The LA LA Land Journey

I Go Rough

2006-08-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay people, let's face the music - the advertising music that is. If you ask me, owning a Chevy, unless of course it's a 'Vette', is about as classy as going to the prom with your cousin or serving Twinkies at your wedding. And don't even get me started on Dodges. Dodges suck. I will never own another Dodge again. Ever, ever, ever. The only reason they make Dodges is so that junkyards won't be left empty! But the war of trucks will continue and I have to hand it to Chevy for coming up with a pretty kick-ass ad campaign that has stuck in all of our heads over the years. In fact the "Like a Rock" campaign was so successful that Chevy is now looking for a new jingle for its passenger car division that will get the target market humming again.

But I digress. As you can tell,
my loathing of American vehicles is strong, so you can imagine that I'm thrilled by the fact that Kevin drives a Toyota. I love this truck. In fact, I think it's the first time I've ever felt emotion towards an inanimate object -(don't tell her or her owner that I called her inanimate!).

This weekend we went "four-wheeling" and had a blast. At one point we got the truck "stuck" so we got out to take a few pictures. It wasn't a problem though - this vehicle can handle just about anything.

As we drove, I told Kevin a story about how, when I was a child, I didn't quite understand the lyrics in the Chevy commercial. "I go rough," I thought it said. I sang to Kevin as we rode along, "You know... Ohhhh I go rough..." He got a big kick out of it. Actually, at first he thought I was saying "Like it Rough...oh I like it rough." Now if I were singing those lyrics as an eight-year old, that, my friends, would be comparative to marrying your sister in a shotgun wedding and serving ding dongs! Yeee Hawwwww!

Kiss the Carabiner

2006-08-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

While we were in Joshua Tree last weekend, Kevin and I went rock climbing. I've never really rock climbed before. Unless, of course, you count that one time I climbed on an indoor rock in Anderson, South Carolina. Something tells me that that setup of fake plastic rocks and some redneck yelling "Climb Cletus, Climb" while holding a beer in one hand and a belay rope in the other just isn't the scene most rock climbers are looking for. Even my good friend April who took me rock climbing that day didn't seem incredibly thrilled with the experience she was sharing with me.

Anyway, Kevin and I unloaded the truck in the middle of the Joshua Tree Desert. It had to have been at least 100 degrees and it was only 10am.
Dogs weren't allowed off the road, but we couldn't resist the chance to break the rules a little bit. We freed Marley of her leash and let her run amongst the desert creatures she'd been dying to chase. It's quite entertaining to watch her dart back and forth through the brush and sand as she chases an unsuspecting rabbit or two.

So here we are, walking through the Joshua Trees towards these amazing rock formations. With backpacks filled with gear and water bottles in our hands, we sought out the perfect rock to climb. The evening before, I had told Kevin I didn't like the feel of chalk on my hands, so today he insisted I carry the chalk bag. "Since you don't like chalk, you carry the chalk." Perhaps this was his way of making sure I bonded with the chalk before the climb. As we walked, I carefully filed my nails in preparation. For those of you who know me well, having long nails is quite unusual. I bite them, and when I don't in an attempt to make them grow, they usually break or peel. However, on this particular day my nails were long. I'd spent the last two weeks putting some form of Sally Hansen Miracle Grow on them and it was finally paying off. As I filed them down to their usual stubby state, I noted the irony of the situation.

We found one particular rock that didn't look too difficult to climb. Later I'd quickly learn that a rock's appearance is often deceiving. It looked easy, but for this first-timer, it was not. We checked out the face of the rock and then moved to the back to climb up to the top.
Here we'd prepare the ropes. Kevin walked me through the process step by step as we created our support system. I wanted to trust the ropes, and I wanted to trust him, but I couldn't help but think about my mother and the horrible dreams she has of me falling off a cliff. So as Kevin hung from the edge, I placed myself firmly on a solid rock and watched him safely from afar.

Then we started the climb. It was easy at first as I placed my feet and hands, but the farther I got, there weren't as many places to put my feet or grab on to. Then Kevin picked the perfect time to take pictures - right when I was completely scared to death. "I'm going to take a video," he yelled up at me. "Kevin please! I'm freakin out here. Don't let go of the rope." "Now how can I hold the rope and take a video," he joked. I didn't find it funny. I don't like to give up though, so as tough as it seemed to be, I continued climbing as Kevin yelled, "Kiss the Carabiner baby, you gotta kiss the Carabiner." He later made fun of me for actually having kissed the thing.
"Hey, watch it Kevin," I said, "It was my first time; you should be proud of me, not making fun of me!" No worries though - I got back at him when it was his turn to climb. I told him I know how to belay, but I'm not so sure I had a clue as to what I was doing. "Honey, of course I wouldn't let you fall." But remember folks, it was Cletus who taught me how to belay.

What's with the funny trees?

2006-07-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kevin and I decided to get up at 5:30am - a time that I normally only become acquainted with during the week for early-morning runs - to go rock climbing in Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is about two hours Southeast of LA in the middle of the California desert and gets its name from the odd little trees that make their home in the area. It's beautiful and, plainly put, hot as hell.

My first visit to Joshua Tree was in the Summer of 2004 when I first arrived in Los Angeles. It was the first trip I had taken in California and proved to be a very rewarding one. When Kevin and I were first dating, I spoke to him about my first trip to Joshua Tree. I was going out of town that weekend and was giving him suggestions about what he could do while I was gone. "When you step out of the car in Joshua Tree," I explained, "your ears just open up to the silence and calm of the desert. You could hear a pin drop." I reminded him that it got really hot in the summer months and he should do it now before it got unbearable.

Six months later and we were finally making the trip - right in the heat of the July. The night before we spent a good two hours in Kevin's garage slightly intoxicated and behaving like children. First we unloaded the surf boards from the truck. Next we played with Kevin's mountain bike. Then we found the climbing gear. Kevin taught me about all the different carabiners, ropes, and belay devices. He showed be a water knot - a knot that is surprisingly simple, yet I'm supposed to expect it to hold my entire weight while dangling off of a cliff! I'm not yet convinced.

I was half asleep in bed the next morning when I heard the sprinklers going off outside. This is normally my 5am alarm, so I knew I only had another half an hour. The time past quickly as time normally does when one is fast asleep and slightly hungover. "You ready to drive for two hours," Kevin said. I didn't know I had driving duty, but I anticipated a great day trip and finally got myself out of bed.

Joshua tree is amazing, and the trees themselves are pretty fascinating. They are a monocotyledonous tree with large branches and greenish cluster spikes that grown in the Southwest. It's not a bad trip down I-10 and well worth it if you're into hiking, rock climbing, and camping. To first time visitors, the area can appear pretty stark and barren, but it is actually filled with a variety of wildlife and fascinating rock formations. You can find many books on the area - everything from road maps, to campsite information - at any local book store, REI, or even once you get to Joshua Tree. The Joshua Tree visitor center is open all year round from 8-5pm. Plan your trip and make sure to bring lots of water! For more information google "Joshua Tree" or check out some of these sites. http://www.joshua.tree.national-park.com/
http://www.joshuatreechamber.org/

Skiing in May

2006-05-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well sadly Kevin and I didn't take any pictures of our weekend Ski trip in Mammoth. I remain loyal to my theory that "the best times are often undocumented" but maybe that's just an excuse.

I'd just like to start off by saying, "Can you belive I went skiing in May?"

When I stuck my head into Jeff's office on Friday afternoon (He's the Exec. Prod at my company) he was having a meeting with Laura (my boss). She said, "Go, go home, go skiing," and to that Jeff questioned, "water skiing??"

No I replied, though the thought saddened me just a bit as we all know how addicted I am to water skiing. Snow skiing in May would have to do.

I'd loaded my car on my lunch break, so as soon as I finished at the office I was ready to go meet Kevin at his place. We'd spent the afternoon texting each other about our excitement for the weekend ahead. At one point I decided I'd find a funny little poem about skiing and send it to him, so I found this poem:

Skiing by Philip Mitchell

Skiing?

No I don't think so
I don't want to break a limb
I fancy my chances of staying intact are hopelessly, painfully slim.

My balance is all wrong you see
I can't even walk a straight line
No, a pair of skis are incompatible with these clumsy legs of mine.

I'll admit the scenery looks amazing, in the brochures that I've seen,
But there's a world of danger in the:
a) trees
b) cliffs
c) slopes
d) ravines

Call me a wimp,
I don't care
I'll admit I am a cynic.
But I don't want to spend my hard earned cash
On a holiday that ends in the clinic.

Copyright; Phillip Mitchell

I thought it was a funny little poem, but I decided to add my own poetic response before sending the email to Kevin, so I wrote this: (pardon the language)

Skiing?

Pass it up
You must be insane
Because many can't wait to get on the slopes, and often they welcome the pain.

Though your balance is off
and you do seem quite lazy
If you pass this chance up, I dare say you are most definitely crazy!

Oh Dear, dear Unfortunate Phillip, the things that you'd be missing
Freak accidents can occur at anytime
like when you're:
a) driving
b) cooking
c) working
d) even pissing

So get off your ass
Grab your ski boots
and stop being such a wussy
Cause one day in a clinic is clearly not as bad
As spending the rest of your life as a fuckin pussy!!

Copyright Heather Broeker

Kevin got a kick out of this and sent my "edited" version to his friend Dave who owns a ski shop. Kevin consults for the ski shop and apparently Kevin and Dave intend to post my poetic genius.

So Kevin and I left LA around 7pm, an inconvinient time for avoiding traffic, but none the less we managed to keep up a good driving pace. Mammoth is about 5-6 hours outside of LA, and Kevin intended to stop around Bishop to camp. Using one of his maps, he found a dusty dirt road that his truck handled just find. We headed towards some hot springs and found a deserted area set beautifully between the mountains and blanketed by a star-filled ski. We camped in the back of his truck- an experience that was surprisingly warm, comfortable, and serene. We awoke refreshed and ready to hit the slopes. After grabbing a bite to eat and getting our gear on, we rode the guandela up Mammoth mountian. The skiing was a bit slushy, but the lack of vast crowds and aloof snow bunnies made up for the slightly difficult snow. We got a few runs in - Kevin was happy to push me a bit as he encouraged some "through the tree" skiing and one slope in particular that I would have rathered not try. Sandwiched between large rocks on one side and patches of dirt from the melted snow on the other, I hesitantly skiied down a narrow incline. It wasn't as bad as it looked - it never is, but it surly wasn't something I would have done unguided.

