Lawlor's Law Lore

Changes...

2008-05-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been a bit M.I.A. lately on blog posts, but I've had some sudden job changes in the last month. Hopefully soon I'll be back to more regular posts. Ta-ta for now!

Girls, Girls, Girls

2008-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Maliah's bachelorette party, which was an extravaganza at her mom's house in Phoenix, AZ. I arrived Friday evening after an extremely fast and easy plane ride from Los Angeles. About 20 girls or so descended on the house for the festivities, and they had prepared with numerous air mattresses, copious amounts of liquor, and LOTS of guacamole. Friday night was spent coordinating the airport pick-ups for all the girls, and meeting and greeting for those of us who had not met before. The moment I stepped into her mothers kitchen (of her gorgeous 5 bedroom 5 1/2 bath house), a margarita was thrust in my hands. I should have known that the night was going to end up bad when my food options were a flour tortilla with quac and salsa inside, and some berries. You would think I would have slowed my drinking knowing nothing was really in my stomach to absorb it, but I soldiered on consuming 2 margaritas, and then switching to vodka cranberry which is always a dumb move. I ended up calling Denise from the couch in her mother's living room, and then just never got up. I woke up there the next morning with a random blanket over me, and another girl asleep in the chair next to the couch. It was a bangin way to begin the weekend.

Saturday we all headed to the pool. Some sat in the sun, while others (like myself) stayed under the shady shelter. I was a bit hung over, and so tired because all the margarita mix in my body woke me up at like 8:15 that morning. Someone brought out champagne, but I couldn't even think about alcohol at that point, and only wanted some food. I was STARVING. I went back to the kitchen and found a large container of veggie burgers. I microwaved one for myself and topped it with, once again, quac and salsa. It tasted so good and helped to ease the rumbling and gurgling in my stomach. I hung in for a bit longer, but finally at 2:30 I went for a nap knowing there was a fun-filled night ahead, and I needed to be conscious. Maliha woke me at around 5:00 to let me know the live singer had arrived. Yes, we had live entertainment. Maliha's mother, Karen, had been at a charity event in Phoenix, and this man had entered himself in the auction, saying he would come to your house and play live music. I guess no one was really bidding, so her mom bid out of sympathy, and low and behold, won. What better occasion to have this man come and play his acoustic tunes than a bachelorette party. Honestly, I enjoyed his renditions of Paul Simon, John Denver, and other easy listening artists, and I MUCH preferred it to the live entertainment that came next.

From what I gathered, the story was Maliha did not really want a stripper, but her friends wanted her to get one. So, she made all these ridiculous requirements for the stripper she did want, knowing it would be near impossible to find. He must be attractive, be intelligent, be able to carry on a conversation, etc. Well, her friends told her later they had found this man (although I'm still not convinced he met these demands ). I was told he is not really a stripper, but is a "male model," cute and knows stuff about NASA. Do not ask me, I was not involved in this process. The guy shows up, and it's pretty awkward. He looks like a douche to me (Hollister type t-shirt, true-religion jeans, and white loafers, ugh) and I doubt he knows a lot about NASA, but I never confirmed this suspicion. Then, someone announces we are going to draw him... at this point I realize I'm in some straight girl nightmare, and I cannot run (ok, that's dramatic, but I should have been more drunk at this point than I was). He takes off his clothes, except for a small bedazzled g-string, and wouldn't you know it, he has a BELLYBUTTON RING!! Every person I have told this too, automatically says gay, but I think he's just that much more of a douche.... I have no other words. Maliha sits next to him on the couch and I think attempted to have a conversation while he is lounging in his pose, but she is pretty much slurring at this point so who knows what was said/understood. I love drunk Maliha, it provides for so much comedy and memories.

After the "drawing," the music starts to play and he proceeds to do very awkward lap dances for the girls. Oh, I forgot to mention he won't allow any pics because he doesn't want these on the internet because they might hurt his "modeling career." hahaha! I can only laugh. It was so weird because he's just some dude, who's not a stripper, pretending to be a stripper, but is doing it really badly. When it was finally all over, and someone announced the cabs were there to pick us up, I was so relieved and thankful that I had avoided being shoved into that lap dance chair. The cabs took us to Scottsdale, an area in Phoenix that is packed with bars/clubs. We bar hopped, drank, danced, and everyone was having a pretty good time, but when we decided to enter a 3rd club, poor Maliha was stopped at the door. The guard saw her staring at him with those glazed over eyes, swaying back and forth, and decided she looked drunk off her ass (and he was right). I guess he asked her if she was drunk, and all she could do was say yes because at this point, there was no sense in trying to deny it. It was awesome. After everyone found out Maliha was being held outside, most of us decided to just go home. Most people had been drinking pretty much all day, and had reached their max capacity of alcohol. People raided the kitchen when we returned (I of course had quac and salsa), and then passed out various places around the house. I actually made it to my bed that night, so I was proud.

Sunday morning people emerged slowly from their sleeping nooks, and you could tell that everyone had lost their steam. It was time to go home. People gathered according the departure times, and went to the airport in shifts. My flight out was at 3:00PM, and after another nice, easy flight, I landed in LA around 4:30. I called Denise immediately (we missed each other like crazy) and told her all about the trip as I was searching for my bag. I realized I had gone the wrong way, turned around, and there she was on the phone with a BIG smile on her face holding a coffee bean for me. She knows the way to my heart... caffeine. :)

I spent Sunday evening laying in bed watching bad reality television because really, that is all my mind could handle. It was a fun weekend, but it was nice to be home. Now I must used these next few months to recover and get ready for the wedding weekend in Chicago. Wish me luck!

Gibbons are a Type of Ape...

2008-04-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many facts I learned about Gibbons this past weekend. Denise found out about a fundraiser for the Gibbon Center in Santa Clarita, so we decided to actually wake up quite early on a Saturday to go out there and show our support. Our friends Cathleen and Rhonda joined us for the adventure and said it was the single most amazing moment in their lives (well, I'm exaggerating, but it was pretty damn cool). The Center studies the Gibbons to learn about their behavior and reproduction patterns, in the hopes of saving the species and preserving them in the wild as opposed to keeping them all in zoos.

They provided a vegan breakfast which involved tables and tables of food such as granola, bagels, soy cream cheese, soy yogurt, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, fruits, veggies, oatmeal, some sort of potato/bean dish and much, much more. It was like a feast made especially for me. :) After breakfast, the scientist/founder of the Gibbon Center spoke to the attendees and answered any questions people may have. Some of the interesting things I remember are Gibbons are monogamous, fiercely territorial, come in 15 different species (although he may have proof there are 16), and are highly endangered in certain areas of the world. He said that they attempt to keep the ones from the wild and their offspring as free from human interaction as possible, in the hopes they can reintroduce them into the wild eventually. It would not be advantageous for them to trust humans, because then poachers would find them easy targets. Still, some of the more rare Gibbons have come from zoos in China where they were humanized, so he said they do not know if they are Gibbon or human. I'm not sure how the Center keeps the wild Gibbons wild since they are cared for by humans and fed by them, but I am confident this guy knows what he is doing. For more information on the Center, here is their website. http://www.gibboncenter.org/

After listening to the question and answer phase for awhile, Denise and I decided to wander around the area and look at all the different Gibbons. To watch them swing from branch to branch is pretty awe inspiring, and I'm constantly amazed at the seeming awareness and human like characteristics of apes/monkeys in general. One cute moment was when a toddler Gibbon started performing and wanting to play with the children that were looking at him. He was spinning around, jumping, and climbing on the cage. It is like the Gibbon knew these were small creatures that might be willing to romp around with him.

The final highlight of the morning was when the Gibbons decided that they would start performing the territorial call which they are famous for. Since we were surrounded by different species of Gibbon, each call was a bit different. I really cannot describe what these calls sounded like, but they were unlike anything I have ever heard come from an animals mouth. At times it was so loud you had to yell at each other to try to carry on a conversation. Denise got much of it on video, and we have been trying to upload it online to send to people. If we can accomplish this, I will post it on here.

We left hot, covered in sand (it was damn windy), and incredibly happy that we made it out of bed to support this cause and see this wondrous display. Gibbons rule!

Dinah Shore Recap

2008-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dinah Shore has once again come and gone. Denise and I had a great time..... organizing our room!! Sadly, Denise and I did not make our way to bikini clad ladies in the sun, but instead decided to stay home, save the money, and get our room picked up and more zen like. We had actually intended to go, but then at the last minute decided it was just too expensive and could not justify spending all the money on girlbar in Palm Springs. I still have the same feelings I did last year about the exploitive nature of that weekend, and the ridiculous money they take from these lesbians just for a glance at a cute girl in hot pants. I realize that these women have the free will to pay, but my argument stands that they are using the fact that lesbians lack these types of events in other cities to take their money at top dollar. I was told that to get into the dance party at night, it was $90.00!!!! Anyway, I went into this rant last year, so I will stop now before my face gets too beat red.

Despite all that, I was a little sad not to be going because our friends Shannon and Noa had never attended the Dinah, and I thought it would have been fun to be with them for their "first time." As I said, Denise and I spent the weekend getting rid of a lot of unnecessary crap, going through our storage unit, and just chilling with our neighbor boys as well as Lindsey who is in town. It was nice and relaxing, but we did miss our ladies terribly. We felt better though when the reviews of the weekend were less than stellar. Common complaints were WAY too expensive, crappy music, overpriced drinks, and of course, the lack of our presence. ;) We missed everyone, and they missed us, it was a love fest all around. :)

The consensus seems to be that if we attend again next year, we will all rent some sort of house together, bring our own drinks, our own music, and if we attend any parties it will purely be on a sneaking in/splitting bracelets basis because Dinah ain't worth the money, and I intend to stick it to those ladies any way I can. :D That's right, I said it... TILL NEXT YEAR!!

March Madness

2008-03-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

The month of March has FLOWN by and it seems to have been jam packed with activities.

Can I just say that I have been loving the weather lately. I'm really not quite ready yet for the blazing sun of summer, so I have really enjoyed the last few days of sun and temperatures in the mid 60s. Lovely as Jess would say.

In other news, LOST is in reruns now which is a sad, sad thing. It was getting so exciting there for awhile and so many new things were being revealed. Perhaps they decided to give our brains a chance to rest and absorb before we ended up getting a nose bleed, which leads to cerebral cortex explosion, which leads to death like that guy on the boat and almost Desmond before he found his constant.... see what I mean.

As far as activities post St. Louis, here are some high-lights.

On March 14, my friend Mark held an event at The Factory Night Club to raise money for his friend Van who is riding in the AIDS Lifecycle Ride. The AIDS Lifecycle is a bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for AIDS, and is a goal of mine on my "list of things to do." However, just in order to participate in the ride, I think you need to raise something like $2,000.00, which is a hefty sum if the majority of your friends are either students, "struggling actors," or work in "the biz" living on the unpredictability of the movie industry. So, Mark impressively coordinated a men's swimwear fashion show with brands such as Speedo, Timoteo, and more to get gay men excited about seeing male models in skimpy clothing and somehow hoped to translate that into donations for AIDS. I don't really get it either, but perhaps gay logic is different than most...hmmm I see research potential.

Anyway, most of our friends made it to the event, and the place was packed! After dancing for a few hours, the show began. I had to laugh because some of the lesbians seemed to be getting more excited about men in swimsuits than the gay boys. I heard comments like, "Ooo, he's cute," "Did you see his *&@#," "Nice body." hahaha! They raised a decent amount of money, but not as much as they should have for that show because gays are cheap, but all in all it was a success! My friend Phil's Birthday was also that night, but alas, he was overshadowed by scantily clad men... WE STILL LOVE U PHIL!!

The following weekend there was a large Birthday celebration for a lesbian named Cathy at Oil Can Harrys, which is a gay line dancing bar in the Valley. On Saturdays though, they have Disco Night! Lesbians + Disco + leather daddies, bears, and fabulous gays + drink specials until 10PM = an amazing time!! There were so many lesbians there that one gay man actually felt the need to ask why there were so many of "us," we had to explain it was a Birthday party and we love to boogie. Noa and I seriously danced non-stop for approximately 3 and half to 4 hours and I probably could have kept going if there weren't pesky details like "closing times," and "we need to get home now before I drink more and make a fool of myself."

One high light of the night was one of my favorite writers and vlog stars Karman Kregloe from afterellen.com was in attendance. I have enjoyed her writing since she recapped Tila Tequila for the site, and began watching the vlog "We're Getting Nowhere" when I saw they were recapping America's Next Top Model because as I have expressed here before, I have a sick and twisted addiction to bad reality shows. Anyway, I saw her waiting in the bathroom line, and I wasn't sure if I was going to say anything because I am not one to approach people, but at this point I had thrown back a few too many drink specials, so I just said, "Hey, I like your blog on afterellen.com." I was expecting a, "Hey thanks," and that would be the end of my brush with online fame, but instead she said thanks and actually got out of line to talk to me!! I introduced her to Denise and rambled on about how much I enjoyed her writing... at least I think that is what I said. At that point I could barely make out coherent sentences much less speak in any sort of intelligent manner. Still, I was so impressed that she did that and it just made me a bigger fan of her work. Not a fan as in she will be my new screen saver for my computer, but as in I will continue to enjoy her work and take comfort in the knowledge that she is a really cool person.

It was a extremely good time and I definitely will be returning for gay disco Saturdays, and we plan on bringing our friend Shannon to line-dancing Fridays because she's gonna teach us all the 2-step. :)

The next weekend was Justin's Birthday, so we went to see the movie Monster Squad at a local theater. I had never seen the film, but after a viewing I'm a total fan. I LOVE cheesy 80s comedy, especially the genre of "kids save the world while adults are clueless" movies. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it. I was told they finally released it on DVD, so run to your local blockbuster, independent movie rental place, or "put it in your que," and good ready for good, campy, ridiculous fun.

After the film everyone arrived at Vince and Justin's apartment for a house party, and the festivities ended with us watching stupid shit on youtube as always. All I have to say is, "Ken Leeeeeeee, tolibodeeebodouchu!!!!!"

One final note, I have reached my max of friends with March Birthdays. This month I had Kendra, Phil, Mark, Justin, Angela, Brendan, and of course, my Nani's Birthday to attend/send a card/myspace. If you would like to befriend me, please consider changing the date of your Birthday, or just don't let me know when it is because I will feel pressure and guilt about what to get you, whether or not I can attend, and just what type of cake is your favorite because even with good friends you don't necessarily know that. :) I LOVE YOU MY MARCH BIRTHDAY FRIENDS!!!

ps: also in happenings this month, Denise ate a baby crab... lets please take a moment of silence in remembrance.

Missouri loves company...

2008-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit since I verbally threw up online. My apologies for those that anxiously await notification that I have updated this blog with fascinating tidbits from my extremely exciting life, but it has been a bit of a madhouse here at work. :)

We have entered the notorious (well, notorious for Immigration lawyers) season of H-1B filings which must, MUST be in the fedex box on Monday, March 31, 2008 to arrive on the doorstep of Immigration on April 1, 2008 in the small chance that your application sneaks in and is picked for H-1B eligibility. I can't remember if I wrote about this last year, but at the risk of repeating myself, I will provide a brief explanation. H-1B is a temporary work visa which is available generally for 6 years (but must be renewed after 3). It requires a bachelor's degree, a job offer, and approval by the Department of Labor. The government allows about 65,000 H-1B applications to be accepted a year, last year, something like over 300,00 people applied. What this means of course, is many people did not make it in, and that the 65,000 spots were taken up in the first day! So, this is why it is so important that your clients application be there on the first day that they can apply, to try to increase the chances of getting picked. Of course, all our clients waited until the last absolute moment to tell us they wanted to apply, and I have been scrambling around the last week or so trying to track down clients and their employers to get all the needed documents compiled and organized into a neat little package to be mailed out. Today, I will finally finish my last ones.... phew!!

So, that is why I have been a bit M.I.A. lately, but do not worry, I am back to once again take precious moments away from your day to tell you about what's going on with me!!

Back tracking a bit, a few weekends ago Denise and I made our way to St. Louis for my grandmother's (nani as all the grandkids call her, which I invented as a child cause I'm a genius) 80th Birthday. As it turns out, Vince was going back to St. Louis that same weekend, AND his mother had booked the EXACT same round trip flight as us! We discovered this information late one night while discussing coordinating a ride to the airport, and we were all extremely excited (and perhaps a bit worried that this might be some omen for disaster? well, maybe that was just me). Anyway, we were able to finagle it so that we all sat together on the way there AND back. We watched movies, got drunk, and as I said, I think pretty much had more fun than anyone else on our flights.

