Election Day

Do you remember the first election you voted in? Or better yet, the first PRESIDENTIAL election that you voted in? I remember waiting in line for about 30 minutes on that Tuesday morning at a local elementary school in my hometown. I was nervous. Something about showing my ID and voter registration card makes me nervous. I'm the same way with most government offices: the courthouse when Chef and I got married, voting, driver's licenses-you name it.

Anyway, I remember thinking this as I was casting my vote "I just cancelled out my Dad's vote." And it was glorious. Suddenly I realized that you didn't have to be a parent or older to have an opinion. I was able to say that my opinion was just as valuable as the next person's and in return so was theirs. The only stipulation was that I had to voice my opinion for it to count.  And voicing my opinion has never been a problem for me.

I won't get all political here, but only urge you to vote. Even if you are just cancelling out the vote of someone who disagrees with you. :)

On a lighter note. . .

I now work in an office that dresses up for Halloween. I've never been one to dress up much. Mostly because when you're overweight there aren't enough "sexy" or cute costumes so you end up being something like a nun, with lots of fabric.

But this year I panicked last night when I realized that just about everyone else was dressing up except me. So, I headed down two blocks on Hollywood Blvd (where it's Halloween 365 days a year) and got a few items to make my costume. In case you don't recognize it, I'm Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, one of my favorite characters of all time.

At the end of the day, I realized that I would love to wear a tiara every day.

Our whole work crew. My boss as Prince has to take the cake. She really committed.

Is 33 too young to start thinking of your mortality?

Lately I've been obsessed with time and I'm not sure why. I feel like 33 is pretty young and therefore I should be LESS worried about time, but then I think of all I want to do with my life and the spiral starts again.

Maybe this is the consequence of having a parent who died relatively young. Or maybe I'm just slowly going insane. Or maybe I'm too ambitious. I really have no idea.

It was kicked back up lately because of a news story about how freezing eggs is now considered common practice and is covered by some insurance companies. They featured a woman on there who was 38 years old. Only five years older than I am. This freaked me out.

While the whole "should I have a kid?" debate is really for a completely different blog post (if at all.) To be honest, the kid thing has been a feeling that has been a pretty steady "no" for the majority of my life. And while I'm not sure it will change, I abhor the thought that my indecision would make a decision for me. Not just for this decision, but really for any decision. I want to be the person creating my life and not letting it just spring up around me.

But I digress. This is about time. And all the things I'm scared that I won't get finished. First of all, I am afraid this damn novel will never get done. Then I'm afraid I'll never get to the point of owning a home. Or eventually having a job where I work for myself (that's less about time and more about fear). But honestly, isn't it all really about fear? I always thought I was fairly fearless, but come to find out that's not so much case. So now fear of dying before things get done is becoming my mantra.

I guess I have two choices: 1) keep thinking these morbid thoughts and do nothing or 2) use this to do something. I'm probably more of a choice #2 person. Any advice?

One Word: Snarky

I saw this video a few days ago and it continues to make me laugh so I am sharing it. This is for all those social media managers and PR people who WISH we could respond like this. And kudos to Bodyform for having the guts as a brand to do it. It's hilarious! And for the agency who executed I'm sure it was the one time their client said "make us a viral video" and they did.

I especially love the blue water she drinks from. It's a snarky and awesome video. You're welcome.

For the background on what prompted the video, here you go.

My Philly Trip: A Photo Essay

I've been a little busy lately. In fact, yesterday was the first day in October that I had off. And I relished in it. But in the mean time, my busyness has made for some fun pictures of what I've been doing. Here are some from my work trip to Philadelphia where I was at a conference with 9,000 nutritionists. And I still had a plethora of Diet Dr. Pepper. Turns out even nutritionists love soft drinks.

A giant paint brush with a dollop of paint

Ben Franklin cranking away at being a craftsman. (Before his whore-y Paris days)

Philly City Hall-- I saw it at least twice a day because I tried to walk from my hotel everywhere. 1) I hate cabs. 2) I was trying to stay somewhat active. 

The famous LOVE statue. It made me miss Chef.

The booth is where I spent most of my time. The robot was a visitor from a neighboring booth. People loved the robot. 

My friend Meredith who found the BEST place for us to eat dinner.

The outside of Tulala's Garden. It was just as cute on the inside and MAN was the food delicious. Couldn't have had a better meal.

Philly was fun and I was also lucky enough to meet up with (but not take pictures of which is stupid of me) my friend from my college internship, Beth. I also had the joy of meeting Beth's baby, Adelaide, and her awesome husband Tim. All in all my only complaint was that it rained. And for a girl who lives in sunshine and was walking everywhere, this was an adjustment. But I look forward to going back again and actually seeing more sights!

I Made a Friend Today

This morning started like most morning but because I was headed to the airport instead of work, I was in the gym a little later than normal. I walked in and saw a girl in a wheelchair that I've seen around the complex a few times. I nodded and then got on the treadmill for my workout.  I was 23 second from being done when I heard a crash. I looked over and saw the girl had fallen.

Apparently, I reacted quickly and calmly and was by her side to help in record time. I asked if she needed help getting back in her chair and she said yes, please. We figured out the logistics which at one point included me grabbing in between her legs and really close to her crotch to help hold down the chair cover while she slid back.

"Are you in the healthcare field?" she asked as she was back in her chair.

"No, why?"

"You were just so quick and calm in reacting. I really appreciate it. I couldn't imagine what I would've done f you hadn't been here," she said. "I'm Tiffany."

I exchanged names and we chatted a little longer. Turns out she's being followed now for a reality show on paraplegic women. She said she was glad they weren't here to catch this. Basically she was so lost in stretching she ended up tipping the chair over. I  wondered if that ever happened because I know if I were in a wheelchair I'd still carry my klutziness with me.

Anyway, I made a new workout room/ complex friend. I think I've met about 10 percent of the complex in that place and so far only one creepy guy. That's pretty good odds.

A Letter to My Body

Dear Body:
You and I have not always gotten along. In fact, I'm sure sometimes we've been on entirely different pages. For example, I'm not known for my grace and that's partly because of my lack of balance. And do you remember when puberty hit and you made my boobs grow from an A cup to a DD cup in the eighth grade? Or how about the psoriasis that leaves me looking like it's snowing in July when I don't use my medicine (okay, I'll take some of the blame there). There was that lovely bout of adult acne you surprised me with a few months ago, and the poor eyesight you blessed me with.

