Just a Quick Note...

So a couple weeks back when I was moving into the apartment I was organizing my closet and came across an envelope marked "Timmy D." This is a nickname of mine so I opened it thinking one of my roommates placed it in there while I was doing something else. I read it and thought it an awkward note for either of my roommates, who are girls, to write me. I asked all my friends about it and they all denied writing it so it must have just been left there accidentally which means the former resident of my room must have also been Tim D. Weird. You can read the note below:

Timmy D,

When you and I met, we were surrounded by bizarre circus animals at Agnew's old home with just-as-bizarre homecoming dates.

Now, we're on the verge of being surrounded by our closest friends and family in Kentucky and the Mexican beaches, ready to marry two beautiful and bright girls.

And between then and now we've managed to have some pretty damn funny memories! Such as, recruiting trips to Butler, wild Northwestern parties, Cubs classic in San Diego, and overly competitive games on the diamond as tuning fork captains.

But it's your loyal and trustworthy friendship, and your personal courage and a strong sense of family and respect for siblings and parents that stand out for me, Tim.

Thank you for all that you do for me, and may our bond continue to grow, even if it's from a 4-hour plane ride away!

-Pat

No Sweat

Today I saw a girl with one arm riding a bicycle and talking on her iPhone at the same time. The most jarring thing to me was how easily and gracefully she was able juggle everything and balance all at once.

Summer is quickly coming to an end and that means more and more is being added to my plate on a daily basis. I'm also moving out of my summer apartment and into a more permanent place down the street. I am excited to move because the new place has a lot more extra space and I will get to have my own bedroom and bathroom. I bought a full sized bed recently which I've never been able to do thus far in life. However, we move in Sunday and school starts on Monday which kind of cuts it close. This week I have to find a suitable mattress and other domestic things such as these that grownups do. Luckily I was able to go home last weekend and have mom help me in acquiring my basic apartment needs.

Finding an apartment was a headache in itself. It's difficult to compromise on an apartment with two other people in the first place. It makes it even more difficult when the two other people are from out of state. Finally, though, I believe that we found a place we are all content with.

As for right now, I feel as though I'm in limbo. My car is packed to the brim with various apartment necessities that I am unable to move into my apartment until Sunday. I brought a few items from my car up to my room but it's difficult because I share a small room and I feel as though I'm taking up more space than I actually have. To add to this, one of my future roommates is staying with me until we can move in this weekend so it feels as though we are constantly stepping over each other as well as my other roomies; a veritable balancing act. The former owner of my bed and mattress recently decided she wanted both back so she came and took them which forced me to take my roommate's mattress and sleep on that for the time being. I feel bad because I can only offer my friend who's staying with me a mattress to sleep on. I figure we're college students though, we've slept on a lot worse.

I'm looking for internships for the fall semester within the film, fashion, and magazine industries right now. I hope to find an internship that will be able to lead to a profession after I graduate in May. It has been difficult to schedule interviews, however, because my car isn't doing very well so I don't like to drive it very far and most of my possessions are still packed in it so I don't really want to advertise this fact. I talked with the Dean of my department and she really encouraged me to be in a couple more performances this year to bulk up my resume which means updating my headshots and the resume and other actor-ly things like that. Sounds fun, but it's one more thing I need to schedule in.

Needless to say when I saw that girl on her bike today it put everything in check for me. Moral of the story for my life (today) - I probably couldn't ride a bike with one arm without breaking a sweat if I tried but I can get my life together for the beginning of the school year with two (arms).

- Tim

It's been a while...

It's been almost a year now since I left for Germany. That's pretty unbelievable to me. I think growing older makes you realize how fast time goes by. However, a lot has happened in the span of 11 months. I turned 21. I traveled all over Europe. I was in a musical. I finished another semester. I traveled to New York. I secured an internship. I moved to LA.

I think the last accomplishment is the most significant for my life right now, and it almost didn't happen. It wasn't until the very end of the semester that I interviewed for my internship with Interscope Records so I sort of had to scramble to find a place to live and a paying job. The apartment was remarkably easy. The job on the other hand took a little more time but I'm glad to say that everything has finally fallen into place.

Honestly, I don't think I could have spent the summer at home anyway. I think my mom knew this too. She sort of...uh hem...advised me to leave as nicely as she could without kicking me out. There was a job waiting here for me to do and I needed to do it. I really feel like this is more my home now. One of the things I loved the most about growing up in Sacramento was that it was always growing too. Now, however, I feel a little more disconnected from it; there's always something new, something different that I'm not familiar with. Los Angeles in all of its vastness is now a lot more familiar to me. This makes me laugh because a year ago I was so ready to get out but I guess what I was looking for was here the entire time.

Summer thus far has been a lot of fun. I moved into my apartment at the beginning of June. I'll post pictures of it soon. I live in Playa Vista which is a 'luxury community' conveniently located right below campus. I describe it as "Pleasantville" to people. The apartment complexes and houses in the area are all newly and perfectly built lived in by their perfect residents with their perfect cars and perfect lives. My car, needless to say, sticks out like a sore thumb. I love the area though. It's so conveniently located and I feel completely safe if I wanted to say take a jog at 2am...oh yeah...and the grocery store and local restaurant both deliver. With my lack of job during most of June I found myself in my apartment building's gym a lot. This was duly needed. I don't think you realize how out of shape you are until you start getting back into shape. While I'm not quite in the shape I was during my cross country days in high school, I hope to be by the end of summer.

Summer is a good time to hang out with friends without the stress of classes and other social engagements. Luckily I've had a lot of time to be with the people that I love. It's interesting though; most of the people I see on a regular basis now are the people that I studied abroad with. I've noticed this several times throughout the summer. In June one of my study abroad friends who's a year older was moving back home because she was unable to find work out here. Her parting wish? A Thanksgiving dinner. So a few of us got together and made a Thanksgiving dinner, in June. I contributed with mashed potatoes which are pretty much the only thing I eat during Thanksgiving anyway. That's another thing- I've been cooking a great deal for myself lately; it really surprises me. The other day I made macaroni and cheese from scratch...just because. I'm glad summer leaves time open for these kind of things.

Gabby, my best friend is also down here which has been a lot of fun. Although she lives in Westwood by UCLA which is like 15 minutes (like 150 in traffic) away, we see each other often. I'm so thankful to have the people I love close by because the most difficult thing about living here has been living without my family. I felt this the most on the 4th of July. It was the first time I spent the holiday without my family and it was very different. Had I been at home, I certainly wouldn't have spent the day at the beach making fun of drunk people in their poorly chosen Independence Day get-ups. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. The beach was packed and lively. We sat on the beach and watched the fireworks over the water. If I'm here next year, I hope to do the same thing. As far as Interscope goes, I'm having a lot of fun. I wish I was doing more hands on stuff but it's been a good learning process nonetheless. In a nutshell, I wake up every day and reflect on how lucky I am to be alive and living in this great city! So far summer has been that of beaching, partying, working, learning, shopping, pool parties, laughing, dancing, but most of all another step on this journey of discovery that I believe we all are on. More to come!

- Tim