Fall is Upon Us

In my line of work, the fall season proves to be one of the busiest. We have new shows premiering left and right and we have old classics returning. Lucky for me, I chose to stick with all the classics, except for Kath & Kim, a comedy with Molly Shannon airing on Thursdays. As I have pointed out before, "The Office" remains one of my favorites to work on. It helps when you are a fan of the show.
Last Thursday, I was scrambling to get all of the updates for the website in place and not even working nearly as hard as the web producer I work with, Joya. She and i team up quite regularly and she was the one who I went to Scranton with the year before. Well, she instant messaged me on Thursday with a note saying to meet her in the hall. Instantly, I was unsure if I should bring weapons for a fight. Because, you know, stress can get the best of people. But, instead, she told me she was attending The Office premiere party in Hollywood and wanted to know if I could go, too. I was shocked and of course, flattered that she asked me. Of course, I said, "yes".
I ran home and changed into something casual and headed to Hollywood Billiards. The valet was crazy because clearly, everybody who was invited to go to the party decided to show up minutes before the show started. Once I was able to get my car taken care of, I walked in with Phyllis and Lesley (Phyllis and Stanley from the show) and loved what I saw. At the private party, they had giant screen TVs everywhere with the show on, a huge buffet set-up and an open bar. Everytime an act ended, people applauded and walked around and got drinks. I was able to see my favorites like Oscar and Craig Robinson and was able to see other NBC friends. I was even more flabbergasted to see Steve Carell, his wife Nancy, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer also there. The main cast never really show up to such events. They seemed to hang out together, but it was still a trip to see them making an appearance. I wish I had a little more nerve, or alcohol in me, I would have said something to John Krasinski, otherwise known as my soulmate! But, instead, we enjoyed the party and stayed and watched Creed, Craig, and Oscar shoot pool while I chatted with other backstage members of the show. I have to say, I don't think any of the other shows are going to be able to pull off the premiere night we had on Thursday with the cast of "The Office."

Emmys!

Ok, so I have been getting asked a lot if I went to the Primetime Emmys, like I did the Daytime Emmys. The answer is, no. And that's fine with me. The Emmys are boring and usually just a lot of sitting around waiting for people to get done with speeches. I enjoyed the Daytime Emmys because they had supplied bottles of wine at each table! Now, if I was every nominated for a Primetime Emmy, that would be another conversation...
That's not to say I didn't enjoy a huge benefit of Emmy weekend, the parties :) On Thursday, I attended the Radio Tour Party for NBC Talent at BLVD3 in Hollywood. A club I have been trying to get past the velvet rope in for almost a year. Well, it was my year. I managed to check out a few celebrities, but mostly partied with fellow NBC friends and of course, had to shake my groove thing to the awesome Neil Diamond cover band, Super Diamond. They were awesome, I even got on stage to dance with them and the keyboardist's wife invited me to all of their shows. Naturally, I was the last employee left from my crew at the club. The rest were celebrities, club goers, and Super Diamond fans. I have a reputation to keep up.
On Saturday night, I got on the list for the NBC Emmy party at the famous Spago in Beverly Hills. I managed to get all dazzled up and head over the hill just in time for my friends to get off work (publicity girls never rest) and go party. I pulled up to the party and was told I needed to be on a list to valet. I was shocked, I never heard of that before. They checked five lists and didn't find my name. They asked who put me on the list, I was afraid of getting people in trouble, so I just said it could be a mistake and drove away. I felt humiliated. Meanwhile, my friends at the party were continuously texting and wanting to know where I was. I told them I had felt too embarrassed for the night and was heading home. A few of the girls had offered to wait on the corner for me to make sure I got in. As I turned around, I realized I had been trying to get into the elusive EW Party the whole time, the NBC party was a few blocks down the road. I felt like such a fool.
I drove to Spago, had my car immediately valeted and was ready to relax with a glass of champagne and a nice bite made by Wolfgang Puck himself. I had an amazing night, hung out with great friends and even was told by Oscar from "The Office" that I made him cry because I didn't see him waving to me on Thursday night. I would take hearing that over a two-hour snooze fest called the Emmys, any day!

Party!

Friday night as the night of my birthday party. I held it at one of my favorite bars in Venice Beach, Beechwood. I invited a lot of friends, but wasn't sure who was really going to make the trek way out West for the night. Of course my birthday has to fall on a week where we are gearing up for fall premieres and then there is Emmy weekend. I guess friends didn't let a little thing like that stop them having a good time. I had about 40 people show up and it was great to see people meet new faces and get caught up with old ones.
In typical Maggie fashion, I was running around all over the place making sure people were happy and having a good time and mingling. I had two drinks in a course of four hours. It was my birthday, wasn't I supposed to be passed out on the floor by 10. Well, I guess when you are 29 you look past all of those crazy times and actually want to remember good memories. That's not to say I don't have a few more of those crazy times tucked away for a rainy day.

29!

