The adventures of B Naj and Teej

Hey blog readers. Thanks for checking in. Today's post will look at the adventures to B Naj and Teej--AKA TINY SUPERSTARS!!!!

I decided to use some photos of some of everyone's favorite famous duos as well as some random bits I found online to discuss and attempt to explain-----our journey. Ready? Here we go! Read the captions to get the story!

In 2006, I was Bridget's Public Speaking Professor. I've taught about 3,000 students over the years--there are probably 10 that I would do a project like this with--she is one of them.

THIS IS THE ACADEMIC CHALLENGE I WANTED TO OFFER

THIS IS WHAT MOST OF MY STUDENTS WERE LIKE!

THIS WAS BRIDGET! LOL!
She has always been too smart for her own good

In March of 2012 I posted something on facebook about making a documentary. Bridget responded and I thought that was pretty awesome. We met up about a week later at Nordstrom's Cafe and both of us proceeded to order from the children's menu. Within about three minutes--it was clear to us both that this was gonna be a good fit. We'd been facebook friends, but hadn't really spoken since 2006--that didn't matter. We caught up and reconnected right away. The film  project was underway. In the beginning--it was new and very exciting! We talked a lot about our plans, got to know each other, and were pretty stoked about the whole thing!

Girl you know it's true!

Nothing but fun and games!

Then--after a few weeks we realized that we were very different in a lot of ways. B thinks! I feel. B is private. I am public. B let's things go. I do not. B likes a laid back itinerary. I do not. B is an introvert. I am the opposite. Please--do not get me wrong--this can be a good thing--especially when working on a project, but it was an adjustment for us. That's when we began our search for balance--the search continues.

Bridget is on the left--me, I'm the spaz on the right

Balance is hard to find, but it's totally do able!

We are a mismatched pair but a pair nonetheless

head and heart--they can work together

Though I think being unstable can make the best art--balance is kinda essential too.  I guess it is anyway.                   

I'll also mention here that we are nearly a generation apart. B was one year old when I graduated from high school. Basically--I know more than her and she is a brat. LOL. I'm kidding of course--kind of! We see the world differently--and sometimes that makes things hard--sometimes it makes things awesome. B definitely helps me stay young--and I'm pretty certain I've taught her a thing or two.

EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!!!!

Here are a few pics of some duos who made things work despite their differences:

Officer Fife was given one bullet that he had to keep in his pocket. Sheriff Taylor (Bridget) ran the town in a very laid back manner. Fife was always eager to press on--Taylor liked to go fishing and knew everything would get done in its own time

Music. Singing songs about summertime and how parents just don't understand can really be bonding. We both like the group fun.

Forrest listened to Bubba talk about shrimp for hours and hours. 

Larue was allowed to be herself--Gidget was too.  Both brought their own "spice of life" to whatever they did.

No need to explain. 

A common bond is always good to find--they both liked to beat the shit out of other people so obviously they should become friends. 

Coolness rubs off--it always does. I'm not even gonna say who is the cooler of the tiny superstars--it's pretty obvious to everyone.

Being bitchy at the same time is always a win win

B likes to be behind the scenes but is far more sexy than I., so basically--we are both Chuy and we are both Chelsea. B's sense of humor is pretty crass. I can smell her sarcasm from a mile away.

Hippie + Cholo is the same as a hipster + a gangsta/fag. Hey--it works for us.  I'm  wondering if smoking a joint would help us in times of trouble..........hmmmmm

 We are making a film together. This is a lot of work--in every sense of the word. I adore Bridget and know this film will be amazing--I like to know what's going on pretty much on a daily basis. She of course is constantly calm--or acting in a hipster "I'm too cool to care" way and pretty much keeps everything under her hat--though I've never seen her wear a hat. Hmmmmmmm. The problem is that I want to be involved in places I cannot. I know nothing about filmmaking--I'm the subject AND a co producer--so you can imagine why I'm confused most of the time. Maybe you cannot--either way--being both of those things is VERY difficult. "Sure you can film me." "Now what are you going to do with what you just filmed?" "When can I see it." "What's next?" Bridget's responses--"Cool." "You'll see." "Be patient, TJ, I'm really busy with work." Rolls eyes. LOL--you all get the picture. BTW--I an certain it is equally as difficult for B to be working with someone who is the subject and a co-producer!

