Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

So much can change in a week.

This time last week I was watching SNL... and FREAKING out. I'd matched with a new host family back in Colorado and was pretty stoked about getting out of MD. That is, until they jumped on Google, read about my fabulous family history, and gave me the boot. Uhoh. Looked like I was gonna have to pack my millions of suitcases and head back to Australia.

With only a week left to find a new job before being booted off US soil, I was almost to the point of not giving a toss. So over all the drama. But I still really really really didn't feel ready to go "home"

So torn.

Kinda ready to just get on a plane. Kinda ready to run away from immigration. Kinda ready to just give up.

Enter desperation road trip with Owl City's METEOR SHOWER on repeat for 6 hours. The lyrics hammered me. And I just knew.

The next day I get this insane call. From a family that wants me to go work for them. In Colorado. And I cannot believe the opportunity that has just fallen in my lap. For anyone who knows what my ultimate is, what I truely want to do with my life, (besides stalk musicians and win many critics choice awards) you'll know why I am so messed up, ah, in a good way, by what this family does. And the fact that I'll be smack bang in the middle of all of this.

www.preciouschild.org

So all I know is... I'm about to be living with, working for, and just basically surrounded by people living out my dreams.

Pretty sweet huh.

"Good times for a change... Haven't had a dream in a long time." THE SMITHS


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Here Comes The Sun

Vegas baby. Goodbye snow. Hello everything else. Including Sunshine.

(Yes, I refuse to use a Katy Perry song for this blog)

8 days in Vegas. 7 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel. Good hotel. Annoying staff. But GOOD hotel. Honestly. Go stay there for just one night to experience the beds. Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Day One: Pink Taco margaritas will blow your mind. Wow. No wonder we slept for like 15 hours. We literally jumped into bed for a nanna nap at like 4pm and woke up the next morning. Oops.

Day Two: Room Service & Landon Pigg on film. Perfect combo. Ok. we've been in Vegas for 24 hours and haven't hit the strip. It's time. Off to Cirque Du Soleil, The Beatles Love. Ridiculously good show. Everything about it was just crazy. Crazy good. Gah. Post show cocktails in Revolution: The Beatles Lounge. First friend. Too funny. How many times did he ask if we'd ever been to South Africa. What The. Exploring time. Water shows are cool. Laughing at douche bags is also cool.

Day Three: Ink. At Hart & Huntington. Gosh it's good having EVERYTHING in our hotel. Ironically Janelle held my other hand during the oh so quick process. IN & OUT. Hooray. Ok, by now I'm like, gahhhh my arm. I'm such a girl. The only cure? A three hour Office-a-thon and the best Sushi I've ever seen/had in my life. Really. It was so pretty.

Day Four: Hey taxi, take us to the mall. Nah I'd rather just drive you around aimlessly and take all your coin. Pfft. Jared Leto magazines- SCORE! Get your Italian on, BUCA. I honestly expected my Nonna to pop out of the kitchen. She did not. BB King Lounge. Oh what's this? Kris Allen doing a secret show? Ok. Um. Brilliant. I'll take it.

Day Five: Look out. It's New Years Eve. Major sequin & glitter overload. Downed an entire bottle of Patron. Killer show at The Joint, Mayer Hawthorne to start things off. If you don't know him, you should. He's just utterly brilliant. Hit him up on iTunes. You're welcome. The the one and only Bob Saget (yes, Danny Tanner from Full House fame) strolls out to introduce The John Mayer Trio. Slightly excited. Rang in the new year with Mr Mayer & Co as balloons with JM3 picks in them fell from the sky. I can honestly say it was the BEST new years ever. Mayer out, time to party! Ripped up the Wasted Space dance floor to MJ, Bon Jovi & Journey. Ohhhh yehhhh. More new friends & weirdos. Got waved the $150 cover to Vanti's opening night thanks to SHAFT. Brilliant.

Day Six: New Years Day in the US is officially called National Hangover Day. I guess that's why they get away with airing 24 hour Summerland marathons. No complaints. Hit up In & Out (yes again) with my favourite story teller, Jarryd Burns. Our hats were super cute. Drinks & Sundaes & some good tunes at The Hard Rock Cafe. Scrubs. Dave Franco is a riot. Another round of Candyland? Perhaps some Guess Who Misses You? Booyah.

