Celebrating Mary Week, West Coast Style

Mary Week- noun, the entire week leading up to and following the birthday of Mary Garis (January 30th) during which numerous celebrations take place.

Mary already wrote about our extensive tour de SoCal museums during her Mary Week visit (which included more exhibitions than I've seen the past 5 years of my life combined in the span of one weekend), so now I shall write about the other fun things we did while she was gracing the west coast with her presence.

Commencing the fun weekend at Covell. 

She arrived on a Thursday, so I thought after our full days of travel/work, we would do dinner/drinks at my favorite neighborhood wine bar and then head back to my place for a relaxing mini marathon of The O.C. However, dinner/drinks unexpectedly evolved into a mini pub/diner-crawl around my neighborhood that lasted until approximately 3:00 AM.  (Thank goodness I was taking Friday off work!).  Our dear friend, Garrett, joined us for the dinner portion at Covell.  I love this Oklahoman-owned place walking distance from my apartment. I think the LA Times describes it well when it says "This Los Feliz spot is hip. But a passion for soulful wines and a relaxed atmosphere give it substance."  (Something else that gives it substance is the deliiiiish macaroni-and-cheese. So dang good).

My drink was in a plastic bamboo cup and called "All Wong."

Shortly after Garrett left, another OU friend, Mike, joined us.  A few glasses of wine later, we weren't ready to call it a night, so we checked out another Los Feliz staple called Good Luck Bar (which I accidentally kept calling the Joy Luck Club the rest of the weekend... whoops).  It was very cool in an eccentric, slightly divey, lets-patrons-bring-in-pizza-from-an-outside-establishment kind of way.  I definitely want to go back sometime.  After a cheesy (yet delicious) tropical beverage with an Asian-inspired name, we were on to the next one...


I don't even remember the name of our next stop but it was a total dive bar and we got there just in time for last call.  After we closed that place down, we went to my favorite 24-hour diner, Fred62's where we enjoyed a delicious 2 AM feast. Somehow after that, Mike made it to work my 8 the next morning and Mary and I were up before 9:30 to begin our intense museum tour.  Yowza.

View at the Getty. We could see the ocean!

We started at the Getty.  The weather was sheer perfection which made the views of the city even more amazing than usual. After a couple great exhibitions there, we headed to Beverly Hills where we ate a delicious lunch at Real-Housewife-of-Beverly-Hills-owned Villa Blanca.

After a trip to the Gagosian Gallery and LACMA, we came back to 90210 to get blowouts for Mary's birthday party that night. A "blowout" is essentially just someone washing and drying your hair.  It's apparently becoming all the rage; there are a number of salons that ONLY do blowouts.  When Mary suggested this, I said I didn't need one-I could blowdry my own hair. She insisted, and I'm so very glad she did.  Yes, I can indeed blowdry my own hair...but not like that I can't!
DryBar in West Hollywood was full, so we went to MyBlow LA (where was their P.R. manager when they were deciding on this name??). Despite the unfortunate name, this place was amazing. They gave us champagne and magazines as they worked their magic. My hair's never looked better.  I'm totally a believer in blowouts now. (Thanks for showing me light, Mar!)

Cheers to the birthday girl!

Mary has been on a Mai Tai kick since her recent trip to Hawaii, so for her birthday din, we headed to the (self-proclaimed) creator of the Mai Tai, Trader Vic's. For living 3,000 miles away, Mary had a great group!

After that tiki extravaganza, we went to one of my favorite bars, Harvard & Stone. We had a great time drinking masterful cocktails, dancing to oldies, and watching the burlesque dancers (see: reasons I love that bar), but the most exciting part of the night occurred after closing time....

Mike, Mary and I decided we weren't ready to call it a night, so we went an after-hours Thai restaurant/bar/karaoke place called Pattaya around the corner. As to be expected at 2:00 AM on a Friday, it was totally packed; there were literally no open tables. Luckily one opened up a few minutes after we got there, so we pounced on it.  Another group pounced on it at the exact same moment.  Given that it was completely packed and there likely wouldn't be any other tables opening up soon, we looked at each other and said "Want to just share the table?" and so we did.

Our table buddies weren't just any old table buddies, though.  Our tables buddies were a fun group that included these two familiar faces: 

Yes, we shared a table with Michael Cera (sporting this unfortunate 'stache) and Alia Shawkat (aka George Michael and Maeby Funke from Arrested Development). When I first saw them heading towards the same table as us, I only saw Alia.  I recognized her but didn't know her name, so (in my not completely sober state) I ridiculously combined two different movies to describe her and whispered to Mary, "There's Juno's friend from Whip It.  There's Juno's friend from Whip It!" Mary responded with, "Anne, there's Michael Cera!" So, yes, we were very aware of our notable table buddies, but we played it cool.  We chatted a bit for the approximate 1.5 hours we shared the table with them (we closed down the after-hours place!). They were really nice and funny.  Apparently people thought we were part of their posse; several different people came up to Mike and asked if he thought it would be okay to get a photo with Cera.  Hahaha.  Such a random end to the night. #onlyinLA. 

