That Teddy’s is full of shit, man.

And it’s also teeming with a big dumb group of “what-can-you-do-for-me”s. I finally got the chance to hang out with my amazing friend Enerel and I was super pumped to go dancing with her at Teddy’s – but after a few rounds, looking for some friendly faces, I’m disappointed to say there were none. Zero. Plenty of faces trying to look cool and pretend that I don’t exist, but not a single awesome guy or girl around. They would rather bump into you and body check you with their purse than possibly make a new friend. This was a harsh reality for me, coming off of the amazing weekend I just had in Venice, making some fantastic new friends. These girls were so caring and fun and normal, interesting, friendly and real. I couldn’t imagine being in the same room as them and having them not speak to me – which is what happened to Enerel!! As she and I sat on a ledge I asked her if she knew anyone else in the group besides a guy she introduced me to, and she knew EVERYONE at the table, yet none of them spoke a word to her or me. So strange. Listen guys, it’s almost 2011, get over yourself! Just because you are a promoter, a model, a rich kid or the cocaine hookup does not mean you are the most important person in the room. We are all people; we all have feelings, emotions and insecurities to begin with. The last thing I need is some little shit trying his/her bestest to make me feel like less of a person. Unless I can individually handpick every person that goes to that bar, I will probably never go to Teddy’s sucky ass pretentious bar again. Yuk. Oh and I’m pretty sure that James Caan, Elliot Gould and Larry Gordon, all of whom I had dinner with tonight, would agree.

My face is on fire

And it's not from the sun. I just happened to click on the comments tab on my blog and...there were comments there!!! I knew some of my friends read the blogs here and there and a select few have read all of them but...people I don't even know are following me!!! I'm sitting here in my jammies, blushing. Thanks guys and girls, that just made my day.
In other news, I'm back in LA. Again. After a 95 day hiatus, I came back to land of sand and plastic, shielding my eyes from the blinding Fall sun. I've been a little busy since then, selling my trusty Honda, and getting into my beloved Mini. I'm looking for a job job. Not like a big kid 9-5, but an esthetician job. I'm trying my hardest to stay and work in this city, but these tours just keep coming. I'm glad I've had them, but I'd like to be HERE. So, to the pavement!
P.S. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a terrible driver. Really - a bad driver. I have to constantly remind myself to pay attention, don't touch my phone, eyes on the road, quite messing with the radio. Because the second I take my eyes off the church van in front of me to watch a heated debate between Orthodox Jews and the tow truck guy...BAM!! I crash into the church van.
Piss piss piss piss piss.

Hindsight (written on 7-22-10)

7-22-10

Sitting in an airport. Again. Finding myself stuck in situations of no escape and no familiar faces always causes me to reflect on my recent life. After a six week hiatus from makeup, I’m packed and ready to do it again. Ready to make money again, get out of bed with some sort of purpose, hate my boss, fight with my coworkers, criss cross the nation, etc. etc. etc. Actually I think this tour will be better than the last, mostly because it’s five weeks shorter and I only have to be in San Francisco for a few days rather than two months. I think we’ll have a great crew and going to a new place every week really makes the time fly. I feel really blessed for these opportunities of work, I know a lot of people, especially in CA who don’t have a job and can’t find one, and I thank God that I’ve received these opportunities this past year. Still it’s hard to leave this town. I’m so glad I moved to LA and my short summer here really showed me what it’s like to live in this town. I didn’t get the chance to enjoy myself when I first moved here, so I made sure I did that this summer. I went surfing with Tam, I watched tons of movies with my roommates, I rode bikes on the beach with Julie, I played sand volleyball with the boys, and got my face crushed by an incredible serve. I saw some live music in Santa Monica on the pier, I went to an ESPYS party with TL, thanks to Shawn White and Uncle Chuck, I worked a little, did a few shoots, slept in, shopped, went to movies, bars, I celebrated a Lakers win, dates, restaurants, #1 Cactus Taqueria, I went to biggest party I’ve ever seen in my life, I DIDN’T see a girl die after all (thank God), I met Ben, I walked right by a Spice Girl-one of my biggest idols, I made a lot of new friends, kissed some birds, I quit drinking (for the most part)…
This quest I call success is also my pursuit of happiness. I feel like the second I got in my car, I was halfway there, but I still stress about work almost every day. I still have night sweats because I don’t have control over what’s going to happen to my life in 3.5 months; will I have work? For how long? Am I good enough that when the opportunity does arise to do a movie or a major music video I won’t completely flop? When will I find that core group of friends that I feel really connected to like I’ve done in my past hometowns? All of these things cause me to wake up in a soaking, sweaty mess in the middle of the night. But then these glorious chunks of life flop into my lap, and my God they are so much betterfunnyrewardingexhilarating than I thought they could be. I think I’m a little stronger than I thought I was. Obviously I’m not sure. I think I’m ready for what is going to be thrown at me. I better get more sure about that.
I really wanted to take everything in this summer and I feel like I did. I watched the sunset and the sunrise in LA and now it’s time for another adventure. Now if I could only watch True Blood on this frickin plane.

