Arie's World

Just got home from Disneyland and the cats are eating a very late dinner. It’s 2:24am. Sandy and Gracie are running around instead of eating. Both, Gracie and Sandy’s tails are all puffed!

Recap time…

Mon, Oct 12th – Worked, bowling, hung out in Hollywood for a bit.

Tues, Oct 13th – Worked, trivia (great game: came in 2nd)!

Wed, Oct 14th – Worked, dinner with Gigi, watched That 70s Show reruns with Kyle

Thurs, Oct 15th – Worked, had carpet company come by for a quote, hired Evaun for a project and went to lunch with him to get pizza, went to Koji’s for dinner with Bobby, Laury, Marly, Violet & Jason, stayed for Kiss My Comedy, hung out with Kyle

Fri, Oct 16th – John came by and helped me clip kitty nails, worked, went Halloween shopping with Megan, worked on costumes with Megan and Maria, watched Tenacious D & the Pick of Destiny with them, Bobby & Josef

Sat, Oct 17th – Slept in, prepped for a wedding, drove to Malibu to an amazing ranch: Saddlerock, performed a wedding, picked up Maria, went to get some costume supplies, worked on costumes, had dinner with Gigi, took Maria home, went to Koji’s for karaoke, sang Toad and Alice Cooper. Koji’s was fun. Kyle, Violet, Jason, Jay, KC, Nick, Daryl, Aaron, Chris, Mark and Robert were all there!

Sun, Oct 18th – Adrienne & I left Glendale a 10:30am, got gasoline and coffee, headed down to Disneyland. We met up with Marcos, Jason, Violet, Ricki, Erik, Ryan, Heather, Heather’s sister, Norma, and eventually my friend Lawrence. It took us forever to get into the park, but it was super fun and worth going for Halloween Time!

The lines were LONG during the day. They were pretty short at night. We rode Buzz Astro-Blasters, Pirates, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Space Mountain’s Ghost Galaxy (AMAZING), Alice in Wonderland, Tea Cups, Peter Pan and the Jungle Cruise. We also watched the awesome Halloween Time Fireworks and saw the upgraded Fantasmic! Amazing day! Super fun week!!!

Tags: comedy, disneyland, halloween time, karaoke, koji's, springbok, trivia

Oct 11 2009

Home Sweet Home

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I’m back in LA after a really fantastic vacation through the wild west. 🙂

Thurs, Oct 8th – Slept in, then went to Doe Mountain for an incredible hike with 360 degree views of Sedona! I didn’t ever want to leave!

After the hike, I had dinner at D’lish, then drove out to Cottonwood to get a tattoo! I got my Valknut put on me! I have always wanted it, and this was the perfect occasion – concluding how amazing of a time I can have spending a week alone in the most beautiful place on earth! I got the valknut in silver/grey with Sedona red-rock red and some amethyst purple in the shading!

Once back at the condo, I packed and headed to bed around 2am.

Fri, Oct 9th – Tried to wake up early, but didn’t manage to leave until 11am. I got to Flagstaff by lunch, and had a fantastic time with John Tompkins and his buddy, Scott, at the Mountain Oasis Cafe. Damn good food! After, we went to a toy store and I bought a magnet and some pop-rocks!

On the drive to Vegas, I drove Route 66, stopping to take photos. The sun set pretty early, and I wasn’t ready to lose the light. Sadly, I didn’t even make it to Kingman before I was seeing only a sky full of stars. It was pretty, but it meant no more photos.

I drove over the Hoover Dam and got to Vegas around 9pm. Jason Unger & I went to Remedy’s for dinner, then got some ice cream and watched Management (a movie with Jennifer Aniston). We both really liked it!

Sat, Oct 10th – Woke up early and went to Dunkin’ Donuts for some coffee, bagel and veggie cream-cheese, and donuts (for the party). I drove home on the 15 and took a nap at a rest stop on the way. I got home around 5pm and John helped me bring up some stuff from the car. After he left, I took a nap, then picked up Evaun for the final party at the Palace.

Upon arrival, I sat with Violet and Greg to watch the end of Big Trouble in Little China. Hilarious! I haven’t seen that movie in years! Then, I went inside and joined John, Jenni, Evaun, and Violet for some Mario Kart Wii, then Rock Band. Kyle showed up during the last round of Kart. He and Violet played some pool, then we went outside to watch Snakes on a Plane on the crazy big screen set up on the lawn.

Barely made it through 3/4 of the movie and was ready to go home and pass out. I took Evaun & Matt home first.

Sun, Oct 11th – Woke up at 2pm or so. Kyle & I went to lunch at Foxy’s, then I came home to unpack from my trip and relax for a bit. It’s been a lazy day. Megan & Maria may come over for a movie. I’m waiting to hear from them now. 🙂

Tags: alcohol, d'lish, doe mountain, flagstaff, foxy's, las vegas, mario kart, palace, rock band, route 66, sedona, snakes on a plane, tattoo, valknut

Oct 08 2009

I’m Happy Here

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I love Sedona! It’s so beautiful and majestic! I really don’t want to leave, but I know that I have a great life back home in LA. And, I do love LA very very much! I know that, one day, I will be back here. I hope, when I am much older, that I’ll live here!

