakdown to assess when looking for actors with certain characteristics. And there are about 40 to be done. It definitely is a process, that is for sure. It was so funny because so many had their height in meters and I had to pull up trusty google and do conversions - what a pain. 

Tonight, as I mentioned we also had the workshop, so we searched out monologues for the kids to perform and organized what the agenda for the class would be. We also ordered a bunch of child monologues books this afternoon for future classes, which will provide exciting new material for the children to work on with me in future classes. The children are really beginning to progress in their skills. We are right now working on developing a more conversational tone in their delivery, and they are starting to pick up the technique really well - when they are not making diva comments or cracking up the class. I must admit, they are really fun. They all came into today and we were discussing whether Camp Rock or High School Musical was better... it was a full on debate, as those of you who know me well know, I totally favor HSM. They also loved that I knew all the songs, which was funny. And they respect me, which is really nice. 

After I left the workshop early, I went to see "The Girlfriend Experience," which is a straight play at the Royal Court that is about a brothel here in London. It is a documentary turned into a play - meaning that the director went to a real brothel and followed around four women who worked there for a set time and recorded all their words. Those exact words are constructed into dialogue for the play, meaning that nothing is fiction. The added element of interest was that each actor was wearing head phones in which the audio interviews of the women were being fed into their ears and they were say the line as they heard it, with the exact inflection, pauses and breaths of the actual person. It is a very interesting concept on a very raunchy topic, which eventually made me feel a bit sad and uncomfortable. They were all massively overweight and smoking and drinking and it all just felt very dirty - but the concept to take real life dialogue to portray these women's reality, I thought was really inventive and clever. While it didn't sit well with me, there is something to be said for the courage and innovation of the director, and it had its humorous moments as well :). 

To go from a six year old's sweet hug to a play with women's double f boobs flinging around, was a transition, to say the least. But overall, a good day full of laughs. Laughing, I think, is the best thing anyone can do. Seeing humor in the good, the young, the sweet and the saggy (referring to the boobs of course) is really important, because without laughter, everything is just a little less exciting. Laughing brings color to the day. And the truth is, when it comes to kids saying the darndest things, they usually have the courage to say the thing that mostly everyone in the room is thinking anyways, so I say, good for them :)

 Love and hugs, Jenny

ps- if you love me, you will find a way to enable me to watch the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy tomorrow..... please find a way.... I am very sad :( 

All caught up

After last nights posts and writing an entire history paper, I am creatively drained. I am not eloquent or descriptive- I have nothing left to give :) So here is my day - cut and dry :)

I woke up this morning and got to school a bit early because I had an internship meeting with my coordinator to make sure everything was going well. After walking up three flights of stairs - TWICE - because I couldn't find the office - I finally sat down and we talked about how great everything was going. I really don't have many concerns, and I think Robert knows that it will take a little while before my phone skills get more comfortable - aka, understanding what the heck the person is saying on the other line. But otherwise, everything has been smooth sailing.

After the short meeting, I went to my theater class where we discussed the show we saw last night, Hedda Gabler. It was a modern day interpretation set in Notting Hill and it was so fantastic. The acting was phenomenal and the setting was extremely intimate- only seated about 40 people on velvet cushioned benches just inches away from the performers who are not elevated on a stage, but rather use the small room as the entire set. You felt completely enveloped by the action. The students in my class all loved it, and we analyzed it, discussing set, wardrobe, plot differences from the original to the modern interpretation, likes and dislikes.

After eating my packed lunch, it was off to history where we had a seminar to prepare for our first essay - this just means we broke up into groups, analyzed documents and answered discussion questions. We were let out at 3 pm and I decided to go into the office (just a short three tube stops away on the Central Line) and visit Robert - not to mention use the computer and free Internet to start my paper. He was a little startled when I came in because he wasn't expecting me, which was funny, and then we caught up before I got to work. He headed off to some auditions and I had the office to myself. It is like my own library - totally quiet, and I must admit I have been needing to get away from the flat of seven girls and have some time to myself.

So needless to say I stayed here until 7 pm and wrote my whole paper :) I wanted to get it done before mom came anyways, and I was just on a roll. It definitely needs editing, but 1,873 words later, I am a lot closer to completion than I was this morning :) yay!

