Broke ..with a Win

There are few things less terrifying than coming home to an empty apartment, looking at the bills that are due, reviewing the contents of your precious yet depleted checking account, and realizing that this week, you will only be making half of what you need to make per week in order to survive out here, alone. Even with yoga this morning, and two days of eating just fruits and veggies, I am very, very stressed.

I finally broke down crying on the phone with my mom, who went on to make a wise suggestion. She said, "even though things may get rough on a daily basis, make a sheet where you can track at least one 'little win' per day." Although small, this single daily act may be a very important step toward retaining my sanity.

About a week ago, I went through IMDBPro and made a list of stunt coordinators from top action films over the last ten years or so. I came up with a list of about twelve people, and I emailed each one of them, explaining that I am an actress with a BFA and a trained stunt women who is looking for work, even as a safety on set or other odd job. What gets me about the stunt family is that at least half of the people responded to my email, many within a day of receiving it. The stunt community is so incredibly down-to-earth and hard-working. That, in and of itself, is a refreshing boost for my stamina, just to get a friendly email with some pointers on my reel or some ideas of people to talk to. My win for today? The second unit stunt coordinator for X-Men emailed me to let me know about training with some stunt performers on Thursdays and Saturdays in Northridge. While Northridge may be a bit of a hike for me, I am going to try to make as many of these trainings (centered around air rams and air bags) as possible. It is a little victory, but it is a victory, nonetheless.

Universal Studios Japan, located in Osaka, is also holding auditions soon for actors, singer/sdancers, and stunt performers. While this is extremely tempting (seeing as I am super poor right now), I am going to wait a year and keep it in the back of my mind. The contract with Universal includes (taken from their website):

• Exciting Assignments, Up To 13 Months In Duration
• All-Expenses-Paid, Round-Trip Travel & Fantastic Pay
• Potential For Quarterly & Contract Completion Bonuses
• Daily Living Allowance & Free, Private Housing
• Furnished Apartment With Kitchenette & Washer/Dryer
• Paid Utilities, Gas and Water & Basic Medical Insurance
• Athletic Club Membership
• Passes to Universal Studios Japan®
• Dining & Retail Discounts
(Universal Studios Japan® & CityWalk)
• Onsite Support Team & Much More

Their Hollywood auditions are in September, so it's definitely an option to keep in mind, should I find myself in the same economically frustrating position next year.

***

A second win for today? After spending an hour on my stationary bike while watching the final season of LOST - which I'm beginning to feel was based on a writer saying, "what if we took the SURVIVOR phenomenon and made it into a series?" - I hopped onto Craigslist at 10:30pm and found a desperate hair stylist looking for a cut model for tomorrow. I emailed him and, wouldn't you know it, I just got myself lined up for a $100 haircut (that's right, $100 just for the cut; a top-tier stylist is $300..) for free. :) As of 6:30pm tomorrow, I will be getting fresh layers at London Essensuals, the same salon where all of the celebrities in Los Angeles go. Someday, when I am a wildly successful and wealthy actress, I may even go back to pay tomorrow's stylist a visit. ;>