Monday, Oct 5th – Slept in, had cereal, headed out to take pictures, ended up climbing 1/2 way up Bell Rock. I would have gone much higher, but I didn’t have my hiking boots on. I found myself up on a spire and spent about 1/2 an hour resting and thinking. It was really awesome!

After leaving Bell Rock, I started driving around aimlessly… well, I was looking for javelina. I ended up driving up Church Road and decided to take some pictures of the Church of the Rock. It is a very pretty church on the edge of a rock / cliff. When I got there, service was about to start; so, I decided to stay and see what it was like. I was very happy to learn that this was not a very preachy church at all. In fact, the entire service was singing and a few short readings. It lasted 30 minutes. People wandered in wearing shorts and tank tops from hiking Sedona.

After leaving, I was starving and drove across town to have lunch at D’lish. They were out of seitan, so I had a grilled port-mushroom sandwich. It was soooooo freakin’ good! I was so happy! Upon leaving D’lish, I decided to stop by the crystal shop to see if Judee Hallee had time for a reading.

I met Judee on Sunday and connected with her right away. I decided that I must have a reading from her. She & I chatted for about 15 minutes before we started, then she pulled out the Voyager Tarot deck! That’s the very same deck my mom gave me in high school! I was so excited to see her using that deck. She pulled some really interesting cards… I won’t go into my reading here, but it was fascinating and very accurate.

She said things that blew me away… one thing in particular that really opened my eyes was at the end of the reading. She was putting the cards away, and out of nowhere, said to me, “when you are ready, that baby boy you are holding will be ready for you.” Holy crap! That’s the exact thing my mom said to me during my Reiki attunement (meditation) when I was 17. My mom had handed me a baby boy and said he will be waiting for me and that no miscarriage or abortion would ever hurt him. He is a spirit and will wait til I am ready… and that all spirits wait until a birth will be permanent before attaching to the body. After that attunement, my Reiki Master, Lynn, walked by me as I was gathering my things to leave, and did a double take. She gasped and said she saw a baby boy in my arms. This was 1995. It is 2009 now and this woman, Judee, saw the very same thing. Wow!

There were many other amazing things about the reading that I need to reflect on, and I am soooo happy I went to see her. I feel alive and excited about my life. I feel like I know who I am and that I will learn new things about me as I grow and change, but I will always be AWARE!

After the reading, I drove around a bit and took pictures. Then, headed back to the timeshare. Around 12:30am, Kyle & Aaron showed up. They were visiting a friend in Phoenix and then decided to stop by for a day on their way back to LA.

We stayed up til about 3am hanging out and chatting.

Tuesday, Oct 6th – In the late morning, we got our butts up and went on a hike… Cathedral Rock! It was a beautiful day, and we had a fantastic time climbing and hanging out on the mountain. Aaron and I had to stop a lot, but pushed ourselves to keep up with Kyle as best as we could. Kyle was kind enough to wait for us. I need to get in shape!

After Cathedral Rock, we drove to Jerome via 89A through Cottonwood. The shops were starting to close, but we managed to go for wine tasting at Maynard’s Caduceus Winery Shop. We also wandered into his branded Puscifer store. I had lost a ring the last time I was in Jerome, that I had purchased just an hour earlier! So, I went back to that same store to get a new one. They were out of rings my size (3.25 pinky) so I custom ordered one. 🙂

We left Jerome around 5:40pm and drove back to the timeshare via Cornville. Sadly, I passed a dead javelina on the drive back. I have always wanted to see one… but dead was not the way I wanted to see it!

Back at the timeshare, we got ready to meet up with Kyle’s great aunt for dinner. We met her at the Oak Creek Brewery. Damn good food! Kyle’s aunt, Barbara, is amazing! She’s a reiki master and a very spiritual / non-religious writer. She’s publishing a book next Spring, and I can’t wait to read it. She’s a fascinating woman and a really brilliant spirit! I just loved her immediately!

After dinner, Aaron, Kyle & I managed to get ourselves pretty toasted. We were taking shots of vodka (they had jager too). Kyle & I drunkenly decided we could turn the jacuzzi into a party tub with the three of us in bathing suits, having drinks and chillin’, but it was way too freakin’ hot!… totally not like the Palace (where I normally hang out for hot tubbing with friends) – that hot tub is OUTSIDE with cool breezes flowing by! The bathroom… not so brilliant of a place for a hot tub! We quickly realized this was a total fail and got the hell out, not before making a complete bubble disaster!

We then chilled in the living room watching videos on youtube and random stuff on TV. I think we finally passed out around 3:30am or so.

Wednesday, Oct 7th – I finally woke up around 1pm. Everyone else was awake already. I probably could have slept longer, but the day was a wastin’

We went to the Wildflower Bread Company for breakfast / lunch. My food was great. Theirs gave them each a slight bout of vomitous food poisoning. I think it was the chicken!

