Last days

I leave Monday for L.A. I'm anxious to get back. I miss Matt and I miss my kitties and my friends. But I have gotten to see a few friends up here which has been nice. I got to see Ed yesterday. We went to the Redmond Town Center and had a delicious Thai lunch. We talked about everything under the sun including psychology, the Dead Gentlemen, and career goals. It was fun.

This weekend I'm not sure what's happnening. As I've said before it's hard to make secure plans because Mom's health is in flux. She's really tired, and today, out of the blue, she's feeling nauseated. I have really learned to take each day as it comes while I've been here, and to do what needs to be done. I have implemented my "grown up" personality here in Seattle, and I need to take my "grown up lifestyle" back to L.A. I think I can do it. :)

Where everybody knows your name

My parents have a Basenji. It's an african dog that doesn't bark. His name is Johnny and this isn't a picture of him, but it's pretty close. I took him for a walk this morning, like I always do, and at least 2 neighbors approached me asking where my Dad was because they hadn't seen him. They obviously recognize the dog, but had no clue who I was! I thought it was pretty amazing that they all asked about how he was doing and was my Mom okay.

I belong here...

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Eh

I don't want to say too much because I know my dad reads this occasionally (hi Dad!) and I don't want him to think that I'm not enjoying myself here. It's just so much to take in all at once while seeming to maintain control of my emotions. Holding myself together during deep emotional struggles is not my strong suit but somehow I've only shed a few tears. Most days I've just been so tired from working and then helping out around the house that I don't have time to think about everything that's happening. But somehow, today, I just feel drained and sad. Ready to burst into tears. But I don't want to because I don't want them to see me sad and confused and frustrated and upset and angry. They don't need negative things. So what do I do?

I miss Matt. I wish he was here.

On a bright side, Nancy (mom in law) and I went to Macy's while Mom was at her appointment and I got several new clothes including 2 really super cute dresses. I am trying really hard to get out of the college "Oh crap I'm late for class" look.

Even better news is that Mom's tumor marker has gone down from 280 to 70 in just one month! So I guess not everything is terrible. But I haven't really dealt yet with the shock over mom's appearance, and how different things are around here. I guess right now it's just washing all over me and I wish it wasn't. I don't want to deal with it yet. I'm just not ready. I need to stay strong for them and then break apart when I get home.

Stars

Guess who Matt met yesterday?

15 is the magic number

It's a great feeling to walk into the place where you used to work and people immediately say "Oh my gosh, you look great! Did you lose weight? And you look so tan!" Okay, well, I'm tan compared to the Pacific Northwesterners, but it's a great feeling to say "Yup, I lost 15 pounds!" I don't mean to sound totally egotistical, but it was kind of nice being gushed over in that way.

And 15 is the magic number because I only have 15 more to go!

Ohno!

Well, if you don't know who Apolo Ohno is, you should. He's great! And it doesn't hurt that he's quite good looking...HOT is more like it! :)

Seattle Time

Landed last night at 6 and walked in to baggage claim to find a very happy Dad waiting for me! We hugged and caught up on Mom and Katie (who recently pierced her eyebrow, but that's another story). Then I saw Denise, a woman I had met at the Burbank airport, and we exchanged phone nubmers because it turned out we live less than a mile from each other! Super sweet, super nice woman. I'm excited to hang out with her.

Went home and saw a very spunky, but very different mom. For those of you who don't know, she has a walker now, and the radiation made her hair fall out. She's off the steroids now, which means she's much weaker. And did you know that you can have chemo now in pill form? I had no idea. Well, she took it for a week too long so the side effect is that her face is kind of puffy, like a chipmunk. But she looks beautiful and is doing the best she can. I worry about my dad being the constant caregiver, but that's why I'm here, to help give him a little break. It means so much to my family that I'm here for so long and I am happy to help.

What's really special is that my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Terry from Nine Mile Falls (a little town outside of Spokane) are here! Today we headed over to Bainbridge Island for my cousin Zac's graduation party. That also meant I got to see Uncle Gregg and Aunt Diane and their fabulous house and studio. I used to go there a lot as a kid so it brought back so many memories. Zac's brother, my other cousin Gus, was also there and we got to catch up. The weather held out beautifully - sunny and warm (well, warm for Seattle) - everyone was in a good mood - and Mom got a nice nap. I was just so grateful to see everyone. It just wasn't long enough. I don't know what's happening to me as I get older, but family seems to be more and more important to me. And I always want to see more of those I rarely see...but distance makes the heart grow fonder!

We're home now, and Mom is asleep on the couch. Katie is on the computer upstaris, Dad's talkin on the phone to some guy from Finland, and Sharon and Terry are somewhere around here. Tomorrow Sharon and Terry leave to go back home. :( I may take out my mom's beautiful custom made bike for a ride to the locks and then Steph might stop by to say hi after her acting class. Monday I work from home, Tuesday I go into work and have a dental appointment (I just can't find one in L.A. that I like). Probably Tuesday and Wednesday I'm going to cook dinner for the fam. :) And at some point I'll head over to Northgate to visit friends who recently had twins!

I'll stay busy, but I'm really missing Matt, the cats, and the control over my life in L.A. Somehow things get planned for me here, and I just have to learn to let go. I'm not here for me, I am here for them. And that's a good feeling. :)

Forever Cute

I was looking at our cats the other day, and said to Matt "You know, it's a shame they are both fixed. They would have the cutest kittens!" Don't you think so?

How I see myself

Okay, so every time I look in the mirror I see this person with short brown hair, a cute smile, and great skin. I look at the rest of me, and well, I'm kind of urked at the extra baggage. I have decided to attempt to get rid of it, but it's going to be harder than I thought.

What was this brought on by, you ask? I recently saw pictures of myself at a party and was kind of disgusted. I mean, I have an image of myself and that was not how I thought I looked! But to everyone else, I guess that's what they see. And I know I care WAY too much about what people think, but let's be honest, I'm a little chubby and want to not be chubby...if that makes any sense...

How do I see myself? Check out my myspace picture at http://www.myspace.com/divaduo (yes, I got suckered in...over a year ago...)

Note to self - #2:

When playing Scene It with 3 others who happen to go to film school, expect to lose. Poorly.

Note to self:

When you go to the beach, be sure to put suntan lotion all over your back, not just on your shoulders. That way you won't have a weird looking tan or sunburn, and you can still wear tank tops the day after the trip to the beach. This is imporant to remember since you have a friend who is moving to Venice Beach this summer and you will be visiting her often.

Yay for Yoga!

I went this morning with Marie, and man it was rough but I stuck it out and only went to the airconditioned bathroom 3 times! :) I want to continue to go while I'm up North. Does anyone want to go with me?

Seattle - Fremont

Tacoma

Dinner Party!

Tomorrow night. Kimby, Ben, Mary, Elizabeth, and of course, Matt and I will be attending. On the menu:

Appetizer - goat cheese and melba toasts, and whatever Elizabeth decides to bring
Main course - vegetarian cabbage rolls and whatever salad Mary brings
Dessert - rice pudding and sparkling raspberry wine

I am SO excited to do this. I haven't hosted a dinner party in so long, and Matt is looking forward to it too, as Ben and Kimby to go AFI so they'll have all kinds of stuff to talk about. Mary is Ben's wife, and Elizabeth is a very talented actress. I love bringing people together with food and wine. Speaking of wine, Kimby and Mary are both bringing a bottle of wine. Each. The wine will be flowing quite freely. Did I happen to show you our current collection? It's still not full enough. There's empty slots!

My new summer love...

The new Banana Coconut frappuccino at Starbucks. I really need to be careful this summer as I'm trying to lose more weight. And this will not be helpful. Darn you, Starbucks!

Urban hike

Today I spent with Mary, wife of Ben who is another screenwriting fellow at AFI. We had the best time! She is going to Dallas next week to celebrate her nieces quincenera (which is the equivalent of sweet 16) and had to buy a cake topper, a crown, and a few decorations. All of this, of course, needed to be able to fit in her carry-on luggage. What do you know, we found it all in once place! She speaks Spanish, so that was a huge help, especially considering we were in the Latino part of downtown L.A. (3rd and Broadway, in case you are curious). We had lunch, walked all over, and then since we had taken the subway to downtown, we took the bus back to her place, saw her Korea-town apartment, then she drove me back to my place and we chatted for another 1/2 hour or so before she left.

She is an absolute blast. And so sweet, so fun! It is wonderful to have a girlfriend who completely understands what it's like to have a husband in graduate school, in the same program (thank god), and we not only have a lot in common, our husbands have similar interests too. Mary and I will be hanging out again on Sunday when we head to Venice Beach. She and Ben are moving there in July to an apartment one block from the beach. Screw the pools. We'll be visiting them a lot this summer! :)

Nothing Better

There is nothing better than it raining outside, a cup of earl gray tea with cream and sugar, the Gladiator soundtrack playing, working from home, and having a purring kitty on your lap...all at the same time.

Have I told you lately...

...how much I love Trader Joe's?

