If you blog it, they will come

2006-02-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

I feel like I really need to adress this article which was recently brought to my attention.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060223/ts_nm/rights_abortion_dc;_ylt=A9FJqaYA9_1DagMBFgUDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

I voted for Gore and I voted for Kerry. One of the most compelling arguments for this decision was that one of my biggest fears was that Bush would have the opportunity put new members into the Supreme Court and there would be a political agenda to overturn Roe v. Wade. Well, it appears South Dakota is ready to take the next step.

I am adamantly pro-choice. I have several reasons for this, but the most important issue for me is that the government should not be able to tell a woman what to do with her body. It should be noted that I also do not consider conception to be the beginning of life. Whether you agree with me or not, the following is particularly interesting.

Proposed amendments to the law to create exceptions to specifically protect the health of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest, were voted down. Also defeated was an amendment to put the proposal in the hands of voters.

Essentially what this is saying, even if you do believe that the embryo is a person, and killing it is murder, the mother's life is meaningless. What if the woman cannot carry it to term? Is her life less important than that of the embryo? And if you don't save the life of the mother by terminating the pregnancy won't both the mother and child likely die? And now 2 lives are lost because the government has determined that this is the way things need to be done. What about a woman who has been raped? Should she be forced to carry a reminder of that in her womb for 9 months?

I do not believe in abortion as birth control, I do not believe in partial birth abortions. But, I do believe it is the woman's right to choose. And South Dakota is only one of several states looking to put this into law. Will they be able to overturn Roe v. Wade? I don't know but I hope the government supports a woman's body being her own.

Side note: I wanted this to be much more prolific than it is but I have such a difficult time wrapping my brain around this , I can't make my words come out the way I want.

I have been tagged!

2006-02-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Four jobs I've held:
1. Renting cars (and selling them) at Enterprise
2. Hooters (bows head in shame)
3. Baltimore Orioles Art Gallery (which has since closed)
4. Outback Steakhouse (and it is STILL one of my favorite places to eat)

Four places I've lived:
1. Bel Air, MD
2. State College, PA
3. Rome, Italy
4. Glendale, CA

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Dirty Dancing
2. Rudy
3. Pretty Woman
4. Finding Neverland

Four TV shows I like:
1. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (BRING IT BACK!!!!)
2. The Shield
3. Lost
4. Gilmore Girls
(this topic could go on forever)

Four Family Vacations I've been on:
1. Disney World
2. European Tour
3. Colorado (incl. Utah and a lot of rocks!)
4. Maine (Bar Harbor?)

Four of my favorite fast food dishes:
1. Subway Club
2. Habit Burger (best fast food burger on the planet!)
3. Taco Bell-Chicken Gordita Supreme (side note: I just tried the crunch wrap supreme (but with real cheese instead of cheese sauce-not even close to healthy but for $2, totally worth it)
4. Do kabobs count as fast food? This is our number one delivery food. Preferred provider: Palmer Intl Cuisine. YUMMY!

Four sites I visit daily:
1. The BCG (sorry its members only)
2. Brick & Stones
3. Yahoo mail
4. Defamer

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Rome
2. Hawaii- I have never been but trust that I would love it
3. At home in front of the TV with my hubby
4. Disney (take it as you will)

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Ummmm, I don't know... they were all tagged...

2006-02-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Where is the line between an adult and a child? Does anyone ever really stop being a kid and start being an adult?

I ask this because I am sitting here at my desk eating my homemade lunch, a turkey wrap, goldfish crackers and a little individual package of cinnamon apple sauce. Oh and my Diet Coke. From the outside, this looks like a child's lunch. Except that it would probably be on carb-filled bread (which I would prefer, fyi). But, what is actually happening, is that I am NOT spending $10(+) on lunch by going somewhere, so I am ataying within my budget. This makes me adult-ish. Right?

I am 26 and married. I have a steady 9-6 (mostly) job working for a film studio. I have benefits and a 401k. I am an assistant and I am constantly asked what I want to be when I grow up. Some people actually use those words. On one hand I feel like my career is JUST starting, there are many assistants quite a few years older than me. On the other, I wonder if I will ever be there. What about all those filmmakers that are younger than me and directing "major" films? What about all those publicists who are in their late 30s and early 40s that are only juniors? Do I have to wait 10 years of answering someone else's phone before someone answers mine?

