Category Archives: LA fun

Win FREE Tickets to the Sassy City Chicks Spring Fashion Bash

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SPRING INTO FASHION: SASSY CITY CHICKS RETURN TO THE PETERSEN FOR ANOTHER FASHION BASH

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WHO: Sassy City Chicks Los Angeles Fashion Bash

WHAT: A highly-anticipated Shopping Event for women in Los Angeles, hosted at The Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd.- the opportunity to shop spring fashions at prices up to 80% off retail and a raffle to include select media to promote the event. Find deep discounts from labels like Kova & T, Genetic Denim, Ella Moss, BB Dakota, LNA, and more! Featuring fab swag bags, complimentary spa services, and FREE Svedka martinis.

WHEN: Thursday, March 24th 2011 from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

WIN FREE TICKETS! The first 25 shoppers to enter ‘BLOGGER GAL’ at checkout will receive a FREE Sassy Tote Ticket!

Don’t want to risk not winning? Then enter ‘LA12’ at checkout for 50% OFF a Sassy Tote Ticket or ‘GEN AD’ for free general admission (gift bag not included).

I was lucky enough to attend last year and had a blast!  I left with a new necklace, two new rings and was *this* close to leaving with a hot new purse.  They’ve got some great deals and it’s in a great and fun venue.

Would love to see you there!

ChickChat LA: There’s a New Women’s Networking Group in Town

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Ladies, there’s a new networking group in town for professional, savvy women and I’m honored to be a part of their “Let Them Eat Cake” ChickChat LA launch party on Wednesday, February 23rd.

It’s sure to be a decadent, French-themed soiree. And instead of feeling guilty for letting those New Year resolutions fall to the wayside, we’ll all be toasting the remainder of the year with wine, martinis, champagne, and of course…cake.

And because they believe that a woman can have her cake and eat it too, you’ll have the opportunity to Speed Network with Coaches (like avec moi!) who will help you create a plan for moving forward with your goals in 2011…or maybe they’ll help you find some better and more exciting goals 😉

Included in your ($40 door) ticket price are:

  • Wine Tasting
  • Moet Hennessy Champagne
  • French Martinis, sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka
  • Dry Soda
  • And of course…French nibbles

A portion of the proceeds from the evening will benefit Dress For Success. And anyone who brings a business/work appropriate belt to donate to Dress For Success will be entered into a raffle to win a Zune MP3 Player.

For more information About ChickChat LA and the Let Them Eat Cake launch party, click here.

Hope to see you there!!

Things Change. Life Happens.

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Go for it now.  The future is promised to no one.

~ Wayne Dyer

Wow. I guess I didn’t realize just how long I’ve been gone from here. My last post was Thanksgiving Day – over 2 months ago.

Not cool.

I think I’ve been avoiding coming over here because well, like the title says…life happens and things change.  I felt more of a draw to my business blog and newsletter than to chat about life here in LA.  And of course, it doesn’t help that we haven’t really been up to much locally.  Funny how when the resources dry up, the going out also seems to dry up.

Which makes me think that I might go out and change up the focus here on the blog a bit.  While it will still be more of a personal, out and about sort of thing, I’m thinking that I’d like to try my hand at sharing some of my favorite things.  This might include…places to see, books to read, recipes to try, words and thoughts to motivate.  Who knows.

And while I won’t allow another 2 months to go by between posts, I won’t be writing daily.  But I will be here and I will continue to share tidbits and ramblings from the life and times of this LA Blogger Gal.

What I Love About October

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Harvest Charlie

October means many things to many people. For some it’s the start of the official fall season. For others it’s the fun of Halloween. For others, fall harvest and colorful leaves.

For me, I love how October brings forth the following:

Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins! Pumpkin spice coffees. Pumpkin muffins and breads. Pumpkin facials. You name it, pumpkin is everywhere.

Cranberries!! After pumpkin flavored everything, I love the how cranberries are everywhere…in mojitos, in salads, in muffins and white chocolate chip cookies! Love it!

Fuzzy blankets! In our home, the favorite blanket is the microfiber, faux shearling throw. When that blanket comes out, the cat and the dog are all over it. In fact, I typically have to fight them for it.

Fuzzy Footwear!! As much as I love me some flip flops, I also love me some Uggs (or in my my case, faux-uggs). There’s just something about warm fuzzy boots…they’re like slippers, only they’re shoes. I also picked up a pair of Ugg (non-faux) clogs last winter and I can’t wait to dig those babies out.

Tea!! I love tea. I love whole pots of tea! I love starting the day with a cuppa milky, sweet, black tea. And once the cooler temps hit, I’m able to drink copious cups of tea! Yay!

Scarves!! This time of year, especially here in LA, our days can still be warm, but our evenings are chilly. So now I get to pull out my collection of scarves and have fun!

