my so-called strife

Adios

2010-07-15T00:47:00.001-07:00

As it's been more than a year since I've felt compelled to blog, it's time to say goodbye. I'm keeping the archives, so if anyone's interested to read the old stuff, but I won't be adding any further content to this blog. Thanks for reading, see you on the flip side! Cass

AVON calling!

2009-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Have just become an official AVON rep - check out my online store here: http://cassandraulinski.avonrepresentative.com/

Not complete, but a decent "best of '08" viral wrap up...

2008-12-12T15:37:00.001-08:00

best 3 minutes of TV I've seen lately

2008-12-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Word.

2008-11-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

Me.
Where is your mobile phone? charger
Where is your significant other? non-existant
Your hair colour? two
Your mother? desert
Your father? who?
Your favourite thing? sleep
Your dream last night? reunion
Your dream goal? hapiness
The room you’re in? multi-purpose
Your hobby? crafts
Your fear? rejection
Where do you want to be in 6 years? indecisive
Where were you last night? couch
What you’re not? brave
One of your wish-list items? peace
Where you grew up? haven't
The last thing you did? knit
What are you wearing? comfy
Your TV? prominent
Your pets? borrowed
Your computer? shared
Your mood? unstable
Missing someone? him
Your car? sporty
Something you’re not wearing? shoes
Favourite shop? harrod's
Your summer? sweltering
Love someone? many
Your favourite colour? violet
When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
When is the last time you cried? e.r.
You?

I love Keith!

2008-11-11T20:34:00.001-08:00

I have no words...

2008-10-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure which is funnier, this poor misguided, tone deaf child with no friends who can help her read/pronounce English or the faces the female judge makes throughout... just click the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQt-h753jHI

W. for Wow, Wonderful and (Oscar) Worthy

2008-10-19T20:40:00.001-07:00

Saw it on Friday and it was EXCELLENT - so much better than I thought it was gonna be.

I almost feel sorry for the schmuck.

The entire family (if any of the plot is accurate) is in need of a LOT of therapy.

Kinda disappointed with the ending, but it's very Oliver Stone... go see it if you haven't already.

And just to be a complete nag... ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 4TH, PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE!

slacker

2008-10-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

Forgive me readers, it's been more than a month since my last blog post... nothing major happening though, but I'm gonna try to be better.

So... still no job. Classic. Think I'm going to get a new perm and go down to Central Casting this or next week...

Have killed all but the chives in the AeroGarden, but I'm fairly sure it's not my fault, just too damn hot in here (approx 85 inside at all times), maybe if we move it upstairs where the air works...

Got the 2 free TheSims2 expansions packs (Seasons & University), so at least I have something to do besides knit and stress...

Several people from my educational past have found me via Facebook - yikes. It's not necessarily a bad thing per se, but what do you say to people you haven't seen in 24 years?!

Gratuitous Eddie photo for your enjoyment. Love The Riches, and him in a dramatic role, but miss him in lipstick...
That is all for now.
Over and Out.

damn, I need sleep...

2008-08-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

(clockwise from top left: Elton, Dizzy & Wolfy)

Roomie had a nightmare @ 1:24am... shrieked, woke me (and the pups) up... now she's managed to get back to sleep (as have the pups, see above) , but I'm awake now, and not able to get back to sleep. Have Love Actually in the DVD player... as I've seen it a thousand times, am hoping that it will lull me to slumber, but that doesn't seem to be happening, so I'm online, chatting with the knitters on Ravelry, lusting after beads on eBay, and googling relatives to see if they're still alive. If I didn't think it would knock me out until noon, I'd take an AdvilPM... ::heavy sigh::

2008-08-11T00:43:00.001-07:00

What a weird weekend... spent Friday running around doing legal type stuff for the temp job, and (after a short nap) headed up to the Merry Christmas Drake & Josh set... something odd about hearing Christmas carols when it was nearly 100 degrees that day, but it was interesting, although I could KICK myself for not taking any yarn... the Krispy Kremes and conspiracy theory talk kept us awake, and we landed at home around 3am.

Yesterday was shopping: groceries, IKEA, randomness, etc. Not very exciting, but one of those dys when you do what has to get done...

Hit the Bloomie's end of season sale today and got some FANTASTIC deals... Eileen Fisher sweater - original price $148, MY price... (wait for it)... $18!!! Got a little bead shopping in, and a TJ's run for cheese & "staples"... made about 3 dozen sets of stitch markers that I'll need to finish carding & bagging tomorrow, and now I'm listening to A Knight's Tale while surfing...

