Monday, October 31, 2005

Trick, or treat?

As a kid, my creative Halloween costumes always got covered by a winter jacket.

At Syracuse, Halloween tended to coincide with the first snowfall of the season.

In New York, I gravitated toward skimpy costumes that had to be hidden under winter jackets as I dodged freezing rain drops or waited to get into clubs.

Now, that I have no desire to dress up or go out, it's 90 degrees and sunny. What's wrong with this picture?



Saturday, October 29, 2005

Baby steps

Two months to the day later, I finally did the dishes. With oddly appropriate timing for Halloween, I believe this laid to rest the curse of Frankenfinger.

Of course my suitcase from this week's trip is still lying in the middle of the living room - the same place I dropped it on Wednesday night.



Friday, October 28, 2005

Romancing Reality

You may remember a few weeks ago I posted about my talent for TV trivia; well, I've found my internet soulmate. If we get married we can exchange TiVo remotes. I still expect mine to be encrusted with diamonds. After all, he's getting paid for his talent.



Thursday, October 27, 2005

It was Joe the actor, not football player

My trip to New York this week reminded me of just how hard life was when I lived there. From dodging sidewalk grates so my heels don't get caught, to hailing cabs just when they go off duty (and juggling various shopping bags, my coat, an umbrella and a pocketbook while doing so), to dealing with the personalities that color the city, like the lazy Kinko's employee I fought with or the cab driver who smelled like he hadn't washed his hair in a week. Did I really live there?

I'm not trying to paint LA like a total Pleasantville (although it kind of is). But boy have I gotten used to the temperate weather, my solitary morning commute, the quiet of the streets, the smiles of the passers-by. The way the Starbucks guy knows my order every morning, and asks where I've been if he doesn't see me for a day or two. The fact that there are flowers blooming in my front yard right now (that's right, I said yard). In New York I was constantly some shade of angry, frustrated, annoyed, worried. Here, I am, for the most part, pretty even keeled.

But my friends are there. My family is close to there. I just want to pick everyone up and move them out here. Because I really don't want to leave, but I don't have any particular reason to stay, either.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Potato, Potahto, Montana, Mantegna

I come all the way from LA only to have a great celebrity sighting in New York. Tuesday night we had dinner at Il Mulino in the village; so did Nic Cage and his waitress/wife. They were pointed out to us as Nicolas was shaking hands with another famous patron, Joe - and this part is embarrassing - Montana or Mantegna. Mantegna is a respected actor so you'd think that would make more sense, but the whole time I was looking at him last night, I was thinking, football player. Now that I have looked them both up on the Internet, I don't think the guy looked like either of them, but if anything, like a young Joe Namath. Not to complicate the matter. I'll have to clarify when I go back to work tomorrow.

Nic was sporting a mustache. Hope it was for a role.

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Saturday, October 22, 2005

Quaking, shaking

I'm off to NYC tomorrow for my big event. The last few trips have been overshadowed by my despise for the city; today, after two earthquakes, I'm actually looking forward to a change of scenery. The earthquakes, which were 7 hours apart, were small - only a 3.0 and 3.1 respectively. But they were both centered in and around Santa Monica - much closer to me than any of the other earthquakes I have felt since living here, and therefore much louder and scarier. I happened to be home for both. While I have felt the others from the ground up (the sense of the floor vibrating), I noticed these by the noise they made, and felt the action from almost above me, like someone was holding the roof and trying to rip it off my building. It was LOUD enough that the first time I actually went to my window to see if the street was still straight and make sure my car was ok. It was, they both were. And nothing fell off the walls or was visibly rattled. Other than my nerves.

I get picked up at 5:30 AM for my 7 AM flight, and should arrive at 3:30 EST. I'm planning a get together with a few friends tomorrow night, but after that its three days of work and stress. Hopefully the event will go well and it will all have been worth it. Wish me luck!

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Friday, October 21, 2005

Field Trip!

Every summer the owners of my company put together an activity day where all the employees take off work and do something fun together. Sort of like a Senior Skip Day, but on the up-and-up. Last year it was kickboxing, another year it was bowling, etc. We had ours today (better late than never), which was a tour of the King Tut exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Egyptian art isn't my favorite (I mean, it's just a bunch of cracked pottery, right?) but this exhibit has been hyped to the extreme for months. The exhibit includes artifacts from King Tut's tomb and other graves that were dug over 3000 years ago - which is pretty cool, I'll admit. We were given headphones which offered a voice narrative from Omar Sharif and were cattle-prodded through the maze-like halls along with about 60 senior citizens, five kids between the ages of 4-11, and one infant that cried the entire time. Can you tell where this is going?

