One Year in LA Celebration

Vintage Heaven!

         So it seemed only fitting that after the Edison was closed on my birthday that it would be the perfect spot to honor my one surviving life in one of America's hardest cities- Los Angeles. In my mind I envisioned a day off frolicking around the city just appreciating it then some booze fest at night. Then I was denied the day of work so literally worked 9:30 to 6 ran home, dashed around, and fancied up. Not to mention I had to open up the counseling center at 8:30 am the next morning....(warning recipe for disaster). Some friends met at mine for dinner at my favorite local burger place and wine. We drove to the Edison which is Downtown (always a little ominous) and upon entry I was ecstatic. It could of been 1922 for all I was concerned. I was a little bummed that they shut off the vintage music and were now playing indie pop I guess?!??! We made it just in time to watch an ariel show :) I ordered The Mistress it seemed fitting. The night proceeded just like most others at a bar would. I was stopped several times and complimented on my feather and outfit. I adored the old machinery and random 20's artifacts they had scattered about the place. Eventually they opened up this private room and we went a bit picture crazy it was everything I imagined. Crystal convinced me into a round of truth or dare her favorite bar time activity. That resulted in me meeting a group of guy one which I somehow convinced to dance to "Be My Baby" as i twirled around in my flowly dress I was overjoyed. It may have been the absinthe or the fact I was so proud for having made it a year but I felt exhilarated. Afterwards we ended up in this cigar shop playing chess with checkers pieces. My big toes were blistered on 3 sides but it was worth it. I'm so happy the ladies were there to share it with me! As I literally rolled out of bed at 7:40 the next morning a mere 4 hours of rest I had no regrets.. I survived it all and celebrated in style- what more could a girl ask for?

Cheers to One Year in LA!!!

A Touch of New England in LA

A recent trip to the grocery store had me in stitches..... In New England if you want decorative hay you go to the local farm pay 5 bucks and get a gigantic bail. In LA you go to the grocery and get this...

That's $8.99 for the little bail and $14.99 for the big! Besides price inflation it seems so silly to have hay wrapped in plastic with logos like it goes against the natural outdoorsy feel of hay. However I did manage to find one thing in LA that was even better then New England- the LA County Haunted Hey Ride! There are legit auditions to be one of the creatures on this thing and its in the middle of the woods and it's epic. On the choosen night we were graced with the presence of Elvira. I indulged in some hot cider and french fries. I tried to pretend it was a cool fall night as I was wrapped in a scarf, knit hat, jeans, sweater, and jacket for about 70 degrees... a bit overkill but a little imagination never hurt anyone. Let me add you're advised to wear ponchos on this voyage. The BEST part was when we were going up this hill and there were like 40 bent heads in this chapel I thought "Are they real? they can't be real? they would never pay 40 actors for this one scene." Well a demonic satan rose to the sky and with a flash summoned 40 live satanic worshipers with beady red eyes who chanted and hit sticks like maniacs it was awesomely terrifying. Other scenes included deranged elves, sexy dungeon mistresses, creep playhouse stuff etc. Outside there was a whole walkway of a backwards bone marry go round, cardboard cutouts, a side show, and Halloween snack cart. I could pretend it was New England where fall exists buy hey it's still sunny here a girl can't really complain about that!

What happen to those who don't follow the rules!

A giant walking scary thing!

Riding the bone merry go round

Pleased by Postcards

Today I received an unexpected postcard from Craig, a friend traveling all over the East, and I was ecstatic. This one came on the coattails of a postcard I received last week from Indonesia... which arrived 2 weeks after my coworker had come back :) I remember asking my mom once on our yearly trip to Hampton Beach why we didn't send our friends postcards (isn't that what you do on vacation??). She told me by the time we we sent them we would already be home- logical yes but I thought "I love getting postcards so I want to send them!" The art of writing postcards is much like writing love letter- mostly lost. For most people years of getting bills in the mail has pretty much trumped the excitement of getting anything fun via post. However not for me I still love it. Ever since I was kid one of my favorite parts of Christmas was hanging all the cards up around our door posts it looked like a little collection of love from everyone we knew. Over the years I have had the immense fortune to have traveled to many exciting places and in turn have met exciting people who also travel to exciting places. I've learned the best way to get something you want is ask even if seems silly. So I began asking will you send me a postcard? If you were to ever see my face when I get them you'd know it would be worth the trouble sending it. I'm like a little kidding opening up a birthday gift- full of excitement and wonder. Of course I love the message and the picture but I also like the stamps and postage marks making each one unique and special. I have been blessed to have been sent some really amazing ones from all over the world including Iceland, Philippines, Korea, Vinius:Lithuania, Marburg: Germany, Bath& Dunster &Whitby:England, Hollywood:USA (from Conor before I ever moved here), Disneyland:USA, Barcelona: Spain and now added Indonesia and Thailand. A whopping gorgeous 15 postcards not to mention 2 more vintage postcards of Monaco and Paris I picked up in a flea market in Nice with actual messages on them!!! When I was in Liverpool they had a display of postcards John Lennon sent his son in this double sided glass so you could see both sides- since then I've always envisioned an interchangeable coffee table or wall divider made up of these treasured postcards. I'm not sure why they still fascinate me I wonder the same about letters??? Maybe it's the nostalgic aspects of them or the idea that you know someone is thinking of you for even 5 minutes of their day. I'm not sure but all I know is if your traveling I would LOVE to get a postcard from you!!! ~S~