And now I am about to leave the office and do nothing for the rest of the night but watch Friends or a movie or maybe I will even go out and buy Sex and the City the movie - yea right, pay 20 pounds for a DVD (that is 40 bucks....)... no way, BUT MAYBE MOM WILL BRING IT TO ME! (hint hint :) So I am going to RELAX now that I am all caught up.... ah, that feels good to say.

Miss and love you all
Jenny

How time flies.....

So I just finished my Wales entry which took FOREVER, and I am so creatively drained right now, but I don't want to get behind in my days :) So here it goes.... if this is dry, I apologize :)

After recovering last night from our weekend, I woke up this morning feeling tired and a bit hesitant to start a new week. But time is funny like that. It doesn't care what you want, it just keeps moving forward and you must move with it. So i did, and it moved me at a rapid pace.

Yet another Monday morning in the office at Kelly Management – a day I have come to find is quite busy and hectic, but in a way that is not just challenging but also gratifying. Today I was busy making the usual casting calls between clients and directors, filling out the invoices and emailing them out, answering the phone, and doing some filing of billing slips as well as photos and contracts.

There have been a couple of challenges I have come across that I thought would get easier, but simply haven’t. Answering the phone is always a little unnerving because it is sometimes hard for me to decipher the accent on the other end. Some people speak so fast and they are all in a hurry so you don’t want them to ask you to repeat something a million times because that is just unprofessional. Not to mention, I have Robert sitting right across from me so every embarrassing fumble or slip up – for instance I was writing down a fax number from this man with a thick Scottish accent and he was saying the number 3 but it sounded like the letter V and I thought, that is strange, a letter in a fax number, and of course I was corrected upon reading it back to him, which was just embarrassing. Robert is really easy-going so it doesn’t bother him, but I don’t want to look stupid, or make the company look stupid. What I need to do, as well, is memorize the client list so that I can be very familiar with names and spellings. It is a cultural adjustment getting used to speaking with people who do not enunciate, learning how to work the fax machine and answering all of Gordon’s emails while he is away, but I am managing. I am not overwhelmed, just very busy, but busy is good because it means I am learning and working hard.

            Robert and I were talking today about my internship paper topic and I have decided to write on the relationship between casting directors and agents and what a crucial and yet delicate dynamic it is, but how without it, this business would not sustain.  I am looking forward to meeting with more casting directors next week for lunches once Gordon returns. Also, I booked tickets for two Mountview Theatre performances to attend with Gordon and Robert – one is Merrily We Roll Along and the other is Children of Eden.  I am really looking forward to not only seeing these performances, but also seeing how Gordon and Robert’s opinion of the show varies from mine seeing as they are coming from an agents perspective.

In addition, this morning we auditioned a young actress who is 21 and has done very minimal work but is looking to switch agents – she is currently with an agency that represents more youth talent, and she is slipping out of that category with age. However, she came to the audition very unprepared, her answers were not confident and strong and her vocal performance – in Robert’s opinion – was very weak. It made me realize upon hearing her sing and seeing how talented I thought she was, just how difficult and cutthroat this business is. Robert has been in the business for so long and so his eye is so much more critical than a green eye like mine. It just goes to show that you really have to have the IT factor to get good representation, because I, being quite naive to the business, thought she had potential and was vocally brilliant, but Robert didn’t think she was good enough. So I am learning to have a more critical eye, which is imperative to have in the business if you want to run a successful agency.

            The big project of the day was making the final changes to the client CV format and I was able to make those changes and got Robert’s approval of the design. Now the on-going challenge is going to be changing all the clients CV’s to fit the new format, which is quite daunting and will be an on-going process in the upcoming weeks. One more workday for me until Gordon comes back, and I look forward to having him back in the office.