Only 3 more days in the Santa Monica office... joy. I friggin' HATE packing almost as much as I hate un-packing ::deep sigh::

A Mosaic of Me - The Game

2008-08-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently this has been making it through the blogosphere for some time, now it's my turn:

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Cassandra
2. What is your favorite food? Macaroni & Cheese
3. What high school did you go to? Catholic High School
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Gordon Ramsay
6. Favorite drink? Arnold Palmer
7. Dream vacation? Soneva Gili resort in the Maldives
8. Favorite dessert? Cherry Pie (with double flaky crust)
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Peaceful
10. What do you love most in life? My own space
11. One Word to describe you. Practical / Dreamer
12. Your flickr name: Sassie Cass

Create your own by inputting your answers into the Search feature on Flickr and then copying and pasting the URLs into Big Huge Lab's Mosaic Maker.

150 things to do

2008-07-05T00:04:00.001-07:00

Things I have done are boldfaced.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (do the trails in the Santa Monica mountains count?)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (...Las Vegas...)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain (my first kiss, actually)
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (almost - 93lbs.)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (so far...)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident (2 MINOR ones)
150: Saved someone's life

Starting (Almost) Fresh

2008-06-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm fairly sure that my EDD checks aren't supposed to be paying for video games, but... EA is running a promotion - buy 2 Expansion Packs for The Sims 2, and they send you another one for FREE! But it's only good thru the end of this month, so it's not like I had a choice to buy or not to buy, right? Since I had barely gotten addicted to The Sims 2 before the PC crapped out, I only lost a couple of not very sophisticated houses. I've added Double Deluxe (which has Nightlife AND Celebration Stuff for the price of Nightlife alone, so I'm actually getting 3 eps for free), Open For Business, Free Time and Kitchen & Bath Stuff... I have Pets floating around the condo somewhere, so I think I'm going to ask for University and Bon Voyage for my freebies, with Seasons and Glamour Stuff as my backups. Oh, and IKEA Stuff comes out in a couple of weeks. Cheaper than drugs + adds some variety to my knitting addiction, so it can't be all bad...

yipes!

2008-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm turning into a social-networking fool!
Have added friends from grade school, high school, college, past jobs, and someone who used to mod a fan-newsletter I subscribed to oh... almost FIFTEEN years ago to my various MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts in the last few weeks... how do people keep up with this?!
It's amazingly cool to catch up with everyone, and makes me realize I'm not as much of an island as I thought I was...

(Not) My Big-Fat-Greek-Family-Style-Dinner

2008-06-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

... but only 'cos I don't have a big-fat-greek-family...

Roomie and I are fans of Papa Cristo's (<-- warning, the site plays music) and the Market attached. Not the best neighborhood in L.A., but she stocks up on feta, huge jars of honey and various kitchen things I don't recognize, and we always grab a gyro meal and some pastries while we're there.

Last Thursday (5/29), one of her bosses insisted we spend some quality time together over dinner... They start the evening with a wine tasting and some appetizers at 6:30pm (1 white, 1 retsina, and 3 reds + taramosalata (caviar dip), sausage and pita), then (at about 7:15pm) the meal is served family style on long tables... I guess you're supposed to make new friends... for starters: spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), tirpoita (chhese pie), olives, dolamdes (rice stuffed grape leaves) and more pita... then they move on to the "real" food: greek salad, lamb chops, lemon & oregano chicken, roasted herbed potatoes, and green beans in tomato sauce plus their amazing white bread. I know, white bread? It's like a french bread, but it's fresh and soft and, trust me, better than you're imagining.

Just when you feel as if loosening your waistband button is a good idea, the lights dim, music starts and out comes the belly dancer... I'm serious. She wiggled around like a Shakira back-up dancer for almost half an hour, collecting tips to music that sounded suspiciously like a Bollywood soundtrack... it was a trip, several dinner guests joined in, people clapped, cheered and whistled, and the folks on the bus outside the restaurant seemed to be surprised as hell when they pulled up in front of the huge plate galss window.

After the "entertainment" portion is over, they serve greek coffee... I thik it has booze in it, but I don't drink the stuff (coffee), so I can't confirm + baklava. On the baklava front, I'm spoiled. Roomie makes the best homemade baklava on the planet, so it doesn't even come close... sorry Papa Cristos!

Reservations are required, they do it every Thursday night and it's only $25/per person (tax & tip included) - click on the link above for more info.

I <3 Technology!

2008-05-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

My 1st iPod was a 1st generation 5GB, thought it was the coolest thing going...
My 2nd iPod was a 3rd generation 20GB and it was fabulous until the battery went klablooie, and I lost the damn thing...
Through a happy twist of fate I am now the proud owner of a 5th generation 160GB Video-enabled "classic" style iPod and am THRILLED!
Couldn't sleep, so I've been up for hours loading it with music, podcasts, a movie I rented on iTunes (Lars and the Real Girl) and my Audible library - the drive to Vegas tonight will be better than usual... 287 miles - do I sing along with TwentyFive, or get lost in the world of Orson Scott Card?!