Classic Hollywood in a Modern World

Maureen Aruther 1967

When people think of "Hollywood" certain iconic images come to mind. Of course the sign, the walk of fame, red carpets etc.. I also like to think of classic Hollywood where stars arrived to premieres in Rolls Royces and wore evening gloves al la Grace Kelly. There is a certain air of sophistication, elegance, and charm during that era. Over the holidays I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing women Maureen Rouben. Now she is very old but still has a smile and spark that will blow you away. I spent about an hour, which in the retail world is an eternity, talking to her about acting and life (I was smitten). She said literally the most mind blowing thing about acting and reality that I can't for the life of me even remember a part of now. It was like I was so engaged in the moment and intrigued by her stories I forgot all about all the Christmas chaos around me. When I got home I immediately googled her but came up blank. Last week she came in again with her assistant we chatted a bit more and she told me how concerned she is for the state of the world. It was interesting to me because it's not something that comes up often at work but I asked her what's on her mind so she told me. She almost had tears in her eyes at how she feels the world is going in such a dangerous direction. I also added her and the assistant to my Client book because we have to have clients (people who visit us at least twice) and they had shopped with me back in December (score for keeping my job). Now this part sounds creepy but I was doing it out of my general curiosity about her. When they go in your book you can then see basic information about someone like their address. This time when I went home I just typed her name and the area she lives in. I found numerous articles about her husbands death which also is turned mentioned her career. Like any true actress Maureen Rouben is her real name but not her "stage" name duh!!! it's Maureen Arthur. Well once I had that I could finally learn things about her career (thanks IMDB) like that until the 90's she was a steady working actress and singer most know for her role in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Wow I was floored! Clearly from the moment I met her I was enchanted so I assumed she once was someone not to mention most 70 years olds aren't still shopping in my store with assistants. I find her to be completely inspiring she is so old (how can you say that nicely??!?!!?) but yet her feistyness and spirit are so young. She is an entertainer through and through and always ends up saying something that cracks me up. I thought about this classic hollywood starlet and how she fits into this modern world. Too old to work but still full of life, concerned about the affairs of the world even if she's so frail she can barley walk. This juxtaposition just bewilders me and I am truly in awe. I want to be that amazing and that engaging at 78 I want to have a smile that says i'm strong and mischievous and eyes that could tell a million stories. Today was the third time I saw her. I brought up that I had looked into her career, her face lit up, the hollywood smile came out, and she giggled. I saw the passion in her face the same look and feeling I have when I preform. For a minute I made her happy by bringing up her cherished past it was such an honest sincere moment. It may seem silly but I feel like she's impacted my life in some way I can't quite describe... maybe it's inspiration~S~

