Hey Look, There's My Friend on TV...

In LA, it's common to see movie and TV stars, sometimes quite regularly. The mom from The Wonder Years (my favorite TV of all time) goes to my church.  Victoria Beckham, Jesse Metcalfe (and many others) are my gym buddies. I see Conan O'Brien at the WB Commissary on a regular basis.  These are all cool and exciting things.  But what's even COOLER is experiencing the inverse of this: being friends with someone and then seeing them on TV and/or movies. That has happened a few times recently, and I must say, it is both crazy and awesome.

Sometimes this is unexpected.  Much to my surprise, I saw not one but TWO people I know in the recent Timberlake/Kunis rom com "Friends With Benefits." The hostess at the airport restaurant used to work with me at the Academy (she is also in the ever-so-enjoyable "17Again"), and the guy who takes his pants off to give to Justin Timberlake at the beginning of the movie is my old neighbor. (And yes, it was a bit awkward to see him pantless).  This was a crazy surprise indeed.

Sometimes it is very expected... and I have a watch party to celebrate. :-) Last week, one of my dearest friends in LA, Sean, guest starred in CSI: New York.  We're not talking a little "extra" role here, we're talking he was the guy who got killed and they were solving his murder (as seen in the below trailer). 

(You can watch the full episode here). 

I was thrilled about this (way moreso than Sean himself, I think). As you can imagine, acting is an extremely competitive industry, so when my dear friends beat out thousands of other hopeful actors, it makes me want to burst with pride for them. The minute I heard that Sean had landed this role, I started planning the watch party. (He says I'm like the publicist he never hired.... I'll take that as a compliment).   What my roommate, McKenzie, and I thought was going to be a small gathering of a handful of friends turned into what looked like the first episode of the Bachelor. SO many girls showed up (and 3 boys), it was laughable. I felt like Sean should have handed out roses after the episode. 

 

This is just a small portion of the girls in attendance. 

Man of the hour pictured on the left!

It was so much fun to have such a big enthusiastic group to celebrate Sean's superb performance. I hope that we'll get to host another watch party for a friend again very soon! 

xoxo, 

Annie. 

Mary Lately: Airport Edition

Friends, bloggers, countrymen... Lend me your ears. I address you from the Continental President's lounge at Newark Airport. My flight being twice delayed and the terminal being an overcrowded cluster of travelers that in many ways encapsulates my own imaginations of modern day India, I have sought refuge in a more zen corner of the airport, ruminating life with the wine of all seasons, Rombauer Chardonnay. Hello fall! Here are my currents...

Current...

Vacation: Having only just returned from Dallas for OU/tx weekend with my college friend's, I now depart NY again for two destinations: first Norman, OK to initiate my wonderful stepsister Baleigh into my beloved sorority, and then, on to Santa Fe where I will meet ANNIE, her mom, and my mom for a weekend in possibly my favorite American city, Santa Fe. The mere thought of green chili-infused taste explosions is making me salivate. Mmmm...

Read: The Paris Wife: A Novel. The story of Hemingway and his wife in Paris, yes please! My book club's current read, I have inside intel that our next book may be Steve Job's authorizes Biography, coming to print in 2 weeks. Cha Ching!

Annie's Favorite Things About LA: Massage Lizard (read for deets on a special offer!)

Anyone who follows me on Twitter probably recognizes the name Massage Lizard, as I tend to tweet about her semi-often.  Allow me to introduce my friend, Megan O'Connor, the extremely talented massage therapist behind it all.

Due to back problems, I've been getting massages since I was about 13, and Megan is honestly one of the best massage therapists I've ever had.  I try to schedule a massage once a month with her, and I always feel significantly better when I do.  To make it even better, she comes to YOU, so afterwards you can just relax at home instead of having to get back in your car to fight traffic. So glorious.

In addition to being an expert on massage, Megan is also quite well-versed in overall health, vegetarian restaurants and LA in general...she's been here almost 10 years!  She is always sharing inspirational tips on her Facebook and Twitter pages, so I decided to interview her to share some of those great tips with you.:-) 

1.)    What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

Massage therapy had always been something I was interested in but had never had the time or opportunity to pursue it until I lost my job in 2009 during company budget cuts. 

2.) What do you love most about your job?

I love the fact that I am helping people feel better.  It is literally hands-on, instant gratification for a job well done.  Doing something for the benefit of others has always been one of my career goals.

