Away We Go

October. Thank you for being a good month to me. Many great things happened in October. I feel like a lot of my bitterness and anger went away. I'm very happy right now, mainly because the source of all my troubles is gone.

I hope everyone else has had a great month as well. Believe it or not, I've found out a lot about myself within the past few months. Positive or disheartening, I know exactly what and who to focus my time, love, and energy on. It's time to get down to business. I'm focused, driven, and completely over a lot of shit.

More bloggies to come. I haven't forgotten about you, virtual diary.

Much love,
Jono

Finding Neverland

I want to run outside and scream at the top of my lungs!

I want to release all of my energy to the winds. I'm not mad. Actually, I'm far from mad. I'm pretty happy. For the past two months, I've wanted to just go through a fairly typical week of work. The past few weeks have been better or, dare I say, normal. But with birthdays, shows, and traveling, there hasn't been much time to focus on the jobs at hand.

So I'm coordinating my schedule, last night, and realize that there aren't any shows go see, far away friends I've promised to visit, or conventions, conferences, or auditions lined up for the next 7 days. This is awesome. Can't get used to it, though.

Welcome to Life, Jonathan. Ha! :)


Much love,
Jono

Rafflelicious!

Tomorrow night, I will be celebrating Day 4 of my week-long birthday extravaganza. We will be partying it up at the Sports Page in Columbus, GA. Since I will be seeing MANY friends before, during, and after this event, I thought it would be fun to hand out party favors and raffle off some goodies, brought to you by Bath & Body Works.

As announced earlier, the first 15 people I bump into will receive a sample bottle of the newest fragrance- Twilight Woods (see below). Well, I'm tweaking this giveaway to make it more fair. The first 16 people to be AT the Sports Page will be the lucky recipients of this handy dandy little lotion. Party begins at 9:30pm.

Twilight Woods - Body Lotion
Our Signature Body Lotion takes ultra-pampering to the next level. Now fortified with Aloe Vera,Grape Seed Extract and vitamins C and E, it glides on easily and evenly to condition and hydrate skin. This non-greasy, sheer formula absorbs quickly to leave skin soft, smooth,and beautifully fragrant.

• Key fragrance notes: Juicy Berry, Soft Mimosa, Apricot Nectar, Warm Woods
• Indulge your senses with our exclusive Twilight Woods, a hypnotic fragrance inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods.

There will also be a raffle going on, throughout the evening. All attendees will receive a piece of paper with a number on it as they enter. If your number is drawn, you could win the following items. Colors/items are exact.

Rubber Duck - Silver
She's one lucky duck and our favorite bathtime friend.

Back Brush - Red
This skin-silkening body brush will help you achieve a new level of clean. Soft bristles work up a rich lather while they scrub away dirt, impurities and complexion-dulling dead skin cells.

• Convenient strap for holding or drying
• Pairs perfectly with your favorite Bath & Body Works Shower Gel
• 15" x 2 3/4" x 1/2"

Lounge Shea Socks - Green with Snowflake
These super-soft, ultra-pampering socks are made twice as thick for extra warmth. Contains enough shea butter to last up to 25 washes.

• One size fits most with non-skid bottom
• Machine wash cold, gentle cycle; use only non-chlorine bleach when needed; tumble dry low; do not iron or dry-clean
• Ultra-hydrating shea butter should last up to 25 washings
• 83% nylon, 14% polyester and 3% spandex

Lounge Shea Socks - Multi Stripe
These super-soft, ultra-pampering socks are made twice as thick for extra warmth. Contains enough shea butter to last up to 25 washes.

• One size fits most with non-skid bottom
• Machine wash cold, gentle cycle; use only non-chlorine bleach when needed; tumble dry low; do not iron or dry-clean
• Ultra-hydrating shea butter should last up to 25 washings
• 83% nylon, 14% polyester and 3% spandex

Gel Eye Mask - Blue
A cool way to chill out tired eyes in a fun, festive holiday look. The look is blue gel with metallic snowflakes.