Parties - #2

Last night. Oy.

We got to the party abou 8:30 but things didn't start hopping until about 10. The band was great - totally dressed the part. The lead guitarist was dressed more like a pirate than an 80's rocker! Lots of people, lots of flowing alchohol, and I smelled some green stuff. Apparently there was also puking, but I was lucky enough to only hear about it in passing.

The best part of the night was when we were getting ready to go. We were out in the yard and noticed that everyone was moving into the house to get ready to leave as well. We were wrong. There was a revival going on, and when I say revival, the entire living room was pretty much wall-to-wall dancing! I think we stayed another hour. It was wonderfully wild. Reminded me of college.

But I'm not in college anymore and I'm feeling it today. Lots of water and a nap will be involved in today's activites. :)

Parties - #1

Last night Matt and I went to the AFI wrap party. Lots of alchohol, karaoke, and interesting people. I chatted for sometime with Mary, who is wife of Ben, and she and I have decided to seriously start a spousal/signifcant other support group for those who are involved with AFI fellows. We are going downtown on Tuesday to do some shopping, and will discuss said group over a beer. :) Mary is fun and lively and I am glad to have her as a friend. This summer we'll be doing some hiking in the "mountains" around here.

Also talked to Hunter, an editing student who worked on one of Matt's projects. Talked to Amin, Jenn, Steve, Curt, and some other people. These people really know how to party! All in all had a great time and would do it again. And here's a new thought: I was the sober one by the time it was ready to go home. Matt deserved a night with his buddies and some beer. He deserves to let loose!

Tonight is another party with people I know better than just "what's your name again?" Celena moved into a house so we'll be heading over there around 9. Live band. Kegger. Mixed drinks. Lots and lots of people!

Today we find out if Matt and Nathan's rewritten thesis script get green-lit (approved) to go forward. Think happy thoughts!

Yar!

Take the quiz:
What Kind of Pirate are Ye? (*Pix*)

The Clever Pirate
Enod Ylecin! You catch on to situations quickly! If you smell trouble you immediatley put your brain to use and figure a way out...whether your in the middle of a thunderstorm or left the scraps at dinner time. You will go far in life because you see it for its possibilities. People admire your advice and trust in your instinct...believe in yourself enough and you can take over the world!

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

Homecoming and perfect jeans

I am coming home for 2 weeks next month! :) I'm so so excited for fresh air and warm weather. It's so hot here and muggy, and it's only May. Ugh. I will be staying primarily with my folks in Seattle doing some work for my dad and helping take care of mom and spending time with Katie. I will also get the chance to spend some time with my awesome in-laws (and when I say awesome, that only begins to describe how wonderful they are!). I also get to celebrate Paige's birthday and see her on stage! I also get to see many friends in a wonderful play! Many of these friends are also in Matt's latest film that will be premiering at GenCon this summer.

Also, some exciting news. There may be a small chance that I will have some permanent work here in L.A. next month after my Seattle trip. One of the receptionists at the post-production facitility may be leaving and I may take her shift since the other receptionist really likes me (it's a two person job). I'm hopeful something will come of it as I am getting rather bored being at home all the time. I could go out, but then I'd spend money and we can't afford that. :( Oh well.

But speaking of spending money, we finally went to Macy's yesterday to spend our lovely Christmas gift certificates! Matt got some new shirts and a new wallet. I splurged on faboo jeans. And when I mean faboo, I mean fabulousness. They are stretch jeans, but because they stretch a full size, you have to get a size lower. So when the saleslady told me this, I kind of panicked. I mean, I have just gotten to the point where I have been able to fit into a 10 wihout the lovehandle phenomenon happening, and then she tells me I have to try on an 8? I laughed, but she said "trust me".

Oh. My. God.

These are the most perfect jeans ever.

I can't remember the last time I bought and could wear, comfortably, jeans in a single digit. It's to the point where I'm ready to buy another pair before they replace it with something that won't fit me.

DKNY is my friend.

Snobb-ywood

It's amazing to me that people can be so "important" when they walk through the front door. Last week I was working at the post-production facitlity and I must have had a dozen or so people walk through the door on their cell phones...well, not really. They had those funny ear mikes in, or the robot-type things hooked onto their ears. Anyway, they are telling me they are here to see a very important person because they themselves are very important. Whatever. And they do this without knowing where they are going, who they are hear to see, and still talking on the phone while receiving their visitors badge and signing in.

I tell you, the more I see of the industry, the more that I personally don't want to be involved. I'll let my husband do it instead. I'll get in the back way when Matt makes it big. Or sorta big. All in all it doesn't matter how much he makes just so long as I get a house. Eventually. Without bugs. And a wine cellar. And a yard. On the water.

Traffic

When we announced that we were moving to L.A., people groaned and said "Oh, you poor things. You'll have to deal with traffic." Well, here's my take on it. I think Seattle/Tacoma traffic is much worse. You only have 4 freeways in the entire Seattle area! 2 that go North/South and 2 that go East/West. You get stuck in traffic. Literally. There are no alternative routes.

Here people know how to drive in traffic. Even when it's very very slow, it's moving. And I will tell you why CA drivers are so agressive. There are a lot of us on the road. And if you're not agressive, you will not get anywhere. Of course, some are more agressive than others, specifically the idiots racing in rush-hour traffic. But I'll let them get in the accidents while I safely and agressively get to my destination. :)

International Movie Weekend

Friday night I saw Water with Kari and Amanda. A sad and yet very inspiring and hopeful film about a young girl who is married at 8 years old and her husband dies shortly after. She is banished to a widow's group home where she gets her head shaved and changes the lives of the other widows. I wasn't quite sure how the movie was but I dreamed about it that night and was still thinking about it yesterday. I would highly reccomend that you see it and then let me know what you think. :)

This morning I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I watched a selection from my netflix DVD collection. The Girl From Paris (Paige, you HAVE TO see this movie if you haven't already) is about a, well, girl from Paris who is sick of city life and goes to work on a farm. I wasn't expecting some of the brutal stuff, like shooting a pig in the head and cows getting their heads chopped off (just a warning in case you're sensitive like me), but all in all a lovely quaint story. Good for when you're feeling ill and have a nice warm cup of tea and a purring cat at your side.

Sick Sick Sick

Thanks to someone in class (also named Matt) who decided to share his lovely cold with all of us, I can share in the pleasure of a sore throat, coughing, sinus pressure, and a lovely runny nose. Combine that with a fever which equals Camille being a delight to be around. :P

Matt has finished his screenplays! Woot! He's also applied for some lovely scholarships and a teaching assistantships which will hopefully come through. One would be nice. I'm not asking for much, just some financial help.

Busy Bee

I've been temping the past few days at a post-production studio eerily close to "the temple of doom". Took me about 10 minutes to get there and home each way. Didn't mind at all - certainly beats the times they send me to Century City. It's only 10 miles away but takes me at least an hour to get there, and that's without traffic. :P Anyway, I met some great people, made a few friends, and don't miss being there 9-7. Luckily there was another receptionist at the same desk. When you sit with someone for 8 hours a day, you get to know them very quickly.

Acting class was hard last night. I'll be honest, it was rough. I didn't do poory, but I sure threw myself a pity party, feeling like I was the worst actress in the world. Jon, another actor in class and a good friend, took me for a walk and talked me through all my woes and then checked in on me this afternoon. Since the temp job let me go early today, we met for coffee at the Bourgeois Pig coffee shop just down the street and had a lovely chat with a mixed berry smoothie. Good times, good drink, and good conversation in the lovely L.A. sunshine. How could it get any better?

I have to go. P.J. is meowing at me to play. Priorities. :)

A slightly weird conversation

So I was a parking attendant this weekend. Not the most glamorous job, but I met some interesting people. Most customers were nice, told me to keep the money and have a drink instead (to which I seriously considered their offer but eventually declined). Some were assholes, and some were just plain weird. For example, take the following conversation:

Car pulls up, grandfatherly man rolls down is window, grandmoterly-type wife is in the passenger seat.

Me: Hello, Welcome to UCLA. It's eight dollars to park.

Man: Hey there! You having fun today!

Me: Yeah, now that the sun is out.

Man: I guess it's even more fun making money, huh?

Me: Uh, yeah. (he hands me cash)

Man: So you're having fun in the sun making money. That's great! I bet you'd have even more fun if you were naked.

Me: Uh, no. (had him change and his parking ticket.)

Man: So, you're not the kinky type?

Me: Uh, no sir. Enjoy the festival.

The highlight was chatting with some very smart and interesting students at UCLA. Some were undeclared majors, one was poli-sci, one was english, and 2 were majoring in auronautical engineering.

I must say the highlight of my 20-hour weekend at UCLA was of course, an interaction with a celebrity. She was sweet, kind, and completely stunning. Have you ever seen "Robin Hood: Men In Tights"? Remember Maid Marian?

Classics

I just love it when I re-discover food. Like the other day, I made grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I can't remember the last time I had one! And yesterday I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, with a tall glass of milk. It tasted like heaven, thanks the the organic strawberry and guava jam Julia brought us from Hawaii.

