Home ... Wrecking Ball.

This is just too bizarre of an incident not to blog on, and hopefully will be the only time in my life that I have to write on something like this.

So this is how my morning went.

7:00 AM Alarm goes off. Go and hit the snooze button.
7:10 AM Phone goes off. A 310 number that I don't recognize so I pick it up assuming it's work related. Silence on the other end. I hang up. Back to bed. =D
7:30 AM Phone rings again. I go and pick up again.

Me: Hello?
Crazy Bitch: Who is this?
Me: Ummmm, I think you have the wrong number.
CB: Is this E-----?
Me: No...
CB: Who is this?!
Me: ...
CB: Do you know N--- J------?
Me: Yes, he's my co-worker...
CB: *click*

7:45 AM Shiite. Late, run out the door.
8:15 AM Traffic. All commercials on the radio. Hating life.
8:55 AM Missed my turn into building because staring at picketers.
9:00 AM Bust a U.
9:05 AM Parking garage is filled with people who get to watch American Gladiators. Hating other people's lives.
9:20 AM Co-worker approaches me.

Basically, his crazy GF went through his phone in the morning and freaked out that he was trading calls with a number she didn't know on Saturday. He didn't have my number stored under my name in his phone so he mistakenly thought the area code was someone else and gave her that name. She has the nerve to still CALL the number to verify it...which, was unfortunately wrong. Chaos ensues.

Well, if she weren't so crazy she would have asked and found out that we were trading calls because we were WORKING on Saturday. Any how, IMO my co-worker dodged a bullet (they broke up). I really hope I don't get Single Asian Femaled now, though.

The worst part of it all. The bitch woke me up. TWICE.

So Fresh and So Clean

I really shouldn't be blogging right now, but I need a little bit of time away from work stuff before I blow my brains out. I apologize in advance (to my non-readers) if any of this comes across incoherent. I'm running on like 4 hours of sleep.

My taste in art has really changed over the years. I hate to sound so cliche but less is really more. I see current artwork (mostly movie posters) these days and the whole feathering together of heads and such look so nasty now. I think I used to like it because it was just more colors which automatically meant more fun. Now I look at it and it just seems like a clown threw up. Or Pollack took a shat. Or a clown shatted Pollack.

Regardless (or irregardless, for that matter), I am not into the whole visual montage thing anymore (sorry, LOTR). Clean and simple please. You can call it stark. You can call it boring. I call it striking.

Come on, how cool is this:

BTW, this show rules! Well, the first episode at least...

And awwwwwww, look at those saucer eyes.


Oh Wall-E. Sigh.

Plan to be surprised.

"The subject of plans. Life plans. How we all make them and how we hope that our kids make good smart safe plans of their own. But if we are really honest with ourselves, most of the time our plans don't work out as we hoped. So instead of asking our young people, what are your plans? What do you plan to do with your life? Maybe we should tell them this: Plan to be surprised." ~ Dan in Real Life

I watched Dan in Real Life the other day and I got this little ditty from the ending. Upon the second reading, it really isn't as profound as I initially thought it was. ......................SURPRISE!

I think its resonance at the time was just the way it was edited as a voice over at the end of the movie. I happen to love this narration technique that is growing ever more popular. In fact, I think that's what makes shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" so awesome. Most people really don't stop and think about what they are watching to derive any sort of meaning from it, so the narration helps them wrap it up into one neat little package (with giant red bow!). It's the lazy man's insight.

Speaking of movies, I actually had a pretty productive weekend with them. Since my movie review site went quietly into the night, I'll do a brief rundown of what I saw:

Dan in Real Life (good, but not great)
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Cate rules, pretty too look at [cinematography, costumes], but not very good)
In the Valley of Elah (like watching paint dry for most of it, but an interesting ending)
Gone Baby Gone (surprisingly good!)
Enchanted (made for kids and Poenelope)
Hairspray (seen it before, but had to end the weekend right. Damn, I love this movie)

All in all a pretty good and busy Thanksgiving.

Note: I also went to Black Friday and am so making poached eggs next weekend.

Traditioooonnnnnnnnnn.......TRADITION!

Ahhhhhhh, Gobble Day...a day of bonding, birding, and ... boozing???

We had our annual Thanksgiving party on Thursday night and suffice it to say I got what I wished for. Practically everyone and their mom yakked much to my pleasure (and dismay). This fourth installment might have been the craziest of them all and thank god Canon makes a durable digital camera. Let's just say no one is running for office any time soon, heh heh.

Bottle Count: 2 Handles of Vodka, 1 Limoncello, 1 Triple Sec
Casuality Count: 8/14 people
Tragedy Count: 2 carpets, 1 wall, and maybe 1 black widow

P.S. The entrance fee was the best idea ever!

The Great Green Hype

So, I finally got to watch Wicked last night at the Pantages theater. I liken the entire pre-show process to childbirth, as it took nine months of waiting inbetween from the getting of the tickets to the ultimate viewing of the show. After watching it, I can only hope having children is half as pleasurable.

