31 October 2008

a nice shiny penny

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What are you dressed up as today?
I'm doing the geisha thing at werk (maybe adding the vampire geisha effect for our costume contest) and doing the original Night of the Living Dead zombie with My Heart tonight - all 50s dress with zombie make-up but completely black & white just like the movie! I Heart Halloween.


(This if from the original year of the geisha - frat row, including My Heart, were sailors so it only seemed natural.)

from the cloud of dust

I have never really had any interest in any of Clint Eastwood's movies and so I have never seen one. Also, I like Angelina but would not classify myself as a huge fan or even a fan really. I think it was more the story line and the period of Los Angeles that made me want to see Changeling.

My Heart and I went to a preview screening of it last night and let me tell you, I was blown away. I find it amazing that such a story has been buried beneath the history of the city of angels. I am not usually one for period pieces but 20s and 30s LA intrigues me. And this film did not disappoint. Mrs. Pitt did an outstanding job (and had some killer wardrobe!). The effects were so convincing I felt like I was looking into the past at what has become my home.

Albeit it was a Clint Eastwood movie and I've been told they are slow moving almost to the point of boring. Changeling was drawn out and long (over 2 hours) but it kept moving and definitely kept me interested. More than once I was moved to the point of tears. I suggest you take the time for this one - the Oscar buzz, in my opinion, isn't hype.

30 October 2008

my ideeli surprise

How much do you heart these shoes!?


marc by marc jacobs - CASSIE

29 October 2008

dancing under the light of the tower

I'm not one for long nails and I'm not usually one for nail polish. But sometimes I go get my nails did to feel like I'm taking care of myself. I particularly love short nails with a dark color.

O P I has some awesome colors in their new Fall/Winter Collection - Le Collection De France - that I'm really into, especially...


28 October 2008

her closet was our wonderland

Weird that yesterday I was trying to get a hold of my Mom but couldn't so when I was writing my post I thought I'd put a shout out to her. Of course she called today (not weird).
Weird again is that Mom needs change too - big change - but she's not sure what... she didn't even read yesterday's post. What's going on?

So this past weekend I was hanging out with Friend A (of Team AE) doing girl stuff; movie, lunch, shopping and a baby shower. We happened to be near the Kate Spade store so we went in to see My Bag... you know... the one I didn't get? Well, it was GONE! AND they were having a friends and family sale! Apparently I now qualified as a either a friend or family.
Sad day turned happy, my new friends (or family) at Kate Spade searched all the surrounding stores until they had located my bag in Topanga or some other far off land. So I got the bag.
Aunt M was right, why not both? It arrived today and it couldn't be more perfect.
Wierd = the card inside had a little quote on it:
"she thought of her aunt often...
patent boots, cherry red lipstick,
and forever mischievous."

27 October 2008

has anyone talked to my mom lately

Someone recently told me that being content is the worst way to go through life. I think all my contentment is making me restless and I don't know what to do.

I do not hate nor love living in LA.
But I really want to live in NYC.

Being a finisher still has it's drawbacks but I love who I work for.
I don't want to risk leaving this place for nothing.

Our apartment is cleaner and slightly more organized which makes it just a tad bit more tolerable but it's no new house. Is right now really the time to be buying a new house?

I've been hanging out with the girls more and doing for me again which is interesting. I think I'd like to explore that further but not sure exactly how right now.

I need a change - a big change - but what?

25 October 2008

the gift of paper


Happy One Year Blogiversary to me by the way!


I'd like to send my self a special gift like one of these books from Pepe's Paperie.
(Thanks for sharing Aunt M!)

24 October 2008

downward dog

I'm being told...

Your mind is going to wander, today, and unfortunately sometimes at very inopportune times. This is most likely a sign that you are moving into a phase when you are going to be more introverted than usual. You're not quite connecting with other people at the level you would like to, so it's appealing to just go off on your own for a while. But late in the day you'll receive an invitation, and it's one you should accept. This event could hold the key to many major opportunities.