I am working for my dad now, a few hours a week. Mostly preliminary things right now, but this is a huge opportunity and I'm very excited. There are lots of chances for travel and meeting new people which I'm totally thrilled about. Plus the convienience of working from home. It's great!

I'm temping this weekend at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Tons of authors will be there and I plan on spending my lunch hour perusing the many activities going on. It's doubtful I'll get any autogrpahs, but I sure would love to see Amy Tan.

Out on the Town

Last night Matt and I joined Marshall and Jeremy (2 students from AFI in the writing program) and brought along our friend Jimmy who was visiting from Seattle for an evening of improv theatre. Marshall's friend was performing amongst a group of women who were doing Monty Python sketches. They served free drinks, which is always a bonus in my book, and we laughed the night away. Jeremy headed home afterwards, and we drove Marshall to his car. Then Matt, Jimmy, and I headed back to the apartment and were up till 3am playing games and having political discussions over 2 bottles of wine and wonderful pizza.

Today I slept in until11am which was wonderful. I've spent the afternoon doing nothing and that's been even better. Matt is at a production meet this afternoon which gives me the entire place to myself . That's something I also never complain about. :)

That was interesting...and a little scary...

There was a fire in our parking lot!

I was at the computer and heard this loud crackling noise. It sounded like a barbeque totally out of control. I looked outside and there was a fire starting in the back corner, maybe 5 feet from our car. I ran down to move it and Matt called the fire department. I freaked out as I ran to the car, only to see our landlord moving in with the fire extinguisher. She yelled at me to move to spot number one, which I did, and she ran back and forth three times to re-fill the extinguisher. The fire department showed up within five minutes (I don't mind paying my taxes now) and took care of the mystery smoldering mess on the other side. One of the tenants told me that she thinks there are some people who live outside just on the other side of the fence and maybe that's what started it.

Adrenaline is pumping and Matt and I are off to dinner in about an hour. We have a lovely bottle of wine that will come in very handy. :)

San Diego was a blast. I forgot my digital camera but will be happy to share cute pictures of the adorable baby panda, baby gorilla, and baby giraffe and also share the story of the wildcat we saw get loose while on a walk.

It's been an interesting week so far!

Out and about

Katie flew in yesterday afternoon. This morning we're headed off to San Diego for a few days! This morning we're headed straight to Sea World and then checking in to our hotel. Then tomorrow we're spending the whole day at the San Diego Zoo! I'm so excited to get out of L.A. for a few days and now I have to go because Matt's getting in a tizzy about getting on the road.

I haven't even finished my breakfast yet and Katie's still in her PJ's. Obviously Matt has forgotten that he's traveling with Mesmers.

Celebrity Watch

Living in L.A., the question that always comes up is "Have you ever met/seen celebrities?"

Of course. I live in Hollywood and temp at tv/movie lots. From most recent to first, here's the list of celebrities I've seen (these don't include the one's Matt has seen, I can't remember their names):

1. Today I saw/interacted with Leon Robinson. Stand-offish, probably knew I recognized him. When I asked him his name (I have to get names in order to hand out parking validations), he only gave me his first name and then when I asked for his last name, he seriously hesitated. Whatever. I'm just doing my job, buddy.

2. I was with Beth and Celena at the 101 Cafe when all of the sudden Celena whispered "Look!" It was Sandra Oh. Need I say more? I was completely star struck. She was about a foot away from me and I so desperately wanted to say that I loved her in Sideways. But I played cool. She was with friends and kept her sunglasses on in the restaurant. Really beautiful in person, more stunning than on T.V. which is rare.

3. Alan Ruck at the FOX movie lot. He was coming up the stairs, I was coming out of the elevator and was completely turned around. Now the parking lady very nicely but very quickly told me where to go before I headed into the giant parking complex and handed me a map. So I asked him if he knew where the building was and he said "Well, let's look at our maps." We figured it out, and he wished me well and we went our separate ways. Most famous for his role on "Spin City" and as Cameron in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

4. Kevin Smith. Chasing Amy. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Clerks. If you don't know who I'm talking about, then I feel sorry for you. He's lost quite a bit of weight. I almost didn't recognize him.

5. Famke Janssen. Really skinny in person. Saw her twice on the same day at Runyon Canyon. Seemed snooty but she had a very cute dog looking up at her adoringly and carrying a stick that he obviously wanted her to throw. Famous for her rold in "Goldeneye" and as Jean Gray in the famed "X-Men" movies.

A Cat's Guide

1. Introduction: Why Do We Need Humans?
So you've decided to get yourself a human being. In doing so, you've joined the millions of other cats who have acquired these strange and often frustrating creatures. There will be any number of times, during the course of your association with humans, when you will wonder why you have bothered to grace them with your presence. What's so great about humans anyway? Why not just hang around with other cats? Our greatest philosophers have struggled with this question for centuries, but the answer is actually rather simple:

THEY HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS.

Which makes them the perfect tools for such tasks as opening doors, getting the lids off of cat food cans, changing television stations, and other activities that we, despite our other obvious advantages, find difficult to do ourselves. True, chimps, orangutans, and lemurs also have opposable thumbs, but they are nowhere as easy to train.

2. How and When to Get Your Human's Attention
Humans often erroneously assume that there are other, more important activities than taking care of your immediate needs, such as conducting business, spending time with their families, or even sleeping. Though this is dreadfully inconvenient, you can make this work to your advantage by pestering your human at the moment it is the busiest. It is usually so flustered that it will do whatever you want it to do, just to get you out of its hair. Not coincidentally, human teenagers follow this same practice. Here are some tried and true methods of getting your human to do what you want:

Sitting on paper: An oldie but a goodie. If a human has paper in front of it, chances are good it assumes the paper is more important than you. It will often offer you a snack to lure you away. Establish your supremacy over this wood pulp product at every opportunity. This practice also works well with computer keyboards, remote controls, car keys, and small children.

Waking your human at odd hours: A cat's "golden time" is between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning. If you paw at your human's sleeping face during this time, you have a better than even chance that it will get up and, in an incoherent haze, do exactly what you want. You may actually have to scratch deep sleepers to get their attention; remember to vary the scratch site to keep the human from getting suspicious.

3. Punishing Your Human Being
Sometimes, despite your best training efforts, your human will stubbornly resist bending to your whim. In these extreme circumstances, you may have to punish your human. Obvious punishments, such as scratching furniture or eating household plants, are likely to backfire; the unsophisticated humans are likely to misinterpret the activities and then try to discipline YOU. Instead, we offer these subtle but nonetheless effective alternatives:
* Use the cat box during an important formal dinner.
* Stare impassively at your human while it is attempting a romantic interlude.
* Stand over an important piece of electronic equipment and feign a hairball attack.
*After your human has watched a particularly disturbing horror film, stand by the hall closet and then slowly back away, hissing and yowling.
* While your human is sleeping, lie on its face.

4. Rewarding Your Human: Should Your Gift Still Be Alive? The cat world is divided over the etiquette of presenting humans with the thoughtful gift of a recently disemboweled animal. Some believe that humans prefer these gifts already dead, while others maintain that humans enjoy a slowly expiring cricket or rodent just as much as we do, given their jumpy and playful movements in picking the creatures up after they've been presented. After much consideration of the human psyche, we recommend the following: cold-blooded animals (large insects, frogs, lizards, garden snakes, and the occasional earthworm) should be presented dead, while warm-blooded animals (birds, rodents, your neighbor's Pomeranian) are better still living. When you see the expression on your human's face, you'll know it's worth it.

5. How Long Should You Keep Your Human?
You are obligated to your human for only one of your lives. The other eight are up to you. We recommend mixing and matching, though in the end, most humans (at least the ones that are worth living with) are pretty much the same. But what do you expect? They're humans, after all. Opposable thumbs will take you only so far.

Lazy Days

I've accomplished about zilch since we got back from Seattle. Part of it has been a massive bout of depression, and part of it has been, well, I haven't been working so I've viewed the past 3 days as time to just veg. But last night I had trouble sleeping because all I had been doing is "sleeping" for the last 3 days! So today I have made a plan to get things done:

1. Ironing (Matt has an interview for an internship this afternoon)
2. Vaccuming (which needs to desperately get done)
3. Balance checkbook
4. Do shoulder strengthening exercises
5. Catch up on email correspondence
6. Search for jobs

I think that's a good start. :)

And it makes me happy to think of all the money we have saved by not eating out at all this week. Of course, rent is due today...ugh...

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

So we're on our way back to Seattle/Puyallup this afternoon. I think we land about 6pm. Nancy will pick us up and then it's off to dinner at one of our favorite Restaurants on Garfield Street in Tacoma called Reyna's and re-unite with Julia! :) Then off to home in Puyallup (pronounced Pew-Al-Up) and sleep.