I hope you all can make it. If you need the address, see below. I cannot wait to see everyone and I'm stoked beyond belief. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Sports Page - Restaurant & Spirits
5736 Veterans Pkwy
Columbus, GA 31904
(706) 641-9966

Much love,
Jono

Layer Cake, Pt. 2

I thought I'd follow up my last entry with another cake blog.

Yep, this was my cake. Poor Nana. She got the shaft on cakes this year.

Much love,
Jono

Layer Cake

Yesterday was my grandmother's 94th birthday. My mom had set up a family reunion/birthday celebration at the house and at 5pm we cut the cake. For once, I was actually looking forward to this reunion. Through all of the bullshit from the past two months, I knew my family wouldn't pull out any insults or emotional baggage in front of other family members. It was a drama-free day. My sister and my cousins (who are our age) were coming over. We hid ourselves from the adults and drank whiskey in my bedroom.

But for the first time in two months, I actually felt really bad for my mom because of the cake situation. She was so upset by Kroger's cake fuck-up. This really belongs on cakewrecks.com. And it didn't help the situation that my sister and I were in hysterics over this sad, little cake.

Here's the story: My mom went to Kroger with a simple design, a little picture to use as an example, and instructions on what to write on the cake. Easy, right? Well, it just so happens that they lost the picture and the instructions and thought, "I lost it, but I think I remember what it's supposed to look like."

Keep in mind that this cake was for a 94 year old, Southern belle. The epitome of prim and proper.

Here is the example my mom gave them.
WHITE CAKE. FLOWERS ON THE EDGES.
'HAPPY 94th BIRTHDAY' written in the middle

This was my grandmother's cake.

This was the back of the cake. I wish I could say that this error was from the top of the container...

My mom was so pissed and sad. Allison put a pumpkin beside it to make it look a little more festive.
And I put an apple beside the pumpkin, so it could have a friend.

Then my cousins took an Olan Mills photo with the pumpkin.

And Allison thought she heard the pumpkin say something.

Happy birthday, Nana!

Much love,
Jono

Cloverfield

FYI...this is the most ridiculous blog entry in the history of blog entries...

FarmVille.
It's become an obsession.
It's become a lifestyle.
It's become a religion.
It's what I wake up to.
It's what I go to sleep to.
It's now officially what I blog about.

1.) Thank you FarmVille for reuniting me with old friends. I never speak to several people on Facebook. However, because of you, I am now pleasantly exchanging free gifts with old colleagues and friends. The best news is when I get the notification that an old buddy has shooed away some crows or plucked some weeds from my farm!

2.) Thank you FarmVille for giving me a purpose in life. When life gets you into a bit of a lull, it's nice to sometimes feel needed. Whether by friends, family, or pets, everyone occasionally needs a sense purpose so they can set new goals for themselves. Thus, I get to my point: MY FARM NEEDS ME!

3.) Thank you FarmVille for giving me pets that don't make messes. I'm a lazy guy. I love puppies and kitties. I hate taking care of them, though. However, on FarmVille, all you have to do it scroll your mouse over the cow or the horse and click "Collect _____". AND, with an unlimited amount of farm animals, I can have as many pets as I want. I have over ten ducks, bitches!

4.) Thank you FarmVille for being a learning experience. I just found out today that goats give milk.

5.) Thank you FarmVille for giving us ideas for Halloween costumes. Jana and I are dressing up like our FarmVille characters. We went to Target yesterday to try and find little farm animals to give to the trick or treaters. We also checked out the mini fruits and veggies in the produce section. The ideas are endless and genius!

6.) Thank you FarmVille for expanding my musical tastes. I found the sound file for the jingle that plays over the game. I made it a ringtone.

7.) Thank you FarmVille for allowing me to feel the sensation of being rich. It's a wonderful feeling, having $30,000. Unfortunately, I don't have that much money in real life. In fact, it makes me very depressed that I don't even have that much in the bank. My FarmVille character is worth more than me!!!

