I was seeing that "Wintuk" show in the WaMu theater but I stopped in a bookstore while we were waiting. I was going to go pick up "Backstage" (turns out, they didn't have it ). So I went to the acting section.

This short, Indian guy came up to me and said "You want to be an actress?" I said, "yes".
He said:
"Here's what you must learn.
First, know yourself better than anyone.
Second, remember, you are still your mother's daughter at the end of the day.
Remember that. And you will be successful."

I thought it was pretty good advice for just looking at acting books! Anyone else get good acting advice in the oddest of places?

Lemmme think in the far reaches of my memory...

(this was a bit strange; I like strange though)

Anyways.... back when I was really young, incredibly young, I rememeber entering this bathroom stall, and on the side of it said,

"For the prophecies and the old wise men... Life fits living so let your judgments go. Traveling down my road. You will find your gate. Traveling, traveling narrow road. Watch the signs for you shall find your dream. Follow the sun, and ignore the dark. Watch the signs as you go. Travel down, and that's what your future shall be... travel down the road. Watch the signs as you go... think I follow the sun".

I probably didn't quote it right, since it was years ago, but that's what I remember.

Speaking of bathroom stall wisdom:

When I moved to NY in '03, I entered a restroom at Hunter College, and on one of the stalls was written a quote (and I may be paraphrasing slightly):

"Sometimes you have to leap, and develop your wings on the way down."

Those words remain with me to this day. I'm glad that they weren't lost among all of the "For a good time,call 212-###-#####" markings also in the stall.

The Dalai Lama once said: "Our only responsibility is to be happy."

Whenever things go terribly wrong, I meditate on that.

My grandfather once told me that the best profession anyone could choose was to be a Student. There is no end to the amount of knowledge available for the learning.

I always thought this was really profound, and he led by example. Ten years in the army, 15 as a software programmer and another 15 as a consultant for NATO and after he retired he went back to college and earned two bachelors and a masters.

When I went to grad school I was 28 years old, after having only 2 years of acting experience.. I was really freaking out about being so old. I told my dad that I was going to be 31 when I graduated, and that felt very old to start a new career.

My father turned to me and said "You are going to be 31 no matter what. Why not be 31 with a Masters degree?"

From that point on I worried less and less and less about my chronological age.