3.) What are the benefits of getting massages (besides feeling amazing)?

There are many benefits from getting a massage.  Besides relieving pain and tension it increases blood flow and lymphatic circulation (improving immunity), increases range of motion and flexibility, decreasing anxiety, releasing endorphins and improving skin condition.  These are just part of the positive impact massage provides.  To get more in-depth, here is a good overview.

4.) If someone isn't able to get regular massages, what are other things they can do to get some of the same benefits?

1.        Stretch, stretch, stretch. Most of us do a lot of repetitive motions throughout the day so it is good to set aside at least 10 minutes a day to stretch. 

2.        Stay active.  Make sure you are making time for exercise and to break a sweat.  It really does your body and mind good!

3.       Shoulder and neck tension are common so when you are home you can use a tube sock with rice in it to heat in the microwave for a couple minutes and place around your shoulders to help relieve some of the pain.

4.       When you are driving you can place a tennis ball between you and your seat, gently pressing against it where you feel tight or a knot in your back or shoulders. 

5.       Drink a lot of water.  I cannot stress this enough. It is not only good for your muscle health but for an overall healthy, happy body. 

6.       Make sure you are getting enough electrolytes, magnesium and calcium.  These are important for muscle health. 

7.       Practice deep, abdominal breathing.  A good breathing exercise is to inhale for a set number of counts (say 4) and exhale for double the time ( 8 in this instance).  It is amazing what a few deep breaths can do. 
 

5.) What are your favorite things to do to stay active and healthy in LA?
I have many!  I love taking ballet, kickboxing, spinning, Pilates, and yoga classes.  I take ballet classes at a studio in Hancock Park from an ex-Balanchine and Fosse dancer.  Gold’s Gym in Hollywood has great cardio-kickboxing class and spinning classes.  For yoga, Kundalini is my favorite.  A good friend of mine teaches a weekly class on the rooftop of their art studio in Downtown.  I also enjoy going for a hike or run outdoors, especially by the beach, in the Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood Resevior or up in Griffith Park.  There are many 10k races in the area to choose from that are fun to participate in and train for . A bike ride along the boardwalk in Venice and Santa Monica is a refreshing workout. The Santa Monica stairs off of 4^th street are a great workout like no other.  To swim laps, the Santa Monica College pool is my favorite. 

6.) What are your favorite restaurants in LA?

I love food! I am always trying new restaurants and in search for new favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants.  My current favorites are Café Gratitude on Larchmont, M Café on Melrose, Sage Vegan in Silverlake, Manchego in Santa Monica, Samosa House in Culver City, Native Foods in Culver City, Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, Moa’s Kitchen on Melrose, Chan Dara on Larchmont, Wurstkuche Downtown, Taverna Tony in Malibu, Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon, and Katana on Sunset. 

7.) If someone from out of town was spending the weekend in LA, what do you suggest they do/see?

Oh this is a tough one since it depends so much on the person and their interests and goals for the trip.  I can definitely recommend some of the gems I have found here:  Huntington Gardens, Getty Villa in Malibu, Paradise Cove in Malibu, Getty Center, GriffithObservatory, Yamashiro Farmer’s Markets/ Gardens/ Restaurant, Standard rooftop Downtown, concert at the Greek Theater, hike to the Hollywood sign up BeachwoodCanyon, Queen Mary, Santa Monica Farmer’s Market on Sundays, and Glenn Ivy HotSprings in Orange County just to mention a few …

8.) What advice do you have about finding your 'dream job'?

 It is so important to listen to your gut instinct and follow your passion and interests.  This may involve taking classes, interviewing people in a field of interest, networking, researching, perusing your hobbies and finding new ones.  You never know what will turn up and the opportunities that will present themselves.  

I've lived here for over 3 years, and there are many things in there that I haven't tried yet... ha.  Putting those on my to do list (as well as scheduling a massage with Meg). To schedule a fantastic massage for yourself, contact Megan at 310-498-0027 or massagelizard@gamil.com.

And, as a little  "thank you for reading" gesture (our blog just reached 25,000 page views! Holla),

you can get

$10 OFF any Massage Lizard service

when you mention 'A Tale of Two Cities'.  (Sorry non LA-ers... I guess this just means you should come visit my wonderful city and get a wonderful massage while you're at it.) ;-) 

 xoxo, 

Annie.