Destinations

The tour is over. I’m heading back to LA, the last of the Beauty Ambassadors to leave Chicago, our final destination. It has been a fortunate but bittersweet four months for me. I’m so glad I was able to get another tour and I never imagined it would be a makeup tour. It’s been almost a year (Aug. 23rd) since I moved to LA and I’ve surprisingly done better than I imagined. I knew I would go and I would never come back to the Midwest again (calling it home), and while the first five months of LA were harder than I feared - with 50 hours of school, working on the weekends and being so broke I can’t pay a single bill, it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I feel like LA is my home and where I belong and I can’t wait to get back. And because of the tour I just finished, I’m actually going to be able to enjoy the city. Bare Escentuals took me to crisp, cold San Francisco for two months, dynamic and bustling New York for one month and finally traditional and loyal Chicago for a month. Over the past four months I’ve made some fantastic, talented and creative friends, I’ve learned about another product line, I’ve once again succeeded in my field and I’ve had many adventures. My first experience of New York City was lovely and magical in hindsight. The city is easily navigated, the food is fantastic and you never feel alone. The Manhattan skyline is beautiful at night, with the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and the hundreds of other skyscrapers. I didn’t eat a hotdog, or a slice of pizza, or a bagel. And I never had a cup of coffee from one of those places with the blue cups. But I made some really fantastic friends there and I know when I come back to see them, I’ll check those things off my list. I had a delicious dessert from Alice’s Tea room, walked through Central Park with Tam, took a ferry to Staten Island, saw the statue of Liberty and sadly, Ground Zero. I did a fun photo shoot with Jeff and Tam, watched Alice in Wonderland in 3D, I shopped, bought books from a street vender and ate street meat. New York was almost like going to another country.
As I packed my things last night, I realized how much I enjoy the company of the other girls. The apartment was so quiet without their voices and doors opening, closing, the TV blasting a movie… It was nice to go to beach with all of them and just be together and laugh. It’s a good group of girls and I’m a little sad that we’re all being split up for the next tour. But for now I’m so ready to come home. I’m ready to go to Venice and drive my car and see Hollywood Blvd., my roommates, the Dome…This has been a fantastic adventure, but I’m excited to get back to my city. Thank you to Starr, for being a fantastic friend and staying on my ass about this kind of stuff. Love you doll.

The start of Nic's Picks (Lashes)

First of all, let me say it annoys me that it's easier for me to write when I have my glasses on; instead of perching my laptop on my chest, it can rest comfortably on my legs. Moving on. I'm going to start including something special and useful in my blogs: Nic's Picks. It has come to my attention that people kind of like my opinion when it comes to skin care, products, ideas, tricks, methods, etc. etc. So I've decided to write about my favorite ones. My special effects teacher told me that you should always share what you know, and I think he's right. It makes me happy to be able to share what I know and have it produce positive results. Everything that I recommend is something or someway I've tried. I'm not a doctor, a personal trainer, a stylist or a scientist. I'm just sharing information that y'all have requested from me, either because you like how I do something, or how something looks or because you feel like you can ask me. Now don't worry, I'll still write about love and makeup and travel, this is just a topic that is in demand.

I'll make my first one short and sweet (I'm on a limited amount of time, I'm supposed to be doing a bar tour of Williamsburg and I've yet to shower).



I've used Lancome for some time (since I started freelancing for them in 2008) and one thing that most people notice about me are my lashes. I'm going to give you my recommendations for long healthy lashes, or at least how to fake them for the night. First of all, if you're curling your lashes, STOP!! And if absolutely feel you must, only curl them on special occasions and get a great lash curler like Shu Uemera (of course), either the regular one, or the mini curler. I like the mini one because most of us are not great at using these monsters and the mini one allows you to get to each section instead of the intimidating attempt at curling all at once, yikes! When you curl, don't just clamp down once and be done, do several gentle clamps, all the while moving towards the end of the lash, thus giving you a more natural curl. And don't squeeze tightly, you don't need to. Don't forget to clean your lash curler in between uses with some toner or alcohol.



