Super Woman

Well.  Today marks day 15 of my 30 day challenge.  The half way point!  This go round is MUCH easier than the 30 day challenge I took on in August.  I'm guessing there are several reasons for this:

1)  I've been practicing for 6 months already, as opposed to that being my first time doing Bikram ever.
2)  I eat a much healthier diet.  That 30 day challenge is what kicked off my life changing ways, whereas now I've been living that healthier lifestyle for 6 months.
3)  That was August and New York was experiencing a record breaking heat wave.  This is February... and while it is still a record breaking-ly warm winter, the temperatures outside are a good 50 degrees warmer than they were in August.  This undoubtedly makes the room a different kind of hot--yes, they regulate the temperature so it stays around 105-110 degrees regardless of what the temperature outside is, but when they open the window to cool things down, extremely cool air washes over you instead of just a breeze of more 110 degree air.

Regardless, it's by no means EASY.  Just easiER.  I've had my days where I felt awful and blacked out and had to sit out of postures... but surprisingly... none of them where the 3 days I was doing my juice cleanse.  You may recall that this past Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I did another Blue Print Cleanse.  6 juices a day and as much water as you want to drink, but nothing else.  I FELT AMAZING.  I had so much energy and felt so wonderful.  It's really a testament to the fact that what you put into your body is DIRECTLY related to how you feel.  I'm going to stay as gluten and dairy free as possible--while allowing myself to indulge every once in a while (BENANDJERRY'SHALFBAKEDFROYO).  Because it feels good to feel so good!

I also discovered Google calendar... and now my OCD list making ways are even more fully satisfied.  Sunday I spent about an hour plugging my upcoming week into the calendar.  Day by day.  Hour by hour.  Work, meetings, yoga, lunch, writing this blog, and yes, even breathing (for singing... but still)--all color coded and set into the schedule.  And it's amazing.  I've gotten SO MUCH DONE.  I've had "sell dresses on ebay" on my to do list for, I kid you not, TWO YEARS--and I finally did it.  I even scheduled when my down time would be--to allow myself some me time for watching my shows--like New girl, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Parks and Rec, etc--and it's amazing... I have trouble relaxing now because I feel like I should be doing something.  Lord I hope this burst of motivation and positoovity lasts.  Cause I am kickin' some major bootay.

Now, if only all this positoovity and hard work would start reflecting in my acting career... but it's a journey and it's fun and I am gonna try to enjoy the ride (what I tell myself daily)!!!  So until next time, fellow life travelers, I bid you a beautiful week and will leave you with this little ounce of fun.

Lull....

Well, this week sure has been like being through the Looking Glass.  I just feel like my head hasn't been on straight at all.  Yesterday I kept thinking it was Tuesday all the day long, and I completely missed my normal Wednesday blog day.  Thank goodness there isn't a large contingency of readers holding their breath for each Wednesday to roll around.  I think I'm coming out of my post staycation lull, though.  Thank goodness.  I was having a lot of trouble getting up motivation to do much of anything, so mostly I spent the week forcing myself to yoga classes, working, knocking small things of my to-do list, and journaling.  Oh.  And watching both seasons of Downton Abbey.  So good.  It's like BBC crack.  Except PBS...

I also have a new gluten free/dairy free obsession.  They're called Lara Bars... and they are amazing!  They market themselves as "energy bars"... and though I can't really see any actual INTENSE nutritional gain from them,  they are most delicious and make a fantastic snack!  They come in a variety of flavors, some of my favorites thus far being pecan pie, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter chocolate chip, key lime pie, and cappuccino (though there are SEVERAL others, many of which I haven't even tried yet), and the real kicker is each flavor contains no more than 2-9 ingredients!  For example, the peanut butter and jelly flavor is just dates, peanuts, dried cherries, and salt.  Pecan pie is dates, pecans, and almonds.  I don't know how they are so amazing... but they are.  Nom nom.

On the career front, I have a meeting next week with a writer I worked with last year on a new play called, "Dear, Mortimer."  He wasn't very clear in his message on what exactly he's been working on--I think a new play and perhaps a screenplay--but he seems to have held auditions this past week, and he wants to meet with me and one other actor from last year's production about something... so we shall see.  I enjoy doing new work, but with the goals I've outlined for myself, I really want to do work that will progress my career, and if this venture would take a like of time away from my goals, I may have to say no... but, again, we shall see!

If nothing else, I need to stay busy!  When I have free time, it's no bueno for Brittany.


But... the most exciting thing is tomorrow I pick up my Blue Print Cleanse, so I will spend Saturday, Sunday, and Monday doing house cleaning on my innards.  I just can't wait to taste those juices again--especially the Pineapple, Apple, Mint one... YUM!

Reset

Well, I'm sitting at my little Ikea counter in my little studio apartment drinking coffee out of my little ginormous mug trying to catch up on life.  My mom and sister arrived a week ago today for a NYC adventure, and boy, was it that!  I completely ignored my entire life and obligations, and it was glorious.  Unfortunately, now I have the task of remembering where I was and getting back into the right state!  (Well, state of mind... not STATE as in NY... that's the nice thing about staycations!)