Needless to say, I am trapped in this frustrating still a kid-still an adult phase of my life. I think this is true of most of the 20s. Or maybe of life in general. I am significantly older than I was at 21, a recent college grad. And now I look at those 21-22 year-olds and call them kids. So maybe that makes me old. Regardless, I still try to enjoy life as much as I can, no matter what place I have in it. I am just amused daily by this am-I-or-aren't-I quandry.

It is a short post, but it is a post.

Ignore the date on that last one

2006-01-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

I guess I started a post on the 10th and never finished it. I deleted the beginning of my post but the date stayed the same. Woops!

Ok so it has been a while...

2006-01-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, sorry for the ridiculous delay in my blogging. Over the last two weeks something insane has happened. I actually had work to do! Can you believe the people that pay me expected me to work for that money? Insanity I tell you!

Well, update on life. The biggest thing is that Mike and I are moving. A few weeks ago we received a letter from our landlord basically saying that we were almost at the 90 day mark for the condo conversion. So, Mike and I started the hunt and found a great place. It is significantly bigger than our place now, is reasonable in price and in a good location. All week we have been moving our stuff from the old place to the new and Friday we have movers coming to take care of all the heavy stuff like couches, the bed and the fridge. Saturday we will re-paint the old place (burgundy wall in the bedroom) and say goodbye.

While moving is, on the whole, a great thing for us, it has left us VERY broke. We expect t get our full security deposit back which will certainly help but we still had no real expectation of needing to move. Based on conversations with our apt manager, we were under the impression we still had another 6 months or so. Needless to say, the 90-day thing was a bit of a shocker. While discussing our situation with a co-worker, he mentioned a similar thing happened to him last year and that we should be owed some sort of relocation assistance. Excited at the thought of money coming our way, I did some research and based on what I found, we are owed close to $3000 for moving expenses. So, I called our manager and asked him how that was going to work and he told me that b/c we are moving before the 90-day notice comes out, we are not entitled to anything. I questioned him about the letter from earlier in the month and he informed me that it was to alert us of a 90-day notice coming in the near future but that it was not a 90-day notice.

Back to the internet I went and found several legal services numbers to call. As it turns out, we make too much money to warrant any free legal help. We don't know any lawyers in California, only in Maryland. I don't want to spend money to ask one question that may not be worth anything anyway. If the 90-day rule is in fact true, there is nothing I can do about it. BUT, in my research I found no information relating to this and if we are owed money, we could really use it. Also, when we moved in late March 2005, we signed a 1 year lease. Isn't that designed to protect us as much as them? If we are told about the condo conversion 3 weeks after moving, shouldn't we be owed SOMETHING? What if the 90-day notice arrives on everyone else's door on February 1? Do we lose out because our last day in the apartment is 1/31? I don't know.

So, if you are a lawyer in CA, know a lawyer in CA or just want to offer your advice, please leave a comment. I look forward to it.

Oh and I promise to write more...soon.

Happy 2006

2006-01-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Huh, I just noticed my last entry was listed as 12/21. I think I started a post that day, never finished it and then went back and changed it into a whole new post. Because of this, it looks like I am not sure what day Christmas is. Because Christmas was not over on the 21st... Oh well.

Please see this article...http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/tom-freston/tom-frestons-allstaff-email-of-hope-144980.php

Ok, now that you have read about it somewhere else, I feel free to discuss this. Right before we left for the new year holiday, most people at Paramount received one of several emails, very similar to the one in the link above. "Happy New Year, many of you will be fired in the near future." With our acquisition of Dreamworks, we have a lot more people and the company will need to "trim" in certain areas. First, why tell us this? I don't want to work in this now-tense environment where everyone is waiting for the axe to fall. And, I don't want to start looking for a job when I may not lose the one I have now.

It is believed by many that when the deal was made with DW, it was promised that certain people would not lose their jobs int he transition. So, the general concensus is that this "change" will start with execs and work its way down. As an assistant, this may or may not mean anything to me. One thing about Hollywood, people like to take their assistants with them. So, if my boss loses her job and her replacement brings in his own assistant, I will lose my job. The biggest problem being that b/c I have been here less than a year, and b/c I am not a contractual employee, I get nothing. And my unemployment will be minimal considering my curent salary.

