Category Archives: LA fun

It’s Almost That Time

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birthday_cake

Yes…it’s almost my 40th birthday!

Holy cow, I can’t believe I’m going to be 40.  Remember when you were just a kid and forty just seemed OLD.  Well according to Sephora (and their Beauty Insider email), I’ll be 40 in less than two weeks.

Oh.My.God!  Less than two weeks!

Maybe we should put a little perspective in place here.  I’m not freaking out because I’m turning 40.  At all.  In fact, I tend to think of it more as a rite of passage and a title that I’ve earned.  Now turning 30, that was an entirely different story and scared the shit out of me.

No, what I’m concerned with is that I’ve yet to plan my party.  And I’ve yet to plan anything for our 5th wedding anniversary that happens mere days before – but I’m choosing to push that aside as we’ll more than likely celebrate later with a weekend away somewhere.

So back to the birthday extravaganza…

I sent out a save the date email last week some time – classy, I know.  Last night I sent out the evites – super classy, I know.  Today, I only have two RSVPs!  Which again, I guess I can’t really worry about since well, I haven’t actually finalized the restaurant location either.  Or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.  Though at least I have narrowed the location down…to somewhere in West Hollywood.

I was originally thinking about Amalfi on La Brea.  I love that place.  Very romantic (or in this case…celebratory), great food and good prices.  But…they’ve got a $20 a bottle corkage fee and their menu doesn’t change outside of the daily specials (which for Italian is kind of odd, at least here in LA).  The manager also didn’t seem too keen on my wanting to have a party on a Saturday night.  So I guess, if he’s not that interested in our business, I can look elsewhere.

So maybe some of you LA gals can help me out.

I’m looking for a restaurant in Hollywood, West Hollywood or Mid-City, that can easily handle 25-30 people.  Menu has to be about $20-30 per person.  We’d like to bring in our own wines so we can cover at least that part of the meal, so we need a decent corkage fee.  At the $20 a bottle fee that Amalfi charges,  we’d be looking at a small fortune just in the corkage fees (not counting the cost of the wine itself), so we’re hoping to find something more tolerable.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Okay, now it’s back to business for me.  I have a gazillion emails to get out today for upcoming contest giveaways

And yes, I know I still need to pick a winner and send out that thank you giftie for giving me the names of some of your favorite products to check out (a long, long time ago).  I haven’t forgot about that…I just haven’t found the time.  I will.

photo by Cafemama

Are You Ready to Share Your Deepest Darkest Secrets…on TV?

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secret

photo by GotPlaid?

I’m beginning to realize that I have the coolest job out there…being a blogger and all that. I get free stuff to try out and write about. I get invites to very cool parties (that I rarely actually get around to attending). And now, I got approached by a producer for Lifetime TV! Yes, you read that right…producers from Lifetime contacted me!*

No, they don’t want me to be a guest on one of their shows or to be in one of Nora Robert’s next movies (I just love her books!). But they are hoping that I can help them find some SoCal folks with some secrets that might be willing to share.

It seems quite cool. It’s for a new, prime-time, docu-styled, non-exploitative show where people are asked to tell their stories and share their secrets. They are seeking willing men and women who have kept a secret close to their heart and now would like to reveal the truth to someone who will be significantly impacted by your revelation.

Right now, they’re looking for two specific secrets…

  • the Secret Crush – Do you have a secret crush on someone that you work with or have known for a long time? Are you ready to tell them? They’re looking for someone who has been crushing on someone for quite sometime…someone they know that knows them but doesn’t have a clue about the secret.
  • keeping secrets from your spouse/partner/family – Are you a shopaholic who has run up your credit cards and fears telling your husband? Are you a compulsive gambler and it has now affected your family finances or relationships? You need to be willing to come clean and get things fixed (with the help from their staff).

The act of sharing your secret could help both you and others and it may allow you to find peace and closure. You and the person you are telling, will be supported through the process and will not feel alone in dealing with your revelation. They assure me that they are experiences in honoring sensitive and intimate stories (hello, they’re Lifetime for peet’s sake!) and they’re not interested in any revelation that would exploit you or others.

You can contact them directly via email or you can show up at an open casting call this Saturday, April 25th at Space Station Casting Studio, 1258 N. Highland Ave. (Corner of Highland and Fountain) from noon – 5:00PM.

So don’t worry, you won’t be sharing sharing your secret here in LA Blogger Gal Land for all the world to read. In fact, aside from this post, I’m completely out of the loop and will having nothing to do with anything. This was all just done as a favor.

Although I wouldn’t be offended if I was offered a +1 to a Tori and Dean party or something similarly cool as a thank you 😉

* Granted, it’s not Oprah (not everyone can be like my good pal, Sarah, over at Mar Vista Mom), but it’s still pretty damn cool if you ask me!

I Can Not Believe it’s This Hot Already!

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temps

It’s not even May.  No wonder I was so damn lethargic today.

Right now, it’s hotter inside my apartment (88.9) than it is outside.  According to my thermometer it’s 85.3 in the front and 88 in our bedroom and that’s just nuts!  According to my Apple widget, it was 100 today.

100 degrees!  In April! This is almost as bad as those 90 degree days we had in January.

