This evening is the premier of Sex in the City. I am looking forward to seeing what has been happening in the lives of Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha. When I express my anticipation to my female friends, the response is similar to my own. In fact, I have just gotten off the phone with my friend Mary about dinner and show times for this even. However, I haven't found a guy that gets Sex in the City much less looking forward to a full-length feature film.
Why am I so keen on Sex in the City? Mostly because one Friday night, my roommate Carolyn, a cute, petite curly-headed blonde with a bad cigarette habit and I had one of our usual conversation about how mystifying relationships and men can be. Not fifteen minutes later, I was calling Miss C out of her room to listen to Miranda and Carrie having almost verbatim the same conversation we had had. And, about 6 months before Carrie registered herself for a pair of Manolo Blaniks, I voiced that since I had and might I add still have no prospects for marriage and have decided to take my genes out of the pool, I should register myself at Macy's and send everyone an invitation to a "This is as good as it gets for me" party. I am perfectly happy with being single but I have also spent lots of money celebrating other peoples life events so why can't I have my own party. So the appeal of Sex in the City is that it resonates with all the ups and downs that 30 something and now 40 somethings like me have had with relationships. The fabulous clothes don't hurt either! So if you are watching Sex in the City this weekend. Have a Cosmo, Manhattan or whatever, and Cheers!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Beach Bus
On Memorial Day, I decided to take the Beach Bus from Palmdale Train Station to Santa Monica Pier. It's a pretty nifty service that Supervisor Antonovich supports, for just $6 the bus gives you about 5 hours in Santa Monica. That is less than the price of parking alone, not to mention gas and the frustration of driving on the 405.
Monday was a perfect day, the stormy, unseasonably cold weather of the previous week had finally dissipated leaving a refreshing cool breeze and sunny skies for my walk about.
If you ever see a Ferris wheel in a movie about LA that is the one located at Santa Monica Pier. I don't spend much time on the pier board walk, I usually head for Venice Beach. I was entirely tired of feeling crappy with vertigo what ever else is going on in my body so I decided I really needed to give my body a long refreshing walk. So at 10:40 when the bus dropped us off, I headed down the beach.
I stopped briefly to watch the men swinging on the ring course. Once again, I am reminded that we may not be very far off the evolutionary branch because me and other women were captivated by the male species showing prowess and virility by swinging through the air. Metal rings replaced tree limbs and that is about as far as we have evolved folks.
Upscale, body conscious Santa Monica rather abruptly into hippie, alternative Venice Beach. Here the street vendor smell of incense only barely masks the underlying, cloying smell of weed. Anti-war, anti establishment, free life, and will work for weed compete with the bands, street vendors, and performers. I am reminded of the Haight in San Francisco but somehow more Southern Californian. This is where The Doors got their start and by the looks of the regulars they were young during that time, too. Or maybe it is just their lifestyle that has made them look ancient before their time.
At North Venice Street, the street vendors peter out and nice beach front homes appear. It is clear from the anti-Bush and pro-Obama or Clinton signs in the windows that this is still a very liberal if upscale neighborhood. I think that these homes belong to the hippies that never got quagmired in drugs or at least had the means for re-hab.
I continued walking down to Marina Del Rey and then turned back along Balona Lagoon preserve. This is a nice trail walk with a lagoon on one side and massive opulent homes on the other. This is where I would buy if I ever win the lottery. Later, I know I am back in Venice when the end of the lagoon became a bit seedy and demonstrated evidence of blue tarp homes. I was thankful there was a nice couple behind me and no one seemed to be home. I crossed over the street and strolled along the Venice canals. Maybe, I would rather have a home here? Oh, let's face it, I wouldn't turn down too many homes outside of skidrow.
Once through the canals, I headed back through Venice Beach, stopped for a while to look at the events going on at Muscle Beach. One girl I swear looked like she had painted on abs--how did they get so cut? My goodness. I am not a big fan of the body built bod but I was fascinated on several levels--the eerie color of their skin (bronze on steroids is the best way to describe it), the variety of ages of the contestants (body building grandparents?), and how any man could be particularly comfy in little tiny speedos.
Once back in Santa Monica, my mood was dampened by the crosses laid out at Santa Monica West Arlington. So sad, all the young lives, 4088 of them, sacrifice for business interests of the rich. I am reminded that the protests of the 60's that made Venice Beach a happening place are mostly silent today. Why are we not outraged by this war? I headed back to the bus pondering these thoughts but feeling that at least my body was not protesting me as much. So over all for me this was a good day.