So, do I start to look for something else, just in case? It took me 2 months to find this job. 3 to find the short-lived one before this. Sure, I know more people now, but if half my department is searching, I doubt I will be at the top of everyone's list to help. And, I am much pickier now. 6 months ago I would have worked in a crappy job at a talent agency to make contacts. Now, I work in publicity, which is where I want a career. I don't know that I can go back without being completely miserable. I am at a loss. In a week or a month I could be fine or I could be unemployed. Who knows what will happen and when. I guess I am back to waiting. This seems to be a theme...

2005-12-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

I spend much of my time at work deciding what my next blog should be. I read other blogs looking for inspiration. I check the news, chat with co-workers. Always looking for that thing that will entice and entertain my readers. I almost always come up with good ideas while sitting in my car with nowhere to write it down. Today, I have nothing. So I will ramble and ramble until I can ramble no more.

Christmas is over. I cannot possibly explain my reasoning behind this but I always feel like I need mourning time after Christmas. Similar to the wedding (on a much smaller scale) so much work, and money, goes into this event. I decorate the apartment, I go to parties, I shop and shop and shop. I eat and drink more than any person should ever eat and drink. And then, it is over. I wait and wait for the day to come when "Santa" brings me all the presents I desire and then it is gone, just like that. I cook all day and while I will have ham in my fridge for the next 3 months, dinner is done. All of it is just done. I find this incredibly depressing. It seems like so much of my life is just waiting for the next thing to happen and then it does and I need something new to look forward to.

So, now I wait again. I wait for D to get back from the eastern half of the United States. I wait to sit with her and help plan her upcoming wedding. I wait for the next step in my career, whatever that may be. I wait for Mike to sell a script. I wait for the landlord to tell us when we need to move out of our apartment so they can turn it into a condo. I wait for the lotto numbers, just in case. I wait, I wait, I wait.

This all leads me to wonder if I will ever stop waiting. I guess I will have to wait and see.

Previously viewed Secret Santa

2005-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

We had our Secret Santa (SS) reveal at work yesterday. I know that I am sometimes ungrateful. I try really hard not to be, but sometimes it just happens. Yesterday was one of those times.

The plan was for each person to secretly drop off their gift and then at 4:30 when we had a "party" our Santa would be revealed. So, throughout the day people are getting presents, exclaiming with excitement and guessing who would give them such a gift. My recipient is ecstatic with his t-shirt from Barney's (bought on clearance for $19). Then, finally, it is my turn. I fully admit that I LOVE getting presents and was waiting with baited breath all morning! Some one walks over and hands me a piece of paper and a wrapped gift. The note says, "To the woman who always thinks parents don't like her...this will make you feel better." Side note: I had a conversation only a day or two earlier with my boss regarding the fact that parents never seemed to like me upon first meeting. So, curious and knowing my SS is not my boss, I rip open the wrapping paper to discover.... wait for it...

A previously viewed copy of "Monster-In-Law" with the Blockbuster price tag ($12.99) still on it. Now, I am personally not a fan of J-LO (although I secretly liked "The Wedding Planner") but it was a really nice thought. Obviously this person overheard my conversation and thought it would be cute. Of course, I have no desire to see this film as it was one of the worst reviewed movies of the year. Regardless, who buys a previously viewed movie as a gift!?!?! I am sure you can buy that DVD NEW for only 2 or 3 dollars more than the PV version. And if it is a money thing, which I know it is not for this person, then buy a different movie, new! Target always has movies for like $10! Anyway, I spend all day trying to figure out who bought the gift. Call me predjudiced but I was convinced it was from one of the few straight men working in my department. Who else would buy a previously-used gift and leave the price tag on? No offense men, I am just trying to be honest. So I narrow down my choices and then it is time for the party.

Everyone goes around the room, saying what they got and then the SS reveals him/herself. I am pretty close to the end of the line so I hear... "a really nice bottle of wine, giftcard to my favorite store, a wonderful candle (fyi, these were all REALLY nice candles), a t-shirt from Barneys" etc. It gets to me and I am forced to say with a smile and a joke, "I got a DVD of Monster-in-Law. (laughs) For the newly married (laughs)." Now of course I would never stand up in front of everyone and announce that it was a pre-viewed copy, I kept that to myself. Oh, and my SS was a girl! A 22 year-old assistant that I have had multiple conversations with and knows me better than that. I couldn't help but think Santa (Secret or not) thought I was a bad girl this past year.