After work (I locked up at about 6:15pm), I took the tube to Notting Hill Gate to see the modern adaptation of the show Hedda Gabler for my theatre class. It was so fantastic. I really loved it! Then I came home and blogged... for the rest of the night. It is now 12:45 a.m my time and I am sooo wiped, but thankfully caught up. Tomorrow, it is back to school, but I should have some free time after class to rest, go for a run and write some more :)

love and hugs,

Jenny

 

 

Weekend in Wales

There are 641 castles in Wales. 641. And how many real castles do we have in America? Well certainly not 641, if any. I find this to be really eye opening. I live in a country that seems to me as though it has existed forever because it has been all I have really known. Yes, the history classes in grade school teach you of European history, but the true amazement of it all gets lost in translation, belittled by the pages of a textbook. I have come to find that to truly grasp history – to understand its vast greatness – you have to be among it – feel it and see it. To stand in a castle, an abbey, or a burial ground that dates back thousands upon thousands of years is remarkable, untouchable, and in a lot of ways, unreal. But this weekend, it was real, as we traveled to Cardiff, Wales.

 

Friday morning, bright and early our adventure began. After showering, eating breakfast and finishing packing, we left the flats at 8:30 am and headed to Paddington Station (only one tube stop away) where we took the 9:15 a.m. train (my first European train rife J to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Before piling onto the train I swiped a cookie sample from Millies Cookies and have not tasted a better cookie before in my entire life. Needless to say, I am going back to Paddington to buy a cookie – but I digress. It had been a while since I had been on a train and riding out of the city into the rolling hills of greenery reminded me of classic Hollywood train rides, like in Harry Potter or in the Polar Express – yes, I am referencing children’s movies here, but it had that magical feel knowing we were going on our first trip out of England to a place of legends and medieval roots – a place that I have come to consider really quite majestic.

 

We arrived at 11:30 a.m and excitedly got off the train ready to encounter this new country. It was just a five-minute walk to our hostel, The River House, which was such a warm and inviting little home. The owners introduced us to their cat named Lola, and were really kind. The hostel had a nice kitchen and the amenities were clean, which was reassuring seeing as I had never stayed at a hostel and I was a bit nervous of how the conditions would be. But it was great, and what was ever greater than the clean sheets and bathrooms was the common room, fully equipped with a flat screen TV and…. drum roll please…. CABLE! It was amazing to channel surf yet again – oh how I missed the feel of the clicker beneath my hand J But no no, I did not watch TV the whole time – we had quite a packed agenda.

 

After stowing our things up at the third floor in one of the rooms and conquering the very narrow stairs all the way up (quite a welcome work out) we ventured out onto the streets of Cardiff, beneath the beautiful blue sky, sun beaming and temperature just warm enough to leave our jackets back in the room. We first had lunch at this cute mom and pop restaurant called Truffles, which was delicious. The city of Cardiff was like a hopping downtown of any bigger suburb – it was certainly not a city, but it had a great quality about it – lots of little shops and restaurants, clean streets and much more quiet and residential feeling than big London. At Truffles I had a delicious grilled ham and cheese, which I hadn’t had since being here, and that was really good. We polished off our lunch with some amazing chocolate fudge cake with vanilla gelato (I am telling you, for desserts, Europe is where it is at! Everything is AMAZING here….).

 

Literally across the street from these shops and restaurants was our first sight-seeing stop of the trip – a visit to Cardiff Castle. This beautiful piece of Welch history boasts over 2,000 years of stories and legends. Before we toured, there was a really cheesy multimedia presentation that we sat through, which was hard not to laugh at - it was such a Disney wannabe, and we continued to make fun of it for the rest of the day. It made me miss Disney, which led me to miss the family of course J but was a funny inside joke amongst us and something I will definitely remember.

 

All nostalgia, however, was quickly replaced by sheer amazement. The spectacular interiors were beautiful – I still cannot get over how detailed and purposefully designed every room was. The rooms had themes – for instance the nursery walls were covered in tiles depicting all the classic fairy tale stories. And what is even more surprising is that this castle – this immense and glorified fortress - was simply a summer home for a family, who at the time, were the wealthiest in the world. Can you even imagine having that much money to build something you were only in eight weeks out of the year?

