That Time I Starred in a Zombie Movie

Ok, maybe not starred. More like I was a fill in "spring breaker" for a party scene, but still, it was kick ass.

Why a zombie movie you ask? These two awesome dudes, Sam and Mattie, had a dream to make a teen zombie movie and after a kickstarter that went viral in 2014, their dream became a reality. Although they are both diagnosed with down syndrome, they are the craziest, funniest, wild pair I've met in a while. And these two know how to party, that's for sure. 
                                         
I got out of work early from the newspaper last week and I luckily get called out of the restaurant job, which was a miracle as it is. Then my fiance (I feel so boojie saying fiance) who has been filling in for the entire week, invited me to be an extra because the crew— straight from Hollywood— needed more crazy spring breakers. (Jacob's parents are best friends with Sam's 'rents so that is how we got connected with the gig). So I found the most teenage romper I could find in my closet, threw on a fedora and mirrored Quay Australia sunnies and I fit right in. I got the job to spray people in the pool and of course, I got yelled at twice, because I almost doused the super legit super expensive camera with a blast from the hose...of course I would do that accidentally. 
^^^ Clearly, I took my job very seriously 

I forgot to mention, after Sam and Mattie's kickstarter went viral, they got sponsored from a boat load of companies, like Cumberland Farms and an endorsement from my hometown, Johnston's-own, DJ Pauly D. My claim of fame is that when I was 16, Pauly took me for a ride on his street bike in the middle of my sweet 16 birthday party and damn did I feel cool, and this was before his Jersey Shore days that made his oober famous.  Peep Jake's, "I'm with Pauly D smile." 
There were zombies, demons and a hybrid of zombies and demons which are all part of the screenplay that Sam and Mattie wrote themselves. Shit was unreal. The had a professional makeup crew which made it even better and realistic, because zombie-demons are realistic...
^^^ check out my fiance in full zombie costume 

It gets even weirder. Jake and I picked up someone's random friend to get more people in the scene who we have never seen before, nor did we know what he looked like. The only direction we got was to look for a 17-year-old blonde boy at the corner of Hope Street in Providence. We creepishly roll up and see a loner. I smugly roll down the window and ask this rando, hoping it's the right person, "zombie movie?" Imagine it was the wrong guy. I'd geek. 

The Bieber look-a-like gets in the car and I hope that he won't kill me since he was sitting behind me. Clearly our Steely Dan and Peter Gabriel Pandora station wasn't doing it for him because he was quick to put on his headphones and blast trap music. In return, I sprayed the crap out of him and his friends with the ice cold hose. #listentosomerealmusicbro 
Everyone involved in the movie's production are so generous and kind, volunteering their time to help out Sam and Mattie. Not only did I get to take part in something I will never forget, I helped make their movie, even if I was just a spring breaker filling in space. I was happy to do it. Nothing better than dancing around a pool with solo cups filled with Cumbie's soda, pretending to get turn't up to essential party remixes. I can tots do that, and I did it with grace. Plus, seeing a real deal impromptu movie set was amazeballs. Did I mention me, Jake and all extras involved, will get a credit in the movie, booyah. 
Wanna follow their movie journey? Visit their Facebook page (click here) for full updates and information on when the movie will be released. 

I haven't been doing a great job sticking true to my blog theme because the stuff I've been doing lately and experiencing are anything but average. But that won't last long. 

Turn Down for What ?

I'm sick and tired of checking my email every five seconds, waiting for my dream employer to respond to my zillion applications so that I can finally have a career that I absolutely love and pays enough. Granted, the industry I decided to pursue probably isn't the best one compensation wise because journalists make shit. But I love being in the media biz. 

With the addition of a wedding, existing bills and shopping addiction, I'm at a point where I should be working the two jobs I have to save, but should that be at my sanity's expense? There is no way I can continue to work like I have been for the duration of my two year engagement. NO WAY. I would rather plan a wedding on a tight budget and be able to enjoy this exciting time than work my ass to plan a wedding while being a miserable biotch. Afterall, two years is a lot of days to sacrifice for the planning of one day. 

I may have interpreted Lil' John's song a bit differently than most, but considering the crossroads I am at, it's very suiting. Turning down any job associated with the career path you have chosen SUCKS. The very few who are responding to my applications are either on an island off the coast of the Ocean State (that was the first reporting job I turned down) a two hour plus commute or pays virtually nothing and is impossible to live off of.

So what do I do? How much longer do I have to wait? I am the most impatient person in the world so this really blows. So what am I turning down exactly? Shitty pay, four hour commute and super early mornings which I am not a fan of. But doesn't that come with growing up? This average working life that I am living is becoming very stagnant, and I need a change, STAT. I am, however, very grateful for my reporting job I've held because it put my foot in the door. Thank you, Daily Times!
The application process is so exhausting, looking on Monster.com, Indeed.com or JournalismJobs.com daily, hoping a new listing will pop up that is looking for all of my qualifications and characteristics. But that never happens. Either right off the bat, the job is requiring 100 years experience or relocation. Moving for a job, especially as a news reporter, is basically required if you want to do anything remotely successful (in my neck of the country at least). However, leaving behind a 8-month-old niece, twin sister, 94-year-old grandmother and kick ass family and besties is really difficult. If I had no attachments, see you later Rhode Island! 

All of the job boards are very helpful, yet according to Forbes, job seekers should only spend 20 percent of their job search time on job boards while other experts recommend only 10 percent. On top of that, there is apparently a "hidden job market" that many people get great careers off of. Why the f#%k are they hidden?! Lets make it as difficult as we can to get an employee to work for us. I guess the determination of finding a job not posted on a job board says something, I suppose.  According to this article, many experts report that 75-85 percent of jobs are in this hidden market. HOW DO I GET ACCESS TO THIS SAID HIDDEN MARKET?!

Waiting tables, yes, is easy money. You can basically write your own pay check depending on what fine dining restaurant you work at, none of that Applebees, 2-for-$20 bullshit. The only way to be a waitress and make that money honey is to get in somewhere with an $80 check average (at least), in my opinion, which I luckily currently do.

Here I am, trying to scramble my thoughts in to how the hell I am going to pay for a wedding (which is way more expensive than I anticipated— like $10,000 more) yet I want to find a job that I have a $60,000 education backing it. Regardless, once I take one job, I will be taking a pay cut but it is worth my happiness, if you ask me. Get this, money DOESN'T buy happiness.

What's my dream job you ask? Think Carrie Bradshaw or Andie Anderson from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Yes, it is far from hard news reporting but one day, if I could work for Cosmopolitan or any of Hearst Magazines for that matter, I'd be one happy camper because I'd be getting paid to write about love, sex, clothes and life. I'm very determined. 

And this is exactly my crossroads: Hard news or magazine writing? Which route will I take? Lets see where life takes me.

I mean, Anita Anderson— Andie Anderson, if that isn't a sign, I don't know what is.