As for our actual time in St. Louis, it was great, but too fast as always. We stayed the whole time with our friends Kate and Joe which was really nice because (1) they are just awesome, and (2) we could escape family for awhile and just chill for the night.

We arrived Thursday around 5:30, picked up our rental car (which was a PT Cruiser... Denise's FAVORITE ;), dropped Vince off, deposited our things at Kate and Joes, and went out to Thai food which was amazing and SPICY!

Friday Kate and I took Denise around the city to various high-lights. We went to lunch at Blueberry Hill (a famous restaurant where Chuck Berry still plays!), later went to a Bissingers chocolate bar which was amazing but also a tad sickening at the end, and finished with a coffee at Coffee Cartel, an old hang out of Vince and I back when it was more gay (before those damn straights took over;). One other thing was that day, it was FUCKING COLD!! It was so cold in fact in prompted deep discussions about why midwest winters just seem to be so biting cold. It is like pins are hitting your skin as the wind blows against your face. It is definitely unlike the cold we have here in the West. St. Louis was definitely much colder than Tahoe, even though there was like 3 feet of snow in Tahoe and it was just as cold temperature wise. We decided that it must have something to do with the humidity in the air, but what do we know... anyway, moving on. That night, we went to see the movie Juno for a low key outing event. The film was cute, but I think I had just heard too much hype for it to live up to. Also, I had a bit of an issue about the way they approached the idea of abortion, and the way the clinic was portrayed. I heard an interview with Ellen Page where she discussed this briefly, but I still don't think her explanation was convincing. Still, Ellen Page was adorable and the characters were well written, so as far as movies go I felt it was pretty successful.

Saturday was the big day. The party was at a community center in an area called Shrewsberry and started at 3PM, so we got there around 2:30 or so. It was supposed to be a surprise party, but I guess there had been a few slip-ups, so she was a bit suspicious. However, when she entered, I think she was shocked at the amount of people that were there. She started to cry when she saw me, which of course made me cry, and it was a love fest all around. The party was nice. Lots of catching up. My brother was there with his wife and little boy Brendan who is so cute and smart, but was having a hard time not throwing a fit every time something did not go his way. I got to see my cousin Rachael who I have not seen in many years, which was great. Also, my other cousins Angela and Laura were there, and Denise and I spent most of our time talking to them and catching up. They are really amazing girls.... seem much more together than I was at their age. My aunt Marcia brought some wine, so there was actually some alcoholic beverages at the gathering (my family usually has dry parties), which was nice to cut the nerves a bit. The room was only reserved until 8:00pm, so we wrapped it up around 7:30 or so. I was tempted to go back to my Nani's to hang for a bit more, but I thought it was time for a break from family, since we would see them again tomorrow.

Instead, I took Denise to this lesbian bar called "Novaks" in downtown St. Louis. I had heard they had moved to a new space since I had been there and it was much nicer. Well, the rumors were true! The Novaks I knew was this small narrow bar that had a small triangle stage at the end for the periodic Drag King show (which is why to this day I cannot hear "It's gettin hot in here" without seeing a drag king gyrating his hips in a girls face). The place it has moved to is a really cool warehouse type space with exposed ceilings, red brick, and a large round bar in the middle of the room. In the back room there are plenty of pool tables and draw poker machines because that's what the les's like to do in the midwest. We were actually given a pleasant surprise when we learned that there was a drag queen/king show that night, AND even more surprised when we saw once again how cheap drinks are there!! 4.50 for a rum and diet! However, the thing which eventually drove us out was all the smoke. St. Louis has yet to institute the no smoking in doors policy.... COME ON people, get with it!!!

Sunday was the Science Center with the my Nani, mom, Jeff and Sara, Brendarn, Denise and I. Brendan was SO excited to go there and see the dinosaurs. However, I'm not sure he realized that the dinosaurs there are animatronic, which means they move and roar. The closer we got to them, the more he freaked out, and eventually had a melt down. We decided that perhaps it was in our best interest to explore other areas of the Science Center, which was a lot of fun. Towards the end of the day, we made it back to the area where the dinosaurs were, my brother tricked Brendan into getting in an elevator which deposited them downstairs right where the dinosaurs were. Brendan realized he had been tricked, was pissed for a second, but then cautiously made his way closer and closer. We even stood under them to show him that our heads were safe below the T-Rex jaws. He actually ended up getting pretty close, and I was proud of him because I don't know if I would have done that at his age (I was afraid of Halloween until I was like 7, and don't get my mom started on the story of me screaming in the bank at the moving dolls in the window). After the Science Center we stopped by the Zoo to take pictures of this incredible metal sculpture of animals they recently added to the outside of the walls. When Brendan was told we were only looking at the outside of the Zoo and not actually going in, he decided this was yet another reason to loose it. He recovered after he saw the sculpture and some horses in the park, but it was pretty obvious it was time to go home.

We all went over to my Nanis' for conversation and Pasta House take out. It was good, but I barely ate any because I knew we were going to the most amazing Vietnamese food in a few hour with Kate, Joe and Vince, so I wanted to save my appetite. At about 7:30 we said our emotional goodbyes (it is always so hard for my mom), and met everyone for dinner at Pho Grand. The meal was fabulous as always, and I have decided we must try to eat there at least once whenever we get back to visit. After we went for ice cream at Ted Drews (a famous custard stand there) and decided that all we wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch embarrassing videos of me in my youth, and watch the penguin surfing move which I can't recall the name of right now, which we did.

Monday we said a sad goodbye to Kate (Joe was at work), and departed for the City that is Los Angeles. It was a lovely little trip, and I can't wait to see everyone again. We are thinking B-town for Christmas, but that always involves a brief stint in the Lou, so we will be back again soon to the gateway to the west!!! oxoxox

ps: hopefully i will post some pics later

Lesbian Turkish Oil Wrestling

2008-03-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read the heading of this post correctly. Denise, myself, and friends attended an event put on by the producer of the L word, Ilene Chaiken, called FYKE which featured lesbian Turkish oil wrestling. Let me just say that one more time... Lesbian Turkish Oil Wrestling. Really, it had been my great pleasure all week to tell people I was going to such an event because when else in my life am I going to get to say that!!

Now, I decided to do a little research on this type of wrestling just for my own edification, and found that making it a match between women seems to be Ilene Chaiken's twist on the event because in Turkey, it only involves men. An episode of the L word featured Turkish oil wrestling between women at "she bar" hosted by the character Dawn Denbo, climaxing in a drag down, oil filled, smack down between Dawn Denbo, her lover Cindy, Molly, and Shane. The oil wrestling I attended on Saturday night was a sort of cross promotion for the L word and the constantly referenced online site called ourchart.com.

If you would like a more in depth exploration into the history of oil wrestling in Turkey, here is a link to it from the extremely accurate wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_oil_wrestling

When I google imaged Turkish oil wrestling, I was given countless images like the one below.

I can see why I was told by someone that this sport is very popular among gay men. However, as seen from the photos above, this is nothing like what I saw Saturday night.

Before I get to the actual event, I must say that on Saturday day, Denise, Noa, Shannon, Vince, Justin and I went on a BEAUTIFUL hike in Eaton Canyon back to a waterfall. It was a gorgeous misty and foggy day, and the green hills around us just came alive. We had done this hike once before, but it was last summer when everything was bone dry and the water was nothing more than a trickle. After all the rain we have had this year, the water was gushing down from the waterfall and forced us to negotiate over rocks, climb hills, and balance on trees in order to traverse the water back to the falls. It was a wonderful day and I was so overcome by the beauty of nature. Any LA people reading this blog, I TOTALLY recommend this hike, but do it soon before the water starts to get sucked up by the blaring sun.

After enjoying the beauty of nature, I was ready to enjoy the beauty of two women soaked in oil wrestling. haha! I had to say it....

So, we all arrived at the venue a little before 9:00 PM. The email sent out by the promoters said that between 9-9:55 they would sell tickets for 10.00, but after that they went up to 20.00. Although I was excited at the prospect of telling people I had attended lesbian Turkish oil wrestling, I was not really willing to pay 20.00 for that prestige. Also, we had a feeling the later we were, the less our likelihood of getting tickets became, and from what I heard the line was like as the night went on, we were right!

We were in line waiting for them to open the doors, which they finally did at about 9:15, but this was long enough for us to be subjected to the really annoying lesbians who think they are more important than everyone else so they MUST be on some list or be able to cut in line. Ugh... annoying. However, we got in without any issue and went straight to the bar after dealing with all the egos outside the door.

For hours lesbians just kept pouring in through the door, crowding around the wrestling ring set up in the middle of the room. Denise, Noa, Shannon and I were able to secure a spot at the front of the ring, but we paid for it by a number of shoves, squeezes, and smelly armpits. Finally the event started with an introduction to the sport by Michelle Wolff (you will only know her if you watch Dantes Cove on the HERE network) and the host was Elizabeth Keener (aka: Dawn Denbo on the L word, and the sister of Catherine Keener who I LOVE).

They introduced the wrestlers and began the first match. Oil was dumped out of a bucket onto the ring floor, and they got down to it (and I mean literally down). In all honesty, it was more fun to say we were going to lesbian Turkish oil wrestling than to actually watch it. People were shoving you the whole time, it was likely that oil would get on you if you were too close (and I liked the shirt I was wearing), and one of the wrestlers was not wearing a great outfit and as a friend of mine so politely stated, "her ladies were falling out." After the first match, we decided we would just hang out with friends and people we had not seen in a long time, and catch some of the matches on the televisions provided.

The rest of the night was really the best part. I saw many friends who I have not spoken to in months, took lots of pics (well, Denise took lots of pics), and even made a few videos. Cybill Shepard's daughter, Clementine Ford was in attendance who is also staring in the L word this season. She is SO cute in person, and as Denise said, she could be the exception to the monogamy rule. ;) haha! I gest, I gest. I also spotted Ilene Chaiken in the crowd inspecting her creation and seeming quite pleased.

At one point in the night I was trying to sneak between Elizabeth Keener and Clementine Ford who were getting their pictures taken by a fan, and Elizabeth Keener playfully bopped me on the head, so that was pretty cool. :)

So folks, lesbian Turkish oil wrestling just turned out to be an entertaining springboard into a really fun night with friends and those I have lost touch with, which is completely fine with me.

Birthday Weekend!!!

2008-02-26T14:52:00.001-08:00

So, my official Birthday was February 17, 2008, and this was a big one according to most, 3-0. Yes, tis true, I am no longer a youthful sprite in her 20s, but am now a responsible adult in her 30s... at least that is what "they" say, but I say shit balls to that! I feel absolutely no different today than I did a few weeks ago, and I have come to question whether we humans ever truly feel like "adults," whatever that is supposed to mean. So far in a limited poll I have secretly been conducting, NO ONE ever feels their age or sees themselves as "grown-up." I think this lends support to the age old cliche's of "age is just a number," and "your mind is always more youthful than your body." Just my humble opinion and take on entering a new decade of my life.

However, the purpose of this post is not some soul-searching pursuit into the deeper meaning of my life as a 30-year old, but is instead about what I did for my Birthday weekend!! Woo Hoo! On Friday, February 15, Denise and I once again traveled the familiar I-5 to Sacramento, stopping at our usual haunts and eating a lovely dinner at "My-Way."

We arrived at Katy and Becky's around 10PM, and we all geared up for our trip the next morning to TAHOE! I had never been to Lake Tahoe, but Denise is always professing its' beauty and insisting that we must go. The moment had finally arrived. Becky had found a cabin for us all online that accepted pets (yes, we had 3 dogs with us), was large enough for 4, and most importantly, had wifi. :) After a slow start Saturday, we made it to our cabin in the mid afternoon. It was SO nice. Two levels with a master bedroom and bath. Katy and Becky were gracious enough to allow Denise and I the pleasure of sleeping in the master bedroom since it was my Birthday. There wasn't much time for snow play, so instead we went out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant. Things started out splendidly, but progressively went down hill ending in bad service and REALLY bad sushi. In repayment for our wasted time and damage done to our stomachs, Katy took 2 cute wasabi/soy sauce bowls from our table. It was justifiable and I will say that in a court of law, under oath, but will not reveal my current profession.

That night we sipped on some wine and sneaky peaks while playing poker, which I won!! Yea! There is some sort of magic that happens with me and poker up north.... Denise, another argument to add to your list of reasons we should move. ;)

Sunday it was my day of birth, and SLEDDING!!! We bought some cheapy 5 dollar pieces of plastic, and took them to a nice hill we discovered, which we had all to ourselves. Now, the snow at that point in Tahoe was probably 2-3 feet deep... maybe more. So, as you would walk over hardened snow, there would be weak points where your whole leg would just fall right through. It was hilarious watching each one of us try to climb up the hill, while constantly falling into the snow. The day was filled with plenty of sledding, exploration, and a near death encounter with the waters of Tahoe, all of which is caught on tape.

After a bit more sight-seeing, we went back to the cabin to make ourselves presentable for dinner. Becky had read a really good review for this local Thai restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived at the place, there was a 40 minute wait, so we decided to pass that time at a bar next door. All I can say is, the food was totally worth the wait...mmmmmmm. I ate every last bit which is rare for me, and I was totally paying for it later.. and so was everyone around me. ;) That night we played Cranium back at the cabin, again with wine and sneaky peaks. I really just felt like staying in for my Birthday and hanging out with my lovely peeps (also members of the peeps club I might add). It was a wonderful Birthday and a great way to celebrate 30.

Monday it was time to pack it up. After lunch at the marina and some running/play time for the dogs, we made our way back to Sacramento. We kept the rest of the day pretty chill, since we were all exhausted from our snow play from the day before exacerbated by too many sneaky peaks. ;) Tuesday we stayed for lunch and thrift store shopping, and resigned ourselves to the fact that we needed to get on the road back to LA.

I had such a wonderful Birthday month. So many great surprises and happy times with my friends/people I love in my life. It was the perfect way to celebrate another Birthday and my entrance into my 30s. Can't WAIT to see what 40 brings.... but I guess I'm getting a tad ahead of myself. Ta ta!

Birthday Surprises and More!!

2008-02-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

So, last weekend I was given a Birthday surprise like no other. In reality, my Birthday is February 17, but we will be sitting by a fire in Lake Tahoe at the cabin we have reserved with Katy and Becky on that day. woo hoo! Anyway, I had been struggling with when exactly to do my Birthday celebration in Los Angeles. I finally decided I would have it the weekend we returned, that way it could be a sort of combo Birthday/Vince and Justin house warming event. I had told Denise last Friday, and she said, "Sure, tell Vince and Justin."

On Saturday morning I had to arise at 7:30 AM (ugh) to go to a CLE class to keep my license current. It was an interesting topic, but I was way to sleepy of all this law jargon so early in the morning. After that, I met up with my friend Jess for lunch and pedicures. She had also requested that I PLEASE go with her and some friends to pick out bridesmaids dresses for an upcoming wedding. I actually could not imagine a more miserable activity, but I agreed since she is my friend. :) After two bridal shops, an annoying sales woman with an unattractive habit of agreeing with EVERYTHING anyone says, another with an attitude, and 5 hours of sleep, I was useless and wanted to go home.

I arrived at home about 5:30, and needed to be in the shower by 7:00 to get ready for dinner at 8:00 with Laura, Noa, and Shannon. I used my hour or so of time to try to nap. At 7:00 Denise and I were rushing around to get ready, and as usual, I was ready first. So, Denise asked me to take the dog out to pee before we left. I begrudgingly agreed. Of course, Baron was awful on the walk! He was pulling, jumping at every person that walked by, would NOT go to the bathroom. I just kept pulling, yelling, and getting more frustrated by the minute because I knew it was after 8:00. Finally I took him in, and he was pulling me up the stairs like a madman. I was SO pissed. I opened our apartment door, and said, "Get in there!" At that exact moment the lights turned on and everyone yelled, SURPRISE!" I was completely shocked! I can't imagine the look of horror that was on my face. I had NO idea and was feeling schizophrenic due to my quick emotional switch from angry to flabbergasted to happy and releaved.

It was a wonderful surprise and very well coordinated by Denise. It was perfect that Vince and Justin live next door, so everyone could hide there until I walked Baron down and rush next door. I later saw the evite later and her orders for everyone to just indulge me if I mentioned any Birthday plans, just as she had done.

