LA House Pictures!

The cottage is adorable! My room pretty much looks like a dorm because I don't have any decorations. But it'll do the job for the summer!

One more day until Ellen!

Nothing too exciting to report for today. I woke up early to try and get me on a work schedule. I tried a United Methodist Church in Rosewood. It was alright. There were literally 40 Philippinos, one African-American, and me lol. I might try a different one next week that's a little closer to the house. I filled some prescriptions at CVS and went to Target for a few more essentials. Came home and watched a few movies since I still have no internet or cable (it hurts me inside). It was really bad today because I didn't get to watch my comedy dreamboat Mr. Andy Samberg host the MTV Movie Awards. My pathetic self sat by the phone getting Twitter updates from E! News, Miley Cyrus, Lucas Till, Lindsey Lohan, Ashley Tisdale and others who were at the award show. I also missed the CBS Special on Taylor Swift. They don't play online either so I'll never get them back! :( I NEED TV!! It is my life. Thursday will be a blessed day...

I met the new roommate today, Ashley. She seems nice and chill. She's working the summer for a trial lawyer or something and goes to San Diego law school. She seems very clean which I appreciate. I chatted with Heather and Blair on the phone and now I'm here, at Starbucks using the weak internet which takes forever. I'm trying to upload pictures but the signal is so bunk it's not working well...we'll see. I've got a cold which is disappointing and annoying but nothing major like Amy had. Anyhow, that's all for now I suppose! I start at The Ellen Show tomorrow morning at 9am!! I'm very excited and hope to meet some cool people on the crew and other interns. I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow! :)

Hilary the Reality TV Star

I told you guys I might have a good story for you today and...it just so happens that I do.

So a couple months ago my good friend Jessica James called me in the middle of the night and made me fill out an application for the second season of the VH1 show Tough Love "just for fun". She was filling one out for herself and thought it would be funny if I did too. Being so easliy influenced by her "just do it" attitude, I went ahead and filled it out. I mean if she was doing it, why not? They'd never pick me. WRONG! Two days ago I got an e-mail telling me I was a FINALIST and inviting me to a final interview/mixer at a club on Hollywood Blvd. Ready for the irony?? I called Jess in disbelief and guess what?? She forgot to actually turn hers in!!!! Gee Jess, thanks for that!!! lol Anyway, Jessie being the super friend that she is, forced me to go to this mixer. She and my roommates all agreed it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down. And I am so glad I did! This was the funniest experience I have ever been through. The girls were dressed SO skanky. Everyone there was fake (boobs, hair, nails, teeth, personalities). It was utterly ridiculous and SO FUNNY! I wore sunglasses so I could silently judge everyone. One girl announced how she's auditioned for every reality show since 2004. Another girl yelled out at the line, "Did anyone else have a baby in high school?" (no one answered, ouch). Another girl's dating problem was that she got violent landing her last boyfriend in the hospital and her in jail. Another girl would only date guys that look like her dad. I mean the stories I heard were FAN.TAS.TIC! The entire time I was trying so hard not to laugh. When I told my interviewer my "schtick" that I'd never been kissed she was shocked and said, "Awww, so you're a virgin?" in the voice you'd likely speak to a puppy in. Now how's that not supposed to make me feel lame? Haha And to top it off...Steve (the show's host) said "No way! And you're 21? I think I had my first kiss when I was, like, 12!" Thanks, Steve. lol After the open-bar mixer (which these psycho reality tv people took FULL advantage of) and my oh-so-supportive interivew, the woman actually told me, "If it makes you feel any better, I think you have a good chance of getting on the show!" Oh. My. God. If they actually asked me to be on this show I would laugh for hours and then turn them down. Funny thing is...the people I've told have all tried to convince me to do it haha. I just don't think I could handle the ridiculousness that is reality TV even though Tough Love is a good one. So, thank you Carley for getting me started watching the show. Thank you Tricia for making me feel like less of a pathetic dork haha. And thank you Jessica for forcing me into the hands-down funniest, most entertaining afternoon I've had in a long time. Feel free to comment this blog or call me if you want a more detailed report of my preposterous encounter.

