Facebook, Twitter and the Luck of the Banana.

Quote of the day: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

--Computer Scientist Alan Kay.

Zoiks! My cyber-friends... I almost forgot to write tonight!!! That's why this is SO important -- my blog is focusing me, forcing me to keep my word. Hard work and consistency -- two HUGE parts of being successful. And thus... I shall write happily tonight's blog.

Three things to share:

1. I am LOVING Facebook. I am connecting with the most amaaaaazing people. And I give all the credit to my editor, Richard Gore at LaChance Publishing in NYC. Because my book Sniff comes out in August and when we last spoke he was like, "Why do you have a measly 600+ friends on Facebook and I have over 1500?" He basically said, You need more friends. It's good for you and it's good for our book. So I went on a mission. Originally because I knew he was right. What an f'in perfect way to get our books out there!!! I got a 5 book series deal and it's a series of children's book based on the 5 senses. Sniff is the sense of smell, clearly :) And so... I began thinking, who, do I want to be friends with? And at first, I was thinking pure business. Books. My movie. Career, career, career. But then... it started to mean more. Like I wanted to see how my prep school English teacher Peter Quinn was doing. After all, he read The Raven to us by the light of a tarantula cage, lights out in the classroom and with a creepy, but funny (his idea of a) raven's voice. It was RAD. We were mesmerized. And then, I thought of my first voice over agent at WMA in NYC. And then... it all has started to become one big beautiful domino effect. I've been messaging people whom I would love to re-connect with --like Ted Damutz who inspired my one act called, Fingernail Moon. \

And then most recently, AMY HECKERLING who directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless, which she wrote and directed. She is AMAZING. And so, I wrote her a facebook email and today, she accepted my friend request!!! I am now connected to Fast Times -- a movie my sister showed me on VHS when I was little... Wow... Facebook, you make it all possible, it's all SO close with you, the seemingly untouchable become "friends" within days. I even connected with my BROADWAY DIRECTOR, JAMES LAPINE. He directed me in The Diary Of Anne Frank -- my first acting gig. At the Music Box Theatre. He messaged me back today -- I haven't heard from him in over ten years. Last time we spoke, I was a kid. My eyes were practically watering when I got his message...

Facebook, how I love thee.

2. TWITTER is my latest crush. I honestly feel like it's 8th grade again and I'm up for the superlative of Most Popular in the yearbook. Yes, I did win that title in 8th grade and yes, I was president of my class... It's been all downhill from there... :) But seriously, ever since Ashton has started to follow me, it's like an avalanche of followers. It is beautiful and powerful. And I am grateful. Because I am SO passionate about connecting with as many people in the world as possible. I LOVE to reach out and connect with people, to inspire someone to laugh or to love more or to feel -- to feel more. Grateful. Something stirring in all of us is the desire to love and be loved. And Twitter inspires me because I read about P.Diddy's being stoked about a store he's opening up in Miami. Anderson Cooper's sensitive reporting in Haiti. Or Harvard Research's updates, which are staggeringly fascinating. And life-changing. Or Deepak Chopra's tweet as he's about to take a walk in the park. It is 8th grade dilated worldwide. I feel like the kid again who wants to be friends with everybody -- to join up everybody and make life better. Warmer. More kind.

3. I finally sent my letter to Garry Marshall on friday. I'd sent him one in the summer and never heard back. But then, I did some more research -- I watched the special features of Pretty Woman and learned that he believes in bananas. That they bring him good luck. And so he features a banana in each one of his movies. I went from store to store looking for a banana sticker. I refused to mail his letter until I found one.

And I did on friday. I put the sticker next to his name on the envelope and then on the bottom, I wrote: "From a girl who also believes that bananas bring good luck."

We shall see what happens... Either way, I'm happy that I researched, sent the letter again and didn't give up. I found a little something -- a banana sticker with a smiling face in this case -- to go one step beyond your average letter. Hopefully that banana will indeed bring me luck. And I will receive a phone call from his office. Because I love PRETTY WOMAN and how he sees a star and makes them shine brighter than most directors can even see...

p.s. The top picture is the COVER OF MY BOOK, SNIFF!!! It's still rough and Isabelle The Great Illustrator is still perfecting it, but how amaaaaaaaazing???!!!

Love to you all. And to all a good night.