So, I made to 29. Not that monumental, except, of course my last year to say I am in my 20's. That part feels weird. Like grasping on to the end of an era. My real birthday party is on Friday night and of course I will have my own separate blog post for that night.
But, for my actual birthday, it was spent pretty low-key, but surprisingly enough, it made me feel really good. I started the birthday at midnight on top of Muholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Just a time of peace and quiet and reflecting on all the things I had accomplished in my 29 years on earth and all the things I still want to do.
That morning, after I got my work computer up and running again after glitch problems, I was welcomed with a huge email chain of happy birthdays from co-workers. It was great. Then a small group from the NBC Print Department took me out to lunch. When I returned back to the office, I had a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me from the Executive VP of Drama and the Manager of Daytime. It made me feel extra special.
The day wrapped up and the evening began. I picked up my friend, Morgan who got me a beautifully-card and lovely lotion and soap gift set and then she and I headed to Katsuya in Brentwood to meet my other friend, Kelly, who had a another gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me. A little later, my friend Erin joined us and cocktails and sushi and yummy desserts were shared by all. Except Nicolette Sheridan, who sat at the table next to us, and they were clearly having a pretty good time, themselves, with the empty wine bottles and six broken glasses that fell on the floor.
This birthday made me feel loved by those around me and those far away. I feel blessed to have found great friends and feel special for have kept the friendships with the friends that live far away. All in all, it was a great day to reflect on how important friends are to me and how I must make it a goal to tell them more about how they really do complete me. Something to start doing now, being the new and mature 29-year-old that I am.

Family Gathering

As you know from my post before this, I had attended my Great-Aunt's funeral. It was a tough day to get through, but with the closeness of family, we were al able to pull through.
I had my mom, Aunt Laurie and Grandma staying with me for the weekend. It was so much fun to have them all here, to listen to their stories, to hear them laugh, and to just have them be present. Made me miss a little of home and made me realize California can really seem like years away.
They had managed to fill the weekend up, fast and I wanted to offer up whatever help I could do. One highlight was paying a visit to my brother's baby son, Owen. It was so much fun and it was so nice to see a huge smile on my Grandma's face, again, after losing her beloved sister earlier in the week to cancer. It's funny how babies can remind us that we are nurturers and we are all capable of love, even through the hardest times. Needless to say, Owen's face was just what we had all needed to make us smile, again.
On Monday, the family came by my work, got a tour of Days of our Lives, met some of the stars from the show and then got to see The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It made me feel so good to see them enjoying their last day in Los Angeles. I wanted to make sure it ended on a high note. It also made me feel so good to hear them tell me how proud they were of me and my accomplishments. Every once in awhile, it's easy to forget how lucky I should feel for the breaks I have had and the support that surrounds me.
That night, I had a great time just sitting up and talking to my Grandma. I miss that time with her. When I lived in Oregon, it happened a lot and it was something I took for granted. Now, I realize what's really missing in my fast-paced life in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it's not something I can order from a catalogue or pick up at the store. It just seems like family is there when you need them the most and that should never be taken for granted.

Good-Bye to a Wonderful Great-Aunt

First things first, I have been very busy, lately, so my lovely readers are in the treat for some catch-up posts. This last week I was met with the sad news that my beloved Great-Aunt Peggy had passed away from cancer. She was a vivacious woman and I could only pray to some day have as much energy and have as big of a heart as she did. She had touched so many people from so many walks of life. She had never had a bad thing to say about anybody and always put herself second and people in need first. May the world be filled with more like her.
The last time I saw Aunt Peggy she had thrown herself her own type of service. She had thought that why should she wait until she passed on to have loved ones gather and celebrate her life. My parents were here for it, as was my Grandma, who was her sister. It was a great time to see my family from my mom's side and to spend some more precious moments with an amazing woman.
The service was bittersweet. A lot of tears were shed and a lot of smiles were seen. It was just the way Aunt Peggy would have wanted it and couldn't have been prouder to say she was part of my family and I hope to someday be recognized for such generosity and having such a warm heart.
You will be missed, Aunt Peggy.

Portland, Oregon and Slow Gin Fizz...

If you don't know what the title is about, please listen to the amazing Loretta Lynn song, "Portland, Oregon". It always puts a smile on my face.
I had a wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwestern city of Portland and made me realize how lucky I am to be from Oregon. There are many things I took for granted while living up North, including tax-free shopping, friendly drivers, green living and blue skies. I went up for the long weekend to see some friends and plan a little escape from La La land. Every once in a while, I think it's healthy to do that and if the price is right, even better! I spent the majority of the weekend, hanging out, shopping, bar-hopping and taking in the fresh air. The trip went by fast for me, but was still worth it.
I have always been conflicted about Portland. The city, itself, if everything I have ever asked for and a lot closer to my friends and family in Southern Oregon, but obviously, my job in Los Angeles can only be done, well, in Los Angeles. If I could do what I do here there, trust me, it would be no question. But, at the same time, I feel grateful to be making a decent living in a town where everybody seems to try and end up falling flat. I have met some amazing friends and established great relationships for the short-time of being here. I guess I can say LA is appearing more and more like home, but trust me, I realize what Loretta is saying when she sings, "Portland, Oregon and slow gin fizz, if that ain't love, tell me what it is".