I Can Be Your Hero, Baby.

Last week I received a very random invitation in my inbox.

TARGET and ENRIQUE IGLESIAS

Cordially Invite You and A Guest to "Enrique's House"

In Celebration of Enrique's much anticipated New CD entitled "EUPHORIA"

Please join TARGET and Enrique for an evening of musical rhythms, mouth watering cuisine and summer cocktails.

I hadn’t the slightest inkling why or how I got this invitation, so I was confused/intrigued. (I am not really an Enrique fan necessarily, but like I said in a previous post, “when dressing up, an open bar, yummy hor d'ourves, and endlessly entertaining people watching are involved, you can't go wrong”).  Fortunately, my friend Christina (who worked with me at the Academy) solved the mystery a few days later. She now works at a big entertainment PR agency.  She sent me a message saying she was in charge of handling the Enrique Iglesias party and had added me to the guest list. Holla!  Now that the mystery was solved, two more questions needed to be answered: who to bring and what to wear?

I decided to ask my fun friend Blair, and she gladly accepted.  (Some people say we look like sisters…what do you think?) We got to MyHouse Tuesday evening around 9.  There was a red carpet, many photographers, and a semi-large crowd of people out front, but we got in with ease after getting checked off the guest list.  I said a quick ‘hi!’ and ‘thank you!!’ to Christina and we headed inside the extremely cool venue. Upon entering we were immediately given a Grey Goose/Ginger Beer beverage of sorts that was de-lish.  (“Every club should give you a Grey Goose cocktail as soon as you walk in…seriously!”—Blair).  We sat on comfy couches with decorative Enrique pillows (pictured above), enjoyed the amazing cocktails/hor dourves, and danced to the music from DJ Tony Touch.  As we were dancing, I noticed that Enrique had walked in and he was a few feet away from us.

“There’s Enrique…” I said apparently so nonchalantly that it was unbelievable because Blair completely thought I was kidding.

“Umm…okay. Riiiight,” she said as she continued dancing.

“No really… there he is!”

And THERE. HE.  WAS. As previously mentioned, I was never the hugest Enrique fan before this night, but holy hotness, he was GORGEOUS. I was truly a bit dumbfounded at how extremely attractive he was. Blair and I somehow got into his special VIP section (“I think this area is like him, his family…and us.”—me), so we were mere feet away from him for a good portion of time. I think we both had to physically make ourselves stop gawking at his sheer and utter beauty.  Yowza!  Even though we were inexplicably in this VIP section, it was totally a “so close, yet so far away” situation.  Enrique was constantly surrounded and we could never really close enough to talk to him. (Blair did snap the lovely above photo with her iphone though…) 

Overall, such a fun night! We got his new cd as a parting gift (which is convenient since I am obviously a newly converted fan of this sultry Spaniard now). 

 Enrique, you can be my hero ANYTIME. ;-)

(Unrelated sidenote: there was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake yesterday and it was terrifying! I haaaate earthquakes. They come with absolutely no warning whatsoever, and I am so afraid that it might be ‘the big one’…eeeeek. It probably doesn’t help at all that I was on the 8th floor of a huge building. Give me tornadoes any day of the week instead of earthquakes…yowza!) 


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First Week, Food, and Fireworks.

I successfully completed my first week at the new job!  It went really well, I think.  Monday I had 8 hours of orientation (where I made a couple new buddies). Tuesday I had a tour of the incredible Warner Bros lot in the morning (where I saw such fun things as the real Batmobiles, the set of Cental Perk from "Friends", and a page from Denzel Washington's script from his Oscar-winning "Training Day" which included his very interesting handwritten notes all over it... that was my favorite thing :-) ). After the tour I dove into the new job: Executive Assistant to the Vice President of eCommerce in Digital Distribution (Isn't that a mouth full?...yowza). 

As expected, there were many logistical things to take care of the first week.  In addition to this, I did administrative things for my boss (mainly scheduling meetings and helping him with a powerpoint presentation for a big meeting). He is very "self sufficient", which is good because it leaves me a lot of room to get involved with other projects. :-) I'm already working on our social media outreach and exploring options for involvement in an upcoming classic film festival.  The people in my office are really nice too! (I only had to eat lunch by myself once this week... special thanks to Mary for chatting with me on the phone so I didn't feel completely lame.. ;-) I definitely miss my co-workers at the Academy, but I'm glad that my new ones seem to be great too. Hooray!! 