I was pretty sure you were being an asshole once again, Body, these last few weeks. I was ready to blame you and Weight Watchers for my mental anguish, but I think you could sense my frustration. I have been on Weight Watchers for a little more than 8 weeks now.

While I hadn't been perfect in my eating habits, I had been under my points goal each week (meaning I had not completely depleted my "weekly bonus points" and my banked activity points--and if you haven't done Weight Watchers, just take that to mean that I had done what I was supposed to to lose weight). I had lost a few pounds (a little over 3 to be exact) and while Chef was doing a good job of talking me off the ledge, my inner monologue was less forgiving. How the hell could I NOT be losing weight when I had cut out multiple indulgences in bad fast food decisions and baked good runs? But I didn't lose every week. In fact, I had gained more than a pound and half when I was at wit's end.

"I lost more weight when I just counted calories FOR FREE," I thought to myself and said aloud. A few naive but well-meaning people tried to talk me through the weight loss process. I tried not to bite back with a "I'm familiar. I did lose 90 lbs in one chunk before, so I know how this goes."  But since they didn't really know that and I wanted to keep friends and encouraging people in my life, I bit my tongue.

But Body, this week it's like you knew. You knew I was at wit's end and decided that now was the time to kick it in gear. You motivated me with extra energy and rewarded me this week with a 3 lb weight loss on weigh-in day (and then shed another 1.4 lbs the day after because you know that I'm obsessive and weigh in every day). So now I'm more motivated than ever. I have lost just over 8 lbs and am almost at 1 lb per week, which seems so much better than just under half a pound per week.

And because you knew that I needed it, you shed some lbs where people would notice so that I got not one but three comments on my weight loss by different, random people.

To show there's no hard feelings, I'll keep up the exercise and healthy living. But in return if you could turn some of this flab into muscle and just get rid of some of the fat, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you!

Better than Domino's

The finished lightened up white pizza.

We've been on a kick of eating from recipes we've gotten off of Pinterest. (And to clarify the "we", Chef cooks and I find the recipes--as if you hadn't guessed that already). I was thinking of trying the cheesy quinoa tonight, but we ran out of milk. So I was kept late at an appointment and Chef was left to try to make something else--without any protein thawed or ready. We have a weekly list of recipes that we use to pull our nightly selection from. Typically, I've pulled chicken or beef or whatnot from the fridge to have it ready.

In this case, Chef whipped up a white pizza that I'd pinned recently from the blog Emily Bites. Being that I know my husband, I told him to look it over and jazz it up. And jazz it up he did.

He seasoned the crap out of the chicken breasts and cooked them in a pan then de-glazed the pan with a little white wine. He then carmelized some garlic (like 3 times as much as the recipe calls for because I LOVE garlic) and added some red pepper flake. He then added that to the Classico Light Alfredo sauce the recipe called for. He substituted basil for spinach (because he could just pluck the basil from our patio) and it was a masterpiece. Seriously it was one of the best pizzas I've ever had and definitely the best pizza I've had in LA. It was cheaper, more delicious, healthier and quicker than any delivery or frozen pie. And that's saying something. From the moment I walked in the door to the moment I was stuffing my face with pizza, it was 15 minutes (he did, however, cook the chicken and prep the topping before I got home to keep me from getting hangry).

Results are pictured and my waistline is still the same size, yet completely satisfied. It felt so decadent. I feel like Oprah when she had Bob Greene and Dr. Phil and the whole damn team helping her lose weight. Except I've got Chef and he's all of them rolled into one. I'm so lucky.

If the picture doesn't convince you, your stomach will--you should be following me on Pinterest.

I Saw the Biggest Star in Hollywood Today

It wasn't Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum or Amanda Bynes. It was the space shuttle Endeavor. The shuttle was taking it's last flight to end up at the California Science Center to be on exhibit. But it's not everyday that a space shuttle is riding on the back of a ginormous jet with two small jets flanking it at only about 1500 feet. It made a bunch of loops around the city. People were camping out at the Griffith Observatory just to get a glimpse. But being in Hollywood on the 7th floor of a building has its privileges. We got to see the shuttle go by five times and once it was right over our building. So close you could hear the roar of the engines clearly.

Needless to say, it was hard to concentrate on work again after that.

It was hard to take good pictures, but here are a few that I snapped:

From when it went over Universal Studios

On its way back over our area

As it's heading up to circle the Hollywood Sign (covered by trees on the left)

You can't see it but this was the shot after it had flown over our building.

Wow. Look at Those Cans!

Chef and I were in Orange County this past weekend and dipped into a local mall to soothe my shopping-loving soul. We were surprised and amazed when we came upon these can sculptures. Made entirely of cans, these things are built by local design firms and the food is donated to charity. Pretty cool, huh? We only saw two, but in my opinion the best two. The Facebook page for Canstruction Orange County that has all 20 photos.

The back of the M&Ms bag sculpture

The front of the M& M's bag structure

Hope you like tune and soup!

Winnie the Pooh sleeping on some honey

The honey pot runneth over

It was a Month since I Slept in A Bed

California Hot

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but last night was the first night in more than a month that I slept in a bed. You might ask why and the answer is simple: it's been hot as balls.

Or at least "California hot." I firmly believe that each state has it's own version of hot. In Indiana, hot meant that it felt like you were stepping into a bath tub when the front door opened and you were on things like "Ozone alerts" when it got really hot. For those of you not in the know, an "ozone alert" day meant that you should not go to the drive-thru or mow your lawn. I assume as to not contribute to more ozone-destroying behavior, but I can't be entirely too sure.

In Tennessee, hot was similar to that of Indiana but with a valley that just managed to recycle heat over and over. It also had a tendency to rain for a few hours which just made it hotter.

California hot is easily the most bearable of the hots I'm most accustomed to (I'm not even going to mention the week I was in New Orleans in June--that's just a swampland of crazy people). It's undeniably hot--lately it's been over 100 degrees each day, but it's not necessarily humid so it feels nicer. It's hard to explain that to people who've lived here their whole lives, but any transplant from the South knows what I'm talking about.