As for the rest of my day...Amy's furniture came and looks great. I set up my computer thanks to my dad's idiot-proof "Point A to Point B" labeling and instructions and I ate dinner at an adorable authentic Cuban restaurant while watching the Magic game though the window at a store next door. While the Tough Love final interview was a true LA event, I had an even more LA moment this evening. We were brough vegan cupcakes from our gay Asian neighbors leftover from their son's 4th birthday party. How adorably LA is that? The cupcakes were great and we're all dissapointed that they're moving next month. It was a hilarious, crazy, entertaining day that is for sure. The only bad part...we found out we're not getting internet or cable until Thursday. :( I guess the people at Starbucks are just going to get used to seeing me! At least they make good smoothies. I'm dying without my TV shows though...slowly...dying... I need TV! I've been cycling through all the movies I have for now but I'm missing out on important moments in my shows so this needs to happen asap. I took some pictures of our house and my room so I'll try to post those soon. Off to bed now! Feel free to comment, judge and harass me for my ridiculous afternoon festivities.

Emergency Rooms Suck

Why are ERs always cold? And let me tell you they're nowhere near as exciting as the TV show ER. I wanted Clooney to pop out (hey it is Hollywood) but no luck. So last night Amy got very very sick and could breathe or walk and was having severe stomach pains as a result of this mad crazy flu she has, so I took her to the hospital around 11pm. We weren't seen until 4am. I swear they go out of their way to make hospital waiting area chairs the most uncomfortable seating ever. Maybe to discourage business. In all that time I did read half a romance novel though. Anyhow, they gave her fluids and an IV of numberous meds and a breathing treatment and such. I'm feeling a little sick too but nothing too bad and I'm taking plenty of meds (you know me) to be preventative. Let's just say it was a LOOONG night (worse than the car rides since I so badly needed to sleep) and we didn't get back home until about 10am this morning. We did however catch the series finale of Saved By the Bell in the hospital room which was entertaining in our delirious states. Unfortunately I didn't get to go to sleep because I had an appointment at the Burbank Radio Disney office at 11:30. Good news is it's really close and easy to get to from my house. More good news is I start next weekend! And they seem nice. They were more excited to hear I knew the dances to all the High School Musical movies, Hannah Montana and Camp Rock than the fact I am CPR certified. I'm glad they have their priorities straight (or in line with mine at least).
After that, I went to the grocery store so I can finally eat at home. I officially feel moved in now since I've arranged my room and unpacked everything and made the initial Target and grocery trips. The grocery store out here is called Ralph's by the way. Because Ralph is such an awesome name that makes me laugh every time I read it, I found myself buying a lot of their store brand stuff. I also just had my first "celebrity" encounter a few minutes ago. Get ready for this - it's big!! (not) I'm sitting in Starbucks again since we still don't have internet and the kid who plays Ben on The Secret Life of the American Teenager just asked me to watch his computer while he ordered a coffee. Haha! It's only day 3 in L.A. and I'm already running into the rich and famous lol. I mean, he's up there with Brad and Angelina. Big time.
Basically today was successful because my room is all done and I'm squared away with Radio Disney. But...I am so tired and exhausted since I haven't slept since yesterday morning at 7am (it's now 7pm making a grand total of 36 hours awake). So now I'm going to eat a cinnamon rasin bagel and go to sleep for the night. Tomorrow will be internet/cable day (hopefully), computer set-up day with Daddy (hopefully), and buy cheap posters to decorate my room (hopefully). I'll keep taking care of my poor ill cousin until she feels up to being alive.
I'm starting to miss you guys back home so feel free to comment back to my posts with what exciting things are going on in your lives!!! (or just give me a call) :) I love you all!

New House!

We moved into our new house today!! This is so exciting! I have a lease and everything lol. It literally looks like an adorable little cottage with adorable fruit trees in the front yard and a veranda in the backyard with vines growing over the lattice overhang. It's incredibly beautiful. I'll try to post some pictures to the blog soon. The perfect weather makes it really easy to enjoy the yard. I hear it's raining in Florida so you'll be happy to know it's about 75 degrees, no humidiy, and clear skies out here. :) We don't have internet or cable yet but we're taking care of that this weekend. I'm struggling without my TV...I'm truly addicted and feel lost without it. (Tricia...you understand me)

I took the required first "Target essentials" trip required of every move and it cost a pretty penny (sorry Mom!). But I actually got a desk 50% off! I knew I had entered the world of L.A. when I realized my T-shirt and jeans were not the standard for a Target trip. Too bad! It's Target people...really? I was in the process of unpacking everything when I had to break to walk to the local Starbucks for the Jonas Brothers live chat. (Feel free to judge me) :) It was amazing in case you were wondering. I'll finish up tonight after I get back since i don't have that much stuff and I have no TV or entertainment. Perhaps I'll knock out another romance novel.

