Off to Never, Never Land!

In less than 30 minutes I'll be leaving to fly to Roanoke, Virginia! I am ridiculously excited to not just celebrate a wedding of a friend but also a mini-Hollins girls reunion! There is no bond like a Hollins girl bond!

Hope y'all have an amazing weekend! I sure as hell will be!!!

Holy Moly!

Since wrapping the film I was working on (and in between my travels) I've been "dayplaying" on another film. Currently, we are shooting nights and working long hours. Watching the sunrise isn't nearly as magical when it's the end of your work day. This photo basically sums up how crazed I feel at the end of the day while a beautiful sunrise is going on in the background.

*Note: Sorry if there are any grammar errors. My eyes and brain currently aren't functioning.

(Free) Museum Day

I lucked out as a little kid with the fact that I grew up near Washington DC, Philly, and Baltimore. All three  cities have amazing museums to go to. DC has amazing FREE museums to go to.
This Saturday, in light of the Smithsonian being free everyday, they sponsored a free museum day. Depending on your area certain museums were free. Did I milk that? Oh yes I DID!

I opted to go to the WWII museum (you could only picked one to get into free to). I have already been there a few times but John has never been through it fully.

Surprise, surprise it was jam PACKED with people. I wasn't completely surprised by this fact actually but it was still super annoying. More so all the little kids who decided that doing some form of upper middle class white kid break dancing in the middle of the exhibit was appropriate. I did give judging looks to the parents of these kids who did NOTHING to control their kids, who in return gave me looks of judgement for judging them. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? My parents would have NEVER put up with that shit.

We ended up not staying that long because I think the crowds even started to annoy John (who tends to never get annoyed). He got to see the part of the museum he really wanted to see and, well, it was FREE so we didn't have to have any guilt about leaving.

After dealing with the crowds we rode our bikes into the Quarter and grabbed some drinks at Molly's. I effin' LOVE their frozen irish coffees! So refreshing on a hot day.

What did y'all do on your weekend? 

Anyone else participate in the free museum day?

Death Becomes Her...

Ever have one of those nights out where it feels like the best night EVER until you wake up the next morning with the most intense shakes and whiskey shits? Yeah? Well, I had one of those nights Thursday night (hence why I'm writing this Saturday morning and not Friday as I was unable to function for a day).

The death hangover stems from the fact that it was my friend's (Andrea) birthday. John likes to call us the AndreaMoiraMonster (please slur the words together in order to say it correctly). We have a little TO much fun when we are together.

Our natural habit together tends to be at a bar, on her couch drinking boxed wine, or (our favorite) Superior Grill. This place has AMAZING happy hour deals. 2 for 1 margaritas with heavy pours? Yes please!

We opened a box of wine because our server wasn't bring booze out fast enough.

We did manage to eat something beyond the limes from our shot glasses at Sake Cafe.

The negative (or should I say positive) part of having a table full of rowdy girls is people (or should I be completely truthful and just say men) continue to provide shots for us. This, I believe, is where my death wish became real for the next day.

So this post doesn't become one completely  about binge drinking (please follow my blog still, I swear I'm not a bad person/alcoholic. I'm just an unmarried 25 year old without kids), I thought I'd point out one of my favorite southern traditions: pinning money on the birthday girl/boy.

You can make BANK if you work this correctly. Also, it seems to be an unspoken honor code system down here to not fake that its your birthday. One of my friends recently made over 300 dollars on her birthday!

We ended up going out to yet ANOTHER bar after dinner and that, my friends, is where this story will end as I don't remember enough (or want to remember) to tell you any more. The photo above is the last one taken that night (I hope).

So now that I have completely dished on one of my embarrassing drunken nights I'd LOVE to hear some of your stories.....now off to drink some more water and think about doing a liver detox.

Chelsea's Blessingway Weekend Pt. 1

This past weekend I managed to slip away from New Orleans and fly over to Sarasota to visit my lovely friend Chelsea. I met her while attending  Hollins University a few years back. She's an amazingly beautiful and strong woman who is about to have her first baby in a few weeks!
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on how amazing this past weekend was and can't wait to share it with y'all but until I am able to compose myself I thought I'd share a little video I made of the weekend.

Enjoy!!!!