Anyway, it's been hot here and part of being in California where it's only normally hot like 5 days a year means that there aren't a lot of apartments or condos or houses with central heat and air. It's just not a necessity which means that they don't invest in it. So, our apartment has a window AC unit in the living room which doesn't get the bedroom cool AT ALL. Usually we just turn the AC off and open the bedroom windows. But after two days of tossing and turning because I was roasting in my sleep, I decided to take matters into my own hands and move my bedding into the living room where I could sleep in direct air-shot of the air conditioning.

At first it felt like camping out to have our stuff strewn in our living room. And I LOVED snuggling down at night and watching TV with Chef and not worrying about when he was coming to bed. Plus we trained the cats to sleep together instead of alternating some to leave out of the bedroom. It felt like a pallet of loveliness. So much so that I just kept it out. Who needs a living room floor anyway? We don't have kids so it's not hurting anyone. It's kind of like having cereal for dinner for a week straight. As an adult, it's my prerogative.

I was getting ready to pick it up last week and then a huge heatwave came in and it was back to 100-plus degree temperatures, so that wasn't happening. Last night, I finally threw in the comforter and picked it up. Our living room has never looked so big. And you'd like that I would've missed my bed more than I have, but I have to say, it was nice to change things up for a while. A new scene. Plus if I ever had to get rid of my bed, I know that I could handle it just fine.

Flashback Friday: 1999

Thanks Natalie for digging this relic up.

It's hard to look at this picture. Mostly because I look at it and it's hard to believe. It's hard to believe this picture was taken 13 years ago. What the hell? Where did the time go?

It's hard to believe that I was that different looking. Fine, I'll be honest. It's hard to believe that I was that fat. The sad (or happy?) thing was that I got even fatter before I turned it around.

It's also hard to believe that at my height I thought I could pull of a floor length skirt for work wear.

But I digress. To give you some context, this picture was taken in Evansville (I'm guessing you deduced that but just in case) in 1999 in my second year of interning for the local paper, The Evansville Courier & Press. It was my first real look into having a real job (well, technically my second look since I had had the internship the year before and loved it). I realized at that point whether it was working for a newspaper or just working that I needed to be in the communications field. I wanted to write, talk to people, and tell stories. Also I realized that despite it being the second round of people that I was exposed to, I liked them just as much as the first. That was the first time it dawned on me that most people drawn to the communications or media field have fairly similar and congenial personalities. There are some exceptions, but all in all it seems to be true.

You know how people are always looking at themselves younger and say "If I knew then what I know now. . . " or "I wish I could tell my younger self. . .". I'm not sure I feel either way. I mean, I've seen enough time travel movies in my day (and I believe them to be almost like documentaries in their depiction of how time travel would work) to know that telling my younger self things about the future could derail me from the track I went on. And honestly, I like my life. Plus if I told myself that I was going to live in Nashville for almost a decade and then move to LA, I would've thought that future me was severe drug addict. Because I'd only been to Nashville twice in my life at that point--once to go to Opryland and once to go to a basketball tournament-both as a child--and I had never been to LA.

The one thing I would say to me in 1999 is this: Things are going to get really shitty for while and it's going to be really sudden, but it'll be okay. You'll be okay. Just do what you do because you're instincts aren't too shabby.

Hopefully me in 13 years will look back and say the same thing to 2012 me. Minus the shitty part.

Hello. My name is Alicia.

Have you ever let something get so far along that by the time you realize what's happened it's too late? That's kind of where I'm at right now. It's one of those awkward social moments that would inspire Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld to write something brilliant. But for me, it's my daily life.

I've been on the new job for about two months now (still loving it). The office is on the seventh floor of a building on Hollywood Blvd. The fun thing is that weird shit happens around here nearly every day. It might be just a random false fire alarm or having a traffic stop trap outside our window or the religious protesters who walk up and down the street every day chanting around noon (it's how I know it's lunch time) or a helicopter going down. It's never dull.

But we have a security guard that patrols the grounds and sits in the lobby to protect us from any errant homeless that might roll up. It happens. It happened in Nashville too. Not so much in Thousand Oaks, but that's a different story. The security guard is a very nice man who has a slight accent. His name is Rocqui (pronounced Rocky, but he's from the Philippines so it's their version spelling). Since my dad's name is Rocky, it's easy for me to remember.

However, when we were introduced, he must of misheard my name. And because he has a slight accent it wasn't until three weeks into the job that I realized that Rocqui thought my name was Alicia. And now he says hi and bye to Alicia every day. It's been two months.Too late to correct him without us both feeling awkward. And honestly, do I really care if someone thinks my name is Alicia? It only matters in those brief moments in the day when I walk by the security desk.

At this point, I am Alicia. At least twice a day.

There's One Rule

I was cracking up watching a Little Caesar's commercial the other day and Chef asked me to replay it. Not only did he chuckle, but at the end he said "That's my friend!". Turns out one of his buddies, a funny dude who occasionally does gigs like this, is the guy who must abide by one rule. Check it out and chuckle.

My New Crack

My Skinny Funfetti Dip

Yesterday I made crack. For the first time. Because it's crack, I'll probably be drawn to making it again, but I have plenty of it right now, so I'm good for a while.

By crack, I mean MY crack. Not actual crack cocaine. But my version: Skinny Funfetti Dip. It's like taking cake batter and making it less guilty. And it's stupid simple. I was scooping the hell out of it with some mini Teddy Grahams last night. Clearly it still has calories, but let's just say those little Teddy mofos were covered in the dip.

I got it from Pinterest. (Yesterday was my Pinterest experiment day: Kale chips, Bubble Up Enchiladas, lower cal white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and the funfetti dip). And it was stupid simple to make: Funfetti cake mix, yogurt and cool whip. I used vanilla yogurt instead of the plain, but whatever floats your boat. Here's the link from the Eat Yourself Skinny blog that made my crack possible.

If you want to check out the other recipes, they're on my Pinterest board, which just hit 200 pins. Which means that I have so many more dinners and snacks and desserts to try out. Or have Chef make too.

