NaBloPoMo 11.6 - Ramble On

woke up feeling totally yucky...just took my last Coricidin cold capsule, bundled up and slid back into bed. I decided to ramble for today's NaBlahBlah so there's a post for today.

Dinner w/the fam last night. Wow, we are a big, loud group. I'd want to kick us out! November Birthdays - it's a tradition. Amazing how huge our family is - my sister, her husband and kids and, now, my nephew's fiancee and baby-on-the-way; my brother, his wife and their kids...four of 'em under the age of 7. Our waitress was a trooper, though. She smiled and handled us - even the little ones liked her (well, she did bring them pizza, chicken nuggets and french fries, so what's not to like?).

I have homework to do.

I have 5 Words with Friends games to get to.

I'm currently down by 25+ points in my Fantasy Football game with 3 players left to play. Really hope I don't regret benching Jay Cutler. And, how the heck can my defense only produce 7 points?! They start out with 20, for goodness sake! 7 points. Pfft.

Pay Matt Forte!

I've got a crush. I feel giddy. And silly. 44 with a crush. Pfft.

I'm going to be 45?! Oh, I feel sick.

Did you see Maroon 5 on SNL?! "Take me by the tongue and I'll know you" - mmkay. "I got the moooooooooooves like Jagger" - mmm hmmm.

OK. I need to sleep now.

NaBloPoMo 11.4 - In a Girl Panic!

**I would like to wish my dear friend, Aly, a very happy and most excellent birthday!**

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If Fraulein Maria were to ask me to list my favorite things, at the top would certainly be “a British man in a suit, singing.” Bryan Ferry, Squeeze, Tony Hadley & Spandau Ballet ~ mm hmm. One of my all-time favorites, of course, is Duran Duran.

I’ve loved DD since they hit America. At that time, I only knew their music. LA’s KROQ had Duran songs on heavy rotation. KROQ’s Rodney on the Roq talked about them; and beloved DJ, Richard Blade, talked to them. I wanted to know everything about Duran Duran!

My family was late to the cable TV craze. I had pen-pals write me, describing videos in great detail because I couldn’t see them for myself. When we finally got cable, MTV and I became one. There would be a blank VCR tape ready to capture Duran videos once I hit RECORD. I would stay up late on non-school nights, just watching videos or the video tape over and over again.

My love for Duran Duran never waned. It’s been 30 years. And, I must admit, the band has whipped me (and other Durannies) into a frenzy! We’re all ready for the new Girl Panic! video!

A track from their recent release All You Need Is Now, the guys in the band have given us few details about the glam video starring the original supermodels – Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen and Yasmin LeBon. Via Twitter, John Taylor shared some vague snapshots but gave no details. On Thursday, @duranduran shared ten (so far) video snippets, giving us a peek at the video. OMG! Durannies are about to burst at the seams! It’s like the guys opening with Before The Rain on their North America tour – it’s slow and sexy and takes you right there…then they hit the opening notes of Planet Earth to send you over the edge. What IS known? The girls play the guys in the band!

You can only see the videos via the links on the Duran Duran Twitter page (@duranduran). The video looks glam and sexy and very Duran Duran!

Monday, November 7 is the day the video will be world-premiered at a Harper’s Bazaar event. After that, I expect it to be all over You Tube and Twitter. Hope you get to see it!

Were you – or are you – a Duran Duran fan?

@TriLisaKay

Vague messages started to appear in my Twitter timeline. More messages trickled in later this evening ~ friends tweeted of being speechless and sad, angry and wanting to punch things, how bothersome things now seemed trite. It wasn't tough to figure out my Twitter friends had lost one of their friends.

Then I got a Twitter DM from K:

Lisa passed away either last night or this morning :(

The friend my friends lost had been one of mine. I had recently reconnected with Lisa, a fact she mentioned to K the night before, saying she was pleased I'd been wondering how she was. That warms my heart.

Speechless. Sad. Angry. Want to punch things. Bothersome things now seem trite. All of these are true.

Lisa was truly one of the good guys. She will be deeply missed. Loving thoughts of comfort and understanding to her family and friends.

Lisa was training for a race. The fundraising page will remain open. You don't have to donate; but it would be really cool if you'd visit the page and read of her struggles and victories.

