Harlequin Romances

I was at Borders today and was scanning some Harlequin Romance titles...They all sound the same! I imagine there must be someone with the position of "Title Creator" at Harlequin Enterprises who randomly toss a pair of dice with words like Mistress, Lover, Handsome, Rich, Daddy, Baby, Surprise, Bride, Marraige of Convenience, Italian, Tycoon and Millionaire printed on each side of the cubes. Some possible titles I've come up with for if I ever write a Harlequin Romance:

• Millionaire Daddy's Kept Italian Mistress
• Marraige of Convenience with Millionaire Tycoon
• Handsome Daddy Surprise: Baby!
• The Italian Tycoon's Mistress Lover
• Millionaire Lover's Mistress
• Rich Lover's Mistress's Baby

(Note to Harlequin: Any titles listed above that may have already been published are purely coincidental.)

On the Bandwagon

I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone over the weekend. I figured I should start reading it soon before the last movie gets made and I find out what happens. There's a lot of talk about the Deathly Hallows. I hope I don't hear any of it. Wish me luck!

Currently Cracking Me Up

My brother sent me these Human Tetris videos. Check it! and this!

Yum 3/ Ouch!

The lawyers in the Economic Development department took the interns out to lunch in Chinatown yesterday. It was my first time eating in Chinatown since I've arrived this summer and I am pleased to announce that it was, all in all, a good experience. We went to a really happening spot for city officials, as well as Hollywood celebs (I concluded this after spotting the array of autographed pictures hanging on the wall). There was quite a lot of people already waiting when we arrived, but luckily, we had reservations and were seated right away.

Even though the food was Americanized, the dishes were still pretty good. One particular favorite, and one they are known for, is the Slippery Shrimp. It's fried shrimp drizzled in a type of sweet and sour sauce. Teresa, one of the lawyers I report to, told me that the L.A. Times did a story on how unhealthy the Slippery Shrimp dish is. The Slippery Shrimp has more fat and calories than the Big Mac and tacos from Taco Bell. Hearing this put a damper on my lunch, but I still managed to pop a few shrimps into my mouth. I'm only human.

We made it back to the office in time for me to start my internship at the Press Office one floor down. I was heading toward the elevator when I was greeted with Jessi, another lawyer, being rolled down the hall in a computer chair. I was a little surprised to see her, as she was scheduled for a meeting with the Mayor's office, but what was even more shocking was the sight of her bleeding toe. "Norreen ran me over!" she exclaimed as Matt rolled her past me.

I thought Jessi was kidding, but apparently, Norreen (her boss) had started driving off before Jessi was completely in the car. The rear tire ran over Jessi's foot, breaking her big toe. Jessi was very calm as the rest of us ran around the office trying to figure out what to do. After about a half hour of panic, we managed to clean the tire marks off her foot and wrap bandage around her big toe before we sent Jessi off to emergency care.

Car accidents and fatty foods are exhausting!

Taste Testing

I showed Frank my blog today and he asked why I didn't blog about the M&Ms and Smarties taste testing we had last week. I told him I wasn't sure if I should blog about the confidential things we do at work. He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. I guess that means it's okay.

M&Ms and Smarties

So last Friday, sometime after Oprah ended (FYI, Oprah had the cast of Hairspray on her show), I wandered out of the media center to see if there was anything that Frank needed me to do before I jetted out of there. I walked around the corner to find Frank and Red studying a snack size bag of plain M&Ms and a box of Smarties. Red is a guy that comes into our office frequently. I don't really know what he does actually, but he entertains me with random facts and antecdotes once in a while. (Red is actually the color of the guy's hair. I forget Red's real name.)

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, staring at the chocolate longingly.

"We are conducting a taste test," Frank replied, waving the bag of M&Ms in front of my face. I wanted to grab it out of his hands and pour some of the chocolate down my throat, but I restrained myself. Instead I nodded my head and waited for them to explain further.

Red holding the box of Smarties as Frank points with his M&Ms.

Red goes on to explain that M&Ms are made by the Mars company while Nestle makes Smarties. They are both candy-coated chocolate...And then I stopped listening to him because Frank poured out pieces of M&Ms and Smarties and I was thinking maybe I can be the taste tester. He picked out two M&Ms and two Smarties of the same color before he called some random guy out of Nick's office.

I was a bit bummed they had already chosen a taste tester, but have to admit that I wouldn't have taken tasting as seriously as Random Guy did. Random Guy interrupted a meeting to do the tasting - that's pretty serious.

So anyways, Random Guy closed his eyes and popped the mystery brand into his mouth, chewed slowly, all the while describing the texture and the taste of the mystery brand. When he was done with the first brand, he rinsed his mouth with water and repeated the same steps with the second brand of candy.

Random Guy tasting the chocolate as Frank and Red waits in suspense.

His verdict...actually I forgot because Frank passed out the rest of the M&Ms and Smarties and I stopped paying attention. My verdict: Smarties is sweeter than M&Ms and has a harder candy-coating, but both brands are good depending on your mood.

You happy now, Frank?

Yum 2!

