Three Words: Don't Be Lazy

I will not be like the cats. 

I'm trying this new thing where I shame myself out of my laziness. Okay, it's not really new, but just a recycled idea that I pull out when I think I'm lazy. And when my jeans are tight. 

Why is it that I suddenly feel outrageously fat? In reality, I'm only 4 lbs heavier than a few weeks ago, and the reason is simple: I've eaten too much and slacked on exercising. It's not brain surgery. I can figure it out. But just 4 lbs is enough to send me over the edge. 

Well, 4 lbs and a traffic ticket that was supposed to be a quick fix and turns out, not so much. I took too long searching for my proof of insurance and the cop had written the ticket when I produced my card. "Just show them your proof of insurance and you'll be good." He told me. By "them" I thought he meant the Sheriff's department, as in "this is a correctable violation." Instead he meant the court, which means I have to take yet another trip and deal with this for being 30 seconds too late with my card. Argh.

But using my new mantra, I will continue to get up early and exercise. I will eat and drink healthily to keep my current streak of two meals (yes, two meals IN A ROW, impressive, right?) going. I will write every day, as I have done. I will forgo the TV as a default and get my books read and written. I will actually cook meals instead of just throwing them together. 

I will stop taking the easy way out. I won't be lazy.

Let's see how long this lasts. . . .

What to do when you come home to three TV camera crews outside your apartment

The police let Chef get really close to the wreck. 

If you're me, you first wonder: what the hell are these people doing here? Then "I hope there wasn't a mass murder in my apartment complex." Then "I should just ask because I'm a PR person and journalists just LOVE when we get all inquisitive and shit."

Earlier in the day, there had been an accident on the street outside our apartment. And by "outside our apartment," I mean the 4 lane boulevard that is about 25 feet from our windows. It's a nice street, has steady but not heavy traffic, and is a straightaway. All of these reasons make it the perfect place for the customs shop at the end of the block to test out the godawful, loud and mostly illegal creations they put together. On a daily and sometime nightly basis, we would hear the startling sounds of loud, engines peeling out at about 100 mph. Sometimes accompanied by a pop.

On this occasion, the pop was not the usual nitrous tank reserve, but the car blowing a tire, then proceeding jump the middle median, take out several small trees, flip upside down and land on its roof from the furthest lane over from hence it began.

Luckily, the only person hurt was the a-hole that was driving the thing. Someone in the neighborhood spotted a guy form the customs shop coming out and removing the nitrous tank before the police showed up. The street was closed for about 5 hours.

I guess a slow Saturday in news plus the Fast and the Furious 6 tie-in were too much for our news stations to handle. They even did live shots from literally feet from my bedroom window, even though the action had been over for hours. (FYI the photos show the opposite side of the street. Our complex is bigger and looks a little more. . . .updated)

Here's the news story and some additional pics that Chef took:

The street racing car- photo by Chef

The guy who was driving survived, but was in bad shape. Photo by Chef

Ode to the Charity Walk

If you've ever been up at 4:30 on a weekend morning using car headlights to see in a damp field and wiping down dew-covered tables, then you've experienced the joy that is running a charity walk.

I too have experienced this joy in various stages of involvement: from working for a charity and being in charge of the event to working for the charity and only being in charge of a small portion of the event to be a hired hand working on a portion of the event. I honestly prefer whichever involvement lets me sleep in the latest.

I haven't worked for a non-profit for two and half years, but have the joy of working with one now. It's fun and after almost a decade with the American Heart Association, I'm pretty sure that I'll always be involved with one or multiple charities throughout my life, in some way or another. This time I was involved at a local walk for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. A different charity, but just as important in its work.

Here's my latest event in pictures:

I had to wait about an hour after getting to the location for there to even be this much light to take the picture.

The money shot: this is when everyone who worked on the event breathes a sigh of relief because 90 percent of the heavy lifting (literally and figuratively) is over. 

I've been to more than 50 walks in my day, but have only walked as a walker in  less than 10, and that's the Evansville  Komen Race for the Cure, as you might imagine. Here I am walking in spirit with my Porter Novelli work team.

This is the first time that I've ever seen miniature ponies (there were three) at a walk, but there are two words that can explain that: Orange County.

If you want to support my efforts, there's still time. Feel free to donate to this great cause HERE. 

I'm Still Alive....Just Busy

I'm still alive and kicking, but the last few weeks have been slammed with work. Las Vegas for a convention, three tweet-up events, and a charity walk simultaneously in four locations--that's just the last 10 days. I promise to get back at it, but in the mean time, enjoy this video Chef took of Khubla making a weird shriek when he was cornered.