I had such a great time and realized once again how lucky I am to have all these wonderful friends in my life. I got so many great gifts, but the highlight was the 80 GB ipod people pitched in to get! I was SO shocked. My little ipod Nano barely turned on anymore, and I had been needing a new one, but 80 GB??!! I don't know if I will ever fill it up, but I will sure try. ;)

On Sunday, we decided to ignore the utter chaos that was our house, and go to the Gentle Barn!!! Shannon and Laura accompanied us, and it was such a great day. A young boy greated us to get our email addresses. When asked if we needed to make a donation, he said "You don't have to but it is very nice of you." haha! The animals were SO cute and friendly. There were only a couple of horses that seemed skittish, but all the other animals allowed you to pet and feed them. Above are a couple of pictures Denise took. The horse I am petting is in the Clydesdale family, and it was HUGE (although Shannon said they were actually small, but they were big to me!) They had shiny red hair and blond wavy manes. I read later that they use these horses to make a hormone supplement for women with menopause, and haven't stopped even though there are many synthetic types available. :(

I think it is amazing what these people are doing and deserve lots of money and support!

After we went to a famous local diner, and then made our way back to good ol Cahuenga to help Vince and Justin move a few large items. That night was all crashed on the couch with bloody marys, a wonderful dinner created by Denise, and watched Rock of Love 2. What a great way to end a great weekend. ta ta ya'll!!

My Down Stairs Mix-Up

2008-02-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

So, first order of business...LOST!! We are two episodes in this season, and has already put our brains in tail spin (get it, tail spin, their tail section spun onto the island...whatever, it's clever. :). They have introduced 4 new characters who may or may not be good and who may or may not be there to rescue them. We found out last night that their real mission involves Ben, the malicious leader of the Others, and they don't seem to like him very much either. We have seen a flash forward for Hurley (but not as forward as the season finale last season), and learned that 6 people get off the island (they are calling them the Oceanic 6), 3 of whom are Jack, Kate, and Hurley. Hurley tells Jack that they need to go back to the island, and that they need to help the others who are still there, whoever that may be. Jack is still adamant they are not going back. What happens to make this Jack turn into the obsessed Jack (obsessed with getting back to the island) from the season finale is a HUGE mystery and I cannot WAIT to find out. Every Friday I look at LOST blogs to see what people are saying about the episode from the night before, and today they were all abuzz with some GREAT theories. If anyone has any ideas to share, please comment. What is probably so exciting about this show is it is full of mystery, and forces our brain the bend in ways that is rarely done with television. Although, my brain does bend to figure out why anyone would eat bull testiles just to go on a date with someone, but it's not quite the same.

Moving on, last weekend my friend Noa celebrated her Birthday with karaoke/bowling. Whoever decided to combine these two highly entertaining pastimes is a genius. We bowled for 2 games each team. The funniest moment for me was realizing the Phil has this cute gay swish when he bowls, which is a crack up because in other aspects of life Phil is one of the "least gay acting" of our gay friends. It's nice to know there's still a little flame in there somewhere.

After bowling, it was time to take karaoke by storm! Pretty much everyone went up to do a song, except Shannon and Denise (chickens!). Vince and Carmen were karaoke virgins, but they each surprised us with their performances. Vince did a rambunctious rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics, complete with ass slapping and scarf flailing. Carmen belted out "Love is a Battlefield" by Heart, which had all of us hopping and dancing around like the bunch of Lesbians that we are. The next day I was still signing "Love is a Battlefield" in my head, and Denise was suffering from the ailment known as "bowling arm."

Saturday we were in Santa Monica and had a great celeb sighting. Ellen Paige from "Juno" was at Wholefoods. She is SO cute and little. She is truly a "pee pee." She looked like a little lesbian too, but you didn't hear that from me cause I ain't one to gossip.

This weekend I think Denise and I are going to try to visit the Gentle Barn. It is a great organization that rescues Domestic and Farm animals, as well as helping abused and at-risk youth. Denise and I were reading some of the animals stories last weekend, and we were both sitting there with tears streaming down our faces. Here is the link to their website http://www.gentlebarn.org/ I'm ready to pet some animals and give them some money.

Have a GREAT weekend ya'll!!

VOTE!!

2008-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you live in a state that is holding a Primary Election today, GO VOTE!!!! We have to become more active in our political process for things to ever change. Not only will you feel good about yourself for partaking in a right so many fought to gain, but you get a cool sticker as shown above! :) Thanks!

One More LOST Item

2008-01-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

After I published my below post, I saw this on Yahoo!!

http://tv.yahoo.com/slideshow/214/photos/1

LOST PREMIERE!

2008-01-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

So, for those of you who are not obsessed maniac's like myself, you may not know that the season premeir of LOST is tonight. I am full of anticipation and glee for this season, especially after the shocking finale of last years season. I know, I sound like a LOST ad on television, but it's such a true statement.

If you are not a LOST fan yet, I encourage you to run out, rent all three seasons, and watch them in about a weeks time (it can be done, believe me). After that, you will be all caught up for next week. I'm telling you, I heard all the buzz about LOST for a couple of years, and I thought, "seriously, how exciting can a show be about people stuck on an island." Obviously my skeptism was due to my only point of reference, Gilligan's Island.

However, look at the stranded LOST members below

Now look at these, see the difference?

Plus, if you watch, you get to experience the hotness that is Evangeline Lilly (evidentiary support below).

LOST is obviously NOTHING like Gilligan's Island. I really don't know what else to compare it to, but it's definitely a dream for those who like to pay REALLY close attention to detail, find clues in every scene, and remember characters, plots, or comments from seasons past to match up with what is happening currently. Also, if you have a vast mental catalogue of prior movies, books, and comics written on a variety of topics including destiny, alternate universes, paradise, and interconnectedness, that helps too. I really have none of these qualities, which is why I read the blogs online by people who are good at that stuff, and reap all the benefits of their hardwork and attention span. I love the internet.

Anyway, run out and rent those seasons!!! I'll let you know how tonight goes!! YEA!!!

I like surprises!

2008-01-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

We are only three weeks into 2008, and it has already started with a bang! Full of surprises, adventures, and projectile vomiting.

First, to my extreme pleasure and delight, I was informed near the end of December that my sign sister (aka Ms. Jodi) would be flying into LA from London on New Years eve for a glorious 10 days!! Woo Hoo!!! Jodi once lived here with us in this urban jungle, but she left in December 2005 to go back to family, friends, better pay/vacation, the pound, weather, and no ice (sorry, Denise made me say that.:). While I understand her decision, I have missed her terribly. We still communicate often by chat, text, blackberry messenger, and the occasional phone call, but it is not the same as her walking with me to get coffees and pedicures while we gossip about gay and straight drama.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time while she was here, and I miss her so so much. We consumed copious amounts of coffee and had great discussions about life choices, why she likes assholes, and the empirical truth that there must be some validity to astrology because we are both so similar in small ways. :) Jess, Jodi and I went to lunch, pedicures, shopping, and ended with pictures taken in the photo booth on the Santa Monica pier a la Beaches style (minus the Atlantic City part of course) over the weekend. It brought back so many fun memories. Friday night we danced our asses off (literally, I swear I have less ass) at Popstars and practically had the dance floor to ourselves because most people don't venture out of the house in LA if it is raining, which it was. The night before she flew out we went bowling, and I beat everyone with my superior bowling skills....at least that is how I remember it. On Thursday evening before her flight we had one last coffee bean together. After there was a tearful goodbye in the streets of Hollywood while two men in a convertible harassed us and a girl gave us death stares for standing in the street... it was magical. ;) WE MISS YOU JODI!!

In other exciting news, our friends, and other long-term couple of the group, Vince and Justin are moving in RIGHT next door to us!! I don't mean next building down the street, but mean same floor, same side of the hall, DIRECTLY next door. OH SHOOT!!! Let the good times begin.

The next adventure was not exactly mine, but is so incredible that I had to put it in my blog.

My friend Noa and a girl she was on her 3rd date with decided to go on a day hike to Switzer Falls, which is right outside LA in the mountains. Noa, Denise and I have hiked there a few times. They arrived at about 10 AM, and started on the path, taking a different way into the falls than we usually do. As they are walking along the path they meet a nice man with a dog who tells them about the area, and that to the left is a camping site. They chat a bit more and the ladies are on their way. Eventually they get to the falls, hang out, and around 2:30 or so decide to hike out. They decide to take the path out that we usually take, just for a change of scenary. After over an hour and a half of climbing over rocks that do not look familiar, and no path in sight, Noa decides they somehow went the wrong way, and are lost. By now it's around 4:00 and she decides they need to go back the way they came and get out of there before the sun goes down.

They book it back over the rocks, and by the time they get back to the falls, it is 6:30 and pretty much dark. Assessing the situation, it seems like their best option is to go to that campsite the hiker told them about and see if it is near a road to flag down help. Noa tries her cell phone several times, but alas, no service. They finally arrive at the camp, but there is no road, and it is completely dark. Through the dark night they see there are two outhouses (Noa called them latrines. Who says that? ;) hahaha!), and decide that the choice is clear. They are going to be spending the night in one of them.

Squeezing onto the woman's bathroom floor, cuddling up, lying on top of each other for warmth, and shifting so as not to suffocate each other is how they spent their night. (Again, note this is their 3rd date!) Finally, the sun starts to rise about 7:30 AM, and they run out of there as fast as they can. To top it all off, it starts to snow! They finally get to the car, and drive out of there. Since they are delirious from their lack of sleep and warmth, they go the wrong way on the highway (I'm giving Noa the benefit of the doubt here) and don't realize it until they cross under a bridge they don't recognize. They stop at a small coffee shop, get some food and warm drinks in their belly, and finally make it home.

Crazy huh?! It's like one of those stories you see Monday morning on the MSNBC Headlines, "Two day hikers lost in the woods, sleep in Outhouse," because really, no one says latrine except Noa. ;) Glad you made it out alive Noa!!!

Finally, we went to see Cloverfield on Monday. I was damn scared and kept placing my hand on my head due to nervousness and disbelief. The content of the film aside, we were warned before hand that some people get motion sickness because the whole movie takes place from the perspective of a handheld camera. They had actually been cleaning up vomit beforehand, so we were delayed getting in the theater. The usher informed us that they had placed a trash can in the theater for viewers who felt instantly sick, and that the bathrooms were right out of the door if you could run that far. As we were exiting the theater after the film, still exhausted from adrenaline, right by the exit doors was none other than a pile of puke. A pile of puke noodles to be exact. Guess they couldn't make it to the bathroom, and did not want to hurl into the trashcan in front of a theater full of people. Justin took a picture... priceless.

Anyway, those are the highlights of my 2008 so far. Hope everyones 2008 is shaping up to be as exciting as mine. :)

Holidays and Such...

2008-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Since I really didn't post anything over the Holidays, the overwhelming idea of recapping the days makes my head spin, especially since I have a cold and my head seems to be literally spinning. So, here is a brief outline of what we did.

Christmas Eve - We had our few remaining LA friends over for a wonderful feast prepared by Denise. Our friend Noa came, who is Jewish, for her first Christmas Eve. I think we made a good impression. ;) The rest of the night was spent filming our antics such as drawing on Justin, desecrating the baby Jesus, and expressing every one's love of chocolate. I again made a French exit around 2:00AM, but the festivities continued until about 3:00AM

Christmas Day - We went over to Katy's dads house for lots of good food, drinks, presents, and ponderous performances.

Days to follow - hiking, sleeping, and the "Dewey Cox Story" which = DUMB!

The weekend before and up through New Years Day - We rented a cabin in Wrightwood, CA, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from LA, with our friends Noa, Laura, Shannon, Rob and Kendra. There really wasn't any snow around our cabin, but if you drove a few minutes there was enough to sled on. We cooked, ate, played games, sled, hiked and were almost eaten by a mountain lion, did head stands (as seen above:), and I was finally able to see the recent Harry Potter movie despite protests. :) It was fun, but after 4 days, I was ready for my own comfy bed.

Well, that's my last few weeks in a nut shell. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

TORI!!!!!!

2007-12-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, December 16, 2007 was a day I had been anticipating for months... the final concert of Tori Amos's worldwide tour was right here in Los Angeles, and Denise, Phil, and I had tickets! When Tori's latest album, "American Doll Posse," was released, Denise ordered it for me through itunes, paying a bit extra for the pre-sale ticket option. So, when the tickets were finally announced, we had a pre-sale code to get tickets early, which we also provided to Phil so he could get early tickets as well. The irony is that despite the fact that we gave Phil the code and ordered our tickets before Phil, he got better seats than us! I'm assuming this is because he ordered just one ticket for himself, therefore he could be squeezed closer to the front in between multiple parties, but I was still slightly jealous and considered taking him out. ;)

The concert was at the Nokia Center (yes, the phone company, an unfortunate trend of arenas these days), a new venue downtown next to the Staples Center (yes, the office supply company, don't ask me). It is a very nice theater, the lobby is fully equipped with bathrooms, several bars, and of course, display cases full of Nokia phones (gag). Upon our entrance, I went straight to the memorabilia stand. I was on a mission to finally purchase a Tori Amos t-shirt. This was my third Tori concert, but the prior two occurred at times in my life when I was flat broke.... college. I'm finally at a point in my life where I can afford a concert tee! Sad, but true. However, mission accomplished! I have one and I love it.

After my success we headed for the bar line to get a beer for Denise and some wine for myself. We said our goodbyes to Phil and headed to our seats. Even though we did not have the fantastic view Phil did (he said she was pretty much right in front of him), we still had excellent seats. This was by FAR the closest I had ever been to Tori (remember Kate when we were like in the last seat in the last row? haha!). We were seated next to some lovely, but chatty, gay boys who just wanted Tori to sing "Cruel," and she did.

I will not go into every detail of the performance because honestly that would be boring AND it is really sort of a blur. She was two of her characters that night, as well as herself at the end. In case any of you are wondering if Tori has multiple personality disorder, I will say maybe. Haha! Seriously though, she is an ARTIST and we cannot question her artistic decision to perform on this album as 4 other characters at times and at others as Tori! Artists just think differently than we do and we are not meant to understand! :) In all honesty, I love that she did that, it makes her album more poignant and it allows her to explore aspects of her personality, and the collective consciousness, that she might not be able to tap into otherwise just as herself. Maybe I do understand..... but I digress. Back to the task at hand.

She first appeared as Isabel (which meant a blond wig). I remember she sang "Yo George," and "Waitress." I can't recap song for song, but I can say that throughout the whole concert there was a lot of stuff from "Under the Pink," which was a nice surprise. Second, she came out as Pip (which meant a black wig), one of the angriest characters on the album. This performance was pretty powerful. She did "Fat Slut," and and AMAZING rendition of "Cruel," as well as other high-energy songs that I can't quite think of. Finally, she was good ol Tori again. Other songs that come to mind are "Amber Waves," "Bouncing Off Clouds," "Crucify," "Talula," and on, and on, and on. The lighting was fantastic, her costumes were eclectic, and the audience went ballistic. :) After hours of performing, two encores, and a bow, the night was over. I L.O.V.E.D. IT! Someone told me of a rumor that this might be her last big world tour, if this is true, color me depressed right now. :(

One final story... after the concert, I had to pee. We went around back to the parking garage where some bathrooms were still open. After I came out I was talking to Denise and laughing much too loud as always. This night however, my loudness was to my advantage because I caught the ear of a man walking by that worked on the tour. He said, "Hey! Are you a die hard fan?" I hesitantly said yes, wondering what he was going to try to sell me. He replied, "Here you go. It's not signed, but it was used in the show." He flicked something at me, and it landed on the ground in glorious "clink." It was a guitar pick used in the show!! I will not go into all the random events that fell into place to get me that pick, but it was destiny. :)

After my brush with destiny, we waited around out back with a few other fans who had heard whispers that Tori might be exiting out the back door. After an hour had passed and still no Tori, we decided to leave because it was freezing and I could stand the pain no longer.

Another night with Tori was over, but I went to sleep that night smiling, holding the pick in my hand, dreaming of rainbows and kitty paws. (Not really, but what a great ending to the story huh?)

I will survive

2007-12-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

My fan club

I don't need no damn rope

At the TOP!
This last weekend Denise and I went to REI to browse and see just what Denise could buy with the gift cards she received for her Birthday. I think all in all, it totaled about $350.00, which can go very quickly at that store. At the store they have a climbing wall in the corner. I am curious about rock climbing, and a part of me thinks I would really love it, but another part is scared of plummeting off a cliff. Anyway, I was sort of meandering around the wall and checking it out, when a salesperson asked me if I wanted to climb. I was a bit nervous (and also thought I had to pay), so I said "No, that's alright." Denise said, "Yes, she does." Then I said, "No, that's ok." Then she said, "Come on, you know you want to." Then I said, "Ummm...let's do it!" I put on the harness, some official climbing shoes, and stepped onto the wall. The moment I grabbed onto the pegs, I realized that this was going to be much harder than it seemed.