This weekend I ate some amazing food. Friday I went to Luna Park for dinner.  After hearing numerous rave reviews, I had been wanting to try this trendy spot for quite some time, and it definitely exceeded my high expectations. We started our meal with a delicious appetizer of crispy gnocchi with summer vegetables. SO FREAKING GOOD.  For my entree I had mahi mahi with moroccan cous cous. Not as mind-blowing as the gnocchi but still, quite delectable. Luna Park is known for its speciality cocktails, so in addition to these tasty dishes, I enjoyed their wonderfully refreshing strawberry mojito. A perfect summer drink. :-) To finish this grand feast, we ordered my favorite food in the world: s'mores!  And these weren't just your average everyday s'mores... these s'mores are so good, they have been featured on The Food Network's show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." That is legit!  

To make this glorious meal even more incredible, we got all of this delicious food for 50% off. Yes, you read that correctly: half off! I had heard an almost too-good-to-be-true rumor that Luna Park occasionally reveals special passwords on Twitter and if you say that word to your waitor, you get 50% off. This seemingly urban legend happened to come to my mind while we were eating, so we checked their Twitter page, and sure enough, we told our spunky waitress the word 'Independence' and badda bing, badda boom, our meal was half off! Whooo! Overall: food was delicious, atmosphere was fun/trendy, service was great, and the secret password was legit (and economical!). You should definitely go to this restaurant. 

The 4^th of July is fun in LA. A group of friends and I drove to Manhattan Beach (my favorite!) for a cookout at our friends’ awesome new oceanview apartment. After some beverages and BBQ, we walked down The Strand to a beach party in Hermosa Beach. I knew the Manhattan and Hermosa crowd would be a lively bunch for the 4^th, but the quantity and quality of American-themed attire and body paint was both unexpected and hilarious. It was almost like Halloween only with everyone dressing up patriotically. I felt a bit out of place since I didn’t have “GO U.S.A.!” or “I LOVE THE 4th OF JULY!” painted all over my body in red, white and blue. (Just kidding… those people really looked like drunken fools). It was fun. After spending several hours enjoying the perfect weather on the beach, we headed back to Manhattan. We watched a classic American film, Anchorman, and then enjoyed several fireworks displays on the beach. It was a lovely day.  God bless America.  J

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Goodbye Home/Hello New Job

I’m composing this post from 36,000 feet as I fly back to LA.  My week at home was lovely, fun, restful, and of course flew by entirely too quickly.  I love my family, friends and cats a lot.

There is a ‘For Sale’ sign in front of my house, which is strange.  My family has lived in Duncan my entire life and in that particular house since I was 5 years old.  My mom is planning to join my dad in Houston on or before September 1, and since I’m not coming home again until Christmas, that was more than likely my very last time in my childhood home. Ever. Wow… that’s weird. 


We saw Toy Story 3 yesterday.  It was cute and funny and great; I definitely recommend it (although seeing it in 3D is completely unnecessary).  My favorite new characters were the thespian hedgehog and fashion-loving Ken.  Mom and Daniel (and apparently almost everyone else who has seen this movie) cried.  I did not.  I think the last movie that made me cry was Homeward Bound when I was 9. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing…?

While I don’t have a stylish sister to share clothes, I do have a very music-savvy brother to share good music with. Daniel gave me a plethora of new music today. Currently listening to Andrew Belle.  I give it two thumbs way up.  His sound is sort of Band of Horses meets Eric Hutchinson meets The Fray. Thanks Dan…you are so cool. J

I start my new job tomorrow.  While I am very excited and thankful for this wonderful new position and all the opportunities that will come with it, I can’t help but feel a bit nervous as well. I kind of feel like a reluctant schoolgirl going to a huge new school for the first time in the middle of a semester. How killer will the commute to Burbank be? What should I wear?  Will the other kids like me? What will all my new assignments be like? After working at the Academy for almost two years, I was so comfortable and at home there.  Diving into a brand new work environment will be so foreign.  Here’s to hoping that I can calm my nerves enough to actually sleep tonight and that some kindhearted soul sits by me in the proverbial lunchroom.  eek...

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VICTORY!