We ate and drank our way through the city, like us Kriger girls like to do, and I'll just give you a lil highlighted version of what we got into!  The first 2 days were spent scouring the city for a birthday dress for me and boots for my sister and momma.  I felt that for my 27th birthday, I wanted to have a grown up birthday at a nice restaurant with nice cocktails, nice food, and nice clothes... but I didn't realize it would be so difficult to find the perfect birthday dress in NY!  (Trust me, it was difficult... I even considered just wearing my birthday suit!)  But I ended up with a beautiful Alice and Olivia dress (which I can't find pictured on their website... so you'll just have to use your imagination) and we had a WONDERFUL dinner complete with a most delicious surprise birthday cake compliments of my momma!  We went out for a few more cocktails after dinner and returned home at a respectable, adult hour.

After returning home at the respectable, adult hour we had a day of recovery that involved ordering in room service and finally making our way out of the hotel by 2 in the afternoon.  The next few days were spent eating at delicious restaurants and exploring NYC's finest attractions--the Tenement Museum, The Guggenheim, The Merchant House Museum, and the sensational, experiential theatre phenomenon--Sleep No More.  Google it... it was AMAZING.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip... and rather bittersweet as it was probably the last Kriger girl vacation of this sort.  With that sister moving off to Germany with her husband and future children... I expect the next time I see her she'll be a few months pregnant... and we'll be in another country... so... that's crazy!  The future is such an exciting little beast, all full of surprises and twists and turns...

So now it's back to the old grindstone.  To get back into the swing of things I am resetting my body.  Today I began another 30 day Bikram yoga challenge--so I will be done with that on March 15, and I also received a coupon from the Blue Print Cleanse for 20% off my next cleanse... so obviously I took advantage of that, and next weekend I will reset my stomach and body with a 3 day cleanse.  Ever since Thanksgiving I've been tottering on the top of the gluten/dairy free wall... and with this staycation I completely fell off.  So it's time to reset my food intake and get my body back to feeling its best.  And lastly, I've signed up for a seminar in which I will be working with 3 of NYC's top casting directors in film, tv, and legit theatre.  So I have a lot to work on... and I'm excited to refocus. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful week, and that you had a WONDERFUL Valentine's day.  I love you!

One Day At a Time--This is Enough.

"...Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come.  Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering. 

Happiness is a journey." ~Ida Scott Taylor

I stumbled across this quote on the interwebs about a week ago, and it has been on my mind ever since.  I think now that I find myself in this wonderful life place, I want to share it with as many people as I can.  This quote so beautifully expresses the way I am attempting to approach life and is so eloquently expressed that I feel it MUST be shared.  You know that warm bubbly feeling that starts in the pit of your stomach and then works its way up into your chest before it explodes onto your face as a smile?  That's what happens when I read this quote. 

"Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering."

So beautiful.  So HARD TO DO.

I often find myself reminiscing over the past and wishing I was back in certain places or times.  Or worrying about the future and where I am headed.  But... I think that if I just wake up every day and let life happen without getting in its way, enjoy EVERY moment, and put forth my best effort in EVERYTHING I undertake... well... the future will take care of itself.  And I've started to notice this little voice in my head... I like to think it's God.  Call me crazy, but I think if you listen you really can hear Him talking to you.  And if you listen to what He says, you will stay on track.

I just want to share a set of what SEEM to be individual experiences I had this week that merged to form a series of events that culminated in what I think is evidence of this philosophy. 

Saturday while I was at work one of my peers was asked to come in early for her Superbowl Sunday shift.  She was closing that night and was jet lagged from her recent trip to Europe.  Understandably, she was expressing to me that she was very tired and couldn't imagine coming in early.  I was scheduled to come in at 6 pm on Sunday, and had a full day planned of errands and writing and coffee.  However, the little voice in my head told me to offer switching shifts.  So... I did. And we did.  I felt nervous about this decision, because I knew it was going to be a long day, but I also knew the little voice in my head shouldn't be ignored.  You see, I had just decided to take a class that's going to cost me a good bit of money... so I told myself that any extra money I made would go towards the class.  So, Sunday morning my alarm when off early to go to early yoga before going to work early to face Superbowl Sunday.  I ended up working a 13.5 hour shift, but at the end of the day made enough to cover the cost of the class.  Monday rolled around and I was wiped, but I woke up, went to yoga, and then headed to my voice lesson with my new voice teachers who were recommended to me by a new friend/mentor, Rance.  This very same friend/mentor (Rance) is the one who is holding the class that I decided to take that my Superbowl Sunday shift will now pay for.  Rance had a voice lesson at the same time, and when we were done he suggested we grab coffee together.  I had planned to go to Starbucks (aka my office) to get some work done before work at my bar that evening, but the voice in my head said to go to coffee with Rance.  And so I did.  While at coffee I told Rance that I signed up for his class, and we started talking about what my next steps in my career should be.  A woman walked in the door, saw Rance, and said hello.  Turns out this woman was a casting director that I have respected and wanted to meet since I first moved to New York and read an article she wrote that inspired me when I was feeling very glum.  It was, for me, as exciting as meeting any celebrity.  I felt like I was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

And who knows, if I hadn't listened to that little voice to switch shifts on Sunday, things could have turned out completely differently.  Or they could have been the same... but I doubt it.