We took a beer break around noon. Kevin managed to perform some extreme alcohol abuse as he spilled not one, but two of his beers. Four beers and 28 bucks later, we each had the equivilant of maybe one beer in our systems. We hit one more slope and then headed to the car to retrieve Marley (Kevin's dog) who eagerly awaited our arrival.

Then we attempted to hit up some Hot Springs. The first was a bit too toristy for our liking. As we peered over the edge of the cliff in the Hot Springs' parking lot, we noticed about 15 people hundled together in the middle of a river. It seemed that was the only area warm enough to welcome swimmers, and we prefered not to get so intimate with strangers. We headed further up the rocky dirt paths and found another hot spring - this time there were only a few people, so we settled for the location. As Marley played with the other dogs in the mud, we sat in a natural pool of hot water and listened to two Mexican men talking about their work and the 15 free packs of cigarettes their employer provided each day. God bless America.

Later we went to Convict lake to bathe the now dirty Marley. With the dog clean, and us in dry clothes, we headed to Convict Lakes 4-Star restaurant. We had Rack of Lamb and Sea Scallops followed by Banana's Foster for dessert. Kevin told stories of his childhood camping trips during which the families obviously took much pride in meal preparation. While it seems that normal family camping trips are filled with hot dogs, s'mores and beans from a can, Kevin's family was cooking up filet mignon, homemade pizzas, roasts, and yes, Banana's Foster. I'm sure the evening's dessert left him with fond memories and most definitely a full stomach.

We got back on the road to head south where we'd camp again for the night. We found another old dirt road that supposedly housed another hot spring - according to Kevin's book. It, however, took as a while to find this one. The eary road was seemingly a Vortex as the path to the camp site was no where to be found. I was thanking my lucky stars that I hadn't watched any horror movies lately as the vacant road creeped me out just a bit. Once we found the spot, we took a look at the large hot spring pool. It's amazing what a bit of darkness can do to a pool of water - neither of us wanted to go near the thing as it looked incredibly uninviting. We set up camp in the back of the truck, I took out my contacts, and just as we were both falling asleep I hear Kevin say, "you've got to be kiding me". "What?" I was thinking, but then I got my answer as I felt the rain coming down on my head. We both jumped up quickly and began to pack everything up as the wind started to pick up.

Something blew out of the truck and I, still lacking my site without contacts, ran off into the darkness to attempt to retreive it. I didn't get far though as I felt the earth below me soften and sink between my toes. I was up to my calfs in mud or muck of some sort and no matter what way I turned to step, it seemed as if I'd never get out of the watery sink hole. I emerged finally and scampered back to the car. By this time the rain had stopped. Ironically, though, the entire car was now packed up and I was drenched in water and mud. To make matters worse, I couldn't see anything. Kevin led me over to the scary hot spring where I attempted to clean myself off. I stripped down to my t-shirt and cleaned my feet and shoes. We through my pants in the back of the truck and attempted to sleep in the car of the truck. It wasn't too uncomfortable, so we decided to remain there for the evening.

In the morning, the camp site was surly a comedic site. The mud spot that had felt like the entire world sinking into a murky grave the night before, was merely a tiny mud puddle in the morning light. Kevin was still sleeping (now on the ground outside) as I laughed at the foot prints I had made in the mud. It appeared that I had litterally stepped EVERYWHERE in the mud except for in the direction that would have led me to dry land. Like some odd diagram of dance steps, I could see the path I had made through the mud puddle in front of me. I went back to sleep for a bit, but was awoken when Kevin opened my door. He too must have seen the mud puddle as he was cracking up. "Did you see where you stepped last night" At least my run in with the mud puddle had made for some early morning laughs.

We got back on the road and headed further south. We took the scenic route home and saw some pretty amazing parts of California. I'd say all in all it was a pretty eventful May ski trip.

Jenn's 23rd B-day party

2006-05-08T17:12:00.001-07:00

My friend Jennifer turned 23 on the 27th. We went to Ca De Sole, the restaurant that I wrote a review on a few months ago. It's a really nice Italian restaurant and the perfect setting for a fun and fabulous time with friends. Besides the Unicorn Premiere, it was the first time I really got to introduce Kevin to some of my friends. We had a blast and the food, as it was before, was excellent.

Here is the review I wrote about the restaurant:

Ca Del Sole - A slice of Italy in the Valley

Depart from the bustling streets of North Hollywood and enter the house of the sun. Ca Del Sole will romance your taste buds with rich Italian cuisine and take you far from the valley into a world of Venetian delight.
Located at 4100 Cahuenga Boulevard just off of Lankershim, this Italian restaurant and bar is a refreshing break from the norm that surprises you from the moment you drive up to the entrance. As the restaurant is located on a street surrounded by car dealerships and hole-in-the-wall shops, one would not normally expect the treasure that awaits, but let it be assured that this is indeed a diamond in the rough.
Experience a taste of Venice in one of Ca Del Sole’s three uniquely designed dining rooms or consider their elegant banquet facilities for your next big event. Before dining, you might arrive early and enjoy cocktail hour in their cozy bar as their exquisite wine list is surly deserving of time and attention. Valet parking is available and reasonably priced.
Enter down the path of twinkling lights and creeping vines that cover the arched walkway into the dimly-lit entry hall where you will be graciously greeted. From George Gallo's landscapes that line the whitewashed brick walls to the warm glow of the double-faced fireplace, the dining experience is both cozy and classic. Guests can sit comfortably in decorative booths with large, linen-covered tables that leave ample room for the Italian fare awaiting them. As you take in the comforting smells of garlic and spices, you will immediately notice how at home you feel within Ca Del Sole’s walls. The restaurant has managed to perfectly blend hospitality with classic elegance in order to create an experience that is nothing short of divine.
Choose from an extensive selection of wine like the '03 Dolcetto D'Alba or the '04 Schulthauser Pinot Bianco as the aromas from the kitchen begin to tantalize your senses. The ristorante's staff is attentive and extremely professional, and Manager Angelo D. Calderan mingles throughout the dining room quietly conveying that he understands the importance of catering to the needs of each guest. Guests feel at home as the staff offers up friendly advice on how to choose from a menu of seemingly endless choices.
Fresh bread and olive spread are served immediately, but you may want to also start with an antipasto of fresh Quail ($10.25) delicately served on a plate of soft polenta, or perhaps you would be interested in trying the Carpaccio ($8.95) - thin slices of raw, naturally grown, beef filet served beautifully on a bed of shaved Parmesan, capers and extra virgin olive oil. Don't leave without trying the homemade Pâte di Anatra ($9.75) served with toasted bread, mache, and quince compote. You will be dreaming of the dish long after you’ve left.
For your main course, the Speciali come highly recommended. The Linguine Vongole ($12.95) is exquisite - Linguine tossed with Manila clams, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes and olive oil, or for something a bit different try the Wild Boar ($17.75) cooked in red wine, fresh vegetables and herbs and served over soft polenta. Executive Chef Soerke Peters' dishes are savory, succulent and divinely plated with the utmost attention to detail. The herbs are freshly chosen and many of the dishes are made from scratch like the Agnolotti ($13.95) - handmade tortellini filled with braised pork, chicken, veal, and fresh herbs. For dessert, indulge in the Banana Mouse ($6.25) or the rich, warm Chocolate Almond Cake.
From the first slice of Bread and Olive spread or the first sip of sparkling water to the last taste of the Vanilla Crème Sauce that lines many of the dessert dishes, Ca Del Sole will leave you mesmerized by the Italian experience. The menu changes on a regular basis, but the surprises awaiting you on each unique menu are sure to please all of your senses. It will be no surprise if you don't want the evening in this fine Italian Ristorante to end, so sip contently on a warm cup of Cappuccino and let the memories linger as the sun sets on Ca Del Sole.

Ca Del Sole is located at 4100 Cahuenga Blvd in Toluca Lake. For more information visit their website at www.cadelsole.com or call 818 985 4669 to make a reservation.

Unicorn Premiere

2006-05-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we had the premiere of my first short film "The Modern Unicorn's Guide to Love and Magic" I produced the film and it was directed and written by Ryan Moore. Dan, my roommate, edited the film. We premiered at "Cinespace" in Hollywood. It was a great venue where guests could drink and mingle before the show started. Then I introduced the film which, minus my minor intoxication, went well. Kevin (in the pictures) attended the premiere with me and a lot of my friends came to support me. I think it went over fairly well. I'm pretty critical, but we definitely had a great time.

I also had the privalage of meeting BJ, from this season's "Amazing Race". Later the next week, he invited me to a viewing party of the show and we had a blast. He's a really fun guy and I'm sure we'll stay friends. He and his teammate Tyler are doing really well on the show. If you haven't watched, last week was pretty intense as they almost lost the game coming in fourth place in a foot race. However, it ended up being a "non-elimination" round so the boys were saved. They took all their money and clothes (except the ones they were wearing), but at least they're still in the running.

1/2 Marathon Paso Robles Trip

2006-05-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

On April 9th Belden, Seton and I ran a 1/2 Marathon in wine country. Running a full 13+ miles was clearly an excuse to spend the rest of the week vacationing, so the three of us told our bosses we'd be "outie" for the week and we packed our bags. This would be my first real vacation since I graduated college. Previous days off had been dedicated to weekend trips home to NC for weddings. While the weddings were of course memorable, they often felt like whirlwinds leaving me less relaxed then when I'd left LA LA land. It was time for a real vacation filled with relaxation, dining, and stressless travel.... boy was I mistaken - ha ha

Our first attempt at relaxation was the run. Yeah right! The race was wonderful. Centered in beautiful wine country, we ran through the vineyards and rolling farmlands. The sunrise over the hills was peaceful and the weather was perfectly cool and crisp for a morning run. . We'd stayed the night before at a motel near by. Rasila (the boy's sister) and Rodney (her husband) met us in Paso Robles to support us at the race.

Rasila and Rodney, being the avid wine lovers that they are had hit the wineries before the three of us even got are acts in gear Saturday morning. They called around 2pm when we were on the road. "Where exactly are you?" Rasila asked. The three of us laughed at each other as we explained how we'd passed our exit. It was no surprise that we'd missed our exit for the following reasons:

1) Seton was driving, but his mind was on an equation he was working on - trying to fit the line to the curve for one of his tests.

2) I was navigating, but clearly paying more attention to the IPOD songs that I just had to play for Belden

3) Belden was in the back seat. It wasn't his responsibility to watch the road and honestly can you blame a guy for missing a HUGE sign reading "Paso Robles this way" when some crappy country song is being blasted in his ear?