Amy is still feeling very sick which is sad because we can't figure out what to do to make her feel better. She's living on Saltine Crackers while I live on very little since we haven't stocked our kitchen yet. Tomorrow I'm going in to finalize paperwork with Radio Disney so I can get started with that work. I start with Ellen on Monday! I got my security clearance for the Warner Brothers film lot yesterday. I'm ready to get started. Tomorrow I'm going to work on posters and cheap decorations for my room and setting up my desktop computer via the phone with my dad (hopefully). I'm also practicing my parallel parking which is pretty much all there is around here.

The Starbucks employees have started to look at me funny so I think I'd better get back home. What's so weird about spending 4 hours in a chair smiling/laughing at my own computer (Facebook chat)? By the way..I may have an entertaining story after Saturday night for those of you who watch VH1 so look out for that. :) Ciao everyone!!

"Peter Pan rocks my socks and tights" -Joe Jonas

Finally Made It!!

I finally made it to L.A.!!! A week of long drives, short nights, preceded by weeks of stressful planning and I'm finally here. I got a look at the house today and it is really cute!! Looks like a cottage with a fireplace and a nice backyard that interestingly enough came with a beer pong table (I guess it's not just a college student thing). My room is pretty small but I'm happy with that because a) It's cheaper and in LA that really means something, b) I didn't have room in my car for decorations so the less wall space the better and c) It's still bigger than my room at school in Keys. Today we arrived and moved the first load of boxes into the house. Amy, her friend and I are in charge of moving all 4 roommate's belongings into the house because the others are already gone for the summer. It's tiring but tomorrow I'll be setting up my room and probably helping move more boxes and furniture. If I don't post, it's because we haven't set up the internet yet. But everything's coming along! I'm exhausted so it's off to bed (or in this case, Amy's friend's couch).

FML

So Vegas is supposed to be awesome, right? The following is not so awesome:
1. Being unable to fall asleep after a 15 hour drive because of the flashing Circus tent lights outside the window
2. After 5 hours of sleep...being woken up at 7am by the loudest noise since Pearl Harbor serving as a fire alarm
3. Having to evacuate the building into the middle of Vegas wearing my pajamas, no make-up, and no contacts
4. Getting picked up as a hooker on the strip

Okay, so the last one didn't happen, but the rest did. Really, Vegas?? Thanks. Well, looking back at it now Amy and I are laughing at how ridiculous it was. What made us feel better? We finagled our way into free breakfast buffets! It was delicious. It's true that free food tastes better. We're too awake to go back to sleep though so I guess it's time to start the day. Let's just hope the rest of it has fewer inconvenient surprises...

It's Vegas Baby!!

Today was a loooong day of driving. Believe it or not...I drove through snow! Not on the ground...it was snowING through the Rockies in Colorado. In May! And it was cold. We looked like idiots at rest stops in our shorts and t-shirts haha. Those mountains were hard to navigate when I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me. We Floridians aren't used to driving in snow. But we got through (thankfully). Amy did a lot of the driving after that which was much appreciated since I was stressed out from the rough conditions. That also gave me some reading time...yay for trashy romance novels! The scenary through Utah was so beautiful! The sun was setting along the rocks and plateaus and it was breathtaking.

Along the way we encountered two grown men in a car with a bunny (we decided they were a magician act on their way to Vegas) as well as several interesting hick characters. But hands down the best moment was when an older gentleman rolled down his window driving 75mph on I-70 and held out his contruction hard-hat...covered in Gators stickers!! He must have seen all the paraphanalia on my car and so of course, he had to beckon his fellow UF friends. We had a moment of Gator chomping on the interstate and it was a lovely "The Gator Nation is Everywhere" experience.