Olivia, Matt and I ate at the Japanese curry place for lunch today. It was pretty good. I ordered the curry beef and rice dish. I ate it all. Now I smell like curry and am falling asleep at my desk. If I was a cartoon comic, I'd have smelly lines and zzz's surrounding me.

Dragon Knight

Today Matt and I saw Ian Ziering (Steve from 90210) hanging around the City Hall area. I was very excited, not because I'm a big fan of Steve (I liked Brandon) or because he's the first celebrity I saw (as Matt suggested), but because the thought of him starring in "Dragon Knight" and filming a rooftop fight scene is VERY amusing - even if it may not be true.

Yum!

Today, Matt, a fellow intern, dragged me out of the depths of the Los Angeles Mall food court and into the light of day. He introduced me to a new place he learned of a block away from City Hall East - the Pitfire Pizza!

I had sausage and kale bowtie pasta and he had a steak sandwich with Napa lettuce in it. I know right, Napa lettuce in a sandwich? Only in L.A.! My pasta was yummy and his sandwich looked good too. He also mentioned a Japanese curry place down the street from us as well. I might try it tomorrow.

I am happy to say that Matt has expanded my culinary palette! No more scary fast food places for me. (Ok, well less scary fast food places for me.) Thanks Matt!

Summer of Feet!

I was going through my pictures from this summer and seemed to notice an underlying theme. Don't ask.

The first pedicure I got with flower designs painted on. Isn't it cute?

At Santa Monica Beach. I didn't roll my jeans up high enough. They were soaked.
Mark's feet rubbing up on mine. (Karma: I was making fun of his dirty feet.)
My feet and some smashed crabs found at the San Diego navy pier.
My own dirty feet at the Erasure concert.

Erasure!

I went to see Erasure perform in San Diego yesterday. They were unbelievable! All their songs are so catchy, it's easy to dance and sing along even when I don't recognize the song. Of course I recognized most of the songs they sung last night. I almost teared up when they started to sing Oh L'Amour. Brings me back.
Here's Erasure looking fabulous in their silver zebra print jumpsuits and their neon colored back-up singers. Doesn't the backdrop look kinda like a vagina?

Curious George

You know those little girls with mountains of stuffed animals artfully arranged atop their bed? The ones who cuddle their favorite plush toy as they ooh and ahh over new ones at the toy store?

Yeah, that wasn't me.

I never really liked stuffed animals, not even as a kid. Never a desire to cuddle with them, never really thought they were all that cute. I don't know why. Maybe I'm weird, who knows? All I know is that every stuffed animal I received as gifts went straight into the back of the closet never to be heard from again.

So why I was drawn to the Curious George dolls hanging forlornly on the back of the balloon blowing booth at the Santa Monica Pier Carnival, I do not know. I guess I am weird. They caught my eye as I waited for Olivia and Mark to ride the roller coaster. They were on my mind as we hopped onto the ferris wheel and stayed there even after the Spinner. I decided that I needed one of those Curious George dolls like I needed the Marc Jacobs bag I bought last spring. There was just one problem though, I couldn't buy the doll, I had to win it.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I never win at these carnival games. It doesn't matter how simple or difficult they are, if I play, I'll lose. But yesterday night, I was willing to risk humiliation to get that doll. Olivia, Mark and I sat down, ready to compete when the booth worker told us that with only three people playing, the prize we'd get is the ugly neon colored whale hanging to the left of the Curious Georges. We would need four or more people in order for one of us to win George.

I was crushed. No one around us seemed interested in playing and even if they were, what if they won George? I was resigned for one of us to win the ugly whale when two guys came up to the booth. One was a comedian/actor I've seen on TV before and the other looked like his boyfriend. The comedian was carrying an array of stuffed animals, including an ugly whale. To me, it was an indication of his (obviously) great skills at the balloon blowing booth. But there was no time for me to worry, the game was about to start. I felt my palms begin to sweat as I placed them on the nozzle, but when I looked up at the target, a strange calm suddenly fell over me. I was ready to win my George.

When the horn sounded, all I could do was press the buttons and watch as the water shot straight into the target. I watched as my balloon blew up, and I realized I had just as much of a chance to win as any other competitor. As my excitement grew, so did my balloon, but I couldn't tell if it was bigger than the other balloons next to it. I held my breath and continued to press the buttons, my hands, unwavering, my determination, focused.

When my balloon popped, I jumped up out of my seat and turned to Olivia. Her mouth had dropped open and her eyes had widened in shock (she knows me very well), but soon her expression changed into a look of excitement. I won! I screamed and gloated and wasn't a very graceful winner at all. But that's fine. I have George.

Currently Obsessed With

Erasure's I Say I Say I Say album circa 1994. I'm keeping it old school.

Keep Your Hands Off My Belly

You go, girl! - A great article written by Carrie Friedman about a married woman's choice not to have kids yet.