We finally got our directions strait and headed to meet the drunken Rodney and Rasila. This "lost trio" would be an ongoing theme during our trip. As prepared as we were with our Trip Notebook complete with itinerary and road maps, we managed to make a few wrong turns here and there throughout our vacation. Live and learn (and then re-live it as you turn around and backtrack).

The morning of the race was exciting. We arrived at the site with plenty of time to spare.
We took pictures and went to the bathroom a million and one times. Here's Seton making the long walk to the Portajohns.

Well you'd think that a group that had an hour and a half to spare would have no time making the start of the race. You'd be thinking wrong. This Chatting Threesome managed to completely miss the start. We had to run all the way back to the start line to begin the race. (Here's a picture of THE REST of the runners starting)

(And here's a picture of us to the right - the three small figures in the distance - 5 minutes behind the pack. By the way, we didn't dress alike on purpose. Promise!)

We ended up being a whole 5 minutes behind the group, but luckily it didn't take too long to catch up. Belden came in first place in his age group and Seton placed second. I came in 6th place in my age group and was thrilled that I'd shaved five minutes off my time.

"I wonder what place I would have come in if we started on time," Seton said.
"Um, you would have come in second. I'm the one who beat you ," Belden responded. Maybe Seton's brain was just dehydrated .

After the race we figured we'd take advantage of our bodies' tolerance levels. AKA - we drink one shot of wine and we're drunker than an alter boy after communion. So we headed to the local wineries. Everything was amazing. We learned about wines and the area's vineyards, we drank and we toured the area. We even went to an Olive Oil tasting. I thought of Ahmad and how he'd adore such a setting - pita bread in hand. Seton and I couldn't resist the olive oil soaps that smelled sooo amazing! Unfortunately we misread the sign. We thought they were $1 each, but were actually $7. Belden couldn't understand why we were loading our baskets. When we found out the real price, we reduced our numbers down to two each - plus some olive oil lip gloss.

This is a picture of Rasila (left) and me (right) It looks like Seton is hiding behind me. Sorry we're not paying attention to the camera. The view was just TOOO incredible! You could see vineyards for miles and miles on the rolling hills. By the way - aren't my pants totally hot!?!

The ride home that evening was a bit, well, drunken. Wait, wait, I'm not saying the driver was drunken. I believe it was Belden and he was sober, but I was not so well. Like my dear mother, one drink and I'm hung over. I had a headache from the 12-20 shots of wine I'd had, but it was well worth it. A trip to the Mexican restaurant in Morro Bay where we stayed that night made it all better. Of course Seton and I were now adjusting to the "Belden Diet" that is, we're learning quickly that we're not to eat Sugar or fats. We passed up the chips that night and spooned salsa into our mouths. YUM.

Extreme Teeth Makeover - not too extreme

2006-04-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ever seen "Extreme Makeover" where they take some unfortunate looking soul and turn them into a bombshell complete with boob job, liposuction, rhinoplasty, tummy tuck, and porcelain veneers? Well I decided to try it out. Hey, it's Hollywood! Would it be that crazy if I decided I needed to increase my breast size by 2 cups, decrease my butt size by 3 sizes, and play Mr. Potato head with my face? It would be? Oh man, you guys aren't any fun!!!

Okay, so I settled for a mere teeth whitening. Actually the real story is that Dr. Dorfman - the dentist from Extreme Makeover - was on our show one day and he offered the procedure to me. I couldn't pass that up. So now my teeth are white(er) and a little sore. I'm wondering if waiters think I'm from Europe when I ask for no ice in my drinks. What? You think the American accent gives it away? Oh well.

Introducing the Roommates ....

2006-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Lala Land readers! It's been a little while since I've posted, so I thought I'd break the "writing fast" by telling a little story that happened to two of my roommates last night.

Fern decided he would show Dan a local hang out as Dan is the newest of the Hartsook clan and hasn't been out a whole lot. They wanted to keep the evening casual, so Fern thought that taking Dan to a local bar where he'd recently made friends with the bartender would be a fun option. When they arrived they seated themselves at the bar and began to carry on a conversation with the bartender.

"This is my roommate Dan," Fern said. When she inquired as to what Dan did Fern jokingly whispered, "He's an actor." There is naturally a bit of a reputation that actors bring to their name (not nec. a good reputation if you're simply an aspiring actor) so this became a bit of a joke as Dan replied, "What did you tell her??"

As the conversation continued the bartender explained that she was from Michigan originally and was interested in moving to the Valley area (where we live) rather than living in main LA. "How do you like your place?" she asked.

"It's pretty fun," Fern replied. "I actually have two other roommates other than Dan. One, Sam, is a stuntman and the other, Heather, is a Segment Producer for a local television company. And right as he said this Dan happened to look over to the television and what just happened to be playing???! The episode of "Nine on the Town" that I produced and Sam was in doing stunts!!!

"That's Sam!!" Dan announced as he pointed to the screen. "I can't wait to tell Heather this," he said to Fern.

"You're not going to believe this," Fern said to the bartender, "But that is a segment that my roommate Heather produced and that stunt guy right there is our other roommate Sam."

Fern told me that at first the bartender thought Dan and he were ganging up on her and trying to trick her. Personally I just think it was a nice little way of introducing all of us at once. How convenient would that be if every time you went out you could just look up at a screen and have your friends and family right there to point out? "Hey, that's my best friend!" It beats carrying around a wallet full of pictures.

Hollywood Hair

2006-01-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday I had such a "Hollywood" day. First I had my hair done, on our show, by Dean - the guy that does Ryan Seacrests hair and all the others on American Idol (except for Paula). Then in the evening I flew with Josh, a freelance producer I've been working with, in a private plane to Santa Barbara for dinner. We had our dinner meeting and then flew home to LA. The total in-air flight was only about 15 minutes and I even got to fly for a little bit.

Christmas in Whistler

2006-01-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

So it's taken me a little while to get around to it, but I'm sure you guys want to hear about Whistler (Okay, I know because you've been asking) so here's a little summary of my trip.

I also took pictures. However, gone are the days where I was camera happy - always taking great pictures at every moment. Now I just take a few pictures here and there b/c personally I'd rather be living the experience than stuck behind the camera. Excuses, excuses. When I become really rich and famous, I'll get someone to follow me around. That's right - I'll have people. In Hollywood everyone has "people" - even "the people" have people. So I'll have people who take pictures. And clearly I'll need it if I continue to take pictures like this bleached out one of me and Seton - damn that would have been a good picture.

I've also decided, to the probable dismay of my readers, that I only like to hold on to pictures of friends, family, etc. Pictures of places, random trees and buildings, or a beautiful statue that I saw on the street just don't have longevity in my book. You just have to experience them first hand. On that note, the below picture is a picture of the Schroeder's beautifully decorated dining room. Seton's mother painted all the artwork in the house.

So unfortunately you won't get to see any awesome pictures of the Whistler mountains, or me skiing down Blackcomb or going for a long rainy run in Seattle. That part you'll just have to imagine, but I promise it happened!
_____

Arriving in Seattle

Seton and I flew in to Seattle on Christmas Eve Eve. We were greeted by his mother, who, up until this point I had not met. She was so artsy-adorable dressed in a beautiful colorful skirt and sweater. She looked like she came right out of Santa Fe (which she did) and she was very excited about our arrival. She's German and her accent is strong, "So nice to finally meet you," she said. Seton and I later made a trip to the airport ourselves to pick up Belden who came in on a later flight. First, though, we stopped at a quick store near his house. We were hungry from the long day of foodless flights. "That guy at the the check out was there when I was a kid," Seton said when we got back in the car. You can never go home again? I think you can, but boy does it feel weird.

Seton was really excited to be in Seattle and I was just as excited to see a place that he is so nostalgic about.

On Christmas Eve, Seton, Belden and I got up early to go for a run in the misty Seattle weather.
Rica, Mr. Schroeder's girlfriend joined us. Later we loaded up the car with the whole family - Seton and Belden, their mother and father, their two sisters Racila and Cyrena, Racila's husband Rodney, Raciala and Cyrena's mother Pasho, Rica, me, one dog, and a bird. The picture below is of what I like to call "The Wives". From left to right - Seton's mother, Rica, and Pacho (their sisters' mother). . The drive to Vancouver was beautiful. Seton's father, very much like my own mother and grandfather, managed to point out every landmark and notable spot along the way. "Be sure to look to your left", he'd say "That's where they often rock climb". On many occasions though, he was a bit off, and the boys would roll their eyes in an "oh geeze dad" fashion. "Be sure to look to your left," Schroeder said again 10 miles down the road. "This is where they often rock climb". "Didn't you say that a while back?," Seton would say cornering his father's comment. Belden would laugh and roll his eyes and Schroeder would always have some decently reasonable explanation for his goof. Ah, family trips...so fun.

The condos we stayed in at Whistler were beautiful complete with amazing views of the snowy Christmas city below. I was very thankful to have been invited on such a fun trip. Our first task was to move the table from one of the two condos into the other condo as Schroeder insisted we all eat together each evening. I'm sure he was checking my "intelligence" and "problem solving skills" as he said, "Heather, I have an interesting task for you" and then he sent me to figure out how the two tables would fit. Each meal started with a speech from daddy Schroeder. He'd ask a question and see who knew the answer or tell an anecdotal story usually containing information from his life. The meals were excellent as prepared by the Chefs - "The three wives"

We skied every day. Of course most mornings Seton, Belden and I were privy to various "You three need to get your MBA's" lectures. One day Mr. Schroeder told me he had an early gift for me. It was a giant book of MBA schools. Whooppppiieeee!

Skiing was wonderful! We skied every day from 10am until around 3. The slopes close around 3 because the ski patrol needs a lot of time to make sure everyone is off the mountain. These Schroeders are freakin amazing skiers! I just spent my days trying to keep up with the big boys.
The visibility at times was tough, but none of the courses were too difficult. I just wish I had a bit more time to actually work on my form. That needs work, but hey, I got down the mountain.

Christmas morning we got up and.... went skiing .... and then came home and did dinner and presents. Not much to tell here. It was like a normal family Christmas morning... only it was at night.... and there were just as many Moms as kids... ha ha...

