After writing about how great I think Tatiana Maslany is (here), I got a few minutes to chat with her on Friday about her new film, Picture Day, and — natch — Orphan Black. I wrote up the bits about the movie (here), if you’re into that sort of thing.

Unfortunately our conversation about how lame ending sentences with words is had to be cut. But the doo-da-lee-doo is still intact! Click on to understand!

I MADE IT, YOU GUYS! Officially too fat and too ugly for YouTube — thanks to this interview I did with Rosario Dawson (my first-ever time doing junket and on-camera stuff, ever — and after I’ve lost some weight, too. Not that that matters, but still! Winning = never for women on the Internet). And on my one-year anniversary of living in LA? Things really could not be better.

Winter is coming. And I make that shit look good, y’all.

It’s great to find out that YOU’VE MADE IT on your 27th birthday. You guys, you’re viewing my first instance of being a source on Wikipedia. It is about that god-fucking-awful Britney Spears/will.i.am track “Scream & Shout.”

The title of this says it all: 

Some Morons Think Neil Patrick Harris’ Super Bowl Ad Mocks Christianity

OK, I know it’s super uncool to post a bunch of pictures of yourself on your own blog, and even doubly so when they look super humblebrag-y and shit. But I had to share this. I was on a set visit today for the new NBC midseason show 1600 Penn. It’s about—oh look! you already guessed it! you are very smart, you—a dysfunctional modern family living (and working!) in the most famous address in the United States: that of the White House.

Now aside from my usual “blah blah blah my life is so strange and I am so lucky because I’m actually living my life as a paid writer omg! the dream, etc… blah blah” schpeal, there is an actual funny-life-related story that makes this picture extra-special to me. When I was very young, I really thought I was some sort of impressive som’bitch because I told everyone I was going to become the first woman president of the United States. Yeah! Like at 6 years old I thought I had all the answers. All of the fucking knowledge, to run a nation. I even wrote it in a biography I self-published in class (I’ve always been a lover of words and real entrepreneurial), that was what my job was. Like I could just casually write novels about magical Christmas teddy bears on the side of being the leader of the free world.

Like I said, I was delusional. But my grandfather loved this about me, and he got it in his head that I should become the first woman president. He would tell all of his friends this when they met me. And I’d be real fuckin’ smug about it too, with these middle-aged men who were probably just dying at the thought of it. Laughing and knowing all-too-well about the over-the-top dreams of kids. Or maybe they just knew about politics and knew that sometimes it feels like babies are running this country. Who knows. Regardless, when my grandfather told people this, they would always find it very amusing, if nothing else.

My grandfather still to this day tells me that I should’ve run for president. And that he’d even vote for me, he liked me that much (he’s a Republican and I most certainly am not any of that nonsense obviously, duh). It was one of those running jokes you can only have with a grandparent. With someone older who gets the joke, who appreciates it—but also believes in you so much that they really know that if you wanted to be president, you would be president of the fucking United States of America. It’s a joke with a lot of love, and it’s special.

So it was really cool to be able to take this picture today, fling myself in my car and post it on Facebook so he could see it (my grandmother has a Facebook account because she’s a thoroughly modern woman). I called him immediately and he laughed and laughed when I said “Look gramps, I finally made it to the Oval Office.” He laughed so much after that, one of those big, full-body laughs; I can see it in my head if I imagine it, he smiles so wide when he’s laughing really hard. And then he told me “I knew it kid, I always knew it! Now where’s my private jet and my steak dinner, Leesh?”

I don’t know if anything would make me prouder than to get my grandfather that steak dinner. He’s always used it as a running joke, every time I got a new job, or moved to a new city. Heck, even when I was in college. He’s so impressed and confident in who I am and what I can do in this world if I want to, that he just knows I’m going to be able to take him out to a really nice, really old-school steak dinner. Like at Peter Luger’s or whatever the equivalent of that is in Los Angeles. He just continues to believe everything I do is wonderful and impressive and miraculous, but not at all surprising. Even though I’m not even done yet. Even though I still have dreams to write a TV show of my own and actually have someone air it rather than it just exist in my notes, storyboards, and scripts.

And before anyone believed in me and before I even knew what I wanted to do with my life, my grandfather told me, because he knows me better than maybe I even know my self. “You’re so goddamn good with words, Leesh,” he always starts. Even these days, after a family dinner or a few Manhattans, “You should do something with words with your life!” And here I am, doing something with words with my life. And I was in the Oval Office today.

Anyway, it was really great to be able to send him that picture.

Here’s a cool thing that happened today. I wrote that thing that they shared.

This means I’m just that much closer to bumping into her casually and being all “oh hey, hi, i’m just a regular cool twentysomething lady such as yourself, here is a funny observation about whatever event/place/thing it is that we are both attending!” We have a brief but funny conversation that leaves each of us thinking of the other “that is one cool fucking lady, we’d make great friends” before never seeing each other ever again.

DREAM BIG, IS WHAT I’M SAYING, YOU GUYS.

Serious business here, folks. Actual, real-life work.

Commence the losing of the shit.

You guys, I knew as soon as I saw the tres-cool turntable.fm session that Bourdain & friends did back in March that it was a really fantastic way of engaging with fans via social media (something that, at my day job, I wonder a lot about). I told my boss I wanted to write it up for our blog and she said sure. I sent some questions to Helen Cho over at ZPZ, and she got them back to me. And here is the blog to prove it! About 2 minutes after I sent that tweet out from the company twitter account, we got a retweet from Anthony’s own account (@NoReservations) and I promptly LOST.MY.SHIT. Anyone & everyone that knows me knows that I’m a BEYOND-huge Anthony Bourdain/No Reservations fan. Semi-obsessed, really (the day I had to stay late at work & miss his book signing in Union Square was one that will go down in infamy as being one of my grumpiest). So this was SUCH an awesome way for my work to integrate with some of the things I really enjoy: writing, television & Bourdain.

I’m really lucky and grateful that I’ve had such rad opportunities in my life. Forward momentum, making shit happen. 

P.S. You can read the blog HERE!

The hard work is paying off! It’s becoming a reality! So amped for Kelly Cutrone to come speak at work.  For those of you that don’t know, I work with an employee affinity group at work called Thursday Think.  After reading her book “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside” I was not only inspired personally, but knew that given our group’s mission—it would inspire the members who are just starting out their careers & looking to grab it by the proverbial balls.  After suggesting the idea to the board, everyone was into it & I became project manager.  It’s been a lot of work but it definitely was worth it, 50000000%.  Above are the teasers that we’re placing strategically on EVERY FLOOR in my 53-floored building.

I can’t even tell you how excited I am for all this; it’s finally real & coming into fruition!  Kelly Cutrone is one badass bitch and I cannot wait to be graced with the HBIC’s presence, y’all.