Tomorrow I'm not sure what we'll do. Be lazy and stick around the house? Maybe I could convince Nancy and Julia to get a pedicure/manicure. Or see a movie? My folks are going to show up around 5:30 for dinner and desert. Then I'll go home with them and Matt will stay over another night with his folks, then Nancy will bring him up to Seattle sometime on Sunday.

Sunday is Auntie Gwen's birthday lunch at Swanson's in Ballard. Then some time with Dad. Then Paige comes over after class. :)

Monday I think I might go get a facial and an eyebrow wax at my favorite skin care place, Magnolia Skin Care. The owner, Kelly, is awesome. I adore her!

All in all it should be a fantastic trip. Oh, and on Sunday my little sister gets back from her trip to NYC. She left earlier this week for the model UN conference. She bought a pink pinstripe suit. I can't wait to see her!

Umbrellas vs. Rain Coats

Me: "Oh, crap. It's raining outside and I don't have my rain coat!"

B. : "Rain coat? Why not just use an umbrella?"

Me: "Umbrella's are for wimps. I'm from the northwest. We use coats with hoods."

B.: "A hood? Does it really keep you dry?"

Me: (suprised by the question) "Um, yes. I mean, your hair might get messed up, but it keeps you dry."

B.: "What about your face?"

Me: "The hood creates this little shelf that goes just barely over your face, enough to keep you dry and you can still see when walking around."

B.: "Huh. Well, I guess that would be more practical to have in Seattle where it rains all the time."

Me: "Precisely."

B.: "Did you still want that umbrella?"

Visitors

Michelle is here! And Sharon too! They are visiting from Alaska and staying at the same hotel that Matt did when he had his interview at AFI about a year ago. How ironic! Last night we went to California Pizza Kitchen, went shopping at Hollywood and Highland, and played Apples to Apples. Tonight I think we'll stay in or maybe go see a movie, I'm not sure. This weekend Matt will be filming and he's asked me and all my friends to be extras! :)

Bitch Mode

All of the sudden, without warning, I got into this mood of not wanting to talk to anyone for feeling like I just might strangle someone. I don't know what caused it, but I am just really snippy. My happy personality is gone for the next few hours at least and replaced with irritable bitch queen.

If any of you have something smart to say, I may just reach through the computer screen and do who knows what. You have been warned. :)

Okay, I didn't really mean that. But I do mean that I'm cranky.

So it's been awhile!

Well, where to begin?

I quit my job and took a few days off. Went to yoga, got some much needed errands done, and slept in. Quite lovely. But after a few days of being bored, I was ready to work again. Thank goodness the temp agency called and I got sent to the FOX movie lot! :) I had to work in a cubicle and in the business office but no matter because I was on a movie lot! :) I even met "Cameron" from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (he was also in Spin City). Then I got a temp job that I'm currently at now, at Fox Sports Net in West L.A. The tape librarian is out on vacation so I am filling in for him. I had to go through 3 days of training so that should tell you there's quite a bit of detail to this job. Basically I log in all the commercial tapes that come in and toss out the duplicates. It sounds easy but it takes all day. And this office is so quiet. You could hear a pin drop!

My good friend Beth flew in from Seattle last weekend so we've been hanging out quite a bit. Celena, Beth, and I all went to high school together so we spent the majority of the weekend pigging out, shopping, laughing, and star sighting. The most exciting event was that we went to the 101 cafe and saw Sandra Oh! I mean, she was right next to us on the sidewalk and is even more beautiful in person. Have you seen Sideways? She plays Jack's girlfriend while on the trip and she's also a major character in Grey's Anatomy. Well, Beth and I were totally starstruck. We didn't say anything, but I couldn't stop glancing over at her! It was so awesome! And, I also discovered Zephora over the weekend. Wow.

So yesterday was my first day at the job on my own, and it went fine. Totally quiet. No biggie. On my way home I called mom to get the results of her tests and it doesn't look good. Something on the scan shows something all over her bones, and it's probably cancer but the doctor did not confirm that. They'll know for sure in a few days, but mom is starting chemo again on Thursday. She's been feeling so good through March, so this is kind of a downer. But we just have to keep our spirits up. They'll be using the same drugs (minus the one that she had an allergic reaction to) that brought her tumor marker down, so that's good. And she'll continue doing the alternative therapy in Federal Way.

Last night Beth, Matt and I played Apples to Apples. We needed 4 players so we decided to deal PJ the cat in. And guess who won? The cat. We suck. :P

I should go to yoga tonight, shouldn't I? Urgh. Decisions, decisions.

Tourists!

Did you happen to watch the Oscars? Because the Kodak Theatre is about a mile away from where we live. We didn't go, but we sure thought about it! :)

Oh Johnny!

She's gonna see him in Las Vegas, baby, yeah!

Dude. It's Greta Garbo!

Hollywood in the palm of my hand. :)

Hollywood in the palm of her hand. :)

Chinatown

Paige and her $9.00 suitcase.

Entrance to L.A.'s Chinatown. :)

Oh, and these are our fabulous L.A. fashionable sunglasses.

What's been going on lately, you ask?

1. TAXES
2. Got a temp job through the 20th. Yay!
3. Mom's CAT scan came back clear. Woohoo! More tests scheduled for next Thursday.
4. TAXES
5. Beth is visiting this weekend from Seattle.
6. Michelle and her friend will be visiting a week from Wednesday and staying a week (at a hotel). I have not seen Michelle in 2 years (she's from Alaska)!
7. Went to Yoga for the first time yesterday in 3 weeks. OW!
8. So so happy not to be working for the psycho Rabbi anymore.
9. It's raining. What the eff?
10. Coming home to visit March 24-27 for family stuff. Julia is going to be home for a week so we are looking forward to seeing her.
11. Hmmmmm, I need to update my resume.

I heart acting!

I had a great class last night. My scene was with Ferrell, and it went really well. I even got to yell, which was so much fun! Many of the actors have trouble getting mad and yelling, but I don't. My issue is being "intimate" with a guy on stage or on camera. It's just weird sometimes. I don't know how to explain it. What threw me off when we first started rehearsing in class was that Ferrell's fiance was in the class and watching us, but then I figured out that she's a bigger flirt than he is so it was no problem! My instructor said that I'm coming along nicely, that it's a joy to watch me improve, to see the subtle changes I make while increasing the intensity. Apparently I understand the mehcanics of acting, and now I'm working on "being in the moment", making the character real and interesting. It's so much fun. I love it!

The more I get into acting, the more I enjoy people watching and studying their moves and wondering what their personalities are. While I'm still kind of shy on meeting people at first, I find humans fascinating. So many characters and so many personalities to learn from! Especially here, where you can here 10 languages in just one day. I wonder where they are going, did they sleep, do they have family, are they single, do they live in the city or outside of it, have they ever been to another country, blah blah blah. And I know people think I'm staring and that they think I'm being rude, but I'm just curious and want to know more about them.

I suppose you all think I'm insane, but I'm getting more and more into this, and I'm loving every minute of it!

Senioritis

I really hate being at work on Sunday mornings. It's Sunday School and someone has to be here to answer the phones that NEVER ring! While I love kids, I like them in small doses, like 2 or 3 at a time. I am trying to work, but singing "Old McDonald" and running and yelling through the halls does not bode well for editing the newsletter. Urgh.

I have been sick this past week with a terrible cold that started in my head and then moved to my throat, which turned into laryngitis. It's now made it's way to my sinuses but believe it or not I'm actually feeling better.

Matt and I will be heading to the Northwest for a few days next month. His sister is visiting for a week so we'll join the Vancils in a family reunion. We are looking forward to fresh air and rain, believe it or not! Though we're going to freeze our tooshies off if the weather doesnt' get above 50. I swear, we are only Californians in terms of weather. Once I start wearing fashionable clothes and going tanning every week, then I give you full permission to slap me upside the head. :)

It's time you should know...

...that I quit my job! :) My last day is a week from yesterday, so March 2. I have called a few temp agencies, including the last one I was with and they are excited to have me back. Matt has been incredibly supportive of this decision, as have the parents, so I feel that I am finally on the right track. I don't know what's next. I am so bored with administrative assisting, but it pays nicely...ugh. I think if temping can work out for awhile, that would be nice. I'd like something flexible and non-comittal for awhile. This would also give me a little more time to focus on my acting and maybe decorate the apartment. :)

Does the $*#! ever stop?

I have unfortunate news.

My Grandpa Richard, my dad's father, his cancer has returned. We don't know much more than that - we just found out last week. He's going to remain in Spokane to get treatment and Aunt Sharon and Uncle Terry will be his main caregivers, though he may trek over to Seattle for a second opinion and/or special tests. I called him last week and he seemed to be in good spirits, though I'm sure he's worried.

The other blow is that Mom's tumor markers have jumped from 55 to 126. This is quite a shock since Mom has been feeling so good these past few months. She's in Oregon this week as my sister has some sort of viral infection and Dad doesn't want Mom to get sick. Mom is visiting Aunt Muriel and Uncle John, and today they are taking her to the beach.