Remember last week when I posted about going in for an intense third level interview at a huge amazing organization where I wanted to work oh so badly??  Well, I can now proudly declare that that wonderful place is Warner Bros and yesterday they gave me an offer!!!  I am so ecstatic.  I think my feelings on the matter can best be exemplified by the following video:





Yeahhh!  My first day is June 28th, so I decided to take full advantage of my last week of unemployed freedom and bought a last minute plane ticket home to visit the fam the 20th-27th. Hooray hooray hooray. :-)  


That's all for now.  I'll let you know how the first week at the new job goes!  Who else wants an update from New York?!  Hey Mar... what up girl?  ;-)  


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Food Trucks and Yoga and Red Carpets, Oh My.

Food trucks are all the rage in LA these days. Hungry patrons follow their favorite trucks on Twitter or blogs and flock to their ever-changing locations. There is probably at least one truck for almost any kind of food you could possibly want... from Korean BBQ to banana pudding to grilled cheese to cupcakes, etc, etc, etc. 


Last Sunday, my amazing church held a preview service of its new downtown location followed by a launch party. Much to my extreme excitement and joy, this party was catered by the In-n-Out truck!  (For those who haven't had the privilege of experiencing In-n-Out Burger, it is a famous California hamburger restaurant that is simply wonderful and loved by all. For those of you who live in the Dallas area, count your lucky stars because this traditionally solely West Coast chain is coming your way soon). 

There is just something inexplicably appealing about lining up and being served delicious food out of a large truck with dear friends. Appealing to so many, in fact, that on July 24th, LA will be holding a Street Food Festival . $45 to go sample food from all the amazing LA food trucks. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it...who wants to go with me?!


One positive thing about job searching is that you get to try out new exciting things during the weekdays that you never would have an opportunity to do while you're working. One of the cool things I've recently discovered is free daily outdoor yoga classes at Runyon Canyon. 

I've gone a few times and it's really great. While certain variables are a bit distracting (like the time a little gopher thing that was popping up and staring at me during my downward facing dogs), it really is a peaceful and cool experience to do yoga under the beautiful blue sky in nature. (Please pardon the crazy California hippie talk... it comes out on occasion). ;-) 

"Are you free tonight for a possible event at Industry? Not sure if I have a plus-one or not. Starts at 7. It's a charity thing with cast from Twilight."  I randomly received this text message from my dear friend and former co-worker, Lorrin, on Monday.  Turns out she did get a plus-one, so I shuffled around some plans and got dressed up for this mystery charity event. Lorrin and I have both been to our fair share of events like this that make grandiose claims that huge A-list stars will be in attendance, and oftentimes these claims do not come to be, so we were highly skeptical we would be partying with vampires that evening. We arrived at Industry  (SBE's newest nightlife venture; formerly Area) to find a crowd of paparazzi, reporters, and a small red carpet.  Maybe someone legit was going to show up after all?  We made our way inside and to the open bar. As we spent the next hour or so catching up, it became apparent that our suspicions were correct and T. Laut and R.Patt weren't showing up any time soon. The gradiose claims weren't a COMPLETE crock, though. These lovely Twilight cast members hosted the night and graced us all with their presence: 

 

Overall, a fun night. When dressing up, an open bar, yummy hor d'ourves, and endlessly entertaining people watching are involved, you can't go wrong. Thanks for the last minute invite, Lorrin. (If only there had been a food truck there...)  ;-) 

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California Girls: We're Unforgettable

Sum-mer An-them (SUH-mer AN-thum)—noun—A song released during or slightly prior to the summer season that is very catchy, enjoyable, and often elicits happy feelings and/or dancing. Summer anthems vary from person to person.  Every time a summer anthem is heard in future seasons, it will bring forth memories associated with its given summer. 


My 2010 summer anthem is…(drum roll please)…California Gurls by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg (for obvious reasons).





Summer Anthem 2nd place: "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris.  This one is sort of a modern-day "Oops! I Did It Again".  I especially love the Luda parts. (And yes, I just said Luda). 




Bring on the beach.  I love summer!
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Pick Me. Choose Me. Love Me.

I'm going in for a third level interview tomorrow at a very huge, amazing, reputable organization where I would absolutely love to work. The first of these interviews occurred in March.  It is now June.  Can't they just HIRE ME me already?! If my resume, talent, personality and passion aren't enough to win them over, perhaps I should try this tactic....

Given my unfortunate lack of musical ability, let's hope it doesn't come to that....for my sake and their's.  Fingers crossed! 




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