As I have heard in the past, rock climbing is much more about your legs than arms. Your legs are what propel you up, while your arms are more for balance and grip. I made it so far up the wall, but due to my short stature and tight denim jeans, I could not get my left leg up high enough to boost myself up to the next level. I tried and tried to no avail, and my arms were shaking so bad that I was about to let go and find a cute jacket instead. However, I looked down to see that I had amassed a little fan club (the pics above are ones Denise took with my cell phone) that had surrounded Denise. One kid yelled out, "You can do it!" How could I stop after that? I could not be the one to show small impressionable children that when life gets tough, you give up.

Finally, my arms just gave out, and I swung a bit around to the side of the wall. I latched on to another peg, and notice that this portion had steps much more my size. I was determined to make it up. I let my arms rest for a minute, and then I started my ascent. I pushed myself up with each crevice until I reached the top. I rang the bell triumphantly and the children cheered. I felt like I had been the protagonist in a children's story about never giving up and the power of perseverance. I felt accomplished. :)

When I got off that rock, I could tell immediately that my arms were not once what they used to be. I could barely unbuckle the clasp that kept my harness on. Lifting my arms above my waste was an effort. The next few days were pretty painful, and all from a 10 minute climb to the stop of this wall. I can't imagine how much climbing an actual rock face would kick my ass, but a part of me wants to find out.

That night we went to Cathleen and Rhonda's cheap wine tasting party. The rule was that you had to bring a bottle of wine that you paid $8.00 or less for (so on sale items counted). It was placed in a paper bag, lettered, and sorted into one of three categories: light, medium, or bold. Each person was then given a lettered score sheet, and you went to each table tasting the various anonymous wines. In the end, I think there were about 30 bottles to taste. It was SO much fun as always. As has been discussed several times by our group of friends, this party is so great because everyone is drinking the same amount of alcohol as everyone else, so you all get tipsy right around the same time. After the wine tasting is done, the votes are tallied, and the top three wines are revealed. Denise was determined to win this year, but alas, it did not happen. Maybe next year my love.

After the ceremonies, two lovely ladies did fire dancing in the back alley which was amazing. I did find myself wondering though what the neighbors were thinking, and what I would do if I looked out the window to see fire flying around behind my house. Then I realized we were in Venice, and I'm sure they have seen many strange things going on behind their houses, so fire dancing is just another occurrence to add to their list.

After the party we met up with a friend at a local bar, lets just say more drunken debauchery, Denise peeing in a doorway, and off key singing all the way home ended the evening.

The next day was TORI AMOS, but I think that definitely warrents its' own post.

One final note, the finale of Tila Tequilla was last night, and surprise, surprise, she picked Bobby instead of Dani. Denise and I predicted this almost from the beginning of the episode based on body language and the affection she showed Bobby, but it was still disappointing none the less. On the one hand, I realize that it was just a dumb realiy show, and did break some barriers since the final girl was a type of lesbian that is not represented on mainstream television that often (and a type Tila herself didn't even know she could care for), but it was still the same ol disappointment of the lesbian never winning. I can't help but think that despite the few strides this show made for the lesbians, the final message was still the sterotypical idea that when bisexual women are faced with the choice of a man and a woman, the man will win because she truly wants "the penis." Ugh... I'm sick of that. Again, I'm not by any means saying this is true and I know many bisexual woman end up with women, but the mainstream media does not represent those women, and this reality show could have been a way to prove that a woman can capture another woman's heart just as well as a man can. But alas, twas not to be. Maybe the next show will redeem us because, that's right folks, "A shot at love 2" is in the works. It will not be with Tila, but with some other fiesty bi-sexual model. Still, I really think that lesbians can't look to television to validate our relationships, we just have to continue to do it the way we always have, by just living our life in open, loving relationships. Carry on my people. :)

I will never take my mouth for granted again...

2007-12-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

I'm back, and feeling SO much better than I did about this time a week ago. As you can see above, I swelled up and resembled a chipmunk which Denise helped me to document with this lovely juxtaposition of myself and an actual chubby cheeked chipmunk.

Not only did my wisdom teeth need to come out, but they were impacted under my gums, which in dental terms is an extraction. This translates into them slicing my gums and cutting at my wisdom teeth until they could get them all out. All four...ugh. Anyway, I was given what is known as "twilight sleep," which means that I can still breath on my own, but I'm basically unaware of the disgusting process that is happening in my mouth. I have slight impressions of talking around me and my mouth moving, but no memory of what really happened.

After the surgery, and a stop at Target, I stumbled home onto the couch with wads of bloody gauze (I feel you all can handle the uncensored version :) in my mouth, that needed to be changed every half hour or so. Vince stopped by to pick up some stuff, and he accurately said they looked like "alien pod babies." I stayed doped up on Ibuprofen, Tylenol/codeine, with a hint of antibiotics for about a week. I'm still a bit sore, and have to take some pain relievers every once in awhile, but all in all I'm doing much better.

After a week, I had a check up with the oral surgeon, who gave me a water syringe to rinse out the nasty, rotting food that gets stuck in the sockets which remain. It is definitely gross, but also slightly fascinating, and a relief for my sensitive gums.

I think after this, it will be smooth sailing, but I have much more appreciation of the pain that can be associated with oral procedures (don't be dirty;).

Wisdom Teeth

2007-12-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

I had my wisdom teeth out Monday, I will return when the swelling goes down. :)

The Holidays and Stuff

2007-11-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

Denise shows off her photoshop skills... she does Birthday cards as well. :)

Our album is due out in '08

The Thanksgiving Holiday gave us another opportunity to pack up the truck and make our way to Sacramento, CA. We always have a blast when we go up there, so Denise and I were very excited to get on the road. However, we had to make one little stop before we could hit the highway.....Baron's vet in Santa Monica.

For those non-LA peeps out there, it may appear on a map that Santa Monica is quite close to Hollywood, but if you know LA traffic, then you know that on a good day it will take you at LEAST a half hour to get over there. UGH! The day we had to go was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, just about the time when anyone who had not fled the city yet was trying to get out at that very moment.

A bit of back story, the reason we had to go to the vet was because a few weekends ago, Baron had suddenly become very sick. All the good stuff like puking, diarrhea, etc. We rushed him to the vet, and discovered that Denise had accidentally given him too much of his chemo meds. He was severely dehydrated, had to be put on an IV drip overnight. Denise was devastated and was being so hard on herself. I told her we all make mistakes and that at least we brought him in when we did. She was being down on herself to our friend Laura, and Laura told me if she said one more negative thing about herself I was to kick her in her shins.... I performed my duty when I had to. :) Anyway, the next day we picked him up and he was like a new dog. It's amazing what some fluids will do. The rest of the week and following weekend he was pretty lethargic, so the vet wanted to check him out one more time before we whisked him away to Sacramento, hence, the drive out there on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

After Barons check-up, antibiotics, and a cone for his head (he was obsessively licking) we headed for the I-5. The distance from the vet to the on ramp for the highway (I know, it's really a freeway, but I refuse to change.;) is about 1 mile. It took us ONE HOUR just to reach the on ramp!! Insanity! I could see the veins busting out of Denise's neck as she tried to negotiate the traffic. Once we were physically on the highway, it took us about 2 hours to get away from the city and all the traffic. Obviously we knew there would be traffic, but I believe you can never really prepare yourself for the madness of the Holidays.

The drive for the rest of the way was quite nice, and we reached Sacramento at about 1AM. After some hugs and hellos we all went to bed.

THANKSGIVING!! Yea, I love this Holiday I must say. Even though I don't eat turkey, I love the idea of getting together with friends and/or family, being thankful for what we have, and sharing all this wonderful food together that we spent the day preparing (well, I don't really prepare food, but I set the table! :). Despite the checkered historical past of this day, I like that it isn't necessarily tied to any Religion, and is just a day to be thankful, which I think most people can agree is a good thing. Ok, argument for my pro Thanksgiving feelings over, and on to the food!!

Denise and Becky spent pretty much the whole day cooking, and we ate around 6PM. Denise had bought me a tofurky feast consisting of a small tofurky, carrots and potatoes, dumplings, and veggie gravy. She also made me vegan mashed potatoes and a vegan pumpkin pie!! Best.Girlfriend.EVER!! I am so lucky. :) After all that slaving over an open flame, we devoured the food in about 10 minutes, and all sat back moaning in pain from our full bellies. Denise had to lay on her left side twice to promote digestion! haha! It was a great day with Katy and Becky just hanging out... just what we had envisioned Thanksgiving would be.

The rest of the trip was pretty chill. On Friday, Becky, Katy, and I all rode scooters, while Denise rode the motorcycle, to get coffees at Kim's coffee shop, Butch and Nellies (great name huh?). It was the first time I rode a scooter further than a block, so it was pretty exciting. I LOVED it! Later that night Denise and I met up with Kim, her girlfriend Christy, and our friend Tracy who was visiting from LA as well, at a little bar not far from their house. I learned how to play a couple of dice games at the bar, and attempted to keep a very drunk man off my girlfriend, failing miserably. She ended up taking care of it herself...damn, I have to get better at this Knight in shining armor stuff.

Saturday we went wine tasting, a tradition at this point for us ladies. We all got loaded as usual, and passed out when we got back to the house. Katy and Becky have a couple of friends that are moving to Washington State, so we all had to pep up and go out for their going away gathering. It was nice to see everyone, but after some conversation, food, and funny photos of Becky, it was time to go home.

Sunday was the day Denise and I were driving back, but first we drove to see the place where Katy and Becky are going to have their commitment ceremony. A few weeks ago, they officially became domestic partners, and this October they are going to have a ceremony with their family and friends. The place they have chosen is BEAUTIFUL! It is a gorgeous ranch out in the middle of rolling hills, trees, and a very eclectic garden which is cared for by a woman that manages the ranch. After the tour, we stopped by the local casino because we all have a gambling addiction that we can't quite kick. Ok, I'm trying to be funny, cause isn't gambling addiction hilarious, I mean....I'm retarded. hahaha! We REALLY stopped there because that is where people will stay who are attending the ceremony because it can accommodate everyone. See, less exciting isn't it.

On our way out of town we stopped by a local winery because Katy and Becky are considering using their wine for the ceremony after-party. ;) Above are a couple of pictures we took by the grapes. Someday we will make music to match all our "band" photos.

It was a wonderful Holiday, and we were sad to leave as usual. Who knows when we will head up again, but we always know it will be a great time! WE LOVE U SACRAMENTO LADIES! xo

Fairy Tales Do Come True...

2007-11-12T17:53:00.001-08:00

This last weekend Denise and I went to Palm Springs to stay at a fancy resort known as the Viceroy. Awhile ago Denise won employee of the year at her work (yea!), and her prize was a day off and a 2-night stay at this resort. We drove up Friday night after work, comfortably dressed in sweats and tennis shoes, with my fan (I need it to sleep) in tow.

We pulled up to the hotel, and could tell from the valet awaiting us, that this was a pretty upscale place. We entered the lobby, which was almost completely white, to check in. Right next to the lobby is the bar/restaurant for the hotel, with all the Friday night scenesters dressed in their latest designer gear, sipping on their cocktails. It is through this group of people that we had to walk with our shabby cloths and my fan (although we did put it in a mesh bag:). It was pretty funny, and a tad embarrassing.

After we got into the room, we decided to stay in and just enjoy it. It came fully stocked and even included a glass filled, gas powered, fireplace. We both took showers, and got into the robes which were provided in the room. I must say, they were AMAZING. SO soft inside, yet smooth and cottony on the outside; warm, but not too heavy. I would have definitely taken one, if I had the $115.00 they were going to charge us. eeek! Above is a ridiculously dorky picture of myself on the best bed in the world, covered in some imported Italian bedding. It was lovely.

On Saturday we went to Tahquitz Canyon, which is an ancient Indian Canyon now fully equipped with a visitor's center and ranger led hikes if you wish. The hike leads back to a waterfall in the Canyon, which was pretty much a trickle right now since there really hasn't been any rain. Still, it was a very beautiful and interesting hike, totally worth the $12.50 admittance fee. Here is a link to Palm Springs Canyons http://www.palmsprings.com/points/canyon/ It has an interesting history, full of dirty hippies (I gest) trashing up the canyon, getting kicked out, community meetings, and the eventual restoration of the canyon.

Saturday night we went to dinner at a place called Big Wangs in the desert (which I thought was a completely comical name for a restaurant in Palm Springs, since there are gay man EVERYWHERE). We then retired for the evening, deciding to continue to take advantage of the hotel room, and stay in. After debating on just what to order from room service, we decided on fresh baked cookies, prepared in 15 minutes, at a bargain price of $9.00. I was SO excited. After about 30 minutes passed, Denise called them again, reminding them we had ordered cookies. The girl said she would check on it. Another 20 minutes passed, and someone called to tell us the cookies would be on their way. Soon there was a knock at our door, and the manager of restaurant personally brought us the cookies and apologized. He would not accept a tip and gave us the cookies for free!! The cookies were fresh, warm, and accompanied by a bowl of whipped creamy goodness for you to dip your cookie in if you wished. I wasn't very true to my non-dairy ways that evening, but I could not resist after the orgasmic look on Denise's face as she took the first bite.

Sunday we packed up and said good-bye to our get away. On our way out of Palm Springs we stopped by Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is a National Park full of Mountains, which look more like piles of boulders, surrounded by.... well, Joshua Trees. It was so much fun climbing and hopping between the rocks making our way up to the top. We plan on going back again, perhaps to camp for a night or two depending on the weather. Here is a link with pictures http://www.desertusa.com/jtree/josh_month.html

Sunday night we pulled into the garage, and lugged all our stuff to the apartment for a quiet evening in. Well.... not quite. We had game night of course!! Vince, Justin, and Corey came over for game night. This time we played spades, and Denise drank every drop of wine in the house, including the port. hahaha! I have no idea what got into her, but the next morning she told me she thew up! I had no clue.... she definitely paid for it Monday morning. A perfect end to a lovely weekend.

One final thing! I forgot to say that once again, Denise and I (well, mostly me) were confronted with the realization that we might be staying in a haunted room! Here are the details: Friday night, we get to our room. Literally the moment the manager shuts the door to our room, the television turns on all by itself. Of course inside Denise and I are both freaking out, but because neither of us want to scare the other, we both try to ignore it.

Flash forward to Sunday morning. I'm slowly awakened by voices coming from the direction of the television. I slowly open my eyes, expecting to see the television on, preparing to freak the fuck out. However, I realize the television is not on, but Denise's ipod is. It was in a player which was provided in the room. Now, I'm starting to loose it a bit. I shake Denise awake to tell her the ipod is on, she sleepily asks how, and I say it just turned on. She doesn't seem very shocked by this, and drifts back to sleep. I tell her one of us is going to have to get up to turn it off, cause there is no way I'm sleeping with that thing on. I look at Denise and realize I'm going to have to take care of this mission, because she is almost unconscious again. I run over, yank it out of the player, and turn it off, then I leap across the floor back into bed. I snuggle closer to Denise, cause I'm a tad freaked, and she snores out of nowhere, causing me to jump about a foot and shake the whole bed, which wakes her again.

The rest of the morning, I sleep about an hour, wake up, and try to go back to sleep. I keep imagining some unknown force grabbing my feet, or suddenly hearing voices in my ear. I'm a mess.

When I finally get up, Denise is already awake. She says she had trouble sleeping too because she was scared (could have fooled me;). Anyway, she had the sensibility to look at the ipod player, and saw that there was an alarm function, set to go off at 6:30 AM, exactly when the ipod turned on. Alas, our "supernatural" experience can again be explained away by science... however, we still never figured out how the television came on..hmmmmmmm. :)

Baron

2007-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

So, this past weekend we got some sad news about Baron. He had been doing this thing for awhile where he seemed to be wheezing and then hacking like he was going to throw up, but nothing would come out. He also had swollen lymph nodes on his body. Denise and I had noticed that it was getting progressively worse, so she finally decided to bring him into the vet. There were some tests the vet needed to perform, but he was fairly positive that Baron has lymphoma. Lymphoma is a common cancer in dogs, and it is aggressive. Often without treatment, a dog will die within 1-2 months of diagnosis.

