MURRAIED

It's official! I've traded in my sassy Nordstrom's Rack shoes in for the snug warmth of my snow boots. There's been at least 1 snow storm a week since 2014 made it's grand entrance. I feel like the city is resting inside a giant snow globe that unfortunately, ended up in the hands of hyper 5 year old. Shake shake shake... blizzard. Shake shake shake.... crazy, negative degree winds. Shake shake shake... making your weekly grocery run to Trader Joe's into a deleted scene from the movie "Alive". I'm pretty sure I saw a Yeti when I was walking past Central Park this morning. But, even with all my moan and groans, I have to say that they city looks so beautiful under the blankets of white. Especially those first untouched hours in the morning, when everything's peacefully quiet and the streets belong to you. 


The last few weeks of my life have been a crazy whirlwind. The kind chaotic experience where you constantly forget what day it is and exhaustion becomes your venerated companion. But honestly, I've never been so happy to be so tired. When you end the day doing what you love, thankfulness replaces fatigue. I am incredible thankful. 
I had the pleasure of booking my first role of the year with Time Warner Cable for an exciting Super Bowl event. I put my Disney cheerfulness to use by playing "Tour Guide" to a host of people. 2 weeks of rehearsals and 1 week for showtime. My favorite part of the job were all of my lovely castmates. I was so lucky to work with the best group of people ever. Every single person brought their amazing personalities in to make this experience seem more like a party. I looked forward to seeing them everyday. What can I say, I love making new friends. So if any of them are reading this, I have to say again, I adore each of you. 

Working hard for the money.

Have you ever had one of those days that you can definitely add into your lifetime memory file? One of those amazing WTF moments that gives you just one more fun fact about yourself? Well, that happened to me last week. For some reason, I was just having one of those "pep-in-my-step" days. Work was smooth. My tours were going well. I remember laughing my ass off in the green room with a few of the other actors that morning. My hair was cooperating with life. If you are a fan of deserts, that day was like a warm fudge brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I got to flirt with an Italian soccer player (go on and add some chocolate syrup to that) and I met Chica & Carly from "The Sunnyside Up Show" on Sprout (put a cherry on top please). It was just a GOOOOD day. Apparently God thought that I needed to add a few sprinkles. :)

My new Boo Christian Vieri. Yeah, he doesn't know that yet but, people like surprises right?

Fox Sports was having an after party that night. They had countless sports figures coming through and Kings of Leon were performing for the 300 or so guests. A few of us were asked to work the event and give tours to the VIPs who wanted it. Well, of course no one really wanted a tour. They wanted to drink and party. So, we were let loose and told we can stay for the concert. While there, I talked with Michael Strahan (my mom flipped out) and tried to get Randy Moss to get an accent nail (my dad flipped out) and had a chance to take pictures with the Vince Lombardi trophy and the Fox Sports robot, Cleatus (They both think I'm officially cool now). Finally, it was time to watch Kings of Leon do their thing. Wow, what an amazing band. They sound so great live. I was already a fan but now, I'm a KOL groupie and proud of it. 

During the performance of "Taper Jean Girl", I heard a crazy "YEAHHHHHHHH!" shout behind me. When I turned around, there was Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad's Jesse) jamming to the music. Also close by was the one, the only, Bill Murray. You guys, I am pretty ok with keeping my cool when around celebrities. I usually just freak out in private. But, I couldn't help it. I started giggling like a school girl. Bill Murray was right there! Throughout the concert, I noticed a heap of celebrities in the house. Ryan Philippe was around. My pre-teen self almost went through puberty again. Rob Thomas was hanging with Aaron Paul and Bill Murray. It took everything I had not to sing "I wanna push you A-round" when I met him. Kevin Bacon was in the house. Sorry guys, I didn't have a chance to ask him to dance angrily with me around a VW Bug. Next time :). I just kept having these moments of "What the hell am I doing here?!" It was insane to me. So I just started dancing and dancing and jamming and being there in that moment with my new friends and loving every second of it. 

Aaron Paul, Bill Murray and Rob Thomas

At the end of the show, I was determined to meet Bill Murray. I mean, this was the actor who's starred in several of my favorite movies. So, I took a deep breath and walked towards him. He turned to look at me just as I was starting to speak. Right away, he droves his hands in my hair and proceeded to muss it up a bit. It was like a kid getting their hands in play dough for the first time. All I could do was stand there with my mouth hanging open in shock. I was being "Murraied" 

Murraied: Stange things that Bill Murray does to the fans he encounters. Usually ending with "Nobody's going to believe you". 

After he was done, he smoothed my hair down a bit and said "You're cute". I asked him to take a picture with me and he happily said "sure". The lights in the place were crazy and blue so, the picture came out a big mess. When I said as much, he looked at it and said "NOOOOO! We look like mythical Gods!" So yeah, didn't get a great picture with him but, WHO CARES! I just met Bill Murray! 

