Highlights

Posted in Life, Series by C.

{My festive Halloween pumpkin lights are up! Now if only the weather would catch-up.}

Whew – what a week! Naturally, I knew things would be in high gear as we put the finishing touches together and finalized the logistics for a location shoot next week in San Francisco, but I’m exhausted. While I’m there to work and it’ll be “go, go, go” from the time I step off the plane, I’m looking forward to a change of scenery and much cooler temperatures during our upcoming stay in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, LA has somehow found itself back in the midst of another (albeit seemingly kinder) heat wave this week, and it’s not looking to let up over the weekend much to my disappointment.

As you can see, I’ve made the transition to autumn in my mind…and at home. My festive pumpkin lights are up, I officially pulled out my boots, and even bought a new light sweater to welcome chillier fall evenings. And though much of last week actually felt like fall, I learned quickly the day I rocked my knee-high boots and proceeded to ~~sweat~~ glisten in them, that it was a premature move. Note to self: check the weather until further notice, it can’t seem to make up its mind.

I’m making the most of the weekend with the main goal to relax once I get personally packed/organized for my travels. I’m pretty psyched for a leisurely game night with the BF, perhaps over some take-out (shhh, I like to eat well while I’m kicking his butt 🙂 ). Until then, I’m off to try a new yoga class tonight to reset from such a crazy week that hopefully also helps get me in gear for an even busier one ahead…because we all know the mental stamina required to make it through LAX alone is a rough one.

I hope that “fall” is treating you kinder than it is us Angelenos at the moment. Have a great weekend!

Here are a few highlights of life lately since we last caught up. x

{I can’t think of a more relaxing way to kick-off a weekend than breakfast out. I recently discovered a new cafe nearby and this will be my go-to indulgence: Coconut Flaky French Toast w/ Berries.}

{My Clarasonic is here and now in-use. I’ll update you on how things are going in a coming post.}

{The one night it actually did feel like fall, found me cozy at (insert British accent) “The Theatre” to see a friend’s play, Black Coffee. If you’re in LA, it’s running for 2 more weeks and is quite fun!}

{My first pumpkin sighting of the season. // The autumn view from my moon roof.}

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19Sep2014

Highlights

Posted in Life, Series by C.

Heat wave ATG FINAL

I’m sorry I missed you on Wednesday. I had every intention of touching base, but I’ve literally been in HELL much of this week. Okay, okay…let me back up a bit and put it this way: I’m pretty sure I now have a much more firm understanding of what hell must feel like. If you haven’t heard, LA has been enduring one of the worst heat waves than even I recall in recent memory. At one point, the thermostat hit 113° and my air-conditioner decided it had had enough (understandably) and didn’t clonk out so much as start just blowing hot air into an already hot apartment in protest. Luckily, once she’d had her hissy fit and got it out of her system, I forgave her. Our relationship is now back on track.

As I write this, it’s a temperate 78° and much more my speed. Now, I’m not entirely blaming the heat wave on how things have been going lately, but it’s pretty amazing how the weather can really make or break your day. Though I’m a lover of warm weather, once we hit the triple digits, it’s hard to have the motivation to do much, other than lay around in an air-conditioned space, or seek air-conditioned shelter when you absolutely do have to leave the house. I made the joke last Sunday that I knew I wouldn’t be having the Monday blues as we returned to the work week, because it meant I’d get consistent central air for 8 lucky hours and could give my “hissy fitting” A/C at home a break.

Though the heat produced a level of lethargy throughout the week, it was also still a busy one. I spent much of it finalizing the details for an upcoming location shoot next month and began the process of booking talent for a huge project that will make the rest of 2014 an extremely busy time, but I’m up for the challenge. This lead to what had to be one of the biggest highlights this week. And that’s simply hearing you’re doing a great job! Naturally, you don’t get many kudos in this business and you can’t live your life waiting for validation, but it sure is nice when someone goes out of their way to say you’re kicking ass!

