This would be the place where I'm supposed to go on and on and talk about myself and list all kinds of great things about me right? Or interesting things? Or anything worthwhile. I don't have anything to say that fits in with that, but I guess I can give it a try, no? I don't really have anything to lose.

My name is October West. Theres not a very interesting story about how I got my name, and no I wasn't born in October, close though. I was born November 1st. My parents had gone through baby book after baby book looking for names and hadn't picked one out yet. When time came to fill out the birth certificate, my mother still hadn't picked a name. She saw that a calendar on the wall hadn't been changed from the previous month and she settled on October. I don't have any complaints. It's different. It's not something you hear everyday. It helps make my otherwise boring existence a little better.

I'm going to 17 years old this November and I'm a junior at ACPA. San Francisco's Academy of Creative & Performing Arts. I've always been interested in all of this stuff. Acting, music, writing. They've always been ways for me to express myself. I remember being 8 years old and getting the lead in the 3rd grade play and talking about it for months and months after. Little things always excite me. Being able to do what I love makes me happy I guess. My major here? Drama. That's my field. I love theater. Being on stage, bringing characters to life. It's so freeing and I guess you just really have to experience it for yourself. But it's amazing. I sing as well, although mainly for fun in the privacy of my own home. Generally in the shower.

When I was in 9th grade I transfered over to ACPA in the middle of the year. I had been on the waiting list from the summer until that January. It was an interesting transition but I guess I kind of feel a little at home now. I tend to be on the shy side if I don't know people, so theres still a lot of people around here who I'm not completely sure of. A lot of people come up with the assumption that I'm stuck up because I won't be the first one to go up and start a conversation, which is the farthest thing from the truth. If I don't know you, I'm going to be pretty quiet until you approach me. I just have this fear of people being all "GET OUT OF MY FACE" because well, no one ever wants to hear that.

Acting is probably the only profession that I could ever involve myself in. I don't have the attention span to stick with an office job, I barely have the attention span to finish a though. It's hard for me to explain what I mean. Theres just certain things in your life that are absolutely perfectly clear. And the one thing that is absolutely perfectly clear in my life is that I was destined to do this. I believe a lot in destiny and fate. And I believe that they will both kick in for me someday. When I deserve it and when I work hard enough, my fate will be determined.

It's funny how a lot of people only want to break into the business because they want to be famous. How they don't actually care about what they are doing and don't actually have a true burning passion for it. And as humorous as it is, it makes me sad. It's sad to me that people end up with all of these chances to do great things and have great roles and do this job that I can only dream about, and the only thing that they are in it for is fame and money. It almost breaks my heart in a way. But I guess I'm just idealistic. I just believe that you should follow your dreams and go after the things you care about. Don't just take a chance on something because you want to be on the cover of People magazine or because you want to be the next Britney Spears. Do it because you love it. Do it because that's what makes your heart skip a beat and gets your blood pumping.

To be perfectly honest I didn't think I would have so much to say. And I didn't think that it would all come out that way, but in a sense I am glad that it did. I guess it just opens me up to whoever happens to wander across this. Maybe give someone who doesn't know very much about me some insight to who I might be. Maybe give someone else the reassurance that they aren't the only one to feel a certain way. Just give someone else the reassurance that are people out there who truly care. About what they are doing, about other people, about everything. I'd like to believe I'm one of those people that cares. But again, maybe that's just me being idealistic.

And with everything said I think this might be good for me. As silly as it seems to have a journal, I already don't feel like stopping. I have all of these things that I want to say and express and get out there, even if no one else reads it you know? Just to have for myself. To look back on. I've had this thing for about 20 minutes and I can't tear myself away from it. I guess that comes with this whole addictive personality I seem to be dealing with. It'll be interesting, that's to say the least.