"Fast Track To Fame"

Hello! Friday night I got booked for a gig having to do with NASCAR. I didn't really know anything about it, aside from it being associated with NASCAR. Well come to find out, it's a new game show that is being filmed at all of the NASCAR races. So, I didn't even see any car races or anything like that. I was at a separate track watching people perform. The show is called "Fast track to fame" and it is a lot like "America's got talent". There are a variety of "skillful" acts and three judges who rate them. I was cast on as a audience member. My job was to clap and be VERY enthusiastic about the performances. Allow me to remind you that all of this took place outside and at night. My poor little fingers were so cold! I was wearing my beenie, scarf, puffy coat, leggings on under my jeans, gloves....and I was still kinda chilly.

All in all, it was pretty fun. The people who performed were pretty entertaining, so it was easy to "fake" excitement. However, the cue to clapping was something else. Earlier that day, I decided that it would be a good day to lift weights. So I did my 45 minutes weightlifting video before I headed out to the shoot. Fast forward six hours to me clapping over and over and over again. Fast forward two days to my still aching biceps. My poor arms, they hate me!

The show is supposed to premier tomorrow (Monday) night on some channel called "SPEED" at 8 pm ET. Since I have no idea what that channel is, I assume I will not be watching myself. I'm attaching a link to an article about the show and some more info, if you feel so inclined. So yeah, your little Edrei was quite a busy bee this week. :)

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/fast-track-to-fame-debuts-monday-night-on-speed/

Almost Famous

I know you guys have just been dying to know what I've been up to for the past couple of days. Well, wait no longer, my friends! When I first moved to Vegas, I signed up with a casting agency. I figured that I had no job and a ton of free time, so if someone needed me to go be on the set of CSI in the middle of the day, I was their gal. Needless to say, the days turned into nights and the nights turned into days, and I forgot all about it. Until I got an email last week asking if I was available for a commercial. Ummm, yeah! So I submitted myself for the commercial and didn't get called in for it. I was a tad bit sad, but in typical Edrei fashion, I forgot about it. Then, out of nowhere, I got another email this week asking if I was available on Friday night. Ummm, yeah! So I submitted myself for that project and got an email back immediately asking if I was available on Wednesday and Thursday for something different. Ummm, yeah!

I don't play poker at all, but a couple of my friends do and I'm semi familiar with how it all works. What I was not familiar with, was the North American Poker Tour. Apparently this tour had been going on since Wednesday and was being held at the Venetian. My job, for two days, was to be a seat filler at the tournament; this was so that the audience appeared full and attentive for the people watching it on ESPN. Who knows, you may have seen me.

There were lots of fun people there and it was definitely more like fun time than work. My job tonight should also be pretty fun. The qualifying round of NASCAR begins tonight and I will be there...getting paid. I know that this is not a speaking role on CSI, but it has to start somewhere, right. And for right now, I'm excited that I'm getting paid to have fun!

Alive and Eating

Well, well, well. I am alive and eating and happier than I've ever been! That may be an exaggeration, because I've had some extremely happy times, but I say that this makes it in the top 100 of happiest times.

You know how I did the detox for 10 days and then I was supposed to do orange juice for a day and vegetable soup for two days...do you guys see where this is going already? So yesterday, I did orange juice until dinner, when I decided to eat soup. I ate soup and my body was fine. I went ahead and took that to be a sign that I should just go ahead and commence eating. This morning I woke up and made scrambled eggs with peppers and onions and topped it with salsa. My body seemed to like it. I'm now contemplating a work out. Today should be lifting weights day.

Yesterday, I took the liberty of making a grocery list. I hope my parents are in for the healthy eating surprise that will be tossed their way! I don't think they realize that their world is about to be turned into skinless and whole grains. I'll let you know how that goes.

Day 10

Sorry I didn't post this last night; I was out being productive! No worries, I'll post about that later. Okay people, guess who is done with lemonade!!! I am! I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done (please sing to the beat of High Ho from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Now that I have successfully made it through that, I can say that I will NEVER do it again. Boy did that suck! So today is my orange juice day. I need to go get juicing because I'm already ready to "eat" something.

I noticed the other day that the white of my nails is brighter and my nails are stronger. Interesting...I wonder what caused that to happen.

Day 9

Oh my God! I have made it to the end of day 9. I can not believe it. I'll be honest, towards the end of the day, I started thinking about food. I was watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives last night...you know what that means: food on the brain! Oh boy, oh boy. And we all know, that is not the kind of food that anyone should be eating, ever, but watching it last night, it all looked so delicious.

So tomorrow is my last day of this, and then I get a whole day of orange juice. I am just looking forward to something different. The hardest part about this whole thing was the repetition and lack of variety. You would think that it would be the absence of food, but surprisingly, not eating gets easier with time. Who knew? Certainly not me. I've never made it this far before.