After the big reveal we have the "Holiday DVD Grab Bag." Woohoo!!! Free DVDs!!! Right??? I won such titles as, "Walker Texas Ranger" (final season), "Warning Shot" (?), a screener of "Being Julia" (which I actually want to see) and THREE copies of "Tupac: Ressurection." I gave one Tupac to an intern and the other to the valet guy at the bar last night. The other I will keep to commemorate my first Paramount holiday. Does anyone like "Walker, Texas Ranger?" If so, I am about to give you a very Merry Christmas.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2005-12-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have more to write about than just my mom but figured I'd announce it at the beginning.

First off, it has been a while. Shocker, I know! Just as an FYI on the premiere from last week, it was pretty lame. Charlize is GORGEOUS in person but other than seeing her, there were few quality stars. "Quality" in my twisted little mind anyway. I didn't think this event was worthy of a separate posting on Friday.

Since then, I have been incredibly busy. I have spent most of my work days working on holiday gifts. (I cannot be more specific as some of the recipients read this blog). My boss's daughter has been sick so my boss has been home, leaving me with little actual work but with the HUGE headache of dealing with this "thing." I wish I could fill this entire entry with bitching about this thing but as I mentioned, I am sworn to silence until after Christmas. Hopefully, it will all work out.

This does lead me to my main topic for the day. Holiday presents. For as long as I can remember, Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I actually enjoy the crowded malls, the music never gets old to me and I look forward to spending my money on other people. It helps that it is impossible for me to shop without buying things for myself... This year things are different. Obviously, the aforementioned stress is one thing but I am now realizing how the pile of presents to buy is building. I did offer up the idea of Secret Santa on the message board I frequent. The group has become pretty close and it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. So, one SS thing isn't too bad.

Then, it was just announced we are having an office Secret Santa! Another gift. The worst part of the office Secret Santa exchange is not really knowing the person all that well. I have no idea what to get my person. I don't know what he likes or what he does in his free time. So, I am left with the idea of a giftcard or a gag gift. Hmmmmm. I also considered a bottle of liquor but I am pretty sure that is inappropriate but it is the only thing I know he would like. There is another $20 down the drain and more stress of what to get. I actually prefer the idea of the "Yankee Swap" as seen on The Office. Now, of course you don't want people to go into it expecting to buy presents for a certain person then change it around as Michael did on the show, but it is a fun idea. Then again, I'd most likely get the pot holder but it would be worth a shot. By the way, if you don't watch The Office on NBC, you should, it's fantastic.

Speaking of television shows, I am a die-hard Nip/Tuck fan and have been since episode 1. I admit, this season is lacking the energy and interest of the first 2 seasons but every once in a while something happens and it takes me back to the old days. I have been dying to know what happens with Kimber and The Carver. I understand it is a shock beyond all shocks. This is of course coming from Kristin of E!Online's "Watch with Kristin." I tuned in waiting for the next reveal only to find this awful episode where Julia's mom doesn't die. Mike called it the "Let me explain" episode. For example, Julia goes to find out what happened to her mother when the plane she was on crashes. In the hotel lobby (in reality, the Paramount theatre by the way) she meets a woman wearing a Boston Red Sox cap and speaking in an over-the-top Boston accent. She of course needs to explain that she is from Boston and that her mom (also on the plane) is a Red Sox fan. Julia eventually meets the mom but she is severely burned and not likely to make it. While any ordinary viewer would figure out the connection immediately (she has a Boston accent too and why else would we meet the daughter?) they feel the need to explain the situation. We even get TWO close-ups of her Red Sox necklace. Please, did you lose all faith in your viewers and where is Ryan Murphy this season? It is just so sad to see one of my favorites go down the drain.

Well, I guess that is about all for now.

Oh and another shout-out to my mom on her birthday and one to Penn State for actually doing well this year and making it to the Orange Bowl.

The accident

2005-12-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

I don't even like to call it an accident. It was such a minor fender bender. Granted there is a little damage to my car and the other person's but nothing big.

