The Inner Workings of My Car

I like to think of my car as my second home, since I seem to spend so much time in it these days. I feel quite connected with my car, the little white VW Golf that could. A lot of people name their cars for various reasons (Neil Patrick Harris named his car Judas. He has a Prius. Judas Prius, get it?) but I somehow never got around to naming mine. I thought about it a couple times, but all I could come with was…car. Either way, my car is my home away from home.

In my car I have: an umbrella bought from H&M in London, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London’s book, “Dress Your Best,” the current issue of New York magazine, my gym bag, my makeup bag from J.Crew, my purse, the new Anthropologie catalogue, a tin can shaped liked a London phone booth with change in it for meters and a Los Angeles travel guide.

I also have two post its with directions to Sony Studios (one without highways and one with - neither helped), the ticket and press packet to Sex and the City on my dashboard, along with a strawberry car freshener that no longer smells of anything. In the back seat I’ve got more than I should, including some new gray Dolce Vita shoes, my portfolio full of clips and some miscellaneous papers I just threw back there because there was no where else to put them at the time.

My car kinda serves as a public storage, except it’s private, and I like it that way. When I get around to it, I do clean it out eventually. At this point, I wouldn’t have any other car. It keeps me warm in the winter, cool in the summer, stores my stuff and takes me throughout Los Angeles every day to Santa Monica. I love his little hatch back and that I can fit into virtually any space and that despite the current gas crunch, it doesn’t cost that much to fill him up, compared to what other people pay anyway. Right now, with the average gas in L.A being somewhere around $4.15 to 4.50, it takes me $50 to fill up my tank. When I first started driving in high school 6 years ago, I think it cost about $25 to fill it up. How sad.

Quote of the Week: Drew Carrey

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”

Homage to a Fashion Saint: YSL

To be beautiful, all a woman needs is a black pullover and a black skirt and to be arm in arm with a man she loves.

It’s a lovely name isn’t it, Yves Saint Laurent. Some names are just destined to be known all over the world. Yves Saint Laurent was one of those people. Yesterday news broke of his passing and for the first time in a really long time, I was affected by the death of someone I personally did not know. I can’t remember the last time I felt so strongly about the passing of someone who was not my own. Maybe Heath Ledger, but most of that was shock. When I heard YSL had died, at the age of 71 from brain cancer, I was truly upset. While I was driving to work this morning, I listened to an NPR report about him and how he revolutionized the fashion world. How he popularized “ready-to-wear” in an attempt to democratize fashion and was the first designer to use black models in his shows and created “Le Smoking” suit, a tuxedo suit for women that created a lot of buzz in the fashion industry. Be became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983.

I was reading that after he was put in charge of running Christian Dior, he had to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War of Independence and after 20 days of hazing, he had to be institutionalized in a French mental hospital for a nervous breakdown. This is really upsetting and disturbing.

How could anyone do this to the man that once said “A woman who has not found her style, who does not feel at ease in her clothes, who does not live in harmony with them, is a sick woman.” Truer words have never been spoken. Or that “fashion isn’t just to decorate women, but to reassure them, give them confidence.”

In 2002, Saint-Laurent retired from the world of fashion and became reclusive. I don’t blame him really. From what I’ve read and heard, he was quite a gentle soul.

After his hospital stay, Saint Laurent launched his YSL fashion label with former partner Pierre Bergé. The house was sold to pharmaceutical company Sanofi in 1993 for $600,000,000. Try to just imagine that amount of money. Then in 1999, Gucci bought the brand

Adele at the Roxy: Photos

I had completely forgotten that I had photos from the night we went to see Adele at the Roxy, so I present them here now:

The Roxy in Hollywood. Full text says: “The Roxy presents an evening with Adele”

Me on the left, Nat on the right. I don’t love this photo (what else is new?) but I don’t hate it either. It was after work and I was tired, so it’s ok. I realized my hair resembles Adele’s hair from this photo.

Just because I said I had photos, doesn’t mean I said they were any good. It came out blurry, but concert photos always do. Also I’m short, so you can imagine…

Adele was wearing a black blouse, with black washed jeans. It was simple and casual, just like her music. Her hair, as you can see, was tied back to the side and gathered up with a hair net. I thought that was a bit unusual, but clever at the same time. She had a ring on her ring finger. It was gorgeous. It looked like an engagement ring. I wonder if she’s engaged.

People were taking photos of her the entire night. There was also a filming crew there for some reason. When they decided they had gotten enough footage, she got really happy and said, “I hate being filmed.” Then realizing, that people in the audience were also filming, she added, “Not by you guys, you can film me, I don’t mind, cos you’re not getting paid to do it. Ha ha ha!” It was cute.

