Disneyland Diva

I'm debating....do I change this blog (is that even possible?) or start a new one. I'm addicted. I admit it. I'm so addicted, my friends call me the 'Disneyland Diva'. Ha. When you've stopped counting after you've spent more than 365 days in the parks, it's time to admit your addiction. Or write a 'Tips and Tricks' piece for your friends. I did the latter. I've updated this document everytime I go to Disneyland and am about to update it again. So....I think I'll just sprinkle my blog with Disneyland tips and my life and see how that goes. Are you ready? Tip #1 - Lordy! Which tip to share first? I'm going to go with my favorite hotels. I have a few for different reasons. I would get into details about them but I think it would be better if you read my Trip Advisor Reviews. My favorites are: Desert Inn & Suites on Katella. It's close, great rooms, and a wonderful breakfast with fabulous views of the park. Anaheim Plaza Hotel on Harbor Blvd, kiddie corner from the entrance to Disneyland Park. No frills, has a fridge and some come with microwaves, inexpensive, huge pool but you can't beat the location! Candy Cane Inn this hotel is soooo cute! It's close, has it's own bus,nice breakfast, rooms are small but very very cute. How's that? Any questions?? Man, I've missed writing in this blog. I have to revisit it more often.

Ian graduates!

I'm so proud of him! He decided what high school he wanted to go to because they had a fantastic arts program. He made it! Four years away from the kids he grew up with, making new friends at Santa Rosa High School. A tough pill for me to swallow since we were so close to Rancho for him to graduate with my old alma mater, I was hoping he'd graduate a COUGAR. Well, he was close....SRHS mascot is the Panther.



He chose to continue his education in Southern California at Fullerton College. Three days after this picture was taken, he moved to So Cal. *sigh*

Safari West

I SWEAR there were birds in that tree!

I'm combining two posts into one. I got to go to Safari West for the first time this year and lucky me, I got to go twice! The first time was a trip for work after we had completed a major project. It was an awesome 'Thank You' and I had a great time. The second time in the fall was for an event called "Twiga at Twilight". It was a benefit for the animals and Twiga is one of their giraffes. Yes, that's me holding the snake (just to give Vicky the willies!!)

And also seated near me is former San Francisco Mayor, Frank Jordan. He was kind enough to take a picture with me....

Yes, girls can do ANYTHING!!

I get a lot of flack sometimes because I ride a bike. I don't mean a bicycle, I mean a MOTORcycle. . The crap I get is usually surrounding taking care of my bike not just riding it!! I've always been great at letting someone else make sure the oil was changed, a tune up was done but this time I really needed it fixed. I rode the bike to Spancky's to see my favorite band and when I went outside at midnight, the battery was dead. Had to get it towed home. Then it sat. For months. So, I did what any respectful biker would do, I drove my car down to my local bike shop and bought a new battery. AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I replaced it! Woo hoo! Girl Power!! lol

Starting over again...

Busy Bren describes me to a T! My last post was at conference in 2010 so I figured I'd add a bit too it.

When I was done speaking at HDI 2010, I got to 'play' for a day at Walt Disney World. Davy Jones from the Monkees was in town for the Flower Power Concert and I just HAD TO!!

My friends and I were selected to play in one of the game shows and we WON of course! Ha! I had to put the most PURSES on him! Well, duh. That was a no brainer. The poor other woman didn't have a chance. ha.

Just be prepared. I'm on vacation and have 25 blog posts to update with! I'm on a ROLLLLLLL baby!

HDI Conference 2010

This pic is of me in front of the conference session I spoke at. MY name is on the list there.

Something you should know about me...I set a goal and work very hard to achieve it. Sometimes it's more of a dream (like my voice over work) and sometimes it can be a reality if I work hard enough. Once I've achieved a goal, I look towards my next one. Ever since I realized I am not as shy as I think I am (I know some of you are laughing out loud right now) I've wanted to speak in public. I've learned that speaking from the heart is easiest and that's what I wanted to do. I wrote a proposal to speak at the HDI 2010 Conference in Orlando FL earlier this year and was accepted! My topic: Martians & Venusians, Managing Diversity in the Workplace. I was a co-presenter with a friend of mine, Jeff Brooks. We had a LOT of fun putting together this presentation and our audience either loved us (because they knew us and/or loved the topic) or hated us (because we had a subject that was rather 'touchy'). Either way, I learned a lot and had a great time doing this! I was very honored to be in such great company. Jeff Brooks, Frank Oz and me. You might know Frank Oz if you're a Star Wars or Sesame Street fan!

Biggest Loser hometown style!