After lunch, we headed over to Red Rock Crossing and relaxed there for a short bit before they had to get back and pack up. They were headed back to LA tonight because Kyle has to work at 11am tomorrow.

After they left, I drove up to Uptown Sedona and wandered around in my sandals in 65 degree weather. It was nice though. I talked to a few shop owners and enjoyed being under the stars. At around 8pm, I headed back to the timeshare for dinner and started editing photos. I am uploading them to Facebook now.

Tomorrow, I am planning on hiking a bit, then doing some more photography at Red Rock Crossing. 🙂

Tags: alcohol, barbara mayer, bell rock, cathedral rock, hot tub, judee hallee, oak creek brewery, red rock crossing, sedona, tarot, uptown sedona, wildflower bread company

Oct 04 2009

Crystals & Capitalism

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I slept til about 10:30am today, then got on the computer to do research about my week ahead. I found some places to visit / photograph and some great hikes to try out. Then, I relaxed a bit as the wind and rain kicked up.

Around 2pm, I headed out to Crystal Magic, my favorite store in Sedona. It’s one of the furthest from my timeshare, but totally worth the drive! I got some great stones and enjoyed chatting with the woman behind the counter about my Valknut pendant I wear.

After, I went to another crystal shop and enjoyed talking to the brilliant ladies who worked there! I think I may go back there for a reading. I really connected with the energy of the store and the ladies working there.

Once I left there, I visited two other crystal shops before heading to see Capitalism: A Love Story (By Michael Moore). It was just as good as his other movies, and very well put together. I left feeling inspired and enraged. It is terribly disturbing how corrupt and greedy politicians and corporations can be! I feel like there is very little honesty and integrity left in this world, and it’s sad to watch it all fall apart before our eyes.

After the movie, I went to the Full Moon Saloon to have some veggie pizza and do some karaoke! I also had two madres’ and a slice of cheesecake (yum)! I sang Skid Row’s 18 & Life, RHCP’s Otherside, Alice Cooper’s Ballad of Dwight Fry, and Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity.

After that, I attempted to do some night photography, but my flashlight battery died and I certainly wasn’t dressed warm enough for the wind. I came back to the condo to chill before bed… which I am heading to in just a few minutes!

Tags: capitalism, crystal, full moon saloon, karaoke, metaphysical, politics, sedona

Oct 03 2009

The Great Southwest

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I am on my very first vacation ALONE! This is the first time in my life I drove to another state by myself and am planning on spending the majority of the week with only my imagine to keep me company. It’s not as scary or sad as I thought it would be. I am actually in a great mood and looking forward to every moment I get to spend in this beautiful part of the country!

Okay, recap…

Monday, Sept 28th – Worked, napped, then headed into Hollywood to go bowling. I didn’t bowl as great as the week prior, but still had a great time. Kyle & Branden were there when I got there, and Scharff, Chris, Bobby & Laury joined us.

After bowling, I went into the karaoke room and sang “Buffalo Stance” by Nenah Cherry, “Elephant Love Song Medley” from Moulin Rouge (with Eric), and “Hungry Strike” by Temple of the Dog (with Eric). It was a great karaoke night for me! I think I stayed mostly on key. Haha

After that, Scharff went home and I met up with Kyle at Koji’s. There was a party going on, and the place was full of people I didn’t know. So, after one really awesome drink (Lotus Blossom with Pineapple Juice), Kyle & I left to hang out at his place for a bit.

Tuesday, Sept 29th – Worked, then made red velvet cupcakes for Josef’s birthday Trivia. Two new girls were at trivia, and I invited them to join our team. They were sisters. One lives here and one in Seattle area. We had a great night, but didn’t place. Oh well. Still, lots of fun!

Wednesday, Sept 30th – Worked, edited a wedding, then Violet, Jason, Kyle & I went up to the Palace to hang out. We enjoyed the hot tub, s’mores, and the Simpsons. Really nice, relaxing night!

Thursday, Oct 1st – Worked a little, ran some errands, met up with Lyse at the NoHo station, went to the Gibson Amp to see Pearl Jam! It was a fantastic show! They had such a perfect set!!! I loved every minute of it. We had great seats too!

After the show, Lyse & I went to the NoHo diner to have a late night meal. I then went home, edited a wedding, and passed out.

Friday, Oct 2nd – Shot a wedding at the Japanese Gardens at Brand Library, went to lunch with my friend Suzanne (2nd shooter), then home to pack. I had a severe allergy attack, but pushed on and got myself out the door by 5pm.

The sun set over Irwindale, and I didn’t get to see any of the road side attractions on Route 66 sadly. I stopped in Barstow to have dinner at Del Taco, then drove straight through to Seligman, AZ. On the way there, I saw a meteorite come flying into our atmosphere. At first, I thought it was a planet (it was a red dot in the sky), then I thought it was an airplane because it was moving, then I knew it was a meteor because it was shooting across the sky very fast, then it seemed to be heading straight for I-40! I was a bit freaked out, but also excited. It broke up in the air, about 100 feet up maybe? It was bright red / orange, and probably fell to earth on the north side of the freeway. It was too dark to go hunting for the pieces, but I may try to locate it when I head back to LA.