Monday was a perfect day, the stormy, unseasonably cold weather of the previous week had finally dissipated leaving a refreshing cool breeze and sunny skies for my walk about.
If you ever see a Ferris wheel in a movie about LA that is the one located at Santa Monica Pier. I don't spend much time on the pier board walk, I usually head for Venice Beach. I was entirely tired of feeling crappy with vertigo what ever else is going on in my body so I decided I really needed to give my body a long refreshing walk. So at 10:40 when the bus dropped us off, I headed down the beach.
I stopped briefly to watch the men swinging on the ring course. Once again, I am reminded that we may not be very far off the evolutionary branch because me and other women were captivated by the male species showing prowess and virility by swinging through the air. Metal rings replaced tree limbs and that is about as far as we have evolved folks.
Upscale, body conscious Santa Monica rather abruptly into hippie, alternative Venice Beach. Here the street vendor smell of incense only barely masks the underlying, cloying smell of weed. Anti-war, anti establishment, free life, and will work for weed compete with the bands, street vendors, and performers. I am reminded of the Haight in San Francisco but somehow more Southern Californian. This is where The Doors got their start and by the looks of the regulars they were young during that time, too. Or maybe it is just their lifestyle that has made them look ancient before their time.
At North Venice Street, the street vendors peter out and nice beach front homes appear. It is clear from the anti-Bush and pro-Obama or Clinton signs in the windows that this is still a very liberal if upscale neighborhood. I think that these homes belong to the hippies that never got quagmired in drugs or at least had the means for re-hab.
I continued walking down to Marina Del Rey and then turned back along Balona Lagoon preserve. This is a nice trail walk with a lagoon on one side and massive opulent homes on the other. This is where I would buy if I ever win the lottery. Later, I know I am back in Venice when the end of the lagoon became a bit seedy and demonstrated evidence of blue tarp homes. I was thankful there was a nice couple behind me and no one seemed to be home. I crossed over the street and strolled along the Venice canals. Maybe, I would rather have a home here? Oh, let's face it, I wouldn't turn down too many homes outside of skidrow.
Once through the canals, I headed back through Venice Beach, stopped for a while to look at the events going on at Muscle Beach. One girl I swear looked like she had painted on abs--how did they get so cut? My goodness. I am not a big fan of the body built bod but I was fascinated on several levels--the eerie color of their skin (bronze on steroids is the best way to describe it), the variety of ages of the contestants (body building grandparents?), and how any man could be particularly comfy in little tiny speedos.
Once back in Santa Monica, my mood was dampened by the crosses laid out at Santa Monica West Arlington. So sad, all the young lives, 4088 of them, sacrifice for business interests of the rich. I am reminded that the protests of the 60's that made Venice Beach a happening place are mostly silent today. Why are we not outraged by this war? I headed back to the bus pondering these thoughts but feeling that at least my body was not protesting me as much. So over all for me this was a good day.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Betrayed
Six a.m. last Monday morning my world was normal. At 6:15 it seemed to have turned upside down. I opened my eyes, the room shifted. Thinking that was strange but not pondering very long, I stood up only to have the world go weeble wobble on me. I fell back into bed. This was the first time in 12 years that I felt the need to call in sick. I didn't on Monday, I hadn't used my health insurance and needed to get it squared away first. All day, my world was fuzzy around the edges. I dreaded going to sleep that night. Tuesday, I was no better. I took myself to urgent care. Tests later it seemed that I had high blood pressure and a UTI. Lovely. And by the way I started my period while waiting at Urgent Care. I received two prescriptions. The first an antibiotic to knock out the infection--warning--may cause dizziness--the other a mild dose of high blood pressure--warning--may cause dizziness. I wonder how I am to determine where my source of dizziness comes from--that was my major complaint in the first place. With presciptions in hand, I left for my old library which was nearby.
I went to the library to checked out DVD's because I realized that I would need to take it easy for the next little while and guess who gave up her cable and internet? Betrayed!