Me with Sunshine & Koli, Biggest Loser

I FINALLY get to post a few pics! I've been watching the Biggest Loser since Season 1. It's been my inspiration (I've had many) to keep my weight off and keep exercising. For those of you outside of Sonoma County, we had two contestants this year from Rohnert Park: Sam & Koli. The fun part is that every Tuesday night we (the RP Community) would go to either our local hotel or restaurant and watch the show together. (The venue changed a couple of times). It was a ton of fun to watch the show with the Poueu & Palu families. My connection: Sam's Aunt & family went to school with me and Koli's two Aunts: Mele & Lele worked with me at Burger King back in the day...the show is over now but I'm so happy for Koli that he won the 'at home' prize. He worked so hard and looks wonderful.


This is Koli & Sunshine speaking at one of the Tuesday night viewing parties. I thought they were an item! :)

My first radio gig!

First of all, I have to apologize for letting my blog decay. I've just been so busy doing things that I've neglected to keep this updated!!

My last big of excitement was taking the VO class. A couple of months ago, I got a call from my Casting Director telling me she had a radio ad that needed VO artists and asked if I was interested! YES!! I was so excited!!

I had to finagle my schedule...or so I thought. It turned out OK because I recorded the commercial during my lunch hour.

I went to the radio station (KZST for those of you in Sonoma County) and recorded the commercial with 5 other actors. The company hiring us to do the commercial had another set of actors record it and the owner wasn't thrilled with the results so he hired us! I got great feedback from the ad agency and was sooooooo happy that it went well.

But celebrity is fickle and so are radio clients. The owner of the company who hired us for the commercial must have thought we were too 'lively' and he kept the original commercial. So much for my first 15 minutes of fame!

I did get paid so I've had my first paying 'gig' as a Voice Over Artist. Chalk up one for my resume.

Ice SKATING not Ice falling...

Oh how I'm feeling my age right now. JT & I went shopping in Union Square on Thursday and we had tickets to ice skate at 4:00. The idea was to skate while the sun set and watch the lights come on. It's beautiful...we did it last year. I took TWO steps on the ice and biffed it. Face first on the ice. Since my face is my 'money maker' (HA!) I hit my left knee first.....right in front of a class of 1st graders who delighted in my spill. I got back up and re-skated after a little ice on the knee. Two days later and I'm still paying for it! Getting old is hell.

Tiana's Jubilee!

I knew when we left home that Disneyland had a new 'parade' for guests to participate in. Well, anyone who knows me KNOWS I would just LOVE to do that!!!

So, we played our cards right and....got asked to participate!! The show is on the Mark Twain and they stop the boat in front of Pirates of the Caribbean where there was a HUGE crowd. It was so much fun! We performed in 3 parts: First we had scarves we waved at the crowd, then we had wooden music notes we danced and played with, and lastly, we put on the choir robes and shook our tambourines to the music that played. We had a blast!! At the end of our performance, we were given special necklaces and took the pics you see here....

Disneyland at Christmas - filming

Something is always happening when I go to Disneyland! When we arrived, they were filming commercials for Tiana's Jubilee

Disneyland at Christmas - arrival

I love all of the colors Disney has on their Christmas Decorations. One of the first rides we went on was It's a Small World. Isn't it beautiful?

Disneyland at Christmas - Candlelight Processional

I LOVE Disneyland at Christmas time. We flew from Santa Rosa to LAX on Thursday night. It's so nice to fly direct from Santa Rosa. The Disneyland Express bus is right outside baggage claim and it's a fairly quick 45 min bus ride to the hotel. $32 round trip pp. Not too bad considering we fly home to Santa Rosa and don't have to fight the traffic or pay gas/parking in Oakland.

One of the reasons I go the first weekend in December is for the Candlelight Processional. It was tonight! We had a great place to stand (right in front of the fire station) with my friend Robert (cast member) that I met on the CHOC walk. Jeff and I could see the whole thing from this area. Jon Voight was the narrator of the Christmas Story and there were over 500 choir members from all over Orange County singing traditional Christmas stories. It's really a lovely concert!

Character building

Part of what I need to do before I voice a demo is create characters. I don't necessarily mean 'cartoon' characters, but different people I can do with my voice. I'd never really thought about it until I took the VO class. I've had some fun creating a few....but I have many more I need. To be a 'bookable' voice over artist I need 12 - 15 characters. People I can slip into and out of with ease. Sounds crazy....right? So here's what I have so far.....

• Miss Kitty from Atlanta (I created her after attending an HDI meeting where they didn't have a name tag for me...only Kitty's was left and she couldn't attend)
• Tsunami Susan (my Superhero! - created her at the VO workshop)
• Nasaly Nelly (self explanatory - created just to keep up with speaking nasaly)
• Biker Brenda - tough talker and such a far stretch from me!

That's it. I have a long way to go....any ideas will help!!! :) Thanks for reading....

My life long dream....a possibility!!

I did it! I'm sure I've driven some of you nuts in the past few days and for that, I'm sorry. I didn't want to jinx anything. I was afraid if I said something, what I wanted to do, just wouldn't happen.

I've had a dream....for the past 27 years and was afraid to follow it. I was afraid that if I tried and was told I wasn't any good, that my dream was done.

So, here it is.................voice over work. There. I'm sure for some of you it was 'duh' or 'that's it?'!

