Merry Christmas

Random pics of mi casa.

Murr Chrimuh!

At Last...

I finally got to meet one of my favorite bloggers, Paul, this weekend. He was going to be in L.A. for part of the weekend, so I invited him to stop by my place, so I could show him around Long Beach. 

Our time together flew by way too fast, but we said that we'd meet up again soon, and I'm definitely holding him to that promise. Thanks for a great time, Paulie.

Flashback Friday

Senior Prom - 1986

I know it...that hairdo is the bomb, right? AquaNet was my friend (as was a crimping iron)...This pic brings back so many good memories....of that Swatch Watch...it was also the bomb...but then I had to go & lose it on a beach!

My NYC Visit

Here's a breakdown of what I did during my (way too short) NYC visit...this is gonna be a long post. Wednesday

• Arrived in NYC around 4:00 pm....got to the hotel around 5:00 pm (stayed in Chelsea).
• Saw Spring Awakening at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre @ 8:00 pm.
• Ate dinner at Pigalle @ 10:30 pm...crazy fast service & excellent food (I had the skirt steak).

Pigalle

Thursday

• Walking tour of SoHo, Nolita, & Tribeca @ 10:00 am...this was great, as it was just my friend Les, the guide & me.
• Lunch at Ideya in SoHo for some Cuban/Caribbean food (grilled salmon, salad & plantains for me). For real: their batidos (cold drink made with your choice of fruit puree, milk, coconut cream, nutmeg & rum) are a must....slurp!
• Shopping in SoHo...bought some Dunnys & a mousepad at KidRobot.
• Disco napped due to the sudden rain.
• Happy Hour at Honey in Chelsea ($5 martinis!!)...this place just opened last August, so they're still working on building up its clientele...this place is the epitome of NY cool...I'll definitely be back.
• Dinner at Birdland (a jazz supper club) @ 7:00 pm & the performance @ 8:30 pm.
• Drinks in Hell's kitchen were had first at Posh Bar and then some more boozing at Therapy.

Ideya

KidRobot Store

Honey Bar - Chelsea

Friday

• Breakfast at Room Service Restaurant in Chelsea...really affordable, tasty food (for two breakfasts & 2 mimosas, the bill was under $24)...what a great find!
• Walked around Central Park to work off breakfast, and to make room for lunch (hot dogs, warm peanuts & a diet Pepsi)...I loves me some warm nuts!
• I wanted to feel like a big shit shot so we tried to get our afternoon drink on at the bar in the Park Plaza, but dammit, it's still closed due to renovations....so we sashayed on over to the Ritz-Carlton instead, for some white wine & some satay...this hotel is gorgeous...I want to stay here just for a night, but I'll have to steal someone's credit card first....I tried to snap a few pics in the restroom (which was bigger than our hotel room) but kept getting interrupted.
• I wanted to check out the Hudson Hotel...we walked right past the front door, as you don't really notice it & there isn't any signage...I vote for having the next BBHH at their outdoor rooftop patio/bar...this hotel is uber chic/cool 
• Boy Blogger Happy Hour at XES @ 5:00 pm.....the highlight of my trip!
• The BBHH after party (Rey, Billy, Daryl, & me) moved onto Barracuda and didn't end til around 2:00 am.
• Grabbed dinner at some pizza joint around 2:15 am....not good, I know, but the pizza was damn tasty.

Room Service

Central Park - The Mall

Park Plaza

The Star Lounge @ the Ritz Carlton

The Star Lounge @ the Ritz Carlton

The Hudson Hotel - Registration area

The Hudson Hotel - Outdoor Bar

Saturday

• Overslept and was running late for our trip to the Cloisters...was supposed to meet up with Eric for lunch, but blew him off (sorry Eric!)...it's amazing how secluded you feel from the city up on that hill...beautiful....since time was an issue, we didn't get to spend as much time here as I'd like.
• Saw Hairspray at 2:00 pm....no time for lunch, so I literally shoved a corn dog in my mouth while waiting in line....and I can hear you all giggling!....I loved Hairspray...the best part was when Jim J Bullock lost it, during a song with the mother (played by Paul Vogt) and couldn't stop laughing...the audience went nuts! Lance Bass played Corny Collins and was actually pretty good
• Spent some time window shopping 5th Ave...I can't believe that Mexx (one of my favorite clothing stores in NY) has closed up shop in the U.S. (boo!)...for shits-n-giggles, we went into Bergdorf Goodman to giggle at the price tags...then I used their loo to take a dump...told you, shits-n-giggles!
• Walked right past Missy Elliot on 5th Ave, with her entourage carrying all of her bags from Fendi & Gucci....she was sporting jeans and a turquoise blue sequined hoody with a lollipop in mouth.
• Checked out the Top of the Rock at dusk...we were there at the best time with perfect weather.
• Dinner at Colas in Chelsea...great Italian food at very reasonable prices.
• Disco napped before heading out to the East Village to go bar hopping with Rey where we checked out: Urge, Boysroom (saw Cazwell), Phoenix, and then Nowhere Bar (loved the 80's music they were playing)...then we grabbed a bite to eat (cheeseburger) and got back to the hotel just before 5:00 am!!!

The Cloisters

The Cloisters Taken from Top of The Rock

Sunday

• Overslept again & almost missed checkout.
• Packed like a madman & had a car drive me to the airport to take me back to reality...boo!

NYC Souvenirs!

Blogger Boy Happy Hour - NYC

This past Friday was Blogger Boy Happy Hour (BBHH) at XES. I was really looking forward to this all week long. Many thanks to Billy for getting the word out for this BBHH meet up. I have to admit that it was kinda surreal meeting the guys behind some of the blogs that get me through the (work)day.....I had a blast....this was the icing on the cake of my NYC trip! 

