Musings

I saw a cute guy at the post office yesterday....then I heard him ask for a sheet of Ronald Reagan stamps. Immediately he became not so cute.

Same trip to the post office I was watching a cute couple mail a bunch of packages. It started me thinking about all of the people in the line mailing gifts to loved ones and I was imagining what was in the packages and whether the recipients would like their gifts and when the gifts would arrive and if they would wait until Christmas/Chanukah to open them. Then I looked again at the cute couple's packages and lo and behold, one was going to Eva Carter in Charleston and I wanted to say, "Hey, I know her," but I've learned the hard way that, unlike in the south, people here don't like to talk to strangers. When I told that story at breakfast this morning, 9-year old Matthew said it would be funny to go to the post office and just say to people, "Hey, I know that person" even if you don't. I love the way that kid thinks.

My old boss, old as of a week ago, doesn't like dogs. Not because she's afraid of them or got bitten once or anything like that. She just doesn't like them. I should have known it was not going to be a pleasant working environment.

When do you stop thinking of the place you grew up and your parents live as home? I keep saying, "I'm going home next week," and people are like, "LA is your home," and I'm like, "No, Charleston is my home." No matter where I've lived in the world, Charleston has always been and always will be, home.

A Few of My Favorite Things

In honor of the season of gift giving and gift receiving, I thought I'd make note of some of my favorite things.

Earlier in the year I received some Thymes Olive Leaf body lotion in the mail and it wasn't until recently I pulled it out of the cosmetics drawer and tried it. OMG! It smells great and is perfect for the dry climate here in LA.

I have always heard that it doesn't matter what type of shampoo you use, it's the conditioner that's important well I beg to differ. Kerastase shampoo makes a world of difference in the texture of my hair and thanks to a find on Ebay, I can indulge in what is called "The Rolls Royce of Shampoos."

Bad Gal Lash and You Rebel from Benefit rock my world as does the Ocean Salt scrub from Lush and the Pied de Pepper.

I have coveted a Tano Guerilla bag in pearlized ivory for about a year now.

Uggs fleece Kalie clogs in raisin look oh-so comfortable. I love the idea of my feet being warm without having to wear socks.

I decided I need a Bose Ipod Sounddock. I went to the Apple store and listened to all of them and the Bose is by the far the best for sound quality. And Santa, the Apple site has free shipping.

My down comforter is flatter than my sheets. I feel certain that I would have sweeter dreams with a big fluffy new one.

I'm crazy for scented candles. My favorites are Diptyque Baies, Trish McEvoy Wild Blueberry and Vanilla, Henry Bendel Quince and a cinnamon one that I have burning as I type but I can't remember who it's by. I do know that I bought it at a great store called Raena on 3rd Street.

My cousin came to visit and she had straight hair. I asked her if she did the Japanese Thermal thing and she said she got a Chi-ed. She showed me her Chi flat iron and I ordered one last night.

Yes, it's trendy and so LA but I want real Chanel sunglasses.

I love Jon Stewart and since he's taken with child number two on the way and only works Mon.-Thurs., the only way to see him every day is the "America" 2006 desktop calendar.

I was looking for a three-panel screen and came across these faux Gerber Daisies. They made me smile.

Only in LA

Most days, I could be in anywhere USA, but some days I'll see something that vividly reminds me I live in LA.

The other night I was stopped at a light and I looked across the street and what do I see but a girl doing lunges down Santa Monica Boulevard. It was so funny. I can see being on your after- work power walk and adding some lunges into the mix but on a side street maybe. Not on busy Santa Monica, but there she was, lunging away.

Then I went to the Koo Koo Roo to pick up dinner for myself and my brother. If you don't know, Koo Koo Roo is a fast food rotisserie chicken place, yummy squash by the way. Guess what? They have valet at the Koo Koo Roo. Valet!!! I laughed sooooo hard.



Gotta love it.