Now, if you don't curl your lashes, great! I'm sure they're nice and soft and lovely. Prime those ocular locks with Lancome Cils Booster. I love this stuff. I call it "lotion for your lashes." Put one coat on one eye, then throw on your mascara - I love Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition or L'Oreal Telescopic, they give you thick, long lashes without being clumpy and they are both affordable. Then put Cils Booster on your other eye followed by your mascara. Cils Booster makes me feel like I'm wearing false lashes, and the product is actually GOOD for your lashes! It gives them moisture and works as a treatment, while giving you a thicker lash to build on your mascara. You can even wear Cils Booster while you sleep; it will help improve the condition of your lashes.



Lastly, and most importantly, use eye makeup remover. My favorite is also from Lancome. It's the Bi-Facil makeup remover. It's gentle and very effective, even with waterproof makeup. Also, it doesn't make me breakout, which most makeup removers will do. My lashes get another treatment, leaving them soft and free of makeup. Finish washing your face (that's another blog), throw on some eye cream (and another) and you're good to go for the night!



Listening to:
Ray Noble
Ruth Etting
Ella Fitzgerald
Mae West

Have I been sleeping?

Two months in San Francisco and nothing. Nothing to describe how I felt for those two months. It’s almost like my ideas didn’t exist. Tam and I were talking today about how lucky we are for this job; we really are. Not only do we have a job - something 10% of Californians do not have, but we have a great job, traveling all over the United States doing makeup for seven hours a day. Pinch me. The first week in San Francisco was hard. Harder than leaving Missouri. I was so homesick for LA and its’ sun and knowing where I am and my routine and my roommates and the Dome, I couldn’t really begin to even think about enjoying San Fran until the second week in. I eventually found my groove and I was able to enjoy some great things about the city, San Fran has GREAT food, some of the best I’ve had in a long time. I ate authentic dim sum, Chinese dumplings, real ramen and some fantastic California wine. I ate cheese and salami and bread and persimmons, some great Indian food and pounds of deliciousness from the Whole Foods food bar. Speaking of pounds, I picked up a few of those as well. Luckily, the last 10 days in San Fran I lived with Zara, another fantastic makeup artist on the tour , and every morning before work I ran the enormous hills of Pacific Heights, hoping to shake off some of those pounds. I grew to like SF towards the end; the weather was more forgiving, not great, but sunny more often than rainy, and the wind would cease every so often. And in the mornings, it felt like I had the whole city to myself, the running path down by the water was beautiful with a fantastic view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and when I finally ventured out to other neighborhoods, I found myself right in front of the Painted Ladies from the infamous opening shot of Full House. I had all these amazing images and memories of the bridges, the Trans America Building (the pyramid building!! Call your mother!) the Painted Ladies, Alcatraz, the Wharf, Sausalito, Chinatown, Russian Hill, Lombard…so much more. I loved driving across the Bay Bridge every morning and evening; it was my time to collect myself and my thoughts and the views of the bay in the morning are spectacular (when the fog has lifted). SF is a very visual city. They have the oldest ballet company in the U.S. as well as a wonderful orchestra. But it’s no LA. I couldn’t WAIT to get home. The second I was able to, I left SF and made the 6 hour drive south. I was so excited I screamed. When I finally hit the grapevine mountain range that separated me from that glorious dirty shallow city, I cried. I even tried to make myself stop crying, but I couldn’t. I love LA. While the people may be shallow with their agendas and all their b.s., they’re friendly. They say hello and they stop you and get to know you, regardless of what you look like or how you dress. People in LA don’t care if you’re a rap star, a hipster or a movie star. Friends are friends and everyone wants to be friends. SF was a little too snotty for me, and how ironic is that? I’m so glad I live in LA. The first few days I was back, I didn’t leave the west side. I stayed on the beach with Eric and I didn’t wear shoes or makeup and I didn’t do my hair and it was amazing. I was back in Venice with all of the crazy people, the hippies, the tourists, the performers, the music, it was like I was on vacation. I love living in a stinky basin of friendship, everyone there is trying to be someone and do something and that ambition gives off a certain vibe that SF didn’t have to me. As for NYC…a different story entirely…

What I'm listening to (in NYC):
New Moon Soundtrack
Passion Pit
The Big Pink
Metric
Radiohead
Drake
Jay-Z (it should go without saying)
Lil Wayne
Alicia Keys

It's amazing what time and Jebus can do.

