California Dreamin'

I just love exploring somewhere new. I really, really enjoy alone time - and a 3-day jaunt like this is exactly what i need to recharge my batteries sometimes and set my perspective straight.

In case you want details:

a) my awesome hotel room, and b) the Los Angeles City Attorney's Offices where I spent 20 hours (and 550+ pages) of deposition time.

We giggled every time we rode this elevator.

I kicked off my shoes upon finding my amazing room, and no joke this is how they landed. I couldn't resist a picture, feeling like such an end-of-the-day-professional-businesswoman:

My lovely roommate of 3 years, whom I call Lizzard, came to visit and help me check out our pool and hot tub. The water looked like something straight out of a magazine, with hot pink and purple lights illuminating its depths. Have you ever boiled in electric pink bubbles? It was fun to catch up and talk about all sorts of deep life topics. I miss roommate days.

iPhone Pics: a) hotel lobby b) my business dress c) the information overload treadmill in the fitness center. (NOT a relaxing run.)

The trip ended with gorgeous flowers from a gorgeous boy waiting at the airport. He even had a Kit Kat in the console of his car for my ride home. The true way to a woman's heart ;) and the perfect ending to a spectacular week.

Another reason it's GREAT to be me

I'm sitting in my posh 9th floor hotel room, curled up on my King-sized duvet bed, overlooking Ventura boulevard and the rolling California hills, a 70-degree breeze blowing through my open balcony door. I just finished a little walk to the Galleria and found my next pair of premium denim, compliments of my per diem expense pay for being in California for 3 days. My old roommate Liz is on her way to help me try out the pool and hot tub, and I have a fresh piece of Vanilla Bean cheesecake to my left.

Yup. I love my life. Wish you were here.

Updates

• I worked 50+ hours this week - for those of you who know my job, that's a LOT.  I was there every morning by 8, I even stayed 'til 8 pm one night.  I guess I've got to make up for all my 30-hour weeks sometime, eh?
• I get to fly to LA next week for a court deposition with one of my girls.  What do you recommend I do each night as I am by myself with no car?  I'm sort of excited to bring a lot of books, and hope they have a treadmill.  How far is the Sherman Oaks Marriot Courtyard from the temple?  Anyone?
• My final weigh-in for Biggest Loser at work was this morning.  16 total pounds lost - that's 11.1% of my body weight.  Final weight:  127.5, a feat not accomplished since 1997.  For those of you who think I'm looking a little anorexic, I sort of agree.  At times I scare myself as a skinny old lady in the mirror.  SO!  Never fear.  Some of that weight is on its way back.  In the last hour since weigh-in I've eaten:  A coke.  A bag of peanut M&M's.  A handful of cinnamon bears.  Ruffles & French Onion dip.  
• Road trip to Baker, Oregon this weekend - I love family togetherness.  My Dad coined it best - being together is like watching "The Family Channel - ALL family, ALL the time."  Hahaha... pictures to come from that no doubt.  Kendall Mally & I get to be kids again.
• Adrie's obsession this week is Mulan.  Her other obsession is singing "Mine" - the gold-digger's song from Pocahontas.  I don't even know the words and still she begs for it every night for all three bedtime songs.  And have I mentioned that at least 4-5 times a day she'll finger her hair and say "It's all clean mom.  My hair's all clean."  (in the hopes I won't decide she needs a bath.)  That kid of mine.  She's great.  
  

My Weekend Fling

My Weekend Fling with Craigslist

1.  The very free, very beloved iPhone that has become my best friend dies.  Well, doesn't "die" per se, the screen just refuses to shed forth any light and never will again.  (On the heels of my iPod death, it's more than I can bear.)

2.  Spend much time perusing craigslit and weighing pros and cons of what to buy in my head. (Do I need an iPod and a phone?  Should I buy a used/cheap ipod and a used/cheap phone?  or a nicer newer one that doubles as both?)  *Note that my usually slow, analytical process was dormant due to 1) a phone that doesn't work 2) a hellishly busy week ahead of me.  It was now or never.

3.  Within hours:  Hit an ATM and head for the Tai Pan parking lot to meet "Mike" who pulls up in a new Audi.  I examine his barely used iPhone, he takes my cash without even counting it and makes nice small talk.  And to please, please call him if I have any problems whatsoever.