I feel that my body has betrayed me. Finally things seems to be clicking into place and now it decides to play primadonna on me. But then my body has reminded me that really I need to ask who has betrayed who here. Who has talked herself out of countless runs? Who has rationalized Little Ceasar's Pizza? Who has eaten too much and not exercised enough? Who added 30 pounds to my body? Who exactly? Well, me.
I have returned to the doctor with blood pressure in normal ranges. I think I need to use this chance to right some of the wrongs I have been asking my body to endure. I need this vehicle I call my body to continue to work for a number of years in the future. Only time will tell. But I am hoping for the best.
I went to the library to checked out DVD's because I realized that I would need to take it easy for the next little while and guess who gave up her cable and internet? Betrayed!
I feel that my body has betrayed me. Finally things seems to be clicking into place and now it decides to play primadonna on me. But then my body has reminded me that really I need to ask who has betrayed who here. Who has talked herself out of countless runs? Who has rationalized Little Ceasar's Pizza? Who has eaten too much and not exercised enough? Who added 30 pounds to my body? Who exactly? Well, me.
I have returned to the doctor with blood pressure in normal ranges. I think I need to use this chance to right some of the wrongs I have been asking my body to endure. I need this vehicle I call my body to continue to work for a number of years in the future. Only time will tell. But I am hoping for the best.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Week in Review
I decided to give up The Year of Eating Dangerously after I threw it down in disgust. Tom Parker Bowles is an idiot that has traded on his family name and I have no use for him as a person much less a writer. He makes some moral high ground statements about the Japanese refusing to give up eating dolphin and how inhumanely they are killed in Japan. This was news to me. I lived in Japan for 7 years and never heard of anyone eating dolphin--whale, an entirely different story but dolphins? What? A little internet research illuminated that it is in fact two fishing villages in Japan that hunt dolphin and most Japanese have no idea that it happens. It amounts to a couple of thousand people practicing something is a country of 150 million people. That is like saying all American's support and love dog fighting because one football player kept dogs for the sport. Come on really.
Then what sealed the deal was that the next stop was in Korea where he was in search of dog soup. After detailing the torture that these dogs allegedly undergo--up to an hour of beating before being dispatched. Mr Parker Bowles still wants to give it a go and then after he tries it he reports that he believes he feels all the potency it is reported to instill after consumption, thus validating the torture and inhumane the way the dogs are reportedly (he cites his source as the internet) slaughtered.
After I threw the book, I had to quickly check to make sure that I didn't damage it since it is a library book. I would certainly hate to have to pay for the bloody awful thing in the end!
Other news, I no longer have internet or cable TV. I gave it up yesterday. On Thursday when I got home, my connection was dead. I called Oceanic, the customer rep said that it would have to be repaired by a technician during a service call. I hate being held hostage in my apartment. The last time when Oceanic installed my internet the guy was 1:30 outside his 4 hour window. I was crawling up the walls by the time he left me with internet. So since I was considering getting rid of the cable box, I decided I could just as well get rid of internet as well. Panera Bread is down the street and I am rather fond of their French Onion soup. The bowl just had was very tasty indeed.
On Friday I ended up at the my committee meeting 30 minutes late. It took me almost 2:30 to drive 45 miles. Friday traffic compounded by a major accident on my freeway jammed everything up. See this is why I hate freeways--they go way too fast for me or way too slow. And might I add that people are rarely on their best behavior in the car.
Glendale lies about halfway between Downey where LHQ and the Antelope Valley. I decided I would stop by to see the new Americana Residential Shopping area that kicked of the previous evening with Arnold, Tony Bennett. Parking wasn't as difficult as I imagined it might be especially considering the sheer volume of bodies walking along the new promenade. It is truly a sight to see. Perfect in all the right ways. The a mini-Bellagio style fountain synchronized to music. All the right shops, Tiffany's, BCGB Maximara, Armani Exchange, etc. I thought, wow it must be the life to be able to get one of the 100 apartments going for 1+ million dollars. But then I had to think, would I really want to live here? Sure if someone bought it for me. But in reality the whole experience was something that I am rapidly coming to despise. This whole, sugar-coating and dressing up of America. I realized that one of the reasons that I was so distressed by the state of my hometown was because not everything was cookie-cutter perfect suburbia. There are some amazingly well kept beautiful homes in my town--they just happen to be next door to some of the sagging, paint stripped structures as well. I have become so suburban in my expectations that I fail to see the beauty in un-uniformity.