Young at Heart

I was already feeling a little foolish that some of my favorite TV shows are on the cable station, The N, which is a teen station. I can't help it. I loved "Degrassi Junior High" when it came out in the 80s and I still love it. Remember pregnant Spike or the school band named The Zit Remedy, later shortened to The Zits? Their hit song, "Everybody Wants Something" was quite catchy.
So it was only natural that I'd get hooked on "Degrassi-The Next Generation "or for those in the know just "Degrassi." In fact, some of the original characters are on "Degrassi," although now they are teachers and parents. But The Zits' song did make an appearance once. And so what if the original "Degrassi Junior High" is now called "Degrassi - Old School."
But finding "Degrassi" has led to a fixation with "Instant Star." It's aboot (not a typo, the show, like "Degrassi" is Canadian) a girl who wins an "American Idol" type show and how it affects her and her friends. It's fun. I like music, I like angst. What's a girl to do.
OK. Then came "South of Nowhere," the N's newest show. It takes place in LA. I have to watch it, right?
But I really started to worry the other night when I couldn't sleep so at 2 a.m. I turned on the TV and came across one of my favorite all time shows "My So-Called Life" starring none other than Claire Danes and Jared Leto before they were Claire Danes and Jared Leto. I was psyched. I loved that show. So I watched it and then the next day set my Tivo to record it because I was hoping that I wouldn't be up at 2 a.m. every night to watch it.
It didn't occur to me until later to see what channel it's on. Yep. You guessed it. My new favorite channel - The N. I'm certain I skew their demographics way out of the ballfield so call me Peter Pan but I'm not giving up my teen angst.

"Yesterday"

I stumbled across this movie last night on HBO and sat down to watch it. Ninety minutes later I had not moved from my spot on the couch and I was so moved I literally couldn't move.

"Yesterday" is about a Zulu woman in South Africa who contracts AIDS and her intense maternal love and bravery. I won't say anymore because I don't want to ruin it, but it is very powerful and a "must-see." Check HBO listings and be sure to watch it or Tivo it.

It made me ashamed that I spend such a large part of everyday complaining about things that not only can I change but also will (hopefully) soon be a distant bitter memory.

It made me want to be a better person.

Love This Too!

This is great if it's for real but it's Yahoo so it should be. I got this from Daily Candy. It's a search engine that gives back. Try it out.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

My thoughts were all over the place for Thanksgiving. I wrote and rewrote my blog post and then erased everything and started yet again. I was going to say how much I have to be thankful for, which is true, but it seems so cliche.

Then I thought, what the hay! I'll be cliche.

I'm thankful for Lucy above all. If I didn't have my girl to come home to every night I just don't know what I would do. She keeps me sane. And I'm thankful for the twins because they remind me what is important.

Then in no particular order I'm thankful for my parents who are still on the east coast and I miss them. I am thankful for my friends who keep my spirits up. I miss them too.


I am thankful for Green Day because no matter how bad a day I have at work, I listen to "American Idiot" on the drive home and it perks me up.

I'm thankful for Tivo so I don't have to miss a minute of "Grey's Anatomy" or "Boston Legal" when Lucy decides she can't wait another minute to go outside. I'm thankful for Netflix for keeping my list of movies to see for me in my queue.

I'm thankful for Jenny, Lucy's dogwalker. I'm thankful for Kerastase shampoo.
I'm thankful for high-heeled shoes. I'm thankful for Trader Joe's. I'm thankful for the caramels at LittleJohn's in the Grove.

I'm thankful for the New York Times Sunday Paper. I'm thankful for public radio.

I'm thankful for my memories.

Million Dollar Baby

Yes. Those are mine. I guess with a name like mine it was inevitable that I would take up boxing.

So now I actually own a pair of boxing gloves and wraps. Own them! When I bought them at my gym, I said to the girl, "If anyone had ever told me I would own a pair of boxing gloves and wraps I would have told them they were on crack" (or I guess I should have said meth since that's this decade's drug of choice).

She did not even crack a smile. Whatever.

What I like best about my gloves is that they are called "Lights Out." I don't think the girl that sold them to me thought that was funny either. Whatever.

So now, twice a week I find myself at Bodies in Motion punching the crap out of a bag and sweating my butt off (at least I hope my butt is coming off). And I gotta tell you. I love it. On so many levels.