Sometimes we clash

Me--but add crying

B's alter ego--cool--nothing to fear!

That's part of the fun. BTW--B has never really punched me. I'm the sensitive one--she just kicks it most of the time and I of course assume that means she is upset with something I've done. SIGH! This is B's alter ego and mine:

Another me--I couldn't decide on which spaz to chose.

Bottom line--we are Tiny Superstars. We are a brilliant pair with a lot of plans. This film is our baby--and we will make it work--We both have an amazing work ethic, a respect for each other, and have put a lot into Tiny Superstars. Great things are about to happen--believe that. Even if it looks like it might not work----------------------------->

They are disgustingly delicious

It  will.

 The journey has just begun--she called "shot gun" for this proverbial ride and I couldn't think of a better partner in crime! The film may take years--it may take six more months. All I know is we wanna have a good time and produce something that we can both be proud of. After all:

Thanks to Lincoln--we can't have slaves anymore--so shit might just take a lil longer!

Awesome duos who have changed the world in one way or another:

His name was Kenny--she insisted on calling him "Bud." It worked.

Upper class and working class--it's aiight--mashups

Stirred shit up a lil--

Ernie has always and always will let bert sing about pigeons--I will always let B talk about Indie bands

She called "shotgun" Everyone needs someone adorable along for the ride--

Bridget hates it when I wear a half shirt to events!

I have never seen this show but I know it's one of her faveorites

YES!!!!

On my worst day--I think B would cover me up before I made a complete ass of myself. Well, maybe not--she'd probably just break out the camera. LOL

Frick and Frack

Weirdos--but rich weirdos nonetheless

Jerry wanted to punch George every single day--he never did. Wait--they ended up in jail. Oh well.

Dorothy and Sophia shoulda made a film together. They are our inner muses. I am often worried that B will put me into a home if I piss her off enough.

There are no words--it just worked.

You're makin my dreams come true!

Come together, Carry the Weight, Don't Bother Me, Don't Ever Change,  Don't Let me Down,  Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except me and my Monkey, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Here Comes the Sun, Hippie Hippie Shake, I'll Cry Instead, I'll Follow the Sun, I'm Talking about You, I'ts all too Much, In Spite of all the Danger, Junk, Let it Be, Madman, No Reply, Revolution, Run for your Life, Slow Down, That'll be the Day, Ticket to Ride, Tomorrow Never Knows, Wait, We can Work it out, With a little Help from my Friends, You Can't Do That, You Know What to do,  

What the fuck is wrong with people?

Really? 

Stay Gold

I'm the Mary and you're the Rhoda
Yeah--we're businesswomen....do you have a businesswomen's lunch special? Fine--we will jus order off of the kid's menu then.

We both like bowties--thankfully though--we are not this unattractive

Wanted by everyone--then and now

Our other inner muses--interesting--both of my inner muses are named Sophia.

Two kinds of humor

Oh Dr. West, did you hear about those two young white girls makin a film? Yes I did brother Smiley. It's gonna change the world. Tiny Superstars is gonna be a household name--wait and see.

Fuck it--let's just drive off the cliff.

Brilliant.

Yes--we will be one of these! We might already be!

Well, we have done a lot in the last 4 months and it has been pretty amazing. Let's see--we hatched a plan to make a film, raised over $5,000, did the interview, filmed a fuckton of footage including shows, teaching, and interviews of friends, family and students, went to Iowa, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It has been an adventure and it seems that we are right where we are supposed to be. I'm not sure why I'm so worried then--I guess I'm not. Life is too short for that. Enjoying the process and looking forward to the next step. 

Thanks for lookin at all the snaps and for reading my post. Hopefully you laughed a little and got a little nostalgic. Bridget will be posting next week.

