Author Archives: LA Blogger Gal

I Don’t Feel Like It and You Can’t Make Me!

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I feel like Seth Godin wrote today’s post “I Don’t Feel Like It” just for me.  For a while now, I seem to have been either fighting myself or holding myself back.  And whenever I stop to question what the hell it is I’m doing (or in this case NOT doing) I find myself falling back on the “I don’t feel like it” whine.

All I can say is NO MORE!

We’re going to tell a new story now.

I don’t feel like it

What’s it?

Why do you need to feel like something in order to do the work? They call it work because it’s difficult, not because it’s something you need to feel like.

Very few people wake up in the morning and feel like taking big risks or feel like digging deep for something that has eluded them. People don’t usually feel like pushing themselves harder than they’ve pushed before or having conversations that might be uncomfortable.

Of course, your feelings are irrelevant to whether or not the market expects great work. Do the work. Ignore the feelings part and the work will follow.

I Love Supporting Women-Owned Businesses

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So a while back, I mentioned the awesome LA Cupcake Tour I was lucky to go on thanks to the Best of Tours folks and GM/Chevy.  This time around, the Best of Tours/Chevy gang were partnering with CraveLA for their take on the Best of Women Owned Businesses in Los Angeles.

A little full disclosure before we even get started…1) I know Nicole, the gal in charge of creating the Crave LA book and 2) I’m actually one of the featured Intelligentsia in the upcoming LA book.

Now that that little bit of clarification is over with, let’s get on with it.

For starters, we have the vehicles: Camero, Avalanche, Equinox and Malibu. Luxury all the way.  I wasn’t able to ride in all of them, but I was able to check out both the Avalanche and Equinox.  And if I didn’t say it last time…I’m loving that Equinox.  And chauffeur driven shopping, who could ask for more (unless we were maybe getting paid to shop too…that would be just too good to be true.).

Onto CRAVE (twitter): It all started in Seattle in 2001 when Melody Biringer realized that she was missing spending time with her friends.  Many were being pulled in different directions due to the work, family and social lives.  Melody thought a new way to connect was in order and CRAVE was born.  To put it in their own words, “CRAVE innovatively connects urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in town. Soirees, gatherings and online networking—we are your guide to everything you CRAVE in your city.” What a fun concept!

The gang at Best of Tours/Chevy and CraveLA did an amazing job of picking our locations.  Of course, out of the possible 125 women owned businesses to be featured in the book, we wouldn’t be able to visit each and every one of them.  We started with just four this time around: Calleen Cordero, The Dry Bar, Studio Beauty Mix and Valerie Confections.  And what a fantastic group to start with.

I would like to spend a little more time on each business, so for now, I’m just going to keep it short and sweet.  That plus, I’d really like to visit each of them another time where I can maybe spend a little more time chatting with the fab women in charge as well as their products and services.  Well, that and I don’t want this post to be forever long with photos and rambling.

So until then we’ve got this…

First up, Calleen Cordero (website | twitter) on Beverly.  Calleen makes some of the most amazing and fabulous looking shoes and bags you’ve every seen.  Everything is made by hand, from the carved wooden soles to the rivets in the design.  Just gorgeous.

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Onto The Dry Bar (website | twitter) in Brentwood.  The Dry Bar is not a bar at all…it’s better! It’s perky salon that only does blow outs.  No cuts.  No colors.  Just a wash and style for $35.  What this concept so long to come to be?  Definitely worth checking out when you want that fantastic blow out…I was eying the Cosmopolitan, big-curl style myself.  I will be back.

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Next up, Studio Beauty Mix (website | twitter) at Fred Segal in Santa Monica.  Oh.my.god.  Why have I never been to this store before?  It’s like Sephora meets Lucky Magazine meets Nordstrom with your own personal shopper…but better!  This boutique has everything from hair products, skincare, bath products, make up, candles and perfumes (I can’t wait to play around with creating my own fragrance at the Memoire Liquide counter) and even JimmyJane vibrators (I’m sure you’ve heard about their “FU*K LIMITED” 24k gold and stainless steel vibes).  I could get lost in this store.

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And our final stop after a long drive through the city was Valerie’s Confections (website | twitter) located somewhere between Koreatown and Silver Lake. It may have been a long drive, but it was so very worth it. Valerie let us sample a couple of her handmade chocolates and all I can say is wow!  You heard each and every one of us ooh, ahh, mmm or exclaim in delight over how amazing her chocolates were.  I can’t decide which I liked best, the caramel, the champagne truffle, the salted toffee or the rose chocolate.  I do know that I came home with some toffee bites and two caramels and neither lasted the night.  Yes, they were that good.

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The day lasted quite a bit longer than I think anyone expected.  But I have to say, it was so worth it.  All I can say is I sure hope that CraveLA and Best of Tours decide to do a couple more of these tours supporting local women owned businesses.  With 125 women in the book, there’s bound to be more stores and restaurants to visit.