8.) Thank you FarmVille for making me a well-rounded person. I'm very tempted to add "Experienced in agriculture" to all of my resumes and applications.

9.) Thank you FarmVille for allowing all roads to lead back to you. Example: I've been harvesting for four hours straight. My eyes are getting blurry and I'm starting to get a headache from staring at the computer screen. I am still in complete control over my actions, so I exit FarmVille without a hitch. However, I'm still on Facebook and I see that Jose has just won a blue ribbon for collecting friends. "Get a bonus from Jose"? Hells yeah! I click on the link and, low and behold, I return to the scene. This time I get a few hundred coins from Jose's bonus AND some of my crops are ready. I NEVER LEAVE FARMVILLE!

TIME OUT! I see a cat, a dog, and baby goats, pigs, sheep, and ducks in this picture. Ummm...suddenly I feel cheated in my FarmVille experience.

Much love,
Jono

The Butterfly Effect

WHAT IF: Butterflies and moths never existed. Caterpillars turned into hot dogs. Stress wouldn't even exist in my life.

Much love,
Jono

The Hours

I'm in a rut. That dead time has finally kicked in and I'm starting to feel unmotivated and unhappy. I think it's because, within the past eight months, I've either had EVERYTHING to do or NOTHING to do. (The typical life of an actor!) I'm still very thankful for having the opportunities to expand my resources, but this dead time is killing me.

Yesterday, I took the initiative and did something I should have done months ago. I began applying for other jobs. Silly that I've waited this long, right? I'm actually very excited; I need something to do, and money for food is kind of a necessity. My hope was that a great gig would open up and I would avoid having to find work outside of theatre. But unfortunately, my hope is going from optimism to realism. My connections and resources just aren't very vast at this point. Because of that, I would like to think that I still have a good head on my shoulders; I shouldn't be whining about being unemployed for a few weeks. That's just pathetic. But as much as I would like to blame boredom on hope, it just comes down to my own laziness.

On the other hand, this Friday I will go to my umteenth audition. For the past several auditions, I've been fortunate (or lucky) enough have had some great callbacks, as well. I have received some rejection emails, which I'm completely okay with, and some letters stating: "We're still sorting things through. We'll let you know something soon." It's been an interesting journey, thus far. But it's always a comfort to have friends who are going through the same journey with you. I've become good friends with several strangers just because I see them at EVERY audition that I go to. It's become so surreal. You read about actors going through dry spells, and the millions of artists that are going after the same job that you want. It's crazy to take a step back and see how pretentious a mind really is, when you're unemployed. This journey has been very enlightening and humbling, yet educational and gratifying.

But here's the kicker: I have a great job coming up that will last through November. SETC is coming up and I'll be in North Carolina for a week. I'm still surrounded by great friends, and the adventures we have together are very close to perfection. August has absolutely flown by. And persistence is the only true path to success. I'm definitely one of the millions of artists out there that is struggling until the next opportunity knocks. I feel burnt out, but I shouldn't be at this age and at this stage in the game. However, I think I'm going to take a break from blogging for ____ days. I haven't had anything to write about for the past few weeks. I think I just need time to recharge and clear up my negative psyche.

But I love all of my friends. I love my family. I am still thankful for my employers and previous employers believing in me. That assurance definitely goes a long way...

Much love,
Jono

*Weekly Video Diary*

While I'm going to continue with my regular written entries, every Tuesday, I'm going to mix it up and throw in a video blog. These aren't your typical vlogs, though. They will be brief interviews and quirky conversations with loved ones; moments captured during days where we had nothing else to do. These people are the family and friends that I try to surround myself with at all times, they make this world a better place. Spread the love, world! If we were to spend an absolutely boring afternoon together, this is the stuff we would probably talk about...

Much love,
Jonathan

The Misadventures...

Tune in. It's going to be the bee's knees!

Much love,
Jonathan