The 27th was Mr. Schroeders birthday.
We went to this great place called the Mongolian Grill. You fill your bowl with "stuff" and then they cook it for you. I've been to places like this before and the "stuff" always cooks down so Seton and I fill our bowls to the brim only to find out that they weigh your meal to price it. Seton and I weighed in at like 1300 grams while everyone else had nice little 800 gram meals. Needless to say, we didn't finish it all. It did become a big joke of the evening though. We gave our gifts to Mr. Schroeder who was turning 65 and becoming a real "Senior Citizen" Seton gave him a book that I found entitled "After dinner speeches" so now, every evening, we got a speech not only before dinner, but also after!!

Then we went to a Brazilian show that Belden had organized. It was an exciting mixture of dance and music as the women danced around in fancy costumes and then shirtless men beat on their drums. At one point they asked audience members to go down and participate. Belden ran down from our balcony seats to the stage and without a thought, ripped his shirt off and joined the dancers. It was hilarious and totally fun!! Later, Seton and Cyrena joined them. They kept their shirts on.

On the way home from Whistler we, of course, had to cross the boarder into America. Now remember the bird. Cyrena has a little parrot much like my dear friend RINGO (only he doesn't talk as much...or bite...as much). Well Cyrena is in between cities and so she has EVERYTHING with her including her bird. She knew it would be tough to deal with the boarders so she called ahead of time and took care of ALL the paperwork, including an expensive document that said the bird was certified healthy.

Well the boarder was quickly approaching and so was dinner time. We decided to hit the Denny's after we'd passed into America to grab some grub.... welcome home...ha ha. We were in two cars. Our car, complete with ski-filled U-haul, was first. We passed up our passports to Belden who was driving. He reported that some of them were Germans, showed the proper documentation, and pointed out that the other half of our party was behind us and we'd be pulling over to wait. 10 minutes later a guard approached our car. "Are you the ones with ... The Bird..." he said... "Yes," Belden responded calmly. "Sir I think you should park the car and come into the building. It isn't safe out here." We all crowded into the customs/boarder building. We all had to pee. No bathrooms. Apparently the "bird" was a bigger issue than expect. Of course, the dog wasn't even questioned. He could have been foaming at the mouth and no one would have noticed because of "The Bird". Oh noooooo - God save us all from the Bird!!!

Cyrena, naturally, was a bit upset. After all she'd spent a few weeks taking care of all she thought (and was told) was necessary. She would have to drive two -three hours back into Canada to a VET who she would then have to pay $350 to come out of his house at that hour of the night to inspect the bird. We all loaded snuggly into the Van. Cyrena and Mr. Schroeder and THE BIRD got into the other car. We drove to Denny's and they were off to Canada. We were at Denny's for about 5 minutes before we got a call from Cyrena. "Save us a spot" she said. We're on our way. To protect the innocent I'm not going to explain exactly what happened, but I'll let you use your imagination. About a half an hour after the boarder incident we were all at Denny's - bird and all....

Seattle on New Year's Eve was quite fun. We got up early again to go for a run. Seton and Belden were determined to show me as much of Seattle as possible before our flight home so we loaded up in the car, waved goodbye to the family, and hit the road. We went to Red Robbins, a favorite restaurant of theirs. We walked along the rivers. We saw the rowing club. We walked in the Aboretum - a huge garden, etc. We walked through this swamp like path in one of the lakes near Washington University. It was all wet - and all beautiful. Seton slipped on a hill and got really muddy. That was fun. Belden and I laughed, Seton didn't. That night we went downtown - Me, Belden, Cyrena, and Seton to a few clubs. I really enjoyed the ease that we had parking, getting in, etc. It was much easier than it is in LA. We had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year. New Year's day we spent doing more "Seattle". We went to a park where we could see the sky line and the famous needle. It was really beautiful and really chilly. We also went shopping at this place called GAP - I'm sure you've never heard of it but I got some great skirts and pants and shirts. Maybe things fit better in Seattle - or maybe I lost five pounds from all the skiing and running.

It was a wonderful and very memorable trip. I can't wait to go back to both Whistler and Seattle!

Twelve Days of Christmas - "Reality Remix" Style

2006-01-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little ...Well... tardy, but here is "Reality Remix's" version of the Twelve Days of Christmas:

(Basically they "sang" the whole song and changed it as it went using clips from different reality stars. It went something along the lines of this.)

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....

Twelve Red Rose Ceremonies (Sung by Jerri from "The Bachelor" )

Eleven Sole Survivors ( From "Survivor")

Ten Trips to the Boardroom (From the Apprentice)

Nine off key singers ( From "But Can They Sing?")

Eight god warriors ( From the crazy lady from "Wife Swap")

Seven Swans with scalpels (From "The Swan" where they give plastic surgery)

Six... Herpes... Queer Eyed guys (From "Queer Eye for the Strait Guy")

Five engagement rings (Sung by Adrienne (Top Model) who just got engaged 'Peter
Brady')

Four-eyed Scrawny Geeks (Sung by Richard Rubin from "Beauty and the Geek")

Three Dead Grandma's (Sung by Jonny Fairplay who lied in Survivor that his
grandmother had died)

Two Amazing Racers (Sung by Lynn and Alex - the gay couple from Amazing Race)

AND .... A Partridge in Therapy (Sung by Danny Bonaduce - Partridge Family)

Watch Wear You Sit!

2005-12-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

This morning I almost fell into the toilet. I'm not kidding. I got into the office, put my things down, and headed to the bathroom. As I got in the stall, I quickly turned around to shut the door and pull up my skirt.I didn't look where I was about to sit though, because the cleaning lady must have left the seat up. I sat quickly, fell backwards, feet went up, and I almost left with one wet tushy. Am I upset? Not in the least bit. It's good to know my rear even fits! I felt like a kid again.

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Now I'm in Therapy"

2005-12-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Ok all you Christmas Carol Lovers - I've got a bone to pick with you.

Last weekend I was in the mall casually trying on clothes in a dressing room and humming along to a familiar song. "I .. Saw Mommy kissing...Saaaanta ..Claus underneath the mistle toe last night..." But just as I was getting into true Christmas spirit (quite a daunting task when I'm still wearing tank tops and frolicking amongst the palm trees) the song took a turn down raunchy lane. "I saw Daddy kissing Santa Claus...," the song said, "...there must be some mistake, was I really awake? I rubbed my eyes and moved in close, a better look to take... then I saw Daddy hugging Santa Claus. He took his hand and pulled him to the couch. It must have been just fine. Santa didn't seem to mind. Then Daddy moved across the room to pour them both some wine..."

Oh and it gets worse. "I saw Mommy and Daddy kissing ... Santa Claus," it continued. "They were having a threesome in the hall. I surly was in awe. Watching their manage-a-trois. Will someone please get Santa Claus off my Ma and Pa?"

Yup- right there in the middle of a store. Well this kinky little song got me to thinking. The whole story is actually kinda messed up!!! No, not the kinky version (that's obvious), but the real version. This poor little kid sees his mother kissing his father ( dressed in a Santa suit) and naturally assumes that she's actually kissing Old Chris Cringle. Then, as the song says, the kid reacts by saying "What a laugh in would have been, if Daddy had only seen, Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night."

Well if you ask me, under most terms, his reaction was suspiciously calm. I mean, kids know that their mommies are only supposed to kiss their daddies and vise versa. So it would NOT be a "laugh" if Daddy were to walk in on some guy in a fat suit kissing his wife!! In fact, they could change the title of the song to "The Christmas Mommy Cheated On Daddy and Daddy Walked Out on Us... as in The WORST Christmas Ever."

I guess the writer of the "Kinky Song" just had it right in the first place. He's revealing the truth because clearly this household is messed up. The kid, as the song says, was supposed to be "Upstairs tucked in his bed fast asleep". So if the brat is upstairs then why is Daddy still gallivanting around in his Santa suit? It seems like Mommy and Daddy have some sort of weird kinda sexual Santa game going on. This would definitely explain the threesome with the neighbor dressed up as Old Saint Nick. No wonder the man is so jolly!!!

LA LA LAND ARCHIVE - FOX steals Reality 24/7's

2005-12-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well, a year and a half later, I'm now working for the enemy!!!!!!!!!!!! But since, no matter what, you're on my side, you should check out www.realityremix.tv and see the website I've been working on for the show!!

Well It seems that my fans are screaming for their "LA updates" so I guess I need to get on it.

Things have been very crazy at Reality Central this week. The new name, by the way, is official - "Reality 24/7"

On Tuesday I got in to work 30 minutes late do to some horrendous traffic on the 10 West. Here I am thinking everyone is going to wonder where I am, but as I walk in the office I find Gordon sitting at his desk, and all the lights in the main office are out.

Now we aren't talking blackout-weird-man-in-the-corner sorta thing, but it was a bit odd. The office has a lot of windows, so the light comes in, but anyway, the point is, we usually have the lights on and they weren't, and Gordon was the only one there.

Apparently, as some of you may be hearing soon, FOX has announced the launch of its new "reality network" which obviously took us by surprise ( or at least me!!). Gordon was there to fill me in, and others were off taking care of things because the news broke just minutes before I got there.

No one around here seems to be too stressed about this situation because many of the other networks are up in arms about FOX and how they are stealing reality programming etc. Larry Namer (CEO and Head of Reality Central) had a meeting with us this morning, and he is very calm. He says it's one of those Lemons= Lemonade sorta things and that we'll be fine as long as we take action. SO, though I am a bit concerned, it seems as though things will iron out soon.

here are some articles if you care:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0714realitytv-channels-ON.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040713/media_fox_reality_2.html

http://166.70.44.66/2004/Jul/07142004/wednesda/183372.asp

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14504,00.html?tnews

and there are tons more where that came from - dahh geeze

The good news is that this event, in itself, has produced a lot of work for me. I am contacting stars - yup - on the phone!!! to sign them up for various events, etc that we will be doing. Karen (my boss) has given me so much responsibility and opportunities to shine. So the way I look at it, even if they can't offer me a job here now, I'll have good references and the position to get a job here once they do launch.

For those of you asking, "so what are you going to do?"
I am still not exactly sure yet.

Kate has been here this past week and we've had a blast visiting Santa Monica, getting sushi, and catching up. We plan to live together once she moves out here in September. I have a "dinner date" with her and her father (Producer of Frontline, and an awesome man in general!) tonight after my class so I plan to talk to her more about rooming, etc.

It looks like it may make sense for me to go to Charlotte for a few weeks and then get things rolling with a "move to LA date" around September 1st.

As for everything else, the roommates are good. Elesha is visiting next week - can't wait!! The weather here is wonderful.