Number 1: You can hide behind the bag and no one will even know you are there. It's a very solitary workout even though it's in a class.

Number 2: You work out a lot of aggression. I'm not going to mention whose face I envision on the punching bag but those of you who know me can probably take a wild guess. (Can you say freakshow?)

Number 3: Lloyd, the instructor/dj plays awesome music.

Number 4: It's a fabulous workout. It's nonstop for 45 minutes and then 15 minutes of ab work. The first day I took the class I wanted to raise my hand and say, "Excuse me. Nobody told me there was going to be abs in this class." But like I've said before, I don't really like to call attention to myself in the gym. It was good though because my abs were so sore for like three days that I could barely eat.

NYSE DAY

I saw this license plate the other day that read NYSE DAY. I was sitting in traffic, of course, this being LA, and so I had plenty of time to ponder this. What I couldn't figure out was what in the world does New York Stock Exchange Day mean?

Was she a Fortune 500 CEO. I didn't think so in her Toyota Tercel (not that there's anything wrong with Tercels or Toyota's but CEO's don't generally drive them) plus there are only 2 women Fortune 500 CEO's so odds weren't great that I was sitting in traffic next to one of them.
I couldn't understand it. I kept staring and trying to piece it together. I was stymied. And it was really bothering me that I couldn't figure it out.

Then it dawned on me. The license plate was trying to say "Nice Day" just spelled wacky.

Duh. Sometimes I worry about myself.

Ahnald

I heard on NPR that when Ahnald went to vote today, they turned him away because the machines said he had already voted. They were going to give him a provisional ballot to fill out that would be counted if they found out he had not, as he said, voted already.
Then somebody got on the phone to the election commissioner (Think if this happened to you or me we would be able to get on the phone to the election commissioner?) and it turns out that when they were testing the early voting machines, they used the Guv's name as a test and forgot to take it out so it looked like he had already voted.
Isn't that hilarious??!!! "It's not a tooma!"

Random Thoughts

Here are a few things that have made me think the past couple of days:

1) This weekend I was driving to Venice Beach to sign up to volunteer at a writing lab for kids and I stopped for a coffee. On my way out, I accidentally blocked the in-lane so this woman had to wait for me to get out before she could get in. I was trying to turn left at a busy intersection and so it forced her to hold up her lane. As we passed each other she hollered out "Moron."

I was shaken. Why would she do that? Why be so hostile? I wanted to pull back into the parking lot and go up to her and ask for her card. I wanted to tell her that apparently she is perfect and never makes mistakes so I wanted to take lessons from her. I wanted to do that but I didn't because I was afraid I might get shot.

So instead I let it bother me for the rest of the day until I realized that I was the one that needed to get out of the parking lot and by holding her up, I accomplished my goal. So clearly, I wasn't the moron and furthermore anybody who would call someone a moron just for being a few inches over the white line has some issues.

2) I heard on Good Morning America this morning that kids today are staying "pure" longer and waiting for marriage to, you know, do it. They sited Jessica Simpson (those who know me, know I have to get in some Jessica references whenever possible) as an example to these kids since she waited until she was married to Nick before they, you know, did it.

Now, I have absolutely nothing against waiting. In fact, I totally think kids today have sex way, way too early but hearing this news on top of reading the aforementioned Maureen Dowd article as well as talking to my friend Deirdre about "My Fair Brady" and how appalling the girlfriend acts it all has me wondering if young girls today realize that we are headed back to Ozzie and Harriet world? It's depressing me.

Yesterday I was in the gym and this buxom girl, yes, she was a girl probably 18-20, had a T-shirt on that said, "If only these were brains." It took everything in me not to go over to her and make a scene. I know that I should have said something, but I try to stay invisible at the gym and I didn't want to not be able to go back to my gym, which knowing me, would have happened since I force myself to go anyway. My other reaction was to just sit down and cry! What possesses a female to wear a shirt like that? And what possesses someone, male I'm sure, to make a shirt like that.

Oh, the humanity.....................

How Cute Are They

This is Clio and Canaan, my niece and nephew. In this photo they are 3 months old. That was a couple of weeks ago.