On Sunday afternoon, I was leaving the Bank of America parking lot and heading to work. There was a white van in front of me and it pulled over next to the sidewalk in the area with yellow diagonal lines. This was a no-parking zone. I was only able to continue by going around the van, causing me to enter the opposite direction of traffic, there were no cars at this time. Once I passed the van, I pulled back to the right side of the driveway to exit the lot, intending to make a right hand turn. I was at a complete stop, waiting to go when a black Ford Focus approached my car, blinker on, intending to enter the lot. As I watched the car come closer I realized that because of the width of the driveway and our cars’ positions she could not make the turn. I expected her to stop to allow me to exit so she could enter. Instead she continued to attempt the turn, and ran directly into my driver door. At first she would not move and then finally she backed up and we pulled into the parking lot.

Almost immediately, the other driver exited her vehicle and started yelling at me, telling me the accident was all my fault and I needed to learn how to drive. I was upset by this but tried to say very little as we exchanged insurance information. The two passengers in her car stood by and watched. While she wrote my information, the man driving the van pulled over and asked if he could help. He said he saw the whole thing and would be willing to give a statement. At this point, crazy driver lady began berating the witness, telling him if he hadn’t pulled to the side, none of it ever would have happened and that he should be held responsible for both of our vehicles. At this point, the man drove off. I was able to get his license plate number but nothing else.

So that was basically it. Again, it was just a little fender-bender but the other person had to get out of her car and start screaming, which made it worse. Why is this necessary? It accomplishes nothing. Then, the fact that she yelled at the other guy and made him leave really upset me. I am glad I have not had much experience with being in accidents but on the other hand, I didn't handle this as well as I'd have liked. I might have done better if I had been there before. I should have tried to talk to the guy in the van anyway, but I just let this woman do whatever she wanted. It is rare for me to let others take control of the situation but I can't go back and change what happened.

On another note, I am happy to see that Kimberly Stewart reads my blog. Why else would she and Talan have broken off the engagement? It must be me!

I have the "Aeon Flux" premiere tonight. So far we don't have a lot of big stars coming but you never know. I am excited to see Charlize b/c I am a fan of hers and I am curious to see if she is as gorgeous in person.

Catching up...

2005-11-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a week since the last entry so I guess I have some catching up to do.

Thanksgiving was very nice. Brandyn's parents were lovely and even invited us over for Christmas dinner because we will be stuck in LA with no family or friends. Danielle and Brandyn will also be out of town so I am not sure if that will be awkward or not. We'll see what happens. The food was great but I missed Amy's mashed potatoes that I enjoyed last year. This girl seriously makes the best mashed potatoes known to man. Regardless though, good food, good wine, good company, all-in-all a very nice time.

The next morning (Black Friday) I woke up at 5:30am for some unknown reason. Unable to fall back asleep, I decided to go shopping. I felt as though God (for lack of a better word) was telling me to shop by not letting me sleep. So, I went to the mall. Turns out, Black Friday shopping is crap. Maybe I missed out by not going to the electronics stores, I hear that's where the deals are. But seriously, the sales were almost entirely the same as the weekend before. A few extra bonuses here and there but NOTHING worth standing in the lines for. At 8am, after being entirely defeated and leaving the mall empty-handed, I got back in my car and went home to bed. I slept until 12:30 which was the best part of the day.

Well, best part of the day, not night. It is well-known among my friends and family that I am highly competitive. Some might say "overly." I think it is just another thing that makes people who love me love me more. I have not tested this theory. So Friday night, 6 of us went bowling. To start I could not find "my ball." I am not overly picky, I just need a 10lb that has medium holes. No luck. So, I made due with what was available and sucked up my poor score for the first 5 frames. Needless to say, I was not having a very good time. I was in fourth place in my group and that is just not good enough. It was difficult to cheer on my friends through their good throws and higher scores, but I forced myself to be pleasant. Then, miraculously, I glanced over at the shelf and there she was. A bright, shiny (use your imagination here please) purple ball with a flourescent green "10" on the side calling my name. So, I grabbed it and went to town. Suddenly, the strikes and the spares came. I pulled myself out of the gutter (pun intended) and managed to win game one with a score of 119! Game two wasn't nearly as exciting as my miraculous comeback except for the lane next to us stealing my ball. I walked up, ready to go and my ball was missing. Danielle said she saw the team next to us take it so I asked. Of course they denied having grabbed my precious orb (I needed a new word) but said I could take one of theirs anyway. Oddly enough, my exact ball was in their "holding area" and as I took it back one of the guys admitted he had in fact stolen it not realizing "anyone was using it." Regardless, I did well and stayed neck-and-neck with Gaby until the very end. And until that very end, I managed to have a great time. She beat me by 2 points. Defeated! I justified this loss by pointing out to everyone that I won b/c I had the greatest number of points combined. I am such a brat. Mike still tries to convince me that Gaby won a game. I continue to disagree.

