Sunday night...

Good Evening!

So today is the day before the first official full day of my new job.  As I prepare, I am nervous, but very excited to start something new, and learn lots of new things.  This weekend was VERY nice... I don't dare go into any details, afraid I may jinx it...

Good things have been happening, I hope it keeps up...

A new pic, for pic's sake... a sign from a hike I was on the other day!  Luckily I didn't see one!   :)

Enjoy your week!!

Long Run!

 "Long Run" 

So I wrote this song this afternoon... it's not great because it was off the top of my head, with a looped piano piece, and it's really really short (under a min.), and the sound it crappy...but I like it... I think it's catchy... 

What do you think??

Download Emily McLaughlin - Long Run

May Goodness!

So here I am, in May... It feels like yesterday that I wrote that last entry, but it wasn't... it was OVER a month ago!!

We have had some GREAT visitors, Natalie came for 5 days, Amy came for 5 days... Nick was here for a weekend, and Bob for a couple random nights... lots of good company!

A few TV things to mention:

-Three cheers for 'GLEE' (Fox Fall '09) 

I watched the pilot and then it was shown back on the 19th after American Idol. I LOVE this new show. Again, as I love movies that root for the underdog, this show too wanted the "geeks" to come out on top.  Jane Lynch is an undeniable comedic force in this show, and her witty, stiff one liners are timed perfectly, especially when she says things like "You think this is hard, try living with Hepatitis, that's hard!" to a group of high school cheerleaders.  Lea Mitchell, who plays the lead, Rachel Berry, was incredible.  Not only did her singing blow me away, her humor was timed perfectly, and her quirky confidence is hysterical.  It made me laugh, and I even teared up a little at the end, when each character shined! I am anxious to see more, which is exactly where Fox wanted their Glee viewers to be after the pilot was shown...Well done! 

-'So You Think You Can Dance' is BACK! (Fox Thur. 8 pm)

Love, love, love this show! The beginning of every season is obviously, the auditions, which span out over the first few weeks' 2 hour long episodes.  Now, I am not a dancer myself, (so it's different than how I feel when I watch American Idol) but I appreciate and admire these dancers for their talent, hard work, and proven versatility throughout the seasons.  It's a must watch.  This show also brings in the best, most popular choreographers to train the dancers, and their routines are unforgettable.  Some of the dancers have had NO training and prove to be INCREDIBLE, it's very fun to watch.

... and Music

-First, 2 songs from Glee are available on Apple's itunes!

'Don't Stop Believin' (Yes, the Journey classic!) performed by the show's  main performers is SO SO good!!!

-Lenka (Sony's Epic Records, 2008)

Lenka's debut, self titled album is catchy, fun, and has funky lyrics that are fun to sing along to!  My favorites:  (1. The Show, 2. Bring Me Down and 8. Trouble is a Friend).  Her songs have also recently been featured on a bunch of current, popular television shows! 

Ok... enough for now!

-Emily

and I'm feeling fine...

It's funny... again writing late night on a Saturday night.

So today was a mix of up and downs, actually this week all together has been rather challenging, but I still was able to get up every day and get through it. It's funny, as hard as this week was, it also included so amazing memories.

Funny how that happens... again, the really good, and the really bad.  So I was told on Wednesday that my job was ending today, Friday. It wasn't a surprise, I just felt fortunate to even have had the experience to begin with, so it's okay.  I had a great time working there, but all good things must come to and end and it is time for me to move on to something else, whether I like it or not. This is what is meant to happen.

I went out tonight with a couple of new friends, Tony and Jake in West Hollywood to a bar, Fiesta Cantina. Delicious Margaritas, and a really fun crowd, mostly gay males.  Going into this I felt nervous, as I have not walked in to a situation like this by myself in my life,  but was excited to see where the night could take me. Men are gorgeous. This whole night made me realize so much about the opposite sex, and gay men. I had so much fun with these 2 men who have been together for 11 years, and got married in the "window" in Cali where gays were able to marry. I want to say it's an amazing thing that are married, but it shouldn't be, they deserve it .  I'm just very sad that all gay couples do not have the same privileges. Rrrrr.... 

Sexuality is funny... I felt closer with these men than I have with many of the woman who I have met in LA. It was funny to me, talking and meshing... it was so much fun, and I felt so unusually comfortable, and confident... and then...

These people showed up RIGHT next to us (on the sidewalk), like 14 of them with a Boom Box BUSTED out in a CRAZY dance routine... to some hysterical song.  I was DYING... absolutely one of the coolest things I have seen in my life. CRAZY costumes and talent, and so unexpected... :)

Balance is so interesting... as much fun as we were having, everyone, individually is living through their own hardships, and it came out so vividly in conversation.  Most including family, which was equally as important to each of us. So scary. So sad... I wish nothing but positive things for their them and their loved ones. 

I went to Britney Spears in concert last night, again me up with Tony and Jake for a drink before, LOVE THEM!  The concert was "amaze-balls!" and I took lots of fun pics... coming soon.

