Aquarium

I spent the day today at the Long Beach aquarium and it was AMAZING! I touched sea stars, sea cucumbers, sharks and sting rays in various touch tanks, watched two videos about the Abyss and looked at all of the exhibits. My favorite ocean creatures are sea turtles, the octopus, and sea horses. My favorite animals are dolphins, but for some reason the Aquarium of the Pacific only has a bird exhibit, sea otters and sharks but no dolphins.

I watched the divers feed the fish in the main tank and also in the tropical fish rooms. I learned so much about marine life. Marine life has always really interested me and I ALWAYS go to the aquarium when given the opportunity. This aquarium has a program where you can dial a number and a code on your cell phone and it gives you an audio tour with loads of information.

The coolest thing there was an exhibits about baby sharks. Some sharks lay eggs and you can actually cut the otter layer of the egg off and see inside without hurting the baby shark! Shark eggs are rectangular and they are about three inches long. The baby sharks inside start off transparent and eventually get their color. They just swim around in the egg developing. They are about an inch and a half long. I had never seen anything like it and it was really cool.

Voice Over Audition

I had my first LA voice over audition yesterday and it was so much fun!  It was a partner read for National City.  I read with a guy who was amazing!  We went to a recording studio and laid down two takes of three different 30 second spots.

In the spot we would play a husband and wife and the husband keeps getting into shenanigans and the wife is trying to be patient.  I'm hoping to book my first LA voice over just like I booked my first LA commercial! 

How I Met Your Mother!

My friend, Justin, booked a one line co-star role on May 12th's episode of "How I Met Your Mother!"  He auditioned for it on Tuesday, got the news that he booked it yesterday, and he is shooting today.  He has one line and we are all so proud of him!  It is funny because at work yesterday everyone was giving him messages for the cast; oh tell Allyson this or tell Neil Patrick Harris that.  It is the next episode of the show that Britney Spears will be on, so everyone is interested to hear if he meets her!  

Unions

One of my friends is running for a seat on the local board of the actor's union, so he had to give a speech at the general membership meeting last night.  He asked me to come for moral support, and the meeting was really interesting.  With all of the negotiations that are going on right now between the different unions and with the expiration of contracts, it was interesting to hear everyone's platforms.  I also found it interesting to see what seems to be important to the candidates and what the candidates think is important to the general members.

Keep your fingers crossed that there is not another strike that is detrimental to the entertainment industry! 

New York City!

Last night I got a phone call from my friend, Orlando.  He and I were really close when I was living in New York City as we went to the same acting conservatory and he lived a few blocks from me.  He called and said that he was in Burbank visiting, deciding if he is going to move to Los Angeles.  

We met up and I took him several places to show him around a little bit.  We rode the trolley that bisects 'The Grove', one of the cool outdoor LA malls.  We also went to the TinHorn bar, met up with my friend, Joe, and played pool.  After pool, we went to a place called 'Michael's' for Karaoke.  It was a whirlwind evening, as all of these activities took place after a 9 hour day at work!  

It was really fun to see him after almost two years.  We looked back over the "good old days" remembered the trouble we used to get into when we were 18. :)  Also, we called another friend who lives in New York that we both used to hang out with and we took a little trip down memory lane on speaker phone.  

It was a really great night!  Now I'm hoping for a week filled with auditions and hopefully a print booking for Similac! 

Child Actor Evening

Yesterday I went to a bridal shower in the afternoon and then a dinner party in the evening. 

The Bridal shower was for one of the girls that I worked with and it was really fun to hang out with everyone from work outside of the office again! 

The dinner part was child actor central!  

Jeannie Russell from the TV show Dennis the Menace and the movie The Birds was there. Also, Ariana Richards from Jurassic Park came and the guy who hosted, my friend Chris Allport, was one of the main voices on an animated show in the 90s with Tim Curry!  I myself was on a Saturday morning CBS show called KidsNews Network when I was 9, so we sat and told insider stories about filming.  In addition to the actors, Chris's roommate, Erica and their friend Greg came as did Chris's parents, grandparents and sister.

After dinner, Chris played the piano and everyone sang.  Then we hung out in his recording studio, which is in the "guest house" in the back yard of his main house, and watched videos from when he and Ariana used to sing duets in acting class!  It was such a fun evening and everyone really got along.  Dinner started at 6 and everyone was there until after midnight!  

Beach Day

Friday I had an audition for a print job for Similac. It was a really fun audition because they just took some of pictures of me. I had to smile, not smile, stand to the side, and give a certain look. I should find out soon if I got it because the photo shoot is on Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed for me because I would love to do more print work!

Yesterday I spent the day down in Hermosa Beach with a bunch of people. We played Frisbee, volleyball and sunbathed. It was about 85 degrees and the water was 60. I dipped my feet in, but didn't go swimming. In the evening we went to Island Burger for dinner and then came back to my apartment and played cards.