Fun Fact

According to my nifty Schott's Almanac Calendar, on March 29, 1848 Niagara Falls stopped flowing when ice jammed the river.

I found this incredibly interesting, so I googled it.

Look at this:



Isn't that incredible? I wonder if you could've slid down it? You would've had to have worn a lot of protective gear, which might have been worth it, really....

* For some reason when I post this picture, I can't see the people standing on the ice in the top right corner. Maybe it's my computer and you can see them just fine, but if not...there is a little family standing dressed all in black in the upper right section of this picture. The woman, we'll call her "mother," is holding an umbrella. They look very 1848.

The Real Housewives Of New York City or Why I Was Late For Work This Morning

I love this show.

I don't know a lot about New York City. I doubt this is a great representation of it, seeing as how these woman make up the "elite" part of the social culture, and most people who live there don't, obviously. I have heard that woman in New York city dress really well, all the time, and where a lot of black. The show does stick true to that.

I don't know why I love this show. They are worse than the Real Housewives of Orange County. Private Schools for three year-olds, fashion week, Aston Martin's, summers in the Hamptons, the fact that their home costs even more than than they do in Newport or Irvine and they have more than one of them! Pretty crazy and mind boggling to someone like me from Rowlett, Texas.

But I love this show.

I have a feeling it's because of the Countess (the lovely woman dead center of the waifs above).

She is married to a Count which makes her a Countess. She has tons of money, set for life and still drives a Ford Explorer. Granted it's a really nice Ford Explorer, but it's a Ford. She was excited to drive her friends Ferrari, but doesn't own one herself. My mom and I both have girl crushes on her. She is bold, but nice. Elegant, but real. Sassy, but considerate.

She is a trained nurse, Fullbright scholar, and a TV host of course. Yeah, apparently she has a website...

I want to be the Countess a little bit. Maybe not with the kids and stuff, but you get the idea...

I do feel sorry for Alex (blonde, far right). Someone should tell her that you don't need status to be happy. I have no status, and I'm happy. Happiness is temporary anyway, joy lasts forever.

Oh, I'm deep sometimes.

My New Favorite Actor.

John Le Mesurier.

You can read all about him here.

I don't know that I've ever seen any of his movies, and if I have I certainly didn't know who he was at the time.

He is my favorite because of his famous last words:

"It's all been rather lovely."

It also helps that he insisted on writing his own death notice in the New York Times (before he actually died, of course):



He's my favorite.

Rest in peace Mr. Le Mesurier.

Hey y'all,

Because that's where I'll be this time tomorrow.

- Molly

The Following Is Inspired By True Events...

Before you read this, please find a copy of the song "Public Service Announcement" by Jay-Z.

INT. TREASURE ISLAND (THE GROCERY STORE..) - EVENING

Molly Wilbanks, a girl next door type twenty-something, stands in front of a large selection of orange juice. She carries one of those hand held grocery basket things and listens to her iPod. The song changes from Carrie Underwood's, "Don't Forget to Remember Me" to "Public Service Announcement" by Jay-Z.

(if you're reading, start the song here.)

As the song begins, the orange juice selection is no longer a menial choice, but an important part of her important life as an important diplomat slash international spy.

A BODYGUARD, big, tall, scary looking, but with a heart of gold, stands behind her. He surveys the grocery store for anyone who might harm his client. He may not be conspicuous, but you have to keep some sort of cover when you are an international spy living as an important diplomat.

Molly decides on the Tropicana Extra Pulp. She takes the carton and puts it in her basket.

CUT TO:

INT. TREASURE ISLAND - MOMENTS LATER

Molly walks out of the refrigerated section and towards the check-out. The bodyguard follows.

The whole time she walks, Molly watches the people around her. She notices a MAN IN A SUIT leaning against the loafs of bread behind the check out counter. The man, sees her and turns his head towards the bread as if to examine the nutritional facts, but really he is just diverting his attention so Molly doesn't notice.

Molly notices. She's good like that.

INT. TREASURE ISLAND - MOMENTS LATER

Molly and the bodyguard stand in line. An OLD WOMAN in front of her counts pennies. The CASHIER watches with boredom. The bodyguard reads an US Weekly while popping a piece of Orbitz gum into his mouth.

Molly taps her watch. It looks as though she is just checking the time, but the watch is actually a tiny computer. She searches through a database and begins to notice the faces popping up are the faces of the people around her in the grocery store. She looks up and sees the man in the suit, but this time he doesn't look away.

The man yanks a bouquet of flowers from a cart but they are not flowers at all. The flowers are hiding a large machine gun. He points them straight towards Molly. As this happens another CASHIER, PATRON, and SMALL CHILD reveal themselves to be agents as well.

Molly flinches for one moment as she realizes her lips are chapped. She applies cherry flavored Chapstick brand chapstick. She then reaches into her bag and pulls out nunchucks.

INT. TREASURE ISLAND - A SHORT MOMENT AFTER THE NUNCHUCKS HAVE BEEN DRAWN

The agents come at Molly. She fights them off one by one successfully while she wears her four inch L.A.M.B. heels (in natural/yellow)
and Burberry Trench. Agents come from all sides, including the ceiling and floor. They are in all shapes and sizes, but it doesn't phase Molly. She's fierce and indignant.