I'm just so frustrated and depressed right now. How come this keeps happening? When will enough be enough? We don't need these bad things to keep happening. We need some happy things. I know that there's a possibility that everything will work out, but I have to say that right now, I have very little faith in whoever is in charge. I'm actually very furious at whoever is in charge. Can I sound 2 for a moment? THIS IS NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paige, Camille, and Santa Monica

But she gave total L.A. 'tude.

Paige wanted me to give L.A. attitude. I couldn't, I was to happy!

It was a beautiful day in Santa Monica.

It had rained the night before and so there was no smog.

Look out L.A.! Here we come!

My new man, Tango.

The lovely Paige drinking a lovely beer on the lovely 3rd Street Promenade.

The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy:"You know you are from the Northwest if:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew).

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper inthe trash.

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what itmeans.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than airconditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nicerestaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waitingfor the "Walk" signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has notrecently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks,Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, andSockeye Salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup,Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette.12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese,Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and comehome in the dark-while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matchesand a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showersfollowed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rainfollowed by showers."

17. You have no concept of humidity withoutprecipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and notjust a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even ifyou cannot see through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is apretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature getsabove 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60,but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are eitherwimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because youcannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.27.

You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the sameday.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fitunder a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter,Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction(Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and willprobably forward them.

Happy V-Day

Matt is ill with a cold/flu type bug. Isn't that romantic? If we can't go out I guess we'll order in and I'll do some chores to get ready for Steph's visit. Originally we were going to go out for sushi...sigh...I guess we'll just have to see how he feels later on tonight...sigh...

Our landlord came by last night. As of March 1, our free parking rights will be terminiated which means an extra 50 bucks a month. I told her that I was not upset with her, but rather the management company who seems to think that what we pay is still not enough. Obviously we have no choice. I can't park my car anywhere else. There is never parking available on the streets. Urgh.

The spiritual retreat was wonderful. Malibu is, of course, STUNNING! Some ladies at the retreat even saw Britney Spears walking her baby with her bodyguard. How funny! Apparently they also saw Steven Spielberg's mother. How the heck would you recognize her??? It was great to have some quiet time and meet new people. Sunday the weather was so lovely that after the retreat was done at noon, Kari, Amanda, and I laid out in the sun for about an hour. I need to make a habit of laying out in the sun more often. I sitll don't have a tan...

Weekend Apart

I'm off to Malibu this weekend for a spiritual retreat. I'm not sure what to expect besides getting out of the city, enjoying the peace and quiet of the outdoors, spending time with friends, and meeting new people. Kari, Amanda, Kathy (Kari's mom) and I are going. Now, I consider myself agnostic so this should be an interesting experience. This is where we're going. The fact that there's a dog on the grounds is definitely a good sign. :) And, rooms inside. No tents or sleeping bags. That's definitely a good thing. :)

Matt is filming this weekend, which means he'll be pooped when I get home from relaxing all weekend. Tonight we went to dinner at a local Thai restaurant with his writing group. Luckily spouses and significant others were invited too, so we all got to chat and have fun and talk about stuff other than writing and movies. Mary and I really hit it off. We're hopefully going to go hiking in Pasadena or Malibu at the end of the month.

Did I happen to mention that Stephanie is coming to visit a week from tomorrow? Did I happen to mention that I'm soooooooooo excited!? :)

So when are the rest of you coming to visit?

it's all about LOST!

Okay, so I'm going to start using capital letters now. People keep asking me why I don't use them and I don't really have an answer, so I may as well start typing normally. I guess it's difficult to read without capital letters. :)

Matt has started watching Veronica Mars on DVD which I have not because I'm already addicted to Project Runway. Then Celena FINALLY convinced me to watch Lost because I'm sick of 24 and O.C. So, I got the first 2 discs from Season 1 on Netflix and Matt and I watched 8 episodes Friday night. Great! So Celena and I are getting together today, hopefully with Spring (who is another awesome gal in our acting class) to watch the remaining episodes on Celena's lovely widescreen tv that she won at a raffle (we could only be so lucky). And I have no self control, just so you know. I couldn't wait for Netflix to send the rest of the DVD's, so I bought the entire season of LOST (on sale). I have not opened the box, which I bought yesterday, for fear of not getting my chores done. Of course, Celena and I are anit-superbowl (Go Seahawks!), so we'll be wasting our time today. :)

Matt had an excellent meeting with the Dean of Students at AFI the other day. The Dean is trying to help Matt get a really good summer internship and is going to pass a letter and information aboutMatt to a friend of his who happens to be an writing agent! This is really good news and we're very excited! Hopefully his internship will be PAID. Otherwise I'll have to find a part-time summer job to make ends meet and I'm not so totally thrilled about that.

In other news, a dear friend of mine had a miscarriage. I won't say who she is, but this is very traumatic for her and her family. They had been trying for about 6 months and she was so happy and excited. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

not much to write home about

i've been trying to think of stuff that's been happening that's worth mentioning...

1. feeling much better. i have my make-up acting class tonight and we are filming the scene in which i play an abused woman. my scene partner is wonderful and very talented. should go well!

2. picked up my new, professional looking headshots. will scan and put up later.

3. printer has failed to work for weeks now. finally called dell and because it's under warranty they have sent a new one at no cost.

4. mom is doing great! feeling good, hooray for being off chemo! she'll have another blood test this month to determine her tumor marker.

5. matt is doing well in school. it's going to be a tough sememster with 2 cycle projects and trying to find a summer internship (hopefully finding one that pays, but that's unlikely). he's hoping to get something with joss whedon or the show "veronica mars".

we are also trying to fiscally prepare for the summer as we will have no loan money coming in again until september. suck balls. :( i hate being a grown-up sometimes!

6. work is going well, again. seems to change every week! rabbi asked me to go to a meeting on her behalf today which is a good sign.

7. it's sunny and warm outside. i'd rather be at the beach.

sick one

i hate hospitals.

monday morning i woke up not feeling so hot. i padded into the bathroom and yeow! ouch! burning sensation NOT normal! worst UTI ever. so bulk up on the cranberry juice and water during the day, but it's too late. by afternoon i'm shaking and can't get warm. my lower back starts to slightly ache and i think "this is NOT good." so i go to web MD dot com and look up UTI. it says call your doctor immediately, camille, because you have all the symptoms of a KIDNEY INFECTION. shit.

so i call kaiser permanente to schedule an appointment. not availble. how about anyone else? medical assistant? nurse? nope, nothing until february 7. but this could be my kidneys. are you sure? yes. i hung up and called the consulting nurse, who chastised me for waiting a week with the basic symptoms (i just hung my head and mumbled apologies) but she was very sweet once she found out that i was from seattle (she and her hubby are moving to bremerton). she got me a 6:20 appointment that evening with urgent care.

so matt drives me to the doctor. i wait. i wait more. finally my name gets called, but i have to go back in the waiting room because they don't have a room for me yet. so 10 minutes later i get my room and wait. wait wait wait. then the doctor arrives, only to discover that my paperwork got mixed up with some other woman's (a 63 year old woman). so he excuses himself, leaves the room, and 2 nurses walk in arguing about my paperwork. the head nurse takes me in to get checked out (again) with the other still arguing her case. i just look at the floor, trying to feel better.

so the doctor prescribes me a whole host of medications, which takes 45 minutes to obtain from the pharmacy. finally we get home in time for my show, 24, but i fall asleep before it even starts.

i wake up at 10:30 that night (thanks to whoever called, i know who you are!) shaking and chilled, not able to get warm. i take my temp - 102 and climbing. shit. can't walk in a straight line. double shit. call my co-worker, the lovely adrienne, who says call the consulting nurse at kaiser, see what they have to say. so i do, and she says get to the ER. NOW.

so i do. matt and i hurry, me crying and thinking i'm going to die from a kidney infection. so there is more waiting once we get to the ER. then i get into my room and they tell me to "take your top off." and hand me a flimsy gown that's not going to keep me warm. so the doctor FINALLY comes in, gives me a few firm thumps on my back (to which i yell OW!), diagnoses me with a kidney infection (great), and tells me to not drive or go to work for the next 2 days (yay). i can't eat hot foods, and nothing complicated. applesauce. chicken noodle soup. lots of water.

i'm much better now. no fever, but the anti-biotics make me dizzy so still no driving. luckily i am not going to palm springs for the board retreat so i'm going to continue resting this weekend. although we may head out to northridge to visit celena for a bbq and tivo. :)

YOGA!

yoga kicks my butt. literally. and because i'm flushing out so many toxins, the past two classes i have felt extremely nauseated and nearly puked! this is not enjoyable for me. who wants to spend 90 minutes feeling sick? in 105 degree room? no thanks. but the teachers said it's normal. everyone has their different reactions and this may be yours. so i'm going to go back next week. i was going to go back today but i think my body needs a break. besides, kari and i are going to runyon canyon tomorrow and then amanda, kari, matt and i are going to see sam shaber. i think i'll go back to yoga on monday or tuesday.

matt has been doing tae-bo at home every other day and looks great! he feels good, looks good, and loves to get compliments from his peers about how much weight he has lost.