NaBloPoMo 11.3 ~ My Last Meal Menu

For today's post, I decided to use one of the NaBloPoMo writing prompts:

If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal,

what would you want it to be?

For this post, I am giving myself all day to eat my last meal. Actually, I'm rather intrigued by the 'why would this be my last meal?' What dastardly deed did I do? Well, that's another prompt for another day...

Breakfast: a short stack of Tis the Season (pumpkin) pancakes from the Griddle Cafe in West Hollywood CA. My most favorite breakfast ever - pumpkin filling, melted butter, a dusting of powdered sugar. The Griddle pancakes are the size of a Frisbee. Serious. Most people attack the stack from the outer edge, working their way to the middle. No no no. Read this to get it right. OMG. I kinda want this right now.

Snack: malasadas from Leonard's in Honolulu and a cup of coffee.

Lunch: a selection of formaggi e salumi from Cube Marketplace on La Brea. Cube is one of my most favorite places to chill with friends, sip wine, eat good eats. Mole' salami has to be one of the meat selections. Actually, I'd be okay if it was the only selection. Cheese...mmm, cheese...brillat savarin, humboldt fog, a hunk of tasty parm would have to be included. And, the accoutrement! Almonds & assorted nuts, prosecco jelly, dried fruits, warm crusty bread, apricot jam, but no olives. I don't like olives.

Snack: 2 of my mom's awesome Dunkin' Platter cookies that have been popped in the microwave for 20 seconds and a glass of milk with ice.

Dinner: OK, I'm about to go CRAZY! Let's pretend I have a hollow leg or I won't get full or sick...Braised short ribs on a bed of polenta, spinach or collard greens, my mom's awesome potato salad (is it Thanksgiving yet?!), my mom's corn casserole, mac n cheese with toasted bread crumbs on top and King's Hawaiian dinner rolls. I would also have my favorite sushi rolls from Midori Sushi in Studio City ~ Ginger roll, Bonzai roll, Fire roll and Spicy Crab Nugget. Dessert would be my mom's awesome chocolate dessert and my grandma's made-from-scratch lemon meringue pie sans meringue.

Dang. That's a lot of food. ::shoulder shrug:: Go big or go home! :)

What would be your last meal menu?

NaBloPoMo 11.2 - 13 Years in Number 3

Last night, I ran into my building manager and a prospective tenant. The guy had seen the three vacant apartments – all of which had been upgraded and are gorgeous. Building manager was doing the big push when I walked by.

"Darling girl, come meet Tom! He likes number 16."

We exchange the usual pleasantries ~ Hi…Hi…nice to meet you…you, too…should I move-in? Uh, yes, move into this building please – you’re adorable. I told him what I liked about the building, living there, etc. Then he asked how long I’ve lived in the complex. Er…uh…carry the one…13 years, I answer. Whoa, he said, with furrowed brow.

Yeah, I’ve been in my apartment for 13 years.

It was the summer of 1998. I had just returned from vacation to find my roommate had bought a place and I had to be out in a month. At the time, I was a Sign Language Interpreter out in Santa Clarita making about $28K. I needed to find a decent, cheap place ASAP. I drove around the area, writing down numbers. I collected newspapers, those rental books at grocery stores and Penny Savers. I found this in the Penny Saver - Lrg studio in NH, quiet bldg. $485/mo. Call Allan. It was more than my current rent, but I figured with some penny-pinching, the amount was doable.

I stared at the building from my parked car. Charming, pretty blue color…let’s take a look. As we walked to number 3, Allan gave me the history of the building and its tenants. The person who had lived there for the shortest amount of time had been there for eight years. Allan had been there for twenty. The longevity of the tenants appealed to me. The previous tenant of number 3 had moved to a one-bedroom upstairs. When Allan opened the door, I was in love. Who knew a spacious single apartment could come with a full-size kitchen, not a hot plate, and a full-size bathroom with a shower and tub?! What truly sold me was the dressing room with its built-in dresser, full-size closets and tons of storage space. TONS OF STORAGE SPACE IN A STUDIO APARTMENT? Unheard of. Let alone full-size kitchen, bathroom and closet.