This was of course quite a shock and painful for Denise to hear. She didn't go into work on Friday (the day she found out), and I left work early in order to be with her. It was a melancholy day to say the least. That night we decided to keep it low key and go to a movie and dinner. We went to see "Into the Wild," which is an inspirational, but also sad, true story about a young boy who leaves everything and everyone in order to travel across the United States to his eventual goal of braving Alaska. I thought the movie was incredibly well cast, acted, and of course stunning. I was glad we chose this movie because Denise had been wanting to see it for awhile, and she needed a bit of an escape from reality.

Anyway, we had a pretty quiet weekend consisting of a dinner on Saturday with friends, a Sunday hike with Baron and a trip to Petco where Baron was surprised with all kinds of disgusting treats (including pig ears, YUCK!). Sunday evening was game night and the final poker show down was again between Phil and I, cause we ROCK! ;) It just felt like a weekend to be with the dog, and make his life from now on as joyous as possible.

Baron went to another vet this week (there was some delays and run around with the other vet, so Denise went elsewhere) and they are starting treatment for the cancer. From what we read, this form of cancers responds well to treatment, and although it won't cure it, he will probably live for about a year. Denise was concerned about his quality of life with the chemo, but she was assured that there is slight discomfort like loose bowels and excess urination, but nothing like what humans go through. The treatment lasts for 2 months, and then we just see what happens.

So, although the news was a blow, we are hopeful that with treatment there are many good times still to be had with Baron, and our biggest concern is that he is happy and does not suffer. I will keep you updated, and here's to BARON! (ps: above is a pic of he and Argo together on the bed, with Argo actually not hissing and slapping Baron. It's a rare occurrence, believe me.:)

Halloween Weekend

2007-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend was of course full of pre-Halloween fun. Two parties, two nights, twice the craziness.

Friday night Laura had a Halloween party at the fabulous villa. It was all decked out with wispy spiderwebs, ghoulish masks, burning candles, and dead things. PERFECT party spot.

The usual kids were there, along with some new faces, but it was a great night with a dash of randomness thrown in.

Occurrences included one couple claiming that the bottle of wine that Justin was pouring into his 7-11 Big Gulp was $100.00 bottle (which we now suspect was bullshit) even though it was on the communal liquor table, a lesbian with a sneezing fit and beer hidden in a fountain, and a gay man fresh out of the hospital with a tube coming out of his chest (yes, a real tube into chest, not an elaborate costume). Denise and I awoke Saturday morning and probably spent a good hour talking about all the weird shenanigans of the night. I call that a successful soiree.

Saturday night, it was off to a party in North Hollywood put on by gayboymansion productions. I went to a party of theirs 2 years ago when they lived in West Hollywood, and it was great. They had a pirate theme, and spared no expense. This year, the theme was Alice and Wonderland. The guest list had increased tremendously since the party I had attended a few years earlier, and due to the location of the party, the promoters decided to have us shuttled in. Denise, Phil, Justin and I all carpooled to the valley, but before we left Vince took a group shot which I have placed above. Yes, that's Phil, and he is frightening....

Anyway, we got to the valet/shuttle spot to await our chariot. As we sat there, more and more people started to arrive. We were first in line, and the group started to file in behind us. After about a half hour of waiting, the shuttle finally arrived. Much to my shock, the people behind us started to pile in. I was outraged! We had been standing there longer than any of them, and they completely disregarded this fact. I think someone literally said, "Fuck this, let's get a cab." We got the address from the bus driver and off we went. Other people had the same idea, and several of us stood out on Ventura Blvd. yelling at every cabbie that passed our way. Finally a van stopped to pick us up and off we went.

After getting a bit lost in the hills, we found the house! I must say, these boys outdid themselves once again. The decorations were elaborate, animated, and you truly felt like you had been plopped into a wonderland. I even noticed upon leaving the party that they had Alice's face in the window, and blow up hands outside the house to recreate the scene from the movie where she grows gigantic in the rabbits house (it's been awhile, but I think she eats something?)

Yet, despite the decor, after all the drama of getting to the party, my patience was a bit thin. Then, even though the invite said liquor provided but donations accepted, the bartender at the party made us pay for drinks. I had sincerely intended on donating, but I had not brought enough cash to pay for drinks all night. Finally, there was only 1 bathroom in the house for hundreds of people, which equaled Denise and I in line for the bathroom with an annoying straight man for far longer than we would ever choose to be. After that, what little excitement I had left exited my body, and I was just tired and ready to go home. We rounded up the troops (the brits and some other friends met us there) and headed out to wait for the shuttle to get back down to our cars. Oh joy.

After waiting for about a half hour as we had before, the shuttle arrived. Again, the people in the back of the line rushed the van, and we in the front were left with our mouths open steaming inside (well, at least I was). I could not believe the injustice that was happening before my eyes.

After that, I decided I would absolutely not miss another shuttle. I was tired, my feet hurt, I was sober, and I just wanted to go to bed. Time passed, and I waited to see the headlights of the van coming up the hill. I was ready. Suddenly, I saw the lights and focused on the van. It pulled up, the doors opened, and the people in the back started to make their way in. I saw a break in the crowd and I shoved my way ahead. I was an insane woman and no one was going to stop me. This little pushy gay boy was trying to get in front of me, and I would not have it. I think I was yelling, "Get back! We have been waiting for an hour! Get to the back of the line!" He was trying to fight me, but my superhuman strength would not allow it. Also, the guy helping the run the shuttle agreed with me and told the boy to get back. I launched into the bus, and then leaned back out the doors yelling, "Step back! My friends are getting on this bus too!" The look on everyones face was, as they say, priceless! I looked in the direction of my friends and cried, "Get on!" They obeyed, and once the doors were shut, they all cheered and we made it off that damn hill.

Later when I got into bed, and my head hit the pillow, I smiled to myself and did not regret for one moment what I had done. Happy Halloween y'all!

Reality Check

2007-10-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

TILA TEQUILA

I was going to write about my drunken exploits from last weekend, but the story sadly seems familiar. Friday night, getting ready to go out dancing, little food, cheap drinks, and a night ending with me being aided to a cab by Denise and 3 body guards sick as can be. Embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing....but I'm not going to write about that.

NEW YORK (yes, that's her name)

Instead, I have decided to ponder what seems to be a strange addiction of mine which I can't quite seem to get a handle on.... my addiction to really bad reality TV. I just can't explain it. My scholastic, philosophical side is confused by the ridiculous episodes I subject myself to. My constant awareness that instead of reading Sartre, Dickens, or even David Sedaris to enrich my mind and emotions, I'm sitting in front of a television fixated on the gender stereotypes being perpetuated by Tila Tequila or the latest smack down between two men trying to win New York's heart.

The list of reality television that I watch is too long for anything other than a master thesis, so I'll name one that I have recently become infatuated with, and a few old standards that I just keep going back to.

A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila

When I first saw promos for this show I thought, "Ugh, you have got to be kidding me." I should have known then that I would end up watching the show, because this is generally my initial reaction to things I end up becoming addicted to. This shows basic premise is that Tila Tequila, who is a former Maxim model and most famous Myspace personality (see has like 2 million friends!), is bisexual and has brought on men and women onto the show to compete for her love. The kicker is, none of them knew this going in. In the first episode, Tila meets with the men first, and then with the women, each group thinking they are just competing against their own gender. However at the end, Tila throws a pool party (of course) and invites the men and women. The men arrive first, hooting and hollering at Tila Tequila ready to get this party started. Just as things start to get worked up, the women walk in. Both groups look totally and utterly confused. Tila then announces she "is a bisexual" (which as many bi/lesbian publications have pointed out a bisexual would never say, she would say "I'm bisexual," but I'll just overlook that detail). As you can guess, since then the show has been filled with ridiculous "bonding" activities for Tila and her suitors, PLENTY of drama, fights, gratuitous making out, and "fondling." It is for lack of a better word, insanity.

I Love New York 2

Yes, you read that correctly, this is the second installment of I Love New York. Ms. New York believed she had found love last season, until the man she chose saw a video of her bashing his mother, and "his love for New York" turned into an enraged bitch fest on national television. New York was back to the drawing board and has invited a whole new batch of men on this season to win her heart. Every episode there is a competition for the men to prove themselves to New York, as she sits back with her fake boobs up to her chin sipping a glass of champagne. The men fight each other, degrade each other, and even, as indicated from a preview, spit in each other's faces. Priceless.

Little People, Big World

Little People, Big World is most certainly not some drama filled love fest with little people, but is instead a wholesome show about The Roloffs. The Roloffs are a family who live in Oregon on acres of land covered with ghost towns, tree houses, and a pumpkin patch. The parents, Amy and Matt, are both little people (formerly known as midgets or dwarfs for the uninformed:) who have 4 children. They have twin boys, Zach and Jeremy, but one is little and the other is average height. Their two other children, Molly and Jacob, are average height as well. The show basically just chronicles their everyday life. Family vacations, the kids struggles at school, Amy getting pissed at Matt, Matt's work, life on the farm, and on and on and on. You watch this family have the exact same issues as any other family, the only difference being that some of them are little. Seems exciting?! Not really, but I am glued to that television every Monday (and have been for the last 2 seasons) to watch what the Roloffs with do next. At one point there was a tragedy with a pumpkin throwing apparatus Matt had built, and I felt like members of my own family had been injured (ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but I was saddened.)

These are just a few of the shows that I consistently watch, and feel the need to tape if I am forced to leave my house on a week night. Why do I care? What possibly drives me to keep watching this idiocy over and over again? Is there ANY value to television shows like this? These are the questions I ask myself over and over again.

Perhaps this is rationalization, with a hint of delusion, but I really think there is something I gain from watching these shows. For one, they are a major stress relief. I do not need to use one ounce of my brain power to watch these shows. I sit back with a glass of wine, and wait for the lunacy I'm about to see with a strange feeling of anticipation. Once it begins, I laugh, shake my head in disbelief, and am constantly shocked at the actions/words coming out of these people's mouths. Which leads to another point, the study of it all. I almost feel like a sociologist watching some elaborate experiment which constantly brings new insight into human interaction. Whether I'm learning what happens when you place a group of people competing to gain the heart of another in one house, or just how families interact on a daily basis, I feel like I'm gaining secret access into people's lives. The reality is I'm sharing this experience with millions of others, but it feels intimate none the less. Finally, these shows really make me realize just how many idiotic people there are out there living in this world, and I appreciate the semi-normalcy I have in my life. It makes any kind of family issues I may have seem like a cake walk, and that is a nice feeling.

All in all, are reality television shows essential to my life? Of course not. Still, I don't think they are going anywhere, and instead seem to be increasing exponentially. I think the reason is simple, people love to watch other people's shit go down on camera. So, enjoy the ride. :)

Feel free to comment with any reality shows you just can't seem to do without.

Hot Springs!

2007-10-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Denise and I went to the Deep Creek Hot Springs in Hesperia, CA with our friends Noa, Crystal, and Shannon. Crystal has been there several times, and Denise and I went for the first time last year over labor day weekend, so it has been over a year since we did this trip.

How it works is the actual hot springs are in the middle of the desert after about a 2 mile hike. So, this guy named Mike who owns a ranch there allows people to camp on his land for $10.00 a night. There are camp spots all around his property to choose from.

We left LA at about 9:00 PM Friday evening (we had planned to leave at 7:00 of course, but 2 hours late isn't so bad) and arrived in Apple Valley, which is the last town before you head out into the desert, at around 10:30. We stopped at a grocery store to get some more firewood, liquor, and toilet paper... the essentials. As Shannon, Noa, and myself entered the store we noticed immediately that some of us were not like the others. The stares began immediately, and I started to feel an urgency to get what we needed and get the hell out of there. I'm not sure what exactly set us apart from everyone else, but perhaps it was the fact we had teeth, hair, and were three girls with no babies or men. I can imagine what an unusual sight we must have been. The creepiest family in the store consisted of a very large man in an electronic cart which propelled him around the store. He had a shaved head on top, but left in the back of his head a round circle of long blond curly hair, which went down his back, and was tied with a rubber band. As I said to Denise later, he did not appear to be a monk. He was accompanied by a girl with very badly dyed orange hair, black tight black pants/shirt, several facial piercings, and the most miserable, sad look on her face. She was with what seemed to be her boyfriend, and another kid (her brother?) with a shaved head and an inability to talk. All he did was stare at us continually, and when I mean stare, I mean stare. It was very eerie and I felt at some point our world would suddenly change to black and white with the announcement coming over the store speakers that we had officially entered the twilight zone. I just tried to focus on "Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl which was blaring throughout the store as we shopped (Which incidentally was my favorite song in grade school and played another time in my life when I was afraid, the first time I got my ears pierced. Weird huh?).

After making it out of the store unscathed, we hopped in our cars to make our way to the ranch. We noticed at this point it was getting pretty cold out, but we were confident that our fire, tents, and sleeping bags would keep us warm.

We arrived at the ranch at about 11:30, paid our dues, and actually camped in the exact same spot we were at a year ago. Everyone worked on setting up their tents and felt the need to keep layering on more clothes, hats, etc. It just seemed to be getting colder and colder. It became number one priority to get a fire going, and after some gathering of brush, paper and a fire cube provided by Noa, we were successful. As we huddled around the fire, we began to notice that certain items we had brought with us actually had frost on them. Eventually, it was so cold that I couldn't even bring myself to go to the bathroom before getting into our tent for bed. The thought of dropping my pants, and that cold hitting my already freezing ass, was pretty much unbearable at this point, so I decided to just hold it. We got into our tents shaking, shivering, and miserable. Now, Denise and I have sleeping bags that say they are for zero degree weather. I don't know what zero degree weather they are talking about, but I was fucking freezing all night long. My feet would just NOT warm up. I tried rubbing them together, I tried to hold them as close to my body as possible, I took my socks off and and alternated them on top of each other, and I eventually found a hand warmer that I shoved down there to try to make some heat. Nothing worked. At some point during the night I heard Shannons' car turn on. I learned the next day that she had rushed out to sleep in her car and turned it on to try to run the heat. She was soon joined by Noa and they spent the night in the car. In the end, I MAYBE slept 3 hours. I was told that the next morning, Noa and Crystal emerged from their sleeping spots only to stare at each other and hug. It was a, "We survived the night hug," and I'm sure it was a touching moment.

Eventually we got up, and shared our mutual horror of the night. After some breakfast and packing we started the hike down to the hot springs. The hike on the way there is pretty much all down hill (yes, that means the way back is uphill:) so it wasn't bad. When we got there we claimed a spot, ate some food, and Noa, Crystal, and I proceeded to take our tops off (did I mention the hot springs are clothing optional?) and make our way to the pools of heat. To get to the hot springs, you actually have to walk through a small river, so that was pretty cold, but it was worth it once you sat in the wonderful warmth of a spring. Now, in the first pool there were two guys. They were pretty nice, one was a bit of a perv, but there always seems to be a few of those there. Soon, we made our way to the uppermost, and hottest, pool. When we got in it was just us ladies! It was the perfect temperature, and we all just sat there enjoying this beautiful spot. After a few minutes, a beautiful white dog came over to us, and he was accompanied by his owner. The guy seemed creepy almost instantly. He had two fairly large gashes on his face (which looked very recent), a knife was strapped to his left thigh, and an axe. He said to us, "I hope you aren't staying at Bowen Ranch," which we were. When we asked why, he tried to tell us that at least 14 people a year disappear there, and then their abandoned vehicles are impounded making money for the ranch, and the bodies are never found. It was all very strange, and he seemed like the crazy killer, not the ranch owner. After that we left that pool as quick as possible and made our way back to the beach where our stuff was. The rest of the day we relaxed, tried to avoid that man, and watched all the people which made their way to the hot springs. We met another couple that were staying up at the Ranch as well, and they said that the crazy man had told them a similar story, but had thrown in that they have been targeting minorities as well (because these two were African American), nice huh?

At about 5:00 we made our way back up the hill. The hike wasn't too bad, and we all made it back to camp with a killer appetite. Shannon had made chicken, beef, and tofu kabobs for dinner, and she and Denise cooked them while the rest of us got the fire going. At some point we decided that the smartest thing to do was for all of us to pile in one tent so that we would utilize body heat to keep each other warm. Also, Shannon had heard from a friend that when you are sleeping in cold weather, put rocks by the fire to warm them up, and throw them in the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep your feet warm. So we all had our little rocks warming up by the fire. At about 10:00PM bed called us.

We stuffed our air matress, and stacked two others on top of each other, in our tent. Then, we piled up all our sleeping bags, blankets, etc. on top of that. Finally, we each had our warm rocks by our feet. It was hilarious. Here is a picture of us all packed like sardines in the tent. Seriously, Denise could barely zip the tent up because it was stretched to the limit. However, I must say, IT WAS SO WARM IN THERE! All our effort paid off in the heat department, and we all kicked ourselves for not thinking of that Friday night.

