Lara's Intro

Hello, everyone! Saw Diana's link to the new forum on Twitter, then got an e-mail from Kev about it and knew I had to sign up again! Sorry it's taken me so long to post this intro. Busy week.

Mmm... let's see...

I am...
+ 23 years old
+ From Southern California, but I go to school in Northern California
+ Majoring in Film Studies with a minor in Disability Studies at UC Berkeley
+ Trying to graduate by Fall 2011 and will be finished with my minor by Fall 2010
+ A writer. With a business card to prove it.
+ Passionate about feminism and women's rights, disability rights and disability studies, film, musical theatre and television
+ A feminist
+ Obsessed with cherries and that's what makes me a TRU CHERRY GIRL! Yup.

I like/love...
+ Cherries
+ Eliza Dushku
+ Tru Calling (cuz I'm obssessed with it, *sighs*)
+ Fandom in general and fanfiction
+ WRITING (scriptwriting, fanfic & fiction writing in particular, but I also keep a blog & write other things besides fanfic)
+ Spirituality/New Age stuff
+ Forums, of course!
+ Traveling around the world
+ Being around positive people/good energy
+ Making random Twitter updates
+ Good food
+ My doggies and birdy (and family, too, lol)
+ Creativity

I dislike...
+ Negative people/negative energy
+ Disability discrimination
+ Horror movies
+ Analytical thinking
+ Math
+ Hard sciences

The random...
+ Moved into a new apartment this semester because of a bad situation with a roommate last semester, but I am much happier now.
+ I want to go into San Francisco again. Really badly.
+ Would love to either study abroad in Vancouver, BC or do an internship in Los Angeles
+ Aspiring TV writer/producer, fiction novelist and documentary filmmaker, planning on relocating to LA for graduate school and beyond
+ I'm a judge for Superfest, an International Disability Film Festival, this Saturday... Excited!
+ I love my minor, but I'm not a fan of my major... yet. It's too analytical right now!
+ I want to act in another student film this semester.


And I think I have officially written too much! Anything else you want to know, just ask! I love questions!

Good intro, Lara!!
Why are you eager to come back to SanFran?
And so cool about the Superfest! What do you doa s judge?

Lara!! So good to see you here!!
Loving the intro aswell.

How's Berkeley?

Good to see you again. Have you been enjoying school as a whole?

Hi! Good to see you again.

Your list's impressively comprehensive. I didn't realise you'll be graduating so soon, just 18 months or so! So if you don't like horror movies, do you like Wrong Turn?

Hey, Lara!

Welcome back to the boards!

Hey, Lara!! Welcome back!

It's good to have you back on the forum now as well!

And great intro indeed!

Haha, wow! I thought my intro was pretty lame! Glad everyone enjoyed it. Just formatted everything in bullet points instead of sentences.

Diana - I really enjoy San Fran! I don't go there often enough, even though it's right across the bay when I'm up here! I really only go into the city when I'm going to see some kind of show or a play or something. And I always go with a friend or a group of people. I would never go there by myself. I was just there a few weeks ago actually. I went with my friend Kristine to see a talk with Weird Al Yankovic and Chris Hardwick. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet Weird Al afterward.

As a judge, I think we just sit and watch films that people submitted and judge them based on certain criteria that we're given. I don't know. I've never done anything like it before. But I'll let you know!

Eve - Berkeley is as great as Berkeley can be. Haha. No... it's... I'm enjoying myself. Just hoping for a better semester this time around. So far so good, I think! I'm a little nervous about taking 3 classes, though! Never have taken 3 classes at the university level before! And I'm already signed up for summer school and planning my Fall semester! I also have a couple crushes on some guys... we'll see where/how that goes...

Kev - I think Berkeley as a whole is much better this semester! Parts of me really feel better about this, especially taking the initiative to move out of the apartment I was living in for a year and a half and moving to this new place. It's in the same complex right across the courtyard, but by making this move I knew I'd be in a better place. Last semester was very rough for me and I struggled a lot emotionally because of the issues with a roommate. I still think about it and I still cry and have nightmares sometimes about it, so I think I'm gonna talk to a couselor or something about it. I've definitely been making new friends thru film club and classes. One of my friends from my Literature and Disability class last semester has kept in touch this semester and we have lunch 2-3 times a week. My best friend (from high school) also moved up to the San Fran area from SoCal, so it's nice to be able to see her every few weeks or so. I'm gonna aim for straight B's this semester, but I'm really anxious to get thru this semester and the 2 summer sessions I signed up for, so I can start taking my fun and creative classes in the fall!