Back in the manager’s office, I filled out the application. Allan looked it over. “Oh, you work in the schools? I’ll knock $25 off your rent.” Done. For $460/month, I got my own apartment.

It’s 13 years later and I’m in the same place, paying a little over $600/month in rent. Every single day I think about moving. I dream about a one- or two-bedroom place or a little house with space and such. But, seriously. My rent is $600. If I moved, rent would easily double or even triple. I'd rather spend my money on living! I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the extra-curricular activities I love – concerts, dining out, get-aways, vacations. And those are things I am just not ready to give up. Yet.

Until then, I’ll sit here in number 3 and wait for new neighbors.

NaBloPoMo 11.1 - sans Facebook

It's been one month since my break-up with Facebook.

I was sick of all the privacy changes - something new everyday that I had to seek out and update/change/block/whatever. I did not like that my privacy was also dependent upon how someone else's settings. There are people I didn't 'friend' on FB for a reason. However, with one little comment from a friend with lax privacy settings, my pictures and comments and such were available to anyone! Uh, no thanks. I logged off for the last time and deleted my account (which, really isn't deleting; it's 'deactivating' and after two weeks of NO INTERACTION your account is deleted. Pfft.).

The first day, I didn't miss it too much. It was a Saturday. I didn't do much Facebooking on weekends anyway, so no biggie. Sunday morning had me half-heartedly rethinking the situation. It was football Sunday. It was trash-talk Sunday with my Fantasy Football boys. I was missing Dan's gleeful posts about his Bears and everyone's bashing of J's crappy fantasy team. Somehow, I resisted logging back in.

Monday morning came. I grabbed my iPhone, ready with the perfect lyric to start the week. Wait. Where's the Facebook link? Did I move it? No, I deleted it. Facebook was gone, remember? Oh, yeah. Instead, I posted to Google+.

My usual morning routine went something like this: check work email, check personal email, check FB comments posted within the 20-30 minutes it took me to get to work, check Cafe World, CityVille and, finally, play some Bejeweled Blitz.

I was totally okay with all of that cut from my routine. Except, Bejeweled Blitz. How was I to get through my day without a game or ten of pure distraction? Had I been too hasty in my Facebook break-up? *sigh* I would just have to get over it.

Fast-forward 6 1/2 hours. All is fine in my Facebookless world. Well, not all. "I deleted my Facebook account 6.5 hours ago. I miss Bejeweled Blitz. A lot." My woe-is-me post on G+. My friend, Jeff - God bless him! - comments: You know they have Bejeweled Blitz for G+, right? Uh...NO I DID NOT KNOW! I clicked around and voila! there it was! My beloved Bejeweled Blitz. ::insert Hallelujah Chorus:: I was so happy to see the shiny jewels. I was so happy to line 'em up. I was so happy to watch those shiny jewels explode and disintegrate.

Fast-forward one month. All is fine in my Facebookless world. For the most part. I think about going back if only to get in touch with a few friends I have no other means to communicate or talk. That's the frustrating part for me. I loved reconnecting with long-lost school friends, sorority sisters, my college roommate; I loved staying in touch with new friends and colleagues.

I've received a couple of texts - FB isn't the same without you. Very sweet to hear. Then, I'll get a tweet or text - you're not missing a damn thing.

Yeah, all is fine in my Facebookless world.

"Look now, look all around..."

Duran Duran brought their "All You Need Is Now" tour to the Nokia Theatre last week (9.27.11). It was incredible! I hooked myself up with a seat in the 3rd row of the pit. Awesome!


In a bold move, the band opened with a new, slow song "Before the Rain" and it really truly worked. But, we (all 7,100 of us) were ready to get our dance on.


And, the band did not disappoint.


They launched into an extended opening of Planet Earth. Awesome!


Simon and I sing together, I get my dance on and keep my eye on John Taylor. ::shiver:: 


Simon and I hit the chorus...This is planet earth, you're looking at planet earth
Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop

John swings around, walks downstage, catches someone's eye and talks.

Uh...yeah...THAT WAS ME! 

Serious. The squealing girls behind me thought he knew me. I had to get confirmation from the girl next to me. "How exciting! He looked at you *and* talked to you!" Awesome!