today i am going to get my hair done. i have spent enough time being a brunette, so today i'm getting auburn highlights in my hair! i will officially be an auburnette! :)

p.s. jenny, thank you for the lovely postcard! you are so thoughtful!

gettin out

so i think this is the year where i'm supposed to get in shape. kari and i will go hiking once a month. celena has finally convinced me to try bikram yoga (which i love so far). i belong to two fitness websites, bodiz and exercise friends, and one person from each site has contacted me about working out! this is so amazing and i'm very excited to get into shape. now i just need to work on my eating habits and everything will be okay...

today we went to cost plus world markets and perused the wine section. like we don't have enough, right? :) we also bought a wine rack that fits beautifully into our hall closet. we are officially wine-o's!

this weekend has been very relaxing and i don't want to go back to work tomorrow. not because of the rabbi, but because i'm lazy. :)

destructive!

i had no idea my name could cause so much trouble...

http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanecamille.htm

a little miracle

will wonders never cease?

ever since i got back from vacation, work has been a very pleasant environment. i can't help but wonder if something was said to the one who made me cry, because she's been totally pleasant and sweet ever since i got back. she even asked how i'm doing, how my weekend was...who is this person?????? :) maybe it also has to do with the fact that i am working on not letting her crazy mood swings get to me anymore.

in other news, quinn goes to the vet tomorrow (you really don't want to know the details). matt has a had a great start to the new term, mom is doing really well (yeah!), and i'm going to try bikram yoga this weekend. all in all, things are going really good right now. even the weather is wonderful - 65! :) warm for this seattle-ite!

wonderful wineries

here's just a sample of things we tried (and bought)...

Bonny Doon Vineyard

• The Framboise is a very sweet wine, perfect for pouring over cheesecake or ice cream. It's made with Washington raspberries. Once you open the bottle it will last 4-6 months.
• We also sampled their sparkling wine, which we drank half of, then the cute wine girl poured a dash of the Framboise in, and it was like drinking a lovely Raspberry soda that made you feel very happy!
• The only sad thing was that we found out that they are closing their tasting room in Paso Robles next month and will be operating soley out of Santa Cruz. Funky place to go, though. Lots of barn animals and their tasting room is in a dolled up mobile home.

Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards

• We loved just about every wine on this list. Our favorites inculded the Syrah, Port, Merlot, and Cab. Now, I normally dislike Merlot and Cab but there's had a very nice finish.
• Our favorites were the Apple Chardonay and the Apple Merlot. Yes, you read right. APPLE wine! The owner also has apple trees on his property and told the winemaker to try to combine the two. They are both 50/50 blends and so yummy! We bought the Chardonnay and when we go back we'll get the Merlot. Oh, and their Orange Muscat (which has no oranges in it) is divine!
• Wonderful ambiance. The tasting room and gift shop is decorated by the wife. The young woman helping us had been working there about a year and knew nothing about wine when she first started. That gives me hope! :)
• This winery was my personal favorite!

Mastantuono Winery

• A very nice woman helped us out, originally from North Carolina she knows her stuff! They had a Raspberry Champagne that we weren't able to try because the truck was 3 weeks late. :( But their Syrah was worth our stop. They also had 2 wine kitties in the tasting room, which scored big points with us. Very nice wine tasting room and beautiful labels on the bottles.
• This was the second winery we went to. We made a promise to come back in a few months so we could try the Raspberry Champagne!

York Mountain Winery

• The first winery we went to, and it's one of our favorites! Totally off the beaten path, but that's what made this one so memorable and so cool. They were having a huge sale so we bought 2 bottles (the Pinot Noir was just 5 bucks!) including a lovely bottle of Zinfandel.
• There was a limo group that was just leaving when we pulled up. Bunch of college kids, I imagine, and totally annoying. We were glad they were leaving.
• Lovely setting in the mountains. Small tasting room, but lovely gift shop full of homemade goodies.

returned from vacation

here's the correct link to where we stayed over the weekend. highly reccomended. fabulous breakfast, quiet rooms, good size bathrooms, and close to everything.

we had a great time and did not want to leave. details to come...

we bought lots and lots of wine!

pictures to come...

wine wine wine!

matt and i are taking off for wine country in about 10 minutes. we're going to 'sideways country' to get away from the city and have some time together! we haven't had a vacation without family or friends since we moved here so this is well deserved. we're staying here and i'm soooooo looking forward to their breakfasts! tomorrow morning we're off to Hearst Castle followed by lunch and a loverly afternoon of wine tasting. then dinner and back to the inn. sunday we'll get up early again, have breakfast, check out, and spend the afternoon at the beach and drive back to l.a. on highway one, past malibu and all kinds of lovely places.

next week matt starts school on monday, my class starts on wednesday, and we'll be busy yet again. i imagine in about 6 more months we'll need another one of these getaways when school is out for the summer. :P

p.s. jenny, i hope your day gets better!

happy birthday!

happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear Jenny
happy birthday to you!

hope it's happy! :)

here comes the rain again

while i was in seattle and puyallup, it rained every day. not that i was surprised - in fact, i loved it! by the time i was leaving, i was ready for sun and warmer weather. of course, i was just informed that january and february is rainy season here in l.a. and the beaches get an occasional typhoon! isn't that wonderful? it's been pouring rain for 2 days now, on and off. the biggest problem is that there drainage system here sucks so there's a lot of flooding.

and who says there's no global warming?

and happy new year! matt, rian and i headed out to ontario to visit our good friends cindi and dave. they have a very happy and very energetic dog named freya who calmed down quite quickly and loved sitting next to rian on the couch. we drank champagne, watched old episodes of south park, and got home at 3am. yesterday we stayed home, cooked fatty foods that tasted delicious, and watched a really weird cartoon. all in all, i can't complain.

today is another lovely day at home. rian and matt are in van nuys. hah! this means i got my chores done (well, the laundry is still in the dryer) but now i can read my book and maybe watch a movie. :)

i'm a big girl

coming home has been all about finding my voice and learning how to use it (appropriately). i think it's been the same for matt. we've made time to see family and some friends, but it's been our vacation, our trip. we make plans and stick to them (and thank you to jenny for putting up with me and my family's antics this afternoon). it's wonderful! although i still feel like a kid when i'm at my folks' house, i also feel like an adult making my own plans and decisions. it's an interesting time and i'm ready to go back to l.a., oddly enough, back to our life together.

matt is already back home with the kitties and he'll be picking up our friend rian at the airport later on tonight. i fly home tomorrow evening, but before i do, here are my plans: dinner tonight at the neighbor's house, coffee with kari, SLEEP, movie or walk with mom (weather depending) in the morning and a facial at 2pm, followed by a trip to l.a. via sea-tac and alaska airlines. i miss my sweetie and can't wait to see him. i guess home is wherever he is. :)

home again home again

it is officially tuesday morning and the 3rd day of my vacation! :) i'm here in puyallup in the chilly basement. my pajamas consist of warm socks, flannel pajamas, a flannel sweatshirt and a scarf. the bed has several blankets piled on it. i think we're a little chilly here! i love the rain - i've missed it so! today i saw steph and gloria in tacoma which was wonderful. nancy and greg took matt and i out to dinner at melaque in puyallup and we just finished playing games night. i must say, for playing cribbage for the first time, i did quite well! :)

christmas was wonderful. our parents got together at my folks house in seattle and my aunt muriel was there too. we had a wonderful holiday and i'm anxious for the week to continue. :)

overwhelmed

where to begin?

saturday was a blast, but wait, oh yes! FRIDAY!!! my old friend beth came into town and we had a lovely dinner at a local restaurant that i forget the name of, but we had a LOVELY dinner. my personal favorite was the appitizer we shared which was a portobello mushroom stuffed with veggies and topped with 3 kinds of cheese. she had lasagnae with cheese and meat with a side of cheese and meat and i had a grilled veggie panini with buffalo mozzerella and a spinach salad. yum yum! then we headed off to a local piano bar where i surprised beth with a visit from our old friend, celena (we all went to high school together). beth was so happy to see us and we were so happy to see eachother (i hadn't seen celena in weeks). we had a lovely time with drinks and gossiping about those we hated in high school that now are not doing so well. :) (love the high road, right jenny? :P) so then i headed home, which meant unfortunately breaking up the reunion earlier, because my friend gayle was flying in for kari's surprise tea the next day! and she flew into l.a.x. silly girl plus her flight was delayed an hour. poor thing arrived at my apartment totally exhausted around midnight. we went to sleep within an hour.