Day Seven: In the words of Robin Sparkles "Let's go to the mall." SALES!! Adventures on The Strip with an overload of M'n'M's. Wig On. Check. David Spade. Live. Too funny. Like beyond bonkerdom. I laughed so hard I almost cried my false eyelashes off. Back to Wasted Space for round two. Met the best crew. Too much fun! big shout outs to some Indian dude who bought us drinks, Eddy with a Y, Ryyyyyan, & that dude who let me bet & lose his money. We had a blast. Best last night of anything ever!

Day 8: Go Johnny, go go go. The last supper with Janelephant, Johnny Rockets we love you and your refillable soda. Big tearful airport goodbyes suck all kinds of things. Boo.

I miss you already ya minga.

"Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun. And I say, it's alright..." THE BEATLES

It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!

We had a white Christmas.

Let me rephrase, we had a white Chrismukkah.

That would be 8 days of presents, and 1 day of MANY presents.

We are not Jewish. We just like presents. And Seth Cohen.

And boy did it snow. Lucky for Janelle she had her Santa onesie to keep her warm... And I had my Jacob Black Christmas stocking to keep me.. ahh, to keep me happy?? Ok, actually, skyping in with my family, showing them the snow, and watching Zeke, Trin and Lij open their presents was what really made me happy.

On Christmas Eve we hit up some local church for carols and a Christmas service. It was so pretty, with lots of lights and amazing decorations. And they shared stories of giving in the community, it was nice to see the true meaning of Christmas being spread. That's when it started to feel like Christmas... Christmas fettucini, PRESENTS, Chrismukkah OC episode & RENT with Elisha & Janelle. Hooray. Good.

Christmas morning! "Goo goo, gah gah, bikey" Southern Comfort Eggnog + Peter Alexander Christmas Slippers + Candyland + Christmas stockings = a very good Christmas morning. Now to attempt cooking Christmas lunch without my mother. Eeeeeek. Lucky I'm fabulous. Candy the yams baby, it's on. Plus Elf was playing in the background. Best Christmas movie ever. "SANTA!!! I KNOW HIM!"

Meanwhile, Christmas evening was actually too funny to put into words. I don't know if I can do it justice. Crashed a family shindig, thanks Peggy! Probably the greatest group of people in the world, 10 points to Elisha for having the funniest jazzercise instructor in the universe. MORE WINE? Seriously. The Rent sing-a-long will go down in history as one of my favourite Christmas memories of all time.

Christmas 2009, you were a winner.

"Since it's Christmas let's be glad, even if your life's been bad, they're presents to be had. Take a walk out in the snow, and hear Santa's ho ho ho." SUFJAN STEVENS

Colorado Sunrise

Ahhhhh Colorado, it's good to be back. Like really really good. Even better since Janelle's by my side. We like kickin' it snow style.

So I'm pretty sure she's loving it so far. I'm basing this conclusion on the fact that almost everyday she says "that was the best day ever" and also the fact that whenever we drive around a corner and she sees a new mountain or a fresh patch of snow she utters an almost breathless "wow"

So between a private serenade from the Casa Bonita Mariachi Band, The Johnny Night: Johnny Rockets followed by our new best friend Johnny at The Hard Rock swinging us free "Johnny's High School Reunion" cocktails, resulting in a hilarious "movie night with Bella", a superbly entertaining basketball game courtesy of the out of time band and the out of sync cheerleaders, Elisha & Dan's Chili's initiation, the most gangster night of our lives- complete with Colorado locals Meese & 3Oh!3 shimmying while they woot wooed, a trek up to the mountains to buy a mountain load of Mac cosmetics before free falling with MJ, JT, Guns 'N' Roses & obviously Tom Petty playing in the background as we tubed down the crazy snow covered mountains (nice snow-ver-alls Elisha), and last but certainly not least, stumbling upon a copy of the not yet released 500 Days Of Summer... Well I guess I'd have to agree with her. That was the best day ever. Wow.

And apart from all of that, the 9 days of Chrismukkah have begun. 8 days of presents, followed by 1 day of many presents. We are up to day 5, and our gifts for each other so far have been freakishly similar. We know each other way to well. More presents tomorrow, hooray!

Happy Holidays People!

Be safe & be happy... and be jealous, cause we are having too much fun.