Rainy Season!!! I think this has to be my favorite time of year here in LA. We don’t exactly get seasonal changes so there’s not much to look forward to. But every October, the rains come. Granted, it’s nothing like monsoon season in the SouthWest, but it’s still nice to know that there’s a bit of a rainy season.

Now if I could only get it to rain hard enough to actually clean my car instead of turning it to a muddy, misty mess.

It’s National Coffee Day!!!

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While I’m not an addict by any means, I do enjoy a good cup of coffee.  Even better when I’m able to toast to a fun national holiday like National Coffee Day.

In the spirit of this fantastic national holiday, many local and national coffee shops are giving away free and selling discounted coffee. Participating Dunkin Donuts are offering a free cup of coffee and they’re donating a portion of their sales to Special Olympics.

While I hear great things about Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, sadly, we don’t have any here in the greater LA area, so I opted to celebrate by enjoying an iced coffee at my local McDonald’s (no, it wasn’t free, but it was yummy!)

For more coffee antics, check out the Facebook event dedicated to the day.  And if you can’t make it out in this heat for a cup of joe, try brewing your own cold-brewed iced coffee – it takes a good 24 hours for great brew, but so very worth it!

What’s your favorite thing about coffee?

Did You Go To Blogger Prom?

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Last Wednesday was one of the coolest parties in LA, the 2nd annual Blogger Prom. This a big deal and a great way to mingle with other local bloggers. And of course, since it was basically started by a slew of foodie bloggers, you better believe it’s a killer party.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend this year (yes, sick again). I can’t figure out what I was more bummed about…missing the awesome fashion, the amazing food and drinks (I can’t believe I missed the The Cheese Impresario!), the giveaways (oh sweet Jesus, the giveaways!) or the swag bag (I heard the swag bag was beyond killer!).

Last year, they had an 80’s prom theme (which I totally failed when it came to my outfit) and this year it was a Hollywood Confidential theme. Imagine all those gorgeous dresses, fantastic hairstyles and the dramatic make up.

For photos and recaps of the event (you know, from people who were actually there), check out the official Blogger Prom blog, the photographer’s official photos, their Facbook Page and their Flickr page.  Now you can be bummed that you missed out on a great party too.

Can’t wait for next year’s prom!!

Bonfire At The Beach: A SoCal Must

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Bolsa Chica Bonfire 05.03.08_0072.JPG

Yesterday was a first for me.  It was my very first bonfire at the beach.  And it was as cool as I always imagined it would be.

It was our youngest niece’s 14th birthday.  And instead of sweating it out in the Inland Empire like we typically do, they opted for a day at the beach.  You better believe I was behind that!  And while I’m not a huge play at the beach and frolic in the waves kinda gal (long story…but it has to do with being a Jersey Girl and hypodermic needles and raw sewage visiting our local beaches), I was all over experiencing this California bonfire tradition.

We’ve driven past the Bolsa Chica beach many times and I’ve always been in awe of the bonfires.  Turns out, it’s one of the few beaches that allows bonfires in the greater LA area (here’s a list of CA beaches that allow fires).  What makes it such a cool experience is that they have the concrete firepits already there and waiting for you.  You still have to bring your own wood (or buy wood from vendors).  But other than that, it’s all good.

Being that close to the ocean, and the ocean breezes leads to some might cold temperatures and quite a bit of smoke and wayward ash.  But it’s so worth it if you ask me.  Though I can’t imagine what it must be like in the winter months.

We got to the party late (fully intending to just experience the bonfire part of the event), after the sun had already set and the fire was roaring hot.  Which was great, because it was freezing (even in late July).  Luckily we still had jackets and a blanket in the car (especially considering I dressed for summer cute and not beachy cold).

I even thought ahead to pick up the ingredients for some s’mores.  Too bad the fam forgot to bring the sticks – LOL.  We managed to make a couple using the BBQ fork, but with that roaring fire, it wasn’t easy.

Oh well, maybe next time.  And I’ve no doubt, now that the nieces and nephews are getting older, that there will be a next time.

Photo: C o l i n

Kisses: What You Give When You Have Nothing Else to Give

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This weekend, as part of a beat the heat promotion, Anthem Magazine was giving away passes to the Irish movie, Kisses.  And yes, yours truly was lucky enough to not only win a pair, but was able to beat the heat as well!

While it didn’t have the happy ending that most of us Americans have come to appreciate, it was a great movie about two teenagers running away from home and heading into Dublin on Christmas Eve (full synopsis below the video trailer).  If it comes to your neighborhood or on-demand, check it out.  As Anthem Magazine puts it, it “features an original score by Lance Daly’s band, Go Blimps Go, as well as half a dozen Bob Dylan tracks, making the movie perfect for the audiophile and film buff alike.”