 

We looked around, led by a tour guide who had a very strange and awkward demeanor, but we blew past that, simply in awe of our surroundings. To paint a picture (since we were only able to sneak in a couple since there was a no picture rule) the rooms were very Harry Potter-esque, but smaller in size than anything in Hogwarts of course, it just felt very medieval and every wall was elaborately decorated – nothing was plain or understated, and every room was themed. Afterwards, we were able to walk to the grounds checking out a sub-castle that stood on a near hill. We climbed all the way to the top and saw the beautiful views of the Welch countryside, accompanied by two Canadian hockey players we met on the tour, who were also traveling and whose company was a lovely addition to the day J.

 

After seeing the castle, we took a tour bus one way to the Cardiff Bay. While on the double decker bus (actually, our first, believe it or not) we took tons of pictures of the sights around Cardiff. We were dropped off by this huge silver fountain and explored this really sweet area that was dressed with a carousel, tons of shops and restaurants all bordering the sailboats wading in the sparkling water. We walked around and then ended up eating at Pizza Express, which surprising from the name, is actually a very nice Italian chain here is Europe that makes a delicious salad with chicken and bread sticks and a tasty mustard and balsamic dressing. Dinner was fun because we all sat together as a group (there were eight students, Brooke, Tom and their two kids – which seeing them as a family made me miss mine) and shared stories about life at home or our experience so far. After dinner and waiting for the bus (a little longer than we had expected), we went back to the hostel, got in our pajamas and watched two blessed hours of cable television before going to sleep.

 

On Saturday morning we woke to a delicious and all-inclusive breakfast. There was bread and four kinds of cereals, coffee, oatmeal, and yogurt! But the best part was the Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread, which, when combined with peanut butter on toast is heavenly. After getting ready and filling our tummies with deliciousness, we met our guide Sir Paul and had a full day on a mini coach, just fit for us twelve for a packed day of exploring the beautiful sights of Wale’s vast and historic countryside and coastal region. First stop was the Dylan Thomas centre, a museum dedicated to the legendary poet and writer.

 

The museum was set up very modernly in a small room with great displays and artifacts. I knew nothing of Dylan Thomas’s work, so I read the timeline and learned a lot about his life and his influence on poetry and literature – his most known work was the poem “Under Milk Wood.” The large murals outlined how this man, troubled by addiction – a womanizer and alcoholic – but gifted with the ability to eloquently paint a masterpiece with words – came to be and came to die by an unidentified cause at the young age of 39. There was also a special room dedicated to the film that is coming out staring Kiera Knightly and Sienna Miller about Dylan’s life – the trailer looks great, but I am blanking on the name of it now. Regardless, I am definitely going to see it! The museum was a short stop along the way, but surprisingly interesting.

 

We then made our way down to Gower Peninsula where we walked the beautiful coastal paths of the Swansea bay. We stopped first at an area called Mumbles and then journeyed down the coast by walking along the rocks and cliffs that towered over the ocean below. It was stunning and the weather could not have been more beautiful. We had lunch at this little café that was on a cliff that directly overlooked the coastline. The deserted beach below, sprinkled with a few children running around barefoot, and a couple of adventurous people surfing in the water, was so serene and inviting. At the cafe, which had the greatest views, I had a goat cheese salad, which turned out to just be a hunk of goat cheese, and not so much a salad, but it was still good and then we had an hour or two to venture and explore the beautiful mountains and cliffs that overlooked the sea. It was one of those places that Fit TV would totally film Namaste Yoga or something – meaning it was so tranquil and calming, with the wind blowing and believe it or not, sheep gathering in a small pasture just across the way. It could not have been more humbling and beautiful.

 

After spending the afternoon by the coast, taking pictures, throwing the Frisbee around with Paul, Tom and the kids Lily and Jack (the 8 and 4 year old kids of Brooke, our faculty advisor – ps: mom, you would have been so proud, I was the only girl who could really throw it thanks to you! You taught me well!) walking around, writing our names in the sand and breathing in the calm, we drove down the very narrow roads to a Neolithic burial chamber. This sounds as though it is going to quite a sight, when in truth it was more like a small pile of rocks forming tombs in the middle of a large field, but the story that bones from over 50 bodies were buried there thousands of years ago as a sacred ritual was surreal to touch. The rocks we saw had been there for over thousands of years (I apologize for the vagueness, but it was hard to remember all the facts). Regardless of the certain amount, to be amongst something that had sustained the test of time transported me back and allowed me to feel truly present with the past.