So excited!!!!!!!

Growing Pains Part 2

Remember how I was all torn apart last time, wondering if I did the right thing or not? Well, I found out today that I definitely did the right thing! In fact, I almost wish that I would have done the right thing sooner, rather than later. And even more than that, I wish that I would not have wasted all of that time second guessing myself. I need to learn to trust my instincts. My instincts were right about it in the beginning and they were right about it in the end. I am the only thing that was wrong, for not trusting what I knew was right. Done and done. I've spent more than enough time wasting energy on something that was never worthy of my energy to begin with. I am so much better than some of the things that I deal with. The sooner I commit that to memory and start to enforce it in my life, the better off I will be.

And just like that, it was gone....

Day 8

Hello there! It is day 8 of the lemonade detox, and I must say, I have been quite the little blogger. I do it all for you. I know that you tune in everyday, wondering if I'm still holding out and how I'm doing. Surprisingly, today was even easier than yesterday. I'm finding that the discouraging part is the laxative tea. I don't know if I disclosed that I have to drink the tea when I wake up and before I go to bed. Apparently, the lemonade is the equivalent to sweeping up dirt, and the tea is putting the dirt in the dust pan and tossing it out. However, I am not a tea drinker. I never have been, and I honestly don't think I ever will be. So, I find myself staring at the clock every night, thinking that I need to hurry and drink the tea so I can go to bed. Between you and me, I didn't drink it last night, and I'm so tempted to skip it again tonight. What could it hurt? I already pee every 30 minutes as it is; I don't think the tea adds anything extra to that. Was that too much information? Sorry!

I only have two days left. I am so excited and so proud of myself. Really, this detox couldn't have come at a better time. I needed a little something extra in my life, and this has just reminded me that I can do anything I set out to accomplish. I feel so strong and so confident in my ability to achieve anything. Wow. What a great feeling.

Day 7

Alright kids, it is end of day 7. So, what that means is, I have not eaten since last Sunday. Crazy! Who does that?! Much like yesterday, today was pretty easy. I would like to take this time to thank everyone who sent me words of encouragement and positive thoughts. Tomorrow morning, I will weigh and measure myself and see what new stuff has happened with me. I feel like I'm on my way to super healthy. Go me!

Day 6

At this point, I just don't even know what else there is to say...I haven't eaten since Sunday; my house smells like delicious food; today was easier than yesterday; I may end up just going to bed.

Day 5

Okay, so I have almost finished day 5 of the lemonade detox. Wow. That means I have now gone 5 days without eating. So...what effects has this had on me? Well, today I didn't want to get out of bed, mainly because I didn't feel I had any reason to. My tongue is now completely white. My teeth won't get clean no matter how much brushing, flossing, mouth washing and teeth scraping I seem to do. All of that stuff is pretty bad! But, on a brighter note, I have lost a few pounds and inches. My toes look skinnier, my hands, wrists, shoulders and ribs feel different. I know that it is probably just water weight, but my body does feel different and despite my lack of enthusiasm for my life at the moment, I do have some great energy.

I'm trying not to psych myself out about me only being halfway done with this. So, five more days of the lemonade concoction and then I will have a day of orange juice and 2 days of vegetable broth/soup.

I tried this detox twice before and the first time I made it halfway through day five and decided that I was tired of lemonade and wanted hot and sour soup. The second time I only made it 3 days and decided that I never wanted to do this again. I have always known that I have amazing will power, but I am very proud of myself for making it this far. Tomorrow is a new day! Once I finish tomorrow, I will be on the downward slope to victory. Keep me encouraged y'all!

Looks like Tiger is Back

Okay, let me just tell you that I woke up this morning, because my mom came in my room to tell me that someone had flown their plane into the IRS building in Austin. When she told me where, I knew that my friends were okay, because none of them are in that area. After making my lemonade and taking my walk, I sat down and turned on CNN to follow the story...Only to find that surprisingly, we weren't following the story in Austin; we were following Tiger Woods. Seriously? SERIOUSLY people? Someone flew a plane into a building and you are opting to follow Tiger Woods!

So I went to CNN online and read up on the story. If you haven't read the letter, I fully encourage you to. It is 6 pages long and will take up a tad bit of your time, but it's true. It's all true. And the unfortunate thing is that nothing will change. He spent his whole life trying to change things and nothing happened. The scariest people are those who feel like no one cares about them and that they have nothing to lose.

I'm not saying for a second that I condone this man's behavior. I am saying that I am so sorry that our country failed him so badly and so many times, that he felt that he had no choice but to crash his plane into a government building. Our country is what it is and unfortunately, because of the people who run it, it will not change. But do read what he said. It was very intelligent and well thought out. I just wish innocent people didn't have to die for him to be heard.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/18/stack.letter.pdf

If the link doesn't work, you can find it on the CNN website by clicking on the link to the story.