saturday morning was totally chaotic because we (and by we i mean cathie, amanda, gayle, and i) all spent the morning together excitedly chatting about the upcoming tea and how kari was going to pee her pants! her entire family was in on the surprise and she had no clue. we headed off to breakfast to talk about the plan for the afternoon, and unfortunately "the house of pies" has the worst breakfast i've ever eaten. but we were in for a treat because "santa con" was going on. i met a pirate santa who gave me a cigar and said in his pirate voice "even the little pirate girls and boys need a santa, yarrrrrrrrr" to which i replied "oh my god, you are so awesome!" cathie couldn't stop taking pictures. so after our icky breakfast we did a bit of toodling around including a drive-by-stop-quick-and-get-out-and-take-your-friggin-picture-cause-there's-a-cop-behind-me tour of hollywood and highland for the tourists. they loved it! it reminded me of the first time i saw those theaters (the el capitan, kodak, and mann's chinese) and was completely swooned. then we stopped by my place and poor matt, who was sick with a cold and didn't want excited girls gushing in his place, but he slept the whole time. we stuck to our plan and they dashed out the door 1/2 hour before kari picked me up to go to tea. fast forward to tea where i told her to walk through the door first as i saw all 3 of them, smiling and laughing before we walked in. for about 15 seconds, kari didn't say a word. she just cocked her head to one side as if to say "what the heck are you guys doing here?" and that's exactly what she said.

as the shock wore off we had a lovely tea. we went bowling at lucky strikes and i got drunk, unintentionally, of course, and flirted with everyone. i was not embaressing just fun, and had a great time. sunday we took gayle to the airport and drove back to my neighborhood where we had lunch and did some shopping.

all in all, i called in sick on monday. i don't think i really had a cold, but after all that running around, i deserved a day where i didn't even get out of my pajamas. :)

happy birthday, kari!

happy birthday, my dear friend! may you have a wonderful day and all your wishes come true! :)

crazy schedule

did i happen to mention how insane my week is? if i can post another blog this week it'll be a miracle. tonight i have class, and tomorrow i have class yet again. friday night beth is coming over and saturday morning is breakfast with a friend, saturday afternoon is tea with friends in beverly hills and saturday night is bowling with friends (money, who needs that?). sunday, well, i may just call in sick to whatever i have planned so that i can recooperate before the insanity of work truly begins.

all this plus there's 2 people at work who have had that nasty cold, plus matt woke up not feeling well this morning. that's all i need...to get sick!

and so the countdown begins...10 days!!!!!

Narnia

fabulous fabulous fabulous! did i mention fabulous! we went to a midnight screening last night at the famous el capitan theater. they have an organ player that plays music while you walk in to get your seats and then an overture right before the movie starts! :) wonderful ambiance and anyone who visits l.a. must go there and see a movie.

very tired today and a christmas party to attend tonight. and it rained last night for the first time in weeks! i can't remember the last time i smelled clean air...

wave of emotions

first off, great news about mom! :) she does not have cancer in her lungs. instead, there is scar tissue that has developed due to an allergic reaction to the chemotherapy, which she has already stopped. her pulminary cardiologist has put her on a very low does of steroids to help the scar tissue disappear faster. we are hoping that her doctors will wait until january to put her back on the chemo which means she can be active and happy during the holidays. as she said, "how's that for a christmas present?"

we filmed our scenes in acting class last night, and i have to give major kudos to my scene partner, ivan. i was absolutely terrified about being on camera. i figured i'd freeze up and not know my lines. i was scared shitless! the first take went well, just like we rehearsed. then, cliff (the teacher) gave us some notes and suddenly the intensity was 10x greater. we had rehearsed a few physical things (holding hands, him stroking my face) but all of the sudden at the most emotional part of the scene, he gives me this huge hug...you know the type, the one that just takes you away...well, this huge emotional wave came over me. my chin started to tremble, my eyes started to tear up, and i almost cried on camera (i actually cried when i got home). one of the girls in class said i almost made her cry to which i thought "yes!" i'm still a bit shaken - i wasn't expecting that kind of powerful emotional turmoil but it was amazing and awesome. the only complaing from cliff was that i didn't stick around long enough at the end of the scene for my close-up. :)

weekend

what did i do friday? oh yes. i was at work. all day. from 8am-8pm to help out with the oneg for the monthly early family shabbat services. ick. came home, played online computer game that involves pirates which matt got me addicted too. yes, i am pathetic, but i need something besides movies to get me out of reality once in awhile.

saturday i worked at the bed and breakfast for a few hours, came home, watched some tv, and then we headed out to ontario to see dave and cindy for the evening. yahoo maps said it would take us 40 minutes to get there. HAH! 90 minutes later we pulled into the driveway thanks to l.a. traffic. we had pizza, watched tivoed taped episodes of south park, and played games. i think we went to bed at 3am.

today i stayed in my pajamas, we cleaned the apartment, and i went a little stir crazy. studied lines for my scene class on wednesday (and this wednesday we film - i'm absolutely terrified), watched the pilot of a new show called "sleeper cell" and am totally addicted. on showtime.

luckily since i worked so late on friday, i get to be late tomorrow. thank god (funny that i should use that expression).

prayers needed

for those of you who don't know, i don't necessarily believe in god, but i believe in some sort of higher power. for those of you who pray or meditate or simply send good energy, it all works, and there are a few people i know of who could use a little extra help -

1. my mom and my dad. the CAT scan showed the same tissue that was in her lungs back in may. the doctor's think it's some sort of irritation or allergic reation to the chemo she was on (which they stopped last week). they don't think it's cancer but she is having a biopsy on monday. because she wasn't breathing well and coughing so much, they thought it was pneumonia and then bronchitis. well, it could be something more. we'll know more by the end of next week. my dad is trying his best to stay strong but i can tell he is terribly worried. my mom has good spirits but weak energy because she's getting so little oxygen (another possibility they determined was low iron, but that wasn't it either). please keep them both in your prayers and thoughts.

2. my friend, cathie. she is a fantastic violinist and sadly her car was broken into yesterday. the thieves stole her laptop, rent money, a whole list of things including her precious violin (this happened just outside her home which isn't even on a major street). she is distraught and upset and needs good things to come her way.

interesting day

since matt has his internship on monday's and it's relatively close to the temple, we decided to meet for lunch. while he was walking me back to work, we noticed several police cars starting to block a major intersection about a block from my work (la brea avenue and santa monica boulevard). word got around that there was a BOMB THREAT on the bus just across the street! we hurried back to the temple where i told matt to be careful and hurried into work to deliver the news (keep in mind the bomb threat was just one block south of the temple). we kept an eye on the street outside and saw 8 BOMB SQUAD CARS pass by. that's when i really started to freak. there was nothing on the tv, radio, or web, so we just got on with our work. finally, la brea avenue opened back up before rush hour. we did hear an explosion, but my guess is that it was the bomb squad diffusing the suspicious package.

mom has bronchitis AND her chemo as stopped working, which means the cancer that is left in her body is resisting the current drugs. she is going in for a CAT scan tomorrow and then will meet with her doctors to discuss new "cocktail" options.

speaking of mom, i just made her homemade pesto sauce for the first time. while it doesn't taste exactly like hers, it's enough to remind me of home and be there in spirit...

...how many days until christmas eve?

happy holi-daze

thanksgiving was good. matt and i went to kari's. amanda was there along with kari's parents, of course, her brothers, and some family friends. all in all we had a great time and it was a wonderful way to spend the evening (although i drank a little too much wine).

friday i had to work and was completely pissed that i had to be there. luckily she was in a good mood and so we didn't have to put up with any of her mood swings. tomorrow i head back and tuesday they (lee and rabbi) take us out for a play date to the getty museum. i'm looking forward to it!

saturday matt and i went for a 2 hour hike at griffith park. the weather finally felt like november. slightly chilly and very windy. we got to the observatory and saw l.a. like it has never been seen before (or rarely): on a clear day! the wind was blowing west to east so all the smog was gone and you could see everything, even runyon canyon. had it not been for the mist we would have been able to see the ocean. that night we headed out to pasadena again for dave's birthday at gordon biersch.

today we got up early and saw harry potter which i LOVE! best one yet. then we headed over to the farmer's market, picked up stuff for dinner, and headed home to clean and do laundry. well, we got the laundry part done.

tomorrow: work
tuesday: work and dance class
wednesday: work and acting class
thursday: work and o.c. at 8pm!
friday: work and support rian's show (super nanny on ABC) at 8pm
saturday: possible get-together with cindy and dave? :)
sunday: possible rest?