FiFi - "Incredibly comprehensive", huh? Well, I try! LOL. Oh, God... I've been in college since Fall 2005! Well, the semester I took off for my back surgery and that first year I got hit by a car... those semesters pretty much don't count, but yeah. I've been working hard, but I don't take many classes per semester, so that's why it's taking me so long! I might be graduating by Spring 2012 (like it says on Facebook), but I'm aiming for Fall 2011 if possible. And this is just for a Bachelor's Degree! I still want at least one Masters Degree! *sighs*

No, I don't like horror movies! I saw Saw I and HATED it! Creepy. But I loved The Alphabet Killer. That was an awesome movie. I've never seen Wrong Turn, only a few clips. I refuse to see that movie... unless Eliza lets me hide behind her!


Juan - Hi, thanks! It's good to be back!

Danny Boy - Thanks! I'm happy to be back!

Lara!!!! good to have you here!! have fun girl!!! =)

Hahahaha.... And I´m like you!!! I don´t like horror films!!! I watched Wrong Turn three time with some friends next to me, always!! haha.. And I loved The Alphabet Killer!!..

Wow so you're gonna be in school again for the whole Summer? Or do you still have a few weeks off?

I'm gonna have to go back too, to remake this exam I failed, blah.

How's it going with your crushes now?


And what did I read on Amanda's Facebook? Are you going to meet Eliza at some convention?

Thanks for the welcome, Celes! I'm definitely enjoying this board.

Eve - I'm sorry for the late response! Here are your answers:

Yeah, I'm basically gonna be in school for the whole summer. Taking one class per summer session. I'm already enrolled in my summer classes and in a few weeks (mid-April-ish) I'm gonna be registering for my Fall 2010 classes. Craziness! I have a week or so off in-between Spring semester and the first summer session, a few days off between the first summer session and the second summer session and a week or so off between the second summer session and Fall semester.

I have 2 crushes. I have pursued neither, although both guys are very nice. They're single and I don't think they're gay either. One of them already graduated and he's working in Santa Cruz (I think) for a disabled couple. I don't know when I'll see him again! But we do keep in touch via Facebook a bit. He helped me move to my new apartment actually. Nice guy. The other guy is actually my Peer Counselor who works in career center services and he helps the students with disabilities in the career center services/program. Such an amazingly nice guy. Very easy to talk to. I really like him, but we're just friends... for now. I'm not very good with this whole relationship thing.

Well, yes, I was going to meet Eliza at the Anaheim Comic Con in April, but she cancelled. I know Miracle Laurie and Juliet Landau will still be there, but I really wanted to go to meet Eliza, so now I don't think I'm going to go anymore. I don't think it's worth it. But I really would like to meet Amanda as well, so it's a shame!

It sucks about she cancelling it, specially if she and meeting Amanda were your main reasons to go to the con... But I'm sure you'll have more chances, don't you think?

Do you have pics of the prince(s) charming? And I don't think starting relationships is easy to anyone, it actually is hard specially cause each person/relationship is a whole different world!! But a sweet smart babe like you won't have any problems, you'll see

Yeah, I hope so! I'd still love to meet Eliza someday, even though my preconceptions about her are probably a little screwy. I have a very Tru-like persona of Eliza in my head.

Mmm, not posting any pics of the boys I have crushes on here unless I'm in the pic with them. Taking their Facebook pics to put on a forum without their permission wouldn't be right!

Ugh, I already have problems. I want to be in a relationship, but I feel so much more comfortable talking to girls than guys. And I'm not interested in girls. It's just a thing with me, I guess. I don't want to be seen as a sex object by a guy. I don't want to be a spectacle. I don't want to be touched in an inappropriate way. I have a lot of fears!!

Even the majority of my online friends are girls!

I was kidding about the pics!! lol But if you are in the pics with them, then welcome pics!! lol

And about Eliza, it's not so good to have preconceptions, but i guess you will find her sweet and pretty when you meet her (let's hope that ) like Tru
I didn't like she cancelled her 2 cons appearances though, specially the Anaheim one: she did it because of personal/proffesional reasons and then she went on a trip with RF to Chicago cause he had an event in there? Not fair to her fans in my opinion...

About guys, I always felt more confortable about guys than girls in real life. All my girl friends stabbed me so hard at a certain point. And my guy-friend-friends always stood by me in certain very hard moments of my life. I think you are smart to have chosen guys smart enough to not treat women like objects and to appreciate your sweetness and your value as a person, so I'm sure you won't have those problems you say despite feeling fears is normal, even panic. I've been with my hubbie for almost 12 years and I still have fears and sometimes panick attacks. Pretty human I think lol and though the fears change and evolutionate, they never leave....