Perfetto

2008-04-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Gas to get the car to Highland and Melrose: $4

Mani/Pedi for Birthday treat: $39 with tip

Sharing a 3+ hour excellent meal with my best friend: PRICELESS!

Not to sound like I'm 16 and stupid, but OH MY GOD!

Osteria Mozza is a colaboration between chef Mario Batali, his business partner Joe Bastianich and Nancy Silverton (La Brea Bread fame). It openeed last summer, is not an easy table to get, and is tremendously trendy.

I was super excited to be going, so I started to read reviews online. BIG mistake. By the end of yesterday afternoon I was fairly sure it was going to be an utter disater, and am happy to report that it wasn't! Despite the warnings of horribly rude service, valets totalling guests cars and inedible unfamiliar food, we sallied forth.

Reservations for 7:45pm - early for us to eat dinner, but given the commute, a far better option than than going home, getting settled in for the evening and then going back out for dinner late - especially on a "school night"). You can try to get a table without a ressie, but we saw people waiting for more than an hour...

Traffic worked with us, and we got there at 7:40. Valet line was short (just 2 cars in front of us), wait for a table also expedient (maybe a 5 minute wait), and service was excellent all around (from the host to the "bread guy").

We had already decided to do their Pasta Tasting Menu... 5 courses of pasta + a palate cleanser (more on that later) and dessert for $69 per person - entire table must participate. We contemplated a cheese course from their Mozzerella Bar, but under the advice of our server waitied to see if we had room for it after trying a few of our pastas.

The bread (as expected) was fab (choice of white, wheat or multi-grain). Nancy Silverton was circulating through the restaurant talking to people, and we sipped decent non-flavored iced tea while waiting (you can also do a wine-pairing for each course for and additional $50 per person, but I was afraid that if I had that much wine I wouldn't even taste let alone enjoy the food).

Before the first course arrived, the host brought out a couple of ricotta crostini with fresh shredded basil, olives and olive oil - compliments of the kitchen. I don't know if roomie told them it was my birthday or my appreciation of the host's tie did it, but we didn't see this treat extended to anyone else that sat down after us. I've never tasted cheese that fresh - we gotta find out who their suppliers are!

First course... I remember thinking "Maybe we can stop at Pink's on the way home..." There were literally 4 bites of pasta on the plate... but they were AMAZING (seems to be the word for the evening all around)... farfalle with green garlic, fava beans & a crunchy hazelnut topping in a chicken broth (?) + butter sauce.

The remainig pasta were equally inspired (let's hope I remember the details):

2: long thin pasta with mussells (5) in a saffron & mint sauce
3: tortolini (6) with Italian butter and parmesan cheese
4: "Raymundo's Pyramids" (3) - beef and spice filled tender triangle-shaped pillows of pasta in a tomato/red pepper (?) sauce
5: another long pasta with wild boar ragu

In addition, each course had a different cheese freshly grated over it (I think they have 1 guy whose sole responsibility is to grate cheese over each dish), and they were spectacular on their own!

Well, we decided since we were there, we HAD to try one of the cheeses. Taking the suggestion of our server we opted for Burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants & mint pesto. Sublime.

As for the service complaints I had read of... I think those people were somewhere else. Granted, you're not going to be seated, hoover down some food and get out of there in 4o minutes. They take the time to let you enjoy each course, drink wine or converse in between bites and the servers actually communicate with the kitchen... when we added our cheese course, our server (still kicking myself for not getting his name), let the kitchen know that we had ordered from the mozzarella bar, and they didn't prepare our "palate cleanser" and dessert UNTIL WE WERE READY! If you go, know that they ask you to order everything you're going to have for exactly this reason, so the kitchen can pace your meal and you're not trying to juggle everything on the table, and your cold items aren't warming up, and your hot items aren't congealing on the plate... eww.

Back to it (still with me?)... next up was a Limoncello sorbetto (which was the one disappointment in the meal, it was tasteless... almost like the used vanilla ice cream instead) in a blood orange sauce. Maybe the blood orange flavor was just too strong for the sorbetto?

At some point during the evening, our server was made aware it was my birthday (and that we were truly enjoying our meal), so when they brought out the dessert from the tasting menu (a trio of 2-bite gelato filled cannoli: espresso - very strong - with chocolate chunks; greek yogurt with pine nuts and honey; and pistachio with morello cherries), there was a bowl of chocolate & hazelnut gelato (tasted like frozen nutella - yum), with a birthday candle ablaze in it (and a homemade pizzelle). No one sang, thank god, but I got to make a wish...