I arrived at the Historic Route 66 Hotel around 12:15am. I can certainly see how these little towns on Route 66 disappeared with the construction of I-40. There was no way to see Seligman from the 40, and it really is a great little town!

I passed out around 2am or so, then woke up at 5am or so for no reason. I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I got up to brush my teeth and wander around my room. It was pitch black. The moonlight was trying to seep in, but the curtains were thick. When I got back in bed and pulled the sheets up, I saw lights… sparks! I then rubbed my hand across the sheets again and created lots of little sparks of light. It was fascinating, but I was too tired to get my video camera and record it. They went away after a few seconds, and then I passed out til 10am.

Saturday, Oct 3rd – Talked to the hotel manager, Vicky, for a bit. She knew exactly who I was before I even said hi. These are very friendly people!

I had a pancake next door at the Roadkill Cafe, then wandered around town taking pictures. This amazing woman, Maryann, at the “Return to the 50s” shop, gave me my shot glass and two post cards for free. I didn’t have cash, but was going to pay with a card. She told me to just be safe and have fun. Wow, I love these people!

On the way down to Sedona, I drove along Route 66 and 40 to Flagstaff. I passed a wildfire on the way. It was so smokey that it was tough to breathe, even with the internal circulation set on my car’s A/C!

Once in Flagstaff, I stopped for lunch at Taco Bell. I then drove down through the forest by Lake Mary to the town of Happy Jack. There was NOTHING there but a ranger’s station. I then drove across this dirt road (no cell service) to 17, then got into Sedona just before sunset.

I checked in, brought my stuff in, then passed out!

When I got up, I went to the grocery store and bought food for the week. I got there just in time. The store closed at 9pm!

Once back, I started editing some photos and am watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’ll probably go to bed by 1am. Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow, but I am thinking it will be a crystal shopping day. I may also try to photograph Oak Creek at Sunset. We’ll see!

Tags: arizona, bowling, flagstaff, meteorite, palace, pearl jam, route 66, sedona, seligman

Sep 28 2009

I Know You Well, You Are a Part of Me, I Know You Better Than I Know Myself…

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Sometimes I feel like I am two different people. One is very stable, intelligent, happy, proactive, productive, optimistic, energetic, a solid leader, a great influence, a wonderful friend, and a strong woman. The other is somewhat flustered, confused, lonely, depressed, a lousy friend, exhausted, worn out mentally, falling apart at the seams, and unmotivated. How can these two people both exist in me? They take turns, sometimes by week, sometimes by hour. It’s not like I am out of control, but I am just recognizing that these two different people are indeed part of me… and as real as one another. This doesn’t upset me. It’s just odd.

Anyhow, onto the recap…

Monday, Sept 21st – Worked, met up with Kyle at Jamba Juice, picked up Laury, went bowling.

Tuesday, Sept 22nd – Worked, baked home-made (from scratch) chocolate chip marshmallow brownies, went to trivia, celebrated Sarah’s birthday! Great food, great treats, great fun! My team placed and we each got about $3.

Wednesday, Sept 23rd – Worked, edited photos, had Thai food with Gigi, hung out with Kyle.

Thursday, Sept 24th – John came by to play with the cats and bring over some litter, then I worked, took an evening nap, then headed to Koji’s to hang out with Violet, Jason, Kyle, and Bobby. Bobby was quite drunk, so I took him home… he can tell you the story of his drunken adventures. Just note that he will never drink 3 different whiskeys and eat only soup for dinner ever again. He was quite entertaining to Josef & I as we put him to bed.

Friday, Sept 25th – Took Bobby to Hollywood & Highland to get his car, then headed into Tarzana to work from the office. Little did I know it was a crazy day there, full of wires, conference table move-ins, and Internet down-time. Went to lunch with the Hexcorp team, then worked a little before heading home via Ventura Blvd to visit sign shops for research (for work). We need a great trade-show sign!

Once home, I passed out! I just couldn’t function after an hour and a half drive in 100+ degree heat. I had A/C on, but the sun was still beating down into the car. I woke up at 8pm, texted Violet that I wasn’t going to make it out to Jason’s party, then passed back out til almost 11pm, when Kyle came over. We watched reruns of That 70s Show for a few hours.

Saturday, Sept 26th – Slept in, then headed to the Towers to hang out with Susan, Emmett & Greg. Susan & I went to lunch at the Good Earth on Ventura, then back to the apt to watch Animal Planet with Emmett & Greg. I spent a few hours there relaxing and hanging out.

At night, I met up with Josef for dinner, then went back to his and Bobby’s place for a kick-ass party! So many people were there that seats were in high demand! I had a great time!