Trying Not To Get Frustrated: Weight Loss Edition

I'm seriously trying not to get down or frustrated. I am losing weight, but not a lot. And I don't mean "I'm not losing the 10 lbs this week promised by this cleanse." I mean, I've lost weight before and when I make a concerted effort, I lose about 1-2 lbs a week. Normal, nicely paced weight loss.

Since I've been on Weight Watchers, I've lost 3.4 lbs. Total. Over five weeks. Look, I know all that lifestyle change stuff and I get it. I don't typically get too down about a bad weigh-in, but I was hoping that at least one week on Weight Watchers that I would see a nice chunk drop. And that hasn't happened yet, which is why I'm frustrated. And hence why I'm venting. (It also doesn't help that all I see are success stories about Weight Watchers. Has anyone failed on this program? Makes me feel like I'm the only one who is struggling.)

Does this mean that I've lost sight of the long term benefits or that I'm throwing in the towel? No. Does it mean that I care more about a number than other benefits? No. But I'm numbers driven. Always have been. It's the quantifiable way for me to measure success and I like seeing success. Who doesn't? Right now I'm not as successful in this field as in the rest of my life, which is frustrating. Because I'm spoiled. I'm used to being successful.

Okay, so now is where I have the logical side of my brain say all the things that weight loss and healthy living does. So here goes:

• Even nominal weight loss lowers risks for health complications like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. 
• Establishing a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable is much better than establishing one that will only help me lose weight. Once the weight is gone, the lifestyle needs to stay. 
• I am eating more fruits and vegetables now than I was before. 
• I am paying more attention to things like carbs and protein and fiber, although not obsessively.
• Chef is being 100 percent supportive and I am exceptionally lucky to have someone who will not only go on the ride with me, but will also cook a lot of my meals. It's like I'm Oprah with Bob Greene.
• To be honest, I am still cheating way too much. I am using my weekly bonus points (not all, but a good hunk) and eating crap food less often in a day than eating more good food.
• I could ramp up my exercise.
• I need to be more precise on my food measurement for portion purposes. 

So I'm not 100 percent in the clear here. This week I will try my best not to use any bonus points and to remember the big picture. Even at the slow and not so steady rate of weight loss I'm at now, I'd still be more than 30 lbs down by the same time next year. And who wouldn't like that?

It's Working So Far

The Sticky Buddy- post use and rinse

I love infomercials. If my tribute to Billy Mays and my frequent comments on products isn't a testimony, then let this be one. I think it started in college when infomercials were relegated to late night fare. Now they're more commonplace, but back then was the first time they were in my regular viewing cycle. I was enamored. My roommates in college and I bought the PVA 10x mop that could clean up an entire can coke on a hard floor without wringing out the super-absorbent head just because we had seen the ad so many times. (It also boasted a "one-finger ringer" which was said repeatedly by a guy with an Australian accent so it sounded like "one finga-ringa" which I hear in my head every time I think of that mop).

Seriously, when I see an item in the store that I've seen the infomercial for, it's almost like spotting a celebrity. I want to see if the real version is as good in person as I imagine it in my head (sadly in both cases, they rarely are).

Anyway, I fell prey again to the pitch of the Schticky (in a comeback by Vince Offer). Except I ended up buying the Sticky Buddy, which turned out to be a better deal. I have a plethora of cats and with that comes an abundance of cat hair. This thing promised that we could pick up lint and cat hair, wash it off, and it would be sticky again.

After several uses, I can safely say, this one worked. The Schticky (and the travel version it came with as a bonus) have gotten just as sticky after the use and rinse than before. So, two thumbs up. It only has to last a few months to be a better investment than a regular lint roller, so here's hoping.

What infomercial product have you fallen victim to? How did it turn out?

The Everlasting Manicure

Licorice by Essie

Okay, so I've been buying nail polish like it's been going out of style, and probably because some of it does go out of style. But anyway, I've been buying a lot because I've been painting my nails every week, and usually a dark color. Mostly because I notice that I pick at my nails a lot less when I can't see what's underneath the nail.

So, I bought black nail polish. It's my first time buying black nail polish and it feels a little Carson Daly 1999, but I did paint all my nails and not just my pinkie. So that should count for something, right? The thing of it is, that this nail polish lasted longer than any other of it's brand or another. It's Essie "Licorice" and I've had it on for two weeks with barely any wear and only a slight touch up. Check it out.

Sadly, this must go because next week kicks off the NFL season and that means it's time to paint the talons Colts blue. Go Horse!

I'm Not a Fan of the end of August

Apologies to all of those with birthdays in late August. And if your wedding is, was or will be scheduled for late August, you'll excuse me for celebrating a little less joyously. For me, late August sucks.

Not just me, but also some of my friends. You see I've lost a lot of good people in my life and it always seems to happen in August. My grandfather passed away 15 years ago earlier this week, my friend's mom passed away around this time, and my own mom passed away 12 years ago today.

The good news is that while I get irritated and a little irritable on this day, I'm not crying in the fetal position like I used to. The older I get the less rare it is, sadly, to have a parent who's passed away too early. And I wonder if the year that I turn 42, it will feel different. That's the year when I will have lived longer without my mom than with her. It seems weird to think about. It also seems weird to think that I've known my stepfather longer than my mom did. By a lot. I've been in the man she married's life longer than she was. And I'm exceptionally thankful for it. There are many gifts she's given me and that is definitely one.

So today I just put my head down and muddled through like every Wednesday. But I knew and I know that this day hurts less this year than last and more than next. But this week, I'm wishing for the weekend for more than just leisure. I'm ready for September!

First there was a Shooter. Then a Helicopter Crash.

Just a typical Monday in Hollywood. Except instead of those things being in a movie, they were happening all around our office building.

Yesterday around 4 p.m., I was getting ready to go take a walk around the neighborhood. I had eaten my lunch in the lunch room and needed a bit of sunshine on my face to power through the late afternoon. As soon as I had my walking shoes on (because everyone knows that I was wearing some fierce heels to work),    a co-worker said " There's been a shooting over on Sunset and Seward. The block is blocked off and police are looking for the shooter."  It was then I decided that since we were about 2 blocks away from that, I should probably just skip my walk.