TJ--subject, co-producer, overly sensitive spaz, king of all things awesome, and banjolele player!!

SUPERSTAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go ahead--laugh, cry, cheer, and think a lil'

Hello blog readers. Thanks for checking in. I was initially going to take the rest of the week off to rest up from my trip, but I just couldn't stay away. Call me ridiculous or call me loyal--whatever works for you is fine with me.

For this post I'll work backwards starting with today and going back to what Iowa was all about. Ready? Here we go:

I had my first banjolele lesson today. Even though I played the trumpet for more than 20 years and studied voice for nearly a decade--I have never played an instrument with strings AND I cannot read music so this is a whole new thing for me. For those of you who do not know--the banjolele is a hybrid of sorts, it's part banjo and part ukelele. It's tiny but sounds like magic. Here is a picture of me and my banjolele:

Yes--I do know that I am adorable. People tell me that all of the time. Ok--well anyway--today was my first lesson. I now know eight chords and plan on practicing a lot. I bought said banjolele with the tip money that I made from my Iowa shows at Jokers--so if you put a buck or 5 or 10 or 20 into my tip jar I AND the music world thank you very very much. Here is the bluegrass version of "Get Low!" Skeet comes in all forms ya know! Bluegrass version of Get Low! Give it a listen--what do you have to lose? Bridget is surely rolling her eyes right about now and I think that is awesome. Maybe Dubstep can be done in Bluegrass form? I plan on finding that out.

Well guess what readers? I decided not to make you wait. There is "Bluestep" and I'd love to know what Bridget thinks about it. Here is a mashup of sorts. Enjoy! Bluestep (bluegrass/dubstep)

Ok--back to basics. I've been home for two days and aside from the man at the bank telling me that I am NOT a tiny superstar (it's a boring story)--it's been a pretty relaxing two days. It's always a hard transition for me--going home to Iowa then coming back to Cali--this time has been no exception. Here are my last three weeks in a nutshell: traveled across country and back via car--about 4500 miles in total, performed two shows in Cedar Falls Iowa for a total of over 300 people, spent time with family, dealt with temps over 100 degrees for most of the trip, fought double pink eye, a throat infection,  bronchitis, sleep deprivation, and stage fright, reconnected with some friends that I have not seen in over 20 years, celebrated my 41st birthday, watched as Bridget and Scott document the best and worst of Iowa, played pinball while B interviewed my immediate family--(I still do not know what they talked about but am awed by Bridget's bravery and the willingness of my family to participate), walked in the Relay for Life, ate a lot of Iowa delicacies, and watched Myriam shoot a gun for the first time. I did like 1,000 other things, but you get the picture.

All in all--the trip was amazing. I'm honored B and Scott made the trek and am hopeful they got what they needed for the film. Myriam had a great time. She did fine even though Rural Iowa has a limited number of the following: green vegetables, starbucks, people of color, hotspots for WIFI, cable channels, and street signs.

The trip for me was an experience like no other. Without disclosing too much of what you'll see in the film--I'll just say that I came across some very surprising information while reconnecting with friends. Something that I thought I was certain of for twenty three years turned out to be.........well.......I guess you'll have to wait. Crazy!!

I think I stated in my last blog post that I am both humbled and elated right now. The trip has truly been life changing and I am so very glad that a lot of it is being documented. Some days I hate that--some days I love it--so tomorrow I might say something else. I'm grateful to Bridget for her bravery for her patience. I faced a lot of fears on this trip and pretty proud of my courage. On another note--I am humbled! Facing these fears was not a "magic pill" to make my life better--it was not a be all and end all for anything. Life continues. I still struggle with a lot of demons, I still lack confidence on a regular basis, and I still desire to find my place in this world. This was just another step for me--a step in the right direction, but just a step. I'm learning to enjoy the good days when they come and to treasure the people in my life--those I've known for 40 years and those who I have yet to meet--life is short. Myriam and I are learning that more and more everyday. Not only has this been a summer of new beginnings--it's also been the summer of farewells. I'll share more about that later--the next few weeks will be some of the most difficult for us and for some of those we love. Just remember that life is short. Take chances when you can. Be brave and allow others to do the same. Keep your sensitivity in check and don't have any regrets. Today's post is for Alan King. Alan came to my show in Iowa and took the time to tell me that I was amazing. Sadly, Alan did not feel the same about himself--he ended his own life just last week. I tell you this to honor Alan and to remind you all that we need to always be reaching out.