So true. Now I'm just waiting for that invitation. Or was that what lunch was today?

23 October 2008

if the rain in spain fell on my brain

Today...

Tofu skins are delicious (mmm dinner).
Cupcakes are delicious (mmm lunch).
Stupid people are not (eww, every day).

My hair is in an annoying awkward stage (thank god for headbands).
My running regime is in an annoying awkward stage (next 5k in just over a month).
My job is not (things are pretty good).

Enjoyed the Kings game on Monday night because the Avs beat them (thanks Team AE).
Enjoyed dinner with the girls on Tuesday night because they are all so amazing (XOXO).
Do not enjoy the traffic on my commute some days (like today).

Saturday I will go see a movie with Friend A (of Team AE).
Saturday I will go celebrate baby Charbyn (at Friend R's baby shower).
Saturday I will play football (with the Orange Team).

Sunday I will probably do nothing.

Tomorrow is Friday!

What are you doing this weekend?

22 October 2008

the only bomb to drop

A couple of Spring seasons ago I bought this amazing fuschia pink bouncy peasant skirt that I absolutely adore. I decided I needed a pretty pair of thongs (shoes you sicko) to go with it. I had an idea of the style I wanted - multiple leather straps that all connected to a metal circle in the middle. After months of searching I found an Anne Klein New York sandal that was as close as I was going to get to my ideal. I loved that sandal. Yesterday My Heart came home to this...




So today I bought this...





I don't love it but probably because I'm still upset that the puppy bomb went off in my closet and took something I wasn't ready to part with. I know it's just a shoe but it was my shoe and I am going to miss it. I'm sure I will eventually love my Bernardo's just as much.

21 October 2008

we remember when snow fell

#15 Get married in Ireland (or at least visit it!)

#7 Celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary

#26 Ride a Vespa

#35 Take a ballet class

#10 Create photo albums (Hawaii, Torino, Down Under, M&M)

17 October 2008

they make the shoes at night

There's this little tradition I started when I moved to LA. Every year I go see The Nightmare Before Christmas at the El Capitan. It's this old theater in Hollywood owned by Disney. And I love it.
Last week My Heart surprised me with tickets to the first night's showing (which is tonight).
He also told me he had another surprise but wouldn't tell me what. I had my suspicions since I had also been hinting about going to see the Nutcracker this year. I've always loved the Nutcracker and one of the theaters near our house is doing a performance of it. Since we're not going home for the holidays I thought it would be a sweet thing to do together.
So the other night, to trick him into revealing whether or not it was tickets to this show he had bought as my second surprise, I came home and told him I had bought tickets. The look on his face said it all and I couldn't help but laugh. I'm sorry My Heart but you know how I love a good surprise - for about 2 seconds and then I just HAVE to know what it is! Thank you :-)

16 October 2008

life isn't fair

I was sent this link yesterday after a discussion on how ridiculous the Pro Prop 8 ads have been here in California. I think these are much smarter. Then again, I'm kinda biased...

15 October 2008

small wonder

Today is the family's last day of vacation in Southern California. Tomorrow they fly home to beautiful Colorado where it really is Fall (damn you 90 degree weather!).
So Dad and his wife drove out to Hollywood to see where the magic is made. Sadly, it's in a dumpy alley off Cahuenga (ok, ok, it's not that bad). But we did head over to Hollywood and Highland to check out where My Heart works and grab a bite to eat.
We ended up at this newer place we had never tried called uWink. Weirdest lunch experience ever. No waiter just a computer. Everything, anything you need you find on this touch screen and order it up. Worst part, you are still expected to tip. Best part, there are also games on the touch screen. Good food but kind of like working for your meal.