The exhibit was underwhelming, to say the least. I might have enjoyed it more had I not been so busy saying "excuse me, excuse me", but the display itself was very straightforward (this was a vase, this was a spoon, etc.) and didn't really inspire me to have any deep, provoking thoughts (what a shocker). I am glad I had the chance to go, however, and even more glad I work for a company that does stuff like this on a regular basis. Even if I felt like we should have arrived on a yellow school bus, all in matching t-shirts.

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Thursday, October 20, 2005

Mug Moment

I've never been arrested (knock wood) but if I had I can't imagine I'd be this happy about it. Awful Plastic Surgery points out another reason for remorse.



Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Calling all westside dentists...

I've had searing pain for four days now in the back of my mouth where my bottom left wisdom tooth is coming in. I woke up with it Sunday morning, and thought maybe something was stuck in the gum gap, causing it to swell. Now I am convinced the tooth is rotting away under the gum as my dentist assured me it would if I didn't get them out within two years (about two years ago), but I'm praying it's just ordinary growing pains that will subside shortly.

I have every intention of getting the wisdom teeth out, but had put it off last time because my former job didn't offer dental insurance. I do now, so I'm glad I waited, but I still haven't booked an appointment. I'd like a recommendation from a friend, but L.A. is so damn big that no one seems to go to a good dentist in my area.

If I could meet the Tooth Fairy right now I'd ask her to leave a big bottle of Vicodin under my pillow.



Tuesday, October 18, 2005

California: Adding ex-boyfriends, one at a time

Does anybody have a spell that reverses jinxes?

In other news, seven months ago today I moved to L.A. I realized that tonight as I was saying "last year when I moved across the country" instead of "I just" or "I recently" etc. It rained again today, and without sounding too dramatic, I have to say that I honestly don't know how I made it through 28 years on the east coast because only two days of rain have made me hermit-like and moody. Well, I've always been moody, but it's like living on a different planet that the one I lived on last week. Last week's was filled with unicorns and rainbows and visions of pounds lost at the gym; this week is traffic, frizzy hair, and God, I need Restalyne again.

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Monday, October 17, 2005

Weather, or not

We're currently having what's known here in L.A. as "weather". It actually rained today, rained a little bit yesterday as well. A funny thing happens when it rains. The air becomes really clear, and you notice things you didn't notice before, like mountains. Even though the suggestion of mountains is always present, they hide behind a sometimes-gray, sometimes-brown layer of smog. Enter rain, and we are all suddenly surrounded by cascading tiers of jagged rocks peppered with trees and foliage.

The temperatures were in the high 90's all of last week; today they were in the high 60's. Of course, that's still preferable to what's in store for the east coast, but it's quite a change nonetheless.

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Sunday, October 16, 2005

(Minor) Celeb Sighting

Saw actor Bryan Cranston - the father on Malcom in the Middle - eating dinner last night at the Grove. Looking at him, my mind went instantly to Seinfeld, but Keith recognized him for MintheM. As I sat down to write this, however, I checked IMDB, and sure enough, he appeared in a number of Seinfeld episodes as the recurring character Dr. Tim Watley.

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Friday, October 14, 2005

Does this make me Somebody?

One of the cool things about living in Los Angeles is the regularity in which star sightings occur. I don't have too many of them, which is probably why I still get excited to find out that people I know (or at least, once knew) are actually "in the business".

There's a movie coming out this month called "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" in which an ex-boyfriend has a small role as a news reporter (which, coincidentally, was his job when I dated him). He did some modeling as a kid, but I have no idea how he parlayed that into a film role, unless he got it through his new wife, the celebrity publicist.

Then last night I found out that a guy I went to college with (though can't remember for the life of me) is engaged to the actress who plays Veronica Mars. He turned his Newhouse degree into a legitimate career in film production, met her at in industry event, and is now producing her next movie. Now THAT's something I would submit to the alumni newsletter - and put everyone else to shame. (I can't be the only one who thinks like this, right?)

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Thursday, October 13, 2005

Don't tell Martha Stewart

I've posted before about how much I hate to do the dishes. I thought it was worth bringing up one more time to note that I still haven't washed the wine glasses, two plates, and random silverware that were in my sink the day I cut my finger. They're still sitting there, a month and a half later, just testing me.



Wednesday, October 12, 2005

The Jewish guilt has set in

I should probably only feel half as guilty as I do, since I am only half-Jewish, but that logic is not working right now. Not only am I not fasting or skipping work tomorrow, I actually turned down an invitation to break the fast to instead have dinner at another friend's house. A Catholic friend who repents her sins every Sunday at Church. Yes, church.

Of course, I've never observed Yom Kippur in my life, so I'm not sure why I feel the need to start now. (Meshugenah...) Once when I was around 13 or so, I spent the day up in Maine with some Jewish friends and I fasted with them for support. I arrived back home in the late afternoon, and, with an hour or two left before sunset, decided to pass the time making brownies. I was so good until the mixing bowl attacked me and the spatula forced itself down my throat.