Nuff said... Didn't make enough sense.

xo

Em

Movie Reviews

So, it's Tuesday... I am getting REALLY excited for Natty to come visit, at this point it's just around the corner!

This picture is of a building here on the Disney lot, that is just across from mine, I think it's the coolest!

I saw a couple movies this weekend, and I thought I should give them a review just for fun. Please note: this is my personal opinion, and sometimes, movies that I like, others don't and vise versa.

On Friday night, I met up with an old friend (literally haven't seen her in 15+ years!) for dinner and then we went to see 'Observe and Report'. I really liked this movie. Something about these movies (any one with Apatow's crew in it) really connects with me. Maybe it's the raw humor, maybe it's the fact that most of these characters are real, and definitely not perfect, or maybe it's the fact that they literally make me laugh out loud. Seth Rogan plays a mall-cop who's bi-polar, has an alcoholic mother, a crush on a trashy make-up counter girl, and a distorted view of reality. While there is male full frontal nudity... I will warn you, it is of a streaker who is terrorizing woman in the mall parking lot, and is NOT nice... one of those moments where you know you should close your eyes, but you become morbidly fascinated by something you haven't seen before, and may never see again. The movie has some VERY dark moments, where you say to yourself, "What the eff am I watching!??" But in the end, you'll laugh, you won't cry, and you'll be cheering for Ronnie, even when you realize he may not be the good guy.

I then watched 'The Reader', which I also liked very much. It was an interesting story about a woman who lives alone, and a young boy who meets her accidentally, and they start a love affair. He comes to visit her frequently, and starts reading to her. Something about the boy's innocent charm hooks you right from the beginning, he is sweet, and the relationship between them is extremely passionate, but also imbalanced, so he is ultimately the victim. She leaves him, and his young heart is wounded and alone... skip forward some years and he is now in law school, and observing a trial. He hears her voice... and looks down to see her being tried for murders at a concentration camp. I really love Kate Winslet because to me, she is one of the more 'real' actresses out there. Her body is not perfect, yet beautiful, and I admire her for being so open, and accepting roles like this. She has been in some incredible movies. Wow. This movie is very sexual, not one to watch with Mom and Dad. I really liked this movie, and unlike her other movie "Revolutionary Road' you wont walk away feeling depressed (that movie makes you want to shoot yourself!)

I have seen some other great films too... 'Taken' was awesome, 'I Love You Man' was HYSTERICAL.... but I'll leave you with these reviews for now.

xoxo
Em

Positive Energy!

Okay, so I just had this great thought...

I am always telling my friends and family to concentrate on positive energy. I believe that if you feel and think positively, that you can personally move mountains and make good things come to you. I think that bad things happen to good people to push them, and challenge them to see how much they can endure in their lives. Because at the other end of those lows, are the greatest highs. We all have good times, really good times... and unfortunately, there are some really bad times as well. It's about riding the wave, seeing where life takes you, and knowing that the future is what you make it, but also what is truly meant to happen to you. I have to maintain positivity in my life, to keep me here, to keep me afloat. Sometimes days fly by... sometimes it seems like light years to get through minutes, either way, we'll get through it all, and you must always take in every moment, good and bad.

I would describe myself as an eternal optimist, I try to see things realistically, but in a positive way. I love 'love stories' and believe true love is out there for everyone. We all have 'special' people who come in and out, some stay around longer than others, but in the end, our lives are built on these relationships. Not only intimate relationships, but friendships as well, it's these relationships that teach us who we are, and how to love another person, and be there for them through thick and thin. They are also the people who hold you up in your toughest hour... who are there for you, unconditionally. In the past year I have gotten together with lots of old friends, some I haven't seen in years. It's amazing how you can pick up where you left off, almost immediately, like no time has gone by at all, when in fact it's been years. I love that.

My family has shown me incredible strength throughout the past year. Taking a moment to reflect, it's amazing what we have all been through, and it we wouldn't have gotten through it without each other. Again, I literally try to push positive energy towards each of them every day, thinking about them, and hoping for good things, even when bad things keep happening.

Great things are in store for each of us. Let's also continue to openly communicate with one another, and share more... good stories, and bad.

Oh boy... I just read through this once... I said "I think" and "I believe" and "good and bad" a gazillion times. Ridiculous that I even try to make sense.

Wow! How time flies...

I can't believe it's been months since I've even logged into this thing, but I have vowed to now update it regularly, so here goes... It is April 6th today, and I will turn 27 in just a few weeks. So much has happened in the last few months, and time has just flashed before my eyes. I have a job right now working as an assistant in Casting. I love it, I really do, it's just unfortunate that it isn't something that is permanent and it is inevitable that I will be back on the job search again, soon. I am happy that it has gotten hotter out and yesterday, Matt, Melisa and my sister and I went for a wonderful hike in Calabasas. FINALLY I have a little bit of color! The hike was beautiful! I took lots of fun pics, so I'll get those posted soon. Onto a new week, with new goals. Let's see how it goes.