Here are the places in my neighborhood (part 3)

The 3rd Street Dance studio is where they practice for a certain dance show currently on television. Today I saw Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin on their way to practice. Actually she just practices and he is there to be supportive.

Here are the places in my neighborhood (part 2)

The Ivy





Some of you might know The Ivy as the place the first Bennifer broke up, or as the place that TomKat ride their motorcycle to. I walked past it today on the way to the grocery store.

There is no water in Coldwater Canyon

Here are some photos from Coldwater Canyon, where I spent part of my day at today.

Yes, I went hiking, don't be shocked.

show me the monkey!!

In Los Angeles there are a lot of billboards and advertisements everywhere. It is no Tokyo, but there are a lot. When they are trying to push a movie or television show particularly hard, the specific show's billboards seem to be everywhere. The past few weeks the movie/show that is winning the billboard contest is the new Curious George movie. Rather strangely though, the movie/show with the most billboards usually doesn't do all that well. Take Emily's Reasons Why Not starring Heather Graham that lasted one episode. Those billboards were everywhere when i first got here. Or Blind Justice , that cop show about the cop who went blind but still wanted to remain on the force and had to rely on his other senses. I think that one lasted maybe one season. Alias , don't get me started about Alias, how I loved thee, will now be on its last season. The list goes on. I am waiting to see how Curious George does at the box office to see if the curse will live on

me-having fun

This is me at the Fugees concert on Monday. This was their first concert since deciding to go there separate ways in 1996. Asher and I were part of the 8,000 people who got tickets to the free concert. What was also cool, besides the fact that they are awesome live, was they they completely closed down Hollywood and Vine for the concert. (i.e. a big part of the Walk of Fame.)

To learn about the Fugees click here .

It's a boy!!!!

So as many of you found out yesterday, my sister and her husband are going to have a baby boy. We all knew it would be. I am very excited to be an aunt and can't wait for July.

My other sister and I are already battling for the coolest aunt prize. I think I might win.

Here are the places in my neighborhood (part 1)

I live a few blocks from Cedar Sinai Medical Center. Some of you may know Cedar Sinai from the gossip rags, because a lot of celebrities get treated there. You may have heard the name in the news recently because Lou Rawls passed away at csmc.

Call me cheesy, but the thing I like about Cedar Sinai is that it sits on George Burns Road and the street that crossed directly through the medical center is Gracie Allen Drive. There, George and Gracie, although figuratively, get the chance to meet again.

For those of you who do not know, basically for those of you who are young and are readers who are not in my family, Gracie Allen and George Burns were a comedy duo/husband and wife team who had a popular radio show in the 1930s and a brief, but successful leap to television in 1950.

Gracie died from illness in 1964 and George Burns died in 1996 at the age of 100.

I remember seeing an interview with George Burns later in his life; the interviewer asked him about his longevity and asked him how he felt about being over 100. I think that the interviewer was surprised that living for a long time did not make George happier. In fact George said, and I am going to paraphrase, that every day that he lives, keeps him one day farther from seeing Gracie in heaven.

Could you imagine living that long without the person you love? I hope it never happens to me.

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Sorry, I couldn't pass up a bad '80's song lyric reference.

Anyway, If you happened to notice a week or so ago, I put a visiting counter on my blog. (It is on the right side below my archived posts in green with black numbers) So far I have had 30 plus viewers of my blog and many repeat visits. Thank you StatCounter . It was interesting to see that I have visitors from Australia, Canada and Japan.

What sort of bummed me out though is that I really don't get a lot of emails at my blog email address. So, if you are reading I Am Here, please send me a note at eyemheer2@yahoo.com.

Thanks and happy reading!!

Superbowl???

Is Asher's commercial going to play during the superbowl?

I know that a lot of you are asking if Asher's commercial will play during the Superbowl. The short story is that I am not sure. The long story is that in order to find out if it is going to play, it is a long process of phone tag to the prodution company, Budwieser, etc.

So, if his commercial does play, he is in one of a three spot deal. The story is that this American guy gets a roomate from the Amazon and during their bonding they find that the only thing that they both like is Bud Light. Asher will be in the commercial where they play basketball and he is the one who gets shot in the neck with a blow dart. Surprisingly, I have also seen a couple other non-Bud Light blow dart commercials lately, so don't be confused.

Above is a picture of my man, so look out for him at the Superbowl and if not there we are thinking the Olympics.

When Clutterholics Fall in Love

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui

Before I moved out here, Asher told me about all of these Feng Shui books he had borrowed from the library so that we could use them to redesign the apartment. I thought that was a very sweet gesture, because I have a good boyfriend who wants me to feel comfortable in my new surroundings.

