Author Archives: LA Blogger Gal

Sometimes Music Videos are Still Good

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Even on a slow day, I can have a three-way. I’m so much cooler online…

I’ll listen to pretty much any kind of music. I’m not a fan of hardcore rap or of funkadelic jazz (no matter how many times I see Herbie Hancock live), but otherwise, I’m not too picky. I love 80’s new wave – what can I say, music was fun back then. Day to day (well, first and foremost, LA radio sucks worse than any market I’ve lived in before) I listen to mellow, singer songwriter stuff or country. Considering we don’t have an AAA station out here, that pretty much rules out listening to the singer songwriter, cafe kind of stuff. So country it is.

The other fun thing about country, they still do real videos and actually have channels that play them! Which of course means that those guys now how to have fun with videos like back in the day (man, sometimes I sound old). The latest video that’s cracking me up is Brad Paisley’s Online. It’s got a great all star cast and completely matches the humor in the lyrics. William Shatner cracks me up – is that blond Marcia Brady??

Check it out (sorry it can’t be embeded, it’s put up directly by BP’s people).

Help! I Need a Tortellini Salad Recipe ASAP

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Well, maybe it’s not that big of a deal that I need to be all ASAP, but you I do need a recipe. I’ve got book club tomorrow in Santa Monica – no I didn’t read the book, but I did mean to – and I’ve decided to bring pasta salad. I have the cheese tortellini and can pick up anything else I might need, but really, I’m at a loss here.

Normally, I just use tri-colored pasta, add in some chunked veggies, some cheese, maybe some chicken or ham, and toss it all with some dressing or another by our good friend, Paul Newman. But this time around, I’m kind of stuck. I’m thinking that maybe something with a more creamy than vinegary dressing would be nice. But then what veggies? And no cheese because the pasta already has cheese, right?

Obviously, I’m going to flunk pasta salad making 101, so please, feel free to add any suggestions or ideas. Maybe I am a little desperate after all (it’s not like I can change my mind and bake something…we’ve got a forecast of low 90’s today and that means no oven!). So please, help a gal out…I’ll be your new best friend (she says in a sing song voice!) and I’ll be very, very grateful 😉

Do You Have a Diet Soda Addiction?

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I only ask because I wonder this myself.  Shine (you know, Yahoo’s new “womens” network) did a story the other day (thanks go input from Hungry Girl and quite a few folks commented regarding their own addiction to diet sodas. I’m not sure sure I’m an “addict” as I don’t seem to show any of the “side effects” that most talk about.  To be honest, I can go days without caffeine without so much as a migraine (and I actually suffer from migraines from time to time).  But I do wonder if many of the folks leaving comments about migraines and general aches are actually talking about a diet soda addiction or something more akin to a basic caffeine addiction.

If you are thinking about kicking the diet soda habit (I do hear that it’s quite bad for you – especially the aspartame)  then let this list of alternative drinks over at Noshtopia help you out.  Kelly the Kitchen Kop also has some helpful advice.  Me, I think I’m ready to cut down (more than I already do).  I think I’ll be going back to water or iced tea as my beverages of choice when I’m out of the house – I drank far too much Coke while I was sick for me to feel comfortable with myself.

Not Fair!!

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Consider yourself warned that this will be the post where a grown adult bitches about zits…

Really.  How is it even possible that continue to get zits when you’re damn near pushing forty?  Isn’t it bad enough that I blessed with horrible skin through most of my adult life.  Isn’t the fact that I have to pay a pretty penny to see a dermatologist (not covered by my basic co-pay) on a regular basis painful enough?  What about the $60+ prescriptions that bleach my clothes and my bedding?

While I don’t mind the occasional, monthly, PMSy blemish from time to time.  But really, the painful ones?  The ones that take nearly a week to surface at which time you’ve dried up half your chin with the prescriptions, yet it’s still there?  Come on, give a gal a break.  Let me have some clear, blemish (and crater) -free skin for longer than a month please.  Shouldn’t I at least be rewarded in some way for getting older and getting even closer to 40?  When is it going to stop?!?!?!

*sigh*

Fun With War Crimes

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My friend’s boyfriend has been hard at work creating a video series.  Help it go viral – rate it and favorite it.  Check out their trailer…

Here’s what he has to say about the series…

I’ve created a comedy web series that puts the Bush Administration on trial. It’s called “Fun With War Crimes.” You can view the first trailer for the series on YouTube. I think you will like it…

Fun With War Crimes Trailer

(Or just have people do a search on YouTube for Fun With War Crimes.)

If you’re a YouTube subscriber, rate the video, comment, make it a favorite.

The series launches on May 1st, the 5th anniversary of Bush declaring “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq. We at FWWC are reaching out to like minded people. So pass the link on to as many people as you can, and ask them to do the same. If we do our viral job right, by tomorrow, I will be in an orange jump suit in Guantanamo Bay.

But if you don’t like the trailer. If you think it makes me unpatriotic, a bad American. Please, pass the link on to everyone you think will despise it, too. We’ll take the hate views. (Does anybody know how to get a hold of Bill O’Reilly?)