It has long been said that Jews run the entertainment industry, and after flying home on the empty freeway tonight, I can attest to that. That's the type of statement I should probably be asking forgiveness for right now instead of nibbling at my yummy granola bar. Pray for me, will you? It is going to be a long, hot road to hell. Of course, since I'm only half, I'll probably get stuck hanging around Purgatory somewhere.



Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Three Friends

One year ago, three close friends lived in New York in three different apartments within three miles of each other. They had all lived under the Manhattan skyline for at least as long as they had known each other in college; yet within the span of ten months, they each decided that suburbia held more allure than the subway, and it was time to move on. (Our definition of "suburbia" is very loose, coming from Manhattan and all).

Maria was first to go. Destination: Boston. My decision to move to LA two months later was easier knowing we wouldn't have been living in the same city anymore, anyway. And this month, Kris will make the trifecta perfecta with her move to White Plains. For seven years my life was defined by Manhattan, and now I wonder if in another few years, there will be anyone from the old life still living there. I always felt that my New York years were a gift - an extension of college during which I was never really forced to grow up; but now I feel like I just woke up after graduation, dazed and confused, wondering, how did we all get to this point?

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Monday, October 10, 2005

Root, root root for the home team

Or any team but the Yankees, really.

When I was growing up in Boston, I didn't have a care in the world when it came to baseball. It was boring and slow and meant for guys. Then, when I turned 21, baseball became a new reason to go out drinking with friends and meet guys, so I developed a soft spot in my heart for it (and probably a soft spot on my liver as well).

Living in New York, it was fun rooting for the enemy. I couldn't walk the streets of Manhattan in my Red Sox hat without getting heckled, and victory was ultra-sweet last year probably because I didn't have to share it with 8 million people.

This year, the Red Sox retired the season early, but the Angels just beat the Yanks, so I'll adopt a new home team for the time being. After all, "my enemy's enemy is my friend."

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Sunday, October 09, 2005

If I were a Desperate Housewife

I'd like to think that I'd be Bree - perfectly coiffed, self-assured, 6 feet tall and bulletproof. Unfortunately, I think I'm much more a Susan - annoying, klutzy, with hair that's too long for her age.



Saturday, October 08, 2005

Outed at The Groundlings

I try not to get too personal on this site, but it's gotten to the point where I have to edit myself just to hide the fact that I have what most people would consider a boyfriend. I hide it only out of superstitious fear that the second I write that, he will break up with me. I've lived 29 years believing in jinxes, and have no reason to change my belief system now.

But Friday night we saw the Groundlings, a comedy troupe that has produced such talents over the years as Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Griffin, and a good part of the Saturday Night Live cast, including Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Chris Parnell, and the list goes on. It was awesome - better than Saturday Night Live and much better than a random stand-up. One skit required an audience member to come up on stage - and guess who was chosen.

I was on the aisle, so that surely led to my being chosen, but my hand was in Keith's, which made us an easy target. I was first asked if he was my husband (no), and then if he was my boyfriend. Despite dating for five months and having the most normal relationship I've had in years, the "boyfriend/girlfriend" term had not been directly addressed. It wasn't a time to mince words, so I answered "yes", and since he did not run screaming from the theater, and in fact only increased his affection as the weekend wore on, I feel okay about sharing the news on the internet.

And if it ends tomorrow because I chose to admit this, I'm signing up for Google Ad Sense to help supplement my impending cost of therapy.

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Thursday, October 06, 2005

This week in history

The power went out here at work a little while ago. Not sure what happened, but it seemed contained to a small area of Pasadena, and everything came back on after only an hour or so. Of course, it reminded me of being in NYC for the blackout of 2003. Same time of day, same weather (it's in the 90's here today!), same confusion. In New York, of course, the Blackout was a reason to party; here, the thought of driving home sans street lights and sitting in my apartment without power was more than annoyance-inducing. Alas, all is well.

It has been an interesting few days on both coasts it seems. Wildfires continue here, although none by my area. Overnight a famous Pasadena mansion burned down for reasons uncertain. New York is heightening security in the subways after a terrorist alert. And the main headline on Yahoo news is that "Paparazzi are not to blame for Lindsay Lohan car crash". Well, as long as we have our priorities straight.



Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Bonnie Fuller's office must be on overdrive right now. The solar eclipse of Oct 3 HAS to explain the huge number of celebrity breakups over the past month (and possibly the few unions - Ash and Demi, anyone?).