I'm sure that when you began this post--you had no idea how serious it would get. That's how I do shit--it's not all fun and games. If I made you laugh, cheer, cry, think, and a little uncomfortable then I have done my job. I need to go practice my banjolele and check the times for the Katy Perry movie. Thanks for reading. B will post soon. I am enjoying her Iowa "novel" that she seems to be writing--I'm sure you guys are as well. We make a great team. Love to her and love to all y'all. TJ out!

p.s. Our movie is gonna be awesome!

Mid East meets Mid West

I have always said that I am "where the mid-east meets the mid-west".  My dad is 100% Lebanese (the mid east) and my mom grew up in Wichita, KS (the mid west).  One again this mid-east girl met the mid-west.

When I stepped off the plane in Waterloo, IA I was baffled by the crowd of people greeting loved ones as they stepped off the plane.  In this post 9/11 world we live in, this is unheard of.  I remember when I was in elementary school (pre-2000) and would get off the plane in Wichita, KS, greeted by the smiling face of an aunt or uncle (whoever had be designated to pick us up from the airport).  With all the new security measures, I was sure this tradition was gone forever.  Not in Waterloo.  For those of you NOT from said area, the Waterloo airport is 2 gates, 1 baggage carousel and 3 rental car desks.  Oh and a "restaurant", which was actually a vending machine and a microwave.  If you stand in just the right spot you can see the entire airport.  

Waterloo Airport

A lovely woman at AVIS car rental helped us through another minor debacle (renting a car is a bit of an ordeal if you aren't 25 or older) and we were on our way.  [Sidenote to my big city friends: When I told the AVIS lady that I had a reservation, she knew me by name.  Not only was I the only person to have reserved a rental car, but she also informed me that when she was closing up the night before she had parked the car out front of the airport and left keys on the counter for us..you know..since our flight was delayed and we might get in late. Seriously...process that for a minute.] Waterloo airport was about   5 miles from our hotel, which was 5 miles from TJ's cousin's (Jackie's) house.  Actually, come to think of it, I don't think we went anywhere in Waterloo that was more than 5 miles away.

As I mentioned before, we were already a full day behind when we touched down in Iowa, so we were more than a little rushed for time.  It was 5 p.m. by the time we checked into our hotel room.  TJ was to perform at 9 p.m. and we still had a family dinner to attend!  We arrived at Jackie's house at 6 p.m.  The house was swarming with friends and family.  Scott and I were quickly ushered upstairs by a familiar face, TJ's cousin Blaine, whom I had met a few months prior in California.  At the end of the hallway in a child size pink and zebra print chair, I found TJ taking refuge from the bustle downstairs.  After a quick and excited "hello", Scott and I immediately began occupying every available outlet to charge up our gear.  In fact, I think we might have blown a fuse in the house, causing a minor panic when the oven shut off (sorry Jackie!).  We conducted a short interview with TJ regarding illness-ridden road-trip and her feelings about the show (which was rapidly approaching). 

We were summoned downstairs for dinner. At this point there were probably 20 or more people buzzing about the house.  I was finally meeting the faces that went with the names I have heard about, talked about, and emailed with over the last few months, including TJ's parents (Janice and Gary) and her cousin Stevie.  It was overwhelming and amazing all at the same time.  Dinner was the first time Scott and I had been able to sit down and relax in over 24 hours.  After wolfing down Jackie's delicious homemade sloppy joes and recounting how this project had first begun to a room full of family and friends of family, we headed to the backyard for some adolescent fun.  I jumped on the trampoline with the children of the house.  Scott found his way to the top of the treehouse.  Then TJ realized what time it was.  We were supposed to leave in 5 minutes and we still had homemade ice cream and birthday cake to enjoy (after all, TJ's birthday was only a short 3 days away).