I was really scared that the show was going to be overhyped, since I heard so much about it. But simply put, it's amazing. Everything about it is so original and well put together that I was completely enamoured. It has the epic quality of Les Miserables, but also takes place in a place of magic and wonder like Harry Potter. You put those two things together and I'm immediately smitten. It feels really good to know that people can still be so creative in the 21st century.

I have to give a special shout-out to Megan Hilty who plays Galinda/Glinda in LA. Even though the main character was Elphaba, she completely stole the show. I just love the shallow, narcissitic, sorority girl like character that she played, way more over the top than even Kristin Chenowith's interpretation. I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, and I loved it!

My favorite song (at the 3:00 mark):



Since movie musicals are becoming a trend, it's only a matter of time before Wicked is turned into a film (since Universal is already a producer of the show). I only have one plea. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE cast Anna Faris as Glinda!!! She would be perfect for the role (singing be damned!)!

Experiences like this make me wish I lived in NY so I could go see shows every week (I already want to see Wicked again =( ). I would be broke, but it would be a pretty happy broke.

I leave you with my second favorite song from the show. Oh, the irony of how I love this song.

Trailer Trash: Definitely, Maybe

Originally, I was actually going to do a post about how hot Ryan Reynolds is because I just caught a gorgeous picture of him in People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive list. Coincidentally, the trailer for Definitely, Maybe just came out today, so I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone. I really like Ryan Reynolds but I don't really buy him as a dad to the almost teenager looking Abigail Breslin. Fortunately, it doesn't matter, because the movie looks really cute and has a medley of other actresses that are also really great (Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, and Isla Fisher). I was really into the first 2:00 minutes of this trailer, but regrettably, the last 30 seconds kind of kill it for me with its after school specialness. Regardless, Ryan is hot so I will definitely be watching it.


Oh, and if you were wondering, this is the picture in question:

Lies, I Tell You, All Lies!

So I was browsing FoodTV.com today, looking for recipes for the anticipation of all of the upcoming cooking I am going to be doing (yeah, right), and I stumble upon this delicious looking recipe for hash by Rachael Ray. In fact, it was from one of her four bajillion shows on the Food Network, 30 Minute Meals, perhaps the most famous of them all since it is catered towards the average person with little to no time for cooking on their hands.

Now I actually like Rachael Ray and think she's a brilliant entrepreneur, but I find the 30 Minute Meals thing to be kind of full of crap. First of all, it doesn't account for having all of the items on hand or the hideous aftermath of cleaning up and washing and drying all of the dishes. Not to mention, the average person does not chop at lightening quick pace (without losing their fingers), or have industrial stoves and ovens that are hotter than the center of the sun.

Soooooooo, I'm kind of a hater. And guess what I found on the website.

Cowboy Hash and Eggs, Texas Toast and Salsa
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Hmmmmm, regardless of being North Pole Campus, I'm pretty sure that if you add that up it equals to THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES.

35 minutes! NOT 30. Three. Five.

So, being the ass that I am, I continue browsing hoping to find another FALSE recipe to add to my pocket for ammunition, and no more than 3 minutes later do I find...

Turkey Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie and Cran-applesauce Sundaes
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ok, now this is just getting ridiculous. Unless Rachael expects you to prep the food one night, starve your ass and fast for the deliciousness of tomorrow that is to come, the title of the show is OBVIOUSLY misleading. Plus, since when did an hour of cooking become easy. Nice try, Rachael. Nice try.

A while back a friend of mine and I were arguing over whether or not Rachael fakes the cooking on her show because the majority of her more complex dishes appear to require more than 30 minutes (Ok, even I can pack a picnic basket of pre-made food in half an hour). Like I said before, and I'll say it again...

The woman pulls out.

Nigella Ella Ella, Eh Eh Eh!

I got to meet Nigella Lawson today!

For those who don't know, Nigella is a British chef whose show I watch religiously. Her first show, "Nigella Bites," practically transformed the way cooking shows were filmed. She was here in LA doing a book signing at the Williams and Sonoma in Pasadena and I waited 45 minutes to get my copy signed.

Her new book is titled "Nigella Express" and for once, it actually looks like I can make some of the items in them. "Express," however, is somewhat of a misnomer as there was a recipe for Roast Duck (the chinese way with the little buns and sauce) which took 5.5 hours. Regardless, it does look much easier than her other books as most of the items appear to be more common than the "rare Afghani root found 3 inches in moist soil on untrotted territory," so it looks promising.

Anyway, Nigella is the bomb, and as expected was extremely poised and as graceful as can be. I'm going to try and not let her book collect dust on my shelf as all my others do.

Multi-flasking

My new life, or lack thereof, requires me to be better at time management.