So, we all settled in for what we thought was going to be a good nights sleep. I actually did fall asleep pretty quickly because I had my headphones on with the sound of the fan (that Denise recorded for me for when we camp, SO sweet) lulling me into a coma. However, the rest of the ladies were kept awake by what I heard was a roaring wind that would rustle the other tents around us, and it unfortunately sounded like footsteps around our tent. Creepiness! I woke up at about 4:30 AM with an extremely full bladder and a sore back because I was squished all night between Denise and Shannon (did I mention that when we, which was really I, organized the tent for us to fit in, we were heading down hill? Smart, I know). Noa and I ran out into the cold to pee as fast as we could (of course Denise got a pic, but it won't be going up on here;) before freezing to death. Everyone piled back into the tent, and settled in again. I, however, could not fall back to sleep. As happens in the dark of night, my mind started to wander. I kept thinking of that creepy man, how he had a knife and an axe, how he could easily find his way to our camp cause he knew the terrain, and how all that divided us from a crazy man with an axe was a thin piece of nylon/net tent. Suffice it to say, I was fucking freaked out. After about an hour and a half of trying to sleep, I woke Denise up, asked for the keys to her truck and her ipod, and went to lay in the truck. I watched some TV shows on her ipod and waited for the sun to come up. Somehow I managed to fall asleep again for about an hour or so, and was awoken by Denise knocking on the window. She got in with me and began to tell me how she didn't really sleep because she was creeped out by that guy and was hearing things all night. After a few minutes, Noa was knocking on the window, and she got in. Guess what? She really didn't sleep well either. Shannon was next, same story. Finally, Crystal joined us, and we all realized that once again, none of us got a good nights sleep. This time we were all warm, but were so damn scared that despite our exhaustion, we laid awake thinking of killer man. I guess in the end, he won.... bastard.

We packed up camp that morning in record time, and left the Bowen Ranch beaten down but a bit triumphant for making it through the weekend. In town we rushed to "Its a Grind" for coffees and scrambled over each other for a chance to use a real toilet and wash our hands in the sink. The blackness that came off my hands in that bathroom was a site to be seen.

Once Denise and I were home, we immediately showered and got into bed to try to nap. We had plans to meet up with friends (and our camping ladies) at the Abbey around 3:30. Surprisingly enough, every one of us made it to the Abbey looking clean, but a little rough around the edges. ;) At the table we toasted our survival, and discussed our next camping trip. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but in the end, I will never forget it.

Birthdays and More!

2007-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, when I last wrote, it was a normal Monday in the life of Jen. I went home, watched some television, ate dinner, and was sitting on the couch with Denise when my stomach started to feel unsettled. I decided to go to bed early in the hopes it would settle down. In about an hour I was running to the bathroom... that went on for the rest of the night. I don't think I will eat tofu with broccoli and pine nuts ever again if you know what I mean. ;)

Anyway, I was sure I had food poisoning until the chills/fever/aches set in. I resigned myself to the fact I had the full blown flu. It was awful. I have not felt that horrible in a long time. I couldn't even make it to work Tuesday or Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday I only went in for half days. My body felt so beat down and exhausted. Lucy was SO understanding and even told me to go home when I came into work to rest. She just wanted me to get better. Best. Boss. Ever.

So, on Friday we go up to Sacramento for Denise's Birthday weekend. Great timing for the flu huh? At least by Friday I was eating normal food again and no longer had a fever. We got up there around 9 PM, and some ladies were over at Katy and Becky's house. We just sat around, had some wine, and passed out.

Saturday was the big day. Unbeknownst to Denise, there was a party planned in her honor for that evening, so we had the job of distracting her all day. Becky had come up with the excuse that she had a baby shower to go to at 4 PM. She did a great job, got dressed up and everything. So, after she left, we threw around ideas like going golfing, shopping, etc. Instead, we just ended up going to Costco to get a doggy bed for Baron. Denise kept saying, "Well.... what are we doing tonight?" "Should I call some friends." Everyone kept being very nonchalant and saying that if she wanted to call people that was fine and that we were willing to do whatever she wanted to do. Denise started to get a bit pouty, and while Katy and her friend Sandra decided to go to the grocery store after Costco (of course they were stalling) Denise and I stayed in the car. She was starting to get a bit upset. She didn't really know if she should call people, what was going on, and I think was a bit hurt that it seemed like no one had planned anything. I hated seeing her upset but I knew I had to keep me mouth shut and that in a few minutes, she was going to be a very happy woman. :)

We pulled up to Katy and Becky's house with Denise non the wiser. Everyone had parked down the street, so she didn't see any of their cars. We walked inside and everyone of course yelled, "Surprise!" Denise said she figured it out when she saw the streamers in the house, so really about 2 seconds before everyone yelled. hahaha! It was really fun. Katy grilled steaks, chicken, and a veggie burger for me. :) The food was excellent and everyone sat around talking and catching up. Some of their friends have kids, so they left the party early, while the rest of us set up chairs outside at the table to start a rousing game of poker. The game lasted for hours, Katy was first out as always, and everyone proceeded to get a bit tipsy. In the end, I WON the whole game and walked away with $80.00! It was a good night. After that, due to my drunkeness and still weak body, I stumbled into bed and was out in seconds flat. A bit later I was awakened but two drunks (Denise and Becky) trying to get me to go in the hot tub. I said I only would if Katy did (knowing there was no way) and went back to sleep. I guess they were up for awhile more causing a raucous, but I slept through it all.

On Sunday we slowly wandered around the house and eventually left at around 3:00 in the afternoon to go to Apple Hill. Apple Hill is about a half hour from Sacramento and is known for it's Apple Orchards and the pies that come from them. Did we stop at a little bakery for a bit of pie and coffee? Of course not because there are wineries there too and we needed to get in some tasting before they closed!! LOL We had some excellent wine (a really amazing port that was $30.00 a bottle but totally worth it) and it is quite beautiful in the hills of apples. Afterwards we rushed back to Sac for some sushi because we were all starving. When we got home we were all so wiped out we could barely play a friendly game of poker (Denise is obsessed:) before going to bed at 10 PM!!

Monday was a casual day of lunch and laundry. We left to head back to LA around 4 and arrived at 10. It was another wonderful weekend with those ladies and I think I want to go back for MY Birthday now. Who knows what they will think of for that. :)

Since I was sick last week, and off Monday, this week at work and home has pretty much been a game of catch up. We leave for the Hot Springs tonight (Friday) and come back Sunday morning. Ugh.... I can't wait for next weekend when we do nothing. Will we ever learn....

Stay tuned next week... same bat time, same bat channel. toodles!

Happy Monday

2007-09-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

I had to say Happy Monday to everyone because Denise may read this post and I know how much she loves that expression. ;) I laughed so hard when I learned that there are people in her office who actually say "Happy Monday" to their co-workers, and the building where she works posts notices in the elevator that say HAPPY MONDAY! I am reminded of Office Space where that annoying woman says "Looks like someone has the case of the Mondays," and does a sad face. Later, the lead actor asks his neighbor if anyone says that at their construction site where he works, and he responds that no one does and if they did, they would probably get their ass beat. I think that says it all right there.

As I reported last week we went to see Avenue Q at the downtown Ahmanson Theatre on Saturday night. I must say it was extremely entertaining and well acted. The actors had puppets on their hands and many of them played several characters. Even though at first it was a bit distracting to have this person standing there with a puppet on their hand, eventually you stopped really watching the actors and focused on the puppets. They performed such classic tunes as, "It's OK to be gay," "Everyone is a little bit racist," and "The Internet is for Porn." Overall, I really enjoyed myself. There was of course the typical female wanting commitment and the man fearing commitment storyline which I always find a bit nauseating, but I will overlook that because of the overall hilariousness of the show. So, I guess I would say, GO SEE IT if you live in LA or somewhere on it's touring schedule.

Justin's comedy improve gathering on Sunday was a lot of fun. After their performance they had a raffle of random things to raise money for their group. One item was a very large magnetic cheeseburger. Knowing Denise's love of burgers, I knew that I must get her this magnet. However, about halfway through the raffle, a man's name was called who was pressured into taking the burger. Denise was so bummed, but I sat there secretly hoping my name would be called because I knew I could get that burger from him. Finally, close to the end, my name was called. I jumped up and instantly offered the burger man a trade of an item left in the give away box for the burger. He and his girlfriend/wife were so nice and just GAVE me the cheeseburger magnet! Can you believe they would part with such a prize?! I begged them to let me give them something, but they would not have it. In the end, I got my lady her cheeseburger magnet and all was right with the world

We are beginning the 5th season of the Sopranos already! I can't believe we are almost to the last season. I'm getting sad because I know due to watching the Sopranos montage on the Emmys that Adriana is going to be shot because she has been speaking with the Feds. In the episode we watched last night she is beginning to break down because of the pressure...I guess I should know by now that no one is really safe on the show and expect the unexpected.... it is great. :)

The Weekend!

2007-09-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

So, this week has FLOWN by as they seem to be doing lately. It has been pretty quiet at work, although Lucy (my boss/other attorney in the office) has forewarned me that it is about to get crazy again for awhile, so I'm gearing up.

I guess the big news for the week is my contract with Verizon was finally up, so I headed on over to AT&T (the rollover minutes and the fact Denise is with them convinced me), and finally got my new phone in the mail! It is the picture to the left, the Blackberry Curve. I was so excited to get a full keyboard on my phone because all the texting I do was so tedious with a standard phone. It is so pretty! The night before I knew it was being delivered to my office I kept dreaming about it! The next day all I could do was watch out the window for the Fedex man, and try to keep the grins on my face to a minimum so my boss would not think I was insane (which I am obviously due to this much excitement over a phone). I spent that night playing with it and I'm still getting used to the features, but so far I love it. I promise after this, I will try not to spend a whole paragraph on my phone, but it's exciting people! :)

As for the weekend plans, Denise is getting in the habit of getting up early on Saturday to go to garage sales. She is a garage sale nut! I really have nothing against garage sales, and I do love to shop for used clothes, furniture, etc., but I just can't bring myself to get excited about getting up on Saturday to go look at people's stuff. Take me to good will, and I'm a happy woman, but garage sales just can't seem to rev me up. I really think it is due to my childhood trauma of having a mother who was an avid garage saler, and dreading every house we pulled up to because there was a chance someone I knew (or worse went to school with) who lived there. I had this horrific vision of showing up to school wearing the used clothes of one of my classmates. See, I went to a school where only clothes from a mall were cool and the word vintage wasn't even in the vocabulary, it was simply just someones used stuff, which meant poor and uncool. Anyway, perhaps I should be telling my therapist all this instead of the whole world, but too late. Then again, maybe I just don't like talking to random people as they stare at me checking out their stuff.... it's a toss up. :) So, I plan on staying in bed.

Saturday night we are going to see Avenue Q! I'm very excited. Basically, I have heard it is like the muppets on crack. They are vulgar, crass, and very unchristian all to a musical soundtrack. Sounds excellent! Here is a link to their website if you are interested: http://www.avenueq.com/

On Sunday we are going to my friend Justin's bar-b-q to hang out with him and his peeps, as well as support their improv comedy team Gas Money. It is rumored we will be honored with a show as well. We have gone to see several of Gas Money's comedy shows, and I must say although I might be bias, they are HILARIOUS!! I am always in awe when I see improv because I am one of those people who will get insulted, and think of the perfect comeback the next day, so I am always impressed that improv people can think of a comeback that is not only perfect but hilarious instantly! If you are interested in Gas Money, here is their Myspace Page http://www.myspace.com/gasmoneyimprov Check it out!!

One final note, Denise started cooking school this past week! She has class Wednesday nights from 6:30-10:30 for 24 weeks I think. She already loves it and informed me that her knife skills have already improved tremendously. I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared from that comment, but all I know is I'm very excited for her and it is great to see her loving something so much. Plus, I get to eat the food she makes (if it contains veggie ingredients) which is a great bonus!

Okay, here's to a fun weekend for all, and hopefully I'll be able to review Avenue Q next week!

Summer's Over?!

2007-09-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, where has the time gone?! I cannot believe that summer is over and Holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and.....ugh, CHRISTMAS are right around the corner. I have not written on here in SO long because work has been a bit nuts, and Denise and I just could not seem to keep our asses in LA this summer.

Some of our highlights included San Francisco Pride, Sacramento, MISSOURI/IOWA (yes, Denise met the family:), Kern River camping, and so much more. Although I probably could go into great detail about all of those trips, I will spare you the blindnees from staring at the computer that long, and instead just place the photo above to show just how beautiful it was in Iowa this summer. I miss green. :(

Anyway, things have finally settled down a bit and we actually had a low key labor day. Saturday night we went to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to watch the movie "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane." This is a film I had heard so much about and had been wanting to see for awhile. What better way than to watch it in a cemetery under the stars (the few you can see in LA) with good friends, good food (primarily from Trader Joes of course, come on... we're gays), and plenty of wine. It really was a great time, and next weekend we are going to see the Exorcist there!! SO, exciting.

On Sunday Laura, Denise, Shannon, Vince, Justin, and I piled in our cars to make our way to a secret beach Denise knows about in Carpinteria, CA. After 2 hours in the car with traffic not appearing to get any better any time soon, we said fuck it and went to Oxnard. Laura knew of some beaches there. It was a bit crowded, but nothing like the beaches in LA, so it was nice to just chill under an umbrella at the beach and be lazy. The highlight of the day however was in the evening when the waves were breaking on the beach, and right out of the wave jumped 2 dolphins playing. It was AMAZING! They were so close to the shore and it is definitely the best view I have ever had of dolphins in their natural habitat.

On Monday we went over to Vince and Justin's for a bar-b-que, which was nice and low key. Justin and Vince got a new kitten about a month ago, and their dog and the kitty are in love with each other. I put some pictures above of their cuteness.

Denise and I have been watching the Sopranos this summer. I didn't have HBO when it was on, but I heard such great things about it, I decided to add it to my Netflix. We are a bit obsessed. When Denise watches it her Long Island accent comes out (she has repressed it since they moved from there when she was 10;), and she says stuff such as "git atta here," and "hay, hay, hay." Of course she must lift her hands to about waist level, put her palms up, connect her thumb and index finger, and move them up and down when she says this stuff. It is awesome.

So, that is the snapshot of my summer and past weekend. Hopefully I can get back into the habit of writing here more often. Hope all is well!!

Stuff

2007-05-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

So, this last weekend was pretty low key, and that was TOTALLY fine with me. Denise and I have been so busy lately it was really nice to have some time where there really weren't a lot of specific plans.

On Friday night we met our friend Noa and her girlfriend Caity out for Sushi. We had been hearing about Caity for some time, but were beginning to doubt her existence because she was always MIA when we saw Noa. I'm happy to report she is a real person, is really nice and great to talk to. We took them to Denise's sushi place in the valley called Chiba, which is in a pretty rough looking area of town and is in a mini mall. hahaha! However, it is a family owned place and people LOVE it there, and according to everyone at the table, the sushi is amazing. Denise is kind of a sushi snob, so she is very particular about where we go. As for me, since I only eat vegetable rolls with soy paper, I really don't care where we eat because it is pretty hard to mess that up. Anyway, it was great and we all left there feeling like we would explode.

We headed off to Truckstop in West Hollywood. Truckstop is a lesbian night at HERE lounge on Fridays. There is a DJ, two bars, and every so often the bartenders (the girl ones) get up on the bar and dance to music. It is a tad cheesy and Coyote Uglyish, but it is still fun. Unbeknowst to us, it was their 1 year anniversary, so it was packed! We saw several of our friends there, and had a really great time. Eventually, Noa and her girlfriend went to get some chocolate, and Denise and I left soon after. At the door we were stopped by our friend AJ who told us that if we waited like 5 minutes, we would see Michelle (one of the promoters) get pulled up on the bar to dance because it was her Birthday. AJ was distracted for a minute, and Denise said, "Do you care?" and I said, "Not really." So we used our stealth moves to escape.:)

On Saturday we met up with our friend Laura after to lunch to go shopping. We first had to stop by William Sonoma in Beverly Hills to sit on a couch for Denise's mom back in New Orleans, to report the softness and deepness of the couch. hahaha! We walked in there with our cut off jeans, t-shirts, and greasy hair and commenced sitting. The couch we were there to look at was not what her mom wanted, but the sales people were nice and tried to give us alternatives to tell her about. Who knows what will happen, but it was quite funny being in there because everyone was so professional and we just looked like bums. :)

After that, we went to Loehmanns where no one would give two shits about what we were wearing. We browsed and tried on several things, but Laura was most definitely the winner of the day. However, I did become a Loehmanns member, so I got 10% off, woo hoo!