Saturday, Mike and I had big plans to clean, grocery shop and do laundry. Well, I had plans and informed Mike that he was a part of them. We managed to get ourselves together and go to the store. After unloading all of the yummy food, we decided to watch a little tv while eating lunch. We never left the couches. Whoops! After some generic television, we ended up ordering "The Upside of Anger." All I have to say is I do NOT know where some people (Ebert) were coming from in loving this film. UGH! It was awful! I actually hated it and I don't hate a lot of movies. I thought the story made no sense, the big reveal seems impossible, the characters were somehow entirely underdeveloped for a movie in which all anyone does is talk. I like talk-y movies but this was just bad. I highly recommend you skip this one. I could go on and on but will spare you more details. If I don't think you should see it, why should I make you read about it?

And finally, Sunday. I got into a little fender-bender on my way to work. (We had a float in the Hollywood Christmas Parade for "Yours, Mine & Ours" and I ALWAYS need overtime). More on the accident later. The parade was just fine. I couldn't believe how freezing I was. I went to Penn State for 4 whole years and I grew up north of Baltimore. Granted, there are plenty of colder locations than these but you still deal with snow and below freezing temps on a regular basis throughout the winter. It is sad really. At school, I would stand in the bleachers watching football games for hours in the snow. Two years in LA and temperatures in the fifties is enough for me to feel like I am going to die. Maybe it is a good thing I am not going home for the holidays ;).

Giving Thanks

2005-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, what to write about today? There are so many things I could discuss (with myself). My health, I still feel crappy. My spending of money, I can't seem to stop. The premiere of "Yours, Mine & Ours," not very exciting. The impending holiday, yes, let's go with that.

Thanksgiving has always been an interesting holiday for me. My whole life (up until 3 years ago) I have gone to my aunt's house in Philly. Even when I was in college, and had a boyfriend I always made it to Philadelphia for the turkey, pie, drinks, and poker (the latter 2 only happened as I got older). Through all of those years, I never knew Thanksgiving mattered to me. Not really anyway. Sometimes I even dreaded spending that much time with family (don't we all on some level?). And then, I moved to Los Angeles.

Since then, I have desperately missed my traditional Thanksgiving holiday. The first year away, in 2003, I cried on and off for half of the day. It didn't help that I had never made a turkey and that is some scary stuff! Digging your hand into the depths of this animal on top of your counter. Ick! My appreciation for my aunt grew exponentially that day. My roommates and I had a good enough holiday. We enjoyed ourselves, despite the evidence of Tofurkey from the vegetarian roomies. But, it certainly wasn't the same. I will say though, my turkey was DAMN good!

Last year, my friends (who happened to live next door) and a few others came together and we shared cooking duties. I didn't have to brave the turkey again! We had some great food, good wine and a lot of fun but there was still something missing. It's weird, with all those years of dreading "family time" and all of a sudden I miss it, even crave it.

This year, my best friend (Danielle) and her boyrfriend (Brandyn) are going to Brandyn's parents and have invited Mike and I. This will be the closest thing to a family Thanksgiving I have had in years. I must say I am very excited, even though I have never met B's parents. I am quite sure we will have a wonderful time.

But still, 2 days before the big day, I am checking those last minute flights to Philadelphia. I just saw the aunts and uncles and cousins at the wedding a month and a half ago. Somehow that makes me want to go even more. Thing is, even if I found the best deal, I doubt we could go. How could we explain that to Mike's parents? Now there are 2 families involved so I can't just go back east and not visit the in-laws. I don't know if I will ever get to have that same kind of Thanksgiving I had growing up. Probably not. But, at least I have the memories and for that, I am thankful.

Marriage and Hollywood

2005-11-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest, this post could go on forever. Every passing day, I am aware of the fact that Mike and I are breaking marriage records for this town. This particular post is motivated by something I saw in the news section of imdb.com.