And dingalinga, let’s conserve energy me decided not to bother to turn on the AC.  I kept telling myself that it wasn’t hot, it was just warm and as long as I had a fan, I’d be fine.

Hell no, that wasn’t so! Tomorrow, the wimpy AC is on while I’m home the entire time.  I can’t get anything done when it’s damn near 90 inside.

And to think, I told my personal stylist (that I had to drop because I just got too busy with clients) that it would be too hot to remove all the clothes from my closet, try things on and off for an hour and then have to put everything away.  I think she thinks I was making the stiffling heat thing up and just using it as an excuse.  Nope.  I speak the truth! 😉  I am bummed that I had to stop working with her just when we were getting started though.

A Little Spa Time Can Make Anyone Feel Like a Million

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facialIt might be too late to do anything about it, but did you know that this week was (and well, still is until Sunday anyway) Spa Week?  The cool thing about Spa Week…$50 services.  Everything from massages to scrubs, facials to Botox, you name it. It’s a great way to try out new spas or services for small investment.  I try to take advantage of it every year.

Me, I decided to go for a facial at one of my favorite LA spas, Skin Haven over on Crescent Heights in West Hollywood.  Now, in full disclosure mode, I met the owner, Sharōn Ronen a year or so ago through the Ladies Who Launch gals.  And well, since then, she’s written a couple articles for my site.  But that doesn’t make her spa any less amazing.

So yesterday, after class, I headed over the hill for my moment of blissdom.  I was exhausted and just knew that I’d fall asleep during  the treatment, and believe or not, that’s perfectly acceptable.  Turns out I didn’t though as Sharōn and I were talking shop through the whole thing.  I was amazed to realize just how quickly time flew by.  Of course, now I’m wondering…if Sharōn works for me (so to speak) as a blogger and we were talking shop from the time I walk in the door until the time I leave, does that make this a business expense?  Me thinks so 😉

But that’s neither here or there.

If you haven’t yet been to Skin Haven, you really should check it out.  It’s very Zen and very calming.  The first time I visited, I went for the herbology treatment.  This is heaven on a table, I assure you.  Your entire body is scrubbed, buffed and massaged with herbs.  And since they use herbs, you don’t leave there greasy or oily.  I’ve been recommending this one to everyone.

This time around, my goal was to book early enough to book all three treatments – herbology scrub, massage and facial.  But time got away from me and not only could I not get around to calling to book all three, I figured I wouldn’t be able to find the time to experience all three.  So a facial it was!  I was lucky enough to get Sharōn herself and boy was I treated well.  My face still feels soft as a baby’s bottom and seems to glow from within.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until next year’s Spa Week to try experience the pleasures of Skin Haven.  If you’re a little short on cash, or need a quickie treatment to test things out, then check out their fabulous Spa Lounges on Fridays.  I mean check this deal out…For just $40 you get TWO mini-treatments PLUS free a free cocktail and nibbles. You can have a facial, a scalp massage (heavenly!), massages, reflexology, herbology treatments (my fave!) or even mini makeovers…for $40!!!  Their next Spa Lounge is Friday, April 24th, so call now to reserve your appointment.  Trust me, you won’t be sorry.

I Feel the Need For Some Speed!

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Yesterday I was invited to participate in what could only be described as an amazing opportunity: to go speeding through the streets of Long Beach in a souped up Ford Mustang with one of the Formula Drift‘s top competitors, Vaughn Gittin Jr.  Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like being in a car that fast…legally.

I was raised around the NHRA summer racing season.  In fact, one hot,  hot, oh.my.god.it.was.hot. summer, I was a time check girl at the Summer Nationals.  I actually got to hand Shirley Muldowney…well, someone on her team anyway…her time sheet results from her race.  I thought I was cooler than cool.

Before my mom passed away, I remember that she was driving a sweet ‘ol, red Mustang.  As I was growing up, I was certain that I’d have a car just like her’s (except mine wouldn’t have a rusted out hole in the floorboard that a three-year old could fall through…don’t ask).  I mean who doesn’t want a Mustang?  I had one once as a rental when my car was in the shop and driving to work in that thing was awesome.  Looking back, I’m so lucky I didn’t get a speeding ticket.

Every years there’s an annual (legal) street race in Long Beach called The Toyata Grand Prix of Long Beach Race that runs through the streets of Long Beach.  I’ve never seen the race, but I have seen the course in all it’s grand stands and hay bale glory.  And well, it looks cool as hell (times like this you can really tell that I grew up without the girlie influences of a mother, huh?).

So as you can see, this was a killer opportunity that was being handed to me (I love blogging!).  Sadly I had to miss it.  But since it’s such a great opportunity, I wanted you to know about what’s happening in Long Beach tomorrow.  Turns out the weekend before the big Grand Prix, the gang from Formula Drift will be doing a drifting event – drivers control a 450 horsepower car while it slides sideways at high speed through a marked course.

I mean how cool does this look…

While you’re at it, dreaming about letting your own Mustang drift around those curves, be sure to enter Ford’s The 10 Unleashed and let them know what you’d do with your own Mustang.  I know I can think of a few things 😉