When I got here a couple weeks ago, and we began the endevour of Feng Shui-ing the apartment, I realized that I had met my soulmate. He keeps every movie ticket stub, receipt and phone bills from 2003, just like I do. In a former period in my life, I might have found this endearing, but having to move boxes and piles of old bills, etc. to rearrange the apartment, seemed like such a waste of time.

For those of you who really know me you can go ahead and laugh. You can, I give you permission. This is coming from a girl who in her last three apartments had a laundry basket full of papers, receipts, magazines, paystubs from 2002, buttons, tags off of clothes, etc. that I just moved from place to place. Never threw it away, I just moved it.

After a day or two of the purge, I picked up one of the library books called "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston. Usually, I do not like books like this because they are kind of New Age-y, but other than all of her incessant testimonials from all of the people who used her clutter clearing principals, it was very eye opening. I guess I learned a lot about myself and why I keep all of this, for lack of a better word, crap.

Did you know that clutter keeping is heriditary? Not that I am blaming anyone, but thought it was interesting that there is yet another thing that gets passed down from generation to generation.

I dedicate this post to Janie, who upon first coming to my apartment in Mankato, tried to throw away a candy bar wrapper off of the floor, but was stopped by me because I wanted to tape it into my journal.

Tourist destination: Santa Monica

This is why I felt like a tourist in Santa Monica, because I thought that it was a gorgeous day. I guess it was not a gorgeous day on California standards because I noticed several people, mostly women, dressed in wool, wearing winter coats and fully wrapped in scarves and other winter accessories. I know that it is January, but wearing your winter coat and scarf outside on the Pier is pure crazy. People you do not even know winter.

After visiting Santa Monica a few times, I still do not think that I have developed an opinion on whether or not I like it. It, to me, is basically an outdoor mall, which should be avoided at all costs on the weekend. Santa Monica has great people watching though, and maybe that it what brings me back.

The best place too truly people watch is by far the Santa Monica Pier. There truly are some characters like the neurotic juggler, who actually gets upset if you do not watch his show.

“Hey, do you want to see something cool?”

No audience response.

“I said do you want to see something cool?!!!”

Still no audience response.

“You are going to miss the coolest thing ever!!! I am going to balance this bicycle on my head!!!”

He does his act anyway even without audience participation and still goes around with his bucket asking people for money even though no one watched.

The Pier musicians are a wide range on Blues singers, Hippies and Classic Rock fans. This is what I like about the street musicians on the Pier; it doesn’t really matter how good or bad they are, whether or not they just sing songs with California in the title, they always, and I mean always, tell you who originally wrote and sung the song. I think that is really polite. I know that if someone was making money off of me, I would like at least a little recognition.

Warning to all female tourists: The public restrooms at the park building right before you get to the Santa Monica Pier are probably the worst public restrooms you will ever come across. I have done a lot of traveling in my lifetime and if I were to rate the worst public restrooms in America I would give these restrooms the blue ribbon prize. Go anywhere else in Santa Monica, but never there.

Tourist Stuff

Since my boyfriend's family is in town, we will be doing a bunch of touristy stuff this week. I am actually excited. The majority of these sights I have never seen before.

Due to the tourist extravaganza, I will be posting a little less often than I have been. I apologize.

Thursday

I missed a post yesterday because I was busy getting my information together for my registration at a temp. agency today. It was a bit nerve racking since I worked at my past job for six years.

Oh well change is good.

It is also nice having my own personal cheerleader.

One week mark

(View of downtown Los Angeles from top of the Beverly Center)

Minneapolis 30 degrees feels like 18
Los Angeles 63 degrees feels like 63

Today I celebrate the one week mark in Los Angeles. Technically it was yesterday, but I got into LAX at 11:30 p.m. and since there was only a half an hour left in the day, I am celebrating it today instead.

The first thing I did when I got up a week ago today was head to the famous Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax, went to the French Crepe Company and had what I consider heaven on a plate a.k.a the banana nutella crepe. I used to dream about the banana nutella crepe during my long breaks away from Los Angeles. Now that I am here 24-7 I can have the guilty pleasure whenever I want. That could be a problem though, it is within walking distance.

Mainly, as I have mentioned, I have been organizing a lot at a feverish pace due to Asher’s family coming to town. I think I have met my clutter soul mate. (This will be a post for a different time.)

I have been walking a lot and enjoying the nonstop sunshine. This is such a change from Minneapolis. We didn’t see the sun once from December 23rd to January 9th. So when I see the sun, like most Minnesotans, I want to be out in it. My boyfriend and other Californians assure me that I will get used to it and I wont feel so motivated to be outside all of the time. I really don’t see that happening anytime soon.

