although my head was in the film, i was able to see a little of the beautiful town of marfa and i thought i’d list a few of my favorite eating spots.

pizza foundation

pizza foundation was a cast/crew favorite. yes for the pizza but also because pizza foundation is right smack in the middle of the tiny town of marfa. you need to get downtown, left at pizza foundation. you trying to drive out of town, head past pizza foundation. need to get to the rock store? know where pizza foundation is?

tacos del norte

tacos del norte not only had nice tacos and were one of the few places open during the day (marfa tends to be a little quiet around lunch time), they also let us shoot there! the colors on the exterior beg to be filmed on Super 16. so, of course, we did!

miniature rooster

fine dining in the middle of west texas? only in marfa. the food at miniature rooster could rival any restaurant in a bigger city. we hit this place up too many times to count because of the great food and the cute guys working in the kitchen.

food shark

we love food shark! they catered for us a few days on the film and it’s some of the best falafel i’ve ever had!

padre’s

padre’s in the kind of bar i wish was down the street from my house. they don’t make bars like this in LA. cool place with cheap bar food that actually tastes good. and obviously, good booze.

of all the photo shoots, i’ve done this was one of the most positive. amber and courtney were incredibly professional and encouraging at the same time.

los angeles gets stereotyped, for better or for worse, as being a place where beautiful people flock, party, and learn to hate each other. and i’d be lying if i said that sometimes hollywood doesn’t feel like 5th grade girls talking shit about each other all over again.
and that was why this was such a great experience because it was exactly not that. these two women could not have been nicer or more encouraging. it was a safe space in which i could feel comfortable.

you wanna know how to take good photos? be in the right atmosphere. this was such a pleasant, fun, and loving experience, i couldn’t help but be smiling the whole time.

for more info on the campaign, visit bodyheart.com.

check back later in february for my q & a about why i chose to feature my back and shoulders in my photos.

in the mean time, here are a few of the photos, courtesy of bodyheart.

check out the full campaign, here.

these aren’t the clothes i’m wearing in the movie. that’s not what my hair looks like. and you can’t really see anything. so, no spoilers. doesn’t that make everyone super happy?

mine is called Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger

more info below!!

“Why does tragedy exist? Because you are full of rage. Why are you full of rage? Because you are full of grief. Ask a headhunter why he cuts off human heads. He’ll say that rage impels him and rage is born of grief. The act of severing and tossing away the victim’s head enables him to throw away the anger of all his bereavements.

Perhaps you think this does not apply to you. Yet you recall the day your wife, driving you to your mother’s funeral, turned left instead of right at the intersection and you had to scream at her so loud other drivers turned to look. When you tore off her head and threw it out the window they nodded, changed gears, drove away.

There is a theory that watching unbearable stories about other people lost in grief and rage is good for you —- may cleanse you of your darkness.

Grief and rage —- you need to contain that, to put a frame around it, where it can play itself out without you or your kin having to die. There is a theory that watching unbearable stories about other people lost in grief and rage is good for you —- may cleanse you of your darkness. Do you want to go down to the pits of yourself all alone? Not much. What if an actor could do it for you? Isn’t that why they are called actors? They act for you. You sacrifice them to action. And this sacrifice is a mode of deepest intimacy of you with your own life. Within it you watch {yourself} act out the present or possible organization of your nature. You can be aware of your own awareness of this nature as you never are at the moment of experience. The actor, by reiterating you, sacrifices a moment of his own life in order to give you a story of yours.”

it’s the trailer for the film, homecoming, i did. please go to the site and support it!

so instead, i made a list of things i learned.

1) some people will like you more when you are successful. some people will like you more when you are a failure. that’s more of a reflection of them than you so don’t worry too much about it. 

2) a good song can still fix anything. 

3) red lipstick. it’s a friend for the tired face. 

4) remember that kid you were when you were 8-years-old and you thought you could do anything? you’re still that kid. you’re just that kid all grown up so now you actually can do anything. 

so. go do it. 

5) the best leaders aren’t multi-taskers. the best leaders are good at delegating and letting people do their jobs. on the same note, when people say they will do a job, most of them will. trust people. they will appreciate it and probably do exactly what you need them to do. 

6) turning 30 isn’t so bad. 

7) you’re never as important as you think you are. 

8 ) sometimes the thing you want has been sitting in front of you the whole time. 

9) create something. you’ll feel better. 

10) there’s good in humanity. i’ve seen it. 

also. beth ditto is a goddess.

to see more go to lucas mcnelly’s a year without rent photo section or make friends with tom fox-davies on facebook (that’s where i stole these).

in order (top to bottom, left to right):

slate, me, constance wu (actress) and hattie jones (dog), john michael thomas (1st ad), lucas mcnelly (best boy), michelle lawler (cinematographer), phillip matarrese (gaffer), roland viado (hair/make up), shannon deane (sound), stacey storey (producer/actress), michelle lawler (cinematographer) and vera miao (lead actress and writer)