 

The final stop of the day was Weobley castle. This was a fortress set up by foreign invaders. It was quite small in comparison to some of the other castles we had seen resting on hillsides along the way, but it was still really neat to explore. It sits on land owned by a farmer, so there were sheep grazing in the terrain below. Again, it was great to see and explore yet another defining characteristic of the rich history of Wales and a great end to the day.

 

We were back to Cardiff around 6 pm, and parted with Paul, who was a fantastic tour guide, but would be reunited with him in the morning for some more touring. We decided to beat the morning rush by taking evening showers and besides, we were wind blown from the day at the coast. A shower at a hostel is a tight and interesting experience. It was like showering in a tube, barely able to really move around much, but I managed of course, but only after running into walls a bit – all part of the experience I guess.

 

We then went back into town for dinner, and finally (upon much frustrating searching for something delicious yet affordable) settled on another Italian restaurant (ironic how we keep eating all this Italian food, but the traditional Welch food is only sold in pubs, and by the time we got out for dinner, the pubs weren’t serving food anymore) where I got what was essentially a paper thin calzone stuffed with spinach and ricotta and topped with an alfredo sauce. It was delectable J. 

 

We then walked home and watched some more TV because the nightlife of Wales – where every night is like Halloween – was a bit overwhelming and we were exhausted from the day. It was funny though to see as we were walking home how they dress up in full costume and run around the streets in and out of pubs. I guess the Welch are hard partiers. In fact, Cardiff is apparently one of the more crazy party towns in the UK, which is a shocking statistic if you see it by day. But it was fun to even just witness a bit of the culture of their nightlife.

 

After watching two episodes of Sex and the City with four random guys - one from Greece, two from Germany and another from Virginia - all staying at the hostel, and all of whom entered the room sadly just a few minutes too late since we had already turned the TV into chick flick central, we went to sleep in our tight room, filled wall to wall with three bunk beds. We went to sleep with a smile on our face though because we had not only had our fill of cable, but also because we made new international friends and their company was really entertaining. They were a lot of fun and really good sports for sticking around to watch our girly TV with us.

 

Sunday was another early morning. We packed up all of our things, and had another filling breakfast, and then we were back on the bus with Paul and his beloved Welch music (which reminded Laura and I so much of Epcot and Busch Gardens, which we thought was really funny that we would connect it to that). Our first stop was Rhaglan castle, followed by Tintern Abbey, two very beautiful and historic landmarks. There is only so much more I can say about the sights before sounding too redundant and making this post unreadably long (as if it isn’t already), but both were great to see – especially the abbey because it was so detailed and you could just see where the stained glass would have lined the openings bordered in stone and feel the sacredness of the land. We then followed our tour of the abbey with lunch at the Abbey Mill Craft Centre where we had delicious leek and potato soup (which was so good) paired with a generous baguette stuffed with white cheddar cheese and thick meaty bacon (not thin like in America, it was more like ham). It was incredible, and really cheap too, which was great!

 

We then got back on the bus and arrived at Newport station for 2:14 train back to London arriving in Paddington at 5:00 pm. The train ride was packed, with more stops then on the way down, so we were happy to get back to Warwick Avenue, what we now call home (and so does Duffy, a popular singer who is actually from Wales who wrote a song all about Warwick Avenue that we love!)

 

So as it turns out, there is so much more to see and do than I could have ever imagined in Wales. Granted, we were not able to see all 641 castles, but our time spent there was so peaceful and full of laughter. To get out of the city, watch Sex and the City, and have an opportunity to miss the city all over again, was all a real blast, and I would definitely suggest a weekend in Wales to any American who needs a bit of a reminder that so much happened before we dropped in.

 

If you made it this far, you deserve a huge hug – so close your eyes, I am hugging you!

 

Miss you all so much!

 

Jenny

Me and the Queen

The more I take in all these sights around me, the more I am constantly amazed at the spectrum of wealth there is in the world. There are children starving in Africa, there are people like you and me living a middle class or upper middle class life, and then there is the Queen – born into privilege, living in a freaking palace that is so grand that just walking through the state rooms is a major tourist attraction. Isn’t that just unbelievable. One woman has all of that, and she was born into it! It just amazes me. And yet in brought something else to the surface.