I'm two weeks into this tour and it has been a whirlwind this entire time. Last week was really difficult, I did not want to leave LA, but I needed this money. I felt like a flag being whipped around a pole; I didn't know where I was going to live, when I would get paid and I generally just didn't feel at home anywhere I went. I'm starting to get into my groove, I'm actually living across the Bay but I really like the drive, I like the Bay Bridge, it's a relaxing drive home. And I'm making up for my lack of a social life in LA. The girls I'm working with are so fantastic and diverse and interesting and funny. They work hard and even after being together all day long they still want to chill together. We have so much planned for the next six weeks: Alcatraz, Napa, Great America, thrift stores, the Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, the Castro...so much to do. I'm going to see my dad on Monday, going back to the neighborhood of my childhood home. I have to be honest, I've spent the last few days preparing myself for a pretty bad situation. My dad got very sick in November and apparently he almost died. I haven't seen him in almost three years, but I'm afraid of what I'm going to see. I wish someone could be there to hold my hand, but I don't have anyone in my life to fill that position. Some of these things have been so hard to deal with, but I'm fortunate that I have a job, that I have a family and than I'm making friends. Zara and I took a day to be San Fran tourists, driving down the windiest road in the city (Lombard, google it and watch the video, it's cool!), taking in the view from Russian Hill, walking down the Haight, eating breakfast on Fillmore and walking down such steep hills, they built stairs into the sidewalks. Amazing. The city is full of fantastic food and hippies. It's a completely different vibe than LA. In LA all of the people at my grocery store look like they were cast as cashiers and they all have professional head shots. Here they are hairy, hippie and unattractive. The weather is crazy, cold and clammy, but it can turn sunny and crisp within moments. I'm still missing the ex, we're still corresponding. For some reason it's hard for us both to let go. Part of me wishes he could fly out here and we can cure each other's lonliness, but it would probably turn out disastrous. I've taken a year off from having a relationship and I think I'm ready for one. I'm in this city for a brief amount of time and then it's off to NYC and finally Chicago and then I'm back in the city I love: LA. I'm trying to savor every moment that I'm having because I know this is a wonderful adventure.
My list lately:

Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"
Kevin Rudolf "I made it"
Sad Brad Smith "Help Yourself"
Spoon "I Turn my Camera on"
Robin Thicke "Sex Therapy"
OneRepublic "All the Right Moves"
Kris Allen "Live Like We're Dying"
Alicia Keyes "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart"
Ingrid Michaelson "Maybe"

I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it.

Two weeks ago I was sitting in my room contemplating the incessant sunniness of LA, and now I'm sitting in an unfamiliar room on the other side of the San Francisco Bay, mentally preparing myself for the positive experience I'm going to have working and living in San Francisco. In whiplash speed I was hired for another tour - this time I'm working as a makeup artist on a mobile marketing tour for Bare Escentuals - and within four days I've packed my bags, settled my work schedule with my many projects in process and I'm taking the 5 north north north, over the mountains to San Francisco. I was born in a city right outside of San Francisco and it's been over 15 years since I've been back to the area and even more than that since I've lived here. It's strange to be back in the area that I'm truly from and feel absolutely homesick. I miss LA and my roommates and the familiarity I've developed with the city over the past five months. I know it's just the adjustment period, and the entire crew is feeling it, but my God last week was difficult! Our days were almost always 12 hours long, with intense training and learning the BART system and not least of all, going through a breakup. Frank* showed his true colors by taking the first opportunity he had to truly be a friend to me and dismissing it completely. He just wasn't there for me at all and when I needed him the most. He sealed his fate but at the same time he did me a favor; I was able to get to know this group of girls so much better without the distraction of having to make time for our epic phone conversations. It also made me realize just how much I don't want to be with him, so thanks for that. Zara and I made the trip back down to LA for one last encore before I really get into San Fran and we made sure to get a healthy dose of LA to take back with us to the city. I didn't expect to get back down there so soon, but I packed an entire suitcase full of summer dresses and tank tops which I've discovered is the opposite of what I need in Northern California. Noted. So we trooped down there to spend some quality time with her family and friends and to literally and figuritively shed some excess baggage. I left Frank's t-shirt in that same warm weather suitcase which I shoved under Steff's bed. I'd like to say I put the shirt under the kitchen sink to be used as a cleaning rag, but to be honest, I didn't get around to thinking about that shirt enough to care.
Zara and I are both feeling very lonely about this new chapter, but on the way out of LA something very interesting happened: we saw a rainbow. I know that sounds ordinary and common, but we saw the END of a rainbow, it literally followed us down the highway for a good 10 minutes. I've never been close enough to a rainbow to see the end of it and it was...amazing. If you think I'm making this up, I'm not. Think about it; a rainbow has to have a location because you can be on different sides of it and we drove right next to the very origin of it. Usually you see it far away in the sky but this was so close you can have walked up to it and touched it. And every single color was so distinct, it was like someone had drawn it into the air. We have decided to take it as a positive omen that we're doing the right thing by coming to San Fran. Don't get me wrong, it's a great city, but we're leaving places and comforts that we love even more so we can use all the positive signs we can get. We also heard this fantastic song about home, almost the second we got into the city so we're positive that this is going to be a great adventure. After two months in San Francisco, we'll head to NYC for a month and then Chicago for 3 weeks. I've posted below some of the music that I listened to while writing this, play it while you're reading this blog and hopefully you'll get a feel for what I'm feeling.


