The Hollywood Life

Since moving to Los Angeles two months ago, I haven’t really participated in the bar scene. In the last week though my eyes have been open to the Hollywood experience. Starting last Saturday Natalie, Lauren and I attended a friend of a friend’s “black and white” birthday party at Crown Bar in Hollywood. Crown Bar set right off of Santa Monica Boulevard is the perfect mix of loungy, cozy booths and a nightclub. Top 40s music fills the air while people sway to the beat on the small dance floor.

Tuesday night, we celebrated Natalie’s 23^rd birthday with a surprise visit to Big Wangs. From the name you can probably tell this is not a swanky club. To paint a better mental picture, Big Wangs is the west coast version of Buffalo Wild Wings. Another surprise came when Natalie announce it was karaoke night. I’ve karaoked before, but it was years ago in at a dive back at Grand Lake. While Big Wangs wasn’t exactly a crowd of my peers, but it was definitely still nerve wracking to sing in front of any type of crowd. We narrowed down our song choice to Taylor Swift or classic Brittney Spears, but at the last moment we picked the always crowd pleaser Madonna “Like a Virgin.” Our names were called before we had mentally prepared for this possible social humiliation. Thankfully we sang our hearts out as the crowd sang along with us!

Last night a club promoter convinced us that Ecco Lounge was the place to be in Hollywood on a Wednesday night. When we arrived, there was an interesting mix of people in costumes and people in normal going out clothes. Evidently Halloween starts early in Los Angeles just like in Lawrence. An interesting part of the night was when people from a reality show arrived. It is definitely a different experience to see mics attached to the back of a cocktail dress. The best part of the night had to be when someone started throwing money into the air for people to catch. You think I’m kidding, but I made $5 just for going out. Natalie fared a little better catching $15, just enough for one drink!

I love the Hollywood scene, but I don’t see myself getting too wrapped up in it. I enjoy getting dressed up and going out with my friends, and I don’t think that will ever change.  

Halloween Help!

As Halloween quickly approaches, I am faced with the decision I normally look forward to each year. What to be for Halloween? Usually I have two outfits and have known what I am going to be for at least a month. Now Halloween snuck up on me, and I can’t seem to decide what to be. I realize I might be getting a little “old” to dress up, but I figure I better get my fill before I actually do get too old! Also West Hollywood pulls out all the stops for Halloween, which means dressing up is a must.

I originally planned on being Lady Gaga, but I feel there might be an over saturation of her this Halloween. Every year I try to be something creative, or simply make a costume out of things I already own. Last year my roommate and I were Disney Princesses, which I believe was my best costume throughout college. Although it is a close tie with junior year when I dressed as Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress and style icon.

Sadly I am not in college anymore, and I don’t know if I can pull off ridiculous outfits such as a Victoria’s Secret Angel or a lace Gaga bodysuit. Basically I need help! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also there is a group of three attending the West Hollywood festivities, and I think it would be fun to do a group costume. 

Mood Changing Weather

I have let my blogging slide in the last week, and I don’t have the best excuse. While I have had five interviews in the past week, I still have plenty of down time to blog, but I guess I haven’t done anything terribly interesting lately.

The weather has been absolutely gloomy for the last week and a half, and I think it has taken a toll on my mood. I feel as if I have moved to Seattle. Since I moved to Los Angeles almost two months ago, it has rained or misted for almost a whole week or more! Seriously. I thought I moved to Southern California not the frigid Northwest. One of the things I looked forward to most was the beautiful Los Angeles weather; however, it appears my streak of weird weather continues. The other night I had a nightmare it snowed! In a couple of months I will look back at this moment and be very thankful the snow was only in my dreams.

Breaking a Sweat

After high school my weekly workout regime dropped off to a monthly or bi-monthly attempt to workout. After going to cheerleading practice six days a week for almost six years straight, I felt relieved to not have to workout. The best part of cheerleading was the lack of monotonous exercise you feel when you run on a treadmill. Something about running in place and not going anywhere makes me feel as if I haven’t accomplished anything. Throughout college I would binge on different types of exercise until I had worn the fun out of it. For example, freshmen year I played almost every intramural sport offered and by the time junior year rolled around I just wasn’t into them anymore. 

Now in Los Angeles, I feel as if I am the only person who does not workout. About a week ago, I decided to be lazy no more. Thankfully my apartment complex has a gym, which is slowly becoming my new best friend. My new goal is to go at least three times a week to begin with and work up from there. I don’t want to burn myself out like I normally do so I switch up my routine every day. One day its 20 minutes on the thing that looks like an elliptical but actually isn’t and then 15 minutes on the bike then back to the non-elliptical. The next day I swap the routine to bike, non-elliptical, bike.

Another way I am trying to keep up the variety is with free yoga classes at a local fitness/yoga store. What’s there not to love about an hour of free yoga to start your day? It is invigorating and challenging at the same time. I will keep you posted if I keep the routine up. I am really hoping this is the time where I finally decide to make working out a permanent fixture in my week.