Kimberly Stewart Engaged Again
Rocker Rod Stewart is planning another family celebration after learning his daughter Kimberly Stewart has become engaged for the second time in the space of just a year. The socialite dumped fiancee Cisco Adler at the beginning of 2005 and has since fallen for US reality TV star Talan Torriero. The couple announced their engagement on Wednesday after reportedly dating for two months. Torriero, who, at 19, is seven years younger than his new fiancee, is the star of hit MTV show Laguna Beach. The happy news means rocking Rod is planning two big celebration in 2006 - he's also set to become a father again aged 61.

Now, I can't even imagine what a 19 year old "man" is doing even thinking about marriage, let alone actually being engaged. (Although as we have learned from our good friend Paris, engagement does not always mean marriage). I have never understood why people feel like there is a now or never attitude when making this life-long commitment. And of course the rushing in is even more prevalent in Hollywood. When did waiting to see if you and this other person are actually right for each other become passse?

Recent offenders, TomKat (nausea inducing disgustingness of a couple, we all know you are acting but please make it less dramatic), Britney and KFed, Tori Spelling and that guy she is divorcing, Renee and Kenny (you should have known he was gay). I know there are more but when I think of Tom Cruise (gay) and Katie Holmes(brainwashed) I stop functioning properly.

Everyone says, when you know, you just know. And I tend to agree with this. I knew only a month or two into my relationship with my husband that I was going to marry him. We even broke up for a year but I still thought we'd get married (I got some strange looks from people during that time). But, we needed to take care of some things. We needed to grow up, and in a way, apart. We have been through a lot together and that is one of the reasons we are confident we can make it through the years. Oh and by the way, I am not entirely against divorce. There are times when things change and people change and there is no way to work it out. But, I also think people give up too easily nowadays. For example, if you are married less than a year, you rushed in and didn't think it through. Or you are one of those very rare cases where the spouse becomes severely abusive only after the marriage is finalized. And if you are one of those, I applaud you for leaving.

Then again, maybe it is me. Maybe I am a prude about love and I don't know what it "really" is. Maybe I have too much respect for marriage and my vows. Maybe there are a lot of people that don't go into marriage forever and maybe that is okay. Just b/c it's not my way doesn't mean it has to be wrong, right? Who knows? But all you celebs who sprint to the altar, do the rest of us a favor. Don't diminish our vows and our promises. How about this...

"I, Kimberly Stewart, take you, Talan Torriero, to be my husband. I promise to love you until I get bored or find someone more entertaining. I will stand by your side through paparazzi photos and expensive dinners. I will be there to promote your career and mine, but if you become more famous than me, I make no promises. If we somehow go broke, all bets are off. I love you."

Whoop it up!

2005-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I am already bad at keeping up with my blog. Not that it matters, I think only like 5 people have read it and only one person has asked why I haven't posted again. I must not be very interesting. Oh well, I only do this to entertain myself anyway.

Mike and I had a nice weekend. We had some friends over and did a wine tasting. We bought 5 varietals, pinot noir, cabernet, red zin, syrah and claret. We covered the bottles and had everyone guess which was which. I enjoy talking about this b/c it makes me sound like a royal class snob. I am not, I just like wine and Mike and I are trying to learn more about it. Besides, after all that was over, we opened 5 more of the same bottles and got wine drunk (my favorite kind). As is typical I passed out before everyone left (it isn't a party unless Shea falls asleep on the couch) but I had so much fun. That is until 3am when I was awakened to find out my friend Kristin's car was "missing." Turns out it was towed and she and our friend Bryce were calling every tow company in the area trying to find it. During this hectic time, being the friend I am, I went back to bed b/c I was barely awake. The next morning, Bryce called the place with the car and took Kristin to pay the $250 to get it back, while I continued to support her by doing nothing. Kristin is convinced that she did not park in a "No Parking" zone and to be honest, I believe her. From listening to Bryce argue with the tow guy, I wouldn't be surprised if they randomly grab cars off the street to make extra cash. Bastards.