(For the sake of clarifying, there are several voices in my head. Not in like, the crazy, schizo way... but you know, there's the voice that says, "hey, Britt, eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's" or "sleep in...  snooze through that alarm," or "buy those shoes... you don't need them... but BUY THEM."  I do not think that all the voices in my head are God.  And I do think I have original thought.  But I also think that I can tell when it's God or the Universe or Mother Earth or WHOEVER talking to me.  Because it's usually something that I know is a good idea, but I wouldn't usually do.  Like when Harry Potter takes Felix Felixus in The Deathly Hallows, and he hears that voice that tells him what to do...   So basically, this outlook on life can feel JUST LIKE MAGIC.)

When the Student is Ready...

Hey y'all!! Happy New Year! (a month late...) 

Happy Ground Hog Day!! (more appropriate)  That darned lil ground hog saw his shadow.  Or didn't. Whichever one means 6 weeks of more Winter.  Though... this Winter has been so mild that I can't complain.  Not at all. But who cares, really?  Talking about the weather is so boring.  It's what you talk about when you have nothing else to talk about.  (Admittedly, it gets me through a lot of conversations.)

Oh man, guys. I've had a lot of caffeine today, so I apologize if as you read this you start thinking, "man, this blog is nonsensical/crazy/what is she TALKING ABOUT???"  I'm already thinking that.  But bear with me.  I have a lot of things in my head.  A LOT.

I started this blog 6 months ago because I felt lost.  I WAS lost.  (Which is why I felt that way.)  So, if you'll remember, I thought, hey, why not start a quest like Frodo... granted, mine was a self imposed quest for balance while his quest was thrust upon him to destroy ultimate evil... but lets not split hairs.  For me, it has been an epic quest.  I had no idea that that tiny idea was going to flourish into what it has.  This little blog has saved me.  No, I didn't blog a lot during this journey (woops), but the fragment of an idea that it represents is what saved me.

I have never really understood that age old saying: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears" (or something like that... from Karate Kid... or something.)  NOW I do.  And y'all, this student is FINALLY ready (bout time, right?) and all kinds of teachers are appearing.

A couple of months ago I was on the phone SOBBING to my mother that I had lost all hope.  And  I really thought I had.  I have never felt that way before... it was like... I had to make myself an empty vessel... just completely hit rock bottom so that I could truly appreciate what was coming my way.  I almost don't want to revisit that day in my mind, because it was like everything that I believed in died.  But that day is done.  I do believe.  I believe there is love in the world meant just for me.  I believe that I have something special to do.  AND I AM BACK ON TRACK TO FINDING IT.

It's so hard when you're in that dark place to ever imagine being hopeful, happy, or alive... ever again.  And it's taken a LOT of work to get back to myself.  The positive girl who almost always smiles... who inspires other people to smile... who smiles to strangers on the street and says "bless you" when someone sneezes.  Who truly believes that there is good in everyone, and she can find it!  The girl who knows what she wants and GETS IT.  The girl who says she's gonna do something and then DOES IT.  I lost her.  And I'm willing to bet that hard days will hit me again, and she may start to stray... but I refuse to lose her ever again.  And I won't.  Know how I know that?  A few reasons.

1) I'm writing this blog to remind me. 
2)  In singing, acting, drawing, dancing, cooking, swimming, skateboarding, quilting, kayaking... ANYTHING IN LIFE... there is a technique.  A way of approaching the skill that makes it easy and something that you can call upon at any time.  And guess what?  I learned the technique to being happy!  It's a SKILL, and, just like any other skill, some people are born with it.  I definitely was.  Others have to try very hard to learn a skill, if they are passionate enough to want it.  I was lucky enough to be born with it and then raised in a home where I was blessed enough not to have to WORK to maintain that happiness. But life is hard.  And it throws you curve balls.  If it didn't, you wouldn't appreciate the good times.  So when I was thrown hard times... I literally had no idea how to deal.  But I'm taking an online course right now that's called:  "Magical Manifesters: Find your gold.  Create the Blueprint.  Make it Happen.  A digital course for creative individuals."  It might sound hokey to you... but it has literally given me the tools to maintain my positive outlook on life.  And I am so very grateful.  And I am still learning.

So one of my goals with this course is to write a blog once a week.  So... there.  It's out there.  I'm gonna do it!  And share with you this journey.  Because it is blowing my mind.