GORY CORI

So this week has been a huge roller coaster of emotions. Great opportunities came my way in all fields important to me. In the midst of it all however, sorrowful news came along as well.
-My piercing supplies finally came in at Planet Tattoo, and now I’m only a shipment of autoclave pouches away from my apprenticeship finally beginning. Come get poked soon!
-I stuck my neck out there into the field of modeling, and got in contact with artists and photographers beyond those I know from school. I did a wonderful location shoot with Hilary Bishop Photography, and it could not have been more perfect. I have also now set up a ModelMayhem page for myself, and I’m trying to get my name out there more. I have no expectation that it will ever be a job for me, and I’m fine with that. I just want to be part of something artistic and beautiful, and this is the last medium I had yet to tackle.
-The biggest news of all is in the field of special effects. This Tuesday, producers from SyFy are coming to Monessen, and are holding casting calls for Face Off. I’d been contacted by the casting company last year to audition for a prior season, but would not have been ready to walk away from school were I selected. However, with each day I’m more comfortable and experienced, and could not pass up such a direct opportunity.

I was riding high on all this positive news, but at the same time, I’m terrified. Trying new things is always scary, and I’m not often so bold as to put myself out there. Especially for Face Off, I am terrified and stressed beyond belief. It was announced Wednesday, confirmed Thursday that they were coming, and the school was closed Friday and Monday for the holiday weekend. This means no access to the supplies needed to make prosthetics. Talk about keeping us on our toes, we all have to improvise. I have enough materials for one shot to make a prosthetic that could drastically change my future. No pressure?
I also spoke to my family back in Massachusetts yesterday, for the first time in about a month. I had been planning to call home today for the holiday, and to share the exciting news. However, my mother and sister called first, in tears. The family pet, a small black cat named Ashes, had to be put down unexpectedly yesterday morning due to complications of feline diabetes. He was 12 years old, and had a history of varying medical problems, so I knew he was at risk for a while now. I made the most of showing him love every time I visited Massachusetts. We’d had him since he was a kitten, found tied up in a grocery bag in the woods behind McDonalds where he had been left to die. We rescued him and showed him the best life we could.
I am very sad over the loss of my pet, and wish I could have had one more chance to see him since this past Christmas. His death has made me reflect heavily on the distance between myself and my family. Pittsburgh is my home, I have already decided to stay here after graduation, but things like this are the risk of long distance.