You gotta watch this. Why? Because who doesn’t want to have a good laugh on a Sunday morning. My favorite: the baby who thinks ripping paper is like Ellen Degeneres doing stand up.
Month: January 2014
gratitude-a-thon day 315: that city on the west coast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b5LzCOc98E
While people all over make fun of L.A. for being vacuous and lacking a soul, I am coming out of the closet here to say that just like Randy Newman, I love L.A.
First of all, there is the weather. Admittedly, I thought it would be warmer, and didn’t pack well, but while it was 16 in Boston, it was between 50-72 in the city of Angels. IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. Right there, all by itself, it’s a city flat out flirting with my devotion. And let’s talk palm trees. I don’t know, I guess it’s because they’re not an East Coast thing and carry a bit of vacation sexiness, but I have always had a crush on these green water fountains. Pacific Coast Highway is the gosh darn bomb. I mean, there you are driving and right next to you is da beach. For miles and miles and miles. And, well, I have salt water in my blood. Did someone say shopping? I can’t even count the ways this city kills it in the shopping department. Food? There are like a bajillion restaurants and I’ve yet to even get it on with more than a handful, but what I’ve tasted so far has seduced me into submission. Yes, there’s traffic. Yes, there’s smog. But I have to give it to L.A. for having so much of all the stuff I live for all wrapped up into one sprawling city. Sing it, Randy.
gratitude-a-thon day 314: fight on
Well, the boy has been delivered to college. It’s been a long wait, as a spring admit, but finally, he is ensconced in his apartment, with four other nice guys, a workout room on his floor, and a courtyard with grills and lounge chairs, right near the Shrine Auditorium, where lots of red carpet events and concerts have been held (“And now, from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angleles, California, it’s the Academy Awards”).
The campus is pretty, with a mix of old stately buildings mixed with more modern architecture. And while it’s large, it seems fairly easy to manage. I thought, being downtown would mean a lot of traffic and mayhem around the campus, but several days in a row, we’ve been there, and it’s almost what I would call quiet. A real surprise. Everybody has on their USC gear, and Tommy Trojan, the USC mascot stands nobly in the middle of campus to remind the students and faculty, alike, to “fight on.”
I am finally used to the fact that the sports teams at USC are called Trojans, but I have to admit that I think it’s just plain hysterical that they are named after condoms. REALLY? But there it is. They have this thing called “Trojan Alerts” for when something on campus happens and you need to know about it, you get an email. I asked Jake if he thought they might send one to students before they had sex to see if they had trojans. I mean I think that’s an alert situation if you ask me.
One thing that’s bantered about like the word “like” at USC, is “fight on.” This seems to work in any situation and is accompanied by putting one of your hands up in peace sign position. We have taken this phrase to heart in our family and are now using it heartily. “Ally, I know you’re math is hard but fight on.”
Another thing that’s big on campus, is that we’re now all part of the “Trojan Family.” And apparently this is a really big clan. The alumni deal here is huge. We have a friend who says it’s one of the biggest and strongest alumni organizations in the country. He also says there are some companies out here that won’t hire you unless you’re a USC graduate. Kind of impressive.
We went to a Trojan basketball game last night and it was really fun. A million of those alumni were there. We lost, but it was entertaining with lots of cheerleader and dance breaks, games and giveaways.
Today is convocation, and then we leave to go back to the real world in freezing cold Boston, leaving our son to enjoy palm trees and warm weather, and you know, higher education, too. Wishing my boy all the luck and love in the world. Hey Jake, fight on.
gratitude-a-thon day 311: and now your weather: it’s fucking cold
Ok, I am not in Boston, where it’s 16. Or Chicago, where it’s been as low as -42. I am in L.A., where it’s supposed to be warm, but is only 52 as I sit here and write this. I know, don’t be a hater, it’s not super cold, but sort of cold if you didn’t bring warm clothes, because you were under the impression it would be warm. I’m not really complaining, but I will be back in Boston really soon, and will have plenty to complain about. Anyway, we here at the gratitude-a-thon (meaning ME here at the gratitude-a-thon) could have written the above weather forecast, but unfortunately got scooped, and someone else wrote it. It’s an apt description of what’s going on with the weather this winter. And it made me laugh my face off. And that’s, well, everything.
gratitude-a-thon day 310: do you mind?
I think of being mindful as super simple. It’s doing and being and feeling yourself in the moment you’re in, instead of the moment that just was, or the moment that will be, well, a moment from now. The hard part is doing it.
When I was struggling through infertility, I took a course at the Deaconess Hospital, called the Mind Body Program for Inferitility. Ali Domar ran this program, and a big part of it was mindfulness. I remember her using the example of how she ate a muffin. She described in detail the breaking a piece off, letting it swirl around her mouth, tasting each distinct flavor that together made up the muffin’s essence. That notion has stuck with me for 20 years, of Ali eating that muffin!