Scott in the treehouse.

After one of the most hurried birthday celebrations I've ever seen, we packed up our gear, loaded up the car and took of for Joker's Comedy Club. T-minus 90 minutes til showtime...
(To be continued...)

Tiny post from a tiny superstar

Hello blog readers. Thanks for checking in. Well, I'm sitting in Starbucks drinking a very pretentious cup of coffee surrounded by POC (people of color) which can only mean one thing--I am no longer in rural Iowa. True dat.

Here is one last snap for your enjoyment: Goodbye IOWA--see you soon!

Quick shout out to Adrianita, one of my youngest and most amazing friends! Here is a snap of a young free spirited artist who I call Lil' A

We will be back in CALI tomorrow and I can hardly wait. Being away from our home for nearly a month has taken it's toll. I of course scheduled a show for Wednesday so y'all should come and check it out. The last time I did this show one of the other comics attacked me with hatred. She will be there again--oh joy. If she pulls that stuff again--I will punch her in the face. Rants are not comedy--especially anti gay rants--especially ones that threaten lives. Oh what some people will do for attention.  Anyway--here is a snap of the flyer. It's free people! Come and support me! I might need back up

I have quite a few shows lined up so I promise that I will keep you all posted. Lots going on.

On another note--lots of other stuff is going on too. The Iowa trip/show was amazing, but it has been physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting for me. It's going to take me awhile to process everything. I know B will be writing more about her thoughts/experiences of Iowa and the show so definitely look out for that. I personally am very eager to hear about her experiences. I gave you quite a summary of my 16 days there--she will catch up eventually. Hopefully.

Making this film has been a very interesting experience. I'm always so excited for the next step--until that step arrives--then I want to go back to the previous step. Right now--everything is kind of in limbo. B has a ton of footage, I haven't had a chance to recap Iowa with her face to face, and it's all a little bit overwhelming for us both. I know that everything will fall into place--I have no doubt about that--it's just difficult for me to be so personally invested and professionally clueless at the same time. The mystery of it all will be so worth it---I know that. Until then--I wait--and so does the world! HAHA

Thanks for reading everyone. Today is gonna be a short post and I will be taking the rest of the week off to process stuff, play my banjolele, visit some friends, and call my therapist. Feeling humbled and elated. B always says that I am a walking contradiction--she's right.

TJ

Travels and Tribulations

Hello readers! Bridget here.  I'm so glad to see the feedback that TJ/Myriam have received over their last few posts.  We know it's been a while and its a really great feeling to know that you (at least some of you) are still here!  Some of you may have noticed I have been absent from blogging, I have been working on my mental/physical health.  My daily routine has included waking up,

 working out to Ellie Goulding,

 laying by the pool with my book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell 

and then going off to work.  

But alas I have returned!  TJ challenged my inner brat in her last post by first asking me to comment on her post (I am very defiant) and then questioning whether or not I would have even read her entire post (which obviously made me want to comment to prove her wrong).  This conflict led the this conclusion...I've got to blog...just to throw her off.  I will not bend.  So again, here I am.  

Iowa was....

...so many things really.

But in a word: awesome.  Seriously, I had such an amazing time.  There are so many things I could, and will, talk about.  But I think I'll start at the beginning.  This blog post is dedicated to the part of the trip I will refer to as: Travels and Tribulations.

My traveling partner, Scott, met me at my house at 10 am Tuesday morning.  My roommate, Dustin, dropped us at the airport in San Diego an hour before our noon flight.  Scott and I cleared security (because of my middle eastern decent, I'm always at least a little nervous).  As we headed towards our gate, Scott and I shared our irrational fears of accidentally leaving an explosive or machete in our carry ons.  In the course of what I thought was an interpretation of Scott going through security, he dropped his suitcase and took off, full sprint, back towards the metal detectors and TSA agents.  Moments later Scott emerged with another bag in hand.  He had left his camera gear at security.  That would have been a hell of trip...