Mythical Gods

So guys, that's it! That's the big story. I had one for the books last week and I couldn't be happier to add another crazy story to this chapter in my life. You gotta love those little moments when you are blessed with times that tell you "You are where you are suppose to be". Sometimes I have them just walking down the streets of NYC. Other times I have them sitting in my favorite coffee shop. This time, I experienced my appreciation at a small Kings of Leon show with my new buddy Bill Murray. I found a gray hair the next day while tidying up my locks. I like to think Bill Murray put it there just for me to remember him by. Or it could be that I'm turning 30 this year..... Naaaaa! It was Bill Murray :).

Until next time....

5 Philip Seymour Hoffman characters that make me smile

Yes, we know that he could deliver an Oscar winning performance. But, the roles that pop in my head when I think about him will always be the ones where he looked like he had a hell of a time filming them. He was an amazing actor. Someone who I would dream of performing with one day. RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. You were a King in our industry. Thank you. xoxo

1). Dusty from "Twister"
     The role that made me fall in love with PSH! Dusty just looked like a fun character to play.

2). Lester Bangs from "Almost Famous"
      One of my favorite movies, period.

3). Owen Davian "Mission Impossible III"
      Seriously. This character was so creepy. He reminded me of a Bond villain. I'd never seen him play such a souless character before. Loved it.

4). The Count "Pirate Radio"
       I love this movie! Loved this character. Philip Seymour Hoffman and movies about great music go together perfectly

5). Sandy Lyle "Along Came Polly"
     The throat clearing scene may have been one of the times where me and my coca cola did a spit take. 

Love Always, 

The girl who loves the movie "Groundhog Day"

Digital Getdown

When I was a little girl, I loved Communion Sundays. The voices from the choir soared a little higher. The church hats were a little bigger. To a young girl who only had a bowl of Apple Jacks before Sunday School, the best part was the bread and wine provided at the end of the service. Wow, I use to look forward to that little piece of bread. No bigger than a squished skittle, this iota of bread dominated my mind through most of sermon. At the time, I didn't understand the symbolism of the bread and wine, I just knew that this treat would hold me over until the fam and I could get to Golden Corral. And when I held that small, plastic shot glass full of what I believed to be wine... it was like a whole other level. I felt like such an adult! One who grew up in the 90's would say that I thought myself to be "All That". Then one day, my elementary school teacher shattered my dreams during our daily snack time. After telling my co-classmates that we were drinking wine with our animal crackers, my teacher pulled me to the side and devastated me by revealing that we were in fact drinking grape juice and NOT a "blessed by God" alcoholic beverage. I may or may not have called her a liar. She may or may not have taken away my silver star for the day because I used the word liar. Anyway, after that, Communion Sunday's were a bit different to me. I always felt a little slighted. I wanted to tell God "Hey man! They're giving out fake wine! Your blood is being represented by grape juice!" I also tried to express my feelings to my family but alas, no one listens to a little black girl with a squeaky voice, who just learned the word "injustice".

This is the random memory going through my mind as I sit here, sipping a delicious Malbec, on a video chat date with a guy I met on OkCupid.com. I'm sure you can probably tell (from my lack of focus on the boy in question) that the date isn't going very well. The truth is, I knew this Titanic was going to sink the moment he sat down in front of he computer. Now don't accuse me of being shallow. It wasn't his looks that had me shaking my head. It was the fact that he sat down in front of the computer conveniently missing his shirt, baring his slightly oiled upper body and wearing a smirk that seemed to say "That's right gurl.... Don't fight the heat."

Him: Ehhhh sexy.
Me: Hey there buddy. Lose you shirt?
Him: Heh. Naaah. Just got out of the shower. Now I'm all clean for you.
Me:  (not able to think of how to respond to that) So fresh and so clean clean!
Him: I can go get a shirt. Or, I can not get a shirt. It all depends on if you like what's going on here.
Me: Ummm....
Him: Don't be shy. Mmph! Wit yo sexy lips.

ICEBERG.

Now, to you, that line might not sound all that bad. Well, you're right. Coming from the mouth of certain men, during different circumstances, it could be funny or flirtatious or even charming. But the delivery of his words (mixed with confidence of his smug brow) showed me exactly where this was headed. This guy was about 5 seconds away from giving me a cheesy line like "Wow baby, your boobs look tense. Want me to massage them for you?" Or, a downright rude line like "Damn gurl! You're like 9/11 sweety... You changin' my world." Ay yi yi....