Did I shop? You better believe it.

Will I be back to visit each and every store on the tour?  Oh, hell yes!

Will I tell everyone about how I spend my weekend?  I think I just did. 😉

CraveLA, thank you for introducing me to some fabulous new places to spend my hard earned money.  Best of Tours/Chevy, thanks for helping to put it all together.

The Hollywood Sign Goes Political: Save the Peak

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This weekend the world famous Hollywood sign went a different way and tried some activism on for size.

Save the Peak: Hollywood Sign Goes Political

The event was to publicize efforts to raise money to acquire Cahuenga Peak, the 138-acre parcel just to the west of the sign, and add the land to Griffith Park. The parcel of land has been sold to the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land for $11.7 million.  And if this sale goes through, the land is rumored to be developed into (still more) luxury homes.

If the community decides to stop the sale and purchase the land and leave it as designated “open space” they will need to come up with $12.5 million to cover costs.

Many locals and city officials assumed that the sign was part of the city’s Griffith Park.   At the time it was sold, its history came to light:

Billionaire Howard Hughes bought the land in 1940 with the idea to build a romantic hilltop home for his love, actress Ginger Rogers. “We’ll live up here by ourselves with the world far below,” he told her. The gesture, however, didn’t sit too well with Rogers who feared he would lock her up and never let her see anyone. The two broke up and the land was put in Hughes’ trust for 62 years until it was sold.

As the market began to crash, so did the new owner’s bloated $22-million asking price. Last year, the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land entered into a one-year due diligence period with Fox River Financial Resources for a total of $12.5 million. The goal is to purchase the land and deed it over to the city’s Griffith Park, but to date, only $6.3 million has been secured. By April 14th, the rest of the money is due or the property risks being sold to other buyers.

This is not the first time this LA landmark, which originally read “HOLLYWOODLAND” has been altered or gone political. It has also been altered to read “CALTECH,” “HOLLYWeeD” and a few other phrases through the years.

You can show your support and donate at The Trust for Public Land – we have until April 14th to save the hill.

Source: LAist

By Lauren Luke’s Valentine’s Promotion: A Sony VAIO Giveaway

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I’m not doing a giveaway here myself, but I just thought I’d share the info.  I mean who wouldn’t want a chance to win a free laptop, right?  And did I mention that it’s PINK??

During February Lauren Luke is partnering with Sony for a special giveaway. Valentine’s Day is all about making someone feel special, and that’s just what Lauren aims to do through her makeup line, video tutorials, and social media outreach. Coming right off the heels of her “Inspiration Nation Tour” and to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Lauren is giving away a pink Sony VAIO laptop through a contest on her website ByLaurenLuke.

Contest starts February 12th and ends February 28th.
The winner will be announced March 7th

To Enter
Lauren’s friends and fans should visit ByLaurenLuke to tell us what they LOVE and how it has inspired them to do something unexpected. Their love story can be between them and anything from a significant other — spouse, mother, a child or best friend – to… well, makeup even. Whatever it is, Lauren wants to hear about it. A winner will be selected by the Lauren Luke team based on their level of passion, originality, and inspiration.

For more information on Lauren, her makeup line or the Valentine’s Day promotion, visit ByLaurenLuke

What Folks Are Say About Lauren Luke
“It’s amazing to see someone using YouTube to change not only their own life, but the lives of so many others.”
– Chad Hurley, YouTube Founder

“It’s that voice of every woman looking in the mirror and fantasizing what they can do with makeup. She demonstrates it step-by-step and makes you think you can do it too.”
– Linda Wells, Allure Editor in Chief

“Her appeal is that she is the Everywoman. She connects on an emotional level, and her quirky honesty is infectious.”
– Ed Burstell, former Vice President at Bergdorf Goodman

“She seems an unlikely candidate to shake up the beauty world. And yet it appears she is doing just that.”
– Ruth La Ferla, The New York Times (Styles section


PS: seems like mis-spoke before and it’s not sleepy pugs that she has (thought all that snoring could only come from pugs – LOL)

Crazy Cat Lady Aside…

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Apparently, you can take the elementary school teacher out of the classroom for over 10 years, but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher…

Setting the Scene: I’m at the sink washing dishes.  I just finished putting the chili together and had given the boys some of the grease from the ground beef.

From over the sink, I yell out the cat: “are you finished there Charlie?  Can you bring your tray to me?”

From the husband in living room: “what did you ask him to bring you?”

Me, still washing dishes: “his tray, why?”

The husband, chuckling to himself: “tray? you mean the bowl?”

Me: “yeah, his bowl. That’s what I said.”

Moral: I guess after years of asking the kids to pick up their trays so we can move on after lunch in the cafeteria, I apparently still think everyone (more importantly, my cat) eats their meals off of a tray…sigh.

