Away We Go

Alternate title: Celebrity Sighting #3...and 4,5,6,7 and 8

R and I went to this thing


The film itself was great. Afterward the writers, director, and some of the actors came in and had a discussion panel, which was also lots of fun.

R and I also went to the after party. It was a VIP event, but I feel like an idiot saying that. LA has this whole VIP thing down to a science. I was a bit nervous about it. I kept wondering: Am I too dressed up/underdressed? Do I look like I fit here? When should we get there? How long do we stay? Do I eat the food? (nope, not vegetarian) Do I chat up the people I don't know who are probably important people even though I don't recognize them? (nope, tried that with one girl and her incessant name-dropping left me cold) That part of the process was very tiring.

I was on a mission to get my copy of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius signed, and hopefully snap a picture with John Krasinski. R was on a mission for tacos and whiskey.

After R had accomplished the taco part of the mission, I strategically seated us on a u-shaped couch about 10 feet away from Dave Eggers. Once the people he was speaking with left, I saw my chance and took it. He is such a nice guy, and even chatted with me for a minute about teaching. Surprisingly, I was not nervous while talking to him. Once we were done talking I sat down and tried to look normal, hip even, and not paw through my book to read what he had just written, like a 7th grader with a newly signed yearbook.

R went to achieve the whiskey portion of his quest. Maker's Mark in hand, there was only one more person to look for.

Watching John Krasinski move in a room was like watching a queen bee move through the hive. All were aware of his position, and when he moved even 2 feet, the whole room would shift, buzz and resettle almost unconsciously. Everyone was trying not to look at him. We were all looking at him. He told stories, leaned casually, threw his head back and laughed, perfectly at ease, magnetic and charming. We stood near him, waiting for the inner circle to slowly disperse and leave room for us. Just as I was in the clear, he shifted again to sign something, and the room swirled in lockstep, leaving me three people away again. To borrow from my favorite author (the one who just signed my copy of his book):

"Hands reach toward him, grasping for his flesh, and he reaches into the anemone of fingers...close will not do here, chance is not good enough..."

And he turned and looked at me expectantly. Hands were shaken, smiles exchanged. I leaned in to compliment him, ask for a picture. He obliged, and was nice as hell about it too.

"I feel the jolt through me because we have completed the moment."


He asked if the picture turned out, smiled and said "nice to meet you", and then turned to the next crowd of people, his last before leaving for the night. The swarm broke up. R grabbed 15 mini tacos, and we headed for the car.

Also there: Sam Mendes, Catherine O'Hara, Vendela Vida, Maya Rudolph, and I'm sure a metric ton of execs, writers, and important people who I'm too lame to recognize. Lame or not, I had a great evening.

Farewell, Princess Hollywood

The sad truth about this city is that not everyone who arrives here gets to stay. I was reminded of this last night, overhearing (hard not to, she was sitting outside 10 feet from my window) Princess Hollywood's story of woe. Acting = didn't take off. Side job = didn't work out. Unemployment = almost gone. It was very hard to hear about her packing things, shipping things, and retreating on her last dime back to her hometown. I hope my story never turns to that.

While things like this do happen, I have the utmost respect for Princess Hollywood (even as I mock her), because she took a risk. When I left MI, several people confided to me that they had always wanted to do what I did; to Pack Up and Ship Out and Make It Big In the Big City. When I asked why they never did exactly that, the response was always the same: fear. Fear of not knowing anyone, of new things and people, fear of The Big City Itself, etc. In fact, one of my colleagues who knew I was leaving my job as early as January, didn't fully believe me until April when I officially resigned for the coming school year.

Me: Well, I did it.

Other teacher: did what?

Me: I told the principal I'm not coming back next year.

O.T. : Oh. Oh wow.

Me: Yup.

O.T. So you're like...actually going. Wow.

Me: I said I was.

O.T. Yeah, but I didn't think you'd really DO it, Becky.

So for all the people out there who didn't do it: You should. If you really want to do it, then make it happen. Find that job. Move that family. Set up your life in your own personal paradise, and if it doesn't work, then at least you'll know you tried.

Princess Hollywood, I'll wave at the sign for you the next time I'm driving by.