Here’s a good article on mindfulness, something that’s being called a trend this year. It’s no wonder, since our technology is practically implanted in our palms now, and we have to actually be asleep not to partake. I’m guilty as the next guy. But I’m trying to add in the idea of being more mindful, as I tap away on my computer, ipad and iphone. I know, I have a long way to go.
gratitude-a-thon day 312: the non-celebrity look celebrated
Take a look at this video by Karen Walrond, of women looking, like women, and not models, or celebrities. I hate to blame our culture, but there’s nothing else to blame. The common belief is that women should look a certain way or they can’t be considered attractive, is just a plain big old pile of rubbish. Cindy Crawford, that impossibly gorgeous model, has said, “Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.”
It’s the job of celebrities and models to maintain and improve their looks because their faces and bodies are their salaries. But where it gets all crazy is when we try to do the same. Exercising for health and wellness is separate from trying to get Kelly Ripa’s abs. Having a little botox to make you look more awake is not the same as getting a full on face lift with a side of new boobs, butt and waist. In other words, we should all make the most of our looks, and try and look as good as we want to look, since how we present ourselves can affect our jobs, but not forget what beauty really looks like, what real women really look like. Ah, this topic is so big and broad that I could drone on until you would want to come to my house and put a sock in my mouth, but let me just say, this video is a lovely little reminder of how women actually look. Beautiful.
gratitude-a-thon day 309: the big picture
What do you think this photo is? I thought it looked like a snowy forest. But check this out, It’s really something else, entirely.
It’s sort of like “don’t judge a book by its cover” marries “things aren’t always what they seem.” And that’s important to think about as you move around the world. Sometimes you need to move in close to get the whole picture, and sometimes you need to back up in order to take in the whole scene in all its minute detail. I don’t always remember to do this and I see something that’s not really there. Or it seems as though I overlook another part of the picture, which might be the valuable part that makes the less attractive part sing.
Anyway, I’m grateful for this reminder to look closely at things. Because it’s often there in the details that you can find real gold.
gratitude-a-thon day 308: baby, it’s cold outside (but a little warmer inside)
I would just like to report that in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts at 6:30 am, it is 1 degree. ONE. As in the lonliest number ONE. One, as in the first digit you learn when you learn how to count. One, as in Soup for, Direction and Fund. ONE, PEOPLE. I feel like I was transported to Antarctica in my sleep. While I have grown up on the East Coast, where winters are cold and snowy, this is not the kind of cold that’s in any way typical. Oh no, THIS IS FREEZE YOUR BOOTY OFF cold, even if your booty is as, well, solid as Kim Kardashian’s.
My gratitude here this morning is that I am not outside, and have a semi-warm house to be in. Plus lots of blankets, and sweaters. I am praying for the homeless today. This is no joke. Also, grateful not to be living in the mid-west (for many reasons), but because they’re experiencing even colder temperatures than we are. There is apparently a polar vortex that is sending cold air down from the North Pole. Today’s temperature predictions in Fargo, N.D. are for 25 BELOW. Minus 31 in International Falls, MN. Ok, I am feeling warmer here with our little 1 degree.
My other gratitude, I am leaving for L.A. on Monday, where it is currently 53, but moving on into the mid-70’s by mid-day. Winter is getting less and less appealing to me with every passing second. But I could discuss my disdain for the cold for the next three weeks, so I’ll stop now. Stay warm and bundled up. This too shall pass (but not soon enough for me).
snow-a-tude-a-thon day 307: small bites friday
I have solved my ‘links not linking” problem. PARADE! They will all work from now on. Promise!
There is like a bajillion inches of snow out there, well maybe only like a foot. In any case, TOO MUCH FOR ME. I signed up to live in Boston, not Antarctica. BUT, I have just purchased Apple Tv, so let it snow, baby. Late to the party, but Orange is the New Black.
Watched “We Steal the Secrets, The Story of Wikileaks” last night. Really thought provoking.
Ok, I hadn’t been to Clover until a few days ago and now I am a disciple. The eggplant and egg sandwich is approaching something just south of having George Clooney give me a good foot rub as foreplay.
Did Gaudi vacation in Mexico? Here’s proof he might have.
Who doesn’t love a good optical iillusion?
Going to warm and sunny l.a. in three days. Buy bye snow.
I LOVE THIS cover of “Fix You.”
There’s a new cream on the market, you know I’m going to get it.
I have solved my ‘links not linking” problem. PARADE!
My sister leaves today to go back to sunny Miami–it was so much fun having her here. :(, but Ally comes home from sunny Orlando, where she was in a soccer tournament, so I’m also a little :).
*the gratitude-a-thon 