14 October 2008

when the goose jumps the fence

Apparently I missed a little excitement at the office on Friday because some famous guy came in to read a couple of scripts for a movie we're working on. Lucky for me, he came in again last night to read and I was still here.
I have had a long standing sort of crush on this person. I think it's the dry, witty sense of humor and the Airwalks with suits attire. Oftentimes I've been told I'm crazy for feeling this way but I think I'm starting to change my mind anyway...


13 October 2008

gearing up for what's ahead

I have been a busy girL this weekend, the family is in town. They arrived on Thursday but are staying in Orange County so we didn't meet up with them until Friday. My Heart and I both took the day off to join them at Disneyland. It was such a great time! I had worried that by starting out at 8am the kids would be too tired to make it to the fireworks show at 9:3opm - boy was I wrong! 15 hours at Disneyland and they wanted more! It's amazing how contagious a sense of wonderment and excitement can be.

Saturday was a quieter and colder day (YAY FINALLY!) and of course we spent it at the beach. It wasn't very inviting but we made the best of it. Ran in to Friends C & J and got to introduce my Dad to them (eventually - sorry about that!). AND... the best part of all... My Heart and I played in our first coed touch football game!!! It was so much more fun than I had anticipated. We are the Orange team (Multiple Scoregasms) and the Orange team kicked some butt winning the first game of the season. Whoo hoo - go us. Friend J was awesome on the field beating out some of the boys even! I need some practice but did take a stiff arm to the face from some dude and was still able to tackle him.

Yesterday was more amusement park fun at Universal Studios with the whole fam except for My Heart (damn back again). We also had a nice sushi dinner before heading off to Griffith Park. It's interesting to see how much my Dad has changed over the years. He rode rides and ate sushi - who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!?

It's good to be at work today though, I needed a break from my staycation.

09 October 2008

if we can't save ourselves

Thank you Friend S for sending this my way... I encourage and invite all of you, my friends, to join.

INVITE A FRIEND

Invite a Friend

I just joined the Love/Avon Army of Women — and you should, too!

The Love/Avon Army of Women offers women the opportunity to partner with the scientists who are conducting research that will end this disease--once and for all.

Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it!

Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. This is YOUR chance to be part of the research that will end breast cancer.

It takes a just a minute to join. But the impact we will have will last a lifetime.

Please Join Me in Being One in a Million!

08 October 2008

the dusty pit of my stomach

Today, for the first time in my life, I have people cleaning my house for me. It was a long time coming but I didn't realize how difficult it would be to actually let it happen.

To start - our place is a mess. As I have described it many a time, it's a storage unit. My one bedroom apartment was supposed to be our temporary living situation but is now going on 2 years I think. Both our stuff just doesn't fit and we sit on a bed for a couch for god's sake!

Plus, we have 3 animals living with us who are little dirt balls - their fur just adds to the already dusty decor.

And to top it all off, we're lazy.

So cut to today... I had called a service I found on Yelp and they agreed to come by this morning and do a one time job for a pretty cheap rate. If I like the work I can schedule regular cleanings. 3 people showed up a little after 10am and got right to it. I left a check and left the house.

Problem is, I'm terrified something is going to go wrong. Maybe they won't really clean - just take my money and run. Maybe they'll take more than my money and run. And what about my little animals? Maybe they'll let them out and something terrible will happen. Ugh, I want to trust my instincts and say that everything is going to be fine but I think I'm a paranoid person because all my instincts are saying is, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"

07 October 2008

the grouch has got some brains

If you haven't seen the movie Once may I suggest you take the time to do so.
I had the privilege (along with My Heart) of seeing the leads of this film perform with their band on Saturday night at The Greek Theater. As Friend J (who also attended said show) put it - it was amazing, mesmerizing, incredible, stupendous. I had to one up him and add - POSSIBLY LIFE CHANGING (maybe more on that later). This article in the Hollywood Reporter shares a little more insight:
Oscar-winning duo mix old, new at L.A. show

By Darryl Morden Tue Oct 7, 6:07 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Most artists would save their best-known song -- an Oscar-winning song, yet -- for the end of a show or an encore. But not the Swell Season's Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Opening Saturday's show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles with an inviting cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic," the duo followed with "Falling Slowly," the Academy Award-winning best original song from last year's "Once," in which the pair co-starred. And the audience was delighted.

