Miss Fortune

It's still hard to believe I live in LA but I love it here. I never want to be cold again!...unless it involves drinking an Icee and in that case I will make an exception. So what brought me here, you ask? Ok, you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway because it's 1:00 in the morning and I'm bored. Woo hoo! Well, once upon a time I went to a small women's college where I got the opportunity to speak at our graduation. The guest commencement speaker that year was an actress from CSI: Miami. We hit it off so she told me to call her if I ever needed anything. Long story short, she ended up calling me a month later, and somewhere along the line I was asked to be her personal assistant. I already had plans to live in Spain for a year so I put the job on hold. Guess I wasn't in a hurry to be someone's be-atch! That summer I worked like eight different jobs to earn enough money to go abroad. I started in June with $50 and ended in mid August with $7,000. And I didn't even have to take my clothes off! Whew! So off I went to Sevilla, Spain! I arrived with too much luggage and not enough Spanish. Go figure. But things eventually came together. I ended up teaching English, studying Spanish, and backpacking through 13 countries. Did I mention that I briefly lived with an old bald lady? When I returned home, I drove cross-country to LA. I even got to see the world's largest frying pan. Don't be jealous! I worked as an assistant for about 16 months, but luckily I had been writing part-time for the LA Daily News, which led to a full-time job for the syndicated newspaper column Beck/Smith. I've been doing it for over three years now and I love it. Every week I'm going to some event or movie premiere, interviewing an actor I've admired since I was little, or talking with some a-hole prick who thinks he's too cool for school -- it's pretty awesome. On the side, I tutor kids in creative writing and reading comprehension, and help old people across the street. I know what you're thinking, "Wow, she sounds like a saint," and, well, you'd be right. However, that doesn't mean I don't cuss...and litter. Just kidding! About the littering part, that is. I also perform sketch comedy and improv with my super talented group Gas Money while taking classes at the Groundlings. Other than that, you can usually find me hanging out with some of my buddies or dancing at the country bar. I've met so many amazing people out here that I can't imagine living anywhere else. Now if I could just get one of them to buy me a damn Icee!