So, I stayed in and a few hours later, our office cleaning lady started pointing through the board room windows (big beautiful windows that look onto the Hollywood sign). She told some co-workers that she'd seen a trail of smoke coming from a helicopter. So, we went to the place where everyone finds news quickly: twitter. It was a news chopper that was covering the search for the shooter and it had indeed gone down.



So, it was a little nuts in Hollywood yesterday. And with the hundreds of small earthquakes having people freaked out, it could be an interesting week. However, the best of everything happened. No one was hurt in the shooting and the police caught the guy who had shot a single shotgun shell out his window (not sure if it was on purpose or by accident). And the news helicopter found an empty parking lot...in Hollywood.. .during rush hour. (Anyone who lives here knows how rare that is).

Wonder what tomorrow will bring. Maybe I shouldn't ask.

I Should Be Ashamed, But I'm Not

One of the few things I did this weekend. Make (and eat
some of) this Light Butterfinger Cake. Delish!

I had my fourth weigh-in on Friday during my Weight Watchers foray, and it was disappointing. Less than a pound. 0.8. I did the math in my head three times before I accepted it. I had done everything right that week. I had watched my "points" like a hawk. I was about to get super bummed when there was  voice in my head. It was Chef's.

"A loss is still a loss. Besides, we're changing our lives, not just the scale," the voice said.

He didn't say it at exactly that moment because he was still in bed at the time, but he had said it before, so I had that in my back pocket. I did better as I got to work, but still a little miffed so I checked out the Weight Watchers site to see if there were any more pointers. One said something about concentrating on the long term (which echoed Chef's words) so I did the math. 

If I were to have a week like last week, where I ate predominately well but still lived my life and enjoyed a few treats,every week for a year then I would weigh 41 pounds less than I do now. Which actually would put me WAY under my lowest weight ever as an adult and probably around where I should be to be well within the healthy BMI. So I got over the weigh in (clearly I'm sharing here, but I haven't been obsessing as I might've), and had a great weekend.

So why should I be ashamed? Because I did absolutely nothing over the weekend.

Let me rephrase that. I clearly did some things. In fact, I did things that I really wanted to do. But leaving the house wasn't one of them. I actually left the apartment ONCE from Friday night until I left for work this morning. Chef did the grocery shopping on Friday night, and ran out when we had any "urgent" items we needed.  But for the most part, I did this:

• Did not put on make up all weekend, and mostly pajama-type clothes
• Leisurely read the two huge Fall fashion mags that I had been stockpiling
• Took baths and read the novel I just started
• Watched the "Weight of the Nation" documentary series (not all of it)
• Watched various detective movies, most but not all featuring Al Pacino
• Ate copious amounts of french fries and beef (on my cheat day)
• Played with cats
• Downloaded an iPhone app called "cloth" that allows you to store and sort pictures of your outfits (as well as weather conditions)-- I'm hoping this will eventually help cut down on the amount of time that I spend picking out clothes in the morning
• Pinning about 100 new weight watchers or skinny recipes on Pinterest for future use
• Repainting my toes and fingers
• Having a wonderfully lazy weekend with my husband
• Made a "light" Butterfinger cake from this Pinterest recipe that was actually damn good

It was glorious and this morning I feel great! So I'm not ashamed that I did exactly what I wanted to do this weekend. Which was nothing much. 

Can you define the word "forced" for me?

I always thought that when you were made to do something against your will or did not give consent that that was being forced, but I guess I'm wrong. I guess it's only "legitimate" if you have a knife stuck to your throat.

Yes, I'm talking about Todd Akin, Missouri State Senate GOP nominee, and his asinine comments about a woman being able to "shut the whole thing down" in cases where pregnancy occurs in "legitimate rape."  I guess "illegitimate rape" results in illegitimate kids, right? Is that how this works?

Seriously, I know people have strong opinions about abortion--and I do too--but rape is never a good thing. And to say that one rape is more legitimate than another is like saying it's better to have one kind of cancer over another. There's no "winning." There's never a good outcome.

Can we just agree on that? I also agree on giving someone slack when they make a mistake. But this guy didn't make a mistake. He didn't say "legitimate" instead of "forcibly." He said "legitimate" and then went on to make his comment seem legitimate by dragging some "doctor:" who told him this absolutely stupid fact. I wonder if that doctor told him that on a bet. Like "Let's see what we can get Todd Akin to believe" and now he's having a good laugh.

But if we elect people who actually believe this stuff, who's the joke really on? Shudder.

Leave Britney, I mean Kristen, Alone!

I'd make a caption about her not having
expressions, but that seems too easy.

Or not. I could care less (which is the correct use here, because I care enough to write and read about it, so I could care less). Kristen Stewart is getting skewered in the tabloids for cheating. She seems to be getting more heat for cheating on Robert Pattinson than being the other woman, but let's be honest: who had more to lose in this scenario? An unattached starlet with at least one more blockbuster to come out or the director of ONE film with a wife and two kids? I rest my case.

But in the mean time, I've been glancing at the coverage. Until Jodie Foster's diatribe on The Daily Beast yesterday. At which point, I scratched my head and said "What the fuck?". I even took the time to read the whole damn thing, which was a chore. Mostly because I had to stop myself from having the Jon Lovitz voice go off every time the words "ACTOR", "ACTRESS" or "ACTING" were mentioned. Let's be honest, the arts are exceptionally good for the soul: both the people making the art and those receiving the art. But in the end, art will not cure cancer or feed the homeless. So, let's put things in perspective.

After reading the whole thing I thought two things: 1) Jodie Foster thinks an awful lot of Jodie Foster, and 2) Jodie Foster likes to use a lot of unnecessary words to make a point or sound smart (which might've been the point). Then I had to quickly admonish myself because Jodie Foster would've been mad that I made snap judgments about her when she just told me not too.

Anyway, it's a long-winded kind of confusing essay about how hard today's actors have it. But let's be honest. It's not all actors. Just the ones that get cast in mega-blockbusters and then think it's a good idea to have a relationship with their co-star of the mega blockbuster that had millions of rabid fans before it was even a movie. Maybe that's just a bad idea. Adding fuel to the fire.

But that's just an outsider's opinion.

I'm not an ACTOR.

You Otter Know

One of the otters. Pic from Chef.