I have decided that like most things in life, the 80/20 rule can deal with Librarianship and customer service. Twenty percent of our users take up 80 percent of our time. Today one of our 20% wanted to use one of the reference computers after she reached her 2 hour limit of internet time. Since we have let her in the past, she no longer thinks that this is actually enhanced customer service but now feels entitled. Accidentally, the other reference librarian knocked over her bottle of "herbal infused juice". It spilled all over the rug. Believe me the only infusion was of the fermented potato variety. So here I am giving reference to people, the strong smell of alcohol wafting through the air. And all I can think is that we are going to get complaints that the reference staff is sloshed on Sunday.
Well, it seems that I am a bundle of positive outlooks and opinions. Really it was a good week. The weather has been nice and my commutes have been smooth with my audiobooks keeping me company and I am thankful, I have both a CD player and cassette player in my car. Life is really quite good--especially now that I have decided to toss that wanker Tom Parker Bowles load of bound tripe.
Then what sealed the deal was that the next stop was in Korea where he was in search of dog soup. After detailing the torture that these dogs allegedly undergo--up to an hour of beating before being dispatched. Mr Parker Bowles still wants to give it a go and then after he tries it he reports that he believes he feels all the potency it is reported to instill after consumption, thus validating the torture and inhumane the way the dogs are reportedly (he cites his source as the internet) slaughtered.
After I threw the book, I had to quickly check to make sure that I didn't damage it since it is a library book. I would certainly hate to have to pay for the bloody awful thing in the end!
Other news, I no longer have internet or cable TV. I gave it up yesterday. On Thursday when I got home, my connection was dead. I called Oceanic, the customer rep said that it would have to be repaired by a technician during a service call. I hate being held hostage in my apartment. The last time when Oceanic installed my internet the guy was 1:30 outside his 4 hour window. I was crawling up the walls by the time he left me with internet. So since I was considering getting rid of the cable box, I decided I could just as well get rid of internet as well. Panera Bread is down the street and I am rather fond of their French Onion soup. The bowl just had was very tasty indeed.
On Friday I ended up at the my committee meeting 30 minutes late. It took me almost 2:30 to drive 45 miles. Friday traffic compounded by a major accident on my freeway jammed everything up. See this is why I hate freeways--they go way too fast for me or way too slow. And might I add that people are rarely on their best behavior in the car.
Glendale lies about halfway between Downey where LHQ and the Antelope Valley. I decided I would stop by to see the new Americana Residential Shopping area that kicked of the previous evening with Arnold, Tony Bennett. Parking wasn't as difficult as I imagined it might be especially considering the sheer volume of bodies walking along the new promenade. It is truly a sight to see. Perfect in all the right ways. The a mini-Bellagio style fountain synchronized to music. All the right shops, Tiffany's, BCGB Maximara, Armani Exchange, etc. I thought, wow it must be the life to be able to get one of the 100 apartments going for 1+ million dollars. But then I had to think, would I really want to live here? Sure if someone bought it for me. But in reality the whole experience was something that I am rapidly coming to despise. This whole, sugar-coating and dressing up of America. I realized that one of the reasons that I was so distressed by the state of my hometown was because not everything was cookie-cutter perfect suburbia. There are some amazingly well kept beautiful homes in my town--they just happen to be next door to some of the sagging, paint stripped structures as well. I have become so suburban in my expectations that I fail to see the beauty in un-uniformity.
I have decided that like most things in life, the 80/20 rule can deal with Librarianship and customer service. Twenty percent of our users take up 80 percent of our time. Today one of our 20% wanted to use one of the reference computers after she reached her 2 hour limit of internet time. Since we have let her in the past, she no longer thinks that this is actually enhanced customer service but now feels entitled. Accidentally, the other reference librarian knocked over her bottle of "herbal infused juice". It spilled all over the rug. Believe me the only infusion was of the fermented potato variety. So here I am giving reference to people, the strong smell of alcohol wafting through the air. And all I can think is that we are going to get complaints that the reference staff is sloshed on Sunday.
Well, it seems that I am a bundle of positive outlooks and opinions. Really it was a good week. The weather has been nice and my commutes have been smooth with my audiobooks keeping me company and I am thankful, I have both a CD player and cassette player in my car. Life is really quite good--especially now that I have decided to toss that wanker Tom Parker Bowles load of bound tripe.
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