Listen bitch. . .
Sleepless nights are the worst. I lay there thinking about my life and where it’s headed. Is it sad that I have no idea? I say to myself, “who really knows where they are going or what they really want in life, yet I see other people around me going places, doing things, and most importantly moving on with their lives.
I fear that I will always be this person, who is so uncertain about the future. It scares me. Truly.
A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks since my last post. I’m sad to say that I didn’t secure the marketing assistant job that I talked about in the previous post. I don’t know exactly what happened since I never heard from the mortgage broker after she her call to tell me that I would be working from home. I have since left messages that have gone unreturned. After about a week, I decided to resume the job search.
I am still unemployed and now in dire need of some sort of income. I have decided to lower my sights and have started applying for work outside of my field. I know that this is only temporary but I am keeping my hand in the design field by volunteering for the local art center and freelancing on the side.
The new plan is to save up for the “Big Move” sometime this time next year. I still don’t know exactly where I want to move but its between Boston, NYC, Miami or Chicago. Depending on how much money I have stashed away will most likely determine where I end up. I know that the odds of making this “Big Move” successful are stacked up against me but I need to try. I am only young once and I don’t want to wake up one day and be 35 and still living in Muscatine, Iowa wondering why I didn’t ever do anything crazy and worthwhile.
In other news, I have finally put together a small portfolio, which you can view here. It’s a start and hopefully my portfolio will grow in the coming months. I also have new plans for this blog. I kind of want to start incorporating puff pieces on celebrity/fashion/technology.
I know what you must be thinking . . . Are you trying to become the next Trent from PITNB. And to answer that question . . . maybe. I have enjoyed blogging about celebrities since I was fifteen. This is nothing new, back in the day my brother and I managed many fansites that generated quite a bit of buzz, way before PITNB and PerezHilton.com. One of those websites ultimately led to me meeting Britney Spears last year.
It’s just something that is supposed to be fun and to keep me busy for the year that I am home. I am not sure exactly how I will incorporate pop culture into my blog but I know that I will be injecting personal blogs , like this one, through out the week. I am excited to take on this new venture and see if I stick with it or if I end up abandoning it, all in all though its just for fun 
Last week, I had my first interview for a much needed job as a marketing assistant to a local mortgage broker. The interview went well and I have been hired on a sort of temporary basis. The broker just set up shop last month so this job will be touch and go for the next couple of weeks as to whether I will be hired as a full time staffer or not.
I am pretty happy with any work that I can get these days. Lately, I have felt so unproductive, so it’s a good change in pace for me. I can’t help but think that I am kind of giving up my dreams of a life in the city but I try not to look at it that way. I would rather think about it as putting those plans on hold for a while. I will eventually get there, someday, I hope.
In other news, I have been trying to make the best of my current situation at home by redecorating my room. It’s a slow process but I hope to finish soon. I just need a few things to complete the room like a chair for my desk and a lamp. I will most likely post some photos once I’m finished.
Overall, I feel that I am making progress in life after college. They may be baby steps but at least I’m moving forward.
Today, I decided it was time to finally unpack and officially move back into my old room. I have been dreading this task for the past couple of weeks. The reason being, that it would mean that I am going to be back home for a while and I’m not so sure how I feel about that.
I guess in a way, I feel defeated. Defeated in the sense that I am back where I started five years ago. Its like the past five years didn’t even happen. Nevertheless, I would never trade the last couple of years for anything. I made some great friends and gained so much life experience that has burst my bubble that I was once trapped in.
While moving some of my clothes back into my closet, I found all four of the yearbooks from my high school years. Of course, I couldn’t help myself and decided to take a trip down memory lane and browse through them. Flipping through the pages brought back so many memories, both good and bad.
I was neither considered popular or unpopular. The majority of the kids that once shared the hallways of high school with me never acknowledged that I was even present. I remember that I didn’t mind since it was better then being the kid that everyone picked on. I was the person that no one seemed to remember except for a handful of friends that were like me, invisible to others.
Going to college was the best thing that ever happened to me. I met people that encouraged me to stand out and no longer be invisible, to be seen for my talents and for what a great person I am. I think by looking back and seeing the ghost of my former self, I realize how important it is for me to keep trying to stand out and be seen.
This little trip down memory lane has encouraged me to keep working towards my goals and not give into the idea of living at home forever. I, alone am the only person that can determine my future and I choose to make it a successful one, full of friendship, love and most importantly fun. My future will come soon enough. I just have to work towards it.
So here I am, five years later with a college degree and no job. Sound familiar? Well it should! I have heard tons of stories about recent college graduates being out of work. All of which don’t make me feel any better. It’s been about a month and a half since I graduated from college and now I find myself twiddling my thumbs waiting . . . waiting for replies to applications that have been sent out, emails, and phone calls for any sign of hope for a job interview.