I also had recorded a snippet of “Daydreamer” that I will include in this post. Click to listen: DayDreamer

Adventures in Personal Training

Have you ever worked out at the gym until your face was beet red and radiating heat? And no matter how much you try, you can’t lift another weight because your legs are shaking and you feel like you’re going to spontaneously combust from the inside out? And you have to talk yourself into being able to do 10 more seconds of climbing the stairs, or 5 more reps one bicep curl or another, I can’t remember. These are what my Tuesdays and Thursdays have been like for the past 2 months or so. Yes it’s true, I caved in and found myself employing a personal trainer to whip me into shape, or at least try to.

This might be child’s play for some people, but for me, as someone whose only exercise has consisted of running to get to the next store in the mall before they close and running to find a place to eat because of hunger that’s settled in, this is a huge deal. Big. Gargantuan. Humongous.

I signed up for 10 sessions of personal training at a gym close to where I work, and this coming tuesday will be the last of my sessions, unless I decide to fork over some more money and continue.

After 6 weeks of blood, sweat, tears and stress, I can say that it was definitely worth it, even though I haven’t followed the diet (or cardio) to a tee. For someone like me, who views exercising like the plague, having someone tell you exactly what you need to do, how much you need to do and then forcing you to do it, is the best way to accomplish any type of exercise goals you set for yourself.

If I was to do this on my own, without a trainer (which I tried to do and failed miserably in the past), I would never have known how to use more than half of any of the weight machines in the gym, or that I do have some upper body strength which I never knew about, or that over time, I really did get stronger. It’s worth the money. I wish I could leave work and life in general to spend 3 or 4 months just concentrating on getting myself in shape, just like The Biggest Loser. I think that’s really the only way to do it. If nothing gets in your way, then you have no excuse but to achieve your weight loss/physical goals. But life just sometimes, get in the way. I told my trainer that life sometimes just gets in the way and he got mad and said, “well, let’s just make a gym and call it ‘Life Gets In The Way Gym.’” Go figure.

So Tuesday will be my last training session. I most probably won’t continue, but that doesn’t mean I won’t continue doing weights. Now that I won’t have commitments to attend the sessions, I’m going to be using that time to do cardio. Hopefully the muscle I’ve supposedly built will come through once I melt the fat away with diet and cardio. My weight loss goals are a bit insignificant compared to life changing goals some people might have; I only really need to lose about 15 to 20 lbs, still however, doing that is horribly difficult, as anyone who has tried can tell you.

1 lb is equal to 3500 calories. That means, that if I wanted to lose 20 lbs, I would need to burn 700,000 calories. I get discouraged just by looking at that number. I feel like the best advice I can give anyone who is trying to lose weight is to prepare. Preparation is key. Prepare your food, your menu beforehand, prepare your day beforehand to fit in some exercise. Prepare a water bottle to take with you wherever you go. It’s when you’re not prepared, that you run into trouble. It’s when you’re invited to eat out that you can’t resist or when you don’t plan your lunch, that you forget that you shouldn’t be eating what you end up eating. So make a list and plan your meals, plan your day more or less. Because without a rigid plan, you won’t lose weight. And really, I guess that philosophy extends to all parts of life. If you’re going to do things half-assed, there’s no point in doing them really.

Quote of the Week: Ernest Hemingway

Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.

A Day in Downtown Los Angeles

Prom season is here - I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but it meant that my sister, who will be graduating from high school this year, needed all the help she could get. Fortunate enough to find a dress and jewelry on the first try, the focus came down to shoes, a bag and the biggest task of all, finding enough material to construct an Indian inspired tent for her graduation after party. Let me just say, that this is by no means a small task. We really didn’t know where to start, but we thought we’d just wing it and try to find enough material to form a nice tent in my backyard. At first, we were going to go through a rental company, but we figured that was way beyond our budget.

So we set off to Downtown Los Angeles, more specifically the Fashion District, where mountains and mountains of excruciatingly beautiful fabric awaited us. We tried several stores and finally settled on a 100 percent turquoise blue silk as the main fabric, with iridescent mustard yellow and orange as accents and the inside of the tent. Along the way we picked up fabric flowers to sew on ourselves, more shiny fabric, bead trimmings and a couple dresses that we couldn’t resist. Honestly, you can’t go to Downtown and come back empty handed. It just doesn’t work. The universe won’t allow it.

After all that hullabaloo, we started to get hungry. This was a bad sign for me, as Downtown Los Angeles is the worst place for a vegetarian. You can not only smell the hotdogs wrapped in bacon from miles away, but the worst part is, that you actually WANT ONE! I couldn’t eat until I found a stand selling quesadillas, and believe you me, it was perhaps one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life.