4.  Mike (who is attractive but too old for me) proceeds to text me for the rest of the afternoon.  Comments on the weather, how nice it was to meet me, and a few other light compliments.  Sort of nice to be noticed, eh?  

5.  Spend the following day playing phone tag with my next craigslist match "Travis" to arrange a meet-up time and place for jailbreaking my AT&T phone to Tmobile.

6.  Sit at Starbucks for 2 hours with Travis (cute & geeky and not too old for me) while he does all sorts of nice, extra things for my new phone - fancy apps and things I have no clue about.  He buys me a frappucino and conversation grows easier (not so geeky after all).  

7.  At the end of our 2-hour iPhone date he hints broadly at dinner with he & his friends at Tepanyaki grill.  I politely decline (thank you Taryn for keeping Adrie so long!), and he makes sure I have his number to call him with "any problem", and to call him in 2-3 months when new software comes out and he'll fix it again.  

8.  I laugh in amusement the whole way home about how random and fun my life is sometimes.

Music Therapy

Today, music lyrics were better than a journal.  Here's my playlist.  Amen.

My First 5k

It was a work function, a laid-back bring-your-families-and-strollers-type of thing.

• Adrie kept repeating "Are they running?  They're running mom? They're running?  Those people are running?" for the first 5 minutes.  It's annoying to me, I know it was annoying to the pack around us.
  
• Have you ever pushed a jogging stroller?  They don't turn - at ALL.  Perfect for straight runs, a nightmare for the 50% of the run that took place on curved roads and zig-zagged sidewalks. 
• When handling curvy stretches, push down on the handle to hoist up the front wheel, gaining maneuverability.  Which isn't too bad, until you've got a 30-pound child who hoists her weight forward in resistance, yelling "Put me DOWN!  Put me down right NOW!" the whole time she's up.  Which happened at least 50 times on this run.
• Fielding 2 year-old questions while you're trying to maintain a good pace is about the most annoying thing in the world  a) because she repeats them over and over and over and over and over and over and over even when you've already answered, and b) the small patience I naturally posess is severely thin when huffing and puffing.

All in all, I finished in 31:36 - not too shabby to average 10 minute miles for a first 5k, my first street run in at least 4 years, and with an irritating 2 year old.  

But I'm running by myself next time :)  

Ode to iPod

The screen on my ipod was smashed thismorning after falling off the treadmill.... sigh.  I meant this to be a humorous recollection of our times together but it turned a little more thoughtful.  I'll miss that ipod. 

Ode to iPod

You began as a runt -

bought for half price.

Given second chance at life

after a refurbished rebirth.

I sill thought $179 was an astronomical price.

We began our life together

with late nights in the tub -

Ventura highway on repeat.

Playing softly on our drives while the baby slept

and loudly for that brief interval of existence

between mom and therapist.

The Fray

Fiona Apple

Tenderness awakened with the

raw emotions of motherhood

only enhanced my sensitivity

to emotions long buried.

Melodic poetry portrayed feelings

I alone could not express.

Feist

Paramore

Blasting in the house while painting

A random jaunt on treadmill

A focus of my commute.

Iron & Wine

Grey's Anatomy soundtracks

Another new house -

cold kitchen floors

singing while spoon feeding

after a long day at work.

Regina Spektor

Maria Taylor

Self-imposed banishment

to the warmth of a computer chair

A digital darkroom unfolding

along with Ingrid

to keep me company.

Colbie Caillat

A Fine Frenzy

Tragedy.  

A friend in time of need

An always open ear

My outlet for emotion.

For one as closed as me...

well -

I could not have done it without you

after everything had changed.

Blasting music again -

happier times.

Painting, dancing, singing of joy

and hope.

Carrie, Priscilla, Sara, Maria -

I can measure time by artist.

Stars

A new wave of Ingrid Michaelson -

the very signal of rebirth.

Lenka

Duffy

Adele

A craving to hear you has me anticipating

Lonely drives

Waking pre-dawn for a deafening run

A hidden treat on an insomniac night

Enjoying solitude in a life all mine.

2 years, 4 months, 3 days we've spent together

Traveling side by side

journeys both real 

and symbolic.

Most vividly you will be remembered 

for logging 13,000 miles 

of a heart bursting -

Sometimes in sorrow

at other times in joy.

My little runt,

Priceless to me.

Idol, some may claim - 

I say a blessing.

Your rebirth invited the same in me.