Once home, I spent some time in bed crying about random things that I won’t go into online. Just stuff / activities / connections from my past that I miss, mostly… very unexpected and out of the blue. Thanks, Evaun, for helping me through!

Sunday, Sept 27th – Slept til noon. Lyse called and woke me up wondering when I was coming to Cat Genie to meet her for lunch. I got ready, picked up Laury, and off we went. We played with kitties for a bit, then went to the Italian Faire on Selma for an hour for lunch. I had ravioli and an empanada. Yum!

Once back at Cat Genie, I played with kitties for some more and fell in love with this little orange kitty named Kimberly. She was so tiny, soft, and sweet! I really would love to adopt her, but I know it’s not a good time for me to be adding to the family.

Laury & I then went up to Koji’s for a cool, calm place for me to teach him photography. Jay was there. I gave him Lyse’s bracelet for the Italian Faire and requested he pick up a Cannoli for Lyse!

Laury got the basics of SLR photography down, then we went for a walk on Hollywood Blvd to photograph the weird wanna-be superheros that lurked about the area.

After that, Laury, & I met back up at Cat Genie and Jay showed up with a Cannoli shortly after. I played with kitties some more! Then, Laury, Jay, & I went up to Koji’s for a bit before heading to Improv Olympic for Lyse’s show. We walked, and it was really nice out by then. Great show overall… 🙂

For dinner, Laury & I went to Koji’s (my 2nd home at this point) and I had garden rolls while he had shabu shabu. I got to have his veggies though! After dinner, I took him home and fed the cats.

After the cats ate, I headed up to the Palace to watch Final Destination and have ice cream with Dorwart and Scharff. We had all seen it, but needed a good laugh! Before heading home, I showed them some pix of Sedona in hopes it would entice them to join me on my journey next weekend. I hope it works! They seem really intrigued!

Now I am home with Sandy on my lap. I am going to head to bed now. Night world!

Tags: bar trivia, birthday, bowling, brownies, cat genie, final destination, improv, improv olympic, io west, kitties, koji's, lucky strike, springbok

Sep 24 2009

A New Hope

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I’m so ready for Star Wars: A New Hope to be made into a musical. I would definitely like to see my sister play Princess Leah!

I’m sitting here with two stripey cats – one on each side of me, exporting a wedding from Lightroom and watching Star Wars. Yes, I love this movie!

Okay, recap…

Monday, Sept 14th – See former post.

Tuesday, Sept 15th – Worked on getting some trade show material quotations and did research for Lola Felli. At night, I went to Bar Trivia. My team did pretty lousy, but it is always a great time!

Wednesday, Sept 16th – More research, blog planning, and trade show budgeting for Lola Felli during the day. At night, I met up with my new friend Matt for pie at House of Pies, then I went home to edit photos before bed.

Thursday, Sept 17th – Had dinner with Kyle at Pink Pepper (such a great restaurant… best Thai food in LA), then we met up with Carole & Kelcey at the Knitting Factory to see Apoptygma Berzerk. What a freakin’ fantastic show! It was hot as hell in the club, but the music was sooo good I didn’t mind!

After, Kelcey, Carole & I went to the 101 Cafe. Mmmm… waffles!

Friday, Sept 18th – Picked up my friend (from middle school), Jason, in Marina Del Rey to roam around for the day. We went to lunch at the Tudor House and had some great chats with nearby patrons who are regulars to the Tea Room.

After lunch, we went for a drink at Barney’s Beanery. They have amazing bar stools that lean back!

Once Jason finished his post-lunch meal, we headed down to Point Vicente to pet star fish. We ended up only finding Abalone and Sea Anemones… the tide was rising, so we couldn’t get to the star fish at the tide pools further out.

On the way back to drop him off, we stopped at Skinny Minny’s Frozen Yogurt for a snack (to satisfy his tape worm.. haha). It was a great little place! We had such a fun day!!! I dropped him off by 7pm, and headed back to Glendale via surface streets – eeek! That took over an hour!

Once home, I fed the cats, then went to the AMC 16 to meet up with Josh, Jul, Shock, Scharff, Violet, Jason, Greg, Derek, and others to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Holy crap, wow! That was a trip and a half! I laughed so hard and still maintained a state of shock throughout most of the movie. It was truly great, especially in 3D. Once out of the theater, it took quite some time for me to come down from the alluring madness that I suggested drinks at Fantasia – stat!

I had a Kettle1 Madres (of course) and then played some pool. Bobby joined us! I met two new friends: Kathryn & Brendan. We closed down the pool hall… what a fun day!!!

Saturday, Sept 19th – Went to Costco and Michael’s Crafts with Josef, then went up to the Palace to go swimming. Dorwart’s friend brought his puppy, Otis, over and we had fun playing with him in the pool.