We are now rolling big time in Las Vegas!! By rolling big time I mean we are sitting in the hotel room at midnight local time and going to bed. But we're staying at the Circus Circus hotel which is HILARIOUS and should be good times when we go looking around tomorrow. After a traditional Vegas buffet we're tackling the final 4-5 hours to get to Los Angeles!! I can't wait! Then it's all move-in and lugging furniture but it will be cool to have my own house with friends. That's all for tonight!

P.S. Did you know they make Butterfingers called Butterfinger Buzz "With as much caffiene as the leading energy drink"? When did they start making caffiene-enhanced candy? (It tastes the same and totally works in case you were wondering.)

On the road again

Today was basically another day of driving. I woke up and cleaned up the guest room I'd been staying in (yes Mom, I did the sheets and towels and was a good guest). Aunt Sharon fixed a lovely lunch of chicken wraps which Amy and I got extras of for the trip. We left around 1pm and drove all day. We are now sitting in a hotel room in po-dunk Burlington, Colorado and enjoying the free internet while watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians. (Who are they kidding trying to sell to us that Kourtney and Scott broke up?) I was really thankful to have a second driver! At one point Amy thought the semi-truck in front of us was going to become a transformer. We also had a Chinese Fire-drill on an exit ramp in the dark and the rain in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas. But it was funny. Overall, the day had nice conversation and it's just two more days until L.A. Yay!

Just another day in paradise...

Today was pretty chill and relaxing.

The weather wasn't great so there (sadly) was no boating. But we did go to the mall where Amy bought some old-lady glasses and Dave bought some prescription Ray-Ban sunglasses that are pretty slammin' if I do say so myself. Very Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Then the cousins joined AS and UG at a friend of their's high school grad party. Baller food. Being in college really makes you appreciate free meals. On a side note- Aunt Sharon is a great cook! I haven't eaten this well since the last time I visited here! Post-party we hung out at the house relaxing, reading, chatting. I made my uncle watch Disney Channel for a while which was entertaining and shameful since I could recite some of the episodes word for word. Tonight we played some Mormon Bridge (card game) and Mexican-Train Dominoes which I've decided to rename Party-Train Dominoes. I'm currently watching a creepy, depressing movie called Premonition but it's a little too much for me so I think I'll read my new Nora Roberts book. Nothing like a good old fashioned romance novel to complete the day. :)

Until tomorrow- "I dream of living in a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned."

Ahh, Paradise

This is why I LOVE visiting my Aunt and Uncle's lake house in St. Louis...

Slept in (despite the time chage).
Woke up to muffins, waffles, eggs and sausage cooking for breakfast.
Then the whole family - AS, UG, Amy and Dave (cool cousins), and myself went on a lovely, leisurely bike ride along a trail that used to be a train track. Ironically, we found out that a spring near where we were riding hosted one of the largest radiation dumps in the country during WWII. They claim that explains a lot about the local around here :). The weather here was a nice brisk warm but not too hot and the bike ride was really nice.

Then we all went to a winery nearby and did some wine tasting. This place had the BEST peach wine I've ever had. I know what you're thinking...what a lame, girly wine to like (and we eventually got a bottle of nice merlot), but this peach wine was perfect. Not too sweet- absolutely delicious. After ordering lunch, a baget and cheese and crackers, we sat out on the deck and listened to live music while we ate and enjoyed our bottle of wine. "The merlot was a little too robust for a merlot, but then again I'm partial to the softer California grape." (Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan anyone? Haha throwback!) We had a beautiful view of the Missouri countryside. We just don't have green hills like that in Florida.

This afternoon we went out boating on the lake. I did some wakeboarding but it was pretty choppy with all those boats out for Memorial Day weekend. I landed a few jumps and my 180 switchfoot but hopefully tomorrow I'll get the chance for more air. I bought a new wakeboard and brought it out with me to leave out here for when I visit. It's really nice. We ended with a sunset cruise and my uncle grilled for us while we sat around the pool watching the boats go by. All in all, a very lovely, relaxing day. Aside from still not being able to feel my butt from the drive (biking wasn't the best for that), I am recovered from my drive and ready to enjoy another day in this gorgeous area!

What will tomorrow bring?