 How do I even begin to explain how I got myself in this situation. I'm thinking it started on New Years Eve. In my mystery red drink haze, I decided that my resolution would be to put myself out there more. If I wanted to date, I should get into the groove and make it happen. Stop telling guys "No, I'm just dancing with my friends". Or, get rid of my "don't bother me, I'm reading" face when I'm hanging out alone in public. Be more inviting to the opposite sex. So, I got together a game plan. Go out at least once every weekend to meet men. Be a little more obvious with my flirtation. GO FOR IT! Wear something that makes you feel attractive. Touch. Smile. Wink. Cock you head to the side. All those good "How to catch the eye of another" suggestions you read about in Cosmo. And of course, find other avenues for dating. Which brought me to the cyber matchmaking machine that is the online dating world. 

 Come Meet your prince baby

Don't get me wrong, I've heard some pretty amazing stories when it comes to meeting someone online. I even know a few wonderful couples who are now happily married to a person they would have never met had they decided NOT to finish that oh so tedious online profile. I've also heard some horror stories. I mean, the TV show "Catfish" is just one shinning example of what could go wrong. Honestly it's a coin toss. But, I figured "Why the hell not?" and joined a few sites. The "Putting yourself out there" mission was well on it's way.


Creating an online profile is about as frustrating and mind numbing as filling out  a college application. You have to present all the amazing things about yourself using only a couple of paragraphs. It almost reminds me of being an Actor. Marketing yourself is crucial. Do you want to be funny or mysterious? Vixen or Sweetheart? Are you the best friend type... or the leading lady? I don't know about you guys but, I have never felt more stumped than I feel when I am staring at a blinking cursor in an "About Me" section. Don't even get me started on the profile photos. "Hmmmm... I look silly in that picture." Or, " You can see my back fat in that picture!" Or, "Oooo my smile looks awesome! This is a winner! But... it's a 5 year old picture. Hmm..oh well, they'll get the gist." Seriously! This profile drove me bananas for days. 

 Haha! Wow.. This guy...

After getting my own profile settled, it was time for fun. I searched through the men that my website had to offer. It was like my own little private version of "The Dating Game". I've actually met a few nice guys. Although none of them really led to anything, it was still nice to just meet and chat and flirt and just be single and actually kind of "dating". On the other hand, I've also met a few duds. The "Never Ever NEVER" list includes a few famous screen names like MoneyCatch2012, Vanilla_Heat1113, Huggies1972, BIGcrimeMelvin, and my all time favorite... ButtHunter69. Well, I have to admit, at least with a name like ButtHunter69 a girl can pretty much guess what type of guy she's in for. No secrets with good ol' ButtHunter. It's pretty obvious that you won't be telling your grand kids in the future how you saw the name ButtHunter and knew that you and grandpa were meant to be.

*Le sigh* Another year, another Valentine's Day in NYC. Seriously, I think that this city is it's own giant Valentine year round but, it's something about February 14th that makes it a little more romantic. I took the longer route from work on that night because I just enjoyed the energy. The Empire State Building glowed pink and red as couples strolled hand in hand, slow and content despite the cold weather. It occurred to me while walking around that my New Years Resolution was pretty ridiculous. Well, at least some of it. I still want to put myself out there. I still want to try to meet new people but, I don't want to do it as some Cosmo programed barbie doll. If I'm feeling flirtatious, then OH BOY, I will flirt. If I want to stay home on the weekends with a book and warm tea, then I will. I'll wink when I feel cheeky and smile when I want to and laugh my big hearty laugh if something tickles me. Maybe, on some days, my outfit that I feel attractive in happens to be my yoga pants and a t-shirt. No more game plan. If I'm going to meet someone, I want them to meet ME. That statement also applies to my online profile. I went back and erased the whole thing and just wrote what I felt like writing. Funny, mysterious, vixen, sweetheart... I'm all those things! No one could discover that in one paragraph. I added some pictures taken of myself recently and then stepped away. My resolution had a new meaning... "Put YOURSELF out there". Maybe I will get a lot of messages, maybe I won't. I guess we will see.

"So Kiki, What happened with the "Top Gun" volleyball scene extra you talked about at the beginning of the blog?" 

 Well, you can probably already guess that it didn't work out. But, it wasn't just me. He also knew it. The one word answers and lack luster questions between us had red lights flashing within 10 minutes. After it was obvious that this was going nowhere but off a cliff, he decided to steer the conversation to a topic that was he was sure would save the evening... cyber sex. And me? Well, I did what any woman would do when a guy, you don't want anything to do with, tries to start a friendly game of "Let's compare areolas".... I pretended there was and earthquake, shook my computer around and slammed it shut. C'mon guys! You didn't really think I was going to start dating that guy did you? Yeah right. I like my men like I like my communion wine.... Real.

Until Next Time......

3 Of My Favorite Movies About Online Dating

1). "You've Got Mail"

          I can't help it! I adore the Tom/Meg combo. This movie always makes me cry and I adore it!

