Hello from California

So, I've moved out here to California. I've been here for a little less than two weeks now, and I am definitely overwhelmed by all of the changes.

Life out here is... well, it's a lot like high school. I guess the best way to get to this point is to start from the beginning and bring you up to speed.

I started orientation last Monday, and it went all week. I had met my roommate, Ashley, over the weekend. She and I got along for the weekend, and I thought she was pretty sweet. When orientation started on Monday, we were split up into groups, and Ashley and I were separated, which was fine. I was actually put into Chris Ferrantino's orientation group, which was nice. That night, we had our first mixer and then a bunch of us went out to a bar afterward. It was clear to me on that night that I was going to kind of have to fight to become friends with some of the other producers, as this girl named Rachel (a fellow producer) had targeted Ashley as the friend to have, and they were quickly making themselves "the popular girls." My take on the matter was that I was not in high school and was hardly going to beg to be liked. I graduated high school a long time ago, and I had no interest in returning.

As the week progressed, to make a long story short, Rachel, Ashley, another girl named Christina, and I all started to hang out more and more. Soon, we became what someone dubbed "the it girls," which made me kind of uncomfortable. Somehow, I found myself in that little "popular girls" group that I stopped wanting to be a part of when I got into college and realized that I'd rather make friends I liked than friends that people would judge me favorably (yet superficially) for. Interestingly, each year (we've been told), there seems to be a group of producer girls who kind of become the "it" people who tend to be at the center of the social scene. I suppose it's good that I found myself here, but it is hardly without frustration.

See, I don't really care to be in this position. I'm here to make movies, and there are a lot of people that I'd like to be friends with. But as time here has gone on, I've come to realize that this is what the world is like out here - full of popularity contests and such, which ends up having a huge factor on professional decisions. Furthermore, it is the people with the most promise in the business that tend to be the most popular, and I have no doubt (not to sound conceited) that I will find myself successful here in an academic and professional manner. It is, after all, what I am here for. And I can certainly see this paying off - we've been the first people invited to parties and events and such, which is where I can already see most networking is done, and last night some of the second-year producers took us out for drinks.

Along the same lines, I also find myself sort of frustrated with this group of girls. At first, I thought that Rachel was kind of stopping me from being a part of the group (I certainly did have to struggle to be a part of this), as she totally targeted Ashley. But more and more, I can see that I'm getting closer to Rachel but that socially, Ashley seems reluctant to really get to know me or hang out with me. When the four of us girls are out, Ashley seems keen to share secrets with Rachel right in front of me, kind of giggling while she freely makes me feel excluded. It frustrates me a lot, because at parties and the like, I find myself going back to these girls as something of a "home base," since all of these new people can get overwhelming and it can be nice to have people to depend on in these big groups. But Ashley doesn't seem to really want to include me in that.... so.. yea. It kind of makes me feel like she's a big bitch, but when it's the two of us we tend to get along pretty well. It's kind of confusing. Anyway, I'm liking Rachel more and more everyday, and Christina and I definitely get along well.

So there's already drama, and it's already complicated.

It really, really, really makes me miss you guys.

On the other hand, I have definitely already been targeted as a "powerhouse producer," which I totally love. I think there's a certain personality type that people look out for in my profession, and I have definitely done well making a first impression in this manner. Second-years tend to like me, which is great. This one girl, Liz, is a second-year who I've heard is the powerhouse producer in her year, and she has definitely taken a liking to me. I couldn't be happier about that, because these guys are the ones that hire us for sets.

Getting hired by older grad students is the biggest thing around here - classes don't really matter, but you try to get hired on as many movies as you can handle, as that's where you get to know the most people and gain the most experience.

Speaking of which!!!! I've gotten hired!!!! Annnnd by a REALLY CUTE BOY!

Ok, sorry for the explosion. From here on out, I'll be talking about boys. And, sort of, about the position for which I've been hired. Feel free to stop reading here if you so desire.

So there's this ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS third-year director (I think he's about 24 or 25) amed Mike, who I met on the first day and was immediately struck by how attractive he was. He's about 6'4" or 6'5", which is really attractive to me. He and I got to talking on Friday night at the third mixer we had, while we were in a big circle of people. We started joking around and having tons of fun, and we really hit it off. Later, at the party that followed the mixer (god, I am SO in California), he and I got to talking again, this time just the two of us. We were laughing the whole time and getting along so well - we ended up hanging out for about half an hour, and we had a ton of fun together. Then, we got to talking about his movie - which I got so excited about - and he hired me to be his second second assistant director, which is one of the best jobs a first-year producer can get at the beginning! I was so honored. Before I left the party, he and I joked around about how my first assignment was to facebook him as soon as I got home... but then when I did get home, he had already friended me. And then we had a little facebook wall exchange. I'm not complaining.

He's not the only new crush I have, either! The other guy is named Ryan, and he's a 23 year-old first-year Cinematographer. He's funny, sarcastic, and smart, and he and I have a lot in common. He's a huge Disney fan, which not only gives us a lot of common ground, but also gives us a place we both love to hang out. On the Wednesday night mixer, he and I hung out at the bar together for like 2 hours (with other people), and we hit it off really well - that is, until he met my roommate and (I'm pretty sure) developed a little crush on her. She has a boyfriend, but still - ever since then, things haven't been quite as fun between Ryan and me. I'm sure I'm overthinking things, but still. I have enough drama going on with these girls - I don't need boy drama, too.

We'll see how things go. For now, I have a new home to get to know, classes to start, friends to make and bond with, and boys to look at. Things are intensely overwhelming, but it's all very exciting.

Miss and love you guys, as always.