That night, it was off to the Normandie room to say good-bye to someone who is leaving for the UK, and then the Abbey. I really wasn't drinking too much because I have really tried to slow down after Cinco De Mayo. However, Denise was wasted. ahahah! It actually rarely happens that Denise gets this drunk, so it was pretty funny. She kept insisting that she wasn't drunk as she stared at me with her squinty eyes and swerved down the sidewalk. I got her home, put her to bed, and placed a very large bottle of water next to her which I knew she would appreciate in the morning.

On Sunday we went to Frys electronics to help our friend Jess get some things for her new apartment. Frys is one of Denise's most favorite places to go, so she was thrilled to help. After a quick stop at Target, they took me home cause I was starting to feel a bit of a cold coming on. I napped a bit while Denise went to Trader Joes, and then Corey, Phil, and Mark came over for game night, which turned into Denise teaching them to play poker. It was so fun and interesting playing with gay boys. Since we weren't playing for money and didn't designate chips as certain monetary amounts, they would coordinate chip colors and save the "pretty chips" for last. At one point, Corey bet several chips and said, "Lets make this spicy." ahaha! I bet you don't hear that too much in Vegas.

Anyway, it was a nice weekend to help me prep for our 2 marathon camping weekends coming up. This weekend we are camping in Malibu with like 40 lesbians (I'll report back how many guitars and knives there were), and next weekend we are camping in Baja with about 450 burning man people. Should be a WHOLE other experience.

Tomorrow is the 2 hour season finale of LOST and I can barely contain myself. I found a spoiler site that I sent to Denise that said they knew who was going to die, etc. I could not bring myself to look, but Denise did. She says she is not sure how she feels about the person dying. Hmm... Guess I'll know soon! Alright, back to work!

Cinco De Mayo and Stuff

2007-05-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know, last weekend was cinco de mayo, which means copious amounts of alcohol must be consumed. I must say, Denise and I fully obliged.

Starting at around 2 PM we headed out to a fundraiser held every year by a group of lesbians called, Single De Mayo (I will give a moment for the groans). haha! Actually though, it is a great event where they raise money for Teen Line, a teen suicide hot line which helps gay youth. Although it is called "Single" De Mayo, everyone can go of course.

We got to the party around 2:30 and after some confusion about the entrance fee and paying for drinks, we got in. If you are single they will take a Polaroid picture of you to place on the wall, and if someone thinks you are cute, they can leave a note for you. Denise finds it amusing every year to put a note on a friends pic just to make them think someone wrote them. I know, she's cruel. ;)

On the wall they had stickers with various sayings on them color coded. Green = single, and Red (really orange) = Not single. I chose the red sticker which said 'hung like a horse," where Denise chose "Token Straight Girl," and "Couldn't be gayer," because she loves to flip flop (not really, but I've always wanted to use that.) My friend Phil came as well, which I thought was awesome. I love Phil for that reason, he will totally come to lesbian events and not care that he is one of the few gay men there.

After that, we commenced drinking. Through the day we had vodka, took pictures in the photo studio (the party is at a photo studio and it's backlot), snacked on some chips, waited in line to pee, and caught up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile. It was a great day.

Around 8:30 or so (yes, we were there 6 hours) we left to make a stop at the apartment to pick up our friend Corey and went off to my friend Maliha's Birthday party to yes, drink more. I really don't know how many drinks I had at her party, my memory is a bit blurry as to the remainder of the evening. What I do know though, is that I at some point completely forgot to eat anything. So, my main meal of the day had been a veggie burger (no bread mind you) at around noon that day. Yes, it was about to get bad. I passed out in our apartment hall later, and Denise had to literally drag me into the apartment while she struggled to stand up in her own drunkeness. She left me in the floor as she did got the animals and bed ready, then hoisted me in as I was passed out. She is wonderful....

The next morning, the pain I felt in my head and the gurgling in my stomach was pretty much making me wish I was dead. I laid on the couch, puked, ate a bit, still had a headache, felt sick again, stayed on the couch, ate a bit, took a nap, woke up, still had a headache, ate, felt like shit, and on and on and on for the whole day into the night. I can say I really did cinco de mayo justice. I swear, last night is the first time I have had a drop of alcohol since last weekend. Ugh

Anyway, in other news...work is busy, Immigration is still frustrating to deal with, my boss is great, and Denise and I are going to IOWA in July to visit my family. I'm very excited because I have not been home in about a year and half, which is the longest I have gone without going back. Denise has never been to the mid-west, so I look forward to introducing her to loose-meat sandwiches, pork tenderloins, Sterzing potato chips, and corning. hahaha...any more questions as to why I'm a vegan now? ;)

Finally, LOST Wednesday was really awesome but left me with SO many questions, again... So much happened that I really can't recap it all, but if you are interested here is a site I like with screen captures and forums www.humpys.net The episodes just keep getting more and more exciting, but of course, the never ending question of where this is leading is looming in the back ground. I just read that the writers have officially announced that LOST will go on for 3 more seasons, and that's it. I find that both comforting and daunting. One the one hand, it is nice to know that this show will have an end and the writers know where it is going. On the other hand, that means we are only halfway through the story! So, how are they going to keep the show interesting for that long, without revealing too much? I guess we will just have to wait and see...

Alright, it's Friday and I get to go home early! Yea! Have a great weekend!

2007-05-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been SO long since I have posted anything. I have been really busy at work and Denise and I just can't seem to keep our asses in Los Angeles, so it has been difficult to sit down and write.

One high-light of our trips was going to Sacramento to visit Denise's ex Katy and her girlfriend Becky. They are AWESOME and we always have so much fun with them. In the plethora of fun things we did, the most unusual and stand out moment had to have been when we rolled up our jeans and went panning for gold in a small town outside of Sacramento! It all began with my mother seeing some show on the Discovery channel where a father and daughter found gold in the Northern California town of Senora (I think). Ever since that day she has been OBSESSED with me making a trip up North to find our family's fortune in the rivers of California. So, while we were up there, we decided to give it a try to at least humor my mother, but I believe we all had secret dreams of perhaps actually finding something. After the day was done, we did have some flakes, but as Denise so observantly stated, we could probably get more gold out of a bottle of Goldschlager. hahaha! Still, it was a lot of fun and afterwards we went to the local Saloon to drink our sorrows away like real gold prospectors. :)

Last weekend we went to fundraiser for the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. I did an internship (or externship as they call it in law school, don't ask me why) at the Center in their legal department the summer and fall of my second year in law school. I really think they do a lot of good work, so I was willing to fork out the money (well, Denise ended up paying, but the point is I was WILLING to pay. :) to get in. There were VIP tickets for 300.00, then some tickets for 75.00, and then 25.00 tickets to get in around 10:00 for a dance party. We opted for the 25.00 ones, so we showed up at 10:00 all excited and ready to have fun. When I walked in I was shocked! It seemed like there was barely anyone there! Now granted, I don't know how many people showed up earlier for the other performances (and I think dinner), etc., but when we entered the room with the dance floor and stage, the room was not even half full.

At 10PM Leisha Haley (the actress who plays Alice on the L word) and the members of her new band "DJ'd," which meant they brought their iTunes playlist and chose different songs to play, which I thought was hilarious! The songs were great, but the crowd was a little low energy. At one point, they invited us to come on stage and dance with them. Everyone hopped up and was dancing and flailing around, which seemed to invigorated the audience until we were informed that the crowd on the stage was some sort of hazard and we had to get off the stage. Soon after they were done, a new DJ came on stage, and literally, the small amount of people who were there left. I felt SO bad for her because in my opinion, her music was great, but anyone who stayed the event went upstairs for bootie music and fully clothes go go dancers. It was a strange night to say the least....

Again, I can't really say if the venue was packed before my arrival, but my sense tells me it was not. I do not have the answer to this puzzle, but I just cannot understand the inability of lesbians to come out, get together, and raise money for a cause we all have an interest in. Every time I go to a general "gay" fundraising event, I see men everywhere and very few women. Then, even when you focus it on women like at this last event, you still have a struggle getting them there. This is likely part of the reason that most bars, events, and discussions are gay men centered, they bring out the numbers and the money. I know some of this can be explained by the inequality that still exists in today's society when it comes to pay in the workplace. It is very likely that a gay male couple is bringing in much more money than a lesbian couple. Still, we live in the Los Angeles, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and I know there are a lot of lesbians out there with some cash.

One thing I really notice at these events as well, is most of the women that do come out, are older lesbians. What we fondly refer to as a "blazer" event, but we say that in the most lovingly way. In all honesty however, I commend these women for still coming out. I think the problem is the younger generation and what seems to be this growing apathy towards gay causes and perhaps a sense that the "struggle is over." I think living in LA, we are sort of in this bubble of acceptance and ease (not that there is not still homophobia, it just doesn't seem to be as blatant) and we forget that many people around this country still are disowned by their families, battered, and even killed for being out. Also, even in LA, there are LGBT youth and adults who have no families or friends to support them and places like the Gay and Lesbian Center are all they have. I just don't know if it is a lack of understanding...or a lack of caring.

Bottom line: come on ladies, lets just step out of our little bubble for one fucking second and do something for the good of others, without worrying if it fits in with your "image." Alright, lecture over. I will now take my lead from Leslie and the Lys to brighten up the mood:

In other news, the LOST episode was great, well, what I saw of it. Our DVR decided to go on the fritz and I couldn't rewind to see the part we missed. Damn modern technology! It was only the begining few minutes however, it wasn't as big of a deal as it could have been. ;) SO, the big news, Locke's dad is the one who conned Sawyer's (James) family and started Sawyer on his path of revenge, while ironicly taking on the persona of the one he hated. Yet another unusual castaway connection. Also, the big news is that the plane they crashed on the island in was actually found at the bottom of the ocean, and rescue sent little cameras into the sea and saw their bodies. Now, it seems they did not actually bring up the bodies, so they could be "planted" by someone or something. I'm not a fan of the whole "they are really dead and this is pergatory" storyline, so I'm hoping the explanation for all of this is much more interesting. Seeing as how the story for next week looks to be the back story of Ben and the Others, I have a feeling there is much more going on here that will be revealed. This season has really picked up and is getting good!

Alright, well, back to work. Tonight Denise and I are going to check out a new night put on by the FUSE ladies called "BAIT." It is on the eastside at a bar called MJs, which every other night is a gay leather bar...hot. I'll let u know. Toodles!

Dinah Shore 2007

2007-04-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Denise and I made our way to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs last weekend. We decided that we did not want to partake in the whole weekend, so we drove up Saturday and stayed through Sunday.

For those few out there who are wondering why in the world we would waste a perfectly good weekend at a golf terminant, Dinah Shore is so much more than it seems. It has become what many refer to as "lesbian spring break," or "lesbians gone wild." I must say, it deserves both those titles. The first lesbian Dinah Shore lesbian fest was, I learned this past weekend, in April 1991 and it has been going strong every year since. In general, it involves pool parties during the day and dance parties with "special guest" performances at night. However, amoungst those activities are tops flying off, alcohol being guzzled, and random sex taking place in pretty much any location you can think of. Yes, it is insane.

Actually, it was last year at Dinah Shore that Denise and I really got to know each other. NO, not in that way, we just talked. ;) Before that our conversations had been the casual bar talk and nothing else. It took Dinah to show us we had a lot in common. So, this year was in some ways a bit of an anniversary for us.

Anyway, we really didn't make up our minds about going until the last minute, so Denise could only get us a hotel about 16 miles from Palm Springs, and it was a shithole. hahaha! The box spring was exposed on our bed, the comforter had a hole in it, and it seemed some hillbilly serial killer would knock on our door at any minute, it was fun. :)

Why did we wait until the last minute you ask? Well, the main reason being is the promotors of this weekend have raised the prices to a ridiculous point. (please excuse me while i begin a small rant.)

There is the option of purchasing pre-passes to the Dinah Shore weekend. This totals over $200,00! What do you get for that $200.00? You get to enter a pool party at a hotel with a DJ and at various points live music. At night, you get to go into a section of the hotel with a DJ, go go girls, and at times live music. Basically, it is a larger version of Girl Bar here in LA and I only ever pay $5.00 to get in there. Perhaps you don't want to go to all the events, so you want to pay when you get there for activities you want to attend. To get into a pool party alone it is $30.00, and for that large Girl Baresq party, it will cost you $75.00!!!! Can you believe it?!

I just feel this is an example of lesbians exploiting the lack of lesbian centered events in the gay community. In all cities I have lived in, including LA, there are specific clubs for gay men everywhere. Lesbians are lucky to get a darkly lit bar at the end of the street, or if they are really good, a certain night just for them at a local gay bar. This is why these ladies that come to Dinah Shore from all over the country are willing to shell out major cash just to see a go go girl at a dance club and listen to Crystal Waters belt out "100% Pure Love." It really pisses me off. Obviously I realize this is ultimately a business and these women want to make money, but given all the advertisements and promotions I was exposed to over the weekend + the money people spend on drinks, food, etc. , I think these lesbians would do just fine charging, for example, $10 for the pool party and $20 for the night stuff. Lets help each other out instead of contributing to the oppression lesbians face in the world as it is people. Anyway, I digress...

After all that, what did I end up paying for over the weekend? One pool party. :) We didn't go to the pool party Saturday, cause we were late. That night, we were struggling with paying to get into a party because of all the arguments above. We entered the hotel to see just how much a pass was (we did not know the $75.00 price yet). It was chaos as everyone was rushing to see some L word thing, so we just kind of stood there looking confused. I went off to see just how much it was to get in, and when I looked back at Denise and our friend Brody they were frantically waving at me to come back. Someone had just given them bracletts for free to get into the dance party! So, we didn't pay a thing. To make it even better, our friends had a room at the hotel, so we would just go to their room to pee, refill our drinks, and walk right back into the party with a full glass. Ultimately, Denise and I were so drunk that we ended up taking a nap in the back of her pick-up truck (I know, at truck, how lesbian:) to sober up before we drove back to our hotel. It was great. The next day we went to one of the pool parties, and reluctantly paid the $30.00. We swam, we laid out, and we tried to ignore Betty who was performing on stage. Around 5PM or so was made our way back to LA to recover from the weekend. All in all it was pretty fucking fun. :)

Leslie Rocks my World!

2007-03-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to see Leslie and the Lys at the UCLA Hammer Museum. She was awesome and has expanded her show to include dance routines and Internet celebrity guest stars! It was so much fun and she has so much energy it is incredible. Plus, to add to the awesomeoness of Leslie, she is from IOWA!! For the uninformed, I am originally from Burlington, IA. I wouldn't say Burlington is a happening place, but Ames, IA obviously is because it produced this genius act. Anyway, if you are unfamiliar with Leslie and the Lys, check out her web page: http://www.leslieandthelys.com/

After the show, Denise and I rushed home (as much as you can rush in LA traffic) to watch LOST. Yes, it is Wednesday again already! Anyway, it was a good episode, which was to be expected because it involved John Locke. Locke is such an interesting character because he is so attached to the island. I can understand why of course. Before the plane crash he was a paralyzed man with shattered dreams. After the crash he could walk and fulfill his dreams of becoming a bush man. Anyway, we found out how Locke became paralyzed (his dad pushed him out the window), and discovered that he doesn't want anyone getting off that island. He blew up the submarine (which really did exist) and now Jack can't leave either. No one can. John is pretty selfish when it comes to considering others (not the bad "others", just others.:) Anyway, at the very end, creepy Ben opens a door and who is behind it? None other than John's dad, all tied up and ready for a beating. Should be interesting...

Oh yea, it looks like next week someone dies, and Sun's dark side might be revealed. Tune in next week, same bat station, same bat channel.

"Thank you momma for giving me gold pants." *Leslie Hall

Home Sweet Home

2007-03-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to think of myself as a person who was willing to crash anywhere that had a blanket and a pillow. I once told my mother that even when I was in my 80s I was going to have sleep overs with my friends (now that I reflect on that comment, it seems to make more sense.:) Anyway, as I have gotten older, I am beginning to accept that I REALLY get attached to my living space and my BED!

