motivated self-starters

I was talking with one of my dear friends and favorite people ever today, Eric. We go way back. Like, bonding over Spice Girls "Forever" back. Among other things, we were talking about Lady GaGa. Are you surprised? Shut up. I was going to write that Eric is an actor. But then I was going to write that Eric is a singer. And then I was going to write that he also dances. He taught me the Madonna "Don't Tell Me" cowboy dance in 9th grade. And then I was going to write that he's a writer. So, Eric can pretty much do anything and he's good at it. He's witty, charming, smart, and fits into most overhead storage compartments. I luff him, and want him to write a guest blog or join my blog with me. The latter will probably never happen cause of ego issues.

We were talking about Goddess GaGa and how incredible she is and what an inspiration she is. As Eric said, she's got a DIY motivation and relentless ambition that really hasn't been seen since Madonna. She's 23, and she did it all on her own. Naturally, we started feeling a bit down on ourselves for not being famous for wearing no pants when we're 23. The girl hustled. She worked her tanned Italian ass off to get where she is, and it's refreshing to see a self-made star in an age of VH1. Plus, she's got talent. So does Eric. I hope that he hustles himself too, because I think entertainment will be better for it.

I got to thinking about that kind of ambition. I'm so jealous of it. www.jealous.com. I think I'm a fairly creative person, and I'm always thinking of new ideas and things that I could do, but never get around to doing them. I don't even smoke pot anymore, so I can't blame it on that. However, I think I'm slowly, but surely, getting there. Lady GaGa is a total inspiration, but I'm more inspired by the people who I know (not the ones I stalk) in real life.

For example, another person that I've found who is an incredible DIY-motivated-ambitious-talented-self-starter is my friend Kyle. Kyle's a hair stylist, and moved down to North Carolina from Rhode Island and basically created a huge clientle from nothing. Did I mention that he was incredible and talented? I haven't yet heard or seen a single person who doesn't think Kyle and his work is the shit. Well, last night was the culmination of months of dreaming, hard work, and ambition for Kyle because he held a hair show/fashion show/dance party to show off his work, and even better - raise awareness and money for Equality NC.

As someone who gets all geeked out about event planning and throwing parties, I was really excited to see how this was going to turn out. I was very optimistic, and my optimism turned into reality last night. It blew me away. Someone actually threw a better party than me. Kyle, along with the help of some dedicated friends and family, gave little old Greensboro something fresh, exciting and fun. It was an event not to be missed, and it got rave reviews. I didn't hear a single bad thing about the show, and the energy was nothing but positive. People couldn't stop smiling.

The show had performances with some of my friends, some drag queens (which, when done correctly, make everything fabulous), and lots and lots of hair. Truthfully, this shit belongs in New York or Smell-Ay. Wait, let me rewind that. I guess it doesn't belong there, because Kyle brought it here and he made it work. He made it work more than Tim Gunn and RuPaul combined and multiplied by a thousand.

What's so impressive and admirable to me is that Kyle's 23 as well. He had an idea, a brilliant one, and chased it and made it a reality. Kyle works harder than anyone I know, and he's always positive, always funny, always smiley. I'm just amazed at how, while other people our age aren't hardly engaged in anything, Kyle makes it happen. I love people like that. I'm fascinated by them. I want to be like them. He'll hate to see me say it, but he's similar to Madge in that way, and that's nothing but a compliment.

Personally, I'm glad that I have people like Kyle and Eric in my life and not be totally jealous of them. You know, the kind of jealousy that rears its ugly head in the weirdest of ways. Like when one day, you're just hanging out and you just snap on them and set fire to whatever it is that they use to be more successful than you? Yeah, I'm glad I'm not like that. I just feel genuine joy and appreciation when I see my friends' aspirations become realities. Especially deserving people like those boys. It shows me that sometimes, nice guys do finish first.

I'm really proud of the personal growth I've made in the past year. I'm a happier person, and I feel so much more balanced than ever before. I feel like I have a good head on my shoulders, finally. I guess it's time to stop dicking around and make my dreams a reality. One of my dreams was to be a writer. As you can see, I'm doing my best to make that a reality in my own little way.

I just need to remember, when a crazy idea pops into my head, to think about Kyle and GaGa and make it happen.

If you didn't make the show, here's just a bit of what you missed out on:

Miri. Photo by Jessica Fritz

Missy. Photo by Jessica Fritz

Shaina. Photo by Jessica Fritz.

Claire. Photo by Jessica Fritz.

James, Courtney and Cody performing "Love Game" by Lady GaGa. Photo by Jessica Fritz.

Joe. Photo by Jessica Fritz.

Natasha. Photo by Jessica Fritz.

Kyle working his magic on Milissa. Photo by Audrey Britt.

Christie. Photo by Audrey Britt.

Me. Photo by Audrey Britt.

The man himself, Kyle. Photo by Audrey Britt.