Get used to repeats, baby.
Friday, November 2, 2007
I remember showing up to a dinner party in tears in the spring of 2003 because of the musician's strike on Broadway. I had to stand in the lobby of the Broadway theater and explain to people that there would be no performance that evening of Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme on Broadway. I had to tell them that they could either get their money back or get tickets for another performance down the line, but that March evening, the lights would not shine on Broadway. People actually cried. They begged me to make the show happen. They were in NYC for their yearly vacation and they always saw a Broadway show - and besides...the show must go on!
Right.
There were people from Australia. There were people that had finally won the lottery for the $20 tickets after waiting in line for three months straight. There was a lot of disappointment for the few nights that Broadway went dark during the musician's strike. It broke my heart to see how devastated people were that they weren't going to get to see theater. I had come to take it for granted because I got to see almost every show that existed for free during previews. I had forgotten that for most people, the theater was truly a special treat. That evening, I remembered.
The musician's strike only lasted a few days - Mayor Bloomberg stepped in because the city was losing millions and it was fixed in a matter of hours. That strike effected a lot of people...but it was nothing compared to what Hollywood is about to experience.
So on Monday the writers will walk out. No more SNL, Letterman or Leno effective immediately. Your favorite shows will last for another couple of months with more repeats in between so you'll see a new episode every so often...but come January, things will change.
Here in TV Network land, we've already been told there's no more overtime, no more expense accounts, no more birthdays. (It's the Grinch who stole fun!) When we drive to work on Monday, we've been told to keep our windows up, lest a picketer should throw something through a window or shout things that we'd feel inclined to want to respond to. Meanwhile, some of these picketers could very possibly be my friends.
There are all the crew people who are just victims of this disagreement and are totally out of work because of it. Big deal if I don't get a birthday cake...
Then there's the rest of LA. I thought about getting a second job waiting tables to make up for the lack of overtime that I'll be getting. But everyone that eats out in this town does so on an expense account. If they don't have one, will they still eat out? Definitely not as often...There will be fewer car services taking people places. People will cancel dog walkers, cleaning ladies, waxing, facials. Starbucks and Coffee Bean are going to see some serious hits (although there will probably be more out of work people hanging out because it's too depressing to just sit at home all day. But I bet you there are fewer lattes ordered and more plain ol' coffees...) Liquor sales may increase but bars won't be so packed.
For a few nights, Broadway disappointed several hundred thousand people and the shows lost some money. But this is going to last for more than a few nights. Repeats are the least of our worries.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 4:57 PM 0 comments
Labels: the industry
Hallo-whine
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Halloween in LA has officially turned me into a Grinch. I should begin by explaining that I am not a fan of the adult celebration of Halloween. I can't wait to get my kids dressed up one day and take them trick or treating...but as an adult, I'm completely averse to the requirement of dressing up. So NY or LA, I've never been a huge fan of the Halloween party. I know, I know. People love dressing up and being someone else for a night - they can be a superhero or a slut or a pretty, pretty princess for a night. But it's just not for me.
Last night, I reluctantly went to a Halloween party because a good friend had planned it (and she planned fabulously, I might add...). Her fabulous party did not change my feeling. But we had a perfectly lovely time for the hour or so that we were there - just enough time to look around, see some great costumes, get a hot dog on a stick, see a few friends and be in bed early enough on a school night.