Day 4

Why has it only been four days!!!! This feels like an eternity. Boo. Anyway, today was fine until my dad just came home from work and made the world's largest and most delicious looking taco salad. And then he said, "Well Edrei, I hate that I have to eat this in front of you." LOL. Evil. That was pure evil. But, I've made it four days. After tomorrow, I will be halfway there. Like I said, I'm taking it one day at a time, which is all I can do.

Day 3

Okay...today was day 3 of the lemonade detox, and it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Hooray! All I can do is take it one day at a time though. I'm hoping that day 4 goes as smoothly as days 2 and 3. Wish me luck guys!!!!

Shani Davis

I was watching the Olympics with my parents tonight and we were all shocked at what we saw. Here is this guy, Shani Davis, who was about to do something that no one had even done in Olympic history; he was defending his gold medal for the second Olympics in a row. Have you guys heard of him? I'd seen glimpses of him on commercials, but I never saw a commercial for him like I saw for Apolo Ohno or for Shaun White.

This guy trained himself and the commentators said that he has the best turn of any speed skater. Those two things alone, say to me that this guy should have gotten some publicity. My mom told me that last night, when she was watching the Olympics, the commentators were listing who we should watch tonight, and they said Shani as if it were an after thought. I know that sometimes I'm easily confused, and this may be one of the times, but why wasn't this guy shown more.

So let's recap: first person ever to win back to back gold medals in speed skating, best turn of any speed skater and he trained himself. I'm not alone here, right? Well, maybe now he'll get some sponsors. Perhaps Gatorade....

Kevin Smith

By now, you have all heard about Kevin Smith being kicked off Southwest airlines for being too big. For those of you who are not familiar with Kevin Smith, he is a writer and a director. I used to watch his movies in high school: Chasing Amy, Clerks, Clerks 2, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma, Jersey Girl...I may be leaving out a couple. Oh, he also acts in those movies. He plays the character, Silent Bob. My point being, Kevin Smith is not working with the same kind of money that I'm working with. He is working with the kind of money that I WILL be working with in about five years.

So this is all in the media that Southwest is evil and they kicked him off the flight for taking up too much space. My question is this: Kevin Smith, why didn't you purchase two seats, if you were that adamant about flying on Southwest? Or, why didn't you fly first class on another airline or charter a plane? Did you just feel the need to slum it? Who knows, maybe he is just a down to earth guy who likes to keep it real. Who am I to criticize? I just don't understand why someone would subject themselves to that sort of treatment. Apparently this was not the first time either. It's almost as if he didn't learn his lesson the first time, or he's trying to bring negative attention to the airline that treats me so well. In which case, I choose Southwest. Sorry Kevin Smith!

Day 2

Well, well, well. For those of you who are skeptical about what I'm doing, I'll have you know that I have made it through day number 2! Just as I predicted, today was way easier than yesterday. Mainly because the parents weren't around me indulging in deliciousness. Tomorrow will probably be pretty difficult. I've done this detox before and day 3 usually takes a tug at my will power. We'll see what happens.

Day 1

Well, my day began just as any day would. It wasn't until I'd laid in bed for a while that I realized my parents weren't going to work. "Ah, President's Day is today", I thought as I laid there preparing to get up and begin my detox. Now, normally it is fine when they are home. But today, today is day one of not eating for two weeks! So, when they had their matching bowls of chili for lunch, I quietly went into my room and drank my lemonade concoction. And now that they are in the living room eating crab legs and shrimp, I am in the office, drinking water and writing you. I am not bitter. I am not bitter. I am not bitter.

Hey There Lemonade Detox

Oh Master Cleanse, how do I hate thee? Please, allow me to count the ways!

For those of you who are not familiar with the Master Cleanse aka Lemonade Detox, please know that I will be irritable for the next two weeks. For ten days, I will be fasting/detoxing by drinking a lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water concoction. I will consume this "lemonade" at least six times a day for ten days. On the 11th day, I will drink orange juice; fresh squeezed, of course. And to follow that up, I will have vegetable broth for days 12 and 13.

I know that you are wondering why I'm doing this. Truthfully, it's a combination of things. I gotta do something about this belly before I develop diabetes, heart disease and/or high blood pressure. Plus, I just want to live healthier. I really enjoy the healthy eating and all of that, but lately, since I moved from Philly, I haven't been eating nearly as well as I used to. So, it's time to get back to the leafy greens and whole grains. However, I need to jump start things and rid my body of all the toxins that I've been mindlessly pumping into to it, and detoxing is a great way. I've done it before and it works. Honestly, I can't wait! I miss the way my body felt when I had tons of energy from eating right and exercising.