Chef and I totally geeked out at the Aquarium of the Pacific this weekend and it was GLORIOUS. I was totally psyched before I got there to see the penguins, but turns out penguins were the lamest. We got to touch sea stars, sea urchins, moon jelly fish, sting rays, baby sharks, and bat rays. I had never touched (or at least as an adult for sure) those animals. The bat rays were the awesomest because they were so playful. They would come right up to us on and nudge their little noses towards our hands. Of course, we now want one as a pet. I think it would totally not freak the cats out at all.

In the end, it was cute, playful, darty sea otters that melted the polar ice cap of my heart so fast that Al Gore didn't have time to make documentary about it. And my awesome husband bought his 30-something year old wife a stuffed otter to commemorate the trip. Genghis has already beaten up Otter a little, but he's none the worse for wear. We plan on going back soon. It was great!!

Here are some highlights:

This was a tiny "comb jelly fish" that is "bioluminescent" and I never would've seen it without Chef calling me over to the tiny little exhibit. These things were about the size of a dime. And totally awesome. 

Chef leans in to pet the sting ray. That thing was HUGE.

One of my Otters cheesing for the camera.

There were three high school kids that screamed "Look it's Dory and Nemo together!!" about 10 times. It made me sad for the future.

Chef feeding a Lorakeet. Which was also awesome.

Because I'm sadistic, I felt the need to eat some seafood after our day at the aquarium. This was a bowl of delicious coconut snails.  Awesome!

Why I Joined Weight Watchers. . .this time

To say that losing weight is hard is just stupid. It's like saying that you need oxygen to live or that ice cream is delicious. It's so ridiculously known that everyone already knows it. It's dumb to say.

And while I've done it successfully (I consider it a success that I've kept 70 of the 90 lbs of weight loss from 5 years ago), I still need help. Or motivation. Or both. So last week I decided to join weight watchers online. I have never tried Weight Watchers before and have seen so many success stories (including Jennifer Hudson who looks amazing) so figured it was worth a shot. Plus my aunts, my friends and countless others who have used the plan and it worked for them.

Weight loss would be great. But I'm also looking to get healthier. That's actually a big key of choosing this particular plan. I have used MyFitnessPal for nearly a year and it has helped me (when I've made the concerted effort to use it) count calories. But I was only counting calories. So if I wanted to use my daily allotment on gummy bears, so be it. It was just calories.

Since this program also takes into account fat, fiber, carbs and protein, I have to choose more wisely. And the fact that fruits and veggies in their purest forms do not count against my daily plans means that I've already eaten more bananas and raspberries and veggies in the past week than the last several combined. And that can't be a bad thing.

We all need to mix it up and I'm mixing it up this way. I need to get back on track. Even if I never end up looking like Jennifer Hudson, I'll have hopefully established or reestablished some healthier habits.

The odd thing is that I seem to have these urges to get healthy around this time. The first time I lost weight, I started on August 2nd. I've kicked my butt into gear around this time for the last couple of years and I officially joined Weight Watchers on July 31st. What is it about the end of summer that makes me want to kick my own ass?

Have you lost weight or had success with Weight Watchers? Any advice for the newbie?

And Then Richard Simmons Did Jumping Jacks

Last Friday I finally got to be a tourist. Well, kind of. My new place of work had their summer staff outing and it was in one of those open-air buses that float around Hollywood and Beverly Hills taking tours of stars homes and the like. I had always wanted to do one, but had been too chicken to ask Chef, so this was the perfect opportunity to get my geek on in semi-privacy. 

Can you spot him? No sign of the Dalmatian.

Because it was a corporate tour, the tour guide was a little less professional than I think he probably normally is. And by professional, I mean that he made stops at Ralph's (aka Cali Kroger) for snacks and bathroom breaks, as well as just vaguely pointed out things on the tour. However, it was still a good time. 

The highlight of the trip was pulling outside of a massive Hollywood Hills home and having Jeremy the tour guide say "If you yell loudly here, the celebrity has been known to come out and say hi." That was all it took to get us screaming at the top of our lungs. Low and behold out pops Richard Simmons who started doing jumping jacks and telling us that his dalmatian turned 18 just that week. Yes, he really told us that. 

The rest of the trip was a bunch of garage doors and gates of celebrity homes, but nothing can top Richard Simmons. (Can you ever, really?) Squint really hard at the fence and you can see him in my crappy picture. 

Olympics Crazy or Just Crazy?

I like the rest of the world (or the rest of the world with a TV and a slight interest in sports, patriotism or both) have been hooked on the Olympics. But the tape delay is killing me. And you can't get on Facebook, Google or anything without having the results spoiled. Hell, I couldn't even open my US Weekly app looking for the latest on Robert Pattinson's broken heart without spoiling the women's all-around results.

Pre-Olympics my friend Greg mentioned that he had heard the opening ceremony included Mary Poppins beating Voldemort in a battle. I laughed and asked him if he had heard this from a crack head because the British wouldn't possibly be interested in that.

I was wrong.

Now that gymnastics (at least the really riveting stuff) is over and swimming is winding down, what is there left to watch? Do you notice how everyone suddenly because an expert in odd sports they'd never bother with otherwise? My husband's random water polo trivia enthralled my co-workers at lunch. mostly because we couldn't believe how large some of the US players were and how vicious that sport is. There were boobs just popping out from the scrambles.

What's been your favorite thing from this Olympics? I probably should say something meaningful like Phelps's new all-time Olympic medal record or the first African-American all-around champion in gymnastics. But I'm instead going to say it is thus far a tie between watching one woman stomach punch another under the water at water polo and any hot male swimmer.

Ready for a Vacation

It's not like I've been stressed by the new job since I've only been on it for 8 business days, but leaving the old job in a decent place and the stress of beginning a new place have left me craving my trip out of town. I can't wait to land in Nashville tomorrow and see all my old friends. As luck would have it, not one but TWO of my friends who live in other cities are going to be in town too, so BONUS visit.

And then to Indiana to see my family, who (and I can't really believe this), I haven't seen in over a year. How is that even possible? Oh, right. I live thousands of miles away now. Unfortunately my hubby is staying in the temperate climate of Southern California while I sweat my ass off in Tennessee and Indiana. But the distance will only make me miss him more until I get back.