As they were joined by musicians including members of Hansard's band the Frames, there was much to come during a richly giving performance that stretched for more than two hours, ranging from additional cover songs and new material to guest appearances.

Centered on the strums of Hansard's battered old acoustic guitar and Irglova's lullaby-like, lyrical piano, with embellishments of electric guitar, violin, bass and drums, the music was aching and elegant, heartfelt and soulful. Most of all, it tapped into the essence of our fragile relationships with one another and the world.

In concert, Irishman Hansard is the focal point, his gift of glib gab and wry humor between numbers part of what makes him so engaging, along with his raw-nerve-exposed taunt vocals. A solo segment found him stepping away from the microphone to sing the pleading "Say It to Me Now" "unplugged," and he furiously based away at his guitar strings for a soul-purging take on Morrison's "Astral Weeks."

Czech songstress Irglova offered gentle charm when she moved from her piano to the center-stage spotlight for lead vocals, and she played some acoustic guitar.

The set ranged from the jagged self-examination of "The Moon," about losing one's way in life, to the soaring waltz of resignation in "When Your Mind's Made Up" to the ringing pop of the new track "Maybe I Was Born to Hold You in These Arms."

Among the night's surprises were "Once" writer-director and former Frames member John Carney sitting in on bass for the film's title song, Disney's Richard Sherman of the Sherman Brothers leading the group in "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from "Mary Poppins" and Sam Beam of opener Iron & Wine joining for Neil Young's "Out on the Weekend."

The rising success of the Swell Season is heartening, the band's organic, crafted music defying the conventions of calculated pop marketing.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

06 October 2008

is this glass over flowing

It rained on Saturday.
We ate at this really great, really European cafe as it was raining.
It felt good.

I've had cupcakes today.
I ate a red velvet half and then this amazing vanilla half on recommendation.
It felt good.

I'm at a weird crossroads in facing my own self awareness.
Who I am. Who I want to be.
Where I am. Where I want to be.

I have a quote on my desktop that says:
"Happiness is a place between too little and too much." - Finnish Proverb

Maybe I have too much?

04 October 2008

all brats go to heaven

I wanted this...



I got this...

03 October 2008

all is not fine

Last night I had dinner with Friend C at a place 2 blocks from my office. I walked up there at about 7:45pm and it was pretty dark and slightly scary for like half a block. That's when 2 cops on horses passed me and I felt like everything was ok. Everything was ok until I looked down from those horses and realized there was a trail of shit on the sidewalk for at least 10 feet. It was big. It was gross. And it got me thinking, who cleans that shit up?

02 October 2008

for the good of all mankind

I check a small list of blogs every day - sometimes multiple times a day. Don't ask why (you've read the name of this blog right?). One out of the 4 that I check every day but have yet to add to my currently list is the fab I *Heart* You. Yesterday she had this up and it not only made me smile, it moved me so much that I thought it only right to share it with you...


01 October 2008

organized schmorganized

Um, hello? Where have I been?

During Sunday football I was flipping through the new In Style and found an add for a TV show on TLC called Real Simple. Real Life. brought to us by one of my favorite magazines.

I just Googled it and found that PBS has been airing a show called Real Simple TV for 2 season already and is about to start the 3rd. This show is more like the actual magazine where as the new show is a reality makeover type thing.

How did I not know this? How did I not know that one of my favorite magazines that actually helps me survive life is a PBS TV show?

Well, I will be adding both to my DVR tonight.

I leave you with today's daily thought from realsimple.com

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
-Stephen R. Covey


P.S.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Birthday to Friends ME & SB!!!
Much love to you both
XOXO