After leaving the Palace, I went to NoHo to pick up Adrienne and meet up with Josef, Scharff, & Dorwart at the Four & Twenty for pie. Then, we went over to the Century 8 to meet up with Eamon and Marcos to see 9. I liked it overall, but it was more visually fun than anything else. The story seemed to show that if you allow a new friend into the group, shit will get fucked up! 😉

After the movie, Josef & I went back to my place to feed and play with the cats before heading into Hollywood for karaoke & fun at Koji’s. Sang Toad’s Good Intentions and Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity. Jason & I tried Offspring’s Defy You (fail) and Violet & I tried Daniel Beddingfield’s Gotta Get Through This (fail again). Still, had an amazing night hanging out with her, Jason, Josef, Kyle, Adrienne, Bobby, Scharff, Marcos, Lyse (briefly), Ryan, Zillah, Sophia, Robert, Holly, and others!

I went home, checked email, charged camera batteries, and passed out.

Sunday, Sept 20th – Woke up at 8:30am, and got ready to head to Venice Beach. Met up with Marcos and other photogs to enjoy a day on the Venice Walk, photographing the local culture. It was great fun, and the weather was perfect!

On the way home, I met up with Violet for some frozen yogurt and catching up… not like we don’t talk daily! 😉

Once home, I passed out almost instantly! I was sooooo tired. I slept for a few hours, and then got up to feed the kitties. Been editing photos ever since (wedding from 8/22). Sandy & Aurora have spent the evening with me. They are so cute!

While editing, I watched the Emmy’s: I love Neil Patrick Harris, and the Dr. Horrible bit was hilarious! After, put on Dirty Dancing and Star Wars (flipped between both).

Tags: 9, bowling, cats, dr. horrible, emmy's, four and twenty, frozen yogurt, karaoke, koji's, movie, patrick swayze, pie

Sep 15 2009

I Am Aware Now How Everything’s Gonna Be Fine…Again

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It was a very strange day…

Went into work at 11am, did lots of research; then, out of the blue, my computer threw a “boot disk” error! I went home to finish working for a bit.

At 8:30pm, I went into Hollywood. I started walking West on Hollywood Blvd and crossed Orange, where lots of cops were hanging out. I got to the other side and looked back in their direction as an ambulance pulled up. I had walked right by a dead man on the ground and didn’t even realize it. Who was he? Why was he laying about right there? Was he homeless? I was kinda freaked out.

Then, I walked over to Patrick Swayze’s star on the walk of fame to say good-bye. I sat down in front of it and just remembered him, my mom and sister’s love for him, thought about his family, his battle with cancer, and the inspiration he was in every aspect of his life. I started to cry…

On my way back to Hollywood & Highland, two different news crews stopped me to talk to me about my reaction and emotion. I told them about my home in Lake Lure, NC that we had growing up and how Dirty Dancing was filmed in that little town. I talked about my mom, my sister, life and more. He was truly an amazing man – actor, signer, dancer, husband, pet owner, cancer awareness advocate, and much more! What an inspiration!

Once back at H&H, I ran into a crazy bit of madness… Kelly Clarkson was doing a live, free show. There were tons of fans around, but I made it around the back to Lucky Strike for bowling and hanging with good friends. For karaoke, I sang Seether’s Fine Again, Snow Patrol’s Run, and Goo Goo Doll’s Here is Gone.

After bowling, I went back to Kyle’s place with him to play Bag-O and hang out. We chatted til almost 4am, then I drove home listening to Queensryche’s Anybody Listening (I played it 2.5 times straight). It reminded me of my mom… I started to think of her, my life, the world… I cried most of the way home.

Now, it’s 5am and I’m not tired. I’m gonna go to bed though…. working at 11am and have lots of research and budget planning to do for Lola Felli! Night my friends!

Tags: bowling, cancer, death, hollywood & highland, kelly clarkson, life, lucky strike, patrick swayze

Sep 13 2009

Best Camp-Out Ever!!!

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This weekend was the 5th Annual Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven Camp-Out in Pioneertown, CA! I had the best time ever – great friends, great music, great atmosphere, and great memories!

This past week was pretty damn incredible overall… here’s the recap:

Monday, Sept 7th – Worked with Zander & Michael on designs and styles for our initial launch. At night, I met up with Jason & Violet at Koji’s for dinner before heading to Lucky Strike for some bowling. Violet came in 1st during our 1st came of the night. I came in 2nd. Pretty awesome night! Pix up on Facebook.

Tuesday, Sept 8th – Trivia bowl! My team “Squid, Inc.” came in 2nd!

Wednesday, Sept 9th – Worked from home (research, bridal show registration, 877 set up, etc.). At night, I hung out with Dorwart, Scharff, & Katie at the Palace. We played Rock Band. I got 100% singing STP’s Vasoline!

Thursday, Sept 10th – Hung out with Scharff & Katie. We went to the Americana for crepes and walked around Glendale.

At night, I met up with fellow Crumbs for the Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven show at the El Rey. I had dinner with Sal, Frank, Johnny, Hans, Valena, David, Linnaea, & Greg at this great little Thai place next door. Great samosas!!!

The show was incredible… afterward, I took Vicky & Tippy back to their hotel and headed home to pack. It was such a great night!