I have a lot of landmarks in my area and will be starting a blog series about the places in my neighborhood.

I am very happy and very excited about being here and so grateful that I am finally having a close distance relationship with my boyfriend.

When in doubt go vintage

Saturday night was my first L.A. party. I guess not my first L.A. party, but a party with people who are celebrities. What shocked me was that it was so normal and effortless; just a bunch of people hanging around chatting and having a few cocktails. I guess I am used to the drama club parties of my youth where everyone starts to talk over each other and try to put quarters up their nose. This was not the battle for attention fest that I thought it was going to be.

My other concern that people would be pretentious and label conscious. I have not and probably never will be anyone who can afford Prada sandals and $400 hoodie sweatshirts from Kitson. So I guess when I went out rockin’ my GAP trousers and H & M top, I felt a little Midwest. The thing is that people wear a lot of black here. (I know, my version of heaven.) I actually got a couple comments about my little handbag (pictured) So, note to self, wear a lot of black and when in doubt go vintage.

I know that you are all dying to know who was there. Well it was his birthday and the only other person I recognized was this guy . He played Dr. Joey Martin on All my Kids. I guess the place was crawling with Soap stars, but I didn’t know any of them. I haven’t followed a Soap since 1995 and the only reason I did then was because of someone I was interested in at the time. (Now that I think back that does sound kind of weird. Me pining after a boy who changed his college schedule so that he could watch Days of Our Lives.)

So, that was my first foray into the VIP party set and it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.

FYI

This is just a quick note, I have changed some of the colors in my blog so that people understand that there are websites that I have hyperlinked. Before it was hard to tell that I did that. Now if you click on the plum colored words it will link you to other websites. For example, if you want to know what other movies Amy is in you just have to click on her name. I will keep doing this throughout this blog.

So far-redux

My days so far have really been dedicated to unpacking and rehashing floor plans of how we are going to rearrange the bedroom and office area. But even in Los Angeles you do not have to go far to see the stars. Staying in the same apartment is none other than Amy Locane

Some of you might know her as the star opposite Johnny Depp in Cry Baby . Cry Baby is not the best of movies, but I remember liking it when I first saw it. The reason I liked it wasn't because of its story or that I happened to be in love with Johnny Depp, but because it was one of the first movies that I saw that was not the run of the mill Hollywood picture. I appreciated that John Waters didn't dumb anything down for me or blow anything up; there weren't two perfect Hollywood stars falling in love, it was a not as well known Depp and a girl from New Jersey.

I am tempted to ask her what it was like working with Johnny Depp and John Waters, but maybe I will wait.

By the way, I am going to a certain soap stars birthday party tomorrow night. If you must know he played Raul Guiterrez on the Young and the Restless for five years. i never watched the show, but I am sure someone out there might be impressed, because I know that that is one of the soaps my family watches.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parents 33rd wedding anniversary!

Congratulations Mom and Dad! I hope I have someone to love me as long as you two have loved eachother.

Have fun at dinner tonight.

Love, your daughter

the metro

Little things about Los Angeles are weird to me, like that they have flat screen televisions in all of their city busses. These televisions do not play primetime television but a special loop of metro line programming. Yesterday, I rode the metro for the first time and found myself mesmerized by the amount of times that the television screen thanked us for being riders, that they provided national weather programming, I learned about a deadbeat dad who faked his on death and of another suicide bomber attack. All until this woman with a really big head sat infront of me.

So, if you would like to know what the weather is like in Kansas City or if you were wondering how your stocks were doing just jump on a Metro. It only costs a $1.25.

De-iced

In all of my flights over the years, I have never been in a plane that has had to be deiced before take off. If you are not familiar with Minnesota winters nor have you flown to/from locales that hit below freezing consistenly, deicing is:

"crews use heated glycol-based fluids to remove existing ice, then coat the airplane with ice suppressants to prevent new ice from forming."

Not very comforting is it.

I though that this was fitting since I was leaving Minneapolis for California. Minnesota had to get in one more jab before I left to remind me of another reason that I decide to leave, that nasty, bone chilling, nosehair freezing, winter.

I know a lot of people who say they love Minnesota winter. Those are the people who love to ice fish, snowshoe and snow mobile, but as many of you know, I am not that person.

I would like to say to all of you Minnesotans that I have a deep respect for all of you people who can stay out in a fish house for 12 hours at a time, all of you who can walk around in minus 30 degree weather, etc. without complaints. Minnesotans are a hearty people and deserve your respect.

Today, I was walking around in flip flops and 63 degree weather and I wouldn't trade it for the world.