I left around 11 and expected to be in my bed about 20 minutes later. My dreams of sugarplum fairies were dashed when, about 10 minutes into my trip home, I hit traffic at every turn I took. The Halloween parade on Santa Monica Blvd. had ended and there were people flooding to their cars in a mass exodus. I sat in my car and cursed - cursed driving, cursed LA, cursed the Merry Hallo-weiners. In NYC, while the streets are flooded with people after the West Village parade, you can cut down any number of side streets at any point in time to avoid the masses and get to your destination. Not so here. I sat through traffic light change after traffic light change and slowly went insane as I prayed to the gods to puh-leeeeeeeeeeeease allow me to just cross La Cienega Avenue. After 20 minutes at a virtual stand-still, I crossed to the other side - the land of Moses - and drove home mostly uninterrupted. I crawled into bed and declared that I wish that I could end adult Halloween. "I could be the Grinch who stole Halloween!" I declared giddily! (But lest you think I'm some absolutely horribly person - know that I am referring to adults only here. I would never, EVER think about removing the joy of dressing up and trick or treating from children. I'm just making sure we're all clear here...) After I reveled in my thought for a brief moment, I came back to earth and realized, as the Grinch did, that there's no need for me to force my feelings upon the entire universe. But I can safely say that Halloween in LA has effectively ruined any minuscule desire that I ever had to participate in Halloween on Halloween in this city again.
Boo Humbug.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 12:28 PM 0 comments
32 Reasons Why I Like LA
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
1. The weather is great and on the occasional day that it's not, I don't have to walk in it...I just have to go from car to building to car. (Note to reader: car to building to car could also be on my list of reasons I don't like LA...uch! I've already swayed!!! back on track...)
2. Outdoor activities - endless hiking possibilities, biking, etc...
3. A home. A real live home with lots of light flooding in with a back patio and a front yard.
4. Farmer's markets and delicious fresh produce
5. Grocery shopping
6. The ability to get in a car and take a road trip to Mexico, San Diego, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, Arizona, Napa...etc. It's easy to get out to a lot of really beautiful places.
7. The beach, it's proximity, and the amount of days that you can use it.
8. For the first time in 11 years, I get to live in the same city as one of my childhood best friends.
9. It's a shorter trip to Asia, Hawaii, Australia and Bali than the east coast
10. The Mexican food is far superior
11. The sushi is pretty incredible too.
12. I've met a few great people that I'm so grateful to have in my life.
13. Target and Best Buy (they're hard to find in the city and even if you can - you don't have a car to get all your stuff home)
14. Lazy Sundays - I never learned that art in NYC.
15. Dinner parties
16. Exploring a new part of the country
17. YOGA!!! Yoga classes are definitely better in LA.
18. We found our puppy here - and the Mulholland Dog Park or Runyon Canyon beat any NYC dog park.
19. Palm trees.
20. The Beach Boys
21. I don't have my annual panic attack in the Times Square subway station because there are too many people and I'm screaming inside my own head for everyone to just move and let me get through to where I need to go.
22. I have a FANTASTIC therapist here.
23. Change is good...and Los Angeles has helped me to figure myself out, get out of my comfort zone.
24. It's an adventure that Matt and I get to share separate and apart from all the other people in our families...something different that we'll always have together.
25. Pinkberry. I know you New Yorker's don't like it but I say it beats chemically-tasting Tasty Delight ANY DAY.
26. The Arclight Cinema - you have to love a movie theater with assigned, comfy seats
27. The Golden Globes are on at 5 so I can actually stay awake for the entire thing (well...most of the time.)
28. Trader Joe's. I know there's one in NYC now...but there wasn't when I lived there and I freaking love this place...
29. Mani/pedis- They're cheaper and better.
30. My hairdresser, Robert, at Roman Salon.
31. Ikea with a car. No renting, no buses...pure ease.
32. My shoes are in MUCH better shape than they ever were in NYC.
Of course for every reason I've thought of here, I have 10 reasons why I love New York. But I suppose that's why I have this blog now, isn't it?
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 2:04 PM 3 comments
Labels: lists
The Coffee Debate
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Knoxville feels like it was sooooooo long ago - but I vaguely recall referencing the whole Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf vs. Starbucks thing before I left. For those of you who are not familiar Coffee Bean, this is a west coast beanery that Angelenos seems to swoon over. Perhaps this is one reason that I will never be considered an Angeleno.