Then I started to get thirsty, so we ducked into a corner shop and bought a drink you would only think of buying when you’re in such a crazy place like downtown: Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Juice:

After the apple juice quenched our thirsts, we made our way to Santee Alley - perhaps the defining landmark in Downtown, at least as far as shopping is concerned anyway. Santee Alley is exactly what it says it is, an alley, except this alley is jam crammed on both sides with all of the latest fake (and cheap!) designer fashions, toys, and other goods you can imagine. It also has some “original” stores, at least by Downtown standards. It feels like it goes on for miles, but it really doesn’t. After going through the alley for a couple minutes, you start to get drunk on the fact that everything around you is so incredibly dirt cheap. The fact that you can buy the same shoes Urban Outfitters carries with a 75 percent price decrease seriously boggles your mind, and you start to become a shopping fiend. Downtown is completely a different world and you become a completely different person in it.

When we finally made our way out of the alley, we came away with the last piece of the prom puzzle, an evening bag - for $15! Yes that’s right, 15 big ones. God I love this place. We were ready to head back to the car, when all of my dreams came floating down to Earth from heaven. We had come upon a street vendor selling the best thing you will ever taste in your whole entire life: Mexican-style grilled corn on the cob

This is the food of the Gods, at least in Mexico. When you take a bite, you’re not taking a bite out of corn, you’re taking a bite out of Heaven. If you’re not quite sure what I’m talking about, I will reference Nacho Libre for you. Case in point:

This corn on the cob, also called Elote, is a popular street food in Mexico. After the corn is grilled on a makeshift grill, it is then smothered with mayonnaise, lime juice, parmesan cheese, chili powder, red pepper, cumin and salt. Once you have an Elote, you will never look at corn the same way again. I guarantee it. You could be having the worst day of your life, but an Elote will make everything better. Trust me on this one. I found two recipes that might be able to do the street vendor version justice, one from Recipe Zaar and another from Simple Foodie.

As I was eating the corn, the Elotero asked me, “Muy bueno, Mija?”

I have taken 3 years of Spanish in high school, but at that moment, with the corn stuffed in my face, it took me about 5 seconds to process what he had just said and another 5 to answer back, and when I finally did, what I did say sounded more like “Mu Bono” than “Muy Bueno.” That was a bit upsetting, but I really didn’t care one bit. An Elote a day, will take all your cares and worries away.

We rode off into the smog filled Los Angeles sunset with empty wallets and full stomachs. It was beautiful.

Hometown Glory: Adele at the Roxy

On Thursday, after a treacherous day at work, I made my way across town to see Adele kick off her U.S tour at The Roxy in Hollywood. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I stood in line for what seemed like eternity, but it was about an hour in real time. Once inside The Roxy, the room began to swell with fans. It was hot, sweaty, crowded and full of people I wanted to have nothing to do with. When the lights dimmed and the curtains were raised at 9:30 p.m., all of that just melted away. Out came Adele, ginger hair complete with blunt bangs, casual getup and a nervous smile.

She apologized for taking so long, her strong North London accent echoing in the ears of all her Los Angeles fans. Needless to say, it was more than a fantastic night.

Adele sang “Cold Shoulder,” “Right as Rain,” “First Love,” “Melt my Heart to Stone,” “Crazy,” “Hometown Glory”, “Make You Feel My Love,” “Daydreamer,” a song by Liverpool band The Coral (I think it was “Dreaming of You”) and also an Etta James cover - “Fool That I Am”

I love this woman. She’s so…fresh. And unique and actually has genuine talent. I rarely by concert tickets. Rarely. But I had to see her, because she’s awesome.

I got home quite late that night, and I had work the next day. I was tired, cranky and had a lot to get done, but it was all worth it. Thank you Adele, for an amazing show.

Adventures In Middle Eastern Supermarkets: Say What You See

Special deals on ploms and brocully this week. Check back next week, when pares, q-cumbors and onyons go on sale.

Officially My New Favorite Site: StumbleUpon

I have spent the last hour pressing the Stumble! button I’ve installed on my browser, and let me tell you, I have learned so much already. Since I’m nice, I will share the information I’ve come across with the 2.5 people that read this blog. I’ve learned that next week (May 19 - 25) is World Vegetarian Week and that Johnny Rockets is giving away Boca burgers for free with a coupon, I’ve found a recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes, I’ve been introduced to a website called The Meatrix,a project dedicated to educating the world about cruel farming conditions for animals, I’ve found a list of 50 tools that can help you in writing, and read that “Ulysses” remains the Matterhorn of the modern novel, a peak that many contemplate and few actually surmount. I’ve found seven delicious meat alternatives and also a website called Anxiety Culture, which is a web magazine with a wealth of ideas and gimmicks for navigating the crazy, paranoid, work-obsessed and media-crapulent times we live in.

Let me just take a moment here to say that I LOVE THE INTERNET SO MUCH!!! There are just so many things to learn and so little time! It’s really upsetting that I don’t have enough time or energy to consume all that I want. This is where StumbleUpon comes in handy. Thank you Internet Gods, for bestowing this gift upon me. I foresee many sleepless nights ahead.