Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (Pt. 2 - Life)

It's been a while and I've been busier than Roy Moore at the mall. In the spirit of catching everyone up, let me break it down for you - and be sure to catch up on Part 1.

CAREER

Acting these days is mostly about creating your own content, so that's what I'm doing. Working with my friends in the Hollywood Guerrilla Film Group, I am co-producing and acting in a horror feature anthology based on Dante's nine circles of Hell, 9 Ways To Hell. We've been filming since April and have only a handful of shoot days left before it goes into post-production. It's been a huge undertaking, but everyone working on the project are amazing and tremendously talented and hard-working. Once the film is complete, we plan to put it into festivals and get a distribution deal so you can see it at your leisure. Be sure to check out the website and subscribe for updates; I made it myself! I also got interviewed for the project, and more, at Trainwreck'd Society for their "31 Days of Horror" feature.

Two of my short films, Trash Day and From Zombie with Love, have been accepted into several film festivals and are waiting to hear back from even more. These will be my first film festivals, and I'm hoping to get invited to a red carpet event sometime soon. Being my brain-children, I acted in and produced both, and I'm super excited that they're being recognized by fellow filmmakers - especially in the horror world.

Of course I'm still auditioning for things, going to my agent's acting workshop, updating my headshots, writing even more projects of my own, and filming a few things with friends - including a podcast, a web series, and a short film. Now that my gym schedule is stable and Halloween commitments are done, I really want to make a push for acting and creating projects.

The things I do for art...

RELATIONSHIPS

The more things change, the more they stay the same. As much as I'm doing, I'm still single, but not for lack of trying - so many dating apps, so little time! However, the more I got ghosted or matched but never talked to, the more the apps route felt like a waste of time. There was one instance where the guy and I got to texting and decided to meet the following day (location and time unclear), but when I asked if he liked a certain spot, I never heard from him again. And when I checked the app again, he had unmatched me. Figures.

It didn't seem to matter if I messaged first or second, if I asked them out or if they asked me. Nothing every materialized in person. All of this resulted in me feeling less than, which shouldn't have been the case. One night, after a particularly bad pity party for one, I deactivated and deleted all my dating apps, and I have not looked back. Granted, I haven't gone out with anyone, but I also haven't felt shitty because some random dude on Tinder couldn't get his act together. Now, I get to "waste" my time doing other things, and hopefully more productive.

Of course, I'd love to find a person. I haven't been into a guy for two years now. And, sure, I get sad about it every now and then, especially when I'm sick and/or tired. But things have been progressing positively in a slew of other areas in my life, so I'm okay.

Now that my schedule has calmed down, I plan on going to some Meetups, if only to expand my circle of friends or do activities I don't normally get to do. Also, due to the podcast my friend and I are doing (Mary Dates L.A.), we're challenging each other to go outside our comfort zones to put ourselves out there. For example, our first episode challenge was to go on a blind date, but you'll have to tune in (date TBD) to find out how that went!

Recording Podcast #2 of "Mary Dates L.A."

Honestly, I've been feeling much better now that I'm not on the dating apps anymore. They really are the worst.

SELF-CARE

But, Lacey, how do you take care of yourself when you're this busy? Don't you worry! I make sure to schedule in time to do nothing/stay at home cuddling Sarge. And I'm getting much better at saying "no" to things I don't have the stamina for. Yes, I push myself, but I generally know when I need a break and I take every opportunity to stay home and chill out.

Hiding in my TARDIS with Sarge

On the self-care subject: I go to the chiropractor when my gym regimen affects my body, I don't feel obligated to say "yes" to everything, I try to eat right and go to bed early and not drink as much, I scheduled a spa day with some friends, and I'm catching up on my pile of books to read. Not only am I teaching fitness classes, but I just signed up for personal training sessions; I take care of my students, now I have a trainer to take care of me. I get new, flattering clothes via Stitch Fix, and I got my hair and nails done, just because I wanted to. I also did a half Tough Mudder - a 5-mile course/race with around 10 obstacles - which beat me up, but I was very proud of completing it.

I haven't painted or sewed in a while, but those go in spurts and I know I'll pick them back up. I would love to go on a vacation sometime soon, but that depends on time and money. Plus, I don't like going on vacations alone, lest I have a Thailand situation (story will come in a future blog).

IN CONCLUSION

That's what I've been up to lately. My life is definitely a whirlwind, and I wouldn't survive without Google Calendar, but I've been making it work, and I'm awfully proud of how much I've achieved this year alone. I've been making steps toward where and who I want to be, and I'm always looking forward to the next adventure.