I am still trying to figure what exactly I want to do with the rest of my life. I am happy for those that already know, but I know that for me, it’s going to take a lot of time and life experience to figure that out. Right now, I am just focusing on finding work that will give my life some sort of purpose other than raiding the fridge every couple of hours.
For the time being, I have decided to visit my completely abandoned blog and start writing again. I figure that it can help pass the time in between trips to the fridge. More importantly though, writing will give me something to do each day, thus making me feel productive with each passing day.
So what to talk about? That’s a good question. I have no idea but I figure that each day will somewhat focus on my journey to employment, life (or lack there of), current events . . . need I go on? I think you get the point.
So it finally happened . . . I MET BRITNEY SPEARS! Aye, I still can’t believe that it even happened. My hands still tremble as I try to remember it so i can write it all out for you to read. Here are the deets!
The Contest.
KISS FM, in Des Moines, was holding a contest to meet Britney while she was in town for her show and so I thought I would try my luck and enter on the last day of the contest. I had to write why I wanted to meet Britney and it could only be 1000 characters long. At first, I was afraid that I couldn’t compress everything that I wanted to say into two short paragraphs, but I did my best and sent it in. I remember thinking that I probably wouldn’t win and I didn’t even say a prayer.
The Call.
The contest ended a week before Britney’s Circus show and I was casually checking my email everyday the week of her show just to re-assure myself that I hadn’t won. It was Thursday and I still hadn’t gotten an email and I was sure that I didn’t win because the concert was the next day. So I just let it slip my mind for the rest of the day.
I had left my phone on vibrate in my school bag and after dinner I decided to check it to see if I got any texts from my friend, Michi. Instead, I found two missed calls from a number that I didn’t know and a voicemail. I didn’t think anything of it but I decided to check the voicemail and I heard . . . “This is Greg Chace with KISS FM . . .” I immediately hung up and called the uknown number, I didn’t even listen to the rest of the message. I knew exactly why they were calling me.
Greg Chace answered and I blurted out “HI, MY NAME IS DANIEL HODAPP! YOU CALLED ME? WAS IT ABOUT BRITNEY?” He asked me a series of questions that only a person who read my contest entry would know. I answered “YES” to every question and then he asked me the final question “Are you going to freak out when you meet her tomorrow?” All I could manage to say was “HUH?, WHAT?, ARE YOUR KIDDING ME?, SERIOUSLY?, OMG! . . . OMG!”, while jumping up and down like a lil girl. After the call, I was trembling and couldn’t move for like 5 minutes. Then, I proceeded to call everyone on my speed dial and spread the good news.
Best day of my life.
I woke up and started my usual daily routine of getting ready and then, while I was brushing my teeth, it hit me! I was going to meet BRITNEY SPEARS TODAY! A wave of nerves came over me and I judged whether or not to attend class that day or just stay home and prepare myself. I decided to go to class like a good student and I ended up telling everyone that I interacted with that day that I was going to meet Britney. I couldn’t help telling people but no one seemed to mind so I just kept telling my story over and over lol.
I was finished with class at 3PM so that left me about four hours to get my ass ready and down to Wells Fargo Arena. I ended up getting to the venue way early but who could really blame me, right? I paced nervously around the lobby until I spotted the other contest winner, Ashley. We both still couldn’t believe that we were mere minutes away from meeting Britney. We met with Brit’s promo rep and she instructed us to meet her after Jordin Spark’s opening performance on the floor of the arena . I took my seat and half watched Jordin’s performance and just preparing myself mentally. I didn’t know what to expect.
When Jordin was done, I downed a bottle of Mike’s Hard lemonade and proceeded to the floor to meet Britney’s rep. Ashley and I found our way to floor and met two other couples from other cities and states. The rep appeared from under the stage and asked us if we were ready to go backstage. We all said yes at the same time lol. I felt like the “choosen one” while walking around the floor of the arena to the backstage area. It was the best feeling ever!
While backstage, I got to meet Britney’s tour manager, Adam Leber, some of her tour assistants, circus clowns, a wee man, and Jason (Brit’s rumored BF). Here are some photos:
And then it happened. The security guards announced that “the boss” was coming through and then the door of Britney’s dressing room opened. My face lit up when I saw Britney emerge from the room. I was beeming . . . I had forgotten what I was going to say to her. . . I forgot about Ashley . . . I managed to say that My brother and I were huge fans, to which she replyed, “Aw, you guys are very sweet” “Lets take a picture” and then we posed and I told her “thanks so much” and she replied ” No problem, enjoy the show!”
It happened so fast that I felt like it was a dream. Ashley broke down after we left Britney’s sight and I had to pull her together and tell her that everything is okay and that this is nothing to cry about and to be happy. I was shocked that I didn’t pass out or just flip out. I was calm, cool, and collected. I guess that lemonade helped a lot LOL.
I know . . . I know . . . I wrote a novel. . . but can you really blame me? I think not!