Let's start by discussing the actual act of getting coffee in LA. You can't just "pick up" coffee on your way to work. Unless you are one of a select few that either lives or works within walking distance of a coffee shop, coffee entails getting in your car, driving to your coffee shop of choice, finding a parking spot (that's an ESPECIALLY infuriating part that generally includes also having quarters), and then post-coffee ordering, getting back in your car and driving to work while trying not to spill the coffee that you are slowly sipping when the guy in front of you slams on the breaks. In NYC, you walk out your door, stop to buy coffee on the way to the subway, and then head on your merry way. Sure, there's an occasional spill from the guy who bumps you on the street or the times when the subway stops short (although I'd venture to say that most NY'ers get their coffee post-subway ride) but all in all, walking through a Manhattan morning with coffee is an enjoyable undertaking and is a much simpler task than in LA. I know people. I know that I'm totally and completely biased and you can all write and tell me that you think it's easier to get a coffee in your car. (And maybe it actually would be if someone got smart and made some coffee shops with a drive thru.) But I don't buy it for a single second. Coffee is easier
in NY.
Of course, I can't say that I'm thrilled with the influx of a Starbucks on every corner. On one of my recent visits, I almost fell down dead when I turned to see the green sign where the Blind Tiger Ale House once stood. This is NOT ok people. That was a tangent. Back on track...
In LA, there are two coffee monsters - the nation-wide Starbucks and the west coast Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. (incidentally, Coffee Bean also has many international shops in places like Israel, Australia, and Qatar. Go figure.) Anyhow...people out here LOOOOOOOOVE Coffee Bean. I've never done a study of any sort, but I think that Coffee Bean is more popular out here than Starbucks.
I would be lying if I said that there are certain things that I do, indeed, like about Coffee Bean. Their sizes are small, medium, and large. Their coffee is WAY better than the gasoline that Starbuck serves and by this, I mean their regular old, "Can I have a coffee?" They have delicious flavored Iced Teas. But that's where the goodness ends. Because Coffee Bean uses powder vanilla and chocolate to flavor their drinks. First of all, aforementioned powder is inSANEly sweet. Sickeningly so. Secondly, you start out with a mocha at the beginning of your drink, but you end with globs of sugary, granular chocolate powder at the end. Does that sound good to YOU?
So while I am in the minority, I remain a Starbucks enthusiast in a land of Coffee Bean connoisseurs. I'll take a grande non-fat mocha over a medium vanilla latte any day. Of course the last time I got either in LA was easily a month ago...because I had to drive to get there.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 1:30 PM 4 comments
Labels: food and drink
This weather sucks.
Monday, October 29, 2007
It's too hot here for sweaters and I'm pissed about it. I opened my closet this morning and I have absolutely nothing to wear. Sure, I have an entire closet full of beautiful jackets and wrap sweaters and turtlenecks. But I can't wear any of them because it's 80 degrees outside!!! It's Halloween in two days and it's freaking 80 degrees. I know that I'm supposed to like that about LA. The weather is one of the upshots of this place. But I couldn't possibly appreciate it less right now. I want to bundle up my body in a blanket of warmth and comfort and this stupid weather is telling me to get out my sandals and put on a tank top. Screw you LA and your sunny, hot, October afternoon.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 12:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: homesick, west coast prejudice
The leaves are perfect
Friday, October 26, 2007
I got my perfect fall day. The leaves blew across the street in a perfect swirl and for a moment, I felt as though I were in a scene of a poignant, thought-evoking film. I stared out the car window at the trees - a brilliant collage of fiery reds and oranges and yellows. The grass was covered in crunchy browns and deeper jewel tones. The air was crisp - just chilled enough to give your cheeks a slight hint of pink but the shining sun smiled down upon us as though to say, "Don't worry kids. I'm here watching and I always will be."
There's something ironic about being in that perfect fall setting and hearing the sound of the shovel digging into the pile of dirt. Like nails on a chalkboard, it sends shivers down my spine. I hate that part the most...perhaps because you have to see the descent into the ground and there's absolutely no way that you can NOT come to terms with the loss you have experienced.