The Never-Ending Drive

Day 1.
I left Tampa in the afternoon and arrived in Tallahassee around 3pm. I got to see my BESTIE ROOMIE Carley and spend the afternoon with her. We went on a date and it was lovely. We went to dinner @ Applebees. Her dad's a "po" and works security at the mall so then we got to see a FREE movie!! Dude, that's like an $8 savings - that's big news. We saw Angels and Demons (go see it...it was awesome). To complete the quintessential "date" we went out for Rita's Ice afterwards. They were actually about to close but we flirted and conned our way in and then got him to turn the custard machine back on. It was a necessity. And worth it. If you've never been to Rita's - a) where have you been? and b) nothing you're doing now is more important (i.e. this blog) so go!

Day 2.
The next morning began the most boring and one of the roughest days of my summer, no doubt. I woke up at 6am Florida time and Carley, the love of my life, baked me delicious blueberry muffins. By 7am - I was on the road embarking on an ALL DAY drive by myself. :'( According to Gertty (my Australian voiced Garmen GPS who was my only friend on this trip), I had a little over 13 hours to go to get to Lake St. Louis, MO. Here's the next few hours of my life - drive, music, drive, talk on the phone, drive, talk to myself, drive. Basically, boring. But for all you Gators out there - I do have a cool story! I stopped in Franklin, TN (happens to be Miley Cyrus' hometown in case anyone other than me cares hehe) at a random McDonald's for lunch. I saw a man with a Gators athletics polo on. Being in such need for human interaction (Gertty doesn't talk back in a timely manner), I approached him asking if he worked for UF. He said "no" but he used to work for the football team during Spurrior (moment of silence) and his wife used to play on the volleyball team in '92. I had a lovely lunch with a UF alum in a random city. All together now - "The Gator Nation is everywhere!" It was a bright moment in my day for sure.

After this...more driving. I cycled through all the music I own practically. I went through Hannah Montana, Backstreet, N'Sync, Amy Grant, Taylor Swift (through TN), Spice Girls, Wicked, Demi Lovato and more. My voice was hoarse by the end but it kept me awake. :) One hour before my arrival in Lake St. Louis...my phone died. Low battery combined with crappy reception finally did it in. But let me tell you - when I saw the St. Louis Arch - I almost cried with joy! Less than an hour later I was pulling into a nicely paved driveway in The Moorings in Lake St. Louis, MO. Seven states. 13 hours. 1,000+ miles. I made it.

THANK YOU to everyone who talked me through this wretched day. I still can't feel my butt, but I am alive and that's because I had you to help me pass the time. I am proud to report no accidents, no tickets and no picked-up hitch-hikers along this journey. Phase 1=Complete. Now I'm spending Memorial Day weekend at Amy's parents' lake house. (Special shout-out to my Uncle "UG" who's requested commendation.) I plan to relax, recover and enjoy it before my cousin and I embark on Phase 2 of this road trip...all the way to Los Angeles, CA!!! Can't wait!

Sweet Summer Ahead!

So for the benefit of my parents who want to know what I'm doing all the time, and for the benefit of those friends (*cough mentor cough*) who want to live vicariously through me, and for the benefit of me wanting documentation for my personal memories...I am doing a blog of my summer activities. Since I am leaping head-first into the great unknown of Los Angeles, California, I don't know what exactly I will be talking about. In fact, it could end up being extremely boring and a waste of time, but that will only make everyone else love their own lives just that much more. Schadenfreude at it's best. That being said - here is what I know.

I am interning for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. The program is supposed to include time working in different departments like marketing, research, talent relations, and audience. She is on hiatus part of the summer so we won't always be filming but I'll be working. It sounds like I pick my own schedule meaning I'll be working Monday through Thursday 9-5. Cool part? She films on the Warner Brothers lot so maybe I'll see some movies being made. :)

I am also working for Radio Disney on the weekends. I do love Disney and teaching the dance moves/words of High School Musical, Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers to kids at marketing events around town.

I am living in an ADORABLE cottage-looking house in Burbank (right outside of LA) with my cousin Amy and some of her law school friends (she goes to USC Law). While the house is 45 minutes from USC...it's only 9 minutes from the WB lot and 11 minutes from the Radio Disney office!! YES!! For those of you who have never driven in L.A. - THIS IS HUGE! Traffic is ridiculous and I'll be in less of it since I'm so close.

This summer has the potential to be extremely exciting and educational and a lot of fun!! If it turns out that way, you all will have the joy of hearing all the stories and adventures. If not, you get to hear me ramble. :) And so...it begins.