The non-food portion of the evening was interesting as well.. before we even had a chance to read the menus, we were scoping out other tables to see what was on offer. Don't think he was on the menu, but Vince Vaughn walked behind us as he headed for the VIP room in the back... someone whispered "Britney", but I didn't see her... I'm fairly sure Shia LaBeouf was at the Mozzeralla bar, and Debra Messing walked past us with a gaggle of girlfriends... not too shabby for a Thursday night.

A couple sat down next to us midway through our meal. We're not sure who he was, but apparently he's someone... and they know the chef. Within seconds they were being pored champagne, and had instructed the server to let said chef know they were there and to "surprise them". Wow - the food that came out and the attention paid to them was incredible... they also chatted with us a little, and when the chef (Matt Molina) came out to say hello to them, they let him know it was my birthday and I got to thank him personally for our meal!

Oh, and the valet is only $8.50 (pretty standard for L.A.), and the car came back intact.

2008-04-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

So, very nearly 7 months at the "new" job and I'm not there anymore... I'm still not 100% sure what happened. Monday (4/7) I attempted to begin a conversation with my boss about the things I was unhappy about in her employ, and the day ended with her placing ads online and in the trades.
I'm NOT going to pretend I'm sorry, I was never really happy there and taking shit from her family + acting as her nurse after her surgery were pretty much the last straws, for me at least.
Will need to sign up for unemployment tomorrow, and I'm seriously considering signing up @ Central Casting as well... being an extra could be fun short-term while I lok for my next "real" job.

Uh Oh!

2008-04-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

For the record, Dizzy hates cats.
I don't know that he's ever even met a cat IRL, but he loses his mind barking at them on the TV.
It's not exactly the best behavior, but it certainly is funny!

more sadness for hollywood

2008-01-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger

1979-2008

R.I.P.

2008-01-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Brad Renfro (Jan 15), Suzanne Pleshette (Jan 17) and Allan Melvin (Jan 17 - AKA Sam the Butcher from The Brady Bunch)

2008-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Saw G, G & K at the Hollywood Farmer's Market on Sunday morning... Hugs & convo from him, she acted like we didn't exist. Went to see P.S. I Love You with roomie over the weekend - we both cried.

2008-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

OK, so John didn't win Iowa last night, I can live with that.

New Hampshire's in only a few days, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him there.

I have a pro/con list on all the Democratic front-runners (and some of the candidates who don't seem as likely to win the nomination unfortunately, but whose ideas I like), but I'll be fine as long as there's not a Republican president come November...

I'll step down of my soap-box (for now).

Goodbye 2007

2007-12-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

This will (probably) be my last post for the year.

Headed for Nevada for Christmas tonight,

and unfortunately do not have computer

access there (unless I head to Kinko's).

Just want to wish everyone reading

a Very Merry Christmas

a Happy & Healthy New Year!

cassie

Kind of Amazing...

2007-12-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Opening Night of the 15th Annual Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival. Until I took my current job, I had never even heard of the event, so don't feel like you're out of the loop... it's traditionally been held in Paris... this is either the 1st or the 2nd year in the U.S. (depending on who you talked to).

As I still wasn't feeling the best, I was reluctant to commit to going, but my boss insisted that I would never remember this cold (sinus infection), but I would always remember the evening - and I think she was right.

The main event was held at L.A.'s historical Shrine Auditorium and the after party (where Buzz received a Jules Verne Lifetime Achievement award from Patrick Stewart) at The Edison downtown.

Let's get all the name-dropping out of the way, shall we? In no particular order: Buzz Aldrin, Tony Curtis, Ted Turner, Tippi Hedren, Ray Bradbury, Patrick Stewart, Jean-Michel Cousteau Malcolm McDowell (host for the evening), Ed Begley Jr., Frances Fischer etc... I've probably forgotten people, but those were the ones who come instantly to mind the day after.

I got to see the cheetah (Majani) whose best friend/companion is a dog (Clifford), hear about wonderful stuff being done to help the planet, see re-caps of some fab Hollywood careers, Buzz talked about Space Tourism (as he tends to do...), saw clips of 9 documentaries, enjoyed a Lakota Indian dance demonstration, and generally had a very good time (despite my prior reservations).

The after party was something else entirely. I'd never been to the Edison before (I'm not a trend-oid party-goer, ask anyone who knows me), but the space/vibe is great. The nibbles were yummy (baby baked potatoes w/ caviar, seafood mousse in puff-pastry cups, perfect roast beef skewers w/ spicy sauce, foie gras in dates on toast, sun-dried tomato *things*, ceviche, and several dessert tables... see, fabulous!), and the champagne was ice cold and didn't leave me with a hangover.

