Stay Elusive and Run

Sent Cal a weird little painting kit and it only cost $1.50!!

Okay, so I went to Operation Gratitude to help stuff gift boxes for the troops - oh my god they have quite an operation going on in the valley. It's a huge warehouse with a million boxes of donations ... from chapstick to beanie babies (don't exactly know what they'll do with that but hey, I guess you're never too tough for a stuffed animal.) They make sure that each soldier gets a handwritten card in their box. I helped put the cards together and man are they cute. Good to find out that girl scouts are still handy with the glue gun and ribbons. One card cracked me up so much that I had to sneak it out to send to Cal. It said - "stay elusive and run" ... I mean ??!!?? How funny/inappropriate is that?? They are an awesome organization and they could REALLY use help the last weekend in May when they assemble 60,000 boxes. They are also always taking money donations to help pay for postage.

www.operationgratitude.com for info

If You Couldn't Come Today

Then you can come tomorrow!! Yep ... Big Sunday is also on Sunday!!

This time we are doing something important to me (not that battered women aren't close to me ... but you know)
Go to www.bigsunday.org and sign up for:
April 29th for Project Number 0660, Support Our Troops - they have tons and tons of donations and are putting together gift packages with letters for our troops.

Please come help ... then you don't have to feel guilty about not sending my brother something:)

It's Like Going to the Gym

It really is. You know how if you start going to the gym it sucks and you feel like dying when you are putting on your sneakers. And then it gets a little easier ... and eventually (if you're lucky) it's just natural to throw on those clothes when you have free time and take a little jog.

Four of us went to a home for battered women and their kids - while the families were on a field trip about 20 of us painted, gardened and cleaned. I must admit that our group was half an hour late because it's just really hard to get up before 9 on Saturday. But we did stay a little later to clean up ... so there. The rest of the group was, to my amazement, young people. The leader of the group was a (very) young lawyer helped out by her boyfriend who happened to be the assistant to a huge Hollywood producer. Their friends were also execs, assistant etc ... see, you can shmooze at the same time. Better than a bar if you ask me.

All in all, I think our little group of 4 had a great time ... and worked up a sweat. Shower time.

On a Personal Note ...

My little brother is in Iraq. I know, I know ... we hate Bush ... we hate the war ... you know the rest of the drill. But you really can't hate the kids (because that's what most of them are) that are over there. If you've ever scrolled through your whole cell phone to find someone to call and felt lonely because most of the people aren't really people you want to talk to then imagine what you would feel like on a big ol' base in the middle of the desert (ok, weird analogy I know ... but I really find myself doing that a lot)
This is what my brother posted on his facebook yesterday:

If you are inclined to send me something just think of what you like, send it, and it will be the best gift ever!!
LCPL WAUCHOPE,CALVIN
11th MAR CBR DET2
UNIT 40411
FPO AP 96426-0411

Funny story - Calvin requested a yoga mat and a book on spirituality ... I mean, could a 19 year old marine get any cooler?
Little known fact - you only have to pay postage to San Diego because the marines ship it from there (aren't they swell?)

If any of you want to "adopt" someone else please let me know and I'll get you the address of one of his buddies ... I've met all the guys he went over with and they are all super cool. OR if you really can't get to the post office but would like to send something just let me know and I can probably get off my couch to do it.

Thanks!!

BIG SUNDAY - APRIL 28TH AND 29TH

WWW.BIGSUNDAY.ORG

LA'S VOLUNTEER DAY ... GO TO THE WEBSITE TO JOIN IN. YOU CAN PICK FROM TONS OF THINGS TO DO - IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ME THEN SIGN UP FOR PROJECT UMBER 0309 - BEAUTIFY A HOME FOR HOMELESS MOMS AND KIDS.


MY ROOMMATE AND I DID THIS LAST YEAR AND HAD A GREAT TIME ... THOUGH I MUST ADMIT THAT PLANING THE TREES THEY HAD FOR US WAS SLIGHTLY CHALLENGING.

MAJOR BONUS, THE NICE PEOPLE AT BIG SUNDAY THROW IN A NIFTY SHIRT TO KEEP (WHICH IS ACTUALLY FOR ONCE FITTED AND WELL CUT ... THANK YOU AMERICAN APPAREL)

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ... MAYBE WE CAN DO BRUNCH/BLOODY MARYS. NOTHING SAYS JOB WELL DONE LIKE A GOOD OL' FASHION BRUNCH.

LET'S DO SOMETHING

I must admit the impetus for starting this blog - I am watching American Idol Gives Back and am feeling slightly pathetic about my life. Perhaps this is because I am an actor who doesn't really do much besides listen to myself and people around my complain about our careers, work out, worry about money, worry about what I look like, drink, eat, watch pointless tv ... you get the point. But can I really be so different than the person with a 9 to 5 that feels like he or she is trapped in an office, unable to touch the world?

Why is our generation so lazy? Why do we complain so much? Why is there so little action being taken? Of course, as I'm sure you will all tell me, there are exceptions. Well maybe with a little effort we can make those exceptions the norm. Maybe we can take back our power to help out - to feel like we are living with purpose. To help.

That being said ... www.americanidol.com to donate. In all honesty, I only put $20 on my credit card but hey, makes you sleep a little better. And who really needs that Starbucks for the week?