The next day, Mary and I met Garrett at MOCA downtown for a couple more exhibitions before we made a quick trip to Palm Springs. This was my first time to go to MOCA and I really liked it! My favorite of all the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions we went to.  We then took a completely unnecessarily complicated route to Palm Springs (novice mistake which we corrected on our way back) to spend the night with Mary's fabulous grandma, affectionally known as Mamma.  Mamma's birthday is 2 days before Mary's, so they had a divine joint birthday dinner.  Mary and I got lobster pot pie and it was absolutely delish.  Happy, happy birthday indeed. 

Backyard Oasis, fo' real. 

The next day we went to our final exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum.  It was called Backyard Oasis, and it was all about swimming pools in Southern California photography from 1945-1982.  It was very cool! After a couple hours there, we went back to Mamma's and enjoyed our own little backyard oasis before heading back LA. 

I haven't gotten to celebrate Mary Week since college, but I think we packed so much fun into the few days that Mar was here, we made up for lost time. A+ visit, my dear! So glad I got to celebrate your birthday with you. :-)

xoxo, 

Annie. 

A Valentine's Day to Remember

Yesterday I was back on track with my perpetual trend of not having a Valentine (after a brief hiatus from this trend last year).  I've been so busy lately that a night without plans sounded very appealing, so I was all set to stay in and catch up my DVR.

That is, until my friend Katie informed me of a bar in Hollywood that was doing this for the holiday...

That's right.  A German pub called Wolfslair Biergarten was hosting the ultimate anti-Valentines party: if you bring a photo or love letter from your ex and shred it, they will buy you a drink.  A couple friends also thought this sounded like a hilariously awesome idea, and so we went, old photos in hand.

They actually had a shredder set up ON the bar.  As the bartenders shred our photos, the whole bar cheered.  When they looked at my photo (of me and an ex who shall remain nameless), one of them said "Who does he think he is, Chachi from Happy Days??"

It was hilarious. It was therapeutic. It was wonderful.

Annndd... they gave us free beers AND free "Valentines shots."  

Basically, I think it was the best Valentine's Day ever. ;-) 

xoxo, 

Annie.

8:11 January Highlights

January was a good month.  The first few days are usually reserved for 'post-holiday depression', but after that subsides, the first month of the brand new year always feels so fresh and promising.  Plus, it's the month of Mary's birthday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day (my favorite non-major holiday), so basically it can't go wrong. ;-) Here are my favorite things that happened at 8:11 pm last month....

8:11-today marks my 2 year anniversary of taking 8:11 pics! My last din w/ my family-sushi on our lovely patio. :-)

8:11-I couldn't be more excited to have my weekly Bachelor watch parties w/ these darlings back on my calendar.

8:11-birthday celebration for rob at Malo.I <3 my Oklahoma people. ;-)

8:11-at rockwell celebrating the birthday of my lovely roomie @mckenziemorris. :-)

8:11- drinking with coworkers is one of my favorite past times.. Holla @katiehutchings and @theinfamousamf.

8:11-quite excited for the return of CG (and to be reunited w/ these handsome gents: @istantray and @mullaneyjr).

“8:11-branching out of my old reliables and trying out an awesome Brazilian restaurant in Los Feliz w/ @garrettfbaker and @mike_beier. Holla.

8:11-my dear friend lorrin had me over for a delish din tonight. So good to catch up with her!

8:11- cheers in Brentwood with my darlings. (Bru Haus has an amazing beer selection...2 thumbs up).

8:11-happy hour with my darling @katiehutchings. Much needed after a craaazy long day.

8:11- snarky trio reunion at Covell! I love @marygaris and @garrettfbaker.

8:11- @marygaris's tiki birthday extravaganza w/ @garrettfbaker, @mckenziemorris, @mike_beier, etc. :-)

 

8:11- joint birthday dinner for @marygaris and her sweet grandmother in palm springs. #maryweek

February is proving to be a fun jammed-packed month as well!  A visit from Kayla, my dad and the Oscars all on the horizon. Briiing it. 

Now playing: Gotye "Somebody That I Used To Know"

Why: This was my favorite song discovery last month.  I love the lyrics a lotttt. Enjoy. 

