Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling in NY this morning, having a blast with the fans!!. Remember to check out #TheLuckyOne in Theaters tomorrow. April 20th.
my current tv obsession, another one… cancelled too soon. but thanks netflix. always watchin my back.
Welcome to my Taylor Swift shop. Order her new album “Speak Now” out 10/25. 10% of your order will be donated to the Hudson Valley NY SPCA. Taylor + Helping animals!
The Economy vs. Me.
Okay, so while I was on my break at work today I got to thinking about this whole economy situation we’re in. Let me give you a quick breakdown of where I’m at right now: I’m almost 24. I worked hard in High School (I was Class Pres, Honor Roll, etc, etc) and I paid my own way through four years at a Private College (not cheap, about 35k in debt). To put it in a nutshell, I busted my butt to succeed in life. Now? I work part time in retail. And its not just any retail, its at a department store. My job is stereotyped right above working at McDonald’s. It’s not very boastful, so to speak.
Growing up I had dreams of someday working in some facet of the Entertainment Industry. No, I never wanted to be famous and I know that being a millionaire is quite out there- but I did expect to work hard and be able to celebrate in the rewards of that.
I can’t.
I’m a smart girl, with a lot of talent. I’m timely, I’m responsible, I’m a natural born leader, I’m a hard worker, I know I could be an asset to any marketing, publicity, or social media related job. I think what frustrates me the most about this is that I have played my cards right all along. I interned in College. I took on several extra curriculars. I followed the rules. What else bothers me is that due to real life circumstances, I’ve ended up being a home owner at a young age. I’m not upset about this- I am very grateful to own a home in these tough times, but the cost is high and being part time at a low paying job is hard.
To the average post grad out there, the answer is simple. Intern, intern, intern. Well, most of these available internships are unpaid. I find it repulsive that major industry corporations and companies are hiring unpaid interns because they can. Its practically modern day slavery and I just find it unfair and belittling. The worst part is I can’t obtain one of these jobs because being a post grad, AND a home owner, I have a BUNCH of bills to pay. I’m damned if I don’t, and even more damned if I do. The people out there who are following their dreams and getting to live them? The kids who took it easy, moved home with mom and dad and are living off of unemployment, welfare, or a rich family member/significant other. Here I am, working an almost 40 hour week with no benefits/vacation time/promise of hours at a hands on laborious job while people who have been dealt a better hand and haven’t worked as hard are fetching coffee and being promoted to full time jobs in my dream companies and positions.
How is that not discouraging? How is that fair? I get so frustrated because no matter what I do I keep hearing the same thing… its who you know and what you do. I’m expected to intern at some company to get the job I have already worked my whole life to find. But I can’t. Because I’m too busy sweating away at trying to pay my student loans and home owner’s insurance.
It just seems uneven. And its not like the government is doing anything to help in the situation. So the jobs go to the ones who have slid by. They go to the post grads, or even current students who have mom and dad, their boyfriend or girlfriend, or even everyday tax payers to pay the bills. And me? I wait. I wait for the world to change, or I wait for a miracle. I just wait.
Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe I’m wrong. I’d like to hear other opinions. So, throw them at me!
What do you think about all of this, honestly?
Kendra Wilkinson @ ‘Bookends’ in Ridgewood, NJ.
Originally I had planned on attending the Borders signing in New York City on Tuesday evening. But, being broke and strapped down to a pretty tight work schedule allowed me to choose only one of Kendra’s two local signings. I decided on the Ridgewood signing. For one, it was only a 40 minute drive. Plus, I didn’t have to take the train into the city. And most importantly, Bookends is a small mom-and-pop type book store and I knew I’d have a better chance of getting a recent picture with her.
The last time I saw Kendra was in 2008 at her club event at The Roxy in Philly. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then for her, and all three of my previous pictures with her were pretty heinous- not gonna lie. Plus, in February I sent her a scrapbook/photo album I had made for her wedding/the arrival of little Hank. I’m not really the type to do the celebrity gift thing unless its someone I really respect and appreciate and Kendra tops that list. I had sent it somewhere I knew she would receive it (her mother is quite wonderful) and I knew she had gotten it because her assistant Eddie had tweeted at me that he loved it too. However, seeing her in person, I knew I would finally get the chance to ask her if she liked it. I was totally nervous about this.
As usual, I got to the venue way early. I bought my book/ticket and headed to grab lunch at this cute quaint little restaurant. When I had left the bookstore at 2:30 no one was there, but when I came back at 4 the line was already about 20-25 people long. I got in line and began to endure the heat. I started talking with a very nice group of people behind me. It was miserable out there, and bad judgment on my part to wear a sweater.
They began to let us inside at 6:30, and Kendra began signing promptly at 7 pm. One thing I love about her is when you see her in person, that personality, that craziness, and that laugh are exactly the same. She’s playful and silly, and she really just lights up a room. She was posing and joking around from the moment she stepped into the basement of the bookstore.
Hank came along with her, and he made certain to stick to the side except when asked to pose with her, or for pictures with fans. I was quite surprised the Bookends crew were clearly allowing pictures- but it was nice, for once I didn’t have to wait, and wait, and wait to try to maybe kind of get a quick photo. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say when it was my turn, so I kind of was prepared to just wing it. Two people get me starstruck: Kendra, and Zac Efron. For some reason when I am in front of either of them I freeze up and look like a complete and total moron. But, Kendra was chatting with fans and making sure everyone got a few minutes with her. Let’s just say I was anything but prepared.
As I approached her, Kendra asked my name, the second I replied,”Priscilla” her eyes got all big and bugged out and immediately she spat out, “I KNOW YOU, I know you, don’t I? Priscilla!” and when I nodded, obviously frozen, I was sure it had something to do with the baby gift. She called to Hank and the girls who had arrived with her to get her camera to ‘get a picture for her website’ (whether or not she uses it for anything, I don’t care, she wanted a picture with me for herself!!). She had stood up to shake my hand, and take the picture, an honor since she hadn’t stood up for anyone else.
And she even had me spell out my name so she could write it in the book (she hadn’t written anyone else’s names before me). She thanked me for the photo album, and said something about knowing we had met before and how glad she was she got to see me and thank me for the book. It’s mostly my jumbled memory, but she was very gracious and she did say something about how she wrote the book and does things like ‘this’ (the signing) for the fans and because of our constant support. She honestly made me feel so, so appreciated. It was truly one of my best celebrity experiences.
After I had taken my picture and Kendra had gotten all excited like I was the celebrity, I stepped over to meet Hank. Hank is very polite, very soft spoken, and exactly like he appears on TV. He’s obviously incessantly devoted to Kendra and was just beaming to be there for her. He didn’t seem bothered by the fans in any capacity. They are truly the perfect couple. I immediately told him I was going to ask him if they got the book, but that ‘I guess you did!” and he too was more than gracious in thanking me for all the hard work that went into it. Additionally, he sincerely thanked everyone who had left a message with me through www.BlondeMafia.org (back when the site was Original GND we had advertised the scrapbook and had collected fan messages for Kendra and Hank).
It really was one of the best celebrity experiences to date. I’m learning that while I can’t do as much as I used to, the people I really admire and look up to are pretty sensational people. I really am honored to support her. She is deserving of every success.