Check the video...around 2:08 into it. Awesome!

"Damn, girl! You're tall!"

I took an awesome writing workshop on Sunday morning at The Writing Pad. It was all about themed blogging. So informative! We even had a couple of writing prompts - yay :)  Following is my written-in-eight-minutes piece.


~*~*~*~*~*


I'm 6'2"


I've been this tall since I was 16 years old. I think I finally got sued to my height around age 30. Which was also the time I gave up wearing flats.


I love love love heels! I love how they look. I love how I feel when I slip into a great pair of heels. I read this quote about how a woman in heels talks in paragraphs. I want to talk in paragraphs!


Tuesday night, I had 3rd row seats for Duran Duran at the Nokia Theatre. I didn't get too dolled up, but I did wear my 4-inch orange platform heels. I briefly considered a shorter heel. But the orange added that "pop of color" Clinton and Stacy always talk about.


So, we're standing in line at the bar. "Damn, girl! You're tall!" I hear it at least once a day. "No, it's just the shoes." He looked down. "Yeah, I guess it is. Still hope you don't stand in from of me tonight." Yeah, I hope I don't either.


But, I do know I will be standing - all 6'6" of me - in front of some poor short person. That person will wither play 20 questions with me or stew silently.

Memories Fade but the Scars Still Linger

The other night at the Hollywood Bowl, I was harassed by the Bowl security guards and a couple of women. Four different guards on four separate occasions asked to see my ticket. I was sitting in the Pool Circle, right in front of the stage. In order to get to your seat, the ticket is scanned then your hand is stamped. No one gets in unless they're scanned and stamped. So, one by one, these guards ask for my ticket, check it, hassle me because my ticket was for Seat 4 and I was standing at Seat 1. Each time, I let the guard know there were 4 of us in the group and I was certainly in the right place. After the 4th, and only apologetic, guard left, a woman approached me. [Sidebar: all of this is happening during the Fixx's set. Oh so wrong!] OK, woman approaches me, "Hi, this is my first time at the Bowl." Great, I say. You picked a good show to see for your first time here. "So, is this how it works? You stand while everyone else is sitting?" I look around. While some are sitting, a lot of the Pool Circle people are standing...I mean, the Fixx is singing "One Thing Leads to Another" and why would you sit? I tell her I came to dance to the *four dance bands* so that's what I'll be doing. "You're forcing me to stand." No. I'm not forcing her to do anything. "Well, we can't see because you're standing up and others are sitting down." I tell her I came to dance and have a good time.  She says more things. I don't. She walks away. I keep dancing.

For the rest of the night, she and her friend(s) hurled insults at me. Psh. Whatever. I'm above that. But, I have to admit it was annoying. "Fat ass! Bitch! I think the B52s are onstage but I can't see!" And then she says it. The one name that hurts me more than any other.

She called me 'Lurch'.

To understand this, I have to go back to elementary school. A group of boys at Mountain View Elementary School tormented me relentlessly. They always seemed to find me on the playground. 'Jolly Green Giant' was the collective favorite. Innocently, I would counter that name with "I'm not even green!" which would cause much laughter. One day, the group found me and started the ritualistic teasing. One boy called me 'Lurch' and the collective laughed louder and harder than I'd ever heard. I had no idea what the word was or why it was so funny. Too bad I found out. That name stuck with me throughout elementary school and into part of the 7th grade.

When that grown-up mean girl called me 'Lurch' the other night, I had a physical reaction. I was going to throw up. I balanced myself against the chair to stop from trembling. Tears sprang to my eyes. I was in elementary school. Wow. I've said the word, I've heard the word, I've watched the show. But, when tossed at me, I couldn't get out of the way.

The rest of the show was spectacular ~ I danced and sang off-key and made new friends, who were sincerely supportive throughout the evening. I definitely got my money's worth. And those women got to see me enjoy myself. What was I supposed to do? I was supposed to do exactly what I did.

Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen' shuffled onto my iPod about 45 minutes ago. And I had a good cry. I just needed to get this out.

Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.

Brilliant observation. Brilliantly written.

Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.: "I’m huddled in the front room with some shell-shocked friends, watching my city burn. The BBC is interchanging footage of blazing cars and..."