24 hours from now, I'll be at dinner with friends. . . .

Where have I been?: Tales of a Know-it-all

That's a great question. And one that had no real answer because I've been here. Not literally on the Internet every waking hour (although come to think of it. . . ), but I've been here enough. I'm still in LA (at least until Thursday) and I'm sitting in my new desk working away. Well, kind of.

I'm trying to work as much as I can and looking into past files of predecessors to figure out where to pick up the ball and get going. The trick is that my boss is super busy. And by super busy, I mean, out of the office. So I'm stumbling the best I can and then asking my co-workers and team what I can do to help in the mean time. I was told by one not to worry. That things may be slow the first week or so but soon enough my schedule will be packed. But you know me. I hate the beginnings. I have the compulsive need to be a know-it-all. It's pretty damn annoying, but also why PR tends to work for me. As a PR person, you get to be in the know about all areas of a company or at least more areas than a typical employee. It makes for a happy know-it-all.

However, when you're new, you don't know it all. You know only a little more than nothing. And while I'm learning every day,  I want to skip ahead a few weeks or months until I know most of what I need to. Which is perhaps why I was at the AHA for nine years. I got to be quite the know-it-all.

But until I can be a know-it-all here. I will be a sponge. Absorbing all that I can. Wish me luck.

A New Career Adventure

It's bittersweet, but ultimately more sweet than bitter that I decided to leave my current job at SAGE after nearly 18 months. I will desperately miss my UK counterpart who held my hand through trying times and my team who work so hard each day.

I will not miss the commute.

In fact, my new position will cut more than 42 miles off my commute. One way. So about 84 miles a day. In LA traffic. Basically it will be like getting 2 hours and 30 minutes of time back each day. And thus allowing me to actually start living in LA. Making friends. Volunteering. Sleeping past 5 a.m. on a weekday. Staying up later than 10 p.m. That kind of thing.

What am I doing next? Great question. I am going to try a completely different atmosphere (yes. more different than LA) again. I'm going to work as an Account Supervisor in the LA office of  Porter Novelli, an international PR agency. I've never worked in an agency before but I've always wanted to try it and I've always been able to handle it thus far, so why not take the risk.

And because I'm still enamored with the ways of LA, I am SUPER excited that 1) my new job is about 3 miles from home and 2) the office is on Hollywood Blvd. Like THE Hollywood Blvd. You can walk out the front door of the building and be stepping on stars. The Oscars are held about a block away. So the side of me that is impressed with this kind of thing is excited.

So if you wonder where I've been the last month, the mystery is now over. I've been transitioning and as my mom used to tell me "Work as hard on the last day as you did on the first." It's a good mantra. I wanted to make sure my friends and colleagues are left in a good place.

Celebrating until I go into my new gig on Monday morning. Why no longer gap?

Because I'm heading to Nashville and Evansville in two weeks (also became officially official today)! Make plans to hook up with me, friends!

He's the Romantic One

My handmade "paper" gift

I always knew that my husband was the more romantic one of our couple, but he really displayed this again this weekend for our first marriage anniversary. I add "marriage" because we've been together much longer than one year and I feel like we should get back credit for our seven previous years of co-habitation.

But anyway, being that the first anniversary is paper, my husband decided to give me a book. As a book lover, this was a safe bet. However, he went above and beyond just getting me a bestseller. He researched how to make his own book--including binding it. Then he went to a special art store and to a fabric store to get supplies and learn more from the experts (For those Project Runway lovers out there--including me--he went to the LA Mood store-- Thanks, Mood!). He handmade me the book pictured that he then said we'd fill up with our story.

Our Banana Tart

I cried.

Needless to say I was overwhelmed. He truly is awesome. It even outdid the pre-order of Ruth's Chris Banana tart (it's only available at SOME outlets and not the one we go to so you have to ask for it in advance to get it). It was also delicious.

Here's to a lifetime more of wonderful anniversaries and every days with my wonderfully romantic husband.

Celebrating Independence

Baby, You're a Firework.

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is the perfect mid-summer break and is an actual holiday I can remember because of its theme. Sadly, I'm one of those people that Labor Day and Memorial Day seem like the same day, even though I know they aren't.

Some of my fondest 4th of July memories were celebrating at my Aunt Julie's family's farm (Thank you, Meades!). We swam in the pool (which had a slide and therefore upgraded it from any pool around). We had a raucous badminton tournament (shocking fact for people out there is that my mom was one hell of a badminton player--she could hustle a hustler in that area). My uncle Jeff, who I think was an electrician in his previous life,  not only rigged flood lights so we could play badminton past dark, but also threw one of the best fireworks displays out there.

But despite all the memories, I always think of this as Independence day. I've always been told that I've been independent myself and found in that a source a pride. I think part of it was because my mother highly valued independence. Whether it was true or not, I know she felt like she spent a good part of her life without independence. So she taught me to value my thoughts and actions as my own.

Now that I'm older, I still value my independence, but I've wondered: can you be married and still be independent? (Clearly not speaking in the political sense here). I think you can. Just like you can be American and not agree with all of our country's policies. You can be a part of a team or something bigger and still be independent. Of course, I think you have to fight for it more and do more work to make sure you aren't arbitrarily agreeing with the larger world out of ease.

There's not only work with independence, but a strong belief. I heard Amy Poehler say this at a speech a few months back and while I'm not pursuing comedy it still stuck with me. She said something to the effect of that if you choose to pursue something that's not the normal path of life, you should expect to have money, marriage, and kids later in life than all your friends. It resonated with me, and made me again think of the word independent.

So, we can celebrate the US all we want (and I am doing so by watching John Adams on HBO while working on a department budget), but I'm also celebrating my own independence. Hooray!

I Promise I'm Still Alive

It's been an intermittent month, but mostly because I've been busy. With changes to my life and business travel mixing, it means my fun time has taken a hit. But in the mean time, here's a short blog post to catch you up. What have I been doing? Here's a hint:

I was working our new booth for my company. That's my team beside me (I'm in the striped jacket). For more than a year, we've been working with our staff, booth companies and vendors to make this happen. It was a great moment of pride for us. Not too shabby and under budget. We promptly spent 5 days in the booth working and meeting with customers. But it was still a good time in Anaheim.