Being here, working with the casting agency, and being around all this history, I am beginning to see that at the end of the day, we are all just people. Celebrity, royalty, fame and fortune…. I am not going to deny it certainly makes things easier, but at the heart of it all, the Queen may be THE QUEEN, but she is also just a woman. And let me tell you, I took a good look and she doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty of my grandmas J. (see what I mean? :) 

 

These thoughts all came flooding to me during my busy day. This morning I woke, showered and got ready for class. We had history at 1:30pm, but our professor didn’t show up until 2pm. That is so annoying! We were seriously just two names away from completing an attendance list and then walking out when the smelly thing hustled through the door to the immense disappointment of every restless student in the room. He then went on for an hour talking more about World War I. He spoke in great detail of the horrible living conditions in the trenches and what a man-made hell the war became. Come the end of class, I was actually glad the man showed up. While the lecture was actually really disturbing, it restored my appreciation for the life I live. I realize it sounds so sappy, but I could never have that kind of bravery. Hell, I complain that we don’t have a dishwasher here, that I can feel the springs in my bed, and that the tube can be so miserably hot. I know it is all relative, but after hearing all of that, I realize how lucky I am to not only be having this experience, but to just have a safe and healthy family and friends and a roof over my head. 

So it was a humbling morning.

And then I went to the palace… Buckingham Palace.

Laura, Brett, Kelsey and I got out of class at 3pm, BUT they stop selling tickets for the Buckingham tour at 3:30pm so we knew we were going to have to book it. Little did we know, it is quite the commute from school and we literally ended up running through Hyde Park to make it in time. We probably looked like criminals who had just mugged a poor lady or something the way we were sprinting, but, our efforts were worth it - we made it just in time! It was another one of those movie moments – like when the guy is chasing after the girl to get to her just before she leaves forever – except in our case it was three girls and a guy chasing after a palace – okay, so not the same thing, but go with it. Anyways, we were probably stupid for planning to squeeze it in, but with Wales this weekend, and the tours closing on the 29^th, we wanted to make sure we saw it. And I am so glad we did.

The palace was unreal. There are no words to describe the sheer awe I felt just to see how immaculate every distinct room was. And the amazing part is, we only saw like 1/8 of the palace. It reminded me a lot of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, which of course made me miss home, but more than that, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up and actually live a daily life in such a grand setting. The ballroom was set up just like it is when the Queen holds the biyearly State dinners. Every piece of silverware and gold-rimmed china is MEASURED (like by hand, with a ruler) to make sure the table is set perfectly. It was all just so unbelievable. We listened to the guided tour, which had classical music and a lively British host, which really set the mood and gave us insight into what we were seeing.

 

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth is queen of more than just the UK - yes she is queen of Canada and Australia, Jamaica and a bunch of other common wealth countries. Not to mention, during the German blitzes on WWII she insisted on staying in the palace in London to be close to her people, even though that put her in the heart of danger. Another fun fact, she also supports the occasional useof marijuana seeing as her doctor prescribed it to her for her arthritis – no, no, that was not a part of the guided tour, our professor told us that. But still, imagine the Queen rolling a doobie….is that even what it is called? That gave us quite a laugh. Seriously, picture that…. It will make you smile.

Anyways, seeing the palace was a lot of fun, and well worth the race to get there. After, we stopped and got some soft serve ice cream on our way to the tube, and then went to Embankment to go back to Giraffe, that great burger restaurant on the pier. It has an awesome dinner deal on Monday – Friday from 5 -7pm, and so it was a filling way to end the day.

We all came home, Laura and I ran to the Tesco for an after dinner treat, watched Friends, and packed for our weekend trip to Wales. We leave tomorrow at 8:30 am, and here is the itinerary: We arrive in Cardiff, Wales at 11:30, where we will check in to our hostel, tour a castle and then have some time to walk around the city and explore. On Saturday we have a guide and coach for a full day (9-6pm) of exploring the Gower (beautiful coastal paths and Bays, Swansea bay, Weobley castle, the Dylan Thomas centre and Neolithic burial chamber).   Then we are back to Cardiff by 6 pm and enjoy the nearby pubs and restaurants in town. On Sunday we have coach and guide for a half day, leaving Cardiff at 9am for Tintern Abbey and having lunch at the Abbey Mill Craft Centre before the trip to Raglan castle. We will get to Newport station for 2:38 train back to London arriving in Paddington at 4:00. So it will be busy, but should be very exciting, so long as these bus drivers know how to drive – please no nausea this trip!