I miss you Lara! How are you doing? Any plans coming up, anything new... ? Tell me

Diana - Yeah, I've had SO many misconceptions about Eliza lately! I can't believe how wrong I've been about her this whole time! I mean, I still like her. But just differently. And I realize now that maybe I shouldn't be so focused on writing a TV show for her, but just my writing in general and whatever happens will happen! I just thought somehow that she was more like Tru in real life and maybe she is in some ways (maybe she's really down-to-earth... I don't know!), but she seems to show off a lot. And I don't like Rick Fox at all. He's just some pretty boy she has on her arm and I wonder if he really cares about her. I mean, I'm happy for them, I guess, but... you know what I mean? And yeah, I wish she would have never cancelled those convention appearances! Maybe she was busy producing her movie, but then she did take that trip to Chicago, so yeah... I don't know! *shrugs*

Oh, boys. I just have a really hard time with the whole thing. I have female caregivers. Only female caregivers. I refuse to hire male caregivers. I would love to be in a relationship, but the whole thing is very scary for me. I had some really unsavory experiences last semester and I just... want to find the right person. It's hard to explain. I really need to be "out there" a bit more.

Eve - HI! OMG, I miss you, too!! Ummm, not too much is new with me I don't think! Just looking for part-time jobs and/or internships, but a lot of things I'm finding are not paid internships. I'd consider applying to some TV network internships in LA next summer if I could, but I'm not sure. Mostly looking for stuff while I'm up here in NorCal at the moment. Currently enrolled in Summer and Fall 2010 classes. Craziness. One of the non-paid internships I've looked into is a dance studio/program for people with and without disabilities. Their performances are incredible! But I'd have to figure out how to take the BART (NorCal subway) to get there and I don't know how! So I'm looking into applying to this center for independent living run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities and it's only 5 mins from my apartment... yay!

It's Script Frenzy this month (unofficial 'for fun' writing event worldwide where you see if you can write 100 pages in a month... I FAIL, lol) But it's all good. I love writing, so it's fun for me. You can sign up on the Script Frenzy forums and post about your writing and ask questions. There's an area where you sign up for your region, so I signed up for my NorCal and SoCal regions and the 'forum leader' of the SoCal region hosted a couple of events when I was home and I got to meet her and some other people. She's a grad student and getting a Masters in Screenwriting and we've been talking to each other for a year online, so I FINALLY got to meet her in person over my Spring Break. It was awesome. She's so sweet!

Um, what else am I doing? Haha, my life is boring really.

That internship at the dance studio sounds really great! Especially to me, hehe. Good luck finding a job or internship! Most internships here are non-paid as well, but there are exceptions.

Script Frenzy sounds great! It's always cool to meet new people/online friends.

Do you already know which classes you're taking this Summer? I'm not sure if I asked that already.

Thank you! Yeah, the dance studio one would be great, but Oakland creeps me out! Heck, Berkeley creeps me out!

There are also paid and non-paid internships here. I'd love to find a paid one, but somehow, especially with still being in school, they seem harder to find and only want to give college credit. Oh, well. Experience is what counts! I seriously would love to do volunteer work at the independent living center, but I'm too lazy to fill out the application right now. Guess that says a lot about me!!

Script Frenzy is a lot of fun, even though my page count is dismal this year. Regardless, I still plan on working on these scripts after Script Frenzy, so hopefully it will all balance out like it should. It was so cool to meet my Script Frenzy forum friend Brittanie. I guess I was a little nervous about meeting her cuz I've never met an online friend in real life before, but she's so sweet and I asked her a bunch of questions about her Masters program and we shared stories about adventures with our wheelchairs. (She broke her leg, so she's in a chair temporarily while it heals.) I have some pics of us. I should post them. Now I text her every Thursday just to say hi and that I wish I could be at the write-in back home!

Oh, classes... No, you didn't ask me yet.

Summer 2010 Classes
- Documentary Film (1st summer session)
- Film Theory (2nd summer session)

I think that's the order. And I registered for Fall classes, too. Well, some of them, not all of them.

Fall 2010 Classes
- History of Avant-Garde Film (enrolled)
- Art and Meditation (enrolled)
- Screenwriting (not yet enrolled) OR
- English or Film R1B (not sure what theme, though)

Yeah, I'm gonna try getting into Screenwriting again since I couldn't get into it last Fall. I'm really hoping the prof lets me in this time around since she didn't let me in this past Fall. It really sucked, but now it's like I really kinda NEED this class. Avant-Garde Film will be my last film requirement cuz the rest of my classes will be film electives, 2 semesters of a foreign language (to be taken next summer at community college, so I can take it pass/fail) and the second half of a mandantory reading and composition requirement (R1B). So my alternate will be either a Film or English R1B course in the event I can't get into Screenwriting again. But... *fingers crossed*

Art and Meditation is the last class I need for my minor in Disability Studies. It's not a disability studies class at all, but I was interested in taking it cuz my Art, Medicine & Disability professor teaches it and I really like her. But the only way I could take the course was if I got approval from the department chair of the minor to take it and do a disability studies related art project of some kind. I'll probably end up making a film or writing a screenplay. Not sure which, but I'm excited cuz I've never done any kind of meditation before either! SO excited!! My minor will officially be DONE by the end of Fall 2010. WIN.