The best part of the party was the transportation... since I was with my bosses, I got to ride in the special cars they provided to take them to The Edison... a 1961 Bentley. There was a caravan of them traveling the 4 or 5 miles to the bar... people on the street were staring and waving, it was surreal. After the party, they (my bosses) had a car that was taking them home, but I needed to get back to the Rav4 in he Shrine parking lot, so they arranged for one of the liveried drivers to take me back in a delicious 1935 Rolls Royce - I felt like a Princess.

Special shout out to Sarah (Sara?) one of the Hostesses at The Edison - she made sure I didn't get rained on, and got back safely to my car... and was just super sweet - someone give that girl a raise!

2007-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Stuck at home with a sinus infection - UGH!

have to share

2007-12-03T15:25:00.001-08:00

This is the Alvin and the Chipmunks trailer I saw before Fred Claus...

"tell her she completes you..."

2007-12-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, roomie & I took a walk down from my office to Montana Ave for their Holiday Walk (open house & holiday party). Wasn't terrible, but a good number of the stores didn't participate. They did have some live music & there's a great pet store called George that we discovered, so not a total waste, but it's nothing like the Studio City parties... Studio City has 2 different things, on the same night, a bigger party on Ventura Blvd, and then a smaller party/open house along Tujunga. If you plan it right, you can catch The Magical Christmas Caroling Truck twice!

Well, that's how it used to be. Kicking around yesterday, we thought we'd head out fairly early to spend some time at each last night. So, I went online to discover that the Tujunga Village Holiday Extravaganza was happening, but the party on Ventura isn't 'til NEXT weekend. Hmmm...

Maybe I'm jaded, or maybe it's still the lack of genuine Holiday Spirit around, but last night didn't live up to the memories of events past. There are a couple new stores (including a Gelato bar), but there were SO many people, it felt like Disneyland. Kids were running around with no supervision, which I'm usually OK with, but not when they're breaking stuff in stores, hitting people, shrieking into their cel phones and no one has a clue where they are. Parents yelling for their wayward offspring drowned out most of the Christmas music. Oh, and considering that a LARGE contingent of actors/celebrities lives in Studio City, the ONE "star" sighting was a little disappointing (apologies to his fans, but c'mon, Teri Hatcher's on a top-rated show, and she lives in the 'hood!). I couldn't care less if I see someone in Ralph's (a very common occurrence), or if Britney's terrorizing people in our parking lots, but it would be nice to see them come out to support the community.

Maybe next weekend will inspire me more...

EDITED @ 11:24am: Apparently I'm a Grinch, someone had a MUCH better time than I did... *sigh*

...maybe I was a little hasty...

2007-11-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

I've just remembered something that made me feel a *little* Christmassy when I was in Vegas... the Dollar Tree stores are doing a toy drive for kids through the holidays. You can donate a bear/soft toy/anything you want (stuff you can buy there or bring your own) and they'll distribute them at Christmas time. I made a couple of trips, donated a couple dozen holiday friends (look at those faces, could you resist?), and snapped a photo (my mom wanted to see who I was sending to the kiddles).

If you have a Dollar Tree store in your area, check it out and see if they're doing similar programs in your area - I bet they are.

Bearforce1 - Christmas is here

2007-11-27T16:28:00.001-08:00

There are no words... I *almost* feel the holidays approaching...

Well, that was fun - A/K/A "What I Did Over Thanksgiving"

2007-11-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

• Arrived home from Vegas last night around 9pm, glad I took the extra day and didn't get stuck on the 15 South for hours longer than necessary on Sunday...

• Listened to the entire Melissa Etheridge album The Awakening in the car (Rancho Cucamonga to Studio City), and I REALLY like it! I had posted before about hearing and liking the single (Message To Myself), but it's exceptional in it's entirety, and I think it would make a great stocking stuffer...

• Found frozen custard in Vegas that's almost as good as Hank's in PA (they have pre-packed pints & quarts AND they're open past Labor Day!)... I had the Cherry Almond Nut Concrete - YUMMY!...

• Read a deliciously raunchy Christmas book (3 novellas) - I'm almost embarrassed that I left it with Mom, but I did warn her (and you too)...

• Got shopping for the rug-rats done (3x Christmas + 1 Birthday), so I don't have to stress over that...

• Introduced my Mom to Martino's tea-cakes - I think I may have created a monster...

• Managed to avoid the (2) yarn stores in Vegas, although I did stop into Michael's & Jo-Ann Etc...

• Saw Enchanted & Fred Claus - loved them both (especially Susan Sarandan & Kevin Spacey's performances)... and previews for movies I'm looking forward to: Definitely, Maybe (Ryan Reynolds plays a grown-up, yay!); P.S. I Love You (Gerard Butler is H-O-T!!!); Alvin & The Chipmunks (I wanted to hate this, but I dig Jason Lee, and the trailer was great); The Water Horse; and Drillbit Taylor (O.K., the last one's cheating because I've already seen it twice, but it was FUNNY!)...