Oh and I am now on the Reality Central website

go to realitycentral.com and click on fans
you can see my blogs, etc and feel free to comment back
its a fun time and a strait shot to fame!! - ha ha

Well I'm sure I've left out thing or two since I have gotten a bit behind on my emailing, but I'll be sure to write more soon.

Have a good one
Heather

LA LA LAND ARCHIVE - July 4th, 2004

2005-12-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

This is the moment when I realized Sam was one unique guy!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Ours was fun and relaxing. We spent the day by the pool and then by the evening the whole area was transformed into a giant cookout party. Looky here, the party came to us. And why wouldn't it!!?? You should have seen Sam. He was dancing like a wild man. The kids love him because he throws and flips them in the pool, and the parents are probably thrilled to have someone willing to do so. At one point someone apparently went up to the host of the party and told her that Sam was a member of some dance studio, and so the story begins:

"Does everyone want to know why Sam has all these ladies dancing with him, and why Sam is such a great dancer?" the party hostess said over the mic. "Its because Sam dances at "such and such" studios in Hollywood." The crowd cheers as Dan and I look at each other with giant question marks on our faces. "He does WHAT!!??"
No, Sam does not dance at "such and such" studios, but a whole lot of people will be doing so soon thanks to his 'awesome' moves. Someone in that crowd sure knows how to get free advertising.
So then, in all good Payerle Party fun, I go up to the hostess and say "Let's get a Limbo Line started"
Apparently that translated into Mambo line because the next thing I know I am standing on the roof of our building watching Sam lead a giant Mambo line around the pool as we wait to watch the fire works go off. Sam was nicely rewarded later with a $20 gift certificate (I'm not sure for where), but it was for "keeping the party alive!"
The fireworks were amazing. We could see four different shows going on at once from the roof of our apartment! We watched as the fireworks descended into the the distance; the ones up close were huge and bright and we could look further and further into the distance as the other shows also went off. I loved it, but I must admit that I would be just as happy watching the Sky show in Charlotte (Lisa - wink, wink) because Charlotte really does do a beautiful job.
We grilled out which was great! I made a salad and Dan made some great hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone as well as some grilled corn on the cob (34 cents at Ralph's!!). I was thrilled to finally be able to say, "thanks Dad," as I returned all the "thanks moms" that Dan gives me on a regular basis.

Chris was in Pittsburgh for the weekend at a family gathering. It was rumored that Jimmy Buffet would be in attendance (his uncle knows people), but apparently Jimmy Buffet turned out to be just another Parrot Head who looked like the Margarittaville Man and was able to cover his songs. Oh well - I bet it was still fun.

Work is great. I'm about to go to a brainstorming meeting. Yesterday we all went to Jay Leno which was enjoyable. I hope everyone is doing well.

Love ya,
Heather

La La Land Archive - Pinks Hotdogs and Spiderman

2005-12-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last night Sam, Dan, Chris and I went to see Spiderman. Before the movie we went to Pinks which is a very famous hot dog stand in Hollywood. No star sightings at Pinks oddly enough (apparently Stars are there all the time), but we did see the kid from Sandlot - the chubby one with the freckles- at the theater!!

Sam dressed up AS SPIDERMAN and hung out in the theater courtyard area. All the kids got the biggest kick out of him as he ran up the walls and did flips and stuff. Sam can do some pretty amazing tricks, and a huge group of people formed a giant circle around him to watch. At one point I had to go ask Sam where he had put our tickets, so I went up to him and started talking and then I looked around and realize that EVERYONE's eyes were on us. Who knows who they thought I was.

The movie was amazing. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Tonight we start classes. Not looking forward to that one, but they are at Disney so that should be cool. Email soon!!

Heather

LA LA LAND archive

2005-11-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Red Carpet.
UPDATE: This story is interesting to read b/c I talk about Reality 24/7, the start-up reality network that I interned for two summers ago. Well Reality 24/7 went under when Fox Reality stole the idea ("stole" - it is eleged that the idea was stolen and based on what I know, I still believe it to be true. Press releases from Fox, for example, held verbatim things that I had personally written while at 24/7.) Anyway, now that "9 on the Town" is on hiatus, I remain at Tri-Crown working for our show called "Reality Remix" a Reality Talk show/Talk Soup like program that we produce for, guess who, Fox Reality. It's kinda neat how everything comes full circle.

12:27 - pacific time

Dear Diary (and those reading you)

I just got back from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Honorary Awards Ceremony and I feel like a total star. It was so amazing. I wish I could explain what I experienced, but I guess its just one of those things that will have to remain in my heart and mind as do some experiences that you all have had the pleasure of having and then attempted to explain to me.

I walked down the red carpet, I brushed elbows (literally) with Tony Danza (who hosted the awards show) and Bob Barker, Katie Couric, etc etc. We started off in the beautiful front courtyard of the Television Arts and Sciences building which was amazingly decorated and catered. We watched the show. They had a live feed from Iraq where Tom Brokow is right now. He was also being honored, but couldn't make it to the show because he is covering the war. "I would love to be there experiencing this with all of you, but my place is here where the action is," he said. "I go to bed every night and ask God to give me another day doing what I love so much."

I laughed, I cried, and after wards I ate amazing horse d'oeuvre and drank wine. It was sooo awesome. I thought about Kate and how she'd want to take pictures on the red carpet. I thought about friends who'd be quoting Happy Gilmore - "the price is wrong biatch!!" I thought about my mom who has a dress that is so exactly like the one Katie Couric was wearing!!! I wished that everyone could be there to experience it. So cool.

In other news, I saw the Terminal the other day with Tom Hanks (well not with him, he was just in it) We saw William Defoe at the theater. By the way, the movie was better than I thought it would be. I really think, Mom, that you should take Ahmad to see it. It reminded me of him on many levels.

Last night Chris, Dan, and I went to Santa Monica. Then we came back and hung out at the apt. We also ran and jumped the locked fence and went swimming in one of the pools. Shhhhhhh!!! Don't tell

News from reality central - it looks like the number of people they'll be hiring at launch is 700 - fingers crossed, because things are looking good! I could be on TV too, but that's a whole other story.

Hope all is well with everyone. I miss you guys. Love ya

Heather

Relax Already!

2005-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you who live in LA, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. For those of you who don't, it may just be worth the trip! Head down to Casablanca Salon and Spa in Sherman Oaks (ask for Sheila when booking your treatment) and you'll save 20 percent!!!

Casablanca Salon and Spa
14202 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(say Heather from Desire sent you)

_ - _ - _

"Oh don't cross your legs dear," Jintrey, my massage therapist, said kindly as she peaked her head around the door to check on me in the relaxation room at the spa.

"Wow", I thought as I sipped my warm herbal tea, "She must really want me to get the full relaxing experience."

But this wasn't just an attempt to help me shed my lady-like ways and enter a state of complete relaxation. Jintrey explained that crossing my legs would hinder my circulation to important parts of the body and possibly even cause varicose veins. This was just one of the many tidbits of advice offered up to me while visiting Casablanca Salon and Spa in Sherman Oaks.

This full service spa for men and women features everything from Ayurvedic and Color Treatment Massage therapies to individually formulated facials. In addition, they offer hair and makeup services at an incredible price. The experience is out of this world, but the prices are very down to earth.

I know I must sound like I'm writing a script for my television show "9 on the Town", but I must tell all of you La La Land Journey readers, this place was incredible!!

_ - _ - _

The front of the spa was very inviting. You wouldn't know it from the whole-in-the- wall appearance it offers up to Ventura Blvd, but when I entered I was instantly enchanted by the hardwood floors and hand finished woodworking. The spa used to be an old home that was renovated by the owner many years ago. The front area is designed for hair cuts and colors, makeup, manicures, and pedicures. I'm lead back to the spa which is a sort of "Guest House" off the main building. Just to walk into the relaxation room was so calming; I was very excited about my upcoming treatments. I sipped on tea while filling out a bit of paperwork in preparation for my ayurvedic massage. Honestly, I would have been in heaven just to sit and listen to the violin music spiced with the calming sound of chirping birds.

It's an age-old adage to say "everybody's different". I mean, obviously this is the case, but I wonder if we're really thinking about this fact when it comes to how we treat, nourish, and feed our bodies. Ayurveda, an Indian term, means the science of life. Ayus means life and Veda means knowledge and wisdom. It originated in India more than 10,000 years ago and is believed to be the oldest healing science in existence, from which all other systems emerged. It focuses on the very idea that no body is alike and that we should therefore take our own characteristics, or governing functions as it is called, to determine how to keep our mind, body, and souls healthy. The Tridosha Theory, the basic view of Ayurveda, is that all of life (people, food, animals, nature, the universe, and diseases) are combinations of three energy-elements: air (called Vayu or Vata), fire (called Pitta), and water (called Kapha). When these elements are balanced, one is healthy. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the three governing functions and can be determined based on a list of characteristics that each person must relate to. For example, if you are a Vata you are more likely to have excess air which leads to dry skin or gas where as a Pitta has a tendency towards excess heat that leads to acne, heart and ulcer problems.

At the spa, I received an Ayurvedic massage which was specifically catered to my governing functions. Jintrey, the massage therapist who has a background in Eastern Medicines, Holistic healing, and even Chiropractics, was able to mix up essential oils designed specifically for my needs which happened to fall between Pitta and Kapha. The massage was incredible, and as she worked I could feel the release of much of the stress that has built up in my shoulders, neck, and even my feet. She was able to recognizes stresses before I even mentioned them to her. For example, there is more stress in my right leg because of my slight scoliosis. She even noticed the stress in my hands from typing. Maybe I should cut down on these LaLa Land posts!!

Jintrey has also studied color therapy which is an intriguing treatment in itself. She has the ability to work with colors -ones we tend towards, and ones we dislike - in order to therapeutically heal and work we each individual.

_-_-_

Next I moved on to my facial with Sheila. Again, the treatment was specifically designed for me after she assessed my skin. Not only did everything feel amazing, but it smelled wonderful too. She uses a line of products called Eminence which is made in Hungry entirely from organic fruits, vegetables, and other natural ingredients. As I drifted close to a sleeping state, I could smell the eucalyptus, rose pedals, and lemon refreshing and refinishing my face. I also received a mini neck and shoulder massage as part of the treatment which just added to the incredible comfort I was experiencing. Afterwards Sheila gave me an entire print out of food, drink, and regime suggestions that were specific to my needs in order to help me maintain the healthy glow she'd given me.