Heheh oh okay. Sorry that place creeps you out . Too bad it's not somewhere better / easily accessable.


Well, I guess the point of something like Script Frenzy is to write and enjoy it, so even if you don't finish it in time and do something with the script afterwards, it's all good.

I'm probably gonna take Film Theory next semester too (I think it's even required). And is the documentary film class also just theory? Cuz we can take it as a seminar. History of Avant Garde film doesn't sound too interesting (but that's because it reminds me of my failed exam; it had a question about avant garde, grrr).

Art and Meditation sounds awesome! I would take that too if I were you, especially if you like the professor. And I'm crossing my fingers for you, hoping you can get into the screenwriting class! Good to see your minor almost done! Do you know how many semesters you have left at Berkeley?

Good to know we'll both have to suffer through Film Theory together. Though I'm taking it in second summer session, so July 6th thru August 13th or something like that. Summer courses go by so quickly! I don't know how Avant Garde Film will be this Fall. Hopefully it will have at least one creative component to it. Otherwise, it just sounds so dry and boring.

You might as well call my Documentary Film class 'The History of Documentary Film' cuz that's basically what it is. It's all history. No creative component at all. I think if I was taking it during the regular school year there would at least be a creative option to make a documentary film, but that's not the case with this summer course! The good thing, though, is that we could either choose between the final exam OR the final paper and I want to write a paper cuz I just don't like taking exams! I don't like writing analytical papers either, but at least I know I'm better at them than with exams.

Art and Meditation... so excited! About Screenwriting... yeah, I hope so! *fingers crossed for the millionth time*

Umm, do I include summer sessions in those semesters? Looking into finishing my requirements by Fall 2011, but 'walking' in Spring 2011. So not including the current summer semester, it would be 3 regular semesters (Fall 2010, Spring 2011 and Fall 2011) and next summer. But I want to try and only take ONE class next summer, so I can focus on getting some kind of film/TV internship in LA. That's my goal right now. Guess we'll see what happens!

Did you ever see Blade Runner? And what did you think of it?

Yeah, I saw it in class this past semester (Spring 2010). It was one of the required films we watched in Science Fiction Film class. I liked it. It's not my favorite movie by any means, but it was a pretty good movie. We also got to see some of the alternate endings, which were interesting. In a way, I feel like the happy one is too cheesy whereas the other one is more realistic and suspenseful, I think. I'm not sure how to compare the book to the movie. They are both so different! But I'm glad I got to see the movie AND read the book instead of just having a one-sided view of everything.

I know a bunch of my classmates were interested in writing their final papers on that movie, but I didn't want to. It's not what interested me. I love time-travel and I knew from the start of the class that I wanted to write about Tru Calling if my professor would let me, which she did. So I compared the Terry Gilliam film 12 Monkeys to Tru Calling instead of a paper about Blade Runner or any of the other sci-fi films we saw in class. I really enjoyed 12 Monkeys!

But I think I would rather watch a bunch of sci-fi films than some of the boring or depressing documentaries I'm watching in class right now! Just sayin'

what documentaries?

Uhh, we watched a few Holocaust documentaries this past week. Those were horribly depressing! And we watched this film a few weeks ago called The Bridge, which was a very intense film about "Jumpers" or people who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. I did NOT like The Thin Blue Line at all. Such a strange documentary IMO. I did kinda like Tarnation. Umm, yeah. Interesting films my instructor chose for this class!

But I'm writing my final paper about TV comedies, not films. So yeah.

Also dreading next summer session's History of Film Theory and ready to move onto my Fall 2010 classes, which, especially if I get into Screenwriting, will be A LOT more practical. I'm SO damn tired of this analytical/historical/theoretical crap.

I'm totally in love with Community now too btw. I watched all the episodes about a week ago and I'm definitely also a Britta & Jeff shipper! And Troy and Abed.
And I'm definitely gonna buy the DVD too! I also love the artwork, it looks great!
But anyway, I'd really love to read your crossover too when it's done, I'm sure it's gonna be great!

Oh and in Cologne we saw a magazine shop called "Lara". Of course we immediately thought of you then and we also took a photo of it! Definitely gonna post that one later! It didn't look that special, but still.