 

But this also means I have some bad news (violins begin to play). For the next two days – there will be no blogging. I know, I know, you are really upset. I am too. But listen, we are just going to have to get through this…. together. And just think, on Sunday or Monday there will be a fun filled blog full of all my adventures in Wales J.

 

Before I go, I have to admit something. As I was taking in all the grand details and the fantastic features of the Buckingham Palace this afternoon I couldn’t help but wonder if all of these riches made her a life as incomparable to mine as it seemed, or if maybe, at the end of the day, her happiness is not determined by the jewels, crowns, grand staircases or elaborate state dinners, but by something else entirely, something even I have.

 

No, I may not live in a palace or a castle, but in the end, I don’t think that matters. What matters is that in two weeks I will get to give my mom a hug, and in two months I will get to see all of you. It is that love that is the real gold, and I think the Queen would agree.

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny 

Everything

Music is the most powerful thing in the world. I love how it can change the tone and emotion of everything you see. I have taken the tube for two weeks now, but today I decided to really blend in and be a true Londoner by listening to my Ipod. Who knew it would be so refreshing. It took a boring and dry commute and turned it into a refreshing wake-up call. Buble was singing in my ears, putting me in a good mood, and giving me a bit of a hop in my new high heels. As I headed off to work, feeling good with my packed lunch, my seven jeans and the turquoise scarf my sister gave me from Italy wrapped around my neck, the music brought my surroundings to life. It brought me to life.

So into work I went and got ready for a long, but fulfilling day. I am finally really comfortable and the nervousness I felt on Monday has certainly diminished. I feel like now, I know what I am doing, I feel resourceful and helpful. I feel as though I am learning a lot about the industry and that my questions are welcomed whole-heartedly. This new stage of the job – feeling comfortable and finding a routine – is exciting and relieving.

My duties for the day began with the usual email check, sorting through messages and answering phone calls. We had a busy day in which three castings were made. This process includes phones calls that have to be made to the actors and scheduling can be a bit of a balancing act between the client and the casting director. We juggle everyone’s schedules in a big black book, which I keep track of.

I took the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about the job today. I see everyday how an agent is very much a liaison, doing all the planning for the client and facilitating castings around their schedule. They also push the client and have to form strong relationships with casting directors in order to build and uphold a strong reputation. Being an agent is very much like being a parent to 25 small children- Robert has to take on all the high stress of the planning and promoting so that the client does not have to do it themselves, much like a parent plans and provides for their child. He has to nurture their careers, direct them and believe in them. Robert says that the most challenging part of the job, in addition to all the small legalities that many people do not consider, is handling all these clients at once, making the frantic phone calls. This I can understand as I have certainly watched and participated in balancing it all myself – and its not even my agency…yet J. Just kidding, don’t worry I am coming home in December J

Another challenge for Robert is having friends, who are also agents. He constantly has to walk the fine line of friend, while also trying to use that relationship to a slight advantage by talking about some business. Everyday is a rollercoaster of highs and lows – one minute we could be booking a high profile casting, and the next we could find out another client didn’t book a job. I had to make a call today to tell a very vulnerable client who just got her start that she did not get a role, and I could tell she was defeated. She is the same client I worked on the American accent with, and I could tell how bad she wanted the part. So, that was a hard call to make, and Robert has to do that all the time.

Robert also tries to be different in the way he handles business. He is young, was once a part of a boy band (that is where him and Gordon met, I learned), has performed and been in the business for years. This allows him to have a very fresh perspective on his work. He is a firm believer of being an active agent – calling casting directors and pushing his clients in a subtle way to keep his clients working, and thus, keep the business going. He says that many agents do not do this, they just sit around waiting for casting directors to call them. I think Robert has the right idea. When he opened in February 2007, he could only hope that the agency would be successful, and I think he has a lot to be proud of.