Detief Schrempf by Band of Horses
Iron & Wine

Tiny little tears in my heart.

My last night in LA. I woke up Monday morning, just another Groundhog Day, saw my friend Tam's post about another tour and TA-DA, four days later, I'm spending my last night in The Dome. Now don't fret I'll be back in June, but it hurts my heart to leave LA. I love LA. I know how to get around a good part of LA, I understand my cardinal directions of the city. I've even come to love the city's ugly step-child: air pollution. It's nasty, gross and smelly, but it's LA. I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to get massively homesick and I'm going to have to spend a ton of money on finding places to stay. I'm scared that the major risk I'm taking in order to pay off my debt is going to somehow put me in more debt. But everyone seems really optimistic about it, they're sure I'll find my way and meet people and I'll love it. Sometimes it's just not so easy to constantly tackle the Earth all by yourself. Thank God people have been so supportive and excited. I've been able to come to M.A.C., Yana (my internship) and the crew for My Future Girlfriend (also the creators of "We Need Girlfriends", youtube the show, they are almost at 1 million views) and they are all sad to see me go, but they are all happy for me. I hope they will receive me with open arms when I come back. I'm doing a mobile marketing tour with a marketing company out of LA, and their client is Bare Escentuals. We'll be taking on the target demographic in San Fransisco, NYC and Chicago, positively representing the label and providing product knowledge and samples for the consumer.
I've had to put an immediate halt to every thing I was doing: all of the groundwork I was laying, all of the relationships I was making, all of the jobs I was trying to get, all on pause. I prayed to God and just asked that whatever path I was supposed to take, that He just put me on that path. I didn't ask him to please let me stay here or please give me the tour, I just asked to be put in the direction that was right for me and this is what he did.
I'm trying to take everything in, not take it for granted, take in the Hills, the crazy people, the streets and the soundtrack that has made all of this my home over the past five months...
Silversun Pickups
The Toxic Airborne Event
The Pixies
Ya Boy
Mack 10
Lily Allen
Miley Cyrus (yes, shut up)
Jeremih
Band of Horses
Arcade Fire
Jay-Z
Sad Brad Smith
Radiohead
Spoon
B.O.B.
Sooo much more.
I hope to God this will be a good thing. I hope I'll be ok. I wish I could push pause on LA and have nothing change until I come back. But that won't happen. The world has to continue moving on, whether I want it to or not. I've made some fantastic friends, I love my roommates: Robbie Bear, Ganyon, Blastin and Steff. Oh and all the other nomads who flitted in and out of The Dome. The Amazing Dome. I can't wait to come back. I already miss you LA!