That and well, I must be well on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady as I’m fully expecting my cat to walk his dirty dish right on over to me when he’s done…let alone talking to him like he’s human.

That Was One Helluva Massage….Ouch!

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I didn’t realize how busy my week was until I had to cancel my scheduled day today.  I’ve basically been booking my days solid with client phone calls and meetings.

Today I was scheduled to visit with one of our clients down San Diego way but had to reschedule.  Dork that I am, I booked a massage before my chiropractic adjustment and well, managed to mess up my back.

Yes, you read that correctly.  I got a massage (before my scheduled chiropractic adjustment).  And yes, that massage fucked up my back.  So much so that I could barely walk out the door.

So I rescheduled today’s drive down south and decided to stay close to home today.  And sit with some ice.

Little did I know that this being the first day in over a week that I had a “free” day, I would also lose any motivation to do much of anything.  Which I guess could be a good thing considering the hubby came home sick today.  If only I had a good, non-business book to sink into.

And then there’s Valentine’s Day coming up…I can’t decide if we should stay in and cook (as I’ve done in the past), just order in something like Chinese or Indian, or maybe, since it’s a weekend to just go ahead and head out somewhere.  I’m just typically not a fan of the prix fixe menus and massively increased prices solely because it’s Valentine’s Day.  Eh, then again, I’m one of those that really do see the Hallmark-ization of the day.  Who knows.

That said, it’s time to settle down with an ice pack yet again, so…what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Escape From Antibiotics

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Yikes, in the past three years, I’ve written 25 posts about having sinus challenges.  Now imagine how many of posts in the past three years (too many to reread in my book) were written while I was feeling crappy with sinus issues and didn’t bother mentioning it.

Now that’s a whole helluva LOT of antibiotics.

So much so that most of the time last year, I was one some pretty heavy duty stuff.  And yes, this was starting to worry me (and my doctor) so we started talking surgery.  Right about that time, I started doing a little research.  I remembered reading about Wil Weaton’s sinus surgery a while back and it was sounding a bit scary.

Then I found Sinus Wars.  Basically, they offer up various homeopathic formulas to help to alleviate if not reverse the symptoms.  They had rave reviews and I figured what the hell, I’ll give it a shot.  Not much of an investment…forty bucks.  And if it worked, it would save me plenty.

And I am so glad I did.  For the most part, my symptoms are nearly gone.  All my symptoms.  And I’m one happy camper.

So for the past six or so months, I’ve been free of antibiotics and any sort of sinus pain, pressure or annoyance.  Woohoo!!

Until yesterday, that is.

*sigh*

Seems my acne has been acting up again and has started getting cystic.  So off I went to the dermatologist to see if we could change up my topical perscription.  I figured it would be a simple change up.

Imagine my surprise when she put me on antibiotics.  And not just any antiobiotics mind you. Nope. I’m back on the heavy duty shit for the next two months.

So now I wonder (besides why I’m a 40 year-old still breaking out) if it was all the antibiotics from the sinus infections that maybe kept my acne in check.  Or if I’m just made that way.

“Dr. M. Alan Menter, chief of dermatology at Baylor Medical Center in Texas, says the problem is worse in women than men, with more than half of women between ages 25 and 58 getting some degree of adult acne.”

That’s insane.  But also my saving grace…knowing that I’m not alone.  But I’m more than ready for clean skin again.  So if I must take antibiotics, then I will.  I’ll just be sure to supplement any other antibiotic-related illnesses with colloidal silver and nutrients.

Sometimes I Gal Just Needs a Little Pretty

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This Friday, I was invited to the launch of a new hysterically funny and deliciously offensive mockumentary, Pretty: The Series.

After a little bit of a bumpy (but giggly) start with some AV mishaps, we were treated to the first three episodes and a blooper real of the series.  After having reviewed the first episode for my write-up, I was surprised to find out how much dialog I actually missed because we were all laughing so hard.

This funny and amusingly offensive mockumentary series centers around the world of children’s beauty pageants (the “Miss Stars Eyes Pageant” to be precise). The setup goes like this: Michael Champagne (Sam Pancake) is the very proud, if not a little “swishy” father to Annette (Stacy McQueen), our little pageant princess (who happens to be played by an adult). Michale is married to Ribina (Dee Freeman), the professional smoker that supports the family, who is fooling around every chance she gets with Michael’s brother, Ethan (Troy Conrad). Whew.

It’s written and directed by Steve Silverman, who says, “It’s ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ meets ‘Reno 911’ meets everything that’s politically incorrect, but just a whole heck of a lot of fun to say out loud in the world today.”

The laughs (and the series) officially launches today, February 1st. But episodes can be pulled up online all day everyday at their website, www.prettytheseries.com.

Here’s the official trailer to tease you a little…then head on over to check out the first episode and be prepared to chuckle your way through the four minute clip.