Blogerratti in attendance were: Billy (as charming & handsome in real life as I had imagined), Eric (I could talk to this one for days), Rey (my new BFF...we shared so many stories/laughs...miss u already), Brechi (so handsome and fun to talk to), Cooper (hysterically funny guy), Mike (tall, smart, witty, with a smile that lights up the room), Chris (such a friendly guy), Kenneth (Superstar blogger... ridiculously good looking, intelligent, and with a wicked sense of humor), and a few others who I weren't familiar with and/or whose names escape me. 

Thanks guys...you really made my trip!!

Rey, Me, Mike (kneeling), & Eric

Brechi, Cooper, & Me

Rey, Brechi, Billy & Me

Heading Home

It's 5 a.m. and I'm heading to the airport, to catch a 7 a.m. flight to NYC for my annual visit. I'm really looking forward to getting some shopping done, eating way too much food, taking in a couple of musicals, going on a walking tour, checking out The Met, cruising Central Park, and the highlight of the visit wll be meeting up with some of my favorite bloggers on Friday.

New York has always felt like home to me. I think I was born on the wrong coast...maybe I can correct that someday!

My posting may be minimal or non-existent the rest of this week, but please don't leave me...I get back late Sunday evening...gotta run, my ride just pulled up!

A Kiwi Popped My Cherry

I finally got the chance to meet a fellow blogger....and what a fellow! Franck, of Planet Franck fame, was in L.A. for one night only, this past Sunday, and he chose ME to be his husband only visitor.

Franck was the first blogger I've actually met...well technically, I've seen this guy in the flesh, and he saw me, but we weren't sure if we were...we(?)...us(?)....we were both at the gym, and I was dying on the treadmill, while Greg was standing in line, waiting for my tired ass to get finished, but I digress. 

First impression(s): I wasn't expecting him to be so tall (6'2"), but that's a nice surprise...his accent is killer...also, what a great sense of style this man has...his closet wouldn't be safe around me. We went to dinner at O-Bar, (yummy), and then ended up at The Abbey for Martinis, Cosmos, and a couple (few?) Malibu & Cokes...I had so much fun & I only wish that Franck had a little more time to spend in L.A., but I'm very grateful for the time we did have together. 

It was great seeing you Franck!

...Franck striking a pose at The Abbey...

(Not) Everything's Coming Up Roses

This is what's been keeping me busy in my spare time....wishing I had more land to grow more, but I'm making due with what I've got!

Sweeney Todd

This just in....Filming Begins on Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, in London.

I saw the revival of Sweeney Todd in NYC, back in 2005. I'm no theater queen, but I was completely blown away by the entire cast's performances. The cast played all of their own music (no orchestra), sang their lines, and not one mistake was made. The choreography was flawless. Who knew Patti Lupone could play the tuba? I'm really interested to see how the film will be adapted, but with Tim Burton running the show, it'll be a dark and creepy Victorian England, indeed.

The Sweeney Todd film, in which Tim Burton will direct Johnny Depp (as Sweeny Todd) and Helena Bonham Carter (as Mrs. Lovett), has begun filming in London, according to an official announcement. The DreamWorks Studios/Warner Bros. film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical is underway at London's Pinewood Studios for the film, which is slated to be distributed domestically by Paramount for a late 2007 release and distributed internationally by Warner Bros.

"I've always wanted to do a musical and Sweeney Todd is my favorite," said Tim Burton in the release. "Stephen's blend of humor, horror and emotion is something that has always connected with me."

Sweeney Todd follows the story of a wrongfully imprisoned barber in Victorian England who sets out to seek revenge on the judge who imprisoned him. The film will also feature Alan Rickman (Professor Snape of the Harry Potter films), Timothy Spall (Wormtail of the Harry Potter films), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings). All the stars will do their own singing from Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics. I'm looking forward to seeing this!

Weekend Recap

Saturday Headed over to the Magritte Exhibit at LACMA... I really enjoyed the exhibit....definitely worth the $15 for my ticket. The museum's employees all wore bowler hats, and the carpets, ceilings, doorways, and columns were tricked out, Magritte style.....I was a little disappointed that the Son of Man painting wasn't on display....I found out at the museum that it is privately owned. 

Then it was off to Social Hollywood for a pre-dinner drink and a light appetizer. The Lollipop Chicken Wings are finger lickin' good!... I was at Social last August, and it was definitely the hot spot in Hollywood. The bar was a mad house and there were pretty people everywhere you looked. But nothing lasts forever. The bar scene on Saturday was very relaxed.

Social is HUGE and the Moroccan decor really works. I love the ambiance there.

Then we headed on over to Dolce for dinner . Dolce is owned by a group of celebs including, Ashton Kutcher, Dule Hill (Charlie on "The West Wing"), and Jamie Kennedy.

Next stop was the Abbey. We got there around 10:00 and it was already packed... A good time is always had at the Abbey, but after a couple drinks, we decided to get the hell outta there and head on over to Bin 8945.

Bin 8945 is a Bistro that serves oysters and ceviche, along with quite a selection of European & Caribbean tapas plates. It's great for early evening, pre-theater, regular dinner and late evening dinner choices. The full menu is available from opening until 1:30 AM. They have a nice wine selection, innovative cocktail menu, 16 world class sakes, and unique beers. The kitchen sent out a little sampler plate for us to try.  Classy move!

Sunday Recovered from Saturday night...then, cleaned house from top to bottom, ran errands, did laundry, futzed around in the garden, then got really sad at the realization that Monday would be here in the morning.