Other places of Fun With War Crimes interest:

YouTube Subscribers: subscribe to the 8 part series

Our site: funwithwarcrimes.com (A teaser page. Our full site launches with the series May 1.)

MySpace: www.myspace.com/funwithwarcrimes

Thanks! And enjoy the trailer.

Bring On The Clients!

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I just got back from a beauty, southern Californian outdoor cafe kind of lunch.  I was meeting with Lisa Steadman, of the BreakUp Chronicles (and author of It’s A Break Up, Not a Break Down).  She’s a fellow LWLer and I wanted to catch up with her so that I could interview her for my site later.

Overall, it was a wonderful lunch (well, my salad was a little lame, but the company more than made up for it).  We covered everything from women in business just starting out, the upcoming LWL Live event, service menus, coaching.  You name it.  I have to say, she really gave me the motivation I needed to get focused about turning my free workshops into making some real income.

I’m really pumped to get moving on this business thing.  In fact, I had already schedule my May off from leading the free LWL workshops (though I am still considering doing Santa Barbara ones).  I figured I would take the time to 1) celebrate my birthday ALL.MONTH.LONG of course and 2) focus on learning how to line up some paid workshops.  So this was all perfect timing.

Also, for anyone in the LA area interested in getting some help getting a business going, the good folks at PerfectBusiness.com will be leading a free workshop Saturday the 19th in downtown LA.  I’ll be there as well hoping to get some insight.  With luck, I might even be able to swing a speaking engagement out of it.  It could happen.

Okay, enough procrastinating.  I still my article on blogging to finish up.  I just need my closing paragraph and it’s ready to go to the boss lady.  I have to say though, writing a 700ish word article on blogging basics…not so easy when it all depends on certain basic knowledge.  Hopefully it will go over okay.

PS – I really need to purge and merge my categories.  Since merging the two blogs I have far too many duplicate categories and it bugs me.

Blog, Blogger, Blogging

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As you may or may not know, I’ve been teaching some workshops for the LWL group on blogging basics.  For the most part, I’m working on introducing the blogosphere to these busy, start-up, business women and letting them know how blogging and commenting in blogs can help improve their business (or at least their search engine rankings).

It’s been pretty basic thus far, but I’m ready to reach out further and expand my horizons.  So in the process, I’ve been reading a lot of blogging blogs, women in business blogs, business blogs and well, tons of books on the subject as well.  I’m taking it all in wherever I can. 

So currently, I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

  • The best blogging techniques.
  • How to get traffic to your blog.
  • How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

I’m a Prisoner in My Own Home!

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I hate this waiting.  Just sitting here, not able to leave.  Why?  Well, because I’m expecting a wine shipment.  Knowing my luck, if I leave, I’ll miss the UPS guy and then I’ll just have to wait around yet another day.  Interestingly, my UPS guy is normally here before noon.  And now, well, now it’s nearly 4:00PM.

I guess I should be thankful that we have something for dinner so I won’t have to run out last minute.  Of course, I’m going nuts without the milk.  I’m craving tea like crazy since I can’t have a cuppa of course.  But I can always just walk up to the corner – after the wine gets here – and pick some up.

Onto to something totally unrelated…purses.  I’m currently shuffling back and forth between three and can’t seem to make up my mind as to which one to move into already.  Of course, I really, really want a new purse (some might call it a little bit of an addiction), but I’m doing my best to not go there.  Then again, I’m having issues with just how much some purses cost these days – which is code for I’m lusting after a Cole Haan – and why is a decent patent clutch costing $7oish these days?

So how many purses do you own?  More importantly, how many purses do you actually use?  Do you buy new ones each season or each year?

What I Am Doing VS What I Should Be Doing

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What I Am Doing

I’m transferring all my blackberry photos (man some of them really suck) to the memory card so I can add them to flickr.

I’m sitting her (dressed for once – yoga pants still count as being dressed, right?) putzing around reading blogs and other online stuff.

I’m twittering and twittering – basically talking to myself.

I’m waiting for the UPS guy to deliver our wine shipment – of course it was a 9:00am – 5:00pm window.

I’m sitting her shivering just a bit with cold hands because I’m out of milk and don’t feel like herbal tea.

What I Should Be Doing

I should be writing an article on blogging for LWL.

I should be catching up on some business reading so I can prepare for my next workshop.

I should be editing the interview I did months ago so I can get that up on my site.

I should be writing up a slew of interview questions for various authors.

I should be writing up and editing a couple of blog posts for my site.

I should be responding to the emails I have sitting in my inbox waiting for me.

I should be finding a location where I can lead paid workshops.

I should be folding the laundry properly and washing the current batch.

I should be vacuuming – or at least scheduling a cleaning lady.

I should be looking for something to make for dinner tonight and tomorrow (and buying that milk for my tea!)

Well, it looks like there’s more that I should be doing than I currently am doing.  Guess I should get busy then, huh?