Getting My Act Together (Or: One Of Those Slightly Introspective, Read-At-Your-Own-Risk Type Of Posts)

Today was kind of a big day.

It started out like any other day. I woke up, made coffee, and turned on my computer to see what was happening on the Internet. I was scrolling through all the usual Facebook updates when a picture caught my eye and made me almost drop my coffee cup.

The picture was of a guy I know - well, a guy I kinda know, a guy I might have gotten to know better if things had played out differently. He was holding a guitar, wearing a hat, and looking smug. And he had his arm around Jason Schwartzman.

Yeah. Max Fischer. It's no big deal. He's only THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic. But really, it's JASON SCHWARTZMAN.

The worst part is this: If I had been willing to go out on a limb and be a little bit insane, I might have been in L.A. posing for pictures with Jason Schwartzman last night. But no - I was at my parents' house waiting for my phone to make noise. Fail.

Like I said a couple of days ago, I think I've been putting too much energy into keeping everyone around me happy. As a result, I think I've been missing opportunities and neglecting what I want. Maybe it sounds really selfish, but I think I need remember what is important to Lauren. I need to focus on what I want to do and not on what I feel like I should do.

I also need to get off my ass and make things happen. The world may be mine for the taking, but it's not going to just fall into my lap and say "TAKE ME NOW!"

So I'm making things happen. I'm working on writing comedy sketches. I'm working on "Goat Man" (by the way, thanks so much for all of your encouraging comments regarding that project). I'm polishing up old articles I've written and thinking about sending them off somewhere. I'm writing songs like mad.

And I'm going to work on being more spontaneous and doing things that seem completely illogical, only because I know that if I don't get the urge to travel and be impulsive out of my system I'll never be happy settling anywhere for very long.

I'm also thinking about getting a real job.

After all, I did sign a lease today. I might need a steady income in the near future.

Yeah, I signed a lease. Shortly after I decided that I was going to take control of my life, an email popped into my inbox announcing that my application for the artist's community had been fully processed. So I drove down over there, picked the room I want, and made plans to move in on October 1st. That gives me a month and a half to focus on my writing and be irresponsible in general.

And tomorrow night, I'm going 80s dancing. You can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind. Because your friends don't dance and if they don't dance then they're no friends of mine.

Okay, I'm descending into Men Without Hats land. Must be bed time. Congratulations if you've made it this far through this post. You get a gold star.

Goodnight, amigos. (Or, good morning, for those of you who are reading this from the other side of the globe.)