The man with the machine gun flowers comes from behind. the bodyguard still reads his US weekly. He sees the man with the machine gun and ducks under the check-out counter so he can read in peace.

INT. TREASURE ISLAND - MOMENTS LATER

Molly stands in front of the store entrance. Agents are strewn about the floor. The man with the flower gun stands in front of her.

They stare at each other.

Outside the window, a black car pulls up. Molly looks at the car and then again at the flower gun man.

MOLLY
Sorry. I have to go.

The flower gun man sees the car and throws his hands up in defeat. Molly grabs her groceries. The bodyguard still reads his US Weekly. Molly waves to him, he waves back.

EXT. TREASURE ISLAND - CONTINUOUS

Molly opens the door to the black car that we now see is a Toyota Prius (Molly is an eco-friendly international spy slash important diplomat). She gets in the passenger side door.

INT. TOYOTA PRIUS - CONTINOUS

JOHN MAYER sits in the drivers side. It's important to understand that by this point in time he has grown out of his misogyny.

JOHN MAYER

Did you get orange juice, honey?

MOLLY
Tropicana Extra Pulp.

JOHN MAYER
Let's go home where I will play music for you.

Molly smiles. They drive away.

An Open Letter To HollywoodReporter.com...

Dear HollywoodReporter.com,

Hi. How are you? Well I hope.

It seems I haven't heard from you in awhile. Why is that? Was it something I said, something I did?

I apologize in advance for not being able to buy your publication in person. See, I moved from Los Angeles several years ago and in my two most recent cities, Richardson and Chicago, the convenience of walking to the crappy newsstand on the corner that someone surely buys coke from along with their Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter, is no longer an option. Oops, of course I take you more seriously than Variety. Forget I even mentioned her name.

Here's the thing though...

I thought by subscribing to your online version we could still be together, even though we are thousands of miles apart. And you gave! You delivered to my inbox every morning, dutifully and full of grace. And then you stopped. Just stopped. I tried resubscribing, but you proceeded to ignore my request, pop up once at the beginning of this week, and then disappear once again. What is that about?

I can't even find the place to contact customer service on you. Come on...

I want us to be together again. I want to know what's going on in your world. It's important for me.

Please, come back. Please.

Love Always,
Yours Truly,
In His Name,

Molly Wilbanks

Mom And Dad Wilbanks

These are my parents, Frank and Karen. The year is 1979. I don't know exactly where this picture was taken but '79 was the year they got hitched I believe...

My parents are two of my favorite people in the whole world.

Last week was a big week for them. My mom is a high school speech and debate coach and several of her former students are pretty successful in the world of entertainment. One of them, Mr. Ugly Betty we shall call him, is doing a documentary on high school speech tournaments. Last week was the big state competition in Texas. He and the crew were down filming my mom and her students for the big event, doing interviews with them etc...

He actually did my mom's interview at my parents house. I could tell my dad was really excited about it, but he didn't want to let on since it was my mom's big day. He hid in the back room, working on business stuff and tried not to interfere. At the end of the day the producer said they needed to come back to film my parents working in the kitchen and doing things in the backyard. My dad was excited about that.

My dad did make one joke to Mr. Ugly Betty and the gang that bothered me...

They were standing around in the kitchen and my dad said,

"If this movie goes anywhere, there could be a big rift in our family."

A chorus of, "Why?" erupted.

"Well, Karen will have been a movie before Molly."

They all laughed. When this story was being told to me, I did not laugh at this point. Not even a little bit. Once the laugher died down the producer said,

"There is one difference. This one doesn't pay."

That's when I laughed.

One thing you should know about my dad is that he has one rule for my life and career. To support my parents in a lifestyle they would like to become accustomed too.

I love you mom and dad.

On that note, who can come up with a good caption for this picture? Comments...?

Life In Stages...

My blog is back. New and improved of course, because that is what happens with everything that goes away and comes back. Or is it? That was kind of profound for a Thursday afternoon.

I was "sick" yesterday and didn't go to work. I took what Sexy 08 would call, a mental health day and it was marvelous. I was reminded of how much I like not working. I'm good at it. My mental health day was also what prompted my need to blog.

I've reached a point in my life where for the first time I have an almost real day job. I say almost real because I am still considered part-time, even though I work forty hours most weeks. I'm not used to that. I know I'm only twenty-four but up until this point, I've worked at Starbucks and a church nursery school, only for half days at most. I am one of those people who can manage my own time outside of work very well. I am very productive when I'm not working. I set schedules for myself, and for the most part keep them. It's a skill I learned while being an unemployed actress in Los Angeles. It's an important skill for a creative-type to have really.

This working thirty to forty hours each week is killing me. I have no time to manage my time. How does that happen? Originally that's why I quit blogging because I thought it was cutting into my time, managing my time. In reality, blogging is a much nicer way to fill my workday and feel creative while I enter data or hold open house meetings where I decide who is worthy of being employed at my place of business.

That's another interesting thing. I can't really talk about my work because I have signed many a confidentially agreement and I also cannot get you a job, but to think that when prospective employees come in I'm the first thing they see, makes me laugh a little bit. I'm an actress, not a business woman. This is where I should make some joke about work being my greatest acting role, but I won't because it's not. Hopefully it won't ever be.

It is beautiful outside. It may be a little chilly but the sun is out. Promise me you will find ten minutes to stand outside and enjoy the sun.