Ask and you shall receive.

AMF Mar Vista. That's where I work. A bowling alley full of rockabilly musicians, horny teenagers, alcoholics, thugs, hipsters, artists, surfers and smelly homeless guys. Rainbow diamonds on black, the carpet. Cracked gold paint covers the mirror that reflects the sunken in, red leather trimmed, wood and stone, 70s bar. Neon beer signs shower the patrons with a nostalgic, but dirty glow. And on Sunday nights, folks come from as far East as Culver City and as far West as Venice (not that far) to enjoy 'DOLLAR MANIA'. 5 dollar shoes and a dollar per game. What could be better? Bet you can't think of as many things as I can.

Sometimes I fall in love with Sundays. Watching the people. Creating their stories. Remembering their names and their drinks. Seeing their relationships change. A river of artistic inspiration.

Hoping the Mar Vista lanes would feed me a title on this lovely Sunday, I was nothing short of disappointed when a massive pack of UCLA medical students rented out the entire facility. A breed of human I know all too well... Over privileged, over educated, under experienced, rich kids who DON'T KNOW HOW TO TIP. Now, I know this may sound a little harsh, but I was almost one of them, once upon a time, so I can judge.

On this summer night, I just happened to be practicing maintaining a positive mindset, and boy was I put to the test. Why does that always happen? I believe in the power of positive thinking, I tell everyone about it, I swear by it, and then I get hit with a bad day and all I want to do is throw my hands up and say, 'You stupid jerks!! How are you going to provide good service to the sick people of America if you wouldn't know good service if it hit you in the head with a 20 pound brick?!?!'

Don't worry. I didn't scream that out. Nor did I react to my feelings of negativity. But when I walked out of the bowling alley doors without a dime in my pocket, I had a choice. Either I could go home and wallow in my thoughts of financial ruin or I could go say goodbye to a good friend of mine who was leaving the next morning for a month long business trip. I decided upon the latter.

Sometimes a moment with some friends can be all I need to get me out of my self involved funk. So, taking some contrary action, I pulled up to her beach front apartment, let the heavy sea air fill my nose and stick to my skin. 'I may be a waitress who didn't make a cent tonight, but I have great friends, the ocean, and a title to find. Life goes on', I told myself.

Well.' Ask and you shall receive', I told myself on the drive home later that night. A title I wanted and a title I found! Turns out the power of positive thinking works.

Upon settling into a discussion with my girlfriends about possible dating slogans that people our age use, an observer sat on the side listening. 'What's your short about?' He asked.

Fighting my inner urge to shy away from the question, as I hate describing anything that means something me, clearly out of fear of judgement, (Ah fear. It's my friend, I tell you. When I face it.) I told him. I didn't even think he was listening. And then! The title was born! 'WRONG GUY RIGHT'. Thank you, Mr. observer. Brilliant!

So, the message for today. Stay positive and keep searching until it clicks. You never know where the gems pop up and shine. I can say one thing for sure though, it is most certainly when you least expect it.