The Head and the Heart/ I am officially old

Last night I went to One Eyed Jacks in the French Quarter to see The Head and the Heart. I have seriously been waiting months to see them live and was SUPER pumped that the time had finally come. I even decided to shower and make myself all pretty which is not a trait I normally have. I figure if I'm going to a concert with a bunch of sweaty people that its a waste of my excited time to even care what I look like. Note: Every girl at this concert looked like they spent at least a good 30 minutes to a hour to look perfectly "chill"

Long story short, I discovered that I am officially old last night. Not because all the cute boys in skinny jeans, fanny packs, and weird beards looked like they were just entering adulthood. Nay, because I was struggling to stay awake. The band was STILL doing its sound check when I arrived. The opening band didn't even WALK onto the stage until 1010pm. I realized my need to Mexican food outweighed my need to fall asleep seeing a live band so I actually left the show.

Yup, I left the show that I had been waiting months for to see. I honestly blame the venue and not the band. This could be because I love the band that much and don't want to think any negative thoughts about them but also I have seen so many shows at One Eyed Jacks before and the same shit happens EVERY time. Believe it or not, there are not alot of music venues in New Orleans that have bigger name bands come through so you kinda have to suck up this bullshit abuse and deal with it if you want to see live music. But no place is as bad as this venue. Jokes aside (kinda) I have fallen asleep in One Eyed Jacks bathroom many times waiting for bands to start. Yeah, I am OLD. WHAT?!?!?!

In conclusion, I did not get to see The Head and the Heart live. I do not have any truthful stories about how amazing they are live. To all those young hipsters who waited it out last night, mad props to you. I am jealous. But what I hope everyone can take away from this post is that The Head and the Heart are a banging new band that they should be listening to. Go download their album NOW!

Dear Airplane Seat Belts

Hey,

What's up airplane seat belts. I've been seeing you alot lately which makes me super happy because it means I'm traveling to see my friends all over the US. I wouldn't call us friends. Just acquaintances. Nothing personal but I just don't see us getting to know each other ( due to you not being a human and all).

I'm really not sure what your purpose on a airplane is either. If memory serves me correctly, if a plane crashes, a seat belt will indeed NOT save my life (unlike a car seat belt). It probably only helps locate my body among the debris. I also find it hard to believe a singular small strap along my muffin top area will keep me in place.

While we're on the topic of muffin top area I must also bring up the fact that I somehow also am amazed to find my seat belt extremely to small for me each time I sit down in my seat. How do I somehow always sit in the seat that either 1) a small child sat in before or 2) a anorexic sat in. I am of average weight and have problems with you. I can't imagine what you feel like to someone who is overweight with a bladder filled with fluid waiting for the sign above them to turn off and tell them they can finally remove you.

So, in conclusion, dear airplane seat belt. I will see you again soon (less than 2 weeks!) but I still will have a bitter, low opinion of you. I'm sure some people care for you (example: the lovely stewardess who do demonstrations about you) but I am not one of them.

Lovens,

Mo

Image by Margaret Kilgallen, one of my favorite street artist

I have so many exciting things happening starting today until Tuesday (plus I've been overwhelmed with finishing up the film I'm working on) so please bare with me while I am completely AWOL till next Wednesday.

                                         While I am MIA I'd love to hear what y'all are up to!!!!!

Sometimes the only way to get through your Monday work day is to reminisce about your Sunday. Today, on set, was a particularly intense day so I thought I'd even share my Sunday Funday with y'all.

My Sunday can be summed up with one word: Bikes

John and I ran a bunch of errands then meet up with some friends. We headed into the Quarter, went to the Seafood Festival (where I ate rice and beans and deep fried blueberry pie), drank some beers at Erin Rose

                                     
                                               We discovered random parrots,  went out for Thai Food......

John rode circles around me because he is bad ass and a much better bike rider than me (I'm cool with this fact and it's part of the reason I love him)

All and all, it was an amazing, laid back Sunday. A perfect Sunday to start a hectic filming week.

What did y'all do for you Sunday Funday?

Bath time or Animal Abuse?

My dog hates everything water related. He is freaked out by a good deal of water bowls and he hates going for walks in the rain. Most of all he HATES getting a bath. Luckily for him he's breed doesn't need to take a bath more than 4-5 times a year. His skin will get extremely flaky and dry if we bathe him to often.
But sometimes his puppy smell becomes to unbearable for me (I seriously believe John would enjoy letting him smell like filthy dog ALL the time because he loves the smell).