Working so closely with him allows me to ask these questions about the profession and really get in his head so I can learn. In addition to these discussions, I searched for monologues for the children’s workshop, created improvisational situations for them to use in class, and all the while dealt with calls and castings. I am really getting the hang of it all and I love that I feel more comfortable.

My biggest accomplishment of the day was that I wrote a press release introducing the youth clients to casting agents. It will be emailed out, and Robert loved it. He only had one edit on my first draft, so I was very proud. Not to mention, I wrote it in only about twenty minutes before we rushed off to the workshop, so to perform well even in a time crunch felt good.

At the workshop the children all performed a monologue for me and some were very impressive – some were like a bad American Idol audition. I worked with them from 6pm -9pm, and saw both the younger and older clients (younger are from 5-12 and older are from 13-18. Robert was harsh when he had to be, but overall encouraging, and we all had a good time. I was like a second teacher, allowed to make suggestions and critiques and I think the kids really like me, respect me, and hopefully, find me helpful.

 The youth clients are my official project and I will be working with them not only at the workshops, but also getting to know their strengths and weaknesses as best I can so that I can actually call casting directors and push them for certain projects I think would suit them. Building these relationships will certainly help me in the future and I look forward to taking a more integral part in the business. But I must admit, watching them makes me feel like I could so do this. I am critiquing their acting and it makes me realize I kind of know what I am talking about. Maybe I should have given up on my dream and tried harder – gotten representation and made a real go at it. But, I think I do well on this end of it too, and that is where my journey has led me.

On the way home, Ipod in ears, I thought back on my day and felt really good inside. I may not be doing press parties every night or meeting celebrities, but I am helping these clients follow their dream, and in turn, they are helping me figure out what mine is. That, like the song in my ears, is everything. 

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny

Short and Sweet

In a world where the stock market is crashing, hurricanes are ripping through our homeland, political parties are debating, and the economy is plummeting, there is something to be said for short yet sweet moments that remind you that everything is going to be okay. Be it the old lady I helped across the street, the six year old whose lines I helped her read in last week’s youth workshop because some of the words were too hard for her to pronounce, or even just sitting on my bed and watching an episode of Friends with Laura and feeling comfort in the familiar tag lines that make me laugh every time. These small, little things have the ability to make a lasting impact on your life if you embrace them. That is what I am trying to do here in London - be present in each moment for I know this experience is one of those short but sweet times I will always look back on in my life and cherish.

 

And in keeping with that theme of short but sweet, this entry will follow suit J I know you are all so relieved you do not have to read a novel!

 

Today was very dreary but it did not rain, which was great. I slept until about 10am, got ready, packed myself a little lunch and then went off to class. My theatre class discussed the show we saw the previous week, and history continued the lecture on the events that lead to the first World War. They were both pretty uneventful, but interesting none the less. The time was broken up by a quick lunch break during which I sat in the park and ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich (another nostalgic staple I could eat everyday). But overall, it was quite routine.

 

We took the tube home, and Andrea and I decided to head to Oxford Circus to window shop all the high end stores. The price tags were appalling, but some of the clothes were stunning, and it was fun to just pretend we could afford them. Our “shopping” journey ended at Primark, a very cheap department store, where I bought a cheap pair of black heels and some black tights (I brought a pair from home, but they had a big run in them… L) for a very small amount, which was good. But again, I just think of all the child labor that is certainly going on to mass manufacturer everything so cheaply, and I feel a little sad for them. But my wallet was smiling, that is for sure.

 

Laura and I made a chicken stir-fry for dinner, very healthy and quite inventive of us (nothing was frozen, we bought everything and made it fresh). We ate, and then I sat down to write. Kind of a boring day and in those quiet moments, like right now, there is certainly a part of me that misses home. I miss cable television and working out, but most of all I miss my meal plan where I don’t have to spend so much money on food. No, I take that back…. most of all, I miss being able to talk to all of you without paying a fortune. But as I said, in the grand scheme of my life, this experience is short, so I am going to keep staying positive and looking forward to everything exciting coming up to make it as sweet as possible.

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny