Entries in los angeles (6)

Tuesday
Jun022009

LA part duex part 2


Well the 2nd half of my trip to LA was a whirlwind in some ways. In other ways there was a lot of sleeping involved? Haha.

The hike in Runyon Canyon was in the heart of the Hollywood Hills but unfortunately we didn't see any celebs hiking/walking/running any of the trails.  We discovered a lot about nature, mostly that Gail hates it (even more than I do if that's possible). She was even upset about the BUTTERFLIES. Oh man haha what a riot. 


Some drunk Slovakian man told us to find some aloe plants on the trail for Gail's very obvious red legs. This turned into Gail asking me if each plant we passed was aloe. No... no... kind of looks like it but no.... Until we arrived at the GIANT aloe plants that were the size of the 3 of us put together. Here is when Gail demands Libby and I to try and wrestle a stem off to get to the aloey bottom part. Not sure if I'm up for the humility of these pictures.

Next on our adventure was to navigate to Lauren Conrad's house. LC lives in the Holltywood Flats which is funny considering the name of her show is The Hills.

We then headed to Robertson Blvd and grabbed a drink at what is apparently LA's premier gay and lesbian club/bar, The Abbey. Not sure why the shot boys in speedos didn't give us the hint right away but that's what internet phones are for, right? ;) Anyway there was a promotion going on and here at 2pm was a live dj pumping the beats. Right up my alley... gay or not.

This is where we must have consumed sleeping rufies because we got back to Libby's in the late afternoon to relax and we all fell asleep watching Empire Records. We woke up and ate homemade guac and then fell back asleep. I appreciated it though because my lack of teeth/whole mouth was in serious pain for all of Saturday. Argh.

All this sleep had the three of us up and at them at 7am Sunday morning. Gail knew about a weekly flea market on Melrose that has vintage designer labels as well as handmade stuff. We got brunch (we are freaks about breakfast in case you didn't already gather) on Melrose and then hit up the market.

I got a set of homemade coasters for my new apartment. It's a shame I have no table to put them on. My coasters and I will be very happy on the floor, don't worry. ;) Gail got some rockstar jewelry and we headed back to Libby's for beach preparation.

Libs had to work at the gym (the one I told you she owns) and because Gail and I are are not able to drive stick (I mean I can get to 3rd gear but like whatever) we borrowed bikes!

Biking was a joyful yet painful experience. On our way to Venice Beach I crashed into a pole on the sidewalk and still can't get rid of the bruise. Oh well. Hit the beach for a few hours while Gail covered her body in towels to protect her sun burn.

We biked from Venice Beach up to Santa Monica Pier and back which was super fun when I wasn't dodging small children and power bikers. And I suppose there was the point when the chain completely fell off. Funny that a damsel in distress approach resolved this quickly. Thank you Mr. Man. ;)

We got back and waited for Libby before a big night out in Venice & Santa Monica. Well this night out is best described as a "hot mess." I can let some pictures speak for themselves as unfortunately the events of this night violate the parental advisory of my blog.  I will let you know I seriously contemplated sleeping on the bathroom floor...

LA night out

Anyway our last day in LA was spent mostly paying for the night before but it was worth it. How often does one really get to party like a rockstar with Libby?! ;)

So concludes the LA trip recap. I feel so lame for all this time going by but I really wanted to wait for Gail's pictures. It's been hectic ever since.

To a more active June! :)

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Saturday
May232009

beautiful and dirty rich

I love my life and I love my friends. LA part duex is amazing as ever. This time I'm with the notorious Gail and we have Libby all to ourselves!!

Gail and I both got in Thursday night and we stayed up until 4:30am east coast time gabbing away with Libby over cheese and wine. It was fabulous.

Friday we got up and went to brunch with two bottles of champagne in hand to benice... "be nice" or "benice" as in Venice but noone can be sure. Had their legendary banana batter pancakes and drank mimosas. Heart my life.

Headed to Marina del Ray for some serene beach with more champagne and soaked in blissful California sun. This very sun makes Gail want to say FML because she's a little strawberry on her front side.

I, apparently, am immune to the sun and thanks to factor 15 I still look like Casper the friendly ghost. F-M-L. We headed to a Venice Beach bar called Cabo and took advantage of happy hour 2-for-1 drinks.

[Insert team trip to Trader Joes that had us laughing so hard we were crying.]

The best thing ever happened next. Our very own Lady Gaga dance party in Libby's apartment. YES!!! We introduced Libby to many a Lady Gaga songs! Oh and homemade fresh berry mojitos were involved. YUM!  This ended abruptly when the neighbor downstairs rang the doorbell and told us it sounded like we were coming through his roof.  You better believe it, sir.

We made it to dinner by 10pm for Spanish tapas and wine. It was delish despite the wait for a table.  It was BYOB so we had our cheap Trader Joe's wine in tow and it was perfect. Cherry cherry, YUM YUM.

Thanks  to such late bedtime on Thursday, the sun and red wine we all passed out at midnight!  Roll on day two.  We're going for brunch (clearly) and then our daily adventure will begin with a hike.  Stay tuned!

LOVE MY LIFE!

Tuesday
Apr142009

confession time

I feel like I need to be a little honest here.  If not just to my readers, to myself.  I've always felt that I'm quick to make excuses for quitting many endeavors before reaching my goal.  I know it's a personality fault and I really am unsure how to fix this.


This issue has been plaguing me for as long as I can remember.  For example, I quit the viola one year after starting to play it in third grade.  The following year I decided to play the trumpet... and quickly quit that mid year.  I think I also quit the mile run of the Presidential Physical Fitness test half way through on a yearly basis until middle school. HAHA.  Does anyone remember that stupid test?  I couldn't do pull ups/flex arm hang, either!!!  Always got National...

Anyway, I set these really ambitious and lofty goals and then find about 100 excuses (on average) as to why I am unable to fully accomplish these goals.  The one major exception here is of course graduating college. 

I just decided that running a half marathon on Memorial Day weekend does not appeal to me so have decided to go to LA with Gail to visit Libby instead. [INSERT HERE: you nodding your head in disappointment and making noises that resemble gasps and mumbles like "jillian michelle"] However, my crappy excuses are as follows:
  • At $179 total round trip (and nonstop!) I'd be crazy to pass it up
  • No one will really be around Memorial Day weekend in Boston
  • LA with two friends is more fun then running 13.1 miles
  • I'm running 10 mi on May 3rd - what's the difference, really?
  • I can run a half marathon pretty much whenever, there are always some to choose from
  • I don't feel adequately prepared, my training has regressed a bit
  • I'm getting my wisdom teeth out the weekend beforehand

Unfortunately, there really is no excuse other than that I got lazy about keeping on top of the training schedule because I probably partied a little too hard in the last month.

UGH.  If you ever worry about me being nonchalant or indifferent, you can rest assure that I get really down on myself all the time for all my underachievement.  Which... I'm pretty sure just makes things worse.

So... plan of action for the next couple weeks.  Getting healthier by eating right (no more eating out), drinking more water (and less booze for sure) and getting my selfish 8 hours of sleep I love so much.  Also need to make sure I'm putting in my "short" runs, even if they seem trivial - they help!!!  Will also buy new trainers - I have logged enough miles on my shoes I blogged about many moons ago.

I leave you with my all-time favorite poem that will most likely remind you of me!

Sick
by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

....haha!  To this day... love this poem.  

For me, it's a never ending battle trying to learn that sometimes you need to sacrifice "the fun" to do something extraordinary.

Monday
Feb232009

loved LA...

Wow this post has been a long time coming, I'm so sorry! No excuses. Anyhoot I suppose you're interested in my recent trip to LA? :)

Let me just prefrace that any vacation that I've planned with the intention (desperate need) for sunshine has never panned out well. Malta, Rain. Puerto Rico, Rain. Weekend trips to the beach last summer, Rain. So in true luck fashion... LA, Rain. However it wasn't all weekend and I certainly didn't let it get in the way of being an LA tourist!

Within the first 90 minutes of my arrival Libby gave Kirk a stand up hair cut. By the time we returned from a rainy trip to The Getty he had shaved his head. Hmm.  Oh and we went to brunch at this place that had the most delicious pancakes I've ever tasted.

The Getty was pretty cool, though. Would have been beautiful to look at outside if it weren't raining but oh well. We gave old French paintings the college try but the only halls we weren't running down were impressionism and photography.

That night we went to an art show at Libby's yoga studio (she owns it, so what no big deal) and she spilled red wine on the floor in the room where we weren't even allowed to wear our shoes hahahahaha. One of my top 10s of the weekend. Then we went to the unmarked but highly acclaimed Mondrian Hotel. Our waiter sucked. Libby as a hot date made up for it tenfold, though.

Went home to the mansion and played foosball til what was 4am Boston time to me. Promptly passed out on the couch and didn't open an ear or an eye til 9am the next morning.  We got up and went out for a run and I quickly noticed some famous movie spots in Venice - including the bball courts where White Men Can't Jump was filmed - soooo cool!

Brunch in Santa Monica on a sunny Valentine's Day felt good and gave us our fuel for a trip north to San Fancisco, I mean getting lost in Malibu ;) Omg I sooo didn't mind driving up and down The PCH. Beautifulll! We finally made it to our hike and mistakenly took the dinky warm up trail and when back at the bottom 20 min later margaritas sounded better than a proper hike looking out for rattlesnakes.


Libby had to work Valentine's Day night and so Kirk and I head out on bikes to cruise Venice & Santa Monica for some bars and eventually got to Libby's restaurant (she owns this too, duh).  Thennn the bike ride home felt a lot longer than the trip there but no big deal.  We rode the "boardwalk" home.  Boardwalk in quotations because it's just like a paved concrete path - nothing like the traditional wooden Jersey Shore boardwalks, haha.

Sunday Funday Libby and I went to brunch again (I LOVE BRUNCH!!) and had some yummy muffins at a place in Manhattan Beach.  We then set on our Beverly Hills excursion.  We went to Rodeo drive and the only store I felt comfortable even stepping in was Coach and about 8 saleswomen attacked us - they had us all wrong apparently, haha. We headed up to Mulholland Drive which gives all these really scenic views overlooking the whole city.  At our very last stop we saw the HOLLYWOOD sign - some reason I was determined to see it.

Next up on tourist extravaganza was a stop on Hollywood Boulevard to see the stars in the sidewalks and just people watch.  We saw them getting ready for the Oscars, actually.  Pretty cool!  

That night we went to a comedy show at a small theatre called the Groundlings where apparently a lot of SNL comedians got their start.  Rumors were flying that Lisa Kudrow was due to make a surprise appearance one night soon but no such luck.  There were some really funny skits and well Libby's laugh alone had me in stitches half the night!

Monday was dreary but Libby got out of work early and we went shopping!!!  We were itching to spend some dough but really didn't end up buying much.  Scratch that, I did buy Christian's wedding band!  Woohoo.  I love it and it's perfect!!

Got on the red eye back and slept 4 of the 5 hour flight.  Raced home and stole another hour of sleep before going to work - so it wasn't really all that bad.  Wednesday was tiring but it was well worth it!

This was a long one!  In the end I think I can cross off 90% of my to do wish list for LA.  No celeb spotting - but I mean Libby and Kirk are a pretty big deal so that counts. :)  Can't wait to go back!!  Kayte is going this week and I am SOOOOOOOOOO jealous!!!

Libby and Kirk - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for a wonderful time!  You guys are the greatest! :D

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Wednesday
Feb112009

i heart aquariuses

I feel like I may have been off the radar for a bit, sorry about that!  I did indeed have a CRAZY weekend but it was so much fun.  Our friend Sarah "Seb" flew in for the weekend free thanks to her new job as a flight attendant for USAir... I'm kind of jealous.  


Anyhoot, on Friday we all went out to Ned Divines for Steph's birthday celebration.  Band was good but playing old music.  Saturday we went to Suite and perhaps some of my friends learned my closet love for the clubs - haha.  Dancing burns good calories, though!  Sunday was SUNDAY FUNDAY, haha.  I went to brunch, ran 5 mi, then went to Gail's house and laughed a lot with her and Kayte!  Overall - a hugely fun weekend but quite busy!

Soooo guess what?  I LEAVE FOR L.A. ON FRIDAY MORNING!!  O-M-G I simply cannot wait!!!  I miss Libby more than words can say and I can't wait to do all the fun, corny touristy stuff!  So it's supposed to rain a lot while I'm there but I won't let it get me down and I will pretend that weather.com has it wrong, anyway (highly likely)!

I ran outside tonight - first outdoor run in a long time but it was soooo "nice" out today - 50 degrees!  Let's just say that my legs are used to a flat treadmill surface.  Tonight I did a little cross training on my run dodging ice patches and puddles all the while going up and up hills (I really don't remember going down these hills).  Anyway - it felt good and I'm glad I got some fresh Brookline air in my lungs.

Okay so this post wasn't much fun just a little bit of a diary entry/catch up on my calendar - sorry! Oh - it's Chrisitan's 25th birthday today!  My handsome husband-to-be is skiing in Sweden off the map but we'll give him a shout out on my blog anyway! :D

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!  | TILLYKKE MED DAGEN SKAT!

So actually I have a lot of birthdays to mention right now - it's been a birthday extravaganza lately! Safe to say that I really get along well with Aquariuses...

Happy 24th to my love Stephanie on 4-Feb-09
Happy 25th to the handsome Mike Prible on 7-Feb-09
Happy 24th to muchos Sarah/Seb on 8-Feb-09
Happy 25th to my perfect Christian today 11-Feb-09
Happy 24th to beautiful Carissa on 15-Feb-09

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