Does that face not look like we are about to smack him in the head? Or perhaps that we are murdering his best friend Kahlo in front of him? Nope. Just bath time.

While Jackson may hate it, I totally enjoy having a dog that doesn't smell of asshole (pardon my language but I couldn't think of anything else) 

Does anyone else have a dog that hates not just baths but water in general?

7 Things

I've been seeing alot of "7 things" post via the blog world and have really enjoyed reading all of them. So I thought, "Hey, let's jump on this bandwagon." Ya know, I'm a individual like that and all.

7 Places I Would Like To Visit:

1) India - more specifically Goa but I'd be interested in any city

2) San Francisco - hopefully I'll have visited this city by the end of the year *fingers crossed*

3) Belgium - I ALMOST got to go to Belgium for a film 2 months ago. I had no interest in visiting until I  was told I may go for work and then BAM I didn't go and now I long to visit.

4) Prince Edwards Island - it's a trip my mother always wanted to take with me (remember Anne of Avonlea? Yup, that was filmed there!)

5) Belize -enough said

6) Australia - all of it

7) Can I just say I want to visit EVERYWHERE? I feel like this is Sophie's Choice. EVERYWHERE!

7 Things I Would Like To Make:

1) My own Feature Length Films -DUH!

2) Vegan Pot Pie that taste as good as my grandmother's even though her recipe contains chicken.

3) A decent paycheck

4) A dress I could wear in public (I have never made ANY form of clothing)

5) A difference in someone's life

6) Street Art

7) My student loan payments on time

7 People I Would Like To Meet (Dead or Alive):

1) Robert Altman - this man changed my view of what a film can be like when I was 11 years old. He was the first director I put up on my wall of directors when I was a teen (a film nerd teen, but a teen). I still remember where I was, what time of day, and the weather when my father called to tell me Altman passed away. A bit dramatic but he played a major influence in my early development of loving cinema

2) Ryan Gosling

3) Robert Redford - director of my favorite film since I was 10 years old: Ordinary People. This IS the film that made me want to become a director.

4) Alex Garland

5) Robert White - John's father who passed away before I got the chance to meet him. 

6) Julie Taymor

7) Sofia Coppola 

7 Things I Would Like to Own:

1) A new car - Any kind of car. Just a new one the doesn't need to be fixed EVERY weekend.

2) A house 

3) A goat

4) A independent movie theater

5) A bread maker

6) Alexander McQueen dress

7) An Oscar for Best Director (oh snap!)

7 Things That Annoy Me:

1) Loud Nail Biting

2) People who don't think before speaking. 

3) Homophobia 

4) Ending each sentence with, "You know what I'm saying".

5) Driving/parking

6) Student Loooooooooans!

7) Video game music (not the noises, JUST the music)

7 Films I Love:

1) Ordinary People

2) All The Real Girls

3) Badlands

4) All About My Mother

5) Ratcatcher

6) Medium Cool

7) Cries and Whispers

7 Funny Words:

1) Rhubarb

2) Umpteen

3) Whatchamacallit

4) Poop

5) Outfits (when said by a male)

6) Bunghole

7) Lollygag

If you have a "7 things" list, I'd love to read it! Please comment with your link! Also, I hope we can still be blog buddy friends after you read my list!

Stone Fox

On my recent trip home to Pennsylvania I visited my Mother's brother (my Uncle S). He and I went through some old photos of my grandmother and I can not even properly put into words how OBSESSED I've been with these pictures ever since.

I feel like old pictures of our grandmothers are very similar to how we feel about our children. No matter what the picture is, we find it the most beautiful imagine in the world. We are in utter awe of their beauty.

At least that is how I feel about my Grammy. I thought she was a stunning grandmother when I was young so it never came as any surprise to me when I saw pictures of her when she was around my age. Stunning, just stunning.

                     

Also, I love the simply composures of each photo. People didn't take as many photos back then as they do now so it always feels like there is a hidden story behind each photo you look at.

I am so thankful for the 17 years I got to spend with my grandmother and the 24 with my mother. Both these women have had a HUGE impact on who I have become today. I constantly wish they were still here but can feel their presence with me daily. For that I am grateful.