As we arrive at our gate I hear the flight attendant announce "Would Bridget Najour and Scott Fecteau, party of two, please see me at the desk?"  My heart dropped.."I should have double checked for explosives."  Luckily they were just informing us that they had found us two seats together on the plane, as opposed to our adjacent middle seats we were originally assigned.  We boarded our plane for an on time departure.  

We had a connection in Chicago and then were to depart from Chicago to Waterloo, IA.  After a relatively easy flight the Pilot (yes the pilot, not the flight attendant) came over the intercom that we would be beginning our decent, however we would not be landing in Chicago.  Right as our San Diego flight was approaching the Chicago area, a massive storm broke out.  Protocol in this situation is for the plane to go into a holding pattern (aka fly circles above the airport until the weather clears up).  However, as our pilot had informed us, our plane did not have enough fuel to fly aimlessly above O'Hare International.  So we took a detour to Madison, Wisconsin.  After 2 exhausting and frustrating hours sitting in a airplane on the tarmac in Wisconsin we were finally cleared to make the 20 minute flight back to Chicago.  We landed just in time to find out that connecting flight to Waterloo was literally pulling out of the gate.  It was the last flight to Waterloo of the night.  The next available flight would be tomorrow, at 2:30 p.m.

When you are forced to stay the night in your layover city you are given a coupon for a "Distressed Passenger" discount at a nearby hotel.  Our "nearby" hotel was 20 miles away, in the opposite direction of downtown Chicago.  After waiting for 30 minutes in the sweltering humidity for our airport shuttle to our "nearby" sanctuary, we googled the closest, cheapest hotel (a Holiday Inn) and hopped on that shuttle instead.  (Sidenote.  Holiday Inn's are to Chicago as Starbucks are to Seattle. There are 14 Holiday Inn's in the Chicago O'Hare area, including two that are across the street from each other.  Each hotel has it's own individual shuttle.) We got on the wrong shuttle, our hotel was the one across the street.  Luckily, Scott was able to talk the driver into making a pit stop for us.  Sure, we could have walked, but any extra step we had to take in that humidity was just unacceptable.  Seriously, Chicago feels like Satan's sauna.

Our luck turned when we arrived at our home for the night.  Though they were not our assigned hotel, they accepted our distressed passenger discount and it ended up being even cheaper than their competitor, 20 miles away.  We were tired, hungry and in need of a drink at this point.  So we rinsed off the stink of 8 hours on an airplane and 30 minutes in the Chicago heat and hopped in a taxi headed for downtown Chicago.  

I texted one of my best friends from college, and CSULB alum, Ron.  He is currently living in Chicago and studying Vocal Performance.  I quickly explained my situation and our current destination. He responded with 4 of the most beautiful words I've ever read: "I'm on my way!" At the urging of our taxi driver, we met Ron on Division Street in downtown Chicago.  Scott and I wolfed down some Chicago pizza (though Scott will tell you that I did NOT in fact have Chicago pizza because mine was not deep dish) and headed to the nearest bar.  Did you know that bars in Chicago are open til 4 am??  It's awesome.  But I was tired, so at 3 am we parted ways with Ron, took a taxi back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of what sounded like hail outside our window.  I was doubtful we would ever make it out of Chicago.  The storm finally passed and we made it back to the airport.  

The view from our room Friday morning.

The plane to Waterloo was so small that if you sat on the right side of the plane you were sitting in a window and an aisle seat...at the same time!  Scott had to crouch to navigate the aisle of the plane.  They also had to move passengers around to redistribute the weight of the plane...true story.

Yep, that's definitely Iowa.

Our flight left on time, we were in the air for a full 40 minutes and finally arrived on the ground in Waterloo, a full day behind schedule.