Currently Reading

On the Road by Jack Kerouac: I was actually in the middle of Eat, Pray, Love when I found On the Road in the Rizk library. I picked it up to check Jack out and couldn't put it down. Kerouac's really good. His descriptions place me right there alongside Sal (the narrator) and now I can hardly wait to get back on the open road. And back to that gorgeous pair of cowboy boots I left behind in Denver.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: Gilbert is intelligent and witty but her book is a little slow. I'm still at the part where she is in Rome learning the Italian language. I hope to finish this one day. Maybe after On the Road.

The Shopping Cart

I first saw the Shopping Cart Dance a couple weekends ago at the Ghetto Fabulous party thrown by a friend of Molly's. I was taking a breather outside Santa Monica Bar and Grille when Molly suddenly busted out the move. She started miming, pushing a grocery cart, pulling things off an imaginary shelf, putting them back if she decided she didn't want it, all the while shaking her hips to the sound of the music coming out of the bar. It blew my mind! And also cracked me up.

I naively thought that Molly made it up, admiring the ingenuity of my dancer friend (she was in POMS in elementary school and used to watch a lot of dance videos in high school). Well, imagine my surprise last Friday when Nancy's friend, Mark, fresh from Michigan, busted out the Shopping Cart during happy hour.

At first I was a little disappointed that the Shopping Cart is a dance known nation-wide, but I soon learned to the enjoy the many incarnations of this dance. Between Mark, Nancy, Olivia and I, we had incorporated the Watermelon Move (hold out your arms as if you are carrying a watermelon and slowly place it into the cart), the Pulling Out Move (pull the cart out and then push the kiddie seat into place), the Case of Water Move (essentially the same as the watermelon, but holding a case of water instead of a watermelon) and the Unsticking the Wheels Move (kick your feet against the imaginary wheels until the wheels are unstuck).

Olivia doing the Watermelon Move as Nancy gives her the thumbs up!

My favorite Shopping Cart move though, is one Molly came up with yesterday while at the Stinking Rose - the Sanitary Wipe Move (pull the sanitary wipe out and wipe the grocery cart handle). Molly is now redeemed - she is still a dancing genius!

Garlic, Garlic Everywhere!

Today we celebrated Kelly's birthday at the Stinking Rose Restaurant. I've heard lots of good things about this restaurant and was very excited to go. Its claim to fame is their excessive use of garlic. The full name of the restaurant is actually The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant. Any restaurant with a name similar to the title of a cheesy movie sequel is A-okay with me (can we say Speed 2: Cruise Control?)!

I had very high expectations for this restaurant and was a bit disappointed when I was greeted with framed pictures of old Hollywood celebs upon entry. The black and white pictures reminded me of Bucca di Beppo's - another restaurant I like - but I was expecting the Stinking Rose to be a bit more original. As I stepped further into the restaurant, my disappointment quickly dissipated.

Don't get me wrong, the decor is just as gaudy as Bucca's but with a pair of golden noses on the wall and themed dining rooms (we sat in a Halloween-themed room complete with spider webs and scary pictures), the Stinking Rose was quite unique and a bit entertaining.

The food was not too shabby either. I ordered the Roasted Garlic Potato Onion Soup and Silence of the Lamb Shanks. The soup looked so good, I had to ask for extra spoons so that everyone around me could try it. The lamb was done perfectly with a side of yummy garlic mashed potatoes. Sadly, I wasn't adventurous enough to try the garlic ice cream, but I did take a few bites of Olivia's sundae. The crushed nuts were the best part.

All in all, the Stinking Rose was a garlic-y good time. Now I'm heading off to brush my teeth.

Starbucks

Ok, so everyone in L.A. has been raving about Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf since I've arrived. I have yet to try. Not because I am one of those people who are loyal to a certain brand or company (I guess I just have no sense of loyalty) or because I hate the thought of change (well, maybe just a little bit), but because I am lazy. While there may be Coffee Beans located almost everywhere I've been to, it is Starbucks that is conveniently located between where I park and where I work. Hence the reason why I've only been to Starbucks since I got here.

Every morning, Olivia and I look longingly at the L.A. tourists lounging outside our Work-Starbucks, slowly drinking their morning coffee and readying for a day of sightseeing, as we rush across the street with our hot drinks in tow. Every morning a little sigh as we imagine all the adventures they'll have in sunny L.A. while we are stuck at work. Every morning, slightly snickering at those who choose to book a hotel in Downtown L.A....But not this morning!

Since we were already running late to work this morning, Olivia and I decided to live it up. Why not? We gave ourselves ten whole minutes to lounge on the patio chairs and scarf down our breakfasts before we rushed across the street. It was quite lovely.

What's even lovelier, I've learned, is that almost nothing goes to waste in Downtown L.A.! As I inhaled my low-fat blueberry & apricot muffin, I spied a short-sleeved, button-shirted tourist tossing out three half-filled cups of coffee. Since I've been to L.A., I have been uber-aware of Green Living and slightly tisked at how wasteful the tourist was. But not to worry, not even five minutes later, a man in a yellow poncho dug it out of the trash and was able to enjoy a mocha latte with his morning cigarette and day-old newspaper! Of course I am never wasteful and finished up my muffin before I rushed off to work.