I think I have a pencil just like this

Choosing a cupcake...an LA rite of passage

For most, it is Crumbs vs. Sprinkles. I have yet to try out any other big names, simply because I don't know any.

But it's official: I'm a Sprinkles girl.

Sprinkles cupcakes are adorable, interesting, perfectly iced little gems. Simple, effective, delicious. I have only had them on 2 occasions, but both times were yummy.

Oh Crumbs, you tried...

Crumbs gains serious points for style, being far more "done up" than Sprinkles' little sugar babies. From a visual perspective I find them very appealing, and the 12 mini cupcake variety pack almost made me squeal, it was so pretty. R came away with the Madison Avenue and I ordered the classic Red Velvet. We rushed home, eager to taste.

However, the award was stripped from Crumbs...mostly for icing. I am a HUGE fan of icing, and believe it makes the cupcake. But when I bit into my red velvet Crumbs confection, all I could taste was butter. There's buttercreme, and then there's butter with a little sugar in it. This was just a bit gross. Ok, pretty gross. To make matters worse, there was a full inch of it on the cupcake. And an indentation in the middle of the cupcake, to hold-- you guessed it-- still more overly-buttery icing. Nope.

Other bakery suggestions are welcome and encouraged. I believe this is just the beginning of the LA cupcake story.

Subtlety must not be my strong suit...

1 post ago: up late giggling and screaming = nope.

2 posts ago: know-it-all teacher lady = me.

When your boyfriend AND your mom miss these things, it's time to clarify. Thank you.

Celebrity Sighting #2 Remix

Saw Angelyne again today. R and I were on the way home from Albertson's and saw her car in the parking lot. It's kind of hard to miss.


Unfortunately, the above is not our Kodak moment. R pulled out his camera and was aiming it, when I saw that she was actually in the car. Camera went bye-bye. No picture taken. But I'm sure we'll both be up late tonight giggling and screaming about it.

Are girls really this annoying?

I'm surrounded. Profiles of my neighbors:

Name: Stompy.

Lives: upstairs.

About: I have seen Stompy several times when coming home from Albertson's. I squeeze through the gate, my arms laden with groceries, and she sits casually on the stoop, a teeny little thing with a cigarette, a glass of red and a cell phone. Polite nods and smiles are exchanged. I then leave her to her business, and try not to listen in as she pours her heart out loudly about the latest guy scenario that did not work out. After her call, it seems she tries to mend her broken heart by going upstairs and perfecting her high-heeled runway walk over and over, playing wii-fit, and doing what could only be described as the Window Jig, a dance she puts on as close to the windows as possible, making our windows rattle like a 3.2 is always rolling through the neighborhood.




Name: Princess Hollywood

Lives: Across the way.

About: I am like constantly listening to her, like, talk on the phone, oh my god! She's like this actor person, and she's always complaining about auditions (or lack thereof). Her patio is decorated like college, complete with strung lights and dead plants; the sign of a person who wants to have a cute happening pad but doesn't know enough or care enough to actually water the vegetation. She can be seen sitting out in her pink nightgown, ringlets bobbing as she gabs away during all hours of the day, and like any true actress her voice carries well and you cannot block her out. She does bad vocal warmups in the afternoons, and her flat, forced voice pushes relentlesly through them until landing on the last note, inducing a false lounge-singer vibrato so bright and fast you could use the sonic waves to crush and loosen your kidney stones.





Name: Never-home

Lives: Somewhere out there, not too close but certainly not far enough away.

About: She must have a happening life, because on weekends she's never home. But her alarm clock goes off all day, reminding us all that she is definitely out and cannot turn it off, so sorry.












Name: Know-it-all Teacher Lady

Lives: Um...close by

About: Constantly losing the volume of her voice (one assumes by accident) when she speaks about teaching and her students, this one has been overheard referring to kids as everything from "really great" to "obnoxious little knuckleheads" depending on the day she's had at school. Everyone is privy to her opinions about how the educational system of LA should be improved, starting of course by mandating parental involvement and de-constructing LAUSD's overly bulky beurocracy. While everything she says is true, wonderful and from the heart, she could probably be quieter. The phrase "I can't, I have to plan for school" is constantly floating through the air. I think she's from Michigan too, because she's always talking about it, and her phone conversations end half the time with "I'll let you go, I know it's late over there".