8:11-September Highlights

"It started feeling like October..." This is opening line of the best Jack's Mannequin song ever, Annie Use Your Telescope (which I love for obvious reasons).  ;-) I love it year-round, but during October, it always feels more timely and appropriate. That said, HOW IN THE WORLD IS IT ALREADY OCTOBER? It's crazy, I tell you.  Christmas will be here before we know it. Yowza. 

 

 September proved to be an amazing follow-up to my favorite month of the year... it was hard to narrow down my favorite 8:11 photos! But here they are... my favorite things that happened at 8:11 last month:

 8:11-eating at the most delicious certified italian pizza place in denver w/ my darling lit @abirk. Soo good.

 8:11- watching the first OU game at an amzing OU bar in Denver! Boomer Sooner.

8:11--girls weekend is over way too soon. waiting in the denver airport w/ my darling Vanessa. love them so much!

 8:11-our pastor had all the new members over for din! I love my church. :-)

 8:11-take me out to the ballgame...At the Dodgers game in the WB Suite. Co-worker bonding. ;-)

 8:11-at @JoshARoberts show at the viper room with @katiehutchings. I love Oklahoma reunions.

 8:11-Hollywood Bowl for the 1st time! Why did I wait so long?

 8:11-drinks at Spitz to celebrate the birthday of one of my very favorite people- @GarrettFBaker!

8:11-at the Bon Iver show w/ @jinahbean! Ready for some soothing tunes after the drive here. Blurgh.

 

8:11-at the famous Phillipe's for the 1st time w/ @mckenziemorris and @ivantweetedthis. 2 thumbs up.

Lovely times. Thanks September. :-)

 xoxo, 

Annie.

Moments That Make Me Love My City

"Well it's hard to live, it's hard to live in the city.  Yes, it's hard to live, so hard to live in the city...so just lay your head down low, don't let anybody know that it's hard to live, so hard live in the city."

These are lyrics from Albert Hammond Jr.'s first solo album, and oh how true they are. As much as I love LA, sometimes it can be a little biatch and I do not like it very much.  Traffic, being far from my family/friends, traffic, extremely limited parking, traffic, expensive rent, traffic, and an abundance of rude tools are things that annoy me semi-frequently in my sprawling city. But, thankfully, then it will surprise me with a perfect and wonderful uniquely LA experience, and I fall in love with it all over again.

I had one of these glorious "fall in love with LA" moments recently.  One of the VPs in my department gave me 2 tickets to see the LA Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl.  I had never been to that famous venue, but had heard wonderful things, so I jumped on this unexpected opportunity.  I brought my friend Bessma, and we both absolutely loved it.  The venue IS so great... even better than I expected!

 

According to the Hollywood Bowl website, it is the largest natural outdoor amphitheater in the United States and has been named Pollstar magazine's Best Major Outdoor Venue (seven years in a row!).  Guests are invited to bring picnics to enjoy while they watch a great show under the stars.  The show we saw was called....

The incredibly talented LA Philharmonic Orchestra played French songs, a famous French quartet performed a few songs, AND dancers from the real Moulin Rouge in Paris danced... it was SO very cool. 
(This isn't the best quality video, but it gives you a glimpse of the cool performance...)

And to top it all off, the show ended with the most spectacular fireworks show I've ever seen (perfectly timed to go with the music from the orchestra).

I think about that moment, as we were enjoying the delicious wine and food we brought under the pretty sky in the PERFECT weather watching this amazing show, I just thought, "Wow... I love my city."  And luckily, moments like this outweigh the bad ones. :-)