For us kitty people...(I couldn't resist)

Baking Cookies (with your cat)

1. Look in cookbook for cookie recipe
2. Get cup of coffee.
3. Get cat off of cookbook.
4. Find that special recipe.
5 . Get cat's nose out of coffee cup
6. Go to fridge and get eggs.
7. Get dry ingredients from cupboard.
8. Break eggs in small bowl.
9. Sift dry ingredients in large bowl.
10. Answer the phone.
11. Cat ate eggs; get more from fridge.
12. Get cat out of flour bowl and dust cat off.
13. Get Band-Aids for scratches on hands.
14. Throw flour out and get more.
15. Preheat oven for cookies.
16. Looking at cat & wanting to bake cat now. Cat runs for cover into bathroom.
17. Flour the counter to roll out cookie dough.
18. Big crash in bathroom; run to see what happened.
19. Cat has TP all over floor; stuff spilled and knocked over on top of bathroom counter.
20. Yell at cat. Cat falls in toilet bowl.
21. Can sense cat is angry.
22. Take cat out of toilet to dry cat off.
23. Get bandages to cover more scratches on arms and legs.
24. Cleanup bathroom.
25. Hear a thump in kitchen ...Oh Golly ... now what?
26. Get cat off floured counter in kitchen.
27. Try to pick out cat hairs from flour.
28. Step on cat's tail and get bitten.
29. Get coat, car keys, and go to store to buy cookies!!!

official california girl

it's done. my washington license plates are gone. yesterday i went to the dmv and paid way too much for my plain looking california plates (at least washington's has a mountain). i also have my license, so i'm an official resident! of course, i have a live-in husband. there is really nothing that says he lives here other than his afi records (this morning i realized that all the bills are in my name except for comcast and the bank loans). he'll probably get his california license in january during winter break.

i get to sleep in on thursday! yay! :)

it's the little things that count.

sick of being homesick

went to anaheim this weekend for gencon socal to help promote the new gamers movie with the dead gentlemen. jen, stevie, cindy, don, nathan, chris, dave, and ben were there (did i forget someone?) and i was so happy to see them! we had a great time! of course, to be expected, i was a total wreck yesterday afternoon when i had to say goodbye.

i just can't seem to shake this feeling of homesickness and depression. i think i need to start seeing a counselor again but my benefits don't kick in until next month. so, until then, i am going to have to try to get rid of this cloud of gloom over my head with perserverance and lots of laughter.

weird things about l.a.

1. movie posters EVERYWHERE;
2. christmas decorations and 80 degree weather does not compute;
3. the emphaisis of beauty in this city, whether it's plastic or real (and somtimes it's hard to tell);
4. so many people think of themselves as celebrities;
5. seeing the hollywood sign every night on my way home from work;
6. stretch hummers;
7. obsession with stardom;
8. hollywood is really not that attractive;
9. hollywood blvd. being closed down/roped off due to movie premieres;
10. driving by mann's chinese theater, the kodak theater, and the el capitan every day, and they are all on the same block (hollywood boulevard and highland avenue);
11. the giant gap store;
12. 3 stripper stores all on the same block;
13. how far people commute to work (2 hours - are they crazy!?);
14. the amount of freeways and it's still not enough;
15. if you tell someone you're an actor, most people get a look of disgust on their faces.

worst day EVER

• my boss made me cry today;
• my mother-in-law told me that my sister-in-law is not doing well, so that made me cry;
• mom-in-law also called to tell me that she knows i must be homesick, that she's thinking of me, and tried to make me feel more positive which also made me cry;
• i have my first true acting class tonight with cliff osmond and i'm completely drained. no emotion, thank god no more tears, i have no strength left. what now?
• matt is really busy and we hardly have any time together anymore, which made me cry again today;

i hate l.a. i want to go back to the northwest.

maybe tomorrow i'll feel differently.

parental visit

well, i didn't get any pictures taken but we had a great time. i was so grateful that they were able to visit. even though mom's energy was up and down, it was so nice just to be around her again. i didn't realize how homesick i was until they left on sunday, and i just felt so empty. i realized that i didn't like l.a. as much as i thought i did and that what gets me through the months is anticipating visits to seattle/tacoma and/or anitcipating visits from family and friends who are coming here. adjusting to l.a. is going to be a bigger adjustment than i thought. and with the holidays around the corner, i'm just missing everyone that much more.

a list of fun things we did over the weekend:

• took katie shopping at miss sixty (a very trendy clothing store on melrose);
• drove around griffith park, stopped at trails;
• made a lovely thanksgiving dinner including: chicken (the turkeys were too big), mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie, whipped cream and yukon jackson's chocolates;
• went out to sushi;
• had breakfast at the bed and breakfast several times (and, i got a small job there, organizing his office!);
• hung out at the aparment, rested, and enjoyed each other's company;
• matt was on set almost the whole time, but they got a great tour of the campus.

how many more days until christmas eve? because that's when i'm flying home, and i can't wait...

sunny and all is well

the family arrived last night and it's so surreal that they are here. i have been anticipating this for months, as you know, and the visit will go by fast, but i have just realized how homesick i am for family, friends, and fresh air! tonight we go out to dinner and then take mom and dad by the bed and breakfast since that's where they're stayin since we don't have room for them. katie sleeps on our couch and we had the nicest visit last night. it's so nice to have familiar faces in just an unfamiliar city. today matt is taking them to school and then to our favorite music store.

mom is feeling pretty good, although she tires easily. we let her sleep in the apartment while the rest of us walked to the sushi place. she looks great though, and her attitude is still very strong. of course, our concerns are that her blood and iron counts are low, and we're wondering how long she's going to have to stay on chemo. i remember being told she'd be done by the end of the year, but i don't think that's going to happen. she'll have some tests done soon to see how this current regimen is going, to see if it's working or not.

not so chilly

in reading my friend's blog, she's finally given up and turned on the heat in her house (she lives in tacoma). she's been discussing the battle as to whether or not she wants to pay more to the electric company (she and i are both in agreement that our favorite price is FREE). finally, she turned it up to 60 degrees and "it felt good."

i have to say that we haven't turned on the heat, but last week or the week before we turned on the air conditioning! we are having strange weather here, both hot and "cold" spells. it does tend to get a bit chilly, but we just throw on another blanket.

jenny, you'll be the first one to know when (and if) i turn on the heat. :)

by the way, matt said he was absolutely freezing in seattle last weekend. guess we'll need heavier coats for christmas.

flip flops

did i happen to mention that i got food poisoning friday afternoon? i went to starbucks for lunch and got a tuna sandwich. i've gotten those before and been fine, but come an hour later...well, i'll leave out the details and just say that my body was having all kinds of issues.

i haven't been eating much (and yes, when i went out saturday night, i was feeling much better) and have lost a little weight. i'm just not as hungry. really, the thought of food right now kind of grosses me out. you could say right now i'm eating to survive.

curse starbucks for their lovely gingerbread lattes...

good times with good friends

kari, amanda, and i spent last night in long beach. i was thrilled to get out of l.a. and go see the ocean! we walked along the beach for a bit and got our feet wet. then we drove around downtown for awhile to get our bearings (even wound up on the bridge that headed out to the queen mary) and finally found the funky district (which was somewhat similar to capitol hill in seattle) where we spent a good portion of the evening. kari used to live in long beach and amanda and i had never been so she showed us around (unfortunately her favorite coffee shop had disappeared). we had dinner at a great little italian restaurant, did some shopping, and got some great decorating ideas. then we headed back downtown and saw "prime" with uma thurman and meryl streep (highly reccommend it!). the only downside to the evening was that i got in very early in the morning. i woke up this morning saying to myself "i am not 20 anymore. i can't stay out late again." trust me, i'm feeling it! but i had a great time being with my girls and i hope we can do it agian soon!

i just got off the phone with joy, and we can't remember the last time we talked! although we don't write or talk every week (or sometimes every month), we seem to always pick up where we left off. she may even come visit sometime next year or maybe the year after that, but considering that we haven't seen each other since 2002 (when we went for a hike at mt. ranier...well, it was sort of a hike...i had to back out halfway through because i was so out of breath), i am thrilled at the possibility of seeing her!

mom, dad and katie fly in thursday evening. i have the grocery list for our thanksgiving dinner and will go shopping either wednesday or thursday, depending on how the schedule works out. matt and i are really looking forward to their visit. i know it will fly by, but i am very anxious to see them because, well, i miss them! terribly!

date night

since matt is flying to seattle today for the weekend we had our weekly date night last night and also celebrated the premiere of his first cycle project (which went smashingly by the way). we went to the local sushi place just blocks from our apartment and spent a little more than i would have liked, althought for desert we had banana tempura which was absolutely delicious! everything was yumtastic and i can't wait to go back.

i try not to get addicted to t.v. shows, but i just can't miss an episode of the o.c.! perhaps it's because everyone's "life" on that show is so much more dramatic than mine that i feel like i have more control...it's hilarious though, because seriously, how much of this crap can happen to one family!?

fabulous!

adrienne and i went to see a play last night called romance, at new play by david metken (he wrote "wag the dog"). fabulous show, completely inappropriate and hilarious, and great use of the f-word throughout the play. we had a great time and i can't wait to see another play there! we got free tickets from the rabbi (jenny's favorite price and mine too) which was very generous of her. i hope i can continue to be a good girl here so that i can get more free tickets! :) oh, and we saw ed o'neill, the dad from "married with children". we had better seats than he did. haha!
(dear god, i'm turning into an l.a. freak!)

matt is going home this weekend to visit his parents which means i have the apartment to myself and can do whatever i want! amanda, kari, and i are planning some stuff and i also need to catch up on some acting homework.

mom, dad, and katie come to visit next weekend and i'm soooooooooooooo excited! must get apartment in order...can't have the parents see a pigsty! :) (really, mom, it's not that bad...i swear!)