Yep, that's it. I worked at Burger King back in the early 80's. We had to call back our orders on a microphone. First time I picked that thing up, I was HOOKED! I LOVE talking on the microphone (my EB family can attest to that). Over the years, I've taken a few classes on voice over but they were mostly about how to break into the business. Big deal. Didn't really help because I didn't know if I had the skills....or the talent. So, today, I found out.

I got an email from American Eagle Casting this week asking if I was still interested in their voice over workshop. I had inquired back in July 08 and they just recently went through their contacts for this upcoming class. My weekend plans were canceled (Jeff and I were going camping) so now I was available to take the class. The class was offered at Zone Music in Cotati (CONVENIENT just a mile away!!!) and being taught by Kathy Garver. Some of you might remember her as "Cissy" on a Family Affair from back in the 60's. Kathy has a Masters' degree in Communications from UCLA and a Bachelor's degree in Voice Work again, from UCLA. She's been in the business for 25 years and knows what she's doing.

I was very nervous about going. Just because I like to talk on a microphone, doesn't mean I have any talent. Can I do a cartoon voice? Can I speak with another actor and read/act out a script? What about commercials? Tags? How was my diction? Elocution? Enunciation?

We spent 5 hours reading and recording scripts. Car commercials, descriptions of paintings for museum tours, commercial scripts with multiple actors, cartoon characters. I took direction, created my own characters, and read the most convoluted tongue twisters I'd ever heard of! (Ask me when you see me and I'll read a few!). I had a BLAST!!!

In the end, I needed to ask Kathy. "Can I do this?" "Am I any good?". This would tell me if my dream was just that.....a dream, or if I could actually work in this field someday.

Kathy told me, I'm good. Some of my reads were a bit over the top and she had to bring me down a notch (another big surprise). I came up with my own motto to get through my reads "Drink a glass of wine, then read my line". That's what I need to do. Chill out a bit and go for it!!!

So there you have it. My dream has been to do voice over work and be good at it. I might just have a shot!!

Oh, one more thing.....when I got to the class, the casting director was there. She asked me "Have you ever modeled?". I said no, but funny you should ask....I was in a print ad campaign recently for an association I belong to. "You have a great look. What are you doing Monday?" She asked. "I'm working...". "OK, never mind. I'll find someone else".

And that's show business!

My buddy!

I have a brave new buddy named Lauren
When you see her smile, you'll be soarin'
such a beautiful girl
with once a head full of curls
but now it's a hat she's adornin.

Lauren has a icky affliction
her hair on her head it's affectin'
so the chemo she takes
still the smiles she makes
and her curls she donates with affection.

How can a beautiful girl with cancer be
the one who is inspiring me
to grow my hair long
and break out in song
knowing my hair will be donated with glee!

So to my dear buddy Lauren
whose giggles and smiles are a warnin'
no affliction can make
you a bad attitude to take
so please look on the bright side each mornin!

Love to you Lauren! Peace!

CHOC walk

Disneyland's new President greeting the walkers...

If I can be socially aware while I'm traveling, I do. While at Disneyland having a great time, I did the CHOC walk! It's a walk-a-thon for Children's Hospital Orange County. CHOC has this walk through Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. They open up the parks early for the walkers and make it a special day. As we turn each corner, there are characters waiting to greet us. We get to go back stage and it's just a really special day.

The walkers behind me on main street (looking towards the train station)

The Disneyland Fire Department met us backstage as we walked through...

Woody, Jessie & Buzz greeting us in DCA
....and I'm done! Long walk, foggy morning and soggy hair. Glad to have walked it!

Halloween Disney Style!

My buds on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

Oh and ME on Big Thunder! It's hard to hold the camera and take a picture on that attraction!

Dale me and Chip. Too cool for school

I was in town (LAX) for a meeting last Friday and figured I'd spend a couple of days at Disneyland! Loved it! Was by myself for the most part...caught up with a couple of friends while I was there. I love the Halloween decorations they put up. Here's a few pics...

My visit to Utah

Me and Vicky OLD OLD friends!!

I had a great visit to Utah a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen Vicky and family in several years, hadn't met a few of her kids! It was time.....past time. Lauren and I were roomies for the weekend and I'm glad we were! (Picture is Lauren, me and Natalie) Lauren and I have necklaces that I bought us and we text each other and tell the other one we're wearing it. So cool. Lauren is a great girl and working hard through her health struggles. Sooo proud of her!!

This picture is of the Lehi Roller Mills. May not mean anything to you unless you've seen 'Footloose'. It's where 'Ren' worked and where the final dance was. I bought some FABULOUS brownie mix from them! Yum!!

My soon-to-be-famous cousin!

My 16 yr old cousin Jonathan Tomczak wrote a book! He is a history buff and was interested in writing a book. He got the idea while on a school trip to England and found a publisher. So proud!! These pictures were taken at his first book signing at Copperfields books in Petaluma.