As my favorite astrologer Susan Miller explains, "Solar eclipses are famous for opening new doors and for bringing fresh starts...Eclipses bring enlightenment and truth, so if you are in love, this eclipse will bring your relationship to a new, closer level and trigger lots more affection. If not, then this eclipse could cause a breakup. If you should break up, realize the universe is trying to be your friend by getting you out of a relationship with no future." Eclipses may also be felt one month to the day before or after the actual eclipse day.

So, as of today, Nick and Jessica are done. As of Friday, Paris and Paris were done. Within the last month Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesey, Chad Michael Murray and Sofia Bush, Eddie Murphy and someone... Now, can anyone explain how the eclipse can be responsible for the bun in TomKat's oven? Or is that totally beyond explanation?



Tuesday, October 04, 2005

A mind of very little matter

When I was a graduating senior in high school, our class published a series of humorous prophecies for each student along with the school's end-of-the-year newsletter. My prophecy was that I would grow up to write a book of Brady Bunch trivia, I guess because I was into the Brady Bunch at the time and clearly had a mind that was better used not toward math or science but the trivial pursuits of old sitcoms. True enough, I couldn't memorize a chemistry formula long enough to pass the final, but I could (and still can) tell you what any of the six Brady kids wore in any given episode or recall the subplots and seasons of any number of ridiculous programs from the 1970's or 80's. (Hello, look at the name of this blog).

More than ten years later, my brain still retains all of that useless information and more. Now that I work not just in the beauty industry but in PR - where all one ever needs to know in life is printed on Page Six - I pride myself on the enormous amount of pop culture trivia that lives in the keppie upstairs. Of course, a sponge has no use without water, and so my thirst is quenched mostly by magazines, dailies, and now daily websites like mediabistro, adrants, gawker, and defamer which conveniently summarize all of the day's news stories (news being a flexible term, here) into digestable bite-sized morsels of trivia.

As such, I am a wonderfully entertaining addition to most any cocktail party. Of course, I am probably a terrible bore to anyone who has a solid opinion on anything serious in the world, but I don't know anyone like that, so that's a non-issue. Everyone at work knows to come to me for the latest in celebrity gossip. (Although sometimes I play dumb just so they don't think I'm playing online all day. I do, but, please, I multi-task.) But while my childhood quirk came easy and natural, what I do now is considered work. And work I do. I have a quickly growing mountain of required reading material to prove it.

Women's Wear Daily is universally considered the Bible of the fashion industry (and, to a lesser extent, beauty). I, to this day, have never read the actual Bible, but boy do I get serious guilt if I miss a day or three of WWD. And because I am neurotic and make myself read them in chronological order, I have a stack of about seven that I have been transporting to and from work for the last few days in an effort to read them, one by one, until I catch up. It's just been a busy week.

The only magazines I read for sheer pleasure are Vogue, Elle, and New York magazine, and it just so happens that they are excellent reads for business as well. I've been working on the September issue of Vogue for over a month now (it's more than 4 pounds!) and I'm a little stressed because Oct is already out and I can't even look at it yet (chronological issues again). Elle always seems to get stolen in the office before it gets to me, but I'm okay with that now because on top of the Vogue's and WWD's, New York mag is a weekly, and I literally have two of them open and half-read - on top of the Sept. Vogue and a random Fitness magazine I started at the gym tonight - just sitting on my coffee table waiting to be finished. It kind of looks like a dentist's office in here, actually.

Does any of this make me a better, smarter, richer, or more interesting person? Of course not. The opposite is more likely to be true. But we all have our thing, and if trivia is mine, then so be it. If 30 years after the fact, Peter Brady can get his own reality TV show and date a model half his age, then I certainly must be on the track to something. "You gotta keep on, keep on, keep on movin, keep on, keep on, keep on groovin, keep on singing and dancing all through the night."



Monday, October 03, 2005

I should be a Jungle Explorer

if this PR thing doesn't work out.

Not that I advocate wasting time at work, but this is a fun one: www.jobpredictor.com



Sunday, October 02, 2005

Flight Night

I had a minor celeb sighting last night - Daisy Fuentes at the Arclight theater. I don't even remember what she was originally famous for, but now she has a line at Kohls and still looks amazing in person.

I went to see Flight Plan last night. Jodie Foster was good but the movie was so ridiculously farfetched it was annoying. The Arclight is definitely the best movie theater I have ever been to, since you can choose your section and they assign seats like on an airplane, so you don't have to sit in the theater 20 minutes before the movie starts just to ensure you get a decent seat. And you can use that time wisely - they have a great restaurant and bar so you can actually eat a meal before the movie and not get stuck trying to satisfy your appetite with popcorn. It's also probably the only theater I know of that doesn't show commercials before the trailers before the movie. Of course, all of these wonderful things probably contribute to the $14/ticket price tag. For the experience alone, I would say it's worth it; but for this particular movie, not so much.

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