Friday, Sept 11th – Marcos got to my place around 11am and helped motivate me to pack. He played with Gracie while I finished up. We drove to Billy’s Deli for breakfast and I spilled cream cheese on my lap. Oops!

Once in Pioneertown, we set up our tents and ran out to get food and supplies. We ran into Missy on the way back. We all gathered at Spike & Mona’s for a bit, where I ended up getting a little too buzzed, then went up to the Pioneertown Motel to hang out for a bit. After taking a group photo, we went inside to get our passes and listen to some great music!

After the sets ended inside, I headed to Porchstock to watch McCabe & Mrs. Miller play, followed by Gary, Phil & Ryan, followed by Johnny & Chris (and everyone with an instrument – Chilleye and others). Morst did an incredible bit during the Costco song!

Violet & Jason arrived during Porchstock. Great times!!! After, we stared at the stars for a while before passing out around 4:15am to the sound of yodeling.

Saturday, Sept 12th – Woke up around 8am and got a shower in room 13 (thank you Lee, Rosemary & Mungo)! I sliced my knuckle up with my razor on accident and it bled like mad for about 5 minutes. Eeeek! Thank you, Chilleye for the band-aid! Marcos, Violet, Jason, Missy, Lee & I went into town for breakfast at John’s Place Cafe, then headed back to Pi-Town to hang out. Marcos & I wandered around taking photos, then joined up with Violet & Jason for the wild west gun show. Got some more pix, then headed back for the group photo.

After the photo, we went to the band signing, then had dinner. I LOVE Pappy & Harriet’s cheese fries! I want some right now! We then went inside to see Monks of Doom and Cracker. AMAZING!!! After the show, the superlatives were given out. I won an award – Most Spirited Crumb!!!!!! I am so excited about this! Thank you, my dear Crumbs! I love you all!

Once the show was over, we hung out with Zillah & Ryan for a bit. Zillah & I had our eye on this super cute merch boy. We finally decided to tell him we thought he was cute so we could take a photo with him! He’s known, apparently, as Little Jesus. 😉

Inside, we watched more bands play – incredible sets, then went to look at the stars by our tents for a bit. Violet, Jason, Marcos & I went back to the motel to listen to some music for a bit, then back to look at more stars before passing out sometime after 3am.

Sunday, Sept 13th – Woke up at 9:10am with a great breeze outside! Got a shower in room 13 (thanks again), then after everyone got showers and packed up, we said some “see you laters” and got some breakfast at the Water Canyon Cafe before heading to Lo-Fi in Loma Linda.

Lo-Fi was really fantastic! I got some cds and enjoyed spending a few final hours of the camp-out weekend with amazing music and people! At 5pm, Lee, Marcos & I got back to Glendale and relaxed for a bit. Then, Marcos took Lee to LAX and I reconnected with my online world…

What a freakin’ fastastic week!!!! To all my crumbs, I can’t even say how grateful I am to know you and to have spent this weekend with you! It was the time of my life, and I miss you all so much already! I consider you family, and I look forward to our next reunion!

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Sep 08 2009

Monday Nights

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Monday nights are always fun for me!

Tonight, I met up with Violet & Jason at Koji’s for sushi, then we went down to Lucky Strike for bowling and karaoke. I didn’t do so well in either (tonight); but, I had a great night regardless thanks to Violet, Jason, Bobby, Laury, Kyle, Nick, KC, Elysia, Eric, & Cristofer!

Violet has pix and will probably post them on Facebook soon. Looking forward to the Bar Trivia Bowl at Springbok tomorrow night! 🙂

Tags: bowling, karaoke, monday

Sep 07 2009

Can I Have 5 More Hours a Day Please?

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Monday – Aug 30th: Finished editing Mike & Brooke’s photos, mailed some CDs to clients, took Gigi food shopping, had Saag Paneer with Gigi & Josef. Josef & I watched Tombstone. It was really great!

Tuesday – Sept 1st: Spent the day meeting with the Lola Felli team and worked out a part time commitment to help launch the company as their Project Director. I will go full time after launch! I really love this company and our products. I can’t wait til our first tradeshow!

Later that night, I went to bar trivia. Our team lost, but we had a great time anyhow!

Wednesday – Sept 2nd: Ran some errands, edited photos, went to a focus group in Beverly Hills, then went for ice cream sandwiches at Didi Riese with Violet. See pix on FB.

Thursday – Sept 3rd: First day of work! Zander & I strategized our launch, created a task list, and worked on some creative planning. I can’t even remember what I did after work.

Friday – Sept 4th: Had a great day at work, then went with co-workers to see Gamer at the Arclight Sherman Oaks. It was really good, but had some plot holes near the end. Fun overall. After that, I got myself a 2TB drive and formatted it.

I spent the evening editing photos, playing on FB, and chatting with Derek & Matthew on Twitter Cam Chat.