Of course, I say all of that now...I haven't even started the detox. Monday is day 1, so stay tuned to find out how I feel. I'm pretty sure that it won't be all butterflies and bunny rabbits when day 10 rolls around!

Growing Pains

No, not the tv show, I'm talking about in real life.

Now, it is one thing for me to talk about my brushes with death on a motorcycle, or the accidental murder of a spider in the shower, but it is quite another for me to delve into the darkest parts of my mind on a public forum...that is what journals are for. However, this has been on my mind and I want to talk about it...but it will be vague. It will be very vague.

For the past couple of weeks, I have found myself stumbling to make sense out of something that had once seemed so effortless. In true Edrei fashion, I got lost inside my head, running circles around this thing, and then as if I hadn't given it any thought at all, I cut the cord. To the untrained eye, I am someone who makes rash decisions. But what everyone doesn't know/understand about me is that I'm meticulous. I'm an over thinker. I think something out at every angle, almost obsessively and then I make my move. Even after it is done, I'm still thinking about it. Not only wondering if I did the right thing, but wondering what making that move has taught me.

I was being eaten alive by my thoughts for weeks, and then last Monday, I did what was right. Since then, many different things have been presented to me, causing me to rethink my choice while also confirming my decision.

I've always taken pride in knowing that I knew who I was and what I believed in. I wasn't always that person. It took a lot of time and energy to reach that point, and by the time I was 23, I was confident that I knew all there was to know about me. So naturally, at 25, I learned something else. I had another breakthrough at 29. And after having only been 30 for a day, I learned something else. In all of my self discoveries, I've learned things far more valuable than I ever could have imagined. But I think that the really important lessons are learned at an early age; one of the most important being that you can't undo something that has already been done.

I'm not suggesting that I want to undo something, because honestly, with this thing eating at me the way it was, I had to do something. Now, I'm tasked with figuring out how to amend this semi-permanent decision. It's a vicious cycle....

Frame of Reference

It is always so funny to me, whenever I am reminded about how much a frame of reference plays in every day activities. It seems to me, that this is phenomenon is most apparent in children, and is often times quite comical.

When I was younger, I used to walk around singing Madonna songs. When I was five or six, one of my favorites to sing was "I'm a Cheerio World". You may be asking yourselves what song that is, but I promise that you would know it if you heard it. "Living in I'm a Cheerio world and I am I'm a Cheerio girl." Yep, those were the lyrics and I would have sworn to it. It wasn't until I got older, that I realized that it was in fact "Material World". But at five or six, what was a material world? What was materialism? That was not a part of my frame of reference...but you know what was? Cheerios. On a daily basis, I would suck down Honey Nut Cheerios like they were going out of business, therefor, Madonna was clearly singling about Cheerios, because she obviously loved them too!

Well, on Sunday, I was reminded of this when I was sitting in church. The children's church portion began, so all of the little kids were sitting up front learning a valuable lesson about God and Jesus. The lady conducting children's church was explaining something about God, and one of the kids raised his hand. She called on him. "It's like God is the principle of the world," said the kid. And everyone laughed. Even after we had all finished laughing, I still continued to laugh to myself. This kid was around six or seven and his frame of reference was that the principle is the biggest and the toughest. I loved it. I think that one will make me laugh for a while.

Darren Sharper

Well, the Super Bowl is just around the corner and for some of us, that usually doesn't mean anything. But this, year, somehow, I find myself linked to it in two separate ways.

The first one being that it falls on my 30th birthday. In all of my 30 years, there has never been a Super Bowl on my birthday. I'm not too thrilled about it, seeing as how I would like to have the day to celebrate as I see fit and not just sitting around watching a game, eating wings and nachos. Apparently I am still in my terrible twos...I like to run around saying "No" and "Mine".

The second way I find myself connected to the Super Bowl this year is through Darren Sharper. Allow me to explain that I do not watch football. I could care less about what is going on on the field. But somehow, one day, I found myself watching a New Orleans Saints game and Darren Sharper was interviewed. Now, normally I don't believe in love at first sight...I feel like you need to a know a person's personality in order to be in love, but I saw Darren and I was smitten. Apparently not too smitten though, because I forgot all about him and was living a normal happy life, when I found myself unintentionally watching the Pro Bowl last night. For those of you who saw the Pro Bowl, you remember the moment when they interviewed Darren Sharper. You remember thinking to yourselves, "Look at those great teeth and amazing dimples." You also remember thinking, "That man is great marriage material and would be perfect with Edrei." You know how I know that you all thought this? Because I thought this too.

Needless to say, I am now contemplating a move to New Orleans. I mean, I already love it there; I have a good friend who lives there; and my soul mate is waiting for me!