My friend Jess was house-sitting for her boss while he is away on set filming in Louisiana. Last week he asked if Jess could come to visit him, so we said we would take over the house-sitting for the time she was gone. So, here we are, at this peaceful, beautiful, movie lovers dream, and all I want to do is go home. I missed my bed, my animals, and just relaxing after I get home and not needing to go anywhere. We both pretty much slept like shit for all 6 nights, and I plan on going home today after work and sitting in my bed with a big smile on my face. :D On a happier note, we did take full advantage of the large projector room and screener DVDs. I FINALLY was able to see BABEL which was very good and watched LOST on the big screen in HD which was awesome. Also, I loved the kitty there, Cleo.

Speaking of LOST, it was a pretty good episode last night. It was a Claire flashback which was nice because we haven't really seen much of her story for awhile. To sum it all up we learned that she and Jack are half-siblings!! This is due to the fact that Jack's dad has trouble keeping it in his pants when he is in foreign countries. Anyway, that was a nice little revelation (and yet another LOST survivor connection) but the really interesting stuff was with Kate, John, Sayid, the French woman and Mr. Patch Man. They all find the perimeter to where the Others are staying. There are these huge metal poles which have what look like ear muffs on either side that go all around the complex. John pushes Mr. Patch Man past the barrier, Mr. Patch Man says, "Thank You," and there is some sonic sound that explodes his brain, nice... I think John pushed him to kill him because earlier Mr. Patch Man was about to tell everyone John used to be paralyzed. Anyway, the rest of the crew decide to use a large tree to set upon the metal poles to climb over them as to not activate that little brain exploding alarm. Genius! Finally, in the end they get to the Others complex in their final step to save Jack, and who do they see? Well, Jack himself playing a little game of football with one of the Others. HHhmmmmm...brain washing, all part of his plan, who knows, but it made for a GREAT ending. I must say, Kate looked PISSED!

Next week is a John episode, which is usually pretty good stuff.

No updates on the office situation....we are cutting it close.

Songstress

2007-03-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

We went to see Patty Griffin last night...she was amazing. However, I did not go to be until after 1 AM and woke up for some odd reason at 4 AM. I am SO tired today I can barely keep my eyes from shutting. I do not have the capacity to write...I will get back to you after a nap.

2007-03-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Tori Amos has a new album coming out!! I'm oh so very excited if you can't tell. I'm very intrigued by this poster. This woman in the middle of what seems to be suburbia Nevada style, but there is a storm a comin! She has released some tour dates but so far they are only the Europe circuit. I will see her in concert this time! Last time she was in LA I was back in Burlington, IA doing my maid of honor duties for one of my friends I have known since I was 2, so I just didn't feel right telling her she was going to have to find a replacement because I had a date with Tori. Anyway, details to come....

As for work, I have been incredibly busy lately because we have a filing deadline for immigrant petitions known as H-1Bs. These are petitions by employers which employ foreign nationals on a temporary basis. Foreign nationals can be here in the US on these visas for a total of 6 years (in 3 year increments), unless they have another application pending, but that is a whole other story. Anyway, the US government puts a cap on the # of H-1Bs can be issued each year. So, April one is when the new H-1B numbers become available, so EVERYONE is rushing to get all these petitions put together so on March 31 they can send them out so they arrive at immigration on April 1 so they can get in there before all the numbers run out. phew! That is what I have been spending my time doing, getting these ready.

I don't mind the business however, because it makes the days go by. I can also tell that I'm becoming more confidant in my immigration knowledge. Not that I don't have a LONG way to go, but at least when someone asks me a question I am no longer completely clueless.

I missed LOST last night because I was out, but I have it on tape and plan on sitting down with a glass of wine and watching it tonight. I'll let you know what I think.

Finally, I called last night to talk to one of my best friends, Liz (that crazy stinky diver), but she was not home. Instead, I talked to her husband for a bit. They have rental properties, and he told me the drug task force thinks one of their tenants has a meth lab inside the house. Gotta love Iowa, meth capital of the world!! (oh, and in Burlington the curviest street in the world!)

The Ways of Hollywood

2007-03-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last night Denise and I were supposed to go to a screening of the new film "Zodiac." I was very excited because it was directed by David Fincher, the man who did "Se7en" (which I LOVED), and the previews made it out to seem like quite the suspense thriller. Anyway, the passes said to be there a little early (movie started at 7:30). The film was at the Archlight (AMAZING theater in Hollywood) which is right down the street, so we figured 7 PM was good. Obviously we were delusional. When we approached the table a man was telling everyone there were no seats left for this viewing, and he sounded a bit on edge, so we decided not to push it. We were about to leave when we saw a friend of Denise's, Eugene, from work. Eugene said he had some friends in line already, and to follow him.

Ah, the joy we felt as we walked by all the people waiting in line knowing that we had somehow beat the system and were going to see this film despite being told there were no more seats. Eugene's friends were near the front of the line, so we got in with them and gleefully waited. As we were about to reach the front to get our tickets, a woman informed us all that they were at capacity! Ugh! I could not believe it, all that for nothing. Heavy hearted we left the line saying good bye to everyone, except Eugene who was distracted talking to the woman. Denise said, "How about dinner?" I perked up because I was starving, so we went to sushi. (Being a vegetarian, sushi for me consists of veggie rolls in soy paper, but I love the wasabi and soy sauce so it's fine with me.)

Anyway, after all that, Denise IM's me this morning telling me Eugene has a friend who works there that he demanded to talk to after he was told we could not go in, and he got all his friends + a co-worker and his son into the VIP section! He asked what happened to us because he would have gotten us in too. Oh well, as Denise said, we have to learn that when Hollywood peeps say something is at capacity, they only mean at capacity for the common folk. So, looks like we will have to stick with Eugene. Haha!

I didn't really forget to write about LOST yesterday, I just didn't feel like it because once again, not much happened. Hurly's story was sweet, and I enjoyed some optimism on the show, but overall it was a snoozer. Oh, but at the end the French woman came back and Kate told her the Others have her daughter, Alex. No shit?

She'll be Comin Around the Mountain

2007-02-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Work has been busy, which is why there have been a few days between posts. My boss was under the impression that although her lease was up in April, she would be allowed to pay month to month until she found another space. Well, last week the landlord says she has to be out by April 1 because someone wants her space. EEKKK! So, she is scrambling to find office space plus attend to clients, so it is a mess. Anyway, lets hope she finds something because as of April 1 we better be out.

This last weekend Denise and I went to Big Bear which is a place in the mountains with skiing, cabins, shops with endless amounts of crap you don't need, etc. We stayed in a Cabin with 4 other friends and was SUCH a good time. We didn't end up skiing because the mountain was CRAZY being it was the first good snow in awhile, so it sold out! Also, Denise and I weren't sure we wanted to spend the $$$. I think we will go up another time when it is less crowded and nuts so the skiing will be more pleasurable.

Instead, we found a place on the mountain where no one was! We could not believe it given all the people there. Our friends Cathleen and Rhonda met us there and we sled down the hill on our plastic orange saucer that Baron (Denise's dog) thought was a large Frisbee he was destined to destroy. We got some great video and had tears coming down our faces from all the laughing we did. After that, we built a snow woman complete with large tits of course and then posed with her in inappropriate manners. What else would you expect from a bunch of lesbians. ;)

We had a hot tub outside our cabin, so both Friday and Saturday nights we got in even though it was 15 degrees!! For someone living in LA, this is quite a personal feat. :)

Finally, Sunday we went to the "Snow Play" mountain. (I know what it sounds like, but there were kids there...I mean, kids were there but nothing was happening, I mean....I'm retarded).

Anyway, you can rent tubes there and slide down this hill of snow individually or as a group. We went many times as a group grabbing each other's legs, arms, or any appendage you could get your hands on. It was SO much fun...we laughed, we cried, we injured ourselves, it was great.

Denise and I headed back to LA exhausted just in time to make it to my friend Jess's Oscar party at a fabulous house in the hills that she is staying at. It comes fully equip with a private screening room, projector screen, tivo, and a Bugs Bunny themed bathroom. Pretty much perfect. :)

Well, that is all for today...I'll keep you updated on the office sit.

Over and out...

LOST correction

2007-02-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

One other thing I forgot....the children and that woman from the tail section we thought were kidnapped are still alive....whoop dee do!

LOST...promises, promises

2007-02-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is going to be quick because I am pretty busy at work. I will write something more intellectually stimulating later, but I wanted to quickly say how DISAPPOINTED I was by the LOST episode last night.

All week they advertised "3 secrets revealed." Things you have been wondering about this whole time would be solved, blah blah blah.

Up until the credits I was waiting for some huge revelation that never came. Instead, we found out:

1. Where Jack's tattoo came from.
2. The Others do not stay on the island permanently, and it seems they come and go.
3. The Others have a different place they live with "yards."
4. Kate and Sawyer can't agree on anything.
5. Elizabeth Mitchell is in trouble for killing that asshole guy but she is still HOT after all these years.
6. The girl from mommie dearest grew up to have bad hair and a creepy disposition.

Really, as you can see above, nothing big. I really didn't care about Jack's tattoos, the Others come and go but how was not answered, and where they live is not answered, so basically it is more questions. I keep hoping for some things to fall into place or that they will give us some insight into what is going on, but every time my hopes get up, the show never delivers.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there. Feel free to respond with things I may have missed or your take on the episode.

One last thing, does anyone else think that Ben's daughter Alex is hot?! Is it wrong to think that because she is like 18? Anyone?

Power + Ingorance = Lots of fuck ups

2007-02-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

I was listening to NPR on my way to work this morning. Since I sleep in until the last possible minute I have no time to read the paper or keep up with the happenings of the world in any type of visual medium, so I listen to the radio and feel better about myself. :)

NPR has been doing individual pieces all week about the middle east and the division between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. It is a well documented division and a history that is easily accessible for anyone that tries to find out about it. Today's story was about Iraq and the infighting that is happening there now. I caught the tail end of it, but the commentator was basically stating what I have been feeling all along.

Many of the Iraqi people are feeling that even though Saddam was not an ideal ruler, and did some horrific things, at least they had food, water, their children could go to school and they did not have to worry about them being shot or blown-up, etc. At least with Saddam, the people could be united in their hatred of him, and live in peace together. I see similarities between what has happened in Iraq and how the LA gangs (Bloods and Crips) came to be.

Denise and I watched a documentary on HBO called "Bastards of the Party." The film is directed by a current gang member who is trying to change things within the gangs, as opposed to leaving them. In a nut shell, the documentary showed that once organized groups stopped being against an entity (the US govt. as the Black Panthers and the US Group) they turned on each other. In the past, the fight for civil rights unified them despite their differences (being from different areas in the city). Once we took that away from them (by executing their leaders) all they had to fight was each other, and they formed the Bloods and the Crips. That pain and energy had to go somewhere.

Anyway, back to the report, the scholar's in the middle east were basically saying that if anyone had paid just a little bit of attention, it would have been obvious that this division was under the surface and any disruption of power would fuel it. This is exactly what happened. Now the Shiites and the Sunnis do not have a common enemy, so they are beginning to fight each other in the struggle for power.

I wonder what would have happened if we had not done what we did. I wonder if the people of Iraq overturned Saddam themselves, would this have happened? Would the satisfaction of gaining power as a people overcome their sense of division, or would a civil war have broken out anyway. No one can say, because we didn't allow anyone any option.

I get so frustrated with this country because it seems that we do this over and over and never learn. We didn't like the government in Iran, so we help Saddam Hussein fight by giving him money and weapons. Later, the government in Afghanistan was not to our liking, so we helped the Taliban gain power. We all know where this is leading...

The US has a long history of going into a region with no knowledge of the history, no consideration of the consequences of our actions, no analysis of what the ideologies are of the current govt vs the one we are helping put into power. I mean, I really don't see any other Western country making these continual fuck ups...ugh! So, now what do we do? Keep troops over there with people dying everyday for nothing, or bring them home and leave this country in the state of chaos we have created...I really don't have the answers, but it makes me angry.

Alright, I'll step down from my soap box now, I just get riled up sometimes with all the idiocy in the world.

On the life stuff, Denise and I did MEGA laundry last night (6 loads, one of which being a 2 load washer). It feels good to get it done though and have nice clean clothes for this Saturday (tomorrow) which is my BIRTHDAY!!! YIPEEEEEE! We plan to go to the LA Zoo because I have not bee there yet. I'll let you know how it goes. In light of the mega laundry, I had no time to watch any television, but we did start Jarhead (maybe another reason I'm all fired up) which I like so far.

Have a great weekend!!!

(PS: I know this is a somewhat unorganized argument and there is much more to say and conclude, but I'm at work people! :)

Death..is it really the end?

2007-02-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

This morning there is a message for me from my attorney to research a new case we have. I suppose I should say now that my field of focus is Immigration Law. I find it quite interesting, but frustrating at the same time... I think anytime you are working with a government entity, especially during the Bush administration, it is taxing.

Anyway, the case is quite interesting. A US Citizen father filed a petition for his daughter to come to the US. Under immigration laws, US Citizens can file a petition for their spouses, sons, daughters, siblings, etc. to come to the US and gain permanent residence. However, petitions for family members like sons and daughters are subject to "priority dates." For example, at this moment, Immigration is processing petitions of US citizens on behalf of unmarried sons or daughters that were filed in May 2001. So, if a USC was to file a petition today, the wait time for the person to actually come to the US is anywhere from 6-12 years!!! It is insane.

Obviously, a lot can change in this amount of time. In our case, the woman's father died. Generally when that happens, the petition is revoked and the family member cannot come to the US. The only exception being Immigration finding that the petition be approved for "humanitarian reasons." This includes if the foreign national is in poor health, if there is some hardship to a USC if they do not immigrate, revocation of the petition will disrupt the family unit, etc.

There is a sister here in the US, and she wants to reinstate the petition by the father, despite his death, and try to prove to immigration that the petition should be granted based on humanitarian reasons. So, here we are, I'm researching exactly what we need to show, getting some facts about the family, and starting a draft of the letter to immigration. The daughter abroad is the only family member not here in the US, so I would say there is a strong case for family unity. I'll keep you updated!

On a lighter note...lets talk about LOST last night!! I wasn't too interested at first in the Desmond storyline because I'm not that connected to his character....but then when that creepy grey haired woman knew him, knew his future life, and the red shoes man was killed, it got interesting. Then the ending, Charlie is meant to die!! (Sorry, should I have written spoiler ahead?:) Not that I really care a whole lot because I find his character annoying, but what a good twist. Next week looks good too...3 new secrets revealed! We'll see...they have promised us grand revelations before, and I have been disappointed.

Have a great day!

Valentines Day and Such

2007-02-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I awoke to the bed shaking, and since I live in California I thought, "is this an earthquake?" Then I thought the dog was breathing just a bit to heavy. I was about to kick him off the bed when I realized he was not on the bed. I sat up and looked over the edge and there was Denise with a big ol grin on her face. hahaha! Denise is my girlfriend of a little over 9 months. We talked a bit, and then as I turned to my alarm, I saw by the side of the bed my FAVORITE bagel ever, cinnamon crunch! (For those folks from the Lou we know it as St. Louis Bread Co., for the rest of you, Panera Bread.) Also, a bullet from Starbucks which I have been debating on getting ever since I lost mine in the last months of law school. It of course was filled with a Soy Mocha. It was such a wonderful surprise.

I floated down to my car to drive to work, and there on my seat was a Tulip plant and I LOVE Tulips. I opened my purse to put my CD face on the player in my car and inside was a note telling me to play the CD in the stereo, which had been specially prepared for me. It was like a movie and SO romantic, it brought tears to my eyes.

It is funny because in the past I have never had anyone on Valentines Day, and frankly it really didn't mean much to me at all. I view Valentines Day mostly as a Day created by Corporate interests to make money, and on a less cynical side, a day to remind those around you that you love them. I try to always recognize my friends and family on this day, and let them know in a small way how much they mean to me. So, I was never one of those people who were sad on Valentines Day when they didn't have anyone "special" to spend it with, but instead would go to V-Day celebrations (if you don't know it, look it up) or just hang out with friends.

Still, I can't help but think that after a morning like this of such special attention, if I were to loose it, I might be a bit sad next Valentines Day. However, I hope I could keep in mind that I am surrounded by people that love me and that is what this day is all about, being thankful...not how many gifts get left at your doorstep.

I love Denise, and I was amazed by all she did for me, but in the end...it truly is the thought that counts. (xoxoxxox for you my love if you read this.)

Welcome!

2007-02-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Hello World!

This is my first post on this site! I'm new to the blogging world, but someone suggested I should do this, so here I am. I have no idea how exciting the content will be, but if you are interested in ramblings about life as a new lawyer, how to control a little shit of a cat, and just what is the Dharma Initiative, you have come to the right place! Enjoy...