As I stood in the private locker room and changed out of my plush robe and slippers I looked at myself in the mirror. From head to toe I looked and felt absolutely amazing and at one with myself. These therapies weren't from a recipe book list. They were designed specifically for my needs, and even after they were over, Sheila and Jintrey offered up helpful information and advice for keeping my body healthy.

_-_-

Getting my makeup done by Megan was also a great experience. I was thinking to myself, "It's too bad that I don't have to go anywhere tonight." I don't think running to Ikea really counted as an evening on the town.

Megan uses mineral makeup designed by Pauline Youngblood, a makeup artist who used to work in a plastic surgeons office. Now you know if she can cover up surgery scars right after someone's been under the knife, then she surly can handle a blemish or two. The makeup is completely natural - made literally from minerals- and it is also a natural sunblock because it contains zinc. It's not easy to find though, so head to Casablanca and have Megan help you out. It's more affordable than most department store prices, but watch out. You'll look so gorgeous when you leave that you're bound to spend money on a night out on the town. I'd also recommend getting your makeup done before an interview. Megan will work with you and your schedule so that you, not your forehead, will shine during any occasion.

_-_-_

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any more amazing, I had Mirza do my hair. Now I'm not picky when it comes to most things, but when it comes to my hair I'm the worst! This is the girl who travels from LA all the way to SC to get her hair done because she doesn't trust her locks in the hands of just anyone. Mirza was amazing and I knew it from the moment she spoke about her passion for hair. It started when she asked me if I loved my job. "I think you have to," I said, "Or it isn't the right job for you. Especially when you're gonna spend most of your life doing it." "I love hair." She said, "I just love color." Mirza excited me because of her excitement. She also talked to me to find out just what I wanted and through talking with her I realized that I wasn't just another piece of "fun artwork" for her to be creative with. She understood that while she could be creative, she still had to create a functioning masterpiece when the day was through.

Creating a blonde isn't as simple as taking out the dye labeled "Blonde" and pouring it on. Everything from blue to purple goes into the dyes to create just the right tone, so while a head full of purple dye and foil may seem intimidating, it's really a blessing in disguise. It's important that your stylist speak the language of color so that when you say "I want to be light blonde, not strawberry blonde," she knows you want cool tones, not warm.

Mirza was the first stylist I'd ever been to that presented me with a book of real, up to date, photos and magazine cut outs. It sure beat the style books that you find in most salons that look like they haven't been updates since 1981.

Mirza talks to her clients. She believes its important to examine the natural aspect of the hair to really create a style and color that works. "I like to work with your hair growth when doing color," she explained, " So that your hair has movement - playful movement - when I'm done."

We've heard it time and again, " I leave the salon looking great, but I can never get the same look on my own." Well I must say, my hair is just as playful as it was yesterday and I don't think its taking a break any time soon!

We can't be expected to understand our hair when most of us have trouble grasping the concept of a blowout (I used to think they only referred to tires), but with a great stylist your true colors (and the not-so-true ones) can shine through.

-------

I'd highly recommend taking advantage of the 20 percent off discount on any of these services (until Jan 1st). Just ask for Jintrey, Sheila, Megan, or Mirza and tell them Heather (from Desire LA) sent you!!!!

Casablanca will put you under a spell and leave you feeling beautiful from head to toe. Luckily it isn't a spell at all!!

Let's Save the Planet

2005-11-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

go to www.stopglobalwarming.org to join the fight against global warming

LA LA LAND ARCHIVES - Squishy Shoes

2005-11-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

I really love this "LA LA Land" oldie. It really makes me laugh to read and remember the evening at the weird sushi place in Venice.

Anyway, lets see. What to tell. Well last night Chris and Dan and I were invited to go to the Onyen premiere movie with Craige Boyer (another intern for those who don't know). We had a few "directional mishaps" and ended up getting there, not late, but on time actually. However, we apparently were supposed to get there early to get a spot so we didn't get to see the Onyen movie which, by the way, has yet to reveal an actual title. We didn't, however, leave empty handed. The woman who originally yelled at us for showing up "late/on time" gave us all free tickets to see a movie.

We saw Saved! with Mandy Moore which wasn't incredible, but was still quite enjoyable. "I just wasn't quite ready for the return of the Culkin," Craige said.
Ha ha. Macaulay Culkin, our good friend Kevin from Home Alone, played an interesting character in a wheel chair. "Was anyone else freaked out by the fact that Culkin didn't change at all since Home Alone?" Dan said.

Before the movie we had to kill some time so we walked around and went to a sushi restaurant. Here's where a funny story comes in:

We go into this place and are immediately yelled at to take our shoes off. I didn't mind too much, but the guys seemed a bit weirded out. We are seated on the ground, in typical Asian style, and I have a bit of a blonde moment (ha ha Megan!!) as I announce to my friends that I can "put my feet down in the hole under the table!!" Hey, sorry, I didn't realize the tables had cubbies under them for your feet. I, of course, am sure that this area is very sanitary (NOT) being as though we are all placing our bare feet down there and there is no way to actually reach the floor boards with a vacuum or any other cleaning device( any ideas Mom, Grandma!!??). The "foot juices" as Dan and Craige so lovingly called them were starting to take hold of my feet.

The bathroom was, in itself, another experience. I mean who wants to tip toe through the TP in bare feet? NOT ME!! So Dan and Craige take use of the "provided shoes" at the bathroom door which they later come to name "juicy shoes" (Craige said they squished when he walked), and I am left with a child's size who-knows-what to squeeze barely my big toe into as I trudged across the bathroom hallway. I still manage to beat the boys out though (Mom, Nick, Miranda... - thought you'd enjoy that!!).

Craige orders fried green tea ice cream and at its delivery proceeds to inquire upon whether or not they ever accidentally mix up the wasabi and the ice cream (they look the same). Hum, that would pose for a shock if someone was to reach for a big scoop of ice cream and instead gets a nice load of wasabi to the throat (KATE!!!)

The rest of our time at the restaurant is spent trying to calculate the bill ( we were kindly provided with a pen and calculator). Then we went to the movie to which Dan commented upon exiting, "Well that was free."

Fun times

Work is great. I had a meeting with a guy from Score - an advertising and marketing firm that does arena advertising. What a salesman, but I felt right at home with the AD lingo and was thanking my lucky stars that I took Sports Marketing. Sweeney may have had hard exams, but I was ready to ask the hard questions during the pitch, and I think it looked good in front of my boss.

Oh and I met Amazing Race Blake Mycoskie for the first time today - kinda cute.
All else is well. I miss everyone bunches. Write soon.

Heather

LA LA LAND ARCHIVES - Reality Shows and Hair Cuts

2005-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

Ok everyone,
Now that I'm "blogging", I've decided to bring back some of the old emails for your reading pleasure. I'm going to go in order from the original emails that I sent out when I first came out to LA. All the Archives will be in BOLD so you can pick 'em out just in case you only want to read my new stuff. Have fun...and leave comments!!!

Hello Everyone,
Just thought I'd send out another email update about the goings on in La La land. I am starting my second week at Reality Central. So far it has been most enjoyable, and I am excited about all the possibilities here.
This weekend I brought home one of the demo reels that we received from a producer trying to get his show launched. While Dan, Chris, Sam, and I enjoyed this "reality" show, it became very obvious that it could never be aired. Well, it could be aired, but all the stuff that people would actually want to watch would have to be completely edited out. Take away the stripping and the sex scenes and unfortunately what is left over is actually pretty boring. The "characters" are very uninteresting. Oh well. Keep trying all you producers out there!!
Friday night was Digital Domains wrap up party for IRobot. It was definitely a fun time. Chris headed off from work to pick me up Friday afternoon, but I was already done so I walked across the street to the mall. Once Chris got to Santa Monica, we got dinner and ate on the peer near the beach - what a view!! Then we drove to Venice and then went to Digital Domain for the party. They had a life-size robot like the one in the movie inside this giant circular bar. Free drinks for everyone!! And they had the biggest green screen I think I've ever seen (Dave, you'd have fun with that one!) Plus the director and the actor who played the main robot were also there.
Saturday morning Dan and I went to get our first LA hair cuts. It was a fun experience. My cut is really good and I love Dans- he isn't so sure though. I guess I probably like it because it looks just like Matt's hair ( so sad I know!!) but when we went to the salon I wasn't wearing contacts or glasses so when the girl turned him around in the chair it was like...wahooo dude, you're Matt! Crazy, Crazy. He says he might just shave his head and start over; whatever.
We've watched a few more movies. Chris says I have Movie Amnesia; I get half way through a movie and realize I've already seen it, or I ask dumb questions about actors and directors. We watched that movie with the Rock and Sean William Scott (Miranda, Alice, Roderick - you know!!) and as soon as I saw the scene with the monkeys I thought to myself, "Go away monkeys, go away monkeys (Alice!!) " Ha Ha, and I realized I'd watched it when Alice and Roderick rented it. Oh well!
On Saturday night we all went over to Kim's apartment which is totally cute. We played a new "drinking game" that Dan and Kim invented appropriately named "drink". Basically you think of something and ask the others "What ____ am I thinking of?" Like what finger am I thinking of or what president am I thinking of or what 80's band am I thinking of. Then the other people guess and if they get it wrong they have to drink. There are other rules too, but anyway, it was a blast.
On Sunday there was much pool going, relaxing, eating sushi, and watching Sam practice his stunts in the courtyard. He can flip off trees and he is working on being able to take four steps up a tree before he flips instead of just three!... go Sam the squirrel!!

Hope all is well with everyone
Send me emails
Heather

I heard it on the radio

2005-11-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Just some interesting stories that I heard on the radio this morning:

IN THE NEWS: There is a street in West Hollywood called "Dick St". Now personally, considering West Hollywood is, like, the Gay Capitol of the Los Angeles, I'd think that the residents would be pretty thrilled with their properly themed street name. Apparently, however, they're not happy at all and they are demanding a name change for the street - a change that is going to end up costing the city thousands of dollars. Aren't there better things they can do with that money? Like hire someone to clean Dick, or make sure Dick is well lit, or increase the speed bumps so that Dick is safer. I mean honestly people!!
Just pronounce it differently or something - emphasize the "I". Oh, wait, no - then you'd have Dyke. Oh well, nevermind.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

More than ever before, I related deeply to Ryan Seacrest this morning. He really made me smile.

