And...We're Back!!

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.
- Jonathan Swift

What a hiatus it has been!!

I have an explanation, although not a terribly good one. Last spring (when the last post took place), work got terribly busy - acting, writing, VM, and just about everything else. At the time, I had also begun work on redesigning my website to incorporate both my blog and my acting and writing portfolios.

And then the summer hit, with all those things that summer comes with, like day-long outings (every other day), family trips, the beach, tennis (another blog in need of an explanation...), late nights, adventure parks, 5K races, go-kart racing, shopping, car shows, swimming, trips to the city, trips in general, and on and on and on.

In the midst of all this, The Vigilant Monkey got underway in July. Exciting!! And, more recently, we celebrated our official launch party back on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at Greenhouse in NYC and raised over $600 for Child's Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in their network of over 60 hospitals worldwide =)

Not to mention, we also raised over $1,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and participated in its Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Long Island, NY, held at Old Westbury Gardens.

I also began an ambitious ghostwriting project with an amazing individual in the medical field, as well as continued work on a joint novel with an acclaimed physician out here on Long Island. Of course, I was also still freelancing for the NAVEL Expo team (who recently held their fall event in early November).

Then, as summer was winding down, I was chosen to be the copywriter for Totsy, the premier private shopping network for moms, on the launch of their website.

But wait - there's more!! In August, I made the bold step of purchasing my first Apple product, other than an iPod. I bought myself a 15" MacBook Pro...and fell in love. Naturally, I decided I had to work for Apple. So I applied, and a month later, I was training to be a Specialist at the yet-to-be-opened Manhasset store, the fourth on Long Island. On Saturday, October, 17, 2009, we celebrated our grand opening, and my life has gotten even busier even since.

Okay, okay, we get it, you say, you're a busy writer. Well, yes, but remember that other thing I do? Besides talking a lot...

Acting!! Back in August, I got a supporting role in a short film adaptation of the Metal Gear Solid video game series. And then in October, I was cast as the lead in a two-part film currently shooting in Boston, MA. Oh, and let's not forget the six-week audition technique class I just finished with Jonathan Strauss, casting director of Law and Order: SVU.

I think that's about all the updating you can take and I can give for the moment. But stay tuned, the new www.melissanavia.com is days away...