"And as long as it's ok with you I think I'll stay right here... Happy as a clam I see the glimmer in your eyes, hold you through the night and watch that Colorado sunrise." 3OH!3

City Of Blinding Lights

Janelephant is HERE!

After a hideously delayed flight, a missed bus to NYC, and a lot of "oh my gah, I can't believe you're here" we managed to use our little aussie accents and get ourselves on a later bus.. and we were on our way. Hello 4:30am, it's time to fall asleep, only to wake up to..

"I CAN SEE THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!"-Janelle.
"Are you sure, it might've just been a big bank." -Dan.

We had arrived.

Ah yes. Time for some Starbucks. Holiday drinks all round. We had a killer day. After we were successfully caffeinated, we made our way to The Empire State Building. Seriously. Good View. On so many levels. (Right Janelle?!) And then we roamed around aimlessly, just taking it all in. NYC just gets better & better with every second. Hard Rock Cafe Times Square. Oh yeh. And dude. That is one seriously massive Christmas Tree. And the amount of people lining up to see it- MADNESS. So so so good to see KAT & SHHAMES. Especially loved stumbling across the rooftop bar & stealing someones private table. Ha. But nothing beats the cowboy bar. Except for maybe everything in the whole world. Too funny. We'll always have thermals. Cocktails at Planet Hollywood with Robert Pattinson's hand prints. Ah yes. Again.

Sleeeeeeeeeeeeep. Big shout out to Papa Smith for hooking us up with a massive kick ass hotel room on the Brooklyn Bridge. Holla!

Morning Snapples in Central Park, kickin it in the rain, followed by an OH SO ROMANTIC carriage ride. I proposed. She said no, due to the fact that she likes boys and I'm her cousin. Fair. And then... 5th avenue. Hello most amazing window displays in the universe. Oh. I'm in love. Tiffanys is like soooooooo much bigger and better in NYC. We tried so much on, took lots of snaps, and spoiled ourselves. Sorry credit card. Then some wining and dining at Trump Towers. There is something incredible about purchasing a bottle of water with Donald Trump's face on it. YOU'RE FIRED. Taxi! Last stop, Broadway. I'm gonna say it, Rock Of Ages was the best musical I've ever seen. Songs by Journey, Bon Jovi, Mr Big, Pat Benatar, Europe, Starship, Foreigner, Poison & REO Speedwagon. We were in our "I wish we had been teenagers in the 80's" element.

I've said it before. But this time I mean it.

BEST.

WEEKEND.

EVER.

Janelle- welcome to America...

"And I miss you when you're not around, I'm getting ready to leave the ground.. Oh you look so beautiful tonight, In the city of blinding lights." U2

California

It's not what you think.

California MD.

Once again, no, not what you think. I'm not talking about a doctor named California.

California, Maryland...

It's where my host family has been re-located. And I'm so bored. It's pretty. But that's about it. It looks like Forks. But let's be honest ladies, Forks without The Cullens and Jac-abs, is just a forest. And I haven't spotted any Twi-like talent as yet. This place makes me LONG for an afternoon at Marion. Yes, Marion. THERE IS NO MALL HERE. Boo.

So, I'm done. They're gonna try and find me a new host family to work for, but if they can't... Well, then I'll be seeing you a little sooner than expected Australia. I love the USA, but there is no way in hell I gave up a year of cuddles with my baby Gugs, a house on the beach & the bestest friends imaginable for this place. Ef that.

So stay tuned for updates, DG may be coming to a city a near you soon!

"Distance ripped us farther and farther and farther away... I'll see you soon, just say that you want to see me too. Come back from California." COPELAND

Was It A Dream?

I just met Jared Leto.

I.

JUST.

MET.

JARED.

LETO.

My brain is about too explode.

Jordan Catalano was most certainly the inspiration for the title of my blog. I cannot believe after 15 years of adoration I just met him. The world spins right tonight. Happy.

So clearly I just got back from the 30 Seconds to Mars show. And I don't even know what to write. So I'll just say this. Everything was perfect. The Kill acoustic. Then The Kill not so acoustic. Kings & Queens was one of the best songs I have ever heard live. Without a doubt. Jared's vocal was flawless. A Beautiful Lie blew my mind. And as I hovered/stalked/waited patiently outside it began to snow. It was positively beautiful. I love these little moments of perfection.

"Was it a dream? Was it a dream? Is this the only evidence that proves it..." 30 SECONDS TO MARS