Despite the heat wave, one thing of note that I was proud to cross of my to-do list was to finally re-organize my desk at home. It felt so nice to go through my drawers, and be rid of all the unnecessary papers, while filing away the important ones, and adding the perfect drawer tray to have my supplies readily organized. A quick trip to The Container Store (the neat-freak’s candy store) and I’m loving how streamlined I feel when I’m at my desk. I would’ve dressed up my desk top with a vase of fresh flowers, but wisely thought: Why bother? They’d wilt 3 hours later in this heat. Save the $5 and buy an iced latte instead.

Container Store Tray ATG FINAL

{Getting organized. Feels good. (P.S. this tray fits a Parson’s Desk if you have one.)}

All this to say that when I learned it was National Cheeseburger Day yesterday (who knew such a glorious thing existed?), I thought I deserved a reward. Not only because I managed to make it through ~~hell~~ the heat, a rather chaotic week at the office, and crossing off my at home to-dos, but because it also wouldn’t be very nice NOT to have a cheeseburger on National Cheeseburger Day? It’s just not very celebratory. In n out ATG FINAL

{To In-N-Out we go!}

My desk organization has me very excited to do my bathroom drawers next, my make-up drawer, in particular. This means my neat-freak nature gets to make another trip back to The Container Store over the weekend! Yippee!

I think the thing I’m most looking forward to is a much cooler weekend ahead. No big plans, just happy to be hell free. Oh, I do intend to indulge in a breakfast burrito after reading Thrillist’s too inspiring article on some of The Best Breakfast Burritos in LA.

See you next week! I’m excited to share our night under the stars with live music, surprise appearances, the cast of The Simpsons, and fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl (arguably, my favorite place in all of LA). Until then, a few photos from that night along with the other highlights of the week.

Have a great weekend! x

Hollywood Bowl _ The Simpsons ATG FINAL

{The Hollywood Bowl. My favorite place in LA. You can barely see it here, but the Hollywood Sign is just beyond (top right corner). What an incredible night.}

TheSimpsonsTakeTheBowl ATG FINAL

{In my best opening credit singing voice: The Simpsooons!}

The Container Store ATG FINAL

{The neat-freak’s candy store.}

heatwave ATG FINAL

{When 104° was a “cool” day.}

Tina's Trees ATG FINAL

{A smile to my Thursday morning. It’s a touch early, but I’m pretty sure Tina’s “Trees” does pumpkins too…so we’ll go with that. Fall is on the way!}

Blog Signature Official_FINAL

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17Oct2012

Beaches: The Sequel

Posted in Explore, Fun, Treats by C.

Location: 30000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

Only in Los Angeles can you still enjoy a beach day…in October…two weeks into “Fall.” In celebration of what we thought was the last hurrah of the heat wave that just wouldn’t leave (and seems to be making a comeback even as I type this), the “wind beneath my wing” and I headed back to “Beaches” to enjoy the sequel to our first time gracing the Malibu shore. This time, Zuma Beach.

Armed with my latte from Cafecito Orgánico and this month’s book club selection – the next five hours were spent sipping, snacking, reading, catching up with my guy, listening to the sound of the waves, and breathing in fresh air (well, as fresh as you can get in L.A., I saw you roll your eyes).

With the temperatures hitting the 90’s again this week, maybe we can squeeze in one last visit and make these “Beaches” posts into a franchise like Hollywood execs would undoubtedly ~~milk the hell out of~~ do today. I can already see it. The film version would star Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey’s kids carrying on the dramatic legacy of female bonding, eventual friendship, and death; and then their kids, and then their kids, and so on and so on. If this story line goes into development anytime soon, I claim rights to the idea – you read it here first!

In the meantime, you just might get an All That Glitters franchise out these “Beaches” posts if this heat wave can’t take a hint that the party’s over, it’s being a total attention whore, and it’s time to let Autumn take center stage.