• Lived for 5 whole days without e-mail or internet access...

Christmas has officially begun (sorta)

2007-11-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

I have this goofy tradition... I refuse to believe that Christmas is drawing near until I hear "Do They Know It's Christmas"... but it's conditional. It CANNOT be the "Band Aid 20" (or anyone else for that matter) version; and it MUST be heard "organically" - meaning I hear it on the radio in the car or the mall, or see the video on TV, etc. I can't just play it on the iPod...

However, this year it hasn't managed to make me feel very "Christmassy" at all.

Nothing has.

I shopped a little, have been listening to "Holiday" music on KOST-FM for a week, have given some cash to the Salvation Army bell-ringers, watched stupid Lifetime / ABC Family movies, but nothing's working...

it's 1986... all over again

2007-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

I got a perm.
On purpose.
I had permed hair most of my life (roughly from 1977 to 1991), so it's not as if this is new for me... but I've also had straight hair since 1992, so while the process wasn't unfamiliar, it's still a bit of a shock to the system... but I truly like it.
Not sure if I LOVE it yet, I'll let you know in a few days... and I may even get brave enough to post a picture (but please don't hold your breath waiting for it either).
My boss called it "darling", so I'm taking that as a compliment.

2007-11-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

I really need to get better at posting regularly on here... recently I:
* drove to Long Beach to help pick up an oak dining table my roomie found on craigslist - tremendous deal!
* put together 1 of 4 ginormous CD/DVD storage towers and put 600+ DVDs back in their cases... 3 more to go
* learned how to fix the e-mail @ work so that it routes thru a spam-blocking service and we stop getting ads for penis-enlarging pills and winning Irish lottery notices
* started to give myself a pedicure... I still need to decide on a color, but my feet look a little cuter
*discovered a "new" flavor of Rocher - yum!

2007-11-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

Ghost Hunters... LIVE... on Halloween Night... for SIX hours...

Would have been cool if I hadn't fallen asleep... *sigh*

2007-10-29T12:36:00.002-07:00

I LOVE boys in eyeliner, but whoever did George Clooney's makeup in Michael Clayton needs help... too much black eyeliner and his skin looked plastic. I may seem pissy about this point, but as there are so many great close-ups of his face, wouldn't you want it to be great? The effing eyeliner looked cheap and was distracting.

Rant over (for now). The movie was good. I found a couple of plot holes big enough to drive a VW bug thru, but all in all, not sorry I paid $9 for 2 hours.

they're gonna trust me with knives... fools!

2007-10-26T15:57:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, roomie and I have signed up for two different cooking classes at the Culinary Classroom.
9am-12pm is Candy Making (everything from basic truffles to divinity and sea salt caramels...)

...we'll probably head home to sugar crash after that one...

and then 7pm-10pm is Sushi Making! (Nori, Nigiri & homemade pickled gigner, oh my!)

Other than that (for anyone who cares), I'm trying to settle into my new job, be grateful that I have it, and not whine too much because some of the people I deal with on a regular basis should be medicated (and aren't)... *sigh*

Whew!

2007-10-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, September just ran away from me... finished out my temp job, went to visit mom for about a week, then started my new job. Loving the new gig so far (made it through 3 weeks). I'd forgotten what it was like to only have 2 people in the office, so it's a big change from the "culture" at Speedo... at least I won't have to dress up for Halloween!

My boss is a little crazy, but not in a bad or violent way, just quirky. The accountants managed to get my paycheck into Direct Deposit the first pay period, I've already gotten my reimbursement check for my health insurance, and I get to hang out with a sweet big dumb dog all day.

All in all, a very fortuitous beginning, I'd say!

Today's plan of action is recycling, a bank run, grocery shopping, probably some cleaning, maybe a movie this evening, and just random errands.

To anyone who actually reads my blog, sorry for the lack of updates, and have yourself a fantastic weekend!

2007-09-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

ARRRR!

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

i heart decent music... it's so hard to find

2007-09-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

melissa etheridge's new song Message To Myself is really good... wonder if the babies in the video are her & tammy's twins, or if they pulled a colgate? super cute anyway. the album (yes, I *know* it's a cd, but I like the word album), the awakening, comes out sept 25th

The New View

2007-09-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

I was truly sad to see Rosie leave The View... she brought substance and a different perspective to the show which I really enjoyed, but I understand and respect her decision. As I was unemployed for awhile, I actually got to watch it in real time, rather than recording it on the DVR and watching it when I "found" time to...