I love Christmas. Now that I've spent a few days collecting decorations and gathering my pennies to by a few holiday trimmings, I've realize how much my mother really did to make Christmas festive. We never really had to do the difficult stuff like stringing the lights on the tree or wraping the garland up the staircase. Somewhere in between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, Christmas just sorta happened around our house - complete with the smell of gingersnaps and evergreens (even though for many years we had a fake tree). At dad's house it was just the same. One weekend we'd visit and it'd be "dad's house as usual", the next it would be a winter wonderland strait out of "Better Homes and Gardens".

This morning Ryan Seacrest was having listeners call in about "difficult holiday chores" and he gave his best example.

"You know those stupid lights that go in all the windows?" he asked "Well every year we had those, and every year all of us children would run hiding at sunset."

I laughed remembering how much I dreaded turning on the lights.

"I couldn't stand having the job of turning on the lights", Seacrest continued. "We had so many windows in our house, and the lights weren't alwasy accessible, so you'd end up leaving the job with cut fingers and electrical shocks. And God forbid one of the blubs was burnt out."

I too recalled the experience. The window in the living room was the worst as it was behind a huge tree mom had in there. I knew if I struggled too much, the tree would drop leaves, creating a whole other task. I don't know why the simple act of turning on all the candle lights was such a daunting task, but apparently Ryan could relate. And I thought to myself, "Obviously the task wasn't that exciting if all the parents were pawning the job off on the kids!"

Pictures from the Shoot!!!

2005-11-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from the
Short I'm producing

The movie is called
"The Modern Unicorn's Guide to Love and Magic"

This is the Unicorn and the lead female, Mary Elise

This is the Main Character and Mary Elise on the beach

Kiss!

My Monthly Dose of Birth Control

2005-11-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I take on a challenging babysitting job. While the extra money in the pocket is an excellent perk, a babysitting job is a great little reminder that I'm not ready to have children.

This weekend, a young couple from Tampa Florida paid me to watch their three-year-old. For a couple hundred bucks I was to watch little Makayla from 10pm on Friday night until 9am Sunday morning, a task that didn't seem too difficult at all. Surly she'd be sleeping half that time and I could fill the rest with a walk to the park, a video, a few games, and mealtimes.

After spending the evening at "Howl at the Moon", a fun little piano bar in Universal City, Seton and I headed back to my apartment in time for the arrival of our new "bundle of joy." Makayla was half-asleep when she arrived; Seton, not surprisingly, was already fully asleep on the couch on the porch.

Makayla's mother helped me get her into her PJ's and up into my bed. She quickly fell asleep after a few kisses from her mother and the sound of her plastic music box playing on my desk. It was 10:30 as her parents left, and as I shut the door a daunting thought crossed my mind, "What if they don't come back?" I mean LA is a pretty crazy place, and the $100 dollars they'd paid me up-front is a small price to pay to have someone take a kid off your hands!!

I resolved that Makayla was simply too cute for anyone to want to leave her and my thoughts were confirmed the next day when she woke up. She barley cried. She simply told me, "I'm ready to get up now." So we headed downstairs for Breakfast and the viewing of the "Heffelump Movie". Seton was already awake, and watching the two of them get acquainted was like watching something out of the discovery channel. He'd look at her, she'd hide her eyes, she'd look at him, he'd make a weird face and then he'd mumble something about never wanting to have children. How endearing.

She finished her cereal and quickly announced the first words since getting up, "Gowww Potttiiee!"

She insisted, however, that we use the potty on the second floor even though the one downstairs was much more convenient. We traveled up the stairs and potty time went quite smoothly. We returned downstairs, step by step, and we were only downstairs for a few minutes before she announced again, "Gooowwww Pottieeeee" (it sounds more like "big party" when she says it though).

So in fear of a wet floor, I walked with her upstairs - step by step. She didn't go to the bathroom, but we went through the whole process - washing hands and all, and headed back down the stairs - step by step. After her third announcement of "Gowwwww Pottieeee", it became apparent to me that this child must have been stair-deprived. She apparently enjoyed going up and down the stairs so much that she was forced to fake the need to go to the potty. Unfortunately for us, she was good at faking it complete with butt in the air, holding the croch, and moving around practically in tears ..."Gowwwww Pottieeee".

"Why don't you make her sit until she goes," Seton suggested as we both kinda watched her do the potty dance.

"I already did," I returned, "Sometimes she goes, sometimes she doesn't"

Seton found it the perfect time to exit the premises and return to his apartment for a shower, and thus began my attempt at distraction. "Let's play a game...Let's go on the porch...let's play the piano....let's read a book".... I suggested anything to keep her mind off the very entertaining staircase. Then she began a new obsession.

"Where Seeeton go?" she'd ask

Funny how she wasn't a huge fan when he was around.

"Where Seeeeton go?"

"He went to his house," I answered "We'll see him after we go to the park"

She was very excited about going to the park.

"Pawwwk?" "Pawwwwkkkkk???"

During the child-paced walk to the park, I learned a lot about this unique three-year old. First of all, she says hello to everyone! She's also very polite. When she tripped on the sidewalk she said sorry! She never cried even during the whole long walk around the park and then all the way to the grocery store. In the grocery store, I learned about her "Dora The Explorer" obsession as she managed to find EVERYTHING in the store that had Dora on it. A balloon, some drinks, and even a can of soup which she insisted on.

"Darnit, why don't they make mac and cheese with Dora on it" I'm thinking to myself as she's saying "Dora soup, Dora soup" over and over again.

Then we walk all the way back to the apartment, groceries in hand . Of course this is when she starts to get tired, so here I am trying to carry an arm full of groceries and a 35 lb kid across Vineland. And when we get to the stairs she's ready to walk again as we go up step - by step.

Lunchtime was fun. As I expected, she wanted nothing to do with the Dora Soup. "Jelly" she said as I made her a PB and J and prayed that she wasn't one of those kids that demanded the crust off. She wasn't - thankfully.

Seton returned from his day of hunting for good tire deals. We realized we'd have to go for a little car ride with Makayla so that he could drop of his car. The whole time I'm driving she's saying "Where Seton?" "Where Seton Go?" But when he finally got into our car she said nothing to him. In fact, she didn't really even like it when he attempted to help buckle her into her seat.

We had some time to kill while the tires were being repaired so we drove to Smart and Final to pick up a few things. As soon as we get into the store - you guessed it " Gowwwwww Pottttieeeeee!"

I searched for a restroom while Seton paid, and it was a good thing b/c this time she really had to go!
Then, as we walked out to the car, the two of us carrying our bags and Makayla trailing behind, Seton again announced, "ugh- I don't think I want children."

We loaded the bags and he helped her up into her seat, buckled her in, and handed her her Dora Doll and her juice.

Then we went to blockbuster- an interesting experience in itself.

"I guess we have to get something sheeee can watch" Seton said as we walked into the store.

"Um, no", I responded "That's one great thing about kids - they have early bedtimes."

Seton's eyes lit up.

We walked around the store only to find a new, interesting and odd thing about this child. Every time she pointed at a movie, it was something with a horribly scary cover. We're talking incredibly scary. She'd point and say, "disss" and then smile. It was really weird.

It was cute to watch her pick up a movie and run over to Seton and say, "ooouk Seton, ook!"

He'd smile at her and look at me with an "oh my god she just brought me "The Bride of Chucky" face and then she'd run off giggling and grab another movie.

We finally picked out a movie and headed back to the car. She wasn't thrilled about being put back in her seat to which Seton proclaimed, "Just put her in, geeze" - such patience.

We picked up the car and she fell asleep on the ride home. I have to admit it was pretty cute to see her sleeping there in the back. Of course she woke up when Seton sat next to her on the couch once we got home. For someone who doesn't want children, he sure looked like he was having fun "flirting" with her on the couch. It made it really easy on me, though, because he apparently was great entertainment as she laughed and giggled at him. Then he started in with the twizzlers to which he informed me, "she won't eat it unless it's in really small pieces." So he sat there and broke them up for her. "She's such a princess," he said.

I soon put her to bed, and as I closed the door to my room I realized my "birth control" was only half effective. I mean I don't want children now, but they aren't all that bad.

What Heather Needs according to google

2005-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Go to Google.

Type in "(your name) needs" ~ remember to use quotes.

From the top results, pick 5 different websites that say what you desperately need. It's almost spooky how right on it is ~ here's mine: (SO FUNNY THAT I PICKED 10)

1) "Heather Needs A rest" - from the homesite of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - I think a rest is a given

2) "Heather Needs Two Therapists" - from some site that apparently thinks I need not one, but TWO Therapists!!

3) "Little Heather needs to be congratulated for defending herself from unkindness" - um Ok!!??? - - didn't know I was so awful to myself

4) "I know that might annoy some conservatives, but Heather needs at least two mommies." - - - what? Isn't one enough?????

5) "Heather needs men....NOW!!" - again, isn't one enough!!???

6) "Dad said that Heather needs to start wearing a brassiere" - well that's wishful thinking!!

7) "Heather needs to stick to her career as a country artist" - Dad told me if I'd ever sing it would be country - then Ahmad told me not to quit my day job.

8)"Heather needs your help in determining how much money she will need for gas" - nope, I can do the math - I need a whole hell of a lot out here in CA!!!!!!

9) "Heather needs to be kept moist" - although I could comment on the sexual innuendo of this one, I think they were referring to the plant!!

10) "Heather needs a life" - well clearly! I'm writing this thing aren't I??

The funny thing is that when I google "Heather Wants" I get
"Heather Wants a New Job" - that's the first thing that comes up - Hiatus here I come!!!

I picked some of the names of my friends and family just to see what came up. See if you made the list.

"Debbie wants to focus on bringing the many different racial
and ethnic groups in her area together to create economic development"

"Scot wants to show the golfing world how much his game has improved
over the past year." - (and I actually googled Scot with one t) - so Dad, has your game improved since you did a whole 18 hole course in one shot?????

I think Seton's and Belden's were the scariest b/c of how accurate they (kinda) are

"Seton wants to build and own a new $200 million facility because of overcrowded conditions at the existing hospital."
and "Seton wants success in the field as much as he wants stability off it"
and also funny "Seton wants to cherry pick this jewel from the city"....hmmmmm????

Belden's said the following: "Oh yea and Belden wants you guys, yes you people, to see if you can tell which one is the true version." (is this a twin reference!!??)

Lisa (frick first, then jordan) - you guys had some interesting ones

"Lisa wants to improve her arabic" - Ahmad will love that!!

but the funny one was instead of the first line being "Lisa wants...blah blah blah" it was just an entire article called "What Lisa Wants" - - kinda like "lisa says"????