The other big excitement in my life is my new disease. The morning after I was married I woke up with a cold. No fun, right? We went on the honeymoon anyway, I still drank wine (we were in Napa) and did the best I could. This "cold" had me coughing for about 2 weeks. Then, I started to feel better but the cough continued. I also quit smoking during this time. When better to quit than when you can barely smoke anyway? So I thought, maybe I was coughing b/c my lungs were cleaning themselves (this happens). Then last week, my cough changed. I couldn't breathe when I would cough,like I was choking and I would make this funny noise when gasping for air. I decided at this point I would go back to the doctor sometime during the week. On Monday I learned that one of my co-workers has whooping cough. She had been in and out of work sick since the end of September and they FINALLY nailed down the problem. So that funny noise I make when I cough, that's the "whoop" in the name. Based on all information, I had this at my wedding, symptoms just hadn't shown up yet. So, I emailed my parents and my in-laws to have them check on family members, particularly any older or very young people at the wedding. This can be fatal or lead to other illnesses in certain circumstances. So far, everyone is fine, except for one of my friends. Sorry Carrie!!! As for me, I am stuck with this cough for anywhere between a week and five. Mike is convinced he got a lemon and I don't blame him.

Oh, and as I have already been chastised for my comment about my new husband in post 1, I would like to point out that I was being sarcastic. I love him dearly and will happily spend the rest of my life with him. Heck, that's why I married the guy!

The pressure of a name

2005-11-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

"Wait you want me to name this blog, like a name, you want a name? Hmmm, the pressure of a name."

It only took me 3 hours and I am still not happy with my decision, but you are now entering the mind of not only a woman, but that of a slightly neurotic, loving, selfish, humorous (?), laid-back drama queen. So, no matter what name I chose, I would not be happy with it as I mostly want what I cannot have. A better name for my blog will remain on that list. There are a few things I have wanted, received, and continued to love, my husband (we are still newlyweds though so this might wear off) and my job (also reasonably new and and already starting to actually feel like work). And today, the day of the MegaMillions $264 or something drawing, I am dreaming about all those things I can't have (yet). The shoes, the clothes, the house (which I dream of so often), the security of not living paycheck to paycheck, the not asking my husband to pick up part of my rent, the not owing my parents my whole life and then some. Thing is, even if I had all that I doubt it would make my life much better, b/c then I would probably just want more. It seems there are so few people that really have an excess of money. It just seems you learn to live on what you make whether it is $1 mil/year or $30k/year. I love insatiability. Maybe I will let you know if this theory is true tomorrow, after I have won :)

Ok, enough of that. A few things you should know about me going in. I have lived in Los Angeles with my (now) husband for 2 years. We moved out from the east coast to start our new life "in the industry." For all you non-industry people, this means in the film/television/entertainment business. Those of us that work in this industry are so cool, we don't even need to clarify what it is we do. Mike, my husband, has the dream of becoming a writer/director and has some good leads down a few different paths. Since we moved here, he has made a living as an editor and is currently working on commercials. More on that later. I work for a studio in the publicity department. I actually work in the still photo side of publicity and I am an assistant. Being an assistant is like a rite of passage in this town, especially on the corporate side. Working in production is totally different. So, when you read your newspaper or magazine and you see some photo from a movie, that is my department. More likely than not, it was my boss that got the picture in there, but I likely photocopied and filed the order. Not that I am knocking my spot on the food chain, right now, I am in a very good place, especially with all of the "changes."

The best part of my job is that I get to work at the film premieres and pretend like I should be at the post-parties. Well, I should be there, as I am getting paid, but I suppose I pretend to fit in. You know me in my Old Navy top, Gap pants and shoes from Target (all bought on clearance) next to the Marc Jacobs, the Gucci, the Prada et al. Me in my reasonably attractive (if I do say so myself) body surrounded by women who haven't eaten in a week to fit into that designer dress or pair of jeans and continuously pout, not because they are deprived of anything, but because the botox and collagen are still so fresh. It will do a number on the self-esteem but that doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of and it doesn't mean I am giving in to it. I love being in Los Angeles and just hope I can exploit the ridiculousness enough so that I can afford to actually live here.

And one more quick note, I am as of this moment, denouncing Fox Television for the recent cancellation of "Arrested Development." God forbid the station have an Emmy and Golden Globe winning show. So please, let's all take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of one of the best shows on TV. (We will do this again after the last episode actually airs).

I am sure I have "entertained" (if you could call it that) for long enough today. I am hoping to keep up on this thing so keep checking in. You never know what you might find.