J'ai le mal du pays

Home

I don't know what happened in the past 2 days but I became INSANELY homesick. I think part of it may be that now my housing situation here in LA could be ending and I may have to move.... it's hard to set up a life when you don't have a place to call home every night. They say home is where the heart is and my heart definitely wants to be here but it does miss family and friends. You wouldn't think a 3 hour time difference would make a difference but it does! I barley know what any of my friends are up in their daily lives and no one really knows what my life is like. There are 4 weddings I wish I could be at this summer Matt & Michael's, Liz &Dave, Sheila & Elton, and Lorri &Pat's. I think I will be only able to make Matt's I am a bridesmaid after all. I didn't realize how in 2 months I actually need to be home. I spent a good chunk of the day looking at flights and analyzing the best days to take off work and fly on. I hope one day I'll have enough money and freedom to be able to go back whenever my heart desires for any event or any whim. I started a mental bet with myself of who is going to give me the biggest hug you would be surprised how one can miss a true, strong, sincere hug. If you were around circa November 2009 you remember my strong disdain for fake not affectionate pity hugs. I am also convinced my "little" brother will be a full 6 feet by the time I return. I am so curious what things have changed and what has remained the same. 2 months really isn't that long it snuck up on me quite quickly actually. Now I am going in this week to get everything approved at work so I can book a ticket hopefully by next week I will have official dates!!! There a Buddhist quote that reads "Even if someone is close by, their heart may be distant. But if someone is far away, if there is a heart to heart bond they could not be closer. The heart is what counts. In the world of hearts there is no separation. ~S~

Memory Revival

The other day I had this curious thought... it came about from another random thought about this movie Final Cut Robin Williams is in where everyone's memories are recorded but in one scene a person who is still living watches a clip of someone whose dead and they remember the exact moment in time completely differently. So I wonder if I could see how other people remember moments that influenced me so strongly if we would see the same thing. I really think I see the world in away most people don't from a perspective most people don't understand. It's primarily a feeling based memory if I do anything that holds a memory I automatically think of the last time I had a memory with that thing. For instance it happens with clothing I put on a dress and automatically think "the last time I wore this dress I was doing X". The same things happens with restaurants "the last time I ate here I was with X" and so for and so on really any tangible thing I could have any attachment to. It's like my brain is programmed to revert to memories and not just put on the dress and go without a thought. If your reading my blog you know I have been working on putting the past behind and moving towards the future as well as breaking bad habits. I think this memory revival brain pattern is just like a habit one that I get some kind of reward from so therefore I repeat the behavior subconsciously. I haven't figured it out completely yet like I said it was a random idea from a random thought mostly brought on by this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIEwhtUNTck

Dingle 2009

Dingle 2003

I actually became familiar with the photographer Irina Werning's work when I first moved to LA. Me, being the sentimentalist I am, LOVED the idea of recreating a photo from your childhood. I tried to do this when I was in Ireland the last time after a few minutes my Mom got frustrated with me she said "Shannon you can't recreate the past, just take a new favorite picture." I was mad in the moment but she was right. I think now I wasted 10 minutes of time trying to recreate something when I should have been enjoying 10 minutes of new memories since those were some of our last days together. Does it do us any good if someone remembers something differently or is better to just relish in our own memory the way we believe it to be?

Why Women Go Mad for Mad Men

The sexiness that is Jon Hamm as Don Draper!

So I just finished watching the first season of Mad Men- I know... I know... Season 5 airs tonight. To be perfectly honest I am more intrigued by the fashion and allure of 60's more then the plot but I have spent most of the weekend watching it so it I must enjoy it. However what is better then all that is the pure sexiness of Don Draper and the other characters. I find myself watching how the ladies hold their cigarettes and the way they move their eyes and I am captivated. Sure we no longer have finishing schools (unless you're Kate Middleton) but there is a certain grace that is hard to come by nowadays. I use to take the bus to UMASS everyday and after a while you start to see the same faces. One morning a guy who I had seen several times before got on wearing a fedora... I nearly died. Before I thought he was cute but now in that hat I wanted to talk to him find out who he was and ask him why he was wearing a fedora. A few days later I saw him talking to a theater classmate but when I asked him who he was Pat had no idea who I was talking about. Fast forward 2 years- I am at a Halloween party of a friend who lives in a completely different town. Towards the end of the night in walks the guy(he has a name but I am not disclosing) I was stunned... how often does a stranger who you have seen before walk into your life so randomly? Of course I confessed my whole story and we began talking about different eras and how they have different appeals. He was shocked that I was not a Mad Men fan and I said one day I would give it a try (at the time the show seemed extremely sexist and the feminist in me was rebelling). I went on to say how sexy I thought regency era gentlemen are. I find top hats and cravats to literally be mind meltingly appealing. I do have to say as a fan of Mad Men now (and fedoras) the guy definitely gets a point for good taste. I began to think why are women attracted to accessories? Every morning I have to walk through the men's department to get to my floor and sometimes there are the most devastatingly handsome men shopping. Of course the store is marked as fashion for the "essential look" that makes you better then the rest. But I walk past the ties, the hats, the cuff links and I swoon... and they are not even on men!