"Matt wants his SOAP" - buy Matt some soap!!!!!!

"Kaitlin wants some size 50 panties in black, red and white" - ummm, don't ask, don't tell is all I have to say about that one!!!

"Kate wants to play Wonder Woman" - that couldn't be more accurate!!! :)

"Chrystal wants to wait for the cops to show before any info sharing starts"

"Jackie Wants to be a Jedi" - it also said "Jackie wants to be a star"

Ahmad's said "Ahmad wants to get married" about six times, but then I found "Ahmad wants to play store, but the rest of the group wants to play post office" - why don't you just build an entire city Ahmad!!??

well I'd love it if you guys would search your names if they aren't already here and let me know what you find.

More Wine?

2005-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had my first shoot where I played the role of producer dealing with the restaurant owners, asking the interview questions, etc. I was pretty excited until we got to the restaurant at the scheduled time only to find out that the owners thought we were a day early!

We were able to organize a later shoot and decided to return at 5:30. Language barriers are such a fun challenge. It's amazing how a simple comment or question can be completely misunderstood.

We had one of the waiters, for example, holding a large plate of appetizer - a plate that the owner was VERY excited about featuring. Then we decided that we would have the waitress being interviewed comment about the plate we just shot.

"We'll show you talking," I explained, "and then we'll cut to a shot of that."

"What???" the owner questioned

"You going to cut that?" he asked, "You no like? We make somsing else - no? Yes. Something else!"

Before we knew what was happening, we had two tables filled with food, drinks and wine.

By the end of the shoot we were spending a few hours drinking complimentary wine and finishing up all the food that was prepared. Ahhh the perks of the industry.

Marathon in the Wine Country

2005-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Seton and I traveled to Santa Barbara to run a half marathon along the cost.

It was my first 1/2 marathon so I was very excited and a bit nervous when we arrived. We watched the sun rise near the pier while we took turns using the porta-johns that had been set up along the course. Thankfully they also provided something I'd never seen before - an outdoor washing station where you use your foot to pump water through a spout so you can wash your hands - a much needed device after using a porta-john.

Then we traveled down the the start line, picked up our packets which included various running pamphlets, powerbars, and the ever-encouraging packet of tylenol. Since we knew that we'd be running at different paces, we knew we'd have trouble finding each other in the crowd that inevitably gathers at the finish line, so we came up with a plan: we would both leave our cell phones in the car and carefully store the keys inside the gas tank so that we could both get our phones after the race.

We had an hour or so to kill before the start of the 1/2 marathon and we filled this hour with two very interesting activities - experiences to which you could probably comment "you know you're a runner when".

First of all, we spent a good 15-20 minutes looking for tape. Seton had to tape his nipples so that they wouldn't bleed. Yes, that's right, runners (usually men who don't wear sports bras) often have issues with their shirts rubbing on their nipples and thus causing them to bleed.

After saving setons nipples we headed towards a new set of porter-johns. The first round at the Johns was simple. In and out - no problem. "Pick the line with more men," Seton said.

But soon after our first potty break, my nerves kicked in and I had to go again. However, this time, when we got to the line we couldn't even see the end of it. Finding the line with the least amount of women would have required some serious math. By the time we got to the end of the line I heard one man comment, "Well, that had to have been a mile right there - now we only have to run 12".

I couldn't stand the idea of waiting in the line. In addition, the race was going to start soon, so I got a little creative. Don't hold it against me. "Ahhahhh", I said as I ran towards the mobile sinks. I grabbed a bunch of brown paper towels and wadded them up as I ran towards the beach. Seton followed me hesitantly. "What are you going to do?" he questioned , "pee on the paper?"

"Yup" I said

I'll spare you the details, but if you can imagine Seton and me squatting on the beach.

"Just sit here and talk to me," I said "Act natural".

It was the first time I think I "peed" in his presence.

During the run I was quite happy as I noticed the break sites filled with anxious runners waiting to get a quick potty break in before hitting the tracks. I know I'm the fastest peer in town, but it surly would have hurt my time.

Seton finished in one hour and 27 minutes and then turned around to find me. When he met up with me, I was on my last mile and he handed me his Ipod and took mine.

"Listen to this song as you finish", he said attempting to put the Ipod earphones into my ears as I ran.

The music playing was Chariots of Fire - quite an inspiration as you're crossing the finish line.

I finished in two hours and thirteen minutes. My legs were a little shaky and I felt like throwing up - you know, the usual. It was great.

After we'd returned to the car, we grabbed our things and set out to find a way to bathe. No, taking a full bath in the "portable sinks" was not a possibility so we went down to the pier. The peer bathrooms are set up for boaters, but they're locked as they do not allow access to outsiders.

Seton and I waited by the bathroom and when a boater exited the men's room he went inside. After a moment inside, he peaked his head out.

"There's a guy .... in the stall..." he whispered, "but ...when he comes out... you come in."

I waited for the man to emerge and when he did, like a cartoon character casually whistling before doing something really bad, I snuck into the bathroom.

We got our showers in, got dressed, brushed our hair and crept out of the bathroom just in time for an entire boating family to watch us exit. We just walked away smiling - happy to be clean.

Later that afternoon we traveled to the wine country. The drive up the coast was amazing. It was a totally new experience - an incredible combination of sun and ocean mixed with mountains and the colors of changing leaves on the grape vines. We played Enya through the car stereo and opened the sunroof so as to take in every aspect of the moment at hand.

Then we went to the Sanford Winery- the one in the very first Winery Scene in Sideways when Miles teaches Jack how to taste wine - "...just a hint of edan cheese..."

Wine tasting was great, and I'd love to do it again. We got back to LA LA land just in time to get in a good night's sleep.

CHEERS

The LA Mailing System

2005-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

I will call this story "And Then There were Two"

Now that I live in Hollywood I've surrendered to the fact that mail delivery will never be the same again. Gone are the days when I can walk down my driveway in my nightgown and bare feet and converse with the neighbors as I open a standard mailbox (you know - the ones that actually go into the ground). No longer will I experience a metal box filled with the sweet site of promptly delivered mail wrapped neatly in a rubber band. No, these days are gone.

My postal experience has been replaced with a treacherous process that starts with getting dressed, putting on shoes, and perhaps even makeup. Now I know I'm not one to be concerned about hair and makeup just to go down to the mailbox, but who knows who you'll have to deal with (this will come into play later). And so the long walk through the apartment and down to the mailboxes begins. The trip gives me time to search through the endless keys on my key chain (one for the main door, one for the side door, one for the front door,.....) to find the my mail box key. After struggling for a few minutes to wedge the key into the system of tiny silver boxes, I pry the door open to reveal a plethora of junk mail mixed with the occasional bill, and if I'm lucky, a letter.

Getting packages is an entirely different issue. First of all, packages are only delivered during the week between the hours of 10am and 4pm during which time most normal people are, guess what, NOT HOME!!!! So the extremely difficult responsibility of signing for packages is left up to the woman in the front office. Her door bares the sign that reads "Office hours - Monday- Friday, 9am-5pm". Unfortunately, she forgot to read her own sign because she is never manning her post thus leaving my postman to fend for himself. This poses a huge problem as there is a giant locked door blocking his path to my mailbox and my apartment. If I'm lucky, he'll leave a notice telling me where to retrieve the package which, of course, will involve getting in the car (good thing I brought my keys), traveling to the post office (good thing I got dressed), and standing amongst the likes of Denis Quaid (good thing I wore the makeup) to hopefully retrieve my package. Many times this doesn't work, and no one seems to know (or care) where my package is.

__

A few months ago I was invited to go skiing at Whistler with Seton's family over Christmas Vacation. I was very excited about the trip and began taking inventory of my ski equipment. My skis were in Charlotte, so I had Rich and Catherine Campe climb into the attic at our house and get my skis. My friend Cameron then picked them up and met me in S.C when I was there for a wedding to deliver them to me. I purchased new boots as the old ones were old and didn't fit, and my mother kindly ordered new ski pants for me from one of her favorite websites (website name withheld do to the negative comments to follow). Something, details of which I am uncertain of, occurred with the ordering of the ski pants, and so began the process of trying to locate the delivery. After trips to the post office and a few phone calls, my mother had to reorder the pants and report the missing pants. This time she used my work address and the pants arrived just fine via a kind, chubby delivery man who came right to the door.

It recently dawned on me that because Whistler is in Vancouver, I would need to get a new passport. My mother paid $13.67 to have the tiny document expressed mailed to my apartment overnight. However, when I arrived at my apartment one hour after the scheduled delivery time, there was no package to be found. The small envelope that should have been left in my mailbox was not in the front office, and Miss "I'm never here when I say I am" insisted that nothing had been dropped off and no delivery men had stopped by.

The next few days were tarnished with arguments between me and my mother, long hours tracking the package, and endless annoying phone calls to post offices and supervisors. I finally found that the package was at my post office and I would have to take a lunch break to go retrieve it.

Good thing I picked the day when the post office was getting robbed! There I am, standing in line as the cops drag off the genius who decided that the post office with giant bullet proof glass would be the ideal place to rob. All the while I'm thinking to myself, "How ironic would that be? I go to the post office to get my BIRTH CERTIFICATE and I DIE in a shooting."

Finally, I make my way to the front desk and struggle to speak to the man behind the bullet proof glass. He has a lisp and a distinctive twitch which, now that I think about it, he probably got from the scare of the hold-up. He retreats to the back room in search of my package and when he returns he's carrying a package that appears way too big for a mere birth certificate.

"Disss ....Diiiisss - D - D Diss is yours, no?" he asks.

"Well, yes I suppose so," I say, "but it's supposed to be a birth certificate and that package looks a little big."

"Noo - n - noo - diss is not, not a birth certificate."

"Well, I called yesterday, and they said it was here. They used a tracking number."

"I w - w - will - g g gg ggg - go check again," he promises.

He quickly returns proudly carrying the birth certificate and I leave the post office/crime scene with two packages. When I get in the car, I'm curious to open the larger package, and when I do, balled up inside is a great pair of black ski pants!

So I guess the moral of the story is, "When its a matter of Birth or Death, don't rely on the postal service. Otherwise, just give it time and you may receive what's coming to you - two fold."

~Heather

Welcome to My Blog

2005-11-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,
Well my LA LA land emails have been so popular that I decided to create a blog. This way, you can visit my blogging site any time, any day, and read what I've written. Plus, you can add comments so that the rest of the readers can hear what you have to say about my adventures in LA LA land - happy trails!

~Heather