Family Matters

  I got a call today that I had sort of feared I would get.  It was the sad voice of my Mother and I knew exactly why she was calling.  A few months ago I booked a bit part on the Nickelodeon tween phenomenon iCarly.  Tonight it aired and I was relegated to a glorified extra.  My two precious lines had been cut out of the episode.
  While this was not even close to a career making booking, I was excited to snag my first role since signing with my new agency.  It was an easy paycheck and the fine folks at iCarly were kind and professional.  As these things often go, though, my friends and family got far more excited than I did about the whole deal.
  I try my best to remember how lucky I am to still be pursuing my dream and all of the work I've gotten in my young career so far have been blessings.  On the flip side of this, I had two lines on iCarly, a show I had never seen and, to be honest, is not my cup a tea.  Last I checked I was 26 years old, so I'm not usually watching Nickelodeon.
  You might ask who does watch this show.  Apparently, a lot of people do.  Most notably my little cousins, who were so pumped up to see their big cuz on national television on their favorite show.  This was further perpetuated by their Mom, my first cousin, getting a viewing party together tonight to watch.  I tried my best to keep this low key, but so many people started making a bigger deal out of it.  And when my mother called tonight all I could think of was that I let my little cousins down.  They probably told their friends at school and now had some explaining to do.  I was embarrassed for me and for them, too.
  Then, on my drive to the valley to see my closest friends, I reminded myself that life is good.  Something as trivial as two lines in a show I don't watch and won't progress my career at all doesn't matter.  In fact, none of this career shit actually matters.  People matter.  Love matters.  Happiness matters.  I am a firm believer that the Universe only presents you with the emotional hurdles that you can handle.  I jump these hurdles like Carl Lewis now.  I'm strong.  I'm a mountain.  A very lucky mountain.

Hey, Aren't You That Guy?

  Today I was in the middle of ordering my burnt coffee at Starbucks when the barista interjected.  "You look really familiar.  Are you on TV?  Commercials and stuff?"  "Yes,"  I replied, smiling.  Maybe she actually recognized me or perhaps she confused me with one of my more conventionally successful dopplegangers (i.e. Simon Helberg or Adam Rose).  Either way it didn't matter.  

  Something I've been trying to incorporate into my life is to not judge myself by anyone's feelings about me whether they be negative OR positive.  It was super cool of this barista to speak up and stroke my ego.  The thing is, the only person that should be making me feel any sort of way about myself is me.  When you live by this rule no one can bring you down...and that's way more empowering than someone remembering your face.