Driving in Los Angeles

My friends might describe my driving as interesting, aggressive or simply scary, but in Los Angeles I fit in with the masses of drivers. You always have to be on the look out for a variety of tactics not used in the Midwest. One of my favorites is the “nudge.” In bumper-to-bumper traffic, you will eventually need to switch lanes. You can try putting on your blinker, but the only sure fire way is to nudge your way over. To execute the nudge correctly, you basically steer your car into the goal lane until another car is forced to stop and let you in unless they want you to hit them.

Red light? Who cares? Even with red light cameras at intersections to give out tickets, three to four cars will roll through bright reds. This happens the most when someone is trying to turn left since very few intersections have turn signals. So when the light turns green, be sure to look both ways before you gun the engine! The most surprising driving technique of Los Angelenos is their compliance with speed limit laws. Guess I won’t be getting a speeding ticket anytime soon, thank goodness.

While the traffic can be annoying at times, I love the fact there are so many people out. At anytime there is guaranteed to be cars on the road, even if it’s four in the morning.

Pleasure Reading

When I was a little girl I loved storybooks that transported me to magical lands nowhere near the countryside of Kansas. As I entered middle school unfortunately my love of books disappeared. For years I detested reading and absolutely did not understand the concept of reading for fun. In between textbooks and other required readings, my dislike for reading only grew. Well into college the only pleasure reading I did was the Gossip Girl series as I lay out during the summer holiday.

Everything changed the summer before my senior year. Suddenly laying outside became boring, and I needed a distraction from the scorching Oklahoma sun. My college roommate introduced me to Twilight, the movie, during spring semester so I figured I would start there. Yes, I know Twilight is not exactly quality reading, but everyone has to start somewhere. After I finished the complete Twilight series, twice, I decided to take on Harry Potter. Most people I know read these books in middle school, but since I did not read back then I missed out. The creative writing and descriptive visual hooked me in. Since last summer, I have read more books than I can remember. Sometimes I become so engrossed with a book, I placed the book on a higher priority than my homework.

To get to the point I love reading and would love some suggestions of books to read. While I still enjoy my teeny bobber books, I have advance to a more in depth reading level. For example, my most current reads include: Art of Racing in the Rain, Eat Pray Love and Water for Elephants. If you notice a theme, I have a thing for books being made into movies. While I know the movie will take its own creative liberties, I like to know where the story originated.

I would appreciate any suggestions!

She's Just Not That Into You

While I may not be a dating expert, I have been the target for a variety of pickup techniques. Not all have been bad, but a select few have been terribly awkward, which is the last thing you want to feel when you are out. My most recent pickup incident convinced me that it does not matter where I am, guys will continue to use bad pickup techniques. I have decided to share a few of my very favorite would you say incidents. Here we go, counting down from bad to worst.

7. When you see her working out, do a few casual run bys.

6. Hold something of hers hostage until she agrees to hang out with you.

5. Mysteriously end up in a least one of her classes for two straight years.

4. Serenade her drunkly at her window with a car full of your friends.

3. Drive by her house until you see her outside, then text her that she looks good.

2. Come over to talk and when she says she needs space beg her not to break up, especially if you aren’t officially dating.

1. Text her too much and when she doesn’t response leave her some voicemails and when those don’t work send her an original poem.

Only because I do not know this guy at all, I am sharing my newest pickup road kill. The text poem:

My heart chokes up inside

‘Cause I still haven’t head a reply

From you, Vanessa, such a pretty girl-

Possibly the prettiest in the world.

You’re creative and fashionable

Yet still very rational,

And though spoiled you have every reason to be,

You don’t seem so at all to me.

If only I could cozy up to body

And kiss your scarlet lips softly,

Then when the mood slightly shifts,

I’d move my kisses to you hips

And an ocean of glee

Would well up within me

In which peace would swim-

And new life would begin.

I only wish I was making this up, but these are all real examples. So guys, the next time you try to pickup a woman avoid these mistakes. The root of all examples can be boiled down to one cardinal mistake: don’t come on too strongly too soon.

Conspiracy Theory

When I told people I was moving to Los Angeles, they all talked about how I would see so many celebrities. Now more than a month in, I have yet to see a celebrity. Yes, I realize I saw the infamous Justin Bieber, but that was a staged encounter. Perhaps I am simply not good at spotting celebrities, but I think it's more about being in the right place at the wrong time. Lauren and I were beginning to wonder where all the celebrities actually were. So as any self-respecting journalist, I did some quality TMZ research. Turns out we seem to be everywhere the celebrities are, only a day or even hours apart.

We missed a run in from recently sprung from jail Lindsey Lohan by a mere day shopping on Melrose Ave. Lauren was very upset about our very close miss of Colbie Caillat on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Evidently we were there on the exact same night, but did not happen to cross paths.

I am beginning to wonder if there are actually celebrities in Los Angeles! I am sure someday when I least expect it, I will see Reese Witherspoon strolling the streets of Brentwood. In the time being though, I am not entirely convinced I live in the land of the rich and famous.