Were you close with your grandmother???

How I Survived A Tropical Storm

I enjoy the fact that I never have to watch the local news because odds are someone else around the country has heard about something HORRIBLE going on in New Orleans and will inevitably call me the check up if I'm ok. While I did know about the tropical storm coming into town (all the crew people from California were freakin' out and asking the locals for advice) I still didn't plan to much beyond just that.

So, here is my play by play of how I survived the "tropical storm" that passed through New Orleans this weekend:

-wake up around 530am on Saturday morning because the storm is so loud.

-decide that I should eat.....

-decide that, hey I'm adult, I don't HAVE to eat cereal for breakfast than make a bunch of fries. 

-realize I suck at making fries and throw the fries away.

-Wait a few hours for John to wake up because he has indeed lived in New Orleans longer than myself and can sleep through tropical storms.

-Once John wakes up head out to Hollygrove Market and fall in love with them all over again (just as I do every week.)

-Head to Juan's for my weekly fix. Become extremely grateful for the local establishments that stayed open this weekend (suck it Starbucks)

-go into high fiber induced food coma

-Shake off my sleepiness and head to Earthsavers to get my massage on.

-Pray I don't fart while in the massage because I ate to many beans

-Pass out to the wind noise that is either from the CD player in the room or from outside. I choose to believe it was a mixture of both.

-Upon returning home, if electricy goes out stare at your adorable kitten for hours on end and tell her so in an annoyingly high pitch cat lady voice.

-Get really bored

-Head out to local bars. Listen to local music.

-In cab ride home become freakishly amazed with the beauty that the rain on the windows makes on your legs.

-Notice that you may be bowlegged

-Wake up and gaze at cats some more

-Eat more high fiber foods that put you in yet ANOTHER food coma like state (thanks, Slim Goodies!)

-Realize my dog hates walking in the rain even more than I do and become concerned that he hasn't pooped in over 24 hours.

-catch up on old school Bradley Cooper. 

-clean house while catching up on old school Bradley Cooper

-Give in to utter boredom

-Pass out 

So, that my friends is how I "survived" the Tropical Storm that came through New Orleans this weekend (teeeeechnically it's still in New Orleans but whatever, the worst is over).

I wish I had some crazy stories to tell you but there really aren't any. A few of my neighbors had trees fall on their houses. We didn't really lose our electricity any more than we would anytime of the year. It just seemed like a long storm coming through town that shut down alot of shops and made a normally fun weekend in New Orleans super wet and boring.

Did anyone have an exciting Tropical Storm experience this weekend?

Pennsylvania Trip Home: Part 3/Final

For my third and final post on my trip back home to Pennsylvania I wanted to do a post on what was by far the highlight of my trip (minus seeing my Dad and brother which is a given). I wanted to do a special post on my BESTIES!

I've basically had the same core girlfriends since I was 10 years old. I've added more besties along the way but these core Central PA girls will always mean the world to me. We've been through everything together. Developing breast, getting our first periods, dealing with our first heartbreaks, etc. When new rough times come through our lives we don't need a back story to help explain why we are reacting to the situation a certain way. We know our back stories.

Without having to explain to my friends what a hard time I'd be going through when I came home for my visit they all went out of their way to be home at the same time as me. Two now live in New York City, one in Boston, one in Australia (she could not make it, duh) and one just moved back to our hometown. I did not ask them to come. They came because they are just that damn amazing.

Needless to say we all had an amazing time. We went out and danced late into the evening Friday night and hung out by my family's pool all day Saturday.

Guess which legs belong to the New Yorker and the ones who belong to the New Orleanian

I'm still living off the happy high I got from seeing them all. I still can't believe that they all came back into town at the same time to support me. I still can't believe we're all 25 freakin' years old and pay taxes (but that's a whole other blog post topic)!

Our friend who is in Australia loves Abita Purple Haze and BBQ Middleswarth. We took this photo for her!

I'm so thankful to having amazing friends like these ladies. My friends mean the world to me and seeing them all when I was home in Pennsylvania meant the world to me. I know I'm repeating myself but seriously, no amount of words can explain the joy they bring me.

I love you, ladies!

Tell me about your besties!