Do you remember when Danny DeVito was a guest after spending the evening before enjoying Limoncello with his good friend, Mr. Clooney? If not, catch the clip here (then come back to read the rest of my post, please) - well today was the 1st show of The View's 11th Season, and Whoopi's first day as moderator, so I decided to check it out... Danny was back on today and I just learned something fab & funny... Danny went to Sorrento, Italy and is launching Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello! There's a clip of the press conference from YouTube. According to Danny, it will be available soon, so look for it in your neighborhood this fall.

Isn't this one of the signs of the Apocolypse?

2007-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

There will be no more Wonder bread made in Southern California.

Now, I don't even eat the stuff anymore, but I was raised on it, it's a symbol of my childhood... and the very best bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches with bar none. Bummer.

2007-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I slept thru the Lunar Eclipse. I tried to stay awake, and as I'm usually up at that hour stressfully knitting and watching infomercials, I didn't think it would be an issue...

There will be others... but now I have The Dan Band in my head. Damn.

Yea!

2007-08-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Had a really good interview about 2 weeks ago for an Executive Assistant position that I *really* wanted. I knew they were going to take a little time in the interviewing/decision process, but my patience was low (and unemployment checks dwindling daily), so I've been a bit anxious about it.

Tonight (after spending most of the day in interviews for other jobs), I got the call & the offer, which I accepted!

Relief.

I'm not sure if this makes me sad or scared...

2007-08-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Both, I think.

Two Boston-area fathers have invented and are marketing and selling bullet-proof back-packs called My Child's Pack. They retail for approx $175 each and will be available in a few weeks - when school starts.

I'd like to think that this is a good idea, I just can't help but wonder if it isn't selling people a false sense of security... what happens when a kid who has one of these packs is shot and it doesn't perform as expected? Are the inventor's culpable because they claim “We have tested and tested this product and we are very excited about it. We researched every school shooting since 1900 and found that our product is resistant to 97 percent of all bullets used,”...

Who holds the responsibility if a group of children decide to "test" it out at home with a parent's gun, and it goes horribly wrong? I really do not want to watch these stories on the 11 o'clock news, do you?

Hello, my name is Cassie and...

2007-08-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

...Mac & Cheese is my favorite food.

Kraft Mac & Cheese (blue box) is my favorite version... I know there are so many more "gourmet" ways to go than good old "7 minute K-R-A-F-T", and they all have their time & place... but I like what I like.

As I'm a bargain hunter, and not much of a cook, I took an opportunity (read: coupon) to try one of Kraft's new items,
Bistro Deluxe. Touted as a "grown-up" mac & cheese (the press release has wine pairing notes), I went with the Three Cheese Italiano (Parmesan, Romano & Asiago, allegedly) version.

Prep is simple, and very much like the other "deluxe" mac & cheese products out there: boil pasta 'til al dente, squeeze pouch of sauce over, stir & enjoy... no packet of sodium-rich orange powder here folks, this one's fancy.

Kraft's official description: Distinctly Delicious. For a sophisticated twist on an old favorite, try Kraft Bistro Deluxe Pasta. Now your can enjoy premium Kraft cheeses and pastas in a variety of mouth-watering flavors fit for your distinctive tastes: Sundried Tomato Parmesan, Creamy Portobello Mushroom, Classic Cheddar and Three Cheese Italiano. This Mac & Cheese is meant for you.

Verdict: Not bad, the elbow macaroni is ridged... maybe to hold more sauce per noodle? The Sauce is okay, but a little bland - I added salt & pepper. May have benefitted from some extra herbs/spices or some canned tomatoes squashed up in it? It's definitely edible on it's own, but not sure I'd pay $3.49 for it - look for a coupon, or wait until they discontinue it and send it to the dollar store. Also, 3 servings in the bag? Maybe as a side dish. Mine was dinner, and I ate about 2/3 of it tonight, and I'll have the rest with a salad tomorrow for lunch.

Zombie comedies are like potato chips...

2007-08-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

...you can't watch just one!

OK, so eating a bunch of sugar and watching a hat-trick of flics about the undead doesn't seem like the most productive use of a Sunday, but the dogs and I had fun!

Not gonna rate the three of them, or even compare - they're all unique, and funny in their own way. Roll call:

Shaun Of The Dead - 2004 - Have Hot Fuzz on the way via the internet, can't wait for it, these guys are awesome... and lots of cool cameos/smaler roles.

"Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?"

Night Of The Comet - 1984 - Cult favorite, but hysterical. Love that one of the heroines is in a cheerleader outfit for 90% of the film.

Samantha: [with mock sincerity] The burden of civilization is upon us...
Danny Mason Kenner aka DMK: Ohhh. [smiling]
Danny Mason Kenner aka DMK: Bitchin', isn't it?

Dead And Deader - 2006 - Dean Cain is a zombie, and John Billingsley's in it too! BTW, there are actually 2 zombie comedies from last year that have this title... not sure what the other one's about, but I believe it's an indie... 'cos this one got such a wide release...

