2008 Spirit Awards Gift Basket

So, I know this is what everyone wanted to know - what about the swag? Attached are some pics of the gift bag from the Spirit Awards. There was a bag on every chair and they weighed about 100 lbs. My life is soooo glamorous. I can just hear Fergie now...

- sturdy canvas bag

- organic chocolate bar

- 3 cans of axe body spray

- organic peanut butter

- Altoids

- Love's Baby Soft lotion, body wash and body splash

- Laundry detergent tablets

- Glade candle (a new kind that runs on batteries)

- Biolage products

- Elle Magazine

- Mini battery-powered plastic chandelier from the Container Store

- Nalgene bottle

- Some type of tiny stuffed dog

- Gift certificate for acupuncture

- Bottle of Stoli (that I took from the lunch table. Not technically part of the gift bag)

2008 Independent Spirit Awards

Finally I got to attend an actual "Hollywood" Awards show. Orignally, I was going to volunteer, which fell through, but I managed to finagle an extra ticket from Ted (who incidentally replaced me with Ricki Lake as his date. Long story, but she's skinny and pretty now in case you were wondering). Day started at Shutters at 10 am, then the red carpet is in front of the beach in Santa Monica. It's really cool. The great thing was that I had a VIP bracelet, so I got to hang in the back where they had all kinds of food and drinks (including microwave popcorn that you were supposed to eat with chopsticks. See above). The awards ceremony started at 2 and Rainn Wilson was a v. funny host. All in all it was a great show and I was really really happy that I got to go. I mean, last year I watched it on TV for heaven's sake.

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Attached are some pics of Juno winning best picture. In-person star sightings: Cate Blanchett, Maria Bello, Martin Short, Molly Simms, Sienna Miller (in the bathroom), Ron Jeremy (at the afterparty). There were tons of people there, but I somehow missed seeing most of them in person, including Brangelina. Rats! Actual movie stars that spoke to me: 0. Although Ricki Lake did give us a ride to the after-party and Jeff Garlin agreed to do a performance for Laura at the Chicago History Museum this summer.
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Then went to the afterparty at Shutters...really fun...Then met Hollie, Hally, JD and other friends at the Viceroy until about 2 am. Night ended with us running through a monsoon to the car and me dropping pizza all over the floor. And then spilling coffee all over Hally's car the next morning. Also - Hollie and Hally determined that I am bad at flirting with boys. Hally managed to meet 2 Chris's (one American and one British!)that night. I managed to accidentally give my phone number to a 40-year-old life coach with hoop earrings. They promise to teach me in time for our birthday party this Friday...

Passing Strange

If you're in New York, I'd highly recommend the new musical Passing Strange. It's the latest Sundance Theatre project to show on Broadway and it's really original with a great story and music. Also, I saw Diana Ross at one of the press previews. Her hair is HUGE. (Spring Awakening is the other show that's still on Broadyway. It won the Tony for Best Musical last year and has been - as they say - a "smash")

Here's the Deal with the Bike

Ok, so full disclosure on the new bike. My first attempt at buying a bike was a disaster (see the Street Machine in the bottom picture). I was trying to save money and buy a bike off Craig's List, so I found a purple cruiser online in Long Beach for $50. I was driving down to San Diego to see Ry and Jess anyway, so I figured it was on the way. Note: it was not really on the way. I had been emailing with a woman selling her bike, but when I arrived in her sketchy neighborhood, it was actually a man selling a child's dirtbike. At this point, a normal person would have said "Thanks, but this isn't what I was looking for. Thanks anyway." I am immediately afraid of getting murdered by this strange man, so I sit on the bike ("it fits you perfectly!" he says). I hear dogs barking (loudly) from inside his house and am sure I'll get mauled by pitbulls if I don't buy the bike. Then his neighbor drives up in a black El Camino (seriously) and I am now positive I'm going to get murdered. I decide the bike is probably fine and just throw $50 at him and speed away. I arrive in San Diego and Ryan is like "why did you buy a child's dirt bike?" Crap!! I am now puzzled as to why I can't just be a normal person and not buy a crazy street machine from a weird guy in Long Beach with two pit bulls and an El Camino next door. I digress...I actually try out the street machine along the beach in San Diego while Ry and Jess are surfing. It is a disaster. I definately bought a child's bike. Double crap!