Saturday – Sept 5th: Picked up my car at the body shop, clipped the cats nails and watched John wear out Gracie with the feather on a stick. I edited some photos, then picked up Adrienne to head into Hollywood. We met up with Ricki, Erik, Mick, Josef, Ryan, Bobby, Laury, Violet & Jason at the Arclight Hollywood to see Extract. It was hilarious!!!

After the movie, we all went to Koji’s to have some drinks and sing karaoke! My friends Cristofer, Allison, & Derek met us there. Kyle hung out with us after he got off work. I started the night with Skid Row’s 18 & Life, then later sang Tears for Fears’ Head Over Heals (with Bobby), Offspring’s The Kids Are Alright (with Jason) and Metallica’s Sad But True (with Violet, Ricki, Kyle, Holly, Ryan, Jason, Josef, and whoever else was standing around). It was truly sad! See this travesty on Facebook!

After Koji’s, we met up with Matthew at Mel’s Diner. I was quite drunk and silly for most of the night.

It was super fun! Unfortunately, I was unable to drive home, so Bobby took Adrienne & I home. I left my leftovers in his car too! 🙁

Sunday – Sept 6th: Slept til 1pm, had breakfast, edited photos, got a shower, then Bobby took me to get my car at Hollywood & Highland. I swung by Cat Genie to say hi to Lyse (who was working). I then went to Marina Del Rey to perform a wedding. I ended up staying for the reception and met some great people! It was a fun night!

Once home, I edited photos and talked to Violet for a bit before heading to bed.

Monday – Sept 7th: Labor Day for some, work day for me… but I was totally alright with this. Zander leaves town on Wednesday, so I wanted some facetime to strategize while possible. Our co-worker, Michael, was also around, so we finalized some tasks today. Tonight, I am heading to Koji’s for some sushi, then to Lucky Strike for bowling. 🙂

I have soooo much editing to do, and I need to bake cookies tomorrow. I need more hours in my day!

Tags: hard drive, karaoke, officiating, photography, wedding, work

Sep 02 2009

Welcome September!

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I am happy it’s a new month and that this summer is almost over! I am tired of the heat and the hard times. I am ready for a new life and that’s what the autumn brings me… it’s my time of renewal and energy!

Today, I spent the day meeting with the CEO, Art Director and Project Manager of the company I am joining. I will be their Project Director, and start (part time) on Thursday! I will go full time when we start producing income, or around “launch time.” I am very excited about this and will share more info soon.

In the evening, I picked up Evaun, Shock, Damen & Julia to go to Bar Trivia. Our team didn’t place at all, but I still had a really fun night hanging out with great people and meeting new friends!

In not so great (but temporary) news, the fires are still not out and the air quality is getting worse. My eyes and throat hurt, and I really hope no more homes or lives are lost.

On Sept 10th I’m seeing Cracker at the El Rey, on the 11th, I am going to Pioneertown for the 5th (and sadly, final) Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven Camp-Out. I am sooooo looking forward to that weekend!

For now, I’m off to bed to cuddle kitties. Night!

Tags: camper van beethoven, cracker, fire, job, trivia

Aug 31 2009

Karoake, Magic, Project Pitchfork, Psych, the Palace & Fire!

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Another week flew by, and a million things took place – as seems to be the standard schedule this summer.

Monday, Aug 24 – Bowling & Karaoke with Elysia, KC, Nick, Laury, Chris, Ryan, Violet, Jay, Lucy, Branden, Lonni & Eric.

Tuesday, Aug 25 – Went to the Magic Castle and saw 3 magic shows. My friend Micah invited me. There was a seance, then a mind reader, then Micah’s poetic show of Lenore. I had a really great time!

Wednesday, Aug 26 – Saw Project Pitchfork with Carole & Kelcey. What a freakin’ phenomenal show! I loved watching and listening to them!!! Peter (lead singer) is beautiful, and his smile makes me very happy.

Thursday, Aug 27 – Met with two potential clients, then watched Psych with Megan and Maria. I love this show!

Friday, Aug 28 – New dishwasher arrived, Erica was in town and came over, bought and installed a new printer, went to the Palace (pool, hot tub, Sims 3, Marx Bros), and then home.

Saturday, Aug 29 – Lunch with Juliana at Good Earth, took some pictures of the smoke billowing from the Station fire in La Canada, performed a wedding at the LA Arboretum at 5:30pm, went to Air Hockey at Elysia’s, then saw “The Room” at the Sunset Laemle at midnight with Emmett, Jenni, Stuart, Eamon, Adam, Celeste, Greg, Evaun, Violet, & Josef. We went to Canter’s after.

Sunday, Aug 30 – Slept til 1:45pm and woke to Aurora biting my fingers. Stayed in PJ’s most of the day as I cleaned the apartment and added photos to my site and Facebook. Got a shower and went to the Palace for Mr. & Mrs. Smith at 8:15pm (I really liked it)! Came home, fed the cats, and am now watching Titan A.E. for the millionth time. I love Cale!

Tags: air hockey, fire, glendale, good earth, magic castle, psych, smoke, station fire

Aug 27 2009

Porn Stars, Bowling, & Guns.. Oh My!

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