They rock my world. Last night I went to my brother's house to see them and they were sleeping. They are still fun to look at even when they are sleeping. Clio sleeps with her arms close to her body like she's snuggling up and Canaan sleeps with his arms outstretched. It's amazing that even at this young age they so clearly exhibit masculine and feminine characterists. It blows my mind what a girly girl Clio is and what a burly guy Canaan is.

Like my brother says, it's good it's not the other way around.

Anyway, while I was visiting, Canaan started to whimper a little so I ran in and picked him up. I'm sure that if I had left him he would have fallen right back to sleep but I wanted an excuse to pick him up and rub his fuzzy little head and kiss his fat cheeks and smell his wonderful baby smell.

He did indeed fall asleep on my shoulder so I put him back down and he hollered for a moment, than passed back out. How wonderful it must be to sleep like that.

I Love This

There's also one that says "Free Katie."

What's a Girl To Do?

I finally had a chance to read the Maureen Dowd article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine titled "What's A Modern Girl To Do?"

A lot of my friends have emailed me to ask if I'd read it and told me I should but none really said why I should read it or what about it touched a nerve or made them think.

So now that I've read it, here's my take. HELLO. Tell us something we don't know already Maureen!

OK. That said, I do think it's important for this issue to be written about by a respected journalist in the mainstream media. The issue being the feminist backlash that is affecting women in very negative ways, whether we see it or not.

She talks about dating, the workplace, movies, beauty and all of her points are true and valid. Yes, women want men to pay on dates but we also want to make equal money. We are tired of having as she says, "girl money." Yes, we want to be loved for who we are yet we spend billions on cosmetics and cosmetic surgeries, botox, liposuction all to make ourselves appealing to men.

Here are some quotes from Dowd's article that I circled as I read it.

"Maybe we should have known that the story of women's progress would be more of a zigzag than a superhighway, that the triumph of feminism would last a nanosecond while the backlash lasted for 40 years." See that's why someone like Maureen had to write this article. She knows how to put it in to words, what we are experiencing but not sure how to articulate. The backlash has indeed been lasting for 40 years.

"So was the feminist movement some kind of cruel hoax? Do women get less desirable as they get more successful?" That's a no-brainer, apparently the answer is yes. Think of how many fabulous single women you know and how many of them are single. Probably most.

I'm not even going to go into the thing about the donut.

But the thing is, what is a girl to do? I guess if there were a definitive answer we wouldn't be in this pickle. But I think the thing to do is to be ourselves. If you like being a girly girl, then be one. If you want to be a stay-at-home mom, then be one. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, then go for it. The bottom line is to be true to yourself and the rest will come. No good comes of trying to shape into a mold of what others thing we should be.

Easier said than done, I know. But let's give it a try. Meanwhile, have your daughters read Maureen's article. It's not too late to save them.

Oops, I did it again!

Hey, look at me. Two posts in the same day. This is a rarity I can assure you but I forgot to toot my horn and the horn of my friends at Skirt! magazine.

Check out my first essay to appear in Skirt! I'm so excited. I've always wanted to write for the pub but I worked for a "competing" publication and couldn't. But I don't work there anymore so now I can!

I only had to move across the country to do it but it was worth it!

Have digital camera, will blog

So everyone said when I move to LA I should start a blog so they'll all know what I'm up to but my reasons for not doing so were twofold.

1) In the early days I thought blogging was a kind of egomaniacal, self grandiose, masturbatory exercise. Then I got a taste of it when I did some blogging back in the spring and I didn't want to admit it but I loved it.
Then when I moved I found that I became addicted to reading my friend Kelly's blog , eager to see what she was thinking and doing in my old hometown. Then my friend Devin posted his blog when he found he was going to be a daddy and it's great. He's going to chronicle the whole process. So I totally rethought the whole blog thing and here I am. Blogging away.

2) My second excuse for not blogging was that I don't have a digital camera and you have to have a digital camera to have a good blog. What's a blog without photos? So now I have a digital camera. Albeit it is still in the box but I plan to take it out this weekend and get it going.

So stay tuned my friends around the globe and those I don't even know yet. Here comes Lucy's Adventures in LaLa Land.