So, I've decided that I need to start setting goals or mini-deadlines for myself. The only problem with this is the actually keeping them part; and, since it's unlikely that I will, setting these things will probably just make me more stressed and frustrated than I was before. Boo.

I wish I were better at multi-tasking. Unfortunately, I'm the type that usually hones in on one thing and works on it with the blinders on. I can't even study and listen to music (with lyrics) at the same time, so it's doubtful that I will be able to balance my checkbook and watch TV. And yes, TV is definitely one of my tasks (my Tivo is exploding!!), though I wish they were all equally as delicious.

In addition, I have to constantly fight this unsettled feeling of wanting to party hardy. I guess it's normal since I'm in my early (omg, I'm going to wear that adj. out for the next 6 months) twenties and it's better now than 10 years down the line when it would be nearing inappropriateness (although with enough alcohol, it is forgivable). I just feel like you have the rest of your life to buckle down and be boring, so why not get your kicks in now when your body can most enjoy (or in some cases, handle) it. I'm sure I'm just rationalizing, but what the hell, it works for me.

Thus, on top of all of the pressure of my added duties (whether it be my own or others...zz.), I want to party like a rockstar. These conflicting feelings lead me to only one conclusion. Multi-flasking. It's the wave of the future.

That's Brisk Baby!

It's officially winter in CA.

It's not that I hate the cold because I actually kind of love it. In fact, I was overjoyed with the weather in NY over the weekend and it was probably around the 50s at some points. But, for some reason the cold in CA is bugging me.

Well, first of all our sky looks like crap. A big gray mass of crap. It's scary to walk out your door and feel like "the fog" is going to engulf you into oblivion. Yes, the bad Tom Welling movie is going to come and kill me. At least when it was cold in NY it was sunny. Our cold just looks like the clouds are constipated and about to have a shi* storm but holding it in for the time being.

Secondly, it's California. California isn't supposed to be cold! It's supposed to be warm, and have palm trees, with a big ol' sun wearing sunglasses because it is so damn bright and hot! I base my life on that stereotype, so it angers me when I can't wear my t-shirt and shorts to bed without my teeth chattering off.

The only consolation out of all of this is that I get to wear my Harry Potter scarf without judgment.

Now, if I could only explain the wand...

Antsy in My Pantsy

So I am back from NY and suffering from the post vacation woes.

I think my trip was just a smidgen too short to be completely satisfying. In my fantasy world, I really wanted a day of nothing so I could sit in Central Park, read, drink coffee, and listen to my iPod as the sun goes down. I guess Lacy will just have to do. =(

I have to say that NY really grew on me. Maybe it was the extremely awesome weather that we had (cold enough to feel crisp and fresh, yet still sunny!), but, despite my hardcore California love, I had a few pangs of regret of not taking the opportunity to go to school there............twice. I'm sure I ultimately made the right decision, since I probably experienced the good weather that NY has for 2 months before becoming nasty, but it was a nice change of pace from traffic, work, traffic, sleep. Did I also mention how much I love cabs? DDs be damned!

I also kind of love and hate the hustle and bustle of the entire city and anonymity of everyone in it. Everyone is just doing their own thing and it felt strangely empty and crowded at the same time. I guess ultimately it was just different...and that felt nice.

Since I have the worst memory, I guess I should use this opportunity to document what I did in NY.

Friday - Joe's Pizza (where Peter worked for Spider-man 2!), Central Park (they were filming Gossip Girl there!), Lennon's memorial, searched for Lalo's (stupid place was closed for renovation), Korean BBQ with Justine, Nelson Blue near Seaport.

Saturday - The Burger Joint, MOMA (fascinating...), Grey's Papaya, coolest Prada store I've ever seen, Beard Papa's, Grease! (is the word, is the word...), St. Mark's for cheap food and drink, some bar that smelled like puke (Lemon Drops were delicious though!), and Pommes Frites (best idea EVER).

Sunday - Blue Water Grill for brunch, Hairspray (was really awesome), Hershey's Store, M&M's store, and our bourgie dinner at Morimoto (Iron Chef!).

Monday - The Apple Store (59th and 5th Ave, so tempted to blow my entire year's paycheck there) and lunch at Gramercy Tavern.

A lot of stuff. A lot of fun.

...which is why I am in a funk. Going back to the daily grind completely blows right now. There is just something unsatisfying about my current state. Maybe I need a Snickers bar.

Anyway, thanks to those who showed us a good time in NY (not that anyone is reading this). Coastal love.

I <3 New York: Season IV

Whoo hoo! After a grueling two months, I am leaving for New York tonight! I am slightly torn between wanting to just take it easy and relax or partying my brains out. After AGD-RY's b-day party I was going to lay off the boozing for a while, but honestly, I think I just need to wind down from the last couple of weeks. And no, don't offer me your wheelchair............................yet.

Since I won't be able to post for a few days, I leave you with this amazing parting image that our intern's friend took (yeah, I don't know where this, but it's GORGEOUS). BTW, he's 20 years old.