Not a bad combo...

Word.

Every time I'm shutting down my computer and I look at the top corner to select and shut down each program, the following goes through my head:

"Dreamweaver, [click], Quit Dreamweaver.
Chrome, [click], Quit Google Chrome.
Word, hahaha wooord, [click], grin, Quit Microsoft Word."

It makes the end of the day that much better.

Look at that...

Was doing laundry tonight and a man walked in to get some change.  Another man followed in behind him screaming, "Stop looking at my ass.  Stop. Looking. At. My. Ass."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up.  After he walked out, the lady next to me said, "Ugh, laundry mats are getting crazy."  I just smiled and nodded.

About 5 minutes later a young guy who had been finishing up his laundry started to walk out and said, "Alright guys, I'm leaving.  Don't look at my ass as I go out the door."

Made me smile.

Yes, please.

(courtesy of this site and Ms. Bonnie Hawthorne)

Details, details, details.

I get made fun of sometimes for spending too much time adding little details to a project or a present.  But, man, I think they count.

This week has been proof (for me, at least).

I received gifts inside a gift from two people:
Jim Bianco and TOMS

TOMS shoes now come with a handwritten letter from the owner (okay, it's printed, but it looks handwritten -- and not in the overly cheezy way) and a bracelet.  Jim Bianco not only sent his CD, but magnetic poetry, a button and a postcard.

Maybe it's getting harder for musicians to break the mold, get people's attention.  Maybe that's unfortunate.  But I'll take gifts!

First time ever.

I'm not sure why taking daily vitamins is so hard.  I usually get motivated, take them daily for 2 weeks and then somehow I just stop.

I can safely say I've NEVER finished a bottle of vitamins.
Until I found GUMMY ones.
Thanks, Trader Joes.

Drinks on me!

We had an event for LAGG tonight and one of our volunteers offered to take us out for drinks.  He was very generous and bought us dinner and rounds and rounds of drinks.  He was so proud of our work and what we're doing.  And to be totally honest, it felt good for someone to spoil us.

But what kept sort of blowing me away was how naturally he got up from his chair every time I did.  I ran to the bathroom.  Up.  I ran to grab an extra napkin.  Up.  In mid-sentence no less.

Old school (unforced) manners are so great.

Two wheels, please.

Sooo....the couple days of bike/train commuting proved to be pretty great.  I couldn't believe how much better it made me feel.  Not to mention the things you see/hear/smell when you're not stuck in the bubble of your car.

• Glendale smells AMAZING.  Something is blooming there and...whoa...so yummy.
• Hearing the city go by is invigorating.
• A lot of people smoke weed in Los Angeles.  In their cars, on the sidewalk, on their front porch...

And because it was so great, I'm committing to getting from Santa Monica to Santa Clarita using public transport/my bike/my legs once a week for the next two months.

It feels official if I commit to it here.  Feels like I have someone keeping me accountable.

Frozen

My friends that are adopting found out yesterday they are one step (one HUGE step) closer to making it all a reality.  And I was lucky enough to be there shortly after they found out.

Getting the news was a little anti-climatic for them though.  They didn't have a piece of paper, an email with a guarantee, a handshake...it was just a phone call from their translator explaining everything was happening.

As we all sat at the dinner table there was a sort of surreal cloud hanging over us.  My friend starting opening a bottle of champagne and passed it to her husband to finish.  As she made the handover -- the top exploded, hit the roof and there was a fountain of champagne pouring onto the floor.

There was a brief moment of stunned silence and then we all burst into uncontrollable laughter.  It most definitely broke any tension in the room and felt like a sign that everything REALLY was happening.

The toddlers and I continued to giggle while mom and dad smiled at one another and gave each other a kiss.

It was one of those moments you want to freeze in time.

To speak to an agent, press 3.

I have been in the perpetual nightmare that is the LA Courthouse/DMV system for over a year now.  And after automated phone calls, website floundering and multiple certified letters; my license was meant to officially be suspended on March 12.  All for a fix it ticket from almost 2 years ago.

At first, I thought, "Perfect.  A reason to take public transport.  I'll save some money on insurance.  No more parking tickets."  And then I started freaking out.

After 17 calls in a row to the DMV, I finally spoke to a very nice woman who knew of a "loop hole" in getting things expedited.  I followed all of her advice and put together a packet to send to the LA Superior Courthouse.  I also included a post-it-note that said, "I know your job is frustrating.  Thank you for what you do! [smiley face]"  It should be noted the packet also included a $10 Abstract Notice Fee.

The only way to see if my packet worked was to call the DMV everyday to see if the Courthouse had contacted the DMV.  So I did.  Everyday. For 10 days.  And today, two days before D Day, it worked!

Moral of the story:
Nice little notes work!
But, more likely:  Pay off the government if you need something done.

Neighborhood Love

Been meaning to get my bike fixed for the past month and have been waiting to conveniently run into my cute neighbor who works at Helen's.  Figured I'd ask him for a quick favor and offer a six pack of beer in return.

Well after a hellish day in the car today, I decided I wanted to park my car for the rest of the weekend which means I needed my bike fixed ASAP.

Headed down to our little neighborhood bike shop and was in and out in 10 minutes.  At some point it came up that my neighbor worked at Helen's, blah blah blah.  As I was leaving, the owner said, "Alright see ya later, happy biking."

Then he looked me right in the eye and smiled, "And thank you for not going to Helen's."

I'd be a blocker, not a jammer. For sure.

Went to Roller Derby tonight and, as usual, there's always a conversation about what YOUR derby name would be if you skated.

Some of the ladies have such great ones:
Janis Choplin
Tara Armov
Roxy Cotton
Titty Titty Bang Bang
Gori Spelling

Typically I have pretty awful ideas for mine.  And I get oddly sad about not having a potential name for a sport I don't even intend to play.

But tonight, it happened.  We came up with my perfect Roller Derby name:
Punchess Pilate

Yessss.

Girls are many things, but not usually jerks.

We have a pretty obnoxious -- very Santa Monica -- crosswalk about a block from my house.  It is also the crosswalk I use every morning to get my coffee.  It has huge yellow signs on both sides, flashing lights on the ground (when you push the button) and pretty high pedestrian traffic so everyone typically slows down on that section of Ocean Park Blvd.

This particular morning was going very well -- early to rise, morning at the beach, friendly encounters at the coffee shop...

And then...the crosswalk.

As I walked out, coffee in hand and still smiling about my favorite barista, I looked both ways and noticed a car was slowing down for me to cross.  I stepped out slightly, looked him right in the eye and waved to say thanks.  As I made my way across I heard, "PUSH THE BUTTON YOU JERK!"

The seventy-year-old man behind the wheel of his Prius fully stopped his car, leaned out and most definitely called me a jerk.  In ALL CAPS.  I was stunned.

As I made it to the other side, a woman screamed back, "Calm down.  Have a nice day!" And then to me she said, "Oh, the nerve of people.  Pedestrians have the right of way.  Some people just get their feathers ruffled.  I hope YOU still have a nice day."