Kayla's Impulse Purchase of a Ticket to LA

I remember the conversation clearly… I rediscovered the amazingly FUN once-a-month dance party called Bootie LA in October, and the next day I called Kayla to tell her about it. 

Me: blah blah blah it’s such a blast! They play the best music. You would absolutely love it… blah blah blah.

Kayla: Awesome! So, it’s the first Saturday of every month?

Me: Yes, the first Saturday.

(brief pause)

Kayla: I just bought a ticket.  I’m coming with you in December.

Haha… it was the best spontaneous impulse purchase ever. So, she came and we had a gloriously fun time.  We packed a lot into the >48 hours she was here including meals at several of my fave restaurants, drinks at my new fave bar (Harvard & Stone), a photo shoot (so random, I know. Ha. My friend told me about a fundraiser this artist’s group was doing to raise money for their warehouse/workspace downtown: $30 for a 30 minute photo shoot. I thought that sounded like a worthy cause and a fun activity, so we did it!  While we were surrounded by actors getting new headshots, we had a blast taking super cheesy ‘best friends for life’ shots), watching (one half of) the OU game, and of course: BOOTIE LA. 

I realize this post is a month overdue, but Kayla’s homemade video scrapbook, below, is way cooler than anything I know how to do, so I figured it was worth the wait.

Sparkly LA! from Kayla Krittenbrink on Vimeo.

As you can see, we had such a blast! So much so, that Kayla just bought another ticket and will be here in a few weeks for Bootie LA the first weekend of February.  Holla! Now...who wants to come with us?? ;-) 

xoxo, 

Annie.

8:11 December Highlights

On January 1 2010, I resolved to take a picture of what I was doing at 8:11 PM every single day for the whole year. I wasn’t sure what it would be like. Would I keep it up, or would I fall off the wagon (as is the case with virtually every other new year’s resolution I’ve ever made)? Would the photos be interesting or would they be completely monotonous?

Well, 2 years later, the photos might be uninteresting to others, but I find that making myself take this daily photo was an amazing way to keep track of experiences throughout the year. I love it.  (I haven’t missed a day yet!). Who knows how long I’ll actually keep this up, but I don’t foresee 8:11 pics going away any time soon. 

That said, here are my favorite 8:11 shots from December (sidenote: I finally got an iPhone last month, so you will notice that the photo quality has improved dramatically…thank goodness!). 

8:11-my darling Kayla is visitng! This weekend is going to be so. much. funnnn. :-)

8:11-pre-partying for the Bootie LA christmas party with Kayla and Mike. :-)

8:11-din at the Alcove and frozen yogurt w/ my friend from summer camp from age 13 (literally) who's in town! 

 8:11- rocking around the proverbial Christmas tree with @garrettfbaker at party 1 of 3 tonight. 

 

8:11-at Disneyland for the Disney Christmas party w/ Beier. Tower of Terror is my faaaave. :-)

8:11-at one (of several) of the Warner Bros Christmas parties w/ @katiehutchings. I won a raffle prize!!

 

8:11-my favorite comedy show w/ some of my favorite friends. We love UCB. :-)

 

8:11-another Warner Bros. Christmas party w/ @katiehutchings. WB keeping it classy with Santa and his little helpers.

8:11-dinner at Akasha with one of my very favorite people in the world: Katie Gibbs. :-)

 

8:11-celebrating the birthday of the wonderful @ellen_godfrey with @garrettfbaker and @godfreytweets.

 

8:11-a delish homemade meal with 2 of my favorite people, @bhasemeyer and @kierstenlyons, is like chicken soup for the soul. :-)

 

 8:11-Merry Christmas Eve from 3 year old me.

 8:11-my grandma is one of favorite people in the whole world. <3

8:11-my other grandparents are two of my favorite people in the world too. Love them both so much!

8:11-back in Houston. Sad to say goodbye to my sweet relatives but happy to say hello to sweet Sid.

 8:11-eating a ridiculous amount of chicken wings at a sports bar w/ my brother. It seemed like a very "Texas" thing to do. ;-)

Wow... more highlights from that month than ever before! A perfect grand finale to a great year. Excited to see what fun things I'll be doing at 8:11 in 2012. 

xoxo, 

Annie.

 

2011, I Give You Two Thumbs up

Allow me to echo Mary... Happy New Year (and happy 2 year anniversary to A Tale of Two Cities)! I'm writing this post from 30,000 feet in the air as I return from a wonderful visit with my family for the holidays. I absolutely love Christmas because it's (usually) the one time a year I get to see all my relatives I love so dearly. It's also one of the very few times  a year I get to spend quality time with my immediate fam (and sweet kitties). I'm returning to LA feeling very loved and rested and blessed.  Such a great way to end a year and start another.