And yes, it is in English with English sub-titles.  I have to say, we’d have been lost without them.  Oh, and totally unrelated…I have pictures of that very Christmas tree in Dublin 😉

Synopsis

“On the fringes of Dublin two kids, Kylie and Dylan, live in a suburban housing estate devoid of life, colour and the prospect of escape. Kylie lives with five other siblings and her overworked mother. Next door, Dylan lives in the shadow of an alcoholic father and the memory of an elder brother who ran away from home two years earlier. After a violent altercation with his father, Dylan runs away from home and Kylie decides to run away with him. Together they make their way to the magical night time lights of inner city Dublin, to search for Dylan’s brother, and in the hope of finding, through him, the possibility of a new life. Lance Daly’s vision of Dublin, as seen through the innocent eyes of our protagonists, is a kaleidoscope of magic, wonder and mystery. But as the night wears on, and Dublin takes on a darker character, the two kids have to rely on the kindness of strangers, the advice of Bob Dylan and their trust in each other to survive the night.”

It’s Summertime And The Living is Easy!

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Lifeguard Stand

After a month or so of some June Gloom, summer has hit LA hard!  We went from days in the mid-70’s to days in the 100’s.  This is something I was hoping to avoid as much as possible.

Luckily,  this year won’t be nearly as difficult as the last years.  While we are still in the same apartment (we didn’t feel comfortable moving since both of us are now working from home), we picked up a portable AC unit for the back office.  So now we have two rooms that are cool enough to spend some time in.  And since the new unit is portable and small enough to move about, we can move it into the bedroom if it gets too hot in there.

Finally, we can beat the crazy Valley heat!!

Of course, in full disclosure, the actually KEEP the cool in the living room, we had to go a little ghetto and use something to block the doorway into the hall o’hellish heat.  So we have a piece of white foamcore blocking it.  It stands about 3.5 feet high and it makes a HUGE difference in keeping that room cool.  At this point, I’ll take what I can get, and this sure as hell works.

It’s keeping things so much cooler that I actually had the brilliant idea to tackle the fridge…inside and out!  Of course, the sink is too small to fit the entire shelf and the drawers, so I’m dragging it all outside.  Shelf by shelf.  Piece by piece.  The half-shelves sure look good!

And I’m just telling myself, as I sweat through it all, that I’m just clearing the clutter and old energy to bring in something bigger and better!  I can’t exactly get a new place to love if I don’t love the place I’m in, right?  Or else it would just be more of the same.  And after nearly 10 years of bitching about this place, I figured it was time to learn to love it.

So a ‘cleaning we shall do!

Green and Gorgeous in LA

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Last night was PrettyCity and Shape Magazine’s Green and Gorgeous event here in LA. A business acquaintance of mine, Golden Alchemy were there performing facials, so they made sure to let everyone on their list know about the event.

The event was held at Environment Furniture Showroom off of Beverly Boulevard.  I had fears that maybe combining women, beauty products, food and drink might wreck some havoc on the gorgeous furniture, but they really did a great job.  At no time did you feel like you were in a furniture store.  There was not only plenty of room to move about, but there were tables full of vendors as well as beauty treatment booths all around.

I got there early enough that I was able to try out a few different treatments.  From the folks at Bliss Hollywood I received a brief, but oh so delicious and much needed chair massage from Rosie (I can still feel the work she did in my shoulders) and a quickie Triple Oxygen Treatment.  My skin absolutely LOVED all that oxygen!

I also decided to go a little curlier than usual and spent some time with Brigitte from Orange Berlin, a European-inspired, eco-chic Pureology concept salon (okay, I’m not 100% certain on the officialness of their Pureology concept-ness, but that’s the line they use…and I love it!).  Of course, slave to the ponytail that I am, I just pulled it back today before heading to teach.  But it did make for a fab ponytail!

They also had chair massages available (which I didn’t get to try) from Tikkun Spa, an holistic spa with integrative services in both the healing arts and holistic medicine.  I’d love to check this place out, they have every cool thing you’ve ever read about: a jade room, an ice room, a clay room, a salt room, infrared therapy, and mugwart soaks.  How cool does all that sound?!?

In the back of the store, ROB|B OPI Concept Salon (the only OPI concept salon in the US – and where I have a mani/pedi waiting for me thanks to Groupon!) was offering up polish changes. And sadly, I wasn’t able to spend any time getting facials from Golden Alchemy.  I have to say, they were using some odd, tribal-looking wand and rubbing it over some gals face and all I could think while getting my curl on was “I so want that! Whatever it is.”  It looked totally relaxing.

I have to say, these past couple of years, I’ve been to a few different fashion and beauty events.  This event was my favorite by far.  We were also given an amazing goody bag full of tons of eco-friendly, full-size products!  I look forward to trying all the scrubs, lotions and potions.  And the lippies!!  I’m a very happy girl whenever lip balms (this one is super yummy), glosses and lipsticks are involved!

Great job Pretty City!!

I was hoping by now that someone would have posted photos or video from the event, but no such luck.  You’ll just have to trust me that it was a great event.  If I find anything over the next couple of days, I’ll be sure to post it up.