But I was glad to be reminded of the woman that you were. A bold, strong, compassionate, lover full of chutzpah. A true liver of life. You took lemons and made lemonade. And I was glad to have the opportunity to honor you with words that brought not only tears, but laughter as well. My father-in-law, who only got to meet you once, came up to me and said, "I'm sorry I didn't get to know your grandmother. She sounds like she was a truly phenomenal woman." And that is exactly what you were.
My aunt's students sent her condolence cards and we read them today as we sat and ate, the way that Jews do while they sit shiva. And they were truly prolific. One of her 7th graders wrote:
I am so sorry for your loss. Even the sky shed tears for your mother. But she will always be with you. Mothers always are.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
It really was a perfect fall day. They sent you off in style, Grammy - exactly the way you deserved.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 7:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: family, musings on life
I raise my glass...
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I remember the way that you'd talk about the price of grapes at the grocery store. I'd ask my mom, annoyed that the days coupons and groceries were the topic du jour. "Grammy's family owned a grocery store. That was her business at one time." I didn't get it then - but I get it now.
I remember using your breasts as pillows. You loved it- having a granddaughter on each side. They weren't breasts to me...they were Grammy's pillows and they were the warmest, safest place to lay my head.
I remember the way you'd give advice. I was having trouble with my now husband once, and at 83, alzheimers and all, you looked at me and said, "Michelle, honey, stop making such a big deal out of all of it. Just think of him like he's a very good friend who's going to be around for a very long time." You were so smart.
I remember our phone calls when I lived in NYC. "Are you flirting?" you'd say when you checked in. "Because you can't meet boys if you're not flirting." You made me laugh at the simple brilliance of your statement. You were right...how could I meet boys if I wasn't flirting?
You were a true matriarch. You were the mother of 4 kids whom you raised almost entirely by yourself. You had 4 children-in-laws that you treated like your own. You had 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandkids...and you gave each and every one of us love. You were at every recital, every play, every sporting event, every graduation. Nothing was more important to you than your family.
I remember, when I was a little girl, the way you'd say to me, "How much do I love you?" and you'd raise your arms and say "Up to the sky." And you did.
You made the best fudge anyone's ever tasted, the most incredible apple pie. Your apple pie caused arguments when Uncle Michael would ration it out at Thanksgiving so that he could have enough for himself. "Don't worry, Michael," you'd say. "I made you a whole other one." You always took care of everyone.
Whenever we went to the movies, you would ask for "very little ice" in our drinks and I was embarassed. For years I thought of that and I'd cringe. But guess what...eventually I got smart and realized what you knew all along - that they fill the whole freaking cup with ice! Now I, too, ask for "very little ice."
Once, you paid for our entire meal in coupons at Friendly's. You loved a good bargain.
You could laugh at herself. A couple of years ago, Matt and I went home to visit you and you came out to greet us in the hall.
"Mert!" you said.
"What Grammy?"
"Mert!"
"You mean Matt?"
"Oh..." quiet for a moment and then a little giggle. "Matt!"
You got this fabulous look on your face when you were enjoying great food. You'd look at us out of the corner of your eye, almost as though you were doing something you shouldn't be doing...and you'd quietly smack your lips a few times.
You were the cutest woman I know. You always had a twinkle in your eye. And you were stubborn as all get out but we all learned something from your willingness to look at things from another perspective every now and then. And you danced at my wedding, Grammy. You were determined to - and you did.
I know it was time and I'm glad that you don't have to suffer anymore. Although no one can say you lived an easy life, you lived a very full life and you were loved more than you know. But it's never easy to say goodbye, never easy to lose someone you love so unconditionally. Who was so warm and so wise and so close to your heart. You were always there for me, Grammy, no matter what. You were such a phenomenally special woman and I am honored to have had the time with you that I did. And I'm grateful to have had someone in my life who loved me...loves me...the way that you did and always will.
So I raise my glass to you, Ruthie. I raise my glass to you.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 9:49 PM 2 comments
Labels: family