Every night I spoon Punksatony Phil

Every morning, for the past five months (wow I've been here for five months?), I wake up, open my eyes and look out the window. The sun is shining, there are no clouds in the sky, it is a perfect sky blue. I think "what work am I doing today?" I no longer see the days as dreadful Monday, almost there Wednesday or exciting Friday. I see them as M.A.C., My Future Girlfriend, internship, networking, fashion show, junket, music video... I don't know the days of the week. The only indicator between one day and the next is that the gardner comes on Monday, street cleaning comes on Thursday, and trash comes on Friday. This morning I heard the gardner weed eating and I thought "I guess it's Monday", shut the curtains and slept for another hour. Sometimes I work for 13 days straight (thank you God!), sometimes I have 3 days off in a row (insert panic here). I love what I do, I love the girls I work with, they are amazing, they are my saving grace. I love my roommates, they are my brothers. I've been lucky enough to love the crews that I work with as well. They have been amazing down to earth, hard working guys. I actually love driving to work and driving around L.A. to run my errands. This city is so different than any other I've ever lived in. I'm STILL not over the palm trees lining the streets, or the mountains, or how if I just happen to look to my right, I'll see the Hollywood sign up on the hill, just in case I forget where I am. I love the crazy people on Hollywood Blvd., and the beautiful people who never step out of the house without hair, makeup and a matching $300 sweatsuit on, just to go to Target. I love the sun, I love that I can go to the beach if I feel like it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the taco stands. I love that I can drive down the street everyday for five months straight and never see the same person twice. I love that I can see the tall glittery buildings of downtown L.A. from my front porch. I just wish I made at least twice as much money as I do now. There are so many things I want to do here! Concerts and art shows and restaurants and riding horses through the mountains and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (approximately 15 minutes from me). It's sometimes discouraging, but I am glad that my life is here and I'm pursuing my dream and some major goals. So here I am; wake up, open your eyes, another beautiful day, go to work, come home, work out, drink a glass of wine (thank you God!), watch a movie, make some phone calls, go to bed, pull Punksatony Phil close to me, and do it all again the next day.

I am whatever you say I am

Even though my intentions are almost always good, I admit that sometimes I have a bad attitude. That being said, I learned a very very hard lesson in the industry this weekend. Sometimes the people you think are your friends are not. These blogs are supposed to be about my experiences in L.A., but I can't come to describe the humiliation, sadness and betrayal I experienced on Friday. I can't go into detail because that would turn this blog into an epic four-part chronicle of pronouns which interests no one but the direct party involved. I'll just say that I grew to care about the girls I went to school with, as well as my instructor, Veronica. (Veronica is one of the most amazing teachers I've ever had, as well as a friend.) I was actively intersted in the lives and futures of 2/3 of the girls in the class. It's too bad this sincerity and friendship couldn't be returned, or even legitimately severed by one of those former classmates. It's also unfortunate that when a former student makes an unintentional mistake, or simply offends someone else at the school, the school will be quick to make judgement and hand out verdicts and punishments. I value my education because I was fortunate enough to have the instructors that I did. This being said, that facility did absolutely nothing for me in the end. Moral of this vague story: there are very few people in this town who have your back. If you can find a genuine person here, cherish them, becuase they are far and few between.

I wish I could blog and drive

Only 9 minutes to shove these thoughts out before I prepare for another day in Pasadena. Usually home of the rose bowl and quite a lovely drive as well. There is a view of one of the taller mountains on my way to work and because it is one of the taller ones, even when it's 80 degrees outside this mountain has perfect white snow right on the very top. I love that. However, L.A. has been very unladylike lately. Rain rain rain rain rain. You'd think this was Seattle or Ireland or something, except those areas are prepared for weather. L.A. only knows one weather: sunny. She doesn't know what to do with rain and tornadoes and cold. Strange parts of the streets and parking garages are flooding, cars are almost floating away. Just the other day I waded out into over a foot of water to save my managers brand new Mercedes from being carried away. I did the wading because I'm the only person in L.A. who owns a pair of rain boots. I'm so glad I brought those. The other day I was driving past Hollywood Blvd., home of all those characters you see walking around taking pictures with tourists, and I see Spongebob Squarepants cowering in the entrance of a building, hiding from the rain and trying to keep it together. He looked like he was fixing to lose it. All of the beautiful palm trees in my neighborhood look like they have given up their fight with the wind and are permanently bend in a position of defeat. This is NOT L.A. I didn't move out here to see grey skies day after day. It looks like we'll get a break from this crapola this weekend. It will be sunny, but still only in the lower 60s. But still, sun. You know, everyone says the heinousness of driving in L.A. is second only to prison sex, but I actually enjoy it, and I HATE driving, but L.A. has so many interesting things to look at: mountains, neighborhoods, shops, crazy people...I'm ready for sunny L.A. to come back.

One giant leap in my moon boots

I created this blog site years, literally years ago (ok three) when I felt I had so many thoughts and opinions to share, I didn't know where to put them. But when it came time to let them out, I was too afraid. I was afraid of what people would think and what they would say. How would they recieve me the next time they saw me? A lot has happened since then. I now live in a city, an actual CITY where I can almost say anything I want and really, no one will care. So here it is, here it comes, my life in Los Angeles! The city of angels. Brace yo self, fool!