2). Must Love Dogs

              Who can resist the Cusack? Seriously.

3). Napoleon Dynamite

           Kip and Lafawnduh forever.

Love Always, 

    The girl who got hit on by a with the screen name ButtHunter... sheesh.

Visions Of Sugar Plums

While watching the skaters at Rockefeller Center, Haley and I saw the best sequence of events.


I swear, New York has to be one of the best places in the world to experience the Christmas season. Beautiful decorations littering every corner... the best hot chocolate places a girl could ask for. I mean, it's like you fell into the Nutcracker. Everything is so beautiful and grand and magical. Maybe its just me. I am a little over the top when it comes to this time of year. I see everything through candy cane colored glasses. Even getting grabbed by some random old guy in Union Square didn't stop the jingle bells in my head. Nor did seeing two Santas fighting near Macy's and getting hauled off in a police car. Ahhhh Tis the season. This will be my first Christmas away from home. Naturally, I was a little disappointed. After not seeing my family over Thanksgiving, I was sure that a Christmas visit was in the cards. But, alas, fate had other plans for me. So, I had to take those lemons and make sugary lemon bars. I've been celebrating with my NYC family. Old friends, new friends, Christmas landmarks all over the city. It's been a blast.

My friend and I decided to explore the city last Saturday and do it up Christmas Style. It was a much loved surprise that we shared our fun evening with SantaCon. SantaCon is a special day, celebrated in 37 countries where everyone dresses up as Santa or various other holiday favorites and hit the streets for a fun party that usually begins at around 10am. On the days of SantaCon, it's not unheard of to spot 100 Santas in one location or to sit on the train beside a huge Gingerbread Man. Plus if you will imagine what happens when alcohol becomes involved. Basically, you got yourself entertainment at every corner. All it did was enhance an already amazing night. Creamy hot chocolate from City Bakery, the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, ice skaters, enjoyable story telling holiday store windows... All I needed was a ride on the Polar Express and I probably would glazed over, drunk off the holiday cheer. Maybe next year, I will have a few family or friend visitors and I can show them all of this.

Its Christmas Eve now and I am writing a blog while sipping on eggnog and listening to Cee-Lo Green's Christmas album (awesome album btw). So much has happened over the last few weeks in our world that, I decided to write a blog and try to spread a little joy. I don't really have anything monumental to share. I just wanted to say, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

PUDGE WATCH 2012

Nothing says"VICTORY!" like looking as if a giant pixie stick factory exploded all over you. Victory is the word my brain chants over and over again as I find myself jogging in 30 degree weather with the sun barely making its morning appearance. My goal... to finish a 5K in the form of the rainbow powder extravaganza know as The Color Run. This event takes place during March in lovely NYC and to be honest, I am super excited about it. I've always been the type of person to give the "good for you" praise to anyone who dare signs up for a 5K. I mean, Its not like I would ever do it. Jog? For fun? You got the wrong feline for that business. Now, I actually want to do it. I want to cross that finish line knowing that I just tackled 3 miles and officially declare myself a true and noble BAMF. When I heard about The Color Run, I felt no anxiety whatsoever about participating. Honestly, it sounds more like a party than exercise.
The Color Run is described as a unique experience focused less on speed and more on crazy, color fun with your loved ones. Basically, at the start of the 5K, you wear white shirts and with each kilometer you jog, volunteers with shower you with colored powder (perfectly safe, duh). Once you reach the finish line, you are greeted with a huge party filled with food, music and of course, more color!

I am so thankful that I am able to do this. I don't know why I limited myself for so long thinking that I couldn't. Even when I am dead tired and cold and the weather wants to stop me from training, I keep pushing. The feeling you get when you're done is indescribable. So, If anyone is interested in joining a Color Run near you or just want to know more about it, here's the link. Warning: the energy displayed on this website is contagious and will make you want to sign up. http://thecolorrun.com/

 The Care Bear stare has nothing on this party

Until next time.....

6 Favorite Scenes: The Christmas Vacation Edison

One of my favorite Christmas movies is "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Seriously, it never gets old. I thought I would share a few of my favorite scenes. :)

1). Shopping: Clark Style

       Love this scene. I want to see the outtakes!

2). The Sh*tter's Full

      Who doesn't love Eddie?!

3). Clark Goes Sledding

     What I love most about this scene is my mother's reaction to it. It takes her 10 minutes to stop laughing!

4). Aunt Bethany

       Love this old lady. I hope one day to be mega old and be able to say whatever I want without consequences. 

5). Clark's Freakout

      Haha. This needs no explanation

6). Margo and Todd

     I have no idea why this made me laugh so hard but, I love it.

Love Always, 
   The girl who wishes you a true Christmas miracle and an amazing New Year!