CC the Trained Monkey

Blog by Carol Chrest

CC (aka Carol Chrest) is a bitter old spinster living in Los Angeles. When she’s not working ridiculous hours at her cruddy day job, she writes screenplays.  She drinks.  Read her current blogs below.

Click here to see CC’s blog archive.

The King and I

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. February 4, 2013, was a great day. Why? It w... more

Sentinel High School Spartanaires and the Big Screen Dream

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Spartainaires. It was an ensemble group, ha... more

Missoula Back in the Day

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Missoula has changed over the years. To mak... more

You Again

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Ah, summer. I have to say that mine has been pretty good so far, mostly because I’m still coming down off the high of being in Missoula for two weeks for my high school reunion. Do... more

Girls Choice

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. It's my High School Reunion this year. I went to a school called Sentinel High. One of my sisters went to Hellgate, one went to Loyola Sacred Heart and one used to ditch school with h... more

Going the Distance

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. So here it is, June, already. Not much happens in June. There are no federal holidays. Lots of weddings though. You always hear people talking about June brides. Is that supposed ... more

Drill Bits – Memories of Being A Sentinel Orchette

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. How could there be no drill team at Sentinel? There were two of them when I went there? Yes, I was proud to be in Orchesis. We were the best drill team in the state--for sure we were ... more

In a Roundabout Way

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. I was in the car the other day, stuck in traffic, as usual, and I heard something interesting on the radio about California. It appears that for the first time ever in the history of... more

What The Fox?

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Don’t you just love movies? I do. I’ve seen a ton of movies. It helped that when I was in high school I worked at a movie theater called The Fox.... more

It’s All in the Cards – Valentines Cards

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Valentine’s Day plays as much a role in my life as hitting myself in the head with a hammer does. It’s bad enough just being a regular loser 364 days of the year, I gotta be SUPE... more

Golden Memories

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. I read somewhere that a memory becomes solidified thanks to a burst of adrenaline in our systems at the time of the incident. I totally call BS on that. Why would the sight of my de... more

Northern Girl

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Here’s a little weather trivia for you - January is traditionally the coldest month of the year. At the time I’m writing this, it’s 36 degrees in Missoula. In L.A. it’s 80, ... more

2011: A Course for Beginners

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Hello, and welcome to Lesson One of “2011: A Course For Beginners.” Please open your text books to the first chapter entitled “New Years Resolutions.” ... more

Spare the Rod

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. I was in the grocery store the other day and there was this kid who was pitching a fit because his mother wouldn’t buy him a package of liverwurst.... more

CC the Emcee

By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. So, Thanksgiving is coming up. I usually spend it with friends because I’ve never had any family out here in Los Angeles – that is, until recently when my niece came to town to st... more

The Hunter’s Credo

11/09 Blog Post by CC The Trained Monkey. So, hunting season is here. Guys in L.A. don’t know that though because men here don’t hunt. Occasionally they’ll troll -- for chicks. Or stalk. Lot of stalk... more

Long Distance Romance

10/25 Blog by CC the Trained Monkey. But, that still leaves me with the romantic memory task, which I’m not quite clear on -- you mean like boys and stuff? ‘Cuz I don’t think I have any of those. I did... more

My Funny Valentine

Blog by CC The Trained Monkey. Editor's note: We asked CC to recall her most romantic memory of Missoula and she wrote a thousand words about the zombie apocalypse. Seems about right. Whether you love zombies ... more

A Six Minute Buzz Kill (L.A. versus Missoula)

By Carol Chrest I live in Los Angeles, so I’m allowed to poke fun at it. It’s like having three sisters. Most of the time they drive you crazy, because they spend too much time in the bathroom, or steal yo... more

L.A. Versus Missoula Montana — Hmmm…

Blog by CC the Trained Monkey. I loved growing up in Missoula and if I had children, I would definitely choose to raise them there as opposed to Los Angeles, because let’s face it, kids are trouble. The big... more