UPDATE! Due to popular request I am posting the original photo. Britney blinked when the photo was taken and I tried to correct it in photoshop. Everyone has been asking me to post the original file so here it is:
What makes a good movie to me is that it has a solid storyline with dedicated actors that put their all into making that storyline come to life. Now I am not saying that I am any kind of movie critic but I can tell what I like and what I don’t. I have only made it to two movies this summer and so far only one has really lived up to their hype.
Lets start with probably the worst film of the summer . . . “Dance Flick”. I went to this movie with high hopes that it would be funny because it was from the Wayans Brothers, which produced some of my favorite spoof films like “Scary Movie I & II” and “White Chicks”.
The movie started strong and I laughed alot but then the movie grew into a not so funny . . . bad acting . . . bad story . . . film and I found myself regretting the decision to see it at its midnight showing. I was really disappointed that all the funny parts of the film were featured in the trailer.
In a way I wasn’t surprised because usually spoof films are “hit and miss” with people although lately they have all been pretty bad. If you are looking for a funny movie then I would strongly recommend you watch something else or just simply watch the trailer.
Now on to a movie that was quite good. Star Trek was a well executed film with brilliant special effects and good acting. J.J. Abrams did an amazing job with this film and although some Trekkies might not be on board with this new film I am sure that it pleased many.
Its set up as a prequel to the original series and it chronicles James T. Kirk’s rise from a hotheaded, bar brawling, Midwestern punk to heroic captain of the USS Enterprise. We also see the back story beginnings of other Starfleet members including Spock, Uhura, Scotty and others.
I have been a trekkie since I was a little and I was super excited to see this film. I am not that familiar with the original series so I went to see this film knowing very little about the characters but I must say that I fell in love with all the characters.
If you haven’t seen this movie then I would strongly recommend that you run to your nearest theater and watch it. You definitely don’t have to be a Trekkie or know anything about the origins of the story to enjoy this awesome movie. Go see it!
So I know that I have been away for quite some time and for that I am sorry. Sometimes, I feel like my life is just boring and not worth posting about. I am trying to come up with new subjects to talk about other than myself. Anyways, I wanted to update about what the last few months have been like.
Since my last post, I have . . . .
I got to see Britney Spears in concert! It has been five years since the last time I have seen her last tour “The Onyx Hotel” and I was very excited to see her current tour “The Circus Starring: Britney Spears”. I was a bit worried because our dear BritBrit has been through a lot in the past year or so and I wasn’t so sure she could pull off a national tour let alone a world tour. All my worries were put to rest when I saw the energy she projected during her show. My brother and I were very lucky to get seats 3rd row from the center ring! It was truly an awesome night. (check out more photos on my facebook!)
I got to see Janeane Garofalo at The Lakeshore Theater in Chicago with some friends. It was a hectic night to say the least. We were on our way to the theater when I realized that I had forgotten the tickets in my bag back in our hotel! I rushed back to the hotel via public trasit, which took forever. Luckily I got back to the theater in time to see the entire show. The night was topped off with a visit to my favorite fast-food restaurant “White Castle”! I just love those mini burgers
_
So there are the highlights from the past couple of months. Like I said before, I am trying to come up with new topics to talk about to make the blog more interesting. I have ideas that range from entertainment commentary to writing about the many stories that make up my life. Any ideas?
I know, I know, I haven’t been blogging since before my trip to Boston and for that I am sorry. I absolutely loved Boston and wished that I spent more time there. I was a bit nervous going on this trip because it was a bit spontaneous, in the sense that I didn’t really have set plans besides knowing that I had a place to stay. However, everything worked it self out perfectly.
Karla and Martin were awesome hosts and made me feel right at home. I greatly appreciate the time they spent showing me around the city. Boston is definitely a place that I must visit again because there was way to much to do in four days. So lets review what I did and what I have to do when I go back:
I’m thinking about planning another trip out there this summer. Anyways, I just wanted to do a quick update but I promise to post soon!
So it has been a really long time since the last time that I posted. I am still alive, I just haven’t felt like posting for awhile but feel inclined to do so now for the three of you that follow my random ranting. I am feeling a lot better these days and have somewhat gotten out of my funk. I still take it day by day but I have decided to look on the brighter side of things because thats all that really matters anyway. I was dwelling on the negatives instead of the positives and that led me down a path of depression that caused me to feel numb to the point where I didn’t want to get out of bed. Through the help of my wonderful family and friends I have moved forward and made great progress towards ridding myself of this phase.
Next week is my trip to Boston where I will be visiting my great friend Karla and her boyfriend. I have just now started to list the many different things I want to do while I’m out there. I have been debating whether or not to see my Aunt and Uncle since my time is so limited. Perhaps a lunch or dinner date will have to suffice. I am really excited to go experience a new city that I have never visited before. I am a bit nervous though since I checked the weather reports and its supposed to rain two days of my four day trip. I am sure that Karla and I will make the best of it. I am planning on taking my camera so I can post photos later.
So I have composed a list of things I wanna do during my trip, which I have listed below:
Wish me luck