The convention was the American Library Association. It's not only academic publishers, but also commercial publishers pimping new books. And because I'm always a fan of books and had just read the last of my free books from the ALA in January, I took a few trips around the convention floor to get some new titles. Another plus of it being a local convention is that I didn't have to worry about luggage space for my books so I grabbed them up. I ended up with 13 new (free) galleys to read and review.

I am now on my 13th straight day of work (another reason --or excuse--for my lack of blogging). But tomorrow I'm off all day! What should I do? (besides read, of course).

Why Am I Reinventing the Wheel? (Or using tired cliches?)

This was under the lid of a box of
mini-pies I bought last week. 

My experiment in trying all new healthy recipes hit a snag last week that lead to my downfall. I had three bad recipes in row which in my head gave me a legitimate reason to give up and order a Domino's Bread Bowl--which is the ultimate in nasty carb overload. I've also been a touch down which again lead to the carb chowdown.

I was thinking about where I went wrong and then I realized that I'm not new to this. I've lost weight before and I will lose weight again. I took a step back and thought: What were the habits I had when I successful in losing weight? What made it seem not so hard back then? And so, now I'm gonna write them down here and make the commitment to replicate them for a month to see how I do. Here goes:

• Track--truthfully--every calorie I consume
• Don't beat myself up about a bad meal--just don't let one meal turn into a day or a week or a month. 
• Eat things I love. Just healthier versions. If I don't say NO to anything in particular then I'm not really denying myself. I just need to eat better versions.
• Eat at least 3 fruits and veggies a day. (Yes, I know it's a 5 a day limit, but I've always been behind on that one).
• Mix up the exercise. Do a regular bout of cardio (running, walking, elliptical) each day and some weight training or other exercises at least 3 times a week. 
• Limit my alcohol.
• Look at menus of where I'm planning on eating before I go out so that I can make my healthy choice before I walk through the door. 
• Eat 5 times a day--3 meals and two small snacks. 
• Weight myself only twice a week. (not daily. yes, I'm that neurotic)

So that's it. These were the things that helped me do well before. They helped me focus on gaining healthy habits and not just on weight loss. They made being healthier easier and fun. And I didn't dread what I was supposed to be eating. 

Stop Trying to Sell or Distract Me

Can you see the stain?

Last week I fell in love. With a purse. It doesn't happen often. In fact, I had been looking for a new purse for at least the last six months and hadn't had much luck. But I was hanging out before I got my hair done on Friday, passed a store and love this cute yellow purse. I debated it while I got my hair done and then decided that that was the purse. 

I kept the purse in its package all weekend until I switched out my old purse on Sunday night. I wanted to have something fun on Monday to look froward to. And I did. Until I was leaving to run an errand at lunch and saw that three small specks of cola had landed on the front of my bright yellow purse. Then opening the flap saw a larger stain. I freaked. It's been less than a week. PLUS the company I got it from sent me a coupon on Monday--three days after I had bought the purse--for 25 percent off. it was a timed promotion and I was more than a little pissed that the sales person hadn't mentioned it when I bought the purse. 

But I digress. In my panic of the cola stain, I took it to a branch of the store i bought it at and asked if their leather cleaner would do the trick. One of the sales women grabbed my purse, looked at the company care instructions for the leather and then told me their leather moisturizer should work. She then asked me if I wanted her to try and get it out. I said yes. The other sales woman took the opportunity to pull a matching coin purse for my purse and proceeded to try and sell it to me. 

Me: I don't want a coin purse.I just want my purse to not have a cola stain.

Her: But this is a limited color and will probably sell out quickly.

Me: I don't care. Actually, I'm more than a little pissed that I bought this purse at full price on Friday and you all had the 25 percent off for Facebook fans and key customers promotion that started Monday. Do you do any price adjustments?

Her: I love your green shoes. (she then flitted off. I turned back to the woman trying to get the stain off of my bag). 

Me:Is it working?

Her: It is, but it's going to take a while to get it out. This leather is delicate, so you have to work on a small area without getting it too wet and then let it dry to really see if the stain comes up. 

Me: How long is that going to take?

Her: A really long time. This is really on there.  I can give you a bottle of the moisturizer and a cloth. 

The other sales woman heard this and then said that I would need to pay for the moisturizer. I asked if I could use the 25 percent off discount for FB fans and she said that I would need to print out the coupon and come back to get it. She then proceeded to ask where I worked (I had told her I was on a lunch break) and said it sounded like a fun job. 

In the end, I was happy with the lady that actually tried to help me but I will never go into THAT store again because of the woman who tried to distract me or sell me something (she asked me AGAIN on my way out if I wanted that damn coin purse). How about you just try and get the damn coke stain off my purse so I don't explode?

I am still sick about this. 

Sometimes You Score. Sometimes You Want to Vomit.

Black Bean Nacho Pizza

I'm still doing the cooking every day thing (for the most part). Week three of this so I'm giving myself a pat on the back for keeping it up. I had a pretty good score last week: Black Bean Nacho Pizza. It was delicious. Black beans all mushed up with enough cheese to feel like a guilty pleasure, but not enough to cause constipation. Which to me sounds just right.

This pizza was a good low-cal alternative. I used a pre-made Boboli whole wheat thin crust instead of making my own pizza crust. Because I'm adventurous, but I'm not gonna pretend like I'm Martha Stewart. Because I'm not. Not even a little bit. I guess that gene skips a generation.

The pizza was a score, but I also did a Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake and just the thought of it makes me want to vomit. It sounded like a decent idea, but I actually used fresh shrimp (hello, I live near the sea for a reason) and that was a waste of good shrimp. Anyway, the cooking and then baking gave the whole thing this weird sloppy, chewy texture and nasty taste that made me gag in my mouth. Seriously, Chef only had a bite or two. I swallowed nearly a whole portion but made Chef chuck the rest and gagged the next day when I thought of it. Maybe I was just getting sick because I didn't eat anything substantial again until dinner last night.

I hope tonight is better. Last night's four cheese pasta and cauliflower was decent, but I need a win.

What's your most spectacular dish that hits a homerun every time?