Figures... I start knitting and this happens...

2007-08-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

What Wierd Holiday Tradition Are You?
Christmas Sweaters They're itchy, they don't match anything, they're two sizes off, and your mom won't let you throw them away EVER. It's like the thing in your dryer that eats your socks, only backwards.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

2007-08-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

The concert was a real treat... I like Faith, and I've always been a Tim fan, but I think I'm working on a *serious* Tim crush right about now... and from the sounds of the (capacity) crowd, I'm not alone.

Not gonna recap the entire performance, there are many other music reviews that are much more articulate, but I will say that when Tim took the stage for his "solo" section, and began with "Some people call me a space cowboy..." I started screaming like a fool! I really do like his peaches and would like to shake his tree *blush*.

We attempted to see Louie Louie Friday night, but no one @ the MGM seemed to have a clue who he was or where he was performing... at one point we were directed to the Excalibur. Do you know who's at the Excalibur? Louie Anderson. Classic.

... so we headed over to the Hard Rock to see if we could catch the Sandbox set(s). They were OK, but the crowd energy seemed fairly low.

Spent some money & time on slot machines (at the end of the evening, I was up $80 - by the end of the weekend, I was only ahead $5, but it's better than nothing, right?), had a late night/early morning snack and rolled into my mom's around 4:45am... haven't done that in awhile, and definitely felt my age Saturday morning.

However, I think the focus of the weekend was definitely food... stand-outs included:

Emeril's - We were doing a logistics recon run on the MGM property on Friday and realized we had skipped breakfast, so a big expensive lunch @ Emeril's seemed the best idea (at the time). The meal was yummy, and the Banana Cream Pie is to die for - we took a slice home for mom, it's her favorite dessert and she was not disappointed.

Fiamma Trattoria & Bar (also at MGM Grand) - dinner before the Soul 2 Soul show was excellent. I had the pasta special of the night, handmade gnocchi with lobster & mushrooms in a truffle butter sauce. Mom's surf & turf (8 oz. filet & Australian cold-water lobster) was the winner though - it looked like something out of the pages of Bon Appetit.

Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood - Was good when it was the Spice Market @ the Aladdin, was missed when it was gone during the revamp and changeover, and is great now - we started with a chocolate covered strawberry... and ended with freshly made cotton candy... the middle's a bit of a blur, but we left satisfied & smiling.

2007-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Going to Lost Wages for the weekend to visit mom + go to the Soul2Soul show (Faith Hill & Tim McGraw) at the MGM Grand... I told mom to behave.

Also on in Sin City (and coincidentally at the MGM Grand)
this weekend is Louie Louie! Wish I had a link to his actual
web site, but it's been taken down. After several successful years
in Nevada, he apparently he took his show to Ego at Trump Taj
in Atlantic City for awhile, but he's back for the month of August
(hopefully longer!)...

...and Sandbox will be at the Hard Rock this Friday (8/3), Saturday(8/4) & Sunday(8/5) - Their 1st set starts @ 10pm each night.

2007-07-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted, but it's OK (for now)... Me & the roomie decided to go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight after work. Arrived a little too late for the 7:15 show, so we ate some dinner & took in the 8:40pm screening, getting home way too late on a "school night". So worth it though - it was like when you go on a roller coaster, and immediately want to go again... maybe this coming weekend?!

Ron Weasley: Hermione, you are truly the most wonderful

person I have ever met and if I'm ever rude to you again...

Hermione Granger: Then I'll know you've gone back to normal.

Also, saw trailers for movies that look good:

Fred Claus - Love Kevin Spacey & Paul Giamati in almost everything they do + this could reignite my crush on Vince Vaughn.
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - looks like a good one to see with a kid/family, maybe I'll take mom. Kathleen Madigan would like this, gotta find her CD in my car...
Balls of Fury - Look so ridiculous that it might be fun... kinda Dodgeball & The Last Dragon mixed up... and can you really pass up anything with Christopher Walken?

2007-07-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Got blonde (-ish) highlights... when do I start having more fun?!

2007-07-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a hug is all that we need.

I tried to embed the video here, to no avail (thanks Blogger...),

so head over to YouTube to watch it.

http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

This bread is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S... oh, forget it.

2007-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

YUM!

As I was running some errands this afternoon (recycling, a little shopping, etc.) my roommate was busy finding a use for some overripe bananas. Homemade banana bread a wonderful thing on it's own... but this one has chocolate chips & hazelnuts too. I'll probably never be thin, but I'll never starve either.

2007-07-07T22:19:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I forget that where I live you see celebrities out and about doing errands, just like "real" people. I've worked with and met a number of famous people over the years, but hearing a distinctive famous voice in the bank queue is still kinda fun.