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My birthday rolls around the next week and I decide to just buy the bike I wanted in the first place and am now the proud owner of a pink beach cruiser with a pretty pink basket. Pink and red beach cruisers were on sale at Chubby's as part of a Valentine's Day Sale so the bike was only $115 (it was the cheapest one in the store and has the peddle brakes, but I loved it). It's cute, right? I've ridden it from Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach a couple of times, which has been wonderful. Lesson learned.

Age of Aquarius

Here is some photographic evidence of a very fun night out with some co-workers. Friday a bunch of us went out for Corey's birthday (the tall blond with glasses. Yay Aquarians!). There were a lot of things that I loved about that night. 1) Trying new restaurants. We went to this authentic Japenese Ramen place. The food was both weird and really good. Randomly, they were also filming a movie in front of the restaurant, so we had to act normal and "not look into the camera" and "not talk too loudly"while waiting for a table outside. 2) Trying out new parts of town. Corey's girlfriend, Joy, lives in a great loft downtown. It's a rehabbed old bank with great moldings, marble floors and woodwork. 3) Playing games! It was boys against girls and Jennifer, Lisa, Joy and I KILLED the boys in a game of Celebrity. It's sort of like charades, but about celebrities. Ended the evening with a game of Catchphrase where everyone came out a winner. 4) Hanging out with cool people. Got to hang out with some fun people from work that I usually only see inside the office.

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On another note, watch for Joy on Grey's Anatomy. She plays one of the new interns along with Meredith's sister. Just another reason to be glad the writer's strike is over. Now Joy can go back to work and I can know someone on a hit TV show. Unfortunately, Dave's show "Notes from the Underbelly" was cancelled. Bummer. But he and the other David have been hard at work on some of their own stuff. Watch a YouTube video that they made about Valentine's Day (note the cameo of my first roomate Silvana as the object of Dave's affections) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFKnt60LttE

Happy Work Birthday Party

Ooh - yay! It was finally my turn for the office birthday party. Very Seinfeld-esqe as you can tell from the enthusiastic co-workers (pictured above). However - I was extremly happy to be the first-ever person to get CUPCAKES for the office birthday party. Usually, it's an ice cream cake with the weird frosting. Victory! This was also the day that I took a two-hour lunch to go buy myself a beach cruiser for my birthday at Chubby's Beach Cruisers. It's fantastic (pink with a pink basket). I rode from Santa Monica Beach to Venice Beach on Saturday afternoon - it was wonderful, although suddenly my knees now feel 31. Yikes - when did that happen?

Super Bowl Sunday

I stayed in San Diego for part of Jessica's Superbowl Party (see photos). She lives right off the beach in a cool Melrose Place-type apartment complex with a pool and hot tub. I brought a bunch of Alberton's cupcakes with Superbowl Ring adornments. The cupcakes were kind of gross (icing colors not found in nature) but the rings were a big hit! Go Giants! Not that I'm so into football, but I felt really bad for Bridget Moynahan when Tom Brady left her for a supermodel...so there you go...

Thar She Blows!

Ry and I went whale watching in San Diego on Saturday, which was awesome. We saw probably six gray whales and lots of sea lions and white-sided Pacific dolphins. We saw a few flukes (I saw one; Ry saw three) and lots of spouts. Ry and Jess are going to go back in April when the mothers and calves start migrating up North. We also saw the Stars and Stripes World Cup Sailboat, some fighter jets, a submarine and some of the locations from the movie TOP GUN. I was hoping to see some Navy SEALS doing training, too, but no luck. Highly recommend the whale watching tours...