  xoxo, 

Annie

Dolphin Tale Premiere

As a general rule of thumb, movie premieres are always a solidly great time.  Last weekend, I went to the premiere for Dolphin Tale, and this was no exception.  My friend, Matt, works at Alcon Entertainment (which made the film) and he kindly asked me to be his plus-one.     While I'm definitely not the target demographic (families with children ages 5-10, I would guess) for this film (based on the inspiring true story of a dolphin named Winter who fights to survive after losing her tail), I enjoyed it!  I'm sure the fact that I was watching it  beautiful in the beautiful Mann Village Theater  and that my assigned seat was directly in front of the very attractive  Austin Stowell  who was one of the main characters in the film added to my enjoyment. ;-) Apparently I am not alone in my enjoyment.  After its opening weekend this past weekend, it has an 83% "certified fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  After the sweet and inspiring movie, we headed to the after-party.  Given that the premiere was extremely kid-oriented, the after-party followed that theme.  It was a very cool county fair type set up with copious amounts of delicious food and activities (but no open bar, sadly/surprisingly). Despite the lack of adult beverages, we had a great time mingling on the blue carpet amongst the aquariums with the likes of these notable cast members:  Morgan Freeman is so freaking cool.  My favorite part of the film (other than the adorable strong-willed dolphin, of course).  This would be the handsome one I mentioned earlier who was sitting directly behind me in the theater. It was cute when his section of family and friends sitting with him all cheered when his name came on the screen at the beginning.  This little cutie, Nathan Gamble,  was the star of the show.  He had dark hair in the film, so I was quite surprised to see him as a blondie (which is apparently his natural color) afterwards.                                 Oh, Harry Connick Jr. You dreamy southern gent. Overall, it was a wonderful time and a great movie! If you have kids in your life (or you just want to see a sweetly inspiring movie.... or you just like dolphins), I highly recommend it.   Oh.. and I almost forgot the best part of the premiere... the parting gift was a live betta fish! Meet my new pet: Winter (aka Dolphin Tale aka DT):  I never thought the sad day would come when I actually had/loved a fish as a pet, but I think the fact that my apartment tragically outlaws REAL pets like cats or Mary's beyond-adorable pup (as seen in her below post) has led me to this fate. Blurgh. I'll see how long I can keep this sweet little thing alive.  xoxo,  Annie.

2nd Annual Girls Reunion Weekend: Mile High City Edition

Last year, 3 of my best friends from college and I began a wonderful tradition of having at least one reunion weekend a year.  Last October, we convened in LA, and over Labor Day a few weeks ago, we  ventured to beautiful Denver, Colorado, (the new home to Kayla, the blondie).  Here is a recap of our glorious 2nd annual reunion.  

So very happy to be reunited with my sweet darlings: Vanessa, Anne and Kayla! 

We ate and drank many delicious things, highlights including Snooze (a brunch place so amazing that it was Kayla's #2 reason for deciding to move to Denver), Marco's Pizzeria (one of the few legit Italian certified pizzerias), and Little Man Ice Cream (so adorably retro, and the oatmeal raisin cookie flavor was to DIE for). 

 A little shopping spree was a natural and fun addition to the girly weekend. 

Denver has an amazing OU bar where we watched our beloved alma mater's first football game of the season. The tables were "reserved for Sooners" and even the staff was decked out in beautiful crimson and cream.  They also had a DJ to play the fight song and other OU-esque songs during commercial breaks (and when something good happened in the game).  Two other Tri Delts from our pledge class joined our party as well! Best OU watch party ever. (LA needs to take note... hint hint cough cough). 

We went to this fun bar called 1-Up that was full of vintage arcade games. After awkwardly/hilariously fitting all of us in a tiny photobooth that would have been tight for 2 people, we moved on to Jumbo Jenga. After a few rousing rounds between the 4 of us, two outsiders challenged us.  Kayla and I accepted their challenge, and unfortunately I was the one to knock the jumbo blocks tumbling down, ergo, a round of shots on us.  Blurgh.  Oh well... it was a blast.  I definitely want to go back and play again.

 The next day we drove to Boulder for a "moderate" hike....(aka Mt. Everest).

 Photo 1: Happy and ready to go!

 Photo 2: Halfway there. You can't tell from the forced smile I'm sporting here, but I was DYING at this point. Kayla would make us stop for a "photo break" when we needed a rest (aka I was about to pass out).  I like to "hike" at Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park in LA... but compared to climbing a legit mountain at a very high altitude, those are literally just walks in the park. Yowzaaaa. 

 Photo 3: WE MADE IT!  Glory hallelujuh. 

 Photo 4: Pretty view (but I still much prefer the beach). Ha. 

Wow, these girls are some of my favorite people in the whole world. Such a wonderful reunion! Already looking forward to the next one... I wish we didn't live so far away from each other and this could be a monthly occurrence. (But until then, at least we have our cheesy/cute matching scarves purchased at the aforementioned shopping spree). ;-) LOVE YOU DARLINGS. 

xoxo, 

Annie.