Before diving full force into 2012, I wanted to pay homage to 2011 as well.  I'll be posting my 8:11 highlights from December soon, but I'll mirror Mary's lovely reflection on 2011 now.  :-) 

Highs: Traveling! I'm not quite sure how this happened, but somehow I took at least one trip every month from May to December this year (highlights include Alabama tornado relief trip, Caroline's cuh-razy bachelorette party in Vegas, Outside Lands in SF w/ Mary, a "girls weekend" trip to Santa Fe with Mary and our mothers, and Colorado x 2 - once for family vacay and once for a reunion with my best college friends.)

Lows:  My break up in May, while a good thing, was extremely sad and took a few months to get over. Definitely a low I hope to not experience again ANY time soon.

Mistakes: Not going to the beach more last summer. One of my lifelong dreams growing up was to live “driving distance to a good beach.” Now I do, and I do not take nearly enough advantage of it.  Tsk tsk.

#Winnings: Discovering the amazing fun that is Bootie LA (and making it a monthly occurrence on my calendar). ;-)

Observations and things I learned: I learned a lot from the aforementioned break up, such as: it gets better. I also learned a ton on my trip to Alabama, namely that my “problems” are miniscule compared to those who have lost so much.  It really helped put things in perspective and made me want to help those in need as much as I can.

Other events of note: seeing Mary on 7 different occasions (holla!), being pictured and quoted in the New York Post for my Bachelor watch parties, going on my first work trip, rediscovering reading for enjoyment, my dad being in LA for the first time since 2008, being a leader to one of the best community groups ever, watching my dear brother graduate from OU, and becoming the proud owner of a blue fish. J

I like to make a list of goals for myself on my birthday each year, so as far as resolutions go, I’m going to keep plugging away at that list. But I agree with Mary, there really is something about the dawn of a new year that just feels so fresh and promising. So while I look back and smile at all the great experiences I had in 2011, I dive into 2012 with both feet, excited and expectant of all the great things in store. Cheers to that. 

xoxo, 

Annie.

Let's Hear It For New York

Raise your hand if you have been a very neglectful blogger as of late. *Raising my hand*.  So sorry for our complete LACK of posts lately, darlings.  I blame it on the crazy hustle and bustle of the holiday season (which, I must say, has been even more party and fun-filled than usual this year).  As Christmas is just a few days away, I figured I better write a quick post about my trip to visit Mary for Thanksgiving before it's completely a lost cause. ;-)  So, without further ado (and a 3.5 week delay), here it is:

 

Mary and I on Thanksgiving. This was my 3rd Thanksgiving to spend with her and oh how lovely it was. :-)

Our whole Thanksgiving group! Shout out to the fabulous Laura for hosting us at her lovely apartment.

We were legitimately concerned that we wouldn't have enough wine.  Fortunately, that didn't end up being an issue. ;-)

Duncan reunion in New York. I love it.

 hahaha... so many hilarious things happening in this candidly captured photo. Definitely my favorite photo of the trip (and possibly 2011 as a whole).

We passed around this festive hat and whoever was wearing it had to say what they were thankful for. Such a stylish and applicable accessory. 

We saw "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"... I think Mary put it quite aptly on her Facebook photo caption: "as a freakishly new Harry Potter fan, Annie LOVED Dan Radcliffe." It's true! He was so impressive with his New York accent and singing and dancing up a storm. Apparently I wasn't the only one taken by his impressive performance.  After the show, he auctioned off two of those famous blue bow-ties for $5,000 each...yowza! Here's my favorite song from the show: 

Garrett was in NY too! We met for brunch and a quick trip to MoMa. Hooray for the Snarky Trio.

The Snarky Trio reunited that evening for an evening stroll and coffee. 

The last supper at Hearth... SO good. 

I almost shed tears when when I had to say goodbye to Ray. (Okay, not really, but isn't she the cutest pup to ever live?!)

I love Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays, for sure. And I love New York. And Mary. And Ray. ;-) And TOMORROW I will be flying home to be with my family who I also love for Christmas! They really weren't lying when they said this was "the most wonderful time of the year...." :-)

Currently listening to: The Civil Wars

Why: I saw them in concert at the Wiltern right before my trip to NY and I've been listening to them almost non-stop since! The amazing vocals of this blue-grassy/folky guy/girl duo are superb (as is their on stage chemistry. It is very perplexing to realize that they are in fact married to other people, not each other). They were recently nominated for two Grammys: Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Folk Album for their debut “Barton Hollow.” I highly recommend them (Mary is now a big fan due to my recommendation). My favorite songs on the album include: I've Got This Friend, To Whom It May Concern, Poison & Wine, and their cover of I Want You Back. You can thank me later. ;-)

Cheers, 

Annie.